Crossover Together ~クロスオーバ 一緒に~by EquestrianKirinChaptersS01Ep2: Newcomer ~新人~S01Ep3: Blair Witch ~ブレア魔女~S01Ep4: Collaboration ~コラボレーション~S01Ep5: Midterms ~中間期~S01Ep6: Class's In Session ~クラスでのセッション~S01Ep7: Senses ~感覚~S01Ep8: E for "What again"? ~Eの"もう何"？~S01Ep9: Witchcraft ~魔術~S01Ep10: To the Victor... ~ビクターに...~S02Ep1: Start of the Trail ~トレイルの始まり~S02Ep4: Instigation ~司法~S02Ep5: Tour Guide ~ツアーガイド~S02Ep6: Hidden Figures ~隠された人物~S02Ep7: The Royal Ball ~ロイヤルボール~S02Ep9: To Be a Phantomhive ~ファントムハイヴになるために~S02Ep10: Cleaning the Slate ~スレートの清掃~S03Ep1: Land of Fullmetal ~土地のフルメタル~S03Ep2: Elric Brothers ~エルリックブラザーズ~S03Ep3: Reporting for Duty ~免責のための報告~S03Ep4: The Bigger They Are... ~もっと大きい彼らは...~S03Ep5: Pluton ~冥王星~S03Ep6: A New Leaf ~新しいリーフ~S03Ep7: Freshman ~新入生~S03Ep8: The Far East ~極東~S03Ep9: The Student and his Master ~学生とマスター~S03Ep10: The Yin and the Yang ~陰と陽~S04Ep1: Welcome Back ~お帰りなさい~S04Ep2: It's Time for a Lesson ~それはレッスンの時間です~S04Ep3: With Friends Like These ... ~これらのような友達と...~S04Ep4: Field Day ~運動会の日~S04Ep5: Fuhrer's Rise ~フーラーの上昇~S04Ep6: Powering the System ~システムの電源投入~S04Ep7: Broken Chains ~壊れた鎖~S04Ep8: Meeting of the Minds ~心の会~S04Ep9: Inner Demons ~内悪魔~S05Ep1: Sum of My Parts ~マイパーツの合計~S05Ep2: Djinn ~ディン~S05Ep3: Behind the Mask ~マスクの裏側~S05Ep4: Return to Central ~中央に戻る~S05Ep5: Your Way and Mine ~あなたの道と鉱山~S05Ep6: Fear the Tanuki ~タヌキを恐れる~S05Ep7: Campania ~カンパニア~S05Ep8: Castaway ~キャスト・アウェイ~S05Ep9: Dueler of Transmutation ~変容の闘い~S05Ep10: Requiem ~レクイエム~S06Ep1: Welcome to Hell ~地獄へようこそ~S06Ep2: Heart of the Fanalis ~ファナリスの心~S06Ep3: Monster's Maw ~モンスターのモウ~S06Ep4: Haven't you Heard? ~聞いたことない?~S06Ep6: Sword's Single Light ~ソードのシングルライト~S06Ep7: Where the Dead Go To Die ~デッド・トゥ・ザ・ダイ~S06Ep8: A Bad Omen ~悪い予兆~S06Ep9: Make Me Fly Again ~私をもう一度飛ばす~S06Ep10: Deal's a Deal ~ディールはディールです~ (PT1)S06Ep11: Deal's a Deal ~ディールはディールです~ (PT2)S01Ep1: Nagisa's First Day ~渚の初日~S02Ep2: Welcome to England ~ようこそイギリスへ~S02Ep3: Be My Guest ~私のゲストになる~S02Ep8: What They Don't Know ... ~彼らは知らないもの...~S04Ep10: New Year Bloom ~新年の花~S06Ep5: She's Always Watching ... ~彼女はいつも見ている...~S01Ep2: Newcomer ~新人~Nagisa had quite the first day. He had yet to stay more than a week at school, and yet the teen had already undergone a bit of weird occurrences: getting an odd blade and meeting Aladdin as the prime targets. He kept the blade at home, and lucky for him it didn't end up teleporting to him during school, nor did it crash through a window just to get to him. Nagisa still had his thoughts on why he had a blade like this with his literal name on it. He had never held any sort of weapon before that one came along, and he had NO source for this item to return it to. Basically, the rubber blade was a random present with no gift receipt. Even if he went and got something like it, it wouldn't be made of rubber and useless for combat against any assailant. He may not had much issue with the blade itself, Aladdin was another matter. Aladdin had not left Nagisa's home at all since he first popped up in his kitchen, and it was starting to trouble him. He never had a roommate before, and he never met anyone like Aladdin before. Even with these claims Aladdin kept making about these Magi and whatnot, Nagisa had yet to see him actually do anything that would consider magical, so Nagisa had a lot of doubt on these claims. He honestly thought Aladdin was just some weird kid who stumbled into his life one day, acting like he was some literal genie. Until he could actually find a real clue on this, Nagisa just kept it as that. When it came to the others at school, Nagisa didn't remotely bring it up to anybody at school. Who would believe him? Even his close friends would think he was nuts himself, either for the concept on who this Aladdin was, or the fact Nagisa was keeping this stranger in his house in the first place. Nagisa Shiota would need to find out what family Aladdin belonged to, and soon. When the school day was done, Nagisa got his homework together, and was soon back at home. Upon arriving at home, Nagisa found Aladdin passed out on the couch, sleeping the day away. Nagisa had his work ready, but he might as well wake Aladdin up. "K, I'm back," Nagisa said, though Aladdin didn't really wake up yet. Nagisa's main place to do his homework was the living room, but he can't do that with Aladdin laying there. "Hey, Aladdin?" Nagisa said. Aladdin didn't seem to really wake up. In fact, seeing how Aladdin was stretched out, his ponytail down to the floor, arms and legs sprawled out on the couch, he looked deep in sleep. Aladdin did start to move his hand around lazily, as if reaching for something. Nagisa wasn't standing very far away, and suddenly, Aladdin's hand was suddenly pressed on Nagisa's chest ... "... huh. Flat," Aladdin said in his sleep, his hand clenching as if trying to squeeze something. Nagisa felt more awkward here over when he first met Aladdin. Now he knows the kid was a pervert. Nagisa simply poked Aladdin in the head to wake him up, the Magi waking up right away just to see his hand on a boy's chest. "Can you let go?" "OH, oops," Aladdin said, quickly removing his hand from his roomie's chest, and he moved aside as Nagisa had a seat. "Back for the day?" Aladdin asked. "Yeah, I am. How'd you do?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin sighed, and laid his back on Nagisa's side, as the student was starting to work out some of the problems down on his work sheet. Nagisa had insisted that he'd not follow him to school, to keep out of trouble. However, Aladdin had nothing to really do for the last four days that he did this. "Why can't I come with you to this Orora High place of yours? It sounds like fun," Aladdin stated. At this point, anything sound better than lazily hanging around here. "I told you, because you're not a student there. Besides, you wouldn't like it," Nagisa replied, not looking at him and working on the answers. "Why not? What's wrong with it? Is it a bad place?" "Depends how you look at it. It's probably better if you just stay around here until I find out where your family is, ok?" "I've been staying around here for four days straight, and my only family is the fleet up in heaven right now." "Yeah. Sure," Nagisa sighed. Aladdin had gone on about this "fleet" for a while now, but Nagisa never really believed in what that was about - not much proof of it. Aladdin laid his head back in boredom. "Can't I just do one day? Just to try it? Maybe I will like it," Aladdin insisted. Nagisa, getting distracted by this, soon got up again. Aladdin fell back on the couch, banging his head on the arm, as Nagisa turned to him. "Aladdin, look. You shouldn't have to worry about this. Just wait it out, I'll find your "fleet", and you'll go right back home from there, I promise," Nagisa said. Aladdin sat upright, and watched Nagisa take his homework and go off to his room. Guess one of the two blue kids would rather get his own work done. For Aladdin, it was getting rather redundant, and honestly, he was getting tired of it. He could tell from Nagisa's choice of words that he wasn't exactly believing in him on what he was saying - it took this long for him to figure it out - and Aladdin's mind wandered a bit, crossing his arms and laying back down on the couch. "Why can't I go to Orora High? It doesn't sound like a bad place. Maybe Nagisa just doesn't want me to suffer the trouble ... no, that's not fair on him," Aladdin concluded. The Magi looked over to where Nagisa walked off to, thinking on what kind of place Orora high might be. "So that's it then. Tomorrow, I'm going right over to Orora High. No matter what." ~~ The next morning was a bit of a odd one for Nagisa. It wasn't exactly the routine, which went on as it had been over the last couple of days. He went on to freshen up, dress up, and prepare for the day with his bento box, but there was one thing that seemed to present itself: Aladdin was missing. He didn't see or hear Aladdin anywhere within his own apartment, but the small blade was still evident, still laying down on the table from yesterday. "Where'd he go? Aladdin?" Nagisa said, and waited for a response. He waited for a minute or two for any response, but it seemed that Aladdin just wasn't around. Nagisa had no indication for him leaving, but then again he got no indication for him coming over either. Nagisa got his bento, and his homework into his school bag, all ready to go. As he went to the door though, Nagisa turned back one more time and waited for Aladdin to show up somewhere, just to tell the boy that he was around, but no such thing happened. Eventually, Nagisa stepped out, and began going off on his way. "Looks like Aladdin went back home after all," Nagisa concluded. ~~ Eventually, Nagisa went on over to the school with little trouble. It was still a bit early in the day, so students were still going along their way into the building. Nagisa could guarantee himself that he wasn't gonna be late, at least. Plenty of students were going along their own walk, and Nagisa soon spotted a familiar pair of faces amongst the crowd: Karma and Twilight talking to eachother! Nagisa was not ready for this, and by the look on Twilight's uncomfortable face, Karma had been pulling his hellish charisma on her for a while before he showed up. It didn't take long til Karma noticed Nagisa either, and he raised his hand to flag him down. "HEY, Nagisa! About time you showed up," Karma said, as Nagisa sheepishly went up to them both. "Hi Karma, Yugure ... See you met before I showed up," Nagisa noted. He could only wonder what the hell Karma was talking to Twilight about. "We had plenty of time on our hands before the bell," Karma said. "So, he's a new friend of yours, Nagisa?" Twilight asked, walking over to Nagisa rather than be over by Karma. "Eh yeah. We knew eachother since freshmen year, actually," Nagisa said, but Karma suddenly ended up ruffling Nagisa's blue hair, messing it up just a little bit. "Yep that's right. And Nagisa here told me you two were close several years ago, weren't ya?" Karma then said. Twilight smiled a little awkwardly, but still nodded. "Eh, yeah," Twilight simply said. Karma smiled in a cheeky manor. "Oh you two are just cute together aren't you? So, you two planning to do what together?" "We're not THAT kind of friends," Twilight and Nagisa quickly insisted, just resulting in Karma to laugh at their denial. An awkward moment, yes. Before it could go any further, the time quickly presented itself as more students began to head inside. "Alright you two, catch you later," Karma said. And with that, he went right on inside. Twilight and Nagisa basically did the same, and soon, the front yard was empty of students ... well, almost every student. Appearing just at the front door, one student was a little bit late for his arrival. He had been hiding off, observing, and after the other students had left and entered the building, only then did he go out and started heading on in himself. Aladdin! Of course, Aladdin did look a little bit different from before. Rather than his usual Arabian wardrobe, he took the time last night to work out his own outfit for school. Namely, borrowing Nagisa's own spare. The outfit was mainly the same, albeit a little long at the sleeves and legs, but Aladdin tucked in both leg and arm sleeves to get a better fit. His hair was still braided back, but his Turpin wasn't on his head this time, nor was his gold flute around his neck. The only thing that he had to keep on him was the head gemstone, but it was a minuet detail which he can easily get away with if he had to. "Ok, here it goes," Aladdin told himself, prepared and ready to go. Aladdin's first day of Orora High School just got started. ~~ "Where is everyone?" It hadn't been an hour, and already Aladdin was having trouble. More or less, he just couldn't find anyone outside the classrooms. He looked down many a hallway in a casual walk, but he just couldn't find anyone anywhere. He didn't understand yet on where kids were supposed to go, but he knew that they had to be somewhere in this place. "UGH, if I'd known it was gonna be as lonely here as before," Aladdin sighed. Aladdin kept wandering around, not really sure where he was going. He had been just wandering around the school for quite a while now, and the only main clue he had was the occasional signs that pop up above classroom doors. He knew if he'd been by the same class by passing a similarly labeled sign, be it a D class, or C class. At this point, Aladdin was wandering around the halls of the B class students, when the bell finally rang. Aladdin jumped on hearing that bell, apparently coming from nowhere, but he did end up hearing, and eventually seeing, students go out of class and into the halls. FINALLY some students to talk to! These kids though didn't lay him no mind at first, and frankly all of them were taller than him in some way. That fact didn't bug him though as it would to probably Nagisa, so Aladdin went around to see if he'll have any luck. "Morning everyone," said Aladdin, waving a arm to greet hello. However, not many of the students were really listening to him, and Aladdin brought his arm down. So instead, he decided to walk in and try his luck from there. Again though, many of these students didn't pay him no mind. Well, even if they weren't so talkative to him, least he can say he wasn't sitting alone. "Doesn't look like anyone wants to talk. Is this what Nagisa deals with every day?" Aladdin thought in wonder. If this was true, then it would explain why Nagisa would be so withdrawn. As he continued going on though, Aladdin did notice that some students were looking his way, but mainly because he seemed slightly outta place. A kid his height with a gem on his forehead, and that long of hair, would stand out amongst this crowd. As he kept on going, trying to spark a conversation, one student did finally end up being in his way, making Aladdin stop. This class B student, as expected, was a bit taller than him. She wore the usual outfit for the school's dress code, which was a grey school shirt with a grey skirt rather than pants like the boys do, though she had her grey overcoat un-bottoned to show her white undershirt. This girl was, for a lack of a better word, gorgeous! Her hair was pink, curled in several places, and had lovely blue eyes perfect for a fem fatale. For Aladdin though, his eyes were quick to catch the girl's impressive, e-cup boobs, which the white shirt showed off lovingly. "Oh, hello," Aladdin said. Rather than a hello, she looked him over, hands on her hips. "You new here?" She questioned. "Wow, how'd you know?" Aladdin gasped. "Because you're a shrimp that doesn't know what he's doing. Do you know where you are?" She asked. Aladdin wasn't sure on the question itself, or knew what she meant. He was in the right building, wasn't he? "Eh ... Orora High?" The girl groaned. "Damn, you must be a new E kid," She figured, going right up to him. Aladdin quickly noted the bounce her boobs made with each step, so he wasn't exactly listening to her ... "This is class B territory. Why don't you go back to the End class where you belong?" The girl mocked. However, Aladdin was set on bigger things. A set of bigger things ... "AH!" The other students in the hall stopped for a brief moment, and were left blindsided and flabbergasted by what happened next. Suddenly, and almost outta nowhere, Aladdin had his head and hands getting their feel of the girl's boobs! Aladdin had his face right in her cleavage, both hands freely fondling and squeezing her boobs like it's nobody's business. "You have nice boobs. I love big boobs," Aladdin said in glee, his voice kinda muffled since it was in her boobs. Everyone around her couldn't believe what Aladdin was doing, and as for the girl in question ... *SLAP* next thing he knew, Aladdin was tumbling on the floor, in a daze, with a steaming hot red hand print now on his face. By the time Aladdin did come to his feet, he saw just how ticked off this girl was: fire in her eyes and everything. "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, PERVERT!" She bellowed. Since he valued his life, Aladdin took off running as fast as he could. Not a good showing. ~~ The hours came and went for Orora High, and Nagisa was still unaware on who else had ended up in the school. Since Aladdin's little groping earlier, he had to play a little hiding game, which would explain why Nagisa and his friends hadn't seen Aladdin just yet. While they didn't see him, they did catch rumor of a sexual attack on a Class B student. Kinda hard not to hear about. As lunch time came, things were going on as it would normally do for the students involved, though news of what happened spread like wildfire. Nagisa and Twilight were sitting next to eachother, eating their own food, and overhearing the conversations. Karma and Pinkie hanged around them too, though it was their own convenience. "Sure has been a lot of talk today," Twilight noted. "No kidding. Then again, it was involving a higher class student, so it was bound to go around fast," Nagisa figured. Twilight took a bite out of her own bento before continuing. "What is it exactly about anyway?" Twilight asked. "Apparently some kid had the guts to feel up VP Emi Isuzu's breasts. Bet he got quite a good groping outta her," Karma informed, with his signature cheeky grin, and his hands clenched as if squeezing boobs himself. That detail was one thing Nagisa and Twilight didn't catch beforehand. "That's who got groped? I hope that kid's got his story ready for the principal," Nagisa said. Any kid messing with the higher class like that would end up in trouble with the principal, whatever the issue. As they were talking about it, one kid found them, and went right over to them, actually hoping up into the seat next to Nagisa. At first he thought it was Pinkie Pie and her games, but ... "Hi, Nagisa, how's your day?" "It's ok, thank - What are you doing here?!" Aladdin. The happy kid was now sitting right next to Nagisa, the blue kid getting pretty startled on seeing him. Aladdin, who had a apple with him to snack on, took a bite of it before continuing. "I wanted to see what your school's like," Aladdin said casually. "OH! Hello buddy! I'm Pinkie Pie! This is Yugure, Nagisa, and Karma! who're you?" Pinkie suddenly asked, leaning over the table with her own big smile. Aladdin's eyes saw Pinkie's boobs too. Though they weren't as big as Emi's were, they still were big and a bit bouncy. Unlike before, he got what Pinkie said easier. "Aladdin. Funny name, Pinkie. You didn't tell me you had these kind of friends, Nagisa," Aladdin said. And there, Nagisa got caught. Pinkie, Karma, and Twilight looked right to Nagisa for some explanation, the kid feeling embarrassed that his little situation had to be revealed this way. "You know him, Nagisa?" Twilight asked. Nagisa just sighed. "Yeah. He just showed up at my home one day, and kinda stuck around since. He Said he just "poofed" up at my place," Nagisa admitted. What else could he exactly say? Meanwhile, Aladdin tried to get his hands on Pinkie's own set of breasts, and his hands were actually getting very close until ... "Just poofed up at your place? What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "I don't know, that's what he said. He's hard to figure out," Nagisa stated. Pinkie straightened up fast, her boobs bouncing to Aladdin's delight, but making him fall forward onto the table, missing his grab. "OH! OH! Can I try guessing? Please, please, please?!" Pinkie asked, excitedly. "Alright, knock yourself out," Karma allowed. Pinkie cleared her throat, and ... "Aladdin's-a-member-of-one-of-the-heaven-fleets-and-he-came-down-to-Earth-because-you-found-a-blessed-weapon-so-he-is-sent-down-to-help-you-fight-off-demons-that-are-doing-mean-things-to-the-world-AND-give-you-some-know-how-on-how-demons-work!" Pinkie finished her little theory with a smile of her face, though Twilight and Nagisa were left wide-eyed and mouths open. Karma was a little confused on it, and as for Aladdin ... "WOW, I've been telling him that all week! And you said no one would believe me, Nagisa! ... Nagisa?" Nagisa didn't have a single clue how Pinkie managed to guess THAT kind of story right off the bat like that, but Pinkie seemed to be an odd one anyway. Karma snapped his fingers in front of his and Twilight's face to snap them outta it, and get them back to reality. Nagisa shook his head, but instead of answering Aladdin, he looked right to Pinkie Pie. "How the hell'd you guess THAT?" "Just a hunch," Pinkie simply said with a big grin. "All that was a hunch?!" Nagisa thought. He quickly corrected himself though, and turned to Aladdin as Karma was talking. "One hell of a hunch, Pinks. So, Aladdin, you got some connection with heaven?" Karma asked casually. "That's what I've been telling him!" "Quite a stretch. How about some proof for me and my friends here? I'm sure my pals would like to see some fancy tricks," Karma suggested, ruffling Nagisa's hair again. Nagisa fixed it quick, though a demonstration did sound like a good idea. Aladdin needed proof to give his own ideas something to stand on, and with days of no magic and all talk, Nagisa would need some evidence on that. Aladdin was up to the task. "Oh sure! But I dunno around here." "Don't worry. I know just the place." ~~ And that place in question was a bit away too. When school was done for the day, Karma lead Pinkie, Twilight, and Nagisa, off down a nature trail just behind the main building. Being a nature trail meant that some walking had to be done to get there, though it wasn't anything new. Nagisa knew damn well where they were going, though Pinkie and Twilight were a little unsure. Pinkie Pie though was very excited, all the same. The trail itself was well traveled on, and the forest and trees gave the trail a nice scenic view, which included a number of birds singing in the trees, including Pidgy, Starly, and Pidove. "So where's Aladdin?" Twilight asked. "He said he'll meet us there. He wanted to get geared up first," Karma replied. He and Aladdin had a quick chat before they left, and Karma agreed to let him get himself ready. During their walk (which took about a mile along the trail), they soon begin to spot another building coming up. Since it was later on in the day, student and staff weren't around, so they had the place to themselves. As for the place, it was a decent-sized, old school building. It was a lot smaller than Orora High's school building, and not as advanced as well, with a HUGE open yard used for gym exercise. The roof of the building looked boarded up, with several holes here and there, and the building itself was made up of mainly wood. For Nagisa and Karma, this building was a unmistakable one, if not rather rundown. The sign up on the door said it all: Class E. Yes, this is where the End class students go. And judging by the looks of it, it wasn't getting and plans of renovation anytime soon. Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma went around the Class E building, heading over to the main yard. Looking around though, they didn't see any sign anyone else was around the place. Out in the yard, the only thing out was about three stray Starly birds pecking for some insects, but that was about it. They kept looking for him somewhere, but Aladdin didn't seem to be anywhere ... "Where is he?" Nagisa wondered. "Hey guys! You made it!" The group turned and there was Aladdin, sitting on the roof of the E building, looking down at them with a smile on his face. Aladdin had changed out of his school attire, and was back in his old Arabian outfit, which he liked a lot better. Pinkie, Twilight, and Nagisa weren't sure how he got up there, and since he will be demonstrating, weren't sure what he had planned either. "Aladdin?" Pinkie wondered, very curious. "Ok, kid, what do ya got?" Karma asked in a smirk, waiting for something to happen. Aladdin got up to his feet, standing right at the edge of the rooftop. "Watch this," Aladdin said. With confidence on his face, she turned himself around so his back was to the edge. Suddenly, the Magi began to lean back, and he started to fall! Freaked, Pinkie rushed right under Aladdin, where he would land in order to catch him. She brought her arms up to grab ... Nothing? "TA DA!" Aladdin was floating! The reactions from the others said it all. Nagisa was simply wide-eyed and in complete shock, Twilight looked amazed with her hands covering her mouth, Pinkie stared straight up with starry eyes and a loud gasp escaping her open mouth, and even Karma looked very impressed. Aladdin was suspended in mid air, only his hair hanging down like a coil of blue rope. From his position, it looked like he was sleeping on an invisible bed. Aladdin stayed like that, even pushing away from the building with a tap of his feet just to make sure the group weren't mistaking it for some illusion act. After that, the Magi raised his right leg, and swung it down to spin himself upright. Aladdin looked down to the shocked crowd, hands on his hips, and a cocky grin. "NOW do you believe me?" Aladdin asked, though they didn't need to say anything to give him his answer. There was no possible way he was being suspended there by any usual means at this point. No rope, no jet pack, no nothing! This was pure magic keeping Aladdin up in the air. After a bit, Aladdin floated down to the ground, landing on his own two feet, light as a feather. "WHOA, HOW'D YOU DO THAT?!" Pinkie gasped. "Being a Magi, I have some enchanted items to use. My Turban gives me the ability to float around when I want to," Aladdin explained, showing it to Pinkie. Pinkie was simply amazed. "What else can you do?!" Pinkie asked, excitedly. Aladdin took a moment to think on what to do next, and soon he then showed another item he had with him - one that Nagisa hadn't seen before. It appeared to be some sort of staff, completely wooden and made into a sort of triangular shape at the staff's head, giving the appearance of a small bird opening its wings. Aladdin gripped it in both hands, and focused hard and strong. The others waited for a little bit, waiting to see what Aladdin was going to do for his next act. After some concentration, Aladdin spread his arms out, and suddenly he ended up having a sort of forcefield around himself, a yellow aura left in its wake. "OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!" Pinkie beamed, clapping her hands, and jumping in place like a little school girl. Karma walked up to the forcefield in question, leaning against it casually as Twilight felt the force field herself, amazed as ever. "This is incredible! It - It has to be magic," Twilight gasped. "So you can make force fields too, Aladdin? Not bad, but how about some strong magic? A hyper beam, or thunderbolt maybe?" Karma asked with a smirk. Aladdin though crossed his arms. "This is a strong magic: only true Magi can do this," Aladdin insisted. Karma took a little walk around the force field, seeing how it covered Aladdin's entire body, and how perfectly spherical it was. As he was, over nearby, Nagisa was left simply lost on words, sitting over by the door. He really had been very quiet since Aladdin first started to float around in the air. His mind was wrapped up in what was going on, too much to pay attention. "Oh my god. He really is magical. ... If he's right about that, then ... what else is he right about? ..." "Hey, Earth to Nagisa, still with us?" Pinkie suddenly asked, right in his face too. Nagisa snapped right back to reality. "Oh, uh yeah, I'm fine," Nagisa assured, getting up to his feet. Aladdin removed his force field at this point, and it didn't take long before Nagisa decided what to do next, going right up to him. After seeing Aladdin not only fly around, but summon a magical force field, Nagisa now no longer had any doubts about Aladdin's claims. "Hey, Aladdin?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin stopped what he was doing and looked over to him, seeing that Nagisa now was looking a bit more serious this time. "You and I had been around for a while, and the whole time you kept saying you were apart of some "fleet", right?" Nagisa began. Pinkie, Twilight, Karma weren't sure where that came from, but they didn't exactly stop him. Even if they did, Aladdin didn't give them the chance to, answering them with casual ease. "That's right." "And you also said you're supposed to protect this world from evils, right?" "Me and the other angels." "What're you getting at? Not everyone here knows what the hell's going on," Karma asked. "Aladdin has been telling me this stuff since he showed up," Nagisa simply said, before addressing Aladdin again. "Can you explain what's going on?" Aladdin, oddly enough, was a little quiet at first, before answering him. "Really? I can't just say it to anyone!" Insisted Aladdin. "Aladdin, you just showed off your magic to three kids you just met today, and you told Nagisa already," Twilight pointed out. Aladdin opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out in response. He had showed off his flying AND his Magi-only force field to three strangers just outta convenience ... "... Oh yeah. OK, but can you all promise to not tell anybody else please?" Aladdin asked, a bit more serious in tone, hoping they would agree. "Sure, Aladdin," Twilight started. "K. I'm good at secrets," Karma added. As for Pinkie, her promise was a little elaborate: she zipped her lips, locked them, dropped her imaginary key, and did some other odd stuff with her hands before stopping. "... Sooooo, are you keeping the promise, or no?" Aladdin asked. "Of course! That why I zipped my lips, locked them with a key, threw the key, buried the key in a hole, and build a house on top of the hole!" Pinkie explained. The others were still confused, but Aladdin took it anyway. The Magi turned to the group now, and started to explain. "Listen. As a Magi, me and the other Angels of the fleets are supposed to protect the world from whatever evils that appear. It's usually something Angels do hidden away from regular humans so they won't get hurt." "Evils, you say?" Karma asked. "Demons, monsters, witches, that sort of thing. They keep showing up, and it's our job to stop them," Aladdin explained. Demons? Devils? THAT'S what Aladdin was talking about?! It was then that clever Karma started to put the pieces together. "And Nagisa has something to do with this?" Karma asked, pointing to Nagisa in question. "Right. He actually has a blessed halo blade, before I appeared with him." Having a weapon like that in his possession was a detail Nagisa didn't want just shot out, but what can he do now? The others didn't seem too bugged by it, and Karma was first to give his two cents about that. "Damn, you lucky son of a bitch," commented Karma. Nagisa though was a bit more troubled. "Uh, Aladdin? Does this mean that ... we'll end up coming across these demons?" Nagisa asked, worried. Aladdin thought a tiny bit, but shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Humans and demons don't bother eachother directly often. Besides, you got me," Aladdin assured Nagisa, the student giving a sigh of relief. Demons and Angels had been at eachother for a while, as far as Aladdin knew, and rarely did any demon dare to directly confront any human, so chances were very slim. As long as that was settled, then it couldn't be too bad ... Right? ~~ When Aladdin was finished showing off his abilities, the group then parted and went on home from there. While it was nice to have company on the way home, Nagisa eventually was stuck alone at one point during his walk, not too long after they past the main Orora High building. It was something Nagisa was used to though, so it wasn't much of a bother. What was slightly a bother was how late it got. Walking a mile and back from the E building took a bit of time to do, and was late in the afternoon by the time he split off from his friends. He felt a sense of Deja Vu during this: walking alone at the same spot, no one else apparently around either. Nagisa himself was a little to preoccupied to really notice that, thinking about what Aladdin told him earlier. His mind continued to go through various questions: what kind of demons was Aladdin talking about? how dangerous were these demons? How many demons and angels were there in the world, and how long had this been going on? These sorts of things kept going through his head and Nagisa continued his quiet walk down the street, not seeing anyone around. "It looks like Aladdin wasn't making things up after all. Least I can say I won't have to worry about me or my friends meeting any demons ... at least, I hope not ..." Soon, Nagisa reached a rather familiar crossroads and traffic light: same spot where the blade found him already days before. Unlike before, the light was already green, so after a quick check of the road, he started to walk across. It seemed alright, and nothing out of the ordinary at first. The second Nagisa stepped onto the next curb, Nagisa was ready to keep going, but he ended up stopping himself. He felt a cold chill on the back of his neck, and it soon begun to overcome him. It wasn't a ordinary chill one would feel on a cold day either. In fact, the day was pretty warm actually, so where was this feeling coming from? "Wait ... What's this? ... Something's not right ..." Why was he thinking that, he wasn't sure, but Nagisa started to look around a bit anyway. He didn't continue forward to home, and his eyes kept going around, trying to find the source of this strange unseen trouble. Nagisa began to wander away from the usual path, taking a right, away from the main road back home. It wasn't a route he would normally take, but the more he kept walking, the stronger this feeling was getting. Something was causing this, and for some reason, he needed to figure out what. Nagisa stopped again when he stepped into view of one of the city's many alleys. Looking down the alley, Nagisa saw nothing but concrete and walls, and at the very end, it splits away as apart of another alley. It didn't seem out of place on the surface, with a few garbage cans by the back doors. It's what was at the second alleyway that caught Nagisa's eyes. Down at the end, as Nagisa went to investigate, something was standing at attention in the late noon light. The thing, which appeared to be a statue, stood about eight to nine feet tall from top to bottom. It looked vaguely humanoid in structure, with a human-like face. The statue had no arms or legs, but it did had a red cloth around the neck in terms of clothing. From the shape of the statue, and blank expression on the face, it had the proper look to a traditional Jizo Statue. The statue didn't look very new, and showed deep signs of wear and tear, the stone used on the statue worn away and even having faint hints of green on the rocky overcoat. "A Jizo statue? What's this doing here?" Nagisa wondered, looking it over up and down, and all around. There wasn't any indication that it had been brought in, or any sort of branding. It was as if someone just made the statue in its place and left it there. Nagisa still felt that cold sensation, and now he was at this statue it just grew stronger. "That feeling again. But why? what's going on? It's just a Jizo statue. ... Is it?" Nagisa thought. Nagisa placed his hand on the statue, trying to think. Yet, his hand was placed on the Jizo statue's chest ... *thump**thump**thump**thump* "Beating? ... Wait. Heart beating ... It's alive!" And proved it's true: seconds after Nagisa figured that out, the statue itself suddenly made a loud rumbling. Nagisa stepped back as the statue came to life on him! On each side of its body, the statue creature began to grow a pair of long, humanoid arms, each ending in a dagger mantis claw. The head also extended on a long, rugged neck. It still had no legs, but it still looked menacing whatever the case may be. Well, Nagisa knew what the feeling was, but now what to do? He was in dead sight of this creature, one that he had no clue what was capable of doing. As for the creature itself, it didn't really move or anything, but instead simply stayed put and stared back at Nagisa. Nagisa didn't do very much either aside from staring. It's a standoff. Without a word, Nagisa slowly started to move backwards, step by step, trying not to make any sudden movements. The living Jizo statue stayed rather still itself, the head swaying and turning, as if it was studying the human in front of it, and trying to see what kind of target he was. Nagisa had no weapon, no backup, and no way to defend himself. Each step Nagisa had made was quiet, not a sound being made to be sure. The blue kid had to remain calm until after he was far enough away from it to make a quick getaway. And at first, he thought he might be able to pull it off. just a few more steps ... *clunk* "Damnit." one stray step, which knocked over a small can on the ground, was all it took for the statue to react. The first strike by the beast was a strong lunge forward, using its arms to grip the ground and shoot forward. Nagisa only had seconds to react, and could only duck, and rush forward. Nagisa felt the scythe-like mantis claws tear at his shirt during the lunge, one clean cut down the back, but he dodged it just enough to get a minor scrape. Nagisa took the moment to make a run for it down the other alley, scrambling to get away. However, the Jizo monster surprised Nagisa with its own method of moving: balancing on its wrists, and chasing after Nagisa like they were legs, and moving just as fast as he was. The creature lunged at Nagisa again, but this time there was no dodging it. Nagisa almost made it out of the alleyway when the Jizo creature struck him, the huge claw slamming Nagisa to the wall. That, combine with the brute force of the hit, made Nagisa go limp. The hit wasn't enough to kill him, but Nagisa surely felt like the hit done some horrid damage to him, one way or another. The hit gave Nagisa a deep bruise to his right side, but the Jizo monster was not done with him yet. After a bellow, the giant claw of the beast swung down at him, the human only able to dodge by a few short seconds. The swing was so hard, it dug into the earth like a pickaxe! While one dodge avoid that hit, the second claw was quick to catch Nagisa, the blunt end of the creature's wrist making a brutal blow to Nagisa's face. The hit gave Nagisa a black eye, and flung him a good ten feet down the alley. And, before Nagisa could even shake himself off, the Jizo creature rushed him, and rammed him square on the stomach, knocking the breath out of him! This time, Nagisa wasn't so quick to get up off the ground, his injuries to the point that he was bleeding from the mouth, and his clothes started to turn red from the impact wounds seeping blood as well. Nagisa laid at the wall, coughing and wheezing, as he sensed the Jizo monster closing in on him. The monster didn't jump at him right away, and instead it watched him just laying there, both claws placed down on each side of him, basically pinning him down. Nagisa stared up at the monster, feeling blood seep down his face, and dripping down his chin onto the ground. "Damn. DAMN! ... I can't get out of this alive ..." That was all Nagisa could really think, and by the looks of the situation, that was more than true. After a bit, the creature brought one of its claws around Nagisa's head, and at first Nagisa thought it was going to crush his skull. Rather than do that, the monster lifted him up to his feet, and gave Nagisa a vice-grip on the neck, holding him and crushing. Nagisa struggled against the monster's grip, but the Jizo wasn't going to let him get away. Nagisa's strained eyes locked to those of the creature for a moment, but something flashed through his head then ... "Dear god, I hope this works," Nagisa thought. Soon, Nagisa's body made a suddenly twitch, and soon after that, he grew limp. The creature held him for a while after seeing this happen, slowly moving its head to see what was going on. After checking, it appeared that this monster had its next meal. The Jizo beast released Nagisa, and placed him down onto the ground ... And THAT's when Nagisa charged off! The beast, angry at being tricked, soon began racing after Nagisa again, but this time Nagisa had more time to make distance between him and the beast as he got to the main road. The Jizo beast didn't stop its assault, and went off after him to the street itself. For Nagisa, he really didn't know how to get away from this Jizo monster, looking around and trying to figure something out. "Ok, ok Nagisa think. Think. What do you got to work with?" Nagisa wondered frantically. However, looking around, he seemed to have nothing to really have on hand, or anything to work with. The Jizo beast moved in on Nagisa step by step. Nagisa moved back a bit more himself. He needed to think of something to do, and fast. Then he got it. Nagisa looked down the street, and he began to run again, this time towards the hanging traffic lights where he first was. The Jizo managed to catch up to him, Nagisa stopping at one of the street light posts. The Jizo beast swung its claw at him, just for Nagisa to dodge it. The slice was dangerously deep in the street light, and Nagisa raced out into the road, passing under the lights, and stopping near the otherside of it. The Jizo statue saw him do this, and began to move in on him. "Come on. That's it. Right. There." *snap* Then it happened. The sound of the breaking light post, which was holding the hanging light up, finally got too weak and gave way. The hanging traffic light, no longer having any even support in the air, also fell down hard. Nagisa was safely out of the way, but for the Jizo, both the pole holding the light up, and the hanging traffic light itself fell right down on top of it! Both objects, with the combine weight, collapsed right down onto the creature head and neck, slamming it into the ground! Nagisa could help but cringe upon the impact. Upon impact to the floor, there was a loud, and distinct sound of a crack. Blood pouring out of its head, and onto the street. The arms twitched and stuttered for a few moments, just before they went completely limp, as did the creature. Stone dead. As for Nagisa, hurting, but alive, he made a mad dash straight back home. If this thing was somehow still alive, he didn't want to stay around and find out ... S01Ep3: Blair Witch ~ブレア魔女~"Strange. Where is he?" Twilight wondered. It had been rather long at school the next following day. For Twilight, overall, it was relatively normal, but throughout the day, one thing did seem missing: Nagisa. Throughout each class she had went to, Nagisa was not anywhere in the school. She didn't see him when she first arrived at the door, she didn't see him in any of her classes, not even during lunch time. Being absent in school wasn't anything new for any student, but Twilight was one of the people Aladdin told about the angels and demons that lurked around Earth. With that kind of knowledge, it was rather troubling at the least to find Nagisa missing the day after Aladdin's information. At this point, school was done, and Twilight was just outside, yet Twilight still hadn't caught sight of Nagisa anywhere amongst the leaving crowd, which today was oddly a little quicker than normal, as if they want to find something too. As Twilight kept looking, Karma was soon to be spotted, walking casually out as normal. "Hey, Karma!" Twilight called, going over to him. If anyone would know where Nagisa is, it would be his more recent friend. "Hey, Yugure, what's up?" Karma asked. "I'm fine, but did you see Nagisa at all? Couldn't find him anywhere," Twilight asked. Karma brought his hands to behind his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. Didn't see his blue head anywhere today. Bummer too, I wanted him to go fishing with me," replied Karma. Cionsidering who Karma was for the short time she knew him, she didn't ask him about that. However, Karma's lack of knowledge got Twilight a little more troubled again. "Nothing. Oh dear. Maybe we should check on him," Twilight suggested. Karma glanced her way before he began to walk the other way towards his own home. "I wouldn't worry about it. He's probably just called in sick or something," Karma figured. "Karma, but what about -" Twilight suddenly stopped herself, and leaned in closer to him to whisper. "Those demons?" "What about em? That's for Aladdin to worry about, not us," Karma pointed out. Karma did have a point there. Even with this warning, this was something Aladdin should mainly be wary over, not Nagisa. Regardless of the case, as his friend, Twilight should at least check on him just to be sure. After all, it still was too much of a coincidence for Nagisa to be missing the day after the fact. "Well you do what you want, I'm going to check on him," Twilight decided, starting to go off on her way. Nagisa had told her where he had lived after a few days, so Twilight had got it down pact just enough to get going. Karma himself didn't bug her on about it, and he simply went on his own way home. "You're just too worried about your hubby, aren't you? Don't worry, your love will be happy to see ya," Karma teased, making Twilight fluster. "He's not my boyfriend!" Twilight insisted. Karma simply smirked, and contained walking. "Whatever floats your boat, Princess," Karma commented. Twilight groaned, face red, as she went off on her own way. There was no point in arguing about that now. As Karma and Twilight went their own ways, neither had noticed a set of eyes watching them from afar ... ~~ Twilight kept up her quick walk for a while longer, not bothering to stop herself at any point. She needed to see what was wrong with Nagisa here, and her worried head got to work on her with what could be wrong. It was a natural for Twilight to think, and overthink, which can be either a blessing or a curse. The longer she got these thoughts going, the more of a cold sweat she was stuck with, and quicker she was to get to Nagisa. It was enough to make her shutter even, making her go out into a jog. "Why would Nagisa skip right after we were told this? Oh, if he got into trouble already ..." That made her just go quicker. The violet student had to work on pure memory when it came to the directions. Far as she understood, the direction wasn't much of a problem. She continued on down the road for another five minutes, but as she was, her ears began to catch some sort of commotion going on ahead of her. The crowd was mainly made up of about several students from Orora high, along with twenty others. Some had their phones out, trying to get a good picture of something going on, but from where Twilight was, she couldn't see what it exactly is. Twilight began to pick up the pace, this time to get to the crowd, her curiosity getting the better of her. As she went closer, she saw some other details that made this a rather bigger situation: police tape, and caution blockades. "What's going on?" Twilight wondered as she neared ... Then she saw it. What Twilight stumbled on was a crime scene of otherworldly proportions. In the location, just at the crossing, there was the same Jizo statue - the exact same one that Nagisa had faced yesterday! It had yet to be handled, and much of the body had yet to be moved away. The Jizo beast, which now just looked like a normal Jizo statue, was still laying there with its skull still under the traffic light and pole, dry blood down around the body, and into the street. A set of police cars were at the scene, about five officers trying to get some information about the incident from some of the local shopkeepers who were on the same street, though they didn't had much to go on. Some construction workers were also present, trying to clean up the mess and repair the damages done from Nagisa's fight with the beast. It was quite a surprise, to be sure, but Nagisa himself wasn't seen anywhere here either. Even so, it was enough to stop Twilight cold. Twilight went over to the borderline, but one of the officers went over, and got in her way. "Hold it! No one is to pass here until after the damages had been cleared," said the officer. "What happened?" Twilight asked, which was the first thing that came right to her mind. "Theirs not your concern, mam. If you need to pass through here, there's a detour off that way," the officer instructed, pointing down the road to another turn in the sidewalk. It may be a bit different, but Twilight had to find out about Nagisa, and she was off running. ....... "YOU KILLED IT?!" It took some trial and error, but Twilight did find where Nagisa lived, and she was quick to tell Nagisa the situation. And since this was Twilight Nagisa was talking to, he was clear to tell her about what happened to. For Nagisa himself, the attack did leave its mark on him, him still sporting a black eye and a few bruises, though not as nasty as yesterday. His eye had some bandage and a patch on it, but apart from that, Nagisa appeared to be virtually unscathed. Aladdin figured it out rather quickly himself when Nagisa came back the hour after, but Twilight took the information as a shock, mainly for the well-being of Nagisa himself. "I didn't had much choice, really, it would've killed me if I left it alone. Or it could've gone after someone else," Nagisa said, a hand resting at his side, where his bruise was still evident. Twilight had to gather herself up before she could continue. "But this is an actual demon! The police were there, and other kids and - and ... Oh, I'm just glad you're safe," Twilight said, trying to relax - though hard to do. "I'm glad I'm not crippled after that," Nagisa commented. That's when Aladdin spoke up. "You're very, very lucky, Nagisa. A Jizo is a rather high-ranking demon to meet for the first time," Aladdin said. "Ranking? How high is it?" Twilight asked. Aladdin took a moment to think, scratching his head. Aladdin shrugged after a bit. "Dunno exactly. I did hear that it is a very powerful demon, highly respected in Tartarus," Aladdin explained. Nagisa took this deeper in consideration more than Twilight did. "If I did kill a demon that respected ..." "Don't worry, it's just one. It won't be enough to bring around too much trouble ... maybe you should bring your halo blade around though," Aladdin insisted, giving the halo blade to Nagisa. Aladdin figured it would help him out a bit more if he were to keep that around in case something like this happens again. "Aladdin, I can't bring this to school! You know what they'd do to me?" Nagisa gasped. "... Take it away?" "NO! Well, yes, but worse than that: they'll sent me to Class E on the spot for that." "What's wrong with that?" Aladdin asked, tilting his head. "Class E is "the end" class - the lowest grade you can be in. You saw where Class E was, didn't you? It'll be all over for me and whoever else is there," Nagisa admitted. Not exactly a thing he'd say out loud in public, but many students Class A through D would think of the same thing. Aladdin found it a bit unfair, but he didn't make the rules for Orora high anyway. "That doesn't sound fair at all," Aladdin commented. "It's just the way things are," Nagisa simply said. "Well anyway, you shouldn't have to worry about more demons, Nagisa. If any come your way, just leave it to me," Aladdin assured him. "You sure?" "Sure I'm sure. I'd hate to see this happen to you again," Aladdin admitted. Twilight couldn't help but agree with him. She didn't want Nagisa to get hurt anymore than Aladdin would. As for Nagisa himself, he placed his hand onto his black eye, and smiled to them both. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Hey Yugure, since you're here, wanna study a bit with me?" Nagisa asked. "Oh, sure. I got your homework with me anyway," Twilight said. Aladdin usually was bored when it came to this, so he knew this was gonna be a boring time ... ~~ Hours ticked by, and the day soon turned to night. It was very late, and at this point, much of Tokyo was off and quiet, many people off to sleep for the next day. While Nagisa and Twilight had their night handled fairly well, Karma back at his house had a lot more time on his own hands. While Nagisa had an average apartment to live in, Karma had the privilege in living in an actual house: a three level house near the city, over in the suburbs. It wasn't too far from Tokyo itself, so a walk from there to home wasn't too bad. It may looked ordinary from outside apart from a fancy wall lining it with a gate to open for the garage, this house showed evidence that this place had some good amounts of money in it. Karma's bedroom alone had quite a bit of things in it. Karma's room alone had some signs of this: a high-tech DELL computer at his desk, a self filled with TONS of DVDs by his closet, and a signed poster of "Sonic Ninja" up on his wall, just to name a few. At the moment, Karma was in bed, only in his underwear, hands behind his head, and already fast asleep. No one else was in the house, although he still lived with his parents like most high school students, and unlike Nagisa. For Karma, he was slightly intrigued with the idea of demons and angels actually existing in the world, thanks to Aladdin telling them the day before. While he was intrigued, he didn't worry over it too much like Twilight or Nagisa , already coming to the conclusion that it wasn't his problem to deal with. Besides, why risk his own neck for something he wasn't involved with anyway? As the night went on for the next three hours, nothing seemed out of the ordinary for him, and he was still fast asleep. He stayed asleep for a good while, until ... *clank* Karma wasn't woken up right away from the odd noise, but it was just enough to make him stir ... *CLANK* "Huh?" That louder clank was enough to wake Karma up. The red head opened one eye, looking over to the door, but he didn't see much of anything, or hear much of anything after that. "Parents must be home," Karma thought, before he went off back to sleep again ... *Nya* Nya? His parents did NOT go *Nya*, no matter the case, and he know damn well that he didn't have any cats. Karma, curious more than most, got himself out of bed and quietly began to step out of his room. Step, by step, he went on through the hallway, and started on downstairs, hearing something going on over in the kitchen. It sounded like some sort of sizzling, and Karma started to smell something cooking. Despite the situation, it actually smelled pretty good. But Karma knew an intruder when he heard one, and if this intruder thought he could cook up something in THIS house, well Karma knew it won't end well for whoever. He slowly got to the kitchen door, and quietly peered inside ... Over by the oven, indeed something was cooking in it. On the stove, there was a pan with a Magikarp in it, at this point pretty well-done in the sizzling pan of cooking oil. While that might be normal for a afternoon supper, Karma also saw some other creature sitting next to it on the counter, waving a paw and making the pan move. The figure, which took a bit to see fully in the dark, looked like some sort of cat. A rather small, purple, long-tailed cat, which was happily cooking up a late night snack for itself out of the Magikarp fish. Karma didn't rush in at first, and in fact, began to go on back upstairs, more casually this time. "Better let the bitch cat do its thing," Karma thought. Again, why risk his neck for something he wasn't involved in? If the cat did notice someone moving around the house, it really didn't seem to worry too much about it. Karma just yawned, went back to bed, and was soon right back to sleep ... ....... For the rest of the night, Karma was undisturbed. Sleep was great, and despite smelling cooked fish through the night, it wasn't really bad. Morning was soon there, and light went right to Karma's eyes. It took about a minute, but Karma eventually woke himself up, though it was more thanks to the sound of his alarm clock. "Damn it, forgot to turn it off," he groaned sleepily, his hand reaching out, trying to turn it off. As he was reaching though, he felt his body being weighed down to the bed. It didn't feel like a heavy blanket, or something of that sort, and Karma's eyes lowered down to see what was on him ... A girl. A naked girl!! Talk about a wake-up call. The girl was asleep herself, a smile on her face and under Karma's covers, looking like she was snuggling him. She didn't look entirely normal though, with her hair a bright purple, and what appeared to be cat ears. Karma felt her breasts push on him, squishy like a set of balloons. Maybe Karma should've done something about that cat last night after all. The girl was quick to wake up once Karma had moved, showing Karma her big, cat-like, yellow eyes. "Morning, sunshine," Karma said, tapping her on the head to get her up and at attention. This girl either didn't know she was naked, or she didn't care much for it. Karma still was slightly pinned down by her, the girl rubbing her eye sleepily. "Nya," she yawned. Karma managed to get himself upright on the bed. "So, you were in my kitchen last night, I presume?" Karma figured, managing to get up. However, the girl got him by the arm, hugging it. "Aww, don't go. I'm cold," the girl whined, giving him some puppy eyes, and sticking his hand in between her boobs. Karma felt his fingers get squished in her cleavage, and while it did feel nice for any pervert, Karma instead lifted the gal out of bed, making her fall to the floor. When this happened, Karma saw that she also had a purple cat tail. "And who're you, kitty bitch?" Karma asked, as the catgirl got herself upright, standing naked in front of Karma. "Me? Name's Blair," she said, not looking very scared of standing there like this. Karma got quite a good eyeful of Blair's curves, leaning back onto the bedroom wall. "And you know you're naked, right?" Karma asked. Rather than act worried or surprised, she instead brought her arms behind her head, and made her boobs bounce a bit, winking to Karma. "I'm sure you don't have a problem with that, do you?~" Blair cooed. Normally a kid would be on the floor with a nose bleed by now, but Karma had more on his mind with the overall concept of this person. Here he was, just being told about demons and angels, and suddenly a cat witch just pops up at his house. Karma grabbed the blanket, and with quick speed, got Blair at least wrapped up like a towel, so he could get his mind and hormones straight. "Nice try. Now, what's a bitch like you doing stripping in my house? You in heat or something?" Karma asked casually. Not exactly the way to ask the question, but, it was a basic one considering who (and what) he was talking to. Blair had a slightly guilty (albeit cute) look on her face, playing with her fingers. "Things had been getting nasty lately, so I wanted a nice place to stay for a while. Won't be too much trouble, right?" Blair asked, throwing in a wink at the end for some charm. Karma decided reality is a must here. "You just broke into my house last night, ate my Magikarp, and woke up naked on my bed, and you pick NOW to ask me to stay?" "I wanted both of us to get comfortable together, Karma -" "How'd you know my name?" Karma asked, cutting Blair off. He had NOT said his name at all since Blair started talking to him. "I caught you talking to your girlfriend earlier yesterday," Blair simply said, both sides remembering the short talk beforehand. Karma sighed. "Nah, she's not my girlfriend. That's Nagisa's girl," Karma casually replied, hands behind his head. Nagisa's angry face popped up on the right corner of the screen. "She's not my girlfriend!" Nagisa snapped, just to have Karma flick him away out of sight. Blair, all of a sudden, wrapped her arms around him, making sure her boobs were pressing against him for good measure. "Can I just stay for a little while? I'll know you'll get used to me, big boy.~" Blair cooed again, trying to charm her way in. Karma thought it over for a minute or two. On one hand, he got himself a sexy hot bitch to call his own, but on the other hand, he'd get bitched out by his parents if they were to find out. Even he had some form of standard, as odd as it sounded. Still, after a bit, Karma shrugged. "Eh, alright," Karma shrugged. Blair was happy, and suddenly Karma's head was in between Blair's boobs again. Karma thought it over for a little bit, but then he got an idea, as a devious smirk got onto his face. "Say, Blair. ... How about we have a little fun?" ~~ After that, it was business as usual for Karma. Lucky for him, it was the weekend, which means no school, so Karma had the day to himself. Normally that'd meant wandering around the city, doing what his gut tells him to do on a whim, but thanks to Blair, he decided to take a visit over to Nagisa's place. Nagisa was the only other person he knew with a supernatural roomie, after all. For Nagisa, he and Aladdin were having some breakfast, which was mainly some rice. Nagisa had healed up a bit more from the incident, his black eye now completely gone, though he was still slightly sore elsewhere. He and Aladdin ate their breakfast, when they both heard a knock at the door. Nagisa figured out who it was instantly once he opened the door. "Morning, Nagisa, Aladdin. Keeping well?" Karma said, as he came in with a handbag tossed over his shoulder. Not a typical accessory that Karma would usually have on him. "Hey, Karma," Aladdin said. Nagisa was going to say hello, but suddenly he felt a familiar shiver run through his body the second he came in with the handbag ... "What's in the bag?" Nagisa asked, a little more monotone this time. He had to ask: Karma tapped his finger on the top of the handbag, and placed it down onto the table. All Karma had to do was unzip the zipper on the bag, and suddenly an explosion of purple fog covered up the area. Next thing that popped up was Blair, witch hat on her head, but with a VERY tiny red bikini on her. Blair posed up, her hands behind her head, a cheeky smile on her face (tongue out for good measure), and a wink to her eyes. "EEEEHHHH?!?!" Nagisa and Aladdin gasped, face immediately flustered. Nagisa jumped back, tumbling over his own couch, much to Karma's delight. Aladdin was left more wide-eyed, but still surprised. Blair and Karma found it funny, and Karma added more humiliation to it by taking a picture off his IPhone of Nagisa's shocked face. "What just happened?" Nagisa asked in a daze. Blair turned back into her kitty cat self, hopping up onto the rim of the couch to check Nagisa out, and high-fiving Karma. "Karma you're right, that was priceless!" Blair laughed. Nagisa shook himself back to attention, seeing Blair sitting there. If his odd feeling had anything to do with these, then he had an idea already on what Blair was. "Karma, where'd you find her?" Nagisa asked, getting to his feet. "Hey, you got a kid Magi for a roommate, now I got a sexy kitty for a roommate. She popped up at my place last night, eating my Magikarp," Karma said, a hand patting Blair on the head. Aladdin went right up to Blair next, looking her eye to eye. "Hi little boy, you okay?" Blair asked. Aladdin looked her over time and time again, and was quick to get his conclusion. "You're a witch?" "Got that right, little boy. Born a witch, and always been one," Blair said. She turned into a human again to prove that she was all witch. Aladdin's eyes were quick to focus somewhere else though ... And he groped her boobs. Just like that. Karma and Nagisa took a step back, but rather than get angry, Blair was laughing, enjoying Aladdin playing with her fun bags. "Handsy little Magi, aren't you?" Blair giggled, taking off Aladdin's turban, and fluffing his blue hair. The Magi was glad Blair wasn't Emi Isuzu in reaction this time. "Well your friend's happy to meet her," Karma joked, taking a moment to take another picture off his IPhone. Nagisa pulled Aladdin away by his long ponytail, trying to get some answers. After a little bit, things had chilled out, and Aladdin, Blair, Karma, and Nagisa were sitting in Nagisa's living room. Aladdin and Nagisa were on the couch, Blair on the ground, and Karma standing next to her. Blair had changed up her outfit to actual clothes: a large witch hat, a black leather short dress, and long purple boots. Benefiting the witch look, to be sure. "So, this is one of those witches, Aladdin?" Nagisa started. "Yeah, that's right," Aladdin replied. "Pure witch," agreed Blair. The first question was easy, but the next one was a bit more important. "Where're you from? You said things were getting nasty where you're from." "I lived in hell." Blunt ....... "... Think you can elaborate?" Nagisa finally said. "Oh, right. I used to live in Tartarus, actually." Tartarus?! Nagisa remembered well that Aladdin said that's where these deadly creatures come from, and quick to get to his feet, and back away from her. Oddly, Aladdin was quick to correct things. "Nagisa, wait a minute, she's not the same as other demons!" Aladdin insisted. "You never met her before. And didn't you say demons come from Tartarus?" questioned Nagisa. Rather than answer Nagisa, he turned to Karma instead. "Well, did she try to kill you when she met you?" Aladdin asked. Karma glanced to the sexy kitty before answering. "Does being naked in my bed as sexual assault count?" Karma asked, Nagisa blushing on what he said. "No?" "Then she's fine," Karma concluded, Blair getting her ear scratched by Karma. She purred a little bit as he did this. "But wait. Aladdin, you're from the fleet, and Blair, you're from Tartarus. Shouldn't you two ... hate eachother?" Nagisa asked, kinda lost on the subject. Aladdin's a angel, Blair's a witch, and yet the two seemed to be peachy keen with each other. Aladdin and Blair looked over to him. "I'm a good kitty, really. Just because I'm from Tartarus, doesn't make me a bad guy. Why would I hurt such cute faces?" Blair cooed, hugging Nagisa, her boobs pressing against his chest. A blush came up, but Nagisa composed himself. However, then it was Karma who gave him a hand, and poked her on the head to get her attention. "Well, now we got you comfy with my friend here, why're you hanging around here for? Said something about things getting nasty," Karma asked. Blair moved away from Nagisa, sitting down on the couch in between Aladdin and Nagisa. "Well let's see now. I was taking a bath one day, enjoying a little bubble bath, but then some nasty demons showed up at my door. They wanted me to join them for something, but they never said what, so I refused. THEN those bitchy Devils destroyed my house! Can you believe that?" Blair griped. It was a bit rough to hear that she got her house destroyed. Considering she used to live in a literal hellhole, this wasn't sounding too far off. Blair groaned in annoyance remembering what happened. "Hence why you popped up at my house?" Karma asked. "Yep." "Sorry to hear that, Blair," Nagisa said. Blair turned back into her cat form, and laid down on the couch. This witch needed a place to stay, driven out by her own kind for whatever reason. "Well, looks like we're gonna have some more guests. Weird: we met Aladdin, Nagisa got some fancy knife, and now we got Blair with us," Karma monologued. When Karma mentioned the blade, Blair's interest peaked. "Knife? What knife? Where?" Blair asked. Nagisa knew where this was going, so he walked to his room, and came back with the Halo Blade, showing it to Blair. Blair stared at the blade for a bit. "This. It just kinda appeared one day, and it stuck around with me," Nagisa summed up. The annoyance quickly turned into glee, Blair hopping up to her feet. "Yes! YES! You can help! WOO, I'm not hopeless after all!" Blair beamed. "Wait, wait, help with what?" "Get my home back, of course! You got the blade, you got a Magi, you can help me get even with those demons!" Well that surely jumped the gun a bit. Nagisa simply looked shocked by what she had said: he can't face demons deliberately like this, not at all! "WHOA, whoa, stop! I can't face demons. I don't know jack about demons, and I especially can't fight one!" "Says the kid who killed a demon Jizo two days ago," Karma commented. "Don't push it." "Karma, you can fight some demons can't you? You're strong," Blair insisted, shifting targets. Karma seemed like the type that would go and beat down a couple of demons. However, Karma thought otherwise. "Sorry, but I'm not one to take high risks, especially with my life on the line," Karma summed up. Sure, Karma was no wimp, but he wasn't one to throw his life away for someone else either. If he were to act, it would be on his own account. Blair was disappointed, at the least. Nagisa apparently couldn't do anything, and Karma just won't do anything. "Well, I'm not going anywhere until you do!" Blair decided. "Fair enough," Karma simply said. Blair was about to make a comeback, but then Blair remembered what she wanted to come here for in the first place: to get a home away from home for a while. She said that, pretty much for nothing. ... ~~ Sometime later, Nagisa was out of the house, and over at the library. With some spare time for the weekend, and needing to study a little bit anyway, Nagisa had scheduled a visit to the library with Twilight earlier that week. It wads probably good for him that he did, because now he had more information to tell his friend about in the form of Blair. Nagisa and Twilight both were over together by one of the tables, a number of books with them for study, when Nagisa told her what had happened. "Karma has a roommate now, Nagisa?" "That's what I'm telling you. I don't know how much more of this "angel and demon" stuff we're going to end up getting ourselves into," Nagisa sighed. Twilight took a moment to think about it herself. She hadn't yet go through anything too over-the-top when it came to these sorts of demonic or holy beings, but it still got her to think over things. "Speaking of which, did that uh ... "Jizo" incident get around too much?" "I actually found it on the news after I got home," Twilight admitted. Nagisa didn't know what to do now, slumped over in his seat. Now this little stunt ended up on the news. Well, considering what kind of incident this was, it was come to expect, really. "Why couldn't that Jizo just disappear?" Nagisa groaned. "Actually ... It actually did." Nagisa lifted his head to look to Twilight, surprised. Sure, Twilight told him yesterday plenty of workers were on scene, but the kind of damage it caused couldn't had been cleared up THAT fast. Twilight went back to recalling. "I was passing by that same spot on the way over to the library, but there was nothing left. The Jizo, the workers, damage to the road. All gone, like nothing had happened." "No way. You saw how much damage was there did you?" Nagisa questioned, not buying the fact. "Yes, but look at this," Twilight took out her phone, and opened up some of her pictures to show him as evidence. Sure enough, one picture showed the whole scene while the police and construction was there, and the next ... nothing. No workers, no police, no jizo statue. Just one empty area of the four way road crossing. Nagisa went back and forth between dates, and each one was taken just one day apart from eachother, making this even more strange. Looking on the ground though, Nagisa could see one thing that wasn't there before: a sort of blurred mark on the ground. A little too blurry to exactly make out, but Nagisa knew that wasn't there before. It WAS, however, in the same spot where the Jizo creature had fallen. "Damn. Everything's back to normal ... how'd that happen?" Nagisa wondered. He was glad that this didn't leave too much of a lasting impression, but all the same, it still meant either one of two things. One: the Jizo creature was still alive and slipped away, or two: something else took it away and removed the evidence during the night. Despite this, Nagisa gave a sigh of relief. "Well, at least they don't stick around for long," Nagisa concluded, giving Twilight her phone back. "See what I mean though? There's nothing left expect for that odd symbol on the ground. I only saw it after I took the photo, but I couldn't see it after that." "You mean through your phone?" "I mean through my eyes, I couldn't see it. no one else around saw it either," Twilight corrected. Nagisa took a moment to consider this. Whatever happened to the Jizo, some sort of thing happened to leave a mark on Earth. At least no one else could see it normally. "I'll talk to Aladdin about it later. For now, let's try and get to -" It happened again ... That same feeling he felt with the Jizo statue, and with Blair, started to come back at him. Feeling a shiver, Nagisa tried looking around the library, but he didn't see any sort of demonic activity anywhere, or anything similar. Unlike the two times before, observant Twilight saw Nagisa's sudden tone shift, and started to look a little concern. "Nagisa? What's the matter?" Twilight asked. Before Nagisa could reply, suddenly, both students felt a sort of gust of wind rush by them, making them both jump in their seats. Neither student saw any exact figure, or cause of the wind, but strangely, Nagisa's feeling was quickly gone, as fast as it came to him. Nagisa just had no clue what to think, but looking down, he saw something else that came out of nowhere: a picture. The picture itself, placed neatly on the table, showed what looked like a symbol. The red symbol itself showed that of some sort of demon star, being encircled by some sort of lizard, or snake, with two small wings out at the top. Writing was also on the paper, but rather than any incantation, casting spell, or anything resembling such, it was actually a written name of what the symbol actually is, which included (much to their shock) the same picture of the street crossing, with a similar smudge that Twilight had taken earlier ... Neuhuhuhuhuhuhu~ S01Ep4: Collaboration ~コラボレーション~For both Karma and Nagisa, their lives had become a bit of a odd roller coaster of events for the few weeks to follow. Nagisa had Aladdin, and Karma had Blair - drastic change in behavior to both sides of this coin. Karma took less time to get used to Blair and her antics at his house, taking a liking to the witch rather quickly since he had better chances in his shenanigans thanks to Blair's magic and mischievous behavior. Even so, Nagisa had an easier time when it came to how he should handle his magical roommate, mainly because Nagisa had his own apartment where as Karma lived with his busy parents. Karma had the slim chance that they'd come home time to time, and when they would, Karma had to hide off Blair, until they had to go again. Nothing too troublesome for him, anyway. The fact though of having a seductive roommate meant that Karma had to put his own will to the test when Blair would play around with him. However, while Nagisa and Karma were busy with the issues in their own way, it was Twilight who sat down and tried to get some research on these odd occurrences. It had been something she tried to wrap her head around for a while now, and even more so when she and Nagisa got the unique-looking symbol during their visit at the library. It was a rather peculiar symbol, and one that Twilight wanted some more answers to. It was just before school, and Twilight was getting her own stuff ready for the day. It went on as normal for the most part, but she also had some extra information. The weeks of mixed studying for school AND studying on angelic and demonic attributes had gotten her rather busy, to put it simply, and she wanted to share what she found out to the others at school. If she could pull it off, then it will be worth the trouble. "About time I've made some breakthrough since Nagisa and I got this picture. Hope it's worth it," Twilight hoped, as she grabbed her notes and got them into her bag. Information on the symbol had been rather weak over the weeks when she took the time to look, so hopefully she had enough to get them somewhere. When she was finished packing, Twilight began to head off on her way. It was a bit cloudy, and made the walk a bit gloomy, but Twilight didn't mind that. It was strange though, especially going past one part of the Tokyo city streets, remembering how a monster was laying dead there and how much damage was done. It was good that the street was mended, even if rather suddenly, though Twilight did stop herself when she looked anyway. She took out the demon star picture, and held it over to where her own phone had taken the photo, replaying in her mind what happened. "To think that this street had a demon laying down on it a week ago. I hope we can get more answers before something like that shows up again," Twilight thought. Over the two weeks since the event, Aladdin and Blair had given them plenty of insight on how things worked, but still left many things left to question. Amongst these included the symbol, which Twilight still wasn't sure what it was. As for the monsters, well they needed to get their A-game if another one is to appear again. Nagisa was lucky to survive the first one, and Twilight was convinced that Lady Luck shined on him that day. Twilight continued her walk for a bit more, until she caught sight of the school just ahead. She was just about to head into the property when - "NYAA.~" Twilight stopped herself on the odd meow. Strange place to find a cat prowling around. She looked around for a little bit more until she looked up at the school outer wall, only to find a black cat casually perched onto it, looking down at her. The cat had a smirk on its face, which was what really caught Twilight's attention. Other students noticed the cat, but it didn't really worry much about them. Twilight was about to go off again, but the cat hopped down behind the wall, and ... *POOF* Next thing Twilight knew, she was in the company of a catgirl witch! Blair had come by the school today it seems, and as requested by a particular blue-haired kid, she summoned up a school uniform that eventuated her curves (her boobs especially). Twilight froze up when she saw Blair, and did a double check. "Oh. You must be Blair?" "And you must be Nagisa's juicy number, Yugure. See why he picked you," Blair teased. Twilight flustered up. "We're not like that," Twilight insisted. Unlike Karma, who'd leave her on a tease before leaving, Blair looked like she realized her mistake. "No kidding. And Karma keeps telling me you two are together so much," Blair stated, strutting over to the door alongside Twilight. Twilight looked around and could see that plenty of boys were looking Blair's way, some of the more perverted ones drooling at the new girl at school. Blair knew they were watching her, and made sure to add an extra bounce to her boobs, flaunting them off. Twilight was more subtle about it though, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "You do realize people are staring." "I know.~ Hey, watch this," Blair insisted. She saw two of the perverted boys, and aimed her boobs their way. She brought her fingers to the buttons on her shirt, unbuttoning them in such a sexual way. Twilight was not enjoying this, but Blair was having fun with it, seeing the excitement on the boys faces as more buttons were removed. Her breasts strained her already tight shirt, as she wanted to happen, until only three buttons remained. At that point, she puffed her chest out, blasting all three buttons off of her, hitting the oblivious kids right in the face, enough to knock them out in a daze. About five other perverts were on the ground themselves, noses bleeding. Blair couldn't help but laugh at their reaction. "You humans are so gullible," Blair joked, fixing up her shirt after that. Twilight wasn't too impressed. "Eh, yeah, sure ... but anyway, think you can get word to the others for me, Blair?" Twilight asked, getting her mind straight. she made sure the other students were far enough away so they wouldn't hear them before she asked. "Why can't you do it?" Blair questioned. "I'll be too busy today: It's almost midterms, and I don't have time to meet them myself. Just tell them to meet me after school by the E building. I got some new information about that insignia that I think they should know, think you can do that for me? By the looks of it, you're going to be hanging around here anyway," Twilight figured, judging by the outfit in question. The E building had been a rather common place to meet up for them, mainly because it was secluded, and nobody there when school was over and done. Blair would rather just mess around with the other students today, but this was a rather simple task to do, and Blair already knew who the others were no doubt. "Alright, sure. Be hanging out here anyway, can't be too hard." Without a moment's hesitation, Twilight nodded, and went straight into the school, and straight off to class. ~~ So from there, things got busy. As Twilight had said, it was almost time for midterms for the school, and as such, students were more focused on studying than some would normally be. What wasn't exactly normal was the chit-chat gossip of the Jizo statue, which had been a bit of conversation despite it occurring weeks ago. As for Blair's task in passing on the word, the midterm crunch time made that a little bit tough for the sneaky kitty to accomplish. While being a human was easier to go about in a large crowd, her cat form gave her more freedom to move around. She still needed a bit to find where the others were though, and walking around as a cat was NOT making it easy. "K, where, O where can those guys had gone off to? Wish they'd show up so I could just start messing around," Blair wondered. The little kitty cat started to wander a bit until she got over to outside, just out into the back of the building. She'd rather go catch birds around the property than this little messenger game Twilight got her stuck with. Speaking of birds, the kitty cat did see a few little Pidgys close by, pecking at the ground. Being a cat herself, Blair started to go into hunting mode, ready to pounce on the birds until ... "Oi, how about some cash, E runt!" The loud order spooked the birds before Blair could snatch up one, bugging the cat. But, as curiosity does to cats as they say, the voice did peek Blair's own interest, and she quietly moved over round the corner. Just last the corner, she found someone just outside the school, over by a vending machine. Two kids, possibly higher Class grade level, surrounded an E student. And by the sound of it, the two bullies wanted some money from this E student, who looked a little bit off for a human as far as Blair knew. Then again, she didn't hang around humans as much as others around here, so there's that. "Eh? I don't have anything for you today," the E student responded, sounding a bit bored in tone. "Bullcrap. You got some dollars left," one of the bullies accused. "I'm keeping my money today. Besides, you shouldn't mug a girl." "She's a girl?!?!" Blair thought in shock. With the black messy hair, and almost "manly" facial appearance, it was a bit quick for Blair to make that kind of assumption. "Who cares over a E drop out? Give us the money - we'd like a drink too," the same kid demanded, hand out and ready. She still didn't budge, and kept her money away. But, these two were losing patience with her fast, and one of them even had the nerve to reach out, and grab her money straight out of her hands! "Hey!" she shouted. while one student readied to pay up, the other grabbed her by the collar, and pinned her to the wall, holding her up. "Looking to get killed, Hazama?!" he growled. Blair was ready to see either a bloody beat up, or more pay money being given over by this 'Hazama' person, but then ... "Kill me huh? ... And yet it looks like you've never killed someone before ..." What the hell happened there? The two bullies were stopped cold, scared out of their wits. The girl suddenly gave them a death stare, a smirk on her face. It was like what Karma would give, but more sinister. Blair could barely grasp what happened, and the bullies backed up, dropping her money. "H-Here, take your money back, s-sorry!" one of them squeaked, before the two raced off back into the school. Without another word, she got her money, paid for a water bottle from the vending machine, and then went off on her way. Blair just sat there, eyes wide as this same student waked by. This scare student did glance at Blair, who acted like she was not remotely interested, and just continued walking. When this Hazama moved on out of sight. Well, she sure had something to tell the group later. ~~ During another moment in between classes, Nagisa headed off to his locker, and quickly got his things ready. His injuries had fully healed, thank god, and his worries had calmed down a bit, but he still had to figure things out when it came to the demons. First Jizo, then Blair, he could only wonder what's to come next. It had been going up and down for the last weeks, learning a little bit more as time went, but not enough to make anything worth while. "Ok, Nagisa, It's been two weeks since this happened, and people had been calming down. It's just one demon, maybe that's all you're going to meet. Aladdin said they don't bother humans that much, so maybe it was just a coincidence," Nagisa told himself. As much as he wanted that to be the case, it was one damn crazy coincidence for something like that to happen not too long after learning about it. As he got his things together for his next class, some other male students nearby were talking about that incident themselves, much to Nagisa's dismay. "So, any news about that damn thing they cleaned up?" one of them asked. "Not really. Whoever's in charge of that thing's got some serious shit to explain," replied the other. The other kid seemed unsure what he was talking about. "Explain? Explain to who?" "You mean you don't know? It's been ramped on the news all week! Seitenshi is getting investigators all over the subject since that crowd announcement at town hall. I give them days before they get someone ratted out. How'd you miss that, anyway?" The kid questioned. "I don't watch the news that much," the kid said embarrassed. That was the last thing Nagisa's wanted to hear. Tokyo investigators working on the subject? Sent out by Seitenshi herself?! The very thought of him being put behind bars for conspiracy made him tense, shivering slightly. It was enough to get a groan out of his strained teeth, him hitting his head on his locker door. "I'll never live this down. Why couldn't a cop, or Karma do it - they're better at this than me," Nagisa murmured to himself. Any cop would be rather easier to believe, and Karma's natural charisma can weasel him outta any situation as far as Nagisa knew. He would be eaten alive by those people in there when they find out! Eventually, the stressed boy got his mind straight, pinching the bridge of his nose, and letting out a rough sigh. Better focus on current events rather than what could happen, after all. She goes onto open up his locker, only to find ... "Nyaa." "What the?!" Next thing he knew, he saw Blair sitting inside it, rather comfortably too, looking directly at him. Nagisa didn't know how long she was in there, or how she got in there for that matter. "... How the hell did you get in my locker?" Nagisa asked, getting the obvious question out of the way. Blair licked her paw, as cats do, before answering him. "Trade secret," Blair replied with a wink. Nagisa was not amused with her. As if he didn't have enough trouble already. "What do you want?" "Yugure wants you and company to stop by the E building after school. I already got Pinkie and Karma on board. Says she's got some big news bout that demon insignia thing you found," Blair informed, also getting that out of the way and over with. She wasn't going to spend all day looking for them, and wanted to have some fun while here. Nagisa had enough on his mind, but he figured it's worth knowing either way. "Well, thanks. Now can you get out? I need to get my books," Nagisa insisted. In a little leap, Blair hopped out, but she had already turned into a human, so Nagisa's face was covered by her boobs in her playful jump. He froze up, Blair smiling cheekily. "... Not again," Nagisa groaned, his voice muffled from being stuck in her boobs. Blair got off of him, fluffing his hair, and going off on her way. Now with her job done, she can actually have some fun with this school. ~~ With the information now spread out correctly, Nagisa, Karma, and Pinkie all were ready as they could be. Whatever Twilight had for them, it probably was important, whatever it is. Soon as the school day was done, they met up over at the spot in question, straight after the school students and staff had left the E building. Twilight made sure to get her materials ready, and able to show them. Good thing for them the day was a bit better to be outside with the clear weather. The only one who wasn't there was Aladdin, leaving Nagisa, Blair, Karma, Pinkie, and Twilight. "K, Yugure, what do you got for us? Kitty bitch said you got some info on that symbol?" Karma summed up. Twilight nodded, bringing out the picture to show them. "Yes. After some investigation, I think this is a symbol of the Ouroboros: a mystical icon representing the eternal cycle of birth and death, and the perpetual circle of life. It doesn't usually consist of a this star, though," Twilight explained, Karma taking the picture and checking it out himself. "Ouroboros, huh? ... Hey Blair, know any demons that use this symbol?" Karma asked, the cat looking at the insignia. Blair scratched her head, thinking on the symbol a bit more. "Hmm ... Looks familiar, but not personally from any demon I know," Blair concluded. "Whatever it is, we REALLY should try and watch what goes on where," Nagisa suggested. "How come?" Blair asked. Karma provided the answer for her. "Seitenshi has got her personal police out checking the situation." Suddenly, Pinkie realized what that meant, looking freaked out for Nagisa's safety! "Oh no! I'LL PROTECT YOU NAGISA!" Pinkie exclaimed, hugging him as if trying to hide him. Nagisa struggled in her grip as Blair turned to Karma. "Seitenshi. She a friend of yours?" "Wish she was. That girl is Tokyo's president - in charge of the whole damn city. I bet she can do whatever she wants. Lucky son of a bitch," Karma figured. Blair never heard of Seitenshi before, but she sounded like quite the authority figure of Tokyo. Karma wished he could have such power himself, free to do whatever he pleased without trouble from the law. Nagisa suddenly fell forward, he and Pinkie tumbling and only then did the pink girl release him. A little scuffed up, but fine. "Can you guys please not tell anyone it was me, PLEASE?" Nagisa hoped. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye," said Pinkie Pie, securing her promise to him. "Damn dude, like they're gonna link anything back to you. There's hundreds of people all over Tokyo they can jump on," Karma said. "Either way, we won't tell anyone," Twilight assured. Nagisa was fifty fifty on it, but he had some reassurance on the matter. Nagisa got up to his feet, Pinkie doing the same in a quick hop. They continued talking, but neither seemed to notice anything going on around them. "So, anything else aside Seitenshi and fancy insignias you guys figure out?" Karma asked. Blair then remembered something she saw earlier, quick to hop into view. "Oh, right! There is this one thing I saw earlier," Blair said, catching their attention. "Well, what's that?" "You guys told me E students were at the bottom of your school level, right? Always being pushed around, and everyone else making them their bitches or whatever?" "What about it?" Karma asked. "Well, one of those "push-overs" scared the shit outta two higher class students! Seriously, she had a scarier poker face than you do, K," Blair said. "Oh really?" Suddenly Karma gave Blair his signature evil face, the same one he spooked Nagisa with. It was enough to spook Blair, even if it was a little bit. "You mean like this?~" "... OK, so maybe yours is better," Blair concluded. "K. Anything else?" There was another thing, yes, though Nagisa and Twilight took a look to eachother, briefly remembering the odds and ends with this thing. Nagisa felt uneasy, but Twilight went on anyway. "Nagisa and I had been getting some weird encounters lately. I don't know what it is, but it keeps popping up and dropping things off to us. Nagisa and I keep missing it though," Twilight explained. These sorts of occurrences for Twilight and Nagisa had happened about seven times now, each time both sides unable to catch. "Why? It invisible?" Pinkie asked. "No, I don't think so. It just moves too fast for us to see," Nagisa said. "Too fast to see," repeated Blair, thinking hard on that fact alone. Some strange reason that sounded oddly familiar to her ... *grrrr* "Oh no, not another one. Where is it?" Nagisa thought. His feeling was starting to return to him. It wasn't as fast since Blair was there, but Nagisa began to feel a stronger sense around him. Something else was there with them. "Nagisa, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, as Nagisa jumped up right to his feet. "Is your sixth sense acting up again?" Added Blair. The group had gotten some better knowledge on this odd sense that Nagisa had after a while, and it mainly came down to Nagisa sensing demon activity, described by Aladdin as Nagisa's sixth sense. And now, he was sensing more of it nearby. Nagisa stood there, trying to look and find the source of this disturbance, but he was having a rough time getting an exact pinpoint. What he did know was that the main area was over in the mountain forest, surrounding the E building. This meant one of two things; this thing was moving very fast, or there was more than one around ... Then Nagisa saw it. It was hidden rather well, but Nagisa could just make out some sort of shape in the bushes. The figure was small, about the size of a dog, and the overall shape resembled such as well, though Nagisa could tell it was no ordinary dog. He looked around some more, and turned out there was more than one. In fact, about seven dogs were closing in on them, all waiting to pounce. Nagisa moved over to the others, moving Twilight back as well. "Demons. Over there, just beyond the yard. There's more than one hiding over there," Nagisa informed, getting the others aware and on edge. Over in the forest, the demons were still moving around, trying to get in position to cut off any escape routes available to their prey, as pack predators would normally do. During this, one of these predators moved out into view, all their attention focused on it. This demon had the look of a small canine, with a short snout, and a stubbed tail, though there were important differences; Its fur was black with a orange muzzle and orange streak on its belly. A sort of grey metal ring wrapped around each of its four paws, with some sort of skull mark on its head, accompanied by two grey "ribs" on its back. No normal dog looked like this one, no doubt. The hellhound growled viciously, crouched down and ready to attack at any moment. Nagisa could sense that more were around, but he could exactly make out where. "Aww, hey little doggy. Come here doggy -" "Pinkie, that's no normal dog, keep it away from you," Twilight advised. Karma looked at the situation, and he quickly figured out what was really going on. In a pack, none of the animals would just reveal themselves without one particular plan being played out, and Karma checked both sides of the group ... Suddenly, one was right at their left, just behind the E building wall. It quickly charged out as a surprise attack, but Karma got in the way fast, his fist slamming into the canine's head, strong enough to knock it off its feet. Another dog rushed in from the right, and Pinkie had to tackle Twilight and Nagisa to the ground to avoid the lunge. For Blair, she was quick to retreat up onto the roof of the E building, scared for her life on seeing these beasts. "H-Houndour," shivered Blair. The Houndour out in the open, presumed to be the pack leader, barked loudly to signal the rest of the pack to attack, rushing out of the bushes and racing across the yard towards them. "Hellhounds? Blair, we need help," Twilight quickly instructed. Blair would do anything so long as it wasn't here with the dogs, but she wasn't putting her fur out there, especially after two of the seven dogs barked at her. "You kidding me, Blair?" Groaned Nagisa. No matter, they had Hellhounds to deal with now, and they needed to watch out. Running away wasn't going to be an option, judging by where the dogs were, so fighting was their main hope. Outta all of there, it was Karma who was doing the best at fighting them, his punches and kicks sending good damage to the Hellhounds, but the dogs were rather persistent. Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie were caught up in the frey, though fighting was a bit harder for them to do, and the dogs knew it. For the Hellhounds, they did manage to get their teeth into them a number of times during their attack, but they didn't stay on long enough to do as bad of damage. Regardless of the case, the humans had to figure something out fast. "Blair, get Aladdin, he'll know what to do!" Twilight yelled at one point. Blair was quick to oblige, and raced off of the roof and off to find Aladdin. It was a slim chance he'll make it in time, but it was a better shot they had than what they've been doing. This short order though left her wide open for another dog attack, the Houndour sinking its teeth into her back! Twilight screamed and ran, but the dog's teeth only got through her clothes, tearing off a large enough chunk to shreds the whole thing. Next thing Twilight knew, she was on the ground ... With only a skirt and bra on. Lucky or unlucky depending on how you looked at it. "AH!" The canine threw the torn shirt away, as Twilight covered her breasts, face completely red. Everyone of course saw what happened, but for the Hellhounds, this left Twilight exposed and vulnerable. Any bite now would be straight to flesh and bone. While embarrassing to see Twilight this way, Nagisa needed to stay focused, and saw the same dog rush her! Almost blindly, Nagisa rushed in and tackled the dog down, giving Twilight the chance to get to her feet. The Houndour squirmed and struggled, and managed to free itself from Nagisa, kicking him in the face before getting some distance. "If anybody has any ideas, now would be a good time," Twilight said, avoiding another lunge of another Houndour. This was getting bad. Their efforts were good, but it still wasn't enough to beat these demon dogs ... Neuhuhhuhuhuhu.~ They all paused at the odd laughing, and suddenly something zoomed past them in a blur of dust! None of them saw what it was, or what it did - if anything - but the demon dogs quickly started to compose themselves. Karma, Nagisa, and Twilight got their eyes on the dogs, but Pinkie looked to her feet and saw something down on the ground. At her feet, there was a piece of paper, showing a picture of what looked like some sort of tree, growing off a cliff side ... "OOOHHHH. I gotcha," Pinkie suddenly commented. The pink girl was suddenly off and running, rushing straight at the Houndour pack! "Pinkie!" Twilight called. Pinkie made a good jump over the leading Houndour, and with her isolating herself, the pack gave chase. "What's she up to?" Nagisa wondered. Farther ahead, Pinkie kept on running, keeping good speed, and good distance between herself and the Houndour. While it may seem like she ditched them, she had a plan of her own to get rid of these bad dogs. Racing through the forest, she eventually made it to a much larger clearing, which lead right over to one particular area: a large, steep cliff with a lone tree growing out from the edge of it. Just like the one in the picture. Pinkie smiled on seeing it, but she failed to notice just how fast the Houndour were actually going. One of the Hellhounds finally struck her with its paw, making the pink girl stumble a bit. About four of the seven Houndour got her pinned down, and the other three looked back to find Karma, Twilight, and Nagisa catching up. "That tree. So that's what she was up to," Nagisa thought. The dogs who weren't trying to kill Pinkie went after the others, leaving only two with her. Karma, Twilight, and Nagisa took one glance over at that tree, and it seemed that they began to work out what was going on. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Karma asked. "It's our only chance. Let's do it," Twilight said. One of the Houndour charged directly at them first, forcing Karma, Nagisa, and Twilight to split. Their first objective: get Pinkie Pie. Nagisa was the one stuck with distracting most of the pack as Karma went for Pinkie (not the best position). Karma was quick to get to the remaining two hounds, forcing them off of Pinkie with one hard hit. Pinkie had a few cuts on her arms, but fine. "K, P, you ready for this?" Karma asked. Pinkie nodded fast, excited, and Karma brought his hand up, and gave a good loud whistle. The Hellhounds turned back to them, finding both running to the cliff! Twilight and Nagisa did their part, and as their backs were turned, both hid away in the brush. This way the Houndour had to focus on one side. The dogs all raced after the other two, who which went right to their destination: right onto the hanging tree! Karma and Pinkie went as far back as they could manage, some of the dogs going on the tree after them. The trick seemed rather straightforward, even if more gutsy for Karma's liking. "That's it ... just a little more ..." The Houndour slowly moved closer to them, about six of the seven hounds now on the aching tree ... "NOW!" Pinkie grabbed Karma by the arm, and both of them made one leap off the tree, back to the cliff. The force of that jump, along with the combined weight of the Hellhounds on it, made the tree start to give! Pinkie and Karma made it off, but the Hellhounds weren't so lucky. The tree finally fell off of its cliff, the Hellhounds falling with it. And that was that. They heard the tree fall, and the Houndour were all gone, but one. For the last dog, it didn't decide to stick around this group, and quickly raced away with its tail between its legs ... "Nagisa! Karma! I'm coming!" Aladdin raced down through the forest, charging out into the open, only to find the group by themselves. They were a bit bloody with the bites, but they were alright. The tree was missing, and the group stood tall. "Aladdin, there you are!" Twilight said. "What happened to them all? Blair said you were attacked by a pack of Houndour," Aladdin said, looking at them. "We took care of them. Taught them how to cliff dive," Karma said smugly. Aladdin rushed over to the cliff, looking down. It was an extremely long drop, and Aladdin could just barely make out a fallen tree right at the bottom. The dogs killed in the fall weren't seen by him, but he could take a hint anyway. "Wow ..." "Now, let's get back. That's enough excitement for me today," Nagisa figured. "Sure, but we should get these cuts checked out. They look pretty bad," Twilight suggested. "Says the girl who lost her top to a horny hound," Karma commented. Twilight saw the point, blushing red, and covering herself up again. However, before anyone could do anything, Nagisa started to check out the area, and another quick gust of wind rush by. When they looked, Twilight's shirt was completely mended, and good as new! "WHOA! Neat trick, Yugure!" Pinkie said. "I didn't do that," Twilight stated, but she was glad to have her shirt mended. Looking though, that wasn't the only thing that happened: Nagisa, Karma, Pinkie, and Twilight all had their cuts wrapped in bandages, so the cuts won't bleed out. A nice surprise, but from what? Rather than ignore it, they decided to try and figure out who was messing with them. "Ok, speedy, we know you're somewhere around here - you wouldn't be if you bandaged us up like this. So, where are ya?" Karma called, not in any particular direction. All they could really hear after that was the breeze through the trees, and nothing else. Karma then turned over to Nagisa. "Sensing anything, Nagisa?" Karma asked. However, since the Hellhounds left, Nagisa didn't get a significant sense of any demon nearby. The boy shook his head and shrugged. "No, I don't think so," Nagisa concluded. "Why would you assume it's a demon anyway? Doesn't have to be a demon to do this," Twilight said. "Eh, good point." "Well anyway, we should start heading back. Wait any longer and it'll be dark by the time we all get home," Twilight suggested. The others nodded in agreement, and they all started to head on back. ~~ Nightfall. And at the bottom of the cliff, within the forest, a hungry, black Rattata scurried out of the bushes in search for a midnight snack. Night wouldn't normally be a time for a plucky rodent like this one to be roaming about, but the scent of fresh meat was just enough to bring this little opportunist outta its hole. A cloudy night with a light rain made cover better as well for the little animal, relying on its nose to sniff out the meat of what scent remained. The Rattata sniffed around the ground for a bit until it got a better smell, leading it on through the night. During its little walk around, the Rattata scurried through some more shrubs, and soon it found the target. The target itself: the collapsed tree. Laying in a heap were the six dead dogs, killed either by the fall itself or being crushed under the tree. Blood was thick around the tree and the bodies themselves, some laying on the tree, some thrown clear away, and some trapped under it. One of the Houndour had its head completely crushed while two others had their legs dislocated, almost torn off on impact. As gruesome as this scene is, the Rattata saw nothing but a free meal in front of it. The Rattata moved out cautiously, making sure it was alone, before starting to eat at one of the hellhound carcasses. As it ate, two other black Rattata joined in on the feast in the rain. Each Rattata there still kept a sharp eye and ear open for any extra predators ready to snatch their meal away. And it didn't take much longer until something came in. One of the Rattata paused and looked away from the fallen tree, and it saw something beginning to move in on the meal - something more imposing than any Rattata. As the group came closer, the Rattata began to rush away for a quick moment, hiding off in the bushes. Only one of the three stopped and looked back at the creature. The figure looked like a human in shape, with long wispy hair, but at first the shadows made the figure hard to make out. When it stepped out into the light though, other features were made out: violet slitted eyes, pale skin, a black body suit split into a top and bottom piece, green-tined hair, and a black headband with a red triangular symbol engraved. What wasn't as ambiguous was that it was joined by some other animals, more animal-like. One of these looked a bit bigger than the others, and it stood right next to the humanoid, looking over the dead Houndour, and pulled one out. "Bunch of dumbasses, how'd they get stuck in a damn tree?" the humanoid groaned. "YOU'RE the one that should've figure that out by now," the animal growled back. "So what if I am, I can't be everywhere at once!" "Oh shut up, and help me with this." The group of animals, rather than eat any of them, began to remove the bodies from the area. The other two Rattata peeked out to watch them do their thing. By the time they were done, only two bodies remained, which were the most damaged of all the bodies. Not the best looking, but food is food, and the trio of Rattata went back to eating ... And all that was left? ... One Ouroboros insignia, on the tree ... S01Ep5: Midterms ~中間期~"Remember everyone, midterms start straight tomorrow morning, so get yourselves prepared." That was the main sort of reminder everyone on Orora High school had been given from class to class, as each one gave them the last chance to learn up before the midterms. They may not be the biggest impacting exam for the school, but it still counted for a bigger part of their grade either way. For many students, that meant going straight home and study up for their exams, and for Nagisa and company, it wasn't much different. At his apartment, Nagisa had plenty of books to study from, curtesy of Twilight and the books provided for him from the school. In the same room, Aladdin was basically bored as ever. He'd gone through this sort of thing many times already, and by this point he'd grown used to it - waiting out some study time to actually do something with Nagisa. However, with the coming of the midterms, time had become less and less forgiving. Still, Aladdin was still there to read off questions for Nagisa to answer, which gave him some sort of practice anyway. "Ok. What's the ninja clan that originated from the Nara period?" "Iga clan." "Right. K, and the first president of Japan is ...?" "Sakuragi Kenichiro." "OK good. how about the tallest mountain in ... wait in ... Ho-K-do?" "Hokkaido. and that would be mount Asahi." Aladdin, impressed with both the facts of Japan AND Nagisa's learning, placed the paper of Q-n-A down on the table. "K, that's all of them. You sure they're all going to be on this, midterm thing?" Aladdin questioned, finding some of the questions a little bit random for a single human test to take. Nagisa though was a bit sure on it, nodding his head. "I'm sure they will be. Our school is a bit crazy when it comes to tests like these: always trying to mix things up with tests, and putting students on their toes. This year I'll be ready for it," Nagisa concluded. Previous years had him on rather rough terms with these tests, which was what resulted in his slipping grades in the first place more over, but this year he was going to try a bit harder to handle it. Or at least take a better crack at it. "You're doing pretty good at it so far," Aladdin said. "Thanks. hope the others are doing good." Nagisa continued to go through the book he had, but as he was placing a finished book aside, he accidentally nudged a rather familiar object: the Halo Blade. Looking at it was enough to remind him of what happened with the Houndour he and his friends had to contend with. They won, sure, but it was pure luck, and he knew it. As he looked, his smile disappeared behind a guilty frown. The Jizo statue was one thing, but these hellhounds had shifted Nagisa's look on things. The first time, yeah sure, it was simply a mistake on his part, but the Houndour ... they weren't a mistake. They KNEW where they were, and went straight into them ... It didn't take long until Aladdin noticed the changing mood. "Nagisa? Everything ok?" Aladdin asked. Nagisa looked over to his Magi friend, but he didn't feel up to sharing at first. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." "I know that look, Nagisa. Come on, you can tell me," Aladdin assured, not wanting Nagisa to hide his feelings from him. Nagisa just sighed, picking up the Halo blade. "Look. Tell me honestly, Aladdin ... are these demons coming around because of me?" "What?! No, not at all!" Aladdin quickly denied. "But that Jizo statue. And those hellhounds ... you sure?" "That's silly. Demons show up time to time, sure, but they don't jump on one specific person that easily. You just happen to be there when they showed up, that's all," Aladdin assured. Nagisa couldn't be blamed for coincidence, right? Even so though, Nagisa felt that this was getting a little strange for just a coincidence ... ....... While Nagisa was busy going through his own work, Karma was pretty much on the opposite of the spectrum - not worrying too much about the midterms. In fact, the kid had some fun with his parent's cash and got himself some pop and pizza. Karma wasn't too worried about the whole thing, and didn't take it much to heart, and he'd rather celebrate his victory over the hellhounds than study up for the midterms. As Karma began to enjoy his own little dinner, Blair wandered out, as her original cat form, nothing much to do on her own time. "Karma. I'm borrred!" Blair meowed. Karma took another bite of his pizza, as he turned on the TV. "You can wait until after dinner," Karma said. However, Blair was not up to just sitting around and wait for him to finish. One quick poof later, Blair was in her human form, but stripped to the point where she was one slip away from being completely naked! She jumped down on the couch, landing right next to Karma. "Come on!~ I'm bored!~ Play with me!!~" Blair whined. Next thing Karma knew, Blair had him by the head, and his face was shoved in between her boobs! As soft and nice as they felt, Karma wasn't so easily toyed with. Before he could end up getting his own thoughts out ... "Attention, may I have your attention please!" Karma and Blair both stopped on the voice, Karma glancing over to the TV, seeing that the station he had on was that of a news broadcast. At the moment, or at least showing a previous event earlier, it appeared to be in the middle of a meeting during reports for the local news, with one girl standing professionally center frame. The girl was, to sum it up, extremely beautiful, and surprisingly young in appearance, looking about her mid-teens. Her face had thin, white eyebrows and thick, superlative white eyelashes surrounding rounds eyes that encompass light irises. Her white hair, which covered her forehead, leaving only several portions visible, is kept in messy standard; moving to the center of her face. True to her supposed high status, she appeared dressed in a fancy, white dress. The upper piece designed with several objects donning, swirling circles all over. On either side of her shoulders there were two ribbons, and a thick emblem in the middle to symbolize Tokyo. The bottom of the dress, covering her thighs, displays an opening revealing partial portions of her legs, which are covered by white tights. The end piece of the dress is intricately shaped to resemble cherry blossoms, and on her head wore a white hat, with blue rims and flower-like objects on the side. "Seitenshi at another meeting I see," Karma commented, moving away from Blair. "THAT'S Seitenshi?! Damn, no wonder you want her as a friend," Blair commented back. Seeing such a girl like HER as leader of Tokyo was a unique surprise. Usually someone at least over thirty or such would have a better shot, nevermind someone as young as her. Seitenshi stood professionally, and readied to speak to the reporter's constant question. All she had to do is simply point to one of the reporters for them to speak. "Seitenshi, is the strange instance downtown have your involvement?" the reporter asked. "I can guarantee everyone that the Tokyo government had no involvement with this instance over the last weeks," Seitenshi replied. She then gestured to another, this time a middle-aged female reporter, to ask her question. "Some residents had been sighted of strange, demonic canines prowling the Tokyo districts. Any knowledge on that?" she asked. Seitenshi took a small moment before she answered. "Well, I will admit that the presence of vicious strays had been happening over the last weeks, but as of recent events, the problem is currently eradicated," Seitenshi said. Karma knew EXACTLY what she meant by that. Seitenshi gestured over to a fifty-something reporter close by next. "What is the current state of the case? Has there been any leads as of the cause?" "Investigators say they have a form of a lead, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed to share more than that." "That girl can lie around everything, and the world lets her do it. what would I give to be her boyfriend," Karma commented. He could only wonder how Nagisa would react to hearing this kind of news, especially that last part about the investigators getting a supposed lead. Still, it would be pretty sweet to be the boyfriend to Seitenshi. "Bet she can't do any magic," Blair huffed. The report on TV finished up rather soon after that, and Karma went on with the night from there. He supposed he should tell the others about this later on at school, though he could guess that this TV broadcast would've got to plenty more ears. ~~ The morning came. Orora high was ready as can ever be, and many a students were ready for theirs as well. The classes today were a bit different from normal, the biggest change being that all the students come to the main building, including those from the far off E building. Even E had the privilege of doing the exams at the main building. It honestly wasn't that much of a difference, aside from some extra bullying opportunity for the higher class. Students went straight to their own classes for the exams to begin, not wasting too much time in chattering with eachother. At the moment, the halls were fairly bare of many a student, apart from a very few. Amongst those very few, Nagisa was walking alongside Twilight and Pinkie, but Nagisa looked just a bit scuffled. His hair was messier than usual, and his expression looked just out of it. Let's just say he saw the news last night ... "Uh, did you catch the news?" Twilight asked. "I'm so dead, so very, very dead. What am I gonna do when they find out?" Nagisa shuttered. "Why would that happen?" Pinkie asked. "Because that Jizo statue and hellhound incidents are gonna hang over my head. Who knows what they'll do to me when they figure it out!" Nagisa got out, obviously troubled about the whole thing. It was rare to have Nagisa worry this much over many things, but this was a rather big deal, especially if the government was involved in all this demon stuff. Anymore demons, and it'll be found out for sure. Twilight hated to see her close friend troubled like this, and since she had her own experience with the Houndour, it was an understandable one. "Hey, Nagisa," Twilight said, nudging him. Nagisa stopped for a short moment, and Twilight began to bring a closed hand up to her chest, inhaling as she did. Nagisa, starting to get the idea, mirrored her gesture. Once he did, Twilight then exhaled, her hand out in front of her with fingers extended, and Nagisa did the same. It was one method that kept around them for a while, and one Nagisa had forgotten for the longest time. Pinkie was especially happy to see Nagisa all better. "AWW, that's so sweet," Pinkie said. Nagisa got a smile returning to his face, smiling to them both. "I needed that, thanks Yugure." "Anytime, Nagisa. Good luck on the midterms you guys," Twilight concluded. With his nerves slightly settled down, Nagisa went straight over to his classroom to complete the exam. He had the same classroom to go into, but this morning the arrangement was a bit different. He was going to be stuck in one main class throughout the exam, and he was going to be joined by a number of different kids from different levels, depending on the subject matter. For this morning, Nagisa had his morning class with a mix of C, D, and E students, some of which Nagisa knew fairly well (enough to know by name anyway). Nagisa had his usual seat, and as the tests were passed out, he took sometime to see what students would be with him this time. "Let's see now. Looks like there's a lot of E students in here this time," Nagisa noted, seeing plenty of E student signature faces within the classroom. As he got the test passed to him, he looked over what they got going for them. It seemed fine at first but as he continued to look, his nerves suddenly sky-rocketed again by what he saw. "Wait, what kind of questions are these? We never gone over any of this beforehand. How are they expecting us to complete with a good score?" Nagisa thought. He took a look at the other students, and while some of the students seemed taken aback like he was, others seemed well content with this surprise. Nagisa had to get his head around the test, and get to the test itself. Perhaps it was a true test to see who had what knowledge packed in. "Well, here it goes." With pencil at the ready, Nagisa got right down to it, alongside everyone else in class. While he knew he had to keep himself down pact for this one, Nagisa took a few times to glance back and forth to the other kids in class. Higher grading students went through alright, getting stumped here and there, but as Nagisa looked, something else seemed a little off here. He manage to catch one of the E students, but the usual troubling looks they'd get in tests like these just didn't seem with them this time. "Strange. Kirara doesn't look fazed at all with this test. In fact, she's flying through it like it's nothing! She never went through this well before ..." Nagisa's mind continued working off on the other students from E as well. "And them too? They're going through this like a walk in the park." When it came to observation, Nagisa wasn't alone. He continued his exam, and when glancing at the teacher, he showed a more visual surprise when he was seeing the "E for end" students breeze through his efforts like this. This wasn't any demon sense talking to him, but Nagisa could tell this was still off from previous years. "Maybe it's just a fluke. Just go through the other exams and you'll be fine," Nagisa thought. He had time to check them later, but for now he had his own test to work on. As he probably expected, the last bunch of questions left him pretty confused. These questions not only were of things yet to be talked about, but rather exact and strict on answer. Outta the five, Nagisa was lucky to have one of the questions down, though that was just because he was convenient enough to go over it last night. Even so, he still tried his best with the others, and after some trial and error, wrote down the answers to the best he could do. What else could he do here? When that class had ended, Nagisa turned in his paper accordingly, seeing the slight troubled expression on his teacher's face as he did so. Nagisa would have to figure this out some other time (if at all). For the next number of hours before lunch, this scenario was repeated time and again. During each class, Nagisa saw that those of E class were doing much better than in previous years. They weren't elite, by any means, but they were keeping up very well pace with the other students in class, even finishing theirs before some of the C students, including Nagisa himself. Nagisa saw a new confidence in these E students that just wasn't there before, and it showed when each one attacked these tests with straight minds and quick reflexes. Like he was one to judge someone based on their learning prowess though. At the same time, this all just seemed to come from nowhere, and surprisingly quick over just a month or two since the school year started. Usually confidence like that doesn't come until long after midterms. "Ok, Nagisa. You got one more class before lunch, just go through that and then you can figure things out. The E students couldn't improved THAT fast ... right?" Nagisa kept his thought packed away in his mind as he entered his next class. This one here he shared with Twilight as well, so he can get a second opinion on the matter at hand here. It didn't take long until he came across Twilight in class, with his seat right behind hers. "Nagisa, there you are. Good luck today," Twilight said. "Yeah, you too Twilight," Nagisa replied. It was probably good that he found her here, so he can talk to her about it before lunch. She was just as observant as he was, she must've notice something as well. However, Twilight also hadn't been around Orora high as long as he did, so maybe she might not have a straight answer. Since it was a few minutes before class officially, Nagisa decided to do a quick note pass: writing a message on a piece of paper and passing it up to her. You know, old school silent talk. Twilight was quick to get the message: Did you see anything different about E class today? After a quick write-back, Nagisa got his answer. Maybe. They're diffidently improved. "... Well I'm not the only one, at least," Nagisa thought. As expected, but at least he got a second input before lunch came around to get his hypothesis together. ~~ Time continued on, and so did the tests Nagisa and his friends went through. The amount of difficulty in the tests themselves had been rather amped up this year, and those involved were having some bit of trouble with figuring these questions out. B and A naturally went through fairly well, but those under that were on the ropes. Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma noticed at least one E student breeze by with not as much effort as those above them. Pinkie and Twilight personally had no issues with this, Pinkie being plenty supportive, but Nagisa and Karma both knew this was not normal. Since when did the E-for-end students gave the others a run for their money? As lunch came around, Nagisa and Karma were the ones who ended up together. "So, you noticed the spike in E success?" asked Karma. "In a way, yes. I found at least five E students finish up before me in history, and two in English." "Now, normally I'd say you were always slow, but then again, I found three Es beat me to the punch in math today. Funky is it?" Karma brought up. "Yeah. Where'd this even come from? They never been like this before." "Neither did a Jizo come to life, a witch and Magi being our roommates, and a pack of Hellhounds try to tear up our asses." Nagisa didn't answer. Karma knew he was right on that one, mainly that so many weird things were happening this year that didn't happen before. However, with that said, Nagisa suddenly got a particular theory in mind. Just before he could put it into words though, the intercom suddenly went off. Maybe what happened next was inevitable. "Nagisa Shiota, come to the principal's office. Nagisa Shiota, please come to the office." Nagisa had enough trouble, but this took the cake. He shivered up, and froze in place on hearing his own name being called up. Karma was a bit intrigued himself. "Well, look at that." "Wish me luck," sighed Nagisa. He knew he couldn't get out of this even if he tried. ....... The walk to the principal's office was a slow, and anxious one. Nagisa had gone through enough surprises over the last month or so, and this call to the office was NOT helping him. He got demons facing him and his friends, worries over his school, and now something triggered a call to the office on his expense. As for what might've triggered it, Nagisa thought back to some of the incidents involving some magic, and the most recent one he could think of was when Blair popped up in his locker. If that was the case, then he's got some explaining to do. If that wasn't it though, then he didn't know what it would be. The principal's office needed a bit to get to, but Nagisa eventually found himself standing right at the front doors leading straight to it. For any kid in trouble at Orora High, it was like the gates of hell. And Nagisa went right into it. The principal's office was a pretty large room, wide open, with the main front desk right at the end of it. Windows lined up right behind the desk, which from Nagisa's view had some dramatic lighting to it. He had neatly combed, brown hair and eyes a surprisingly deep shade of violet, much like Twilight. He wore a formal business suit, unique from the other staff members in Orora High, as its of brown color instead of the usual grey or black. He also wore a saw tooth leaf pin on his tie. The look on his face was enough to show who was above whom in this situation, but the question still remained: what did he do to be called here? "Shiota, there you are. Have a seat," the man offered. His voice was by no means an inviting one, if not one for a sly mob boss. Nagisa gathered his nerves, and quietly moved over to the only other chair in the room, which was right in front of him. He felt himself shiver slightly in his presence, and while he wasn't a demon, he got a similar vibe when he was sitting there in front of him. On the desk showen the principal's name. Gakuho. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Nagisa asked, meekly. "Yes. Shiota. This may be at a rather precarious time, but I believe you might know something about some ... unusual events. Is that right?" Gakuho asked. Each word he spoke was crystal clear to the student's ears, and Nagisa could only try to keep his composure. Now he was for sure what he was talking about at this point. "Unusual, sir?" Nagisa asked. The man casually moved a personal screen over so Nagisa could see, only to show himself finding and talking to Blair in his locker! "May I might ask why you happen to have a wild animal in your locker, hmm?" He asked, making sure each word he said was not missed by Nagisa's ears. How is he supposed to explain this to him without giving too much away?! He already promised Aladdin to keep this stuff quiet, but he also knew that the principal will try to fish out the truth from him one way or another, so he had to think of something he'll buy ... "I must've left it open, and it slipped in. I'll try to be more careful next time," Nagisa got out. "Yes, yes. A good alibi," Nagisa thought right after. Gakuho though took it into far less consideration than Nagisa would like. "Is that so? You seemed rather close to it for just an accident," Gakuho pointed out, referring to Nagisa actually talking to the cat before Blair slipped off camera. Nagisa gulped. "I-I've been seeing the cat around the school for a while ..." "I see ..." silence hung in the air after that, as Gakuho began to bring out some papers, placing them onto the desk. Nagisa could only wonder what Gakuho would have in mind for him, cold sweat coming down from his face. One of these slips was pushed over towards Nagisa, like one would push upon a contract of sorts. Nagisa thought it would be a detention slip, or his personal record or something, but instead the teacher showed him a school class layout. In particular, judging by the amount of Es on it, for the E building. That worried him even more. "Damn it, damn it, damn it. He's sending me straight to the end class for this!" Nagisa thought. Gakuho cleared his throat, and started speaking again. "Now then. Be it as it may, that wasn't the only reason I called you in. Do you happen to know any of these students, Shiota?" Gakuho asked, pointing to one of the desks on the paper. A rather odd question, but Nagisa still figured he was setting him up for misery. "W-Well, not too well. I've seen them a number of times today, actually," Nagisa admitted. suddenly, Gakuho got up, and moved over to Nagisa's side, looming over him as he too looked down at the paper. No, it didn't make him feel any better. "I'm sure you've recognized them from the midterm exams earlier today. ... See, I've been given some reports that the E class had been rather troublesome this year, more than most. You might know what I'm talking about, now do you?" Nagisa himself could only nod to the question. "Thought so. You are a rather observant type. someone who'd rather stay in the crowd rather than be trapped in the middle of attention. Almost like you barely even exist in the middle of everything," Gakuho analyzed. Nagisa thought he had it all down, but this was a bit strange to hear from Gakuho. Now he wasn't sure what was coming. "What are you getting at, sir? I don't think I follow," Nagisa got out, not looking at Gakuho face to face (like he could muster himself up to, anyway). Gakuho straightened up, and stood beside him, staring him down like he was his slave, with a sly and deceiving smile. "Oh, I think you do. Especially during the exams themselves. You and I are aware of the ant system at Orora high, and how E represents what not to be ... however ..." "But E is improving beyond what they should be," Nagisa finished, prompting a satisfied nod from Gakuho himself. "Correct. I'd hate to see such a successful system break apart on me. And I'm sure you'd want to avoid any trouble with this little incident here." Gakuho brought up the cat moment again, and Nagisa was quick to agree. He tried to keep out of trouble in school, and getting knocked back thanks to Blair was not going to help that. Gakuho moved back to his own seat, sitting down, and gesturing to the Class E paper. Gakuho could sense that this student was getting more anxious, so he decided to cut to the chase. "I'll agree to keep this little trouble off your record ... on one condition." "I knew it," Nagisa thought weakly. It was then that Gakuho began to pull out something else for him: a reporter's notebook, military green binoculars, and a small portable radio. It didn't take a genius to figure out what came next. "I want you to be my personal retriever for tomorrow. I'd like to know what exactly is going on at that building throughout the day. You shouldn't have any problems with that, would you?" Gakuho asked, though both sides knew that Nagisa couldn't exactly say otherwise. "Um, well, maybe. Won't I be late for my classes?" "You've been absent before. And I've seen you go towards that building time to time, so it isn't the first time you've done so ..." then came that haunting grin on his face, and only then did Nagisa had the misfortune to lock eyes with him. Such violet eyes reminded Nagisa of a normally comforting face, now turned to disbelief. "You wouldn't want some bad examples to be the inspiration of other students, do you? Or would you rather have be left at the bottom, having more E students to come in and crumble you under their feet. We both don't want that. Do we?" "He knew about that?!" Nagisa thought in shock. He didn't say it allowed though, given who he was even talking to. That, and if what Blair said was true about Kirara and her scare on the other students at the building, that seemed more plausible than he'd expected it to. Then again, he was one of those students that many would push about anyway, so ... "No, I don't," Nagisa finally said. Gakuho smiled in satisfaction, giving a single nod in Nagisa's direction. "So, tomorrow morning, what are you going to do?" "... Go to the E building." "And ...?" "Report to you what's going on over there." "Very good. Now, classes should start in a few minutes," Gakuho stated. Nagisa glanced over at the clock, shocked to find that he was right. He got right up off his seat. "Yes sir, I'll do that," Nagisa said, starting to walk away from Gakuho, and towards the door. Just before he could leave ... "Oh, and, one more thing." Nagisa paused. "We'll keep this between us two." "... Yes sir." ~~ When the day finally came to a close for the school, Nagisa was still left kinda shaken up thanks to Gakuho. He'd buy it if he got a after school detention, or something like that, but instead he was Gakuho's little spy for E tomorrow. Go figure. His materials For the moment, Nagisa was actually hoping that he would get a quiet walk home, but Karma, Twilight, and Pinkie ended up finding him anyway on the way out. "Hey, Nagisa, there you are! Everything alright?" Twilight immediately asked. "So, what did the big boss Gakuho do to ya? Looks like he gave you a free slip," added Karma. Talk about going right for the throat. then again, Nagisa had to expect that sort of question to pop up considering EVERYONE could hear the call. However, Nagisa remembered damn well that Gakuho wanted this quiet, so he had to improvise a little bit. He just sighed, and turned to the others. "Tell Blair she's not allowed to come to school anymore," Nagisa said dryly. That may only be half right, but it was still a truth nonetheless. "Damn, so he saw that huh?" "Was he scary to you?" Pinkie asked, worried. Nagisa still had that image of Gakuho's devilish face staring at him. "Very," Nagisa said, shivering a little. "Oh dear. Well, what did he do to you?" "He gave me suspension for tomorrow," Nagisa told them. THAT part wasn't true, but one that any normal principal would give. However, it was also that point where Karma got a little bit suspicious, but he didn't say anything to him. Twilight though felt very guilty here. "Sorry, Nagisa ... it's my fault: I told her to go into the school and tell you guys. I should've done it myself ..." Twilight admitted. They all knew that already, but Nagisa didn't had the heart to really blame her for it. He knew Twilight better than anyone, and these midterms had her studying far too much to give a message out to he others (far as he knew anyway). Still, they did buy the story, and Nagisa continued to walk again. "It's okay, it's just for one day. I can use the time to calm down from these midterms anyway," Nagisa said, as he went off on his way. He was grateful that none of them were able to notice the notebook and binoculars he had hidden on him, or even if they did, they didn't suspect anything. He had enough pressure with these demons already, and now he had to please Gakuho tomorrow as a his spy on top it all. Nagisa sighed, and tried to calm himself down. Only one guarantee went through his thoughts that kept him from breaking down. "Only for one day ..." S01Ep6: Class's In Session ~クラスでのセッション~Nagisa may had survived the midterm hurdle, but now with that done and out of the way, he now faces another challenge that following morning - spying in on the E building. He had never actually did spying before, but he did had a observant kink to his personality, so maybe it wouldn't be as hard as it appeared to be. He had a rough time sleeping through last night because of these thoughts and troubles, and now with the morning sun, he was as ready as he could ever be. As he was packing away his lunch, he skipped the learning books and picked up only the notebook and binoculars as subscribed to him by Gakuho. It wasn't far off to say that Gakuho was another reason why he couldn't sleep well last night. It felt weird for him, packing only a notebook and a lunch rather than his many essentials, but on the bright side he wouldn't have to lug around a heavy load for the whole day. As he just got himself handled, Aladdin peeked around the corner of his door, seeing him readying himself. "Morning, Nagisa," Aladdin said, walking in. Nagisa got the notebook in his bag before turning to him. "Oh, hey Aladdin." "The others told me you were suspended for the day. Is that true?" Aladdin asked curiously. Nagisa nodded. "Yeah, sucks for me." "... But, then why're you still packing? Your friend Yugure told me suspension is when you don't go to school." Now Nagisa felt a bit uneasy. He didn't really tell Aladdin anymore than he told the others about what he was REALLY up to. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well ... I still have to study," Nagisa then said ... "Someone's not a good liar." ... The hell? Nagisa and Aladdin looked over to bed, only to find Blair sitting there! "What're you doing here?!" Aladdin asked. "And how'd you get in?!" added Nagisa. "The window," Blair simply said. Nagisa didn't know how she got up to his apartment, since his apartment was a few floors upward. Still, Blair went onto the point she was making. "Come on, buddy, what's the plan?" Blair asked. "What plan, I don't have a plan today," Nagisa insisted. Blair knew the exact tricks to this, and she got her hands around his head, and his face was suddenly in her boobs again. "You better spill it, or I'll smother you," Blair teased. "How am I supposed to do that - I can't breathe through your enormous ta-tas!" Nagisa yelled. Aladdin was enjoying the view with a smile on his face, drooling slightly. Blair saw this was a rather tough egg to crack, so she resorted to another tactic ... "Tell me." "No." "Tell me." "No!" "Tell me." "NO!" "Tell me!" "NO!" "Come on, Nagi! I can keep this up forever, you know. This how you wanna spend the rest of your life?" Nagisa was finally broken ... "... Let go, and I'll tell you." Soon after being released, Nagisa went on to explain the situation to them both, from the very moment Nagisa stepped into Gakuho's office. He felt rough on just saying this after promising Gakuho he wouldn't say, but it beats getting suffocated in some chick's tits. Besides, whatever's going on at that E building might be worth his while if it did had anything to do with angelic or demonic activity. Still, Aladdin (out of the three), was concern for Nagisa and his wellbeing. "Gakuho made you his spy now? Damn dude," Blair said. "Promise you won't say this to the others?" "Sure. In fact, we'll even help you check things out if you don't mind," Aladdin said, offering his service. "You will? ... I dunno ..." "Nagisa, it's alright. I kinda owe you guys for not helping with those Houndour anyway," Aladdin admitted. Since he didn't help there, he might be able to make up for it here. Nagisa easily saw the point in that argument, and maybe they can make it easier to get more notes on whatever's going on. "I'll join too. Karma's getting too boring to hang with right now," Blair said. "Wait, but didn't Karma tell you not to go to the school?" "AH, he said not at the main building! No one said anything about the E building," Blair pointed out. If Karma messed up the message or not was out of the question, as E building was a good mile away from the main building. It was impossible to say that she would get into trouble that far away from Gakuho. Regardless, Nagisa decided that it might not be the worst idea. "Alright, alright. Just keep this between us, and you can come along," Nagisa finally decided. Aladdin had a better reason to come along than Blair did, that was for sure. He got his gear all set up, and on extent, Blair and Aladdin were ready as well. There was one little problem though that presented itself. "Now, how do we get there without being seen? They'll know something's up if we just waltz past the main building," Blair wondered, scratching her head. Aladdin though had his solution already, especially when he began to hover off the ground. They got the idea, but Nagisa was NOT thrilled about it. ... "Aladdin? I-I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Nagisa said. "Don't worry," Aladdin insisted. Next came his other trick: he unraveled his turban, which grew and elongated into a large sheet, just big enough to fit he, Nagisa, and Blair on it. It hovered just off the ground, and Aladdin sat down comfortably on it. "Ok, hop on," Aladdin offered. "The things I have to do," Nagisa thought. ~~ Over at the school, classes had already gone underway, and the students already going through the motions. Since the midterm exams had been and done just yesterday, it had calmed down quite a bit. Good thing too. This downtime gave some students time to give their brains and stress some rest, before things would pick back up again. In one of the classrooms, Twilight and Pinkie both were enjoying an hour of basic study, the subject in question written out on the board, and the teacher catching up on her own work. Some students took this time to engage in some small talk, others time to study up what's written out, and Twilight was doing the latter. Pinkie, who was sitting right next to her, was using this time in her own activities: drawing pictures in her notebook. The left one showed Blair cutely eating a Magikarp fish, and the right one with Blair inside a little box. "Hey, Yugure? What do you think looks more like Blair? This, or this?" Pinkie asked, showing two different pictures of Blair as her original cat form. both pictures look a bit childish really. When Pinkie was looking though, Twilight seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts. Not something a little poke can't fix. "Huh? sorry Pinkie? I wasn't listening," Twilight said. Pinkie's response to that was the two pictures being shoved into Twilight's face. "Which one better captures Blair?" Pinkie asked again. It was hard to see the pictures exactly with them so close to her face. It took her a little bit, but a finger did bring itself to the right picture. Pinkie looked completely excited about the decision, but her look quickly turned serious when looking at the other picture Twilight didn't pick. Glaring at it, she crumbled it in her hand ... "You're unworthy," Pinkie said, equally serious. "Geesh, calm down," Twilight managed to say, stunned at the sight of the over-reacted Pinkie Pie. She'd imagine anyone else a little bit freaked out if they were paying any attention to her. After that little freak out, Twilight got back to her own mind, and looked outside the window. The view from her classroom was aimed off to the back of the school, a good view of the forest and mountains behind the main building. Looking off back there just reminded Twilight about those hellhounds she had faced some time earlier. The crazed barks, and slashing teeth still were clear in her mind, and with Nagisa not at school again, Twilight could only wonder if the kid was off getting attacked by a demon again, or something of the sort. "Well maybe Nagisa is relaxing for once. He needs it after how much he went through," Twilight thought ... ~~ Farther away, the trio of spies were nearing their directed target. The flight through the skies on Aladdin flying carpet was not only a smooth ride, but one that kept attention off of them. They didn't pass the main building, at risk of unwanted attention from Nagisa's friends, and instead flew around to E from the scenic route. Longer, but less attention was drawn to them that way. Aladdin found a good secluded spot, just close enough to the E building, but not too far away. They place base at a small clearing, at the boarders of the E building property. "Thank you for flying the Magi carpet," Aladdin said upon landing, as he, Blair, and Nagisa stepped off. Blair and Aladdin were alright, but Nagisa was just glad that he didn't fall off after all that time on a flimsy carpet. "Thank god that's over," Nagisa thought. Aladdin worked the sheet back into his signature turban, as Blair already started to inspect the area, trying to see what was around ... "One! Two! Three! Four!" "What's that?" Aladdin asked. "One way to find out," Nagisa concluded, moving quietly towards the sound. The three took a little bit to get to the source, but eventually Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin reached the very edge of the forest, and the E building property. From their location, the building was rather far away to truly get a baring going, but it wasn't normal for a human school. Outside, they saw the E class outside, all lined up side by side to make a square. They all were synchronized in some sort of activity, but it was hard to make out. Nagisa pulled out his binoculars so he could get a better grip on the situation. On closer inspection, the sight left Nagisa speechless. "Well, Nagisa? What's the deal?" Aladdin asked. "Knives. They're using knives." "What? Let me see," Blair insisted, grabbing the binoculars right from Nagisa. Sure enough, the kids were using knives in some sort of practice. Blair gave the binoculars to Nagisa. "Why are they doing that? None of our classes practice weaponry before," Nagisa commented, troubled on the sight. "Might explain Kirara's killer look earlier," Blair said, remembering the little event going through her mind. "But, wait ... What kind of weapons are those? They look familiar ..." Aladdin asked, taking a look through the binoculars again. Blair then got an idea. "I'm going in," Blair suddenly said, going straight out. "You kidding me, Blair?" "I'm a witch that can turn into a cat. Who would question a little innocent kitty like me?" Blair pointed out, racing off before the others could stop her. Nagisa and Aladdin, not having any disguise to help them out, had to stay back behind to let Blair scout ahead. Blair didn't need much time to walk right on close to the action, the E students all practicing the same sort of knife movements and techniques in an almost military fashion. Blair tried to get a view, but she couldn't see the marks too well since they were constantly moving. However, what caught her attention as well was who was overseeing them. One of these did not look human at all. For starters, he stood at nine feet tall, clearly taller than many humans were usually. Instead of regular feet, the thing had eight tentacles that kept him standing tall, two extra long tentacles ending in two odd-looking fingers almost like those of a tree frog. The skin was yellow, smooth like rubber, and a ever slight reflection of the sun off his bald head. The head, speaking of which, was rather simplified: no ears, no nose, beefy eyes, and a VERY wide smile that stretched across his face. His outfit consisted of a black, full school uniform of his own design, including a tie with a crescent moon symbolized on it, red cloth down the middle, and blue stripes on each shoulder. The little hat on his head, which looked like a mini graduation cap, had three tiny horns on it that stuck out in a triangle. Took no genius to see this was no human, and he was not hiding it for the life of him! Blair kept herself quiet, taking on every detail of this strange creature standing casually, playing with a flower in his tentacle fingers. Another person was standing right next to him, though he looked a LOT more normal. He was in the standard teacher's outfit, his hair a pitch black and spiked back, and his eyes shown a more serious expression on them. "Ah, the sound of your favorite students at such hard work on such a fine day. It's just music to my ears," commented the creature. "Listen, pal, I got this covered. There's no need for you to be here," the human teacher said. "But what am I supposed to do?!" "There's a sandbox: have a field day," responded the human, rather unchanged in tone. Suddenly the same creature was at the sandbox, already starting to build something in it, but he was not enjoying it at all with tears streaming down his face. "You don't need to be so cold-hearted. They liked me better as their teacher anyhow," he said. As for Blair, this could be useful information to slip back to Nagisa and Aladdin. Strange though: E class's teachers were made up of a human AND an entity? If demons were still hiding, this one didn't care to hide in the slightest from these students for some reason. She knew she had a little job to do, but she sat down and had to wait a bit. This was getting interesting. "No offense teach, but when it comes to exercise, you ..." started one of the students. "Set the bar kinda high. We're human beings, I think our gym coach should be too," finished another. During this small stop, Blair saw one of the tired students casually drop his blade to the ground. If Blair is to bring info back, now was her chance. She had to play her moves right though if she is to pull it off. As quietly as a cat can do, Blair began to creep over to the fallen blade, step by step, as everyone was seemingly distracted by the teacher up front. "You're all going to need to work better on your reflexes here. Any chance you have against him are slim as it is. Here you are all training, and look," said the human teacher, referring to the demon nearby. "He's had time to change clothes, make tea, AND build a sand castle of the Taj Mahal." Which all that was true: this same creature now had a green outfit on, had some basil tea with him in a cup and small pot, and a VERY accurate representation of the Taj Mahal standing right next to him! Talk about saving time. "That's it, come to mama," Blair thought, a paw finally getting a grab on the blade. This blade looked very odd, and oddly familiar as well, but she left that for Aladdin and Nagisa to study over. She snatched the blade in her teeth, and she sped away as fast as she could! No one seemed to notice her, which was what she hoped for, as she made her way straight back to the duo with the blade with her. She spat out the blade fast. "Yuck, tastes gross," Blair complained, as Aladdin picked up the blade. The blade was a sea green, rubbery, and had some kanji symbols written out on it. Nagisa brought his own halo blade to compare it to the other. The results were surprisingly similar. Too similar. "Another halo blade?!" Aladdin concluded. And indeed it was. The only difference between this blade, and Nagisa's blade was that it didn't have a specific name attached to it. "You don't think ..." Nagisa trailed off when they all looked to the demon creature standing at the sandbox, sipping his tea. It was honestly the only way this could've got there in the first place. Nagisa was quick to put this down in his notes, along with the entity as a picture amongst them. This is surely good information, but Nagisa needed a bit more than this before returning to Gakuho with the news. "So that's their teacher this year? No wonder the E class is acting so different. But ... what demon would happily teach human beings like this? ..." He'll have to figure it out as they went along. ~~ Lunch time at the high school, and the gang was at it together this time. Pinkie and Twilight were having lunch together, and Karma himself was heading their way as well. Twilight had relaxed a bit over Nagisa after a while, convinced that he was actually giving himself a break from both demons, and of school. She figured it would be best for him anyway. Pinkie didn't even consider the idea herself, a bit too distracted in her own works of art. Karma was soon heading over to them with his own lunch. "Hey babes, how's it going?" Karma asked casually. "Hey K! Say, check this out!" Pinkie beamed, showing him the picture of Blair she showed Twilight earlier that day. Rather casual, Karma picked up the picture and looked it over. "Not bad, but I can do you one better," Karma said. He too had been a little busy with his study hours, and he ended up with a drawing of his own ... which was a bikini babe Emi Isuzu! Pinkie's eyes boggled at the picture. "INCREDABLE!" Pinkie exclaimed, though Twilight wished he didn't show that. "Emi was impressed, I'll tell ya that much," Karma said. He could still, even now, sense Emi Isuzu staring daggers at him from a few tables away. Karma put his picture away, and took his seat. "Say, I wonder what Gakuho has Nagisa up to," Karma wondered aloud. "Didn't Nagisa tell us yesterday? He said he got suspended," Twilight replied, Pinkie nodding in agreement. "You two don't know Gakuho: he's too sadistic to just give out a simple suspension," Karma pointed out. Pinkie and Twilight, being students of Canterlot High before coming here, really weren't sure what he was getting at. "That sounds pretty bad to me," said Pinkie. Karma smirked. "Oh really? Well Gakuho treats his own son like nothing more than property than any human being, and I even heard a rumor that he drove three kids to gamble their lives away just for bullying a student of his." "WHA?! Gamble their lives away?" Twilight gasped, though she was thinking a different kind of gamble. Lucky, Karma corrected himself. "You know, like slot machines, and card games at casinos. He made them gamble their lives, and they lost what they have." "Oh ... that's still harsh." "Yeah, no shit," agreed Karma. If he were to say so himself, he did find that VERY clever, if not sadistic. "Then what did he give Nagisa, if not a suspension? He still didn't show up today," Twilight wondered. "Don't worry, I already know where he's at. See you guys later," Karma said. By the time he said this, his lunch was already done anyway, so he got his lunch thrown away. "OOOO! Where're you going?" Pinkie asked, curious and interested. "Checking in on our friend," Karma simply said, before walking on out of the cafeteria. This risked his school time, but Karma found it boring around the main building anyway, so if he is to do anything he might as well check in. So, he left, leaving Pinkie and Twilight to watch and wonder what Nagisa was really up to. ~~ The hours ticked by, and back with Nagisa, the spying mission had kinda slowed down. The notes he did managed to make up were a bit arbitrary in details, but he had rather limited options. Blair and her scouting added more information to the task at hand, but again, there was only so much they could get from just spying and eavesdropping. At least the day wasn't all that bad, and the weather was still fair for the task to continue. At this point, though, it seemed that everyone was gone. The students and teachers were no longer much in evidence (outside at least), and the trio hadn't seen any sort of activity from any of E class since training stopped. Nagisa still had the binoculars on and seeing the situation, as Aladdin and Blair were just relaxing nearby. "Looks like they're gone," Nagisa stated, not seeing anyone around. "THIS IS SO BORING! How about some playtime?" Blair asked, in her human form, and cradling her boobs. Nagisa tried to ignore her, but Aladdin looked ready to do some groping with a smile on his face. Just before he could though ... "Wait," Nagisa said. Nagisa was quick to grab Aladdin by the ponytail again, keeping him back, and getting his attention. The three looked out of the bushes again, seeing someone step out of the school building. Turned out, it was the yellow demon teacher, just opening the door. Nagisa watched him step out, turn back to the classroom and ... Gone. In the blink of an eye, and a puff of dust cloud, the creature had disappeared instantly! Nagisa and company tried to find out where he raced off to, but they couldn't find hide nor hair of it anywhere. "W-What the hell?!" Nagisa gasped. "Where'd he go?" Aladdin added. The only clue they had to this noise was the dust cloud by the door, but that's about it. Nagisa took this moment to write it down in his notes, concerning the creature's speed mainly. Anything that can just disappear like that is worth jotting down. "Ok. So E class is practicing knife weaponry, and they have two teachers, one of which looks like some yellow octopus. It still doesn't explain how the E class is putting themselves ahead of the main building," Nagisa monologued. All of his notes didn't have any clues on the learning process of these students just yet, which was what Gakuho sent him out to do in the first place. He'll just be put into even more trouble if he came back with half the work done. ... There was one place that got him interested though, and with the demon teacher up and away, they could actually get this done faster and with less risk. "Hey, now with Octo-teacher gone, let's get a closer look," Blair suggested. Nagisa's thoughts exactly. With the yard clear, and everyone inside, Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin moved out of their post for the first time all day. Blair had it easier compared to the other two because of her cat form, but the trio were mainly in the clear for now. They ran right across the yard, and in little time, found themselves hidden just under the E building window. Here they can actually hear what's going on inside, so long as nobody sees them. Nagisa had his notes at the ready, trying to eavesdrop. Yet, they didn't seem to hear much of anything that would help. "Blair, you scope it out," Nagisa whispered. Blair nodded, and gently peeked on just inside from the window. It was just enough so she could see, and what she did see was the various E students in the middle of study hour. Many of them chit-chatted with one another though, but she did see GIANT books in front of them on each desk. These had so many pages - which was as tall as she was - they might as well be stacks of paper rather than any dictionary. None of them really noticed her peeking in, but Blair made this scoping quick just in case. "Well, Blair?" "Looks like they got some big ass books in there. They're as big as me," informed Blair, not exaggerating on the size. Nagisa jotted it down rather quickly, but as they were, they both began to hear the back door open again! "Crud. Quick, hide," Nagisa said, hushed and rushed, as the three scrambled away. Looks like someone did spot Blair after all, and it happened to be the other teacher in question. He stood outside for a while more, examining his surroundings, and eventually he just went back inside ... "... Let's try a different spot," Aladdin quietly suggested. The three needed no argument there, and began to loop around the other way. Sure it was longer, but at least it kept out of sight from any others in class. Soon, they were over around the building, and found themselves over by the school's outside shed. "That was a close one. We need to be more careful," Nagisa noted. As he said this, Aladdin looked over at the shed, and saw that the door was slightly open ... with a halo blade sitting just inside. A quick nudge from the Magi got the others to see, and see into it. As expected, Nagisa then went on to open up the shed to investigate. Light inside was rather limited, and it looked rather worn away much like the E building itself. They saw the typical items inside for gym class; sport balls, gym outfits, and of the sort. But they were quick to find another box hidden inside: a box full of halo blades! There was no shortage of them either, as Nagisa and Blair went to investigate. "Damn! These E students are locked and loaded," Blair commented. "Yes. But how'd they get all these?" "G-Guys?" Aladdin suddenly said. His eyes were locked in a particular direction, and the group quickly saw just as well what he was seeing. Over off in the corner was another box, a bit bigger than the one of halo blades, but inside the boxes? ... "What the hell? Guns? Here?" Nagisa wondered. Yes. Not only did E have knives, but they had guns packed away as well. The types of guns varied, from small hand pistols, to large sniper rifles. As if teaching these E students knife weaponry wasn't scary enough, not they also got archery ala bullets under their belts! Nagisa was the only one who actually walked close to the weapons, actually picking up a sniper rifle. Unlike the blades, these guns didn't look very different from any normal gun. Not that that didn't freak them out anyway. Nagisa checked in and out, and at one point opened the rifle's holder. Then Nagisa found that there wasn't any actually caliber bullets in this thing, but instead these tiny, pink beeds with tiny kanji on them. They felt soft to the touch, smooth, and no resemblance to any bullet in shape. "What kind of bullets are these?" Nagisa wondered. "They're Anti-me beeds, boys and girls, customized by yours truly! Though if you're curious over what I do, and what my class learns, all you had to do is asked. There's no harm in asking for permission." Crud. Nagisa, Aladdin, and Blair turned around, and sure enough someone was right in front of them. More so, it was the demon teacher that was suddenly standing there, holding a little shopping bag from a trip to Vietnam (it seemed so by the writing on the bag). Time seemed to had stopped ... "AAAAHH!" All three of them suddenly stumbled back, going right outside, and accidentally hitting the other building, as the demon teacher faced them with the same smile. The loud thud was sure to catch someone else's attention. The teacher moved towards them, but Aladdin was ready for him, and aimed his staff at him. "Stay back, demon!" Aladdin warned. He wasn't going to slip up this time, and whatever this demon was going to do, it'll have to go through him first. However, suddenly the demon teacher had the staff in his tentacle. In his hand was his golden flute, surprising all three of them. This happened in a literal second. "Now, now, let's not be to hasty. Not like you have a chance anyway.~" he said, a sort of sing-along tune to his last statement, and his face suddenly having green stripes on his face. "That's mine, give it back!" Aladdin insisted, trying to get his staff back. Aladdin was quick to grab it out of the octopus's grip, but now they were caught and in the open of whoever else was there. "W-We gotta head back. Blair, Aladdin, time to go," Nagisa firmly ordered, grabbing Aladdin by the arm and doing the only thing logical left to do: run for it. They got the info they needed, and they had to get themselves moving. However, Nagisa barely got about five feet before he ran into the same demon, his face fully yellow this time. Nagisa turned back, not seeing the demon standing at the shed anymore. "What the? How'd you do that?!" "Just a little something called Mach-20. Come in handy in a pinch," the demon said cheekily. "Mach-20?! So that's how he got that Vietnam bag so fast," Nagisa thought ... "What's going on out here?" Another voice asked, revealing to be the other teacher. Aladdin and Blair got together with Nagisa, as he stood there, arms crossed. "Oh, Mr. Karasuma, no trouble out here. I just allowed these three to do some field notes on me, no big deal." "WHAT? You knew? Why didn't you do anything?" Aladdin asked. "Why should I stop such good observation? It isn't fun to spy if your target if they know you're watching them, right?" ... They didn't know how to respond to that. Karasuma though was quick to confront them, seeing Nagisa and his equipment especially. The witch and the Magi was odd to see, but his biggest concern was over what Nagisa had written down. Nagisa took a step back when Karasuma went to him. "I'll be taking that," Karasuma said sternly, hand out and ready. Aladdin stiff in between him and Nagisa in case of an attack. "That won't be needed, Aladdin," Nagisa quickly said, not wanting a bigger confrontation than they already got going for them. Blair though had different plans, and nudged Nagisa, winking to him. The smart kid shivered on the implication. "God damnit, Blair no, please," Nagisa thought. Blair however walked right in between Nagisa and Karasuma. Karasuma and the demon teacher weren't sure what was going to happen, but soon as that purple magic cloud poofed up, Nagisa's worries were confirmed. He and Aladdin moved further away, and when the cloud cleared, Blair was not only in human form, but she made sure her outfit showed the goods: skin tight, leather straps that just cover her private parts, and boobs, Blair herself flaunting the goods. "EEEHHHH?!?!" The demon teacher screeched, Karasuma himself stunned more than most. The demon teacher's head turned from yellow to pink, blushed up, and eyes locked on Blair's fun bags. "Come on, boys.~ No need to get in a tizzy over that little guy, right?~" Blair cooed, making sure to flaunt her body as much as she could. While it seemed to work on the demon, as for Karasuma ... "MOVE." Suddenly, Karasuma's hand gripped the side of Blair's head, and Blair was pushed aside with one strong shove. Blair wasn't hurt, but still ticked off. "HEY!" Blair snapped, jumping to her feet fast. Nagisa and Aladdin were left now, but before Karasuma could get to the notes, the demon teacher suddenly was in the way again, blocking Karasuma. "Now Karasuma, no need to stop the boy's search for knowledge," the demon teacher advised, protecting Nagisa from trouble. Karasuma crossed his arms. "You do know that you're supposed to be under wraps, right?" "We can trust these three to not blabber on about anything, right students?" This felt a bit off for Nagisa and Aladdin. This was a demon they were talking to, but he was acting very friendly and understanding to them. "Eh ... yeah, alright," Aladdin finally said. Karasuma sighed, and turned away. "Just get yourself back to class before anyone else sees you," Karasuma finished, walking back to the E building. After he was gone, the demon teacher turned to the other kids. "So, I hope your day spying on me was fun. Bet you need to head back soon, eh?" he figured. "I ... guess so. Thanks, uh ..." "The name's Korosensei: the best and fastest teacher in the human world! See you found your very own little demon-hunting knife yourself," noted the teacher, referring to Nagisa's halo blade. How he saw that was unclear, but Nagisa at least got some identification on this demon. "You're rather ... friendly, for a demon," said Aladdin, equally confused, but happy about it. Korosensei chuckled his signature laugh, which sounded oddly familiar to Nagisa. "This little demon king is trying some new things." "D-DEMON KING?!" they all gasped. They know a demon king, and they would never had guessed that this octopus would be THAT kind of demon. "Right you are. It got boring down in hell, so ol Korosensei is making tracks, and doing tricks here in your world." "... Excuse us for a moment," Nagisa said, moving he, Aladdin, and Blair away about a foot or so from Korosensei. The demon octopus was enough of a surprise, but the fact this was a demon KING made the situation even more astonishing. "Aladdin, what do you think about this? If what he says is true ..." Nagisa whispered. "I don't know. He isn't acting like a demon king to me, and he seems friendly enough," Aladdin whispered back. "And yet, he's teaching assassination to the E students. He doesn't seem so dangerous though ... Oh, what should we do? I mean, should we leave him alone, or what?" "My guess is as good at yours. However, demons can be goddamn tricky," Blair quietly pointed out. "True. But why is he teaching kids to assassinate with blessed weapons? ..." This was confusing for them. Nagisa had faced off with a demonic Jizo statue, and a pack of Hellhounds, both of which wanted his head on a silver platter. Both of those didn't have the King status like Korosensei apparently did, and if Korosensei is indeed a king level demon, then they had to figure out how to handle him before anyone could get killed by him. "You three have lots of fancy questions about me. As a teacher, I'll be more than happy to answer," Korosensei suddenly said, right behind Aladdin, leaning over him. "You will?" Nagisa asked. "As a teacher, it is my soul duty to educate and teach the younger generation whatever questions they have in mind. Go on, give it to me!" Korosensei insisted. Nagisa decided to take this opportunity, taking out his notes and readied to listen to this demon king. Whatever info Korosensei had, it's coming home with him. "Alright, I got plenty of questions. Ready?" Nagisa asked. "Give it to me, little reporter," Korosensei chimed in, confident as ever. ....... "So that's the little game Gakuho has you playing, eh Nagisa?" ~~ With time now drawing to the end of school, Nagisa, with his information in hand, started to head off to Gakuho. He just simply hoped that Gakuho would be in a better mood by the time he gets there. Any day long work would stress someone out at some level, and he just hoped it would be too bad. Still, he was glad most of his human friends weren't aware of what he was doing, even with Aladdin and Blair apart of it, and yet he still had questions about Korosensei: what was he? What was he doing? And furthermore, why is he doing this? He got a number of notes from Korosensei himself, about five pages worth, but it still was a bit arbitrary. Gakuho wanted to know what's going on at E class, and be that as it may, Nagisa got it. If Gakuho won't believe him, then he's in big trouble. During his walk to the office, Nagisa felt his nerves go astray, despite his efforts to relax. "Come on, buck up Nagisa. Just go in, give him the info, and you can go back to your normal life," Nagisa thought in assurance ... So, almost before he realized it, Nagisa found himself standing at Gakuho's door, and he gave a gentle knock onto it. It took a little bit, but eventually that same man opened the door for him, and invited him inside with a silent nod. He would never guessed he would pop back here so soon, but Gakuho was alright with it. "Shiota. What had you gathered?" Gakuho asked, more business-like in both tone and expression. Nagisa stayed quiet, as he pulled out the notebook, and gave it to Gakuho, who almost immediately began to look it over. Each second that the silence went on was torture for the student, Gakuho silently looking over each note Nagisa wrote down. He stayed at the assassination parts for a good while, taking in the information for a bit more ... "... So. This is what you indeed saw. ..." "Yes, sir," Nagisa simply said, gaze down in submission. Gakuho looked at the information about the types of weapons uncovered, and the training session saw as well. What Nagisa grew more worried over was when Gakuho began to look at the pages regarding Korosensei. Assassination lessons may be out of the ordinary, but at least they were more plausible than a demon king roaming the E building. The silence during that moment was unforgiving. ... "... I thought I made it clear that this would be between us, Shiota." "But it is, sir." "Don't lie to me," Gakuho revealed. Nagisa wondered how he figured that out, until Gakuho turned the notebook over to him. The page was actually blank, apart from one small message that was left by one particular person ... Cute spy. We should meet again sometime. K. "GOD DAMNIT," Nagisa thought. Gakuho stood up, towering over Nagisa. Gakuho felt disappointed in Nagisa, and it showed on his face. "You do understand that, for this school to be successful, that E class needs to remain where it is. We can't have them rising up this way, can we? ..." Gakuho cleared to him. The persuasive tone was enough to make the humble Nagisa Shiota nod in agreement. Gakuho kept his notes at his desk, and looked Nagisa right in the eyes. "Had anyone else so happen to notice you during your investigation?" Gakuho asked, making sure each word sank in to Nagisa without being missed. Nagisa thought back with Blair and Aladdin, not to mention Karasuma. Two of them were even helping him with the investigation, nevermind just knowing about it. He caved into Gakuho already once ... "... No. No, I don't think so," Nagisa finally said. This wasn't entirely true, but he didn't want any of his friends to take the fall with him. However, Gakuho wasn't too convinced. "... Are you quite sure about that?" Gakuho asked, leaning in a little bit. Nagisa remained calm, but tension was rough to deal with in this situation. "Yes, sir." Gakuho stayed silent for another minute, eyes locked onto Nagisa to see what sort of hint Nagisa would give off. Whenever someone would lie, there was usually ONE reaction from the liar to make that proves they're lying. However, Nagisa's usual quiet behavior made that a little harder to do ... In the end, much to Nagisa's relief, Gakuho sat down back at his desk, and placed the notes in his desk drawer. After a while, he then pulled out something else to show Nagisa, setting it down on the desk, and pushing it gently over to him. Looking, it was actually the work Nagisa had missed for the day, along with an extra slip, this giving him a sort of warning ... "I expect you to be a little more careful, next time." "Next time? ..." "Perhaps we both are a little curious about things going on over there. And perhaps -" "Hold it, chief," a voice suddenly cut in. Gakuho and Nagisa both were quick to turn around to the door, and sure enough, there stood their answer. All of a sudden, surprising Nagisa at least, Karma was actually there, leaning against the side of the door, arms crossed as well. Not the person Nagisa would expect to show up in a situation like this. "Akabane," Gakuho simply said, as Karma invited himself in. "Karma, what're you doing here?" Nagisa quickly, and quietly asked, as Karma stopped right next to him. "Deciding to place in for this spying game," Karma straight up said. Yes, he did see what Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin gotten themselves into earlier, and he decided to do a little something about it after it was over. Gakuho looked sternly at him. "So someone else did see you, Nagisa." "N-No. I mean, I didn't know sir, honestly," Nagisa insisted, only for Karma to step forward. "Yeah, he didn't see me, and neither did that Korosensei demon octopus. So why don't you have me for a while instead of this sweet face," Karma offered, patting Nagisa on the head. Gakuho was, of course, suspicious over this. "If I wanted you, I'd call you," Gakuho simply said. "Come on, we both know you've wanted me dumped into dead end E, why miss the chance?" Karma pointed out. Gakuho knew that was true. Karma may be a smart kid, but his rebellious behavior was always something for Gakuho to get ticked about, yet Karma managed to avoid it due to his high grades and good work in the school. Nagisa was surprised to see Karma even doing this. "Karma ..." "You're willing to drop your status?" "What, you'd rather have a rebel like me running around here, than about a mile away?" Gakuho was quiet, and thought it over for a while. Nagisa thought that he and Karma were going to get into trouble at this point. However, Gakuho then wrote down something on a spare attention slip, and then gave it to Karma, who smirked on seeing it. Nagisa couldn't believe it. "You'll start there next week. Now, you both can go," Gakuho finished. Karma, feeling like he won (ironic enough), went right on out alongside Nagisa. Gakuho went on back to his own work, both in the school, and looking over Nagisa's notes. It was probably for the best if Karma went there instead of Nagisa, since E saw him in the first place. Aside from that, Karma might fit in better. "Why'd you do that, Karma?" Nagisa asked, soon as they were down the hall. Karm stretched, putting his hands behind his back. "First, I've been wanting to catch a break from this damn school. And I wanna check this guy out myself. Sounds like one hell of a teacher to mess around with." "Did you really have to make that joke?" Nagisa thought. "Besides," continued Karma, "I just gotta get those test grades up and I'm back to the main building." Well, Nagisa couldn't really argue with Karma there. Regardless of the case, he was just glad that they weren't in as bad of trouble as he thought they would be. Nagisa didn't have to be the principal's spy now, and as for Karma, he'll be getting some free time during his stay at E class ... The deal was set, can't change it now. S01Ep7: Senses ~感覚~"YUGI! YUGI, YUGI, YUUUGI!" Rather than her typical alarm clock, Twilight woke up to the sound of someone practically yelling her name just outside. Not her typical wake up call, and according to her clock and the lack of normal light outside, about an hour earlier than normal. It didn't really help that it was the weekend, and therefore, no alarm exactly needed for the day. Twilight tried to ignore it, but soon, the yells turned into stones hitting her window. A rather old-school trick, but it did it's job. "What the heck? So early?" Twilight yawned. It took her a bit to get herself out of bed, and towards the noise at her window. The stones kept being thrown at the window until Twilight finally got it open. She rubbed her eyes to get a better view of the situation, and looking down to the street, she saw who it was. Standing there, fully clothed, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, was Pinkie Pie. She had quite a number of stones on hand, some rather large, and the one she was about to throw might've broke her window. "Pinkie? What're you doing? You know what time it is?" Twilight asked, followed by another yawn. "It's three fifty. You coming out?" Pinkie called. Twilight did NOT feel up for it in the slightest. She was no early bird, and especially not as hyper as the pink-haired pal standing down there. "Pinkie, it's too early. Wait for later," Twilight groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Come on: there's big sales going on at the Tokyo shopping center today! THEY'RE SELLING PIPLUP PLUSHIES!" "LATER. Me sleep now," Twilight said, too tired to care. She closed her window, and went straight back to bed, leaving Pinkie standing outside. "OK, I'LL WAIT!" Pinkie called, though Twilight didn't respond, and went straight to sleep. ....... *beep**beep**beep**bee-*click* "Much better," Twilight yawned. It was much later now, sun now high enough for it to be considered morning. The day was bright, slightly cloudy, but still pretty good for the day as a few Pidoves flew over passed her window. She yawned, stretched her arms, and got herself out of bed. Sure, the earlier wake up call was a bit annoying, and made her a little more tired, but she was alright overall, in spite of bed head deeply evident in her hair. She got up, and began to sort through her clothes for a bit to get a more casual outfit over the school uniform, when her mother soon knocked on her door. "Morning, sweetie," her mother said, smiling. "Oh, morning mom," Twilight replied, getting her outfit together. However, Twilight's mother didn't just come up to say hello. "Say, dear, did you have any plans with one of your friends today?" "Uh, yeah why?" "Because I think one of them is waiting for you outside." ....... Wait, what? Twilight froze, and turned to her mother, her face in complete disbelief. "... She's still there?" Twilight asked meekly "Still there?" questioned her mother. Was her mother really referring to the same friend she spoke to earlier? Rather than answer straight away, Twilight quickly looked out her window, only to find ... "YUGI! YOU READY NOW?!" "She's still there." ~~ It took them a while to get going, but Pinkie and Twilight were on their way from Twilight's house, and off right away to the Tokyo shopping district. Twilight was still a bit tired and not up straight, but Pinkie Pie practically dragged Twilight behind her as they were soon at the stores. The Tokyo shopping district was THE PLACE for any sales to go crazy for, and the amount of people showed how strong it was getting. All sorts of people, many of which having either boxes or handbags, were the results of the many sales at the moment. Pinkie Pie, with purse thick with money, was ready for a good shopping spree as she skipped along the sidewalk, Twilight on the other hand wasn't all up for it, and she was just trying to keep up with her friend. "YES, they're still here!" Pinkie beamed, rushing down the street until she stopped at one of the many clothes stores, seeing that there was some pretty good sales going on there. Twilight wanted to shop same as any girl, but she just needed some time to get her act together. Her eyes sparkled when she saw a giant penguin plush in the window. "I must have that," Pinkie said, just before going straight into the store, leaving Twilight alone just outside. "I'll wait out here then," Twilight got out. As Pinkie was busy getting her 'must have' product, Twilight just waited casually outside for a bit. As she did so, Pinkie was happily going about inside, checking out the stuffed animals like a true child would. Outside, the winds were starting to pick up, blowing around the sign just above the door. Many of the people going around didn't remotely consider the sign, including Twilight who was standing nearby. ... Pinkie began to feel her hair twitch a little. "Yugure, in!" "Wait, what?" Suddenly, Pinkie shot out of the store, grabbed Twilight, and pulled her inside the store, quick as a flash. Twilight didn't even have time to react, but just seconds after Twilight was pulled away, the sign above the door suddenly snapped off, and fell to the ground, right where a Twilight was standing! It would've whacked Twilight good if Pinkie didn't do anything ... "Uh ... thank you, Pinkie," Twilight said. Pinkie nodded, and smiled to her friend. Her mind quickly changed gears though, and she was suddenly admiring a larger teddy bear being sold in the store. Twilight was now a bit more awake, and alert. She didn't think it was anything odd though, and considered it more of a coincidence. "You were quick on the draw, Pinkie," Twilight commented, as Pinkie hugged one of the stuffed Piplup toys. "Oh, it's just my Pinkie sense! Sure comes in handy," Pinkie replied. Now Twilight was a little confused. "Your what?" "My Pinkie sense. My body makes these tiny little hints, when things are gonna happen," Pinkie summed up. Twilight didn't know if this had anything similar to Nagisa's demon sense, or what, but Twilight found this intriguing. Pinkie went off to buy the Piplup, and Twilight was left to ask another question. "AND did one of these just happen?" Twilight asked. "Yeah: my hair felt a twitch. That means stuff's gonna start falling," Pinkie said, as she bought the Piplup plush. Pinkie happily went along with her toy, and left Twilight to wonder on this Pinkie sense. "... Yeah, a coincidence ..." ....... Minutes ticked by, and eventually Pinkie was walking around with a very happy smile on her face, and a Piplup plushie hanging out on her shoulder. That didn't mean it was the only thing she got however, and Twilight was kinda stuck carrying it around, namely a fair stack of boxes ... eight, fairly sized boxes. It wasn't too much of a bother, but Twilight felt like her role in this situation was being used. ... "Uh, hey, Pinkie? Don't you think this is enough -" "AAHHH!" Pinkie suddenly screamed. Twilight thought Pinkie saw something shocking, but Pinkie was just fangirling over something else, and the pink girl was quick to race off. Twilight had trouble catching up, but she found her pink haired friend standing over by a pet store. The thing she was particularly staring at, and fond over, looked like a sort of cat toy inside the window. "Be right back!" Pinkie said, going straight into the store to buy it. Twilight felt worried, barely able to see above the boxes in the first place. Add a cat toy on top of it, and she would be walking blind. Lucky for her, just nearby, she caught sight of a bench, which would be good for her to chill out a minute. So, as Pinkie was in there, Twilight moved over, and sat right on down, FINALLY getting a break from the carrying. Or at least, until Pinkie comes back outside. Twilight could guess whatever Pinkie was getting would be for Blair in some way, her being a cat and all. As she was sitting there, Twilight looked over at some of the boxes that Pinkie had bought throughout the day. On the boxes in question, Pinkie had oddly suggested them wrapped and labeled for different people, the one Twilight looking at being labeled being for Karma Akabane. "Well, I hope the others are happy with this stuff," Twilight thought. As Twilight was sitting there, her bordom was starting to catch up with her, as she began to daydream a little bit, not paying much attention to what was going on around her. ... And then ... "INCOMING!" "AH!" What happened next went a little too fast to comprehend at first. Next thing she knew, Twilight was hunkered down, Pinkie right beside her on one foot, arm stretched out right above her, seemingly catching something that would, otherwise, slam on her head. When Twilight regained herself, she saw that the object that would've whacked her looked like a book. The book looked fairly decent in size, brown hard cover as well. Pinkie gently dropped the book on Twilight's lap instead of her head, a lot less painful than it would've been. When Twilight looked at the cover, the book's front cover had golden outlines, looking very regal in pattern, design, and shape of the golden colorations. At the center showed a golden unicorn from the neck up, the eye almost shining a light sky blue, at the center of a number of colored gemstone attachments: yellow, blue, pink, purple, and red. Twilight saw some words written above the unicorn, but they were in a language she could not make out exactly. The book also came with a ribbon bookmark, colored a deep violet much like Twilight's own hair. Pinkie peeked over her shoulder, as they both looked over the book for another minute. Twilight worked her memory, and remembered what Nagisa told her before how his blade just appeared out of nowhere, and struck him, so ... "Is this ... another blessed object?" Twilight thought, astonished that she would end up with something like this. Twilight gently held the ribbon attached to it, feeling the velvet on it for a bit, until she then opened the cover, only to find her name right the attacked ribbon! "Yugure. ... YAY, you got your own book named after you!" Pinkie Pie beamed. Twilight simply froze up on seeing her own name written off for her. Suddenly, it was Twilight who got up and took off with the book, needing to get her answers from the only friends who would know. As for Pinkie, well ... "WAIT! WAIT FOR ME!" Pinkie yelled, rushing after her. But not before carrying all the gifts she bought during the shopping spree. ~~ Meanwhile, the good day gave Nagisa some time outside the apartment, alongside Karma and Aladdin (who was dressed as a student). With the bright sun, and a nice breeze, temperature was in a perfect, comfy zone for a casual walk around Tokyo. No plans, no troubles, and a good time to catch up with eachother. It was probably good, since Aladdin wasn't really in the know about what happened recently. "You're in E now, Karma?" Aladdin asked. "Yep. Starts in two days, and I'm gonna be on my own in Korosensei's class of killers," Karma replied, rather casually. "But I thought you don't like taking big risks," Aladdin pointed out, remembering his denial to help Blair when she was asking for it. "With my life, not my grades," Karma simply said. During their walk, the three stopped over at a street light, when Nagisa spoke next. "Well, it is a nice day. You guys wanna do anything?" Nagisa offered. "Actually, I was thinking on going fishing," Karma suggested. "Fishing? Sounds great, what's in season?" Nagisa asked. It was there that Karma got his devilish smile on him again. ... "During this time of year, delinquents are out in drones. Just use Nagisa as a lure, and who knows how many of the bastards we can pull!" Karma simply loved the idea, personally. Nagisa and Aladdin were a little bit disturbed by the suggestion, though Nagisa was more used to it. "I didn't realize delinquents had a season," Nagisa commented. Pretty soon, the trio was walking again, just across the street, when Aladdin looked on ahead of them to see two familiar faces. These faces were Twilight and Pinkie, and Nagisa and Karma saw them too, as they were going right up to them. "Hey, guys!" Twilight called, as she was running up to them, book in hand. "Hey Yugure, Pinkie. See you two were in the shopping district," noted Karma. Pinkie peeked out from behind the stack of gifts. "Yes indeede! And here's a little something for you, you, and you!" Pinkie said, giving Nagisa, Karma, and Aladdin, their respected gifts. This was indeed a nice surprise, and Aladdin was quickly opening his up right then and there. Upon opening it, Aladdin found a fancy little piece of sapphire jewelry, attached to a necklace. The sapphire sparkled in the midday sun, and Aladdin eagerly put it on. "Wow, thanks," Aladdin said smiling. As this happened, observant Nagisa saw the book Twilight was holding, the velvet violet ribbon catching his eye. "What's that, Yugure?" Nagisa asked, referring to the book. Twilight presented the book for the others to see. "That's what I want to ask you about. It's some sort of book, but I don't know what language it is, or where it came from," Twilight explained. That last bit was a little odd to hear. "Came from?" "It ... almost fell on my head," Twilight admitted. "It's a magic book from the sky!" Pinkie revealed. That got Aladdin interested. "Magic book from the sky? Wait, let me see that," Aladdin suddenly said. Twilight gave Aladdin the book, and the Magi began to check the pages. Each page showed a number of different spells, techniques, tricks, and plenty of other things that REALLY got Aladdin hyped. The symbol on front of the book told him right away where this came from, and the genuineness of it. The others were seeing just how surprised Aladdin was being when he was looking through it. "Well, is it another blessed object?" Twilight asked. "Blessed? This is beyond blessed. Yugure, this is a book of pure alchemy!" Aladdin revealed. "Alchemy?" "Yeah! All these spells, these techniques, there's no mistaking this book. Look, it's even written by the magic master Celestia, look!" Aladdin said in glee, seeing the author under the title of the book. Twilight wasn't sure who this Celestia is, but by the sound of it, she must be a very good spell caster at least. "So we got a halo blade, and a book of alchemy. A assassin and a Magi in the making. We're just going all out on the powers," Karma commented. "Alchemist," Aladdin corrected. "Huh?" "A Magi and a Alchemist are two different classes. She has a book of Alchemy," Aladdin said. Twilight took a bit to check out her book, seeing how special it actually was. "THAT'S SUPER!" Pinkie cheered. "Yeah, congratulations," added Nagisa. Things were starting to look up for her a bit - "HERE!" "Wait, what?" Suddenly, Twilight and Nagisa were pulled away from where they were standing, just as a random flowerpot fell down onto the sidewalk, right where they were just standing. First the sign, then the book, and now a flowerpot! Damn, Pinkie was on a roll! "What the hell happened?" Nagisa asked. "Pinkie sense, Nagisa. Pinkie sense," Pinkie said. "Pinkie sense? And that would be ...?" Karma asked. "Apparently, Pinkie gets these ... feelings, which tells her that things are going to happen," Twilight said, as Pinkie released them both. A rather interesting ability for a human to have. It was then that something crossed Karma's mind. Nagisa had his blade, Twilight had her alchemy book, and Pinkie had her "sense". "Nagisa, Yugure, Pinkie? I got an idea." ~~ "... And we're here." It took a while, but Karma got the gang altogether, and over in the forests by the E building. With clear weather, and nobody at the area, it was a perfect spot to try Karma's little plan. Here, he got Pinkie and Nagisa out in the woods, both their eyes covered by some blindfolds. Pinkie was ready to go, but Nagisa wasn't getting exactly what was going on. "So what's the point of this again?" Nagisa asked. "We're just gonna test a little thing here. All you two gotta do is get to the E building, and you'll be safe," Karma explained. It sounded basic enough up to 'you'll be safe'. Since this was Karma, Nagisa could only wonder what sort of thing he actually had in mind ... "I don't like where this is going," Nagisa commented. "Now you two just stand here," Karma said, moving both Pinkie and Nagisa into position. Their target was straight ahead of them, but it was across through the forest, and then through the E building field, so it would be a mad dash to try and get there without trouble, at best. Karma though had his own little scheme to make things a bit harder for them, much to Nagisa's dismay. "Ready, set, go!" Karma announced. On go, Pinkie and Nagisa started going off. It was hard enough for Nagisa, because he was literally running blind, having no idea where he was exactly going, or where he was gonna end up. Both were going at a decent speed, but Pinkie was having an easier time of it, while Nagisa was just hoping to not trip over something, hands out in front of him most of the time. What Karma DIDN'T tell them though was that he had a little buddy to help him out, who was hidden up in the trees "Ok, at least tell me how far away the E building is! ... Karma? ..." Too late - he was gone. "God damnit." ....... Not too far away, Karma easily got himself back to the E building, no sweat. Back at the building, Twilight, and Aladdin, were sitting right by the steps, Twilight taking some time to look at the book of alchemy. Karma got their attention just by showing up, the two slightly unsure what Karma was exactly up to either. Karma casually sat down over by Twilight. "Ok, there they go." "What exactly is this supposed to do? You didn't give us much to go on," Twilight asked, which was true. Karma took a moment to stretch, smirking, before answering them. "Well, Nagisa's got his demon sense, and Pinkie has her pinkie sense. About time we actually try to figure these tricks out in case more of those bastard demons show up. Could come in handy in a pinch," Karma explained. Karma's mind was in the right place here, and with what they faced before, these extra abilities could make a big difference in the long run. "But, to leave them in the woods? That's not the safest way to start things off," Aladdin questioned. Before either one of them could continue, they all suddenly heard a loud meow, and Nagisa screaming. "AH! GET OFF! GET OFF, BLAIR!" Nagisa's voice yelped. "Safe enough," Karma simply commented. ....... "Pinkie? Pinkie? Where'd you go?" Nagisa called. After Blair's sneak attack, Nagisa was just lost wandering the woods. He made sure to keep his hands right in front, and this saved him from otherwise bumping into some things, namely the trees. Nagisa stopped for a moment at one of these trees, another hand touching the tight blindfold. He tried to take the thing off, but Karma made it especially tight around his head, and especially tight knot to keep it together. Probably his guarantee that Nagisa won't cheat in this little game. "Damn, Karma made this tight," Nagisa thought, not able to get the thing off of him. His only hope for doing that is to get Karma to do it, and his only way to do that is to get to the E building without killing himself. Oh, what a joy. Nagisa began to walk again, steadily getting his feet working on his way, one in front of the other. He didn't know where Pinkie, Karma, Blair, or anybody else was. He was worried about Blair jumping him again, and his guard was up high this time. He only hoped Pinkie was doing this fairly easier than he was, and comparing the two, Pinkie probably had made it back by now. Around him, the forest was calm and collective at first glance, though he had no idea what was going on around him. ... Then he felt the familiar chill come back to him. "Blair?! ... No, wait. This feels a lot stronger. ..." Nagisa thought. Neuhuhuhuhuhuhu~ That confirmed it. Nagisa stopped himself completely, and rather than running away, or after him, he waited a moment to try and pinpoint where he was. His demon sense began to go to work, and while he was standing there and waiting, it began to work it out for him. He felt the being moving around somewhere, but rather fast for him to accurately get his barring. Without his eyes to catch what was happening, his demon sense was his only way here. "Come on. ... There!" Nagisa thought, finally getting a better pinpoint when the demon stopped moving as fast. Suddenly, seconds after getting the idea, the figure rushed by in a gust of wind, the blindfold suddenly removed from his face. It took Nagisa a bit to get his eyes adjusted to the light, but after that, he found that he was in another part of the forest, over by a clearing. This clearing in particular had a lounge chair, a picnic blanket, and a little snack of ice cream. Suddenly, he found that someone was right behind him, and upon turning around, low and behold, Korosensei was standing there. "Well done, Nagisa. You used your Demon Sense to find me, congratulations!" Korosensei said. Nagisa couldn't help but jump back when he saw Korosensei. The demon octopus was in a completely different get up. Instead of teacher, he looked casual, with a basic, long red T shirt with an octopus on it (Go figure). The octopus, looking at the place, was simply relaxing when he heard Nagisa roaming around. "Ol Akabane up to his usual antics, I see. Though I must say, you were very close to reaching the E field," Korosensei complimented, patting Nagisa on the head. "So you saw that, huh?" "It's hard to resist, I must admit," Korosensei chuckled. Nagisa just sighed, and looked to the blindfold. However, then something crossed his mind. "Say, Korosensei? You're a demon king, right? You wouldn't happen to know what's going on, do you?" Nagisa asked. "On with what, may I ask?" "This demon sense. It's always just showing up when you demons are around, but I don't know what's triggering it exactly. Is it with any demon? Does it only show when I'm in danger? I'm trying to understand it. ..." Suddenly, Korosensei had disappeared again. There wasn't much of anything left after the octopus rushed off, but just seconds later, Korosensei popped up back in front of him. It was enough to make Nagisa step back. In his tentacles, Korosensei was holding a little buttercup, and took a sniff of it. "So, Nagisa, did this feeling come up now?" "... I don't think it did." "Ok, then it's rather simple. What you have, my lad, is a unique case of a little something called 'psychic sensory'." "Psychic sensory?" "A little instinct some folks have. Demon entities have their own auras, you see, and those with this particular Psychic Sensory are able to pick up and pinpoint these signals to the source, no matter where they are. It's this sense that's helped you find those other demons you and your friends had been bumping into, and this same sense that helped you just now in locating me. Think of it as your personal demon radar." Well that was an eye opener. Nagisa took a moment to consider this, this new information giving a better vision about his Demon sense. However, as if on cue, this Psychic Sensory began to act up again. ... "NYAA!!" BAM, Blair was on him again! Jumping out from the tree, Nagisa was tackled to the ground, Blair gripping him, and biting him cutely as her boobs pushed against his back. "Again? Really?" "Come on, you're enjoying it," Blair teased. Korosensei, his face pink and flustered, picked up Blair off of Nagisa, getting a good view at her rack before letting her go. Nagisa shook himself off, and got to his feet. Not a good showing. "So, this Psychic Sensory is to sense danger apparently. If I do have this, then Pinkie must have a different, far higher version of this sense than I do," Nagisa thought, putting the pieces together. It seemed to fit in with what both he and Pinkie Pie share. Pinkie may not be able to sense demons, but she still sensed a LOT of things that Nagisa couldn't. "Well, thank you, Korosensei," Nagisa finally said. On the bright side, it finally gave him an excuse to stop wandering around the forest like a dumbass. ... Until Korosensei tied his blindfold back on him again. "Hey!" "Why cheat in your game? Now go on, give it your all!" Korosensei encouraged, pushing him towards the direction of the school. Nagisa almost lost his balance there, and now he was stuck at square one. ... What a joy. ~~ "What's taking him?" Back at the E building, Twilight, Aladdin, and Karma were still waiting it out for Nagisa to return. Pinkie had finished up Karma's game already, and she was chilling out by Twilight and Aladdin, Twilight still reading her book of alchemy to pass the time. "There's a lot of alchemy spells in here," Twilight noted. "Sure - alchemy may be a rather old magic, but they had tons of different types to use," Aladdin replied. Finally, after what felt like forever, the others looked on ahead, and soon found Nagisa walking out of the forest, Blair as her cat self, nomming his head. By the looks on him, he had a rather rough time, but at least he had more info to boot thanks to Korosensei. The others went right up to him, and removed the blindfold. "So, How'd it go?" Karma asked, though Nagisa didn't even need to answer that with any particular words. Blair got her mouth off his head before speaking. "Nagisa's easy to jump at. But he did find Korosensei pretty good." "Korosensei? You mean that demon octopus you guys met before?" Twilight asked. "Right, and he went on telling us about this Demon Sense thing. He calls it "Psychic Sensory"," Blair said, before hopping down. "OOOOOOO! So psyche! Can you read people's thoughts, or minds, or make things float with your mind? It would be awesome to move things with your mind - don't need to hurt your fingers," Pinkie commented. Nagisa was quiet at first until he went on again. "Uh ... no. He said it's like my own demon radar." "Eh, makes sense. Was it working with bitch kitty?" said Karma. "For a while, but not fast enough to dodge her ... I gotta work on that," Nagisa said, glancing to Blair nearby. Getting attacked, and smothered, every time she jumped him was, for a lack of a better word, aggravating. As they were standing there, suddenly. *GAAAAAAHHHH!* "Uh, OK Pinkie, what's up?" "I FORGOT, I HAVE TO GET HOME AND FIX UP MY CAKES, CUPCAKES, AND PANCAKES FOR SCHOOL, BYE-BYE!" Suddenly, Pinkie was off like a rocket. "... Did she say pancakes?" Blair asked. The others simply shrugged. But, even with this random moment, Nagisa began to figure out that it was getting late for this. It'll take a while to get back home from here, and school was just as important as this. "Pinkie's right. School's tomorrow, and it'll be a while from here, so we better get going back." "Wait, but what about your alchemy? You didn't try any one of those yet!" Aladdin said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Hold on, maybe we'll try it when I'm actually ready for it. One step at a time," Twilight cleared up, before getting to her own feet. Aladdin pouted, but he got up anyway. There's always next week. ....... Unbeknownst to them, they weren't alone here. Hidden off casually in a nearby tree, laying on one of the branches, someone was keeping an eye on the objects of interest. the human laid down on his stomach, legs swaying casually behind him, and a hand above his eyes to get a better look. "So the girly boy's friend is getting into alchemy now, eh? These humans don't even know what they're getting into," the human thought, a smirk across his face. His gaze shifted to Aladdin and Blair next. "What're they doing here? A magi and a witch? Talk about an odd couple," he commented. Despite it, it would still explain the dead Houndour he found, at least. Then he saw Karma. "Karma Akabane. Cocky son of a bitch. Funny human, but he's the first to go. One demon on him alone, and he'll be good. ..." The group was an odd one, to be sure, but he still remembered what he was told to do, and he was pretty much stuck on it, and stuck in this place under order. "Let's see where this goes. ..." S01Ep8: E for "What again"? ~Eの"もう何"？~While many students at Orora high saw the day as normal, for Karma, this was a new day for him. He took the scenic route on his way towards the E building, where he would basically be stuck in until further notice. Not exactly orthodox for a normal student, but Karma was happy with it all the same. A break from the hustle and bustle of the main building to do his own thing sure felt rather swell for him. That, and anyone with a Mach-20 speed record, and twelve tentacles, must be one hell of a teacher. He had a lone walk to E, through the mountain trail with only his thoughts, and with some tiny notes he had with him, the notes that Nagisa wrote, and what Gakuho lend him upon Karasuma's request. These notes were small, and gave the basics on Korosensei and how to deal with him, which was something he probably needed. To bad he didn't have any personal weapon on him like Nagisa did, otherwise he'd be all set. "Well, day one of life as an E student. This should be fun," thought Karma. Pretty soon, he had reached the familiar clearing, and saw the familiar building of E class students. The main difference between his usual visits was that class was actually in session this time over just sitting around, being empty for his group's personal playground. Karma saw a few students already heading inside, so he knew he was at average time. It didn't bug him either way. "Guess it's show time," Karma commented, just before walking right up to the front door. The interior of the building was just as tacky as the exterior. The walls wooden and worn out as the floor, in the classroom itself, it mirrored that of the main building, only less modern. Desks were lined up the same way, and Windows aimed out to the open field. One thing it did have over the main building was a door leading outside right in the classroom. Karma saw that no other students were in class just yet, so the cheeky red head decided to take a seat for himself. Normally a front row seat is mainly picked, but Karma Akabane decided to try a different spot, more to the back rather than the front. He got himself comfortable in his seat, which was right in the back, as more of the students began to come in. When they saw him, since Karma was a new student anyway, curiosity was risen up rather quickly. "Karma's here now?" One of the students asked. "Why him of all kids?" Wondered another. "Gakuho must've finally got him," figured another. They've heard of Karma for a while, but they were still surprised to see the devil kid sitting comfortably in the seat. And the more kids come in to take their seats, the more looks were thrown his way. Karma didn't mind it, and kept his cool as they took their seats. Karma had his bag of tricks, but he was saving them for the big score, and he wasn't gonna jump on small fry like this. One thing Karma did see was the multiple weapons just blatantly brought in. In particular, the amount of guns. Sniper rifles and handguns were the common sight this morning, and Karma could already tell how crazy this was gonna be. "Going all out this morning, huh? They think that Mach-20 demon will stand still for them. Fat chance," Karma thought with a smirk. It clearly showed too. Many of the students, rather than sitting straight away, were actually up in arms as the big demon man himself strolled in. Korosensei took his position at the front, facing the armed students, who all aimed directly at him. Not very sneaky. "Good morning class. Now, let's see if we're all here shall we?" Korosensei chimed. ... "FIRE!" Then the hellfire started. Next thing Karma knew, the entire room was filled with the sound of gunshots, gun smoke, and anti-Korosensei beeds hitting the chalkboard. As for Korosensei, all he did was jump about side to side, at such a speed he looked like a glitch hologram! Not a single beed was touching him, and Karma was feeling glad to be sitting comfy in the back and watching the fireworks. Karma had his own little idea, but rather than bolt in, the kid just laid back and waited it out. "Nabiku Hazukashi." "Here." "Tomohito Sugino." "Here!" "Rio Nakamura." "Here!" (One roll call later ...) "Looks like everyone's here, congratulations!" AND after all that, not a single gun shot was landed on Korosensei's body. Beeds laid in heaps all over the floor, and it left many of the students angry and disappointed. After everything had calmed down, only then did Karma raised his hand. "Hey teach, you forgot someone," Karma announced, Korosensei realizing his mistake. "Wha?! Oh, so sorry, so sorry! Oh, uh, everyone, may I introduce our newest member of our E class family," Korosensei said, recovering. Karma got up, and began to casually walk to the front, one of his hands hidden in his pocket. Some of the students looked and saw that Karma looked rather confident with his approach. "Welcome, Karma Akabane." "Thanks a heap, teach. Let's make this one a exciting year, what do ya say?" Karma said, only then removing his hand out of his pocket. They thought he had a concealed weapon, but instead it was bare, and out for a handshake. Korosensei was pleased with this kid. "Oh, so formal," Korosensei said with a giggle. Karma kept his hand out, and Korosensei's tentacle made contact. And one, single touch was all it took. Korosensei's hand exploded! That's right. Not burned away, not disintegrated, but flat out exploded into a yellow gooey mess in Karma's hand. That got everyone's attention, as Korosensei bolted away to get some distance. Karma looked to his hand, and while he didn't expect the octopus to explode in reaction, it still was more progress than the gunslingers a few minutes ago. It was then that Karma revealed his surprise: cut out shreds of the same material from the halo blades in the gym shed, all placed on his hand in such a way that they could barely see it at glance. "Looks like these blades work better than I thought. Fall for a simple trick like that, and you'll be down in no time, teach," Karma advised. It was then he addressed the rest of the class. "Here's a tip for the rest of you: when trying to kill a demon, don't make it so obvious," Karma said, as he went straight back to his desk. He could feel a mix of amazement, and a bit of pissy glares thrown the cocky kid's way, as Korosensei slipped passed Karma, and back to the front. Karma sat right back down, whipping off some of the goop on his hand, and taking off the shreds. The same trick won't work twice on this demon, he could tell. Karma looked to the front, seeing Korosensei starting up the lesson, and suddenly regrowing the hand. "Today's gonna be good." ~~ Life outside of the school was also shifting its gears a bit. With the sun brightly shining down for mid day, it seemed that it was all well. Flying along through the air, a young Starly fluttered on around through the nearby forest, rushing through the trees with expertise. The tiny bird landed down up on a tree branch, cleaning out its feathers for a while. Not much to worry over, and not much other animals around to bother it at first. After another quick clean, it took off again, landing in another nearby branch, by the forest's edge. While it tweeted a little, this tree was currently in use by another figure, and it was trying to chill out under the same tree. The Starly didn't seem to notice the figure just underneath it, and the figure showed no interest either. This figure was the same humanoid that had saw the group earlier, and the one who took away the dead Houndour. It stood right by the tree, leaning against it as it looked on towards the E building. His finger tapped the tree for a while, waiting for something to apparently happen. ... "Well, only one of those bastards are here now. K, Envy, let's check in on those apes," he thought. After a bit, Envy then noticed the Starly up in the tree, and as the Starly was still cleaning its feathers, a strange, almost electrical sound spooked it away. After a short while, another, identical Starly flew out from the forest, and towards the E building. The little bird peeked into the windows as the lessons went on, none of them paying much attention to the tiny bird as it was looking through. Class had gone well underway by this point, with Korosensei going over the lessons on the board. "Now class, this question may seem vicious, but don't let its sharp fangs frighten you - I have a sure fire method for taming it. See if you get the gist, as I write it out on the board." Inside, Karma was still willing to give this assassin's practice a try. He did a decent job earlier this morning, so his own confidence was a bit high on doing him in. What other chance would he have to do such a thing anyway? To take out frustrations on the teacher ala handgun and not get sent off to jail? "His back's to the rest of the class. If E wants him dead this badly, then this shouldn't take long," Karma thought, as he reached into his coat, and slipped out a loaded firearm. With confidence high, and weapon at the ready, he stood right up, and aimed his gun directly to the back of Korosensei's head. He was just about to pull the trigger when ... "Karma. It takes an anti-me beed way too long to hit its mark." All of a sudden, the gun was out of his hand, and now dangling on Korosensei's tentacle. Once more, his fingernails were, for a lack of a better word, colored. "I had time on my hands. hope you don't mind me purifying yours," Korosensei slyly joked, as more tentacles showed a number of beauty produces, including an assortment of nail polish. Not the best showing, but he still showed a good smile. Good thing for him, he had a plan B up his sleeve in case this didn't work, as he sat back down. Not exactly a pure killer trick, but still one to mess around with him. "No worries, teach, I already finished my work. I'll just eat this gelato if that's ok," Karma said, this time pulling out a gelato ice cream he had in his other hand, which he wasn't trying to hide very well. "Not so fast! no eating in class - huh?" Korosensei instructed. However, when he looked at said gelato ... "HEY! THAT'S THE GELATO I BOUGHT FROM ITALY YESTERDAY!" Korosensei shrieked, as Karma gleefully licked what was once his gelato. Time between classes sure gave him time to look around, and when he saw the treat in the teacher's lounge, he couldn't resist. Korosensei was peeved to see his treat being eaten by this new student, and he knew as well this was just the start of things. and so did the bird outside. ....... "Uhuh, looking good everyone." Upon next hour, culinary as it turned out, everyone was busy cooking things up. Different students working on the same basic item of choice, which in this case was a simple task of cooking up ramen. Korosensei, dressed as a 5-star chef, observed everyones progress as he went through, looking each dish over with anticipation. Eventually, he got to Karma again, who made a suspiciously small dish, looking like vanilla ice cream from scratch. "Karma, is that all?" Korosensei asked. "Oh this little thing? just a personal gift to you, teach, to make up for that gelato. Go on, have a bite," Karma insisted, holding the plate to Korosensei. Nearby, a few other students stopped briefly to observe and see what'll happen, as Korosensei happily took the treat, and gobbled it in one bite. ... "Thank you, Karma, a fine -" Korosensei took a sniff in the air, smelling smoke. "Huh? Someone's dish burning? Wait." He stuck his tongue out, seeing it burning up - literally. "Oh. It's my tongue. K then. AAAAAHHHH!" Korosensei started running around in a panic for a few seconds, being Mach-20 making that looking like teleporting, until Korosensei disappeared popped up towards one of the sinks in the room, pouring cool water down his gullet, to the point when water was pouring out the sides of his mouth. Some call it gross, Karma called it hilarious. "That's it teach. Keep at it. I got a big welcome waiting for you ..." Karma thought with a smile. and boy, did he have one planned, but that was for later ... ~~ Pretty soon, it was lunch time. The buzz from Karma's games had really spiced things up for Korosensei, and the octopus wasn't anywhere to be found. Karma will have to wait for his little doozy later whenever Korosensei would come back, but for now he had his own pallet to quench. With bento on his lap, Karma found a good spot to sit just outside the E building, looking out to the field. A nice scenic view for a lunch break. The other E students were eating inside, and Karma just stayed outside for his lunch break, even if the others were talking about him (which Karma knew they were after the stunts he pulled). "Well, Karma, this future sure looks like a blast. If I knew it'd be this enjoyable, I would've transferred to E months ago," Karma thought. As he snack on the fish, rice, and dessert, his mind began to think about his other friends at the main building, and his magic buddies off at home. He hadn't seen them at all today, though he's sure they were chatting up a storm about what he might be up to. As he was sitting there, someone else started to step outside to check Karma out. Fancy enough, this student was a female. Her outfit matched school attire well, and with her blonde hair and blue eyes, had that typical purity appearance. "Oh, hey there. Nakamura, right?" Karma asked upon seeing her. "You got it. You sure went all out on teach today," she commented, though more impressed than surprised. Karma stretched, bringing his arms to the back of his head. "It's fun to make a good impression," Karma joked. Nakamura casually smiled, in a sort of smug way, as she rested her head on her hand. "Call that a good impression, I wonder what your best impression is all about." Nakamura wondered. Karma couldn't help but smirk at her comment. Only meeting her for a few hours, and he's liking her already. Still, she'll see what THAT'S all about soon enough. "You know, E class is pretty flashy this year, huh? Don't recall it being this exciting," Karma commented. "Yeah, it was boring for a while. That is, til Korosensei popped in through our door." "Oh really?" "Really. Karasuma went on and got all of us learning assassination right away. There's one person who doesn't waste any time." "Speaking of which, where is Karasuma? Haven't seen that teach all morning, and Korosensei ditched us too." "Eh, Karasuma's probably trying to plan another kill on that octopus. As for Korosensei, he mentioned something about checking out New Zealand for some lunch time surfing," Nakamura figured. Karma could imagine Korosensei hanging ten on a passing wave by that coast, and that's possibly what he's doing. As they were sitting there, Nakamura and Karma began to hear some of the other students inside chatting things up. Karma hadn't had much time to get to know, and Nakamura could be just the gal to help him out with it. He first noticed a number of students hanging out together on a sort of group, made up of three boys and one girl. "Hey, why not fill me in on some of your classmates. What're they about to start?" Karma asked, looking in through the window. Nakamura decided to answer. "Those are Terasaka, Kirara, Yoshida, and Takuya. They're the E class's gang. I don't think I call a day when they're not together unless one of them is sick," Nakamura explained. Karma looked over each one of them. They all looked rather average appearance wise; Terasaka being a bit bulky with short, spikey brown hair with blonde sides; Takuya being a basic blonde with dots for pupils; Yoshida with bands of brown hair, but that was about it; and Kirara (while a bit gothic) had simple messy black hair. Far as Karma knew, there was nothing interesting with them for the most part aside from potential joke targets. His eyes looked around a bit more, and soon his eyes sighted another girl nearby - a pink-haired girl eating quietly by herself. As if reading his mind, Nakamura gave him the info on her. "That's Nabiku. she's one of the Canterlot high students that came in this year. Not really chatty though. In fact, she didn't say a word since stepping into E class," Nakamura informed. "A bit frail to be an assassin." "She keeps trying to get out of it when she can." "I see." Karma looked to the shy girl for a bit more, before he turned back around, and sat down again. Karma Continued his meal, now with some knowledge about the other kids in the E class. There were others, but he had plenty of time to get to know them later. "Colorful class," Karma commented. "Yeah, not many of the main building sees that. Speaking of which, I have to ask: how'd Gakuho finally get you in here?" Nakamura asked, genuinely curious about it. "One of my friends over at the main building was gonna get kicked out, so I took his place instead," Karma said. "Wait, you chose to come here?" "Believe me, Gakuho couldn't dump my ass here on his own terms if he tried. Besides, it won't be long until I get myself back in there anyway," Karma said, confident he'll be back in there by the second semester of school, no problem at all. Nakamura saw his cocky confidence and, while funny to see, made him look a little naïve about it. Nakamura doubted he'd get himself back so soon, but she didn't say it aloud. "You're the first to do that, you know that right?" "I know I am. That aside, got the time?" Karma asked. Nakamura glanced inside at the clock. "You got about fifteen minutes. How come?" "Good. Let's just say you're going to see my best impression." And unbeknownst to them both, the tiny bird listened to everything they said ... ....... Eventually, lunch was over and done. Everything seemed alright and ordinary, with the students all in their desks by the time Korosensei had arrived back. Karma felt ready for that octopus to show up, having a halo blade he grabbed from the shed at the ready. After a bit, Korosensei slipped in to the room. However, when he did, the students all looked a little ... quiet. "Why the long faces? Is something -" He was stopped cold the second he turned to the front desk. On it, for everyone to see, was a dead octopus stabbed by a kitchen steak knife! And who spoke up after Korosensei saw that? ... "Oops, my bad. I stabbed it thinking it was you, so, I suppose I should get rid of it?" Karma asked, his expression unchanged from his cheeky smile. Korosensei picked up the octopus off the desk, removing the knife. "Yes, you should," Korosensei replied dryly. The demon octopus moved on towards the back of the room, Karma awaiting him to get close with his knife hidden just behind his back, waiting for the right moment. One quick strike during his humbled state, and that'll be that. The others watched the event unfold in silence, waiting to see what'll happen. Soon, Korosensei was about a foot away from the killer strike. Just a little closer. Korosensei though had other plans: his tentacle tips suddenly morphed into drill ends, and the octopus made a quick exit, returning with a large, live air missile! "Watch and learn, Karma me boy, to the ability of these tentacles, and the power of this missile courtesy of the Japanese Air Force!" Korosensei announced, fire shooting out the end of it. As rare as it sounded, Karma was actually humbled by Korosensei's act. With speed and dexterity, Korosensei chopped, cooked, and prepped the octopus into a delicious looking octopus meal, which Korosensei was happy to feed part of it to Karma. Karma was quick to spit it out though, as Korosensei spoke up again. "Perhaps there's some things I should mention. If you believe I'm going to let the new kid take my life, then there's no real reason for me to be here. And you see, Karma, I'm a giver. I take care of things: eager students, would-be assassins, troubled teens. Every act is just another moment for me to play my part, so by all means, keep at it." Is ... is this demon encouraging his killing behavior? That may be a teacher's proper move, but these are attempts to kill him! Karma tried to keep his smile, but he was feeling frustrated about the whole thing. He already killed plenty of Hellhounds so why can't he get this thing? Just outside, the peering Starly took this moment to finally flutter away, as Korosensei stood tall in front of Karma, good and proud. "If a student isn't satisfied in both body and mind by the end of the day, I have not done my job!" ~~ It had been a rather long day. Class E had gone through the motion for their daily routine, which included about eight total attempts at killing Korosensei - which failed. Karma felt the most frustrated with his endeavors. While the E class as a whole tried about three times, Karma's relentless five time attempts all ended in failure. And all because that Korosensei just couldn't stand still even once. Karma tried trick after trick to get a knife or gunshot into him, every time not even getting close to his skin. Karma wasn't wiling to give up though. Honestly, Korosensei was happy that Karma was hellbent on trying to finish the job, but he was disappointed in that it was the only thing Karma was focusing on. Each hour, and when he wasn't trying to target him, he was just chilling out and working on the paper when presented one. At least the other students tried to follow his learning skills. Karma was seemingly lucky not to fall asleep. Maybe it was Karma's way to be sure he wasn't doing his job. Soon, school for Orora High was done for the day, and the students were about ready to head off home. Korosensei was glad they had did their work, and stood with a happy face by the door as they all left. As they were, Karma tried one more slip of his blade, just missing Korosensei by inches before Mach-20 kicked in and he bolted off a good foot in a literal blink of an eye. "Karma, if you want a better shot at me, you're going to have to cooperate with your fellow E class brothers and sisters," Korosensei advised, crossing his tentacle arms. "Say what you want, teach, I'm just warming up today. I was the only one who actually got to you, remember that," Karma said. He wasn't ready to admit defeat over this cocky bitch of a demon, not even close! "Dually noted," Korosensei simply said, as Karma started to head off on his way. Karma began to work the gears in his brain as he walked. Just because he didn't kill Korosensei, doesn't mean that he hadn't been getting his act together. Much like how Nagisa did it, Karma had been taking mental notes on the demon, putting a few down on paper. The notes Nagisa had were alright, but they offered him close to nothing. It's always a good idea to study your enemy. Still, the demon teacher was just hoping the kid can get his act together on more than one blade. "That Karma. He seems so confident in himself, but he's not focusing on anything besides me. I'd have to work on him a bit more if he's to sharpen his second blade," Korosensei thought, observing the newest student as he went on. Korosensei started to work the hears in his own head, but just as he was, his gaze began to shift around the place, seeing the forest further away. ... "EEP!" Korosensei squeaked, suddenly bolting up to Karma and whatever student was within sight, bringing them all in back to the building. "What the hell, man?!" Terasaka snapped. "Quiet, quiet, quiet," Korosensei begged, his voice hushed and quick. "Let us go, you freak!" Demanded Nakamura. Korosensei kept his grip, a smaller tentacle moving out in front of the student, pointing off in a general direction, namely where they were going. Down the exit road, it was lined with plenty of vegetation, but Korosensei could tell that things aren't as they seem. The kids saw bushes, trees, some telephone poles leading to the school, and the dirt road leading out. It looked hard to make out, but there was something within the foliage, just at the edge, watching the group of humans from afar. Korosensei was nervous, shivering, mainly over the students safety. It took longer, but little by little the students began to see what Korosensei was seeing. "K, teach, let go," Karma said smugly. "My job as a teacher is to protect his students," Korosensei insisted. However, Karma still had his blade, so he managed to cut Korosensei's arm off, freeing him. Korosensei grew his arm back fast, but the students got themselves out as well, making them exposed to whatever was out there. As for what this strange figure actually was, it was a little hard to make out in the bushes, but it began to eye out at least one of the students before it started to reveal itself. Korosensei was the most worried over his students, jumping up in between them and the figure, tentacles spread out. It was here when the figure began to move, and became more visible. It looked fairly big, but not really too much compared to Korosensei, only just above three feet tall. Its skin was dark grey, looking like worn out fabric rather than normal skin. Its arms, torso, and mouth opened away to pinkish skin, the rims resembling that of a zipper. On each hand held three, large, pink claws, each as large as large kitchen knives. It was clear that this was another demon who came out to play, though this one seemed a little ballsy to show up in front of a large crowd like this, demon king included. As far as targets, the students were all in a group, and this demon plush toy was signaling out any loners. Karma needed some satisfaction after what he went through, and this newcomer could give him just that. He had the blade in hand, and seeing it done on Korosensei, this should be easy to do. With a smirk, Karma whistled to catch the demon's attention. "Ready to play? I'll put you back in hell where you belong," Karma said. The demon had found its target, but Karma was already running at it with the blade, ready to stab the demon. "Just one stab at this monster, and it's good as dead," Karma thought, his blade straight forward. The demon raised its arms, but hesitated when it saw the blade aimed for it. Karma went fast, and didn't even remotely waste any time to get the blade landing on the demon's head! ... AND it bended like rubber. "... Crud." The demon, now seeing it wasn't the same thing, whacked the blade out of Karma's hand, and Korosensei grabbed him and pulled him back before it could slice him to ribbons. Suddenly, it charged at the other students, arms and claws flailing like wheels to get one of them. The students raced aside, Nabiku and Kirara being missed by inches. "The hell is that thing?" Terasuka asked. "A Banette mega-demon, that's what!" answered Korosensei. The Banette saw another target nearby; Nabiku. She tried to dodge, but ended up isolating herself, right in the sight of the Banette. Panicked, Korosensei shoved the other students back in the school and out of danger, just enough time to jump in between Nabiku and the Banette. The launching Banette slammed its claws into Korosensei's chest, digging into the demon king's torso, tearing through fabric and skin. Korosensei cringed a bit, but grabbed the mega-demon, and threw it aside, leaving Korosensei with a hole of yellow goo. The Banette shook off the yellow stuff, Nakamura, Karma, and Terasuka's gang looked on. On one hand, it would kill their target, but on the other it would kill them if it'd finish. "K-Korosensei," Nabiku gasped, covering her mouth in horror. Despite the horrific injury, it was actually a minor one for Korosensei. The Banette was ready for its own action again, but by the time it was, its targets had already moved into the building. Korosensei made every measure to make sure that Banette couldn't get in, taking boards and barricading the doors and windows. "Phew. We should be safe now, kids," Korosensei said, tentacle whipping away sweat off his forehead. "... T-Thank you," Nabiku quietly said. Nakamura and Karma peeked outside from the boards, but they couldn't see the creature anywhere. "Where'd it go? It was just outside," Nakamura wondered. It was clear it moved, but where's it end up was what troubled them. ... "AH!" Found it! Next thing they knew, the Banette was inside the building, despite the barricade, having one of the students trapped in its grip! Panicking, Korosensei pulled him free, but the Banette and its sharp claws already did some horrid damage, to which the demon king had to fix up fast. The mega-demon saw an opportunity in this approach: the demon king busy, and two scrumptious morsels isolating themselves. Nakamura became its first try, and launched forward with mouth open, and claws spread. "Incoming!" Nakamura said. She and Karma ducked, both claws missing them both. "Ok, step aside," Karma quickly said, shoving Nakamura away. And just in time: the Banette swung both claws forward, and while they missed Nakamura, Karma was severely struck. Both claws dug into his torso, and while the cuts themselves weren't too deep, the force was strong enough to launch him through the barricaded window, and landing outside! Karma could feel blood seeping out of his three puncture wounds, as the Banette jumped outside with him. Still, Karma is a more durable kid, and got up fairly fast in time to confront the mega-demon. "K-KARMA!" Korosensei screamed, biting on his tentacle tips like one would chew their fingernails. "Hey God. I know Nagisa got his blessed weapon from that fleet of yours, but if I can get one too, that would be great," Karma thought. Those other blades just weren't working. The Banette readied itself for another try, licking the blood off its fabric claws. ... *thump* *thump* That's when something struck the roof, and flew off the building towards the Banette. The mega-demon turned around, and jumped out of the way before it could hit it, only to stop moving at Karma's feet. The item didn't looked the same as Nagisa's green halo blade. It was a bit bigger, more like a large sword than a knife. The blade had a wider tip, but still ended sharp. the color of the blade looked a dazzling silver, with streaks of yellow lines running along its length. The holder was wrapped with a orange cloth that almost glistened as much as the blade did. Karma lifted the blade off the ground, but he barely had time to actually comprehend anything, as the Banette was rushing for him again. Without another thought, Karma swung the sword, good and strong, and it sliced the mega-demon's head clean off! A mix of blood and black wool was released, as the now dead demon collapsed onto the ground. A quick, and clean kill. "Thanks," Karma said, looking up to the sky. "OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!!!" Korosensei said, amazed as ever. The other students went on outside as well, the Banette no longer a threat. Karma picked up the fabric from the Banette corpse, taking the other blade off the ground. Odd how the first green blade did nothing, and yet this sword sliced it like it was nothing. "Karma, you ok? That demon did quite a number on ya," Kirara asked. Karma looked down to the blood on his clothes, which there was a strangely small amount from the hit he took. Odder too, he didn't feel as much stinging as he did a few seconds ago. Karma felt the spot where the blood was, but he didn't feel puncture wounds, cuts, or anything. At first Karma was confused, but he was quick to connect the dots. "Well sweet; a healing sword," Karma commented. "That's correct! Class, you've all just witness the sheer power of the blessed Miracle Sword!" "Miracle Sword huh? So that's what this thing is," Karma said, looking at the sword. If this is how humans get their blessed weapons, then this Miracle Sword belongs to him. Not only that, but after a whole day of fails after fails, he finally got some proper satisfaction thanks to this victory. ~~ Time ticked on, and long after school had finished, one particular looking character was moving fast through the Japan landscape. The figure, Envy, had a long and rather uneventful time with this eavesdropping game of his, but this was something he had to report in. It was late on in the night, completely isolated from the rest of the world as far as he was. All Envy could see was the trees and the sky above him, so he should be good to go in theory. Once he could confirm it, Envy started to work out a symbol of his own into the surrounding dirt. No, it wasn't the Ouroboros symbol, but instead this symbol looked a bit more standard for a demon: a large symbol depicting a circle, with a six sided star at the center. Envy worked in some kanji writing as well, written at the center of the star. When he was done, he had a symbol just as big as he was, and the symbol began to activate as Envy was standing there, his own sort of power giving it power. As the symbol glowed a prominent purple, Envy moved off and the magic began to make out a portal-like image. This image, after fully completing, looked very dark, with another humanoid figure standing there. Since the picture was so dark, the figure was hard to make out, but Envy knew it was there, and he made a quick bow after being shown. "Envy. Your report?" The figure asked, nice and slow. "Yes, my lord. I'm starting to think these human worms are wising up," reported Envy. "Wising up? ... Explain that." "They got their grubby mitts on some blessed weapons. One has a Halo Blade, one has some alchemy book, and just today they got hold of a Miracle Sword and killed a mega-demon Banette. You ask me, I think we found our trouble makers," Envy explained. The figure was quiet and in thought. They both were aware of the deaths of demons over the last couple of months, and now that the figure heard this, he finally knew why. "indeed. ..." "Hey, can't I just go in and kill them all now? It's been too long since I heard those pathetic creatures grovel," Envy asked, devilish smirk growing on his face. However, the figure thought differently. "NO. If they did kill that Jizo, pack of Houndour, AND Banette mega-demon, then we have to change our strategy. Our existence can't be known until the time is right, do you understand?" Envy needed a sec before nodding his head. "... Now go. Don't let these humans out of your sight." And just like that, Envy left. The projection from the symbol started to fade away, and soon all that remained was the star left in the dirt. ... S01Ep9: Witchcraft ~魔術~"Incoming, Karma!" Karma got in his stance, and Aladdin ran at him with his staff, which Karma blocked with his new sword. With a little spell check, Aladdin turned his wooden stick into a metal staff, good for basic physical combat. Even if he basically just got the thing, Karma was doing fairly decent with his new weapon. Of course, the usual company (Nagisa, Twilight, Blair, and Pinkie) was sitting nearby and watching the little session. The gang was at the E building after class, plenty of room at the field to do this with. While Karma and Aladdin were duking it out, Nagisa had some time to reflect on things. "It's been just a few months since We've learned that angels and demons actually exist in our world. Things had been going so fast for us, I just wonder what's gonna come up next. We've faced demons four times now - twice together, and twice on our own. And now three of us had our blessed items already. It's anyone's guess what'll come up next now." "Booby attack!" Nagisa snapped back to reality when Blair smothered him in her chest again. Nagisa quickly jumped back and moved to Twilight's side instead. "You gotta be more observant, Nagisa, next thing you'll know you're gonna suffocate in these," Blair teased, bouncing her boobs. Nagisa turned grey, and didn't even respond to that. When that was done, Aladdin and Karma stopped after a while, Aladdin wiping sweat off of his forehead. Karma was feeling pretty good with this sword, as he played around with the sword for a bit, swinging it around like it's nobody's business. "WOO, good job, Aladdin, Karma! You both rocked!" Pinkie said, clapping when they were done. Aladdin's eyes locked on Pinkie's boobs, and as she was busy, he tried his luck again. "Come on ... so close ..." "Eh, thanks. So, Yugure, why don't you try out some of those magic skills of yours?" AND Pinkie bolted to Twilight's side, making Aladdin fall over. Foiled again. "YEAH! Show us some magic sparkly tricks! OOOO, see if you can make cotton candy clouds, or maybe summon a dragon lord! OH, OH, try and see if you can make boobies grow!!" That last one made Aladdin, Twilight, and Nagisa fluster up on Pinkie's last suggestion. "Let's just start with the basics," Twilight insisted. "AWW. Ok." Soon, Twilight was out on the field with the Alchemy book in hand, and studying the simpler types of alchemy to use. She read over the book up and down, but hadn't thought to try any of it yet. It was probably best for her to just start small, in case something would go wrong with it. On the ground in front of her, she drew out a very small picture of a circle and star. A simple symbol to make out. "Okay, first step: draw the Alchemy symbol within one foot of the user," Twilight read off. Clearly she got that right. "Step two: focus, and place hands onto symbol for activation. ... Straightforward," Twilight figured. "Which one is this supposed to be anyway?" Nagisa wondered. "We're about to find out," Karma commented. Twilight began to work her focus on the alchemy symbol in front of her, her hand was raised up, and she slammed it down on the symbol. Some of the group braced themselves for the possible outcome. ... Not even a spark. "Maybe I didn't place my hand on right," Twilight thought. Twilight tried over and over again at different angles, but nothing seemed to happen. No spark, no glow, nothing. "I don't get it, it should've done something. What am I doing wrong here?" Twilight wondered, looking through the book again. According to instruction, it seemed to be right. "Which one are you trying to do?" Aladdin asked. "Just a fire spell, but I think something's missing." Twilight pondered a bit more, looking it over up and down. "... Anyone have any gloves?" Twilight asked. It didn't seem likely, but Pinkie Pie was more than willing. She reached between her cleavage, and soon she pulled out a pair of silk gloves, ones that reach just up to the elbow. "Here you go," Pinkie said, giving the gloves to Twilight. "I'm not even gonna ask this time," Nagisa thought. Twilight didn't ask either, and slipped the gloves on this time for the second go. Once done, she clapped her hands together. "Alright, here it goes." After that, Twilight raised both hands up high, and slammed both onto the symbol again. Unlike before, something seemed to happen this time, and the symbol began to glow! Twilight and Aladdin were especially excited, the others waiting for the actual alchemy to activate. The symbol started to glow red like fire, but rather than setting the symbol on fire ... the gloves ended up on fire. "AAHH!" Twilight shrieked, quickly removing the gloves and throwing them aside. Both gloves soon ended up completely burned up and in a heap of ash. ....... "Well ... it kinda worked," Nagisa said, trying to be supportive as they were walking home, Aladdin and Blair now in school attire over their usual. Twilight was lucky not to burn her arms off in her attempt. Bad enough the spell didn't work, but she also wrecked someone else's gloves. "Sorry Pinkie. Were those gloves important?" Twilight asked. "I can get some more shopping tomorrow. They got the cutest gloves out on sale right now! And then you can go and burn them up again when you practice," Pinkie figured, her usual big grin on her face. That last part didn't help her out, and just slumped a bit. "Don't beat yourself up, Yugure, it's only the first try. It took me at least a week before I got my first spell right," Aladdin said. "Oh really? And what's the first spell you learned?" Karma casually asked. "Very first? ... hmmmmm ..." Aladdin brought his finger to his chin as he was thinking, eyes to the sky. When they began to pass over by a stop light, Aladdin then remembered, the lightbulb going off in his head. "Oh yeah! It was that levitation trick with my turban. You can't imagine how many times I kept crashing before I could stay afloat," Aladdin said, though he wasn't wearing his turban at the moment. A rather impressive spell to learn for a first timer. Aladdin could still remember the many crashes he kept getting each time he tried getting off the ground, more often landing on his head or something. "See? So you screwed up on your first try? That's why people say 'try, try again'," Blair said. Twilight wondered a bit, and soon gave them a smile of her own. "Yeah you're right. I'll get it eventually." "That's the spirit! Now who wants to join me in a shopping hunt tomorrow?!" Pinkie beamed in excitement. "I'll pass. I got homework to do ... plus, my wallet's empty from last time," Twilight said. "It wasn't that much." Twilight answered her with a demonstration of her own: pulling her wallet out, and showing that it was simply empty by opening it and shaking it. not a coin left thanks to Pinkie's little shopping spree last time they went. Pinkie couldn't lie out of this one. "Those teddy bears were worth it! Mock me now, but they'll be useful one day!" Retorted Pinkie Pie. Twilight obviously didn't really think so, considering they were large teddy bears of all things, but Blair went up to the pink gal soon after she said that. "Hell, I'll go with ya," Blair decided. Pinkie's eyes sparkled, and her smile lit up, but the others weren't sure about that. "Why you? You don't have a any yen at all," Nagisa questioned. It was then Blair got a little smirk of her own. "Oh, any boy in that place will give me whatever I wish - nothing some seduction and boob playing can't solve, right?~" Blair explained deviously, similar to a particular red kid in their group. "She's been around Karma too much," the others thought (aside from Karma and Pinkie, of course). Still, Pinkie was happy to have a pal to join her shopping tomorrow, hugging the witch. Well, least she was happy about it anyway, and Blair had something to do tomorrow over staying around the house all day. "YAY! Shopping buddy!" Pinkie beamed. Whelp, the two had it planned out. ~~ Sunset started to come around, and everyone was off at their respected home. While the day was fair weather, that night proved a dramatic shift due to rain, which poured down hard. It just showed that the rainy season was starting for Japan, and this year it started off strong. Over at home, Twilight found the rain quite nice to listen to, as she was looking over her book of alchemy inside her living room. Her lamp lit up the room just enough for her to see what she was reading, which the exact page appeared to be a type of lightning alchemy. She wasn't willing to try any yet, for one: she didn't want her parents to see, and two: shooting lightning inside her house was a disaster waiting to happen. On her TV, which was left on for some background noise, the weather called for days of rain. Harsh enough, but it was just only one of many in this corner of the world. Still, the weather wasn't too much trouble, as Twilight had more things on her mind with these possibilities of alchemy. She looked on through some more of the Lightning alchemy when her mother's voice called her. "Sweetie, dinner's ready," she said. Just at the table, her mother had set up two meals of sushi and rice for dinner. Twilight stopped reading for a moment, placing the alchemy book aside so she could eat. "Looks delicious, mom. Itadakimasu!" Twilight said, as she began eating her meal. Her mother joined in after a bit. "So how's school today?" "It went alright. I just got my homework finished." "That's good. Hey, did you see that package yet?" That news got Twilight's attention. "Package? What package?" "It just came in while you were at school. Remember that letter you sent out sometime ago?" And that part got Twilight to jump up to her feet. "It's here?! Where is it?" "I left it right up in your room." Excited, Twilight rushed off from the table and right upstairs. Thanks to both homework and reading the alchemy book, she didn't step into her room yet. Her mother waited a minute or two until Twilight came back downstairs, managing to find the package as she said. It was rather small, but still something Twilight had been looking forward to. The signature on the package was pretty good for her to see, and it came with a letter taped to the box. Dear Twilight: Things are going well over here. Wish I could stop by again, see how you and mom and dad are doing, but you know how the military is - always have a lot to do. Hope this can hold you over until I'm able to come home. With love: Yoroi Kagayaki Twilight smiled big as she opened up the package, her mother happily watching. As for what Twilight got, the object inside looked like a small ribbon, like one worn by a Sargent. It was gold, and had the signature wings on them too. Not much, but Twilight was happy to receive it. This "Yoroi Kagayaki" did make her day. Her mom saw what Twilight had received after a bit, her daughter having a seat. "I hope Yoroi's doing alright over there," Twilight said, as she looked at the badge. "I do miss him. I'm glad your brother still remembers his family," her mother agreed. "Yeah. Maybe I should give him a call sometime," Twilight figured. Twilight and miss. Kagayaki went back to eating, Twilight now thinking about her brother rather than the alchemy. Her brother had been gone for quite a while now since he joined the military. Still, this reminder of her brother mixed in with her current predicament with her friends and these demons showing up. How is she gonna tell him, or her parents for that matter, that she's getting herself involved in a angel demon war of her own? There's no way her family could handle another person leaving them this long if that were to happen. ... Then again, she couldn't ignore the matter either. ... Still, as Twilight was eating her dinner, one particular demon, Envy as it turns out, was keeping his sharp eye out and peering into the home from the window. With the rain pouring down outside, while getting him soaked, it was good cover for the demonic spy with his post up on the roof right next door. He didn't mind this spying game, but he still was annoyed how that's ALL he was doing. "What a worm - emotional over some long distance brat. I could just kill her right now, no problem - that mom too." Envy thought. But as true as that was, it still didn't excuse the exact orders given to him from last night. Our existence can't be known until the time is right. Orders are orders, and what orders they are. He enjoyed killing humans as much as the next demon, and having to hold himself back was NOT something he wanted to keep up forever. It was a nice way to learn a thing or two, but this instigator still had his enjoyment to satisfy. Envy turned himself around, laying on the roof as he tried to think. As the rain pitter-pattered against his skin, Envy remembered something they said earlier. In particular, what Pinkie said earlier. And that's when it hit him. He snapped his finger in realization, the idea flowing through his head like the rain. "Of course, that can work. Time to have some fun," Envy decided, before he slipped away along the rooftops towards the urban Tokyo city. ... ~~ Next morning, and the weather was still not too good. It wasn't pouring like last night, but still a slight drizzle once Pinkie and Blair arrived to the shopping district. Pinkie happily provided them both with a large umbrella much like the other shoppers going around the district. A little rain was NOT going to stop this shopping day for Pinkie Pie, nor Blair. This also meant most of the shoppers spent their time in the stores rather than outside, and both gals were doing the same, staring off their shopping day with Pinkie leading Blair to the nearest pet store - the same one she got Blair's gift from last time she came here with Twilight. "You're going to love this super duper place, Blair! It's got cat toys, cat food, cat houses, all things cats! Gee, there's a lot of things for cats. Why not for mice, or birdies? They would like a cute jingle toy," Pinkie commented as they walked. "They won't know what to do with a jingle toy, trust me," Blair replied. Even if she was a cat, that stuff didn't seem to fancy her too much. Despite that, Pinkie brought Blair straight there first. It had everything like Pinkie Pie said, but Blair just didn't feel for it. She didn't have any yen to buy anything anyway, so she just walked around with Pinkie inside the store. "Doesn't this place make you wanna have a field day?" "Eh ... maybe? I'm not a person just to fiddle with kitty -" Blair stopped herself, her nose picking up a rather interesting scent. Her being a cat, the pet store had plenty of aromas, but this one in particular was something especially catching. Blair took a few sniffs, and then she found herself staring right at another product up for sale. Blair's eyes sparkled on seeing the product, mouth opened wide in a grin. Catnip, up for sale! "Humans sell this stuff?!" Blair thought, taking one of the catnip bags, the scent unmistakable to the witch. It was quick for Pinkie Pie to catch her friend admiring the catnip bag, Blair even cuddling it on her face, a curious look of her own. "What is it with cats and catnip?" Pinkie wondered. "You wouldn't understand," Blair replied, still holding the catnip close. Well, it was clear what Pinkie was buying for her here, as she took the catnip bag to pay. Blair tried to get it back, but Pinkie was very quick on the draw, and got it to the counter while she held Blair back with a foot to her stomach. Yeah, Blair liked it THAT much. The cashier didn't even bother to ask about it, and it didn't take much longer until Pinkie and Blair were outside with their purchases, Pinkie opening up her umbrella as Blair held the catnip bag. OH, she's gonna have a field day when she gets home. The weather began to pick up again, the drizzle turning into a basic shower of rain, though that didn't bother Pinkie too much, even skipping around in the puddles along the sidewalk. Blair strolled along, though kept herself under the umbrella. She didn't mind the rain (ironic for her technically being a cat), but that didn't mean she wanted to get completely soaked. While Pinkie and Blair were fine, they did have a shadow. ... Hidden up on one of the shopping district-s rooftops, Envy had positioned himself at the ready for his assault. He had considered the warning, and he figured it out: he can easily kill them both, so long as his true identity isn't figured out, and therefore, his existence is safe. The rain outside helped him out too, since not many people are going to be outside for too long to notice anything up right away. What's even better is that Nagisa, Twilight, and Karma weren't there. Meaning that, while there IS a witch, no blessed weaponry was present. PERFECT. While up there, the building he was on had a very large advertising sign, and Envy put himself right at the supports. "Bye-bye.~" Envy cooed quietly, as he began to weaken the support bars. Using his own hands, he began to crush, and weaken the bars that held the sign up. After a bit, the weakening creeks and groans from above caught Blair's attention, and Pinkie began to freak out a bit. The large sign groaned, and finally it started to give, falling over! Envy stepped back to not fall with it, a devilish grin stretching across his face as he heard the metal sign crash below. The crash caught plenty of people off guard, making them jump and look in shock at the freak accident. The only one happy was Envy, who slightly peeked over the edge of the building, expecting a couple of bodies in a bloody mess. Such enjoyment at the thought. ... AND it hit no one. "God damnit," Envy thought. Some people were just inches away from being crushed, and the two he intentionally tried to kill were too far away. To add more insult to injury, Pinkie looked like she was distracted by something in a nearby clothes shop, pulling Blair behind her. Pinkie didn't realize it, Blair seemed slightly fazed more by Pinkie's pulling, and Envy was just left ticked off in his roost. That didn't mean Blair and Pinkie didn't come back over to the sign, Envy trying to keep out of sight. "Everyone okay?" Pinkie called. "I think so. Thank god no one was in the way of that thing," one of the bystanders said, still shaken up. Still, it looked rather odd to see this suddenly collapse like this. "This ominous situation calls for ... DETECTIVE PIE!" All of a sudden, like a sort of transformation sequence, Pinkie had a Sherlock homes hat, a magnifying glass in hand, and a pipe in her mouth that blew bubbles instead of smoke. "Where'd she get that?" Blair commented, as Pinkie quickly got to her work, looking intently at one of the broken beams, inches away with her magnifying glass, and her hair "AHA, just as I suspected!" Pinkie announced. "What exactly?" "These support beams got squished. Smashed. Crumbled together like paper tossed to a trash bag! A deliberate attempt for a multi-kill," Pinkie hypothesized, sounding oddly more British, as she "smoked" her bubble pipe. As random and stupid as it is, Pinkie was right when others looked to the beams, which did looked like they were scrunched up and weakened somehow. Envy couldn't believe his ears at this random human, so ... "We all can see that. Good eye, Pinkie," Blair said. "Yes. But can you all see ... THE CULPRIT ON THE ROOF?!" ...... *tweet* *tweet* AND there's a bird. After a few little tweets, the Pidove fluttered away, Pinkie left in a dramatic pose, finger aimed directly where Envy would've been. "The bird?" "No way, hose-a. A bird can't bend metal. Duh!" "OK, ok. We'll keep this in mind," Blair decided. Pinkie quickly agreed, and went on ahead. "That was close," thought the bird. ~~ "A freak accident or a attempted mass murder? Earlier today, dozens of shoppers laid witness to the collapse of the shopping district's advertising sign. Evidence at the scene showed the beams being forced, yet no culprit has been identified." "Damn, news flies by fast," Blair commented. "They didn't include detective pie!" Pinkie complained. After their time at the shopping district, Blair and Pinkie were going off downtown with their possessions. Their day of shopping got them plenty of shopping bags, which hanged off of their arms. It was during their walk that they caught sight of a TV store, which was broadcasting a news bulletin about the incident at said shopping district. A large metal sign nearly killing shoppers on the district is going to attract some authority attention, not to mention attention from the local news crew. Details didn't go beyond what was seen by eyewitnesses, and the TV screens showed the architect being questioned by police. It was surprising how quickly they got this broadcasted, even if it was just over an hour ago. Pinkie and Blair continued walking, although the stuff Pinkie had in particular was starting to strain her. "You having trouble, pinks?" Blair asked. "A little bit," Pinkie admitted. Blair seemingly had the same amount, but she was strolling along like it was nothing. Pinkie's statement was all Blair needed to hear. Blair waved her finger near the bags of clothes. After some little words, Pinkie suddenly felt her arms grow lighter. Pinkie didn't know if her arms grew stronger, but she went to check one of the bags, and soon found the magic trick done to her stuff. Each article of clothing in each bag, had shrunk down to doll toy size. Normally someone would complain, but Pinkie was awestruck, seeing her silk gloves now slipping onto her fingers. "AAWWW, so kawaii!" Pinkie beamed, stars in her eyes as she saw the tiny glove. "Glad to help a girl out," Blair said, playfully fluffing Pinkie's hair. It's efficient, lightweight, and Blair can grow them back later on when they get home. Suddenly Pinkie had questions flow through her head. "Know any other magic tricks?" Pinkie asked. Blair saw how excited the pink girl is, but before they could continue, they began to see a commotion going on further away. Not entirely a danger, but instead a crowd admiring a Class B student beauty as she went by. Being in Orora high for a little longer than the witch, Pinkie got who was walking through right away. Blair wasn't too familiar though she still got her attention. "Who's the copycat?" Blair asked, crossing her arms. "That's Emi Isuzu - big booby and big booty boss lady at Orora High," Pinkie explained. "I can think of another B for her," commented Blair. While unprompted, Pinkie was suddenly up to Emi, her usual happy grin on her face. Emi herself did not looked very amused seeing the sudden pink girl pop up in front of her. "You again?" Emi questioned. It wasn't the first time Emi came across Pinkie Pie since the gal came to Orora High. "Yep, it's me again! How're ya doin?" Pinkie asked. "Don't know why you should care." "Because I like my friends, and friends do things with friends, and wonder how their friends are doing. And one of my friends is my twin from another tree. Huh, twin from another tree ... I just made a new thing!" "You and I are not twins, you're just a copycat from Canterlot. There's only one sexy pink in Tokyo," Emi cleared up. As they were standing side by side, Blair began to do a little comparison between Pinkie and Emi. They both had pink hair, blue eyes, and curves that caught the attention of any pervert around. "Damn, you look like her lil sis, Pinkie," Blair commented. Pinkie gasped in happiness, but Emi was NOT willing to have her as a sister. "OMG, we do!" "Can it, you freak. I'm hotter AND smarter than you two will ever be. So leave who looks like who someone who knows how," Emi suggested. Smarter maybe, but Blair drew the line at "hotter". "AND who's hotter?" Blair asked, pushing out her chest so her boobs were more prominent. Emi caught her, and moved Pinkie right out of the way to compare her boobs to Blair. Pinkie's were smaller, but Blair's were a close match to Emi. "You really think you're better than me in the boob game?" Emi mocked. "The school boys were fonding over these babies a lot more than yours, so yeah," Blair replied back, saying from her own experience. Maybe it was from her natural flirty behavior over Emi's stern one. Emi Isuzu pushed her boobs into Blair's boobs, both fighting eachother for space. "Remember who's at top, you cocky bitch," Emi stated, before actually whacking Blair's boobs in one swing. Blair cringed from the pain, and Emi casually strutted off on her way. Pinkie looked worried over Blair, as the witch rubbed her boobs where Emi hit her. Her boobs weren't damaged too bad, though still got hurt slightly. "Takes one to know one," Blair thought, looking back at Emi. Blair wanted to get even, but using magic in such a public place was kinda against the rules, so she decided against it for now. "Is your boobies ok?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, whatever. Let's go home," Blair decided. ~~ Time ticked on, and there was plenty of time left in the day once Blair and Pinkie got to their respected homes. Well, one true home, one borrowed one. Either way, Blair was dried up, back in her kitty form, and now more free to be herself. Since it was Sunday, both she and Karma had the day to themselves. Karma was still checking out his own miracle sword over downstairs, checking his reflection in the sword itself. In the same room, Blair had a heyday with her catnip. She opened it up, and just went all out: rolling in it, pawing it, rubbing it, meowing and drooling like a drunk. The catnip and its affects were kicked into overdrive for the monster cat. "How're you enjoying that catnip?" Karma asked. "Nyaaaaaaaa.~" Blair meowed, brushing her head into the plants. That was all the answer Karma needed to hear, as he checked out his sword, doing some small yet quick swings with it. Just looked at it reminded him of when he one-hit killed a mega-Banette at E class. Funny how he ended up a mega-demon slayer after day one of E class. A sense of fate, perhaps? He raised the sword up a bit, letting the reflection show in the light. He kept it up for a bit, gently tilting it, and seeing how it shined in the light. It was a rather fancy sword. Then, something showed up in the reflection. ... The reflection of the window behind him, showed the rain outside, and a demon figure spying into his house! Karma was quick to jump into action, and swung himself around to face whatever was looking in on them, sword aimed and at the ready. If he could take out a mega-demon, he can face the demon at the window. However, when he looked with his own eyes, the figure was no longer there. The only thing he saw was just the rain coming down from the rainy season. Strange... *knock**knock**knock* "KARMA.~ Door's knocking," Blair meowed, almost drunk in tone. Karma quickly put two and two together in this scenario: a odd figure in the window, and then a sudden knock at the door. How lame. Karma went up to the door, but not before placing the miracle sword just at the wall, keeping it behind the door so it wouldn't be seen. Can't have his sword just stolen from him so soon. "Sup?" "Karma? It's me, Nagisa." Nagisa? Karma took a moment to open the door, and sure enough it actually IS Nagisa standing there, the blue trap with an umbrella to keep the rain off him. Blair was too caught up in her own catnip to care about the encounter in any way. "Oh, Nagisa. What brings you by?" "It's about that Miracle Sword. Aladdin has some more information that I think you should hear," Nagisa informed. "More info? Korosensei gave me the jist already: it's a sword that heals its owner." "Aladdin thought so too, but he just found something out new with it. Come on, I'll take ya to him," Nagisa said, already starting to walk ahead a little bit. Karma could use some tid bit info on his weapon if it's worth his time. He got his own umbrella by the door, along with the Miracle Sword. "K, Blair, I'll be gone for a bit. You have fun getting high off catnip," Karma joked, Blair nodding a little bit before rolling about in the catnip again. With that word, Karma opened his umbrella, and went on his way with Nagisa. ~~ With a relaxing stride, Karma and Nagisa continued on their way down the sidewalk, as they went through the urban area of Tokyo. The rain came down pretty good, and it was just the two for the most part. Karma knew where they were going for sure, but the walk on their way was oddly quiet, even for Nagisa. The least, they have a simple conversation on the way to the spot, but Nagisa kept his mouth shut as they went. Well, even so, Karma kept his mind sharp, keeping his eyes peeled for that demon figure again. His sword stayed firm in his grip, ready to swing it whenever, and wherever. Nagisa kept himself in front of Karma, something Karma also caught, and eventually they reached the similar light. It was here that Nagisa stopped suddenly. "What's up?" Karma asked, only getting shushed by Nagisa. Karma knew the demon sense when he saw it, and Nagisa quietly pointed off down the corner, towards an alleyway. "Down there," Nagisa said. "Geez. Talk about cheesy," Karma commented. Nagisa and Karma began to move in on the alleyway, trying to close in on this demon Nagisa sensed. The figure, perhaps? Still, Karma was at the ready, confidence very high thank you. Nagisa stayed hidden away, and Karma took a peek down the alleyway, to find ... Nothing? "Where is it? Sense on the fritz, Nagisa?" Karma questioned. "No, I swear. I think it went down that way," Nagisa said, pointing down the curve in the alley. Karma looked to Nagisa for a second, just trying to be sure. They did test the demon sense sometime ago, that was for sure, and Karma wasn't too sure on the exact sense mechanics aside from what Nagisa told them. Aside from some cans of garbage, and a few puddles, Karma saw no evidence that a demon even stepped foot on the alley. Be that as it may, Karma went out to full view, but didn't step a foot into the alleyway just yet. Here they are, trying to go after a demon, alone, with Karma only having the weapon in hand. ... "Go on then." "So forward? What happened to that humble kid I know?" Karma asked. Time to test this kid. "But, I can't go after it - I left my blade at home coming to get you." "Oh yes?" "Yes, I did." "Can I ask you something first? Before I go after this thing, Nagisa?" Nagisa looked a little troubled, but nodded anyway. Karma stayed silent at first, before turning to his "friend". ....... "Since when do we chase after the demon?" Nagisa hesitated. ... Now it was out. Karma suddenly charged forward, slamming his "friend" in the head, and sending him off down the alleyway! Nagisa tried to regain himself, but Karma already skewered him right in the stomach! While blood did come out a bit, something else was also shooting out: red lightning! Not the same as natural lightning, but more like loose electrical shocks. Nagisa, shocked as shocked can be, knocked Karma back just enough to remove the sword from his abdomen. Surprisingly, the wound began to heal itself, and in no time at all, the cut and the damage was gone! Karma knew damn well Nagisa can't do that, not ever. "Gotcha," Karma said, finally. Rather than getting angry, he gave Karma a smug grin, before his whole body started to alter. It was a short change, but everything from skin to clothes transformed in a manor almost like being burned, only to reveal the true identity of the attacker. Envy! "Very good, you found me out," Envy stated, giving him a toothy grin. "You're the one that screwed up. Besides, since when does Nagisa encourage me to do anything?" Karma stated. Envy was a little upset, but masked it under his grin. "No matter. I still got you alone, and no one else knows where you are," Envy said, cracking his knuckles. "Yeah, I gotta admit, that was pretty clever," Karma complimented, his sword at the ready. Looks like there's gonna be another tussle with a hell spawn, and both sides were ready to fight. First one to charge was Envy, racing at Karma with a crazed killer look in his eyes. The swordsman was quick to retaliate in Envy's assault, and rushed past the side. Karma tried a slice as he did, but Envy dodged it just enough to avoid another cut. Karma could tell this was not just some regular brute of a demon. Envy quickly turned around, and this time the charge head butted Karma in the stomach, the same spot where Karma struck Envy in ironically. The hit was strong, but Karma stayed on his feet to avoid a kick from Envy, and actually getting a slice at Envy's calf. Small, but still enough to heal Karma of the hit. Karma tried to get some distance, but the wet ground made the pavement a little unsteady, and Karma ended up stumbling. Envy took the chance, and got Karma under his feet. "Now who screwed up?" Envy mocked, before going right for the throat. The strength in Envy's hands was beyond what Karma expected, losing breath immediately as Envy strangled him. A quick slice of the sword managed to get Envy's arm sliced off, getting Karma free. However, Envy did manage to skewer Karma's throat during the choking, reminding him just how close Envy got to killing him. As Envy paused to regenerate his arm, the slice activated the healing effects of the sword, and started to close the cuts on Karma's neck. Only then did Envy really see what was going on with Karma. "Told you this sword can heal me," Karma said. "So I noticed," replied Envy, as he rushed in again. Karma took the strike first, but Envy dodging only gave Karma a slice off of Envy's hair. Envy did manage to trip Karma up, whacking him in the leg, but instead of falling to the floor, Karma rolled around with the momentum. And just in time: Envy charged at him again, just for Karma to skewer Envy right between the eyes! The same blood and sparks flew again, Envy forcing the sword out of his head, before throwing it out of sight! Now Karma had no blessed weapon to use against Envy here, and Envy knew it. Once that was handled, the demonic shapeshifter stared daggers at his target with an evil grin. "There, takes care of that. Your turn," Envy hissed. Karma suddenly had Envy on top of him. Karma punched, kicked, and whatever he could. While they did do damage to Envy, no doubt, it was nothing compared to what the sword had done. The demon had him. Envy went all out on Karma, and managed to grab the kid from behind, his knee right into Karma's tailbone. "Damn it! Damn it! This hurts!" Karma thought, teeth grinding. Envy kept slamming into his spine, his fingers digging into Karma's arms like claws. Envy was doing tons of damage, but he still wanted to finish the job. And after a quick look around, Envy found his answer in the form of a large broken glass amongst the garbage. A good cut in Karma's skull could make for a painful death. "Let's get this wrapped up," Envy decided, a hand grabbing the broken glass off the ground. Karma barely saw what Envy snatched up, and in the position he was in, dodging it wasn't going to happen. Envy aimed the glass shard right for the back of the neck, ready to - "HAULT!" Salvation! A loud, and almost screeching whistle rang through the air, surprising both Karma and Envy. Envy thought that his attempted murder had caught a crowd, but when they looked ... well, half right. The figure standing there was Korosensei, now in a police blue uniform get up, including a police cap, black shades, and a police stun stick. Envy was relieved that it wasn't a real human cop, but all the same it was out of nowhere. "Sup, teach?" Karma asked, surprisingly nonchalantly. "Hello, citizen. Has anyone told you not to play with sharp objects, lad?" Korosensei asked, referring to Envy. Envy suddenly lost his weapon, and replaced by a violet flower. "Who the hell are you?" Envy asked, biting off the bud. "Name's Korosensei, and I believe you're trying to make ribbons out of one of my students?" The demon king presumed. Couldn't hurt to add another to his murder list, so he grabbed the glass again, and tried for a slice. Korosensei was quick to dodge it, and replacing it with a pre wrapped toy knife instead. "Allow me to demonstrate the proper method of expert gift wrapping," Korosensei said, already rolling out a roll of plastic wrap. Before Envy could do anything, the octopus began to zip around Envy, wrapping him in the plastic wrap. "Step one: make sure to wrap your present completely, and accordingly to avoid tear," Korosensei advised, as Envy was getting himself wrapped up in plastic, from the neck down to his toes. Envy squirmed about, stretching the plastic wrap, but it was hard to move at all. "There is no step two," stated Korosensei. The octopus fazed out again, popping up back with Karma's sword. "I believe this is yours, Karma." "Thanks for the save. I owe you one," Karma said. "I already told you. I'm a caregiver, I take care of things," Korosensei reminded. "Get me out of this thing!" Envy yelled, struggling more and more. All Karma did was take the sword, walk right up to him, and stab him right in the back. Lightning shot out a ton, but rather than a simple stab, Karma sliced him right through, stopping at Envy's head before Envy finally gave in. Plastic torn, and Envy was basically inches away from being split in two. "There. Done and done," Karma concluded. "And we're off!" Korosensei added. Not that he needed to ask, but Korosensei got Karma, and both flew right off and away, leaving only Envy laying there on the ground, the rain mixed with Envy's blood ... which was surprisingly low. ... "About time they left," Envy groaned. When that was done, Envy's own healing sealed him up completely, and the cut in the plastic got him to slip out no problem. He'll get his own back, but for now, it's off and away from there, as fast as he could. ~~ When it was all clear, Envy took off running completely, and rather than heading back to his targets, went off towards the outskirts of Tokyo. He was simply ticked off with himself, more than anything. Not only did he not kill anyone of his targets today - or anyone altogether - but he also ended up embarrassed thanks to some octopus police officer that popped up outta nowhere. The only bright side was that no one else from his Demonic world even saw that happen, so he got that going for him. Envy got himself out far enough to reach the forest by the mountainside, only then catching his breath. "Damnit Korosensei. He just had to jump in! Oh well. Just add another one to my little list," Envy concluded. No one said there was any time limit to this sort of hunt. Besides, as they always say: first you don't succeed, try again. Envy looked back to the city after his run, just getting his act together when. ... "What did I tell you?" The ominous voice caught Envy off his guard, the demon spinning around fast to face the source of the voice. So much for being alone. "I could've killed them," Envy said, in his defense. "But you didn't. and once more, you've shown your true form to them," the figure hissed. Envy knew that too well, and the figure moved closer to him. "Okay, I did. It was just one human, and I can easily shut him up," Envy decided, his head morphing so it matched Karma's before doing a fake slice on his throat. While Envy liked the idea, the other figure gave a low, long hiss. "... You better." The figure simply turned around, and disappeared in the shadows. ... S01Ep10: To the Victor... ~ビクターに...~Class E, and just after class was finished up for the day. Inside the main office, Korosensei was going over the class's work from the following day, each class with the most dedication for each single student. Needless to say, Korosensei went balls out on getting these students ready to go, especially during this timeframe. Getting these Class E students to amp up in grades is what he strived for, and during this time, it was vital. According to the nearby calendar by the desk, one day was circled just a week before summer vacation would begin. That day, the final exams were close coming, and as with the mid terms, these tests matter greatly for the class as a whole. Plenty of the students were up and atom with this sort of thing, and Korosensei made sure that class E was no different here. On the whole, he was feeling pretty good about things. Karasuma, who was working in the office as well on his computer, was a little less amused about it, his mind more focused on the main problem sitting in the same room with him. He'd been trying, along with the students, to kill Korosensei but all attempts so far had proven fruitless. Any bullet or knife missed him by a mile since he showed up. "Ah, after work relaxation. I've been thinking on getting some Italian-styled smoothies. Mind having one?" Korosensei offered. "No thanks," Karasuma simply replied. Korosensei felt bummed out as he went to the door. "You need to learn to loosen up, Karasuma. The assassin's sharp mind dulls out too you know." "I didn't come here for your charity, I came on order to kill you. Just remember that." "And you just remember that you just missed out on the most delicious treats of the Europe continent." As Korosensei said this, he went on to open the door. What Karasuma saw that Korosensei didn't was another figure right by the door. Korosensei only realized that until after accidentally bumping into the man. "Oh, do excuse me." "Likewise, Korosensei," the figure said, stepping in and closing the door. Strange how he knew the name right away, and the fact Karasuma tried to keep this under wraps made that a little more odd. However, it still was interesting for Korosensei to find. "OH, Gakuho, sir. What brings you by?" "A number of things. Firstly. I heard rumor of a giant, demon doll attacking the E class building?" "Oh that, water under the bridge." Gakuho simply nodded, as he continued with Karasuma looking on. Gakuho didn't stop by just to have a simple conversation, and grew more apparent after he looked at the calendar, and the date. "Now, I'm sure you're aware of the finals coming up." "Assuredly." "... You are aware, though, of the system. Right?" Gakuho questioned. That's when Korosensei wondered a little bit. "The what?" "Pay attention. There's a specific method I do here at my school, to make sure my students remain at their league. The Ant System. The worker ants at classes D through A claim superiority over the lazy class E ants, striving hard to avoid falling into that trap. ..." This sort of method just didn't fit Korosensei, and now having a better idea of it just didn't seem to feel right. Every student deserves a proper chance, but this method doesn't offer that. Gakuho went up to Korosensei, his hand gently wrapping around Korosensei's tie. "Unfortunately, your methods jeopardize the current one. Mine had brought this school to be the best it ever is. ... I want to keep it that way. Understood?" Gakuho cleared up, gripping the tie even more firmly. A simple task, but too the point of Gakuho's problem. The octopus wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but Korosensei made sure to just nod. It was enough to at least let Gakuho let go of him. But as Gakuho was leaving. ... "One more thing." Suddenly Gakuho tossed something to him. This object looked like various key chains, or locked mechanisms as apart of a metal puzzle. "You have one minute to solve this puzzle." "GAH! You just throw this on me out of the blue?!" Korosensei snapped, struggling like crazy, and squirming on the floor in his attempts. He was fine with plenty of puzzles, but metal puzzles like these weren't his forte. So, Gakuho left him with that, and the octopus just was stuck with the puzzle. Oh what a joy. ~~ It was rather late, eight at night, and Inside his apartment Nagisa was on his own work for school and the upcoming final exams. While the midterms were a rough one to tackle for him, final exams take hold even more on his grades, AND taking everything he learned from before. If midterms were anything to go by, Gakuho will NOT hold back at all this year for any of them. But, as much as he wanted to keep trying, his focus was being rather distracted by other events going on, namely the demons and angels. Since day one, it had been on his mind, and as more demons were showing up, Nagisa felt worse and worse about this sort of thing. If he can assure himself one thing, Karma's encounter proved it wasn't entirely "his fault", but it doesn't just remove the issue. Aladdin was playing around with his golden flute, actually playing a little tune on it. Pretty soothing for Nagisa during his own studies. Normally a distraction for most, it did sooth Nagisa's nerves for the most part. On the table in front of him, Nagisa worked out note after note, just finishing up his last bit of information over some history. Upon completing his studies, Nagisa sighed in relief, and laid down on the couch, his head hung back on the backrest. Aladdin was quick to see that Nagisa was done, opening one eye to see him just before he stopped playing. "I think I'll be good tomorrow," Nagisa figured. "Is your school having midterms again?" Aladdin asked, placing the flute down on the table. "Not midterms, finals. They're a bit more important than midterms are," Nagisa stated. "Oh. Well, hope you do well," Aladdin said with a smile. Nagisa smiled back to him, but his mind began to reflect a bit on what had been going on. He basically had his answers sitting right next to him, Aladdin being the only true Magi Angel in the room. "Yeah. ... Hey, Aladdin? Mind if I ask you something?" Nagisa asked, lifting his head up to look at him. "Is it about me, or about those demons?" Aladdin asked. Whatever question asked to him by Nagisa would usually result in one or the other, as Nagisa hunched over, thinking over what things might happen. "Well, yes and no. ... I ..." Before Nagisa could finish, Aladdin decided to help Nagisa get a little more comfprtable. He placed his legs together, and patted his lap. When Nagisa saw this, he was a little bit unsure, but went along anyway. Soon, Nagisa was laying down on the couch, his head resting on Aladdin's lap. "... Well ... I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and ... I don't know." "Don't know what?" Nagisa looked away from Aladdin, and both of them saw the Halo Blade sitting on the kitchen counter. "This involvement me and my friends have. So much had happened in these past few months. I'm starting to wonder just how much more is going to happen to us. ... Will my life ever be the same again? ..." It was hard to deny that things had been different since that day Nagisa got his Halo Blade, and nothing really had been the same as last year. Nagisa was just your typical highschooler before, but now, this same kid has a magi for a roommate, killed a Jizo on his own, and a pack of Houndour with his friends. "You know, Nagisa, there's always a point where things are going to change. Sometimes big, sometimes small. To tell you the truth, I didn't think I'd end up in your world ... well, ever. But, here I am, and I even made new friends too. ... I really should thank you for that." "For letting you stay here with me?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin smiled down to Nagisa, and nodded his head. Nagisa looked back to the ceiling. "Guess it's too late to ask if I can change back then, huh?" "I think so." "... How much do you think is going to happen to everyone?" "I don't know. ... But that's part of the fun. I mean, if we knew everything, we won't have any reason to explore anything. Right?" Nagisa chuckled a little bit. "Yeah, you got a point there," Nagisa concluded. The talk did help Nagisa out a lot, even if it was just a simple conversation between two roomies. Nagisa sat up, and looked to the clock. Nagisa's deep studying made him lose track of time, and Nagisa got right up. "Getting late. Well, goodnight, Aladdin," Nagisa said, as he walked on to his room. Aladdin was very happy to help his friend out. "Goodnight. And good luck tomorrow," Aladdin replied. ....... The Orora high school, despite no student being there, was a bit busy with some overtime work for the teachers and working on the finals, writing them out off their computers left and right. During their working, Gakuho himself was watching them do their own sort of magic on these final exams. Gakuho stopped at one of them for a brief moment, leaning in from the side to see the teacher typing away like mad, an almost crazed grin on his face. "And how're you coming along?" Gakuho asked. "Oh I'm on a roll here. This monster's going to tear those students limb from limb - these questions high-grade college students are only lucky to answer," the teacher said, his tone much like if he really was making a monster. A metaphorical monster, but still one that Gakuho was hoping to see. A satisfied grin began to form on Gakuho's face upon reading through what the questions were, especially for a selected few. This was a rather threatening monster indeed. "Keep it up," Gakuho simply replied, as he began to leave them to their work, and exit the room. He didn't need to fully watch them now. It'd been a long day, and Gakuho had it all handled for the finals tomorrow. Gakuho began to head off down the halls, unaware of anything wrong. Or any figure watching him. ~~ The next morning came around a little dulled down due to the clouds, but the others were ready to go all the same. This time, Karma, Twilight, Nagisa, and Pinkie Pie were all walking to the school together, meeting up on the way. The finals were upon them, and they all were ready to get rolling. Nagisa took the walk in mind, taking the moment to reflect on what his friends had been going through. For Twilight, she had just got herself back to Tokyo after seven years, just to end up in possession of a book of true, REAL alchemy with her actually doing the types for herself. Albeit incorrectly, but working on it. Karma meanwhile had the basic time during these last few months, though being put down to E class deliberately, and taking down a Banette mega-demon, according to what he told them. Out of everyone, Pinkie Pie was the only one who didn't end up in any magical encounter on her own just yet, but she seemed to be flowing with everything coming at her. What other person would cute-talk a pack of Houndour? "Hope all of you are ready for the finals," Twilight said, as they were walking. "Yeah. If midterms mean anything, the finals are gonna be a living hell," Karma figured. Pinkie hopped up to Twilight's side. "Hey, Yugi? How's the magic goodies? Did you find any booby grow spells yet?" Pinkie asked. "Why are you worried about that? You don't need it," Twilight questioned. She couldn't help but see Pinkie's own melons in her shirt as she said that. "I mean for you," Pinkie pointed out. Pinkie didn't mean to say anything insulting, but Twilight turned away from Pinkie, looking more annoyed now. She knew her chest was flat, after all. Compared to Pinkie anyway ... "Ok." Twilight simply said. It was then that Pinkie glanced back to Nagisa, who had been observing it all. "You look happy, mr. Smiley," Pinkie said, beaming her own smile to him. Twilight and Karma turned back to Nagisa, beginning to near the school in question at this point. "I guess I'm feeling a bit better," Nagisa admitted. "About time," commented Karma. The group managed to reach the school at this point, and at proper time too. While the group got to the front door, Karma stopped himself after a bit. "Whelp, this is where we part. Catch ya later," Karma said. The others said goodbye to him, and soon they were off to their respected buildings. They'll meet up with Karma later on, but for now, it's time to get on those finals. ....... School started off soon enough, and here is when Nagisa began to head off for his class, and when the tests began to get into submission. Twilight, Pinkie, Karma, and Nagisa all were in their respected classrooms, starting their final exams. Unlike the last test, which was a test per person, this one was a bit more specified. This case, it was one classroom, half the day, working on the finals put together through the main subject test. And just as well, this test mixes the subjects into one main assignment, rather than in separate papers as before. The test itself, at least the one Nagisa had gotten, was a good seven pages long, all put together. A rather fair size for a final exam, but it's really more on what questions filled in these pages that made these things rather monstrous. Nagisa started to go through these questions, already seeing himself getting stumped more than once on just page one of the seven. A rough sign of things to come, by the looks of it. "The midterms must've put Gakuho on edge if he's assigning these kinds of questions to us," Nagisa thought, as he was going through these. Considering he was put on spying duty just AFTER midterms, why wouldn't Gakuho try to put E class in their place by slamming them with such things? The other students kept getting stumped, and even the E students, who did so well on midterms it was scary, were pausing time and time again when they got to the difficult questions. Nagisa will have to try his hardest just to get through this part with decent colors. Nagisa figured that Karma was the only one who actually had nothing to worry about. Being at the very bottom, where's there left to go? Drop out? Yeah, as if. "Wait. ... He didn't ..." Nagisa found a moment when practically almost every student had to stop and think, including him. And it was this point that got him the most shocked all day. The other questions were difficult as hell, sure, but these ... these were almost non-sensible! The way the questions were read off just didn't seem like they had any right answer to it. Nagisa saw student after student halt, dead in their tracks, Class B through E. The teacher keeping an eye on things was rather pleased in his grin, which just told Nagisa that this was completely intentional. ... "No. I'm not falling for it," Nagisa finally thought. He struggled enough. Amongst the crowd, Nagisa was the first to get back to the questions, and back to trying to complete, something some students were surprised about. Nagisa spent his time on questions with ACTUAL answers, and for those non-sensible ones he wrote in either "Trick Question" or "N/A" or something along those lines. It's not exactly proper for a student, but then again these aren't proper questions, so it comes out about even. Much to the rest of the classes surprise, Nagisa had finished up his finals first. It even surprised Nagisa that he stayed in front of everyone because of his little method to handle the trick questions. And just in time. ... "Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please report to the principal's office. Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please come to the office." "... You can't be serious," Nagisa thought. He honestly couldn't believe his own ears when hearing that, and once more, this gave him the immediate suspicion that something wasn't right. The first time was odd enough during the midterms, but now it's him and his friends, and during the finals no less! This is NOT something that should be missed, or could actually be credited and or made up for like midterms. What else, is that it was only half day today, so being called into the office was a huge risk on the students. ....... Soon, Nagisa was off out of the classroom, but before he would go to the office, he needed to find the others first. As before, the halls were a bit open, and rather quiet, feeling all too familiar to Nagisa personally. Lucky for him, He caught sight of Twilight, Karma, and Pinkie after a while just in front of the office door. Good thing they didn't arrive at the office just yet. Karma though had a large satchel hanging off of him, full of some sort of objects. "You all ready for him?" Nagisa asked. "Much as we'll ever be. And look what I got here," Karma said, saving the items in the bag until they all showed up. It turned out, it was Nagisa's Halo Blade, and Twilight's Alchemy book. He tossed both items to each respected owner, as he just managed to slip his sword out of the satchel as well, surprising them quite a bit. "OK! How'd you get these in here?" Twilight asked, surprised. "Korosensei was generous enough to pick them up," Karma casually said, putting his sword back in the satchel. If it was just Gakuho in there, they shouldn't waltz in with weapons all out. So, Nagisa hid the knife just in his belt, hidden by the shirt, and Twilight just kept the book at her side like a normal book. With nothing left to wait for, the whole group began to head through the doors towards, and readied for the office. "You wanted to see us, chief?" Karma asked, looking in with his group into the office. Looking in, the place seemed alright, desk at the end and all that. Gakuho sat down at the end, as usual, ready to see them all. "Nice of you to make it," Gakuho said. The others kept their items hidden away best they could, but as they began to venture into the room, Nagisa began to think more deeply on the situation. Here they are, in the principal's office, at such a rough time to cope as well. Gakuho did this before, that was for sure, but this ... And then the door closed behind them. Immediately, the pieces fell together, and Gakuho stood up, going around the desk, and was face to face with them. Nagisa just needed to nod to them in order to get the message across, and Karma was quick to get out his sword, ready to fight. There's a demon in this room, and there's only one other person standing here with them! "Who'd of guessed our principal would be a demon?" Karma joked, smirk on his face. It was then Karma rushed forward, sword at the ready. However, the figure simply grabbed the sword with one hand, and in a good pull, got it out of Karma's hands. Strange thing though, this sword wasn't affecting his body like it had been with the other demons so far. Not even blood! ... "Might I suggest you to not go in your murderous rampages. You wouldn't dare kill your dearest principal. ..." The figured said, the voice suddenly changing into a far more demonic one, in a sort of low-tone growl, or hiss. "You make it too easy." "Am I? ... Just so we're all clear, I'm not Gakuho Asano. ... This body isn't even my own. ... Or would you rather sent in for murder? Seitenshi and her men would love to have you." Well, the demon got them there. This demon had Gakuho's body possessed now! One strike at him, and Gakuho would die along with him. As much as they dislike Gakuho, he's still the principal, and that would diffidently go noticed by everyone in school. Not a good way to keep something quiet and between them if they kill him. As for whoever was possessing Gakuho, it knew it had them quiet now. Nagisa still kept his blade up, just in case, as this Gakuho look-alike moved in on them. The grin it had on Gakuho's face just made it even more threatening to them. And the fact it wasn't getting hurt the same way as other demons just made it a bit more troubling for them. "Then who are you?" Pinkie asked, curious more than scared. "That, I shall remain concealed. Unlike those other demons, I don't show myself to everything I meet. ... Though, I am aware that you had quite a fair experience. ..." The word stuck onto them, as it loomed around them all, eyeing them all like a hungry predator. As it was observing, it caught notice that while most of them were calm and collective, Twilight was the more humbled one here. ... "Lucky guess. Did that little mutt we released tell you?" Karma asked. At least he seemed the most talkative, even in this kind of situation. "You mean the Houndour? ... He did mention something about it to another one of my demons, but only now that I see the creature was not lying. ... May I ask how'd you come to know of us this way? To possess the weapons of God?" "Sorry, trade secret." "... You are a bold human, aren't you? ... Even when facing hell itself, you have time to make a joke." Suddenly, the figured lunged forward, and Karma was grabbed by the throat! Almost instinctively, Nagisa swung his Halo blade at him. It didn't damage him, but it did strike him close to the eyes, the surprise enough to make him drop Karma, who coughed after the vicegrip. "Leave them alone!" Nagisa managed to get out. "... I didn't take time out of my existence, just to wipe you out ... yet. ... This is your only warning. Mere humans. ... The more demons you involve in your lives. The closer you'll all come to face me. ... Or is that what you're all expected to figure out?" "It's becoming a habit for us," Karma said. "Really?" Pinkie questioned. Before they could answer, the possessed Gakuho was right in front of Nagisa. His demon sense was the wildest it's ever been, making him terrified behind his face. As if dealing with Gakuho was bad enough, now knowing there's a powerful demon controlling him just made it even more scary. Pinkie and Karma were chill, and Twilight may be humbled, but Nagisa knew more on what they were dealing with. "Well. It is clear that there is something about you that would give Heaven a reason to give you these weapons. ... How about we see if you're worthy of those weapons of yours? A sort of game, perhaps? ..." "A game?" Nagisa asked. "Ooo, What game? Tick-tack-toe, jeopardy, tag, wrestling, spin the bottle? I'm a master at party games!" Pinkie said, kinda forgetting the seriousness of the situation. Leave it to Pinkie to lighten THIS kind of mood to a more tolerable one. The figure was quiet for a minute, but then resumed talking after he picked up the sword for investigation, running his hands on the surface of the blade. "... You have your plans. I have mine. I'll continue mine. You have to keep up. Not that it would matter, but maybe you'll last long enough to see the end. ... If not? I suppose you'll all have a seat down in hell with me. ... Fair enough?" That made them all shiver. Obviously this demon wouldn't lie about this sort of thing, and it was dead serious about the risk factor. Whatever "end" it had in mind couldn't be any good for anyone of them. "... The end. ... What end? ..." Twilight finally said. "You need me to tell you?" The demon hissed. Twilight gulped on hearing that, the demon simply smiling at their fear. Karma slipped by as the demon was busy with the other three. He was just inches away from getting his sword off of the desk, but the demon slapped Karma's hand away. "Ah ah ah. Let's not end the game before it begins, Karma," the demon insisted. "We don't have much of a choice here." Twilight concluded. Everyone else has to agree on it as well. ... "Good. ... May I give you a word of advice? Hide those weapons when I take my leave. ... Gakuho won't appreciate a death threat. Oh, and one thing. ... Not a word about our little meeting. I'll cut the game short for all of you if you do." Again, like they had a choice there. Once that was all handled, suddenly Gakuho's body started to twitch, and shutter. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and soon Gakuho was left passed out on the floor, collapsed in nothing more than a weakened heap. For Nagisa and Karma (Two students who'd been in Orora high for years now), seeing such a powerful person collapsed on the ground was unnerving at the least. As the demon had warned, the principal began to stir again, groaning, and slowly getting up to his feet. Worried, Nagisa hid his blade away, and quickly grabbed the sword on the desk, giving it to Karma to hide it in the bag. Just as Karma zipped up the satchel, Gakuho came to his senses, hand to forehead as if getting a headache. After a bit, he soon saw the group of kids standing there. "What're you doing here?" Gakuho asked, slightly strained but otherwise fine. The others weren't sure if they should say or not, the demon literally JUST saying they should keep quiet about it. And who's to say if the demon was still looming nearby or not? It was clear though that Gakuho had no idea what happened, down to the call. "Nobody wants to say it. But ..." Nagisa thought, worried. Twilight was a bit quiet, but ... "You tell me, you called us here." Pinkie suddenly blabbered on. "No I didn't," Gakuho said, a hand on the side of head as he got up to his feet. "Yes you did chief. The whole school heard ya," Karma agreed. They knew about the demon, but they weren't going to say that exactly, if it meant anything. "... What did I say then?" Gakuho tested. Pinkie cleared her throat before she spoke up. "Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please report to the principal's office. Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please come to the office," Pinkie recited, remembering exactly, precisely, word-for-word. Gakuho tried to recall it, but he just couldn't get a grip on the situation. When did he himself call for a student to come in? Looking outside, and from what memory he can work with, it should be the middle of finals right now! Gakuho tried to think of something to say - anything to say. It would just be embarrassing to say it was for no reason, even if he doesn't remember doing so in the first place. In the end, he finally got his own answer. It was a bit off beat, but it was the best he could come up with to fit in the situation a little. Rather than say it, he wrote it down on a piece of paper, and gave it to the others. Nagisa got it first, and it turned out it was a sort of slip. A task for them all to handle some maintenance at the E building. ... "Head there after school, and start the process. I expect good results. Now go," Gakuho simply said. Not the best idea ever, but in his state of mind, it was good enough. The kids all knew what really happened, but they decided to roll with that punch anyway. Besides, most of them still had the finals to complete, and this time was just setting them back on time. Nagisa may not have the trouble, but he still needed to head back to class either way, so with that they all began to go, leaving Gakuho alone in his office to try and contemplate. ... "What did happen last night? ..." ~~ The days had come and gone since the finals were completed. For the longest time, no matter which student there was, they were a bit antsy about what scores the finals would have for them. With the group, it was no different, but now they had another stressful time with this mystery demon possessing Gakuho. The obvious questions went through their minds: who was the one controlling Gakuho? and what exactly was it talking about? Nagisa never told his buddy Aladdin about it, in fear that his life would also be put in danger by this demon, even if Aladdin was a Magi angel. Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma didn't tell anyone about the situation either as the days went by. At the least, the days didn't give them anymore trouble with this demon, so they had that going for them. The excuse Gakuho came up with for them was easy enough to handle, and lucky for them (and possibly Gakuho), no one else was up to exactly questioning them. Aside from this, things had basically went on normally for them one way or another: Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie with their usual classes, and Karma with his mix of school and attempted murder on Korosensei. It took quite a while, but eventually the school day had come to an end. This day, it was the day the finals were given back to everyone, and Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie all met up by the front of the school. As they exited, they all walked out with their own grades in folders, each one none of them actually looked in yet. They've agreed to save that for everyone else. "Oh, I'm so excited! So, who wants to show theirs first?" Pinkie asked, very excited to see what the others can get. Nagisa wasn't too sure though. He may have got it done first out of his class, but accuracy was not a strong suite with his method. "I don't know. Yugure, you can show yours first," Nagisa offered. Twilight then got her own idea. "I know. Here, on three, ok?" "I gotcha!" Pinkie said. Soon, Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie were standing off in a circle, facing eachother, with their folders opened up. They didn't look just yet at their own grades, ready to present them. "One. Two. Three!" They all said, swinging their arm forward, their scores now all showing for them all to see. When they all looked, the reactions were mixed, but nothing too bad. Pinkie was smiling wide, and squealing in glee, while Twilight was very pleased with the results. Nagisa was more surprised than happy on his results. For the grades themselves: Pinkie: 69% Twilight: 87% Nagisa: 77% ... Seventy seven percent? For Nagisa, this was a unique little surprise to see. Usually his scores would just land him at about average, but this was basically in the B+ range - very good for final exams on his regard. "WOO! C plus for me!" Pinkie beamed, hopping up and down in joy. It wasn't a B or A, but it was passable and good enough for the giddy girl. Twilight smiled on her score, but was rather impressed to see Nagisa's score. "A B plus? Congratulations, Nagisa!" Twilight complimented. Nagisa began to feel pretty good with himself, though he couldn't help but sigh in relief, even with his easy method. He'd never would've guessed himself to end up on the B range of scores, and with what had happened before, this was a nice surprise. In his folder though, Nagisa then noticed a small note attached to it, with a simple message in just two words. Clever catch. "I knew it," Nagisa commented. He didn't realize he said it aloud until Pinkie popped up behind him, looking over his shoulder to see the note. "Know what, buddy?" "The trick questions. Here, look." Nagisa then went onto his exam, and showed the trick questions, which can be found easily from the answers Nagisa wrote down. Pinkie took a minute, reading through the question fast and quickly got the idea. "OOOHHHH. Okie-dokie," Pinkie said. "So they didn't have a straight answer! no wonder so many students kept stopping at those," Twilight noted, now understanding why that is. "I bet Karma went through just fine. He's a smart cookie," Pinkie added. "Speaking of which, where is Karma? Aladdin said he was going to get him when he was done," Nagisa wondered. ....... Far away, over near the E building, Karma Akabane had taken his own stop over nearby a tree with his sword leaning on the same tree at his sidde, resting his back to it as he was thinking. He had gotten the finals done, same as everyone else. In fact, he had the test gripped in his head, had taken out of his folder a long time ago since he got the thing. His original idea was to look at the test, and then brag on it once he showed the others. It turned out, though, that score was the reason why he wouldn't go to see them after all. He gripped the score paper to the point of making it almost a crumbling ball, his eyes staring off down to the ground, as a grit filled his teeth. He was a smart kid, yet his score was not one to brag about. Karma: 65% Not a good showing, and not what he expected from his efforts. He could just feel the idea of higher students laughing at him, and the sense of utter failure hit him rather roughly. Sure, sixty five wasn't the worst score given - it was about an average C grade - but Karma needed a higher one to get out of E class, and for Gakuho to take him back in. An average score was not going to do that for him. ... "Never underestimate your target. These finals were nothing to just sneeze at, you know. Many of your fellow students had done fairly well overall, the highest students tied for seventh place. I'm not surprised - they studied hard, and so did your opponents at the main building. One's only chance, was to study." "... What're you trying to say, teach?" Karma questioned. "Someone thought they could coast by on a devil-may-care attitude. And proceeded to royally screw it up." Karma blushed. His teacher was the one giving him the lecture, and he hammered in every point to the student. Bad enough he didn't do good, but Korosensei was rubbing it in rather roughly. Times like this Karma wished he killed him long ago. Karma Akabane stayed quiet, looked angry, as Korosensei moved out to his side. "Your class had to face up against an entire school in terms of grades, and while the highest ranking students put in their high grades to impress, you on the other hand have, nothing. Only fair: for that's what your non-profited, devil-care attitude has contributed towards your class, and to your cause. See where I'm going with this?" Karma was getting more upset with this demon now, but he couldn't think up what to say. Suddenly, Korosensei was poking at his face, his own head having the green stripes. "Anyone who refuses to apply themselves, and let the chips fall where they may, are destined for disappointment! So is the blade of the lazy assassin. In fact, I wouldn't dare call him an assassin at all! A bragger, maybe, but an assassin? I think not!" Karma had enough: He grabbed his sword, and tried to slice at Korosensei, but each swipe of the sword met with nothing but air, until he ended up striking the tree instead. Once he did that, he got back to his senses, but he really didn't feel any better. He got out his sword, and without another word, just stormed away. When this was done "Isn't that rather harsh?" Asked Aladdin, who watched the whole thing from nearby. "Of course. It had to be. I tore him down so he could spring back up," Korosensei began to explain, "He's enormously talented, there's no denying that. But he's a novice: He's still not learned to be worthy of that talent. When it comes to challenges, be it either on a teacher's assignment, or when facing a demon out on the battlefield, he refuses to face them unless it's on his own terms. Therefore, he's not yet learned the value of competition. For a young child, who everything comes easy, the pain of defeat can be a much needed wake-up call." Korosensei began to walk pass Aladdin, who was hooked onto every word Korosensei was saying. for a demon king, the creature was a sympathetic one towards his students. "One can argue that the concept of exams may seem arbitrary, but in the end it's not about what scores you receive, it's about rising to the occasion. It's about tasting the triumphant rapture, and disgraceful failure. Both sides go hand and hand, you see. One cannot exist without the other. Both rely on each other to have meaning. To win, one has to lose!" Korosensei stopped a bit, spreading out his arms as the breeze swept over him, gently brushing against him. Aladdin stayed quiet, and took a moment to look back to Karma, seeing the situation a bit differently. It may seem harsh, but maybe some good will come out of this after all. ... "The difference between the novice and the master, is that the master has failed more times, than the novice has tried." S02Ep1: Start of the Trail ~トレイルの始まり~With a skip in her step, and a tune ringing up in her head and in her hum, Pinkie Pie had just finished up her shopping for the day, and was happily heading off home with her goodies in her grip. It was a good day at the shopping district, and a beautiful day for it as well. For the first time in weeks, the day was a crystal clear one, sun shining in all its glory. Pinkie was simply ecstatic about the whole thing, a good day for shopping and a good day to be outside in general. The sidewalks were crowded today, many people getting the same idea to go out for a stroll around. Today there was plenty more younger kids at this time of day. Pinkie didn't mind it at all though, in fact she just grew more comfortable around younger kids. "Happy day for you Pinkie. Aladdin's going to love this," Pinkie commented, looking into one of the bags she had on hand. Just a little trinket of a scarab beetle she picked up from the jewelers, but it was a nice gift she can happily give to him. The gal continued her happy strolled on her way, looking forward to seeing Aladdin's face light up. As she was looking though, she started to think on the gifts she actually had for the others. These trinkets were fine, but little by little, Pinkie Pie was starting to think that if this will cut the cake. "Hold up, Pie. It's the start of summer, you gotta go bigger than tiny toys! ... But, how?" hello people, your tuned in to JFN Radio. It's time, once again for our weekly prize giveaway! Pinkie bolted back to the radio playing at the store on hearing that. The radio shop had a few out, but this one got Pinkie's attention, playing just inside the shop itself. This could be what Pinkie Pie would be looking for, all depending on what the prize is. hope you all are enjoying the first days of summertime in your corner of the world. And since it is the start of summer, today's prize is going to be a different one. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today's winner will receive a family pass to London England! That's right, home of the Queen herself! First caller in and we'll get started. *ring**ring* Pinkie Pie was quick to get her portable phone to work, already ringing up a storm in her ear, stars in her eyes. This will be PERFECT! Who doesn't want a free trip to England?! It took a few rings before she got through. Ah, our first call. May we get your name? "Diana," Pinkie said. She can save her Pinkie Pie name for this one, and go with a name that's more believable for this case. She heard of these radio games before. Hello Diana. Now, you know the rules: if you can guess the answer to our question of the week, the prize is all yours. You ready? "Ready Freddy!" Pinkie beamed. A little chuckle came from the announcer before he began reading the question. Ok, Diana, the question of the week is: what are the names given to the under and over world of Greek mythology? OH, quite a tough question. Pinkie had to get her mind together as best she could. She remembered Aladdin talking about such places, and there was at least one name that was nagging at her. "Let's see, uh uh uh uh. T ... T ... Tar-uh- OH! Tartarus for the underworld!" you're half way there, Diana. Answer the name of the over world and the trip is all yours! The pressure was on, and the clock was ticking. Pinkie tried to think as best she could. However, while Aladdin did mention Tartarus, the same Magi didn't give any names for any "over world" places yet. In her panic, she just said the first thing that came to mind. "E-Elysium!" That is correct! Congratulations! the announcer responded. Thank god! Pinkie Pie was simply psyched on hearing that answer. Pinkie knew exactly what to do next to get her prize in the first place, and she was actually running off on her way, still on the phone as she was racing down the sidewalk. No time like the present to collect her free way trip to England. "Thank you, thank, you, thank you!" Pinkie beamed, as she was racing down the sidewalk to her destination, the radio finishing up the prize game. And now, back to your favorite tunes on JFN radio. ~~ "Wow, sure is a hot one today," Aladdin commented. Over at another area of Tokyo (the more secluded, urban areas in particular) Nagisa and Aladdin were out enjoying the weather as well. It had been a while since they got an actual clear day thanks to the rainy season, but now that it had past, the duo were out and about. Nagisa was taking the lead in their walk, finding it nice how the sun warmed him up. "Been too long since the sun was out. I'm glad Summer's starting up at last," Nagisa said. Aladdin went up to Nagisa's side. "Maybe your school can do more outdoor stuff now. You're always stuffed up inside all day, it would be a nice change," Aladdin figured. "Don't worry. I won't be going to Orora High for a while," Nagisa stated. It was here Aladdin got a little confused, but Nagisa knew what he was talking about here. "Huh? Why? You didn't get into trouble, did you?" Aladdin asked, a little worried about it. "No, no. Humans have this time off from school called a vacation. Around here, we get one during winter and summer. Summer vacation's just started now," Nagisa explained. That news made Aladdin feel better, and a bit happy too. "Really? How long does it go for?" "About a month." "Neat. We can do more stuff together now! It's always boring when I'm stuck home alone," Aladdin admitted. Who could blame him though for being bored at home while his roommate was off at school? Nagisa was just glad that school was over for summer vacation, and that he survived the finals as well. School had been enough of a roller coaster, and now it finally took a break for the year. Aladdin was happy that Nagisa was free from Orora high for a while, and now he and his friends can do more things together without school getting in the way. "What do humans do during this summer vacation?" Aladdin then asked. "Guess it depends on who you ask. Some people take it easy, and some go off traveling." "Well, what do you do during summer vacation?" "Me? ... Not too much. I just relax at home most of the time," Nagisa replied. For a kid like him, that was all the excitement he'd usually be good with. Nagisa didn't say it though, but he was sure that it wasn't going to be the same this year. Especially after that warning left for him a while ago. ... "NAGISA! ALADDIN!" Suddenly, Nagisa and Aladdin stopped after a bit of walking. Looking ahead, they both began to see that someone was rushing right at them, full speed, and extremely excited. Next thing they knew, both figures were grabbed in a strong hug, spinning a bit before regaining themselves. It took them a bit, but they figured out it was Pinkie Pie after a while. The happy gal had them both in her grip, arm around their heads. However, this kinda got them pushed in her breasts as well (cuz why not?) and while Nagisa didn't pay attention to it, he did see Aladdin with a sort of goofy smile, FINALLY feeling what Pinkie's boobs felt like. It's one way of doing it anyway. "Hey, Pinkie. How're ya?" Nagisa asked, before Pinkie released them both. "I got some super-duper-extra-special news! You ready? ... TA-DA!" Pinkie suddenly reached in her cleavage, and pulled out what looked like a airplane ticket, or passport. Once more, Pinkie then flipped open the others in a sort of hand-fan style, showing a total of four tickets. Pinkie was extremely happy about it anyway, but Nagisa and Aladdin weren't sure what the exact surprise is. Pinkie then gave Nagisa his ticket, which he read out the details on. What got Nagisa's attention the most was WHERE the tickets were going to. "London? How'd you get these?" Nagisa asked, astonished Pinkie Pie had enough money for these. "Won them as one of those radio prizes. Super, right? I got enough for everyone to go!" Pinkie revealed. Yes, it looked like enough for him, Pinkie, Karma, and Twilight to go, but Aladdin and Blair seemed to be left out in this. Before this could be pointed out though, Nagisa had his doubts. "Pinkie, wait a minute. This is ... kinda out of nowhere." "Of course it is! It wouldn't be a surprise if you knew about it! It'll ruin the surprise," Pinkie said. "But I don't think I'd wanna go. I mean, this is nice, but how're you so sure we'll all just go with you?" Pinkie realized he was right. She didn't consider the option just yet. She got a little too excited about going off to England with her friend to consider it. "Can you at least ... think about it?" Pinkie asked, more humbled this time. Nagisa didn't want his good to day to have Pinkie sad in it. Then again, it still was kinda random either way. "I'll ... Ok, I'll think about it," Nagisa decided. That sort of news made Pinkie Pie feel a lot better, her typical smile coming back on her face. "Okie-dokie-lokie! OH, and here you go," Pinkie said, giving Aladdin the scarab she bought earlier. She might as well give it to him now before she were to go running off again. Soon after that, Pinkie was off with the rest of the tickets, leaving Nagisa Shiota with his, and Aladdin with his little scarab. At least Pinkie wasn't going to be upset for the day. When Pinkie left, Nagisa took a moment to look at the airplane ticket in his hand. At least the date of said flight wasn't until after a day or two, so it gave him the time to figure it out. ... ....... "A trip to London, huh?" Next stop for Pinkie was Karma Akabane, who was still hanging out at his house. Pinkie Pie looked like she had run all the way there from when she saw Nagisa earlier, but Pinkie did not appear tired by the run up. "Yes-indeedie! Those radio people are very sweet to give them to me after winning. So, you in?" Pinkie asked, rather hopefully. Karma took a moment to consider it, looking at his airplane ticket, and what time the flight would actually be. "Eh, sure. Hell, my parents are running around the world, I might run into them while there," Karma decided. Karma was a bit easier to persuade, apparently, and Pinkie Pie was simply overjoyed to have a guaranteed choice on who's going off with her to England. Pinkie's big smile was all really needed to confirm her joy without words. "YES!" Pinkie beamed, barely able to contain her excitement. "By the way, the others on board? Nagisa, Yugure?" "Nagisa's gonna think about it, and Yugi I didn't ask yet. OOOOO, I hope they want to go, I've thought SO HARD to get these tickets!!" Pinkie yelped. Karma was more than used to her hyperactive nature by now, so this screaming didn't faze him much. As they were talking, a bored Blair strolled up, her normal cat self yawning as she did. "Me bored. Can we do something?" Blair asked, not having much to do all day so far. Karma counted out the tickets, including the one in his hand, and the one Nagisa was possibly left with. Before Pinkie could go off, Karma made sure to address the issue for her. "Think your a little short on tickets, pinks." Pinkie froze. "I am?" "There's six in our little group, and you only have four. Should've checked first before you snatched 'em." Pinkie Pie was shell-shocked. First she didn't figure if everyone even wanted to go, and now she didn't even count how many tickets there was for how many people! Suddenly, Pinkie was on the ground in defeat, right in front of Karma and Blair. Not a good showing. Blair though caught something that Karma had said. "Didn't you check your words? Only one missing?" "Your not a human, you don't need one. Unless you wanna pay," Karma said. Blair was not willing to pay for anything if she could help it, so she just took it in stride. Pinkie suddenly got the idea in her head from what Karma just said. "Wait. I can just pay for Aladdin! You're a genius, Karma! Well, okie-dokie-lokie, I'll see you both later," Pinkie said, rushing off before Karma and Blair could get a word in to deliver the last ticket. Well, there's one more person to give the ticket to now. ....... After another mad run, Pinkie Pie had gotten to Twilight's house, giving a good knock at the door. Pinkie was sure to keep the knock good and loud so it wouldn't be missed, no matter what she was doing. When the crazy knocking was over and done, Pinkie waited and waited a while longer in front of the door, until finally someone answered the door. However, it wasn't Twilight who answered it, but instead it was Twilight's mother. "Oh, Pinkie. Nice day, is it?" "Yes-indeede! Hey, is Yugure there? I got a little somethin for her!" Pinkie said, presenting the remaining ticket for Twilight. Her mother looked at it, as Pinkie smiled wide and waited for an answer. Her mother soon saw where the place was, and she began to feel a bit unsure. It was at this point that Twilight went downstairs, hearing the commotion of Pinkie's talking. It wasn't too long until Pinkie noticed Twilight coming down, waving to her. "Yugi!" "Hi Pinkie Pie. What's going on?" Twilight asked, walking over. It was then Miss. Kagayaki showed Twilight the airplane ticket to London England. This was a rather strange surprise, but a good one. "Got that baby from the radio prize this morning! Can you come, please, please, PLEASE?" Pinkie asked, hoping for a good answer from her friend. Nagisa was iffy on it, and Karma was all down for it. To that extent, Aladdin and Blair can be put the same thing, and it came down to Twilight to have the whole gang together. Twilight didn't need too much time to actually get her answer out. "Oh, I'm sorry Pinkie. But, I don't think I would be able to go," Twilight said. "... You sure you can't think about it?" "Pinkie, I can't go," Twilight insisted. Unlike Nagisa, Twilight's choice was more forward with her answer. She didn't want to be mean to her, but Twilight knew she couldn't run off on her parents. Pinkie felt disappointed more and more. "You sure?" Pinkie asked, one more time. Twilight sighed. It was clear Pinkie was not understanding it very fast, but Twilight knew why she had to stay home over going to London with them. "I can't go Pinkie. This is nice, but my brother is still away, I can't leave them alone," Twilight revealed. "Away? You mean ..." All Twilight did was just nod her head. Pinkie gasped, again realizing another mistake she made. This time it was bugging the wrong person to go with her. "I'm so sorry, Yugi. ... Well, if you change your mind, it won't be until a few days, so ..." "Thank you, Pinkie," Twilight simply said. Pinkie felt disappointed, but not in the same way as before. Even someone like Pinkie knew what's a good reason to not just run off, and staying home to take care of things while her brother is off in the military is that one example. Even so, Pinkie still left the airplane ticket with Twilight, just in case there's a slim chance that she would in fact change her mind. The least she could do. ... ~~ Time ticked by for the first day of summer, and soon it was shifted off to night time. Any day without a drop of rain after the rainy season was a good day for anyone. With Twilight, this surprise ticket was a bit of a mixed reaction. She got herself ready for bed, with the ticket over by her bedside lamp. However, as she laid there in bed, her mind began to go around a bit, thinking about what she said to Pinkie earlier. She got herself comfortable on bed, though thoughts about her own brother was still floating around her head. "How is he doing over there?" Twilight thought. It was kind of hard not to think about it really, and without the rain for some sort of 'white noise', Twilight just stayed awake in bed. For the young girl, the night went on rather uneventfully, and it took Twilight a long time until she was finally off to true sleep, and not just laying there and wondering what her brother was up to. She just hoped he was doing alright in the military. ... Twilight stayed quiet for a while more, not a single bit of noise being heard anywhere. Eventually, some sort of urge finally began to make her stir. The girl open her eyes, and slowly she began to take in her surroundings. She thought it was just dark in her room, but she didn't find herself in her bed. In fact, it seemed she didn't find herself anywhere in particular. She was left, almost floating, in a sort of dreamscape. The dreamscape looked rather similar to a bright starry night, stars twinkling everywhere around her. There was a ground, but this wasn't dirt, or her usual floorboards, but instead a silver surface, with very little trees spaced here and there, with rivers flowing in even, sharp turns. She looked to her own body next, and found that her body was all white. She didn't had any clothes, but her body didn't bare any embarrassing parts on her, showing just a simple white body, the only detailed parts being on the head, fingers, and toes. She didn't know where she was, or why, but she did see another someone farther away. The figure was simplified much like her own, but instead of purple hair, this figure's hair was blue, along with the eyes. The figure up front of her woke up after a little bit, and soon saw her. "Nagisa? Is that you?" "Twilight. ..." Nagisa said. Twilight and Nagisa both started to move closer to eachother, their steps light and floaty. Neither side knew where they were, or what this was about. They both looked off to the star skies, seeing the beauty of the world around them for a bit in silence. The stars sparkled much like little gems, and some of these almost seemed to move around. Not in a manor to shooting stars, but more synchronized, a sort of shape appearing in the sky. Some stayed flying together, while some moved up and down, as if mimicking wings. Twilight and Nagisa both watched the object go by, the stars encircling them a number of times, keeping Twilight and Nagisa at attention. After a bit, the figure began to slowly float down to them. The stars gathered up closer towards them, and began to shape themselves into some sort of face. Then the eyes opened, and soon both people began blinded for a moment, seeing nothing but white! Twilight and Nagisa were worried, trying to see something, but eventually things began to show in their faces: images of different locations, people, and creatures, showing up in their minds. Nagisa and Twilight got different images in their heads, many of which went by a frame a second, and while some looked familiar to them already, most of them they never saw before! ... Twilight woke up fast after that. It was still dark outside, the crescent moon high in the sky, and some slight moonlight going into her room from her window. All those images flashing through her mind before not only remained in her memory, but each one was crystal clear. She found herself in a slight sweat, but her mind was racing. First thing she did - get to her phone. The girl took a bit before she got to her phone, which was in a drawer, and once she got to it, her finger dialed down the number, and she was just about to click call when ... *ring**ring**ring* Nagisa calling in! "Nagisa," Twilight said, upon answering the phone. Clear that Nagisa was up as well. "Twilight, thank goodness. I'm sorry for calling you so late, but -" "The dream. Yeah, I had it. We were in some dreamscape, and then we both saw all those images, right?" "Y-Yeah, that's it. It's no normal dream then. ... What do you make of it?" "Me? ... Well, to tell you the truth, it could mean anything. After what happened the last few months, who knows?" "Good point. ... Twilight? You know that London trip? ... You thought about wanting to go?" Twilight was quiet at first, wondering if Nagisa actually was going or not. She had a straight answer, but now she wasn't so sure. "Well, I would if I could, but, I can't - my parents would be all alone if I just ran off to London on them. My brother's off in the military right now, remember? ... Yet ... oh, I don't know. That dream, it ... got me torn a bit. ... What about you? you sound unsure about it." "Yeah, I'm not sure either. This kinda came out of nowhere, but now ... it feels like I have to go. Like I have to do something there, but, I don't know what exactly." "Demon hunting, I bet." "Well, maybe, but most of those images, I don't think many of them were just demons. I mean, we saw people, and other places, and they didn't look like anything demonic." "... Now that you say it, yeah. That magic beam, the giant diamond creature. They didn't seem demonic overall." "What're you talking about?" "Wait. you didn't see that?" "No, I don't think so. Did you see a red stone, or a city at all?" "No. ... We'll meet tomorrow and compare notes. It might come and handy." "Good idea. How about we meet at your house for that? sound good?" "Alright, we can do that. See you tomorrow." "You too." And with their conversation ending, Twilight hung up her phone, and laid back down in her bed. Should she go, or should she stay? ... Well, she had at least a few days before figuring out her full answer to that, but for now, she needed her sleep. she and Nagisa will discuss it in the morning. ... ....... Just outside Twilight's window, the other figure unaware and fast asleep, their house had an unexpected observer. The thing, a small bat, hung upside down from a nearby tree, ears listening in to what Twilight was saying. Once it was aware that Twilight was off asleep, only then did the bat begin to take flight, and flew off as fast as it could away from the house. With the clear night, flying was made pretty easy, and the little flapper reached the more secluded area on the edge of Tokyo in little time at all before it, for some odd reason, landed on the ground of an alleyway. For any normal bat, this was flirting with death here, but this bat had a little extra trick. ... After checking the surrounding, its body almost seemed to go on fire! not in burning flames, but more like a glowing ember one would see on a burning paper without the actual fire. As this happened, the spreading 'fire' went around the whole bats body, and its fur disappeared, being replaced by human skin. And what is more, the flame began to make more of a human size, and human shape. The transformation took less than twenty seconds until it was complete, and soon it was Envy now getting up to his feet! This shapeshifter, as before, kept a eye on these humans for a while now, and by the look on his face, still was annoyed from his encounter with Karma and Korosensei. The memory was still sharp in his mind, and it just kept nagging at him. ... "Having fun, Envy?" The voice, familiar to Envy as it is out of nowhere, got the shapeshifter to turn around towards the darker part of the alleyway. A strange voice in a place like this, and one that the demon was wondering if it was the same person. Otherwise, he just transformed in front of some bitch in an alleyway. It took a bit, but eventually some figures did end up walking out, and when Envy saw who, his worries dropped. For who, there were two figures coming out. The first one looked to be a middle-aged female human, just a feet taller than Envy and a drop-dead gorgeous one. Long, wavy black hair that flowed down to the base of her back, with white, smooth, healthy skin. Her voluptuous curves just signified the sex appeal she possessed, and with her devilish eyes, and smooth lips, it's the look of a deadly diva. Her outfit was a black, curve-complimenting, one-piece dress that went down to her feet, and added with long, shoulder-length gloves, each one with a red stripe on each. Just above her rather large breasts, a similar symbol of an blood Ouroboros presented itself for all to see. This demon diva didn't come alone though, for just seconds later, another figure walked on out for Envy to see. This one was not only a male, but a LOT bigger. Not in height exactly, but more in weight with his round, stocky body with long strong arms, and small stubby legs. He had no hair on his head, his eyes no more than small white dots, and a large nose, about the size of a potato if compared to anything. His outfit was a black full body suit, no sleeves at all, and with a set of wristbands which were also black. Like the other figure, he also had the red stripe, but his extended off his clothes, and through his arms, stopping at the wristbands which ended in an arrow shape. "Lust? Gluttony? What're you two doing here?" Envy asked. He wasn't informed that these two were going to show up, nor knew they were out here in the first place. Lust gave a smile to Envy, though more of a devious one rather than friendly. "Nice to see you too, Envy. Our boss told us you were having trouble, and sent us to come up," Lust said, as gluttony was sucking on his finger all the while. Envy knew exactly who she was talking about, and knew exactly WHY - silently cursing himself for the Karma encounter. "Oh, don't beat yourself up. Besides, he's got something new for us to do for once," Lust said, as she reached in her cleavage, and pulled out a few slips of paper. These were, in fact, some airplane tickets (how she got them, they didn't bother asking), but Envy grabbed one and read it over. Surprise, surprise: these were tickets for the same trip to London England. "Go figure. what's he having us do this time?" Envy commented. "He's interested in some demonic entities over there, and wants us to give them some use for our side. This will be interesting," Lust said. "They sound delicious. Can it eat them there?" Gluttony asked, drooling slightly from the thought of it with a big smile on his face. It's clear what food he likes to eat. "We'll see when we get there, Gluttony," Lust replied. Envy though felt a bit pleased. "Well, glad it's you two and not some extra scum. OH, those humans are gonna be dead in days when we're through with them! Those pathetic worms don't know what's coming to them," Envy said, a devilish smile appearing on his face. No better payback than tearing them limb from limb with some backup by Lust and Gluttony. "Patient, Envy, we're on recruitment, not assault. ... Yet. You'll have you chance, and so will we. Who knows, maybe we'll find more of our kind over there," Lust suggested. "... Maybe." ~~ So, for the next few days, things had been fairly busy in preparations for the upcoming flight to London. Each day that had ticked by is one step closer to the deadline for the airport. For Pinkie and Karma, that meant getting their stuff together for their vacation. Karma got plenty of his stuff together, though it was a little bit hard to put in the sword so it wouldn't be found out. Security in airports are pretty tight, and he could only hope the staff won't take his. As for Pinkie Pie, she had worked like crazy to get her things together, along with a list of what to do while there. The list included tour visits, activities, and possible areas of interest they can go by (Big Ben was on there of course). While Pinkie and Karma were getting their stuff together, Nagisa and Twilight both were more in thought on the dreams they both had. They both had compared notes as they said they would, but since the others had been so busy, they kept it to themselves. In regards to these dreams, they were still in rough decisions on this London trip. Nagisa wasn't put under as much pressure as Twilight, because he lived alone. Twilight on the other hand had her parents, and she had to figure out if going on this trip would be a good idea or not. Her parents had one child already gone doing bigger things, how would they feel if Twilight left them too? She hoped she'll get her decision. ... The day was eventually upon them. The first ones amongst the group to reach the airport was Pinkie and Karma. The airport was simply packed with people by the time they arrived, and usually of people ready to get onto their next flight. Good things for them there was plenty of space, and good amount of seating. The crowds didn't bother either one of them, and they had their bags of luggage in hand. Karma had a bag, but he also had a cat carrier with him for you-know-who. Blair was obviously not enjoying this, despite being in a comfortable, fuzzy cat carrier. It wasn't what she had in mind at all. According to the time, it'll be a bit longer until their plane will be ready for them, so Pinkie and Karma went over and took a seat over near their gate, Karma placing the cat carrier in between Pinkie and himself. "There oughta be a law against this," groaned Blair, poking her head out of the carrier. "Stop complaining, you don't have to pay for a ride," Karma reminded, patting Blair's head. Blair still wasn't enjoying it all the same. "Do you think Nagisa and Yugure will come, Karma?" Pinkie asked. "If they are, they better get their asses moving. Flights in twenty five minutes," Karma replied, pointing to the closest clock. Sure enough, twenty five minutes was the time left before boarding could commence for the airline. Pinkie was just excited as ever to get rolling, and prayed that the others would show up as the minutes ticked by. The closer time came, the more antsy Pinkie was getting. Karma and Blair kept their cool about it, Blair sleeping in her carrier. If the others weren't coming along, then so be it. "EEEE!! GUYS! OVER HERE!!" Pinkie suddenly screamed, full of glee. It was enough to wake up the sleeping Blair in a startle. Sure enough, when Karma looked, there they were. Nagisa Shiota, Aladdin, and Yugure Kagayaki, were all walking their way. Nagisa and Twilight actually had their luggage with them as well, and Aladdin had his normal outfit in his own luggage, him walking in Nagisa's casual clothing. A little big, but not too much. "YAY, you decided to come after all!" Pinkie beamed. "It took a while to decide, but yeah we are. I didn't had much other plans here anyway," Nagisa admitted. "And you too Yugure?" "It was a rather ... long discussion. But, so long as I keep in contact with them," Twilight said. To her it was probably the only proper way to go and keep in touch with her family. Pinkie went ahead and hugged them both, Aladdin having a seat over by Karma. Turned out Aladdin did end up getting a ticket from Nagisa paying, but he still didn't get the idea behind the tiny paper. "Well, the gang's all here. And just in time," Karma said. ....... And indeed it was the case. The clock marked the time, and they began to get rolling. It was a bit of a gamble when it came to the weapons, and while Nagisa got his through alright, Karma just wasn't able to get through without clearance. A pity for him. When that was taken care of, it was straight onto the airplane, and it wasn't too long until they were airborne. The aircraft was a typical one for a passenger plane, and the group took a while to find their seats. The plane was six seats, three per side, open luggage case right above them - the usual stuff. As for where they ended up, Aladdin and Nagisa had their own spot, as the rest sat two rows behind them. A basic arrangement, though it did get very crowded after a minute or two as more people boarded. In this sort of boarding, they weren't alone on this flight. At about five rows behind, the trio of demons: Envy, Gluttony, and Lust, had manage to get themselves inside the plane (disguised of course). Envy of course had his disguise very easy, his own transformation making him look just like some regular average joe in his seat. Lust and Gluttony got some outfits for themselves which managed to work pass the staff and guards just enough. They all got a row of seats next to eachother, though Gluttony made comfort a little difficult for Envy thanks to his size. The flight on the plane was a relaxing one, and since it would be a while before they all get to London, they might as well enjoy the flight while going. In his seat, Aladdin took the time to check out the aircraft. "I heard about a rumor that humans found a way to fly, but I didn't think it would be like this," Aladdin commented, as he was looking around the plane. Nagisa just chilled out, looking outside the window for a bit at the passing clouds. "Well, this beats a carpet ride to London," Nagisa thought, though he didn't want to be rude in front of Aladdin. Still, it was a far safer way to fly there by plane instead of on a flimsy carpet. After a bit, Aladdin turned to Nagisa. "So what do you think we'll do when we get there?" "Apparently Pinkie Pie's got a list of things to do for us. ... Though, I think there might be something else going on," Nagisa brought up. Suddenly, Pinkie was sat up, leaning in between them. "You bet I do! We're not going to be on boredom highway this vacation, oh no!" Pinkie stated, as she showed them both the list she made, which was a rather long one. And by long, meaning covering them in paper by the time it unraveled fully. "Well, we certainly have a lot to do when we get there," Nagisa stated. "Who's 'The Queen'?" Aladdin asked, pointing to one part of the long list where he saw the name, as Pinkie Pie rolled up their list of things to do. "Why, the queen of England, my dear chap. She's only in charge of the United Kingdom," Pinkie summed up, her voice suddenly having a strong accent of British. Aladdin scratched his head. "I was told humans gave up that 'king and queen' thing ages ago," Aladdin wondered. "Depends on where you go, really," Nagisa noted. Aladdin began to get more intrigued with London now, if they were still doing that kind of thing. "Weird. When will we get there, anyway?" Aladdin asked. That was when Nagisa felt a little bit down on the subject. "Twelve hours," he said gravely. It's going to be a LONG flight. Hours ticked by. The group in the plane was relaxing it out in the comfy ride onward. Aladdin had fallen asleep in his seat, Pinkie and Karma were watching a movie, and Twilight took some time to check the alchemy book. What Blair was doing was anyone's guess. The fight began in the middle of the day, and now it was actually night time, so they had to be getting close by now. Many of the passengers were either sleeping, or in some quiet activity to not disturb the other passengers. As for Envy, Gluttony, and Lust, they still had to keep their disguises up. Gluttony was sleeping, and the other two were just chilling out. Lust was alright, but Envy wanted to cause some sort of trouble for these humans. If he wasn't supposed to be quiet on this flight, the plane would've be crashed somewhere in Mongolia by now! "We better get there soon. This flight's going to kill me from boredom before I can kill any of these humans," Envy thought. Gluttony's snoring wasn't helping him out much either, the sleeping person practically passed out right next to him. All of those airplane meals had caught up with the hungry Gluttony. Lust, who was sitting furthest away from the window, took the time to look ahead to the others. Since Pinkie and Karma had a movie going, they were easier to spot. Her eyes just caught sight of Twilight's alchemy book, Lust barely able to recognize it. "So, they're those 'special' humans boss was telling us about. So young and youthful. And by the looks of it, they're getting their minds around alchemy. Nothing like a curious wannabe Alchemist to make things a bit more interesting." Lust thought, a smirk forming on her face. An interesting fact that at least one of them was learning alchemy, of all things. In a world of high-advanced weaponry, alchemy seemed more old school. Something her kind remembered fairly well. ... *ding**ding* "Attention passengers, we're about to land at London city airport, fasten seat bents for decent." The pilot over the speakers woke up a good amount of people, and that was probably a good thing. The passengers on board followed instructions, even the demons just to follow the flow of the situation. As for the group, some of them began to look outside at where they were. Sure enough, the lights from London England were in sight. They made it. S02Ep4: Instigation ~司法~Well, what a day that was. Nagisa and his friends hadn't stayed in London for more than two days, and here they are, saving earls from being kidnapped. Who'd of thought that would just transpire so quickly? In just one day, they spent it at the Phantomhive manor, and risked their own lives to save Ciel. After that was done, the group were back at their hotel of stay, leaving Ciel Phantomhive to recover from his capture under his own roof. While a reward would've been nice, the fact they're alive after all that, virtually unscathed was enough of a reward. Time ticked on from there, the day turning to night, and gave them a well-deserved rest. The group mainly had the beds split up amongst them. Karma and Blair shared a bed, Pinkie and Aladdin got the floor with some sheets and pillows, and Nagisa and Twilight got their own bed. The night went on smoothly without trouble, and they all were fast asleep. ... Well, all but one. The others may be sound asleep by now, Nagisa was still feeling a bit on the edge of things. Ciel and Sebastian still left their mark on him, and while he wasn't feeling as bad as before at the manor, it was enough to leave him incomplete. He was stirring, tossing and turning about, trying to get comfortable. In the end, it just was no use. His turning wasn't enough to wake the others, thank goodness, and Nagisa just sat up in his bed. "It's no good," Nagisa thought at last. He looked to the others next to him for a moment, seeing how they were all just fast asleep, even after what had happened. Nagisa didn't want to wake anyone up here. Eventually, and a rather rough decision on his part, Nagisa was soon dressed, armed, and outside, walking down the London streets. Daytime made London pretty lively, but during the night the streets were completely silent. Street lights were still on and running, but that was about it. It was just him and the moon shining down at him. The night was clear, but a bit cooler than the weather over in Japan though that wasn't much trouble. Each step left him wandering the streets further and further away from the hotel, Nagisa more thinking over what was going on. He was at least grateful that Sebastian and Ciel (for now anyway) were far enough away to be less of trouble. Nagisa Shiota and his wandering found himself over by one of London's river bridges. Nagisa kept walking until he stopped at the center of it, looking down at the river below. The reflection was faded out, but just enough for Nagisa to see himself, and the moon reflection as well. Calm and collected waters flowed down under him, and left a calming sensation on him - first time in a while. "I don't get it. I thought all of this was left behind me. That Ciel Phantomhive. There's something off with him, but what? And Sebastian too. He took down all those guards with little to no problem yesterday. If we weren't there, then he probably could've finished everyone off even faster. Strange. ..." And the shivering came back. However, Nagisa didn't have time to locate first, before the source of the disturbance landed right by him. Nagisa turned and, speak of the devil, it was the Phantomhive butler and earl! Who'd of guessed? Nagisa's sense skyrocketed the second he saw them, Sebastian holding Ciel in his arms. Ciel's outfit was different over his blue formal suit and top hat. The hat was black this time, and his clothes copied such, flare on the shoulders that go down to his hands. After a minute, Sebastian placed Ciel down, Nagisa taking a step back. "C-Ciel Phantomhive. Didn't expect to see you out here." "Likewise," Ciel simply replied, as he took a few steps forward. "A pleasure to see you again, mr. Shiota," Sebastian said in a small bow, hand on his chest. Nagisa wasn't sure why they would be out here at this hour, but he could take a possible guess. Still, he tried to keep a collected face. "You feeling better now?" "I am. It's good that I found you anyway. I've been meaning to talk to you since yesterday," Ciel revealed, soon standing side by side with Nagisa. Nagisa felt his shivering strengthen as he looked to both earl and butler. It'd been bothering him all day yesterday and tonight, and he had the two reasons that it was even bothering him in the first place. His skin crawled when Ciel came close. He had enough. "Ciel, before we do anything else, I need to know something." The message was almost automated in tone and speed, but it got across fairly well. Ciel and Sebastian were quiet for a moment, but Ciel straightened out. Nagisa didn't realize it even came out until after a few seconds of time. "And what might that be?" Nagisa had to think hard now. On one hand, it would get the answer off his chest and probably quell his paranoia depending on what it is, but on the other hand he promised Aladdin (and the demon who possessed Gakuho in extent) to keep this sort of activity quiet. His hand rested on his hidden blade, and finally ... "You're both demons, aren't you?" Now it was out. "Pardon?" Ciel questioned. Nagisa felt a little calm in his nerves on the question, and he just decided to go on with it. He started this ball, might as well keep rolling it. "Listen. I ... kinda have this sort of sense. And this gets me to sense a presence of true demons. Like an inner sonar. ... Well, since I saw you back at that market, my sense has been going wild on me. And -" Suddenly Ciel stopped him with a raise of his hand. Nagisa didn't know if he just made a believer, or made a huge mistake. All he could do was wait until Ciel could speak again. "... Seems peculiar," Ciel stated, seeing Nagisa's hand hover over his Halo Blade. "So are you, or not?" Nagisa finally asked. Ciel then looked Nagisa dead in the eyes. He knows now that Nagisa was armed. "It rather depends on your reasoning, Nagisa." Reasoning? Ciel was just asking for trouble far as Nagisa got, but when he followed Ciel's eye to his hand, he got what Ciel was getting towards. It made sense though. After all, no one wants to be stabbed. Nagisa was too deep to stop now. "Because my demon sense is constantly getting triggered when I'm by you two. Look, just tell me straight: are you, or are you not demons?" Ciel waited a moment, looking to Sebastian, and considering the options. The silence and anticipation of the awaiting answer was a killer enough. Eventually, both Ciel and Sebastian reached a silent agreement, and both turned to Nagisa Shiota. "... Your senses aren't wrong. There is a demon presence at the Phantomhive manor, but it's not from me. That honor is given to Sebastian." So it was finally revealed. Ciel may not be a demon exactly, but Sebastian is! Nagisa was frozen on hearing that answer, Sebastian appearing the least demonic outta all the demons he seen so far. But when Nagisa took a closer look at Sebastian's red eyes, and remembering what he did, how could it not be the truth? Nagisa's hand tighten on his blade, as his eyes widened and locked onto him. He FINALLY got his answer after forty eight hours of worry. "Sebastian's the demon? I knew it! No human can do what he can," Nagisa thought. "Now, I'd hate to intrude, but you don't plan on trying to kill me, now are you? It'd make quite a mess on the London streets, you know," Sebastian asked. "W-WHA?! No, no, no, no, not you! I-I just wanted to know, I can't kill you no way!" Good save. Panicky, but a good save. Taking them down would cause a ton of trouble for all of them anyway. Last thing Nagisa wanted was to cause an international incident outside his home country. Ciel sighed, a hint of relief in it but not much. "Good answer. Perhaps we can discuss matters back at the manor tomorrow morning. I'm curious as to your involvement as well," Ciel offered. "You sure? I don't want to bother you too much." "Would you rather spend the entire night out in the cold above a bridge?" "Good point. You want just me or can the others come?" "I might as well save myself the effort," Ciel sighed. It didn't work before, and they would come over with him anyway, so he should get the rest. Besides, they could be of some good information too. "Let's go Sebastian," Ciel said. With that, he and Sebastian went off back towards the manor, and after a minute, Nagisa was alone again. Nagisa felt very relieved to at least know the source of his demon sense spasms. It's working as it should, Nagisa just didn't knew that up until now. And now, he and his friends have another date with the Phantomhive estate. ~~ The next morning, the Phantomhive manor was starting up in activity. With Ciel back home, things started to get back to normal. Outside, in the Phantomhive garden, Bardroy, Mey-Rin, and Grell were out handling the garden together as best they could do. The garden itself was very well-kept for being next to the forest. Bardroy was trimming the bushes, Mey-Rin was watering the flowers, and Grell tried his best not to wreck the plants as he plucked some of the vegetables and fruits. "So, apparently our guests are coming back this afternoon. Let's show Sebastian we got what it takes today! When we're done, he won't even know what hit him," Bardroy said. "Uh, didn't you say that yesterday?" Mey-Rin asked meekly. Bardroy didn't answer, yet was still determined to do a better job. Nearby, Grell was trying to pull down some fresh Oran berries, but these fruits were a bit hard to pluck off. "Steady, Grell," Bardroy said on seeing him. However, Grell ended up stumbling back with his berry, landing on top of Bardroy, both tumbling onto the ground. "Bardroy! Oh I'm so sorry!" "Don't worry bout it," groaned Bardroy, as Mey-Rin helped Bardroy back up to his feet. Grell looked back up into the tree he was working with, and tried for another go. The berries were ripe, and he couldn't leave them alone. After all, picking fresh fruits is apart of his job. He went up, grabbed a fruit, and tried again. Grell pulled and pulled, Bardroy and Mey-Rin taking a few steps back this time in case Grell stumbled again. Grell took one more pull, but Grell finally lost his grip, and stumbled back. The hose they were using was right in the way, and Grell stumbled right over it. Mey-Rin lost grip of the hose, and suddenly Grell was soaking wet, and all tangled up in the running hose. Only Grell. "Such humiliation. This is unacceptable! No! I can't go on any longer!!" Suddenly, out of nowhere, Grell was up on a step ladder, and a noose around his neck. Unprompted, and it was enough to get Bardroy and Mey-Rin running over. "Quit trying to die all the time!" Bardroy yelled. "But I have to! It's the only way to restore my honor!" Retorted Grell. It's a wonder how he was alive for this long with this kind of mindset. Bardroy and Mey-Rin tried to get Grell to quit his suicide attempt, but Grell just needed one more step to finish himself off. ... All of a sudden, Grell felt the rope loosening, and quickly being removed from Grell's neck. Standing right there was Korosensei, his outfit now in a typical black and white butler vest with a fancy mustache, the rope in tentacle. ... Wait, what? "WHOA there! Let's not be too hasty, my chap. Really, we can't have a fine butler like you tossing life like trash, am I right or am I right?" "... AAAHHHH!" A typical reaction for this demon king just popping up outta nowhere. They knew guests were coming, but not Korosensei here. Grell completely forgotten his suicide attempt, and jumped back towards Bardroy and Mey-Rin. "W-What the hell?! Who're you?" Bardroy demanded, freaked out. Mey-Rin and Grell hid behind Bardroy as he asked, wondering what this thing was going to do. Korosensei took it in his stride, casually spinning around the rope in his hand. "The name's Korosensei: demon king of the underworld, and high school teacher extraordinaire! I was just flying by when I couldn't help but notice someone playing around with a noose down here," Korosensei summed up, his tentacles unwrapping the noose, and knotting the rope into a butterfly knot, a perfect look of a butterfly in just five seconds, wowing his little crowd. "But, my honor -" "Your honor and dignity can easily handle a simple misstep. You can't continue the game if you quit after a simple challenge like this. One must rise up to the task at hand. Try and try again," Korosensei explained, using his spare time to pluck all the Oran berries off the tree! Not even a leaf fell from his plucks, and Korosensei had a full basket of fresh, delicious Oran berries ready to go. Grell's eyes starred up in awe as Korosensei placed the basket in his hands, and gave him a little pat on the head. "How'd you do that?" Mey-Rin asked. "Just a twist in the wrist. Oran berries always have strong stems on them," Korosensei replied, starting to walk away as he gently plucked a flower from the garden with delicate ease. That wasn't exactly what Mey-Rin meant, and Korosensei knew it too. For the demon king, he had other stops to make, and looking at the manor, he knew exactly where to go. He hadn't seen his student in a while now, and he might as well check on them. ~~ Not too far away from the manor, Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, Pinkie, Aladdin and Blair were, once again, nearing the manor. In this situation, Nagisa had told them all what was really going on, and how he told Ciel about his demon sense, but what they really got on edge over was the fact Sebastian was a demon of all things. While they were curious the first time around, here they knew what they were more in for, and their nerves are more on alert during their walk. They didn't consider Sebastian a straight up enemy because of this. After all, he did save them from becoming target practice for some guards during their Ciel rescue, so Sebastian had that going for them. They still had their formal get up this time, with the exception of Blair, who decided to just chill as her normal cat self, her witch hat proudly on her head. "Who'd of guessed our host would have a demon for a butler. I have to ask how he managed when we get there," Karma commented during their stride. "I don't know. Demons won't just give up their freedom without some sort of catch. Then again, Sebastian seems happy working for mr.Phantomhive," Aladdin noted, looking back to Karma and Nagisa. "Don't demons usually ask for souls or something?" asked Nagisa. The magi scratched his head as they walked along, turning and walking backwards for a bit. Not like they were in too much of a hurry anyway. "I think they do. They usually do. ... Maybe. ... I only got the basics on demons before leaving the overworld," Aladdin admitted. Who could blame an angel for not knowing too much about demons. "What's it like up in the Overworld? Is it full of fluffy clouds and angels?" Pinkie asked. "Actually it is, yeah. It's very nice up there: clear skies for flying, lots of sunshine most of the time, cool air. We have land up there, but it's either built or just magically floating. Sometimes I wonder how come you humans never saw our world time and again by how big some of these places are," Aladdin explained, his memory flowing with the images of the Overworld. Aladdin swung himself forward again, but they were wondering more about this Overworld place. "Sounds like a neat place to live," Nagisa said. "It is, if you can fly. Humans won't do very well up there since they don't have wings or something. You need to fly to get around easier," Aladdin cleared up, even floating around in mid air for a bit to get the point across. It only made sense in a world where it's mainly skies and clouds. For Nagisa and Twilight, it did sound familiar to the dreamscape they had in their future sight dream. A world where land is barely around would match what Aladdin was talking about. The two took a moment to look up to the clouds far above them, just imagining this world Aladdin was describing. They could only wonder what other angels roam around in Aladdin's world. Pinkie joined in on the sight seeing, and as they were looking up, a flock of ducks flew by them. "You think those duckies visit your world?" Pinkie asked. "Oh sure, lots of birds visit there no problem. We even got our own flocks of birds not found in your world." "Really?! That's so cool!" "They are pretty. Then again, your birds are pretty neat too," Aladdin complimented, looking to the ducks as they flew off out of sight to the next pond. The group wondered what kind of world Aladdin truly lived in for the rest of their walk. As they kept going, this chit chat actually had time a bit quicker, and they found that the manor wasn't too far away at all. The talk about the Overworld must've cut time short. It wasn't too much to complain about, and they didn't waste more time to get right to the property grounds. Unlike before, Ciel and Sebastian had actually took the time to wait outside for their returning guests to show up, which was a surprise to see for the group. "Hey, Ciel! How's things since our little rescue?" Karma asked. "Better than most," Ciel simply responded. However, as they began to head closer, Ciel felt a very small irritation hit his nose. At first it wasn't too bad, but when Ciel and Sebastian saw little cat Blair sitting at Karma's feet, Ciel understood why. He started to feel more irritated as they walked closer, and Ciel wasn't having any more of it. "What is that doing here?" Ciel asked, pointing to Blair. "Our pet. Blair wanted us to watch her for her, so -" "K-Keep that away from me," Ciel demanded, the irritation bothering Ciel so much that he started to have a sneezing seizure. Ciel tried to keep himself under control with his sneezing, slightly slowing down after three sneezes in a row. Looked like someone had a bit of allergies to be handled. Blair was not amused by any of this at all,and none of them knew he had these allergies beforehand. "Kind of hard to do, earl." "I don't care how you do it, get rid of it!" Ciel ordered. "What, no! Here, we'll keep her outside," Karma decided, much to Blair's dismay and Ciel's relief. This wasn't what they were expecting of the earl, but it wasn't going to be for too long. Ciel relaxed after hearing that. "Fair enough. Come along, Sebastian," Ciel said, turning to his butler. When he saw him though, Sebastian wasn't really paying attention to him. Instead, his attention was on Blair, gently kneeling to the confused cat. His eyes marveled at the little kitty cat. "Those round eyes, so full of wonder. Oh my, your fur is so smooth, simply lovely. Such perfect creatures." Blair stayed quiet, this butler stroking her fur with such admiration. Ciel felt a little embarrassed about Sebastian's reaction, but Ciel knew that this only meant he had to bring the cat in, at least for a while. "Sebastian," Ciel groaned. Sebastian glanced back to his lord, Blair feeling more than admired by this butler. This hot man admiring her as a cat? What a first that is. "Anyway. I had reason to believe that you know all about Sebastian by now, right?" Ciel asked. All the others did was nod. "Good. Now, if you please follow me, you can discuss with me on whatever else you may be aware of," Ciel instructed. "Wait, what? You sure mr.Phantomhive?" Aladdin gasped. "I wouldn't have invited you to lunch if not," Ciel replied as he walked back into the manor. Well, the fact that Ciel had a demon for a butler was enough to not be as secretive with him, but Nagisa began to feel unsettled again. His demon sense may be active, but at least his anxiety didn't overload himself as before. Still, the demon senses were enough to keep him alert. "OH, can I cook up something for ya?!" Pinkie suddenly asked. A bit unprompted, surely. "Bardroy has that covered for today's lunch," Ciel said casually. However, Pinkie was pretty determined to do that. Ciel glanced back, and suddenly Pinkie was giving Ciel Phantomhive the puppy dog eyes. Needless to say, it was a strong move even to Ciel. The young lord froze up on the cutesy look in Pinkie's eyes. ... "... Oh, if you insist." And with that, Pinkie rocketed off to the kitchen (wherever that was in the manor). Ciel needed a minute to regain himself, when Nagisa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just a taste on what we deal with," Nagisa simply said. ~~ After a little while, it was right to the guest room for Nagisa and company. Ciel's guest room was about as fancy as the rest of the house and its many accessories. This room was a bit cozy, and plenty of room for them all to find a good seat. The room here consisted of double couches, a head couch for Ciel himself, and a coffee table in the middle, all furniture on top of a lovely blue carpet. Of course, Ciel Phantomhive took his seat at the master chair, and the rest sat side by side with eachother on the other two couches. Sebastian, Pinkie, and Blair weren't present at the moment, but Tanaka did stand aside with a tea cup in hand over near the door. Ciel had calmed down from his sneeze fit, though he had to clean up just a little bit before they got there. "Now we got that taken care of, we can get back to our discussion," Ciel said, no longer having any issues with his nose over any cats near him. Sebastian kept that problem well away. "Some discussion. So, you wanna know more about us?" Karma asked, reclining in his seat. Ciel simply nodded for his answer. The others took a moment to look to one another, and eventually they silently agreed. "K, earl, we'll tell ya. But this is between us and ONLY us, alright?" Karma cleared up, saying exactly what everyone else wanted to. Ciel took a moment to consider before turning to Tanaka. "Tanaka. Wait outside. Don't attempt to listen in," Ciel instructed. "As you wish, my young lord," Tanaka simply replied, before stepping outside of the room. As soon as Tanaka was out of earshot, Ciel waited for what the others had to say. With Tanaka out, they had the only person who they can safely talk this out about. They all waited a minute or two to be sure before they started their talk. Nagisa began first, and he started his own talk by pulling out his halo blade to show Ciel, the earl examining it with his own eye. Even if Ciel saw it earlier, he got a better look in the day light rather than at night. Ciel was even given the halo blade to look it over, feeling how rubbery and bendable it actually was. "So. This is what you fight demons with?" Ciel questioned. "Yeah, I do. I know it's not much," Nagisa admitted, as Ciel bent the tip of the blade, just to have it spring back straight again. And here Ciel thought earlier that Nagisa had an actual weapon for use rather than such a weak rubbery toy. "And how can this kid's toy actually harm a demon? It would annoy it at best," Ciel commented, even trying to test it by 'stabbing' his knee, only for the blade to bend up like a noodle with each jab. Kind of hard to believe that this could harm anything or anyone. "It's a blessed weapon, mr.Phantomhive. It won't be able to harm you, though maybe you might want to keep it from Sebastian," Aladdin explained, as Ciel placed the halo blade down on the table. "Blessed, you say? ... So you all are blessed in some way." "Eh, I wouldn't say that. You really see me as an angel?" Karma asked, pointing to himself. Ciel just looked to the older kid to see the point Karma tried to make. Just the expression on Karma alone was enough to convince Ciel otherwise, though why would he and Sebastian sense their holy power if Karma didn't apparently have any? "No. But I would assume there are angels amongst you?" Ciel suspected, looking over the crowd. Aside from Karma, the others in this group are some pretty likely candidates, but eventually Aladdin ended up raising his hand. He didn't know how much Nagisa legitimately told Ciel, but it's enough to just show to the kid. Ciel leaned in, now more interested, though they began to feel uneasy again by the look on Ciel's face, which was a sort of 'impish' intrigue. "You're the angel from heaven, then." "Well. ... Sorta. I'm a magi." "Magis aren't real angels?" Asked Twilight. "Not exactly: true angels have those bird wings on them. You know, to help them get around? Magis are more like holy mages of the Overworld," Aladdin cleared. That was when Ciel got doubtful again. "Didn't see you use any magic during that rescue," Ciel noted. Aladdin clammed up. "I-It slipped my mind," Aladdin admitted. Slipped his mind? He may appear to be a young kid, but kinda hard to forget your own magic in a crisis. This talk about the rescue did remind at least one of them about something. "Oh, right. Hey, earl, think you're more involved with our business than you think," Karma suddenly cut in. "What're you talking about?" "You're kidnapper's a shape shifting demon, that's what. Same demon that tried killing me back home," Karma said. There was a long pause. ... "... That's a bit blunt," Nagisa commented. "WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!" Twilight gasped. "Back in Tokyo. You know that Ouroboros symbol you kept seeing, Yugure? This demon's got that symbol on him. And also, that sneaky bitch has a knack of disguising himself. And I admit, he's damn good at it. Got Nagisa's womanly features very well." Cue the unamused look on Nagisa. "Very funny," Nagisa groaned. "Well anyway, looks like he's following us around. Why else would he pop up in London with us?" Karma brought up. However, Ciel wasn't too convinced. "Unlikely. I've heard of that man who captured me, and he's not a demon," Ciel said. "Does he leaves bloody Ouroboros symbols where he goes? Because he left a pretty big one on your desk," Karma pointed out. Karma always knew what points to bring up at what time. "... Well, I do have a theory. But there is one way to find out." Before Ciel could exactly say what that is, the door suddenly opened up to show Mey-Rin standing there, cutting the conversation short. She didn't open the door too much, but enough so she can lean in. "Pardon my intrusion, master, but -" "TA-DA! YOUR GOODIES READY TO GO!" Came a loud voice as the door swung open, freaking out Mey-Rin. Pinkie Pie had finished up her own cooking as promise, holding dishes of desserts of her own design, balanced nicely like a presentation in one hand. It wasn't lunch exactly, but the sight of the desserts was surely a colorful sight at least. Pinkie simply went all out on baking, as she presented her delicacies to everyone there. In a quick run around, Pinkie Pie got all of the desserts past about, which included an assortment of cakes, a plate of jello, some glasses of sweet tea, and even a smoothie for whoever wants it. They all basically didn't know what to say, including Ciel. This was a bit over-the-top, but that stuff sure looked good. "Uh ... Isn't this a little much?" Nagisa asked. "No, why?" Pinkie asked, slightly confused. After a bit, Bardroy then showed up, looking a bit tired and his head covered in flour. Whatever was done in that kitchen obviously left its mark on the cook. "You alright, Bardroy?" Mey-Rin asked. "Remind me to not work in the same kitchen as her," Bardroy simply said, as Pinkie sat over by Ciel, as the young earl took in what he was seeing spread out on the coffee table. Pinkie already had the others try her cooking at least once, and now she wanted an opinion from the young earl himself. "Where'd she even get all this from?" Thought Ciel. It took the earl a little bit, a little uncomfortable by Pinkie's attention, but he eventually got a slice of one of the cakes to eat. It wasn't exactly lunch, but he was going to go off anyway, so this could work out after all. Soon, Ciel got himself a bite, and had a taste. ... "... Wha? My god! This ... This is ... AMAZING!~" Ciel thought. Never before had he had a dessert that had this powerful of a taste, a power mix of strawberry filling, sugar, and frosting. Ciel's eyes shot open wide, letting the taste sink into his mouth. Pinkie grew a big smile, but when Ciel saw her, he swallowed and tried to regain himself. "Yes, well, uh ... fair job, ms. Pie," Ciel said, trying to keep more dignified. "I KNEW YOU'D LOVE IT!" Pinkie beamed. She knew a happy customer when she saw it, even if they didn't show it as much as others would. "That's our Pinkie," Twilight thought. ~~ After that was over, it was out of the manor, and over into town. The afternoon business had just gone about, and people were going about their day around them. They didn't all go off though: Ciel, Aladdin, Nagisa, and Sebastian went into town as the rest waited back at the manor for word. Probably better than just bringing the whole crowd to just go through London with. Nagisa still felt a little unsure with Sebastian, but he kept a lot better composure than before as they walked through town. "So, where're we going?" Nagisa asked. "Well, if what your friend says is true, then it could be possible that this doppelgänger wouldn't want the same person to be running around," Ciel hypothesized. "So he would've had him killed in order to keep the lie going," Sebastian figured. "Correct. If that's the case, there's only one person I know that would know exactly who we're truly dealing with." And not a moment too soon, before Nagisa and Aladdin knew it, there they were. This place was in the more secluded area of London, not too many people around the place. As for the place in particular, it was what appeared to be a run down building, and the large sign for advertisement was easily enough to signify the place. A large sign above the door, purple, with yellow lettering for all to see. Undertaker. "Undertaker?" Aladdin wondered, slightly humbled. "I believe that's a person in charge of funerals. Coffins, graves, and matters of a sort," Sebastian said. "I-I know what an Undertaker is," Aladdin cleared. "Then let's not waste any time," Ciel decided. Didn't take much longer until they went on inside. The whole place just gave off a disturbing, uncomfortable vibe. Light was barely any apart from a few candles around and the little lamp by the front desk. The room wasn't too big either, and not a single window with no natural light aside from the door. Empty coffins laid over by the right wall, as if on display for sale or apart of some Halloween decoration. A bookshelf was right behind the desk, though hard to see how much by what they could be able to see. When the door closed behind them, they knew they were in the belly of this beast, whatever it was. For Nagisa, demon sense or not, this place gave him AND Aladdin chills as they saw just how much of the undertaking business was around them. Ciel and Sebastian were fine with it all to be sure. ... "AH.~ The young earl has come back to me, has he?~" Nagisa and Aladdin stayed close, trying to find the source of the voice. The voice sounded raspy, old, almost like that of a witch. Considering where they were, that might not be too surprising to see. That didn't mean it made them feel any better, and there was more to come: one of the coffins slowly started to slide open! Like a vampire, a figure began to reveal himself from inside the coffin, his body draped in black and grey clothing, and yellow eyes peeking out. "Is it time to fit you for one of my coffins today?" The man asked. Nagisa and Aladdin were lucky to remember to even breathe, nevermind speak, upon seeing this freak step out of the coffin. Now in the light, the others got a good look at this Undertaker. He had very long, grey hair that went down his back and over his eyes somewhat, and his face showed a large, sewed up scar going across his face. His robe was predominantly black; additionally, his attire included an incredibly long top hat, and a gray scarf strapped across his chest knotted by the hips. He had on a band of prayer beads around his neck, and he wore a chain with six mourning lockets around his hip. The attire seemed typical for a Victorian England Funeral mute, but that didn't make the situation any better. "No it's not. I'm here because -" "Oh, I already know why you and your friends are here, young earl. Yes, I know about the man who captured you. I helped make him handsome again," the Undertaker replied, his black fingernails gently grazing his cheeks as he said that, apparently happy of his work. "Then you know about who killed him?" Presumed Ciel. The Undertaker gave a cheeky giggle. "Indeed, but we both know of my little fee," the Undertaker apparently reminded. Fee? What fee? "Uh, fee? I-I don't think we have much money. You take yen here?" Asked Nagisa. Suddenly the Undertaker zoomed right up to him, his hand gently caressing his face, now Nagisa noticing his emerald ring on his index finger. Nagisa froze up, but the strangest thing was that his demon sense isn't acting up as much as it should in front of this guy. "I have no need for the queen's coins or the president's yen pieces. Oh no, my fee is worth a little more effort than that.~" Undertaker replied. Nagisa couldn't even guess as what fee he really was talking about. Undertaker gently backed up, and straightened himself. "All I ask is the wonderful life joy of laughter! One good joke, and all the information is yours!" "A joke?!" Nagisa and Aladdin gasped. Was this freak really asking them for a laugh as a fee? "Where's Pinkie when you need her?" Aladdin thought. Pinkie would get him laughing to the Overworld and back if she had come along instead of staying at the manor. But, she wasn't, so they had to make do with what they had. Unfortunately, comedy wasn't something Nagisa was good with, so how can he pay a fee like this. "Ok, one joke to get him to laugh. Come on, think. What jokes can work for someone like this? ... OH!" Nagisa thought, clearing his throat. "Ok, here it goes. Why did the chicken cross the road to France? ... Because it wasn't Turkey!" Nothing. "... You see, the chicken, it's not a Turkey. Or a Turk. It's a chicken - a French hen!" ... still nothing. "Here, let me try," Aladdin insisted. "Knock yourself out." Aladdin cleared his throat for his shot, pulling out a yen coin to aid him. "K, why can't anyone understand pennies? ... Because we can't make heads or tails of them! HAHAHA! Get it? Heads? ... Tails ... on a. Coin? ..." Well, that didn't work. The Undertaker, despite his smile, didn't crack once. Undertaker then turned to Ciel. "So that only leaves you. I gave you a discount last time, but I'm not doing it again," Undertaker made clear, only frustrating the earl a bit. However, one butler was willing to try his luck against the Undertaker and his fee. "I'll take it from here, master. Nagisa, Aladdin, master, please stand outside. No matter what happens, do not attempt to listen." And so they went outside. .... "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAhahahaaaaa...!" Well, that worked out. The laugh was so strong it even knocked his sign down! (Comic relief logic maybe? Who knows.) Aladdin and Nagisa didn't have a clue how he did so, but soon Sebastian went on outside. Looking behind him showed the Undertaker laying on his desk, winded from the laughing, giggling a little bit. Whatever Sebastian did it was surely effective. "You can come back in now," Sebastian said, "I'm sure he'll be willing to tell us everything we need to know." Ciel, Aladdin, and Nagisa soon were back inside the building, the Undertaker just finishing up his own brand of laughter. A deal was a deal, and the Undertaker had just the information they need to hear. "Now, who killed him?" Ciel asked again. "Not a matter of who, but what," corrected Undertaker, as he turned and went to one of his books. Didn't take much more time until he placed the book down in front of him, and started skimming through the pages until he stopped on one in particular, this one having a record on reported sightings and murders, all listed down a ways. "Is that a demon, Undertaker?" Nagisa asked. "Not quite. The correct term is a Homunculus: an artificial human being created from a Philosopher Stone. Not exactly a demon, but from the Underworld all the same. Been a while since I got a coffin for one of their victims," Undertaker explained, a giggle at the end of it. They all took a bit to look at the page, which not only included a picture of the Philosopher Stone, but the Ouroboros as well. The Ouroboros was enough to confirm not just the murderer of Ciel's captor, but what captured Ciel in the first place. Nagisa took a good look at that Philosopher Stone, and his memory suddenly hit a Deja Vu moment. This stone was in that vision! "You know exactly who kidnapped Ciel, Undertaker?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, how could I forget such a beautifully devilish face like her?~ She didn't tell me of course, but she was persuasive enough to have me work a coffin for her. An Ouroboros right on her chest told me she was pure Homunculus, that's for sure.~ And she also had a little partner with her. He looked VERY eager." "I see. ... Now, may I ask -" "Ah ah AH, one subject for each visit. Unless you want to try and pay my fee for a second time," the Undertaker snickered. Ciel was not up for that. "Well, in that case, I believe we have enough information for us. Thank you, Undertaker. Come on, let's go," Ciel decided. With some identity on what sort of creatures they had dealing with, that was plenty good for them both to try and work things out. "I'll always be here when you're ready for your coffin, my young earl.~" With that final remark, the group left the Undertaker in his office, much to Nagisa and Aladdin's relief. They didn't have exact names, but this still can help them out in the long run. Both human and magi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank god that's over," Nagisa sighed. "He may be out of sorts, but a reliable source all the same," Ciel said, as they began to head back. ~~ "Damn, did I call it or what?" Karma commented. It took a bit, but the others eventually got back to the manor in a fair amount of time, and Nagisa and Aladdin didn't waste any time in getting the Undertaker's information to the rest of the group. They all got themselves over in the guest room again, with Blair chilling out like a princess on Sebastian's lap, being stroked time and again. Ciel was glad they were the furthest away from him in the seating arrangement. "So the thing that captured you was a Homunculus? Sounds scary," Pinkie commented. "And if it disguised himself as that mob boss, that would explain why he had so many guards so easily," Twilight added. "Indeed. The least we can say is that he won't have to use the same one again," Ciel concluded. It would be completely stupid on the Homunculus's part to repeat a disguise after the target knows the disguise is dead. And even so, no backup to gain from the disguise. Still, Nagisa wanted to tell Twilight and the others about the stone, so he got Twilight's attention first. "Yugure? Do you still have our list?" Nagisa asked. The question quickly got another obvious one to spring up. "You saw another one?" "While we were out. That Undertaker showed me that picture, that Philosopher Stone, that's it!" "What're you two going on about?" Ciel cut in, just catching their talking. Before they answered, Twilight slipped out the list she had, and opened it up. "It's rather confusing. Nagisa and I had this ... Vision. And we both made this list on what we saw, and Nagisa apparently saw another one," Twilight explained as she showed the list to Ciel, locating and pointing to the Philosopher Stone written on the list in question. "You both saw the future?" Ciel questioned. "Well they've been right so far," replied Twilight. "Yes, they've been very accurate lately haven't they? I say you should look into these more deeply." ....... Who said that? The voice was not what any of them knew. One look up by both Twilight and Ciel had them seeing who else showed up to this manor, yellow skin, big smile and all. "Hey kiddo." "AAHH!" The sight caught everyone by surprise, some jumping back while others just stared in surprise. Ciel was probably caught off guard the most, considering this uninvited guest was inside his manor: Korosensei! This cheeky octopus demon king had been waiting all day for them to show up, and now he finally can reveal himself, with a cup o tea in tentacle. "HEY, teach! Long time no see. So what's up?" Karma said. "Just checking out the neighborhood. See you're all doing fancy over here in the UK, good on you," Korosensei complimented. Ciel finally got himself together. "What in bloody hell is this thing doing in my manor?! Sebastian!!" Ciel ordered. Sebastian looked over to Korosensei, gently placing Blair down on the couch before getting up, adjusting his gloves. "I'll take care of it, my lord," Sebastian simply said. Korosensei wasn't so easily spooked, though he did know a fellow demon when he saw one. Sebastian tried to at least grab him, but Korosensei and his Mach-20 speed raced circles around him. Once he was finished, he remained unscathed, and once more, he made a outfit change into his regular teacher outfit, and even left a rose for each and every one of the people in the room. Korosensei couldn't help but chuckle. "A little too slow to catch this demon king," Korosensei boasted, his head green-striped again. "Demon king?" Sebastian questioned. "Correcto! Korosensei: fastest demon king this side of the Underworld! OH, by the way." Korosensei took a quick moment to pull out a wrapped gift from his outfit, and dropped it off to Karma. In a whip of his tentacle, the wrapping was torn away, revealing the miracle sword for all to observe, as it landed on Karma's lap. "Karma, you should really start keeping track of your belongings. A swordsman without a sword is a big no-no," Korosensei said, a purple X popping up on his face. "You gonna blame me over the security at the airport? Blame the staff for disarming me," Karma noted, raising the sword up good and high. The sword was indeed impressive to the group around him. "Can you explain to me WHY this thing's still in my manor?" Ciel questioned sternly. "Hey, he's alright. He's my teacher back in Tokyo," Karma revealed. "Your teacher?" "One hell of a teacher," Karma replied. "OH, so my little lessons got to you after all? It oughta be, you did lead your gang to save this child's freedom. Congratulations," Korosensei said, his purple X turning into a orange O for the right answer. Karma smiled, but that did cross something on one of their minds. ... "So you know about my master's capture. ... And why didn't you help?" The octopus went quiet, whistling a little bit. ... Obvious. On reaction, Sebastian went for a slap, but Korosensei dodged him again. However, this dodge wasn't as calculated as before, and the cup of tea couldn't keep up with him. Soon, Twilight ended up wet with tea on her head, and an empty cup on her lap. "WHAAA! Sorry, sorry, sorry," Korosensei whelped, down on the ground in a grovel. He really didn't mean to get Twilight messed up, but Twilight just sighed and got to her feet. No point in griping over spilt tea. "I'll just go clean up," Twilight sighed, and she placed the cup down gently on the table before beginning to go off. ~~ Well, this was embarrassing. Oh well, nothing a quick wash up couldn't fix. Twilight managed to find the Phantomhive restroom, and soon she was cleaning up the tea off her hair. The bathroom, despite the rest of the manor, wasn't entirely too impressive: a sink with counter top, decent-sized bath, large mirror, medicine cabinet next to the sink, and a window by the bath. The room itself wasn't as big as the others would, but not completely cramped either. Washing the tea out of her hair was fairly easy for her, using the bath's showerhead for a quick rinse off (she didn't even need to undress), and soon her hair was cleaned right up. "There, that should be enough," Twilight figured, as she went on to get one of the towels. She started to get herself dried off, though it did take a little bit with her long hair. ... *click* Twilight paused for the moment on the clicking noise, finishing up drying. However, she didn't really see much of anything that would make the random sort of noise when she turned around. The only thing was the slightly cracked window, but that was about it far as she could see. So, casually, she went over to close the window. Seemed simple enough, and it was handled fairly quickly. ... Too simple, as it turned out. Twilight took a step back, but when she did, she felt something sharp touch the back of her head. Her whole body froze, and she stood completely still, the object remaining where it was behind her head, just above her neck. She had no weapon to fight back, her friends were farther away, and she would get stabbed if she'd try to do anything anyway. In her position, she couldn't really see who was behind her, but the mirror next to her gave her just enough vision to get her to see her little guest. "See you're on form, my dear," a sly voice said to her. That voice was not familiar to this girl, and she wasn't sure exactly who or what it was. "A-Another demon?" "A demon hound, indeed. I'm Hellgar," the hound introduced. Gently, Twilight was slowly moved around, and soon she was face to face with Hellgar. The demon hound sat up straight, and his pointed tail was what's aimed at her neck, and keeping her from messing around with him. "So. Now we know eachother." "... What do you want?" Twilight asked meekly, trying to be careful with what she said. One small slip and she'll be skewered on the spot. "We'll get to that. ... You know, I don't like that little massacre you and your friends did to my pack back in Tokyo," Hellgar reminded. "That was your pack?" "Oh yes. Lucky they were there to save you eh?" Hellgar asked, leaning in closer to Twilight. The girl started to pluck up courage. "Yes they did, and they can do it again - ACK!" The tail suddenly wrapped around Twilight's mouth like a choker! Twilight was cut off of breathing, and was silenced immediately. "Don't give me that," Hellgar warned, tightening his grip on Twilight. "S-Shtawp! Shtawp!" Twilight gagged from the band, freaking out from the strength in this demon hound's tail, constricting her like a boa. The demon hound loosened afterwards, seeing just how scared Twilight was getting to losing her head. "Alright. ... On one condition." Twilight couldn't do anything else but agree. Hellgar moved his tail away, and looked Twilight right in the eyes. The demon hound licked his muzzle as a hint of smoke emitted from within his deep maw. "I want you to be my spy in the Phantomhive manor. Him, and your little group. For now on. I want to know every move they make. Got it?" The words Hellgar hissed seeped out like smoke, a hint of ash filling the air. Just the look in Hellgar's eyes made her feel intimidated. Considering Hellgar almost killed just a few seconds ago, Twilight knew that this demon hound was in no mood to just mess around with her. All she did was nod. "good. Well then. Til next time. Yugure." Hellgar slipped by her towards the window, but not before his tail gave a warning slice to Twilight! It was dangerously close to her, and a few strands of hair quietly fell to the floor. Once that was done, Hellgar made his exit, and disappeared. Twilight didn't have any courage to budge, and her weak knees gave way and got her down to the floor. Now what is she supposed to do? S02Ep5: Tour Guide ~ツアーガイド~"What am I supposed to do?" Night time. And that question echoed in Twilight's head after they got back to their hotel. It almost seemed that Nagisa and Twilight had switch places when it came to the worrying game. The others were fast asleep, the new moon outside keeping it nice and dark to help them with that, but Twilight had too much on her mind to even start. She could still feel where Hellgar nearly sliced her head open as if it just happened moments ago. The feel of his tail aimed at the back of her head, the sight of Hellgar's gaze, it all haunted her. The worst part: she still was stuck as Hellgar's spy on top of it all. Being a spy to anyone was a risky business, but a spy to a demon was a life gamble as it is. Twilight stayed wide awake, quiet as a mouse as she simply stared off outside the window, the only thing she mainly was looking at being the stars above. She was lucky to even feel tired, nevermind to sleep, and her eyes just looked around to her friends who were fast asleep. for now on. I want to know every move they make. "... I can't. I just can't. ..." Twilight thought. It took a bit of maneuvering, and trying to keep quiet, but eventually she got a few objects and went into the restroom. It was the only place at the time where she could be in that wouldn't seem out of the normal. Room was limited, but it was enough for Twilight to get her bearings together. The object she brought in only consisted of three things: a pencil, a piece of paper, and her book of alchemy. It seemed clear what she had in mind next. ... After it was handled, Twilight, ever so quietly, got herself dressed in her normal clothes, and only just managed to slip away out of the room, the rest of the group not waking up in the slightest. Just as Twilight would want it. After Twilight got herself far enough away from the room, she went right off walking on her way, straight out of the hotel she was in. Stepping outside left her in London's dark town, the only main light aside from the stars were the occasional street light. In the room, the only thing that she left behind was the paper, which was left by Aladdin. The least when they wake up they won't miss the message she had left behind for them. 'You're probably wondering where I went. Don't worry; I only went out to handle some more alchemy training. The last rescue we did, I barely did anything to help. Next time we come across any demon or danger in general I want to be ready. I'll try to be back soon. Yugure Kagayaki' ....... The next morning, again as Twilight might've hoped, the whole group were quick to find that letter left behind for them, Aladdin holding it in his hands. "Alchemy training. Well, okay, looks like she's sprucing up," Aladdin concluded. "Seems a bit early though," Nagisa noted. He knew Twilight, and it seemed fifty fifty to him. Karma though had a different idea about it. "Sounds like red herring to me," Karma noted. "Red herring? ... Is that another human term, or ..." "That means a trick, basically. Let's go see what Yugure's really up to," Karma concluded, beginning to head to the door. "Karma wait a minute. Why would Yugure lie to us? Look, it says she won't be too long, let's just wait until she gets back," Aladdin figured. Twilight really wasn't one to lie to them, Aladdin was right about that. Even if she would leave so soon, there was nothing anywhere to indicate anything for them. That, and it would save a day search for their friend if it really was nothing. "Eh, alright, sure," Karma decided. "Great! Because we got a date with London market!" Pinkie revealed. Well, the idea seemed clear on what's gonna be going on today for some of them. As they got ready for that, Nagisa couldn't help but look at the letter again. Twilight wouldn't lie to them, would she? And if so, why? "... Well, we'll see when she gets back," Nagisa thought. ~~ Off on the walk again. With the day young and fairly decent apart from a few stray clouds, the group went on out for the day, doing their own things. Pinkie, and Aladdin (Aladdin in disguise again), were both out and basically checking out London again as other locals went around on their way. It did feel a little awkward without Twilight there, but that was just a minor issue all and all. In their walk around, Pinkie took the lead in where they were going, a joyful skip in her step through the London sidewalks and streets. Pinkie had a sort of brochure for the tourist hot spots around town, which included such places like the Victorian tower - somewhere Pinkie was psyched on getting to today. "Come on, slow poke! Big Ben's bout to ring, I wanna be right there when it does!" Pinkie encouraged, trying to keep Aladdin moving. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Aladdin said, trying to keep up with her. Pinkie giggled again, and moved on again when Aladdin caught up. If one were to see these two as they went towards the clock tower, it looked like a good (if not childish) relationship between brother and sister. As Pinkie and Aladdin went through, they were about in sight of the Victorian tower when they both started to slow down. The sight of the tall brick tower was all they needed, and just in time according to the time on the giant clock. Pinkie may seem a little too excited, but they weren't complaining about that. What did get Aladdin in a different mood though was when he looked off away from the tower and to some of the locals. They looked regular enough, but one of them, a younger kid with a Victorian top hat, did remind Aladdin of one other kid he got to know back at the Phantomhive manor. The magi thought it over, but barely got much time before Pinkie saw his thinking face. "Your mind working again?" "Yeah. I've been thinking lately, about Mr.Phantomhive. You know, he seems so down all the time, and -" Aladdin was cut off when Pinkie got her finger over his mouth, suddenly looking a lot more serious than normal, her gaze lowered in a dramatically stern appearance. Apparently she needed to hear no more. Aladdin shivered. "You know what this means don't you?" Pinkie asked, hushed. "... No?" "That's right. ..." ... OK then. Aladdin stayed blank-faced, about as blank as his mind was when it came to Pinkie Pie. "... PLAY DATE FOR CIEL!" Pinkie decided, a lot more cheerful this time. Aladdin needed a minute, but Pinkie was too quick for that, and soon she bolted off, dragging Aladdin behind her. Here we go again, and Aladdin and Pinkie knew exactly where to go. ....... "Pardon, Ms.Pie?" Questioned Ciel. "Yeah! A play date! Just you, me, and Aladdin, come on what do ya say?" Pinkie said, much enthusiasm in her voice as she and Aladdin stood at Ciel's front door. However, Ciel wasn't exactly too enthused by the idea. He was the master of the Phantomhive household, he didn't need to be involved in such childish games. "I'd rather not. Do I look like that kind of kid to you?" Ciel questioned. "YES. YES YOU DO," Pinkie and Aladdin said, bluntly. Ciel cringed up from that, but he quickly recovered. "Come on, Mr.Phantomhive, it'll be fun. Please?" Aladdin asked. "I said no." And cue the door shut. Both he and Pinkie waited with smiles and anticipation for a minute or two, but the door did not open up. Eventually, their smiles ended up going away as they realized that Ciel wasn't going to come back outside for them. Both of them glanced to eachother, and Aladdin was just going to go, but Pinkie wasn't ready to just give up. The pink girl got her thinking cap on, and soon a cheeky grin showed up on her face again. It may or may not work for Ciel, but it was worth a try anyway. "Okie dokie lokie. And I was going to plan a little picnic with plenty of sweets too." ... The door opened up again, Ciel standing there once more. "Well, I've been meaning to get some time away from the manor anyway." "YYYES!" ~~ Meanwhile, back in town, Nagisa, Karma, and Blair were also out on the town, enjoying the sight-seeing around the neighborhood of the UK. Blair and Karma both were doing alright with their looking about, as they went through town square. The town square in London was a bit open-spaced despite the crowds of people going about, either heading to their next destination, or just chilling out and enjoying the scenery for the day. The trio decided the latter, and took a seat over at the town square's stoop. It was purely made up of concrete, with a number of stone stairs towards the center. Along the rhim was stone fencing, with plenty of street lights too. The town square also had two large fountains side by side, and right at the center stood a tall pillar. A swordsman stood proudly on the very top, and the pillar was surrounded by lion statues. And passed that, was the staircase stoop leading straight to the town hall. Or at the least a building that resembled such. A nice little stop to be sure, and while it did admittedly feel awkward without Twilight, it was only a minor issue for them. And with Aladdin and Pinkie doing their own thing somewhere else, they had a good moment of chill time. Humanized Blair laid down comfortably next to her roomie, laying down on his lap just a bit. Nagisa and Karma just took the time to stare off into the clouds. "This is more like it, eh guys? Nothing like some chill time away from the action," Karma said. "Ditto," Nagisa simply said. Despite Twilight not being around, he couldn't help but feel completely relaxed for the first time in a while. No troubles, no demon sense shivers, just him with his friends at town square (some of them anyway). As they laid there, Blair took one look to see someone was actually selling some snacks to passerby and tourists. A good idea to try for some small snacks, and he looked fairly young too. Perfect. "And I'll be right back," Blair said, getting up to her feet. Karma and Nagisa only needed to see the man to know what she was going to do, but just sat back to watch the show. After the next customer paid for a bag, Blair was soon right at the cart, immediately showing off her assets to the young man. This didn't work before, but she had the wrong target that time. Seeing this guy's eyes lock up to her boobs meant she had him hooked. "Hello. Nice stand you have here. Mind if I have a look?" Blair asked innocently. The man, just snapping back to reality, changed his focus to her face instead. "Oh, sure, be my guest," the keeper said. Blair knew exactly what she wanted already, but she wanted to go and butter him up first. As she looked around, she made sure her boobs were on display for this man, either making them jiggle or pressing them on the counter. Either way, this man was beat red in the face, just as Blair wanted. Eventually, Blair picked out three bags of chips to go. "I'll be happy to take these. I'm afraid I only have yen pieces," Blair cooed, showing some yen to the man. "You know what, go ahead," the man decided, face red and eyes locked. Blair was more than happy to pay with her yen, and soon she gave him a wink and strolled off on her way, straight back to her friends. Karma could only smirk, and Nagisa a more humbled grin as the triumphant Blair took a seat, passing the snacks to her pals. "And another man falls for my sexual charms," Blair commented, taking a chip out and taking a bite out of it. Now they had a snack to boot for their troubles. "I'm sure he was waiting for those babies to pop out that shirt," Karma joked, though being a guy himself, that would be something that the man would think. "You couldn't help yourself, huh?" Nagisa sighed. "Hey, work with what you got. And I got the goods right here," Blair said, with a wink and a bounce of her boobs. Nagisa quickly turned away before he too would get under Blair's seduction. "Well, at least the others are enjoying themselves. Maybe we'll finally get a vacation out of this yet," Nagisa thought. ... "Howdy do kids." Perhaps he spoke too soon. Nagisa turned around, and sure enough, the trio had another visitor. Right behind them, Korosensei took the time to check them out. As expected, this octopus demon king was in his own disguise, though it was least impressive. The disguise consisted of a toupee, a fake plastic nose, some large gloves for his tentacles, and his outfit consisted of a fancy rich tuxedo, and his signature moon tie. Just enough to pass by as a 'average joe' of London, as far as Korosensei could do. "What's with the stupid get up?" Karma asked. "Stupid? My boy, this is my purely genuine, human disguise. Look at me, I fit right into the crowd," Korosensei insisted. "I don't think fitting in would be the right way to put it," Nagisa admitted. Korosensei slumped on Nagisa's comment. "But I put so much work into it," Korosensei meekly insisted. It really didn't look too much like it as far as they were concern though. Either way, it did seem to do the job, as no one around them stopped to question Korosensei just yet (amazingly enough). It was then that Korosensei looked around the town square, and he started to notice that the group was incomplete. Twilight, Pinkie, and Aladdin aren't anywhere in the square as Korosensei first thought, but Blair was quick to answer the octopus. "Yugure went off to do some alchemy business, and Pink and Aladdin both went to check out a clock tower," Blair summed up. "Oh, Big Ben. Fancy little place, I was just up there this morning. I have to say, you can get a nice view up there," Korosensei said, showing them a picture he took on top of the tower. It was mainly a selfie picture, the cheeky octopus doing a duck face at the camera as the background showed plenty of London. "Nice photo op.," Nagisa said. "Yeah. I even got an picture with the queen," he said, showing another picture. This one though was a bit more cheeky than friendly, the queen in the picture looking a bit surprised along with the guards next to her, as Korosensei gave a signature smile to the camera. "How are you not in jail yet?" Nagisa had to wonder. "By the way, had any of you checked in on Ciel yet? I saw the kid going through town with Pinkie and Aladdin while flying by," Korosensei asked. "Ciel? With Pinkie? What's he doing with her, I wonder," Blair said. "He better not be expecting any peace with her, I'll say that much for him," Karma added. ~~ Farther away, the others in question were out to the more quieter areas of London. In particular, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Ciel, found themselves over in a clear park. Rather small, and not too far from the busier side of London, but it seemed to be a better spot for some fun time. The park itself was fairly small: a few sidewalks going through, small street lamps bordering the park, a lake at the center and scattered trees. Under one of the trees, Ciel Phantomhive was taking some time to quietly observe the lake, a few Swanna resting on the water surface without a care. Next to him was Sebastian, as expected of the master, who simply stood quietly alongside Ciel. With few people in the park to begin with, it would be a rather quiet time if Pinkie and Aladdin weren't playing around nearby. Pinkie had the convenient courtesy of bringing a football over - it was really a soccer ball but just called a football - and they were passing it back and forth with eachother. It didn't bug Ciel too much, but that was until Ciel felt the ball gently hit his knee. "Why don't you come out and play, Ciel?" Aladdin called. "No thank you," Ciel sighed. Sure he was out here, but he didn't have to get all athletic over it. A simple watch over to the waterfowl was just fine with him. Aladdin grabbed the ball again. "You sure you don't want to play one round with us? All you have to do is -" "I know how it works, but I'm not the type to play in some bloody football," Ciel cleared, rather sternly as well. Aladdin and Pinkie wanted him to have a happy time, but Aladdin wasn't seeing it. He went back to playing with Pinkie, but every time they saw Ciel, he just looked more bored than anything. Each pass by eachother, and Ciel paid no mind to any of it. If only there was some way to get him out from under that tree and out onto the field with them. "Incoming!" Pinkie called, kicking the ball good and hard. Aladdin had his head turned at the moment though, and with the ball flying at him, he didn't have time to stop it. The ball beaned him, knocking him back as the ball launched away down the park. The soccer ball bounced about three more times, until someone actually grabbed it before it could hit the ground. "Can I join you?" A voice asked. Pinkie picked Aladdin off of the ground and they both turned to the voice. The person who asked looked like a young boy, about Ciel's age. His hair was short and black, his eyes yellow, and his clothes matching a typical UK kid. The boy even had a cute straw hat to boot too. He wasn't alone, as a older and more voluptuous women stood alongside him as well. The women looked rather classy, a buttoned up violet overcoat with a pearl necklace lining her neck. "Oh, hi! Come right over," Pinkie offered, happy to have another player in their game. However, Aladdin's eyes were locked on the women's boobs, his mouth hanging open in a goofy grin. His fingers curled, wanting to grope this babe's boobies, and even reached for them! ... Then came the slap. "Pervert," the women simply said, leaving a red mark on Aladdin's face. He couldn't even fondle her boobs, or touch them for that matter. The little pervert foiled again. Aladdin quickly shook off the attempt, and while they looked tempting, he left them alone and turned to Pinkie and the other kid. The commotion did catch Ciel and Sebastian's attention, along with the women. "Oh, are they yours?" The women asked Sebastian, referring to Aladdin and Pinkie. "Not presently. They're just acquaintances," Sebastian replied. The kids went out to start, but Pinkie started to count out the people out on the field. That's when it struck her. "CIEL!!" Pinkie screamed, making Ciel jump out of his skin. "Bloody hell! You planning to give me a heart attack?!" Ciel asked, ticked off and a hand over his chest. "No, I'm planning to join you in a team. There's room for one more, and we'll have teams of two-twos!" Pinkie offered. "I told you no! No go and play by yourselves," Ciel groaned, again being very stern with them. "Pleeeeeease?" Pinkie asked again, this time drawing out her dog begging eyes again. Ciel just kept his eyes shut and looking away this time. "Sebastian, go and fiddle in their game so they can shut up," Ciel instructed, turning to Sebastian. Before Sebastian could even comply, the boy was soon up by Ciel. He was giving him any puppy eyes, but he did look very hopeful in having Ciel join in their game. "Just one game? Pretty please?" He asked. Ciel groaned. It seemed they just wouldn't leave him alone. "Fine, fine. Only one game," Ciel finally decided, everyone else happy to hear that as the earl got up. "Wait here, Sebastian." "Yes, my lord," Sebastian replied. And with that, Ciel went out to the field to join the other three. He just knew he was going to regret this. Pretty soon, Ciel, Pinkie, Aladdin and their other friend were ready to go. The teams were set, with Pinkie and the other boy vs. Aladdin and Ciel. It was pretty straight forward really, and soon the women and Sebastian had a moment to themselves over by the tree. With everyone else distracted in their little game of football one way or another, the women took a good look to Sebastian, the butler simply watching his young lord trying his best to play the game. When Ciel said athletics wasn't his thing, he wasn't joking around. Most of the passes either were completely missed or bounced off of him, his head being the common sight for the ball to bounce off of him. In spite of himself, Sebastian couldn't help but smile impishly at his lord's many fails. As they were watching, the women started her advances, and nudged Sebastian. "Your lord seems rather young, isn't he?" She started. "I suppose he is. It is grateful to see him out for a while," Sebastian replied. The women began to lean into Sebastian, the demon butler getting a shiver on this women's approach. "I see. ... Do you ever think of a more ... proper role?" She questioned, referring to his butler position. Not three sentences in and she's asking him about his thoughts on his job. Sebastian began to sense what this smooth talker was going to get to, and the butler looked back to the earl. "I'm perfectly fine with my master, thank you," Sebastian made clear, only for the women to suddenly start feeling him up, her hand feeling his butt. "I mean, this physique. You really should come and work for me. I can make it worth your while.~" "No thanks. A butler is only -" "Not for being a butler, my dear. No, I think I have something much better," the women cooed, her finger slipping into her collar. Sebastian tried to get her to stop. "I'm not looking for a relationship, now of you'd kindly let go of me," Sebastian insisted. "Come on, now.~ We can be honest with eachother. ... Can't we?~" It was then that the women started to pull down on her collar, showing more of her cleavage. Sebastian knew of any sexual assault when he saw one, and he was ready to step aside, but it was then he looked to the women's chest that something intriguing caught his eye. This women may seem like some other women of England, or at most a high class aristocrat of London, but when this women slipped her collar down, it revealed to Sebastian that she wasn't what she seemed to be. It was just visible in the light, Sebastian's keen eyes knowing exactly what it was. ... A blood red Ouroboros symbol! "Homunculus," Sebastian realized. And with the womanly figure, the exact Homunculus Lust was unmistakable. "Hello, demon.~" she cooed, now 'properly' introducing herself. That comment was enough to say that Sebastian didn't need to hide his race, but he wasn't going to stick around. Sebastian was just going to talk, but this Homunculus quickly made it clear to him, bringing her hand behind his head, and something sharp gently pressing against his neck to keep him still. None of the kids really noticed anything going on, the position looking more like the Homunculus was just cuddling up to Sebastian. Forward, sure, but not dangerous. "So, you're aware of what I really am?" Sebastian said, locking eyes with her. "That's right. Just a little talk between us. Now, why do you try and keep yourself down? Does a strong, powerful demon like you disserve to be stooped down to a simple-minded butler for that thing? You can easily finish him at any time, and be on your way," Lust questioned, directing Sebastian's attention towards his young master, just in time to see his young lord eat dirt after tripping, which Aladdin quickly helped up to his feet. The smart demon knew exactly where she was going. "That thing was just kidnapped by you Homunculus." "Me? What're you thinking of? I had no involvement in that," Lust cleared up, slightly more firm that time. "Oh yes?" "Why would I lie? I promised I wouldn't lie to you. Didn't I?~" This time Lust advanced even further, and pushed her breasts into Sebastian's side, the demon butler still calm and collected despite it. Still, Lust was pushing her luck far as Sebastian was concerned. After all, he didn't become a Phantomhive butler for being easily swoon by large baps. Though, she did say she wouldn't lie to him before revealing herself, so, she might have a point there. "I'd be more cautious if I were you," Sebastian warned. "I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm here, hoping you'd come and work with us. We'd love to have you.~" Lust offered. Sebastian brought his hand up to his chin thinking. On one hand, Sebastian would get out of being a butler to the young kid, but on the other hand, his obligations stayed with him. Sebastian looked over to his lord, now getting tired and annoyed with this blasted game of soccer. However, by the looks of it, it seemed the game was starting to end, Ciel winded and his clothes covered in grass stains. Lust gently slid her hand down Sebastian's arm, before beginning to walk away. "Honey. Time to go home," Lust called. The other kid turned to Lust, and after a bit began to head off on their way. "Bye-Bye!" Pinkie said, waving to them as they left. Ciel got up to his feet after that, and inspected the damage done to his outfit. He wasn't hurt too badly, but his clothes were wrecked by his constant fails on the field. "That was pointless," Ciel groaned. "That was awesome! Wasn't it, Ciel?" Pinkie asked. Ciel rolled his eye at that comment, and turned away, starting to walk off towards Sebastian. He didn't want to come out in the first place, and this was just enough for him. "Ciel? What's wrong? Didn't you have any fun?" Aladdin asked. "NO! I'm bloody tired, bruised up, and my clothes are all wrecked! If you wanna go and act like a lunatic, then by all means, but I'm going home! And you can keep your little picnic, as well," Ciel snapped. Pinkie and Aladdin were stunned, and Ciel just started to walk away. "Come on, Sebastian," Ciel sighed. "As you wish, my lord," Sebastian simply replied, starting to walk away with his young master. It was a bit clear though that their plan didn't seem to work. If anything, all they accomplished was getting Ciel covered in grass stains. For Sebastian, he still kept the offer in mind from Lust the whole way home. ... ~~ The day was long, yet exploration around London did make it go by rather fast for each member of the group. And pretty soon, before any of them knew it, the day was up. Nagisa, Karma and Blair were the first to arrive back at the hotel, just starting to head back to their hotel room. For their day, aside from the unexpected stop from Korosensei earlier, it remained uneventful. Not that it bothered them. After all, it was nice to chill out after all the craziness that seemed to be following them around. Still, they were looking forward to seeing how Twilight was coming along in her little endeavor. "Who wants to bet the duo got back first?" Blair asked as they went down the hall towards their hotel room. "Those two're probably still running around London. I still wanna know how Twilight's doing with her alchemy," Nagisa wondered. "I bet you would," Karma smirked. "Karma, we've been friends since we were kids, that doesn't mean love," Nagisa quickly cleared up, before Karma could go any further. The red-haired teen raised both hands in submission as they continued walking. "Hey, hey, I get ya. Still, if she's not back by now, we might need to get a little investigation going," Karma said, changing his tone quick. He still seemed convinced something else was going on besides some all day alchemy training trip. They would've gotten some sort of reminder, or update or something while they were chilling out, but they didn't hear any word of her at all today, nor did they see her at all during their walk around. Either way, the trio soon got to their hotel room door. However, the trio came back to find that Pinkie Pie and Aladdin were already inside. Pinkie Pie, still bummed out from earlier, just sat down on the bed, and staring off into space in deep thought. Aladdin was sitting down with his back to Pinkie's back, also thinking about things. The two had been at this since they got back, and they apparently couldn't come up with anything. One little detail was presented though that they were quick to catch after a few seconds. Twilight Kagayaki was not there. "Hey Pinkie, Aladdin. Good day?" Nagisa asked. "Ciel's a party-pooper," Pinkie said, a little grumpy. Blunt, but ok. "... Can't you be more specific?" "We tried to give him a fun time earlier today. I don't think we did too well though," Aladdin sighed, after thinking it over. Yeah, he had to admit putting Ciel in sports probably wasn't the best idea ever. "What happened?" Suddenly, Pinkie's mood shifted quick as she jumped up to her feet, the lack of support making Aladdin fall back onto the foot of the bed. "Oh it was super duper! We stopped at Big Ben just in time for his daily ring-a-ling after we picked up mr.grumpy Phantomhive to give him a super duper fun time! We went to this fun little park with these beautiful Swanna. Funny thing Swanna, they say you are as graceful as a Swanna, but how can a Swanna be graceful besides their look? They do cute spin dances, but -" "To the point, Pinkie," Blair cut in. "Oops, sorry. Anyway, me and Aladdin invited Ciel to play football (or soccer outside the U K), and mr.grumpy won't do it until two Homunculus came and played with us. Ciel got jacked up, I think, before he went back home." ... What? "... EEHH??!!" They all gasped. Pinkie jumped back on the sudden reaction of the others, though their reaction came from Pinkie's 'Homunculus' comment. "A Homunculus was there?! When?!" Aladdin gasped. "He was playing with us silly! And his girl friend was getting jiggy with Sebastian." "Why didn't you say anything?!" "It'll ruin the surprise. It can't be a surprise if you know about it beforehand, right?" They couldn't believe what they heard, all just black-faced. Still, it was a question for later: Twilight was still not there, and they couldn't ignore that completely. Nagisa looked around the room, and there just wasn't any hint or trace of her. "Questions for later. Anyway, did Yugure come back yet?" Nagisa asked. "Didn't she see you on the way home?" Aladdin asked. "No, we thought she came back with you!" "Well we thought she met up with you!" Pinkie replied. *ahem* The group stopped and turned over to Karma. He was over at the door, his back leaning on the wall, and his arms crossed. The expression on his face wasn't the usual cheeky look, but instead one that said "I told you so". It took them a bit before Karma spoke again. "Well look at that, Yugure's gone missing. Maybe somebody should've checked in before she left, don't you think?" "Ok, you're right, we're wrong. Sorry," Aladdin sighed. Well guilty is charged. "But what happened? Nothing happened yesterday to her that would make her run away like this," Nagisa said, trying to think. Far as any of them knew, this was just out of the blue, and unprompted. "Does it matter? The point is, that Yugure had all day to hide off somewhere here in London, and we got a few weeks before our flight back home. So, who's up for a little search party tomorrow?" Karma decided. "I'm in!" said Pinkie. "Of course, we have to. Hope she's okay," added Nagisa. "I'm sure your girlfriend's ok, but we'll figure it out when we find her. Hell, maybe we can even get the Phantomhives on board." "Yeah," Nagisa said. After a little pause, Nagisa suddenly realized what Karma slipped in. "Wait, I keep telling you -" "Joking, joking," Karma said, his hands up again. Honestly he couldn't help himself. But all the same, Twilight was gone, and they wasted a whole day on it because of a simple note. This was unlike her to just run off completely. After the joke, Blair got to her regular cat body, and hopped to the window, quickly getting it open. "Where're you going?" Nagisa asked. "To make my rounds. Been too long since I did a night prowl, and besides, maybe I'll catch Yugure while I'm out. Catch ya later," Blair said, before jumping outside. Lucky for them, the jump wasn't very far down, and Blair strolled on her way, only Aladdin and Karma watching her go off. The chances of Blair finding Twilight are low, but they at least got a head start. ~~ The quiet night dragged on, and slowly London started to quiet down. Over at the Phantomhive manor, things really were no different. The slipping moonlight seeped into the manor through many of its Windows, shadows scattered around everywhere inside. Not a single sound throughout the entire manor as staff and owner were off and sleeping. Ciel himself had recovered from the game earlier, and was also sound asleep in bed, the young earl without his eyepatch and only in his white night shirt. He could've had a better day, if he were to admit, but it could've been worse too. With his curtains closed by his window, Ciel had nothing to stir him awake, or to interrupt him. A good thing for one worker of the manor: just peering in from the door, Sebastian took one more look to his sleeping master. This demon had been thinking all afternoon, and he considered his options carefully. The demon silently closed the door, as to not wake his lord up, and soon he was heading down the halls, Sebastian's only main light being a candle. Not very big, but it was sufficient enough. The quiet walk through the manor seemed to take forever as Sebastian continued, every step he made almost echoing through each hall even if the echoes were extremely quiet. The occasional window moonlight casted Sebastian's shadow every now and then, but he remained concealed for most of his stroll. The demon continued this walk for another minute before he reached another part of the manor, before quietly opening the door. This room wasn't one for his master, but not for the guests either. This one was instead for the staff, this one in particular being Bardroy's room. Bardroy himself was fast asleep as well, but rather than leaving him alone like Ciel, Sebastian walked on inside. The demon butler stopped right at Bardroy's side, Bardroy not waking up until Sebastian began to speak. "Bardroy. ... Bardroy. ... Bardroy." Upon the third time, Bardroy started to stir a bit. When he sensed someone was at his bedside though, Bardroy was suddenly up in arms. Sebastian found Bardroy awake, but suddenly aiming a pistol at the butler's head, the pistol being pulled out from under Bardroy's pillow. The sudden death draw didn't even make Sebastian flinch, and after a few seconds, Bardroy realized who it was. "Oh it's only you. Careful, man, I could've killed ya," Bardroy said, relieved to see it was a familiar face over some stranger. "Nice that you're up. Now, I want to go over the meal plans with you," Sebastian stated. All Bardroy did though was start to go back to bed. "That's nice, see ya in the -" "NO. I mean, I want to go over them now," Sebastian made clear, stopping Bardroy before he could get comfortable. One look at Sebastian's red eyes told Bardroy that this was a bit important in some way. "I'm listening. ..." ....... This same sort of thing was repeated for Mey-Rin and Grell, Sebastian stopping in their rooms with specific instructions on future plans. This wasn't an act that Sebastian would just do without reason of course, and lucky for him the other workers weren't bothered too much by the early wake up call and early instructions. Once they were all taken care of, Sebastian took some extra time to ready a few things for the manor before he slipped out the front doors. Even if he was outside, he still needed to keep himself quiet for a little bit more, just in case someone in the manor might get too curious. The demon butler waited a minute or two, just standing in the moonlight with his candle. If someone was going around, he can't bolt off yet. But, he was off free: not a sound aside from the wind in the air, and flickering of his own candle. All secure, Sebastian blew out his candle, placed it down gently on the front stoop, and silently raced away from the manor. Like a ninja, Sebastian raced through the forest with silence and speed, not even the birds waking up in their nests as he went by. The speed of this demon may not be up to some demons like Korosensei, but it still got him a good mile away from the manor in no time at all. He did stop time and time again, but only to check his surroundings and make sure of where he was going before running off away again. This kept up for a good half an hour, until ... "That could've gone better." That made Sebastian skid to a complete stop, the high speed making him skid about ten feet before fully stopping. The voice quickly got Sebastian walking over info the forest a bit more, finding himself over at the edge leading towards the main city. In this clearing, Sebastian found his opposition: Lust and Envy. Lust laid her back against one of the bordering trees, and Envy was squatting up on one of the tree branches. "Well, we just have to wait. No doubt we'll find more demons to join us," Lust said at one point. "Hellgar said this was a demon hotspot, how many bastards you think are in this city?" Envy asked, a little bored. "I'd say there's quite a few." And enter Sebastian. Lust and Envy turned around and the demon butler was soon walking right to them both, wiping himself clean of any stray leaves and such. Lust was pleased to see Sebastian arrive, a smirk on her face. Envy wasn't too much in the know, but he didn't bolt at him just yet since Lust seemed glad about it. "So you decided to take my offer?" Lust presumed. "I took the time to consider the idea. Tell me, you are being true to your offer aren't you? I could use the change in occupation, you know," Sebastian questioned, wanting to be sure that Lust was really offering to him. "Every word of it.~" "And what about that Ciel? Don't tell me you just left him lying there," Envy snickered. "The least I could do was leave a calling card," Sebastian considered. Envy couldn't help but give a toothy grin at the thought. A young boy left in a huge pool of his own blood, crimson red in the morning, all of his close friends mourning over their master, such strong emotion on sight of him. OH what a lovely scenario. "I'm liking you already," Envy said, hopping down from his perch. "In that case, we should bring you back to see the boss. Any newcomers should go through him," Lust decided. ... "Don't bother." Speak of the devil. Literally. Lust and Envy both turned away from Sebastian, finding that someone was slowly walking up from the direction of London, the city's distant lights outlining the shadow of a human figure walking right up towards them. Sebastian took a glance down behind Lust and Envy, and he too began to make out the figure walking in from the nighttime pathway. At first it was just shadows, but as he neared, the details of the body began to take shape. Sebastian took in each detail. For a start, this figure was rather tall, matching Sebastian in height. His appearance was clearly a higher class, much like his own in a way. His skin was almost white, ghostly pale, with long black hair that reached to the base of his shoulders. The black hair also extended to a set of black sideburns and a small goatee beard. Sebastian locked eyes with the figure, who's eyes were a reddish hot pink, over the typical pure red like Sebastian had. His head had a large, red diamond at the center of his forehead, and just above that he wore a silver head piece with crimson crescents alongside a black pearl gem at the center. The clothes he wore clearly matched a person of leadership, but more in a political standpoint rather than royalty, in spite of the crown. He wore a grey overcoat, black pants and black inner shirt, the shirt having red borderlines along the collar and bottom rim. Along his neck, the figure had a pure white tie, splitting into two points at the end, and wearing a set of jet black boots. "Greetings," he said, the figure too examining Sebastian. "I believe you're their 'boss', I presume?" Sebastian questioned. Both Lust and Envy stepped aside and allowed him to speak without any interruption. "Correct. So, you wish to join alongside my rankings in the Underworld?" He asked, stopping his advances when he was a foot away from the butler. "She gave me the offer, and I took it," Sebastian simply said. The figure took a moment to judge the demon butler, and took notice of one of Sebastian's hands. With Sebastian slightly not expecting it, he took hold of his hand, and slipped off his white glove, only to see the detail that only confirmed Sebastian's satanic properties: a demonic black star symbol, surrounded by a spiked ring, engraved into his skin. Envy and Lust hadn't noticed this beforehand, and seeing the symbol was a little icing on top of this demonic cake. "A contract. ... No wonder you were a bit hesitant," he confirmed. "Contract?" questioned Lust, seeing the symbol. "It's a Faustian Contract symbol. Nothing too special, but it does prove that you're indeed demonic. Only true demons can use a Faustian Contract like this," he explained, turning and locking eyes with Sebastian again. Sebastian at least was grateful that this contract of his didn't get on his bad side. "Glad you think so. So many humans keep mistaking me, I began to question it myself. It's been too long since I've met a fellow demon, sir ...?" "You first," he said. If he was going to reveal his name to Sebastian, the butler might as well say his first for proper identification. "Very well. Michaelis. Sebastian Michaelis," Sebastian said, extending his gloveless hand for a proper handshake. The leading demon took a moment before he too extended his hand, and they both shook hands. "King Sombra," the demon boss revealed. During the handshake, Sebastian looked down and saw that this was a bit more than a simple handshake: black smoke-like magic seeping out onto Sebastian's hand. Once it was pulled away, Sebastian found a sort of wrist band on him now, one that gripped onto his wrist in a near vicegrip. Sebastian could sense a demonic energy coming from it, and he looked over to Sombra. "To keep track of me, I presume?" Sebastian assumed. "You have been around, haven't you? Don't worry, we'll see how well you do, and we'll remove that once you get settled," Sombra joked, yet Sombra was still wary over the contract seal Sebastian still had despite 'changing sides' apparently. Sebastian allowed it to slide, and there's no reason to argue with a demon king like Sombra. As for the demon lord, Sombra felt more secure about the new recruit, and he turned over to Lust and Envy, turning cold again. "Homunculus. This is a start, but it's still just one demon. Keep up the recruitment," Sombra made clear, making sure his message was not missed by either Homunculus. The two were calm in the face, though both sides had to pay attention to their leader. At least Sombra wasn't upset with them. "As you wish. Come on, let's be on our way," Lust said, starting to walk away. Envy and Lust were quick to go, and leaving Sombra and Sebastian alone in their part of the forest. Sebastian didn't realize they were actually guessing, but it was a damn good guess. Once that was handled, Sombra turned towards London, and the demon king started to get his own magic to work. All it took was a simple glow of his eyes and red diamond to conjure up a gateway, which resembled the symbol on Sebastian's hand, only with some triangles spinning over the star, and within the circle. Sombra presented the portal with a hand open and allowing Sebastian to pass. The demon butler sighed, and took it in stride. With the wristband on his hand, he was basically stuck anyway, so he might as well comply. With a simple few steps, Sebastian and Sombra both were through the made portal, and soon that portal disappeared from existence. Not a trace left. S02Ep6: Hidden Figures ~隠された人物~The search party had been commence for days. Nagisa, Karma, Blair, Pinkie, and Aladdin were all trying their best to locate Twilight, but it wasn't doing them any good. No matter how much they've been looking, trying to find one person out of an entire city like London is beyond slim. Each one did their part in some way, trying to find where she disappeared to: Nagisa and Karma going around town, Aladdin trying to get a bird's eye view from the sky, Blair slipping around place to place as a cat, Pinkie asking around town even, but all of that didn't seem to get any results. They would get Korosensei on board if he was around to ask (he usually keeps disappearing on them like this). The group tried all over the area, from the Victorian tower to the outskirts, but she just wasn't anywhere. In this mess, they had their different levels of worry, only more prominent since realizing Envy and Lust are roaming around London still. If they found her alone in London without their support, then she would be pretty much helpless, even with her low skill alchemy. No matter how many people they asked, the only one who gave them any leads was the manager of their hotel, who did see her check out late one night, but that was about all they got from him so it wasn't much help. In their search, they did eventually consult the only other person: Ciel Phantomhive. In their visits around London, Phantomhive seemed to be the only other place they've been to outside of London where they were with her. If there would be any more leads on it, it would be at that manor. Since Ciel was more aware of what they really were about, a disguise there wasn't as necessary this time. They were a bit too busy today looking around anyway. For a quicker way there, Aladdin got them right to the manor on his turban flying carpet, and just as well it didn't take long before they reached the manor. "This is a lot better than walking here," Aladdin commented. "Yeah. And looks like they're a bit busy themselves," Karma pointed out, looking down to the Phantomhive garden. Sure enough, Grell and Tanaka were tending to the garden. Grell was just fine, but it seemed interesting to see Tanaka working alongside Grell when he wasn't even a butler to the Phantomhive estate. Anyway, it really didn't take either one of them too long before they saw the flying caravan just overhead. Naturally, Grell freaked out on seeing them, though Tanaka was calmer about it. "HEY!" Aladdin called. "W-What in blazes?!" Grell gasped, lucky to not faint from the sight, as Aladdin ascended from the sky until they were just hovering a foot from the ground. "What brings you this way?" Tanaka asked, as the others got off. They didn't have time to hide this magic game since they were in a search themselves. "H-How're you doing that?!" Grell asked. "Magic," Aladdin simply said. How else can one explain it? "That aside, we have a bit of a problem: our friend Yugure has disappeared on us. Did she come this way at all?" Nagisa asked. Nagisa, outta the group, was troubled more than most over his close friend and how she was doing. The mention that someone was missing made Grell shiver up, but Tanaka just sighed on hearing it. "Don't tell me," Pinkie gasped. Tanaka just nodded. "I'm afraid Sebastian had been missing as well. The young master and his fellow staff had been trying to locate him for the past week. So far we've yet to find any clue, unfortunately," Tanaka answered. Like them, the Phantomhive had been up in arms in trying to find where he'd gone to, and just as well had come up to nothing. Pretty unfortunate for them. "Sebastian too? And I thought we're having trouble," Blair said. "How's Ciel handling that? He and Sebastian seemed pretty close," Aladdin asked, worried. His last time with Ciel didn't help him out, and now he had this to deal with on top of it all. "Im afraid I'm not supposed to say that kind of information," Tanaka said. "Well, where is he?" "Just inside, though I wish you may not -" "It's okay, Tanaka," a voice suddenly said, walking outside towards them. Ciel had seen them fly in from inside, and so he decided to come outside to check in on them as well. He hadn't seen them since Sebastian disappeared after all. And judging by the tone in his voice, Ciel wasn't feeling his best about the situation either. "Hey Ciel. We were told your butler's disappeared," Karma said. Ciel groaned, though he had to expect that. "Yes. Weren't you supposed to be keeping those magic tricks a secret?" Ciel questioned. "We're kinda in a hurry," Aladdin admitted bashfully. That was something Ciel can buy, but as he looked he saw that not everyone was present. With the situation he was going through, and the time between each, Ciel got his own hypothesis together. "Someone missing in your group as well?" "Yugure's been gone for days. We've been looking like mad, but we can't find her anywhere. We were hoping she'd come by here," Nagisa explained. "I have not seen her since the last time you all were here." "I just hope we find her in one piece when we do. It would be messy finding her piece by piece by -" "Shut up, Pinkie, you're not helping!" Nagisa quickly said, shivering at the thought. The idea of her in pieces was not helping his nerves at all! Ciel considered it either way. With the possibility of malevolent demons running amok in London, it was a possibility. One idea did end up appearing in his head, and it could benefit his current situation too. "There is one way to find out." ....... "Ah, welcome back my young lord. Is it time for a proper fitting today? Hehehehe." Quick flight later, and they were right off back to the Undertaker. A rather quick decision on Ciel's part, but if anyone would know if Twilight and Sebastian were still living, it would be Undertaker. At least they had the rest of the group now altogether (aside Twilight that is), but Aladdin and Nagisa still had the jitters from last time they saw him, Nagisa feeling troubled all over again. Both he and Aladdin stayed right at the door as the rest went at the Undertaker. "No we're not. Undertaker, we came here to ask about information regarding some missing persons. It's starting to get a bit concerning," explained Ciel. Undertaker snickered. "Here we go again, eh young earl? It appears your butler's not here this time. Might I assume he's apart of that ever-growing list of 'missing persons'?" Undertaker stated. Ciel didn't need to be reminded that, but the group were kind of taken aback by this. "Wait a minute. There's more people missing?" Nagisa asked. "Oh, in the dozens! I just took a stroll only two nights ago, and look what I stumbled across," Undertaker said, opening a cabinet in his desk, and suddenly tossing out posters of missing people. Men, women, children, elders, all sorts of about three dozen people, leaving the group a bit shaken. Considering this is coming from the Undertaker, it was no promise that they'll be seeing these people again. ... "God damn. Some kidnapper had a field day," commented Blair. "Undertaker, can you tell us the current condition?" "Oh, I suppose I could. My mind is a little blurry though. Suppose a few laughs can help me think a bit better. I'm sure you know what I'm after.~" "Damnit why can't he just say 'yes'?" Ciel thought. No matter the reason, Undertaker still had his deal stand, and he, Nagisa, and Aladdin were well aware of what that wager was. Well, if they were to figure out if Sebastian and Twilight were alive still, then they had no choice. "What's it with you and Ciel? You made a bet with him or something?" Karma asked. "Just give me the joy of laughter! One grand joke and all the information shall be yours," Undertaker said. Last time they tried, only Sebastian managed to pull it off (how is anyone's guess), but with him gone, they had a bit less of a chance now. But, even so, there was one person in their group up for the challenge, stepping up like a warrior ready for battle. "I shall accept the challenge! I am the princess of joy! The bringer of happiness! The giver of giggles! I WILL bring you the joy of laughter!" Pinkie announced. Dramatic, VERY, but Undertaker was interested to see what this pink girl will bring forward for her attempt. Suddenly though, Pinkie went around the room and moved everyone else over to the door. Not to have them leave, but to give her room to work. If anyone was going to get the Undertaker to laugh and giggle, it would be this girl. "Alright, mr.Undertaker. Prepare yourself for a wave of pure joy. Because Pinkemina Diane Pie will not hold back any punches! ENGAGE!!" All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie had an extremely quick wardrobe change, pulling the outfit up apparently out of nowhere. Her clothes were mainly the same, but colors on her outfit were a lot more wild this time with colors of blue, red, and yellow splotched on. she had white and blue clown face paint on, a signature clown nose, a peacock feather in her hair, and some funny looking spiral goggles. A pure look of a clown, and one to make anyone already ready for some sort of giggles. "Where the devil did she get that?" Quietly questioned Ciel. "You tell me," Nagisa simply replied. It was best not to question it and roll with the punches. Soon, Pinkie began to work her magic, and immediately went right to it. Since she was basically a clown here, Pinkie's main attempt at laughter were less jokes and more slapstick humor like a real clown. Pinkie was confident it would work anyway. Her first attempt to get Undertaker laughing was an old classic but with a Pinkie twist: she started her act with a funny looking dance, which was a nice start, until she pulled out a banana peel apparently from nowhere. One can argue that it was just hidden, but the random pie she had in hand was not explainable. (Seriously). Pinkie did a funny jig until her foot stepped on the banana peel. Sure enough, she slipped, landed on the floor, and the falling pie slapped her right on the head. Two classic gags mixed into one performance. Aladdin couldn't help but chuckle, but however, Undertaker didn't even give a little giggle. "Oh, a toughie are you? Time to unleash the heavy artillery!" Pinkie announced, a hand going into her cleavage. Soon, she pulled out what looked like a hand fan made out of bird feathers, colorful and flashy. There were two of these fans, each one for each hand, and they were presented in a single motion like an actress on stage. Pinkie readied the feathers, and went straight for the Undertaker, and started a fast motion dance around him. Most of the motions had the feathers graze the Undertaker's skin, the Undertaker himself keeping quiet during her attempts. Pinkie had a big smile on her face, even laughing along with her technique, as the feathers tickled up and down Undertaker's body. It was fine at first, but little by little, this Undertaker was beginning to twitch in his grin, trying to keep himself together, until ... "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" "Way da go Pinkie!" Blair said. Undertaker couldn't take it any further and was laughing up a storm. Pinkie continued to tickle Undertaker with the feathers until the Undertaker was down on the floor, giggling and guffawing in defeat to Pinkie's expert laughter technique. Much like an actress, Pinkie finished her act with a bow to the audience nearby. "You did it, Pinkie!" Aladdin cheered. It took a bit before the Undertaker pulled himself up, his skin tingling and giggling all the while. "Well done to both of you. Looks like you both paid the wager." "Wait. Both? Pinkie was doing that herself, wasn't she?" Questioned Aladdin. It did appear that Pinkie accomplished this alone, but Undertaker glanced over just behind the group. Pinkie apparently knew who was lending her a hand, and she skipped right over to him. "And I'd like to thank my assistant for helping with my shindig!" "Thank you, you're too kind." "KOROSENSEI?!" The others gasped, jumping away from the demon king. Korosensei looked the same, though in his tentacles were a number of beauty products, and an extra wardrobe. While none of them heard the demon king come in, it did explain why and how Pinkie got her things so easily. "When'd you get here, demon?" Aladdin asked. "Heard you needed a laughing fee filled in, and this clever king's more than happy to lend a tentacle," Korosensei explained. As he explained, Karma strolled over to the Undertaker. "Ok, Undertaker, we got you laughing. Mind giving us our info now?" "I don't know." The room fell silent after that. "What do you mean you don't know?!" Blair asked. "What I know is that I don't know." "How the hell does that make sense?" "Wait, wait, wait, he might be onto something," Korosensei chimed in. His large IQ got what Undertaker meant, but it didn't go by the others too fast. Undertaker went over and sat down at his desk as the others try to get what he was getting towards. "Hold on. ... 'What I know is that I don't know'. ... They're still alive!" Nagisa concluded. "How'd you get that?" Blair questioned. "Think about it: an Undertaker's job is to make coffins for the deceased right? Someone would've had to tell him if they did die around here. But if he doesn't know anything about it -" "Then Yugure and Sebastian are still alive somewhere. I get ya," Karma finished. Korosensei's faced turned orange with a red circle on it, applauding them. "Bravo kids, you got it right! That's using your knowledge," Korosensei praised. "Thanks Undertaker. Say, if you see em, give us a call will ya?" Karma asked. Undertaker couldn't help but snicker at the idea thought. "I don't think you'd want a call from me. Unless your expecting me to make them beautiful for the afterlife, to which case, I'll be sure to let you know the minute they come in," Undertaker joked, though it was more creepy than funny. What else would one expect from a man like the Undertaker anyway? With a bit of a creep factor left in them, they all left the man's place, Aladdin and Nagisa glad that the visit there was over. Either way, at least the Undertaker will tell them if he does see them. ~~ The hours ticked by, and while the group kept up their search for Twilight, and now Sebastian, the city of London continued to go on with their own lives just as well. The world didn't stop itself because the group wasn't there after all, people going about their day from the streets. Still, amongst their midst, they had a pair of figures keeping a eye on them from the tall rooftops. Up on the roof, two notable figures of Envy and Hellgar were laying on the rooftop. Hellgar met up with Envy not too long ago, and the two had basically been resting up just out of sight from the human eyes. Envy laid himself down, arms behind his head and leg swung over like he was resting in a hammock, while Hellgar laid on his stomach, his head peering over the roof's spine. "So, Homunculus. Did you and Lust manage anything over the last couple of days?" Hellgar began. "Actually yeah: we got ourselves that demon butler to join us. Sombra looked very happy when he saw him," Envy informed, not even looking at him and keeping his eyes to the clouds." "He met him already? Did you deliver him right to his feet?" Hellgar asked, intrigued. "Some reason he decided to come by personally. Hell if I know why," Envy replied. The homunculus rolled to his side to see Hellgar as he did this, the demon hound looking to him. Rather interesting that their lord would just stop by for Sebastian. "Damn. That demon butler of yours must've fancied him really good if he took the time to check him out. Tell me, is there any others you picked up?" Hellgar noted. "Nah. But I do think we got something up with that Karma and his group. They've been running around all over London all week. Apparently that Yugure has gone missing on them," Envy said. Hellgar was suddenly up to his paws, looking down to Envy and at attention. Seemed awfully convenient that Twilight would disappear on her friends. "Missing, has she? I think I can find her." "Why? You planning on eating her?" Envy asked, though that did sound inviting. Hellgar licked his muzzle on the idea, and took a glance down at the human's below, not a single soul noticing the demon hound eyeing them from above. So many morsels just below them, and it'd had been a while since Hellgar tasted any human meat. Envy peered over himself. "Well. ... Why don't you make some midnight dinner plans then?" Hellgar suggested. "Why do I have to do it?" "Because it was your idea, Homunculus. Besides, I got other things to handle here," Hellgar snorted. Before Envy could get a word in, Hellgar got up, and slipped down in between the alleyways in the building, and soon was gone. Envy groaned, and looked down to the humans again. After a bit, Envy did end up getting a grin on his face. "Oh well. It'll be worth it to see their sorry ass faces screaming when I get them together," Envy thought. With that in mind, he was just about to head off the roof and get that started when a gust of wind tossed something up towards him. Envy would've just ignored it if it didn't get him on the chest. Envy got it off and was ready to go, but the paper had a little something for him. Call it convenient, or a planned setup, but Envy took one look at some news within the paper's page, and found a little extra tidbit that could work in his favor, one way or another ... A notable article in regards to the arrival of Japan's president in the upcoming week. ~~ The book laid down on the bed, wide open, and with the creeping night just dawning, light on the open pages was just eligible for one trainee Alchemist trying her luck: Twilight. The last couple of days on the girl had been rather quiet. With her friends constantly looking for her, Twilight had to try and keep herself away from the world, at least for a while, to the point where she ended up moving herself into a different motel building in the outskirts of London. Her room was small, and more for just one single person to stay as opposed to the larger room Twilight had with her friends. With removing Hellgar's spy from the equation, the others seemed to be safe from getting their information exposed. If it meant to keep the others safe, then so be it. For Twilight, the past few days also gave her some time to actually handle some of her alchemy (what little she had anyway). With the book to the opened alchemy section, Twilight slipped on a pair of white gloves again, this time with engraved symbols on the gloves instead of on a surface like before. Her target of practice: a unlit, rather thick candle on the dresser. "Ok, Yugure. Twilight. Hope this works," Twilight thought. She clapped her hands together, locking onto the candle in front of her. Focusing herself, she cupped her hands around the candle. She waited and waited as seconds ticked by, for some sort of reaction from the candle. Unfortunately, Twilight ended up with nothing again. Not even a spark came up. "Nothing again? I don't get it, how does this even work? ... Maybe I should try a different type of alchemy," Twilight figured, as she removed and tossed the gloves aside. It did seem that this fire alchemy just wasn't going to work for her, no matter the method she tried. She only succeeded in setting her gloves on fire and nothing else. If she's going to actually help the others out, she had to figure something out with this book. She couldn't have got the book just because it was convenient, right? Twilight went to her book next, and started to look through the pages to see what alchemy would better suit her. "Come on, there has to be something in here I can wrap my head around," Twilight said, as she tried to see what alchemy can work. She looked over page by page, seeing different sorts of alchemy of all sorts of things, from basic strength, to healing alchemy. Her mind was focused, but during the page turning, a particular black paw placed down on top of Twilight's hand, halting the girl's advances. Twilight froze. ... "I thought we had an agreement. Twilight," a eerily familiar voice growled. Twilight could barely get herself to look up, a shiver running through her body as she locked eyes with the demon hound Hellgar! Hellgar was not all smiles as he was the last time Twilight had met him, instead meeting a face of stern disapproval. "We have, really we have," Twilight insisted, though the hellhound was not buying it. "Then what're you doing all the way out here? Trying to hide from me, are you?" Hellgar accused, his sharp teeth and muzzle inches away from Twilight. Twilight couldn't help but back up. She had to think fast on this one. "No not at all! I-I was just practicing my alchemy! Really, that's all!" Twilight insisted. Hellgar glanced to the open book, and the leftover gloves nearby. There was a pause that lasted a while, Hellgar looking over the gloves and seeing the symbol on them. Twilight waited with baited breath, but Hellgar simply turned to the girl. He knew this girl's scared of him. "... Why so far away then? Envy told me your friends had been looking for you for days now." "Envy?" Questioned Twilight, never hearing that name before. "Don't pretend you didn't know." "B-But I didn't!" Insisted Twilight. Hellgar began to stalk closer to the frightened human, stepping on one of the gloves as he did so. Twilight was in dire trouble: alone, no friends to backup, and Hellgar was losing patience with her. The demon hound licked his muzzle, his teeth gleaning in the dull light. "Well, you should've known, shouldn't you? ... It's your job to know. ... And then to tell me." *thud**thud**thud**thud* Hellgar was just about to sink his jaws into Twilight when the thuds echoed around them. Both didn't know who it was, or what was coming, but Hellgar wasn't going to take the chance. "Damnit. Listen and listen good. I want to know anything and everything that goes on there, you understand me?" Hellgar ordered, hushed yet deadly in tone. Twilight could only nod. The thuds grew louder until they heard it stop right out the door! "You'd better!" Hellgar finished, before bolting out the only exit that was the window. And just like that, at least for that moment, Twilight was stuck alone and frozen in fear. Thank god someone happened to come around this time, but the question remained: who did show up? ... "... H-Hello?" Twilight got out. The door opened up a bit, and soon Twilight did see that someone was standing there, peering into her room. Twilight's nerves were all jacked up right now, until. ... "M-Mistress Kagayaki? ... OH HAPPY DAYS!" The figure, overjoyed to finding her, raced in and hugged Twilight strongly, crying streams. It took a minute for Twilight to comprehend what had entered her room, and for her to get the light on, and when she did she started to relax. The person that found her, as it turned out, was Grell! Not what a Twilight expected, but at least it was someone she knew wouldn't harm her or her friends. "Grell? How'd you find me?" Twilight asked. Grell took a moment to wipe away some tears, though plenty more still came down. "My apologies madam Kagayaki, I saw that creature slip into here, and I just had to come here. Thank the lord I did, just wait til I tell the others! Oh they're going to be so pleased," Grell said, ready to go, but suddenly Twilight grabbed him by the arm. "What's wrong?" Grell stuttered. "Grell, I ... Just, don't tell them where I am. Not yet," Twilight insisted. "But ... why?" Twilight stayed quiet at that. If she told him the real reason then she'd be putting Grell in the same danger as she would be. That would be horrid on her part, and pitting poor Grell in a situation he couldn't handle. This was Grell: the same man willing to die over spilt tea for god sake! As with Hellgar, Twilight had to be careful on what she said, and she then glanced to the alchemy book. ... "I'm planning a surprise." "A surprise?" Twilight went over to the book on the ground, picking it up. "I left because I'm trying to work on some alchemy. I don't want to go back until I've at least got some proper alchemy to work with. You do understand, do you?" For Twilight this was purely half-truth, but enough of an alibi to suffice not just for Grell, but for the rest of her friends. At least she thought it worked until Hellgar said they were looking for her. Grell though just looked to the book in confusion, but he didn't forget about her friends earlier on their flying carpet. Why would he not believe this after seeing that earlier? "Well, if you insist." "Thanks Grell. ... I never had been so pleased to have an uninvited guest," Twilight replied. A bit of a mixed message, but at least Grell can say that Twilight was alive, well, and working on her alchemy even. A good time indeed. ... ~~ Quiet. Chilly. Ironically comfortable. These few things Sebastian could describe where he had left himself. Ever since Sombra took him in, things had been a bit slow for the demon butler, one way or another. The place Sombra had given him was little different from a small room one would find in a cellar. Sebastian had the basic accommodations, namely a simple bed by the back wall, a everlasting red blood candle with a purple flame flickering, and that was mainly it for Sebastian's room. His room in the manor had a little more to it (a window at least) but this was probably what comes to expect from being in such a place like this. The walls, ceiling, and floor all made up of some sort of foreign mineral, one not known from the human world. All Sebastian could get was that it was black in color, sturdy as concrete yet smooth as common tile flooring. For light, the demon butler only had the candle burning as his main piece of light, as Sebastian laid in his bed, occasionally feeling the wristband on him. Sebastian had yet to find out what happens if he tried to run off with the thing on, but it was probably best if he didn't try anything to find out. "Sebastian. Come here please," a voice whispered. Sebastian stood up upon the word, at this point well aware on who it could be. After some readjustment of his gloves and perfecting his appearance to his suit, Sebastian walked over to his door. The door wasn't the same door as any human would have, but instead this one was more of a small portal that opened up when Sebastian neared it. Think it like a magical automated sliding door. Soon as Sebastian got there, the door opened up and the demon butler stepped out only to see Hellgar standing there. "Another one of Sombra's cohorts?" "Right you are. Dinner's gonna start soon so I just came over to get you over there. I'd wait, but you might not have much food left," Hellgar explained, ready to go off. Sebastian simply nodded. "Where shall the preparations start?" "Huh? Oh no no, not you. We already got some human purgatory working on that. Just follow me." Sebastian's walk began from there through the halls. The place Sombra brought him too gave him some mixed feelings, really. The room Sombra had him in was further away, and placed over at what looked like the manor in a way, but with a number of exceptions to the rule. The light from outside was not as strong, and instead was pure twilight skies, so light was limited by the many lit torches of the halls. Hellgar kept right in front of Sebastian during the guiding until both arrived in the dining hall. For one thing, it was very huge, far larger than the Phantomhive manor dining hall. Secondly, it was a bit more crowded with demonic entities. The table was about as wide as a public swimming pool, made of wood, and with plenty of chairs to accommodate the demons present. The room had a full window view of the world outside like a window in a church alter, murals of unholy or holy creatures made up in glass window displays. As for the demons themselves, they all had many sorts of appearance to accompany them. Some looked more human like Sebastian did, while others appeared more horrifying to look at. It appeared they were already having drinks, some demons already feeling a little tipsy. The newcomer demon butler felt only a little uneasy, but he kept a straight face. "This seems familiar," Sebastian commented. Hellgar just chuckled. "Thought it would be. You just have a seat, and dinner will be ready shortly," Hellgar said, leaving Sebastian to find his own seat. Easier said than done. Plenty of demons already got their first, and while some seats were present, who he had to sit next too made it a bit troubling. Sebastian maybe a demon, but he wasn't a mindless brute. After so much time as Ciel's butler too, having his own choice here was a nice change at least. As Sebastian passed, he took note of the place and what was being served around. Food and drinks both were a bit varied, though not much for Sebastian's liking. The drinks usually consisted of two things: wine, or blood. The demon butler could probably take a guess to where the blood would come from if Hellgar's comment had anything to go by. Sebastian was also seeing human slaves scattered around the dining hall, most of them stripped down, and serving drinks to the guests like a butler would do. For side dishes, these demons had a few meaty selections of a number of items. Sebastian finally found a basic seat, and sat down easy. It was probably the most decent spot there was here (not a good spot, but decent enough). It didn't take too long until Sebastian found one of the slaves right by him, a small blade in one hand, and a wine bottle in the other. "Blood or wine?" He asked. Sebastian thought for a minute, looking to another order nearby. Seemed this demon ordered blood for his drink, since the other human actually slice open his arm to 'pour the drink'. Gross. "Eh, wine preferably," Sebastian decided. The slave gently poured the wine in Sebastian's glass, and went on his way. Sebastian could sense that he was probably relieved, though not too long. Sebastian swirled the wine in his glass, and took a sip before there was another commotion going on. When looking, Sebastian began to see Hellgar come back, jumping onto the large table with the supposed main course. Turned out, this was human meat being served tonight. About ten humans stood perfectly still, Hellgar bringing them all over to the center for all the underworld guests to see. Hellgar seemed ready as ever, his tail straightening out and lengthening. "Alright. Time for the main course, thank you for being patient. Homunculus had to gather these, you know. But anyway, hope you're all hungry. Who wants what?" Hellgar announced. Demons got their orders in left and right, and the demon hound made sure to oblige to each one. Sebastian just stayed quiet and waited to see what'll happen next. "I got about ten skull orders? Right away," Hellgar announced. Suddenly the demon's teeth started their work. Ten humans, which were separated from the rest, were suddenly grabbed and decapitated! Hellgar went through one by one, popping off each and every single head like a cork, blood painting the table red with every decapitation. Hellgar even began to juggle each added head, tossing it to each one of the ordered customer. Some started to eat right away, while others even began to applaud Hellgar for the added show to their dinner. Sebastian ended up with some scattered drops of blood on his clothes, of which he started to wipe off. Being a demon, carnage and savagery like this was a bit of a matter he'd grown used to. All the same, it was still savage to watch and the applauding didn't help. Hellgar began to go around from there with the remaining human entrees, slicing off body parts depending on the order with pure ease and lack of hesitance. It didn't take too long before the demon hound was in front of Sebastian now, with a young boy right in between him and Hellgar. "And what would you like? Noticed you've been rather quiet," Hellgar offered. The boy looked strangely calm during this whole thing, but Sebastian could see that his eyes were severely dilated, as if he was put in some sort of trance. Either way, Sebastian continued to clean the blood off of himself. "No thanks. I don't eat meat," Sebastian said. "Oh, I see. You're a soul-eater then. Well I can fix that," Hellgar said, drilling his muzzle right into the boy's chest! Sebastian thought it was going to just be a heart or a lung or something, but this demon hound instead began to pull out something else. The object looked white, spherical, and had the appearance of glowing fog, sealed away in some sort of orb. The boy didn't even flinch despite still standing, and Hellgar dropped the object down in front of Sebastian right on his plate. "You eat up, fellow demon. You eat up," Hellgar insisted, before moving down the line. Obviously Hellgar used some sort of magic to pull the soul out, though Sebastian didn't expect to have this so easily. The sounds of chewing meat and the enjoyment of the fellow guests echoed all around him. "So, this is a taste of what I've missed over the years. The demon lord has been rather generous here over the others. All the same, it could be a matter worth investigating," Sebastian thought. ....... As this was going on, Sombra himself took the time to go away from the big catering, and went off to a different part of the palace. With the guests busy eating up their feast, they got off Sombra's back to give the demon lord some time to ease himself. He strolled quietly through the halls of his castle, reaching a more opened balcony looking out to the land of the Underworld. Perfect spot. So, Sombra settled down on the ground, and he started to cross his legs, bring his hands together, and took some deep breaths. A demon who liked meditating to ease himself. As he was doing so though, his stone glowed off his head in a red hue, and it was during this that he started to feel ... well, something. Something unanticipated. Sombra.~ How delighted to see you again. "Ugh. Not you again. What do you want this time?" Sombra thought. His mind and this deity was connected, so thought talk would work just as well as face to face. The voice the deity spoke was raspy, and a bit like Envy but higher pitched. Is that how you treat a fellow demon lord? And to think those other demons allowed you to remain in your place. "You're no Demon Lord anymore." Says you, feeble Sombra. "Feeble?" You truly believe you can keep those creatures in check, my friend?~ AND handle the humans as well? You got more on your little plate than you ever know. "MY methods exceed yours ten fold, I know what I'm doing. Unlike you, I'm not locked up." And yet, you're no more free than I am.~ Sombra had enough, and stopped meditating straight away. His head gained a headache from his supposed talk with the previous Demon Lord. Not an enjoyable one. "Damn you. ..." S02Ep7: The Royal Ball ~ロイヤルボール~If one thing could be said for each pawn in this game, it was one of pure chance. Nagisa and his group tried to enjoy their vacation, but they still kept trying to find Twilight time and time again, only to come up a bit empty. They didn't have any clue other than she was somewhere in London, and without much other aid they were just running around like chickens without heads trying to find her. Nagisa worried sick over where his childhood friend could've ran off to, especially considering the circumstances. To think, not too long after Ciel got kidnapped just to find Twilight no longer around. Ciel Phantomhive was trying his best to locate Sebastian as well, but he was just left empty. Not a singular clue was left behind for him, or his other workers for over a week now since his disappearance. Knowing that many people were also missing all over London just made the situation all the more urgent. Not only was Twilight and Sebastian were up and gone, but so many others were also missing it's terrifying! Every person who heard Undertaker's news were left with more questions: where were these missing people? Why are they disappearing, and who is behind it? At least they know that their personal missing persons were still alive and somewhere around London. Where exactly they just couldn't get it. Twilight probably had more to go on if Grell did actually say something to either Ciel or Nagisa. But, the humble servant was trying to keep promises and keep quiet until Twilight was 'ready' as she put it. Out of all the people involved in the search, Grel was actually the only one who actually found one of these persons, so it will be only a matter of time before someone somewhere would get it out of him. Just a matter of time. Anyway, today the process went on as normal for London's local population. But in the heat of the local rush through the afternoon, prominent posters still hung up all around town. These posters of missing locals were plastered up all over the place wherever one can put one: the windows of local stores, lamp posts, even right on building walls like they were wanted posters (except not as crowded together). Unfortunately not a soul around had any clue, and barely a few even paid any real attention to them at all. A strong wind gust dislodged one of the posters off a lamp post, making it toss about in the sky. It spun, tossed and tumbled in flight until one hand got a grab of it, and the figure took a look at the poster. She had been roaming around town, doing her own bit of progress on her work for the past week and a half, all of which was away from the blessed humans, and put undercover in the local crowds. While probably getting some eye candy on her appearance, she was doing wonders in fitting in with the people. Looking the most human from her friends surely helps. "More missing, huh? Seems like the numbers had been going up each time I find one of these," she commented, just tossing it into the air, and allowing the poster to fly off on its way. She easily saw a few more as she passed by a store's window, and she couldn't help but glance at each one of them. "Gluttony must've gotten hungry," Lust thought. These all were fairly new, and up to date as she read the dates of each of the missing posters put up. After checking them out, Lust strolled off on her way down the London streets, the residents giving the apparent aristocrat her space so they wouldn't be in the way of her walk. Lust found their humble nature towards her rather entertaining to see, and it was a bit more fun to toy with some of the male locals with a few good sways of the hips. Such gullible, predictable creatures. Lust continued going on her way until she took sight of another fellow aristocrat going through his day, the sexualized Homunculus going over to the man. The middle-aged man seemed to be getting a packaged tuxedo from the local tailor, Lust taking an immediate interest. The man seemed like the typical high-rich kinda guy, but Lust took a close look to the man's back pocket. It was only just visible, but Lust did manage to just catch an object of interest. It seemed small, only showing the corner, and a sort of goldish color to the paper. "Not usually up for pick pocketing, but there's a first for everything," Lust thought. Lust began to near the man, the man a bit too distracted by the outfit and getting ready to go to even notice her. As Lust got closer, the Homunculus got a better look at this object, looking more like a invitation or a ticket. All it took was a slip of her extended clawed finger to scoop out the paper, and once she did that it became fully clear. According to this, the object turned out to be an invitation to a sort of Royal Ball. A rather old term by today's standards, but it was a little intriguing anyway. Lust strolled off with the invitation in hand, and got a very interesting detail. Apparently, with the name written out at the top, the Queen herself will also be attending this fiasco - as the host. Anything involving that kind of royalty must be important. This Homunculus started to get her own mind running on this opportunity, and with the sort of chances they've been having lately, perhaps this could be a good benefit to the Underworld. "A royal ball for the Queen, is it? I suppose some important heads will suffice," Lust figured, putting the invitation away from sight before strolling on her way. Tonight will be interesting indeed. ....... Phantomhive Manor was getting its own schedule running. And for Ciel, that meant a bit of paperwork to fill out, and some further solo investigation. With Grell, Mey-Rin, Bardroy and Tanaka busy already, Ciel was stuck alone in his office to handle things. Even if he had nothing for Sebastian to do, the least it could be considered a fair companion, but Ciel didn't even have that right now. Sebastian was NOT the type to run off on his master, even if it was important. So whatever reason that demon must have, it better be a good one to tell the young master the second he comes back around. He was an excellent butler, probably the finest, and now he was up and missing. This just left Ciel with so much extra work to handle, it wasn't fair. On his desk, stacks of papers laid, enough to easily be an all day job. "Sebastian, goddamnit. You better be alright when I find you, so I can wring your neck," Ciel thought, his pen trembling in his hand. Eventually, Ciel gave a loud groan and laid down on his desk. He may be mature for his age, but in the end he was still a kid. And this was getting slightly overwhelming: missing people, the demon and angel business, and with Sebastian unable to help to top it off. ... *tap**tap* "Ugh ... Sebastian - ... Oh yeah," Ciel groaned, forgetting for a moment that Sebastian wasn't around anyway (he'd grown too use to getting his butler on these things). *tap**tap**tap**tap* "Alright, alright," Ciel said, stopping his work and turning to the noise. The tapping came from Ciel's window, and it turned out to be a sort of bird, to be exact a carrier owl. Ciel didn't know why a owl would show up, but the message on its leg was enough to say that it was sent to him. The young earl opened the window, just for the bird to fly into his office and land on his desk. It took some work on the carrier on the bird, but Ciel got the message out to look over. "An invitation to the Royal Ball. That time of year already?" Ciel commented, as the owl took its leave right out the window and flew away. It wasn't the first time the young earl had been invited to this sort of event, but seeing that there were two tickets enclosed inside to go, it was just another reminder that Ciel didn't have Sebastian to accompany him. Who else would the other ticket be for anyway? Ciel took a moment to think about it, his eye looking over to each of the papers he had to do. "Well I still got five hours before the party. Might as well make the most of it," Ciel decided, taking another paper and starting to work on that. He could get this done in an hour or two, so it should be enough time afterwards to get to this Royal ball. ....... "One, two, three, four." Back at their hotel, Nagisa and company were still going on their own days. At the moment, it was just Karma, Aladdin and Nagisa; Blair and Pinkie already out. If they can guess it was either searching or shopping, but either way they didn't have anything else to do. Karma took the time to handle some swordsmanship (without breaking anything in their room), as Nagisa and Aladdin looked on. Each swing of the miracle sword was fast and better timed, though it was just swings all the same. "You've been doing great with that, Karma," Nagisa said. "Well, it helps when you've had extra assassination practice," Karma commented, pausing his own swordsmanship for a moment. Karma had been getting slightly better at the art one way or another. "How is it at that class anyway? Did they give you a hard time, or no," Aladdin asked. It had been a while since Karma actually thought on it. "Hmm ... nah, they're cool. Korosensei's the only teacher I met who's got a literal death wish, I'll tell you that much," Karma summed up. "Huh? What do you -" Before Nagisa could even get his word in, their door suddenly swung right open. Appeared Pinkie and Blair had returned from their run around, plenty of bags full of clothes and fancy outfits, a bit more than seemed to be needed. Pinkie went all out this time: dresses, some fancy accessories, leggings, shoes, you name it, so long as it's something fancy it seemed Pinkie Pie had it in stock. Blair also carried in some bags, which were filled with an assortment of beauty products (blush, eyeliner, that sort of thing). Aladdin had to jump out of the way before he would end up getting buried under the bags. Pinkie looked excited about it anyway. "OOOOO, we're gonna make this happen!" Pinkie beamed, already digging into the bags and getting some of the stuff out, some of it being tossed onto Aladdin and Nagisa. Nagisa pulled off a legging from his head, as Aladdin tried to get a dress off of him. Karma caught a flung over top hat, and actually went on to put it on, before turning to Pinkie. "Hey Blair, what's going on?" Aladdin asked, pulling off the dress. "You're not going to believe this one, guys. Pinkie, show them," Blair said. Pinkie popped up to her feet, and suddenly she had what looked like a invitation. About five invitations total, all for the same thing. Pinkie Pie looked hyped about the event, but when the others saw this (Blair being the exception because she saw it already) the three of them were left more bewildered than anything. They've been in London for weeks, and already they're being invited to the Royal Ball, hosted by the Queen herself. Nope. Nope, they weren't buying it at all. "This is so exciting! I'm going to give them the best Royal Ball shindig hullabaloo they've ever had! My treats will lighten their taste buds to the moon!!" Pinkie went on, as she happily got out her party outfit. "Seriously? Pinkie, this is clearly a trap by those Homunculus. Why would we get a invitation to this kind of thing?" Nagisa cleared up, seeing the obvious flaws in this random invite. For one thing they never met the queen, and while they did save Ciel in a way, it wouldn't be enough for the queen to remotely notice them. Pinkie popped her head out from one of the bags, already having a monocle on her face. "Because those meanies will trash the rest of the Ball if we don't show up. They'd come in, won't find us anywhere and think 'Whatever, let's eat the rest of these fancies' and next thing you know: Feast for the freaks on the front newspaper!!" Pinkie explained, lack of logic not withstanding. Pinkie knew that this was a fake invite, but she was still up to go either way, and still was trying to get ready. "And you think we're still going?" Karma questioned. "YES! And Pinkie's already got your solution RIGHT HERE!" Pinkie announced, throwing the full outfit to Karma. Karma looked it over a little bit, but he quickly got the idea rather fast, and a smirk began to show on his face. "Disguises. K, that'll work. We can check in on those things and still keep outta sight," Karma summed up, getting the outfit out from its plastic bag, and unraveling it out completely. "But wait a minute, what about Yugure? She's still missing," Nagisa reminded. "We'll have to check that later. For now, we got a party to guard," Karma replied, as Pinkie Pie was still getting outfits out for the rest of the group. She was going a little too fast for them to really keep up, stuck with outfits just laying on top of them. Pinkie was more than giddy about the whole thing, and she suddenly went on to the next little surprise: getting out a phone and quickly dialing up a storm to get the signal through. Didn't take more than a minute to get through to her caller. "Hello?" "HeyCielHeywegottabigplanfortonightandweneedyatocomebyforsomedisguisesbecauseweneedtostayundercoverfromthemeandemonsthat'llbestoppingby-" "HOLD ON. ... How'd you even get this number?" Before Pinkie could even answer that, Karma grabbed the phone out of Pinkie's hand, and answered it himself. "Hey, young earl." "Akabane. How did you manage to get this number?" "Don't ask me, Ciel, Pinkie Pie's special like that. Anyway, did you get an invitation to that Royal Ball? "... Royal Ball ... I can assume your group had retrieved invitations as well." "Got that right. And we got to thinking that those Homuculus might show their asses there too. So unless you want to get your own ass torn up by either one of those guys, then Pinkie's got her disguises over here if you wanna pick it up." "I have the feeling that it'll have to be that way." "Then stop by whenever and we'll get you suited up. See ya in a bit." With that, Karma hung up, and it would only be a matter of time before Ciel would show up, so they had time to get ready themselves for the event. However, by the time they were done with the call, Aladdin found Nagisa already looking for something in one of the drawers by the bed, working off memory himself. It was only Aladdin who noticed him, and he was right by his side by the time Nagisa pulled out the Future Sight list (thank goodness Twilight didn't take that with her when she left). Nagisa quickly went through down, and he found the next part of this list down a ways. Didn't take too much time before the others saw him. "Future sight triggered again. Which one is it this time?" Karma asked. "This one here," Nagisa replied, showing the list to Karma. This one was a bit more specific by what Nagisa wrote for it aside from just the main concept like most of the others. "Hmm ... confront a Demon. ... President. ... Balcony. ... Picking favorites, Nagisa?" "I just remember that one a bit more clearly," Nagisa admitted, though it still seemed to trouble Nagisa more here. "No worries, my disguises will keep you safe!" Pinkie assured him. ~~ With his mind currently at ease, Sombra sat down in a larger room of his palace, currently silent as a mouse, hands clasped together and legs crisscrossed. The room actually opened up outside, the light coming in from the Underworld sky. The skies of the underworld are drastically different, and while harder during the night to tell, the daytime showed a crimson, dark yellow sky with a northern light show effect that varied around like the clouds of the Overworld and Human world. Sombra relaxed, and the light reflected off the gemstone on both his crown and his forehead. In fact, the gemstone on his head almost seemed to glow with the light going off of it. As he was sitting there, one demon showed up over at the door, opening it slowly so to not completely bother the demon lord. Sombra heard the door, clear as the crystal on his person, but the lord didn't even waver at first. "My lord? I brought your evening beverage," said a familiar voice. Sombra stayed still, hearing the sound of footsteps coming closer to him. When he heard the figure about a foot behind, Sombra opened one eye and turned his head to see who came in. Turned out his newest addition Sebastian was in there, and holding a tray with a kettle, and tea cup, all made from a gothic violet glass design. "You don't have to do this, Sebastian," Sombra sighed, though he did take the cup from Sebastian anyway, the substance looking to be blood again. Sebastian have a gentleman's bow to the demon lord. "My new role is to serve you, my lord. I thought it would be inconvenient of you to halt your meditation," Sebastian said. Sombra took a sip of the liquid red substance, as Sebastian readied to give Sombra some space. However, as one hand sipped the drink, the other hand reached out and grabbed Sebastian by the arm, making him stop altogether. Sombra didn't utter a word until he finished sipping his blood from the tea cup. And even then he stood up first so his eyes lined with the butler. "Sebastian. Don't try to fool anyone. I know your priorities are still connected to that human child the second I saw you," Sombra said, almost disappointed with Sebastian as Sombra slipped off Sebastian's glove to show the Faustian Contract. Sebastian stayed quiet and turned to face Sombra. "It wasn't my own choice, you fully understand," Sebastian made clear. "Not your own choice? How do you mean?" Sombra quizzed, ready to see what the butler had to say. Sombra knew his magic when it comes to the Underworld, and he knew damn well what this contract is mainly about. "Well, being the current king of Tartarus, I'm sure you would understand the process of the Faustian Contract." "That's not what I asked, Sebastian. Clearly your Ciel Phantomhive is alive and well, and you only told Envy and Lust that white lie to keep him that way. That, and the Faustian Contract is a mutual offer you gave to that child. So, how is this not your choice if you're the one who gave your services?" Sebastian knew Sombra had him by the neck there. Clearly this king knew everything there is to know about the process. Anyway, Sebastian had to think on what to say next, and he had to think of something to prove who's side he's on towards the demon king. It took him a little bit, but Sebastian did eventually figure something out. "Alright my lord. I admit it. My services still tie into Ciel Phantomhive, but you and I both know of the exchange after the contract is completed. Am I right?" Sombra paused for a moment, but allowed Sebastian to continue on. "I told your Homunculus about his 'death' because if the young earl were to die, then my contract will never be completed. ... I will never have his soul, you see. On completion of the contract, then the demon is rewarded with the soul of the human involved in the contract. I've put years into that, and I'd hate to have my dinner simply taken from me. ... Of course, if there's a way to get his soul faster, then I'd be more than willing to take it over this servitude Phantomhive had put me under." Sombra stayed quiet for a moment or two, letting the information sink in. Once he got it all down correctly, then Sombra simply nodded to the demon butler. "I see. Simply trying to keep your meal around until your contract is handled. And I can assume your contract has yet to be completed?" "No lord," Sebastian responded. Sombra gave Sebastian's glove back to the demon before speaking again. "I suppose I can find a quicker method to get you Ciel's soul, but it's going to take some time. When I manage that, nothing will keep you up there on the human plain anymore. Will that satisfy you?" Sombra asked, Sebastian slipping the glove back onto the hand. Sebastian was more than glad that Sombra understood it the way he wanted him to. Any different and there will be complications on Sebastian's expense. With a smile, Sebastian nodded to the demon lord, as Sombra handed him back the tea cup. "Now, pardon me saying so, but I heard that the queen of London is currently holding a Royal Ball, planning to start in the next following hour. Would it help if I attend as well?" "Why would it help for you to attend that event?" "The royals of London are to be there, and considering how those other humans had rescued Ciel Phantomhive: a fellow royal icon, chances are they will also attend. Could be a chance to gain some information about your adversaries," Sebastian suggested. Sombra had Envy already spying on them, but with the current track record, this may not be such a bad idea to try out. Sombra gave a nod to the demon butler. "You have me convinced, Sebastian. Very well, BUT, you are not to reveal anything to any of those humans. Not a word about me, not a word about Tartarus, and make sure this Ciel does NOT know what you're doing. Is that understood?" Sombra cleared up. "Of course, my lord," replied Sebastian. ... Not too far away, Sebastian and Sombra's talk was not entirely ignored. Just hidden off outside of the door, Hellgar had overheard everything about the event. Now, it would normally not be a bother to the hellhound, but this time it made him upset more than anything. "What? Why didn't I hear about this?! Where's Twilight?" Hellgar growled, before slipping away. ~~ The time drawed near now, the sun just setting down along the horizon. And for London and many of its higher class, it was nearing the time for the Royal Ball to get underway. The event was to be taken place over at the queen's palace. If she is to be the host, she might as well take it at her place rather than some other spot in London. The palace mirrored the Phantomhive house in overall structure, though more up to date and better maintained for publicity sake: a strong silver color along the walls, four stone pillars just above the front door, and a large iron bar fence and gate bordering the property. The palace bordered the road, and just ahead of it by twenty feet stood a prominent statue, colors mirroring the palace. The top stood an angel made of what appeared to be gold, the statue encircled by the road, and beyond that a well-maintained flower garden that stretched 180 degrees around. At the moment, the palace was live with activity, as various guests were starting to arrive to the Royal Ball. Many of the guests all had a similar look one way or another: the men and sons all had their finest tuxedos on, and the women and daughters all had formal dresses. They had their own looks to signify eachother thanks to accessories, but the guests still seemed to follow the main dress code. With these many guests coming in time and again, amongst them, It didn't take much trouble for Ciel, Nagisa, Pinkie, Karma, Blair, and Aladdin to arrive at the front steps to the palace. Their disguises did make them fitting to the dress code, and to the crowd of people as they began to head in from there. Starting with Karma first, the boy took the look of the adult of the group, with his red tuxedo suit. The suit was similar to the one he had on before, with a few little extras to it, which included a prominent top hat with a feather of an Unfezant bird in it, and Pinkie had the courtesy to even add some fake sideburns to show a older appearance, despite his shorter size compared to the rest of the adults. It seemed to be to pay off to the other guests coming in, anyway. Blair was next, and by the looks of it posed as Karma's wife. Blair got her own outfit together, though dress code made her have to wear the average long dress. Not the same as the dress Blair had before, not by a long shot, and it was bugging the cat witch a little bit. Her hair was dyed a black color over the purple color, and even some hair extensions to appear having hair that went down to the base of her back. Her cat eyes also were covered by eye lenses to appear as blue, normal human eyes. She also had a 'wedding ring', alongside Karma just to drive the point home. Next to come out was Aladdin, and the little lad had a full makeover to his outfit. He had on a brownish tuxedo on, a basic outfit really (brown formal pants, dark overcoat, etc.). With his long hair though, Pinkie had just managed to get it all under a grey, british flat cap. Not really London, but it'll work for the sake of the disguise. Aladdin was also given a pair of small glasses, though they were mainly for show rather than sight aid. Then came out the one responsible for the disguises herself: Pinkie. The party gal got her outfit together, and while formal like the others still had its own flair. Pinkie's outfit fitted a blue color with a pink flair at the rim of it. Pinkie's hair was put in a smoothed out ponytail, stopping at her shoulders. She dyed her hair from her usual pink color, to a more mellow brown. "K, gang, let's get this show on the road. Come on, dear," Karma said, going along with his gimmick as he takes Blair by the hand like a proper gentlemen. "We still have to wait for our lovely nieces, honey. Come on out, don't be shy," Blair said, turning back. ... Then came out Nagisa and Ciel. For Ciel, his outfit mainly consisted of a formal dress, a pale pink with two vertical lines down its length. Over the chest region showed white flairs on his arms and chest, the very center a pink fake rose. He also wore a pair of black, arm length gloves, and an extra flair around his neck, made in a similar way to his other flairs on his arms tied in a bow. Like Blair, Ciel too had a number of hair extensions to mimic a set of ponytails on each side of his head, and the main extension reaching the base of his back. On his head Pinkie had him a pink lady's hat, lined with the same fake pink roses, and cocked to the side in order to cover his signature eyepatch better along with the hair. As for Nagisa, he too gone through a bit of a change in his look. He too had on a formal, sleeveless dress, all smooth and colored silver, with the bottom half a more darker grey color. His hair was tied up in ponytails, but since he had fairly long hair already, extensions weren't needed to give a female appearance to the hair, but it was still dyed to match Ciel's hair color. Amongst his accessories given to him, he had a black ribbon tied to one of his ponytails, and a set of white gloves to match the silver theme to his outfit. Both were not amused. "This is not funny," Nagisa groaned. "Come on, sweetheart. What Homunculus would suspect you two in this disguise?" Pinkie said, petting Nagisa's head. "Why are we dressed this way, dare I even ask," Ciel asked. "Because someone's gotta pose as my two daughters. Korosensei assured me that it'll be perfect for the image and he's RIGHT: Karma and Blair are the rich couple with their little son Aladdin, joined by their fun-loving cousin (that'd be moi), with her young and beautiful twin daughters," Pinkie explained, psyched as ever. Too bad the feeling was one sided with Pinkie and the twins here. "Korosensei decided this?" "Yeah, like how he decided to get your phone number." "THAT FREAK!" Ciel thought. However, ciel quickly corrected himself. "Let's just go in and get it over with. If it means to stop these Homunculus, then so be it," Ciel made clear. Nagisa still was not as up for such things as Ciel, but at least the Homunculus might be taken off guard if they are here somewhere. ~~ And with that, the group went into the Royal Ball with identities all in check, and blending into the crowd with ease. The interior of this Royal Ball appeared to look like the layouts of some sort of catering. The large main room of the palace here was about large enough to fit in a decent sized cottage, including property as well. The exact build up here was a large area for dancing, borderline by smaller tables. A similar build possibly to a school prom or something. Decorations were simply put all out just as well, with a large rug that stretched in from the front door, and a treat table catering to the guests. Many of the guests were scattered around and enjoying the festivities one way or another, be it either small talk with eachother or enjoying a drink and/or snack at the treat table. Since there wasn't too much to truly do in particular here, the others in the group simply went around just went along with the show. With that, the group split apart and merged into the crowds. It was a good thing that the group wasn't caught during this, or at least questioned by the other guests there. Within this crowd, Ciel was probably the most uncomfortable. He may be familiar with the Royal Ball, and a common visitor during the Royal Ball as well, but he was at least accompanied by some sort of older acquaintance. Not only was this year with Ciel alone, but also in such a questionably ridiculous outfit for something only he and a few others know of. Not even the queen knows about the Homunculus, and if she catches him like this, then he's got some explaining to do. "Good lord, I feel like a complete idiot in this dress. I swear to god, this better be worth it," Ciel thought. It was a miracle that none of the other people remotely recognized Ciel in this disguise, or it'll be even worse for him. He had his parents, and after that Sebastian helped him out, but now he had neither of those things. It was himself, and only himself in this sea of patrons. Hell, maybe the Homunculus can be found straight away and this can be finished up quick. If they weren't here at all, then the rest will feel his rage. "Oh, greetings my dear.~" "Oh god no," Ciel thought. Ciel turned around and found one of the guests checking him out. Pure white outfit, snow silver hair, basically the Snow White of Prince Charming. That wouldn't be a problem if Ciel really was a girl, but nope, just some kid cross dressing. If he finds out about his true identity, who knows what'll happen?! "Oh, darling. Your eyes positively glow, like the stars in the night sky. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, already advancing on poor Ciel (rather uncomfortably might I add). To the point when the man was right in Ciel's face. Ciel shivered, but he had to keep his composure. "Endure it. Ciel, you can do this. After those horrible, horrible, horrible lessons, you can handle it," Ciel thought. A few hours of practice between his arrival to get said outfit and the actual Royal ball, let's just say, weren't the best time Ciel ever had. If one word wrong came out of this child's mouth, then he'll be a dead man! "V-Very charmed," Ciel got out, making his voice higher pitched and more feminine (his best attempt at it). That just got the man to come even closer, a arm around Ciel. "What might be your name, my sweet flower?" He asked. "... I-Izzie. Izzie Florahorn." Best he could do on short notice. Better than shoving his true identity down this man's throat. Good thing it sounded legit for a name. "A lovely name. Now, how's about we head somewhere more ... alone.~" the man offered, his hand sliding down Ciel's back down to his waist! Ciel's blood started to boil. "When this is all over, I swear I'M GONNA KILL THIS CREEP!" Ciel thought. Getting flirted with so forward like this was rough enough, but it was just even worse this way! "Excuse me, but there will be enough of that. Can't you see that the lady is not interested? Now off you go," instructed a stern voice, a hand cutting in between Ciel and the charming freak. Thank god! The man was another guest to the party, looking fairly average in attire, and fairly middle age. The charmer was easily sent off from there, though his eyes still seemed to charm up to Ciel before going off. Ciel could only breathe a sigh of relief, and he looked over to his supposed savior. He still had to keep up the act, though. "Thank you," Ciel simply said, again with his feminine voice. "Happy to oblige my dear. I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening," the man said, as he went off back to the party himself. Ciel wiped the sweat off his forehead from the close call. Still, Ciel then started to walk off away from that position to find a different spot to make his observations. "I do hope the queen doesn't find me like this," Ciel thought. "Excuse me?" It wasn't his night. Ciel froze up on the voice. O, he knew that voice. Not the queen directly, but someone just as regal and just as important as the queen of England herself. Ciel only got a glimpse of the girl before she came over, but one glimpse was all Ciel needed to know who it was. Gothic had only some description to describe this girl. For one thing, she was a bit taller than Ciel, looking a few years older as well. The girl's dress was a regal black, a dark bow around her neck, connected together by a pearl. It seemed that every part of her outfit was black in someway, from the flairs on her dress to the gloves on her hands. Still, her skin was pale and fair, her hair silverfish-white and flowed down her back in waves, and her eyes calm and a dull turquoise. She took a step closer to Ciel, but Ciel couldn't dare to face her. The girl tried to see Ciel's face, but everytime she moved one way, Ciel turned the opposite way. Again ... And again ... And again ... Suddenly, the girl grabbed Ciel by the shoulders, and Ciel found himself looking right at her. Well, Ciel had nowhere to go now, and Sebastian wasn't anywhere for help. The girl looked Ciel in the face, and seemed to give him a fair look over. Ciel kept quiet and still, hoping - "Phantomhive?" Nevermind. "N-Not so loud, if you don't mind," Ciel insisted. Well, so much for keeping his identity secret. "What in the world are you doing in such a ridiculous outfit? And during the Royal Ball no less," she asked. While hushed for Ciel's sake, the words still were hard for Ciel. What was he supposed to do? There was no other reason to be dressed up in such a embarrassing outfit for HIM to wear, and even then the reason was hard to swallow for anyone decent. Ciel got himself together after a bit. "Easy, Ciel, you can handle it. You're a Phantomhive: you should be used to talking to people like her. Victoria: the granddaughter to the queen. Yes, you can handle this ... even if dressed like a crossdressing lunatic," Ciel thought. After getting his thoughts together, Ciel looked right to Victoria, the older girl waiting for an answer. Ciel looked around, and there was no sign of the others, so he just went on with it. "Well, your highness. I have reason to believe that this year's Royal Ball is ... under threat. I'm only in disguise as undercover for the perpetrator," Ciel quietly explained. "The perpe - oh, the kidnapper. You think he'll be arriving here, don't you?" Victoria figured. Ciel slyly nodded to her. "Indeed. The disguise is so he won't try to remain hidden if he does find me. My apologies for not informing first," Ciel explained. Victoria took it into small consideration, but eventually saw the reasons behind it. "In future, try a less ... humiliating disguise for yourself, will you?" Victoria advised, a small smile showing on her face at her own remark to Ciel's disguise. Ciel could only nod, and with that Victoria went off away to the rest of the event. Ciel also walked off the opposite way. "The others better keep out of trouble." ~~ Time ticked on by in the Royal Ball. With the guests within, it all seemed fairly normal with the continuing night. Nearby one of the tables, Nagisa and Aladdin had taken a seat to observe the event, and having a pretty good spot to do that. The table was set up just at the border of the other tables lined up, by the main dance floor, so they had a decent view of the crowds that are going about the party, including Pinkie, Ciel, Karma, and Blair. Each one of them were basically doing their own thing, which mainly consisted of talking with the guests. Nagisa could see Karma chatting it up with some of the female guests, Blair flirting with some of the boys (reactions a bit mixed on them), and Pinkie somehow managing to get a batch of her own treats on a plate, and offering samples to the guests like a happy servant to the queen. Ciel seemed a bit quiet by what he could see, but that was about it. For Aladdin next to him, the Magi was chewing away at some of the party treats that were available. On his plate were quite a number of treats too, ten in fact, and all some fruit or dessert of some kind. Nagisa looked through each member of this party, but he just couldn't seem to sense much of anything. He wasn't too sure if the demon sense actually works on Homunculus or not, but so far his demon sense was oddly quiet tonight. Even if they have reason to think that they'd arrive here. Then again, a Homunculus wasn't technically a Demon in true nature, but his demon sense worked on Blair just fine and she was more of an Underworld witch than a demonic entity. "Sensing anything?" Aladdin asked at one point, swallowing a bite of cake. "No, I don't think so. I'm actually wondering if they're even coming or not," Nagisa admitted, leaning on the table as Aladdin took a bite out of another piece of the cake. "Your Future Vision said it was going to happen, right? So it has to be." "But that same vision had me with the president of Japan. What're the odds that would happen? ... And with me looking like this?" Nagisa pointed out, tugging on the fabrics of his dress. It was probably best of Seitenshi didn't come to this event anyway: she'd be in danger of the Homunculus were here, and even if not, Nagisa did NOT want his first impression on her to be a cross dresser. "You wanna bite?" Aladdin offered, a fork with a strawberry on the end floating over near Nagisa's face as a temptation. "Nah, not hungry," Nagisa simply said, as Aladdin gobbled up the strawberry. Well, at the least with this stupid disguise and the place he was in, he can stay quiet and no one would really think different of it. Some might look their way by Aladdin's taste-testing the many treats of said party, but that was really about it. Anyway, Nagisa went back to quietly observing the crowds of people going about. If he wasn't in disguise, Nagisa would probably feel extremely out of place here, being more of an average joe. The people shifted around, and some of his friends started to go away from his sight, leaving mainly Pinkie out in view serving her cupcakes to the guests. However, one guest that got served one of these treats was especially interesting. Or if not interesting, more like confusing. The figure, with her completion of perfection and blue formal outfit made this girl unmistakable. And the sight of her made Nagisa more tense than ever. His hands gripped the dress, his eyes wide open in shock, and he was left awestruck. Aladdin glanced to Nagisa and saw his shocked expression. "Nagisa, your demon sense is acting up. Where's the devil at?" Aladdin asked, frantically looking around. Actually, Nagisa's demon sense was just fine, but the odds that this girl would just pop up was enough of a shocker. Nagisa only got Aladdin in the right direction when he grabbed his head, and turned his head so it aimed the same direction. Aladdin needed a bit before seeing the same girl in the crowd, to him looking oddly familiar somehow. "President Seitenshi. Oh god, what the hell is she doing here?!" Nagisa thought in pure shock. He had doubts on his Future Vision, but now that she was here, it was turning more plausible. Nagisa suddenly found himself laying on the table by the time Aladdin figured it out. "Oh. Oh! Isn't that the Seitenshi lady from Japan?" "Yes. Yes she is. But why's she here? Japan is half way around the world, she has no reason to come all the way over here!" Nagisa said, freaked out about the situation. And to make matters worse, it seemed that Seitenshi was starting to walk near their way. Either from Nagisa laying on the table, or all the food Aladdin had, something would catch Seitenshi's attention during her walk by. No way in heaven or hell would Nagisa have his identity be exposed to the president of Japan! "Hello, mam. A nice party, is it?" Aladdin suddenly said, Nagisa shuttering. "Don't call her over!" Nagisa pleaded. But it was too late: Seitenshi was heading their way, and Nagisa couldn't do a thing to stop them. Still, Nagisa had Aladdin by the arm (Seitenshi's safety more than most from this pervert), and Seitenshi was soon right at their table. "Suppose it is. You have ... a lot of food there," Seitenshi noted, Aladdin more than happy to offer a slice to her. "Sure do. Want some?" "No thank you," Seitenshi simply replied. Aladdin didn't mind it too much, and just took a bite himself. Nagisa tried to keep quiet, and let Aladdin do the talking. However, the president was already looking over to him, Nagisa trying as much as he can just to keep it together. "Is everything alright?" Seitenshi questioned. Nagisa didn't answer. If he said even one word, his own voice would put a lot of suspicions at Seitenshi. However, the longer the silence went, the worse the situation would be. Aladdin quickly saw what was going on, and he remembered what disguise gimmick a they were supposed to be. "S-She's just shy, mam. N-Not much of a talker," Aladdin said, trying to help Nagisa out. Nagisa played along and just kept his mouth shut in front of her. "I see. Alright then," Seitenshi said. Seemed that was all it took, and she went off on her way from there. Nagisa stayed quiet until he was for sure that Seitenshi was far enough away. "Thanks, Aladdin," Nagisa said, breathing a sigh of relief. "No problem," Aladdin replied. Even if Seitenshi didn't suspect him or Aladdin, Nagisa was sure that this was a step closer to that vision coming to life on him. It was all the matter of when at this point. Seitenshi didn't go too far away from them before she stopped for a second, turning back to them both. Even if she walked off, she was sure that she heard Nagisa's voice from that girl. Being in such a crowd though she really couldn't be too sure about that. ... "Seitenshi. You made it after all," said another voice. Seitenshi turned herself away from the other two, and found Victoria walking up to her. "Ah, Victoria. I was wondering where you were. How's your grandmother?" "She's still alive. Good enough really," Victoria replied with a smile on her face. Not a typical response, but an honest one anyway. Victoria looked behind Seitenshi, just to see Aladdin and Nagisa at their table. Seitenshi followed her eyes back to them, Victoria taking interest. "Interesting people," Victoria simply stated. "Do you know them?" Seitenshi asked. "No. But I have a feeling we're going to." ~~ Time ticked on slowly, and still no one seemed to even notice much of anything. It was starting to get more and more bothersome on some of them (Ciel and Nagisa especially for obvious reasons). During the night, the group managed to meet up with eachother by the same table, as the musicians for the evening were starting to tune up. Some of the guests (couples especially) were already preparing for this part. It wasn't exactly a Royal Ball without at least one moment to dance, it just wasn't. With this cool time with eachother, it gave them time to fill in on what's going on. "So, none of you found anything even remotely demonic here?" Nagisa asked. "Nope. I gave one cupcake to every single peep here, and that proves they're all humans. I mean, who but the meanie devil would avoid such perfect gifts in a little frosted package?" Pinkie said, showing an empty plate in her hands, nothing but crumbs left on the surface. For a random guest giving out treats, that's pretty good. "Any demon can accept your treats, Pinkie - OH, I mean 'Diana'," Aladdin said, referring to Pinkie by her cover name. Pinkie quickly thought about it. "Eh, yep, you're right." "That aside, it's been oddly quiet considering somebody said demons were to show up. Note that I don't want them to be in here ... but they better be in here," Ciel warned. "You're just pissed for being the Florahorn twin for the evening," Karma joked, making Ciel and Nagisa shiver. Nagisa may seem fine with it all, but Ciel was already figured out by Victoria of all people. Well, Karma wasn't wrong about it. After a little bit, the music started to pick up from the players nearby, and it only took a minute or two before couples were starting to dance the night away. The music was lovely, slow-paced, and perfectly fitting for a romantic slow dance with the gentlemen and the ladies. Pinkie Pie, despite not having a partner, just couldn't resist and soon disappeared out on the dance floor. Karma and Blair took hands, and they too decided to just go off out. Now it was just 'the kids' sitting there. Aladdin just watched in curiosity at the slow dancers, but both Nagisa and Ciel just sat side by side, embarrassed as ever. "I can't believe I even agreed to this," groaned Ciel. "How do you think I feel? I get embarrassed enough at school dances," agreed Nagisa. Aladdin kept watching the dancers around, but suddenly it seemed the three had company coming their way. Turned out, it was the same man that tried to flirt with Ciel before, coming back for round two. This time, it was for both of them. "Ah, there you are my moon blossom.~ would you care for a evening dance?" the man cooed. Just the sight of this creep made Ciel's skin crawl. Like he really needed to run into this guy again. Ciel's face turned red, and he turned away. "No thanks," Ciel said, trying to sound feminine like before. "Well then how about you madam? Let's dance through the night, you and I.~" the man cooed, this time turning his attention towards Nagisa. That just made it clear that this pimp of a man was just trying his luck with whoever. Aladdin observed this stud constantly trying his luck with either girl, but he looked around his body for a moment or two before he made his decision. The man had quite the outfit on, but apart of the getup seemed off at the hip. The pants just barely showed some skin, but Aladdin was starting to see something within. Something red, and too prominent to be just skin. ... "I'll take you on that offer sir!" Aladdin suddenly said, rushing right in between the man and his two friends. They weren't going to dance with this stud, not if he had anything to do with it! All three of them were taken by surprise. "You? Oh I'm charmed, good sir but -" "Correction. I'm not 'sir'. I am ..." In a sort of revelation, Aladdin took off his hat, and his fingers quickly undid his ponytail as it unraveled. Aladdin even slid his fingers through his blue hair for some extra charm effect, as it fully unraveled behind him. The display and charm overwhelmed the man, and Nagisa and Ciel didn't have any clue what to really say. Though, Nagisa was a bit more surprised about it than Ciel was. Once Aladdin's long blue hair settled, the young Magi looked to the man, now with a cuter expression and smile to his face. "My word. An angel in disguise,~" the man gasped. Aladdin took the man's hand from here. "Shall we dance now?" Aladdin asked, acting all cute and smiling. It was a look and offer this man couldn't refuse, and soon the man was guiding Ciel out to the dance floor. Aladdin looked back to Nagisa and Ciel and gave them both a wink, and a thumbs up. As out of nowhere that may be, the two cross dressers were glad they didn't have to go out with that kind of man to dance. It didn't take too much time before Aladdin was slow-dancing with this man for the sake of Ciel and Nagisa. Aladdin didn't have any single clue how to slow-dance like this, but the Magi seemed to be doing a pretty good job in going with the motions. The man had Aladdin by the hand, and one gently wrapped around him, as the two gently swayed and turned with the musical strings of the orchestra. Aladdin couldn't see the others too well, though he did catch the other couples doing similar dancing. Two steps forward, one step back, keeping his eyes on him during the whole charade. Aladdin kept trying to keep an eye out during the dancing, and he kept seeing that small part on the man's skin time and again. Nagisa and Ciel both continued watching Aladdin and his dance from farther away, but Nagisa began to look a bit closer and seeing that Aladdin's eyes were a bit more focused on something else rather than the man's face. "My dear, your hair flows with such perfection. Your beauty overwhelms me," the man cooed, as they danced along. "Same to you, sir," Aladdin replied. Aladdin suddenly began to feel the man advance on him, pulling him closer. While the advance made things uncomfortable, Aladdin got a closer, more clearer look at that one part. Now, he was seeing that this red area was more detailed up close, patterns of a dragon's head lining the hip just enough for Aladdin to see. "I knew it. And I bet he wants us alone too ..." Aladdin thought, thinking as if he was the enemy for a moment. To get a target from a group, you're going to have to isolate them. So, Aladdin continued to dance with the man some more, but as they were, Aladdin suddenly felt someone touch his back. Turning around, both he and the man saw another women standing right there, and one that Aladdin vaguely recognized. "And what are you doing, dear?" She asked. "Just enjoying the night, sweetheart," the man replied, not as flirty as before though. The women looked to Aladdin, but then smiled. "That lady ... she must be ..." "You know. I did hear that the queen was getting curious about you." "Say no more!" Aladdin suddenly said. He knew what was coming, and this Magi wasn't going to waste any time with it. "Excuse me?" "Sure, I'd like to see the queen. ... You know where she is?" Both smile down to Aladdin. "Right this way," the women said, beginning to guide him along. When they both weren't looking, Aladdin just got the sight of Nagisa and Ciel sitting over farther away. Aladdin only had a short moment to give some sort of signal to the two, and the only one he got was a wave. Not very much, but it was just enough to catch Nagisa's eye, as he watched Aladdin being escorted away. Nagisa tapped Ciel on the shoulder, and he too saw what was going on. Time to get together. ~~ Going away from the main room, and main event of the palace, Aladdin followed the other two guests off through the different parts of this place. Since most of the guests (and by extension the royal family of the palace) were at the Royal Ball at the moment, much of the rest of the palace was close to silent, and rather dark at that with many lights off. The main source of light came from the various lit candles, and the light from outside in the city, but interior wise the hallways were pretty much like the dark halls at Phantomhive manor at night. Aladdin kept his pace to the middle of the line, with the lady behind, and the man in front, supposedly guiding him to meet the queen. Still, with just how many twists and turns they were making in the hallways of the palace, it was safe to say that the guests were leading him astray. The walking around finally came to an end when he and the guests stopped over near the edge of the palace, just stopping a hall away from the back exit. Pretty far away to meet the queen of all people. "Is ... this where the queen is?" Aladdin questioned, looking around the area from here. The other figures stood behind him, and quietly looked around to be sure they were alone this far into the palace. "Not at all." Aladdin's reaction was almost instinctive: turning himself around on the raspy voice, Aladdin focused just enough to activate his orb shield. And not a moment too soon, as he found a lunging Envy Homunculus now tackling his protection! Envy bounced off the shield, but quickly got onto his feet for the landing. Rather than getting upset, or pissed, Envy was chuckling maniacally at Aladdin, as Lust removed some of her disguise. "I can't believe how much of an idiot you are! Anyone tell you not to follow strangers?" Envy mocked, Aladdin keeping his shield up. "I'm the idiot? Who revealed who? The others will tear you up when they find me here!" "So the others are here after all," Lust said. Well, Aladdin screwed up. Seemed that Envy and Lust didn't know they were even there after all. While that did prove that the disguises did work, what's the point now? All Aladdin could do was get his hand over his big mouth, as Lust turned to Envy. "Do you want to deal with them, or shall I?" Lust offered. Envy smirked. "Keep the brat still for me," Envy said, before running off. Aladdin readied to run, but Lust's claws shot out her hand, and blocked his way. Any attempt to run after him, and it'll trigger Lust like a bear trap. Lust smiled to her new prey item, the fem fatale Homunculus moving in closer to him. Aladdin had only his shield for protection here: no staff for combat, no turban to fly away, and Lust had every advantage on him. "Well. It's about time I come face to face with an angelic Magi. You even have that shield working." "I have plenty more where this came from, lady!" Aladdin warned. "Go ahead then. I wanna see you do it." Damn she's good. Aladdin just stood still and that was enough to get the point across, Lust leaning on Aladdin's shield, her breasts pressing against the surface. Aladdin was ... kinda lost for a moment there, and Lust couldn't help but smirk. "Even angels lack purity, I see. Enjoying the view, little Magi?~" Lust cooed, seeing her sin's namesake gripping Aladdin's mind. The magi snapped back to reality after she finished talking, and Aladdin tried to ignore that. "S-STOP IT. What're you going to do with me anyway?" Aladdin asked. "you'll see.~" ~~ Meanwhile, the rest of the group was off and going around within the palace halls. Soon after Aladdin was gone, Nagisa, Karma, Blair, Pinkie, and Ciel were all on it and on foot to catch up. They may not have exact weapons on them at the moment, but a full group can make all the difference over just one alone. They were still in disguise as well, going through the halls. "Damn this place is like a maze. Ciel, you know where to go?" Karma asked. "Nevermind that, why're you even going through with this? None of the public is supposed to be back here!" Ciel retorted. "Well you gotta break some rules sometimes. Besides, everyone's too busy at the ball to give a crap anyway," Karma pointed out. While they may be busy at the Royal Ball, that still didn't mean they should be running around the palace like this. The hard part now was trying to figure out where the hell Aladdin was at. He could be anywhere in the palace, and with the size of the place it could be all night. "Did you catch sight of who else went with him?" Pinkie asked. "Not too well, but two did escort him away back here," Ciel said, him seeing the two with Aladdin the same time as Nagisa earlier on. Hard to forget such a weird flirt out at the Royal Ball, especially with him flirting with Ciel. "Anyway, let's try to handle this fast before we -" "Get caught?" So much for not getting caught. Nagisa couldn't help but jump at the voice, spinning around fast to see that they weren't alone in this little hunt. To make matters a bit more surprising, the one who did end up finding them was the resident of the palace, Victoria! Accompanying her was Seitenshi, who was a bit humbled by seeing the group there (and Nagisa freaking out even more). "Hello, Phantomhive," said Victoria. "Uh, V-Victoria?" Ciel said. "Hi Victoria! Neat night isn't it?" Pinkie beamed, taking it in stride more than anything, even if childish about it. "Who's that?" asked Ciel, humbly this time. Victoria turned to Seitenshi, stepping aside. "Seitenshi, the president of Japan," Victoria introduced. "Um ... My pleasure," Seitenshi said. "N-Nice to meet you. Now, if you excuse me -" either to add insult to injury or for a laugh, as Nagisa tried to pass, Victoria slipped her hand to his ponytails, and untied them both with a delicate finger. Nagisa's hair flowed down, and suddenly he was looking right to Seitenshi again. Did his first ever meeting with Seitenshi HAVE to be this way?! "Hey, we don't have time for this little introduction, so you two just head back to your party and we'll handle things here," Karma instructed. He knew who he was talking to, but with the situation, it wasn't the time for it. Ciel and Nagisa were shocked he would say that so bluntly. "This is my home, you understand." "AND this is our business. Come on, niece," Karma said, grabbing Nagisa and taking off on their way. Pinkie and Blair were ready to go, but Ciel was more troubled about what Karma did. "What business? If it's something involving me, you have to tell me," Victoria insisted calmly. "Allow me to say this as a retort," Karma said. Instead of saying, he grabbed Ciel, and they all went off away from Seitenshi and Victoria. Ciel couldn't believe he was running away from Victoria like this, and both leading ladies were left a little dumbfounded. Still, it only peaked their curiosity on the situation these people were doing in Victoria's home. "Karma, are you mad?! You can't run off on them like this," Ciel snapped as they ran. "Really? Cuz we're doing it," Karma replied. Seriously, they didn't have any time to even talk to them. They needed to find those Homunculus AND Aladdin before things get worse. ....... The group went off down the next hallway from here, leading off to another corner, and off past another arch amongst the. It was really just a matter of luck by this point, but none of them were going to risk splitting up in this maze of a house, especially with Aladdin missing somewhere and presumably by the Homunculus. They've been trying their best, but they just couldn't find much of anything in this place. "Come on, how big is this damn place?" Blair wondered. "Just keep looking, he's got to be here somewhere," Nagisa said, as they continue to go around. *MMMM! MMMmmm!!* Finally they got it. The group just managed to hear some sort of muffled voice farther away. It was just when they pass an opening archway when they found their answer. The opening lead to an opened balcony, looking out to parts of London. It wasn't right out front, but it still showed plenty of the place either way. Lined with a stone fence, it looked rather authentic. It wasn't the balcony itself though that got their attention, but moreover who was on it. There, laying on the floor in a heap, was Aladdin! He was still in disguise, but now he was bounded and gagged up, and appearing to be beaten up in a way, bruises on him from some sort of struggle. "Aladdin!" Pinkie gasped, immediately heading over to him. Nagisa and Blair joined, but Karma and Ciel kept their distance, checking the surrounding area. This clearly looked like a set up, but when they looked around, nothing was around except for Aladdin. "Damn, dude. Here, we'll get you cleaned up," Blair said, as she started to untie him and remove the gag. With the combined effort from them, it didn't take long for Aladdin to get his gags and ropes removed, but Aladdin didn't move much, or even speak for that matter. It did look like he was beaten up pretty badly, as a few groaned escaped him. "Aladdin? Aladdin, you okay?" Aladdin stayed quiet at first, getting up to his hands and knees slowly, as the others waited for some sort of response from him, anything to say that he was alright. ... "... Got you." Then it happened: one quick motion was all it seemingly took for their supposed friend to make his move on them, and not the move they remotely expected. The motion brought out a bladed arm from Aladdin, jabbing it right through Blair's stomach! It was no simple knife either, but an extension of his arm sharpened into a spike, and now stained with Blair's blood as it shot out of her body, and onto the floor. Nagisa and Pinkie stumbled back in sheer horror, Blair hanging limp off of the spike. 'Aladdin' got up, raised Blair's dead body, and threw it off the balcony like trash! "A-ALADDIN! W-What the hell?!" Nagisa stuttered, the young Magi smiled in such a sinister way to the rest of them, giggling and soon laughing, as he raised the sharpened extension of his arm for another round. They all may be shocked, but Karma got himself snapped out of it first. And just in time. The second Karma got himself together was the moment Aladdin charged him, his blade narrowly missing him. This was the side of Aladdin none of them could even guess about. Karma landed not too far away from Aladdin, the bloodthirsty Magi turning back to him. "I can't believe you fell for that so easily! What dumbasses!" Aladdin mocked, laughing at them. "So this is the real you?" Ciel asked. "You bet it is. You humans are so easy to lull I swear. All it takes is some cute faces and some fancy innocent words to get you trusting me to no end. You know that kind of trust can get you killed," Aladdin said, rather cocky by the way, and referring to Blair. Who'd of guessed that this Magi would go and murder so easily, and with such enjoyment. His targets changed over to Nagisa and Pinkie, and he went right over to them like a assassin on a mission. Nagisa got out of the way in time, but Pinkie ended up stumbling a little, and got a severe cut into her shoulder! The girl screamed in pain as Aladdin slammed Nagisa to the ground, blood gushing out of Pinkie's wound and onto the floor. Karma rushed over, but suddenly Nagisa had the blade up to his neck, inches from getting decapitated! "Aladdin. W-What happened to you? T-This can't be the real you," Pinkie wept. "You don't know me at all you pisshead. Time to go bye-bye," Aladdin cleared, starting to bend Nagisa at the back. For a Magi, he was very strong, and it didn't take long until Pinkie Pie saw the pain shooting through him. Karma grabbed Aladdin, and yanked him off Nagisa fast before he could snap Nagisa in two. Aladdin's arm altered from a blade into a whip, and whacked Karma right in the face, making him let go. The whip stings, but Karma didn't lose anything important from it except for a flawless face. Aladdin swung the whip around like mad at Ciel, Karma, and Nagisa, Pinkie staring on in horror for a while. ... "How's it feel? Tell me which feels worse: this -" Aladdin whips Ciel in the chest. "- or this?" And again, hitting Karma in the leg, knocking him over. Aladdin seemed to really enjoy himself, torturing his friends like this with his whipping madness. "Homunculusssss.~" "Huh? What Homun -" The second Aladdin saw Pinkie, everyone went quiet. This gal was pushed just a little too far. Her eyes were shadowed, and her gaze ominous like an actual demon. The girl stormed right up to Aladdin, and grabbed his whip arm, held Aladdin in place, and with all the strength she had, tore the arm clean off! Blood shot out from the arm, but then they all saw what Pinkie saw here. And the red lightning and arm regeneration proved it. "That's not him," Nagisa thought. Pinkie grabbed this fake by the neck, threw him around, and he found himself underneath Pinkie Pie and her foot, both his arms held back, and her foot pushing down on his spine! "WHERE'S ALADDIN, HOME-WRECKER?" Pinkie hissed. This fake didn't answer right away, and in his position, he couldn't get himself up so easily. Karma got Nagisa up from his injury, the blue kid lucky his back didn't snap or anything. Ciel, a red mark still on his cheek, went over to the fake at this point, staring down the killer kid. "Get off me!" he yelled. "You took the life of one of their friends, and whipped every one of us already. And you expect us to let you go?" Ciel said firmly. It may not be Sebastian, but it was someone on his side just as well for the job. "Oh, I think you'd want to.~" Time for another opponent to step up to the plate. They all turned around to the entrance of the palace, and sure enough someone else had come around to join in this brawl game. Their newest opponent: Lust. And in her hand, Lust had the reason for them all to just stop what they were doing. Hanging there by her hand like a guilty dog, it was the real Aladdin. He was tied up and gagged much like the fake was, except that he didn't look as beat up, and powerless. This brief moment of realization gave the fake enough time to yank his arms free, and with a power thrust, launched Pinkie off of him. "Aladdin! For real this time!" Pinkie said, pointing to him. "Put the child down," Karma demanded. "Just a minute. Envy, mind bringing in the rest of the catch?" Lust instructed. Envy, turning himself back after the official name reveal, only took another look inside the hall to figure out what she meant, and Envy was right on it. Soon, there was Envy with the other catch. Seitenshi and Victoria tied up! "God damnit! They brought them here too?! Oh god, how are we going to get out of this with our skins in tact?" Nagisa thought. Ciel was worried too on seeing the princess of England in Envy's grip. Envy lifted and moved both ladies with fair ease, tossing them both right over to them. With their disguises torn up, their identities weren't so concealed to the two leading minds at all. "What's the meaning of this?" Victoria demanded. "You may be a bit new to this whole thing, but, maybe you should know better than to show up inside their business unannounced. You oughta get torn up," Envy said, a foot on her head. "Get us out of here this minute, or -" Seitenshi was cut off when Lust stared her down with killer eyes. "Or what? Let's say your personal guards are on break," Lust said, extending her long claws to prove her point. It explains where she was the whole night, anyway, but it just made Seitenshi upset. "You two had been busy, haven't you?" Victoria groaned, still feeling Envy's foot on her back. Lust started to step in while bringing Aladdin, but suddenly Nagisa stood in the way. His nerves were a bit shaky still, but he wasn't going to let the president of Japan die in front of him. "Not a step closer," Nagisa said, though Lust could tell that Nagisa was still a bit nervous, not to mention powerless. Lust didn't need to step closer, as she tossed Aladdin their way, and her claws struck Nagisa. It was more of a mock hit than an actual one, and one that tore Nagisa's dress off completely, leaving nothing but threads in ribbons on the ground. A surprisingly accurate strike, only leaving a few hairs cut off and nothing else on his actual body. Nagisa stood completely still, but he didn't move away at any point. "So you'd rather die than run, huh? You humans, you throw away your lives for nothing huh? Just like back in Japan," commented Envy. "Be careful, Homunculus. You've been off lucky twice now, and you know what they say about three strikes," Karma warned. Normally Envy would get upset for his number of fails, but this time he just started walking back, away from the others alongside Lust until both Homunculus were inside the palace, everyone else out on the balcony. What they said next shook them. "... Envy?" "I thought you'd never ask." Before any of them could do anything, Envy turned around, raised his leg, and slammed his foot down with all his force. Not only did that stomp made the floor crack a bit, but this also split the entire balcony right off the building! Just enough power in Envy's focused strength to pull that off if Lust didn't weaken it before they showed up, something obvious when she showed her claws again and winking at them. Too little too late. Envy and Lust watched as they all fell down, little time to even scream as they all suddenly plummeted. They had pretty much nothing to help, and nothing to stop their plummet, with the entire balcony crumbling and breaking up once it smashed into the earth in a loud crash. Lust and Envy both watched with immense satisfaction as they heard the sudden cut off of the screaming as the entire balcony turned into nothing but a dust cloud of smashed concrete and stone. Envy felt far more satisfied than Lust, seeing his adversaries all die in the fall. Both Homunculus even heard the sound of squashed flesh, and splattered blood. Envy cherished the screams and gore they both laid witness to, and the Homunculus giggled. "OH, you were right, Lust. bunch of dumb shits," Envy giggled, a devilish grin stretching across his face. "Indeed. Let's be on our way before the guards catch up with us," Lust suggested. And with that, both Envy and Lust were off on their way, and disappeared into the night. A job well done as far as they knew. ....... And they didn't know far enough. When the dust cloud did clear, it showed the devastation of what they just did. An entire balcony of the queen's palace, now left with nothing but silver stone, and the cracked concrete underneath. Rubble laid everywhere, and smashed up floor, border fencing, and brick laid in heaps around a area about twenty feet around, or fifty if you include the smaller pieces. Red stained the ground around, underneath the rubble specifically, but this sort didn't truly match up blood. In fact, this splatter turned out to be no more than red juice from a lot of well-placed Razz berries, tomatoes, and other sorts of red fruits. As for where they've gone? ... "*cough**cough* What just happened?" groaned Nagisa, poking his head out of where fell. Rather than the ground itself, bizarrely, they all somehow ended up not only alive, but safely inside a strangely conveniently placed hay wagon. Not only was the hay wagon a bit low tech by today's standards, but WAY too far away from any typical area for it to just casually be sitting there. Others of the group pulled themselves out of the hay, straw covering their clothes, but otherwise unscathed from the fall, although still hurting from their other injuries. "We were set up, that's what happened," Ciel said, dazed but fine, as he pulled himself out of the hay wagon. Everyone else managed tog et themselves out, and Pinkie Pie had another surprise: helping Victoria and Seitenshi both out of the wagon, and out of the ropes and bindings. Looked like they were alright as well. Aladdin was helped out too by Nagisa and Karma, some taking a moment to see just how much damage was actually done. Not a single soul was harmed in the freak accident, thank god. "How unfortunate," Victoria said upon seeing it. "K, everyone alright? President, you -" Karma was cut off when Seitenshi raised her finger. She would normally be calm in these situation, and at first glance it would seem that, but she was still trying to contemplate what the hell just happened. Homunculus, kill attempts, magic, this was all a bit much to take in especially with her falling from a balcony and nearly dying altogether! "Before we can even go another minute, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? You know what's going on, and you WILL tell me," Seitenshi firmly stated. She wasn't going to go any further until she was told that at least, and considering what just happened, they owe her that much. "In a bit. One thing though: how'd we end up in a hay wagon? It's too far away for us to just fall in," Pinkie wondered. "We were nearly killed and THAT'S what she wonders about?" Seitenshi thought, not believing her ears. All the same though, how they even ended up in a hay wagon was just a little too convenient for them to really push aside. "A fine question, young miss. And as a creature with speed beating your finest jet planes, I can tell you." Whelp, there's their answer. Looking to the front of the wagon, their answer came in the form of Korosensei! The Demon King had both his arm tentacles wrapped around the wagon's hitches, like they were tied rope. As to his nature, Korosensei's outfit changed into that of what looked like an English cabbie: similar brown outfit with a England wool hat included on top of his head. They were slightly used to him popping up at this point, but only slightly. "Yeah, that makes more sense. I owe you one. Again," Karma said, as the cheeky Demon King made his signature chuckle, his face turning striped green. "Was there any doubt? Nothing can slow down this Demon King," Korosensei boasted, though really he was glad that he got there when he did, otherwise they'd all be nothing but splattered meat in clothing. "Did you do this?" Seitenshi finally asked. "Of course! Call it a little service from the fastest Demon this side of the Underworld. But, boasts aside, good thing you're all okay. That was a close shave, don't you think so?" "Not quite everyone. Unfortunately, Blair was killed before the balcony collapsed," Ciel said, though his tone wasn't filled with much sorrow over it. In fact, it was less emotional, and more like a business report than much else. Korosensei took a look over at the wreck, and suddenly he was checking the area with lightning speed. In just under five seconds, the rubble and rocks were all neatly stacked up in a sort of pyramid shape not too far off from the initial location, but nothing was left except from the splattered red juice. "Nope, that's just my berry juice decoys. Pretty groovy, eh?" "But Blair's -" "Nyaa! Hey guys, what's up?" "BLAIR?!" And just like that, Blair suddenly popped her head out of the hay wagon, same way the others did. She shook off some of the hay from her head, but her appearance alone made them all freak out. Blair didn't sound hurt, or even sore, but good as good can be. Too much of a surprise for the others to just take in. They ALL saw her get skewered and tossed off the balcony, and here she was good as new. "W-Wha?! B-B-But Blair, y-you died up there! ... Didn't you?" Aladdin asked, shaken up. "Nine lives, babe," Blair simply said. ... "She did not just say that," Nagisa thought. There will be time to explain later, they were sure. (she'd better, anyway). Then the attention went back to the damage done, Seitenshi and Victoria looking over the damage as the other consorted. This attack by a duo of magical, demonic creatures was something neither of them could ignore, especially when they both were used basically as extras to get killed. ... They need to be ready. S02Ep9: To Be a Phantomhive ~ファントムハイヴになるために~"YOU DOLLS!" Secluded outside of London, things weren't going so well for Lust and Envy, both sides dealing with the rough beating of Hellgar the second he found them. Since they were Homunculus, the cuts, scorches and tears were easily healed up fast, but that didn't mean Hellgar was pulling back any punches in his anger. Good thing they were farther away from the city too, as the slaughtering punishment echoed all over the forest. During the rampage, Hellgar managed to grab Envy, and threw him right at one of the trees, tearing his arm off in the process. Blood splattered the ground and bark, Envy regrowing his arm afterwards. Lust wasn't doing much better, already having her legs torn off of her and waiting to regrow them as well. Again, Hellgar wasn't holding himself back here. "What does it take to keep you bastards in line?!" Hellgar roared. "H-Hey, it wasn't my idea!" Envy pleaded. "I DON'T CARE WHO IT IS! You're recruiting, I'm killing, GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!" Hellgar roared, advancing on Envy again, and sinking his teeth into his throat. He'd gone through this nine times now, and each time was excruciating, this one included. Hellgar tore his neck clean open, grabbed him by the leg, and threw him directly at Lust, toppling them both over. "HEY, we did more than you ever could," Lust said, a bit annoyed at this point. "I didn't reveal myself to the queen of London OR the president of Tokyo either, now did I?" Hellgar growled. Well, he got them there, but they still felt that they did a lot more than Hellgar did. "Sure, but we got a new recruit AND we killed all those annoying humans for the lord, what have you been doing?" Envy brought up. Looked like someone wasn't on the level with events since the Royal Ball. That just only made Hellgar even more upset with them. "They're not dead, dumbass; I just met with them last night. I don't finish jobs half-assed, Homunculus!" "Now that's enough of that." All that anger and stress subsided for just a brief moment on this other, eerily familiar voice, both Homunculus and Houndoom Hellhound trying to find the source of the voice. And honestly it didn't take long before they found their figure, who walked out of the midday shadows with a beautiful rose delicately held in his hand. The very look of him was enough to tell them who this was straight away. "Lord Sombra! What're you doing here?" Hellgar asked. Sombra walked over to Lust and Envy and actually took a moment to get them to their feet, much to Hellgar's annoyance. "Punishments, naturally. I heard what you said, and yes. Indeed, they are still alive and well. A bit frazzled, perhaps, but that's about it," Sombra confirmed. Lust felt quieter about it, but Envy was just ticked off. He was for SURE that they got them there already, but apparently it didn't work either according to them. "BULLSHIT! They toppled down from a building -" "AND were rescued by Korosensei in a hay wagon. Envy, I don't care how deeply you want to get even with those humans, but keep your mind on your work." Envy's hand slapped his forehead on the news. And he thought he was done with that demon octopus. Sombra was more disappointed than angry in his expression, though the demon lord was quick to notice Hellgar's snickering close by. Sombra was quick to turn over to him too. "Hellgar, don't act like you're off. They're right: You've barely did a thing since I let you come up here. What have you been doing these past weeks?" Sombra questioned, staring daggers at the hellhound. Hellgar though wasn't so easily intimidated as Envy was, considering the circumstances. "Following your orders. You put me up here in order to handle the humans, to separate that Yugure from them, and I did." "Did you really?" Sombra simply asked. Hellgar was going to answer, but then realized what Sombra meant by 'handling' them. Sombra shook his head. "Hound, Homunculus, look. I didn't put you all up here just to screw around with these humans. My tasks I give you, as vague and mundane as some are, are more vital than you think. I put you Homunculus up here to recruit more potential suitors, and I put you, Hellhound, to break down those blessed human group and that Phantomhive character. I gave you nearly a month to do both, and contrary to your belief Hellgar, the Homunculus actually got more done than you did, I'm sorry to say." "Now wait a minute! My involvement didn't expose us to the rulers of London and Tokyo! Now those two bastards are working on a protection agreement because some dolls got too cocky," Hellgar revealed. Sombra took this into some more attention. "Excuse me?" "That's right! They both found the Homunculus out, and now they're working to block off more advances for us demons. And guess who's fault THAT is?" Hellgar finished, glancing back to the Homunculus. Both Homunculus were about to say their complaints, but Sombra was quick to get in the way before they even could say much of anything. "It's not just the matter of them seeing us, it's the matter on how much they know about us. One encounter to the royals doesn't pick up too much." "You're ... You're not defending those dolls are you? You're here to punish them, right?" "Your multiple massacres were more than enough Hellgar," Sombra made clear, bringing his attention to all the blood splattered everywhere from his little rampage. Envy and Lust couldn't help but agree with Sombra, though mainly because they didn't want to keep getting killed. Sombra gently placed his red rose over on Lust's bosom, slipping it between her cleavage. "Now that we're caught up, I want you all to keep to your work and not to stray on it. But since it's apparently too difficult for Homunculus to keep to one task, I'll have you under Hellgar's command. Hellgar, I believe we're at that point now. ... You know what to do. And don't waste time on it." With that, Sombra turned, and disappeared behind the shadows of the forest. Hellgar, who was fuming up a minute ago, now steamed in anticipation. The hellhound turned to Envy and Lust, a evil smile on his face. ....... "Good morning, young lord." The voice was enough to get Ciel up for his usual routine, though it wasn't the typical person this time. No, rather than Sebastian, it was instead Tanaka waking him up, putting the curtains to the side as Sebastian would do, and going along the typical schedule and routines. Tanaka got Ciel dressed up: slipping on his shirt, buttoning his overcoat, slipping on his socks, the usual works. Though Tanaka was a bit slower than Sebastian, but just as well maintained. Ciel would grip about the speed, but Tanaka did this better than the others, so, Ciel simply stayed quiet. It took five minutes more than normal, but eventually Ciel was ready to go. The fact that it was Tanaka doing this just reminded him of his current situation. "Our schedule today, Tanaka?" Ciel simply asked, adjusting a few little tid bits on his person while looking in his mirror. "The queen has requested your visit in regards to the Protection Agreement, actually. Here's the message dropped off this morning," Tanaka explained, pulling out a letter from his own coat, and giving it to Ciel. The young earl opened it up fairly quickly, and read over the basic instructions of it. Seemed straightforward, though other little instructions were also listed. Turned out, the other group he was involved with was also wanted. "Alright. ... Tanaka?" "Yes, my lord?" "Any information about the disappearances?" Ciel asked. Tanaka took a moment to think before he answered him. "Not currently," Tanaka simply replied. Ciel just sighed and began to walk over out of the door. Ciel started to move through the halls of the manor, all alone and without anyone by his side. Usual walks through the manor were accompanied by Sebastian, but with him disappeared, he had basically himself and his shadow for any company in his walk. As he was going along towards the front door, his silent walk was seen by one of the workers. "Morning master. Where're you running off to?" asked Bardroy, hearing Ciel at the front door. Ciel opened the door, but eventually a thought struck him. "The queen requested my presence at her palace." "Oh, is that so?" "Yes. Bardroy, inform Mey-Rin and Grell that you're on guard duty. Make sure the manor is secure until I return," Ciel instructed. Bardroy shrugged it off, but nodded anyway. "Oh, sure. leave it to us," Bardroy promised. "You better be prepared," Ciel thought. But he didn't have any other options to pick from in the manor, so what else could he pick? Besides, with Sebastian away, they needed all the help they could get. ~~ Over at the queen's home, things had really been up and running when it came to the protection agreement. Many of London's high guards and soldiers were on high alert and high in loyalty to the queen in command. It seemed like an odd place to put a run around of military, being right at the queen's doorstep, but the queen would observe the soldiers and guards to figure out who'd go and who wouldn't. That, and some extra guards around the queen's home would be more than beneficial for the situation they were in. After all, any Homunculus making a second appearance meant that guards needed to be more numerous. Amongst the guards coming around, they were mainly observed by the queen with Victoria at her side, both women watching and seeing who was and who wasn't up for the task. As for Seitenshi, she had already sent a few of her military staff not too long after returning home, and the queen could see the differences between one to the other, down to the uniforms they wore. "Grandmother, tell me again why we can't inform Amestris. Their soldiers are more ... local," Victoria said, as she observed the soldiers from Japan interacting with their own of the UK. "I already told you, it's best to not involve a country not effected by these happenings," the queen reminded. Victoria looked back to the military men of the UK greeting the transfers to London, and therefore to their regime. Well, they seemed to get along fairly enough, though Victoria still didn't seemed very eager about this choice, but she knew better than to defy her own grandmother here. As they both looked on, eventually they took note of a car starting to come in from their front road: a similar car from the Phantomhive estate. The queen had expected such to arrive, and started to head over to greet the guests to her home. The first one to step out of the car was Tanaka, who drove them here, and he went on to open up the door, letting Ciel step out to see the queen. "A pleasure for you to make it, Phantomhive. Are the others with you as requested?" The queen asked. Before Ciel could even say. ... "HIYA!" Pinkie suddenly beamed, hopping out of the car and greeting the queen up front in her usual giddy manor. "P-Pinkie, no, we talked about this, please," said another voice, trying to hold her back and calm her down. The queen was taken aback slightly, but she felt alright overall with the friendly, if not over-excited, behavior. The others came out in their formal England attire to meet up with said queen, as requested so by Ciel. "I-I'm sorry, you highness," Twilight stuttered, moving Pinkie back before she could cause any trouble. She would never guess that she would meet the queen personally, so when their group got the word, she was basically freaking out in trying to make a good impression. "No need to apologize," the queen simply said, Twilight trying to stay calm. Karma took a step over to the queen herself. "So, your highness, what's this about?" "We'll discuss matters inside," said the queen, starting to walk on inside. It didn't take too much time, but eventually the group followed the queen inside, and to the main throne room. With many guards going about the place it felt more like going around a security base. Who could really blame the queen for beefing up security though, especially after her granddaughter nearly got killed. Once they arrived in the throne room, the queen went right to her throne, Victoria moving over to her side as the rest of the group stood at the front, over in the middle of the room. "So queen, what's the deal?" Karma asked again. "Well, I'm sure Phantomhive informed you about the current protection agreement," the queen began. The whole group nodded as she continued. "Out of any of our current allies, it's your group who is more experienced with such matters, according to what Victoria had informed me about. So for the better benefit of the agreement, some more information would suffice," explained the queen. In short, she wanted more info about what's going on. For the group, the only one who got worried was Aladdin himself, who immediately perked up on the request. "I-I don't know." "I beg your pardon?" "But it's supposed to keep under secret wraps, I can't just go on it to anyone," Aladdin made clear, hesitant but getting the point across. Victoria took some keen interest in Aladdin as the queen spoke again. "I've already agreed to keep it only amongst the forces only. It won't reach the public anytime soon, I promise on that," the queen reassured. Aladdin wasn't too sure, but Blair slid right over next to him. "Dunno why you're still keeping that little rule. For keeping it secret, you've been doing a lousy job," teased Blair. "Hey, I'm trying here!" snapped Aladdin. However, after thinking about it, Aladdin did realize that keeping this stuff quiet wasn't going so well after all. There's these kids, 3-E class in Tokyo, the Phantomhive manor, and now the leading humans behind both Tokyo and England. And now this is supposed to spread amongst the entire military?! Eventually, Aladdin turned to the queen herself. "please try to not spread this around too much? I'm really trying here to keep this silent from any normal humans," Aladdin said, both hands together on pleading terms. Victoria and the queen exchanged glances to one another. They already made it clear before they started this discussion. "Assuredly, little angel." "Okay, good now -" Aladdin suddenly stopped himself, his eyes wide. The others heard Victoria loud and clear, as Victoria smiled to him. How did she know about him being a angel?! They had only met once in their entire visit, and not a single indication (in front of her anyway) that he was anything like an angel. It surprised the others, reactions varying from one to another as Victoria kept her eyes on Aladdin. "... Angel?" "Let's not lie to eachother. I don't think it would benefit us in the long run," Victoria cleared up. "How'd she know about that?" Whispered Twilight to Nagisa. "We'll ask her later," replied Nagisa quietly. As for Aladdin, he went on and cleared himself up before he began to speak. "Anyway. Exactly what did you want to know?" "What we're dealing with. With these demons. They seemed to involve you, you have to know something about them." "Oh that. ... Well, I guess the main problem here is called Homunculus. They're not exactly humans, per say ... though you probably realized that." "Homunculus. That what they were?" asked the queen. "Right. They're full of rather nasty tricks, especially Envy. He's one of those Homunculi, and his gimmick is that he can disguise himself as basically anyone he can think of," Karma said. "anyone?" questioned the queen. "Yep. Been doing a damn good job at it too." That sort of information got the queen a bit concern. If Envy really could disguise as anyone he sees, then who's to say he wasn't standing around with them right now? A expert disguising Homunculus in their ranks was a rather unsettling thought. The queen thought this over for a bit more before she spoke again. "In that case, I'll have my advisors check the new arrivals for any signs of mimicry. Is there any weaknesses that any of you know of?" This question was easier to answer, and they got planned for such as well. In this case, it was Nagisa's signature halo blade, and Nagisa himself presented the type of unique weaponry to the queen and Victoria. He wasn't too used to talking to people such as these, so he had to get himself together to explain things. "These work pretty good. We've been getting holy weapons over the months. Other things work but -" "Why're you looking away? Look us face to face, if you don't mind," Victoria suddenly instructed. Nagisa corrected himself, but he felt uneasy once his mind processed who he was talking to. This was the queen of England AND her granddaughter standing there. At the least, he wasn't alone. "Sorry. ... A-Anyway. Apparently holy weapons work best on them. Other things can work, but not as well as these. ... At least as far as I know," Nagisa said, getting it out as fast and as sensible as he could. He knows demons get hurt, or even killed by things non-holy, with the Jizo statue encounter replaying in his head (the defeat especially). The queen could see that Nagisa was worried on talking to them, so she didn't allow him to trouble himself any further. ... "If that's the case, then perhaps you and your friends should join our watch tonight." "W-WHAT?" Nagisa gasped. "We may have strong weaponry, but if what your saying is true, and given the fact you're the only ones possessing such weapons, a personal watch in my chambers would be appreciated," the queen explained. That made sense, but only two of them have that kind of weaponry in anyway, and some hardly fight to begin with. All the same, Twilight suddenly perked up courage. "You can count on us your highness," Twilight said. The only one going with the flow was Pinkie and Ciel. "YES INDEEDIE! Team Harmony is on the case!" Pinkie said, full of glee as ever. "Team Harmony?" Ciel questioned. "We need a team name, don't we? It's got a little ring to it, and we're saving the world, one meanie at a time!" "Much improved, thank you. Victoria will guide you on what you need to do," the queen decided. Victoria walked over to the others in question, standing over by Ciel and Blair. Not much really were up for it, but what could they do? At least now things were decided. "Well, here we go," Nagisa thought. ~~ Throughout the day, London had been under some renovations in their respected areas. For the queen's palace, the adaptation of new guards with the traditional ones were set on patrol around the London palace, set around throughout the day, and including areas around London just in case of any other dangers. The group had kept their guard around the queen and Victoria, and not much else. They've been given their instructions by Victoria and soon were on their own guard to keep any potential demons well away. A fairly simple job, but one they had to keep more focus on (as much as some didn't want to). Ciel too stuck with them in the guarding game, as he had predicted would happen the second he got that message. With Bardroy, Tanaka, Grell, and Mey-Rin keeping the Phantomhive Manor in proper care and protection while away, he had that covered to handle outside work. He just wished that Sebastian was around. They found Twilight Kagayaki, so it was only a matter of if they'll find Sebastian anytime soon. And hopefully very soon. The time during their guard duty was long, but it did eventually turn into near nightfall after a while. Daytime light replaced with lights from the palace, and a few guards were still on guard in the night, including the team. It wasn't exactly the same thing over back at the manor, with many of the inhabitants already asleep by this point. Constant protection wasn't as strong there, and the night watch wasn't something many of the inhabitants weren't used to. Tanaka, being a bit older than the others, had already turned in for the evening, and as such entrusted guard duty for the night to the youthful servants of the manor. With a clear nights, and not much going on for quite a good while, Bardroy, Grell and Mey-Rin were basically getting rather exhausted with it all. "Might as well just stay in bed at this rate. Least it's quiet," Bardroy thought as he went around on his patrol route. Unfortunately for him, that time of quiet was quickly taken away the second he turned a corner. All of a sudden, a yelp was heard, and added with a gunshot! the bullet zoomed by him and bounced off the wall. It wasn't near Bardroy enough to be considered dangerous, but he wasn't sleepy anymore. Turning down the next hall showed a rather fidgety Grell on the ground, gun raised but looking very spooked and trembling. At least for a bit until he realized that it was just Bardroy. "THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME TOO, YOU IDIOT?!" Bardroy snapped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It just gets so ... unsettling this time of night," Grell trembled, as he got up to his shaky feet. Bardroy paused and looked around in the dark halls of the manor. That, added with the typical décor of the place did prove Grell's point, and all Bardroy did was sigh. "Can't blame ya there. You seen Mey-Rin?" "I-I think she's on the roof. Why?" Grell asked, trying to calm down. "Just checking. Didn't hear a word out of her for an hour now. Anyway, you need to get your act together, you might end up shooting someone you'll regret," Bardroy made clear, namely referring to himself. "Then why do you have a flamethrower on your back?! You scared me half to death!" Grell asked, freaked out still. Yes, Bardroy had one, locked and loaded up for any intruders to roast. When it came to weapons, Bardroy's main choices extended beyond the typical gun or blade, flamethrowers just being one example, and just the sight of it made Grell unnerved, even more so when Bardroy aimed the tip of it right at him! "No intruder would get past me with this baby. One blast, and I'm sure the earl will be all smiles," Bardroy said, smile on his own face. No, that didn't help Grell's nerves out any better. As if patrolling the dark and empty manor wasn't trouble enough. "J-Just. Don't. Burn down the manor when you use that," Grell said meekly. ....... Meanwhile, as Grell and Bardroy handled their own patrols inside, off outside of the manor, things were starting to go into motion for two particular Homunculus. Envy and Lust both were given under new order by Hellgar, and in this case the orders involved away from the main group, and instead at the Phantomhive estate. After all, with the strongest foes having up and left, the manor was basically a sitting duck. Envy and Lust looked out from the forest close by, envy up on one of the trees as Lust stood aside the same tree, both Homunculi looking to the target. "So this is that brat's estate, huh? Damn Hellgar, how'd we get stuck with your job?" Envy thought. "The Phantomhive manor. So Envy, you remember what to do?" Lust asked, as she brought out her own claws. Envy smirked a sharp-toothed smile to his fellow Homunculus. "Do you even have to ask? Finally an actual job," Envy responded. While he'd rather go and take on the main group, this was good enough in his book. Once that was said, Envy hopped down the tree, down to Lust's level. Both took another look to the manor and began to move to the very edge of the forest. Any further out and they'll be exposed for sure, so Lust had to stay put for this one. Something she was more comfortable with over Envy. No way was Envy going to go and mess up again, not this time. "So, what's it this time? Ciel? Sebastian? One of those angel humans?" Lust asked, a bit interested. Since Envy could change into all sorts of things, it was really a guessing game to what Envy would change into next. Envy hid off through one of the larger bushes, and made his transformation from a Homunculus, into a much smaller mouse. "They'll be out here in no time at all. Just get ready with those claws," Envy said, his voice a bit higher pitched this time around, as he began to head off. Lust just shilled out by the tree as she watched Envy head straight for the manor. She trusted envy would get them out here, if anyone. Envy sped along the ground of the front yard, his small mouse body unseen into the nighttime dimness. Even if so much smaller, Envy made it straight to the manor in little to no time at all, not a single witness to see him as he did so. With the dark shadows of the manor itself, and time of night itself, envy made sneaking up to the manor as easy as it can be. The little mouse scurried around the walls for a way in, but the entire place looked simply locked down tight. Doors locked, windows shut, it seemed a bit difficult just for a way in. He climbed up to another window at ground level, and tried to get it open. But, alas, it stayed firmly shut. This happened again and again, about five times and Envy was getting nowhere here. Every door he tried was also locked up rather tight. Envy would just break in if this wasn't a stealth task, and he was supposed to lure them outside, not alarm them all on sight. "Where, where ... FINALLY." Envy took one look above him, and finally he was getting somewhere. a upper window was actually left open, though it was a few levels high. Not a problem for this Homunculus. All he did was transform from a little mouse, to a bat, and sure enough he fluttered straight up to it, and got himself right inside. At last, he was in. Now in the manor itself, Envy got himself transformed out of his bat form, and back to regular Homunculus. He was half way there with this task, now he had to go out and find them. He had all night, and now inside, he knew where they were in. Each hallway Envy moved himself in covered him in dark, ominous shadows, just enough to keep his body well hidden even in his normal form. Each step he made had a slight echo in these halls, just reminding Envy just how large and empty it really was at this time of night. The Homunculus was basically treating himself to a self-tour of the place during his walk about, as while looking for the inhabitants, Envy began to get the layout of the manor. Dim light, a huge building with dark shadows and many turns, all of these worked in Envy's favor. Lust was waiting outside, and Envy just had to get them to her to finish things off. The only main task: finding the targets ... which was easier said than done. Do note, that Envy had never been in the manor before now, so he was learning the place as he searched, so who knew where he'll end up? Well, at least this game him sometime to reflect on things as of late. Especially concerning his run of bad luck. ... "First with Korosensei. Then with Sebastian. GOD DAMNIT, what's going on? Something's up with those holy bastards, there's no way they would be able to escape me so easily. Next time we meet, I'm cutting off their damn heads!" Envy thought. The images of these moments zoomed through his mind, starting with his initial encounter with Karma and Korosensei the first time around (official anyway). Somehow, SOME WAY, that red head managed to get out of his target zone time and again, not to mention screw with his with condiments, a memory that still made him cringe in anger. It's one thing to beat him, but to humiliate him like that was crossing the line! Envy brought his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, when ... "AAH!" *bang* "AGAIN, GRELL?" There they are. Envy snuck off to the end of the hall, peeking just enough the corner to find Bardroy and Grell. It appeared that trigger-happy Grell gave a shot to one of the creepy pictures on the wall, though Grell at least wasn't on the ground this time. Though, same thing can't be said for Bardroy, who tumbled on the floor to avoid the bullet shot. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how to make up for this. ... WAIT, I -" "Don't even think about it," Bardroy said, swiping the gun away from the suicidal servant before he could blast off his own face. Bardroy didn't need a dead friend like this. "No, give that back. I have to -" "YOU HAVE TO NOTHING!" Bardroy snapped, silencing Grell. After calming down, Bardroy looked down to him. "Grell, we can't keep watch if you keep panicking at every single thing. Sebastian wouldn't want you to do that. This may have been his task before, but he's not here. So until he comes back, we're going to have to try a little harder, okay? Okay?" Bardroy said, trying to stay firm but not enough to drive Grell to tears again. Grell was quiet at first, but eventually all the words sunk in. Sebastian wasn't there, and he had to get himself together more properly. Because Sebastian wasn't going to take his shift anytime soon, far as they knew. "... Ok," Grell finally said, getting up to his feet. Bardroy had a point, and Grell had to man up for this job. Nearby, Envy was still, for whatever reason, watching them both go through that little bit of drama. It seemed that none of them knew where Sebastian was, so that was fairly good for the demon's side. "Time for a little deception," Envy thought, finally getting to work. ... "Grell! Bardroy!" Grell and Bardroy heard her loud and clear, and soon Mey-Rin raced right up to them. She looked freaked out, and her adrenalin up, clear from the look on her face. "Mey-Rin, what's up?" "Found intruders from the front, I did. They're closing in. I tried to get them, but they moved too fast even for me!" Mey-Rin said. Bardroy and Grell both got the message right away, immediately up to arms. Or at least, Bardroy was with his flamethrower. "Ok, Grell, let's work a little harder now," Bardroy said, getting a headstart to the front door. Grell, adrenalin up as well, raced off after Bardroy. Mey-Rin was left behind in their bolt off, but soon she was following them as best she could. Well, a bit out of nowhere, but it was time for action. Bardroy, much like a soldier in the field, took to the front with Grell and Mey-Rin behind. Since Grell and Bardroy had a head start, Mey-Rin ended up a bit behind the two. Bardroy and Grell knew the manor top to bottom, so heading straight to the front yard took a bit less time. Mey-Rin trailed them for a while behind, until the trio finally got themselves out front. They saw the forest, the front entrance way, basically the full extent of the front area of the manor, but sighting of any intruders were zero to none. Did their intruders run off, or was it really that dark out there? Bardroy stayed front side, Grell and Mey-Rin standing back as the current one in charge looked around a bit more to be sure, but he wasn't seeing much of anything really. Not a hint, not a sound, not a clue. Nothing but the sound of the wind blowing against the leaves of the trees. Grell started to calm down a little bit on the realization, also not seeing much of anything, though Mey-Rin kept oddly quiet during this. "Maybe they left?" "Must have. sure you saw someone, Mey-Rin?" Bardroy questioned, he and Grell turning to Mey-Rin again. May-Rin stayed still for a moment or two, not saying a real word. ... Then the smile came, and a whistle rang in the air. "INCOMING!" Bardroy yelled. In little to no time at all, out charged Lust, claws out and at the ready! Panicking, Grell and Bardroy tried to get out of her way, but while Bardroy managed to do so by inches, by the time he turned around for Grell, he was far too late: Lust had sliced her fingers straight through Grell's torso like a spear! Blood poured down him, sliding down Lust's fingers and down to the floor. Grell stared in shock for a few more moments before going limp, and Lust allowed Grell's body to slide off her fingers, collapsing to the ground. Lust's finger claws were laced in liquid red. "GRELL!" Bardroy gasped, stuck in shock. Unfortunately, Mey-Rin suddenly was right behind him, grabbing him to keep him still! "Mey-Rin, let go of me!" Bardroy demanded, but Mey-Rin's strength was surprisingly powerful. "You killed him good, you did," said Mey-Rin to Lust, as the Homunculus was wiping off the blood from her claws. The blood shined the moonlight off her claws, a glistening red being presented to Bardroy. Bardroy tried to get his flamethrower started, but Mey-Rin had the machine and his arms in a position where he couldn't use it properly. The obvious question here was why was Mey-Rin helping Lust out?! "That's one down," Lust simply said, turning to Bardroy, her attractive diva eyes staring right into Bardroy's soul. ... *bang**bang* gunfire. Two clear shots, and both hitting their respected targets almost exactly at once. Next thing Bardroy knew, Lust and Mey-Rin toppled to the ground in pain, blood shooting out in from both of their heads. Bardroy was free, but he was more worried over Mey-Rin and Grell to put that into question. But, he didn't have time to even do that before he found the source of the gunfire, standing over at the front door with steaming twin pistols aimed in his direction. The real Mey-Rin. And once more, Mey-Rin without her glasses on, showing a set of equally attractive, hazel eyes, both aimed directly at the targets she shot down. As for the fake Mey-rin and Lust, both quickly recovered from the sudden shot, red lightning flashing as their wounds healed up after mere seconds of time. The fake Mey-rin got up, shaking off the shot, only to be face to face with the mouth of Bardroy's flamethrower. Bardroy didn't hesitate, and both figures were scorched in a huge, burning blaze of fire! They both screamed in agony on the flames scorching their skin, Bardroy keeping the flamethrower going for a full ten seconds before subsiding, as Mey-Rin stepped to his side. "Are you alright, Bardroy?" Mey-Rin asked. "Yeah, I'm good. More than could be said for Grell though," Bardroy said, though Mey-Rin was well aware of that already. Lust and the second Mey-Rin began to come back around, and heal up from the sudden blast of fire. The other Mey-Rin though soon revealed his true form, being that of Envy Homunculus before fully healing. Envy and Lust got to their feet and soon it was a stand off. Bardroy and Mey-Rin on one side, Envy and Lust on the other, and the body of Grell at the center. "Feisty humans, aren't you?" Lust commented. The servants of the manor weren't letting up, both weapons faced directly at them for the second a attack would be made. "Better keep your distance. Less you wanna get roasted again," Bardroy warned, lighting up his flamethrower as a warning. "As if we want anything personal from such barbaric apes." "You wouldn't dare say that if our master were here," Mey-Rin said, a little shaken, but not leaving at any moment. "Yes, well he isn't is he? ... And lucky for you, neither's ours," Lust threatened. Even if they just scorched them, it was gonna take more than that to keep these two away to be sure. Bardroy stayed firm, but both Homunculus could see that Mey-Rin was starting to get a little intimidated. Surely, she would be a good target. "Envy, dear. Do you want to kill them, or shall I?" "Oh sure, whenever you're ready," Envy said. But before Bardroy or Mey-Rin could fire, Envy's arms extended like tentacles, and suddenly tore both the twin pistols and flamethrower off of them, leaving them defenseless. Only then did Lust rush forward at them, claws at the ready. Bardroy was her target this time, and Mey-Rin was forced away in the lunge to avoid a slash. Instinctively, Bardroy ducked, and met Lust with a uppercut to the chin, knocking her back a bit. Lust managed a cut on Bardroy's shoulder, but it wasn't too deep. Mey-Rin rushed off to get their weapons, but Envy went in her way, slamming her square in the stomach to keep her back. No way they were getting rained on by bullets again. "Ah ah ah, no guns in a fistfight, little bitch," envy joked, before grabbing her and throwing her straight at Bardroy, strong enough to knock them both over. "Since when were you one for those kinds of jokes?" Lust noted. Envy just ignored her. Yeah, he was cruel, but he was allowed to crack a joke same as anyone else. Bardroy and Mey-Rin, sore and bleeding, got off of eachother and tried to recuperate before Lust and Envy would get back at them again. "What the hell are those guys?" Bardroy groaned, hand over his bleeding cut. As they were there, Mey-Rin took a look over to Grell's body, only to find ... ....... "...B-Bardroy. Bardroy?" Mey-Rin said, horrified. Bardroy turned to his friend, only to see her pointing over to the body. Or rather, lack there of. "Where is he? ..." A question answered almost immediately, and in the most surprising way. Envy and Lust followed their eyes away from their location, and soon found that Grell was flat out missing! Where his body once laid now only showed a small pool of blood. None of them had any moment to move Grell, knock him away, or even nudge him even with the fight knocking them around a bit. They looked around a little bit, but eventually they soon found where Grell had ended up. There he stood. Over by the door, Grell stood with his gaze downward, his whole chest and torso all bloody from the wound, his clothes stained in Crimson of blood. They all had their share of surprised expressions, as Grell looked over to them, raising his gaze to show a face covered in blood, but he didn't have a look of shock, fear, or horror. Instead, his smile was that of pure enjoyment, brought to disturbing levels due to his empty gaze, and his crazed smile, showing jaws of pointed teeth. The fact that they all thought Grell was dead a minute ago made the appearance all the more shocking. "Wait. What?" Envy wondered, dumbfounded. Grell stood there for a bit at first, and started to giggle ever so ominously. "I think it's about time to introduce you, wouldn't you say?~" Grell said. Rather than the finicky, troubled voice, this one was a flirtatious, confident tone that almost seemed the polar opposite. Grell began to remove his bloody overcoat, tossing it aside like some fashionista, and then he pulled out a sudden comb from his pocket, and slid it through his long hair. As he did, not only did he unraveled his ponytail, but his hair turned from typical brown, to a bright red. A color that matched the blood on his own body, and that flowed within him. This was the real Grell. The Grell that will be facing the Homunculus. "Let me introduce myself: the Phantom butler, Grell Sutcliff. Let's try to get along,~" Grell cooed, even blowing his little audience a kiss, followed by a wink of the eye. The disturbed factor amp up to eleven. "What. The actual. Hell?" "G-Grell? Is that you?" Mey-Rin asked. "You got it, my sweet. OH, I've been holding back for far too long, it was about time I let my true colors fly!" said Grell. Lust and Envy snapped out of it eventually as Grell faced them. "Ok, so you lived. Somehow. You're still unarmed: those bitches lost their weapons. Where's yours?" "RIGHT HERE!" Not a question to ask a reaper in a fight. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Grell got himself fully armed with his weapon: a bloody chainsaw! Yes. A chainsaw. And one that Grell got running the second it was drawn out, whirring loudly and the shiny silver blades spinning like mad. So, not only was he alive still, but he was also armed to the teeth! "You just had to ask, Envy," sighed Lust. However, both Homunculus took a look to Grell in his form here, as Bardroy and Mey-Rin both took the moment to slowly head to their weapons. Grell was a shocker, but they had to get themselves armed up first and foremost. "Wait a minute. A chainsaw from nowhere. The dagger teeth. The sight glasses. ... Is he - ...?" "So. Now that we're properly acquainted with eachother. Shall we dance?" Grell cooed, his chainsaw up and gleaning in the moonlight. Lust and Envy knew they had a fight on their hands with this guy, whatever he was, so both Homunculus drawed their weapons: Lust with her claws and Envy turning his arms into a set of swords. Bardroy and Mey-Rin both finally made a run for it, and it was Mey-Rin who got her pistols first. Both Homunculus saw the other humans, but Grell took this and bolted straight at them, chainsaw whirring good and loud, and ready to hack. Envy was easily struck in the head, and the chainsaw sliced down to cut his head in half, and his arm clean off! Envy moved back, and his body started to regenerate as Lust took Grell on herself, her claws trying to slice him again. If she could get him before, what's the difference this time? With his form changed, Grell got his skills to work and was dodging each swipe from Lust's long claws. In fact, he even went ahead and chopped down Lust's claws with his chainsaw, leaving both hands as clawless stubs. As for the other two, they found their opportunity after this, and Mey-Rin started firing away at them both, one pistol per Homunculus and pumping lead into each one of them. Envy charged at Mey-Rin with his swords, only to get his body cut in half by Grell again, blood pouring down onto Grell, and onto the ground. Even after that, Envy was still alive, as his severed legs disappeared, and reappeared on his body. Bardroy, with his flamethrower fully on, went right on to work next. Fire blasted into the air, but Lust and Envy reacted just fast enough to avoid the flames, but only leaving themselves open for Mey-Rin and Grell. Lust's lunge just had Grell's chainsaw jabbed in her side, while Envy ended up shot in the head about nine times straight. With all their effort, Envy and Lust were just making minor injuries on them, most of the power blows being made by the Phantomhive servants. Both Homunculus stopped for a moment, letting their bodies regenerate, and they both saw Grell, Mey-Rin, and Bardroy armed and ready for whatever they got for them. "DAMN YOU HUMANS! Why do you even try?!" Envy yelled, pissed off as ever. "Sorry to disappoint you," Bardroy said, coldly. "Shut it! We're Homunculus, you're humans! We're above you in every way, and I will NOT be trifled with!" Envy roared, charging forward as fast as he could, his body sparking red lightning from his wounds. Lust needed a minute, but she watched as Envy made his attempt on them. This charge was in vain though; Grell rushed in and stabbed through his torso with his chainsaw, held him up, and Bardroy had a full field day scorching the Homunculus like as if he was a marshmallow on a stick. Envy screamed in pain, strong and loud as Bardroy continued his scorching, twice as long as before. All that remained after was a burnt heal of a human body, Grell tossing him over towards Lust like trash. "Alright. Have you had enough now?" Bardroy asked. Lust looked down to what remained of Envy's body. She knew he would be back eventually, but for the time being, it would be too long before that would happen. Would she rather have them dead, yes she would but she was not stupid. She knew disadvantage when it showed itself. And with Grell's sudden change in behavior and ability, along with Mey-Rin and Bardroy's skills in their weaponry, Lust was at a high disadvantage in this fight. So, as Envy's body flickered and flashed with light to heal itself, Lust picked him up and took one more look to the Phantomhive servants. "I would like you all to remember that we're letting you go for now. This lasted long enough anyway," Lust stated, looking up to the moon. The position of said moon, which appeared to be sitting on top of the roof by now, only proved Lust's main point. "That was smashing! If only Sebastian were here to see this," Grell said, hands together and almost dreamy in expression. As Envy's body became recognizable, the standing Homunculus turned and ran away from the scene. They done their job here, and Lust will tell Envy once he comes to. The ground was stained in their blood, the world finally went quiet from the gore and violence, but the Phantomhive had won in the end. Injuries not withstanding though, as the scuffle between the Homunculus left Bardroy and Mey-Rin pretty scratched up, bloody cuts all over them and bruised up in several places. Then came clapping. And a shadow from the rooftop met the ground at their feet. "Well done, everyone. A fine performance of teamwork and ingenuity." The voice was unmistakable. The trio turned to look to the rooftop, and a human-like silhouette met the sky. This figure jumped down from the roof all the way down to the front door, fully revealing the one person missing for so long. Sebastian. "S-SEBASTIAN! YOU'RE BACK!" Mey-Rin gasped, excited as ever. "Good to be back. Nothing was too displaced while I was away, I hope," Sebastian stated. He may be calm about the situation, but it was Grell who was especially thrilled to see him. "AAAHHH! Bassie, my dear, my darling! You've returned at last. So did you enjoy the show?~" Dear? Darling? Guess Grell had his priorities a little different here over the regular staff. Sebastian wasn't as surprised as the others were on first seeing Grell. He saw the transformation from the rooftop anyway. That didn't mean the love talk and 'Bassie' nickname didn't creep him out a little. However, that's when a thought struck Bardroy. "Hang on a second. So, that clumsy, finicky butler gimmick was nothing but an act?" Bardroy asked. "Oh I was good wasn't I? Who'd of guessed that the humble butler Grell would be a true wielder in disguise - OW!" That response just got Bardroy to whack him in the head. "Hey! I saved your life and this is how you thank me?!" "That was for nearly blasting my head off! Just because your acting doesn't mean to kill your party, you idiot!" "Well I have to keep the act going somehow!" "BY SHOOTING ME?! I could've died you know!" *AHEM* Sebastian didn't need to hear them arguing like children in front of him. Talk about embarrassing. Once they both quieted down, Sebastian sighed. "Now if you excuse me, I got some information for our young lord." "Oh yeah, him! Oh he'll be so pleased when he finds out you're back. But he's gone still," Mey-Rin said. "I'm well aware of that. Though, I do say there's quite a mess here," Sebastian said, adjusting his gloves. He may have just got back, and Ciel didn't order him to do so, but he saw a rather decent job at the manor front yard. "Alright, I'll get the mops and -" "Not this time Bardroy. I'll be more than happy to handle this." So, Sebastian got started. Time was limited, so he needed a quick wash of the front yard. This demon butler came prepared this time around, and rushed off to get the proper tool. Seconds later, next thing they knew, Sebastian had a hose and cloth to work with. Lightning speed, Sebastian cleaned up the blood pools around the place with precision and grace. Mey-Rin and Grell watched with dreamy expressions as he continued his work. It only took ten minutes full, and sure enough a clean yard was presented. "Oh, it's good to have you back, Sebastian," Bardroy said with a smile. "Likewise. I'll see the rest of you tomorrow morning," Sebastian said, soon racing off to the next location. The trio presumed it to be towards Ciel, and Sebastian was off out of sight. "Time to check in on our young master." S02Ep10: Cleaning the Slate ~スレートの清掃~Things were getting tense back at the queen's palace. While it may had been rather violent over back at the Phantomhive manor, so far the palace had been given some down time in that regard. That didn't mean that the palace had been quiet all night. Throughout the many halls, rooms, and such, guards were on high alert for the safety of those that lived there. A mixture of Seitenshi's forces, with the English royal guard, both which patrolled the area and kept a sharp eye out around the palace to be sure that any deities didn't go in, or out. Many groups kept their guard up, senses high, and eyes and ears open during their routes. As for Team Harmony, they were keeping their own routes around more close to eachother, and mainly around the throne room. Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, Pinkie, Blair, Aladdin, and Ciel had kept their own guard up in their own way as they were keeping an eye out within the throne room, some more persistent about it than others. Pinkie Pie was on the highest alert out of all of them, even more than the demon-sensing Nagisa was, as the girl was doing a constant march, back and forth, around the throne room door like an actual guard (if not a bit overly dramatic in her steps, and constant 'hup' she made with each one). Twilight and Blair were over by the throne itself, Blair actually asleep from this boring task, being the cat that she was. Ciel wasn't present at the moment, keeping his focus on other guards and their status on things. Karma and Nagisa just stood in different parts of the room, though while Karma was more casual about it, Nagisa was calm yet prepared himself for his demon sense to go off at any moment. With the luck they've had when it came to these, Nagisa grown to expect a demon to pop up here, if anywhere, and with their track record it would be surprising if they didn't try for the big score at this point. Nagisa eventually moved his gaze over to Twilight after a while, seeing how she was feeling a bit nervous about things herself, so he decided to go over to her. "You're worried about Hellgar, aren't you?" Nagisa asked quietly, walking over to her. With what she'd gone through during her time out, that would be the case. Twilight turned to him as he neared, some of the others seeing her "VERY. He forced me to be his spy. Who knows what he'll do the second he finds us again," Twilight said, shivering at the thought. She could still remember the horrid warning Hellgar gave to her about the deadly bite of Houndooms. If what he said was true, then they had an even deadlier creature to deal with than they imagined. "I promise, we'll protect you. You've gone through enough trouble with him," Nagisa promised, sitting next to her. "It's not me I'm worried about! He may have threatened me, but he also threatened all of you, and I can't live with that. I didn't want anyone else hurt because of me -" Twilight stopped when someone gripped her shoulder to get her attention. Both Nagisa and Twilight turned to see Blair standing right behind Twilight. "Come on, Yugure, those hell guys are after us anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing that hellhound again," Blair revealed. "What? Why?" Nagisa asked. "BECAUSE I WANT TO TEAR OFF HIS HORNS FOR LIGHTING MY HOUSE LIKE A FLAMBE!" Blair yelled, hands twitching in anticipation and anger. Of course, Twilight and Nagisa moved a foot away, but they could at least see the slight logic behind it. "Calm down, kitty bitch. With the luck we have, he's sure to pop up somewhere, right Nagisa?" Karma commented. "I guess. I mean, we've all seen at least one demon since this whole thing started," Nagisa admitted, though he wished they weren't so common towards them. During their chat, Ciel managed to come back around from one of the hallways, and went over to the others. "Hi, Ciel. how'd it go?" Aladdin asked, going over to him. "The guards hadn't reported anything suspicious over the last three hours. Be that as it may, you should still keep watch," Ciel advised, speaking in a tone like he would to his own servants back at the manor. "What do you mean 'you should still keep watch'? We're all watching," Blair pointed out. "I'm handling my fair share, thank you," Ciel responded, not really looking to the catgirl. Being put on watch wasn't something Ciel was used to, and seeing how tired he was just proved that, but orders are orders especially from the queen. "Getting tired there?" Aladdin asked, seeing his eyes. "No, I'm not!" Ciel quickly retorted. Aladdin jumped, but he could see in his eye that he just was one burst away from falling asleep on them. ... "GOT IT," Pinkie suddenly said. And before anyone knew it, Pinkie's hands went right to work, and suddenly started to tickle Ciel. The sudden tickle attack made Ciel jump back, almost squeaking in surprise, and quickly rushing away from the cheeky girl. "If you need anything else, just call," Pinkie said with a smile. Ciel simply gave Pinkie a glare before moving away from her. He wasn't going to risk another sudden attack by this girl. "That girl. Why does she always act so naive to everything? She can't be that much of a lunatic," Ciel thought, keeping his distance as Pinkie went straight over back to her 'hup' patrolling over by the door. Soon, Twilight went over to his side. "So, you said the guards didn't see anything?" Twilight asked him, trying to be sure. "For now, but the night's still young you know." "I know," Twilight said meekly. This was going to be a long night. ....... Ten. Twenty. Thirty minutes ticked by, and still nothing happened. This either meant the enemy was biding their time or they were having a free night, much to Twilight's relief. It still felt a little bit ominous though, being inside the palace so late. Not the same as Phantomhive Manor, but still having that similar, dark, empty feel too it, especially in larger rooms like the throne room. A few guards checked in on them once or twice, but that was about it. Victoria and the queen sleeping and safe was what they all were hoping to accomplish tonight. This time got some thinking over about the demons they're dealing with, especially now since they got their 'boss' properly labeled as Sombra. They could hardly imagine what kind of power Sombra could have to take control over what they've faced so far. "COME ON already," Karma sighed. "Why're you complaining? You should be grateful nothing's happened," Ciel pointed out, yawning afterwards. "I'm not staying up all night for nothing to happen. If those demon bitches are gonna come around, I don't want to be half-asleep. Can't clobber them like that," Karma replied. Nagisa watched them from afar with his usual observant expression. He'd been watching his friends interacting with Ciel more than actually watching out for any enemies, and by the looks of it, things seemed to go well. "Well at least they're getting along. Just like that vision said it would. ... That Future Sight is accurate after all," Nagisa thought. Yes, one of his visions showed a similar scene play out here, and Nagisa could at least say that this one wasn't as bad as some others would have it. Tonight surely seemed like a calm one. All the same, one must never assume ... AAAHHHHH!! Here it goes. That scream was just the first of a number to follow, each one getting closer to the throne room. Each one of Team Harmony suddenly became active and focused on the increasing onslaught of screams. The screams were followed by the sense continuously increasing with each one, Nagisa becoming more apparent thanks to it. The screams were accompanied by the sounds of cuts, tears, gushes, along with animalistic growls, howls, and barks. If this wasn't the enemy, who would it be? Nagisa pulled his blade out of his pocket and aimed it at the ready for wherever the danger is from, the others doing the same. The sheer amount of the onslaught unnerved Twilight, Aladdin and Pinkie, but the others tried to keep firm. As for where, the noise mainly came over from the main throne room door, to which Pinkie moved away from fairly quickly. Then came open the door. The door was suddenly bashed open, both doors slamming down to the ground, the other side of each door stained red, as three bodies were flung inside. One rolled in, and two thrown inside hard. Each body had horrid gashes and wounds, blood pouring out of each body. The third body thrown in almost landed on top of Aladdin, leaving him severely stunned and shocked. Whatever was here was in no mood to play around. After the bodies were tossed in, enter the murder responsible. Stepping into the limelight, bloody but fierce was the demonic Houndoom himself, Hellgar! As if enter with tossed bodies wasn't enough of a nerve-jerker, Hellgar walked in with the body of another soldier, holding him by the neck which bled profusely. Hellgar wasn't alone this time, as several Houndour followed him inside, also bloody and growling. Twilight kept herself back as far as possible, the others standing to protect her. Hellgar smirked and tore open the neck of his own captor before tossing the body away, eating some human meat before fully confronting them. "Pleasant night," Hellgar said, licking the blood off his stained teeth and muzzle. Hellgar moved closer, but Aladdin and Nagisa plucked up courage and moved in towards him. "Stay back! You don't belong here," warned Aladdin. "Don't give me that. I can see you're all scared witless," Hellgar noted, which was true for most of them. Ciel took note of the other demon dogs behind him. "So. You came in strength," Ciel noted, getting Hellgar's attention. This was the first time Hellgar had seen Ciel face-to-face, but he knew the Phantomhive earl when he sensed one. "Ciel Phantomhive. You too have your followers, such as they are," Hellgar replied. Nagisa got his blade out and drawer it out right in front of Hellgar's face. Hellgar didn't react until his snout bumped the blade, making him jerk back on feeling his muzzle burn. "No followers. Only friends," Ciel said. A rather interesting surprise to hear from the young earl. Still, Hellgar straightened up. "They're going to rue the day they ever met you." Hellgar then gave a quick bark, and several Houndour charged in at them, teeth barred and ready to shred. Nagisa had to react first, his halo blade already slicing at a dog's body. The wound stung and more blood met the ground, but not enough to stop it altogether. Hellgar himself sat and watched his Houndour go in and fight, giving him a front row seat to what he was sure to be another bit of carnage. Yet, Karma Akabane was giving many of the opponents a run for their money thanks to the miracle sword he kept using, whatever dog coming his way having to keep their distance each time he swung it around. Nagisa was in a similar boat, but his swings made less distance, giving the Houndour more room to get dangerously close to him. The others tried their best to fight off the dogs as well, though aside from Blair, they weren't doing as well. During the scuffle, suddenly two Houndour finally got over to Ciel from behind, and slammed him down hard. Karma turned to Ciel, just for three Houndour to knock him over as well, one grabbing him by the neck! This was the table-turner, and the others knew it. "Ciel! Karma!" Aladdin gasped, just to have one Houndour grab him by his ponytail, and swing him around like a ball on a chain. The Magi ended up landing on top of Nagisa soon after that. While the fight seemed mundane to Hellgar, he did look intrigued after seeing that display of strength. "Why don't you get in here?!" Blair yelled, angry to see their boss just sitting there. "As if I'm wasting my breath over you. You couldn't beat me then, you can't now." Well that didn't take much for Blair to get riled up. This was the same creature who made her homeless in the first place, and she wasn't going to let him walk out of here without some form of comeuppance. Blair began to get her own bag of tricks together, and started to charge up her magic energy. "Pum-Pumpkin-Pumpkin Cannon!" blair said, leaping up in the air. In her hand, her magic then formed what appeared to be a pumpkin of sorts, one lit by a magical orange fire, before shooting it straight for Hellgar! The hellhound got out of the way just in time, as her projectile slammed down the hall and exploded, the explosion being heard by everyone in the palace! Any guard, and the royals were sure to come running down. "Tough luck," Hellgar simply said, charging at Blair. Blair got herself out of the way fast, just avoiding Hellgar's deadly fangs, landing her right by Karma. "Impressive! Where've you been hiding that?" Karma commented, slicing another Houndour as it lunged. "Oh you know, bag of tricks," Blair replied, kicking another Houndour back into another dog. Aladdin and Twilight kept close to eachother, the others seemingly handling the fighting and getting the overall attention of the Houndours. Far as fighting would go, Twilight and Aladdin were probably the biggest disadvantage. Even if Twilight had practiced her magic, it wasn't enough to do full combat, and their saving grace was Aladdin's main shield. Two Houndour found them both alone, and while Aladdin summoned his Magi shield, the two demon hounds charged forward anyway. Both dogs couldn't break the shield, but they still tried to get to them anyway. While the Houndour dealt with the main adversary, Hellgar slipped along the wall shadows, and began to loom over behind them. Something only Pinkie Pie and her Pinkie Sense caught. "FLY!!" Pinkie shrieked, charging into the round shield as hard as she could. Hellgar hesitated for that split second, enough time for Pinkie to shove the shield with Twilight and Aladdin inside out of the way. Hellgar's teeth narrowly missed them all, but the sudden charge made the spherical shield suddenly roll off, rolling over about five other dogs before it disappeared, leaving five Houndour dazed and not fighting. Hellgar tried biting Pinkie, but his jaws only sank into Pinkie's hair rather than any skin, Pinkie bolting out into the throne room. As he was coughing up pink hair ... "What's going on?!" "It came from the throne room!" "Everything okay?!" "Oh, damn it," Hellgar growled, as more guards came in from the main hall too see the result. About time they got backup for this, and soon ten more guards came in, some already wounded by the Houndour already and many unnerved by their fellow guards dead on the ground. Ciel, ruffed up but still standing, turned over to Hellgar next, alongside Nagisa. Nagisa was slightly cut up, but not too bad overall. "Seems like you're at a disadvantage, hellhound," Ciel stated. "Gave me more food, you only did," Hellgar growled, charging at the other guards. Many of them had guns, so they were blasting away, Hellgar dodging most of them apart from a selected few which only grazed him. Karma and Nagisa, being in the way, grabbed him by the back legs and made him fall to the ground. As for the other Houndour, the other guards made short work of them, shooting them down mostly while a few got the privilege of getting their necks snapped on close combat. By the time Hellgar got himself up, his pack was decimated down to just two Houndour. However, in the guards, one particular figure, Victoria, also came down and noticed the situation herself. "Interesting. Did they give you too much trouble?" Victoria asked. "We're going strong over here," Karma said, swinging his sword over his shoulder. Then they all confronted Hellgar himself. Him and his Houndour on one side of the room with everyone else now together on the other side of the room. For the first time in a while, Team Harmony felt a strong advantage over their opponent thanks to the guards showing up. Hellgar only had two dogs compared to the guards and Team Harmony as a whole. "You've had your chance, and you've been beaten. Make your choice: you can leave now with what demon hounds you have left. Or stay and have your execution take place," Ciel Phantomhive said, calm and collected more than ever now. Hellgar examined the whole crowd out ahead of him, and started to snarl. But even with all the threats, he was backing up alongside his Houndour, all the guards having their weapons drawn at them for the second they charge forward. "You're all so desperate to get rid of me. Why can't any of you just submit already, and make it easy on yourselves? They did there," Hellgar growled, referring to the dead guards on the ground. "They never asked to die, and you know it!" Aladdin yelled. Hellgar snarled again. "They don't need to ask. THERE ISN'T A POWER ON HUMAN EARTH THAN CAN DEFEAT HELLGAR!" "HIT THE DECK!" Pinkie screamed, feeling a deadly Pinkie Sense about to happen. Before any could try, Hellgar began to charge up a attack of his own. Many a human went for cover on the charge, and Hellgar released the flames of hell from his muzzle in a horrifying howl, the flamethrower blasting everywhere around him! The fire was so bright, and spread so quickly that they barely reacted apart from bracing for impact. Aladdin's shield managed to save a number of them, but not all of them as the blast launched them back. Not on fire, but the force itself was strong enough already. When the light faded enough so they could see, they were all treated to a horrifying sight of the throne room on fire. The rugs, curtains, the throne itself, anything that wasn't stone was set ablaze in a display of orange flames. The only ones who weren't launched back were protected by Aladdin's shield: Ciel, Victoria, and Twilight specifically. The rest were launched out of reach, a barrier of fire in between them and those left in the makeshift hells arena. Hellgar and his Houndour were unharmed by the fiery blaze, though some guards were suffering from minor burning from the blast. It took them a little bit, but Twilight and Aladdin noticed first what happened to the rest. Ciel himself just stood there, silent and eyes wide at the carnage around him. "Oh dear. How dare you!" Victoria said, staring a disappointed gaze to Hellgar. "You brought this all on yourselves. May not be all of them ... but you'll do fine," Hellgar hissed, licking his muzzle as he and his Houndours closed in on them. No rush this time for them, but now the main task was getting away from the demon hounds. They could try to defeat them, but this fire set off was more dangerous than a single hellhound. All Aladdin could do was keep his shield up, but he could only do it for so long. The others quickly saw the deadly situation from their end, and they too thought they should get out of there. "My lord! She's trapped in there," one of the remaining guards said in panic. "T-Twilight! come on, Nagisa, think, they'll be dead if you don't think of something. Come on, come on ..." Nagisa thought, trying to remain calm. They only had the main hall to deal with, but there wasn't much around to use. Their objective was to get them out, and not a drop of water was anywhere within reach. And even if there was, it won't be enough to take out this fire. All Nagisa could see was bordering décor pillars leading to the throne room. ... Stone pillars. ... "Karma, ready your sword," Nagisa suddenly said. "What for, I can't chop heads over here." "Not there, there," Nagisa corrected, pointing to the nearest stone pillar. Clever Karma quickly got the idea fast, a smirk on his face, and he rushed right over to it with sword at the ready. The other guards watched as, with as much strength as Karma could muster, he swung his miracle sword straight towards the bottom of it. The sword was far more powerful than he thought it would, because it only took one swing to give a clean slice through the pillar, dislodging it from the floor and making it movable. "Come here and give me a hand!" Karma ordered. With the situation, there was no time to argue, and everyone outside the arena went straight over to the fallen pillar. With their combind strength, lifting the stone pillar was done quick and efficiently, and they all moved it from its fallen spot, and with one combined shove, moved it straight to the fire barrier. It didn't take long until the others inside noticed the towering pillar being toppled their way. When they saw this, all they could do was jump aside as the pillar fell forward like a mighty tree, slamming over a part of the blaze in a single collapse. The slam made cinders spread out all over the place, and once they looked, they got themselves a stone bridge over the fire, and heading to the only exit left. "Hurry over, come on, we're going!" Nagisa yelled, trying to get them moving. Hellgar was stunned for a moment from the pillar collapse, but the humans were more than willing to get off on their way. Aladdin hoped up first, helping Victoria up and over with Twilight following behind. While Aladdin and Victoria went over fine, Twilight looked back and stopped, just to find Ciel still standing there! "CIEL, COME ON!" Twilight yelled. But Ciel was not moving. Twilight rushed back to him, but Ciel Phantomhive didn't even acknowledge her yet. Ciel's eyes were still wide in horror to the scenery of fire around him, the room burning up everywhere and smoke building fast. The feel of heat, the sound of scorching settlement, all of this left Ciel in a cold sweat, and almost paralyzed in horror. Frozen in absolute fear. Twilight had never seen him like this before, and this was the most terrified she'd seen him in. "Oh no you don't," Hellgar roared, suddenly rushing straight towards the pillar. Just as Aladdin and Victoria just made it across, Hellgar rammed into the pillar hard with his set of horns, the impact powerful enough to smash up the pillar to pieces! now there was no way out. "Shit! now what?" Karma asked. "I-I'll think of something, just give me time," Nagisa replied in panic. Obviously Hellgar wasn't taking chances anymore. Twilight and Ciel were trapped. Both of them were now standing in a fiery hellhole, with three demon hounds all ready to tear them apart, one of which destroyed their only way out. "Ciel! Ciel, wake up!" Twilight pleaded, but Ciel wasn't waking up from his horrifying state. This was to the point when he was trembling, he was so scared. Twilight only had one option left: she grabbed him and ran off to the otherside of the arena as one Houndour tried to lunge at them. Once she gained some distance, she looked Ciel right in the face, seeing a terrified human child in front of her. "T-They're gone ... T-They're gone ..." Ciel repeated, voice strained and breathing heavily. "Ciel, you're going to be alright! I promise you're going to be alright!" Twilight said, trying her absolute best to bring him back around. Ciel stared right into Twilight's eyes, and tried his own to calm own. In the world of hell, Twilight ... she seemed safe. Someone he could trust. Someone who'll protect him. ... Eventually, Ciel managed to get himself back around. "Where're the others?" "It's only you and me now, they're all out," Twilight told him, happy to see him back around. And not a moment too soon. Hellgar and his remaining hellhounds were right there, and slowly closing in. ciel, now brought back, got at the ready for them thisd time, alongside Twilight. They had nowhere left to go, and all they could do was fight. There was no going back now. However, this little turn of events did present something to Hellgar that made him grin. "Poor, poor Ciel. This won't take long. I'll end your suffering," Hellgar promised, stepping closer. Ciel was a bit frazzled, but he wasn't going to leave off this time around. "There is no need for that, Hellgar. Your sly remarks don't fool me." "Is that so?" "It is. She and her friends had saved my life. And it wouldn't be fair to leave any of them now," Ciel said, taking a step forward towards Hellgar. However, the demon hounds know that words weren't going to help them here, and advanced closer. "Tough talk from a armless human pair. You have no weapon, your magic barely works, you're surrounded by hellfire, and all aid is out of reach. ... And don't expect any sympathy from me." "Talk all you want to. I'm not leaving him behind," Twilight announced. "And I'm not leaving her," Ciel added. "We're all in this together, and we're not going to take any orders from the likes of you. Not now, not ever." Hellgar just scoffed. "We'll see." ....... "A fine display of bravery, my lord. Though word of advice: I'd say my words with a loaded arm. Wouldn't you think so?" Ciel, Twilight and Hellger aimed their eyes to one of the windows of the throne room, one that was opened up over near the back, flames and smoke billowing outward from it and giving this new coming contender his proper entrance. One look from Ciel was all he needed to recognize him. Sebastian. "Stop your blabbering and get us out of here," Ciel ordered. It had been too long since Ciel had seen his butler, but he still wasn't going to take any cheeky chat from him, even after all this time. Sebastian adjusted his glove and stared down at the opposing danger. The whole room on fire, scorched bodies on the ground and demon hounds ready to kill. A decent job for a Phantomhive Butler. "Assuredly, my lord." This attack came in fast, and came in strong. Sebastian leaped into the frey with weapons he sealed away within his coat: kitchen knives. Not your typical blade, but still a weapon all the same and having multiple weaponized kitchen utensils. Hellgar had prepared himself for many a attack from Team Harmony and what not, but the second Sebastian threw those knives from the air down, Hellgar was caught off guard. The demon hound bolted off back, yet his only aid was not so lucky, both killed with a single knife through the head. Quick and painless. One kitchen knife lodged in Hellgar's horn during the rain down, and one struck him in the back leg, but injuries didn't go beyond that for him. Twilight and Ciel now had Sebastian on their side once more, and Hellgar had more than enough with it. "You traitor! How dare you turn your back on your allies?" "I'm a full blood demon. Would you expect any different?" Sebastian stated, the hellhound growling again. The demon butler turned to Twilight and Ciel, picking them both up. Hellgar got up and blasted more fire at them. Sebastian quickly made a side step to avoid it, all three of them avoiding being scorched. "Shall we go?" Sebastian asked. "Yes, let's," said Ciel. They couldn't do anything about the fire, so all they could do was rush off out of there, from the window Sebastian came in. Hellgar lunged for them, but Sebastian stood at the window sill, and pulled out one more knife to throw. In a simple, accurate throw, the knife zoomed straight for the demon hound, and skewered him right down his throat! Hellgar coughed up the knife, but with blood coming out it was obvious it struck home. Hellgar only watched as they made their escape. flames were all around him, and he was choking on his own blood. ... "Go ahead and run! Your world will suffer the wrath of the Underworld! You'll. ALL. Burn!" Hellgar charged up one more time, aiming his fire blast straight up to the heavens in a exploding inferno! He'd been tricked, backstabbed, and now left for dead. He wasn't letting any more souls get away from him, not tonight. The explosion shook the palace, fire and smoke blasting out of every opening in the room; windows, to halls, to the main hall where the rest stood. "What the hell happened?!" a guard shrieked. "No time. It's time to make our leave," Victoria advised. "But Yugure's still in there!" Nagisa gasped. "It's too late for her. You should know that by now," Victoria stated, not making Nagisa feel any better. They began to hear creaking from above, the fiery explosion weakening the room itself. They had no other choice. ~~ ....... The next morning revealed the devastation. As if the incident at the Royal Ball wasn't enough trouble, the morning revealed a horrid manslaughter. Police that had arrived that morning laid witness to bodies of human and animal alike, alongside tons of property damage leading to the scorched throne room, which now looked completely burnt up on investigation. Curtains, sheets and rugs were turned into black ash more than much else, and remains of burnt flesh laid in heaps within the room as well. The fire itself had been and gone, but the remains were left for any and all to see. It may not show much on the exterior apart from a broken window, but for those that remained, it was a traumatic experience. Out front, ambulances were well on scene to aid those that had injured during the attack, including Victoria herself for cases of slight burns and cuts. The queen herself, lucky to not be injured, stayed by her granddaughter as she was being treated. Blair, Nagisa and Karma were also being treated for cuts by the Houndour they faced. Lucky for them Hellgar didn't leave any lasting marks on any of them. However, not only was Twilight still missing since the fire, but Ciel Phantomhive as well. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Nagisa said as the last bit of bandage were wrapped around his arm. His wounds were minor, but his emotions were still stabbed since he had to watch Twilight disappear on him, AGAIN. Eventually, Karma went over to him once he was done, Karma only getting small bandages on his body. He probably suffered the least injury thanks to the miracle sword, though he still got hurt either way. "See you're better Karma," Nagisa said, as he got up. "Yeah true. I just heard over a few guards about the head count: Sounds like about fifteen to seventeen ended up kicking the bucket in that hellfire. Honestly thought there would be a lot more," Karma said, catching Nagisa up with the current status. That body count alone troubled him, but he mainly wondered who in particular actually managed and who died in there. "Damn. Any news on -" "Yugure? Nope. That's what I wanted to tell ya: Ciel and Yugure weren't found anywhere in there." At this point the others soon came around. Blair, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Victoria surprisingly, soon went over to them. Some looked more damaged than others. While Aladdin and Victoria appeared without a scratch, Pinkie did have some of her hair shortened slightly and Blair had a few cuts from the Houndour attacks. "There you are! How're you holding up?" Blair asked. "Just a few cuts, but I think I'll be alright. I did get a nasty bite on my arm though," Nagisa said, looking to his bandaged right arm as he said that. Lucky for him that was his worst injury, and they all knew it could've been a lot worse in there. Victoria looked to her home for a moment, replaying what she had witnessed in her mind. "I have to wonder. Is this something you've always had to handle?" Victoria asked, intrigued more than most. "Well, it's not as hellish, but yeah pretty much," Karma said. Victoria took note of it and then turned to some nearby guards and officers. "I decree a full-scale search for the assassin who did this. Search all of the United Kingdom if you must, but make sure you have him under arrest," Victoria instructed. They were just about to agree to the terms, but someone else was deciding to come on by to check in. "That wouldn't be needed, Princess," said a familiar, eerie voice. "Undertaker. ..." Nagisa noted. Undertaker had easily heard about this strong fire, to be sure, and the second he got it to his ears he decided to head to the situation himself. They hadn't seen him at all since visiting his coffin shop for questions, but then again why wouldn't he come around here? At least it was someone who wasn't going to hurt them any further than they were. "Undertaker? What're you doing here?" asked Aladdin. Undertaker then showed them a small list he had with him, in the form of a small note book and feather pen. "Just thought I'd stop by and see the situation. Plenty of bodies for my business, there is. Might need to work overtime,~" Undertaker said, followed by his signature snicker. Of course, it was unnerving to hear that, and so calmly no less, but it made sense for any undertaker to do, though probably not as much enjoyment as Undertaker himself was (go figure). "You said we didn't need a search, Undertaker," restated Victoria. Undertaker nodded, and went through his notes a little bit until he got to one of his pages. "Oh yes. I'll say this: it's been a long time since I've made a canine coffin," Undertaker joked. So, that was it then. The implications were easy to interpret for them to understand, as they looked to the palace again. With such a large fire and little escape routes, it was come to expect really. On the bright side, they didn't have to deal with Hellgar anymore. Regardless of that, Nagisa then got his own idea and went over to Undertaker. "Uh, Undertaker? Can I see those notes?" Nagisa asked. Undertaker, already getting why he wanted it, gave Nagisa the notes he made and he started looking through them alongside Aladdin and Victoria. The notes mainly involved a list of names and measurements of each one of the victims that had died in there, which there was a lot of by the way. Each went with the first and last name, and exact measurements of height and width right next to each one. Seeing a high body count reminded them how lucky they were to get away with what they have. Nagisa took a few more moments to look it over, and eventually it came down to one interesting conclusion. "Yugure's not in here," Nagisa concluded. "I told you they didn't find her, nor Ciel. It's still anyone's guess -" Blair was interrupted by Undertaker's snickering again. Before he spoke, he then pulled something else out from within his sleeves: a letter. "You underestimate me, little lady. I keep very good track of my work here in England. I never miss one. There's only one reason for their names to be missing. ..." Undertaker explained. That sure sounded hopeful from an Undertaker like him. Nagisa quickly opened the letter up and looked over what it had to say. It took him a short little moment to get what was going on, and a smile began to show on his face. ....... Pretty soon, it was off into the forests of England, and moving off away from the main city. The flight was made easy thanks to Aladdin's own magic turban. It was probably the quickest way they could do to get to the next location at this point, and they were more than happy to take it. What Undertaker said and what the letter told them was more than enough to convince them to get to the Phantomhive manor on the double. The whole group arrived over to the front yard in no time at all, landing comfortably on the ground. Compared to last night it appeared as if nothing happened at all, but they were more focused on other matters right now. The second they landed, they got up and went right over to the front door. It was actually Aladdin who went up to the door, and gave a knock to it, good and loud. It seemed that they were expected here, for it took less than a minute for the door to open up. The one who answered it though was Tanaka. "Ah, I see you've all made it. A pleasure to have you arrive." "Thank you Tanaka. Now, where's -" "Nagisa. You're alright." A voice he was hoping to hear. The whole group looked over to the front stairs, and saw a familiar few faces started to come down the stairs to see them. One of them was Ciel Phantomhive, and the other was Twilight herself! The whole group were more than happy to see them alright, even after the supposed suicide explosion Hellgar had made in the palace. Ciel was scratched slightly, but it didn't show too much, and Twilight didn't have any injuries at all to her. Not a cut, nor any burns, saying they got out before the explosion occurred. Nagisa rushed over to her, and hugged her tight, grateful to see her alive. "Yugure! We all thought you were dead, you alright?" Nagisa asked. "I'm fine, but what about you? You're the one hurt," Twilight said, referring to his bandaged arm. "It's not too bad, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay after that," Nagisa replied. "YAY, WE'RE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!" Pinkie beamed, arms wrapped around both Nagisa and Twilight. Well, seemed they were a bit preoccupied, so Aladdin turned his attention towards Ciel and Sebastian. Nagisa began to feel his demon sense become active, though this was a more familiar sense over before, and soon they all saw the source, Sebastian, step down from behind Ciel and Twilight. "Sebastian! Ciel, you got your friend back." "Indeed. And we're hoping to keep it that way, right?" Ciel said, the reminder being aimed at Sebastian himself. "Yes, my lord." "He actually saved our lives back in the palace. Ciel and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," Twilight said. She couldn't be more grateful to Sebastian for doing so. "So that's what happened. Well thanks, Sebastian, you're quite the miracle worker," Blair said. Sebastian just smiled. "I'm simply one hell of a butler." So from there, it was catch up time for both Team Harmony and the Phantomhive house. It was a full night of action, and the different stories were both captivating as they were action filled. On one side was the servants and their fight with Envy and Lust, and the others out in their time back at the palace with Hellgar, including what happened from both Nagisa and Twilight's point of view. It hadn't been until now that they were telling these stories to one another so they had a pretty eager crowd. They all met up over in the dining hall for this, the whole group sitting side by side as Bardroy and Mey-Rin actually sat down on the other side, Ciel sitting at the front seat as usual, and Sebastian standing and serving as before. He was servant once again and he was glad to be working for Ciel again. The only one who wasn't in the room at the moment was Grell, who was strangely absent during the story telling. Here it was Aladdin explaining their side of the story to the servants. "There we were. I just managed to get Victoria out of there when, KABOOM! The pillar smashed up into tiny pieces. We thought it was all over but - oh ... Uh. Wait. ... Yugure, tell me what happened in there," Aladdin said, passing the spotlight over to Twilight. Twilight didn't expect it right away, but she eventually regained herself. She took a glance over to Ciel, the young earl silently waiting to hear what she had to say. The trauma-triggered freeze didn't sit well with Ciel, and Twilight could read that off of him. "Oh, well Ciel and I continued fighting them as much as we could. Ciel took on Hellgar head on, and crippled him, just before Sebastian came in and helped us escape. If it wasn't for Ciel, I probably wouldn't be here right now." Ciel paused for a moment and looked to Twilight. If anything it was Twilight who did the heavy lifting during their isolated moment, even if not fighting. Twilight gave a friendly, yet secret smile and wink towards Ciel as the servants and Team Harmony were impressed with Ciel. Sebastian stayed quiet too as to not break anything. "You took on Hellgar all by yourself?!" gasped Aladdin. "WOO, epic Phantomhive!" put in Pinkie. "Didn't think you had it in you, Ciel. Good on you," Karma finished. Ciel knew it wasn't entirely true, but if they heard what really happened back there, then his pride would be dealt a pretty stinging blow. So rather than correct, Ciel just nodded. "Much appreciated," Ciel simply said. Nagisa saw the reaction they all had and was impressed with Ciel himself, though curious over Twilight a bit. He still remembered how she ran back for Ciel before the stone pillar smashed up, but Nagisa kept his comments on that for himself as they looked to the servants. "Now, Bardroy, Mey-Rin. Sebastian informed me of some mischief happening last night." "Eh, a little issue it was, my lord. Nothing too much to worry about," Mey-Rin insisted. Probably not a good idea to say how bad of trouble happened while he was away. At least it seemed to be. ... "OH, no need to be bashful!" A voice suddenly cried out as the doors swung open. Their missing guest had arrived, and Grell Sutcliff was in his full, red glory. He showed his form to servants, might as well amp it up to the rest of the crew. Ciel and Team Harmony were left a bit dumbfounded on sight of Grell, not seeing him like this before. "... And who're you?" "Oh my I introduce myself: Grell Sutcliff." "GRELL?!?!" Gasped Ciel and Team Harmony. "Wait. Grell. That suicidal clumsy dunce Grell?" Stated Aladdin. "A fun little act I know, I'm a natural! You should take up acting, little earl, it can do you good," Grell said, moving right over to him. Ciel was still trying to process this, but recovered slightly. "I assume this is the real you then." "Very much so. Anyway, about last night, we had such a lively dance with some pesky Homunculus. Made short work of them, of course." "Homunculi? That's what that hellhound meant," Karma commented. It was then that Grell turned his attention to Sebastian. "Oh Bassie.~ You had a lovely view of the dance did you not? I'd be glad to let you join if only you'd let me.~" Response: a shove away from Sebastian, pushing Grell to the floor nearby Blair and Pinkie. Grell was alright, though Sebastian needed a moment to gather himself. So that was Grell's feelings towards him, huh? "Homosexual. That's unexpected," Karma said, smirking as Grell sat up. "Nevermind him. Grell, you said Homunculus came to the manor." "Of course! They were perfect practice for Bardroy and Mey-Rin here. Let's be real, you two were smashing out there," Grell said, a arm around Bardroy and Mey-Rin. "What did they look like? Who were they?" "Oh? ... Well, let's see now. One was a women, pretty tall too and wearing a long dress. And the other one was smaller, long strands of green hair, and some two piece leather outfit." "Envy and Lust. I might've known," Nagisa thought upon hearing the details. What other Homunculus do they know of anyway? Before they could continue on this, Tanaka stepped in from the open door. "Do pardon my intrusion my lord. But there's someone here to see you." ~~ As the others were busy inside the manor, Ciel followed Tanaka over to the front door, as where any guest would show up. Though with what just happened back at the palace, it was a wonder on who it would actually be. Most of London was more focused on the queen's palace over the Phantomhive Manor anyday, so it was intriguing that he would get a guest at this point in time. It didn't take far too long until Tanaka brought him to the front, and Ciel himself went on ahead and walked up to the door. "Do you happen to know who is expecting me, Tanaka?" Ciel asked, his hand on the doorknob and ready to open. "He's requested to remain anonymous until you open the door, my lord," Tanaka informed. Ciel was unsure about it, but after last night's little fiasco, he was up for anything. Whatever was behind that door he was ready to face head on. He already faced a demon hound, what else was there? After a bit, Ciel then went ahead and opened the door. Out standing there was basically a unlikely set: the queen, and Korosensei dressed as a British guard. "Phantomhive. It's grateful that you're alright after last nights excursion," said the queen. "Hey there kiddo. Doing better I hope," added Korosensei. Needless to say Ciel was having no words to say. It was surprising enough seeing the queen of all people, but it was her and a demon king as well. A king of the underworld, and a queen of the human world right at Ciel's doorstep. Ciel needed another second before he could properly correct himself and get his nerves together. "M-My lord. How, uh ... unexpected," Ciel managed to say. "I have to agree, but It'd be better to talk to you in person rather than send another letter," said the queen. "And, I assume he brought you here?" Ciel assumed, looking over to Korosensei. "I couldn't deny such a noble women of her wishes, especially one of such loyalty!" Korosensei said, flattering the queen. Ciel wasn't feeling much easier about the situation. The queen smiled to the demon king, but turned her main focus towards the young earl. "Now. Ciel Phantomhive. I know this may seem a bit unorthodox, but I've been thinking at late about these happenings. Your current task to locate the missing persons of London is being replaced. I have a more important task for you, if you choose to accept it." The last part, honestly, was not needed. Ciel would more than willing accept whatever task the queen had for him. That was his purpose of being the queen's guard dog, after all. To follow the orders of the queen, and follow through without trouble and with pure devotion to said task. "I'll follow whatever order you give me, my lord." "Good. ... I want you to join Team Harmony. Help them however you can." "Pardon?" Ciel asked, legitimately confused. "The guards reported me this morning how ... 'straight-minded' they were about Team Harmony in general. Judging by what this demon hound had said just before his demise, I've come to believe that there's something far more world-effecting at work, far more than locals going missing. Whatever is going on. Whatever those entities have planned for our world. You are to help Team Harmony stop them however you can. Do you understand?" Ciel held onto every single word, though it was with a slight grain of salt. He had a demon butler with him, and this task involved him stopping the very thing he constantly was working with since gaining the Phantomhive Manor in the first place. All the same, demons like Sebastian, and Korosensei for that matter, weren't the problem here. It seemed the queen trusted Korosensei to bring her here, in spite of being a demon king anyway, so she had that going for her. Ciel stayed quiet to consider it, but eventually the answer came forth. "I'll do all that I can, my lord." ~~ Things were rather quiet down in the underworld, Sombra himself taking his walk through his own palace. It had been a bit of an interesting time, though Sebastian had been rather gone as of late, something Sombra was soon to notice after a little while. The afternoon light of the twilight amber sky lit into the halls during his walk about. He hadn't heard much out of Lust, Envy, or Hellgar either since last chatting with them, and the previous Tartarus demon king's words still echoed too clearly in his ears since he last encountered him in his cell. Basically speaking, a lot was on his mind, including a meeting planned out this afternoon. "Damn that Demon Lord. He doesn't know what he's thinking anymore," Sombra hissed under his breath. As the demon lord reached to the throne room, Sombra went right over to the throne itself, and had a seat, awaiting the next visitor to come along. But, before any guest could come in, another little animal popped in from the window, and flew right over to him. Usually, any aviary creature would be a bird or something, but this Underworld resident didn't resemble too well to any normal animal. Blue fur, stiff twin tails, a set of bat wings, two large ears, a big mouth, and no eyes to speak of. The bat dropped off a report note for Sombra, and quickly took off from where it came from before Sombra could do anything. Sombra looked over the letter, and read down every detail. ... "Hellgar. How unfortunate. ..." Sombra sighed, setting the letter down aside just as he began to hear the front doors open up. Soon, a single figure then began to enter the palace from the front door. The figure looked tall, and female in appearance in the silhouette of the lights. Talk about good timing. Sombra tucked the letter away, and looked to the newcomer with a smirk on his face. The light in the room revealed a slightly green figure, her eyes almost glowing in the dim light like neon green lights. "Welcome madam. Nice of you to join us." "I'll do my absolute best.~" she coos. S03Ep1: Land of Fullmetal ~土地のフルメタル~"Well gang, we've beat down some demons, gained some Alchemy, and made friends with the queen and her guard dog. Whelp, we got a damn good story for home," Karma noted as the group went over towards the airport. Indeed, it had been a rather interesting vacation (if one would call it that anyway). Dealing with Homunculus and Demon Hounds, along with what the Phantomhives had for them was a bit to gamble with, and all of this within the course of just a month as well. With everything chilled out for the time being, it was time to head right on back over to their corner of the world, right back to Tokyo Japan. Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, Blair, Aladdin, and Karma all arrived on time to the airport, the place as busy as ever, and all of their stuff ready to go. Well, they may have gone through some rough trouble during this 'vacation' but they were all together and made it out alright all the same. "Oh yeah! You know, maybe we got enough to have them make a movie! That'd be so cool. What would it be called you think? 'Hound of Tartarus'? 'Sins of Earth'? OH, oh, oh I know. 'Holy Flame'! ... I like it." Pinkie's chit-chat was mainly met with mixed ears; some listening, some not. As Aladdin walked alongside Pinkie, he took a look inside the cat cage Pinkie Pie was holding, seeing Blair moping inside. Blair had been oddly quiet for a while, back to the door and head to the back wall of her cage. Aladdin gave the cat a poke in the tail. "What's wrong, Blair? Aren't you happy?" "Nope," Blair simply said. An odd silence hung in the air. "... Why?" "BECAUSE HELLGAR DIED BEFORE I COULD DO ANYTHING TO HIM! Life's not fair." "... O ... K ..." Aladdin decided to leave her alone. Blair was fine with Hellgar being dead, but the witch wanted to at least make her own point and satisfaction across to Hellgar, which the demon hound didn't even allowed her the chance to. The feeling was a bit mixed, to say the least. Aladdin allowed Pinkie to walk ahead, and he went by Twilight next, who was looking through more of the spells and magic Alchemy. Since finding the first one out, she'd been a bit more deep into finding out some more magical potential. "How is the magic coming along?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, it's going. I think I want to try some more of these in particular," Twilight replied, showing Aladdin one of the pages, this one showing a sort of electrical type of Alchemy. Or at least it appeared to be according to the pictures that accompany it. Aladdin's eyes sparkled on just the thought of it. "OH, Fullmetal Alchemy! How sweet. You sure you wanna give that a try? I heard it's rather tough to do for any Alchemist," Aladdin pointed out. "Of course. The least I can do is try," Twilight said, with confidence. That's all one could ask of her, wasn't it? Not too far behind them, Nagisa was observing how everyone was getting along with eachother, and he couldn't help but smile. It'd been a while since the whole group was together, and now they all were finally back in business, and back together again. As they were going along, Nagisa stopped for a moment, and turned back to London from the main entrance of the airport. Despite everything that had happened, it still looked lovely from the airport view. "Well, this has been quite a trip. ..." Nagisa thought. But as he turned to join the others. "HOLD ON A SECOND!" Nagisa paused for a moment. That voice, albeit a bit distant away, sounded familiar to him. He turned back to the city, and looked down the road just to see that someone else was trying to catch up to him. It only took one look to recognize the head of the Phantomhive house trying to catch up. Ciel was in his outdoor outfit, black clothes with top hat and all, and he kept a firm grip on his hat as he tried to run up to them before they could get on their flight. It was only Ciel though, not a sign of any other servant trying to run up to him from what Nagisa could see. By the time Ciel finally caught up, he was already a bit winded, probably from running so much to catch them. As he was, the others looked back to see him coming up too, though Nagisa was the only one who could get a guess to why he was doing this. "Ciel?" Twilight stated, as Ciel tried to catch his breath from the mad run. Not too long after catching up, another figure soon showed up not too far from him, carrying a single suitcase as any good butler would do. "Afternoon, everyone," greeted Sebastian. Ciel would make the greeting if he wasn't trying to catch his breath first. The others eventually went over back to him. "HIYO! Come to see us off?" Pinkie asked, waving to them. Ciel needed a little moment before he properly got himself relaxed and paying better attention. As he was though, the others took quick note of the suitcase Sebastian was holding for the young earl. "So, you have some travel plans," Karma concluded. "Let's just cut to the chase. Over here," Ciel said, gesturing them to follow. If they were going to discuss anything, he wasn't going to discuss it right out in the open and for peering ears to hear them. They followed him over to a more secluded spot of the place, though Ciel had to hurry up with whatever he had to say. "What's up, earl? We have a plane to catch," reminded Karma, pointed a thumb behind to the airport main checkout. If they miss their flight, who knows how long it'll be for the next one? Ciel made a little gesture, and Sebastian presented a newspaper in regards to another figure. Nagisa looked at the figure itself in the newspaper, talking about some decision he made though it wasn't too important. "Now, before you left the manor yesterday, the queen had arrived and informed me of our next task. The information in regards to this man: King Bradley. Various malicious activity had been reported within the country of Amestris, and now we have to venture there and investigate the source of these claims." "....... What?" Not the response Ciel wanted. "Were any of you listening to me?!" "You kinda jumped on us out of nowhere, how're we supposed to react?" Twilight had to admit. Ciel just sighed, and tried to regain himself, as Aladdin suddenly got a possibility in his head. "Wait. Does this mean ...?" "It means that I'm going to be accompany you from here on out," Ciel revealed. Well, this was an interesting surprise: the young earl of Phantomhive and close to the queen, now hanging out with them on this demon hunt of theirs. In surprise, Pinkie dropped the cat cage, Blair stumbling out before Pinkie threw in her own reaction. "NO. WAY. WE GOT OUR OWN FANCY PERSON!" Pinkie beamed, starry eyes and all. Ciel wasn't to amused by that, but at least the point was put across. "Joining us? Ciel? Sorry to break it to you, but we're kinda expected back home in Tokyo. We still have school to go to, and families too," Twilight said, a bit embarrassed at Ciel's expense as Pinkie was psyched in the background. "Your 'friend' Korosensei said he will handle everything for you during your time away," Ciel also revealed, though 'friend' was still a little questionable due to his antics during his stay here, but he had to take his word for that if it meant to get the others on his track. They hadn't heard much out of him in a while, so who knew what he was really up to. "Sounds good to me. Come on, everyone -" "Aladdin, we can't just run off like this! Gakuho will have us expelled for sure if we do this," Twilight said, worried over her head. "Pardon me?" Ciel questioned. "Our sadistic principal back home," Karma simply stated. Ciel wanted to ask, but he just kept it at that instead. Still, some of Team Harmony just didn't seem to see this as a good idea, two in particular. "If I may cut in, but I believe that this is more required for you than just a feeble request. As stated in that future vision of yours, perhaps?" Sebastian said. Suddenly, Sebastian pulled out another slip from his overcoat pocket, turning out to be their future vision list they made! They hadn't checked that in a while, and Sebastian presented it to the two very people who made the list in the first place. "How'd you get this?" Nagisa asked, a bit urgent. "Sebastian apparently made a side stop on the way to the queen's palace," said Ciel. Nagisa and Twilight looked over their list, and found that it had been altered a bit: a few events that previously happened being cut out in black ink pen. Either being from Nagisa's point of view, or Twilight's point of view, the events had been removed accordingly. Almost scarily accurate. "... I'm not gonna ask." both thought. It was probably for the best, anyway. The two looked over the list, and one single word ended up catching their eyes, as they looked to that and the newspaper picture. King. "Fate's sure convenient," commented Nagisa. "Really," agreed Twilight. And as with any fate, it was hard to escape from, if at all. Karma though jumped to it before they could say anything. "Alright, it's all settled: we're heading to Amestris, gang," Karma decided. Time to increase their vacation away from home. Ciel was glad to hear that they were going to cooperate on this, and they seemed ready to give it a shot anyway. "Very well then. Let's go Sebastian," Ciel said, turning to his butler. However, Sebastian was down on his knees, his eyes staring in astonishment at something else. It was as if the most beautiful thing ever had just stepped before him, and he appeared unable to react in any other way besides affection and amazement. And Blair just so happened to be right in front of him. ... "Those wide, innocent eyes blind to the filth of the world.~ That smooth, delicate noble tail.~ Those paws, so pale, pink, and perfect.~" Well, looked like Sebastian was a bit distracted, and Ciel just sighed. It'll be a while before he would get things going, but at least they all finally got some tracks to finally get things going. Time for Amestris. ....... "So soon? That team is going faster than I thought." Sombra open his eyes, and got up to his feet from his meditation position. He'd been in some tense meditation since his latest report given to him, but with that foresight shown to him, it was just enough to halt him and get him back to current time. It honestly hadn't been easy, and this news still was bothering him in his balcony. It was probably good thing for one figure that his meditation stopped here, as it ventured into the balcony to see him. "You hoo,~" cooed a voice. Sombra turned and found the new figure now within the balcony with him. A new figure soon strutted in, and Sombra got up to his feet. This female demoness seemed pleased to see him, though her eyes showed a sexual interest towards the demon king. She stood tall, taller than Sombra himself by a foot, her skin fair and smooth. In fact, much of her didn't appear much like your typical demon. Her body was voluptuous like Homunculus Lust, and her outfit showed plenty of eye candy for the demon king. Her hair, sea blue in color, stretched down her back, past her curvy hips. On top of her head was a sort of blue-green tiara, a emerald at the center of it. A cloth flowed around her shoulders, held together by another rounded green pearl jewel just above her chest, which was only covered by a black bra, each having a blue ring around it, and held by a metal ring. Her arms wore a long sleeve, only opening at the end of her hands. Her skirt reached down to her feet, which had boots reaching up to her thighs. Her outfit mainly was black, rimmed with a blue color that matched her hair. One unique feature on her was that she had a set of blue wings, the type one would find on a dragonfly. "Chrysalis. Thank your stars I was just finished," Sombra said. Chrysalis moved closer to the demon king, swaying her hips to show off her body to the stern Sombra. "Why don't you relax? I never seen a demon lord so tense," Chrysalis suggested, winking to Sombra. However, Sombra saw through her attempts, and just sighed. "I know, but you haven't met one so involved above before either, I don't have time to relax right now," Sombra made clear. With Team Harmony going around quicker than expected, he had to keep on his game as well. Chrysalis brought her arms around Sombra's shoulders, and he suddenly found himself in an embrace with her, the demoness giving him some bedroom eyes. "Sure you do. I'll be more than happy to help,~" Chrysalis reassured him. "Not happening," Sombra bluntly said, pushing her aside. Chrysalis just pouted as Sombra moved past her. "Shy much?" Chrysalis griped. "Not at all. I didn't hire you for ... that. It's your unique properties that's the reason you're here. Speaking of, have you check on those Homunculi yet?" Sombra questioned, turning back to her. Chrysalis didn't enjoy Sombra's more stern nature, but got up to her feet anyway. "They're still in the blood tombs where you left him," Chrysalis replied, though she didn't sound like she cared too much about them. "Right. That's all I need to know," sombra replied, soon walking out, but before he could go, Chrysalis suddenly went very bold, and pushed her rather big breasts into Sombra's back, hugging him from behind. Sombra shivered. "Come on, Sombra. Why can't I go out and have some fun, instead of those artificial humans? I'm sure I wouldn't screw up as much as they've been." "Don't be ridiculous, Chrysalis. I'll tell you when, but for now just stay put," Sombra instructed. After that, he went right off and left her. so much for some time with the demon lord. Sometime later, and Sombra was reaching this 'Blood Tombs', This was in a much darker location, one underground to be exact. The area looked within a dark tunnel, only main source of light coming from violet flames of the wall torches and nothing else. Right next to him appeared to be some sort of strong door, which Sombra went right over to, and opened up. Inside was another part of the Underworld, one a bit away from the regular palace. Various pools dotted the cavern, the main light source being the red crystals illuminating the area. Within each pool, each was shallow and filled up with a red velvet liquid, stagnated in the pools all around. In one of these pools, a body was laid inside, with two figures standing in patience as Sombra walked right over to them. These figures were Lust and Gluttony, both Homunculi watching their fellow Homunculus laying in the pool. "Has Envy resurrected yet?" asked Sombra, as he approached. "He's taking his time apparently. That human group in the Phantomhive estate did quite a number on him," explained Lust. Sombra looked into the pool at Envy's body. Envy appeared alright, almost appearing asleep in the velvet pool, bare naked with only his stomach, chest, hair, and face visible above the surface as the rest remained concealed. Sombra shook his head. He'd get mad at them for going after the Phantomhive estate if Hellgar didn't instruct them to do so in the first place. "So I see. ... Gluttony, did you handle that other task Hellgar told you about?" "They were so delicious, thank you very much!" Gluttony said, licking his lips greedily. Well, that answered Sombra's question. Though, seeing him drool and lick like that was more than enough to make Sombra cringe. "Stop that. Please stop that," Sombra said, his hand covering Gluttony's mouth. He didn't come in to lose his lunch. He wiped off the slobber from his hand before looking to the body of Envy again. Envy appeared to be breathing, but very slightly as his body was recovering. It looked intently at Envy for a good minute, Lust and Gluttony exchanging glances with eachother before Sombra looked to them again. "When Envy's recovered, you three head off out to Amestris. ... Make sure to get a strong ally," Sombra instructed, just before leaving them alone in the room. After that check up, Sombra was walking off again down the tunnel where he came in, his active mind rethinking over the situation at hand. "Let's see. Envy is recovering. Chrysalis is adapting fairly well. That team of humans had overcome both Homunculi and demon pack. ... This is getting troubling. One more thing I have to check." ....... Eventually, Sombra began to reach his next quarry soon after the Homunculus visit. This room was a bit different from the blood bath chambers, or the chambers within the palace. The room was quiet, only sounds of distant dripping of water the main audible sound to be heard. The place was especially cold, the ground underfoot actually frosted over slightly in patches. Sombra wasn't too bothered by the cold as his eyes scanned the area around him. The walls, ceiling, and floor all were made up of cold steel, the sound of every footstep echoing down the small hall towards Sombra's main destination, to which he stopped himself. The room widened up to a larger blocked chamber, almost like a small arena with four pillars standing at each corner, each one dormant apparently. "Hey. You still there?" Sombra asked firmly. "Sombra. My old friend." Then came the main reason he came down there. One main figure was sitting there, that wicked smile still evident on his devilish face. Despite the cold, this demon was still red and burning. As far as a demon would go, this figure would better fit the generic build of one over Sombra: red skin from head to toe, pointed ears, and a large set of horns belonging to a bull. Some details made him stand out still, one thing included his eyes were completely black with yellow irises that almost glowed. For hair, he had a rather scruffy gotee going on, and while his hair did stretch to his tailbone, the top was still shaved clean with the exception of a shaved Mohawk. The only main source of clothing on him was a pair of black shorts, but apart from that he was completely bare. His arms, legs, chest and stomach all had chains and locks that weighed him down. On him as well, a red pearl engraved the top of his ribcage, and two distinct scars showed themselves: one around his neck and one slicing over his left eye, both of which looked less like cuts and more like white stitches. This person was who Sombra wanted to check him, and admittedly, Sombra wasn't happy that this figure was actually happy to see him. "Good, you're still here. That's all I want to check in," Sombra said, as he turned to go. "Dearie me, Sombra. Is that all you have to say to me? Me: the previous ruler of Tartarus?" "No, here's another one: stop acting so cocky. I got you in chains, and down in the coldest prisonhold in the Underworld to prohibit your power. I fail to see what's worth being so cheery about." The figure got up, and started to move closer to him. Sombra made sure to stay off the arena boundary, the figure only stopped by the limit of his own chains. "You seem so confident in yourself. You think that everything will work out by playing it safe, don't you? There's a reason why we demons don't ever play fair to our opponents." "Shut up. It's because of your reckless behavior that you're locked up in here in the first place -" "You mean your reckless behavior, you mean? You are aware who I am, don't you?" the figure chuckled. Sombra cleared his throat. "Demon lord Tirek: ruler of Tartarus over the last fifty years, fullblood demon-class, also known as the inventor of torture. Yes, I know who you are, and you're reputation didn't help you get any farther." "And you think your reputation will? You can play your childish games as much as you want to, but in the end it'll be the end, I'm the true demon king that will take the surface world back. All you are is a match that'll start my hellfire." "When elephants fly! Now I only came to check in on you, and I did, now good day to you sir!" Sombra finished, walking on out, frustrated at Tirek. All Tirek did was smile and giggle slyly. "you'll see." "Oh sure I will," Sombra replied sarcastically before leaving Tirek alone. So long as he remained there, Sombra was secured. ~~ Japan. Orora High. As Team Harmony continued their own agenda with Ciel and Sebastian, Korosensei continued his many assortment of deeds for the next school agenda. A month away from the 3-E building gave the place a bit of time to get all stuffy and worn down, so Korosensei had a bit of work to handle. course, it was nothing a Mach-20 Demon King couldn't handle. When Korosensei first came back, the place was covered up in dust from lack of maintenance: desks, walls, floors, etc. having a thin layer of dust. Some books fell over on the shelves nearby, and even some boards on the roof had grown loose. The front gym yard had a number of weeds sprouting out from the ground in several places. By the time Korosensei was finished sprucing up the place - it only took about twenty to twenty five seconds - everything in and around the 3-E building looked good as new. The gym yard was trimmed, picked clean of any foreign flora around the yard down to a tee. The interior sparkled and shined with cleaned up floors, walls, and even the ceiling thanks to some handy work. Desks were wiped clean, books rearranged with precision, boards on the roof mended up. Korosensei, being the cocky Demon King he is, had extra time to get a little sweet treat of ice cream, and writing out "Welcome Back" on the front chalkboard. The Demon King swung his leg over (or in his case, his four tentacles tossed over the rest), and he happily licked his ice cream and waited for the students to come back around. Karasuma, Gakuho, each student of 3-E. He missed them all over summer vaca, and now he's willing to see all their faces again. "Ah, what would this place do without you Korosensei?" Korosensei commented. All he had to do was wait patiently for the bell to chime it's tune, and his lovely class of students would come right through that door. He's sure that they'll be more than happy to see him again. The minutes ticked by, and Korosensei waited and waited for the students to happily show their faces to him, but as Korosensei waited for that clock to chime he found not a single student coming in from anywhere. He didn't see any come in from the main path, nor coming in from the direction of the main building. He even took post up on the roof with a pair of binoculars but the only thing he saw was summer trees and the occasional Pidgy. Nothing more beyond that for the next five to ten minutes. Strange. He would see a student come out by now, considering the time. "This seems peculiar. Shouldn't they be here by now? At least one of them should be coming by," Korosensei wondered, checking the clock back inside for a brief moment. He soon started to check around the yard outside. He went around high and low, but whatever these students were doing, they were well hidden. "Okay gang, you had your fun. We have a lot of time to catch up with one another. I got some sweet gossip from my vacation that we can chat about," Korosensei offered. He considered that a great offer for any curious human, but that didn't seem to cut it. Odd indeed. "KIDS?! WHERE'RE YA?!" Korosensei called, zooming around the nearby forest. He continued flying around the forest for a bit, but as he was, something along the forest floor. It was interesting enough to make Korosensei stop cold. A pile of porno magazines dumped into a pile. The sight of these priceless gems made Korosensei's face fluster pink with a blush, his smile having an extra little curl. A clear trap, yes, but the chances to eye and gawk some big-boobed babes was too good to pass up for this demon king. "OOOO what do we have here? Is that the exclusive beach time issue?!" Korosensei wondered excitedly, already sitting down and going through the pages. Any pervert would love to get a grip on these issues. Then the cover said a extra something that especially made him psyched. "WHA?! Never-Before-Seen thong bikini set?! Oh gimme gimme gimme gimme," he said, rushing to see this supposed set in this issue fast, skimming through the pages. By the time he managed to get there though, all he got was a blank page with a silly picture drawn on it. Particular, one of his own face, winking and sticking his tongue out. Next thing he knew, the ground suddenly gave, and a fast-reacting net launched upward. Normally Korosensei would bolt out of the way, but the distraction of big boobs was his major downfall this time. He found himself stuck in a net trap, porno magazines on the ground and him stuck hanging up in a tree. Who'd of thought that first time back and he'd get up a tree about it. "Got him!" "Who'd of thought some porno would be the perfect bait." These voices Korosensei recognized, and sure enough out came the 3-E students. Each and every single one of them, and each one with a weapon in hand. Some had guns while others tied their knives on poles to stab him with. Korosensei was not in the right condition at the moment for a quick getaway, so when the first shot fired, all he could do was dodge to the best he could manage to do. As students tried, two of the leading minds watched on. Or rather, one leading mind, one pacifist. "See Nabiku? Knew that pervert wouldn't be able to resist. Sure you don't wanna take a stab at him?" "No thank you, Nakamura." Nakamura and Nabiku just stood there and observed what surely would be the ending blow to this demon. Korosensei dodged and waved around like mad against these students and their games, knife slashes and gunfire ringing out all around him, but none of them could make a hit onto him. Soon the demon king found this fun. "HAHAHA, what a start! See you all been sharpening your blades, but it won't do ya any good!" Korosensei said, getting pretty cocky about this whole thing. Nabiku did have a weapon in hand, but she was too humbled to even fire the thing. "Nabiku, here, take one shot. He's right there, just one and it's all it'll be," Nakamura said, trying to encourage her to fire. "B-But ... but ..." "It'll be fine, I promise. You don't have to do anymore today," Nakamura promised. Nabiku trembled a little, but she took her options a bit and finally made the ultimate choice: fire. Nabiku took aim at Korosensei, trying her best to find a firing point. Nakamura actually went behind Nabiku and tried to help her out. Nakamura may not have a gun but she had the right eye all the same. "Try to aim where the points meet. He may be moving around a lot, but there's one part that stays still on him," Nakamura advised, both watching the blurry dodges. Korosensei continued to constantly dodge, but Nabiku and Nakamura focused on that one point. ... Then the shot was fired. "YOW!!" It happened rather fast, but it seemed like slow motion. Korosensei broke free from the trap and bolted off to a far safer distance, but they did noted that Korosensei actually moved, ever so slightly slower. One other thing too was where the rope landed, they all saw a clump of yellow goo from Korosensei's tentacle now splattered on the ground. Nabiku's gun smoked from that one shot, Nabiku herself shocked more than anyone that a shot was even made, let alone actually hitting him at all. The hit may be minor, but it proved that they were stronger than Korosensei remembered. "WOO. Well well well, we've got some new tricks I see. Congrats to Nabiku and Nakamura for that million yen shot, but word of advice: one shot to the foot wouldn't take your opponent down for long. Though it will cripple them, naturally," Korosensei explained, his tentacle regrowing after a little bit. Korosensei then leaped up, and zoomed off out of sight. Nabiku, still trembling a little, lowered her gun. Her heart was racing like crazy, even if it was just one little shot and minor too. "Damn, look at that, you got a shot out of him. Good hit Nabiku - ... Nabiku? Nabiku, calm down," Nakamura said, trying to help Nabiku calm down. However, Nabiku was too freaked out over just shooting her weapon to relax, nevermind hitting someone with it. "I ... I-I'm fine. I-I'm fine. I-I'm fine." "You look ready to break, my god," Nakamura thought, especially when seeing her face. Nabiku will need more time yet before she can handle weapons without spacing out. Meanwhile, Korosensei flew straight back to the school, all cleaned up and looking forward to the students coming back for sure. With their attempt failing again, they don't have to wait around anymore. Regardless, this did get his own heart pumping, but in a good way. "This year's going to be fun." ~~ Travel time had been pretty good for Team Harmony. The main location in mind from the United Kingdom had to be from boat to the mainland instead of a typical flight on a plane, though mainly because Amestris didn't have a airport. Time was extended yes, but they were good off of that anyway from what could be. The boat they've managed to get themselves on was a seagoing ferry, a fine ride overseas that Ciel managed to get himself on. The boat wasn't exactly a cruise ship, but the boat was still a decent size, about as long as two buses. With good weather for the sea riding the boat made good speed to the mainland, wave sways notwithstanding though. The boat moved along steady as it goes, Team Harmony taking some time to enjoy their 'cruise'. Pinkie Pie, Nagisa, and Twilight were over by the edge of the boat, though while Pinkie was giddy about the trip and Nagisa content with the view of the passing sea, Twilight was looking more sickly, hanging off the side of the boat with a green tint to her face. The rest were nearby, and basically waiting until the ship reached port, which it didn't do until about sunset. Hours at sea just didn't suit Twilight much, though she was glad it was all over. The docks they reached were as crowded as they expected it to be, reaching the border lines of a seaside city. The city looked pretty modern, like Tokyo but smaller, yet differences stop there. The first one off the boat was actually Sebastian, lifting Ciel off the boat and jumping down to the dock. The rest went off the normal way, and met up over by the inner docks. "Oh wow! This Amestris city looks sweet. It's like a pocket-sized Tokyo," Aladdin said in astonishment, looking around like a tourist. "Well what're we waiting for? That king's gotta be around somewhere," noted Blair, strolling out in her human form. "Not here: we have to go to the Capitol if we're to meet him," Ciel corrected. Fair enough situation. Not too far behind, Nagisa brought Twilight on over, trying to help the slightly green-faced girl from riding around on the boat. She'd prefer the flying carpet anyday of the week over the boat. "What happened to you, Twilight? Your face is green," asked Aladdin, finger pressing her face. "Just. Just give me a minute," Twilight said meekly, trying to gather herself. "Oh Botha. Come on, Sebastian, we have little time to waste," Ciel instructed. He didn't have time to be toying around with Twilight, as he had to get to King Bradley according to the future vision list they had. After a minute or two, and soon they were starting their way through the city. The group fitted in pretty well overall, with many of them observing the neighborhood around them as they walked through. Cities like this are something they were more familiar with; plenty of people, modern buildings, the main works. Buildings around the city matched with Tokyo Japan, though a bit shorter naturally.The people were slightly different from the people they knew in Japan, as expected, but some of these people Twilight and Nagisa begun to note had some unique features on them that made them stand out from regulars of Japan, or England for that matter. People from different places would have some sort of natural difference, but Amestris was a bit more noticeable with some folk. Mechanical parts. That's right. Either be it a arm, or a leg (no joke), some people had mechanical parts that looked right out of some steampunk world. "Strange. They have metal arms and legs," Nagisa quietly noted, curious. "It's Automail," stated Ciel. "Excuse me?" "Oh, I've read about this: It's a common practice in Amestris to use metal parts to replace lost limbs. Usually a arm or a leg, or both," Twilight said, as she and Nagisa were seeing the examples around town. Nagisa knew of artificial limbs, but those were mainly made up of plastic, not straight metal like a machine such as this. Ciel cleared his throat and addressed the group. "See someone did their research, but we're not here to sightsee. This is a strict task from the queen of England, so if we all can cooperate -" "OOOO, what's going on there?" Pinkie said, suddenly rushing off on them! Well, so much for that. "Where the devil are you going?!" Ciel called, but Pinkie was a bit far away already. "Easy, earl, she's just having fun. Come on, let's check it out," Blair suggested, following her. Some of the others decided to go off, but Ciel just stood behind. Not even five minutes in Amestris and Team Harmony's already going off. The others were sure to just follow her and check out what she saw, as Pinkie wasn't going to go with them otherwise until she found that out at least. Nearby, Team Harmony found themselves a rather large crowd, watching and anticipating over some sort of event going on. It took a little bit for the group to get through, but once they did, they soon found what was causing so much ruckus. Around an area, two men stood tall and looking pretty proud. One of them, a regular sized human with one of those 'loud' orange shirts held a bag of coins in hand, but the person next to him not only towered over him, but both his arms were completely made of Automail. Aside from them stood a lone, sturdy table and two seats, one for each opponent. The defeated opponent just walked sadly away, holding his sore arm in defeat. Pretty easy to figure out what this was. "Down goes another contender! Come on, who's next?!" the referee called, waving the money bag above him for all to see. As one man went off to heal himself, another one with an automail arm stepped up to the challenge. "Oh, arm wrestling. Haven't done one of these in forever," Karma commented. "Is this another human game?" "Something like that. Watch," Karma told Aladdin, pointing to the event at front. They all watched the next challenger get himself situated, and both men locking arms. The referee held both hands down, and started his countdown, as any ref would do. After the traditional 'three, two, one', both men started on their game. At first, none of them wavered much, but after a bit, the champion slammed his new opponent's automail arm down hard, securing his victory yet again. The hit made Aladdin cringe up and the opponent just walked off away. Cheers abounded from the crowd over yet another secured victory for the champion. At this point was when Ciel and Sebastian caught up. "Odd game." "Come on, any real challenger ready to come up? Come on, who wants to take a crack at the champ?" shouted the referee, waving the money around. As he was looking, he caught sight of Team Harmony standing there, along with some others in the crowd. He put his hand over his eyes in a salute fashion, looking around for any other potential figures. "Oh, how could I? Asking this tiny little shrimp to take on the champ?! HAHAHA!" The ref suddenly said. The team was going to say something, but the ref wasn't referring to any of them. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP?!" Shouted a pissed off voice. Then came the next challenger. The referee got his next sucker far as he was concern, and the opponent here looked a lot smaller just as well. He looked rather short, only taller than Aladdin, but shorter than the rest of them were surprisingly. His hair was blond, tied back in a braid and parted at front with the exception of a strand of hand poking upward. The outfit of said person primarily made up of black trousers, a sleeveless black shirt with a black jacket that had silver/white lining along the edges, and a bright red, long-sleeved, hooded cloak whose tail came down to his upper calves. As he ventured forward, he took of the red cloak, and went straight over to the tall challenger. When he got there, it is revealed that he too had his own automail arm, gleaning in the light once he got into position. Everyone, including Team Harmony watched them both lock arms and the referee counted them down. "Ok. Three. Two. One ... Go!" So they went at it. At first, both sides remained still and focused in strength. Everyone held their breath for a good ten seconds. ... The he pulled back. ... And tore the champion's automail hand clean off! lightning sparked, metal torn away, and soon the newcomer was holding what remained in his hand like it was his own trophy. As was expected, the entire crowd, most of Team Harmony included, saw this wide-eyed and mouths-agape. One had to be goddamn strong in order to tear someone's automail off so easily. The newcoming opponent smirked and dropped the automail hand down in front of the champion. Or rather, once was. "I think I'll take that now," said the opponent, confidence gleaning as the referee silently gave him the bag of cash. While it was impressive, it did mark the end of the situation, and any reason to stick around. "Now that you've had your fun, may we head on our way?" Ciel asked. "Okie dokie lokie," said Pinkie, as they begin to go off. Aladdin took a moment to watch the other guy go off on his way before going to join the others. ~~ The day had been long, but eventually the school day back in Orora high had come to a close, and the students of 3-E were heading off home. For Nabiku, that meant that she had a walk home alone from her usual trip. It wasn't exactly anything new for this girl, as walking home alone was something she was more than used to ever since high school even got started for her, nevermind this year itself. All the same, it gave her time to listen to the birds chirping around her, which was always a nice thing for her to hear. Still, while it was nice, her mind still remembered over what had happened earlier, the thrill of shooting that gun at Korosensei still having an effect on her. "Why do we have to kill him? He's so nice, he doesn't deserve this. ..." That was Nabiku's main thought above all. She never found a reason to kill him, being a demon being the only actual reason there was, and even that was not enough for her. Such a charismatic, and cheerful carefree nature, what's there to provoke murder on him? sure, he looked a bit questionable, but that was purely speculation. Should she try and kill him like everyone else? Nabiku sighed. "Maybe I should leave them to do it," Nabiku concluded, though her decision came with a grain of salt. She would try to stop them if she had the nerve to. During her walk, she took a moment to stop and observe some Pidoves perched up in a nearby tree. They sang their basic tunes as usual, and one of them started to fly away. Nabiku enjoyed these cute little birds, and the Pidoves didn't seem too worried over her either. One thing that Nabiku looked forward to was seeing these cute birds around the forest on the way home. *bzzz* Then it happened. Out of nowhere, and in an almost blur, something suddenly took off from the forest, and grabbed the Pidove right out of the air! Nabiku flinched on the sight and sound of the attacker. Be it curiosity or dumb luck, Nabiku saw the fate of the poor bird just a few moments later after taking a few steps forward. Over on a tree trunk, the poor bird squawked and fluttered for a little before going limp and falling lifeless onto the ground under it. For the attacker, the creature gripped the tree with six insect legs. The overall body looked like that of a moth, but this was no ordinary moth. The purple wings themselves stretched behind it, though Nabiku could make out eye markings on them, resembling amber eyes. Fluffed antennae aimed forward with four tendrils that looked like tentacles or proboscis, but the overall size of this moth, and probably what scared her the most, was that it was as big as a deer! And seeing how it just killed the bird, probably rather aggressive too. As first, Nabiku was scared to budge, worried that any sudden movements would trigger something off this giant moth, the moth's eyes having a faint yellow glow as it sensed her standing about ten feet away. Its antennae twitched and flickered, as if sniffing for her. The remaining Pidoves flew off from there, leaving only Nabiku with this strange giant creature. "W-Wha ... W-What is that? ... W-w-w-what do I do?" Nabiku thought, trembling a little bit. Just seeing this giant kill a bird so easily, and so quickly, this thing was built to kill, and it looked plenty big enough to take her down if provoked, much like a hawk or eagle in a way. Both Nabiku and the Moth were at a stalemate with eachother, neither side moving an inch. Nabiku knew she can't stay there forever, and so Nabiku, ever so slowly, started to move along the path to home. The giant moth didn't budge at first, letting Nabiku move slowly along, step by step. The moth almost looked fake on its tree, but each twitch of the antenna just proved otherwise. "Baby steps. ... Baby steps. ... Easy does it. ..." But it wasn't easy enough. With a flick of the wing, the giant moth launched straight forward directly at Nabiku. The girl ducked fast, the Moth zooming off above her. The broad-winged Moth quickly turned itself around to find Nabiku running like mad to get away. Nabiku tried her best, but this mad moth buzzed and fluttered around her like crazy, trying to get a grip on her. Nabiku was basically running blind while trying to avoid the bug, just to end up tripping over her feet, and falling to the ground. The moth landed on her side after she fell, the weight keeping Nabiku down as she struggled. Nabiku yelped in pain as she felt the mouth of the moth sink into her shoulder, already feeling the suction of the moth starting to such her blood dry. So not only was this bug a giant, but also a bloodsucker. "Help! Help me!!" Nabiku called in horror, but there was no one around to hear her. All Nabiku could do was flail around to try and dislodge the insect. The giant moth thrashed around until it eventually released her for a moment. It had a fair amount of blood, but not enough to satisfy it. Nabiku straightened up, and the bug landed on the ground nearby. The moth readied to fly up again and tackle her. "O-Oh no. ..." ....... The bite never came. In fact, everything became quiet after the supposed launch. Nabiku straightened up, dazed and light-headed and with a bite mark on her shoulder. The mark was a minor cut, blood seeping out in little drops, but the moth suddenly found itself with its back knocked into another tree, its wings dangerously close to getting ripped. Nabiku needed a moment to get herself together, wondering what exactly happened, but eventually she found that she wasn't alone in this battle. As the moth got itself turned around, rather than attack again, it quickly got off the ground and flew away fast, leaving nothing behind apart from scattered dust. As for who apparently saved her, Nabiku's dazed condition didn't give her too much of an expression, or very much details. Someone was indeed standing there, almost on top of her as if protecting her, some sort of blur stretching out from her torso. One detail that Nabiku could make out was a surprising amount of blue, especially on the stretch parts. The figure turned its head to Nabiku for a brief moment, smile on its face, before suddenly a huge gust of wind struck her. She had to cover her face in case of any attack. Once the wind calmed down, Nabiku found herself all alone again. Whoever that was, just as quickly as it began, it was over. Nabiku managed to get to her feet, getting her senses back together. The only evidence that someone was indeed there was a set of dug-in footprints right at her feet, looking like they belonged to a pair of sneakers or something. She knew it wasn't her own by the placement, but there was no sign of any trail anywhere. "Who was that?" Nabiku wondered. ~~ As the world continued outside, Korosensei was busy with his own little bit of schedule. The days back at school were alright, but his own little agreement towards Gakuho for Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma's sake in terms of grades had given him a little bit of decent challenge to try and please. Bad enough they weren't here for one, and Korosensei had to handle the multiple grades for them too, along with the 3-E students here. It wouldn't be so bad if the group wasn't practically half way around the world right now. As he tried to handle it in his office, mainly preparing their little work sheets as homework, Karasuma came in and soon noticed the situation going on with Korosensei, the speed demon working out each study session from pure scratch and writing them down on blank papers. "They won't be back. That it?" asked Gakuho. Korosensei had confronted him in his office, standing there with the names of the students that won't really be attending as much this year, according to Korosensei's knowledge. "Thought I'd give my boss a heads up before this year starts. It's a very personal issue, you know," Korosensei replied with a wink of the eye. Still, Gakuho remained a bit unmoved by the words, and instead presented Korosensei with a attendance sheet with their names on each one, and a pen hovering over them. "Well, in that case, I might as well mark them suspended." "WHOA WHOA WHOA, l-let's not be too hasty!" Korosensei insisted, freaked out by the sudden jump. "Korosensei. My school is the best there is. Tardiness is not tolerated. And it seems by what you told me, they won't be back for quite a while. ... Unless they can return from England by tomorrow morning? ..." Korosensei was on the ropes here. He didn't tell Gakuho that information just to get them into trouble. Still, it took the demon king only a short time before getting an idea in his yellow head. "Wait a minute! Problem's the students learning, right? How about I mail them the work, and I'll come straight back with their scores. It's like they never left at all," Korosensei decided, quickly changing into a mailmen's outfit with envelopes in his tentacles. Gakuho stayed eerily quiet for a little bit, each second worrying Korosensei more and more, until Gakuho got up and moved over to the demon teacher. "Are you willing to go through all that trouble for such neglectful students?" Korosensei only nodded, shivering a little. "... How about I make you a deal. I'll let you handle this, but if one paper is left unchecked, one test not written and put into their grades, then I'm afraid we'll have four failing students to add to your "little E family". How does that sound?" "Gakuho, you're about to be played," Korosensei thought. "What're you doing now?" Karasuma asked. "Ah, Karasuma, good to see ya. Just getting some little tests ready for a few kids," Korosensei said, his tentacles blindly zooming around and writing down each question, detail, and instruction down to the wire. Karasuma raised his gun to shoot Korosensei, but the cheeky Korosensei got one tentacle to snatch the gun up during his work, just as he finished up. "AAAAND bam!" Korosensei said once he completed it. "Don't try and get too comfortable. They're all out to get you, remember that," Karasuma reminded sternly, but Korosensei only chuckled, his head showing his green stripes. "Oh, I'd love to see them all try. Maybe you can try some anti-demon grenades tomorrow morning," Korosensei suggested, just before he stepped outside, and disappeared from sight. Well, so much for a attempt at Korosensei's life again. Karasuma, with some time alone, simply sat down by the desk and opened up his laptop. Yeah, his job was to kill Korosensei, but he still had his school teacher job to handle, so he had to check that out anyway. "Damn Korosensei. Who in the right mind would encourage being killed, anyway?" Karasuma thought, though if it meant making the job easier he wouldn't object it. As he looked through some of his emails, one of these did come up that caught his attention during this point from his official: Seitenshi herself! He was military, and presidential messages meant something important one way or another, as he opened it up to see what was going on. Tadaomi Karasuma: You've been assigned to the Protection agreement transfer. You'll be sent off to London as trainer to the Queen's air military for the next upcoming month. As such, Akira Takaoka will be your replacement. He'll be arriving within the next few days, so be sure to inform him on what to do before you go. Seitenshi. Karasuma paused for a moment on this decision. This was fairly new, only given to him about 22 hours ago according to the time frame left on it. So, Karasuma went on to reply back. Understood. ~~ Out in the city, little Blair was out and about in her own time in Amestris. Hanging out with the others and doing this was fine, but strolling around as a true cat gave Blair plenty more freedom to check out the neighborhood. While the rest of the group made overnight accommodations before their move off towards Amestris for King Bradley, Blair kept her curious eyes all over the place. Many a people paid her little mind as the black cat went along, and many birds and mice that saw her kept well clear of her. Been a while since she did these kinds of walks, since she left England as a matter of fact, so some chilling walking was what she needed to explore the place. "Ok, kitty, what do we got today?" Blair wondered. Her eyes scanned around the area for some fancy snack to catch, though much of the busy sidewalks didn't make it too easy. Plenty of people for sure, lots of birds off on the rooftops that were out of reach, but some little nice scurrying along looked pretty good right about now. A few stray mice rushed down some alley steps just as Blair saw them, and being the cat that Blair was, she went right on after them. "I see you micees!" Blair noted, racing down after them. The alleyway Blair decided to run down lead down to a labyrinth of pathways around many of the buildings. Tall walls and windows along a five foot wide path, and one cleared of many a debris so the mice didn't have much to hide in. Not much people out in this part of the world, so Blair had nothing in the way in her chase with these mice. Blair was in hot pursuit by this point, but the mice were just ahead of her enough to run out of sight into a nearby drain. Blair made a dive for them, but the mice just managed to get out of her paws. All she got to get was a face full of dirt. "Damnit mice!" Blair complained, shaking the dirt off of her. So much of a mouse snack. As any cat, she regained herself quick as if nothing had even happened. As she walked off down the alleyway, she caught sight of her reflection off some stray metal, and saw just how dusty she got. "God damnit, got my fur all messed up," Blair sighed, as she started to clean herself up, using the reflection in the object as her mirror. She continued getting the dust out of her fur for the next minute before her eyes started to scope what she was actually using as her mirror. The object in question appeared to be some sort of metallic object, in particular a kind of suit. The suit consisted mainly of blueish silver armor, reaching from the shoes up to the head. A few exceptions to this appeared to be some brown leather underneath the armory, visible around the hands and straps by the shoulders. The suit appeared sturdy, thick and very tall compared to the minuscule feline. Basically a suit of armor perfect fitting a prime muscular man. This wasn't your typical knight armor, with many unique details: the shoulders hosted a trio of spikes, the waist covered in a grey cloth, the neck armor circled the neck like a thick collar, and the helmet didn't match any regular country Blair knew of. The forehead had a single horn on it, the jaw region equipped with edged top jaws to resemble sharp teeth, and the top of the head had a silvery white, hair-like addition that reached down to the armor's hips, like a very thin white ponytail. Three slits make up the openings on the helmet, one which had the eye opening while the other two were for air to flow through. An entire bodysuit of pure armor, and it so happened to be out in a secluded area like this. "Oh, neat. A full suit of body armor! The others are gonna get a kick out of this," Blair thought, walking around and looking it over. As she moved to the otherside, she also noted a red emblem of sorts on the armor's shoulder. Blair looked it over up and down, even climbing on it time to time to check it out. As Blair hopped up onto the lap of the object, it was then that this odd object began to stir a little. ... Then it started to move. "It's alive? This armor's hexed!" Blair thought, hopping off its lap as the apparently live armor began to move, and turn its head towards Blair. Blair stayed still, backing up slightly, but the armor didn't do much of anything at first. Eventually, a large arm extended towards her, Blair withdrawing a bit. Rather than any harm, the hand gently started to pet Blair's head. "Hello, little guy. Are you lost?" Blair heard a voice she never would've expected from a live armor, sounding like a young boy instead of some large man. Blair began to relax a bit, letting this thing gently rub her head. Blair then got an idea, just to see if her suspicions were correct or not. *meeooww~* The armor gasped from the display of affection, a tone like a parent seeing their child in a beautiful outfit. Blair made sure to put on a pity face to her kitty outfit. She would try to act sexy, but she can't fault what she really was to just anyone (as much as it restricted her). Still, this figure gently lifted Blair off the ground, apparently happy to find a little kitty like her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you," the figure promised. Blair gently held the kitty, getting up to his feet (which lifted Blair pretty high up off the ground. Blair thought it over shortly, and just meowed again, letting this figure bring her with him. "I'll catch up with them later," Blair thought. S03Ep2: Elric Brothers ~エルリックブラザーズ~After what felt like hours, the team had gotten their current stay within this Amestris town. It wasn't too high-class amongst the options, but with the money they got, it was all they could manage. They were lucky to find a place that would accept Yen or the queen's coins, and the only one that they could get was a low-running motel. It was only for the night anyway, so it was the best they could do before their trip off towards the Capitol. Besides they can get a train right away once this they were done with their night here. They had to get two rooms to accommodate the group, one for girls, one for boys, both rooms equally run down. Twilight and Pinkie got their room to themselves, as the rest of their group had to handle one room. Sebastian made his post just outside the door, mainly similar to guarding back at the manor. As for those inside, there was a mixed reaction with those inside. "I can't believe I have to sleep in such accommodations," Ciel groaned, getting ready for bed himself. "Better than sleeping in an alley. Like they say: any boat'll hold in a storm," replied Aladdin, as he got comfy under the covers, putting his turban by the bed. Being the rich kid he was, Ciel's preferences did not include such a run down option, or at least not with this many guys in one room. Ciel and Karma in one bed, Aladdin and Nagisa in another. "So, how much longer til we run into our next demon bitch?" Karma wondered, stretching his arms and sitting by the foot of the bed. "I'm hoping we met our last one for a while," Nagisa said. "Come on, with our luck we'll be seeing plenty more demons on our way. Hell, we have our own demon butler standing outside right now." "He's not your butler," Ciel corrected. Nagisa sighed and laid down in bed, as Karma laid next to him. "Look, if we're going to meet any more, I'm hoping we'll actually come across some angels instead. We've been meeting demon after demon, but the only angel we've met is Aladdin," Nagisa explained, both looking over to Aladdin, who was already asleep in bed by the time they noticed him. Nagisa did have a point there, and even then Aladdin might not count since he was a Magi. Karma turned off the light and gave a yawn. "Eh, point taken. Let's chat in the morning about it," Karma said, getting comfortable in bed. With Karma, Aladdin, and Ciel sleeping, Nagisa laid himself down to sleep as well. With Sebastian outside, the girls in the room next door, and no one to talk to, Nagisa had no real reason to stay awake any longer. ... ....... "Nagisa? ... It's nice to see you, Nagisa. ..." "Huh? Who's talking to me? What's that voice?" Nagisa began to open his eyes to the sounds of the gentle, almost motherly voice. It sounded nothing like any of his friends, or anyone familiar from where he went to so far. He felt a soft freeze flow around his body, one thing he knew couldn't happen in the room he last remembered being in. That was because the room he last remembered being in was no longer there, or anywhere for that matter. Looking around, the smooth floor, isolated tree and linear rivers flowing off a dropping cliff made the area a vaguely familiar sight. However, it wasn't night time in this place as he last remembered, but instead the skies were completely clear and bright blue with a sun shining brightly onto him. "Wait. This is where me and Twilight were at before. We got our Future Sight here ... Am I dreaming again?" Nagisa told himself, trying to think. No way can his body and mind be put here while he was asleep. He saw no one else around him this time though, so this visit to this place was strictly him only. No Twilight this time to share this with, or anyone else familiar. "Indeed you are. Hello, Nagisa." There it was again. Nagisa turned around a bit, but he couldn't see anyone around to connect the voice to at first. In his small look around, he eventually noticed that he actually wasn't alone here. He stood about five feet away from Nagisa, appearing to be a young adult. He stood fairly decent, Nagisa eye level to his shoulders in height, though many details made him stand out from any normal human he knew. His outfit resembled that of a royal Prince: a silver overcoat lined in a blue line going over a snow white under shirt. His overcoat flared in the back in two 'tails', lined with blue as well. He wore deep blue pants reaching to just above his feet as well. His hair flowed behind him, reaching down to about similar length to Twilight's hair (and just as smooth), yet as blue as Aladdin and Nagisa's hair. His eyes shown pure blue like Nagisa too, giving Nagisa the impression that he was looking at a possible future self. Nagisa wasn't afraid of this sudden figure looking to him, and he began to put the numbers together. "What a coincidence: I mention about meeting more Angels, and here I am with another one," Nagisa thought. Still, he knew he was in a dream, so anything damaging here would affect him in the real world, an advantage he was grateful to have in this situation. "You're another angel," Nagisa stated. "I am. You've been running around quite a lot, haven't you? You're doing a grand job," said the figure. Being a dream, Nagisa somehow found himself with that list of visions he and Twilight had shared and marked down. Though the list now had a number of slashes in it to mark off past events in accordance. The figure moved closer to see the list alongside Nagisa. However, Nagisa moved away. "Before we continue, please tell me who you are," Nagisa stated, humbled a little bit. The figure understood the confusion and nodded. "I'm known by a number of titles. ... Though you can refer to me as Lugia." "Lugia," Nagisa quietly repeated. At least he got a name for this holy entity. Still, Nagisa took a look around and then to the entity. Time to get some answers. "Hey, Lugia. What is this place? Where are we?" "This is just an fabrication of the Overworld. Don't worry, you'll return to your world when you wake up," Lugia assured him, though Nagisa figured that much already anyway. Aladdin mentioned about the Overworld time to time, so now Nagisa got a better idea on it here. "Now. I do hope you're not put under too much pressure with the Future Sight." "That was you?!" Nagisa asked, surprised. Hard to believe, since neither he nor Twilight noticed any human during the given Future Sight. But still, Lugia stayed calm and collected. "I'm sorry I had to be secretive about it. Especially after what happened already," Lugia said, feeling slightly guilty, which Nagisa caught in his tone of voice. "Oh, no no. It's just, well, a bit surprising, that's all." "I know it can be overwhelming to humans. Wish I could've contacted all of you at once, but this was the safest I could do," Lugia admitted. "Safest?" Nagisa thought, a bit confused. What did he mean by the safest method? He can get a telepathic message, but why was it safer if it was only just him and not the rest? However, he didn't bring it up and allowed Lugia to continue. The entity walked closer to Nagisa from there. "I understand your concern over these demonic activities as of late." "Well. It's not exactly that. It's more that me and my friends had only been finding demons, and not angels. Aladdin is fine, but ..." "You wish for some reassurance?" Lugia asked. The entity got it down pact alright. Nagisa had some good allies, but this 'secret' game wasn't giving him any true assurance. He needed help from someone who knew this stuff well before he did, and not alongside him. Lugia nodded and took a step back. Nagisa then looked to Lugia again. "You might be getting help sooner than you expect. Your friends are secure for the future, I can assure you," Lugia promised. That just reminded Nagisa about the Future Sight he mentioned earlier, and another important question came up. "Lugia, listen. These Future Sights. ... Is there a way to avoid these?" Lugia knew what he meant by that, but regrettably shook his head. "That's not how Future Sight works. Those visions aren't given to avoid, they're given for preparation. ... I'm sorry, but not all the visions we both saw can be altered. I gave them to you so you can be prepared mentally for what's to come," Lugia said gravely. They both knew what some of the visions entailed, but if they can't be altered then it's a matter of when, not if. Nagisa could see that Lugia was regretting a bit, evident on his face. Nagisa looked over the list he made, taking these a bit more seriously. There was one vision in particular, simply labeled 'City', that he truly had trouble with. Now it was guaranteed to happen, and they both knew that. Nagisa stayed quiet for a bit, but eventually he looked to Lugia again. "... Lugia?" "Yes?" "... Do you know how this'll happen?" "I'm afraid I don't. These events are guaranteed to happen, yes, but events leading to the event are varying. I only had time to show you those events alone. ..." Nagisa took it in, and then let out a sigh before locking eyes with the entity. "... It's okay. We can't do everything perfectly," Nagisa just admitted. At least he had the overall idea of the events, over none at all. Besides, it's not like he could do it any better. Why argue over something that he barely knew about. "I'm glad you understand. Grateful Aladdin found you for a friend," Lugia said, though he wished he could do more. Once that was finished though, they both begun to notice that the light was starting to get brighter on them. "Oh dear. It's almost time to wake up." "I understand. It's nice to talk to you," Nagisa said. "Thank you. Oh, and Nagisa? Prepare your mind when you wake," Lugia advised, as the light began to become blinding. Nagisa could only nod, just before all he could see was white. ....... "Wakie wakie." Well, Nagisa knew that voice well enough. He was back in the real world, and back in the motel room they were staying at. However, Nagisa found himself staring into the giant magnified eye of Pinkie Pie. She not only had a magnifying glass in hand, but wearing her detective outfit as well. The pink girl was right in Nagisa's face with the magnifying glass. The typical reaction to this would be a Yelp and a tumble out of bed, but Nagisa was mentally prepared this time. "... Morning, Pinkie." "Morning, my dear Shiota," Pinkie said, hopping off of the bed. Nagisa found that he wasn't the only one waking up due to Pinkie Pie's antics. In fact, everyone else was up and about alongside him. Sebastian was in mid process to dressing Ciel for the day, Aladdin and Twilight appeared to have had a rude awakening, and Karma was simply dressed and alright overall. Nagisa yawned and woke himself up, seeing Pinkie Pie going around the room trying to find a sort of something. "Pinkie's at it again, huh?" Nagisa yawned. "Sort of. Blair hasn't come back yet, so Pinkie's trying to find clues. ... Or something like that," Twilight explained, yawning as well. Pinkie suddenly popped up behind Nagisa, looking over him to Twilight (Nagisa feeling the pink girl's boobs push on his back). "Detective Pinkie's on the case, we'll find her!" Pinkie insisted. "How ridiculous is this? Just as we're about to leave, and one of us happens to disappear," Ciel groaned, as Sebastian buttoned up his overcoat. "Quite a coincidence, my lord. It might prove problematic if we miss our train because of her, wouldn't you think so?" Sebastian agreed. Ciel nodded his head just as Sebastian finished, and he got to his feet. Nagisa overhead their conversation, as he got up himself. "Blair gone. So that's what you meant, Lugia," Nagisa thought. "Eh, she must've wandered off into town last night. Hey Sebastian, try and fetch her will you?" Karma instructed. "Hey, who're you to command my butler?" Ciel questioned. Luckily, Twilight got to him before things could get out of hand. "Ciel, wait. Maybe it would be a good idea to have Sebastian look for Blair. He can look faster than any of us could," Twilight insisted. Ciel waited a moment to consider the idea before turning to Sebastian. "Don't be late, Sebastian. Find her and get her back before that train leaves for the Capitol." "I'll do only my best, my lord. Meantime, I suggest the rest of you to arrive at the station, if such thing happens that I do end late, we can meet at the Capitol in future," Sebastian said. Without a second word, Sebastian went off on his way, far gone in a very short time as the others watched him go. If anyone could find her fast enough it would be Sebastian. ~~ Meanwhile, off in a different part of town, the cat girl in question had it pretty well for herself. Even if she was hanging out with what she would consider a silver golem, the figure still was treating her very well. Nice and cozy, sleeping away the morning by her large living suit of armor. She even got cozy inside of him by this point, and it stayed nice and dim to keep her sleeping. The figure was enjoying it too, feeling the cat's soft and warm body just made him feel all cozy himself. Things just felt nice for both figures, but it was the armor who woke up with the morning light. "Al. Hey Al, we gotta go." A voice was enough to fully wake up the armor. It started dull but it was enough to wake him up all the same, as another figure of this house opened the door. The next kid in the house, low and behold, was the exact same kid that won the arm wrestling contest just yesterday. He was fully clothed now, and ready to move. Al though felt a little unsure. "Oh, morning brother. Sorry, I overslept," Al said. However, his brother was in a better mood today, in his mechanical automail hand a bag of money proudly presented. "Don't worry about it. Just wait til we get back to central." *meow* Al froze up. The figure, who was just happy a second ago, suddenly turned suspicious over his towering brother. "Al? ... Did you just meow?" He asked him. Al tried his best to play dumb. "Uh ... No?" And not very good at it. His brother went right up to him, and before Al could do anything, his chest cavity suddenly opened up. Inside the hollow shell, Al's brother then saw Blair fast asleep inside him. Well, so much for that. The light made Blair wake up to see Al's brother there, a look of annoyance on his face. Al straightened up. "Not again. Al, this is the third time this month, you can't keep taking in every cat you see." "But Ed, this one's different: he called to me. Can't we keep him?" "No, Al! Now take it back to where you found it," Ed instructed sternly. It was clear that Ed wasn't like Al in case of scenarios like this. Still, Al just didn't want to get rid of his new kitty. ... "Alright, I'll do it," Ed decided, grabbing Blair and starting to walk out. Al immediately followed him, trying to get Blair back but Ed wasn't wavering a bit. Ed didn't have time to deal with cats right now. "Ed, pretty please?" "Al stop it! We got an appointment at central, we can't be taking care of any cats right now!" Ed snapped. Al felt broken-hearted as they reached the door. "How can you be so cold?" Al wept. Ed wasn't really going to take the time to care this cat for Al's sake. Al could beg all he wanted to, it wasn't working. Blair was getting a bit annoyed herself, being held rather roughly by Ed the whole time they were talking. Anyway, just before Ed could step outside though, Ed, Al, and Blair, all heard a knock at their door. Rather unexpected surprise. Since Ed was right at the door, he went onto open up the door, Blair trying to scratch her way out of Ed's mechanical arm grip, no avail of course. They open the door, and who do they find? A Phantomhive Butler right at their doorstep. Looked like Sebastian found his quarry. "Morning. I have reason to believe that you have something that belongs to me," said Sebastian, not wasting anytime in getting to the point. And with the only new thing over twenty four hours being Blair the cat, it wasn't difficult to figure out what this something was. That didn't mean Ed and Al weren't weirded out by Sebastian's arrival. "See Al? It's not your cat," Ed cleared up. Al wasn't so convinced though. Why would his cat be wandering the streets? Ed still handed the cat over to Sebastian anyway, the butler already fonding over the cat. "It's a pleasure to see you again my sweet feline friend. You've been around quite a bit haven't you?" Sebastian said, slight baby talk to Blair around the end of it. Blair was not amused by this handling. Ed was okay with it, but Al wasn't so sure. "W-Wait. How do we know it's his cat?" "Why else would he be here, Al?" Ed pointed out, Sebastian still fonding over Blair. As Al looked into Sebastian's eyes, it was hard to say but it almost appeared that they seemed to glow. ... Next thing they knew, Al grabbed Blair, and took off down the street! "HEY, GET BACK HERE! THINK OF THE KITTEN!" Ed called. "I KNOW! I AM!" Al called back. Sebastian didn't actually know what happened, almost dumbfounded by Al's cat-burglary. Still, the butler kept his cool and gently adjusted his glove as he usually does. He had a schedule to keep, and he didn't need this kind of tomfoolery. "Here we go," Sebastian sighed, before suddenly rushing Al. Ed didn't react very quick to the lunge, and had to run after him fast as he could. Al tried to keep running, Blair freaking out slightly. But despite the head start, Sebastian soon caught up with him. In fact, the butler even looped around and placed himself in front of Al, the armor skidding to a halt in shock of Sebastian's speed. Ed caught up, but both Al and Sebastian were in a bit of a scuffle over Blair. Sebastian tried to get Blair, but Al kept moving the cat out of his reach over and over again. "Just give him the damn cat already!" Ed demanded. "No, I won't! I don't trust him!" Al retorted. "I assure you I won't do any harm to her," Sebastian firmly stated. Eventually, Sebastian finally got a hold on Blair with one hand, leaving both him and Al at a stalemate. Blair honestly had enough with this. As fun as it was to have two men fight over her, having them do it as a cat wasn't as fun for her. Eventually, Blair pulled herself out of their grip, and landed on the ground. "Boys, boys, I'm more than enough girl for everyone,~" Blair cooed. The blank expressions on both faces was enough of a reaction. "Did that cat just talk?!" Ed yelped. Blair sat down over a few feet away, and soon, Blair smirked towards them both, and suddenly a rather familiar poof of purple fog out of nowhere, and soon there was Blair. Now, in her human form, and once more Blair gave them enough eye candy by modeling in a revealing, black microkini, with Blair showing off the best of her figure to both her admirers. Accompanied by a sly smile, and a wink of the eye, Blair revealed who she really was to Ed, Alphonse, and Sebastian, showing off her barely covered body. The reactions were ... not what she anticipated. "W-WHAAAA?!" Al and Ed gasped, quickly backing up from this sudden sexy kitty popping up. Sebastian wasn't as dramatic in reaction, but surprise was still evident on his face, wide eyed and dumbfounded. Blair looked to all of them and their odd reactions, but rather than being discouraged, decided to tease them a little more. Sebastian, who was closest to her, ended up getting wrapped by Blair, her arms wrapped around his waist and boobs pushing against him. "Aww, what's wrong?~ I thought you loved a good little kitty, right?~" Blair cooed, her cat tail whipping behind her as she said that. Sebastian honestly needed a minute to process this, and when that was done, he pushed her off of him. One hand pushing her back by her face, the other pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to contemplate. "So. Their cat, and this girl are one of the same," Sebastian thought, looking down at Blair with a more disturbed expression than before. To think that he was just fonding over her a minute ago. Al and Ed were still trying to contemplate this themselves. "Please stop that," Sebastian simply said. He even pulled out a napkin and wiped off where Blair's boobs pressed him. Blair then changed her targets, and turned her attention to the 'big hunk of man' that was Alphonse., suddenly popping up by him, and holding onto his arm, pressing her boobs against him as well. "I know you won't mind me, don't you, you handsome stud?~" Blair cooed. Al didn't know what to say, but ... "BACK OFF!" Ed snapped, suddenly clocking her in the head with his automail arm. Strong enough to give Blair a large red bump on her head. "OW! What'd you do that for?!" "BACK OFF FROM MY BROTHER, SLUT!" "Did you have to hit me with your right arm?!" "I CAN HIT YOU WITH MY LEFT IF YOU'D PREFER!" Few whacks later by Sebastian, and the argument stopped. Now Ed and Blair had a good sized lump on their heads, Al worried as ever. The rather impatient butler then grabbed Blair by the back, like one would pick up a kitten one-handedly. "My apologies, but we're both behind schedule. Blair, your friends are to leave on the Capitol train in ..." Sebastian paused, and checked his pocketwatch for a moment on the time. "... Oh. Apparently the train left already." "Wait. The capitol train?" Al asked, trying to clear it up. Ed and Al couldn't believe their ears. All this nonsense, and they all missed the train. "We missed it, GOD DAMNIT. Now how're we supposed to get there?" Ed wondered, annoyed and head still hurting from Sebastian's hit. Sebastian took a slight moment to think about this. "Well, perhaps I can be of some assistance." ....... As Sebastian expected, the train heading off towards the Capitol of Amestris was already heading down the tracks at full speed, making express time. At this point the train went through the countryside with no signs of stopping. Skies were clear as can be, and with nothing left to halt the run anytime soon. As the train went past an acre of farmland, one mudsdale stallion was happily grazing on the grass nearby the tracks, not too far away from his herd. The train chugged by, signature whistle ringing, and to the mudsdale the noise was a minor distraction. If one lived by the tracks, noises like that wouldn't faze them for long. However, as the stallion grazed, a thud close by caught the animal's attention. The object rolled over to only a foot away from the stallion, and the item turned out to be a ripe, red apple. The mudsdale glanced to the train, and then happily took the fruit as a welcomed snack. And on the train, one pink-haired girl and one little Magi smiled brightly on seeing the results just outside their window. Team Harmony was on their way in this train, and all awaiting for their next destination. "And that, my Magi, is how you feed a horse while riding a train," said Pinkie, as Aladdin was pretty happy to feed a creature from the human world. "I hope he likes his treat," Aladdin said, looking back from the window at the horse. Consider it a good deed of the day. The group was having a pretty good ride on the train here, and each one basically passed the time by watching the scenery outside go by them or just chatting with eachother. Since Ciel was apart of this, considering his status, high class riding was all in for them. They had seats facing eachother, along the same side of the car as well. Pretty classy appearance and rather homey too. The ones who got the window seats were Aladdin, Pinkie, and Ciel, as the rest sat alongside. "Who'd of thought it huh? Just earlier this year, we're average joes at school, and now we're heading to King Bradley," Karma commented. "I have to agree. But I hope we're all on our best behavior there. THAT GOES FOR YOU, Karma," Twilight cleared up. Karma raised his hands in submission, though it was more of a joke. Twilight just sighed and turned to the others, and was then she saw Ciel and Nagisa. Nagisa seemed to have his mind distracted on something, and Ciel seemed more annoyed than anything. "What's with you?" Karma asked. "Sebastian's late," Ciel groaned. "Gee, I wonder when that happened after we left on the train," Karma joked, though it didn't seem to help too much in the situation. While Ciel was getting annoyed with things, Nagisa was caught up in his deep thinking. That dream last night was caught up in his head, with his talk with Lugia and everything, but he had yet to share it with anyone (mostly because of the morning rush to get to the train anyway). This confirmation about these Future Sight visions just left him wondering what the results would be, not really the visions themselves. As he sat there, his eyes looked down towards the list he had in hand, something he held onto since leaving the station earlier. "All of these visions are true then, Lugia? The Philosopher Stones, the city, King Bradley. ... There has to be a connection with all that somehow, but what?" Nagisa thought. Those three things sounded important, and Nagisa wanted to figure out what was what before any of them would come around. But how? It was anyone's guess on how a stone, a king and this event in the city intertwine with eachother, and without even meeting the Amestris ruler to get any data, he couldn't know for sure. "So, how do you wanna guess Sebastian would catch up?" Karma asked, Nagisa coming back around on hearing Karma's voice. "Don't think he can now, we're already moving," Twilight said, pointing out the window. Reasonable logic. "He'll come. He'd better," Ciel simply stated, looking out the window. Having being without his butler for well in a month, Ciel wasn't up to having his butler disappear on him again. "Don't feel sad, Ciel, I'm sure we'll meet up at the Capitol," Pinkie assured him, even patting his head. Ciel swatted her hand away. "Who said I was sad?" Ciel questioned. As this went on, Aladdin then brought his attention to Nagisa after a while. "You've been quiet for a while, Nagisa," Aladdin said. Nagisa turned to his Magi friend. That simple sentence got the group to move their attention over to him, something he wasn't used to. Least he can say he was with his friends rather than complete strangers, so he had that going for him. "I'm just wondering what to expect at the Capitol that's all," Nagisa replied. Not too specific, but it passed enough anyway. "We're going to meet a grand ruler of Amestris while dealing with demons popping up and possibly becoming legends, what do you expect to happen?" Pinkie said. "I draw the line at that last part," Nagisa thought. They're doing plenty, but what to consider themselves legendary remained to be said. At least he wouldn't consider it that big, especially if most of it isn't known by public ears anyway. Besides, he'd rather not be bothered with that kind of attention. After that was said, Nagisa took a glance off outside, taking in the scenery passing them by. As he was looking out there, Nagisa's mind wandered for a little bit, until a familiar chill crept up on him, making him shiver. It was enough to get them to notice, as Nagisa tried to specify what exact demon was coming around this time. He could buy it if the train was idling in the station, but it was already moving fast, so whatever demon was coming at them had to move fast to catch up. ...... *BAM* The sound made them all jump, sounding like it came from the back of their car. It didn't sound like any small debris that hit, nor was there any clue in the sky to say that something would fall onto the car. Regardless, it wasn't enough to stop or stutter the train. It took a minute, but they did start to hear someone coming up to their seats after a bit, only after seeing him did they calm down. Sebastian. And what is more, he had brought Blair, Ed and Al with him. Blair, in her human form and regular outfit, was being held from the back of her collar like the cat she was, though the sight of Ed and Al there was clearly unexpected. Both of them looked freaked out, to put it lightly, as if they just came off some freaky roller coaster. "Hi, boys. Everyone having a good time?" Blair asked, Sebastian setting her down by them. Aladdin was more than happy to see her, even hugging her with his face buried in her boobs. (It was too long since he had fun). "Blair! So great to see you!" Aladdin said, his head smothered in her boobs. Not that Blair minded, of course. "Sebastian. Nice of you to catch up," Nagisa said. "My apologies for being late. I found a pair of interesting catches and acted accordingly," Sebastian explained, the catches referring to Ed and Al nearby. The brothers got themselves around and soon saw the rest of the group, though they were still frazzled from whatever method Sebastian used to get here. "Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie, pleased to meet ya," Pinkie said, first to introduce herself to them. "I-Is that man with you?" Asked Alphonse, pointing to Sebastian. "Indeed. Sebastian, what is the meaning of bringing these two?" Ciel questioned. Sebastian simply needed to simply point out that Future Sight list Nagisa had with him. He and Twilight took a glance at it to get a look over. This list already mentioned a young earl, AKA Ciel Phantomhive, but did it mention anything about these two? However, both suddenly came to a similar conclusion. "Now, as for you two -" Sebastian started to say, but Twilight decided to get in the way, the list raised like a red flag at his face. "Sebastian stop it. Look, we're sorry about this, we're just trying to get to the Capitol," Twilight said, trying to make amends to what just happened. However, that just brought their attention to this list, and to the girl in question. "Wait a minute. Have I seen you somewhere before?" Ed questioned, trying to think a little bit. "Arm wrestling! You tore that man's arm off and got lots of money," Pinkie chimed in. The startled response made Twilight drop the list by mistake, getting Al's attention as he picked it up to give it to her. As he did though, it was then he took a better look at the list in question. ... "You ... You're foresaw us?" Al questioned, sounding very confused and surprised. The list, after some looking, did have that very clue in it to further suggest this. Full metal. "I-It's kinda complicated," Nagisa said meekly, being given the list back. Well so much for that, and now they could see why Sebastian would involve them. But how was he going to explain all of this so soon? He just met them for god sake! At least with Ciel it was more gradual than this one. "Well start talking them." "What?" "That damn butler nearly killed us on those tracks, hell yeah you're gonna tell me!" Ed snapped. Ciel took a rather rough look to Sebastian, who just said nothing. "Calm down, brother," Al said. "BROTHER?!" The group gasped. They got a lot of explaining to do. ~~ Back in Japan, life there was going along more smoothly than Team Harmony's antics. School day had drawn to a close again, as with any day, and the student of Orora High were starting to head off home. Nabiku was amongst these students. While she's normally not bother with being in a crowd if she could help it, she wasn't going to risk getting attacked by a giant moth again. She could still feel the bite that thing had left on her, even if there was no mark to show (thank god). At least no one else was hurt in the little tussle she dealt with. All the same, even with the moth she still wondered on what exactly happened. More importantly, who was the one who saved her. She never saw the person before, yet it disappeared so quickly after everything. The blurry vision at the time didn't really help her much either. "Who was that? ... I should thank him for saving me," Nabiku thought. If she does come across her savior, the least she could do was thank her savior for what he did. Well, if she could figure out who saved her, that is. Nabiku went on her walk towards home, going through the forest path to the city without any incident this time. Though, with the forest moved off outta the way, now she had the troubles of the upper classes to deal with. Something that she always had some trouble with, one way or another. With the reputation and feelings of the upper classes to 3-E as a whole, Nabiku always had trouble with going through the upper class students and their domination over her. Nabiku just went passed the front gate of the school, and started to go off home. ... "Hello Fluttershy." Oh no. Nabiku knew that voice, and she regretted hearing it completely. That name didn't help her very much either, as it was just a nickname of mockery to her ears. Nabiku turned and found Emi Isuzu standing there of all people. Only she would call Nabiku by that kind of name. Emi stood tall and bold over Nabiku. "Oh. H-Hello Emi," Nabiku said meekly. Emi Isuzu placed a hand on her head, to keep her gaze down and in submission to her. "Good thing I caught you. I got a little something for someone like you to handle for me," Emi said, though her time made it more like a instruction than a request, and Nabiku knew she couldn't refuse Emi if she tried. "What's that? ..." Then Emi took out a rag from her bag, and forced it onto Nabiku. Next thing she knew, Emi Isuzu raised her foot up and rested it on Nabiku's things like a stepping block. Her shoe looked a bit dusty. It was a rather old thing by now, but Nabiku had to do it regardless of the situation. Emi really didn't need this, but she still loved to show who was on top here. Nabiku quietly got to her knees, and started to shine her shoes for a little bit, some other students watching from afar. Nabiku didn't want that much at all, her face flustered up red. Emi waited until just after she was done before she got her foot under her stuff, and suddenly swung her foot high, making Nabiku's stuff fly everywhere! "Thanks for the free service," Emi said, not even caring for Nabiku's predicament, Nabiku going in and trying to get her stuff together. She felt humiliated in front of everyone. No one really tried to help her, some higher grading students even snickering at her. Nabiku felt her weakest here. ... "Think this is yours." Nabiku paused for a moment. Looking at the ground for a bit first, she looked up and found that one of her books was being held there for her. Nabiku found herself seeing another girl standing there with her book, though her school uniform was actually the school boys attire, not the girls attire like Nabiku had on her. Nabiku could guess that the student was a girl because of her head. Her hair was slightly long, and blue (like another kid she knew earlier that year when he stopped by 3-E). And her eyes had a sort of cerise color, first one that she saw with that kind of eye color not to mention. Nabiku got up from the ground, and quietly took the book. Now standing up, Nabiku found herself a little bit taller than this other student, though only by a few inches really. "Thank you," Nabiku simply said. The student nodded in approval. "No problem. Anything wrecked in that?" She asked, pointing to the items she picked up. "Oh, don't worry about it, it's alright," Nabiku insisted, but the student checked her items anyway, just to be sure. Lucky for Nabiku, many of her items remained in tact apart from a few stray writing papers which crumbled in Emi's kick. But, that was about it. "K good, that jerk didn't wreck anything," she concluded. "Eh, yeah. Thank you, uh ..." Nabiku tried to get a name going, but she couldn't come up with anything. She didn't recognize her from any of the E-3 students, or any of the students for that matter, regardless if she was in Orora high, or Canterlot high. She might guess she'd be a Canterlot High kid transferred to Orora high like plenty of other students due to her vibrant colors, but it didn't seem to ring any bells. Still, the girl extended a hand with a smile on her. "My name's Niji," she introduced. Nabiku was a little humbled, but she shook her hand anyway. "I'm Nabiku." ~~ The train ride to the Capitol took more time than either one had anticipated to be really honest about it. The day turned to night in the ride along the tracks, and in their cart, Team Harmony was starting to doze off. Aladdin, Pinkie, and Blair had already dozed off on them, and the others were starting to get tired themselves. The lights were still on inside the rooms, the soothing sounds of the moving train cars quietly echoing outside the window, the sight of partial clouds and stars up in the night sky giving them something to observe. Twilight was probably the most awake out of the whole group, leaving only her and Sebastian awake. A whole afternoon of nothing but a train ride would get anyone drowsy at this point, including the team themselves. Sebastian sat down at another seat nearby the others, keeping his eye out on everything. He wasn't going to let anything happen to his master of he had anything to do with it. Twilight remained quiet for a while more, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Something the matter, madam?" Sebastian asked. Twilight got up. "No I'm fine. I just need to use the bathroom. Be right back," Twilight replied, beginning to head to the other end of the car. Sebastian didn't bother to ask for company, much to Twilight's relief, as she moved to the next car over. If she could say one thing for this ride, it was the most comforting one in a while. After her little break, Twilight took some short time to look around the train, and watch the world go by as she went. The stars at the moment shined a lot more here than they did earlier, so it gave her a bit more something to look at aside from clouds. "So now the king of Amestris, huh? Man, first Ciel, then the queen of England, then Seitenshi, and now King Bradley. I wonder what we'll meet next," Twilight wondered. What sort of luck could a person have to meet so many people that would normally take lifetimes to at least get acknowledge personally? It really made her feel pretty excited to meet such famous people, not to mention all the other stuff going on. All the same though, as she looked to the stars, her mind drifted back to her family at home. Her mother was alone, her brother had been and gone, and now here she was too. "Hope you're doing alright, mom. Boy, do I have a story to tell you when I get home," Twilight thought, smiling and staring off into space. If her mother would believe her or not was not sure, but considering she was basically skipping school to do this, as summer vacation had been and gone, she was sure that her mother would start wondering about her one way or another. She didn't want to worry her mother, but she couldn't get home right now either, so Twilight could wonder and only wonder. She might believe her, she might not, but Twilight couldn't hide this fact once she does get back, that's a fact. Twilight could imagine how relieved and happy her mom would be when she would step back through that door. ... "Fonding over home, are you?" That split moment wrecked the entire mood. Twilight looked down the hallway of the car, but found that she was not only with company, but company that Twilight didn't recognize as she and a companion stepped out to confront her. Lust and Gluttony! "Evening,~" Lust cooed. Twilight hadn't seen either Homunculus before before, but something told her right out that this was not company that she would want to be with, especially now when caught alone. Gluttony drooled and licked his eager maw like a starving dog, disturbing Twilight even further. The biggest clue of their danger was the Ouroboros engraved on Lust's chest, a symbol she remembered during their early days in England. "Homunculi," Twilight confirmed. "And a smart one too," Lust noted. Gluttony took a few sniffs of the air towards Twilight's direction before turning to Lust. "She smells so tender. Can I eat her?" Gluttony asked, only freaking Twilight out even more. Such a scary question and asked so bluntly and unprompted too. "Not yet, Gluttony," Lust said. Gluttony pouted on hearing that, as Lust stepped towards Twilight, drawing out her long claws. Twilight needed to get armed up, but her book was back in the other car with the others. "Why am I always the one caught like this?" Twilight thought, scared and slightly annoyed at the same time. Hellgar was bad enough, now she had these two to deal with! "But how're you here? Y-You're demons, right?" Twilight asked, not revealing Nagisa's demon sense to be sure (at least she tried not to). "We're homunculus. There's a difference between the two," Lust stated. Twilight readied to run for it, but Lust's claws didn't make that easy. Not to mention Gluttony blocking the way too. "What do you want?!" Twilight stated, rather loudly. Lust quickly drew her claws at Twilight's throat to keep her quiet. Lust saw what the rest could do from last time, she wasn't willing to meet with them twice tonight. "Keep quiet, or I'll feed you to Gluttony," Lust warned. "Can you, please?" Gluttony asked, getting hungrier the longer he waited. Twilight shivered on the idea of getting eaten alive, but she wasn't as submissive. "OH NO, not this time," Twilight said. She got tortured enough by Hellgar, she wasn't going through the same here! In a quick motion, Twilight ducked and just managed to slipped passed Lust and her dagger claws. If she could get to the others, then it'll be okay. Lust obviously wouldn't let her off so easily. Angry, she spun around and shot her claws out at her to try and stop her, but Twilight found her out just in time to dive to the ground. Just because the claws shot out, didn't mean that they didn't hit. Twilight heard the sound of skewered flesh and splattered blood, just to look up and find Gluttony had been hit. The claws were sharp and long enough to stab right through him, one in the head, two in his chest and one in his shoulder. Twilight moved passed him too, Gluttony coughing up blood as his body healed up. "I thought we're working together!" "Like I meant to hit you, now get her," Lust ordered. Gluttony turned and gave chase right away, and despite the head start, Gluttony was quick to catch up to Twilight. As before Twilight dodged Gluttony just in time, the heavy Homunculus crashing into the wall. If that skewering didn't at least wake them up, or anyone up, that smash would've got the whole train to and alert! Something Lust didn't want to happen. "Hurry up Gluttony, that'll wake them all up by now!" "OKAY!" Gluttony replied, just as Twilight managed to get through the car doors to the next car over. Unfortunately for her, she had to go through an extra car so it'll still be a bit before she'd reach the rest. Gluttony was right behind her, arms out and mouth wide open. For such a big and heavy Homunculus, he sure moved fast. Twilight had to get something figured out before Gluttony could catch her, so all she could do was hide. When Gluttony got to the next car, the Homunculus found that this car appeared to be completely empty. Not a soul anywhere, not even any lights on. Here was when Gluttony paused for a moment to check around. "I can smell you," Gluttony sneered menacingly, his nose sniffing the air. Twilight kept herself hidden just under one of the seats - only spot she could get to - and had to wait until Gluttony moved on. However Gluttony wasn't so easily tricked, and he closed his eyes to focus on his scent gathering over his eyesight. One grand advantage for him in this situation. Each step Gluttony made creeped the floor dangerously close to Twilight, trying to sniff her out like a hungry bloodhound. The closer Gluttony got to Twilight, the more nervous she was getting. It didn't help that Gluttony stopped right in front of her. Gluttony kept his nostrils up high, sniffing all around him to get a full picture and location of his environment. ... "FOUND YOU!" Gluttony suddenly exploded out, and tore off the seat Twilight was hiding under! Twilight was found out, and she was caught up in Gluttony's radar. No place to hide now. "What's going on in here?!" Shouted a new, more reassuring voice. Gluttony found Ciel, Nagisa, Pinkie, Karma and Sebastian now standing there in the same car. As probably would be expected, Twilight found that the impact did wake the group up right away, all of them now up and alert, if not only awake. Twilight saw her moment and bolted for it, shoving Gluttony back and running to the others. Gluttony tried to bite her, only to take a chunk out of another seat instead, which he tore off easily with his teeth. "Yugure, what happened?" asked Pinkie. "He's trying to eat me, that's what happened!!" Twilight yelled, still freaked out now. Gluttony chewed up the seat in his teeth as he sniffed the air, taking in the new scents. "There's new human smells everywhere in here. A Magi, and a witch too. they smell delicious.~" Gluttony started a slow approach towards them from there. "Can we ever get a break?" commented Karma. "Sebastian, handle this," Ciel ordered. Sebastian stepped in between them and Gluttony from here. At least it'll save the others some trouble for once in this demon tussle, and the others knew that. Gluttony licked his mouth in anticipation over his full course meal sitting in front of him. He was sure he could eat at least one of them before the night was over. The gluttonous Homunculus rushed forward towards them at a breakneck speed, Sebastian at the ready. Gluttony only got about a inch away from biting Sebastian's head off when Aladdin got his shield up and blocked Gluttony just in time. Gluttony stunned, and stumbled back from the shield launch. "I'm perfectly capable, thank you." "Force of habit, sorry," Aladdin said, as Gluttony got to his feet. "Why won't you let me eat?! I just want to eat you, is that too much?" Gluttony asked, shaking off the launch back. "Is this dumbass for real?" Karma thought. "He can't be serious. ... Unless ..." Nagisa thought, his mind trailing off as he tried to get Gluttony's view on the situation. It was obvious what answer that question would tell, but it almost seemed unsure for Gluttony. A more legitimate question in Gluttony's eyes. Gluttony started to move in on them again, but Sebastian wasn't going to let him have the chance. Sebastian moved forward fast, and got a good kick right to the head, knocking Gluttony to the back wall. Gluttony almost seemed confused. "What are you doing? You're a demon!" Gluttony said. "Sorry but my lord's not interested in being eaten tonight, thank you very much." "Why not?!" Then came in the next guest. Sebastian, sensing the danger, quickly rushed back as some similar dark claws launched forward into their direction. The group just got missed by inches, and as they retracted, in soon came their next adversary, one which they knew right away. "Lust!" Aladdin gasped. Sebastian readied to go for her, and rushed forward. "Too slow!" Lust said, her claws just getting into Sebastian's face. In such an enclosed space Sebastian had little room to maneuver, but the torn up seat provided just enough cover for the strike as Sebastian knocked it up into her way, and getting torn to pieces. With all that racket going on, it was only a matter of time before - "O-Oh my." There you have it. Lust, Gluttony, and practically everyone else saw another newcomer into this game: Ed and Alphonse! "What's going on?" Ed asked, troubled by the scene. "Ed! Al! Quick, go away!" Twilight warned. "Can I eat them?" Gluttony asked. "Alright, but be quick," Lust simply said. Gluttony was sure pleased, and changed his targets on a dime. Perhaps these targets would be a bit more willing to get eaten than these other humans. Ed and Al couldn't believe their ears on the demand. "Leave them alone, Lust! They're not involved in this!" pleaded Aladdin. "No matter, we can't have any witnesses. This runt will be no trouble," Lust said. ... "OH YEAH, CAN A RUNT DO THIS?!" Then the biggest surprise came around here. Ed, reacting out of strong anger, suddenly started to act on Lust and Gluttony. Both of his hands clapped together, and he grabbed the closest metallic item at hand: the walls of the train specifically. Once both hands got onto that, blue sparks started to fly like crazy. Next thing Lust knew, the walls of the train, and the floor too by extension, caved in on her and pinned her in place of metal barricades, leaving only her head visible to Ed and Al, the team on the other side of it. Lust kept some composure but she didn't expect such a sudden jump from this random newcomer, and so strong no less. Gluttony was left stunned too by this sudden attack on his fellow Homunculus. "What the? How'd you do that with such little effort?" "DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!" Ed screamed, another surge of energy taking effect on the metal. Suddenly, Lust and Gluttony both were slammed with a launch pad made from the floor, the force so strong it slammed both right through the train car wall! Lust and Gluttony flew off out, tumbling down on the ground as the train sped off without them. After all that was over, another surge of power and the metal returned to where it was supposed to be. "Uh. I don't think she was referring to you that time," Al commented. "... Well, she still pissed me off!" Ed replied, still fuming. When all of that was over and done, Alphonse looked to the others, just to find Team Harmony staring in utter surprise, unsure what to say. Al tapped his brother on the shoulder to direct his attention towards the others. Well, he didn't mean to freak them out, even if he did a damn good job at it. "Uh ... right. You ok?" Ed asked. ...... "OH MY GOD, was that full metal alchemy?! THAT'S AMAZING! That type of alchemy is so hard to use, but you got it right off the bat! AWESOME!! What other alchemy can you do? I bet it's very strong if you learned full metal alchemy," Aladdin praised, fanboying over Ed for a bit. Ed was a little perplexed at first, but he got a confident grin on his face after a bit. Well they were alright by the looks of it anyway. Though, as Ed was handling his admirer, Al looked to the others again. "Are you okay?" Al asked. "Oh, we're fine. Didn't know you can pull off alchemy like that," Karma said. "Well, it's just my brother," Alphonse admitted. "So we noticed. Thanks for the help," said Nagisa. "... So. You're not freaked out?" "Why would we? Trust me, we're far from anything normal," Blair commented, reminded Al of the incident yesterday. Al rubbed the back of his head for that response. "So we're not going to take note of the damage your brother made?" Ciel reminded, pointed to the damage done to the train. At first, they weren't sure how to handle it, but Sebastian sighed and adjusted his glove again. "Say no more, my lord, I'll take care of it," Sebastian simply said. A minor setback for saving those on this train. ~~ "Damnit. This here better be worth it. Seriously, Lust and Gluttony get the fun job and I'm stuck with this one." Miles away from the team, another job was being done this night as Envy moved along his way. As Lust and Gluttony were after Team Harmony and their quarry, Envy got the short end of the stick and still stuck in recruitment by Sombra, this time by himself. He may had been keeping out of trouble, but it wasn't doing his personal enjoyment any favors. At the least, Envy wasn't as restricted this time, and at the moment was actually up in disguise ala Amestris high guard. His patrol through the halls of the area was more than boring, to put it lightly. And this sort of choice wasn't even entirely Sombra's own either! "Here we are." Earlier that day, Envy, Lust, and Gluttony were in position over near what looked like a high ranking military field. The trio of Homunculus were hidden just enough to not be noticed by the multitude of Amestris patrol here, but they couldn't get in there without being spotted. "Look at all those tasty humans," said Gluttony. "let's not be hasty. Envy, how about you take this one?" Lust insisted. "Why me? I'd rather tear them up than -" "Just get in there. Sombra is on his last nerve with you since your last incident, and he wanted a spy in the military base anyway. Unless you want him to lose it on you." "I hate it when she gets a point," Envy thought, annoyed. All the same, orders are orders and Envy had to handle them one way or another. At least this one wasn't as complicated this time. All he had to do was get some proper information about this place for Sombra, and nothing else. Boring, but straight forward. Envy continued his 'night patrol' for a while longer, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything suspicious or anything worth while. What advantage he can find in the long run for Sombra would do them good. Far as the whole patrol getup went, not a guard remotely bothered to question him, which was probably for the best either way. Which explains how he pretty much got the job in the first place. He moved on alone, and without any assistance from the other guards as the night went on. For any normal guard, this would be the time to keep better focus on the job, but Envy was just getting more bothered. No adrenaline or joy of killing guards bummed him out more than anything. ... "Honey, when're you going to retire and enjoy your life with your family?" "Oh come on now, I'm not that old." "What's this?" Envy thought, upon hearing the voices. It was about time he got anywhere. Envy quietly began to move in on the voices, which wasn't very far off as it turned out. Envy found himself over by one of the base building, this one looking more like one for living space more or less. Just outside was a walkway, arching pillars running along to the center yard, leaving plenty of shadow cover for Envy or any other sneaking figure of the night. Envy took stationary to the corner of the building, and taking a small look around the corner to check for any guards. That was when he found his little chatting group. The appearances here revealed three different people: father, mother, and son. The make looked to be a military Amestris soldier, and very high-ranking at that with his blue uniform. He appeared to be fairly old, forties to fifties most likely. He had jet black hair, a small mustache to match, and the most prominent feature was an eyepatch over his eye. Envy could only guess that this soldier had seen a bit of hardship in his life to get here according to that. The wife of this soldier appeared more innocent than the soldier himself (obviously), and as well appeared pretty normal too, nothing unique to point out. Then there was the son. He looked very young in contrast to his parents, possibly between five to ten years old. He had the innocence from his mother in his child expressions, though physical fetuses more matched his father. He seemed fairly normal too far as Envy was concern. Honestly Envy showed little interest in them, with the exception of this soldier. It seemed Envy caught them at a reunion sort of thing, as the child looked pretty excited to see his dad again. Envy stayed stationary anyway. After all there could be something here ... "Her, Salim. Guess what your old man found out earlier today," said the soldier. "What is it?" asked Salim. "We're going to have some special guests coming to central tomorrow: Princess Victoria, and the Fullmetal Alchemist." "Whoa, really?! Can I meet the alchemist, pretty please?" Salim asked, excited to hear it. "You sure are excited to see him, huh," said the wife, Salim nodding his head. "Yeah, he sounds so cool!" Salim replied. The soldier playfully fluffed Salim's hair, smiling to him. "I'll be sure you get to meet him the minute he arrives," he promised. It was at this point that Envy slipped away a bit, letting them do their own thing. This new information sunk in him easy, as he strolled down the path. Not only will a alchemist be coming in, but Victoria as well! What kind of luck was that? Still it might be trouble in disguise. "So. An alchemist and England's princess. The alchemist should be fine, but Victoria might be a problem. I should keep my disguise on in their visit. Or at least until I get out of here, whichever comes first." Envy. Envy? Envy stopped himself on hearing the telepathic voice. "What is it?" Is Lust and Gluttony with you? "No; Lust ditched me here to go after those holy brats with Gluttony. I think I got something for you." Do you? "Apparently that Victoria from England is stopping by central. And not just her, but a "Fullmetal Alchemist". What're your thoughts on that?" ... Both her. AND the alchemist. And the status on Nagisa and his friends? "How the hell should I know?" I see. ... Did you locate King Bradley? Envy peeked around the corner once more, seeing the group walking on their way at this point. "Just some old man in an eyepatch with a brat and wife." Thats them! Envy, keep an eye on them both. "Both? Both who, him and the wife?" Him and his son. They both could be useful. "You're joking." Envy could buy some of that, but he wasn't buying how both Bradley AND Salim could be useful to them. Watch it, Envy. The others will meet you soon, but until then see what you can do. ... And don't stray this time. Or there will be hell to pay. The telepathic message ended there. Good thing Envy wasn't watched there otherwise people would think he's senile. Either way, Envy was now stuck here, and on alert in watching the king of Amestris and his son too. Hopefully it'll work. ....... "Oh Envy, what am I gonna do with you?" Sombra sighed, as he got up from his meditation stance after his telepathic chat with Envy. With the trio of Homunculus apparently split up, he could only wonder what they could be actually doing now. At least Envy stayed on his task a bit more this time unlike before. S03Ep3: Reporting for Duty ~免責のための報告~Oh, what a night. Even with the damage to the train, it just managed to reach another, minor station on the way up towards the capitol to make amends and fill up on fuel, as any train would. The rather troublesome ride was not without any real notice, as a number of the riders were trying to figure things out and taking some time out of the train to take rest over last night's fiasco. The most troublesome part was that the damage wasn't as bad as any of them thought, despite the conductor of the train saying that two passengers were thrown out of the train, destroying the wall. When they looked, nothing was left except for some knocked over seats, so it wasn't as bad as they expected. If only they saw Sebastian fixing it. As for Team Harmony, they were taking time to rest too after last night, and the rest of the night without any incident. Even if they didn't do much, they really had a bit of a startled night, and they needed the rest all and all. Unlike most of the passengers, they stayed on board and relaxed a bit until Sebastian would come in, and begin his typical morning routine. "Good morning everyone. I hope you slept well," Sebastian said. Some of them started to get up with Sebastian's wakeup call, Ciel mainly, followed by Nagisa, Twilight and Pinkie. "Oooo, what a crazy dream I had last night. We were found by two monsters and one of them launched them out of the train." "That is what happened, Pinkie," said Twilight. Not all of them were so willing to get up as quickly. Aladdin was snuggling up to Blair, his head resting on Blair's breasts. Blair woke up first and soon saw her little Magi snuggling against her. "You just can't get enough can you?" Blair giggled, poking Aladdin to wake him up. Aladdin needed a little bit of provoking until he actually woke up. Aladdin yawned and stretched his arms. "What a great night. Are we there yet?" Aladdin wondered, rubbing his eye as he asked. Sebastian took a moment to look outside before he gave his answer. "One station away, I believe," Sebastian replied. After that he started his typical task of dressing his young lord in his outfit. The others took a bit more time to get themselves up, and step out of their seats to stretch their legs. As they were, Nagisa paused over after a few steps as he found himself in the same spot as last night. It was hard to believe that just last night the car had half its wall missing, but now not a bit of evidence remained with the exception of some cracks in the wall. "And just last night, there was barely a wall left. Sebastian sure did a great job," Nagisa thought. And who could blame him? Anyone who could repair an entire car wall overnight, and so precisely deserves some praise. Still, it also reminded him about Ed and Al, who which he hadn't seen since last night's escapade. "And that Ed Elric. If Aladdin's right, he really is a strong alchemist. Maybe Twilight can get some tips from him. ... I'll try and ask him when we get there," Nagisa decided. Out the window, Nagisa took and look and begun to notice the conductor trying to explain the situation (and failing), to get through to the security. It was probably for the best he failed, anyway. He also noted the multiple people boarding the train, probably going off to central too, much like they were. As he was observing the groups coming in. ... "Hello, Nagisa." It appeared that one of these riders was willing to meet up with him. And according to the demon sense adding an extra bit to his radar, Nagisa knew exactly who it was. He turned around, and there stood Korosensei. As before, the demon king was dressed as a human, though the outfit instead looking more local to Amestris instead of England as before. In one tentacle, Korosensei had a fair stack of papers for them. The others were quick to see Korosensei as well. "Oh, hi Korosensei. You have our work again?" Nagisa said. Korosensei's head confirmed the answer by turning orange, the deep orange circle correcting his assumption. Suddenly, in one second flat, Korosensei got each of the paperwork to him, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma. "It's a good thing I can get you these. There's never a bad time for a good lesson," Korosensei commented. ... "Eh, teach? Not to burst your bubble, but you left some questions half done. Trying to do this half-assed?" Karma pointed out. That wasn't the thing Korosensei wanted to hear. Sure enough, Korosensei found about seven questions kinda rushed, and half done. He quickly got a pen out and wrote them in completely quick as a flash. "I'm working my heart out here! You know how hard it is keeping up with class 3-E and going back to where you are? It's no walk in the park, you know!" Korosensei exclaimed, trying to get through to him as best he could. "Don't act like we're doing nothing, teach. We just had to deal with those Homunculus last night, and they didn't go easy." "Oh did you? The way I saw it you stood behind as the Elric brothers took care of them," Sebastian pointed out. Karma clammed up. "The who now?" Korosensei asked. "Oh, it's not too important. We'll have these done as soon as we can," Twilight promised. That was good to hear from any student of any class. Just before Korosensei could go off on his way, something else suddenly clicked on his head as a reminder. "Oh, before I forget!" Korosensei suddenly got something else out to show them. After a quick dry off on the detail, Korosensei showed them all a picture he managed to catch during his latest flight. The picture looked like an Ariel shot of a outdoor hall at night, showing a family going down the hall, and a guard at post around the corner. The picture was very high resolution, great in the details too. "Is that the interior of central?" Ciel questioned. "I took a little detour and caught little Envy sneaking around in central." "Envy?! Where?!" asked Pinkie, excitedly. All Korosensei did was point his tentacle to the guard for their answer. Considering what Envy could do, they had to take Korosensei's word for it. The implications of this was a bit disturbing at the lightest. A deadly Homunculus, roaming around central freely, and without detection whatsoever. "We need to get there, and fast," Twilight concluded. "Agreed. Heaven knows what sort of danger Envy could pose," Ciel put in. As if on cue of the horn, they all begin to hear the whistle of the train go off, good and loud. "That's my cue to vamoose. Have those papers done by tomorrow morning, and I'll see you then," Korosensei instructed, quickly going out of sight the second afterwards, just before anyone could ask too. It was probably a good thing he did, as the train was starting to move off again, heading out of this station, and to its main one. "Here we come, central." ~~ Well, back at home, the absence of Korosensei had given the class some time to actually get themselves training for assassination again. Karasuma got out all the stops this time around, and getting the students to face off against eachother with close combat assassin knives. Each student was put in pairs, and basically they were trying to 'kill' eachother. Looking to the students from his post by the 3-E building, Karasuma kept his visual, and silently studying the students and their progress over this course training as he'd been throughout these months. As expected, some students were better than others in this little task. As some like Nakamura and Kirara were doing fair, others like Nabiku weren't keeping up. All the same though, it was more improvement over the very start of it all. "Block your opponent! Predict their moves. If you all do that, you'll block off every one of his escape routes," Karasuma called during the training. A basic call off to the rest of the class as advice for the real deal. Karasuma wasn't going to take any chances anymore, especially with that report and transfer he would be going on soon. The least he could do was give these students a strong start just before he would go off. And judging by the students here, they were doing very well. "It'd been months since I've started this job. And after only that, more and more students are showing promise. If this process continues, it won't be too long before Korosensei will reach his final day here. Rio Nakamura's natural charisma and deception makes her moves unpredictable, and Kirara Hazama's merciless approach to her target gives her the willpower of any true assassin. It'll take some time before the others identify themselves." And when it came to the others, his gaze focused more on Nabiku in particular. she was probably the lowest on the training poll. For Nabiku, assassination and peace just don't mix, and her behavior here just proved that. It didn't help that she was pitted up against Sugino either, who was more up to this game of assassin's stabbing than she'll ever be. It only took a few more strikes before Nabiku got hit with a killer blow, Nabiku toppling over her own feet. Not a good showing. Nabiku sat up off the ground, feeling nothing but embarrassed over the situation. "Sorry. You okay?" Sugino asked. Nabiku just stood up. "I-I'm fine," Nabiku replied. If anything, she just felt out of place. Nabiku stopped a moment to look at the other kids, seeing how deep some actually were in this killing game. She got back to sparring with her partner, just to get "stabbed" by him again after just seven tries. Nabiku would be more than willing to work on plenty of tests rather than do this. Nabiku was soon noticed by Nakamura nearby, who just beat her opponent down. "Nabiku, what's with you?" Nakamura asked, walking over to her. Nabiku withdrew a bit. "I-I uh ... I don't like this. ..." "Come on, lighten up. You're the only one aside Karma who actually got a bit off of Korosensei, remember?" Nabiku didn't want that kind of reminder, even if it was a bit of an improvement over what the class had been doing. Besides, Korosensei wasn't even around to bother with, so why practice on eachother? "I suppose. ..." Karasuma watched this all from afar, though he didn't entirely hear the conversation. What he could get though was the expression of doubt on Nabiku's face. To him, it was a look saying that she doesn't believe she could do this. ....... "Hey, Karasuma!" Someone else took a step out of the building, and this time it wasn't Korosensei. Karasuma turned around to find another person had come by. He looked fairly middle aged, much like he was, and looked pretty heavy set too. He had short, slicked, black hair, a full gym teacher uniform with a blue overcoat, and a face that seemed overall trustworthy. The man must be that Tataoka 'replacement' Seitenshi told him about. In both arms he had a number of brightly colored bags, two paper bags being held up to his head with one arm, and he looked over to Karasuma with a smile on his face. Though, Karasuma wasn't too moved by the grin, even if it looked very innocent. "Tataoka," Karasuma simply said. It didn't take very long until the students begin to notice him come out, and soon enough he was already out in the field. Not much prompting for this guy, apparently. With a strong, single whistle, whoever hadn't noticed him yet paused and saw their new instructor coming in. "Hey everyone, hope you're all having a good time! Looking good with those knives." "And who're you?" asked one of the kids. Tataoka wasn't too put off by this. "I'll explain. But first, how about some snacks?" And "some snacks" was clearly an understatement. After five minutes, the students found themselves being treated to many, MANY sweets and desserts, much of which were pretty pricey, ranging from éclairs to cakes to who knows what else. All put out in display out on a blanket sprawled out, Tataoka sitting and smiling at the sweets as the rest of the students just looked in surprise. "Wow. You sure?" asked Takuya. "Go on, eat up. I emptied my wallet for this, so take as much as you'd like!" Tataoka offered. Some of them happily took it, mainly part of a cake or one éclair, each one high quality and the taste was delicious! "You sure know your brands, these are amazing!" commented a student. "When it comes to me and sugar: it's love," said Tataoka, a cute smile on his face. "So cute for a big guy," Nabiku thought. "So what's your deal? You look dressed up to instruct," asked Nakamura. Tataoka winked to her. "That's cuz I am. Order from headquarters says that I'll be in charge of physics ed here for Karasuma for now on. Work starts tomorrow," explained Tataoka. It felt rather unexpected to hear for some, but by the way he was behaving they didn't have too much of a problem with it. Comparing him to Karasuma, the options became easy to pick from. "You know, you're like the opposite of Karasuma: you're like a neighborhood dad," said one of the students. Tataoka took the liking for the name, and playfully hugged Nabiku and Yoshida. Nabiku couldn't help but smile at Tataoka's behavior, Tataoka clearly far more cheery and enjoyable than Karasuma ever was. Even if the subject was still assassination, maybe Tataoka will help her cope a bit better with this assassination game. However, a little further away, Kirara was probably the only one who was truly questioning this man, if not her and Karasuma. This was basically another military assassin trainer, acting like a kid. There has to be more to him aside from this 'innocent' play. ... ~~ With the whistle running along, and letting off steam, the train had finally arrived safe and sound to central station. Team Harmony, or at least Ciel was, more than grateful to finally arrive there safe and sound. With this arrival, the group went out alongside Ed and Al to the Capitol city of Amestris, which was about as crowded and advanced as they expect from any modern city. Unlike before with England, and perhaps the earlier town too, they didn't really get much time to look around. Instead, they found themselves on a more direct route, heading straight to central rather than explore the city. With knowledge of a potential Homunculus roaming around central, it was probably better to get things moving there anyway. Sooner they fish out the Homunculus, the better. That, and with Lust and Gluttony being potential targets for threats to central as well with Edward's attack on them both it was well worth their time. Here, they all were standing at central front gate. "Well, we've made it Al. Come on, let's get our report in," Ed said, Alphonse agreeing with a nod of the head. Ed and Al were the true guests here, not the others, although they followed them along in anyway. Front yard to central was wide open and without much trouble, but as they begin to near the main doors inside, some personnel managed to see them all coming in their way. Soon a pair of guards were up and heading right towards them. Ed and All got a pass and were already inside, but the rest were cut off. "Hault. You all authorized?" asked one of them. "They're all with me. I have every right to come here, sir," said Ciel, rather sternly. Of course, the guard didn't buy it. "You?" "Sir, my young master does indeed have his rights. You wouldn't want to have a negative report back to her majesty, would you?" warned Sebastian. Being a demon himself, intimidation and persuasion play off almost naturally, and it showed that effect on the guards present. The threat was more than enough to at least humble the guards. "Uh. W-Well, I guess not. Don't test your luck in there," the guard warned, both of them stepping aside and letting them pass. The guards' attempts to be intimidating wasn't going to work on this group, most of the group in question not being intimidated in the slightest as they entered. "So now what?" asked Blair. "We're going to the leader himself. King Bradley," Ciel revealed. Well, where else were they going to go off to in this place? Pretty soon they were inside central, and heading down the halls of the grand place. Being such a large building made the halls seemingly endless in turns and paths, as they tried to reach towards the main place for King Bradley himself. They needed to get there and get him informed about the situation at hand, as best they could, before Envy could cause anymore trouble. Their walk through the halls were guided easily by the set of guards from earlier, bringing them right over to their destination in question, making going around the place look easy. They worked here much longer than they had so they might as well be. After what felt like an hour of going around, the guards stopped at the main office, keeping them at the front doors and nothing over that. The group stopped there, but Ciel took a step to the front door. "Wait here," Ciel informed. The group stood aside, and so Ciel took the honor of going on in himself. Well, him and Sebastian of course. Soon as they opened the doors they found themselves in the main Amestris central office, where the highest authority figure worked his days in keeping order to the country. Places like these are familiar to Ciel and Sebastian, so the feeling was more mutual than anything. The main office had the main essentials for any office: including a main desk, a seating area for guests, and few other items to add some uniqueness to it all. One feature unique was the Amestris symbolic green flag, which hung above the guest seats in its full glory. As both expected too, this room was not empty. As sitting at his main desk was the very King himself, King Bradley! The sight of him was more than an intimidating one, especially on young Ciel Phantomhive. Bradley's one eye met up with Ciel's one eye the second he walked in, judging him almost immediately. The king didn't expect any visit from the queen's guard dog at all, and his expression was anything but inviting. "Well. I have heard rumors about the queen's guard dog, though it's the first time I laid my eye on him face to face," said Bradley. "Likewise. So you know who I am then," Ciel summed up. A bit unexpected for a first time encounter, but he might as well try and roll with it. "A pleasure to meet you in person," noted Sebastian, extending a hand. King Bradley paused, but eventually gave him a handshake as well. "The queen gave you order to come here?" Bradley asked, keeping a close eye on them both. Rather than Ciel answering, Sebastian took the word instead. "None at all, I can assure you that. All the same, we humbly wish to remain at central for a short while, if you don't mind us doing so," Sebastian asked. Ciel cringed on Sebastian's forwardness to the task at hand, something they don't usually do in any of their previous tasks. King Bradley remained quiet and thinking, seeing into both of them after that. Ciel was just hoping this little revelation wasn't going to cost them anything. Soon, King Bradley began to move off, and instead of confronting them, he went straight past them and opened the doors. Sure enough, he soon found the rest standing right outside. It didn't help that Pinkie was trying to eavesdrop as well, kneeling by the door with her ear on the frame, Aladdin right next to her too. Guess they were caught red handed. ... "Ehhhhh ..." Honestly, they couldn't think up of what to really say to Bradley here, the look on his face enough to get them a little bit trouble (Aladdin and Pinkie anyway). However, Bradley took a moment to look over those in the group, and soon brought his attention towards the two guards. "Well, who's this?" questioned Bradley. Ciel and Sebastian came out as well, not expecting Bradley to just find the others this quickly, and so unprompted. As for the pair of guards, they felt a little bit humbled by the question, and were quick to try and explain. "W-Well, sir, they arrived with the Fullmetal Alchemist earlier today, and -" "Eh? The Fullmetal Alchemist?" "We were going to tell you, but they wanted to see you first, so ..." Bradley stayed quiet, and looked over the group of kids again. His single eye looked each one of them over one by one. Seemed the longer this went on, the more tension there was between Team Harmony and king Bradley. How was he going to react to seeing a full group of kids just inside basically military central of Amestris? ... "Unexpected." "O-Okay, yeah, it is, but uh -" Twilight tried to get the right words together for King Bradley, but Karma Akabane, having the whole Homunculus thing in mind, decided to just go on with it. "We got a little something to tell ya, and it's pretty important," Karma got out, rather nonchalantly as per usual. That got King Bradley's attention right away, as Pinkie and Aladdin moved into the safety of their team, away from Bradley. The others weren't exactly ready for this jump in subjects, and neither were the guards for that matter. "Oh, do you now?" "Yep, and apparently ..." suddenly, Karma's hand suddenly ended up in between Pinkie's cleavage (again, unprompted), and sure enough as Karma expected, he pulled out the same picture Korosensei gave them earlier that morning. This left some confused, but king Bradley was a bit more interested in the photo rather than where it came from, as Karma presented it to the king right away, showing him the exact picture up front. "You got a shadow in central," Karma finished, his finger aimed to the Homunculus figure standing in the photo. Even if Envy looked like a guard, the position as if spying did look a little questionable, especially when this photo showed it in such a way. "Hey, I was gonna do that!" Pinkie snapped, rather childishly, as Bradley took this into some consideration. This surely seemed like a minor thing, as night time would be time to constantly have on guard, so probably the guard was just on duty and came across them by mistake. Then again, why was this guard watching them so intently? ... "How did you get this?" Bradley questioned. "We had a little help on that," Karma said. "Karma, isn't this a bit forward?" Aladdin quietly whispered, as Bradley considered this 'shadow' with him and his family. "It's why we're here, right? Why wouldn't we tell him?" Karma quietly replied, which made too much sense. Looked like Sebastian wasn't the only one who figured that here. Eventually, King Bradley cleared his throat and addressed them again. More precisely, to the two guards. "Try to find the guard in this photo, and have him come to my office. And if you come across the Fullmetal Alchemist, have him come and see me too," Bradley instructed. Both guards, who were glad to not be in any trouble in the first place, took the photo as a reference and went off on their way to do so. After that was handled, Bradley turned to the rest of the group. "As for you. ... Enjoy your stay here." "Wait, what?" Aladdin questioned, just getting a nudge from Karma. "Thank you for having us," said Ciel, though felt slightly strained almost. The fact that Bradley just jumped at them with little prompting on their part and now willing to let them go about the place just ... well, felt awkward to him. Especially when it just came from nowhere like that. But, regardless, it did give them more opportunity to investigate the place, as with everyone else. It was then that Bradley's eye saw Twilight standing there, as the group started to go. Bradley placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder to get her attention, making Nagisa stop as well. "Mam? Are you Yugure Kagayaki, by chance?" Bradley asked pleasantly. "Uh, yes why?" Twilight asked. Bradley smiled. "Well, let's just say I think one of our soldiers would be getting a surprise soon. That is, if you want to see him." "You mean ...?" "He's out in the main training yard right now," Bradley concluded. Nagisa only needed one look at Twilight to see that she grew very excited on hearing this news, the biggest smile on her face in quite a while. There was only one person that Bradley would be talking about, and Twilight wasn't going to wait a minute longer to see him. ....... With this time to just go around as they pleased, Aladdin took the time to check things out for himself. He was glad that Bradley was letting them go around doing their own thing at Central, as lucky as that may be. He walked around alongside Ciel for the time being, strangely with Sebastian not with him. Ciel had went off with others in the group upon Ciel's command, so it was just Ciel and Aladdin going around together. "This place is huge. Are they usually this big?" asked Aladdin, looking around the hall. "More or less, yes," Ciel simply said. That conversation was a bit short, not what Aladdin really wanted. Aladdin looked over to Ciel, the same serious expression still on his face. Ciel was more focused on trying to find that Homunculus over much of anything else, which was starting to bum out Aladdin seeing him. "So ... do you ... want to check out the soldiers?" "Just keep a close eye out for any sign of that Homunculus. That's our prime objective right now," Ciel made clear. Aladdin stayed quiet again. He knew it was important to actually find the Homunculus, but that shouldn't be the soul reason to be here, like how Ciel was making it. Aladdin suddenly moved in Ciel's way. "Ciel, come on. I know it's important, but why don't you try to, I don't know, enjoy yourself a little?" Aladdin insisted. Ciel shook his head. "Don't give me that yarn. Envy can launch his assault at any moment, and who truly knows when he'll decide to do that?" "Yeah, who does know? It could be tomorrow, or it could be months from now." "I said no," Ciel stated, about to walk past him. Far as Ciel was concern, he didn't have any time for any of this. However, before Ciel could fully move past him, Aladdin suddenly grabbed him by the arm, making him stop. "Ciel. Look at yourself. You're only thirteen years old, and you're acting like a full grown adult. You're not going to have this chance to actually enjoy yourself if you keep this up," Aladdin made clear. Aladdin had been trying, really, but Ciel wasn't going to give him much of a chance. "Being the queen's guard dog hasn't any room for childish jargon. My lord, the queen of England instructed me to help you in your endeavors," Ciel reminded. It was then that Aladdin turned to face Ciel, both his hands grasping Ciel's hand. Aladdin looked right into Ciel's eye, a look with a mix of innocence and pure honesty. A kind of look Ciel Phantomhive hadn't seen in ... well, ever. Not before he met him anyway. "Then here's what you can do. Be a true kid, have some fun, enjoy your life a bit more. You think you can you do that for me?" Aladdin asked kindly. Ciel stayed quiet on this odd request Aladdin was telling him. To enjoy his life? So many instructions he had been given in terms of tasks by anyone higher over him didn't come close to such things. Who ever truly worried about his own feelings outside the Phantomhive manor anyway? ... "Yes sir, I'll get onto it," said a voice from further down the hall. Ciel and Aladdin both took a peek down the hall corner, and found that Alphonse and Ed had just finished giving their report in. They didn't see the two since they got there in the first place. "Hey, it's that fullmetal alchemist," Aladdin noted, though when Ciel saw him, his eyes were already admiring Ed, so Ciel could only guess where they're going to go from there. Without much confrontation, nor any prompting from Aladdin, Ciel simply stepped out towards Ed and Al, Aladdin following behind him. A simple clear of Ciel's throat got their attention. "Oh, hey there. How're you enjoying Central?" asked Al. "Pretty fair, thank you. A bit dull really," Ciel admitted, considering nothing really happened yet in their investigation. Ed took a look over to Aladdin, seeing his same fonding eyes as he had back on the train. Ed felt his smile come up on him on seeing his little admirer. "Well, if it isn't Aladdin. You look like you're pretty good, huh?" "You bet I am. It's my first time going around an actual military base like this," Aladdin explained, enthusiastic about it. Ciel watched them both interact and begun to think over a little bit. "Oh, Ed? Can I see another Alchemy trick? Please?" Aladdin asked. Ed, feeling confident and with only them around at the moment, decided to show off what he can do. After a quick clap, and placing his hand on the wall, blue sparks started to fly out. Ciel looked pretty surprised and Aladdin pretty much in admiring fanboy mode as Ed summoned out a spear right out of the wall, made up of the same metal as the wall itself. Aladdin was simply psyched! "AMAZING! You can pull weapons right from the walls themselves, that's so incredible!!" Aladdin said, complete admiration all over his face and tone. Ed was easily enjoying the attention as he played around with his drawn out spear. Ciel took a glance to Alphonse, who rubbed the back of his head. "Is your brother always so easily enthused?" questioned Ciel. "It doesn't take too much to get him going," Al admitted, humbled. Ciel nodded and looked over to Ed and Aladdin. "Pardon me, Ed. But, if I may ask you something," Ciel asked. Ed turned to him, giving Aladdin the metal spear for the Magi to check out. "Oh sure, what's up?" "... It's about this alchemy of yours," Ciel started. The question, tone and all, shifted the mood fairly quickly. Ed being a Fullmetal Alchemist was fine and all, and personal objections weren't anything on Ciel's mind, but Ciel still felt one question needed to be answered, just to clear things up for not just him, but for the others as well. "How many people know about it?" A silence filled the room for just a moment or two, Ed knowing enough that he was being serious about the matter. "Ciel, I thought we just promised you would be more cheerful," Aladdin reminded. "First off, no you didn't. Secondly, wasn't you the one who insisted that something like this shouldn't be shown off so recklessly?" ... Uh oh. Aladdin froze up, realizing what Ciel was actually getting at. The shocked expression on Aladdin's face as he looked to the spear he was holding, and over to Ed. Aladdin did say that things like magic, angels, demons and such aren't supposed to be a common knowledge, yet here was Ed showing it off without a second thought right at Central. "He finally remembers," Ciel thought. "AAAHHH! You're right, what's wrong with me?! I got so caught up in his amazing alchemy I forgot to bring it up!" Aladdin said, now completely panicked about it. "You hadn't brought it up in a while, Aladdin," Ciel commented before turning back to Ed. Ed felt like he did some sort of mistake in front of the wrong person now. Seeing Aladdin freak out like that changed the mood very quickly. Ed got his answer out after getting himself together from his ego. "Aside from you? Well, not as many people as you'd think. The only ones who know for sure about it are right here in Central," Ed replied, easing Aladdin's nerves about it the second he got it around. At least that was enough at ease, Aladdin knowing enough how good keeping the truth from public is when it came to the military. "What's wrong?" Alphonse asked. Ciel raised his hand. "Nothing in particular. It's a cautionary measure for the public's sake." "Ok good. Come on Al, we gotta get going," Ed said. Al nodded and started going off with his brother. "Come on, Aladdin," Ciel instructed, but with his mind now properly thinking, started to follow Ciel at first, but suddenly something else crossed his mind. Aladdin started to remember something. ... Yeah you're right. I'll get it eventually. ....... "Hey Ed, wait," Aladdin suddenly said, going right back over to him. Ciel stopped when Aladdin did this, just in time to see Aladdin right back up with Ed and Al. "What's up now?" Ed asked. Aladdin looked right to Ed specifically. "Ed, you did an amazing job back on the train, so that can say you're good at alchemy, right?" Aladdin asked. That was honestly a question too obvious to answer. They all were they, and they all saw Ed clobber Lust and Gluttony already, sending them both flying off the train with a few alchemic tricks. "Yeah, why?" Ed questioned. Aladdin grasped Ed's hands, the same way as he grabbed Ciel's hands moments earlier. Whatever Aladdin had in mind, it seemed pretty important. "Ed. Please, be our group's alchemic teacher!" "WHAT?!" "Yeah, my friend is into this alchemy stuff too, maybe you can - OW!" Ciel made sure to whack Aladdin in the head after that sudden question. It really was a random question, and one Aladdin kinda jumped at Ed about. Ed, as expected, looked rather taken aback. Yeah, he was good at alchemy but no one had ever asked him this before, his face and expression telling them that. "My apologies for jumping at you like that. Come on, Aladdin," Ciel firmly stated, dragging Aladdin away by his ponytail. He could see what Aladdin was going for, but they shouldn't bother them that abruptly. Ed though was left stunned on hearing that come out of Aladdin. "Teacher? ..." "There you are!" Ed and Al turned to find the guards from earlier finally finding them. "What's going on?" "It's our highness King Bradley. He's requested for you two to meet up with him in his office." ~~ As the rest handled their own look around the Central area, Twilight and Nagisa went right off to the training yard of Central, as where king Bradley had said where this person would be. Sebastian joined them just in case someone would get suspicious over them just roaming around without permission. At least there was some form of adult supervision, and Sebastian already handled some guards upon arrival so the two were pretty much covered. Twilight, Sebastian, and Nagisa all soon reached the main training yard of Central, which was, to be honest, what they expected it to look like. In an opened, outdoor area of Central, a number of Amestris soldiers were practicing their combat on a number of things. Some took close combat practice while other practiced on firing grounds. Many of the soldiers, while varying in height, build and hair colors, all had similar uniforms on and while some did see them, they didn't bother them much. Though, that could probably be because of Sebastian, but that was Nagisa and Twilight's main explanation on the matter anyway. Still, Twilight was trying to find this person Bradley was talking about, and her search lead her over to the shooting gallery. A number of soldiers stood along the shooting gallery, aiming over at some set up targets placed about a good fifty feet away, each one making pretty good shots. No bull's-eyes, but pretty close anyway. It was here that Twilight eventually saw one of the soldiers amongst this group, not only a bit younger but very familiar. Aside from the main soldier uniform, he had similar skin to her, his eyes a bright cerulean blue, and his short hair a sapphire blue with light blue streaks in it. The boy got about seven pretty good shots into his target before he took a break from it, along with the others he was practicing with. It seemed that he'd been practicing for a while according to his slightly tired expression on his face, as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "Good job, Yoroi, that beats your personal record," said the instructor, proud of him. "Really? Aw yeah, that's great!" said Yoroi. "Twilight. Is that ...?" Nagisa quietly pointed out. It didn't take too long until Twilight got her conclusion on this boy, and eventually this same boy turned and found Twilight standing there herself. Of course, Yoroi stayed rather shocked at first, but eventually a smile appeared on his face. "Yugure!" shouted Yoroi. That was the cue Twilight needed, and she ran right over to her older brother, excited and grateful to finally see him after who knows how long. Nagisa and Sebastian both went over too but stayed aside to let them bond a bit. "Yoroi, it's been forever! How have you been?" Twilight asked. "Sis. This is a surprise!" Yoroi said with a smile. Looking around though, Yoroi didn't really see any of their parents anywhere. The only parental guardian he could make out was Sebastian (maybe), but he didn't see neither mother nor father anywhere, any moment, anytime. He placed his firearm down nearby and walked over to Nagisa and Sebastian. "Nagisa, how are you buddy? You've grown up a lot since last time I saw ya," Yoroi said, giving him a good handshake. Nagisa's relationship with Twilight's brother was rather vague, but Nagisa still remembered Yoroi from way back in the day. Not to mention it's the first time in a long time someone complimented him on his height. "Really? Well thank you," Nagisa said bashfully. Though Yoroi still was a bit taller than Nagisa and Twilight. Maybe an inch taller than Karma even! But anyway, Yoroi then looked over to Sebastian standing there, the only person he didn't recognize out of the three. Sebastian gave a small bow, hand over heart in a gentleman's bow. "Sebastian Michaelis. A pleasure to meet you," Sebastian introduced, hand extended as a nice gesture to Yoroi. Yoroi went and shook his hand as well. "Yoroi Kagayaki," Yoroi said. At least Twilight and Nagisa could say that Sebastian was on good terms with Yoroi. Still, Yoroi wasn't going to ignore the elephant in the room. "So, where's mom and dad? Are they around to talk to?" asked Yoroi. Twilight clammed up in embarrassment. "Eh ... well, about that -" "I'm afraid your parents aren't here, Yoroi. I'm your sister guardian for her visit here," informed Sebastian. Yoroi's behavior changed to an unsure one over his friendly behavior. Pretty unexpected to find his sister running around in a place like this without either parent to help her out. "Wait what? You mean you're alone, Yugure?!" "No! ... Well, technically no, I have my friends with me," Twilight answered, trying to calm Yoroi down. "But then, why're you here? how're you here?" Yoroi then questioned. Twilight was so excited to see her big brother, she had flat out forgot this otherwise obvious concept. How is she going to tell him about what she did to get here? Especially concerning that she almost died multiple times now?! Her brother may be a soldier for Amestris, but not even he would believe something as crazy as that! Her involving with angels and demons? He'd never believe it! "I-It's a long story," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head. Really what else could she truly say to him? "Well you can tell me later then. A representative from England is coming sometime today, and King Bradley wants me present for the exchange," Yoroi explained. How convenient to hear, and one that got them a bit intrigued. "England, Yoroi?" "Just got word yesterday, yeah. And not just any representative either, but the queen's granddaughter!" Did they hear him right? The granddaughter of England's Queen coming to Amestris's Capitol central? He couldn't mean what they think, did he? "You don't say," Twilight simply said. "I know. Wish I have more time to chat, but I have to go get ready. I promised Bradley I'd start straight after training today," Yoroi said as he started to head in. "We'll meet up later, ok?!" Twilight called to him, trailing behind. Nagisa and Sebastian had a moment to themselves here, both watching Yoroi and Twilight go in. It was nice to see brother and sister interacting with each other, though very convenient with Victoria coming over for a visit. Nagisa turned to his demon companion. "You really think it's Victoria coming?" Nagisa asked. "A surprisingly convenient story if I do say so myself. Perhaps this should be worth looking into, wouldn't you think?" Sebastian stayed. Nagisa needed little time to get what Sebastian was trying to say. Just getting a report about Homunculus roaming about central, and Victoria visiting the same place seemed just too convenient. "You better tell the others, Sebastian." "Willingly." ~~ "Is he here?!" "He'll be here, just you wait." In his office, Bradley and Salim both were waiting for the guests to come in for their talk. With Team Harmony apparently out of the way, Bradley took up more important matters with this meeting with Victoria. A bit of a rather odd meeting if it was just Victoria, and not her with the queen, but Bradley took the matter in stride anyway, despite the obvious confusion. The visit was to be taken place in the Central's main meeting room, where Bradley was patiently waiting in at the head of the round table. Like the flag in his office, the Amestris symbol also was engraved at the center of it. Bradley wasn't the only one in the room waiting though, Salim too waiting excitedly for at least one of them to show up. It wasn't just Victoria coming in after all, and Salim was more excited for the latter to show rather than Victoria herself. For the moment it was just those two, but eventually it didn't take very much longer until the doors opened up. The sight of them coming in was enough to make Salim very giddy about the situation, Bradley smiling to his son. Those coming in were a few of Bradley's guards, including Yoroi, Edward, and Alphonse. Out of all of them, it was probably Al who stood out the most, for obvious reasons, and when Salim saw him he knew immediately who could possibly be the Fullmetal Alchemist Bradley told him about. "You brought your son, sir?" asked Yoroi. Though he didn't mind it personally, it was a surprise just before a meeting like this, as Salim went straight over to Alphonse with great enthusiasm. "He wanted to meet the Fullmetal Alchemist himself for so long, I just had to. He'll be out before the meeting starts," explained Bradley. "Wow, it's so amazing to finally meet you! I heard so much about you!" Salim said, eyes sparkling as he looked up to the huge armored man. If anyone could symbolize a Fullmetal Alchemist, it would be Alphonse. Right? "Eh, ok ok, i-it's not me. I-It's my brother, there," Alphonse said, hand up in submission and shaking his head before pointing to the Fullmetal Alchemist. Salim paused for a moment in confusion and looked around at the other guards, to him none of which appeared to be the Alchemist. Ed waited and waited and waited, but Salim didn't get the hint. So, rather than say anything, Edward tapped Salim on his shoulder, and presented his automail arm to him. It honestly wasn't the first time. ... "Mr. Armor just called you brother! Does that mean your Edward Elric: the Fullmetal Alchemist?" "Yeah, that's right," Ed said, smiling. "OH COOL! You are a tiny alchemist just like everyone says!" ... And there goes his smile. "What was that? You. Brat. Say it again, once more! I'll send you flying. You hear me? Your little body will be sent out into space," Edward warned, fist clenched as his automail hand was placed on Salim's head. Salim wasn't really scared though, keeping his admiring smile, and ... "That's true too! You hate being called small just like everyone said!" "WHAAAAAAA?!" Salim could thank his lucky stars that Alphonse was standing there to grab his brother before he went ballistic, grabbing hold while his angry brother flailed and tried to reach little Salim, pissed off as ever. Ed kinda forgot the moment where he was, too angry to care really, until Bradley stepped in and placed his hand on Ed's head, just enough to snap him back. One look at Bradley's disapproving, intimidating expression was enough to quiet him down. "Eh, sorry sir, really. It won't happen again," Alphonse said, releasing his brother. It was NOT good time to get into a fight, especially when this close to the arrival. And speaking of which .... "Everyone having a good time?" Speak of the devil. Look who happened to arrive on the scene just after the outburst from Edward: Victoria. The girl had arrived not too long ago, and she only waited until after things calmed down with Ed to enter the room. At least nothing too bad had happened for Bradley's sake, otherwise the whole thing would've gone to pot. Victoria didn't seemed too fazed by the supposed yelling she heard outside. Still, Victoria went over to Bradley and Salim at this point. "Madam," said Bradley, taking a seat as the guards lined up behind him. "Ok, Salim, you can go. You can talk with the Alchemists later," Bradley instructed, Salim still admiring over Edward when he said that. After Salim left, escorted out by one of the guards, it was straight down to business. Victoria took her seat across from King Bradley, Bradley's assigned guards standing at attention over behind him. Victoria wasn't too used to heading to these meetings herself, but then again it was on her own terms this time. Even if her grandmother told her not too. "It's a pleasure to make it here, Bradley. I hope you've been keeping well," Victoria started. "Likewise. Now what's this all about?" "Before I'm to begin, let me make it clear that none of this is fabricated, nor made up. I will be telling the truth all through our discussion, alright?" Meanwhile, outside of the meeting room, one figure wasn't going to miss this. Peeking around the corner to be sure, Nagisa made sure that no one else was there at the meeting doors. Under the influence thanks to Sebastian, Nagisa had to get this for himself, just in case if this is proven correct. He was all by himself, and with the coast clear and words heard from the room out, Nagisa went right over to the main doors. He didn't dare try to open up and walk in, as this was a meeting he shouldn't be barging in on, not in his lifetime. All Nagisa did so was stay quietly right next to the door, eavesdropping on the conversation to see what he can catch. "If Envy is in there ..." Nagisa thought. Back in the room, Victoria started her statement to King Bradley by presenting an object she brought with her to him. The object was a newspaper from England, the main headline concerning the fire started in Victoria's home. Front page news, that one. "Sorry to hear that," Bradley said. "It's mended. It's not the fire itself what I want to tell you anyway, it's who, or what started it," Victoria explained, Bradley placing the paper back down on the table. "And who would that be," Bradley questioned. Victoria took a sigh before she locked eyes with Bradley. "A demon." "... Demon, Victoria?" "A hellhound to be precise, yes. Just one demon caused this much damage, and that hellhound said there's more on the way. Tokyo Japan, and London England had already complied to a protection agreement, but let's be honest, your soldiers are clearly more qualified to this task." "Are you asking to just take my men unannounced over just one pyro assault? Out of the question," Bradley made clear. He could believe Victoria about the whole demon hellhound thing or not, but he wasn't going to bend his back and give Victoria his troops. "Not exactly, it's more of an exchange, naturally." "You can call it what you wish, but I'm not just going to move my men over to London over one attack," Bradley stated. It was then that Victoria brought out her next bit of evidence to present to Bradley, this one more personalized and one she picked up before stopping by. Something a bit more varied. "Then how about multiple assaults? Kidnapping, attempted murders, and after some research some Homunculi activity. How does that grab you?" The final word made Bradley pause as he looked at what Victoria presented to him: files discussing about the conspiracy of Homunculus activity, recent reports detailing the Royal Ball incident specifically. Two accurate drawings of the Homunculus Lust and Envy were on the files too, and while Bradley had little clue on Lust, Envy's face looked ... well, vaguely familiar. "Small world: apparently a group from your country had come by to investigate the exact same thing," Bradley revealed, as the others took a look at the pictures, Ed and Al in particular. One look by Ed Elric and it was enough to surprise him. It just took a glance from Bradley and Victoria too to see that. "I'm going to have a guess and say you know those Homunculus?" "Know them? Hell, they tried to kill us while getting here. Said something about witnesses, sir," Edward revealed. So now the Fullmetal Alchemist, and Queen of England all encountered these Homunculus. "And Team Harmony is here too? How cute," Victoria giggled. What a coincidence that her Ciel would be here as well. "So that's their name." "Yes, but they're not all mine. Hence the agreement with Tokyo, you see, as only one of mine is in the team. How are those little kids doing, by the way?" Victoria asked. "I'm allowing them to stay for a while to investigate this Homunculus issue," Bradley replied, though this revelation did pose a bigger threat than expected. And that kind of danger going around Central of all places! "That is nice to know. And their little angel can surely help central out a lot." "Angel? I'm not looking for innocent peacekeepers." "That's not a metaphor, I mean a real life, heavenly Magi angel. They have this little angel, Aladdin, and he actually saved my life during the demon attack." "Aladdin? Magi? How'd she know that?!" Nagisa thought. A surprise enough that Victoria was here at all, but Aladdin didn't tell her straight up that he was from heaven, or anything like that, nor did he tell her what he exactly was. That just seemed to convince him that she must be the Homunculus! Nagisa kept his focus on the conversation more from there, more intently this time. So much so that he failed to notice that he too was being watched. And by the rest of the team no less. ... "Nagisa? What's he doing there?" Wondered Aladdin. "Eavesdropping obviously. But not even Nagisa would be this gutsy," Karma noted. It may not be the first time Nagisa listened in, but there was still limits all the same. And Nagisa was surely pushing it. Pinkie peered suspiciously towards Nagisa. "He's not fooling me. I bet that is Envy!" Pinkie concluded quietly. "Maybe, but maybe not," Twilight said. "Why would he be here, if not? Let's get him!" ...... *BANG* Well she did it. Before anyone could stop her, Pinkie and Blair suddenly charged Nagisa, and tackled him to the floor. The loud bang from the impact surely got the attention from those in the meeting room, conversation cutting to a halt. Nagisa immediately panicked from the attack, and Blair managed to pin Nagisa down, sitting on his back while holding his arms behind him. "What the hell?!" Nagisa gasped, barely comprehending what just happened. "Stay down mr. Homunculus!" Pinkie warned. "WHAT?!" Soon the doors to the meeting room opened up and Victoria and Bradley came out to see the situation, just to find Nagisa down on the ground. "And what's going on out here?" asked Bradley. "We got your Homunculus right here, chief," announced Karma. "I AM NOT!" shouted Nagisa. Apparently the others weren't buying it, and Pinkie even grabbed him by the collar. "Big liar! Now, where's OUR Nagisa?! YOU DON'T TELL ME AND I'LL SHAKE YOU UP UNTIL YOU DO!!" Pinkie screamed, shaking Nagisa just mad to get the truth out of him. "PI-I-I-I-nkie! I-I-I-I-I AM NAGISA!" Nagisa said, dazed from the shaking. Unfortunately it wasn't getting through to her, or anyone else at first. "You really going to try this again? You did this once already, it's not going to work twice," Karma said. "I'M NOT TRYING ANYTHING," Nagisa insisted. Unfortunately, King Bradley moved them out of the way, and suddenly had Nagisa by the collar, enough to lift him off the ground! This was bad, this was very bad! And the situation didn't get any better when the leading man of Amestris pulled out a sword he had with him, enough to freak out almost everyone there! Was he going to kill him right then and there?! Even if he was a Homunculus, this was a bit extreme. "Let's not be too hasty." "SAVED!" Nagisa thought. Sebastian finally stepped in, appearing after a while, and got his hand around Bradley's own sword. A bold move for anyone who knew Bradley, and Sebastian even pulled the sword out of his hand. "Got some nerve, don't you?" Bradley commented sternly, dropping Nagisa to the ground. A bit surprised, but he was thanking the lord for Sebastian to come to his own rescue. ... "Allow me, sir." "Wait, what - OW!" Well, ok, maybe. Sebastian's move happened all too fast for any to even react to, and suddenly Nagisa found that his hand had been cut by the sword! The slice was so fast and precise, one false move and Nagisa would've had a finger missing! They all weren't sure what Sebastian was trying to do, but Sebastian made sure to present the cut he made to the rest, grabbing Nagisa's arm and moving it in position. The blood flowed freely from the cut, coating his fingers in a faint crimson red, but they all then realized something after a bit. The previous encounters, whenever a Homunculus got attacked or cut, they would heal on the spot, but Nagisa wasn't healing the same way. Or rather, not at all for that matter. "There. Any real Homunculus would've healed by now, am I right?" Sebastian inquired. Now they all got what Sebastian really meant, and apparently cutting into Nagisa's hand was the first thing Sebastian thought up to do. Not the first thing Nagisa would think to do, but still resulted in the answer all the same. "Eh ... oops," Pinkie said. "Yeah he's clean. Sorry, man," added Karma. Nagisa may be cleared of that, but Bradley was still suspicious over him. "You may not be a Homunculus ... but then why were you listening in on the meeting in the first place?" questioned Bradley. Nagisa felt more unsettled again, his hand hidden away as Bradley took his sword back, the tip now stained red. Wrong word now and he might get sliced up again. Things were already a little tense as it is. "Eh, uh ... w-well ... I uh -" "Curious over me, aren't you?" Victoria suddenly said. Nagisa looked to Victoria, and immediately had to answer, his answer coming out in a quick nod. With the accusation, and what Bradley told her, she got everything all around together fairly fast. So, with a smile, she extended her hand out towards Bradley, as if trying to offer a friendly hand to him. "Bradley, if you don't mind?" Victoria suggested. Bradley found this odd, but he took her offer in fairly decently, and his sword cut her hand as well. Victoria cringed slightly, but not much reaction besides that. That didn't mean the others were left unfazed either, either cringing or shocked Victoria would do this so quickly and carefree. As with Nagisa, her cut didn't heal up so fast, and it proved that she was indeed the true Victoria. "I believe that answers your question," Victoria finished, even grabbing Nagisa's bloody hand with her own blood-filled one. Nagisa felt pretty unsettled by this display, seeing how calm Victoria was, even with her hand now seeping blood like his was. Nagisa could see in her eyes that she wasn't concern in the slightest. "Uh ... yeah." "Are you okay? Didn't that hurt?" Aladdin asked. "It did. Perhaps you should patch us up," Victoria joked. If it was considered a joke. As this was happening, Ed and Al both couldn't help but overhear what happened. Seeing this just envoked and proved the Homunculus problem even further. What was going on at Central? ~~ The late night back in Japan held some bit of hope for 3-E when it came to the new teacher Tataoka. With the night coming around, one student was actually busy with her own little bit of research in the matter, or at least in Tataoka himself: Kirara Hazama. Not getting much homework earlier that day gave Kirara plenty of time to try and get her act together on what was what. On a laptop she had in her room, she was off and at work in doing her own little bit of research. She only knew of Tataoka by the one name though, so she only had that to work with, and the fact he was apart of the military. "Tataoka. Now where have I heard of that name before? ..." Kirara wondered, as she surfed the internet to try and figure things out. With the main light being the monitor in front of her, Kirara was fully focused on this little investigation. She'd normally could care less on who was actually teaching and who wasn't, but this Tataoka just sounded bizarrely familiar to her, almost like some past call that just came back to her. In her little game of conspiracy research, Kirara finally managed to locate a information page regarding Tataoka, but rather than any simple information page, this one was instead more focused on a conspiracy site (a website talking about urben legends, conspiracies, and stuff like that) which included images of the cheerful Tataoka with a few of his previous military students. They all were shirtless, hands behind their backs, and smiles on their faces. The smile on Tataoka was as cheerful and giddy as earlier that day, and the smiles on the other, older military men were also big, while a bit unsure. A bit strange though: the picture couldn't see any of their hands, nor any part of their back. Tataoka had his arms around two of the four men, all smiles and in a similar manor to how he did it with Nabiku and Yoshida earlier. Kirara knew now that Tataoka wasn't all he seemed to be, if he was on this page. "Alright, what dirt do you have for me?" Kirara commented, just before she clicked on the conspiracy page regarding Tataoka. When she saw the top title for Tataoka, her suspicions were immediately confirmed. Tataoka: Sargent or Torturer? Straightforward, and scrolling down the page just a few times showed the same image from earlier, only here with their backs to the camera. It showed Tataoka alright, but it was the four other men that Kirara immediately took notice. Their backs were red, scratched and appeared being cruelly whipped with red stinging slashes down their backs in several places. Once more, their hands were tied up behind them, making all of them unable to use their hands for anything at all. Gakuho allowed this guy to work at their school? Intriguing, yet disturbing. ... ....... It was training time back at Orora high again. A day had past, and now training was being taken a little differently. As he had mentioned yesterday, Tataoka was now going on and was in charge of the training sessions of 3-E. Karasuma was still around and observing Tataoka, to make sure he knew what he was doing. Korosensei was nearby and observing the 3-E class, chilling out on a lawn chair and drinking up a latte. The students were all lined up along the yard, ready for Tataoka to begin the training, all a bit more cool with it than they'd usually be. With how Tataoka treated them yesterday, they were expecting a much better time with this over their time with Karasuma. Funny thing though: Kirara was absent that day, and probably the only one aside from Karma who wasn't looking forward to Tataoka's little session. The others were more than ready this time, and waited for the word to start. "Alright, gang, now as I'm in charge there's gonna be a few changes, though I know you're all looking forward to it," said Tataoka. There wasn't any complaints about that, naturally, and Tataoka readied to get the schedule out, checking over the attendants first. Karasuma and Korosensei kept watch over Tataoka during this process with some bit of suspicion, as he presented the schedule to them. ... Training time took up ninety five percent of that schedule! "What?! We don't have time to study with something like that," gasped Sugino. "Don't get freaked out, kids, you'll adapt to it I know you will. Now, if we can -" "Eh, sorry, but no. We still have school to attend to," said Nakamura. Tataoka was starting to move over towards her, his smile on his face signature as usual. Nakamura looked up to him from there, thinking he might reconsider. Instead, all that she got was her head and back severely gripped! Each hand of Tataoka grabbed Nakamura, one gripping her scalp, as the other one grabbed hold of the base of her back. The pain hurt a ton, and caught everyone by surprise! He was supposed to be this neighborhood dad, what was he doing?! Nakamura was actually lifted off the ground before being forcefully dropped, the pain still stinging. "There's one thing that needs to be clear: there's no such thing as "no" here. You do not say "no" to me," warned Tataoka. That view of the friendly neighborhood dad was gone in an instant. Karasuma and Korosensei shared their surprise too. "What're you doing crumbling my students?!" Korosensei asked, panicked over the well-being of his students. Tataoka turned to his target, his signature smile across his face. However, this smile was no longer as fun-loving or cheerful, and now it was that of pure malicious. "It's nothing but discipline, target. They need to be trained good and hard to take you down," Tataoka said. A rather light term for that. "Discipline?! That you just did is straight up assault, no teacher should ever physically harm their students so unprompted!!" Korosensei yelled, getting more angry at him. Tataoka placed both hands on Korosensei's shoulders, his gaze down at first. At first he said nothing, but then his hand pulled out his signed job slip, showing it to Korosensei. Then came a sinister grin and evil eyes. "Remember that promise? Your promise to the government states that you will not harm any figure at Orora High. No teacher, no student, no further employee. And as I'm technically a school instructor, your promise is put to me. ... I can teach how I want to teach, and you'll support my methods." Tataoka got him there, and that made him furious, his head turning red in anger. He kept that promise for months now, and now this same promise was holding him back from saving his students from this tyrant. Oh, the loopholes are the worst thing to happen at this point in time, and Korosensei didn't know what to do. Tataoka turned his attention back to the students again. "Uh ... Mr.Tataoka? Please don't make us do this. ..." Nabiku said, the kindest she could do, hands clasped together in pled. Tataoka's cruelty knew no boundaries, and all Nabiku got was a horrid clock to her head! So hard of a swing, Nabiku was knocked head over heels, landing on the ground hard! That freaked out Korosensei even more, and the rest of the class. Karasuma quickly went over to Nabiku's aid, the poor girl hurting like crazy and in tears. "Are you okay? Can you move your neck properly?" Karasuma asked urgently. Nabiku didn't get any severe damage, but the swing and hit was still a harsh one, leaving a red mark almost covering her whole left side of her face. Even if it was an open-palmed strike, it still was powerful. With both Nabiku and Nakamura injured in such a way, Tataoka looked back to his students. "Anyone willing to argue?" Tataoka questioned. After seeing the rough behavior before, they weren't so willing to complain this time around. Just what Tataoka wanted to hear from them. "Then let's begin." ....... There they all were. End of the day, and all look ready to collapse. Tataoka and his methods of training were nothing but harsh, even for the most experienced of trainees. It wasn't exactly the matter of the exact task (squats, push-ups, etc.), but it was more about how much Tataoka actually wanted them to do. Each task, each athletic exercise they were given to do was far beyond any real capability for them to handle, one way or another. When doing push-ups for example, Tataoka amped up their ante to about hundred a piece, none of them allowed to take a break until they were finished, and even then Tataoka forced them to keep pace and not slow down. The other exercises were just as cruel: sit-ups were ninety five per person, squats were about one hundred and twenty, and others were similarly harsh. Worst one came from practicing assassination itself. Tataoka took it on himself to be their practice target, but instead of typical dodging like Karasuma would do, he fought back hard! Any swipe at him lead to a kick or punch to launch them back, and no holding back either. Tataoka may have enjoyed showing up his challengers, but all the 3-E students suffered their fare share of injuries, be it bruises, red lumps, or even bloody cuts all to show his surpermecy. All cuts weren't in obvious spots, but their pain was evident on each and every one of them as they were walking home. Needless to say they looked more like they were left in a gang fight rather than any sane gym practice, some barely able to even walk straight. All of them had some sort of bandaged wound, Korosensei approved and his courtesy, but seeing these 3-E students going home like this was a bit of a disturbing sight. For Nabiku, her injuries mostly remained to just the injury on her face, though Tataoka added some bruises to her torso and right leg too, and that was when he let them off easy! It was indeed a severe dilemma, one that could actually kill them, and after what they've gone through they all knew that. "Worst. Day. Ever," groaned Nakamura, her injuries mostly on her arms which were bandaged up. "Damn Tataoka, why did they have to pick him of all people?" added in Terasaka, who probably suffered the worst of it with a broken arm in a casket. Yeah, it was THAT bad, and on the first day! "Here's a better one: how'd he get past Gakuho?!" asked Takuya. "Actually no. That false happy-go-lucky face fooled everybody," Nakamura noted. It still didn't really help the issue all too well, and Nabiku stopped for a moment, looking over her injuries. She only avoided bandages and blood because she stayed back from trying to attack Tataoka, but even then her injuries were still severe on a more minor definition. The most terrifying part was that this was just the beginning of it. ... "OI!" The group stopped on that sound and looked off ahead. Up ahead of the path someone else was coming in to see what was going on, and this figure seemed ... different, and a bit of a relief to see. "Niji," Nabiku quietly said, though it was just enough to be heard by the others. Niji went right over to them, running from the main building path towards the 3-E building, and as she came over, she stopped in front of the others just to see the injuries they all had. "Dang. What happened, Nabiku? Did you guys get in a fight or something?" Niji asked, concerned a bit. "You know her, Nabiku?" Nakamura questioned. "Well, we known eachother for a bit," Nabiku admitted. And indeed, they were knowing eachother for a little bit. But that wasn't the main issue here, Niji observing the damage done from Tataoka's training. "We got beat up, if you have to know." "What got to you?" Niji asked. "Tataoka, our new instructor. He's so ruthless, it's bullshit!" Terasuka groaned, holding his broken arm. Niji cringed on the revelation, and brought her attention over to Terasuka's arm, stuck in a makeshift cask. Whoever this Tataoka was, he didn't pull back a single punch on any of them. Poor things. "You saying one man did this to you?" "Yes. He's so cruel," Nabiku whimpered, tears coming down her face again. Niji was quick to bring a hand out and wipe some tears off of her. "Ok, ok enough with the water works. I'll help you out," Niji promised. Niji wasn't going to leave Nabiku like this, not by a long shot. It was very nice that Niji was so quick to offer her help. "You will? Well, thanks but what can you do?" "Just point me in the right direction and I'll sort it out. Trust me, I promise it'll work itself out." What have they got to lose? S03Ep4: The Bigger They Are... ~もっと大きい彼らは...~Back at Central, things still were getting a little bit tense one way or another. Team Harmony had been given their own rooms for stay at Central after some consideration from Bradley, and in one of these rooms, the whole team was basically trying to sort things out with this Homunculus situation. In one room, all of Team Harmony were present as Pinkie, Karma, and Aladdin did their own thing elsewhere. Envy Homunculus was still on their mind in this mess, especially after their little escapade during Bradley and Victoria's meeting, the bandaged up hand of Nagisa notwithstanding. With the exception of Karma and Ciel, the rest were sitting down on the bed, Aladdin sitting on Blair's lap (one could guess why). "Not a thing. It's been days, and not a sign of Envy anywhere. Anyone else thinking that this is a lost cause?" asked Blair, who was getting tired from all this searching, and tired period. "Either that, or Envy is still hiding. May I remind you that this Homunculus is a shapeshifter, and just as well, a murderer. This shouldn't be something we should leave to absolute chance," reminded Ciel, trying to think. "Let's be real, we barely have anything aside from that picture. ... Hey, Aladdin, you -" Karma paused for a moment when the attention was brought to Aladdin, the perverted Magi having a little bit of bouncy fun with Blair's big milk jugs, making them bounce with a goofy smile on his face. Nagisa wasn't as amused though, and got Aladdin to pay attention by tugging on his ponytail again. "Huh? Wha? What's up?" Aladdin asked. "Thank you for joining us, hope you had fun in booby world," Pinkie joked, as both Blai and Aladdin turned to Ciel and Karma. "You two are entities, do any of you know any clues to figure out this Homunculus?" Karma questioned. Unfortunately, after some short time, both shook their heads at the same time. So much for a straight answer out of them. "What do you mean 'no'?" "Homunculus aren't exactly angel or demon, they're artificial and made up of Philosopher Stones. There's no exact holy or unholy thing about that," Aladdin explained. "Well, you can try to find their Oroboros symbol, but Envy can apparently disguise his, so that doesn't work for him. At least I didn't see one on him," added Blair. Karma sighed. He thought he had something there, but apparently it wasn't going to work this time. All they got was a reminder of what Undertaker told them, and that was it. "Well, damnit. Maybe we can lure him out." "Lure him out how? He's not an idiot, and he fooled us about three times now." "OH, OH OH!" suddenly Pinkie was up and psyched, hand up and wanting to share. Ciel though wasn't going to give her the chance here, despite the fact no one else had anything to go off of, or any sort of plan. "No, Pinkie." "Come on, hear me out!" Pinkie insisted. "NO. I'm sure your plan would involve some cupcake and a cardboard box, that's not going to work." "IT IS NOT! ... that's my backup plan." A notable slap was heard when Ciel's hand met his own forehead, but still Karma decided to let her go on with her little plan, his hand signaling her to go on. Of course, with Pinkie's active mind and admittedly nutty behavior, who really knew what plan she would come up with? "Envy's obviously here on a spy mission by this Sombra guy, right? He's obviously wanting to take out the little competition, and he apparently has the hates for Karma, so he can go out alone and be used as a worm in our plan's fishing hook. Soon as Envy pops up to eat him, BAM! Fished Homunculus with a bag of chips!" Pinkie finished her plan with a clap of her hands, and pointing her fingers fake-gun style, big smile on her face for approval. At first, the group was a bit quiet as they took the options into some thought. ... "... That's ... not a crazy idea, Pinkie." "YOU can say that?!" thought Ciel and Nagisa, looking at Karma like he was crazy. The plan was risky as hell, but Karma supporting the idea of being bait for a killer Homunculus wasn't fixing that at all. All the same, he still was down for it, and Pinkie was too. "You know, that did work with Twilight and Hellgar, so it can work here," agreed Blair, enthusiastic about the idea. "Yeah! Just get him alone and we'll all jump him! ONWARD!" Pinkie said, already rushing to the door. They didn't had much time to even get a word in before Pinkie was already at the door. Pinkie swung it open, and she practically bolted at full speed. She would've been a good twenty feet ahead if something huge and metallic didn't bump her back into the room straight away. It took less time to see who it was that was standing there at the door, the fullbody armor of Alphonse Elric easily recognized. "Oops. Sorry," Alphonse said, Pinkie in a slight daze. Looking again, it wasn't just Alphonse there, but Edward as well. A bit fazed by Pinkie's charge out, but they were alright overall. "Oh, if it isn't the Elric bros. How's it going since we last chat?" Blair asked, smiling. "We're doing alright, thank you. And you guys? Are you doing good, Nagisa?" Alphonse asked, referring to his hand. Nagisa had to get that bandaged up since his little test run with the blade, and Nagisa wasn't doing all that bad with it. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just a small cut," Nagisa said bashfully. "Ok good. Hey, Aladdin, is it? I've been looking for you," Edward said, looking over to Aladdin. The little magi got to his feet from Blair's lap, looking over to Ed. With that response, Aladdin's reaction started to turn hopeful, which was something only Ciel knew the reason for. "Hey, Al and I have been talking about that little thing you said sometime ago, and ... Yeah, I'll take you up on that offer," Ed decided. Aladdin got very excited on hearing that, smile nice and wide with his eyes sparkling. "YES!!! Best day ever!" Aladdin beamed. "YAY! THIS IS AWESOME! ... What is it?" Pinkie asked, excited as well. "Your little friend there asked me to be an alchemy teacher for one of you. Said one of you was getting into this sort of things and asked me to give some pointers. By the way, who is it anyway?" Ed wondered, looking around at the group. After the group got what was going on, one way or another, Twilight eventually raised her hand to get Ed's attention. "That would be me," Twilight said. As proof, she showed Ed the alchemy book she had in hand. A bit of a different book from what he would see, but it was proof enough for him. "Oh, cool, so you're already practicing a bit. That makes it easier for both of us," Ed said, the last part a little tactful on his end. "Eh, right. I'm not sure about this," Ciel said. "What, why? He's perfect!" "Isn't he a little young to be a teacher?" Ciel question, his attention more focused on Aladdin than on Ed, who found that slightly insulting. "Say's the queen's guard Chihuahua," Ed spat back. "... Valid point," Ciel groaned. He didn't enjoy his 'compliment' either. "Now now, let's not get into a tiff so early on. You've only just got acquainted you know," said Sebastian. ... Wait what? "AH! When'd you get here?" Ed asked, jumping back away from Sebastian. The demon butler wasn't really as startled about it as Ed and Al were, the demon butler up behind both brothers. "Where have you been?" Ciel asked. "Just investigating into our little matter as all. And while you've been recovering, I've managed to find out our little Homunculus," Sebastian revealed. Well, that was especially convenient of him, and once more Sebastian had managed to get a little picture too. "You tell us that now?" "I didn't want to be a bad butler by interrupting your discussion, you understand," Sebastian stated, trying to play innocent. Really, that was just a half-truth, and Ciel knew it. Anyway, he presented the picture to Edward first. The picture was a bit of a vague shot, but it indeed showed a figure walking down a hall, peering just behind his shoulder. The angle of the shot was just passed a wall, so some of the image was blocked out, but one thing that wasn't blocked out was a peek just under the worker's coat, just enough to show a sort of mark on the hip, but that was hardly any. "Yeah, that's him!" Pinkie said, once she saw it. "How do you know?" Twilight asked. "Take a closer look to the hip, right there," Sebastian said, pointing to the spot in question. It took a little peering into, but eventually something did start to make itself out, showing a very faint glimpse of a head and tail. ... "Yeah, the Oroboros symbol, that's him! Come on, let's get the plan going!" Pinkie beamed. "Already thought up of one, my dear," Sebastian said, hand raised. This made Pinkie pout a bit, but Sebastian went on to speak anyway under Ciel's approval. "And what would that be?" "Well, there's no need for everyone to remain involved on the matter. Just a selected few, if you don't mind. ..." ~~ "UGH, come on Sombra, how much longer do I need to keep spying on this human?" Envy was still continuing his own roundabouts, still in his human Amestris guard disguise. The days that went by for Envy were, for the most part, nothing but a bore. He wasn't allowed to kill anybody for one thing, Lust and Gluttony were nowhere to be found at all, Team Harmony and Victoria got the Amestris guards on high alert, and as far as Envy was concern, progress was getting nowhere. Keeping his eye on Salim and Bradley turned to less like a mission and more like a chore. A long, and agenizing one. Envy kept his watch as instructed, following king Bradley in his walk the best he could do. Even the king of Amestris had his rounds, and Envy had to be sure that he wouldn't be spotted by Bradley during his own patrol, otherwise he might suspect something. "Sure, he's the king of Amestris, but he's still just some worm of a human. Since when did Sombra wanted him for a potential ally?" Envy thought. ... "Hey." Freaked out, Envy quickly spun around and stood at attention like a guard would, just to keep his own disguise convincing. However, the figure there wasn't exactly a high guard, but the figure actually turned out to be king Bradley himself! Off guard, of course. "Evening, sir," Envy said, humbled but a bit confused. Wasn't he just ahead of him pass the corner? Bradley stayed quiet at first until he took a good look to him. "I've been meaning to have a word with you. To my office, now," Bradley instructed, already starting to go off down the hall. Envy, being the disguised guard to command, went off to follow him regardless of his own thoughts on the matter. If he tried to defy him now, he might end up getting himself caught, and in front of the king himself he had to play his cards right no matter what. The walk back to Bradley's office was a quiet one, and one that left Envy in some anticipation until they went on to walk through those doors in question. Well, what was going to happen now? Envy stood over by the door just in case, as Bradley went around to his desk. "Now. As you're aware, there has been a rumor around of a creature amongst these walls. A Homunculus, far as I get." "Yes, I've heard about that, sir. What about it?" "Actually, I was going to ask you that," Bradley replied, making Envy a little bit suspicious. "Excuse me?" "You've been on night patrols primarily as of late. Any reports as of late about it?" Bradley questioned. Envy, luckily, had a basic answer at the ready. "Not at all, sir. Sorry." A rather straightforward answer, but so long as he wasn't giving off any main response to Bradley, he should be just fine. Bradley stayed a bit quiet on the matter though, just staring at Envy with a judgmental gaze of his single eye. Envy kept his own gaze down, to make sure Bradley wouldn't read his eyes. After what felt like forever, Bradley cleared his throat. "Right. ... Now, care to explain why you've been following me tonight?" Bradley questioned. NOW Envy was unsure. "W-Well, I wanted to make sure you're alright, sir. Who knows what this Homunculus can even do?" Envy said, trying to keep his composure. How long did he know that?! King Bradley stayed quiet for a minute or two again, before he got up to his feet. Envy stayed quiet and awaited for what Bradley have to say, the man turning away from him. His hand moved over to his own face. ... "Then who'll be sure you're alright?" "... I'll be fine. Needn't you worry about me." "In that case ..." Suddenly, something was torn away and tossed right at Envy's face. At first Envy thought it was his eyepatch, but when he had a look, he found that it was actually skin! King Bradley had torn his own face off!! It all came off in a patch of skin, not a ounce of blood being shown on it anywhere as Envy threw it on the ground. When Envy had another look, the true identity of this man was revealed to him. The pale skin, the red eyes, the fairer and younger appearance matched the look of one particular demon all too well. ... "Screw you!" Sure enough, Envy quickly made his attack. His arm stretched into a blade and tried to hit the demon, but missed him by inches. The distraction was all Envy needed to get himself running, hand turning back to normal and Envy making a run for it. The demon was right behind him, and homing in on him fast. Envy tried to cut corners and get out of sight, but the demon was just too fast to give him any time to do so. "Keep running, my friend. We'll make it ahead of schedule at this rate," the demon thought, continuing his chase. Now and then, Envy tried to cut him short with an attack, but the demon was too agile to get a direct hit, leaving Envy with a little more trouble. "Damnit! I gotta get out of here. If I get caught, Sombra will kill me!" Envy thought, and NO WAY will he have that. In his run around, Envy tried to look for some sort of short cut, or escape route to take, but it easier said than done, especially with a demon hot on his heels. The halls weren't doing him any favors. The more ruckus he made, the more of a risk the guards will be onto him! The demon was getting especially close, Envy feeling him right behind him, Envy not stopping for any moment. Eventually, down another corner through the seemingly endless amount of halls, a singular window presented his only option. No other option. With one more look behind him, Envy dove right out the window with no break in speed, shattering the window as he did so. He had no time to really judge what was what, and soon he found this window about three floors up! Three floors high, and out to the front yard no less. This Homunculus didn't find that too much trouble though, and spun himself around mid air and landing on his feet, though the impact actually cracked the ground under him. Here was when he took a breather and looked back up to the window where he jumped out. It was only now that this demon figure apparently stopped chasing him, but he was not out of the woods yet: the window smashed after all, and smashing windows makes a hell of a noise to wake people up. Envy got himself moving off fast, looking back to the window once more to be sure the demon wasn't following him. ... "GOTCHA!" A crack of the ground under his feet, and next thing he knew, Envy was launched off into the air by a fullmetal blast from the ground up, sending him flying head over heels! "AAHHH! WHAT THE HELL?!" Envy yelled, flung straight off the ground and landing hard. Looking back, he followed the cracked ground back to the source, finding Ed there with both hands on the ground, blue sparks still flying. Envy got up to his feet, dazed but alright overall as his cuts were getting healed up with his own red sparks. So much for a easy and disguised getaway. "Come on already! How can you see through me?!" "You make it too easy!" called another voice. Envy turned, and suddenly, someone else was running right towards him: Twilight and Nagisa. Nagisa, with the halo blade drawn and at the ready, running right towards him. Envy found them far easier targets, and rather than running away, charged right at them instead, a bit more confident that he will end up escaping this place. Twilight and Nagisa, while a bit frazzled by Envy charging at them, kept their run straight towards him. Envy drew out his own weapon, and thrust it forward, but both kids suddenly fell to the ground in a slide, and Nagisa actually got a cut off of Envy's foot, throwing the Homunculus off balance and making him tumble. Nagisa and Twilight turned back, Twilight giving a whistle towards Ed and he got another alchemist attack send, and Envy found him under a steel barricade, pinning him down to the ground with no hope of getting out. Caught, exposed, and embarrassed yet again. Envy tried to break out, but it was really no use, and the commotion got more than just the other demon out to see him, the demon butler applauding by the way. "Excellent work, everyone. Not a single detail missed." "That went better than I thought," Nagisa thought, actually impressed with it. Then came out some other Amestris guards (much to Envy's dismay), and it was quick when they all saw what had happened there. Yoroi, being amongst the crowd, was the first to show up. "Yugure, what happened?! We heard screaming." "Nothing's wrong now. And look what we caught," Twilight revealed, presenting the Homunculus to them. Not making the situation any better for Envy. "Whoa. Is that?" "LET ME OUT, YOU WORMS!" Envy yelled, but obvious they weren't doing that. The commotion also brought out another figure to the scene, as the guards were aiming their weapons at Envy to be sure he wasn't going to attack or escape: King Bradley. For real, this time. "Oh. What do we have here?" "Your Homunculus, sir. And this time no mistakes," Sebastian made clear. It was then that Envy wanted some answers, staring right at Sebastian. "Wait a minute. How did you disguise yourself like that?" "You believe you're the only one who can play the disguise game?" Sebastian replied. Envy didn't care for the details of it, and just felt simply mocked. Too bad Bradley actually found him now, his look of disapproval spearing through his heart. Then he turned to the group and smiled. "I'll put him in custody right away. Good job, everyone, you found our culprit," Bradley congratulated, as he pulled out Envy from his trap by the head, gripping his neck in a way so he wouldn't bust out. Envy gagged and choked a little bit, he was holding so hard, but Envy wasn't getting killed by it. Envy took a look over to Nagisa as he was being dragged off, Nagisa feeling accomplished about what just happened, though a little indifferent to the rather rough drag off. All the same, at least Envy was finally handled for now. "Well then. That's that. ..." ~~ "ACK! Damnit!" Another day on the job, and Tataoka was still just as ruthless as ever. Training gave the students no time to even be in a school, nevermind study or learn anything. Tataoka marched around his group, observing each student doing their pushups, which were just as brutal as the first time. They were still sore from last time, and Tataoka couldn't give less of a crap about any of it. Terasaka, which one would think would be given a break, was stuck with an even harsher sentence on the matter, and doing one-armed pushups. His broken arm wasn't doing him any favors, and made the task all the more difficult. During the whole training, Nakamura couldn't help but glance at Terasaka. Sure, they all were beaten up some way or another, but he was probably suffering the worst of it with this training in particular. Not that Tataoka cared anyway. "Terasaka, you're falling behind. Go on, pick up!" "Sorry, it's kind of hard with one arm broken," Terasaka growled through gritted teeth. The response just got Tataoka to step on his back, the added weight making Terasaka fall onto his broken arm, pain shooting through him like a bullet. "And I'll be happy to break the other if you argue with your father," warned Tataoka. "Tataoka, enough." Tataoka turned over to his predecessor instructor Karasuma, as he moved over to them. "Karasuma, hey! Look at the progress I'm doing here. Pretty impressive is it?" "Impressive doesn't come close. At this rate, you'll train them to death," Karasuma retorted. This angered Tataoka, but he tried to lock it up, but all that came out was a huff. "They're improving faster than how you did it. They nearly got my neck four times yesterday during our fun practice, isn't that right kids?" Tataoka said, turning to the students. All they could do was nod to him as they continued their pushups. "I wonder why?" Karasuma thought sarcastically. Who wouldn't try to take down their instructor if he was this ruthless? Anyway, he turned his gaze to Terasaka, who had the foot removed but was taking a slight breather. Terasaka was more physical than the other students were, but he was still panting like a exhausted dog, staring at Tataoka with a sort of killer look. "At least give Terasaka a break. You did break his arm," Karasuma pointed out, but all that did was make Tataoka laugh. "Just a one-arm pushup. He should be thanking me for upending the odds for him," Tataoka joked. Talk about a narcissistic joke. Who the hell would thank him for breaking their arm?! Karasuma turned his back to Tataoka, and walked away, giving him nothing but a cold shoulder. Tataoka acted like it didn't bother him, but inside he was fuming. "You, who were the best of the best in the unit ... never paid attention to my strength, did you. That person of you has robbed of any chance at a promotion," Tataoka thought. His gaze turned to his 'children', who continued their pushups as they were instructed. He could only imagine what'll be of them when he was done with them, and his more sinister smile crept up on his face. "It doesn't matter if this destroys the majority of them. If I form those that remain into an elite corps, and they kill that octopus. As a hero who raised such heroes ... I'll be able to order you around!!" Tataoka thought. Oh, he could just imagine the results: those that survived being the ultimate killing machines, and the ones who stopped that Korosensei once and for all. It might be a bit over the top for him, but killing a demon king was no easy feat, and if his students could do that, then what would that make him? Far above Karasuma, that was for sure. ... "You gotta be kidding me!" "See what I mean?" Silently observing the trouble from very far away, hidden in the foliage and one observing with some binoculars, Niji and Nabiku managed to get themselves in position to observe the horrid training sessions going on. Niji had the binoculars, and couldn't believe what she was seeing being done by this man to these kids. They told her, but this was worse than she thought. Nabiku stayed behind her and worried sick over the students. Nabiku managed to get one sick day from Gakuho - she never said why - and this gave her time to help Niji in getting the information on it. Lucky for them, Tataoka did not notice, nor even cared, for Nabiku's absence, though that was probably because she barely did much effort in his training anyway. Niji was more than furious over this observation. "And you went through a day of this?" Niji asked, turning to Nabiku. Nabiku only nodded to her as they both could hear the practice from where they were. ... "I know, right?! That Tataoka got me in a loophole," said a sudden, new voice of Korosensei as he wept from his failed attempt to save the students. Niji and Nabiku, as any person would, jumped on seeing Korosensei suddenly pop up. Nabiku mentioned him to Niji, but this was her first true sighting of the octopus. Korosensei was in a different getup, but this one was all black, a mourning Victorian dress accompanied with a black flail over his face that was attached to a black sunhat. Obviously his hopes were not up on the situation at all, and with the promise he made to the government keeping him back, there wasn't much he can do. "What the?!" Niji gasped, rather loudly. Quickly, Nabiku got her hand over Niji's mouth, quickly looking back to the group. Tataoka did pause for a moment or two, but he didn't go over to their location at all, and remained put in his position observing the rest. Thank the lord for that one. After Niji calmed down, they both turned to Korosensei, who was tearing up waterfalls at this point. "You said he got you in a loophole?" Niji questioned. "Yes he did: I promise your Government to not hurt anyone or force a soul at Orora High, and damn Tataoka's got himself a job certificate with Gakuho. I can't touch him," Korosensei wept, his tentacles wiping away his tears like windshield wipers. The idea that Tataoka was actually hired by anyone at all for this type of task was horrible to Niji. She looked to the practicing, and suffering students, her eyes narrowing to an angered expression. "How could he get away with this? That brute will kill them all at this rate," Niji noted, freaking out Nabiku a bit more than she liked. With what Tataoka was doing, that wasn't too far of a possibility. "P-Please don't say that," Nabiku quietly said. However, Niji was trying to figure something out, too much to really hear Nabiku. Soon, the obvious answer came to mind, her fingers snapping. "Hey you, octopus. Try and get to that main building, maybe whoever's in charge can do something about it," Niji suggested, though the blunt 'octopus' nickname wasn't too appreciated. However, Korosensei wasn't looking too happy with the idea. "I can't do it," he replied meekly, slumping. "Why not?" "You kidding me?! These students are getting torn apart day in and day out, I have to be at the ready to patch them up at all times. Then there's having to fly back and forth between here and who-knows-where to keep up Karma Akabane, and trying to teach SOMETHING to these students here all day to make it even worth it, I -" Korosensei's rant was cut short when they all heard a yelp farther away, finding one of the students collapsed on the ground. Freaked out, Korosensei bolted right over, disappearing from sight and helping the kid. It was clear where his priorities were, and he didn't have time for anything extra. Pretty bad, and Niji and Nabiku were left to watch. Any of them to come out now and they're dead meat. Lucky Korosensei wasn't going to have that happen and kept his mouth shut about the two. "Oh dear," Nabiku simply said, as Niji got up and begun to walk away, bringing Nabiku with her. She wasn't leaving Nabiku alone here. "Ok, you better head off home before they see you. Catch you later." "What about you?" Nabiku asked. Niji paused for a moment, but eventually she sighed and looked to the worried Nabiku. Her injuries were still there, and seeing them made Niji more frustrated, but she tried to keep it down. "I'll be fine, trust me. Look, you just go home, come back tomorrow, and everything will get sorted out." ....... Nabiku had to rely on that for the rest of the day, and onto tomorrow. That, and the rest of the 3-E students as well, but with just that to go off of, there was a bit of a problem. what did Niji have in mind exactly? Hopefully nothing too hectic to the situation, though something had to be done before any students would lose more than just their dignity with Tataoka's training methods. With Korosensei not able to do anything, and Karasuma not trying too much to stop him either, Niji was basically their last bet to get this sorted out. Nabiku was especially scared to have to return to 3-E the next morning, scared to face Tataoka again. She barely could face the man over her last couple of days, what could she do here? The morning then was filled with a strong unease, and this affected practically every student one way or another on some level. They all sat outside, injuries not withstanding any of them, with Nabiku having the horrifying honor of a front row seat to face Tataoka. Korosensei and Karasuma weren't too far away, Korosensei in a doctor's outfit instead with products at the ready for what he was sure to be another time of quick first aid. It was the least he could do, and all he could do. Tataoka was standing in front of them all, seemingly pleased with the 'devotion' of his students. The feeling was mutual. She was right next to Nakamura, who had a few more injuries to her person in bruises. "So, what's going on? Did Niji figure something out, or what?" Nakamura quietly asked Nabiku, hoping for a good answer. "I don't know. She said everything will sort out tomorrow. ..." Nabiku quietly replied. Tataoka didn't notice either (thank god), and went over what his personal schedule entailed. "Ok, kids, this past week was fun as we all know. Time for us to take it up a notch. With this next schedule you'll kill that octopus in no time," Tataoka said, though his enthusiasm wasn't entirely shared. In fact, the others were shocked that Tataoka could make this any worse than it actually was. Then the schedule was presented: extra three hours after school of training! Tension was building. "This should work just fine. There's no such thing as too much practice. Everyone, line up -" "Are you insane?!" Terasaka shouted. He finally had enough. With days of getting a broken arm, constantly getting humiliated and beaten down, his fuse finally blew. Terasaka was on his feet, and face staring daggers at Tataoka. Tataoka met his gaze with his sinister smile and killer look. "You don't say no to me, remember? I'm the one calling the shots here, Terasaka." "Call this, you prick!" Terasaka snapped. Then the bold move: his free arm whacked the schedule right out of Tataoka's hand. They knew Tataoka was a dangerous character, but Terasaka didn't care anymore. His broken arm proved it. The schedule clipboard landed not too far away, and Terasaka was more than happy to stomp his foot right down on it, cracking the clipboard in two, and crumbling the paper. "All this nice work your dad does for you, and that's how you thank him?" Tataoka growled. Terasaka couldn't give less about that, nor about Tataoka and his feelings at it. "SHUT IT! You're not my dad, I'm not doing your schedule, and you can go and rot in hell for all I care!" Terasaka yelled. Tataoka just needed that bit of motivation to suddenly charge Terasaka. He tried to get out of the way, but Terasaka grabbed him by the throat before he could even run a foot away, lifting him up good and high! "Terasaka!" his gang members gasped, jumping to their feet. As Terasaka was getting choked, the two tried to help him out, but Tataoka just slammed them all aside., knocking them both to the ground with one mighty swing of his free hand. "Tataoka, put him down!" Karasuma demanded, but Tataoka's rage didn't give Karasuma any chance to get him out. "I'm the one in charge here now, Karasuma, you have no room to talk! If he doesn't want daddy's teaching so badly, then I'll send him on his way," Tataoka said, gripping Terasaka's throat even tighter. Tataoka wasn't serious, was he?! Karasuma was going to go right in and end things, but Korosensei then brought his tentacle onto his shoulder, keeping him back. Karasuma was going to say something when something suddenly zoomed by them both. ... And clocked Tataoka in the back of the head! Tataoka dropped Terasaka to the ground on the sudden impact of said object, Terasaka landing hard on the ground, but not on his broken arm again. Tataoka checked where he was hit, and then to the direction where the shot was made. As for the object, as it turned out, the object was actually a soccer ball borrowed from the 3-E storage shed. The ball rolled over backwards a bit, until a foot stepped onto it to keep it still. Tataoka was especially pissed now, and the newcomer wasn't doing him any favors. He was expecting Karasuma or Korosensei by where it was being launched from, but now someone new was there and ready to go. "Niji!" The students realized. Indeed, Niji was there, and she kicked up the soccer ball to her hands, just announcing to the class that she did slam Tataoka with it. Nearby, Korosensei was suddenly in a referee outfit, whistle blowing good and loud for her field goal. Tataoka shifted his smile to one of a more innocent look, but Niji was not buying it in the slightest. "Come out to play. And who're you?" "Don't give me that innocent game, Tataoka, you're not foolin nobody," Niji made clear, a little nonchalantly as she held her soccer ball. Terasaka got himself up, but Tataoka grabbed him firmly by the shoulder. Still, the rest of the class was more than happy to see her, hopefully she had a plan to put Tataoka in his place, or at least make their lives a bit easier. However, Niji was pretty much alone here, and not looking happy with Tataoka at all. "You're from the main building, right? I know you love to see 3-E under you from what I heard, so you want to help me in putting this kid in his place?" Tataoka offered, as if it was some sick game. Niji threw the soccer ball behind her, Karasuma catching it, as Niji gave a few stretches. ... "Tataoka. I hereby challenge you!" Niji announced. "WHAT?!" The class gasped. THAT was her plan?! To try and clobber Tataoka?! None of them could even make a proper scratch on him, what chance did Niji had against him? Niji was pretty up for getting the challenge going, but Tataoka was not taking her seriously. At least not as much as he should be. "Are you mad, Niji? You can't fight him with 3-E!" Nakamura said. "I'm not, it's one-on one. Me and you, Tataoka, come on!" "THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" While most of 3-E was a bit troubled, Tataoka just laughed at Niji. "One-on-one with me? Confident, but I'm just about to start my class up. You go off and play your soccer game -" BAM. Niji went right up to him, and her foot met right up to his face in a almost perfect air sidekick! The hit stung him a bit, and Niji landed right back on the ground. That proved she meant business, and Tataoka wasn't as cheerful anymore. To not only get hit by a soccer ball but also kicked square in the face! To Niji, she was glad Tataoka was taking her seriously. "Alright, tough shot, I'll make it simple: you win, you can stay and do what you want with 3-E. If I win, you pack your things, and get out of here. Or are you too scared?" Niji mocked, her deal making it clear in his ears. So the main plan was a duel, and whoever wins has to go away for good. Seemed straightforward enough, but the odds seemed stacked against Niji. A tomboy verses a experienced military instructor. "You want a fight, bitch? I'll give you a war." The signal for the fight to begin. Korosensei, not wanting any bystanders hurt more than how they are, quickly rushed around and got them all moved away from the arena Niji and Tataoka ended up being in. Niji on one side, Tataoka on the other, and both sides ready to fight. The new audience was placed off at a much safer distance, just as the two begin to head towards eachother. The first strike was made by Tataoka, charging in at Niji like a living freight train, fists ready to slam Niji to the dirt. However, Niji made a quick dodge, and her foot slipped under him and hooked his leg, making Tataoka tumble forward. He recovered, but Niji was already on him and bounced off of him with both feet. Both feet hit the center of Tataoka's back, and Niji landed with pure accuracy on the ground as light as a feather. It stung him, but Tataoka took his chance and rushed her again. Unlike before, Niji got grabbed by her leg, and Tataoka went to town on her: swinging her like a ragdoll and throwing her to the ground. Despite that, Niji jumped to her feet easily. "How'd she recover so fast? No one would even be standing after that," thought Nabiku, watching the fight unfold. Niji continued to impress, because not only did she recover, but as Tataoka readied to kick her, she actually dodged and high-kicked him in the jaw! "Sloppy, very sloppy," mocked Niji, infuriating Tataoka even more. It seemed that Niji was the opposite opponent to Tataoka. Tataoka may be able to smash limbs with a few strikes, but Niji and her agility won't even give him a chance most of the time. As the fight continued, the students began to get more excited and cheered Niji on. Tataoka got Niji moving off towards the building, limiting her movements he figured. Niji confronted Tataoka on the high ground, and blocked another power punch from Tataoka. Having her back to the building though left her with little room so she was stuck in a close combat range with Tataoka. "Come here!" Tataoka growled, swinging his fists away. Niji moved out away from most of the punches, leaving cracks in the wooden wall. The times they did strike Niji weren't as strong, but left some scratches still. The more he missed the more frustrated he got, and it escalated even further when Niji made Tataoka tumble again with a swing at his knees, Tataoka's face slamming into the wall. "Kick his ass!" shouted Terasaka. "Go Niji, you got it!" added Nakamura. "Shut the hell up," growled Tataoka. Nothing worse than your own students wishing you to lose. As the fight continued, Korosensei and Karasuma observed out away from the battle going on, Korosensei also cheering Niji on. "Go Niji go! Send him packing!" Korosensei cheered, waving a pair of pompon around as well. Karasuma, surprised still that Niji was doing as well as she was, didn't truly see the point in the fight. The actual deal the fight agreed to, that is. "You too?" "Come on, I don't want that jerk here either. You're just as good instructor, no, WAY better instructor!" "I don't think any of you get it. He's my replacement," Karasuma cleared up. "Yeah, and when he's gone you'll get your job back!" Korosensei said in glee. "No. I'm being transferred. This time tomorrow, he'll be all you got." "WHA?!" "I got the email from Seitenshi just before Tataoka showed up. He's cruel, but he's still the one who volunteered to take my place. The government can't leave you alone, so even if Niji wins, it won't make a difference." Unfortunately it was the main truth of the matter, one only Karasuma and now Korosensei truly understand. Niji and Tataoka were at eachother's throats at this point. Both bruised up but still having plenty of fighting spirit in between them both. Tataoka grew more and more frustrated with this new coming show off, and it didn't help that he was being made a fool of. Tataoka went in for a full charge, but Niji clocked him right in the stomach, stunning him a bit, before making him fall to the ground. It seemed like it was going to be the final strike to Tataoka, and everyone around Niji was hoping for such. Just one knockout blow will send Tataoka packing for sure. Tataoka though was not even close to giving up, pushing up from the ground. His breath was strained, his teeth grinded, and his fury at its breaking point. "Damn you. .... Damn you! ..." "Ready to give up, Tataoka?" Niji called. Tataoka wasn't taking that, not now, not ever. Tataoka took a look to Niji. She was beaten up, but she treated her injuries like it was nothing. "You bitch. You think you can beat me? COME ON THEN!" Niji needed no more motivation and rushed at him, fast as she could. However, one person in the audience finally had enough in this fight, and got in between them both. "That's enough you two!" yelled Karasuma. "What're you doing, move it!" "This is getting nowhere. Tataoka, this has gone on long enough -" "SHUT IT! I'm in charge, I'm leader, and I'LL SILENCE ANYONE WHO GETS IN MY WAY! NOW DIE YOU BASTARD!!" It all escalated so fast, and not a person could intervene any further. Tataoka rushed forward, but his hand ended up reaching for something in his pocket, drawing it out fast and ready to strike. When they saw this, they knew Tataoka was ready to kill to secure himself. An assassin knife! "MOVE!" Niji shouted, Karasuma suddenly being shoved out of the way. Then it happened. As Karasuma picked himself up off the ground, Tataoka made the move that shocked everyone. The blade met its mark alright, right in Niji's head! It all played in slow motion: A gasp from Niji as the blade stabbed right through her skull, her blood flying in the air and scattering around on the ground. Tataoka forcing the blade in as hard as he could and driving Niji into the dirt with a powerful smash, strong enough to shake the ground! There was no doubt in anyone's mind when they saw this, that Niji's life was now cut short. An eerie silence hung in the air for a little while, until Tataoka broke the silence with a victorious laugh, lifting Niji's lifeless body like a trophy for the whole world to see. "Take a good long look. Daddy doesn't like when his children disobey him. Otherwise daddy will hurt them. Just like her," Tataoka made clear, before tossing her aside, Niji landing hard on the ground in a thud. If none of his methods worked before, they did now. This was murder he just did, and Tataoka made it clear he will not be trifled with the most bluntest way possible. "N-Niji?" Nabiku said. Niji didn't move. ........ *clap*...*clap*...*clap* In the silence of the air, slow claps echoed in everyone's ears. But from who? None of the students were clapping, neither were the 3-E instructors. It took a bit to look, but eventually someone else decided to join this little sharada, and his slow clapping didn't make his introduction anything friendly. Tataoka, who was just moments ago smiling and gloating, paused for a moment and turned to the next quarry. Not a good idea to have more visitors when he just killed someone. And who was the one stepping out? "Gakuho, sir! Thank god you're here!" "Understood, Korosensei. ... Tataoka, what is the meaning of this?" Gakuho demanded, staring into Tataoka's soul. In his moment of insane glory, Tataoka took it in stride, and even walked over to Niji. "Test in loyalty. These end students were getting out of line," Tataoka simply said. Gakuho looked down to Niji as Tataoka laughed, seeing the knife still lodged through her head. Normally, a injury to an E student would be overlook, but Gakuho saw the extent on how far Tataoka had gone. And that wasn't the only thing he had remembered. .... "Gakuho, there's someone here to see you." "Send him in." In his office, Gakuho kept up his usual paperwork for his Orora High school. Being principal made work at the school anything but easy, and getting a visitor coming to his office on surprise like this didn't make his position any easier. It took only a few moments before he cleared off his desk, and a few more moments before the door to his office opened up, revealing that it was Niji entering. Gakuho paused for a moment on this girl entering unprovoked, but didn't stop her from doing so. "Hey there. Are you in charge of Orora High?" Niji started. "I am. Though I don't recall allowing you into my school." "I know, I let myself in. Now listen, I wanna talk to ya," Niji stated. Gakuho just nodded and let this person continue. Though she couldn't have anything too important far as he was concern, not being a student of his school in the first place. "It's the students over at 3-E. I'm just going to say it: what're you trying to do to them?! That new instructor Tataoka is tearing them up!" Niji said, cutting right to the quick. More time spent put more students at risk. Gakuho stayed calm in spite of the outbursts from this character. "What would it matter to you? You're not even enrolled in my classes. And anyway, he's just doing his job I gave him." "You don't get it. In just a week he broke one kid's arm, he made several kids faint from exhaustion, one isn't even GOING to school anymore because of him! You can't have that monster teaching those kids!" Niji yelled, leaning into the desk and getting into Gakuho's face about it. At that point Gakuho stood up and stared Niji down. "That has no concern to you. Like I said -" "And I say you can't allow that kind of cruelty! So what I'm not enrolled here, it's called common sympathy!" Now it was Gakuho's turn to lean in, making the angry Niji back up a step. "Pay attention. You can make your statements, but my system requires 3-E to remain where it has always been, at the bottom. I put Tataoka there to make sure of that." "WHAT?! You're letting this happen?! Those students hadn't done anything and they're getting -" "It's because they hadn't done anything is that they're set as an example to the others. Tataoka knows that, he wouldn't go too far with it I'm sure." "But ... But you ARE going to do something?!" Gakuho sat down. Rather than a straightforward answer, all he did was gesture to the door. Niji was completely furious: those kids were getting killed and Gakuho won't do a thing about it. "FINE! If you won't do anything about it, I WILL!" Niji exclaimed. With that outburst, and stormed out the door, slamming the door behind her and leaving Gakuho alone. Gakuho sighed from the stress gained in that conversation and was going to get back to his papers, but just before he could, something on the floor caught his eye. It was where Niji was just standing, and something Gakuho knew wasn't there before. A stray feather. Tataoka did go too far. Seeing Niji laying there proved Gakuho's mistake most of all. "By killing, Tataoka?" "Hey, you hired me to keep them in line, that's what I'm doing. You don't give a shit about them anyway, what's it matter to you?" Tataoka snapped. A stab of irony at his own soul. Gakuho quietly moved passed Karasuma and Korosensei, confronting Tataoka right in front. Tataoka didn't know what Gakuho was up to, but he wasn't going to let himself get trifled again. "True as that may be, there is a line between discipline and murder. A brute has no line between such things, something as we clearly see you hadn't found. ... I don't take brutes," Gakuho clearly stated. Tataoka didn't seem to be taking him seriously though, unfortunately for him. "Come on, you want that octopus dead, and so do I. You want them to remain at the bottom too, what better way than breaking them down day by day til only the strong remain?" Tataoka retorted. As this confrontation continued, some of the students were seeing a situation a bit more worriedly. Nabiku in particular saw this going on, and when Nakamura checked her shy friend, Nabiku had a look of disbelief, and utter shock with wide eyes. She almost looked pale white, she was so shocked. Sure, they were a bit spooked by Niji's death, but Nabiku took it a bit far herself. "Nabiku, what's up?" Nakamura quietly asked. All Nabiku did was turn Nakamura's head to the object in question, Nakamura getting basically the same reaction. ... "You're right, I do want stronger students. And yet, you just killed a strong-willed, and physically powerful student that could've proved useful. Quite hypocritical." "You can talk: protecting the students you could care less for! The government sent me here, they are getting impatient with that hellish teacher over there, and they want him dead! You got a long way to go before you can tell me what to -" "Are you two done wining yet? Seriously, you take forever!" The source of the voice made everyone freeze up. They knew the voice, but it couldn't be possible after what just happened. Sure enough, the sight of her standing there proved everything wrong. Niji! And not just that, but up on her feet alive and well. Sure, it would be a surprise just to see that, but Niji still had that blade jutting out of her head, Niji not even paying attention to it at all. In fact, she looked more impatient and bugged than anything, their fight taking a sudden halt thanks to Karasuma and Gakuho interrupting. Even the calm Karasuma and Gakuho were left a bit speechless by seeing this supposedly dead girl just standing there, impatiently tapping her foot and arms crossed. "W-WHAAAAA?! How're you still alive?!" Tataoka yelled. "You're crazy!" commented Korosensei. Niji took a moment to see the stunned crowd nearby, though not exactly getting why yet. "You all okay? Look ready to faint." "We're the ones that should be asking you that! You got a damn knife through your head, Niji!" Terasaka stated, pointing to the knife in question. "Eh?" Niji stopped and looked up to the blade jutting out of her head. Niji didn't appear to be making any big deal about this though, seeing that she was treating it as nothing more than a splinter or something. Tataoka, snapping back to the situation, wasn't going to take this lying down. "DAMN YOU!" Tataoka shouted, running at her again. Niji was not only alive, but pretty much just as active as before, doing a backflip right over Tataoka, and a foot whacking him right behind the head. Tataoka toppled over again, nearly landing on the students nearby, as Niji landed on her feet over by the instructors. They came back around, but they couldn't believe what they were actually seeing. No matter the experience, surviving a knife to the head like this just was impossible, nevermind getting up and dodging as easily as before. "How the hell? Even with a knife through her head, she still toppled him over. ... She's not human," though Karasuma, and indeed the idea was there. Tataoka turned himself around, but before Niji could go in, Gakuho placed a hand on her shoulder, and walking ahead. Tataoka didn't get up yet, but Gakuho had a little something extra for him. A piece of paper to reassign him from his school, which Gakuho more than happily shoved into Tataoka's mouth. "Any brute who loses to a force weaker than himself has lost all hope of persuasive power," Gakuho stated, his devilish expression piercing Tataoka's mind and soul. Tataoka gagged a little bit before spitting out the paper, reading what it said. Basically, Tataoka was fired, and with what just happened, he was not going to be accepted here, even if Karasuma was being transferred anyway as he said. With Niji basically beating him, the students hating him, and Gakuho firing him, all those combine factors finally broke him. "Shit ... SHIT ... DAMN YOU ALL!" Tataoka finally took off, running past Gakuho, past the other instructors, past the 3-E building and running off out of sight. Tataoka was not staying around any longer, especially with an apparently unkillable girl standing right there too. "YES! Ok, you all should be good now," Niji promised. "Niji, is it? ... Firstly, mind removing that blade now?" suggested Gakuho, his finger on the blade. "Oh yeah, forgot. Hold on," Niji said. With a simple tug and pull, the blade popped out of her head with ease, and she tossed it aside with no problem. Korosensei caught it before it could end up caught by someone else, and the teacher started to chew it as a midday snack. One of many odd habits of Korosensei, surely, but that wasn't the main focus here. It was then that Gakuho presented that same feather he found in his office earlier. Niji looked to the feather he was holding, not sure where he was going with this. "What's the point of this thing?" "It was exactly where you were standing back in my office. That, and after seeing that display, well ... better tell us exactly what you are, Niji," Gakuho insisted. Niji stayed quiet, arms crossed again and thinking it over. When they looked though, it seemed that Niji felt a bit in a corner about the situation. Everyone around waited for her to talk, but in the end she just looked over to the others. "Well, after seeing that, I don't think lying's possible, so I'll just say it," Niji decided. So, the rest quietly waited for her to speak, Gakuho nodding for her to make her statement. ... "I am experiment unit 701-6G. Codename "Niji". I have been sent down by president Seitenshi herself to see the true status of Orora High and its current situation." Niji paused and looked to Korosensei before continuing on saying "I kept this identity secret since my arrival, but its apparent I have no choice but to reveal after that display of mine. Problematic I'm sure, but as it may, I request you all to keep this true identity of mine a secret from here on out. And Gakuho, before you ask, yes I didn't tell you anything about this, that was just me trying to keep it secretive. My actions earlier today were to have Tataoka replaced with another, as his actions deemed too harsh and torturous as you can plainly see. Now that is disposed of, I can continue my observations from here." Quite a reveal, and one they needed a minute to take in. Still, it was at least something, and 3-E wasn't foreign to government activity here, so the feeling was a bit less shocking than anticipated. Gakuho kept quiet and looked closer to Niji for a moment or two, Niji staying as quiet as she could be with a firm and serious stare. "A experiment? ... Is that what you are, Niji?" Nabiku thought, surprised as everyone else on this revelation. Nothing on her really said anything like that, but after her display and survival it seemed more likely. Made more sense, at least. "So I see. ..." Gakuho simply said. "Good. Now, if you excuse me, I have a report to make," Niji said, walking past them all. However, Karasuma kept an especially closer eye on Niji as she left. The students got it, Korosensei got it, even Gakuho got it. But Karasuma. ... "Strange. Seitenshi never mentioned any experiment units. ..." ~~ Around the world, team a Harmony was still getting themselves all settled in, and now at pretty good terms with Central and their presence. Being in central for a good week or so, and much of the group had basically grown used to being around the military base. With Envy's main capture, this gave them all a bit more ease for the first time since hearing about the possibility, the combined efforts of Edward Elric, Sebastian, Nagisa, Blair and Twilight finally getting Envy locked up and putting the worry at ease. So long as Envy stayed locked up at central, they're all pretty much safe here. Ciel would normally call it done and head home if his task had been just that, but the group decided to stay just a little while longer, just to be sure. Those involved got their credit of course, and things were put back to normal as things went. Still, some extra time to be sure if anyone extra was hidden away couldn't hurt. It was late at night, many guards at much calmer patrol over before, now knowing that the main Homunculus was now in custody. For Team Harmony, they were in their room and already fast asleep. In the boys room, while most of the boys were fast asleep at this point, Aladdin was not only still awake, but as Nagisa was trying to stay asleep, Aladdin was actually crouched right by him, and started poking him. "Psst. Nagisa? Nagisa," Aladdin quietly said, as he continued to poke him. However, all Nagisa did was just groan slightly, not wanting to wake up. The little magi decided to change his target, and turned over to Ciel next. As he did with Nagisa, he began to poke at Ciel in the face, as before not wanting to wake up. "Ugh ... Sebastian," Ciel groaned sleepily, as he tried to ignore Aladdin. This was started to get annoying, and Aladdin pouted on his attempts. It only needed a little bit of thinking before he tried something else: brushing his ponytail in Ciel's face. He kept the end of it right at Ciel's face until the tickling irritation finally brought Ciel around. Not his typical response, but hey it works. As Ciel tried to wake up to see what was going on Aladdin did the same thing over to Nagisa, same results as well. "Aladdin? Do you know what time it is?" Nagisa asked, annoyed as he rubbed his eye to look at his friend. Ciel wasn't as enthused either, if not even more annoyed. "This is far too early for me. This better be good," Ciel said, looking over to Aladdin with one eye open. Still, Aladdin seemed pretty grateful that both of them were up and about. Or at least up at all. "You two want to see something beautiful?" asked Aladdin quietly. "Whatever it is, can't it wait until the morning?" groaned Ciel. "Nope. Come on, you'll both like it, and tonight's perfect," Aladdin said. Nagisa and Ciel both were starting to get a little curious, and more so when Aladdin brought out his turban and made his flying carpet out of it, just outside the window. It remained floating in place, and Aladdin presented it like a taxi driver of sorts. Whatever Aladdin had in mind, it wasn't going to be right here as Ciel and Nagisa had hoped it would be. Regardless, and it took a extra while to get dressed casually but they did eventually agree to follow him. Keeping their eyes closed (something Aladdin told them to do), all three of them took a ride on the flying carpet and Aladdin brought them along quietly skyward. They only knew they were moving due to the wind pushing on them, but that wasn't the point. The point was more on where they were going, knowing they've stopped once they felt the ground of one of Central's rooftops. Aladdin hopped off and turned to Nagisa and Ciel. "Okay, open your eyes and look up," Aladdin instructed, talking more casually this time. So Nagisa and Ciel did as told, and looked up. It was then they saw what Aladdin wanted them to see. Up high in the sky around them were plenty of stars, all shining high and bright and twinkling away, full moon showcasing its stars to the world below. Not often do you see a night sky like this, and with them up on a rooftop and with no clouds in the way they got a front row seat. It was too bad that Ciel would rather be sleeping. "Oh wow. ... Look at that," Nagisa said. Honestly it was all he could really say about the situation. Soon Aladdin was right in between them and fell onto his back, eyes to the sky and now casually laying down and stargazing. "I know, I didn't want to miss the chance. Lay down, let's see what we can make out in the stars," Aladdin offered. "Such a childish game. You can do what you wish," Ciel said as he started to walk away. "Ciel, Aladdin brought us up here. We might as well hang around for a little bit," Nagisa suggested. "No! I'm bloody tired, get it?" Ciel snapped. Honestly Nagisa couldn't blame him for acting like that. Still, when Ciel saw Aladdin's face, Aladdin looked sadly disappointed in him. A reminder of what Aladdin told him to do earlier when they arrived here. ... "... Well ... on second thought ... maybe it couldn't hurt for just a few minutes." That surely made the mood better, and soon all three of them were laying down and checking out the stars. It was a pretty night sky, and not one often people would see in a place like this. As time went on, they took turns in making out constellations in the night sky, a similar manor to making out pictures in the clouds. Most of the time it was Aladdin's imagination that was making out constellations in the night sky for the first five minutes. Aside from that, the only main sounds to be heard was ... well, nothing. The wind was silent, guards were quiet, and the others didn't know they were up there so they had a relaxing moment up there. At one point, Aladdin was pointing out another picture up in the night sky. "Look there. Isn't that Ursa Major?" Aladdin asked. "No, that's Ursa Minor. Ursa Major's right next to it," Nagisa said, pointing to the right constellation. "I always mix that up, how do you do it? What's the trick?" Aladdin asked, curious. Nagisa sat up and pointed over to the North Star. "You see the North Star? That is the end of the Ursa Major. Follow the constellation to that star, and it's right there," Nagisa explained, his finger following the motions as he said so. Aladdin followed his example, and sure enough, Ursa Minor was right there as he said it would. "Oh, cool. I have to remember that," Aladdin said, Nagisa smiling to him as Aladdin looked at them both. A nice moment for sure, but both of them then turned over to Ciel next, who hadn't said anything since he got here. "Ciel, what can you see? Come on," insisted Aladdin. Ciel just sighed. "Fine. If you insist," Ciel said. Then his focus went up to the stars above as he tried to make something out. At first, it was a little difficult since, apparently, he can't make anything in particular out with so many stars. Aladdin and Nagisa waited for a minute, watching Ciel work out the stars best he could. It took Ciel about five minutes of connecting dots before he managed to work something out. "I see ... a Swanna," Ciel concluded. Honestly he felt a little silly in this sort of game, but Aladdin and Nagisa looked to where Ciel had pointed. It took a bit to work it out in their own heads, but they eventually saw Ciel's Swanna. "Oh yeah, I see it now. There it is, wings spread," Nagisa said. "Yeah, good job, Ciel -" That was when Aladdin suddenly paused himself. Nagisa found that odd, and turned to his magi friend, and then followed his eyes over towards Ciel. Aladdin's eyes were starry again, this time his hands covering his mouth in amazement over something. As for this something, the object of interest was right there on Ciel's face. Something that Aladdin was especially hoping to see. ... A smile. It was small and soft, but still a smile. Ciel Phantomhive's smile. "Huh? ... What?" asked Ciel, once he noticed them looking at him. His smile disappeared after that but both still had the affect on them, Aladdin especially. Eventually Aladdin moved his hands away, showing a smile of his own. "Ciel ... this is the first time I've seen you smile," Aladdin revealed. Ciel turned away, trying to brush it off as nothing special. Technically speaking though Aladdin was right. This was really the first time they had ever seen Ciel actually smile, even if it was rather small for a smile. In the end though, Ciel just looked back up to the stars. "I suppose. ... What do you see in the stars?" asked Ciel. Aladdin was more than happy to start his little point out, showing Ciel his constellations up in the sky. Nagisa simply say there and observed. "So Ciel finally smiled. That only means that he's getting more used to being around us. ... You sure bring out the good Aladdin," Nagisa thought, remembering what Aladdin had done before this point, mainly how nice and cheery he was with him and his friends. Nagisa felt glad to have a friend like him around. ... "Is he still in his cell?" The voice was faint, but Nagisa just managed to catch earshot of it, along with Aladdin and Ciel. Far as they were concerned, they were the only ones who were outside, so hearing this was a bit of interest. The odd thing that made it interesting was that the voice sounded far too young to be an actual guard on duty. Even Edward sounded older than that, and he was the youngest in the Amestris army last they checked. It didn't sound no further than the edge of the building, and it sounded rather serious as well. Pretty peculiar if one were to ask. With a silent agreeing, the trio quietly moved over to the edge of the building, making sure not to make too much noise in their little approach just in case the person were to hear them. Curiosity surely got the best of them here, and their curiosity revealed them a pair of figures walking down on the ground level. It was actually who it was that made the situation more intriguing and curious. "Wait. Is that -" "King Bradley. He must be checking on Envy," Ciel concluded, and indeed it was. Bradley was up and about that night too, and as Ciel had hypothesized, he was moving along his walk to see the Homunculus in question. He hadn't checked in on Envy in a while, not since he himself locked him away. What made the situation strange was that Bradley was not alone. His young son, Salim, was also with him and he looked far more serious than normal. That, and seeing how Bradley just nodded his head, it appeared it was Salim who asked the question. ........ Within the makeshift cell created, Bradley and Salim opened up the only true door evident to said room, and being the main source of light aside from the small opening up on the metal wall. The small opening was the only one consistent link to the outside world, and with Salim and Bradley going on in, they got view of the only main prisoner in here, being Envy. After his capture, Envy was chained up and restricted in a straight jacket, cuffs in his feet as well along with being seated in a interrogation chair. An interrogation would be rather fitting to get some answers out of this spy. "What do you want?" Envy hissed, clearly not pleased in seeing either of them. "It seems you're still defiant, even after your defeat by those other humans. Now, you should started talking if you know what is good for you." "Why? You'll just kill me regardless of what I say. What's the point?" Envy spat, turning away from both figures. Why wouldn't the king of Amestris kill him off anyway? Bradley and Salim looked to eachother before Salim started talking. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Envy Homunculus," said Salim. Envy felt a little surprised but didn't show it in front of them. "So you know who I am." "Naturally. Then again we had known you were here ever since you stepped foot into Central. We only left you alone to see how well you actually do." "You pathetic human scum. Why didn't you say anything then?" "Being the king of Amestris, if I were to find you out straight away, suspicions would abound amongst the troops. This method allows me to talk to you more freely," explained Bradley. "Why the hell would you care, you pathetic worm?! I refuse to play putty to any human bastards like you," Envy hissed. Seemed he didn't want to talk no matter what the case may be. Strangely, it was Salim who gave the order for Bradley to step on aside, allowing Salim to confront Envy. A rather odd choice, but Salim seemed oddly confident, a sense of deception in his eyes as he looked to Envy. "Humans are such a troubling creature, I have to agree on that. Though you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. You of all Homunculus should know that fact better than anything else," Salim explained. This rather ominous talk Envy easily could catch, and what is more, it almost seemed that Salim's shadow was starting to grow and extend around from under his feet, and towards his chair. Envy was left stunned as these same shadows branched off of the floor, crawling up the chair and up his body. "What the hell? What kind of magic is this? ... Who are you?" Envy wondered, looking back at Salim. Salim smiled to him in his usual fashion, not showing a sign of malicious intent, though the shadows say otherwise. "The humans refer to me as Salim: son of the King Bradley. But that's just merely a surname to my true identity. ..." All of a sudden, the shadows all stopped, and all at once, dos end of eyes opened up around the walls and floor, all looking directly at Envy. "My real name is Pride. The first created Homunculus." Envy froze. Homunculus. This young child, this seemingly weak and admittedly humble child is a Homunculus? And not just any Homunculus, but the very first Homunculus?! It was a long time for him to even see any Homunculus, and here was the very first. Envy wasn't sure what to really say, but as it stands, Pride was pretty content with the reveal towards another. Envy took a glance over to Bradley, the apparent father of Salim. "So I guess he's your creator then?" "No not really. In fact, I consider myself in charge of him. He wouldn't trouble a Homunculus like me, won't you Bradley?" Pride said, looking to him. Bradley stayed quiet and just turned his gaze away. "Wouldn't think anything of it," Bradley simply said. Here was when Envy began to feel his own restrictions loosen on his body, and sure enough Pride's shadows were tearing off the jacket, shredding it up with sharp miniature claws. It just took no short of a minute to complete before Envy found himself free of the jacket, the only thing remaining being shredded fabric. Pride's shadows started to retreat soon after that and soon Pride appeared back to being a pretty innocent Salim again. A pretty convincing disguise he had to say, even for Envy Homunculus. Still, it felt good to be out of that jacket after everything. "Envy. As you can imagine, this is something that shouldn't be pass word on. We both would appreciate it if you kept yourself quiet," Bradley warned. Envy nodded, but this was admittedly perfect! So this was why Envy was put to this in the end. With that finished up, Envy did what practically anyone freed would do, and started to slip away. Envy shapeshifter into a small bird, and beelined it right out the only opening there was. Even if he promised to be quiet about it, this was something he HAD to get in on. He wasn't going to stick around any longer, especially after the embarrassing capture and alert of the guards. "So what're you going to tell them, Bradley?" Pride asked, though he sounded like he knew the answer to it anyway. "I executed Envy Homunculus during the night, and the threat has been disposed of." "Very good. Let's go." Without another word, they soon left themselves, and left the room quiet and with no being left inside. S03Ep5: Pluton ~冥王星~"Lust? What is the meaning of this?" Back in Tartarus, things were starting to get just a little bit dicey for Lust. After her little escapade back in the surface world on that train ride, she had been sent straight back down to the underworld, and now she was on the ground by Sombra's own feet. As if Envy and his troubling antics weren't bad enough, now he also had her and Gluttony to deal with, although it was only Lust there alone. Things were dicey enough as it is, this fail didn't make anything better for the demon lord. As Sombra stood there and stared her down, Lust remained in her kneel in submission. She wished she had better news other than what happened for Sombra, and what she did tell him didn't help much either on her end. "I thought it was a good idea at the time," Lust admitted. again, it wasn't exactly helping much. "Damn Homunculus. I give you three just one job, and I keep finding you running around trying to kill off the quarry without my order. I give you these orders to do and all you have to do is follow them, yet you can't do that correctly." "But why can't we try and finish this early?" Lust asked. That was one question that was left a bit ambiguous throughout this task, but one Sombra had his answer for. "Because it's not the right time yet. And apparently you can't even do that anyway. Besides, no one ordered you to split your group apart." "But it works out: Envy is keeping his eye on Bradley -" "AND got captured by Amestris Central! It's reasons like these which I try to avoid, you know, I don't pick these tasks just for the hell of it. Now, you standby here until further notice, and if you can't even do that ..." Sombra finished his statement with a clenched fist, a bit of black smoke seeping out of his palm. For the female homunculus, that was more than enough of a indication on the matter at hand. These risks were getting more and more dangerous, Sombra couldn't risk this any further than it already had. "... Understood." "You better," Sombra said. With that finished, Lust stood up and started to move off out of the throne room. Sombra gave a rough sigh to this, hand over his face. It was hard to keep creatures like that in line. Sombra was just about to head out of the room himself until. ... "SOMBRA! Sombra, emergency!" Gluttony was back. Sure, Gluttony kinda messed up too, but splitting up and going after Team Harmony again wasn't his idea so Sombra allowed him to slide. All the same though, seeing gluttony charge in from the side door in a complete panic did catch Sombra's interest. The large homunculus raced in, almost stumbling over his own feet he was in such a hurry. Gluttony got himself over at Sombra's feet, winded and sweating like mad. "What is it, Gluttony? Run out of human servants?" Sombra asked, not exactly worried, but interested. "No, no, no, no, no, something worse than that!" Gluttony insisted. Sombra still wasn't too sure about this, but allowed Gluttony to continue with the motion of his hand. "Well, I was on my way to the throne room after lunch, when I started to smell something different. You know how I am with scents, so I followed this odd smell. It smelled like a mix of fire, and acid or something. Rather peculiar -" "Will you get to the point?" Sombra asked. Sure, it was important, but he didn't need the details like that. Gluttony gulped, and went on to his point. "Ok ok. I followed the smell down to that prisoner cell under the palace, and check in a cell. Sombra, there's someone missing!" Missing? Missing how? Sombra found that a bit hard to believe with the kind of prison down there. Still, Sombra kept himself calm a bit, and looked down to Gluttony. Any prisoner he knew of had never found a way out of that prisonhold, so which one would manage now? Unless ... "And which one might I ask?" Sombra questioned. Gluttony needed to get his own word together just to say it, but he was so fidgety it was a lot harder than it looked. "T-T-Tir .... Tir ..." "Tear?" "Tir. Tir. Tir." "A tear's not a person, Gluttony, spit it out." And so ... "Tirek! IT'S TIREK, HE'S ESCAPED!!" That's when the long silence came. Sombra was dead quiet and not a sound to be heard. Gluttony wasn't sure if the reveal would get him killed or not, but when that Homunculus looked to Sombra face to face, the look was enough to make Gluttony shiver. Sombra was wide eyed, simply speechless, as the demon lord configured what Gluttony just told him. Lord Tirek: the previous ruler of Tartarus and Sombra's prime prisoner, now escaped to who knows where. "... Gluttony ... You're lying. ... Please say you are. ..." Sombra said, his voice hushed and almost troubled. In his years working with him, Gluttony never saw Sombra like this, ever. "N-No, I'm not. ..." No. No, Sombra wouldn't believe it. Before Gluttony could say anything, Sombra raced off in a flash, straight down to the very cell in question in little to no time at all. That kind of report he will not buy until he sees it for himself. In his rush, Gluttony tried to follow him as best he could, but Sombra obviously moved a lot faster to see what was what. Other smaller devils and demons saw him rush by, wondering what was going on. It was then that he reached the cell in question, skidding to a stop. He hadn't been here in a while, and if what Tirek said had anything to go on, then Sombra wondered if he actually wanted to see what was in there, but he knew he had to in order to be sure. Sombra was so quick, he practically tore off the cell doors to see inside the cell. No Tirek. The only thing that remained inside there was just a black arena, a pillar torn off away, and the chains snapped off at the very tips, just enough for the cuffs to slip free. Sombra wouldn't believe what he was seeing, and the other little crowd behind him was just as shocked about it as he was, if not more so. At first, Sombra was completely quiet, examining the chains that were left behind. The chains didn't look burnt off, cut, or even snapped, but more rather manually removed from the cuffs. How could Tirek just bust out after so long of imprisonment? ... "S-Sombra?" Sombra turned back to the crowd after getting himself calmed down from the shock, seeing that the crowd was not feeling any better about the situation. "What do you know about this?" Sombra hissed, making the others a little worried. "N-Nothing, we didn't see anything!" one of the devils shivered. Sombra felt that going on would waste even more time about it, so he left it on that. "Demons, stay right here until I come back." "But what about Tirek?" "Don't bother, I know exactly where he's going," Sombra made clear, walking past them. Before Sombra could go, he stopped himself and turned over to Gluttony. "Gluttony, try and track down who would've released him. Impossible for that demon to break himself out without some help." "Yes sir," Gluttony said, going into the cell and trying to get the scent down correctly. After that, Sombra then went off on his way, assured that whoever got him out would be apprehended by the time he'll get back. First Envy ended up captured, and now this? ~~ Back in Amestris, the group was actually getting some better progress about the situation. The sun shining bright for that morning, skies clear and perfect for some basic practice, which was a common thing to see around Central base. What wasn't too common, but accepted and promised to be kept as a secret was the alchemy practice Ed and Twilight were going through. As some guards were doing the basic training practice with guns and such, Ed and Twilight had a large arena to themselves provided by King Bradley for their victory two nights prior. Twilight had a decent start, but with Ed now giving her some knowhow, she had a more proper grip on this alchemy magic. Nearby, the others took some time to watch her: Yoroi, Nagisa, Aladdin, Salim, and Alphonse respectively, with the rest off doing their own thing in Central. Salim was there on permission of Bradley (least that was what they were told) to watch the alchemists at work. They had their seats at a rather safe distance, leaving Ed and Twilight plenty of room to do their own business. "K, Yugure, you ready for this?" Ed called, feeling pretty confident in himself. "I'm ready," Twilight replied. Both her hands had gloves on them, each one with the alchemic symbol of her choice on them (not the fire alchemy like before). The first one to make a move was Ed himself, starting off with a power surge towards her, hands digging into the ground and causing the ground to shift and rush to her. Twilight countered this with a jump to her side, and she tried to focus her own energy into a similar move. Unlike Ed and his fullmetal alchemy though, Twilight didn't really summon up much of anything, at least nothing as strong as Ed's attempt. Practice at least got her just a little further in that aspect, even if the attack was hardly any. Next thing she knew ... "AAHH - ow!" Whacked down by Ed alchemy. It wasn't the first time that she was whacked from Ed's moves, nor was it the first time not doing so good in this alchemy training. Still, with what she used to be, one could actually call her a alchemist now. A minor one, but an alchemist all the same. "Win again!" Ed said, as Twilight got up off the ground. When that round was done, Salim and Aladdin were more than happy to share their enthusiasm. "That was amazing! I never seen so much awesome power before, it's more amazing than everyone said!" Salim beamed. "I know, that's so cool! So much power and with such ease, you can topple a building in ten seconds flat!" added Aladdin. Ed smiled in confidence by his little admirers, who both had admiration in their eyes. Well, they weren't complaining about anything. "I'll get you one of these days," Twilight replied, bruised but fine. "Your sister sure has been working hard on this," Al said, pointing to Twilight as he was speaking to Yoroi. "That's my sister for you: when she sets her mind on any study, she's stuck to it," Yoroi said, smiling. Admittedly though, he was surprised as anyone else that Twilight was even able to do alchemy, let alone practice with another alchemist. "Oh, by the way, Yoroi. ... You're not uh, freaked out about this, are you?" Nagisa asked, wanting to be sure a little bit. "Well actually no, don't worry. My friend's an alchemist, and he practically shows off his alchemy on a daily basis," Yoroi admitted, easing Nagisa's nerves. Guess this attempt to be Twilight's teacher was another attempt to show off on his part, if that was the case. Well, Nagisa went back to looking at the practice, seeing Twilight training her heart out in this session. He knew what Yoroi meant by that, that was for sure. That, and seeing Salim and Aladdin enjoying it too just made the moment a rather enjoyable one. Even if a bit rough on the trainer and trainee's end. Envy was in custody, Twilight was training, and it won't be very long until they actually get to go back home. What other reason was there to stay around anymore now? ... arrrrooooooooo Nagisa stopped his thoughts on the strange noise. Funny thing. A very distant, low sort of howl or rumble, or some sort of mix between the two, but Nagisa didn't find any source of it anywhere. "Must be just me," Nagisa thought. ARRRROOOOOOOOO Now it wasn't just him, and his nerves were starting to shiver on him. None of the others really seemed to notice anything, but Nagisa was sure that something was going on, but what? The rumbled howl sounded more severe in his head, feeling goosebumps and a signature chill run through him, signs of his demon sense. One problem: there was no sign of any demon anywhere. Even if there was Blair, or Sebastian coming around, neither of them howled. "Did you hear something just now?" Nagisa questioned, turning next to him. "I don't think so," replied Alphonse. arrrrooooooooo Now the howling was taking a bigger effect on him, a quick shiver running through his body, like a sense of a strong demon nearby. Nagisa rubbed some cold sweat off of his head, as his body felt goosebumps all over him. With his attention too, Al was the first to see the odd reaction, unsure what to say. "Uh, you alright? You look like you got a cold," Al asked. "I-I'm alright. I think I -" ARRROOOOOOOOO "GAK!" Nagisa cringed now. This was no ordinary demon he was sensing, but he couldn't figure out where. It was here that Nagisa got up to his feet, hand to his forehead as he did. He wasn't too worried over the demon sense itself, but rather where the source was coming from. He'd grown used to his demon sense since being around Sebastian and Blair a lot, but this was a bit bigger than normal. Where was this coming from? The sound also got Yoroi's attention alongside. "Nagisa? What's wrong?" "I-I'm fine, just give me a second," Nagisa insisted, taking a few steps away from the group. Nagisa had to think on what was even going on, but as his demon sense went on some more - arrrrooooooooo Then something new happened. Usually this sort of demon sense would be just that, mainly a sense like a radar, but this time the demon sense came with a mental image. It was mainly a silhouette, but the image was still a prominent one, and one Nagisa couldn't help but see as he closed his eyes, trying to get his mind together. The figure, for a start, looked huge, and with some sort of rounded head and it was holding some sort of weapon in one hand. This image stayed there for a little bit more, and then ... ARRRROOOOOOOOO "AHHHH!" Nagisa felt the screech pierce his brain, strong enough to finally subdue him. The scream made everyone nearby stop, and suddenly Nagisa was gripping his head, and he fell to his knees! This demon sense made him feel bad before, but this sudden attack was hellish, feeling like someone stabbed his forehead with a sword! "Nagisa! Nagisa, you alright?!" Aladdin asked, worried. "AH! I'm, dying!" Nagisa managed to say. That made most of them panic on response. "WHA?! What do we do, he says he's gonna die!" Alphonse asked, completely panicked. "No, it's just an expression!" Ed insisted, though he wasn't any calmer than his brother was. Twilight quickly went straight to him, and helped him up to his feet, Nagisa gripping his head still as he tried to calm down. That image. That giant image. There was no doubt in his mind that this was no ordinary demon, not by a long shot! And once more, an extremely powerful one to give off that like of aura to him. "There, Nagisa, breathe. Breathe," Twilight insisted, but most of his breathing came out in strained panting. Yoroi went over next, and tried to calm Nagisa down himself. "Nagisa, look. Deep breaths, like this. See? Do it like I'm doing," Yoroi said, as he demonstrated a more relaxed breathing. Nagisa, his head still pounding, tried to copy his breathing. Little by little, Nagisa did eventually calm himself down enough to think and speak a bit better. But that image was still haunting him, and that picture wasn't the only thing that he remembered during that trouble. "What the hell happened there?" Ed asked. "It ... It's coming!" "What is?" Twilight asked. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Nagisa gripped Twilight by her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "A demon! Gigantic one! I just saw it! It's coming straight here, today! Any minute now!" Nagisa revealed. With that vision in head, and what he got before, there was no doubt in his mind that was the case. "W-What?!" They all gasped. "How big are we talking here? Sebastian, Alphonse?" Aladdin asked, trembling. "Towering over THAT," Nagisa answered, pointing right over to the central building. A demon the size of central made them all tremble a little, but Ed, Yoroi, and Al weren't sure what was exactly happening here. "Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?!" Edward demanded. This was no time to be secretive, so they had to get themselves going and talk it over with. They were in Central, so perhaps this could still be kept quiet outside? "It's complicated, look. My friend, he has this sort of ability to sense these demons. It's weird, I know, but he hasn't been wrong before, and if this demon is this bad, then we're in big trouble," Twilight explained. Aladdin would say something, but it wasn't the time for that, especially with such a danger apparently coming their way. As for Ed and Al, they only needed to see the rather harshened look in Nagisa's eyes (not to mention the cold sweat and shivers) to know that Twilight wasn't making any of this up. "Please tell me this is just a joke, you guys? ... Please?" Al asked, but no one complied, just making him a little more troubled than ever. As Nagisa tried to calm himself down, Toroi took the information to heart and turned to the others. "Ed, Al, go and tell the other soldiers, They need to know this. I'll inform king Bradley," Yoroi said, his leading side starting to show up in him at the situation, no time to really think about what to say or how to react to it. His mind was more dead set this time, and he was not going to waste any time now. "Right!" said Edward, going off with his brother to get the word going and get them all on alert. Yoroi was soon off on his way as well, ready to get to king Bradley. Nagisa managed to get himself together and then looked over to Aladdin. "Aladdin. Go and tell the others, will you?" Nagisa asked, still strained in his voice. "Way ahead of you, Nagisa!" Aladdin said, already running off to tell Team Harmony. It only left him, Twilight, and Salim not too far away. Salim had honestly been quiet for most of the time, overhearing everything that just went on not too far off, and when they were being sent off, Salim quietly slipped away himself to tell Bradley. One Homunculus to another, naturally, especially with this kind of information he just gathered. Twilight and Nagisa were left alone at this stage, both worried sick. "Twilight. That vision, it - ..." "I know. But we have to try our best, otherwise who knows what'll happen? come on, let's try and think of a plan," Twilight suggested. Nagisa couldn't agree more, and both of them went off walking. ....... "Sir! Sir, you in there?" Yoroi called, from the other side of the office door. Yoroi didn't waste any time in getting there, and if Nagisa was telling the truth it was best he had to get in there as soon as possible. "Yoroi? Yes, come in," said Bradley. Good thing too. Yoroi went right ahead and opened up the doors fast. Inside his office, Yoroi quickly saw Bradley naturally, but he also saw that Salim somehow got there first, looking a little startled by the sudden entrance. How'd Salim get in here so quickly if he was just outside with them? Still, with the situation, questions like that needed to wait for some other time. Salim stood aside quietly, behind Yoroi as Yoroi went right up to king Bradley. "Sorry for barging in like this, but we got a major situation. There's going to be an attack on central," Yoroi informed, standing at attention. A rather intriguing message for Bradley, looking a little surprised. "An attack? Who from?" Bradley asked. Yoroi wasn't sure if Bradley was going to believe him or not, but Yoroi had to risk it if it meant to get him on the level. After all, Ed and Al were spreading word to the rest of the soldiers anyway. If he didn't say anything to Bradley, then what was the point? "Well ... A demon. I know it sounds crazy, but -" Bradley paused Yoroi when he raised his hand to him. At first, Bradley was a bit quiet about this sudden bit of news. Yoroi locked his gaze over to Bradley, but Bradley's eyes were a bit focused on a different person and his reaction to it. All he did was nod, and presented three fingers to him. "I see. no need to worry, Yoroi, you're not crazy. The Elric brothers were running around yelling it to the other soldiers. What is the threat level?" Bradley asked. Well, at least he believed Yoroi. "I don't know, exactly. Enough for a full scale alert," Yoroi answered. Bradley nodded. "Then treat it as such: alert the forces within, and outside the central walls, and start citizen evacuation," Bradley instructed. Yoroi wasted no time and rushed right out of the office to do so. Once he was gone though, Salim and Bradley looked to each other, now having a moment together again without any outside trouble. Pride gave Bradley a rather serious expression, to which Bradley just sighed. "It appears the underworld is going to begin their assault early." ~~ "AH. This'll do." Off away from Central, over in the countryside of Amestris, one figure took his own sweet time to take the location in around him, making sure it was indeed the right spot to do this or not. It was wide open, secluded of any human houses or settlements, with the exception of the city of Central about a way off, the highlands giving a good look to practically the whole city. With skies clear, the figure alone for the moment. It took this figure sometime to even find a proper spot, but this one with a perfect view of his prime target, was just what he wanted and needed for his assault. In his hand, a book wide open and on a unique little page involving a sort of magic, and apparently this figure was already started with a little encryptment into the dirt by his feet, the object looking like a large star, large enough to fit something the size of a car. Looking up into the sky at the rather pleasant day, he skimmed through the pages until his finger stopped on one in particular. "Sweet. Just the one I wanted." "TIREK!" Tirek halted for a brief moment on the familiar voice, and sure enough when he turned around, there stood Sombra. His little successor to the throne, as he would put it. Looking at Sombra, Tirek could tell that he looked severely stressed and ticked off on meeting up with him, something that Tirek took glee in. "Ah, Sombra. Glad you could join me," tirek said. "Shut up, Tirek. I don't know how you got out, but you're going straight back there where you belong," Sombra made clear. Tirek didn't take it as any real threat, and just begun to look over his little book. "You know, I don't get you. You want these humans dead too, right? I do this, and your little goal will be handled in one short year. You should be thanking me," Tirek said, but that didn't make Sombra feel any better. "Your nothing but a psychotic fool if you think this will end well. I'm warning you, if you dare do this, I swear, I'll kill you myself!" Sombra warned, hoping that will be enough, but unfortunately all that did was make Tirek laugh at him. "Such big threats from such a little creature. You're nothing but a coward, Sombra, and you know it! Otherwise, why would you let me live and not tear me up like a real demon lord would do?" Tirek mocked, Sombra grinding his teeth in anger. Tirek began to clap his hands together after reading over the book to be sure the circle was drawn out correctly. Sombra tried to remove the circle from the ground, but as he kept trying to wipe the circle away, all it did was reconstruct itself, telling him that Tirek must've tampered with it in some way. "WAIT! DON'T DO THIS, PLEASE!" But it was too late. Tirek slammed both hands into the ground, keeping them there for a few seconds before sparks started to fly around, Sombra jumping back on the sudden activation of the symbol. Tirek was especially pleased that this activated for him, Sombra only able to back up on the activation. The symbol Tirek had made sparked and flashed like crazy, eventually creating what appeared to be a bright, light reddish opening from the ground. It was then that something started to rise up from said opening. something downright HUGE! Sombra and Tirek both watched it rise up from the earth, easily towering over them both the minute it revealed itself. It continued rising more, and more, and more, with red sparks still flying around like crazy, threatening to strike both demons until the creature was completely risen. For one obvious start, the figure stood tall, far taller than any normal humanoid angel, demon, or otherwise would be. Standing at well over a hundred meters tall, a regular size of a kaiju. Its body didn't make up of typical skin and flesh either, or at least it didn't appear so: its body covered in sewed patches that appeared to look like a dress of sorts. Its hands were armed with some gold metal, red gloves on each hand, one of which appeared to be holding a trident. Its upper torso was armed with a ribcage and a set of pig skull heads for shoulder pads. The head also appeared sewed on together in patches, pipes connecting the head to the shoulders. The head itself was very pig-like: a long snout with large nostrils, a set of small red eyes and long sow ears up and erect on the top of its head. The gigantic creature didn't move at first, standing as still as a statue it mostly appeared to be, though both demons knew that it was alive. Tirek was sure pleased, and laughed in triumph, Sombra not believing his eyes. "YEAH! NOW WE'RE TALKING!" Tirek beamed, the giant creature not really reacting to Tirek's laughing. "A-A ... Dragon-class? He really is insane," Sombra thought. As if demon class wasn't deadly enough, now they got a dragon class monster showing up, and out of all the types that would be, it had to be this one! Tirek gave a loud whistle, good and long, just enough so the giant beast could hear him. The dragon-class monster looked down to the tiny summoner. Terrifying, sure, but Tirek treated the summoned beast like a pal of his. "Hey there, Pluton! Nice of you to come out and play! Go on, show those human bastards who's the real leader around here!" Tirek ordered, pointing towards Central. Pluton looked to the city where Tirek was talking about. "Very well," Pluton replied, his voice low toned, slow, and thundering. Pluton slowly begun to move forward, each step he made shaking the ground around him as he moved on. Sombra snapped out of his shock, and immediately lunged towards Tirek, but the demon ex-king immediately planned for this, and with a rather childish mockery (tongue out and pulling his eyelid down), Tirek opened a tiny portal under his feet, and he dropped straight in before Sombra could catch him, the portal disappearing as well before he could follow. Sombra had nothing to do now. "PLUTON, YIELD! STOP! DESIST!" Sombra called, but Pluton wasn't listening. Or if he was, he just flat out ignored him. In fact, all Sombra did get was Pluton swinging his trident dangerously close to him, making Sombra rush back before he would get hit. When he was moved out of the way, Pluton continued his march towards Central, leaving the distraught demon lord behind him. Such a beast now released, and not even he could stop him. Or if he could, not in time to avoid anyone else seeing him. "Shit. ... Tirek, if only you knew. ..." Sombra knew he couldn't do anything now, and the best he could do was move off. Can't risk of showing who he was right now. ... ....... Pluton's march onward from his summoner's location towards Central city wasn't without attention. Thanks to the efforts of the Amestris army, it didn't take too long until disaster alarms started to ring out from all over the place, the alarm horns echoing out for all within the city to hear. A rare, and rather confusing sort of alarm for the apparently clear day, but as Pluton slowly neared, the tremors of his footsteps and his growing presence coming in from the north of the city was slowly starting to become apparent. Pluton himself paid the alarms and eventual panic of the people little personal mind, almost like a human would to a group of scurrying ants. And from Pluton's perspective, that was what it looked like when he saw the first number of humans, as they all tried to move and get away from him. Pluton was still a mile off when some of the first Amestris military guards began to show up on scene, all lined up with military weaponry for Pluton's approach: tanks and jets included amongst the amounts. At full strength, Team Harmony joined in along the borders of the city, and it didn't take them much long either to see Pluton coming their way. "Well shit. You really weren't kidding, Nagisa," Karma said, as he observed the approaching giant through some borrowed binoculars. "WHY would I lie?" Nagisa made clear, still feeling the presence of Pluton taking its toll on him. Unlike Sebastian it was a lot stronger, and as such a lot harder to get used to. Even from a mile away, and it felt like Pluton was on top of him. "Anyone have any ideas how to deal with that thing? Now would be a good time!" Yoroi asked, needing an answer. "Keeping that giant away from the city would be a good start," Sebastian suggested. A obvious choice was made there, and one of the Amestris generals brought out a portable radio to inform the others. "Listen up, men, go in and take him out! We can't have him enter Central!" "Ariel squad en route," said the pilot. As if on cue, the group looked up and soon saw that the jet planes were up in the sky, and flying right towards Pluton. The giant pig demon paused for a moment as he heard the lets flying towards him, a group of about seven in fact, all aiming for him. As they flew in, each one rained down their missiles directly at the beast, aiming right at him in multiple spots. Pluton wasn't going to make it that easy though, and his trident moved in position. "Puny swine," Pluton rumbled, his trident raised up slightly, as if it were a sword or spear. The missiles moved in fast, the jets flying right past Pluton's head, as the missiles moved in. Pluton didn't make it easy, and demonstrated his strength in his own weapon with one mighty swing. In just one hit, the trident not even damaged, all of the missiles exploded before they could make a hit, leaving a large cloud of exploded smoke. It wasn't until it cleared up that they all saw how easily he blocked those missiles. Of course, the jets weren't willing to give up so easily, and made their U-turn to shoot him down again, their second set of missiles shooting at him. Pluton turned around, but instead of blocking them this time, Pluton began to inhale from his two giant nostrils, taking them all in ... and not a single explosion. At least, not until Pluton exhaled. The blast of wind from his nose was a powerful one, and one that launched the missiles out right back at them! The ground soldiers could only watch as the fleet was basically shot down, some getting killed on sight, others having to eject before their planes could explode on the ground! This demon beast will not be denied. After the jets were taken care of, Pluton marched off towards Central again, moving a little faster this time, as Pluton actually stomped one of the fallen jets, turning it into nothing but rubble under his feet, as he approached. The group back at the borders were getting more nervous now, as the tanks started to roll in and trying to stop him as well with their fire. "Oh god. Those missiles did nothing on him!" Yoroi gasped, not believing his eyes. "It has to work!" Twilight said, but Pluton didn't appear much effected by the constant fire of the tanks at his feet. In fact, Pluton didn't even flinch at all, and continued his march. He ignored it to the point where he casually stepped onto some tanks just to keep going, whoever within those tanks getting splattered instantly like bugs. Pluton continued his walk forward until he was about fifty feet away, his body only slightly dented if anything. Then Pluton started to inhale. "TAKE COVER!" Pinkie cried. It was then Pluton revealed why he's the dragon-class of demons. Once he got his full breath completely filled up, the giant demon released the strongest wind any creature could ever blow! Aladdin managed to focus his energy and summon a forcefield up around Team Harmony, Yoroi, and the Elric brothers just in time, seconds to spare before the blast. As for the blast, the wind Pluton released was so strong, anything that wasn't apart of earth itself was striped away! Buildings, vehicles, people especially all were blasted away like it was nothing! Team Harmony spun around like crazy in Aladdin's forcefield, the ball of shield energy rolling like mad until they themselves were right in the center of the city. Yes, from the very borders of the north, straight to central in one power blow! They only managed to stop once the shield struck another building, and only then did the shield give way and released them out. "What just happened?" Blair asked groggily. "We just got screwed, that's what happened!" Ed replied, also groggily and almost feeling sick. They managed to get themselves up, now miles away from the action going on along the border of the city, but seeing the dustclouds of fallen buildings already told them that Pluton was not a being to be trifled with, nor did anyone who wasn't in the shield got out of that blast unscaved, if not alive at all. "What do we do now?! That monster will destroy Central at the rate its going," Alphonse asked, scared to death over anyone else in Pluton's way. "I-I don't know, We'll think of something! ... I hope." ....... "What the hell happened?" Back at the scene, as the dust cleared from the destruction, only when it was gone did the true devastation reveal itself. The whole world within the area was stripped down to dirt and dust, buildings left in nothing but rubble, and not much signs of any bodies. Whatever body did remain was already dead on sight, and was weak and limp from Pluton's blast. It was like a scene right after an atomic bomb blast, and just as brutal to many a person. Out of the rubble though, one particular figure not only survived, but almost unharmed: Envy Homunculus. Once in disguise just before the blast, the hit made him change back to normal, but he was just as ill-prepared for Pluton's approach as any human there. Just a minute ago he was in an alleyway and keeping quiet, and now he was in the open of a wrecked building wall. He would've gotten himself out of Pluton didn't blast the place to pieces. Speaking of, Envy didn't even notice Pluton too much until after the blast, giving the Homunculus a good look at the giant monster. "What the hell? Pluton?! Sombra, what kind of damn plan is this?!" Envy thought. Here he was constantly fighting and getting in trouble by Sombra, and here was the same demon king (far as he knew) who released this giant onto the world! Ironic, and hypocritical to him. Pluton moved in, but paused for a moment as he begun to sense more activity by where he just blowed, Envy being the target. The giant colossus turned his gaze down to him. Not a good time for any creature. "Tiny creature. Get lost!" Pluton bellowed, his voice enough to make Envy cringe, as the beast raised his trident for a attack. "WAIT, I'M ONE OF YOU!" Envy yelled, but Pluton didn't care for it, and the trident slammed down into the dirt. Envy had no choice but to run for it, moving as fast as he could away from Pluton. But when you're running away from a being the size of a skyscraper, distance was extremely hard to make, and it didn't take Pluton more than a few steps to catch up to Envy. Rather than just launching him away with his breath, Pluton played golf, and used his trident like a putter, squaring Envy in one hit! The hit launched Envy miles off in one strike, making the Homunculus slam hard into one of the building ruins in a fit of dust. Red sparks flew as Envy tried to heal, Pluton moving on from the hit soon enough. Any human hit with that kind of power would be killed instantly, or any demon for that matter. Envy tried to get himself up on his feet, but ... "Hello, Envy.~" Another figure, surviving here?! Envy only needed to look up from where he had landed to see the figure in question. It wasn't any Homunculus he knew, nor any surviving human, but instead a demoness. Chrysalis! For Envy, the demoness creature was more of a savior on him more than anything. "Who're you? Another demon?" "In the flesh, yes. And you must be Sombra's little Homunculus? Nice to see you for one time only," Chrysalis cooed. "Only one time?" "Envy, Sombra was starting to get a little bit impatient with you. Your constant failures, your embarrassing defeats, and here with your capture by Amestris. Such an embarrassment, don't you agree?" Well, Envy not doubted his previous thought on a savior. Why would she bring these things up, especially now? "Look, discuss this another time. Pluton's destroying everything, and he'll kill us too!" Envy said, wanting to get moving. However, Chrysalis, oddly, gripped Envy by the arm to keep him still. In fact, Chrysalis even went ahead and swung him over, landing him onto the floor with her above him, the demoness holding him still. "He'll kill you you mean? Don't take this personally, you little dunce," Chrysalis said. Envy didn't have a clue what Chrysalis was getting at, but then the demoness went on ahead and opened her mouth. What Envy saw next was something he didn't prepare for at all. Her eyes and mouth started to glow green, an aura of magical use for her, and Envy suddenly started to feel something being pulled out of him. Next thing he knew, he found his own mouth opening up, and red dust shooting out of his mouth, and going into hers! Sparks almost immediately started to fly like crazy as Envy struggled to get himself free, his strength weakening more and more as his power was being sucked away from him, and into her. Chrysalis, all the while, had such a sweet smile of satisfaction on her face, Envy feeling weaker and weaker. Pluton farther away did see the sparks, but he paid it little to no mind, and continued moving. It only took about twenty long seconds of draining, but eventually Envy was finished, and Chrysalis dropped the weakened Envy to the ground. "W-What? ... What did you do to me? ..." Envy managed to ask, hardly even able to move, let alone fight. Chrysalis leaned in towards his face, smiling devilishly. "I'll make it simple for you: Everything that made you a Homunculus, are no longer yours. I sucked away all those fancy abilities of yours and made them my own. And now you can just sit there and wait til Pluton crushes you, or for those humans to blast you to bits, whichever comes first." ... Did she mean that? Was Envy really powerless? Envy would test this, but he was far too weak to do so anyway, either way. With that explained, Chrysalis got up and started to walk away, apparently leaving Envy to die. "... No ... no, you can't," Envy squeaked. "I can, and I did. Goodbye, fake human," Chrysalis said. Envy could only watch Chrysalis leave him, as his vision begun to fade on him. All that power, and it was now gone? Envy didn't know what to think ... All he could do was lay there, and his conscious faded off until he passed out. ~~ Back in the center of Central, the situation had become horrific. Pluton, now within the boundaries of the city, now had the entire city and all those within it at his mercy. Or rather, lack there of. Team Harmony may have gained some distance between Pluton and themselves to get an idea going, but the longer they leave Pluton alone the more of Central will be destroyed by the gigantic demon, and just as well, more people getting killed. Still, neither of them could honestly figure out what to do. They may have faced their fare share of demons and Homunculi, but none of them even came close to Pluton in sheer size and power. With this gap between them, the group managed to get themselves under cover in a partially destroyed building, still standing but had a large torn hole near the bottom made from some debris blasted by Pluton. "Come on, you're the experts, what do you mean you can't figure it out?!" Ed snapped. "We're no experts, and what can we do?! That's a dragon-class running amok out there!" snapped back Blair. As they bickered, Nagisa and Yoroi looked out from their location, just able to see Pluton marching through. He wasn't heading their way for the moment, but devastation was still seen from the distant sounds of destruction and Pluton's grunts and growls, each one making Nagisa shiver. What're they supposed to do? What could they do? Yoroi felt his heart sink each time he saw another part of Central get torn apart. "God damnit. What miracle we could use right now," Yoroi commented. As they looked, another object presented itself. As they looked on, something else flew along the air, towards Pluton. However, it wasn't exactly another jet plane launching an attack, but instead a helicopter flying in. Ciel and Aladdin peeked out and saw the same thing. "You think that'll do anything to Pluton?" Aladdin asked, thinking it was another attacking plane or something. A few more helicopters flew by, but they mainly matched military rescue choppers, not the first one, and that one was going straight for the beast as the others tried to rescue as many people as possible. "That's no attack helicopter, that's a news chopper. Blast it all," Ciel growled. "What, what's wrong with it?" "Aladdin, that kind of vehicle is supposed to broadcast events for others to hear. In short, everyone's going to know about Pluton the moment they get to him." "WHAT?! OH NO!" Aladdin shrieked. And Ciel wasn't wrong either. The news chopper made its beeline right over to the situation, keeping good and high as cameras from the helicopter capture the entire disaster for the news to see. As Pluton was distracted by the attacking jets, tanks, and whatnot, the helicopter made sure to get the entire thing on film as best they could without catching Pluton's attention. Get caught now and Pluton will blast them off into space with one breath. This is an international emergency broadcast! A gigantic monster had appeared within Central Amestris, and shows no signs of stopping its assault onto the world. This was the main message passed around on live broadcast over ... well, everywhere. This was no simple broadcast of any trouble, and words may have altered slightly over one news network to another, but it was clear that this particular broadcast was worldwide live, and whoever saw it laid witness to what a demon could truly do. Any station from all over the world caught on the story, and made sure the world knew of the danger as it unfolded. And it wasn't just in Amestris who got the broadcast either: from Japan and its millions of people to England's high guard, this broadcast was not missed by many a eye. ...... In Japan, much of the students of 3-E also laid witness to the event, wondering how their friend was actually doing, and if he'll be okay. "Karma. ..." ...... England too. Those amongst the Phantomhive Manor paused their work for the mere moment when the broadcast was brought through. Immediate worry came over their master and his closest butler, whom which hadn't returned home yet because of what the queen tasked them to. Were they going to be alright or not? ...... All this information, and now it was being fully broadcasted, nothing Team Harmony could do about that now. There were far deadlier dangers to worry about now anyway. "Damn. DAMN! What kind of miracle we could use right now," Ciel sighed, as they begin to hear Pluton turn his path and move closer towards them. Nagisa, in spite of the horrid amount of demon sense going wild on him, tried to figure something out. The longer they wait, the more of the world will be torn to bits by Pluton. "Miracle ... miracle ..." Before Nagisa could come up with anything, next thing they knew, the monster was right there! Pluton felt annoyed with these flying insects of jets, so he went all out: he placed his trident down, grabbed the same building Team Harmony were hiding under, and tore it clean off the ground, exposing them! Pluton gave a power swing at the jets, destroying about seven and shattering the building into rubble. "Shit! Come on," Karma ordered, everyone making a run for the nearest cover, but one person didn't budge. And Pluton surely saw Nagisa down there, the young boy petrified and unable to move. His eyes were wide open, and being so close to Pluton didn't help his demon sense any. "NAGISA, MOVE! COME ON!" Called Twilight, but Nagisa was too petrified to even hear her, his eyes staring up to the giant beast standing before him. Pluton gave a short snort before he grabbed his trident from the ground, and lifting up his foot with the intent to crush him! ... "BEEP BEEP!" Saved! At the very last moment, something else bolted in, grabbed Nagisa, and zoomed out of the way before Pluton could actually kill him. The other figure moved too fast for most of them to even see, and Nagisa found himself in the arms of his savior, only then snapping out of it and thinking a little more clearly. One look was all he needed, though his demon sense gave him identification already. "Neuhuhuhu, long time to nee, eh kids?" "Korosensei! Glad you could join us," Karma said, and indeed he was. Sure, the demon teacher was dressed up as an Amestris pilot, but that wasn't really an issue. After all, the demon did just save Nagisa's life right there, and Pluton needed a minute to see what happened. "You know what, I'm not gonna ask. Thanks," Ed said. He wasn't going to question this guy, especially when Pluton was still destroying everything around them. Now they got demon butler Sebastian and demon teacher Korosensei with them, giving them a better advantage if anything. "Don't mention it. The underworld's deciding to pack heat, I see," Korosensei said, looking up to Pluton. The giant aimed his trident to smash them again, but this time Korosensei got them all and bolted off to gain distance before he could do so, giving them more time to think on what to do. "Korosensei, mind giving us some proper entail?" "Sure. What we got here is a dragon-class demon: one of the strongest demon classes one could get. For this pig man, that's his supersize, and his little trick with that snout to blast away cities in one blow." "We saw," noted Al, Ed, Twilight and Ciel. "But what can we do about mr. pig man?! That meanie's wrecking everything!" Pinkie asked. "Hold on, hold on, give me a minute," Korosensei said, trying to study on the situation himself. Even the demon teacher can't figure something out without anything to work with. As he was doing that, Nagisa quietly thought up what they should do from there, something Ciel and Karma caught on after a little while. The word miracle still hung in his head, and his mind began to work its gears on the situation. Nagisa's eyes wandered from Pluton, to the others in his group, and then ... "God. Lugia. I hope this works. ..." ~~ Pluton continued his assault on Central as much as he wanted to, many of the machinery around him unable to damage him as much as they should. The armor bones on him were growing brittle, but they still held stiff against each one of their attacks, one way or another. The attacking forces of Amestris begun to slow down a little, trying to save some lives and firepower from Pluton's strikes, though so long as they stay back it was just giving them time away from it all. "God damn, that thing's not even bruised. What do we do now?" one of the tired, and remaining soldiers asked. The general tried to think of something, but before he could. ... "General! come in, General! You there!" His portable radio begun to go off, Yoroi's voice ringing out from the other end. The general quickly picked it up fast. "General here, Yoroi, what's your status?" The general asked. "Listen, gather what firepower you can, and head to the center of the city. Border Central with as much ground power as you can," Yoroi ordered. "What?! That monster will head straight to central if we do that!" "Exactly. Just do it, we got a plan. If it works, it'll finish him for good!" Yoroi assured. Pluton roared and bellowed further away, swinging his trident around and destroying another four buildings. The general had to risk it, or bust. "Copy that!" the general said. As Pluton took a short moment to rest, the giant creature took a moment to admire his work on the city, seeing nothing but dust and dirt from his aerial blasting. As he awaited for more strikes from the pathetic humans though, strangely the tanks started to apparently retreat, heading towards Central and away from him. To Pluton, this felt more victorious than confusing. "Finally give up?" Pluton rumbled, a low throaty laugh escaping him as he began to move off again. The giant beast was about ready to continue his assault, but then ... "Pi-Pi-Pumpkin cannon!" Pluton was soon struck by pumpkin projectiles, each one striking at his head and right shoulder. The hit was a strong one, just about the same level as the missiles hitting him, but a lot faster and with more impact. Looking down, Pluton tried to find the source, but the beast wasn't seeing anything. However, when he looked up, he saw that it wasn't someone's jet power that hit him, but instead Blair and Aladdin up in the air! Aladdin was on his flying carpet, and Blair stood tall on the same sheet, giving Pluton her own little bit of mockery by sticking her tongue out at him. Getting shot and mocked didn't suit Pluton and the giant beast tried to get them both, the two narrowly missing the strike. While the jets were a lot faster than Aladdin's little carpet, they were a lot smaller and more maneuverable, making them a lot harder to hit for Pluton. "DIE, INSECTS!" Pluton roared, aiming his nostril directly at the two. If he couldn't squash them, he could blast them away. However, the tiny magi and witch saw ahead, and suddenly made a nosedive straight down before Pluton blew. The released air removed some clouds, but Blair and Aladdin were still there and still airborne. "Come on, big boy!" Blair called, only ticking off Pluton even more. As Blair was keeping Pluton's attention, Aladdin glanced off towards the center of the city. After that, Pluton tried another air blast, missing them again and they both flew right off towards central. Blair made sure to do another Pi-Pi-Pimpkin Cannon on Pluton, this time Pluton blocking them with his trident. Only one of them got through though, hitting him right in his nostrils before exploding. Pluton started to move on after them, Blair and Aladdin getting a huge lead on him as they rushed towards center. Both figures flew close to the road as they went through, making sure Pluton was following them. As they went, Edward Elric and Sebastian were hidden off in position. "You're up!" Aladdin called, as they rushed past them. "Let's do this," Ed stated. Pluton continued marching forward after Blair and Aladdin, his focus stuck on them and not where he was going exactly. Ed made the strike first, clapping his hands together for an alchemic pitfall. Sebastian rushed towards Pluton to get in his position, and Edward gave his all and slammed both hands into the ground, cracking up the earth from under him in a line straight to Pluton. Pluton's next step met with a weakened spot, and his foot sunk down a good ten feet into the ground, making Pluton stumble slightly. It didn't knock him over completely, but it did stall him and brought him down to his knees. Pluton growled menacingly, and begun to inhale. "NOW!" Ed called. "With pleasure," Sebastian responded, armed and ready to go. With a thickened glove in one hand, he armed himself with a set of throwing knives, one of which was Nagisa's halo blade. All part of their plan to handle this beast. Sebastian raced up one of the smaller buildings, putting him up at the same level as Pluton. He made a huge jump and, like a set of ninja stars, launched the knives right towards him. Pluton's inhale sucked in each and every knife into his nose, and while the other knives did little damage, the halo blade was what made the power blow. Pluton groaned loudly, as his blood seeped out in a river from his snout, the halo blade doing a hell a ton of damage for such a small blade. In the blood, the blade managed to actually get washed out, Sebastian jumping in and grabbing it from the blood river pouring out. A hit that didn't kill, but it got the job done. Pluton tried to inhale correctly, but found himself sucking in his own blood, thus making his powerhouse move unusable. Or at least, not as strong as before. "That knife had some kick to it. Come on, let's meet with the others," Ed instructed, as Sebastian got out a napkin to clean the blood off the blade. The demon butler nodded, and moved off with him, just before Pluton could crushed them under his fist. Pluton brought one hand to his bleeding nose as he pulled his leg out of the pit. "Damn humans! I'll kill you all!" Pluton roared, his squeal heard over back at central. The others took position over there along with the rest of the tanks, all aimed and at the ready for the signal. Aladdin and Blair were the first to come back, landing right by the rest of the team. Each tanks was ready for the word. "Well, how'd they do?" Yoroi asked. "Let's just say the boar has a major nosebleed," Blair joked, though she was treating it a little differently with her posing, something Karma quickly fixed with a tug on her ear. It was then that Sebastian and Ed came over, Sebastian carrying Edward Elric back to the others. "Did you get him, Ed?" Alphonse asked. "Yeah, I got him. He won't be able to blow anyone away anytime soon," Ed replied. "Good job, not onto stage two: make it rain on dem demon!" Korosensei said, acting a little cocky on the matter. "Not the usual way to put it, but indeed. Go and make sure the men are in position," ordered Ciel. Korosensei saluted them, and soon the demon took off on them with his own little surprise for Pluton. As the giant moved in, Korosensei moved over to the ammo of each and every tank, and added a little something extra to each and every one. In his tentacles, as it turned out, the demonic entity actually had a lot of water in them, which he happily poured down onto each ammo hold before the soldiers got the word to load up, not a single one missed. Under order, the soldiers loaded up only after the ammo was soaked in the water, them hoping that this would work at all, or better than before. The demon teacher got straight back to the team right after that, the time only about half a minute at most. "All soaked up, and ready to go, SIR!" Korosensei said, getting into his character as a soldier. "What did you put onto the ammo? Just water?" asked Yoroi. "Holy water, my boy! The chemicals in the overworld water is like you dunking your hand in a boiling pot to a demon. It'll fry that pig for supper in no time," Korosensei assured them, confident that it'll do some damage. A rather risky move, but it was their best shot. And with tanks all ready, it was their only shot they had left. Pluton moved forward, nose streaming blood from Nagisa's blade, and he started to sense the humans gathered around the center of the city. The gigantic demon moved forward, unable to launch any of them away with his nose full of blood. Everything was quiet, Pluton moving to the very center. ... "LET EM FLY!" Karma announced through a portable radio. Then the fires were made. Pluton heard the ammo being launched, and with trident in hand, readied to block, but this time the shots were from all sides, so not all shots were blocked. And when the first one was struck, the pain felt like a sting by a bee, and with hundreds shooting at him, Pluton felt the pain right away! The holy water did its job and the ammo launches from the tanks actually burned Pluton's body before they exploded, ripping off chunk after small chunk off of his armor and soon his skin. Pluton squealed and wailed, feeling the pain strike him from all over from under his head The explosions left plenty of smoke in the air, and they could see Pluton starting to collapse to the ground, just what they wanted to see! To be sure, the tanks continued firing until no ammo was left for them for the moment. "Did that do it?" wondered Twilight. None of them could actually see what even happened, one way or another. The cloud of smoke and dust didn't help any of them really see Pluton, but as the clouds cleared, the result revealed itself to everyone there. Pluton was left torn open, and his armor destroyed, but this giant demon was still alive! "What?! How much will it take to kill this thing?!" Ed asked. That didn't mean that damage was nonexistent on him though, his body having chunks blasted off of him here, there, and everywhere, blood pouring out of him and leaving a ton on the ground under him. The fact Pluton was still alive after all that made them all lost in words, the giant beast keeping himself from falling over by his trident. His breath was strained, his nose blasted open on one side, and his ears blown off of him. At the moment, he was stuck still, but so long as he was still alive, there was still a danger. Nagisa could sense that the demon was severely weakened, but he still felt that he had damage to take them all out if he recovered from this. "No! If he survives that ..." Nagisa thought, the giant Pluton looked to all of them. "You ... miserable creatures. ... As long as I live, you'll all fall before me!" Pluton bellowed, strained, but menacing all the same. Nagisa knew more than anyone else what would happen if this stayed this way. Pluton, even with his nose bleeding, tried to exhale and blast them all away. While the wind was powerful, Aladdin's shield covered them all and they rolled off out of sight again, but not as far as earlier and this time blood covering a good football field patch of the city. Pluton didn't pursue them, and instead tried to bring himself up from his position. There was little option, if any left, and Nagisa's plan was so close. He had to do something, anything, to stop Pluton. ... "Shit. What do I do? Pluton's going to kill everyone if I don't do anything," Nagisa thought, his senses warning him that Pluton was gaining his power back! Soldiers there were trying to reload, but they weren't getting enough time to do so. Korosensei and Nagidsa took a look to eachother, as if reading eachother's minds ... ARRRROOOOOOOOO! ....... "Get out of Central." "No, Nagisa come back!" Nagisa and Korosensei were suddenly off and moving away from them, rushing towards Pluton. It's now or never. The others tried to catch up, but Korosensei made a quick appearance by Nagisa, and grabbed him, taking flight before they could get them. Whatever they had in mind, they didn't want the others to follow, and none of them had any time to even try to follow. Pluton was raising himself upward, regaining his feet with blood pouring out, Korosensei carrying Nagisa from within his coat to a suitable height. As for Nagisa, the kid had one more idea left, and this one had to work. Korosensei himself couldn't do it, and the weapon he had required him to use. The miracle sword. Held in Nagisa's grip with both hands. If a halo blade could do that much damage, a miracle sword would be more than enough. Pluton rose up to full height again, his entire body bloody and weakened, but he was clearly not willing to give into these creatures. Pluton turned his gaze up to the sky, and there was Korosensei and Nagisa up there and ready. The miracle sword was drawn out by Nagisa himself, both hands gripping hard onto it, and Korosensei started to dive towards him, holding Nagisa with his arms as Nagisa held the sword straight to him. Nagisa aimed forward in his own dive position, sword piercing through the air like the lets flying through earlier, Korosensei keeping them aerodynamic with his spare tentacles keeping anything in the air out of the way and harming them both. This was their last shot. "Fly," Nagisa finally said. Korosensei keeping it at high speed, Nagisa threw the sword right at Pluton, both of them flying high and leaving the miracle sword piercing through the air. Pluton kept his gaze up, and the sword and all its holy magic pierced straight through Pluton's head! A single stab, and the sword literally skewered through Pluton's head completely, zooming out the back and landing on the ground. The final blow did him in. The reaction from the sword did more than just a stab. The defeat made Pluton's entire body, through each chunk of his body, start to glow bright white, glowing brighter and brighter, until the demonic giant finally succumbed to his injuries. The entire body exploded into a mighty blast of light and energy, the impact spreading all around them. Nagisa and Korosensei had to brace for the impact, and both were launched back hard. At least the others down below had cover, but not them. Korosensei tried his best to keep them together, but the disorientating light and explosion itself made the task all the more difficult ... He lost his grip. The moment was purely slow-motion. Korosensei saw Nagisa's face of shock, feeling himself removed from Korosensei's safe grip. Nagisa's arm was out and trying to reach him, but it didn't do him any good, and it didn't take much longer until Nagisa disappeared in the light. Korosensei wasn't able to do anything, the forces launching him off the opposite way. Poor Korosensei launched out of the explosion cloud, slamming into one of the buildings as the world begun to quiet down. As the cloud cleared, it revealed what had occurred from Nagisa's final hit. Everyone around saw the full effect of the blast. All of them looked to where Pluton once was standing, but found that the entire body of Pluton had disappeared completely in the blast, nothing but the pool of blood underneath where he used to be. The holy magic from the miracle sword had completely obliterated Pluton, and all that remained was the blood, and the sword now sticking out of the ground. Pluton was gone for good. Much of the soldiers were cheering in victory, but it was a more bittersweet moment. Nagisa Shiota was gone. ~~ "Any news?" When all was said and done, the entire group and whoever was left alive were relocated away from the site. The location they were put over to was off in the outskirts of Central, the area least effected by Pluton's major attack. The survivors were still injured in some way, and for the moment, Twilight, Aladdin, Ed and Ciel were left there as the others were helping in finding any survivors outside. When Twilight asked, it was Karma who returned, but he didn't look like he had any good news. "All north Central looks like a atomic bomb struck the place. Not a soul anywhere," Karma answered, though he didn't feel good on saying it himself. "Not a thing, huh?" Ed asked. "Oh ... Is Nagisa anywhere?" Aladdin asked, quietly. Karma shrugged as he took a seat next to him. "Beats me. They're still looking, but I dunno if it's going to end well," Karma admitted. The news hit hard on much of the team, namely Karma, Twilight, and Aladdin. Each of them knew Nagisa for a pretty long time, longer than the others, and the idea of Nagisa actually disappearing didn't sit well with them too good. Aladdin was the first to break out into small tears, but it was Korosensei who had a more dramatic reaction, streams of tears rushing down his face. "WAAHHH! I'm so sorry, I'm a terrible creature! I shouldn't of lost my grip on him! What kind of teacher am I who let's his students die from under his nose?!" Korosensei cried, tentacles wiping away tears from his face. He was responsible for Nagisa's safety, and being a teacher in question that was his top priority to protect students, be it his or not. Having Nagisa lost like that made him feel guilty more than ever. It didn't really help the others out, and Ciel sighed. He felt the least effected by the loss of Nagisa Shiota, if he were to be honest. "We're not even sure if he's dead or not. Don't go and jump to conclusions, will you?" Ciel made clear. They honestly couldn't help it though, especially with the way he went out making survival a very slim chance. "How can you act so nonchalantly about this?" Korosensei asked, on the ground and looking up to him with tears down his face. "My work as the queen's guard dog had me exposed to these events far more than you think. I'm used to it. Anyway, crying your bloody eyes out won't help anything," Ciel made clear. That kind of behavior proved he wasn't lying about it. It was then that Ed got an idea of his own, his own little repayment for them basically saving Central from total destruction. "Well, hey, we can't stay here. How about you all come with me for a bit?" "Pardon?" asked Ciel. "Al and I thought of heading off back home until things work out over here. The least I can do for what you all just did, you know?" Ed explained. "Thank you, Ed, that will do." All the same though, the news struck down Twilight and Aladdin into their own tears, both of them unsure of Nagisa was still alive or not. The chances though were extremely unlikely to them. ... ....... "See anything yet?" Asked Blair. "No," replied Al, a bit defeated honestly. Still out in the field, Blair and Alphonse took time to continue their little look around for any survivors of the blast, but looking around where Pluton had gone through, it honestly felt like a losing battle. It felt less like walking around Central, and more like walking around a wasteland. Not even roads remained in the ground, Pluton left so little, each step leaving slight dust behind in their steps. "Damn, look at this place, nothing but dust," Blair commented, kicking up some dust off the ground. "Uh, hey, you're from the underworld, right? Are demons usually like that?" Al asked, humbled by the fact one demon could do so much damage. "Nah, Pluton's one of a kind. Demons would need weeks to even get close to him," Blair replied, easing Al's nerves a little bit. If demons were showing up like this, he didn't want another Pluton anytime soon. Either way though, the lack of any life around made Alphonse more humbled than ever. Just to think that a half an hour ago, there was a full city where they were walking, and now they were left with a wasteland with a few remaining ruins of what once was. Alphonse went on ahead up a mound of ruined buildings, but when he reached up top, Blair and Al did indeed find somebody laying off on the ground. However, who did they find? ... "Envy!" Blair gasped. Indeed it was, looking a little bit different from before but it was indeed Envy. However, Envy was still unconscious from earlier, and Alphonse and Blair went over to investigate, not sure if he was still alive or not. Their approach didn't wake him up at all, the Homunculus still passed out at their feet. Their feelings were kinda mixed, to be honest, or at least Blair was. "He does look bad," Al said. Blair kneeled down to him, and her ear was placed on his chest. Natural check to be sure if someone was still alive or not, and sure enough she still felt a heartbeat, or something flowing in him, telling her he was still alive. "I dunno ... should we leave him, or ..." "Well, it wouldn't feel right leaving him here. ... Even if he did sneak into Central. ..." ....... S03Ep6: A New Leaf ~新しいリーフ~How long had time past by since it happened? Pluton's defeat had taken its grand toll onto many of them, but one Homunculus victims wasn't even from Pluton himself. His vision was all but gone for the moment, his whole body oddly warm and surprisingly cozy. But, how? Why? Last he remembered was being left to die back in what was left of Central, out in the open of the rubble, but now he felt like he was underneath something. A piece of rubble? Well, no, it felt too soft and light for that. Then again, it was probably better than being under a building any day. But the question remained though: where was he? And for that matter, how was he there? Envy took a while to finally get his conscious fully together, groaning ever slightly as his eyes started to flicker open to see where he was. As he probably expected, he wasn't anywhere outside, though a window was open. No, rather than being under a building, he was in one. In a bedroom, to be exact. Odd thing though: it didn't appear like any real prisonhold room, nor did the bed appear to be a prison bed. The floor was wooden, the walls appearing clean, and the typical bedroom essentials were in there too (cabinet, lamp, etc.) nothing really specific to note what Envy could figure out. Envy found himself on the bed, underneath some rather comfortable covers. Envy managed to sat up and take in the room a little bit better. "Where am I now? ... Am I back in prison? ..." Envy trailed off for a minute, feeling his head going through a little bit of a rush as he tried to get himself together. Wherever he was, no matter how he got there, or why, Envy knew one thing. ... "I gotta get out of here." And get out of there he tried. Envy got himself out of bed, albeit a little clumsily, but he managed to get himself upright and start going over to the door. Each step was met with weak, stiff legs and every step just made Envy feel sore all over. His energy was just not the same as before, and with him being stuck in ... wherever this was, that wasn't going to help him. Envy tested the door, expecting it to be locked up, but a small turn was all it took for it to just turn open, and a little push to get himself out of his "cell". It surely didn't look like any prison he knew, the hallway small and only having one more door on one end of the hall, and the stairs down the other. Not a window here to slip out, so he had either the door or the stairs. ... *thump* **thump* *thump* "Shit. Better cut my loses," Envy thought, hearing footsteps downstairs. With the stairs off limits, he only had the other room. What else could he do with such a sore body for the moment? If he did try to change, the noise would catch him for sure. As quietly as he could, he made his way straight to the door, lucky to find it unlocked and good for him to use. Just before the apparent patrol could find him out, Envy went right into the other room. Envy couldn't risk anymore trouble with these humans, especially after his latest incident. "There, now -" AND he found himself in the bathroom. Well, so much for that, but maybe he could still manage somehow. Usual essentials were there of course, and lucky for him, Envy found a window right there for him. The perfect little escape. Envy gave a sigh of relief, and started to head towards the window, but his light head made him stumble slightly, having to rest on the sink for some balance. It was then he took one good look at the mirror. "W-Wha ... what? ..." Envy kept his eyes locked onto the reflection in the mirror, but what he saw just ... wasn't himself. Or at least he thought it wasn't. His clothes were the same, regular skin and hair color too from before, but Envy still found that something was different with him. Something wrong with him, to his eyes anyway. Speaking of eyes, his irises appeared bigger and more rounded than before, and his hairstyle wasn't the singular bands, and instead was sprawled out behind him, making it more like a mane than anything. Yeah, his hair was naturally long, but it wasn't as prominent as this, and it looked more brownish green rather than just dark green like before. Aside from the hair, he felt a bit smaller. In fact, looking in the mirror, it was like he lost a few years of his life, appearing a bit younger than before. Before one could say he was as old as Karma, or Yoroi, but now he looked more like Ciel or Aladdin's age. "I-Is that ... me?" Envy asked himself, his hands examining himself. His skin was softer, a little paler and with a VERY faint green tint to it, something different from before too. His hand felt his hair, which felt a bit grimy to be honest though that could be from being left in the wreck for who knows how long. Envy tried to get himself together, and to be sure this was or wasn't some sick joke, he turned on the cold water and splashed his face a good five times. The cool water woke him up faster, and got him more alert, but his face didn't change from what he was seeing in the mirror, nor did the rest of him. "What did that Chrysalis do to me? ..." *knock**knock**knock* That snapped him out of it. He had to figure it out later, but for now, he had to get out of here! Whoever was behind that door, he could honestly care less for, and as far as he was concern, the forces were onto him. Taking the chance, Envy went right over to the window, opening it up fast, and proceeded to get himself outside. He may not be in the best condition for this, but it beats getting locked up again. He found that, admittedly unsurprisingly, the bathroom was about a floor up from the ground, but nothing this Homunculus wasn't new to, so he started on out. He kept his grip on the sill as much as he could until his body practically hung from the sill, only then did he let go. The drop didn't last long, but he ended up stumbling into some bushes underneath him. Not exactly the best landing, and the weak Envy stumbled out, leaves in his hair and clothes and not able to stand much. Well, at least he was outside. ... ... right in front of someone. "Oh dear. Trying to break a leg, are you?" "COME ON," Envy growled. As if being found wasn't bad enough, he was found by Sebastian of all things! It only took a minute to bring Envy back inside, and right through the front door. Envy expected a rather embarrassing gesture (held by the collar like a pooch being one of them), but no, Sebastian held him gently, and moved on inside, cradling him in his arms. A fair gesture, but unexpected too. Once brought in, the first place Sebastian went right to was the house's living room, which connected to the kitchen by the looks of it. Envy was sore, injured, but he made out Ciel, Alphonse, and Karma in the room for the moment. Each one of them saw Envy being carried in, and oddly none of them attacked. "Seems our guest tried to check out early," Sebastian stated. "I told you he'd do that," Karma commented, Envy being laid down over next to Alphonse. Once Envy was released, he tried to get himself up, but the fall ended up injuring his leg, making him cringe up. That didn't stop him though from retaliating, stumbling off the couch and getting to his feet. "You bastards stay away from me! Or I'll slaughter all of you," Envy warned. "You better lay back down, if you know what's good for you," Ciel advised, but that just infuriated Envy more. "WHO'RE YOU TO GIVE ME ORDERS?!" Envy roared, using what energy he had to swing a fist her way. Ciel stepped aside, Envy's fist slamming into Al's armor. At his regular strength, that would tear Alphonse's armor to a pump, but his new body was far from weaker than his previous body, and not enough to make a dent into it, only hurting Envy more so. The weaker Envy fell forward, Alphonse grabbing him before he could hit the floor, and putting him back on the couch. Envy needed another minute to regain himself, laying on the couch to heal up. "Envy, please, you'll pass out if you keep this up," Al insisted, resting Envy's head on a pillow, and giving him one of the couches to lay on. "What're you all up to? what do you want with me?" "Nothing at all, Envy. Seriously, Al and Blair saved your life, the least you can do is chill out," Karma made clear. Saved your life? Was Karma serious with that? Envy didn't recall anyone rescuing him before passing out. If anything, he was left to die and nothing else. "You pathetic humans are horrible liars." "We're telling the truth, honest. Blair and I found you in that huge mess all by yourself, so ..." Envy didn't need to hear anyone proof of that. It was clear that they indeed found him, but with their past history, he found it very unlikely that they would help him. "And you're all apparently ok with that," Envy said, still thinking there was some sort of catch to this. "We've grown more flexable to the situation after a day." "A day?!" Envy said, pausing when his head started to pound on him again. "H-How long have I've been out?" "Three days. Four including today," Karma replied. "And you're all okay for having a Homunculus in here with you," Envy commented, still not believing that there was no catch to this. "Well ..." "Alright, here we are. Make yourselves at home." Just arriving at the house, Team Harmony had been going for quite a while to reach the place. Pluton's attack forced them here, but when comparing here to the condition of Central, it beats that by a mile. "Nice place, Ed. You sure it's okay for us to stay here?" Twilight asked, looking around. "Sure. Like I said, you just stopped Pluton, you need somewhere to relax," Ed assured them. "Good enough for me," said Karma. "Well, it'll have to do. It's better than what was left of Central," noted Ciel. Well, as most of them were there, it took a little bit longer for Blair and Alphonse to finally catch up to them. Alphonse, for some reason, had to move a little bit slower, and Blair stuck around as her typical cat form, riding on his shoulder like a parrot as they approached. The others soon saw him before they could actually go into the house. "Al, there you are. What took you so long?" Ed asked. "Sorry, sorry. I got caught up in something," Al said, trying to get himself together. He may be body armor, but even then he can get a little tired time to time. Blair hopped off to join them, though Ciel tried to keep his distance from the feline, covering his nose. "Keep your distance, cat," Ciel warned. "I'm a cat, I don't care. Besides, I know one hunk just adores a cite kitty like me, eh Sebastian?" Blair said, rubbing against Sebastian's leg. Normally, yes, he would be, but Sebastian took a step back so Blair could stop. Blair just ended up falling over, disappointed more than anything. "ANYWAY, shall we get ourselves accommodated?" Sebastian suggested. And so, the group was ready to head in and get themselves comfortable with the place. Alphonse was about to follow them in himself, but as they were Al stopped when he saw that Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped herself and made a U-turn, looking right at Al. "... Uh ... What is it?" Al asked, a bit unsure, as Pinkie moved over to him, rather uncomfortably close. The pink girl's antics stopped the others as well, Pinkie looking Al over for some sort of reason. She popped up behind him, along each side of him, basically looking him over head to toe. "My pinkie sense is telling me mister armor has a little guest with him," Pinkie said, sounding serious. Though, honestly, most of them didn't take her too seriously. They heard about it, but they still didn't get how it exactly worked. "Ed, get rid of whatever other cat you have in there," Ed instructed. As he moved forward, Al took a step back, confirming his suspicions right away. "No, brother wait -" before Al could stop him, Ed went right on ahead and opened up Al's chest armor, expecting some sort of extra cat to just show up inside it. One opening though, and the entire group saw Al had something a bit more than just some cat: Envy. Envy was still passed out, fast asleep inside Al's armor. He looked slightly different, but they still recognized him. ....... "WHAT THE HELL?!?!" "Brother, quiet, he's still sleeping," Al insisted, but the rest of the group wasn't as supportive of the choice. Envy Homunculus, for some reason in Al's armor?! And Al apparently knew about it the whole time. "What's Envy doing in your armor?!" Aladdin gasped. "Yeah, we have a bit on our plate to be looking after Envy, Al!" Ed added. "Guys, I couldn't leave him back in the middle of that mess. He was unconscious when I found him!" "Great! First stray cats, and now this? How many more things can you stuff into that armor, huh?! GET RID OF IT!" Ed demanded, the screaming still not waking Envy up thank goodness. "How can you be so cruel?!" Al retorted. Suddenly, Blair jumped in between Ed and Al, turning back into her human form for a moment, but not in any mood to play around this time. "Chill out will you?! Rescuing Envy was my idea, Al just happened to be there with me," Blair admitted. "Geesh, have you forgotten what he did to you back in England? He practically killed you," Karma reminded, remembering her body getting skewered and tossed over by the same Homunculus. However, Blair shrugged it off. "Whatever. It's just one time," Blair responded. A rather odd thing to say, but then again she still had her other eight lives, so she wasn't too worried about it really. "Regardless, it's too high of a risk to have - ... where'd he go?" Ciel wondered. The others looked back and soon found that Envy was suddenly gone from Al's armor! They all thought he had woken up and left, but - "AWWWW! He's so CUTE!" Pinkie suddenly said, holding Envy and cuddling him. Envy may be asleep, but this other form of he was in just was so adorable to Pinkie. Well, one of them was down for the idea. "Come on, at least for a while. Just until he gets better? Please?" Alphonse asked, pleading with them. The others took a moment to think over what Al and Blair told them, and looked over to Envy. The Homunculus did look pretty bad, and he didn't look to be healing quick from it much either. "Well, doesn't look like he's gonna do much," Karma said. "He looks a lot weaker too," Aladdin agreed, looking to Envy's body. There was some silence, but then Ciel moved over to Envy, looking him over himself. "... Alright. We'll watch over him," Ciel finally decided. The decision needed some time to make, but that was his. "Yeah, fine. Doesn't look like he'll do much, anyway," Karma agreed. "If my master trusts the situation, who am I to object?" Sebastian said. "Yes-indeedie," said Pinkie. The overall choice was made by the rest of the team, and Al felt a lot better about it. Though, there was one more person left. ... "Brother?" Al asked. Ed wasn't all up for this idea, seen easily on his face as he tired to think. "Hmmm ..." Ed placed his head on the wall. "... hmmmmm ... HMMMMM." "Hurry up," noted Pinkie. Ten minutes later ... "Fine, we'll watch him," Ed finally decided. Overall choice ruled the day, and for Envy, he got himself a sanctuary. "And since then, we've been watching you. Making sure you're alright," Al finished. Envy just sat there listening to what Al had said, still left beside himself on the overall fact that these humans would go out of their way to save him from the rubble. In the end though, Envy still didn't see much sense in it. "WHY would you make such a deadly decision. I was the one who hidden myself in Central. And you Ciel, you forgotten what happened in England so soon?" Envy hissed. Ciel felt like a skewer was stabbed through him, remembering damn well what Envy had done during the party back then, but Ciel masked his discomfort with a sigh. "Boulderdash. Envy, while you may have tried before to eradicate us, it would be unfair on you if we were to leave you to die in such a situation. You were weak, dying, and thanks to Alphonse and Blair, rescued. You mean to tell me that you would rather throw your life away like rubbish over being rescued by the likes of us?" Envy turned away, but before he could try to get a response, a thought struck him. Here he was, weaker than before, and in the company of a bunch of humans who not only evaded his killer instincts with each encounter, but outdone him one way or another. and considering Sebastian was standing right there, a retaliation now wouldn't end well with him. Envy still felt that there was some catch to it, but he didn't go on any further than that. "Breakfast!" shouted a cheery voice. And even if he could, he wasn't given the chance to. Next thing he knew, a large meal was spread out on the table of a rather large breakfast, enough to feed practically everyone, including Envy. Eggs, bacon, some fish courtesy of Blair, plenty of drinks, all of which was surely enough to feed everybody. The meals were prepared and served over by Ed, Pinkie, and Blair. It was then they soon noticed Envy sitting there. "Oh, Envy you're up! Good sleep?" asked Blair. Envy didn't really answer, but suddenly a huge plate was placed down in front of him, the amazingly delicious smells of fresh food hitting his nose the second it was put there. "You must be starving, cutie pie! Eat up!" Pinkie said. "Cutie pie?" Envy groaned. If he was going to be stuck here for a while, he needed to get himself together. Eating something might help him. Can't really be intimidating with that kind of nickname. Still, Envy took a fork and took a bite of one of his selected foods, but ... "AAHH! You're so cute, I just wanna pinch those cheeks!" Pinkie beamed, seeing Envy's surprisingly cute face when he ate, his cheeks puffed up and everything. Envy did swallow just before Pinkie hugged him again. Envy didn't have much time to react to her, and while the hug itself didn't hurt, the sudden movements did make his already sore body sting a little again. "Damnit. This is gonna take a very long time. ..." ~~ A rather long day ensued with Envy's recovery, and it pretty much left much of Team Harmony and Envy with little to do, Envy especially since he was left in recovery. With Sebastian basically on watch, he was pretty much stuck there, especially due to his weakened body Chrysalis had left him with, and his powers sucked away, thus making him unable to bolt off with the demon butler carrying him back. On the bright side for Envy, at least his accommodations wasn't as bad as it could've been. He was given a cozy bed with a window, at least. As for the others, they took the time to relax their minds from the whole Pluton incident, and took the moment to spruce up on their skills a bit, just in case some other demon or whatever would show up or when they'll have to go out again. Here, it was Karma and his swordsmanship, and Twilight with her alchemy. Though while Karma was steadily getting better with his self-taught techniques, it was Twilight who was having a little more trouble focusing a bit, mainly because of what happened with Pluton. Off outside during a rather cloudy sunset admittedly, Twilight had tried to handle her alchemy by herself, with Aladdin watching nearby. She tried to keep some focus on her skills one way or another, but as Aladdin watched her, the young magi could see that Twilight was having some bit of trouble with it all. Yes, her skills had improved since she started, but today just wasn't her day here. "Hey, Yugure?" Aladdin asked softly. Twilight stopped her purple magic for a moment, though the smart girl knew almost immediately where Aladdin was going, and all she did was walk over and sit down next to him, breathing a rather rough sigh. "Yeah, Aladdin?" Twilight asked. "Is everything okay? ..." "... No. No it's not. And you and I both know why," Twilight said, down on herself. Aladdin knew exactly what too: Nagisa Shiota. Days had past since Nagisa basically vanished, but all the same, the pain still stung like it just happened whenever it was brought up. "Oh, I wish I could've done something. Otherwise. ..." Twilight couldn't even bring herself to even say it, but Aladdin knew what Twilight was going for. "Don't worry, we'll find him. We don't know if Nagisa's dead -" "No, but it all points to it!" Twilight suddenly snapped, making Aladdin jump. Twilight didn't mean to snap at him like that. Twilight relaxed right away. "Sorry, sorry. ... It's just ... I didn't do anything ..." Twilight stayed quiet, feeling a swell of emotion starting to come up in some tears. The image of Pluton exploding, and the image of Nagisa running off towards Pluton with the intent to finish him off went through her head, and the constant reminder how she just stood there and let him go, not able to do anything before it happened. Aladdin watched her tears fall down, seeing how much it was effecting her. Not that it wasn't effecting him either, Nagisa was his close friend too, and first human friend since arriving from the Overworld. Aladdin got his mind together, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Twilight. Back in England, when you ran away, Nagisa worked the hardest to try and find you. Nagisa never gave up on you, no matter how long you were gone, and you shouldn't give up on him either. I know he's alive somewhere out there, and I don't know about you, but I'll do my best to find him. Besides, he wouldn't want you to be like this." Aladdin knew what he was talking about, and Twilight could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth. Nagisa worked so hard to try and find her when she disappeared, and it was time for Twilight to do the same. That, and Nagisa wouldn't want to see Twilight sulk so much over it if he actually was there. If Twilight wanted to see Nagisa again, then she had to take action instead of mope. Twilight wiped away her tears and a smile came up on her face. "Then I'll be right there with you. Soon as everyone is ready, then we'll try to find him," Twilight said. That surely made Aladdin better. "That's the spirit, Yugure. ... Or, wait, is Twilight okay?" Aladdin asked. Twilight giggled a little. "Twilight is perfectly fine by me," Twilight concluded. Twilight and Aladdin looked on, what sun was out painting the clouds a nice color of purple to accompany the mix of red, yellow and orange in the sky. As they were out there, Envy looked down on them from the window of his room. From the post, he had heard basically everything, though in his mind the moment didn't make much more sense than them saving him in the first place. "Nagisa? Missing? ... Pluton must've killed him already. Don't know why they're still wasting their time," Envy thought. All evidence showed that Nagisa was dead, but apparently they weren't giving up on it, for whatever reason. The writing was on the wall, and Envy was taking it as such. ....... Night time, and at this point, most of the team was off and sleeping. Well, all with the exception of Envy himself. Being asleep for days on end made him rather restless, ironically, and he didn't feel up for just falling asleep right away. He stayed quiet and laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, taking the quiet moment for some thinking. At least when it was night, the others would quit bugging him. At this point, the others took some extra measures and put his sore body with a bandage or two, primarily on his damaged leg from his previous escape attempt. As he laid there, he took a glance over outside the window, the new moon making the night awfully dark, but stars easy to see. Envy, Sombra was starting to get a little bit impatient with you. Your constant failures, your embarrassing defeats, and here with your capture by Amestris. Such an embarrassment, don't you agree? Those words just before Chrysalis drained him echoed in the Homunculus's head, Envy feeling especially dumb for the constant failures. It was painfully clear why Sombra would be impatient with him, but taking his power away was a bit extreme. The Homunculus brought his hand to his head, cursing himself. "Damn human worms. First they keep humiliating me, and now they save my life. ... Think Envy. Sombra's mad, but you can fix this. ..." If only Envy knew how. He would just attack them all if his powers were still in tact, but Chrysalis saw to it that he wouldn't be able to do anything about anything. That, and his body still wasn't at full strength yet so he'd just get himself killed if he rushed in. He was plenty smarter than that. Envy ended up sitting up in bed, trying to think on what to do with himself, and with Sombra's apparently anger towards him. ... "Having trouble sleeping, are we?" So much for his night of quiet. Sebastian soon ended up in his room to check in on him, candle in hand as he would do back at the mansion. Envy though was in no mood for any late night visitors. "None of your business. What do you want?" Envy asked, turning away as Sebastian stepped in. "Just merely doing a favor for my young lord, as all. It does seem you're recovering nicely," stated Sebastian, placing the candle over by Envy's bed. That was another thing that bugged him for a while, and that was Sebastian's devotion towards these humans, especially his 'young lord'. He knew how strong Sebastian is, why would he waste his time with them still? "OK, what's your deal? We both know you're a powerful demon but you end up stuck as this brat's butler," Envy finally asked. Sebastian didn't really feel too surprised by the sudden question. "Is there any other reason you need, Envy? As a butler, I am devoted to my master no matter the consequence. The proof is right in front of you," Sebastian said, removing his glove to show his contract symbol on his hand. Envy remembered the symbol, but it didn't explain much of anything. "What does that have to do with anything?" "My contract is paid through his soul, Envy. And this contract is a reminder to my lord of the completed contract," Sebastian revealed. Even then, Envy felt that it was rather stupid, to put it bluntly. "Then why don't you just eat his soul, and be done with it?" Envy questioned, not understanding the logic. Sebastian smiled, his eyes glowing red slightly. "I would be more than happy to just steal his soul if I could. Though it would be rather unfair, won't it?" Sebastian said, taking a seat at the foot of Envy's bed. "Unfair? Sebastian, those worms can barely protect themselves, and when they do its for nonsensical things. Throwing their lives away for nothing, like your Nagisa Shiota. Why would you want to serve something like that?" Envy questioned. While envy did have some form of a point from the demon side of the equation, Sebastian knew Envy had ill experience with humans, despite his time within their world. "Think for a moment. The Underworld. Even if there might be a overall statement on the entities that reside there, you and I both know that not every demon is truly the same. Same thing could be said with Angels in the Overworld. And yet, they too have their faults. Young Aladdin for instance is a holy Magi of the overworld, but not only is he a weak little Magi, but one who has an over fascination with one women's baps." "Oh really?" Envy said, unamused by the statement. "Indeed. You see, before I was put under servitude by Ciel Phantomhive, my thoughts on humans were a bit vague like yours. I saw humans as nothing but a food source for the souls we demonic entities devour. However, as time went by, I believe I can come down to one conclusion." "... And what's that?" "Humans are such fickle creatures. you'd think you can figure one out after some time, but then they always have some way to surprise you. ... Eh, now here I am going on, when you should be sleeping. Have a good night, Envy," Sebastian finished, getting up, taking his candle, and soon walking out of the room, leaving Envy with a bit of food for thought. It may not understand why Sebastian would still stay, yet it did give Envy something else to think about. ... ....... It seemed that time took a back seat for the group from here on in. Envy still felt himself slowly recover from his trouble, the others still stuck around for a while longer. So long as they had no exact place to really head off to, and with Envy still recovering as a whole, they pretty much were stuck there. Not that it was too much trouble, but all the same, they were keeping a killer Homunculus with them in their midst so that was still something to consider. This afternoon, weather had taken a turn for the worse and a fair rainstorm was pouring down outside, something they could hear from in there. The whole group, excluding Envy in their place too, was just inside having some dinner made by the chefs of the group (Pinkie and Blair). "Ah, delicious!" said Aladdin, basically stuffing his face with Pinkie's treats. "Had any of you heard from that Korosensei of yours lately?" asked Ciel. It had been a while since they had heard from their octopus demonic teacher, not hearing much of him since they left Central (which was a rather long time back). Some were a bit too busy eating to even listen to his question, but eventually it was Ed who gave him the answer. "Yeah, he told me yesterday he's still trying to repair Central. By the way, can I ask you one little favor about that ...?" asked Edward. "What may that be?" "Tell that creep to not sneak in through my bedroom window!!" Ed snapped. A rather freaked out moment when Korosensei popped up over by Ed's bedroom window, his tentacles gripping the sill and peering in. That was enough to freak out anybody, no matter who it is, ESPECIALLY from something like Korosensei. "So vile!" though Ciel, the thought of it giving him shivers as well. After that little bit of freak out, Karma rejoined the others, coming in from upstairs. "How's Envy looking?" asked Alphonse. "Aside ugly, he's fine. I tried to get him to come down for some grub, but all he did was shut the door on my face," Karma joked. Karma went on to take a seat over by Aladdin and Blair, both enjoying the big meals they had with them. "Oh well. I can wrap something up for him later," Pinkie decided, who was nibbling on her own meal as well with equal enthusiasm. The mention of Envy didn't suit too well for some. "OK, I'm just gonna ask it: any of you know what to do with Envy when he's healed?" Ed asked. They couldn't keep that kind of possibility ignored for too long, and with how much time they got in keeping Envy basically safe, and his healing too, the possibility of him going out and trying to kill them again was in the air. "Dunno. Has anyone notice how much he actually did anything ... Homunculi-y?" Pinkie realized, scratching her head. "Now you've come to mention it, Envy has yet to transform, alter his body, or anything of the sort since the recovery has started. Perhaps whatever happened to him maybe more severe than we think," noted Ciel. "Great, we shouldn't have a problem with him then!" "Then you wouldn't mind then that we keep him?" THAT was the option that made Ed nearly gag on his dinner, the idea coming up out of nowhere, and so casually. "Wait, WHAT?! Keep him, you outta your mind?!" "Not at all. Think of it like this: if we allow Envy to just roam around freely, even in his weakened condition, his mindset on our current location can easily be revealed to this Sombra of his. Sombra would find him, gain his information, and get the upper hand on practically everyone here. Besides, it beats having him trying to constantly kill us, wouldn't you agree?" Ciel explained. "So, what, make him our ally to keep him from causing us trouble? I gotcha: keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?" said Karma. "That's about it," concluded Ciel. "Hold on, what makes you think he'll actually consider joining you?" question Ed. "You did say he kept trying to kill you, didn't you?" added in Al. "Precisely why we should have him stay with us. If we can convince him to stay with us, he wouldn't try to kill his allies. That would be reckless, even for him," Karma noted. "Right again," said Ciel. Well, as some were open to the idea, some of them just weren't sure if that really was a good idea. ... So unfortunate too. Envy, who had finally decided to come on down, managed to overhear what they had to say. His suspicions on a catch to this were pretty much right after all, according to Ciel's logic. They were going to take him as a prisoner rather than a companion after all. ... "I knew it." Envy, without making another sound, went right off upstairs again. He'd take the front door, but then they'd hear him and go after him again. If they were to go after him, at least he would get a head start another method. Once he got back to his room, he closed the door and locked it up tight. Clearly a distraction to keep the others busy trying to get to him in his room when they do confront him about this prisoner shindig they had in mind. Envy may not be fully healed yet, but he wasn't taking any chances any further. "You think you can keep me locked away? They're not fooling me that easy," Envy thought, as he went straight for his window. He didn't care if his body wasn't ready to go, with the rainstorm outside pouring down, it would make a great cover for his escape. Plus no one would hear any extra noise with the rain beating on their rooftop, so, the time is now. Unlike before though, Envy went a little easier on his exit strategy aside from just jumping out and injuring himself again. No, this time, he took the blanket from the bed and used that as a rope for his decent. Yeah it was something old school, but it beats breaking both his legs. Anyway, in the rain, Envy got about half way down to the ground (a lot closer than before, might I add), and once he got close enough, he just dropped down. The drop wasn't as painful, and he was on the ground and running off immediately. The rain poured down onto him pretty hard, and when he got about twenty feet from the house, he took a look back while running. "Good, they're not following. Time to screw them over and get to Sombra," Envy thought, a devilish smile on his face as he ran off into the rainstorm. ....... "Envy! Envy, we got a lil proposition for you!" Pinkie called, trying to get into his room, but no luck. Pinkie was tasked with giving the Homunculus the idea, alongside Alphonse, Blair, and Aladdin, since those four seemed the most trusting and probably had the best shot in getting Aladdin to come along with them if anyone. After all, two of them did save Envy's life, and the other two were friendly as a whole, so why wouldn't they be the ones to give it a try? However, it seemed the door was locked up tight, and no matter how much Pinkie tried to get in, it didn't really work. "Can you unlock the door? We're not mad or anything, Envy," assisted Alphonse, but not a sound could be heard from inside. Pinkie started to get a little more forceful with her attempts to get in, grabbing the doorknob and pulling back hard. All that did was make her fall back and onto the floor with a loud thud. Blair placed her ear onto the door after that, trying to hear in if there even was something or someone inside, but it was bizarrely quiet in there. Something like that could've at least woke up Envy if the Homunculus was taking a nap or something, but nothing. Still, they couldn't confirm anything from over here. "Guess he doesn't wanna talk," Al concluded. "Hold in a second," Blair insisted. Being a cat, and a rather small one too, Blair got her body over near the bottom of the door. She started by testing it with her paws on the gap between the door and floor, and then she tried to slip in. A bit of a jump in steps, but Blair did actually manage to get her head through the door, and after a few pushes and shoves, got the rest of herself to go through the door with a pop. "OK. Hey, Envy, we got a -" and then Blair paused when she took a look around the room. .... The trio suddenly heard the door unlock, Blair unlocking the door. Blair may have got that taken care of, but when they all looked in the room, the problem they found was only the beginning of an even bigger trouble: Envy had took off on them! Window was partially open, no sign of the Homunculus anywhere! "WHA?! Where'd he go?" Aladdin wondered, he and Pinkie trying to find him, going from spot to spot for some sort of clue to his whereabouts. "Damnit Ciel, Envy must've overheard what he said earlier and flown off," Blair concluded. And if what Ciel said was true too, then they all knew exactly where Envy would run off to as well. "But now?! Envy's still recovering, he won't make it far out there," Al said, freaked out as well that Envy would leave in his condition. "What're we waiting for then, come on, let's get him!" decided Pinkie, taking a quick charging headstart before the trio could really react to it. ~~ Outside, as Envy hoped to, he got a huge headstart. The storm itself was still pouring down on him as the afternoon went on, and Envy continued going through the countryside of Amestris. He didn't take any of the roads or usual pathways (where else would they follow him?), and stuck to the true countryside as he tried to gain some distance. At this point, the rain had left him completely soaked, and running through the rain was actually leaving him tired. On the bright side, he was alone and away from his would-be captors. All the same though, Envy slowed down after a while to catch his breath, panting like mad, and his body tired from all that running. At least he wasn't hot, the rain cooling him down more than enough. He may be glad to get away from them for now, but Envy still was stuck wondering what even was going on with him. Still, he gained some good distance, so he had that going for him. He shook his head, and wringed out his hair trying to get his hair to not be so water-logged. "That should do it. ... Goddamnit, I'm exhausted. What'd Chrysalis do to me?" Envy wondered, feeling his pulse race. All these other feelings: weakness, exhaustion, elongated pain, all of these things he hadn't experienced before Chrysalis screwed with him, or at least not so prominently. After a little bit of the cooling rain and some rest, Envy needed to figure out how to get to Sombra, or at the very least, get to his other Homunculi. Either one will do, and a step towards getting himself back to normal one way or another. Envy looked up to the rain at that point, thinking about Lust and Gluttony. "Damnit, Gluttony won't be able to find me in this rain, and who knows how far I am from Lust. Where do I go from here? ..." Envy tried to come up with some way to get back, but so far his mind drew a blank. Gluttony's sense of smell was rather useless in the rain so that was out of the question. Up on the hill, Envy tried to find out where to go from there, making sure not to head back the way he came. Looking around as well, he was stuck out on an open plain, not many trees growing along the countryside, if any at all. As for other figures, Envy seemed to be the only one outside. Underline, seemed ... "My goodness, dear, you're going to catch a cold out here like that," said a familiar voice. Envy looked around, worried it might be the humans after him again, but he didn't find any of them coming towards him. Instead, another eerily familiar face soon appeared, and was heading towards him. Or rather, two familiar faces. No, it wasn't Lust and Gluttony as he hoped it would be, but instead two rulers had come out in the rain to see him. One of them Envy wanted to find, but the other was who got him in this trouble in the first place. Sombra and Chrysalis. Both demonic rulers out from the underworld to see him, Chrysalis holding a umbrella for herself and king Sombra. And while Chrysalis looked pleased, Sombra had more pressing matters for Envy. "lord Sombra." "Envy. I see you're still alive and well, albeit a bit ... different," Sombra started, referring to Envy's new body. Envy glared towards Chrysalis before Sombra continued. "Still. Where have you been? I heard you were captured by Central a while back." "You can see I'm not. I'm sorry for being gone, but -" before Envy could continue, Sombra raised his hand to silence him. "You would be, would you? ... Envy, better tell me what you know about Tirek," Sombra stated, staring down at him. Envy didn't answer at first, not sure where Sombra was going with this, but with Chrysalis standing not too far away, Envy wasn't sure if she was truly as innocent or what. "What about him? You locked him up, didn't you?" "That senile demon ruler escaped about a week ago, and what is more he was the one who released that monster Pluton onto Central. I had your Gluttony look around and try to find who may have helped him in his escape, and what did he find? ..." Sombra went into his pocket, and then pulled out what appeared to be a bit of leather, but looked oddly familiar to Envy's outfit. Envy though, didn't seem to make the connection. "This patch of leather by one of the chains. A little familiar?" Now, it didn't take much to Envy to realize where Sombra was going with this. "Wait a minute, How could I have done it?! I was running around and spying on king Bradley like you told me to!" Envy insisted. Sombra tossed the leather at Envy's face, Chrysalis smiling and giggling a little at Envy's little dismay. "Peculiar though: you were indeed captured, but you were released a few days prior to Tirek's escape. Enough time for you to meet with Tirek, perhaps?" "I DID NOT! Who told you that bullcrap?!" Envy yelled, trying to defend himself. "She did," Sombra simply said, looking over to Chrysalis. The queen simply stayed quiet, keeping the umbrella over Sombra's head to keep him dry. "You bitch! Why would you even try to listen to a word she tells you?! That demon slut drained my powers away and left me for dead while Pluton went on his rampage!" yelled Envy, finger aimed right at the demon queen. Chrysalis stayed calm and collected about the outbursts, as Sombra waited to think. He took a look over to Chrysalis and back to Envy. "Go on, Sombra. Call him out and leave him behind. you never needed him anyway," Chrysalis thought in anticipation, waiting for that moment to come around. However, king Sombra brought out his own little answer: punching Chrysalis in the stomach and knocking her to the ground! "What was that for? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Chrysalis groaned. "YOU left the palace after I specifically instructed every follower of mine to remain put. It's bad enough that Pluton was released in the first place, not to mention Tirek's escape, I don't want other demons dragged out with it!" Sombra sternly explained, staring down at Chrysalis with disapproval written on his face. Chrysalis stayed quiet after that, though she didn't feel too guilty over it. After that, Sombra turned over to Envy again. "And as for you. Even if you hadn't released Tirek from his cell, you've been failing time and time again, and all with the same group of humans. Korosensei, Sebastian, Central Amestris warriors, goddamn Phantomhive servants! I keep asking you to stay behind, and you instead charge right into it!" "Stop right there: I was tricked back in Central, they got me in - ACK!" Sombra quieted Envy with a strong grip on his face, his hand covering his mouth. Normally, Envy would be fine with this, but his new body strained on his grip. Chrysalis grinned devilishly on Envy's trouble. "THAT doesn't excuse your previous attempts, Envy. ..." "Envy! Envy, where're you?!" Appeared they had more company. Farther away, Sombra, Chrysalis, and Envy all saw some of Team Harmony out and trying to find Envy after he left. not all of them actually ran off though, and the group out looking were those who found out in the first place: Alphonse, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Blair. Sombra turned back to Envy, and tossed him down to the ground. "And why're they looking for you?" Sombra questioned. That was when Envy didn't really answer. Or even if he could, he didn't have time to, as the others actually spotted him and the demon lords nearby. The others would go and get him, but seeing Sombra and Chrysalis made them stand still. "Shall I handle them?" Chrysalis asked. "YOU keep him still," Sombra instructed, tossing Envy over to her. Chrysalis was more than happy to grab the homunculus, the weakened creature not able to get free. "Hey you, evildoer!" Pinkie cried, a bit dramatic in pointing at him. Sombra looked pretty skeptical towards them, and took a little look around along the raining countryside. "So. Look who also came out in the rain to join us this evening." "Silence, jerk! You harm that boy there, and momma will knock you out!" Pinkie yelled, childish, but still trying to help him. Sombra wasn't taking this dramatic Pinkie Pie very seriously. In fact, Sombra literally pushed Pinkie Pie aside to confront the rest of them. Not a good showing. "You care to explain what you want with Envy? Hmm?" Sombra questioned. "Look, we're just trying to make him feel better. We found him unconscious, and we've been trying to heal him since," Alphonse explained, humbled by Sombra, and trying to not start anything. Chrysalis felt a little troubled, but Envy was pleased. Sombra took a few steps closer, but Aladdin was starting to worry, he already lost Nagisa, he wasn't going to lose anyone else, and he put himself between his friends and Sombra. Chrysalis though decided to go in anyway. "Excuse me for butting in, but that's such a likely story. Envy could've just told them to say so to cover himself up," Chrysalis accused. "I'M. NOT. LYING!" Envy roared, Chrysalis muffling him by shoving his face into the mud. First Korosensei, then Sebastian, and now Chrysalis was humiliating him. Sombra looked back and forth between the group and to the homunculus. Aladdin looked ready to summon his shield at any moment. "N-Not at step closer," Aladdin warmed. Sombra stopped moving, and thought over the situation they were in. A long paused stood up in the rain, each side waiting for something to happen. A few of the full team had arrived, they saw Sombra in his full form, Envy was weakened, and while all those factors were current, there was one thing that Sombra had to know regardless of what the main point was. Sombra closed his eyes, and trying to think ... "HURRY UP, THE SUSPENCE IS KILLING US MORE THAN YOU ARE!" Pinkie suddenly screamed, no longer able to take it. Sombra got himself together faster than the others did, and he went closer to the group anyway. "I'm warning you. I'm not afraid to fight you!" Aladdin said, trying to sound confident, but as Sombra walked closer, his eyes staring daggers at him, Aladdin could feel himself freeze up. It wasn't long until he was just a foot away, Aladdin gulping. "You still seem scared, magi. Nothing but talk, you are," Sombra stated, cold and stern. Suddenly, Aladdin summoned his shield up, covering the whole team in that shield, blocking Sombra from coming any closer. "Alright, fine. ... Tell me the truth: How many people know about Pluton?" More silence. By the sound of his tone, Sombra was in entirely no mood to play around, each word coming out slow and steady so not a single word was missed with anyone's ears. Such a powerful demon king as well, and the wrong answer could tear them apart. Team Harmony needed a bit to figure out what to do. "You don't know?" Pinkie asked, legitimately confused. "Would I ask you if I did? Not come on, out with it!" Sombra demanded, his voice bellowing into them, enough to make most of them shiver. It took them a little bit more, but eventually Alphonse took a step forward, standing in front of everyone. "Uh, well ... Central knows, and ... I ... guess, the whole world? ..." "WHAT?!" Sombra's roar made them all jump, Aladdin's lack of focus enough to actually drop the shield and make him tumble back into Alphonse. Suddenly, Sombra was right in their faces, his eyes glowing in anger. "How many people did you tell?!" Sombra roared. "No one, no one, none of us said anything, I swear! One of those human machine things was flying around Pluton, a-and apparently it's able to 'broadcast' all over the world, o-or something like that!" Aladdin tried to explain suddenly Aladdin found himself gripped by Sombra! Sombra's hands gripped around Aladdin's neck, and lifted him up off the ground, choking him right there! Sombra wasn't going to suffocate him, but instead, grabbing him by his ponytail, he swung Aladdin like a mace, and slammed right into Alphonse, cracking a hole in his armor, and throwing both aside hard. Blair and Pinkie dodged it, as both magi and living armor landed about ten feet away. Sombra looked ready to kill, but suddenly he got his senses together from what he was doing. "No, no Sombra, calm down. You'll get yours soon enough," Sombra thought, getting himself together. Sombra turned to those remaining, and all he did was swat them to the ground with one hit. Not as violent, but still got them out of the way so he could confront Envy. Sombra moved Chrysalis off of him, and lifted Envy off the ground. "About time. Sombra, look, give me my power back and we can finish them off for good!" "DON'T GET ANY CRAZY IDEAS! ... Besides, it wouldn't of worked out between you and me, anyway," Sombra concluded, throwing Envy over to the other humans. They all were still alive, but left stunned by Sombra's menacing power. Envy picked himself up off the ground, along with the rest. "You okay, Envy?" asked Blair. "Shut up," Envy yelled. Sombra was suddenly standing right in front of Envy. "Listen, and listen good you pathetic creature. You may have been cleared of releasing Tirek from his cell, but your rebellious behavior and pathetic actions over these months are inexcusable. You were doomed from the start anyway, Envy. Chrysalis draining your power? That was for until after Pluton was defeated!" Sombra revealed, not only shocking Envy to his core, but kinda embarrassing Chrysalis a little. His punishment would come to him no matter what the situation was. "Y-You can't get rid of me ... I'm a Homunculus. ..." In front of everyone, Sombra made his bold move on Envy, and one that made it clear that Sombra no longer needed him around any longer. Aiming Envy's head to his own, Sombra brought his hand out, and his hand turned into a shadowy substance, which skewered right through Envy's mouth! Envy gagged, and choked, and he felt Sombra's arm deeper and deeper inside of him. Envy was unable to stop the demon lord, and neither could anyone else. Soon, the arm was removed from his mouth, and Envy was tossed aside, Envy coughing and hacking while down on the ground. It was after that, when Sombra revealed what he removed from Envy. Envy's Philosopher Stone! "H-He removed his stone," gasped Pinkie. "B-But how? A Homunculus is nonexistent without it," Blair said. Sombra overheard what they were saying, and placed the stone into his pocket. "Exactly." "W-Wha .... how ... how am I still alive?" Envy wondered, completely shocked. His throat was sore more than most, but considering his stone was removed from his body, that would be a death sentence for any Homunculus, but somehow Envy was still whole. Still alive and breathing, somehow. "Have you not figured it out yet?" questioned Sombra, Envy looking up to him with utter shock. "... Homunculi are artificial humans, created by Philosopher stones like these. Once a stone is removed or destroyed, the Homunculus would cease to exist ... yet, you're still alive. So what do you suppose that would mean?" A huge flash from a lightning bolt, and thunder for the oncoming storm to accompany the rain sparked what Sombra really meant. Envy couldn't believe himself, or Sombra for that matter, but as he felt some of his own blood seep out of his mouth with no signs of healing, what other explanation would there be? Leaving Envy to figure out what to do, Sombra walked away with a cold shoulder towards his former servant, and heading back to Chrysalis before a portal was made for them both to pass through. Once they both did that, it was just Envy, and what Team Harmony was left there. Envy was severely silent after that ... "... E-Envy?" Alphonse said. "Leave me alone," Envy said. Before anyone could do anything, Envy took off again. ... ....... Alone. All alone. That was Envy's main situation and feeling overall. At least running off given him time to himself, but now that Sombra basically fired him in front of his enemies, Envy just couldn't feel anything else but depression on the event. The storm started to calm down after a little bit into the night, but it didn't make Envy feel any better. He was soaking wet from the rain, dirty from Chrysalis pushing him into the mud, exhausted from running away from Team Harmony. Tired, soaked, and now he had nowhere else to go to. Envy isolated himself over by a lone tree, curled up against the trunk and keeping completely quiet, cutting off the rest of the world from his mind as he tried to take in the facts. Something he had to face: his Homunculi were far from reach, Sombra abandoned him, Chrysalis sucked his power away ... "Envy, there you are." Envy turned his head and soon saw Blair standing over by him. Rather than feel glad someone was with him, Envy just turned away. "Can't you ever listen?" Envy growled. Blair, wet herself from all the rain, took a seat over next to him. Envy didn't even try to run away. "Come on, seriously, you're going to get sick out here like this," Blair started. "I don't care. I don't need him, and I don't need you, so leave me alone," Envy instructed. However, Blair didn't bother to leave. "Now I know that's a lie, otherwise why would you be out here?" Blair asked. That just made Envy even more furious, and he jumped to his feet to run, but Blair caught him by the arm. "The hell is wrong with you, dumbass?! I've tried kill your friends three times now, and I even killed you! Why should you even care about me?! If I were you, I'd just leave me back there to die in Central!" Envy demanded. Blair was starting to get a little impatient with him now. The usual chit chat wasn't going to work on Envy apparently, and with no one else around but her, she had to get her mind together. "OK, Envy, seriously, you rarely did a thing to us to deserve to be left behind like that. You may not see it, but I didn't save you because of some back-stabbing agenda. And I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you overheard what Ciel Phantomhive said before you took off?" "Yes I did, and I KILLED YOU! How's that not a good enough reason?!" Envy insisted. Blair stretched, and brought her hands to the back of her head. "Yeah, I'm a witch cat, so what? I got eight more lives to spare," Blair said. Envy couldn't believe what he was hearing: he literally skewered her and tossed her body like garbage, and Blair STILL didn't hold anything on him? Nothing?! "What? ... but, why? I skewered you, and threw your body off the balcony at that royal ball, and you're telling me you don't hold anything to me?" Envy asked, not believing any of it. "No, I do not. Now, burning up my house and leaving me homeless, THAT is worth my grudge," Blair cleared up. It was clear on what demon dog she was referring to, but Envy didn't see it. Before Envy could talk though, Blair suddenly brought her finger up to his mouth. "Envy, listen to me. You can go on and say what you want to, but I don't follow the same rules like most of those other underworld demons. You know, I've been given a chance to follow Sombra when Hellgar came over to my door, but I didn't take it." "Why not?!" "Because if I did, then my freedom will be tossed clear out the window. I'm a free kitty cat, and I have to stay serious and stern if I get stuck with that guy. I got a voice too, and lives to spare, I'm not going to waste my time with him, or any other demon lord. Course, it cost me my house, which is bullshit, but you know what, I got some cool friends, a hot roomie to hang with, and I get to be myself while up here." "Do you hear yourself?" Envy questioned, now more confused than upset. Blair went on and on about getting kicked out of the underworld like it was a good thing. "Do you hear yourself?" Blair then asked. Envy paused from there. "Ever since we rescued you, you keep on questioning why that was a good idea, and why we should save you even after what you did. I mean, really, who does that?" "Maybe someone who hates humans. Someone who sees humans as nothing but stupid, pathetic worms. Someone who thinks that getting rescued by the same humans who he tried to kill is the dumbest thing ever!" Envy stated with a growl. That final statement seemed to do it for Blair. Blair turned to face Envy in the face, her normally cheery, happy demeanor being replaced with a more calm one, which was strange for Envy. no one really look at him that way before. "So you'd rather go back and be Sombra's little servant than be with some humans who actually gave a shit about you?" Envy would say something, but when thinking over the question, something seemed different with it. Would he rather do that, or no? Would he rather go back to being a servant? Envy stayed quiet, not sure what to say at first, but then Blair smiled to him. It wasn't the same sadistic smile Sombra would give, or any regular demon when confronting their prey or anything, but rather one of a more cheery nature. "Gotcha." "Y-You got nothing, witch, don't act like you do!" Envy insisted, but all that did was get Blair to laugh a little bit. "Oh, I totally got you now." "SHUT UP. I'm nothing like those worms, I'm a -" Envy suddenly clammed up on his statement. He'd say he was a Homunculus, but now ... well, he wasn't so sure anymore. It was then that Blair got up, walked to front, and kneeled down to Envy, smiling her typical smile. "Just stay here with us, Envy. It'll be fun to have someone like you as a friend," Blair finally offered, a hand extended to him in friendship. Envy couldn't believe his ears on what Blair was telling him. After everything so far, Blair offered her friendship to him? He tried to kill her friends time and time again, he kidnapped one of them, he even killed this very same girl for god sake. And yet, even after all that, Blair still went ahead to offer him the chance to have a better life up here than down in the Underworld. These last few days in recovery did show him how these humans were treating the situation, and treating eachother more than his typical spying tactics, but will they accept him like this? ... Suddenly, Blair found Envy jumping up to her, but instead of just taking her hand, he was hugging her tight. A simple action like that told Blair that she got through to Envy, as she hugged him back. This hug stayed for a while longer, until Envy felt something being placed on his head: Blair's witch hat. "This'll keep you dry til we get back," Blair said with a smile. Envy stayed quiet, but he didn't take the hat off of his head. After all, the rain was getting off of him this way, and Envy adjusted the hat a little bit more. So, the two started heading back, Envy only needing to say one thing. ... "... Thanks ..." S03Ep7: Freshman ~新入生~That night was a more proper moment for many of them. Envy did indeed return, though Alphonse was now the one that needed to be mended thanks to what Sombra had done to him. Regardless if it did threaten his life or not, he can't enrirely cooperate straight with the giant hole in his side. Call it bittersweet, but they did end up getting Envy back with then thanks to Blair. It won't be for too much longer when they will head back on their way, and be that as it may, they got their work handled far as they know. That didn't mean straight back to their own lives though, since Nagisa Shiota was either dead or missing. Twilight made her promise to find him alongside Aladdin, and they're going to take it and keep it no matter the case. With nighttime cooling down, the group all got themselves ready to hit the hay. Twilight in particular was ready for bed herself, in the guest room with Pinkie and Blair for roommates much like back in Central. A rather typical arrangement, though at the moment it was only Pinkie Pie with her, Blair taking care of Envy as favor. Twilight was already in her PJs and about ready for bed, her alchemy book out on her lap. As Pinkie gleefully got herself ready for bed, she took notice of Twilight and her currently down mood. "Yugi? You're looking down on the dump again," Pinkie pointed out. Twilight didn't even notice until Pinkie pointed it out. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Twilight insisted. "Liar liar, plants for hire!" "It's pants on fire pinkie," Twilight corrected. "You wouldn't want your pants on fire, Yugure, that would be super mean!" Pinkie insisted. Twilight just sighed, but Pinkie was suddenly on the bed with Twilight, right by her side. "Tell auntie Pie your problem," Pinkie insisted, wanting to help her friend in this time of need. Twilight really didn't want to be a burden to Pinkie Pie, but both girls could guess the problem already since it started after Pluton was beaten. Her slump just hadn't gone away, and so long as Nagisa was still gone, they can't know anything for sure. Twilight laid down in bed, turning to the window. "Look, I'll tell you in the morning, ok? It's getting late," Twilight suggested. To Pinkie that answer was about good enough for her, and Pinkie hopped into her own bed. "Okie-Dokie-Lokie. Night night," Pinkie said. And sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Pinkie Pie was off and asleep, just like that. Seriously, there wasn't really much time for her to just pass out on the bed there. Still, Twilight got enough peace and quiet for the time in order to get some sleep herself. It won't be much longer until they would go off, so it wasn't a good idea for her to drain her energy on that. So, with a sigh, she got herself comfortable, and went right off to sleep. ....... Twilight? Is that you? A calming voice, one she wasn't familiar with but not threatened by, begun to speak with her. The voice was just enough to get Twilight to stir awake, and get her sitting up. However, Twilight didn't find herself back at the Elric's place, but instead at a oddly familiar location within the dreamscape, one times at sunset rather than night time. The rivers, smooth floor, and singular trees all were familiar to the girl one way or another. Her body was the same as the first time she was in this place: all white and simplified in the skin with no precise details to note out. Standing in front of her was another figure, the supposed source of the voice, and who was talking to Twilight in the first place. Though how did he even know of Twilight's special name was something she wanted to figure out first. And there was a very few people he could've picked up the name from. Twilight took a look around for a moment. "Who're you? And where'd you hear that name? ..." Twilight asked. As he took a step forward, Twilight humbly stepped back. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you, I promise. You may call me Lugia," the figure introduced. So far, he didn't seem sounding too threatening, but with Twilight's previous experience with a deity knowing her nickname, she wasn't taking chances with him, or at least not many chances. "Stay there," Twilight suddenly insisted, something Twilight almost didn't realize she said aloud. Still, Lugia complied and stopped moving, standing about ten feet away. At least this deity was willing to listen to her. Twilight got her courage together, one hypothesis coming to mind. "Lugia. I-I know this might be out of nowhere, but ..." Before Twilight could get it out, Lugia nodded his head. "I'm a friend of Nagisa," Lugia answered. Despite herself, Twilight couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Sorry, I-I thought you were more dangerous." "I understand your concern, but why would I? If anything, I really should be thanking you and your friends for what they've done back in Central. What you've done there basically saved your world from utter destruction. And for that, I'm deeply grateful," Lugia said, hand to his chest with a smile on his face. There was no doubt in Twilight's mind what Lugia was talking about when it came to what happened back in Central, Pluton immediately coming to mind. However, Twilight did feel a bit humbled, remembering what Lugia had just said earlier, and that he was a friend of Nagisa. Then came another, more troubling idea. ... "... So. You're Nagisa's friend. ... That's good to know he has someone here that he can call a friend," Twilight said, though the tone was oddly changed from relief to a more depressed one, something Lugia was a little confused about. "What happened?" "... Nagisa, he's ... he's ..." Twilight wasn't sure if she wanted to even say it, but with Lugia, a supposed holy deity mind you, that puzzle was starting to show the overall picture to her eyes. All that came out was "We couldn't find him." "Gone. ... OH, I see. I see," Lugia finished, feeling some sadness build up in him on the news as well. However, he kept his tears in and released the sadness in a sigh of his own. However, Twilight wiped away her tears. "No. No, I'm going to find him. I know he's out there somewhere," Twilight reassured, though it was mostly to herself. "I'm sorry to hear that Nagisa's gone missing. I hope you do find him," Lugia replied, walking closer to her. This time Twilight didn't tell him to stop, and allowed him to come a few feet closer. "Thank you, Lugia," Twilight said, humbly. Lugia nodded to the girl. "Yes. ... you and your friends did so much. I know this isn't much, but, here." What Lugia initially had in mind was a bit of an interesting one. Twilight just stood there, Lugia gently placing his hands on her shoulders and lining her up so they were face to face. Lugia knew what he was doing, and Twilight could sense that nothing malicious was going to come from this action this time. The deity leaned in a bit, and Lugia focused his own energy, his eyes starting to glow. It was a little bit, but Twilight's eyes started to glow too, as she was starting to see something being played out in front of her. This vision was a bit of a different one, and it only lasted a little bit, but what Lugia showed her did help her out: a figure standing off in a forest. The vision was rather blurred, and unfortunately, the vision was rather quick and when Lugia's eyes faded, so did the vision. It was that moment one other question was answered in her head. It was him who showed them. ~~ Before they knew it, morning arrived. And despite the rainstorm yesterday, weather was a bit more fairer then, as they were preparing to head off. sure, Nagisa may not be there still, but all the same they can't stay at the Elric's place forever. It took the group a bit to get ready, but they were eventually outside, Twilight first. "Thanks again for letting us stay, Ed," Twilight started. "It's no trouble at all. Happy we could help," said Alphonse. Despite his body being armor, he still was bandaged up along his torso. "Yep. Now let's be off on our grand adventure!" Pinkie beamed, more than ready to head off on her way. However, Karma managed to grab her shoulder to keep her still, the pink girl running in place for about two seconds. "Hold your horses, Pinkie. some of us still need to get out here!" Karma said, yelling at the last part to be sure someone heard him from upstairs. "I have my routine, and it will not be rushed!" shouted Ciel from inside the house. While it was taking a little bit for Ciel to get ready to go, one other person did end up ready in time and met up with them just outside. Turned out, instead of Ciel and Sebastian, it was actually Blair and Envy. Blair looked normal, but Envy was given a bit of a clean up over last night. He looked a lot better now, cleaned up from the dirt and rain, and now dressed up in some casual clothes: a white T shirt, dull green highwater pants, and a pair of brown shoes. Seriously, Envy looked less like a Homunculus, and more like just a regular kid, though the only main thing from his normal outfit he kept was the headband. Envy still felt a little uneasy around this group, but he didn't feel up for running off on them again like before, especially considering their talk by the old tree. "Morning Envy, what's up? You feeling better? Didn't catch a cold did you?" asked Aladdin. Envy didn't respond at first, turning his head away, and rubbing his arm. "I'm fine," Envy simply said. Even if he was trying it out, he was still a bit uncomfortable. sure, he was familiar with humans, but most of the time he was in a disguise and not fully exposed like this, not to mention his personal past experience with said company of humans, witch, magi, and demonic butler. Karma though couldn't help but chuckle. "What's with this 180 here? Openly mocking us and now you can't even get your words together? Didn't page you as antisocial," Karma joked. "Well, excuse me for being uncomfortable around a group of humans who saved me after I tried to kill them. It feels just a little weird," Envy spat. "There he is," Karma added, playfully fluffing Envy's hair. Guess they weren't scared of him anymore. Envy fixed up his hair, though this did push the point further off what Sebastian told him about. It still felt odd to have Karma of all people play with him life he was an old friend or something. "Right. So where're we even going?" Envy questioned. That was the only thing that he didn't get answered in his stay here. It was Aladdin who was happy to answer him. "We went over it last night: we're going to check back at Central and see how they're doing, and after that, we're going to try to find Nagisa," Twilight explained, confident in her mind that she would find him somewhere. Twilight seemed confident about it, Aladdin too. "They're still up for looking for him?" Envy wondered, scratching his head. The others seemed willing to follow Twilight's lead on it, though Envy wondered if they're going to accept the fact Nagisa died or not. He figured he was dead at least, and how would he survive Pluton's rampage anyway? ... "Oh, so much confidence. It's brings a tear to your eye ..." And one more surprise this morning made Envy jump back, away from the house. Korosensei was stopping by this morning, the demon teacher up on the roof of the Elric house. The demonic octopus was in a different get up from his teacher uniform, this time in a pair of blue overalls, and looking rather dirty from manual labor. He also had some tissues with him to wipe away some tears off of his face, moved by Twilight's determination and from Envy's decision to join the group. "Korosensei, a pleasure to see you. Albeit a little behind schedule," Sebastian said calmly. The happy moment quickly turned to a ticked off one for Korosensei, who was already in Sebastian's face. "Give me a break, I have to juggle so much on my head: there's teaching lessons at Orora High, giving you students your assignments, and now building up Central from Pluton's wreck! SERIOUSLY, MY TENTACLES ARE STUCK IN KNOTS HERE!" Korosensei pleaded, showing his blistered tentacles to him. "Speaking of Central, did you manage to rebuild it yet?" Ciel asked, ignoring the statements Korosensei was making. "No, there's still buildings about a mile in front Pluton's entrance to fix. Should have it done by say ... the end of the week," Korosensei said, making a accurate calculation at the rate he was going, trying to mend his tentacles during the time. "A week?!" Ed and Al gasped. "I could've got it done in half the time if this speed demon didn't have any other promises to make," Korosensei noted, wishing he could get this job over and done. Ed and Al couldn't believe their ears: Korosensei getting so much done in little to no time at all?! He was building back Central, and it was apparently taking just a week or two to do it. However, Korosensei felt some ego coming up seeing the Elric brothers and their shocked faces. "He has to be joking," Ed commented. "Dude, you're talking to a demon who can fly at Mach-20," Karma informed, surprising them even more. "Did you manage to rebuild the capitol of Central?" asked Ciel. "Got that done on my second day," Korosensei said, green stripes coming up on his face to show his ego. "Awesome! come on, let's get going," Aladdin said, starting to get a head start. However, Ciel grabbed the eager magi by his ponytail to keep him still, his running in place lasting a little longer than Pinkie. "Just a moment. We may be welcomed at Central, but it might be problematic if we're bringing a Homunculus over within city limits, especially considering his previous involvement," Ciel pointed out. Envy knew he was right, but then again, Envy didn't look half as threatening as he used to be. Pinkie was quick to notice that too, the girl hugging Envy all of a sudden, his face in her breasts. "He's no meanie anymore. How can you say no to this cute face?" Pinkie asked, though Envy was more surprised than cute, half his face in and half out of her cleavage, arms flailing behind him. Yeah, they're REALLY not scared of him anymore, and Envy couldn't get himself free either. Pinkie was doing a rather sad, puppy dog face to try and push her point across, but Ciel's heart wasn't affected by it too much. "Maybe we can sneak him inside Al's armor again. The kid's got plenty of room in there," Karma suggested, knocking on Al's armor to emphasize. The knocking though knock off some loose screws in Al's armor though, one which fell in full view. "... Yeah, no," Twilight said. "I'm way ahead of you, as usual, Karma!" Korosensei. "as usual?" Karma commented, as Korosensei suddenly pulled something out of his overall pocket. It was an answer that, while it did technically help them, caught Envy completely off guard. Korosensei unrolled, and revealed to everyone a personalized 3-E attendance sheet, with written names of the students for each seat. While on the surface it seemed to be out of nowhere, its what Korosensei had added to the seating that made Envy surprised. Envy saw, at the third seat on the second row, his own name! Envy, written out in kanji, was put in one of the seats within the 3-E class. That could only mean one thing ... "Ta-Da! I got you into my class!" "WHAT?!" Envy yelled. He just joined up to the group last night, why would he suddenly just jump to a school run by a demon teacher?! Isn't that a bit fast? "As a teacher, it is my duty to take care of my students in body, mind, and soul. And considering your newer form and start of a new life, I, Korosensei, am more than willing to get you on the right path!" Korosensei said. "But I'm not your student!" Envy insisted. All he got from that was Korosensei presenting the seating in his face. "Now you are," Korosensei said cheekily. Envy took a step back towards Blair, but after some quick thinking, Blair and the others got to their conclusion. "This is perfect!" Blair decided, only freaking Envy out even more. "What why?! I just got started, and you all kept me around while I was healing, I try to run away and you convince me to stay, and now you all are ditching me?!" Envy accused. Guess Envy got the wrong idea about it. "No, Envy listen. It takes time to actually get this world down pact, and let's be honest, and if you do this, you can actually better fit in with this world," Twilight explained. "That, and you'll be taking a break from all these hellish pricks for a while and chill out in school with the cleverest teacher in Orora High. Trust me, you're in some pretty good tentacles if you join his class," Karma added in. Being a student of E class himself, he knew what he was talking about better than anyone else here. Envy considered his options. On one hand: he could stay with the group and work against Sombra directly, as a bigger payback on the demon lord for ditching him. On the other hand: he could go with Korosensei, learn about the world a bit, and take a little break from his usual work. ... "... Screw it. I'll go with the teacher." That was all Korosensei needed to hear. Before Envy could react, he found himself inside Korosensei's shirt, snug as a bug, and as secure as he could be. All of a sudden he wasn't so sure about this after all if this was how he was going to get there, but at least Korosensei got his spare clothes in a convenient suitcase he somehow grabbed. From where, he didn't know. "K, Envy, have fun at school. We'll meet you again when we find Nagisa, ok?" Blair said with a smile. Envy just nodded. "K, kids, I'll be sure to catch up with you all soon. Good luck finding Nagisa, and your way to Central. Godspeed!" And with that, Korosensei jumped right up into the air, and bolted off with Envy. One going off to school, and the rest off on their way to Central. So, continues their adventure in Amestris. ~~ One side traveling, the other learning, and for the next five days it gave both sides plenty of time to get their tasks accomplished. Back in Orora high (and practically all of Japan when you think about it), a lot of buzz was going around concerning the most recent worldwide scare that was Pluton. Honestly how could they not? Something like that could NOT be ignored in the slightest, no matter how much the government tried, especially with it spread around on worldwide news. At the 3-E class, things were no different, and many of the students were chatting up about the incident. With Korosensei, and Karasuma now out and away from class, this gave them some actual time to themselves, without training tips or extra teachings. Amongst these students, Nabiku was quietly getting her own work together for whenever class would begin, the girl not able to block out this news the other students were talking a storm about. This news got her glancing over to where Karma would be sitting, only seeing an empty seat. ... "I hope Karma's ok. ... We haven't heard much out of him in weeks. And Niji, she's been gone for a while too. Was she involved there? ..." Nabiku wondered in worry, not only for Karma, but for Niji too. Karma may be able to hold his own, Niji as well, but if anything about the whole Pluton thing was true then the chances of either surviving (if they were there that is), was extremely slim. The days since then didn't give her any word about it either, and the last hearing about Niji being a sort of experiment left her wondering if she was sent off after Pluton or not. ... "Nabiku? Nabiku?" a student said, snapping her fingers in front of Nabiku's face. Nabiku got her mind back in place, and she looked to the student. This student was another one of the girls of 3-E, a bit petite in height, hair orange, short and wavy and her eyes a peridot green. "Oh, sorry, Hinano. what did you say?" "Just asking if you're okay. You've been looking a little down lately," Hinano said. "I'm uh ... I'm just worried over Karma and Niji ... that's all," Nabiku admitted, very quiet about it, just enough so Hinano could only hear her. Hinano looked over to the empty seat where Karma would be, but gave Nabiku a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Nabiku. Karma is pretty tough and strong for his age, and for Niji, well, she took a knife through the head and walked off like it was nothing. I think they'll be fine, I'm sure of it," Hinano said. Yeah, Nabiku realized Hinano's point, especially considering Niji managed to drive Tataoka off with a knife through her head, and how easily Karma won over Korosensei on day one. With Tataoka, and Karasuma gone, at least the assassination craziness was severely dropped without them to teach em, but she still wondered what was going on with Niji. "Well ..." "GOOD MORNING, 3-E class! Please take your seats, we got a big day today!" Korosensei suddenly announced. His appearance got them to their seats. Korosensei was especially excited this morning, giggling to himself as he took count over each student with his little seating list. First time in a while he could say practically everyone (Karma excluded of course) was present and accounted for. He took a look over to Kirara to be sure, and seeing her confirmed it. Kirara had been and gone since Tataoka showed up, but with him now out of the way she had no reason to keep herself back any longer. "I'm SO GLAD to see everyone is here today! And guess what everybody: we got a brand new face to our 3-E family joining us today!" Korosensei, catching their attention. "Another new kid?" Terasaka commented. "I wonder who it is this time?" wondered Sugino. "Think Niji decided to join up?" Nakamura wondered. "Could be interesting," Kirara thought. These thoughts and suggestions were passed around the classroom bit by bit, with what had just happened in Amestris and Korosensei being gone for that, they could only wonder who or what might be joining them this time. Eventually though, the door over to the hallway opened up and their newest edition took a step in. He didn't appear to be too thrilled by this at all, not looking to any of the students there either, and one extra detail many of them noticed: he wasn't in school uniform, but in his casual clothes instead. "Wha?! We've been over this, you need to be in uniform!" Korosensei said, freaked out seeing him not matching up. "I've seen kids go into school like this, there's no reason why I have to," he made clear. He was uncomfortable enough to be here, he didn't want to look like the matched set of Orora High. He walked over to the front of the class, following one little custom to Japanese school routine at least, and Korosensei went on to quickly write up his name up on the board for them to see. Envy. "Please welcome Envy, everyone!" Korosensei announced, Envy folding his arms and keeping his gaze down. Well, if he had one thing going for him it's that they never saw him before, so he had that going for him. Many of the students took a moment to look him over, the kid standing out from the crowd like a sore thumb. His long shaggy hair, casual clothes, small stature, all of these made him just stand out more than most. "Hi," Envy simply said. "K, Envy, please take a seat and we'll get started," Korosensei said. And so Envy took his seat over where Korosensei told him, and he just stayed quiet. Not because he was shy, but he just felt a little odd being in this situation. This was the same person who would rather hunt humans over taking class with them. His seat was right beside Kirara as it turned out, and Envy could feel students were watching him. "DO YOU MIND?" Envy growled, getting them to stop. For now, anyway. ....... For the next few hours of Envy's first class, he honestly couldn't remember the classes and lessons all too well, though that was mainly because Envy was dealing with the other students around him. Such a rather diverse crowd of humans far as he could see, and all of them apparently getting along rather fairly. None of them tried to insult Envy yet, anyway. When class third was done, and onto lunch, it was here that Korosensei took off to handle his own business, and leaving the others to do what they wanted for a bit. Envy just sat there, bored out of his mind, when some of the students begun to talk to him, wanting to know their new classmate. "So, what's with the name?" one of the students asked. "What about it?" Envy asked, clearly not interested. "I mean, come on, "Envy"? That's not your actual name, is it?" Envy figured it would be time for someone to question him, but he just scoffed and turned away. He hadn't been there for even a day, and people are already questioning his personal information. "There's nothing wrong with it," Envy hissed, confirming their answer. "Hey, hey, sorry, don't get so worked up," Nakamura suggested, though Envy didn't feel all too good about it. "Well don't question me and my choices. I was decided that name before I was even born, why should I try to change it now?" Envy made clear, making sure they did indeed get to not question him about this sort of thing. Well, it seemed that this kid was in no mood to talk. However, one of the kids was up and walking over to him, her hand placed on the desk as she leaned in towards Envy. "You can't expect your parents to have your best interest at heart," she said. "But I don't -" Envy quickly stopped himself when he saw who was talking to him. It was Kirara, but her face caught him rather off guard: she had Korosensei's grin mixed with the killer eyes of Sombra, and all put together with little to no effort at all on her part! "You think the a cute name like "Kirara" goes with this face? Seriously? Makes me sound like a pretty little princess," Kirara said, keeping her scary face on her. Envy didn't know what she was talking about, and he gathered his nerves quicker than the others in the group by him. He wasn't all spooked by Kirara's face, but it just came out of nowhere. All the same, he saw plenty worse faces down in the underworld. "In hell, maybe," Envy commented. "It might as well be for a girl like me: my mom lives in her own little fantasy world. One slight slip up and she goes into absolute hysterics. You have any idea what it's like to live in a house like that? I'll say this, it doesn't make living up to her cute name any easier." Awkward indeed, and much of the group were really disturbed in this rather sudden realization. Well, all except for Envy that is, who just laid back in his seat, unfazed. "Is that all?" "What do you mean 'all'?!" the kids thought (excluding Kirara of course). "Well, what's your side of childhood like?" Kirara asked, arms crossed. Envy didn't feel like sharing his own past out to a bunch of humans, if keeping the Underworld secret mattered or not. Pluton basically announced their existence already, but that didn't mean Envy had to share his personal history with this place. "Like you need to know," Envy groaned, getting up and starting to head over to the door leading to the main yard. These humans were really starting to bug him, he didn't need any of it. Nabiku quietly watched Envy taker his leave outside, worried over his well being. "Uh ... Envy?" "Shut it," Envy quickly spat out, silencing Nabiku before she could get involved, and so he went on out, closing the door behind him so he could get some air. He didn't want any help out of any of these humans. ....... "K, what the hell are you doing now?" then came the training. Yeah, it had been toned down a lot, but that didn't mean it was stopped altogether. And since they had some extra time in gym, it was time for some training, curtesy of Korosensei himself. Korosensei was in his athletic instructor uniform, and as before, he was taking the assassination class with a cheery attitude, as the other students tried their luck in taking him down. His mach-20 speed may be keeping him at bay from their knives, but the students clearly were doing a lot better here. Envy just stood there and watched the students try to take a stab at him, some faster, some stronger, but they all were doing their best to take him out. If they can say one thing, it's that this surely beats Tataoka's training methods by a long shot. "Come on, Envy, join in!" Hinano called, waving to him. "Yeah, come on sport arm up and take a stab!" Korosensei insisted, popping up in front of him. "You're letting these humans try to kill you? And I thought that Pinkie Pie was a dumbass," Envy commented, as Korosensei dropped an anti-me knife down into Envy's hands. "Say what you want, kiddo, but if you wanna chance to kill me, I'm right here! come on, don't be shy," Korosensei offered, getting a bit cocky in himself. One of the students tried a sneak attack on the demon teacher, but missed Korosensei by a good mile. Envy needed a minute to comprehend what this was. This same teacher, the one that agreed to take him here and teach him how to handle this world, and he wanted Envy to try and kill him. ... HELL YEAH! "He's mine!" Envy said, a sinister toothy smile on his face as he soon joined in the fray. FINALLY, something he was more familiar with, and something he wanted to crack at for the longest time too! With knife in hand as his weapon, Envy got right into it and tried his luck at Korosensei, but like many of the other students he wasn't able to make a connection. The idea of trying to kill Korosensei, and given permission to do so no less, made envy feel very giddy for the first time all day. However, Korosensei not standing still and actually letting him finish him off made Envy less giddy and more annoyed about it. Envy got so close to him many times, only to miss at the last literal second. "Hold still you bitch!" Envy demanded. "You have to catch me first!" Korosensei joked, getting a bit cocky again. That just brought fire in Envy's eyes as he continued trying at him. Each swing, each stab, each strike only hit air, leaving Korosensei simply laughing at him. "Damnit! DAMNIT! Why can't this bastard stand still?" Envy thought, teeth grinding as he tried his luck over and over and over again, each time making him more and more frustrated in his failures. The other students weren't doing much better than he was, yet he kept finding himself over next to them. ... "SCREW YOU!" Envy finally had enough of this game: grabbing the closest person to him by their arm (Terasaka as it turned out), and to the surprise of everyone else there, Envy mustered up all the strength he had with him, and actually managed to throw Terasaka straight at Korosensei! Normally Korosensei would dodge, but when he saw him get thrown, he had to stop and catch him before he could get hurt. However, this gave Envy enough time to finally run at him, and throw his blade right at him. Having to grab Terasaka, even Korosensei had little time to reflect the blade, and it got contact with his shoulder, dangerously close to his heart! The yellow goop splattered out, and it was a rather strong hit. not enough to kill him, but it was a strong one regardless. While Envy felt satisfaction in his game, the other students looked to Envy with mixed reactions of surprise, worry, and anger. "HA! FINALLY! Now die you piece of shit!" Envy bellowed, running towards Korosensei. Korosensei though got the blade out of him, got Terasaka down safely, and was gone and out of sight. He managed to reappear over on the rooftop of the building, tentacle over where Envy stabbed him. Nabiku and Karma may have got their hits, but Envy was especially close this time. "Get back down here, coward!" Envy demanded. All that did was make Korosensei bolt away out of sight. As satisfying as it was to actually strike the demon king, not killing him made Envy more frustrated than most. No way was Envy going to catch him, no matter how fast he could run, Homunculus strength or not. When all that was done, Envy took a breather for a minute, though the students of 3-E didn't take him very kindly. "Ahem." That sound made Envy turn around and he soon was met with a ton of disapproving, angry faces from 3-E. Envy didn't really get it though. "What?" "What do you mean 'what'? You just threw Terasaka at Korosensei!" shouted Nakamura. "So? I got further than the rest of you did," Envy pointed out nonchalantly, obviously not caring for Terasaka's safety. True as that may be, the rest of the class did not approve of that answer. Terasaka was up in his face, and suddenly had Envy by the collar, lifting him up off the ground. "Shut your face, you prick!" Terasaka demanded. Not often did Envy end up in this situation, and what's worse, Terasaka brought his fist up, and clocked him square in the face, strong enough to knock him off his feet. Envy tumbled and landed on his back, a strong red mark now in between his eyes. "Think you can use me as a projectile and get away with it, piss head?!" Terasaka yelled, as Envy got himself off the ground. His head was pounding from the punch, already deep red and pounding. Envy stared daggers at Terasaka, one hand over his newly given wound. He'd go into a fit, but that punch was a major reminder of just how weaker he got thanks to Chrysalis. A punch like that wouldn't even faze him before, but now it felt like his skull got cracked or something. It really wasn't that bad, but it still was painful for him. Envy got to his feet alright, and looked over every other face of the 3-E class. Apparently, he dun goofed. "Can someone tell me what I did wrong?! You all want him dead, don't you?" "Of course we do, but we're not going to throw our own lives away to do that. Seriously Envy, I don't know what you're life was like before coming here, but whatever it was, it's not the same here," Sugino said. Envy groaned from his headache for a minute before he turned to the building, and slammed the door behind him. "The hell's with that kid?" Nakamura wondered. ~~ It was surprisingly quicker than they expected it to, but the day was eventually up for this school. Just a minute or two before the final bell was about to ring, but after their little incident in training, Envy had taken an early leave, and he was long gone before the last minute ticked on by. The first day of school, and Envy already was off and gone. "Has anyone seen Envy?" Korosensei asked. "No, and we don't care. He took off half an hour ago," Terasaka sighed. Korosensei felt a bit worried over it. "Well, it's probably good he's not here. I wouldn't want to be his next target," commented Takuya. "Same here, man," added in Yoshida. These sorts of comments were overly agreed on by most of the class, and Korosensei could easily get a good guess as to why that would be. Before Korosensei could get his own word in edge wise, the ringing of the bell signified the end of the school day, and rather quick too. Much to the demon lord's dismay, the students already started to get themselves all ready and set up to go, but before any of them could, Korosensei suddenly jumped in the way of the door, stopping the class from leaving. "Now hold on a minute. Just a few more minutes, I got something to explain to everyone," Korosensei made clear, getting the point out before anyone could ask. "What gives, just wait until tomorrow," Yoshida said, trying to get out, but Korosensei refused to move. He had something important to say to these students, and damnit, he wasn't going to waste another moment in doing so. some of the more behaved students waited it out, and Korosensei went right over to the front to get his explanation going. "Now, I know for a fact that Envy gave you all a bit of a hard time today." "A bit? He threw me at you!" Terasaka yelled. "We're all aware of that, thank you. But understand, he's going through a bit more development and adapting than any of you will ever do. So much here is different compared to where he used to live, and since he's no longer allowed back home, he's going to need some time to get himself settled in and comfortable." "... But, why?" Nabiku asked, enough courage to even say it. Still, she wasn't the only one actually thinking it, and understandably so. Korosensei took this part with a grain of salt, as he went on to say it. "It's like this. Our new student, Envy, he's ... he's basically where I'm from," korosensei got out. He didn't detail what envy actually was, or how long he was there, but everyone in the class got the general idea right away the minute he said those words. Kirara took that into thought, remembering what Envy had said to her before when she told him about her little backstory. "Well, that explains a lot," Kirara thought. "I know he may not be willing, but please try to make him feel at home while he's here, okay? Try to show him that you humans aren't as bad as he was taught to be. It'll help him out so much more than you know," Korosensei promised, sounding more like a parent than just a teacher. At least Envy wasn't there to hear this, otherwise he'd be all over everyone, that Korosensei was a bit grateful for. Nabiku was hit a little hard with this news, remembering what he did today: snapping at students, barely making a smile, nearly killing one of them during assassination practice. It was enough to bring a lot of sorrow for Nabiku. "Envy ..." "Wait a minute, why'd you drag him out of hell with you? He looks young, but he's still a demon, right?" asked Sugino. "First of all, he's not a true demon like me, Envy's a former Homunculus. And secondly, he wasn't in the underworld when I found him. You all remember that giant demon attack broadcasted a week or two ago?" Korosensei explained. That surely got them surprised more than most, them all well aware of what happened in Amestirs. The idea that Envy had to go through all that after everything made a bit more sense to his behavior after all. "Well. Damn." "I know, right? Now come on, at least try to take it easy on him a little bit. ... That means you, Terasaka," Korosensei made clear. "Hey, he threw me, I call it even!" Terasaka reminded, Korosensei referring to his punch on Envy earlier. All the same though, some students were starting to understand Envy's behavior towards them. What regular resident from the underworld wouldn't act coldly towards a human anyway, especially after what he'd gone through? "We promise, Korosensei," Nabiku finally got out. "We'll make him feel right at home," added in Hinano. Both girls felt, especially now, that it just wasn't fair for Envy to go through all this hardship, and they wanted him to feel better here. Korosensei was especially pleased with that news. ~~ Well, it took a bit of convincing, but Envy did eventually come back towards the 3-E building. He was all alone at this point in time, his head bruised but still he was alright. It was a rather quiet walk, the sounds of Pidoves in the air and the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. At least his walks gave him time to chill out and head to the 3-E building without trouble. Eventually, Envy caught sight of the building up ahead, though the students didn't seem very evident outside. They were probably off and in already, so he didn't think too much of it. What he did think about though was Terasaka slamming him off his feet. The memory made him grit his teeth. ... "What was I thinking? I don't belong here," Envy thought. Not like he had a choice though, Sombra and Chrysalis made sure of that. How could he go back without any of his abilities without getting torn apart by his fellow demons? When he finally reached the doors, he made his decision. "Screw Sombra. When I'm done here, I'm making things right," Envy concluded. With that decision made, Envy went on ahead and opened up the door to enter, only to find ... Nobody? "Wait, what?" "Envy! Come on, let's go!" a voice called. Well, no one was in the classroom for whatever reason, not a soul in there, so the only source the sound could be coming from was off outside. However, Envy didn't really have a clue what was exactly going on this time, and there wasn't a student or teacher in the room to even tell him what was what. Envy went on outside to the yard, and soon he found that the students were all outside, but they were also starting to head into the forest, again for whatever reason. Rather than Korosensei popping up in his face, instead Hinano and Nabiku both went up to him, Nabiku holding her bag with her. "Where's everyone going?" "It's a surprise, Envy. Korosensei decided this morning to take us all on a trip for our hard work," Hinano said. Both girls were rather quick to notice Envy's large bruise, courtesy of Terasaka. Nabiku looked deeply concerned over it, despite Envy trying to cover it. "Oh my. Here, maybe I got something for you," Nabiku said, as she looked through her bag. "I'm fine, it's just a bruise," Envy said, moving away a little bit from Nabiku. However, Nabiku got out some medicine for him, some Neosporin to be exact, and got some on her finger. "Here, this'll help you. Can you let me?" Nabiku asked. She'll deny it if he didn't want it, but Envy didn't see how some little bit of goo will help the bruise on his head. Rather than grip this time, Envy just rolled his eyes and stood still. Nabiku then went ahead and smeared the medicine out on his head. Envy backed up quick from the stinging, and how cold it was, but Nabiku got on just enough to help. The goo was cold, and a bit sticky on his forehead. "And what does this do besides stick to my damn head?" "No, no keep it on. It'll help heal that bruise on your head, I promise," Hinano said, trying to reassuring him that it was a good thing, Nabiku nodding in agreement. Envy had to take their word for it when it comes to medicine in this world, but it didn't mean that he didn't enjoy it much. ....... Anyway, after that, he was off and moving with the others. The other students went on through the forest, but Korosensei was nowhere to be found. A bit odd that these students were walking through the forest with little guidance as far as Envy could see. Nabiku was walking right next to him in this group, but at least the walk didn't bug him at all. During their walk through the forest, Envy took a glance over to Terasaka, who wasn't even looking his way. Envy gave him a glare, but he wasn't sure if Terasaka even noticed him or not in their stroll. "He's being a bit quiet today. Maybe my incident yesterday finally got to him," Envy thought, rather taking that answer over any other. At least that one left him feeling on top rather than at the bottom of the argument. "Is it much further?" Yoshida asked. "The hell do I know? Korosensei just told us to go this way," Terasaka replied. That didn't really help them out too much. Luckily for them though, their next destination wasn't that far off left to go. The group of E students stepped out of the shrubbery to a clearing, and soon they all found their destination. The place was pretty secluded, and with some proper tuning, Korosensei made this once decedent mountain pond into their own personal swimming pool! The water was clear and cool, removed of much foreign plants and mud to leave only the smooth mountain rocks. Korosensei was over nearby, dressed in a lifeguard get up which included a whistle around his neck, sitting up on a lifeguard chair waiting for them. The pool was modified a bit to suit them: a wooden dock on one side, three floating borderlines for swimming practice, and a metal ladder at the dock for easy access in and out. "Welcome to your own personal pool, 3-E!" Korosensei announced. "You made our own pool?" "Correct-I-mando! And today, let's all take a little field trip and do some practice in water techniques, shall we?" Korosensei offered, giving them all a wink. They didn't need any further encouragement. "Me first!" Nakamura said. Envy suddenly found the others around him taking off their outer clothes, immediately getting his eyes covered. Lucky for him though, they already got on their swimsuits underneath, as instructed by Korosensei before he left. Nakamura got herself ready first, and she was the first to jump right in, a big splash in her wake for the first one in the pool. "Well what do you know, Korosensei actually took the time to make this for us. He's going to spoil us at this rate," Sugino joked, jumping in himself with a few other students. It didn't take too long until most of the students were busily playing around in the pool. Not often would a class like E get something like this, so they wanted to take the best of it. While most of the students were busily doing whatever in the pool (playing around, practicing, or just simple gossip), Envy and Kirara were both on the sidelines. Kirara wasn't as interested in swimming as the rest of them were, having a book in her hand and reading that instead, despite being in a school swimsuit herself. Envy just didn't see why they would suddenly do this. Just yesterday, they were trying to kill Korosensei, now they were taking a field trip to swim in some mountain pool? Speaking of, while many of the students were enjoying themselves, Korosensei was ... well ... "HEY, NO GOING UNDERWATER, how am I supposed to tell if you're swimming or drowning?! Stay away from the border edge, you might be tossed down stream! Kirara, Envy, go and enjoy the water for heaven's sake!" A little bit tense. "Well, Sebastian had one point: these humans are random. I thought I had them all down pact, but now ..." Envy thought. He'll give the demon butler that much anyway, and seeing them go about the pool. Just this past week of being separated from Sombra was surely showing him just how diverse these human beings really are. One human healed him this morning when another just clobbered him yesterday. One could be cheery and sweet while another could mimic a demon down to a tee. As Envy was staying over by a tree, he took a glance over to Kirara, who was spending her time in reading a book in the shade of the trees. Even with her nose in the book, Kirara did end up catching him looking her way. "Care to have a look?" Kirara offered, showing him a spare book she had with her. In fact, she had several novels of these books, apparently from the same series whatever it was. Envy turned away and looked back to the pool instead. "I'm fine," envy said. Seeing Korosensei waiting, Kirara just placed her book down, marking the page, and started to head over to the pool. "Suit yourself," Kirara simply said, as she went into the pool. ... "About time. I can get away now that they're all busy," Envy thought. With most of the students either distracted by swimming or judging Korosensei again, Envy found himself alone and left in the dark, just what he wanted to do. Making sure they were indeed not on his trail, Envy took this chance to slip away into the forest just enough so he wasn't noticed. ~~ It took Envy a while to get to where he wanted to be, but he kept his gaze downstream as Korosensei mentioned. Since one part of the river was indeed blocked and dammed up by the demon teacher, much of the river had turned up drier than usual, so Envy didn't have that much to worry about. He continued going downstream, following the stream down over to a far more rocky area of the river, probably why Korosensei was worried about someone going downstream in the first place. For one thing, the stream dipped into a pretty deep waterfall, twenty feet down specifically and down to what would be a deeper river if Korosensei didn't dam up the thing for their pool. At the point, there was still water sure, but only about ankle deep and full of thick and smooth rocks, much like the pool itself. "Beggars can't be choosers. This'll have to do," Envy sighed, climbing down the rocky wall and down to the shallow stream bed. Down in the revene, Envy was met with some large boulders, one in particular towering over him about as tall as the cliff it was met with. It was now or never, and Envy wasn't going to waste anymore time here. Before he did start though, he took one more look up the cliff just to be sure no one actually was there. "Good, none of them followed me. OK, Envy, let's call him," Envy told himself. He didn't have dirt to work with this time, but he had a alternative method that will work regardless of what power he had on him. The first thing he did was take a sharp rock from the river bed, and actually went onto to cut the palm of his hand, just enough to make it bleed. Yeah, it hurt, but it'll be worth it in the end if this works. Next, Envy got the blood from his hand, and started to draw out the demon star onto the boulder in front of him. It wasn't as big as he did last time, but he only made up the demon star and drew out the larger circle about as big as he was, keeping it out of the water as best he could do. As before, Envy written out the same kanji as before, and then waited for something to happen. However, nothing seemed to happen. "Come on, come on," envy said, placing his bloody hand in the center of the star, trying to give what power he had to activate it. It took some more focus than normally, but soon the star symbol finally started to glow again, finally being activated. That got a good smile on Envy's face, Envy jumping back and in his bowing position for what he surely hoped would be Sombra again. Envy kept his gaze down like a servent would do, and hopfully it'll all work for him. "Ok, just work this out. Just convince that demon lord to give your power back, and everything will be fine," Envy thought, looking forward to his power returning to him. Returning to Sombra was debatable still, but he wasn't going to wait with this body of his. Envy kept his gaze down, and he heard someone step out and into the river in front of him. "Well, well, well, look what worm called me up today. You just can't stand it, can you?" "Wait ... that's not his voice," Envy quietly noted. Then he brought his gaze up, and one look was all he needed to see who he really brought out from hell to see him. It was enough to make him jump up to his feet and jump back. "Tirek!" "That's me, don't get all screwed up over it," Tirek joked. Seeing him instead of Sombra though caught Envy more off guard than ever. Sombra mentioned that he got out, yeah, but what were the odds this method would bring him up out here with him? Tirek enjoyed seeing the shock in his face, and seeing that was enough to make him giggle a bit. "The hell? Why're you here?" "You need me to tell you? Which one of us was desperate enough to summon me?" Tirek joked. As Envy said earlier, beggars can't be choosers, and if he had to get Tirek to do it over Sombra, than so be it. Tirek watched envy kneel back down again in a submissive way. "Demon lord. Please, I had my powers sucked away from me sometime ago. I want them back. Please, I'll do whatever you ask of me, just give them back," Envy said. He wasn't normally this humble, but with the only creature who could actually do that he wasn't going to get all horrid to do so, especially with a former demon lord like Tirek. Tirek was quiet at first, but then his own ominous smile grew on his face, his black and yellow eyes staring down at him. "Get up." Tirek instructed. Envy humbly responded, and started to bring himself up, but he didn't even get half way before Tirek brought his foot up and suddenly slammed his head into the ground! A strong hit, immediately making him bleed from the head, ironically right where he was healed earlier. That, and being unable to breathe under the shallow water made Envy freak out as Tirek watched in amusement. "OH, you're so predictable, you little worm. Why would I even waste my breath with a human like you?" Tirek hissed, before lifting him up out of the water, grabbing him by the back collar like some small dog off the pavement. Envy's head was now pouring blood, dripping into the stream under them both. "Don't call me a worm. I'm a Homunculus!" "Don't lie to yourself, though that does remind me. ..." Out of nowhere, and much to Envy's shock and preexisting pain, Tirek opened up his mouth good and wide, and his hand and arm were probing down his throat! Unlike Sombra, Tirek was a lot more brutal than he was, forcing his flesh and bone down his gullet as Tirek was trying to find the thing that made him a Homunculus. At least Sombra had the courtesy to turn his hand into smoke before diving into his mouth, but Tirek couldn't give less of a shit about it. Envy's eyes rolled back, blood coming out of his mouth now, until Tirek finally pulled his blood covered arm free. "Damn that Sombra, he beat me to the punch!" Tirek growled, throwing Envy to the back wall in his frustration. With his insides messed up, and bleeding out of his mouth and forehead, Envy was down to his knees, trying to stay conscious let alone alive. If he fell asleep now, he won't wake up. "Yeah, nope. I got no use for a bag of flesh like you, Envy," Tirek stated bluntly, as Envy gagged out some more blood to breathe. "C-Can't you give me something?" "Go die in a hole. Though, I'm impressed you even stayed alive this long with yourself," Tirek hissed. "What're you talking about?" A question Envy would regret asking. Tirek gently lifted up Envy's head so he was lined up with his eyes, Envy only able to see Tirek's soulless, satanic eyes. "You make this way too easy, you know that? Of course, all Homunculi are so pathetic, it's unbelievable. These artificial human beings who can't even think for themselves. Nothing but a weak expendable servant! They're not true demons, not angels, they're not even human! HUMAN! Such weak bags of flesh and you Homunculi can't even get that right! ... And then there's you: a Homunculus who can't stand to even see Humans with their cheery little lives over your own, hell you can't even stay yourself! Let's face it: Even Humans think your kind is artificial wastes, and if you envy them, then what does that make you?" Tirek finished his statement by grabbing his neck and slamming him to the wall, making him cough up more blood before Tirek dropped him. The implication was enough of a killer on Envy's soul, if the physical injuries weren't enough of a point. "T-That ... that's not true. ..." That response just made Tirek laugh at him, the demonic laughter ringing in his ears. "A homunculus who's even jealous of human beings? HA! No wonder Sombra ditched you, your ass isn't even worth caring about. You're nothing but a nuisance, and you know it," Tirek mocked, all the while adding physical punishment in the form of slaps on his head. This was more than Envy could take: the physical abuse, the power of Tirek's words, the apparent deep truth behind everything, Envy found himself breaking out into tears after everything. When Tirek saw him crying now, he stopped his physical hits and went back to his emotional ones. With some magic, he actually got a mirror out, just to show Envy his bloody, sad face. "HAHA! Look how pathetic you look! The horrid realization, the sheer shock, the injury, the sorrow, it's all written right there: PRICELESS! Simply priceless!" Tirek announced, laughing his head off at Envy's suffering. All of this did make envy completely broken. His entire existence was exactly what he said: worthless in the eyes of the Underworld. All these injuries were nothing but reminders on just how weak and worthless he became to Tirek's eyes. Envy didn't even bother to stop his tears, simply staring at the mirror Tirek was holding. But Tirek had one thing left. ... "Just one thing to make this perfect. ..." And SMASH, the mirror was suddenly shattered into sharp pieces. Tirek made sure to grab one of the larger, sharper pieces, and gladly handed it over to the broken Homunculus, turned human. It was painfully clear what this meant, envy looking over the glass given to him for a moment or two, his breath strained from his emotions and injuries. Well, if he didn't do this, he would probably end from Tirek's assaults anyway. Tirek just stood there smiling his toothy grin as Envy slowly aimed the sharpest end of the glass directly at his throat. Just one cut will do it. ... "ENVY STOP!!!" The glass in his hand was suddenly smashed up, a few anti-Korosensei beeds making short work of the glass, leaving Envy with barely anything in his hand, the glass flowing downstream away from the situation. Tirek and Envy paused for a moment, Tirek looking first to see who shot, and sure enough it was students of 3-E, Korosensei amongst them. The smoking pistol of Nabiku showed who actually made the shot. "AWW, why'd you have to spoil our fun, it was just getting good!" Tirek complained, almost childishly even. Still, Korosensei was quick to grab Envy and pull him away before Tirek could get a hold of him. "You leave him alone, demon!" shouted Nakamura, aiming her pistol. Tirek was not even remotely intimidated, despite all guns aimed right at him. "Give me one good reason why? He did summon me after all, and he can't simply stand being with you! I'm doing him a favor!" Tirek revealed, pointing to the broken Human cradled in Korosensei's arms. "FAVOR?! You're trying to kill him! How's that doing him a favor?" Hinano asked, shocked at the sadistic behavior of this demon. "You humans obviously never of Homunculi, have you? Trust me, he wants you all dead as much as me! The only difference is that he does jackshit," Tirek said, laughing again. Envy, still conscious, felt more tears flow down his face, him trying to keep from flat out baling in front of everyone. Korosensei and Nabiku were trying to patch and heal Envy up as the students confronted Tirek, much to Envy's surprise. "Why don't you go screw off, demon!!" Terasaka yelled. "Oooo, temper temper human.~ You might end up getting your neck split," Tirek warned, waving his finger at them. "Stop it, demon! You may be strong, but we got our own demon king on our side, so keep your distance," warned back Takuya. However, that only made Tirek laugh even more. "A demon king? HIM?! He's no more king than I'm a pretty angel! You go around blabbering that lie to everyone again, Koro?" Tirek mocked, making Korosensei shiver. "I'M ONE TOO!" retorted Korosensei. Before he could get any closer, suddenly Tirek had his own plan as he went forward towards the students. Some of them started to open fire, but each shot that struck him simply bounced off. Sure, his skin got a little more red, but that was about as much as they could manage with what they had. Tirek just marched right over, and suddenly had Envy by the head, holding him back in his claws and even biting into his shoulder with his razor teeth. "Sure you are. And I suppose you think you can stop me too, right?" Tirek mocked, his teeth sinking in deeper into Terasaka's shoulder like nothing! Envy thrashed around to get free but that didn't seem to do anything. As he was biting down, the taste of human flesh and blood filled up Tirek's mouth. "Oh.~ What a delicious taste.~ So juicy and tender.~" Tirek's tongue was lapping up his blood as he sank his teeth in deeper. Terasaka swung his fist right into Tirek's eye, but even with a bleeding eye it didn't make Tirek budge from his bite. "Let him go!" demanded Terasaka. "Make me, bitch!" Tirek mocked. Envy was ready to accept his fate, but the humans weren't going to let him go so easily. Nakamura, Terasaka, Yoshida and Sugino were suddenly on top of Tirek, the demon king able to stand with them all on him. Terasaka and Nakamura did the bolder move and attack him on the front, trying to pry his jaws open, as Yoshida and Sugino tried to pull Tirek off from the back. Their combined efforts weren't doing too good, though Tirek couldn't get his teeth into Envy as easily as earlier. Nabiku made another single shot, this one aimed right at Tirek's eye. Even if it was just a beed, it still stung Tirek a little bit, giving the rest just enough time to pry his jaws open and get envy free, Hinano grabbing him and moving him away. Tirek shook them all off of him, knocking them all off their feet with ease. Tirek had tasted blood, his tongue lapping up the blood similar to their previous assassinations instructor, only more wildly. Envy couldn't believe what he was seeing: these humans were risking their lives for him, and in front of a demon lord no less. Hinano and Nabiku were right at Envy's side, Korosensei working like mad to heal Envy of his new bite wound. As if he wasn't injured enough. Tirek was getting bugged with this, and actually flipped them off. "Ah, screw this, I got bigger fish to fry," Tirek decided. Fun as it is to beat these humans up, he had his own things to keep track of, and soon the Demon turned and went right back where he came, a portal opening under him and making him disappear fast. Just like that, it was over. The class then brought their attention back to Envy. Envy could feel his stitched up wounds and patches on him, one of which almost covered his eye to cover his head injuries. The attack from Terasaka now paled in comparison to the hell he was just given. As for any words, Envy couldn't say anything, and he stayed completely silent by what he had just witnessed. However, only now did his injuries finally catch up with him, and Envy ended up falling back, lights out. ....... "Did anyone hear from him yet?" asked Hinano. "Don't think so, but damn I hope he's okay," replied Nakamura. Two days had past since the little incident occurred, and as they expected it to, Envy had to be moved out for a bit. The extent of his injuries made staying over at school pretty much out of the question, and since then none of 3-E really heard much of him. While Karma and Niji were gone longer, they knew for sure that Envy left on a rough note, and they just had to wonder if he'll end up ok in the end or not. "Yeah, me too. Korosensei sure has been busy too, huh?" Nabiku brought up, the other girls nodding in agreement as they entered the building. "He's been going back and forth between him and us, he oughta be," Nakamura commented. As they went over into the halls of the E-building, the trio of girls went right on into the classroom to begin their day, only to be met with a rather good surprise. There was a few other students already, but turned out they had nothing to worry about with Envy, for he was sitting right there! The former Homunculus was not only there, he appeared alright and once more was in his school uniform over his casual clothes like he had been doing. "Envy! You're here, you're okay!" Nabiku gasped, surprised but relieved to see him alright. "Yeah, I'm alright now. Still a little sore in my shoulder though," Envy simply said, a bit quieter now over before. They got to their seats from there, but they still wanted to talk with him. "So, that was a taste of your like in the Underworld, huh?" Kirara assumed. "You got it. And Tirek's the worst they could get," Envy said. No point in hiding now after that little event. "Shit dude. Sorry to hear that," Nakamura said. Envy sighed, got up and turned around. "Yeah, thanks, but ... I think I should say that too. ... I didn't think you humans were much, but after that ... well ... I guess I should give you a bit more credit. ... You're better than I thought. ..." Envy felt embarrassed for saying these things, but they knew he meant every word of it. It was then that Kirara got up and moved over to him. "And you're a human now too, so that makes you as good as us," Kirara stated. Envy stayed quiet, and he just nodded his head. Considering he is a species that can actually stop a demon lord from killing one of them just from a few moves made him feel pretty good about it. Kirara then reached in her bag, and pulled out another book she had with her, titled "The Count of Monte Cristo". "You want to get back at those demon lords, am I right?" Kirara asked, knowingly, as envy looked at the human-made novel, Kirara continuing to explain. "This novel oughta inspire you. Seven volumes, twenty-five hundred pages of delicious revenge. Read em, and let your soul be nourished by the darkness within. Towards the end, the hero learns to forgive, so you don't have to read that part." "Seriously?! No, way too dark!" Hinano insisted. "Oh, come on. Evil has to be nurtured properly too, you know," Kirara stated. Envy paused for a moment. "But we're trying to cheer him up, Kirara," insisted Hinano. However, before they could go any further, suddenly Envy started laughing. First time they heard him laugh since he got there, or even smile for that matter. "Oh god, you humans are such puzzles, it's so hard for me to put a label on you!" Envy laughed, but he wasn't being malicious about it at all, his playful laughing making that more apparent. With everything that had happened though, Envy could confirm one thing. "I'm going to enjoy being a human." S03Ep8: The Far East ~極東~Traveling over the days had been more one-track than most of the time. For what remained of Team Harmony, they could confirm one thing: while they did lose one member, they did ended up getting two extra on their run around (three including Envy technically), but while Envy may have had his own problems over back at Orora High to deal with, Team Harmony went straight off back towards Central as they said they would do, hoping that Korosensei was true to his word on the progress he had made already. If even half of what he said was true, then they really didn't have too much to worry about. When it came to the train ride to Central, it was surprisingly smooth, and with little trouble at all. Funny, since they could've swore something would stall the trip there since Pluton's last visit to Central, but it seemed the ride was simply no problem, and the train reached Central's station on time and without incident. The group was more than ready to get off the train to see what was what with Central. ... "Well, color me impressed," said Karma, and indeed they were. Looking on from the station, and as they were going through towards the capitol, Korosensei's extra work clearly showed around the place. They could still remember how little was even left of Central, but now it looked like nothing even happened at all, albeit the area a little lower and more hilly, but that wasn't too much of an issue. Incredible to think then that just over a week ago, this place looked more like dunes from a desert rather than a active city. Though to be fair, population is still low, and not as active as it was before as they went towards Capitol Central. Not as many cars, people, or whatever roaming around these streets. "It's like nothing even happened here," said Alphonse, amazed by just how much was actually done. "If only that we're the truth," sighed Ciel. No matter how much was fixed, they couldn't fix someone's eyes with the whole Pluton broadcast. On that mention, Ed turned to Aladdin "You wouldn't happen to have a mind-erasing spell, would you Aladdin?" asked Ed. Unfortunately, Aladdin shook his head. "No, sorry. Even if I did, how many people did you think actually saw that?" Aladdin brought up. With billions of humans, the point was made painfully clear. Aladdin didn't feel too much better about it either: so many years of keeping it secret and all blown out the window thanks to a renegade dragon-level demon. Aladdin slumped a little bit, but then Pinkie fluffed Aladdin's hair. "Chin up, Magi, we all made it out of that mess, we still got eachother, and look around, Central's looking snazzy! Things could be worse, right?" "Yeah, and you know what? You've been holding yourself back, kid, so now there's no reason to anymore," Karma added. Well, as far as Aladdin knew, they all had their fair points but that could also be a double-edged sword: he isn't held back anymore, same thing for the Overworld, but what about the Underworld? They released him after all. ... "OI!" The whole group stopped on that voice, and looked on ahead. They weren't too far from Central now, and with only about a city block to go, one of the soldiers, Yoroi, went right over and caught up with them first. Seeing them after they left surely made him feel better just as much as Twilight being happy to see him. Both siblings could reassure eachother that they were okay, at least. Twilight and Yoroi caught up with eachother first as the rest of the group met them up. "Hey, Yoroi, you look alright," said Ed. "Yeah, I am. Nice to see you're all good too after everything," Yoroi replied back. "Yeah, speaking of which, Korosensei sure did wonders to the place eh?" Karma commented, referring to the city itself. Yoroi couldn't help but agree. "Oh, you bet. It would've taken us years just to rebuild one block, and Korosensei handled almost the entire area! Remind me to give the octopus a metal when I see him," Yoroi said, thumbs up on Korosensei's effort. Honestly who could blame him for being cheery about it? So much of the city being handled so quickly, it was unbelievable. Ciel just cleared his throat and looked to Yoroi. "Did your soldiers locate Nagisa as of yet? Unfortunately we didn't have much luck on our end," Ciel asked. It was something they had to answer eventually, and Ciel wanted that done and over with. Yoroi was actually hoping to wait on that. "Oh. Well, look, let's talk back at Central. Someone's expecting you there, anyway." "Pardon?" ....... So, off they went over towards Central. As it was with the rest of the city, Central was easily brought up and fixed as well, not a scratch left in place, inside and out. The group made their way off into Central, and over towards the main office, where king Bradley would normally wait in patience for them. Guided by Yoroi, it didn't take long for them to get there either, but when they did, the meeting room was a bit packed with a number of high soldiers and leaders. As a matter of fact, Victoria from England with some of her high guards was present, and even Seitenshi of Japan was there as well with a few of her instructors, Karasuma being one of them which a number of them recognized straight away. "Seitenshi and Victoria's here too? This must be very important," Twilight thought, feeling worried. Dealing with one big leader was enough trouble, but now her group had double to deal with. Ciel felt intrigued by this too, though mainly that was because Victoria was standing there as well. "A pleasure to see you all make it. A bit late, though," Victoria noted, not making Ciel feel any better. "Eh, yes, my apologies," Ciel said humbly, as he took his seat with Sebastian standing over by his side. "Hey, Karasuma, what brings you here? Did Korosensei give you a run for your money, or what?" Karma joked, nudging him in his side with his shoulder. Karasuma just stayed his usual serious self. "I'm here under order, now sit down," Karasuma instructed. "Heh, still can't take a joke," Karma commented, as he took a seat over by Blair. Twilight and Aladdin sat side by side, both taking in what they were seeing. High ranking members of the military, and two leaders of their countries under one roof. However, there was one little detail that stuck out like a sore thumb: King Bradley wasn't here. Not in the room, not at Central, not on their walk to here, though his wife was standing over by the door. "Wait. Where's the king? Didn't he call this meeting, or ...?" Aladdin asked, raising his hand so they could notice him. "Unfortunately, he went missing along with his son. Not a sign of him or Salim anywhere, I'm afraid," Seitenshi informed, which left a number of them at a loss for words. A lot of people had gone missing, Nagisa included, but the king of Amestris AND his son gone?! That was diffidently something to worry about. The mention of it got his wife to start grieving again, silently weeping as another soldier comforted her. Losing a husband and son would do that to any women, let alone her. "Oh, uh sorry, I didn't mean -" "It's ok. You wanted to know," the women simply said, though it still hurt her regardless of it. "That's what we're here to discuss among other things. It's painfully clear to everyone that this Underworld problem is far deadlier than we ever could anticipate, especially after that event in particular. I'm afraid we can't cover this one up no matter what we try," Seitenshi concluded, though they all could guess that already. "Eh, figured. Considering they're supposed to be hiding, they're getting a bit ballsy to sent out that thing," Karma commented. "A rather ... interesting way to put it, but yes it is," Seitenshi said, trying to think. "While we're on that subject, did you manage to locate any more since the incident occurred?" Ciel questioned. Unfortunately, they didn't look too confident about it. "Actually, no. We've tried for days since you left, but we couldn't find much of anything for anyone, nevermind Bradley and Salim," Yoroi answered, who did promise to say what was what about that before they got there anyway. This wasn't good to hear though for the group in particular, or for those amongst the other troops either. "... Are you sure?" Aladdin then asked. There had to be just one survivor in that whole mess, there just had to be! Yoroi in particular looked over the other members, and after thinking it over started to understand who they were trying to get to. So many had their losses in Pluton's attack, and Yoroi had to handle them along with the rest of the soldiers involved. Yoroi turned to the leaders, both of which just nodded. Yoroi did an extra mile and reached into his pocket, having something for them. ... "This is all we found," Yoroi finally answered. Looking at Yoroi's face, while he was more calm about it, showed a bit of regret as he handed Aladdin the item. What Yoroi gave him was a single, small, black wristband. On the surface, this small object looked pretty mundane, and pretty much out of nowhere, which Ciel and Ed took as such, but as Aladdin, Twilight, and Karma looked at it, the reality was starting to sink in just a little bit more, although two out of three wouldn't want to believe it. "It's just a wristband," said Edward, a little bit confused, but suddenly Aladdin felt a tear come down his face. "T-This ... Nagisa wore this ..." That was all Aladdin really needed to be said for the reality of the situation to get to the rest of the group. Aladdin held it close, Yoroi placing a hand on Aladdin to try and comfort him. If they had to give him this without Nagisa there, then there was no doubt left in their mind's what had happened to the poor human. "... So that's it then," Ciel finally said. "I'm terribly sorry," Yoroi replied. Twilight was especially quiet with this, her and Aladdin both specifically, and both went into tears. In a way they all were pretty miserable about the whole thing, and while Pinkie Pie was baling a storm with her tears, others were keeping their sorrow inside about it. Ciel and Sebastian were the least distraught about the news, but they knew very well that they would need a minute or two. "Why don't you two wait outside until we're done here?" Sebastian suggested, going over to Twilight and Aladdin. Without another word out of them, Twilight walked out as Aladdin just stayed there and tried to keep himself together. He could at least wait until this was done. "But, how did such a monster even come out? It just appeared from nowhere," Seitenshi wondered. Guess here was one thing they should inform on. "Actually, there is one culprit that I think would be the target of interest," Ciel stated. "Oh? Who might that be?" Victoria asked. "King Sombra." It was something that Ciel felt that they should inform the leaders about, the mention of the name reminding them of the main problem, and who was sending demons to the surface in the first place according to one of their demon encounters with one particular demon dog. Far as they were aware, it was the best culprit they actually had, Sebastian intrigued that they'd go this route at all since they never met him face to face like he did. "Sombra. ... A demon I presume?" "Ruler of Tartarus, apparently. He is held responsible for our previous demon attacks. My lord, you remember the incident back in England?" Ciel reminded. Clearly he was talking about Victoria's involvement with the demons, in particular the attacks by the Homunculi during the royal ball, and Hellgar's assault on the castle itself. It would diffidently explain their appearances. "Hellgar. Yes," Victoria said. "So that's who. In that case, we can't hold back any longer: first Japan, then England, and now Amestris. Time we put a stop to this Sombra, before he puts a stop to all of us," Seitenshi finally decided. That was something they all could go and agree on one way or another, especially with how much damage his demons had done so far. Sebastian and Ciel felt slightly uneasy, but Ciel went to speak anyway. "Well, we need to make more drastic measures. We can't take the risk any further," Ciel concluded, both leaders agreeing on that. The question remained though: what to do? It was a bit of a rough guess for the most part, but Victoria got up and smiled towards the group. "We already have our answer, Phantomhive," Victoria revealed, though according to the surprise on the other faces, only Victoria knew that. "You do?" asked Seitenshi. Victoria was actually intrigued to see they hadn't figured it out, so she got up and walked right over to her 'answer'. Turned out, she stopped right next to Aladdin, looking down to him knowingly, though her smile wasn't there anymore. "Aladdin, sweetie? Out of everyone here, you're the only true angel with the most recent contact with the Overworld, if I'm not mistaken. Care to share with us who would help?" Victoria asked. ... What could he say?! Aladdin was put on the spot now, and everyone there was waiting for him to answer. This was a question that Aladdin wasn't sure if he should answer or not: the demons revealed themselves, but not the angels! The poor magi felt the weight of the situation push him down. "Wait, how do you know if I'm even a - AH!" Aladdin tried to get an alibi going, but suddenly he found Victoria ready to strike him with a hidden knife! How'd that get in here, they didn't know, and it just came out of nowhere! Instinctively, Aladdin just had to get his shield out to avoid injury, just for Victoria to toss the knife to an empty area at the wall. "You were saying, my little angel?" Victoria said. "That sneaky bitch," Karma thought, smirking. "Er ... uh ..." Well, Aladdin couldn't think of anything, and removed the shield immediately. "I-I don't know if the fleet would, uh ... like it, if I tell you," Aladdin said meekly, playing with his fingers, and not even daring to look up at the princess of England. "Why not?" Seitenshi asked firmly, also walking over to him, only making the situation even more troublesome. Aladdin kept his eyes shut and with the pressure, finally broke. Bad enough he found out Nagisa's fate, but this extra pressure wasn't helping his nerves either. "B-Because it's the top law of deities: to keep their worlds secret from human mortals! Even the demon lords follow the rule as much as they could! I've done a terrible job keeping this quiet already, but then other demons, Hellgar, the Homunculi, and now Pluton, It's getting out of control! They'll have my head if I go on and say anything further, I'm very sorry!" Aladdin revealed. The room fell quiet when Aladdin finished his revelation, which was rather quick and full of plead in tone. Aladdin felt especially silly now that he actually brought up his lack of keeping this law in tact. Victoria and Seitenshi glanced over to one another as Aladdin tried to not look at them both. "When did keeping it secret end up that important? Just spill it," Karma commented. "I'm trying to keep it quiet, okay?! B-Besides, I'm pretty good, aren't I? I'm a magi: a being of pure magic! I-Isn't that good?" Aladdin brought up, being the only Magi there to begin with. However, Victoria was determined to get it out of him one way or another. "Not at all. If I recall correctly, as the broadcast of the attack was made, I fail to see you do much of anything," Victoria pointed out, freaking Aladdin out even more. "Wait. Now that you say it ... Aladdin, why didn't you do anything? You could've sent that demon off back down to hell no problem, what gives?" asked Edward. Aladdin stayed very quiet this time, but that only confirmed Victoria's suspicions, the England princess smiling devilishly. "You can barely do magic at all, can you?" That did it. Aladdin stood there in shock and defeat for a moment or two, and next thing they knew, Aladdin huddled up in a corner of the room, slumped in gloomy shame. "You can't be serious," said Edward. "That explains a lot," added in Ciel. None of their comments really helped him out. "I'm a terrible angel," Aladdin groaned. "No, no, they didn't say that at all, please get off the floor," Alphonse insisted, trying to help him out. Seitenshi got over to Aladdin, tapping him on his shoulder. "Aladdin, you're all aware of how much damage just one of the demons had caused onto our world. You may have your law, but sometimes there has to be an exception to such things, and this is one of those times. If you don't tell us anything, then it'll put the whole world in jeopardy," Seitenshi explained, though mainly it was to get Aladdin to cooperate too, only more humbly. Still, Aladdin was a bit troubled anyway, looking up to Seitenshi. "Well what do you want me to do?! I can't ask them to just break the most important law ever!" Aladdin cried. Alphonse intervened again, and got him up to his feet. "OK, ok, Aladdin calm down. You don't have to, really," Alphonse insisted. "He'll have to eventually," said Victoria. "W-Well, can't you -" "OKAY, we're getting nowhere here," Karma suddenly said, stopping the nonsense, and getting everyone's attention. "How's this sound: Korosensei. He's been going up and down Central and fixing things up since that demon tore it up, and that teacher clearly knows plenty of things about Overworld, Underworld and whatever, so why not ask him a thing or two about it?" Karma finally brought up. Whatever this meeting was going to go for, it clearly wasn't getting anywhere by berating Aladdin about it up and down. "You think he'll really talk, Karma?" Edward asked. "Don't discount it, maybe he's onto something. He is a demon himself, and one that likes humans no less. If anyone would know about how to handle these demonic threats freely, it would be a demon itself," Seitenshi concluded. With Aladdin not wanting to talk about the Overworld at all, they only had this option for now. "Right then. Sebastian, deliver that demon teacher a message," Ciel ordered. Sebastian nodded, and went off to do just that. The sooner Korosensei got the message, the better. "Thank you, sweet pet. I'm sure he'll be willing to listen," said Victoria, though the dog comment was not really needed, especially for Ciel. Seitenshi wasn't appreciating her childish behavior either. "Victoria, do you mind holding your childish comments to yourself?" Seitenshi asked. This was no time for some child games, something Victoria was getting a little too much into. ....... The meeting itself went on for a little more, but as it was going on, Twilight was off outside again, trying to keep herself together with her tears falling down. How much more evidence did she needed now? Nagisa hadn't been seen ever since the Pluton attack, not a sign of him anywhere except for this one wristband he wore on him. That, and with just how much he had done ... well, what more could she say? The writing was up on the wall, but then her mind started conflicting itself with that one dream she was given before coming here. Lugia, the being who gave her and Nagisa the future visions in the first place, left her with another vision of something she wasn't sure would actually happen, or not. Either way, this news left her heart torn up, and all she could do was sit there and wait until the others were over to figure out what to do. ... Well, at least it seemed that way for her. This time did give her a bit to think on what to do. ... "Twilight?" Aladdin. She knew that voice well enough, and turning around, there was the little Magi coming over to her, albeit without the others behind him. He felt just as bad about it as Twilight was, still holding the wristband in one hand as he took a seat over next to her. "Is that meeting over yet?" Twilight asked. "No it's not, I just came out to check on you," Aladdin replied. "Oh ..." There was some silence as they both looked to the wristband that Aladdin was holding. That small accessory was the only thing they currently had left of Nagisa Shiota. Both were left with that, and memories as well, both thinking over their time with Nagisa. Funny how someone could just disappear so quickly, and with barely a trace behind of him. Twilight may feel bad about it, but Aladdin took it more roughly, this fact added with the revelation on how weak he really was. ... "... I don't know what to do. ... Twilight, I - ... I'm so sorry," Aladdin said humbly. Twilight didn't answer at first, but as she was going through her memories about it, she took one more look at the wristband, feeling tears coming down her face again at the fact they kept trying to put in her head. All evidence they managed to gather kept pointing to it, but. ... "NO." "huh?" "Nagisa's not dead. I won't believe it," Twilight concluded, getting up to her feet and walking forward a little bit, looking out to the horizon. This girl was determined, and she wasn't going to give up on Nagisa here. She stayed quiet for a minute or two, before she started to walk off again. "Where're you going?" "I'm going to find him. He never gave up on me, so I'm not going to give up on him. The others can do what they want, but I'm not going to go back until I know for sure," Twilight made clear. That reminded Aladdin pretty much what he said before back at the Elric house. However, be that as it may, the evidence was making him doubt as well ... and it made him go up to her. "Aladdin, look, you might think he's gone, but -" "Hop on," Aladdin suddenly said. Twilight turned around, and sure enough there was Aladdin standing there, with his carpet opened up and ready to fly. Aladdin stood there smiling, and waited for Twilight to take her seat. "I'm not giving up on him either," Aladdin simply said. Twilight didn't need any more convincing to take her seat on the carpet. Aladdin was just glad to see her ready to go. "K, wait here, I'll grab the others," Aladdin said, starting to head back in. Twilight was happy that he was willing to help her out, but as Aladdin was starting to head off to get the rest, he suddenly felt Twilight grab his ponytail to make him stop. Aladdin did stop after a bit, looking back to Twilight. "Maybe they should just go home. I know it doesn't sound right, but I don't want to put our friends at risk anymore," Twilight concluded. Considering what had happened already, Aladdin saw the logic behind it, but he still didn't feel too right in just leaving them like this, especially without them really knowing about it. "If you're sure," Aladdin said. All Twilight did was nod for her answer. Nagisa was already gone from their group, she wasn't going to chance it with the rest, not if she had anything to do with it. Aladdin needed a little bit, but he saw what she was getting to and took a seat himself. And soon enough, they were off and flying. If they really were going to go off and try to find him, it was now or never. ....... "It appears we have a change in schedule." ~~ So, there they were. It surely felt pretty odd with just the two of them going around, but Twilight and Aladdin made their promise to look for Nagisa, and goddamnit they were going to do it no matter what. Thanks to Aladdin's flying carpet, the duo didn't take too long in their flight to get from Central over to the outskirts of the capitol. Not many people around under them meant it was safer flying around without much notice (not that it would matter anyway, like they said). With how much Korosensei had fixed up the city though, it was a bit of a backstab in their search, and that they had to take a bit longer looking since so many buildings obscure their little view over the city. So far though, whoever they did come across, they were lucky to find someone who had even heard of him, let alone recently seen him. Both Twilight and Aladdin tried all sorts of places throughout the day, yet so far they just weren't having too much luck in anything. Looking around the capitol surely took time to do, and before they even realized it, the day was soon over and done, and they were literally on the city's edge. Not a soul around for seemingly miles, and for Twilight and Aladdin, both were getting tired and a little bit hungry. Yeah, they didn't have too much time to really prepare themselves before just taking off like that. With some time to rest, both Twilight and Aladdin took a minute to stop and sit down over right at the road leading out of the city, literally the borderline between city and country, both looking out to the latter. "MAN, all day, and nothing. You'd think someone would've heard of him at least," Aladdin sighed with a yawn passing his lips. He was still willing, but his body had limits same as anyone, Twilight too. "Yeah, but I'm not thinking on giving up yet. Maybe he left Central," Twilight figured. With what was left, if Nagisa was alive, why would he stay around Central with it being a wasteland as far as he knew? Aladdin found her point, and both just looked on out to Amestris. Twilight still had to wonder how Nagisa was doing, if he indeed was alive or not. If he was around, it was anyone's guess as to what trouble he might be getting himself into, especially with the demonic activity at its peak and them with an open window now more or less. Aladdin couldn't help but wonder that too, but as he was thinking on him, one other little thought did pass his mind. ... "Hey, Twilight? How did you and he meet anyway?" Aladdin asked. "Excuse me?" "You care about him a lot, so you and him had to know eachother a long time, so ..." It was a rather honest question, and one Twilight figured he would end up asking at some point, especially with what they were doing. Twilight knew how Aladdin had met Nagisa, so she didn't have to ask Aladdin about that. Twilight took a moment to remember at first, until she looked out to the open country again. "Well. ... It was a long time ago. My mom enrolled me into a girls-only academy for a while when I was younger ..." --(9 years ago)-- The bell sounded off, and many of the girls started to head on home. Among the group, Twilight ventured off outside, ready to get home herself. However, before she could truly go, she noticed someone sitting by herself, her head in her knees, looking miserable. Twilight wondered what had happened to her, and began walking over. "Excuse me, are you okay?" Twilight asked. The kid looked up to Twilight, her eyes pure blue like her hair, as it turned out. "Huh? I-I'm fine, go away," she said, her voice oddly tomboyish. Seemed clear she wasn't having a good time at all, whatever it is, so Twilight sat down next to her. "Are you sure? You look like you're going to cry." "I'm fine!" She protested, though suddenly tears started going down her face. Twilight didn't take the yelling too well, and turned away in a huff. That didn't help the other person out too much though, and Twilight saw that in her face. "I'm sorry... I don't want to be here, no one bothers with me, I wanna go home," she said, the tears still down her face. Hey, hey, it'll be ok, we're all friends here," Twilight assured, trying her best to calm her down. Eventually, Twilight scooted over to her, as the girl actually leaned into her, still crying. Twilight did have one idea, and rubbed her head while the girl began to speak. "But ... no one likes me here. Who would want to be my friend? "You know what? ... Why not me?" Twilight offered. Pretty sudden, but the girl looked surprised at the offer. "You mean it?" the girl asked. It looked like she had never been offered that before, and Twilight didn't want to leave the girl crying like this, so Twilight assured her with a nod of her head. The girl took a short moment to wipe away some tears, trying to calm herself. "Thank you. ... What's your name?" "I'm Yugure. What's yours?" "I'm Nagisa." "That's very sweet of you, Twilight," said Aladdin. Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He and I kicked it off for a good while, but ... well, then he and I had to move away from eachother when my parents had me enrolled in Canterlot High. We still kept in touch though time to time," Twilight explained. To Aladdin, they surely did feel like they were very close, a friendship near and far distance, so it was no wonder then that she wanted to try and find him so much. Twilight remembered well how alone she felt when in Canterlot high for the first while, and how happy she was to be back with him after the seven years gone. "Don't worry, Twilight, I'll be sure to help you find him and secure your friendship," Aladdin promised, now determined himself. After all, Nagisa was his close pal too, his first human friend arriving onto the Human world. He wasn't going to give that up so quickly, same as her, and both secured the promise with a hand shake. "You know, I have thought of something else too," Aladdin added in, thinking about it a bit more, getting up to his own feet. Twilight turned and gave him her full attention. "I got something to tell you ... I, uh ..." "What is it?" Aladdin sighed. "I ... don't have too much power. I don't know too many spells at all," Aladdin admitted meekly. Twilight though kinda rubbed the back of her head on that revel. "Well, I kinda figured that after a while," Twilight admitted. Aladdin didn't feel better about that, but his meekness changed to one of reassurance. "Anyway, I've been thinking. I want us to practice our magic, you and me, give it our all. I want to be ready if any other demon would pop up. This magi from heaven isn't going to take anymore risks," Aladdin said, confident in doing so. As the others roughly put it for him, he didn't do much of anything, and he wanted to make up for it one way or another. Twilight smiled to her friend. "Well then, neither am I. We'll head on our way and practice on our next spot," Twilight promised. So it was official for them: both wanted to toughen up for their next demonic encounter, and they'll do so as much as they can while looking for Nagisa. "Awesome! ... Speaking of our next spot, where do we go from here?" Aladdin asked, feeling meek again for asking. As pre-mentioned, they left with little plan other than find Nagisa, so direction and to be considered. Twilight took some time to think, but then she remembered her dream she had before Envy left them off back to Japan. "That way, east. Something tells me we'll have better luck that way," Twilight answered, pointing off to the direction they were looking to. Her instinct and visions both pointed that way, so that's where they were going. "Eastward it is then. Hop on," Aladdin said. It didn't take too much longer until she and Aladdin were up and off again, flying off to the countryside and away from the Amestris capitol. As both flew off, Aladdin and Twilight looked back over to the city, their group still there and secure with the Amestris soldiers. As long as they were there, they both could say that they were safe there, or if they headed back home, even better. Twilight looked to the wristband they had. "Don't worry, Nagisa. I know you're there somewhere, and we'll find you. I'm not giving up on you," Twilight thought. ~~ Day in, day out, and Twilight and Aladdin continued on their way eastward, Twilight being sure that he would be over here somewhere. They can assure themselves at least that they had a carpet flying around to use instead of walking on the ground, saving them plenty of time going around the place. Even so though, they were stuck with little help from whoever they did try to ask, many of them not seeing him in recent day. With their search, practice in magic and alchemy was also done time to time whenever they could, and at this point it was that time. The area they went to was drastically different from Amestris, changing from countryside and farmland, and actually into more forest with northern trees. The area was cooler as well, though that could be autumn now taking more effect on the place here over Amestris and Central. Still, this new change of place did help out Twilight a lot more, the forest becoming more familiar to her in some way. Just like the vision Lugia managed to leave her with before her dream ended. They were getting closer, she could feel it. On this stop, both found a good spot in the forest to do this with, nearby a flowing river and a bit later at night when they did stop, a small fire being made nearby too. Twilight and Aladdin decided to get some alchemy practice from the same book, and while Twilight was more in tune with hers, Aladdin still had a thing or two to learn. "Okay, it says here to be by a body of water, so this will be perfect to try," Aladdin said, as he looked to some water alchemy in the book. What better chance to try a water spell than by a flowing river? Aladdin started to make up a symbol for the spell over nearby the water, just to be sure it'll work, borrowing some gloves from Twilight to do so. Twilight was right next to the bank, and Aladdin readied his focus on it. He clapped his hands, focused hard, and slammed them into the water. ... "Eh ... maybe I didn't draw the symbol right?" Aladdin wondered. Only for the water to suddenly, and rather abruptly, blast right into his face and knock him back. The water blast didn't last too long, but it did leave Aladdin dizzy, and waterlogged from the water blasted in his mouth. "You okay, Aladdin?" Twilight asked, helping the magi up to his feet. "Eh ... yeah," Aladdin said, dazed a little bit. It may not be the first time this happened to him since they left, but hey, at least they were getting better at it. Twilight got the book, and brought it over to the fire, where Aladdin was ringing out his hair from the water. "Hey, you managed to activate one of the spells, so that's good," Twilight assured him. "Yeah I know! ... boy, I feel full," Aladdin said, a hand on his bloated stomach. "Don't worry about it, you think I got it on my first try? Trust me, it's harder than you think," Twilight said, remembering her own experience with this alchemy stuff, especially when practicing with Edward Elric. She could still remember the bruises she got from the pummeling with Ed, and Aladdin couldn't help but remember that too. At least he was let off easy with his practicing. "Yeah, you're right. You got a lot more practice than I did though," Aladdin pointed out. Twilight summoned up a purple star light in her hand, which at this point was fairly easy for her. "Come on, you saw how much trouble I gone through when I started: I burned Pinkie's gloves my first try remember?" Twilight brought up. Aladdin couldn't help but remember that either, but he supposed he just had to find his spell trick for this to work. He needed something over just flying and a shield. "Yeah, I just need to find my Alchemy," Aladdin figured, laying down over by the fire. It'd been a long day of looking around, and practicing, so both of them needed this more than ever. Aladdin was already asleep, letting his hair flow out to let it dry, and Twilight laid down over by the fire herself. It's not the best bed ever, but it was the best they got on hand so make do with what you got. It didn't very long later though, and soon they both were off asleep. "Goodnight, everyone," Twilight sighed, just before she too went off to sleep. ....... *drip**drip**drip* "Someone close the window ..." Aladdin murmured in his sleep. Hours went on by and so far it was without trouble, but now something was dripping down on Aladdin's head. It didn't bother him too much at first, but when Aladdin suddenly felt a warm brush of air be pushed onto him, only then did he begin to stir. Aladdin opened his eyes, and felt that drool was dripping onto him, and when he looked up to see what was there. ... "AHHH!" Gluttony! Quick scream later, and Aladdin launched him back with a shield summon, the scream enough to wake up Twilight too. As for who he launched away, Gluttony got back up to his feet and looked back to the duo. He looked a bit tired himself from some supposed traveling, and according to the drool dripping from his jaws, pretty hungry. Not a good thing with them being the target of Gluttony's sight. The Homunculus's tongue stuck out and licked his lips eagerly, as his nose sniffed the air. Pretty clear how he tracked them down, surely. "Can I eat you, please?" Gluttony asked. "No way! How'd you even find us?" Twilight asked, freaked out. "I can smell you, and you both smell delicious!" Gluttony said, his nose taking a good sniff into the air. Gluttony couldn't help himself, and rushed towards them, the shield holding up just long enough to avoid Gluttony's killer jaws, but not only did it launch them back into more trees, but Gluttony actually somehow knocked up some dirt and put out their fire, AKA their only source of light in the forest! Aladdin and Twilight were knocked farther into the forest, the shield disappearing after a bit, Aladdin getting winded from trying to keep it up. Twilight and Aladdin got to their feet, but now they were stuck in the middle of the forest, and they couldn't see where gluttony is anywhere. "Oh god, where is he?" Twilight wondered, worried. Twilight brought out her purple star light to help them see, but her light didn't help them that much in this dark forest. ... "GOTCHA!" "Duck!" Gluttony was on them again! with a quick reaction from Twilight, both she and Aladdin ducked down as Gluttony torpedoed out of the gloom of the forest, jaws open wide and ready to bite them. Instead of them though, his jaws met with the base of the tree. Twilight and Aladdin were okay, but Gluttony easily tore off the bark of the tree with ease, tearing a good sized hole into it. The hungry Homunculus chewed on the thick bark, not enjoying that taste over actual meat. Like a rapid dog, Gluttony shook up the bark and left nothing but splinters on the ground. "I'm starving, why won't you let me eat?! All I want to do is eat, but you won't let me! SO I'LL JUST HAVE TO EAT EVERYTHING!!" Gluttony yelled, getting angry with them. He snarled at both of them, both magi and alchemist keeping their distance from this creature. During Gluttony's shouting, something else started to happen to the Homunculus, something starting to split on his stomach, reaching up to his lower jaw. To their horror, Gluttony suddenly split himself open, revealing a dark void, and a huge lower jaw filled with gigantic, tusk-like teeth. His tongue stuck to the upper jaw and hung down to show the Oroborous symbol, as a singular eye revealed itself from within the void of Gluttony's empty caldron of a stomach. Aladdin and Twilight were left frozen by the sight of this transformation. Twilight had to think of something to do. "Oh god, oh god. Come on, think think," Twilight thought in panic, Gluttony taking his steps towards them. Aladdin summoned his shield to protect them, but it won't last them too long with this Homunculus. All they got to work with was the trees around them ... "Aladdin, come on," Twilight said, grabbing him and pulling him away. and just in time: Gluttony's sharp dagger teeth suddenly launched forward like spears, missing them and crumbling the ground under where they were. Twilight and Aladdin got a head start from Gluttony, but the scent-following Homunculus had no such problem figuring out where they went off to. Twilight and Aladdin were running blind in the dark, Twilight managing to find a good enough tree to do this attempt with. Fast as she could, she started to make out a symbol within one of the trees, and one she was more familiar with from her early days of alchemy, Gluttony rushing in towards them. Twilight clapped her hands, and placed them on the tree. Soon, the tree ended up igniting in seconds, becoming a spire of fire in little to no time at all. Aladdin and Twilight jumped out of the way, letting Gluttony strike the burning tree, and as such burning him too. His screams of agony echoed for a bit, the fire spreading onto him easily as the tree collapsed onto him. They thought they had him there. ... Only for Gluttony to eat the burning tree. *urp* "H-He ... swallowed it?" Twilight said. "Uh-oh," said Aladdin. Gluttony, after his snack of the tree, turned to the two morsels standing nearby. It grew dark again when the tree was gone, so Twilight and Aladdin couldn't see Gluttony as well. "W-Wait, wait, can we work something out!" Twilight said, trying to keep herself together as much as she could. Gluttony was starving, yes, but then his nose started to sniff a little more closely. Something was in the air, and it wasn't just the smoke from the fire. ... "... Envy? ... Envy! WHERE IS HE?!" Gluttony asked, sounding more shocked than angry at them. How his scent stayed on them, they could never figure out. "Envy?" Aladdin repeated. "I smell his lingering scent on you! Where is he?" Gluttony asked again, not sounding as barbaric as he was a second ago, even sounding more humbled. The humans he'd been after and they had the scent of his fellow Homunculus, one he hadn't seen nor heard of since Pluton attacked. Twilight and Aladdin were a little too frightened to even think of what to say to him, considering he was basically on their side now. Still, they didn't even had time for that to answer, as Gluttony was getting another scent in the air. "That smell ..." Out of nowhere, and too fast for any of them to see, something rushed down from out of nowhere, and Gluttony found his body getting sliced to pieces! His shoulders, extra teeth, head and legs all were sliced up with lightning speed, making Gluttony stumble back and giving Twilight and Aladdin time to back up and gain some distance. "I KNOW THAT SMELL!" Gluttony roared, only getting himself sliced up again. His body tried to heal up, but whatever was attacking him moved fast and dealt more damage than he could heal, enough to make him fall back, and in pain as blood poured onto the ground everywhere. Morbid as it may be, both Twilight and Aladdin tried to find who was helping them out, but they couldn't find much of anyone. Gluttony got up to his feet, no longer having his huge mouth open and back to his normal self, but he couldn't see any better than the others could in the dark. It was at this point when Aladdin finally caught sight of someone standing up in the trees, not too big, and too little of light to actually see who it was. Gluttony just managed to look the figure's way, only for another one to jump in from the dark and slice his face in two. He had to hold his face together for it to heal there. "That hurt!" Gluttony yelled. The Homunculus tried to fight back against these threats, but not only could he not connect with them, but they would hitting him left and right. Gluttony knew they were there by scent, to be sure, but he just couldn't get them with his own power. "How do you know where I am? You can't see me!" Gluttony said, the response just getting his nose sliced off along with his arm in two motions by one of the two figures. Gluttony tried to get it, but he felt the figure actually knock him off his feet, and onto his back, and Gluttony soon found himself underneath one of the figures. Gluttony looked up to his adversary, and while most of the figure was hard to see, one thing he could see was the soul-piercing eyes. A look of desensitization edged the eyes, and no evidence of any pupils were in them either, looking like eyes of someone who never had a soul to begin with. Considering this same figure was tearing gluttony apart, this Homunculus had just about enough of it. Gluttony knocked the figure off of him and took off running to gain some distance from whoever this was. Getting a meal isn't worth dying for, no matter who you are. Everything finally calmed down when that was over, both figures meeting up with eachother when everything was finished. Twilight and Aladdin, now feeling safer with the Homunculus running off, started to walk over to the figures standing there. They didn't need to say anything for the figures to turn to them both, the green soulless eyes staring them down. One of the figures turned to the other, who only made a small shake of his head. Suddenly both figures leaped up into the trees, and started to race off in the trees. "Hey! Wait! Thank you for what you did!" called Twilight, going after them a little bit with Aladdin. Both of these figures raced through the trees with relative ease, and pretty fast too. Both of them didn't talk, and they kept going as if the two weren't even there. As they kept going, one of them actually looked back for a split second as something fell down at them. Aladdin ended up hit with the object, and that little distraction made both figures lose them. They couldn't see what exactly was thrown down at them, but when they looked back up, both figures had disappeared completely. "WAIT, YOU DROPPED SOMETHING!" called Aladdin, but it seemed they were far gone to even hear them. "What did he drop?" wondered Twilight. Aladdin and Twilight glanced to eachother before Twilight brought out her purple magical light so they could see what was dropped. Another wristband. ~~ "Do you really think ...?" "You know how big this is, Aladdin? Come on, they have to be somewhere around here." The next morning was started very quickly, and without another incident as both flew around in the sky trying to relocate the two figures they saw last night. They had be somewhere close by if the commotion got them over to their location last night, and with another wristband with them, that was the best clue they got in days. With so many others not giving them the proper direction, where else could they go? So far though, even with daylight helping, all they could find so far was trees and the occasional clearing with either a pond, or stream, or whatever the heck. "Hold on, I'm going to gain some height?" Aladdin said, as he made the carpet fly higher up in the air. When he did that, they got a bird's eye view of the whole forest, yet they couldn't exactly see much besides that at first. A expanse of pine trees for miles around, some hillsides too but nothing special. They continued looking, but eventually something else started to come up: a flock of Murkrow flying up from one part of the forest, disturbed by something looming. "What's going on there?" they wondered. And naturally, but warily, they started to float over to the location of the birds. Seemed this flock of Murkrow were startled by some sort of commotion, and with them looking for their targets, it could be proven useful. They made sure to steer clear of the flying flock, looking into the spot where they were, but it seemed that nothing was down there. Well, nothing alive anyway. Looking in, the two did notice that one Murkrow was killed and laying lifeless on the forest floor, and appearing a rather quick death too. Just moments after they saw it, a blur swooped in from the forest, grabbed the Murkrow, and raced off towards the hills nearby. The figure moved fast, but looked similar to what they saw last night. Obvious what they did next. As the figure raced through the forest, the two flew on and followed it for quite a way. Since the figure stayed under the tree line, tracking it down was easier said than done, especially with one that moved so fast. At least the figure didn't look like it rally noticed them in its dash, and after a few minutes of following and tracking, it was then they begin to see it. Off ahead of them, something else besides trees started to come into view, and something they honestly were hoping to find: a house. Well, more like a large shrine than a house to be honest. A singular-floored home made up of wood and tile with a straw covered roof. From where Aladdin and Twilight were they got a good view of not only that, but an interior pond and a stone wall lining the property boundary. The figure they tracked quickly went off inside, leaving them in the dust. They settled down over nearby the fence, and Twilight started heading over. "So this is his place," said Aladdin, looking around from where they were. "This has to be. Come on, Aladdin, let's go in," Twilight decided. Aladdin couldn't agree more. If Nagisa was in there, then they just had to get in there. Good thing for them, finding the front entrance wasn't too hard, and both figures were up and over to the front gate, which they got open pretty easily. Not a soul appeared to be anywhere in the premise, or any real life for that matter apart from some bugs flying by the pond. "Hello?! Anyone here?!" Twilight called, but all the response they were met with was just silence and the wind. "We saw you go in the house, we know you're home!" added in Aladdin, but still nothing. It surely felt like they were alone for the moment, even if they knew that someone was actually there and inside the place. After so many days of searching though, both of them weren't willing to just go off and on their way just yet. Gathering courage, Twilight decided to head over to the front door of the house, Aladdin following her close behind to make sure. As they neared, they could see literally no one around, but with the knowledge that whoever it was was indeed in there, it surely felt like an ambush waiting to happen. All the same, Nagisa was still there, and they come to get him back. As they continued nearing the door, at first nothing seemed to go wrong. "Okay, Twilight. Just go in, see if he's here, and then go. It'll be fine." O, if only it were that simple. "AH!" Caught! And caught in the most surprising way too. As they took another step towards the house, the ground underneath them started to suddenly shift and alter, but not in the same way as, say, a pit trap, but instead the sand under their feet shot up out of nowhere! Twilight and Aladdin barely had time to even react to it, nbot even for Aladdin to get his shield up. Twilight and Aladdin weren't hurt, but the two ended up trapped in a sort of tomb grip, the sand hardening itself into a sort of sandstone, leaving only their heads exposed. Both tried to get free, but obviously it wasn't budging. "Trespassing, are you," said a voice. There he was. Not Nagisa, surely, but both Twilight and Aladdin found their adversary they were chasing around. The person who walked out to see them appeared decently tall, fair skinned, and short, red, spiky hair. The outfit he wore consisted of a black body suit with an open neck, t-shirt-like sleeves, and almost full-length leggings. With this, he had a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips. He had a wide leather band from his left shoulder to his right hip with which he carried a sort of sand gourd. At least it appeared to be made up of sand, though they weren't too sure. On his forehead, and a particular detail too, was a sort of Japanese kanji symbol made of red, the kanji meaning "Love" of Twilight remembered right, his hair parted to be sure people would see it. The feture that unnerved them the most though was his eyes: no eyebrows or pupils to speak of, making him look rather threatening with his green-eyed, soulless expression. It was painfully clear THIS kid was not happy to see them come up on his front step. "Eh. Hi, sorry to bother you but -" before Twilight could even finish, the newcoming kid moved right up to them, and as he did both soon noticed that he had a assassin's blade in his hand, which he was more than willing to bring up to them, blade aimed to Aladdin's head first. Aladdin was left shocked and speechless. As for the kid, his eyes locked right into Aladdin's own, as if judging him by his reaction. Just seeing his eyes made him feel unnerved. All he did was just give a small huff, and slowly move the blade back, only to nearly slice off Twilight's head! Lucky for her, he only got a little bit of her hair, but it still scared her witless. The same look of judgement passed on to her as well, the kid glaring to her eyes and seeing her reaction. "What do you want?" he then asked. "Eh ... we're looking for our friend. That's all we're doing, we swear!" Aladdin made clear, trying to make amends. Unfortunately, he didn't look so willing to believe that. "Liar." "We're not lying, seriously! Did you see him? He has long blue hair, goes by the name of Nagisa?" Twilight asked. The kid stayed quiet, hand to chin and thinking for just a moment or two. He took a glance back to the house for a moment, but rather than answer them, he started to shift the sand, and both Twilight and Aladdin were suddenly launched off, farther off from the property, and into the forest. Stuck in the sand tombs, they couldn't protect themselves much from the impact. They ended up landing about several yards away, leaving both of them covered in sand and sore from the fall. It took them a bit to get themselves out of the sand. "He didn't believe us," groaned Aladdin. "No, he just doesn't want to talk. I've gone too far to give up now," Twilight concluded. They both saw his eyes, and they were unmistakable from the ones they saw last night. He was there, the clues added together, they just needed him to tell them. ....... After getting themselves cleaned up of sand, both of them started to head off back over towards the house again. He launched them off pretty far away, so traveling back to the house wasn't as easy as it sounded. On the bright side, no extra surprises going back to it. Both were now back at the front gate, but unlike before, the owner of the house didn't wait this time, and instead was standing up on the porch overhang. He looked ready to attack them, but both of them raised their hands in submission. "Hold on a minute, we're safe, we don't want to fight you! Can you just answer our question please?" Twilight asked. "Give me one good reason why," he groaned, arms crossed. "Then we'll leave you alone. Just tell us if you've seen Nagisa. He's been missing for weeks, and we've been trying to find him," Aladdin promised. The boy simply stood there at first, but then he jumped down, and landed right in front of them. "So you'll leave me alone if I answer," he made sure. Both of them simply nodded for their answer. "We promise," Twilight confirmed. He remained quiet once again, eyes closed and thinking about it, working his memory. Aladdin and Twilight waited in anticipation for what he had to say. Just one answer, and they will be away from him for good. ... "... I saw him. But I drove him off." What?! Why - ACK!" The shout caused the kid to reach out and grab Twilight by the neck, single handedly gripping her throat! "You wanted your answer, and I gave it to you. Now get out before I kill you." With that death threat, he threw Twilight out of the gate, leaving Twilight coughing a little bit. considering he was just threatening them with a blade, Twilight was extremely close to meeting her last breath. As Aladdin helped her up, the kid started going back into the house. "What was that for?!" Aladdin yelled. However, the teen didn't really answer, nor did he really care about Twilight's well-being. "Can you tell us where he went, at least?" "I said go," he said, his final warning to them as his blade gleaned in the light. Aladdin couldn't believe how cruel this human was being towards them. Sure, humans have their downfalls time to time, but this kid was especially cold-hearted to him and Twilight. As Twilight said, they've gone too far to back off now. Aladdin suddenly went right over to the teen, floating a bit in the air as well and soon was facing him, blocking his way between him and his house. "Now listen, I don't know how much it matters to you, but me and Twilight had been traveling for days on end trying to find our friend. The least you can do is point us in the right direction if you know!" Aladdin said, trying to get him to speak. "Get out of my way." "It can't hurt to tell us where he went, can it?" Aladdin insisted. Now Aladdin was testing the teen's patience, and now it had just run out. The teen brought his blade up and tried to stab Aladdin, only for the magi to summon his shield and push him back. He stayed on his feet, but the mix of seeing him with a shield and floating mid air told him Aladdin was a lot stronger than he appeared to be, at least as he was concerned. Soon, the teen drawed out more sand and actually made them into a series of blades, which he launched right at him, but they just exploded into sand and didn't hurt him at all. That just made him more angry. ....... Then a shadow appeared on the top of the house, one that caught Twilight and the teen's attention up there. Aladdin didn't notice it at first, and moved so he could see as well, shield down. "They're okay, Gaara." "I thought I told you to get lost," Gaara warned. The newcoming figure went off the roof in a few jumps, not as agile as Gaara, but still pretty good for a regular human. He jumped off the top of the roof, off the overhang, and then onto the ground in front of them. His outfit looked more battle-ready than casual: black gloves and black boots over his hands and feet, a pure blue army coat buttoned to the top of the collar, with short sleeves and several pockets, and blue pants with kneepads. his hair was tied back into a set of ponytails as well. He stood up straight, and gave a soft smile. "You did. ... But I'm not leaving my friends behind." "Na ... na ... NAGISA!!" Yes, there he was. Nagisa Shiota in the flesh. Twilight and Aladdin couldn't be happier to see him, and they both almost immediately went right over to him, Aladdin hugging him tightly. Tears of joy were quick to show up on their faces, and Nagisa was glad to see them as well, a soft smile on his face as he reunited with his old friends. Gaara wasn't so easily joyed by this, and in fact looked ready to strike again with his blade. Though, he didn't bring himself to do I, even if this was just a minor distraction to him. "Nagisa! We missed you so much! I'm so glad you're alive!" cried Twilight. "Oh lord, thank you! Just wait til the others see you again!" added in Aladdin, equally pleased. "Great to see you guys again," said Nagisa. As the two were crying in joy, Nagisa looked over to Gaara for a moment, the kid still looking rather threatening towards them. Gaara reminded them of his presence with a loud ahem. "Anytime you want to leave before I slice you open," Gaara stated, knife at the ready to do just that. Aladdin and Twilight were unnerved, but Nagisa was surprisingly calm with it. "Calm down guys. Thanks for keeping them around until I got back, Gaara," Nagisa noted. None of them knew exactly what he meant, but Gaara didn't give him an answer aside from a grunt, turning his gaze away. "Be lucky you came at all, or they'd be dead," Gaara simply said. "Yeah, sure," said Nagisa. "Where've you been, Nagisa, you've been missing for weeks!" asked Aladdin. "How about you two rest a bit first? Looks like Gaara gave you a rough time," Nagisa said, Gaara pretending not to listen to him. The trio then turned their gaze towards Gaara in question, the teen sand magi knowing what they were about to ask. "... One night." "Thanks. Come on, Aladdin, let's get you cleaned up," Nagisa suggested. Considering he was still a bit sandy, that would be a good idea As they were starting to head in (much to Gaara's annoyance), Twilight simply smiled and wiped off a tear from her cheek. All their hard work had paid off. "We finally found him." S03Ep9: The Student and his Master ~学生とマスター~The very night after their big find, and Twilight, Aladdin, and now Nagisa were all resting their tired minds and muscles all together. Twilight and Aladdin couldn't be more accomplished since finding their old friend, and considering many thought he was dead it was surely amazing to reunite with him once again. Nagisa, being gone for a long time himself, was happy to see his old friends again just as well, though he didn't really burst out into tears like they did. Guess it made sense though since the last time they saw him was being blasted away by Pluton's defeat and not seeing him afterwards anywhere. The trio were given permission to stay the night at Gaara's house, though despite that they were only allowed in the front room right by the front door and nowhere else, Gaara not allowing them that. All three of them were sitting off just outside the house on the front porch, the clear night very pleasant for them to see, full moon shining down on them and giving them its own natural light. They'd go to sleep, but they all spent enough time away from eachother, and now all three of them wanted to catch up with eachother. "Wait, the others aren't with you?" Nagisa asked. "Well, they're much safer back in Central than they are here. I mean, after what happened to you, I didn't want anyone else getting hurt," Twilight admitted. "You could've at least told them instead of just taking off though," Nagisa pointed out. That was one little detail she felt more embarrassed about. Then again, they would end up after her if she told them that anyway. "Eh ... yeah," Twilight sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well what about you? Seriously, you basically disappeared for weeks, we couldn't find you for the longest time," said Aladdin, really wanting to know that from his lost friend. "It's a long story," Nagisa started. "We got a lot of time, don't worry. I'm just glad you're didn't die as all," Aladdin noted. Nagisa gave a quick sigh. "Actually, I did." ... The blank expression on their faces pretty much said it all, their eyes locked onto Nagisa the second he said that with shock. Did he really admit that to them, or were they hearing things? "What? Wait ... what?! B-But you're here ... you are, are you?" Twilight asked, holding him by the arm to be sure, but indeed he was there. "I-It's kinda complicated," Nagisa said, trying to calm them down from this sudden news. Not only was his story long, but a bit of a complicated one on top of it, though this just made Aladdin and Twilight even more curious on what happened to their friend. "Don't suspend us, what happened? We missed you, pal," Aladdin said, sitting down next to him, putting Nagisa in between him and Twilight. Nagisa looked back and forth between the two, and eventually he got up to his feet and took a step or two out to the open, ready to explain his story as he took a look up to the full moon. "Guess I'll start after Pluton. You know, it all happened so fast, so suddenly, I didn't feel a thing. One moment I threw the sword at Pluton, and the next ... nothing. ... Everything just stopped. ..." As Nagisa said, everything did feel at a standstill moments after the sudden blast. Nagisa was left in some bit of silence, in the dark, not able to feel too much of anything in his state. He felt still, as if he was sleeping on his back, arms out spread and at ease. Any previous pain, fatigue, or worry had escaped him at this point, the last moment he could remember being blasted to oblivion seconds after Korosensei lost his grip on him. He would be worried over him, but at the moment, his only main thought was what happened in it all. As he looked onto basically nothing but empty black space, light did eventually begin to reach him, leaving him in a light that almost seemed to blind him of anything else. Then came along a soft, comfortable breeze that grazed his body. It didn't sting, or for that matter wasn't filled with the dust and debris Nagisa was sure it would've been filled of. Nothing but wind, and the scent of the forest for some reason. A forest? It was then that Nagisa managed to open his eyes. You'd think he'd end up in another part of Central's complete heap of debris from Pluton's rampage, but instead the area he found himself in a green, clean forest. Healthy, tall trees grew around him, and a flowing river moved steadily on its way just a foot away from him. Quite a big change over the apocalyptic state of Central Nagisa was just in. The bright light of the sun made Nagisa stir, and finally make him sit up to look around. First thing he noticed was just how little he actually hurt. If anything, he felt pretty content, which was strange to him. As he looked too, turned out he wasn't alone. ... *chirp-chirp* A little peek by the river showed a flock of about seven birds close by, one of which was looking at him curiously. One look though, and Nagisa could tell that these were no ordinary birds: three feet tall, blue feathered along the head and neck, and the rest of the body covered with what looked like white fluff, resembling a cloud as apart of the wings. No bird on Earth, far as he knew, looked like this flock. "Where am I? ... I didn't -" Rustling from across the river. Nagisa turned to look across the river, and sure enough, a familiar deity started to walk out towards him. Nagisa got up to his feet, which felt lighter might he add, and looked to whoever was coming. As for the deity, she didn't stop coming over until she was at the opposite bank. She appeared to fairly young, teenager long him, and in a simple medical outfit as well, nurse hat included. Her hair was short and purple, and her eyes a bright green (a bit of a contrast too), but what stuck out to Nagisa the most though was that the figure had a set of frilly wings, light lavender in color. The figure didn't say much of anything, and looked as curious on Nagisa as he was of her. "Can you tell me where I am?" Nagisa asked. However, the figure didn't really answer though, unsure of what to really do with him. She looked to him in a similar manor to how the birds were, which the birds flew across the river over towards her after she whistled for them. That would explain why she was here, but it didn't help Nagisa much on his situation. "Where am I?" Nagisa asked again. She looked to him once more, but instead of answering, she started to herd the flock of birds away from the river, and out of sight. What was he supposed to do now? The only person he saw so far and she wasn't willing to talk to him at all. All he could do was try to follow her. "Wait up," Nagisa called again. He walked back for a bit, and took his chances to go across the river. A bit ungraceful, and wet, but he did manage to get across the otherside and he started to follow where she went. Nagisa tried his best to keep up with the girl and flock, but eventually they all suddenly started flying away. Nagisa ran as fast as he could to catch up with her, but when he reached the clearing, Nagisa skidded to a stop by what he saw next. While he thought he was in a forest, he found himself in a completely different area entirely: a world completely up in the sky. The blue sky and clouds were far below him, and far above him, and whatever land he did see were in floating pockets, each big enough to hold a small town. some had trees and dirt, like the one he was on, while others appeared to be man-made (though man-made may not be the right word). Some of these land masses were connected by bridges and pathways as well, though not the one Nagisa was on by what he could see. Unfortunately, he couldn't find that other girl either, nor the flock she escorted out of the area. Despite that, it was painfully clear that Nagisa wasn't back home at all, or even in his world for that matter. Nagisa was quiet, taking in what he was seeing around him and the realization that came with it. "Is this ... the Overworld? ..." That question floated around in Nagisa's mind for a while, his eyes taking in everything. As he was looking, some other similar figures to the girl were also flying around, different in their own way, but none of them really noticed him. Nagisa tried to wave his arms to get their attention, but it didn't seem to be working. ... "I was worried about you." Lugia - a more familiar voice, and one Nagisa was more acquainted with. Looking behind him, Lugia walked out of the same forest, and was soon standing over right next to him. "Lugia." "I've been trying to find you for a while. I'm glad to see your soul is still together, especially after what happened," said Lugia said, sounding very relieved to see him, though Nagisa felt uneasy about it. "I don't think I am though. Lugia, I'm old enough to take it. Am I ..." Even if he was mature enough, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He could probably guess though on what the answer would be judging by where he was, even if he wasn't sure on where it was exactly. Lugia though looked to him with a soft grin. "... It depends. What item did you use? To defeat Pluton, I mean," Lugia asked, thinking a little bit. "What item? ... I had to use Karma's sword to finish Pluton off," Nagisa answered, remembering the last moments he had just before the explosion. That gave Lugia a sigh of relief. "Then you'll be alright." "Really? But last I remembered ..." "The Miracle Sword can heal the user during an attack, remember? And as you were the one to use it. ..." Lugia didn't need to explain the rest for Nagisa to understand. Admittedly, that detail slipped his mind in the moment, but it gave him more relief than ever, Nagisa falling down to his knees, and soon sitting on the edge of their floating island. However, the concept of where he was got another question in mind. "Thank god. ... But wait, why am I here then? I-If I'm not truly dead, then I shouldn't be in heaven right now ... right?" "I didn't say you're not dead at all, Nagisa. Your body needs to heal, and your soul had to be put here for a bit. Don't worry, you'll be back in your world before you know it," Lugia assured him, though the concept of him being dead at all still shook him a bit. The least he could say is that he chose the right weapon for an otherwise suicidal attack and defeat on Pluton. "Sorry, t-this is a bit to take in." "It is overwhelming for any deity new to this. You'll be safe here." "By the way, where is here? I guess we're not on Earth, huh?" Nagisa asked, bringing out the second obvious question as he pointed to the islands ahead of them. "Synapse: one of the Overworld kingdoms. As you have your countries, the Overworld has many kingdoms, same with the Underworld. Your soul just happened to pick this one to stay in, though I can't say you haven't been here before," Lugia explained. Thinking a little harder, and looking at the more inorganic islands of Synapse, Nagisa started to see and remember the areas where he and Twilight had seen in their dreams, matching these almost exactly. Lugia took a seat next to Nagisa, both of them looking out to Synapse at the flying angels and local birds. It surely looked like a dreamscape even with the daylight. "... So ... how long am I going to be here?" Nagisa asked once more. "Only for a little while. ... Eh, speaking of which, you might be away from your friends for a while," Lugia revealed, confusing Nagisa. "Huh? Why?" "I'm sorry to say, but there was more to Pluton's explosion than just injury. I'm afraid you've been ... well ... moved," Lugia said, sounding a little bad for saying this to him. With what had happened, and what they were dealing with, Nagisa honestly had come to expect this. "There's always a catch, huh?" "The rules of magic aren't always consistent, I'm afraid. Still, you do realize that this means things are going to be different. The demons are given the greenlight now, so all of you must be ready for anything now. ... If it eases your mind, I should probably lend you another one," Lugia suggested, turning to Nagisa. Nagisa thought about it for a little bit, but eventually he stood up. "Me and my friends had been running around all over the world: We've been to England and met Phantomhive and made friends with the queen. We went to Central and basically became apart of the Amestris army, not to mention the many different demons we fought along the way. I'm ready for whatever the future has for me now," Nagisa decided. Lugia's future visions cannot be altered as he remembered, and if whatever he had in mind really will happen, Nagisa won't hold back from it any longer. Lugia was quiet at first, but he too got up and then smiled to him. "You have such an open mind, Nagisa. They're lucky to have a friend like you. ..." Lugia then moved over to him, and gently placed a hand over his forehead, giving him another Future Vision. This one was clearer, and a number of visions appeared through his mind, one of which show him where what seemed to be a sort of fight, him against one figure as another looked on. ... It was at this point though something else started to happen to Nagisa, when the boy took a look to his hand. It was rather sudden, but subtle as well. His hand was starting to fade. "Looks like I'm heading back now. See you later," Nagisa said, smiling to Lugia. While to Lugia Nagisa was just fading, Nagisa saw the whole place fade away for him, but he wasn't as scared as much here. "Farewell, Nagisa Shiota." ~~ With his eyes shooting open, Nagisa was back on the human plain, but as Lugia said he wasn't exactly in the same place he once was. Sure, he found himself in a forest again as before, though it wasn't the same forest as before. That, and it was clear Central was nowhere in slight. Broad pine trees were all around him, and at first Nagisa thought he was still up in Synapse, but that quickly changed when he looked up to one of the trees to see a more familiar bird: Murkrow. A pair of Murkrow, both of which apparently observing him for a while now. He managed to sit back up, and turned out not only was his body healed up, but clothed as well (avoiding embarrassment, thank goodness for him). "Yeah, I'm back home now. Well, let's see where I am now," Nagisa thought, getting up to his feet and starting to walk on his way. Unlike back in Synapse, the weather this time was a bit more cloudy, very slight rain as a matter of fact, but compared to what he just been through, he didn't mind that too much. Looking around, he didn't see much sign of any settlement, road, or pathway, nothing but nature in this part of the world. So there I was, back from Synapse and, I guess from the dead. Yeah, even now I'm still unsure how it happened, but it's still good. I was left alone with my thoughts though: where am I? How were they back in Central? And where do I even go? To be honest, at the time, I felt simply lost. ... And then I heard it. *KAW* Nagisa stopped on the dime on the pain-filled squawk, only to see a bird fall from the air and land not too far away. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, it was then he saw something come out from the tree line, and snatched up the catch. A worrying sight for anyone, but Nagisa felt a red flag go up, his demon sense triggered again. And according to it, this demon was a pretty high level too. And worse: it soon saw him standing nearby, and was heading his way! Not even a minute back from the dead, and he's already meeting other demons. Nagisa tried to reach for some sort of weapon, but he didn't have anything on him. He was without a weapon, and he had to face this demon alone. Pretty soon, the figure was right up to him, only a few feet away and Nagisa was left with a cold shiver from the figure's green eyes. All his senses didn't make Nagisa be fooled by the human-like appearance. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked sternly, his eyes staring daggers at Nagisa. Something Nagisa wished he had on hand just in case he would start to attack him. "N-Nothing, sorry. Can you tell me where I am?" Nagisa asked, not wanting to fight with him. He stayed silent and observed Nagisa, judging him, and slowly moving in closer to him, keeping a keen eye on his reactions towards him. "... Who wants to know?" he questioned. Nagisa had to back up to get some sort of distance between himself and his adversary. So long as he showed him he wasn't there to fight, he should be okay. However, Nagisa just didn't want to fight, so rather than push it, he just turned away. "Eh, nevermind, I'll just figure it out," Nagisa decided, starting to walk away from him. A fight now, and Nagisa would never figure anything out from it. Nagisa kept walking, but it didn't take long until he glanced back, just in time to see him walk in the opposite direction, a dead Murkrow in one hand. That, and a notable assassin's blade in his pocket. Thank god I didn't push it, Gaara probably would've killed me if I did that. Anyway, for the rest of the day it was just me, and trying to find out where I was. Unfortunately for me, the weather just wasn't letting up for my sake. Sunset, and the rain was really starting to come down. At least Nagisa had trees to block off the rain, but even so he was still left soaked, cold, and not sure where he was even going. Any animal now was hidden out of the rain, something Nagisa wished he could do right now. "Damnit, where do I go?" Nagisa wondered, arm trying to block off some of the rain from hitting his eyes as he continued walking along. There had to be somewhere to go for Nagisa to rest, somewhere in this place. Cold and tired, he took a moment to rest over by one of the trees, trying to dry his hair a little bit. "I sure hope the others are doing better than I am. ... Where can I stay for the night? ..." Nagisa thought. Though, he could only wonder if they were even still alive. Nagisa looked around the forest some more, trying to find some sort of shelter from the heavy rain going on around him. Eventually, and indeed it was eventually, Nagisa took sight of something else that might just be what he could be looking for: a lone house in the forest. "This is so cheesy, but, beggars can't be choosers," Nagisa thought. And so, off he went to it. It took him a little while to get around the main boundary wall, but he did get to the front entrance, and got himself right over to the front porch with little to no trouble. As suspicious as this may be, at least he was dry from the rainstorm. Taking the moment, he went on to dry his hair and get himself rested just inside. The main room appeared pretty much empty, wooden floors and walls making up the main room. nothing too fancy, but it'll have to do just until the rain stops outside. For Nagisa, he didn't need to take more than five steps for his demon sense to start going off again, making him shiver. ... One leap saved his life: Gaara was not only right behind him, but he jumped down from the roof beams directly at him, knife drawn out and trying to slice him. Nagisa landed over further into the house, but Gaara was soon on top of him, his knife aimed directly at his throat. Nagisa got a hold of Gaara's hand before he could slice open his neck, but Gaara would rather kill him than talk. "You again." "Yes, sorry. Again. ... I guess this is your place?" Nagisa asked, not letting go of Gaara's hand for any moment. "Does it matter? Now let go," Gaara growled, trying to make Nagisa release him. Both tried their best, but eventually Gaara pulled free and tried again to kill Nagisa, him rushing out of the way just in time to avoid fatal injury. That didn't mean Gaara didn't hit him though, finding a cut on his shoulder from Gaara's knife. Gaara rushed him with his blade again, but Nagisa reacted almost instinctively, and gave Gaara a whack to the side of the head, the hit just enough to leave Gaara a little stunned. Nagisa got himself outside, despite just drying off, as Gaara stood just under the overhang, his knife stained in Nagisa's blood. Nagisa didn't want to fight, but at this point he had no choice. "You had your chance to leave, kid. You couldn't leave me alone," Gaara said, cleaning off his knife in the falling rain. "He's calling me a kid?" Nagisa thought. That was the least of his problems though, still unarmed and this demon was still after him. ... What else could he do? "I didn't want to fight you, demon, but if that's what you want, then fine," Nagisa finally decided, locking his gaze to Gaara. Gaara paused for a moment, but he quickly took the offer and got his blades ready. Turned out, he had about seven throwing knives on him, and he started to throw his blades at him. Nagisa had to keep moving, but the blades were cutting him very close, cutting the fabric off his clothes and little cuts into his skin. One good thing out of this was the amount of weaponry left on the ground. Nagisa managed to grab one of the knives before Gaara rushed around and grabbed the rest. At least Nagisa was armed and he tried his luck against Gaara. The demon though gave a quick lightning fast kick to Nagisa's legs, knocking him off his feet. A perfect opportunity for Gaara to finish Nagisa off and be done with it. And he would've too, but he then ... jumped back? The moment after was very quick, and Nagisa needed a moment to figure things out. Nagisa took a look at Gaara when he did that, finding Gaara up on top of the overhang, no longer looking threatening, and instead looking more surprised, heavy breathing as if he just saw sheer horror. As for Nagisa, he then found that something did land not too far from him. Just his luck, the sure item of his halo blade was now on the ground, actually stabbing the ground where it landed, being where Gaara was standing moments earlier. It didn't take long for him to connect two and two together, Nagisa picking up his weapon and holding his shoulder from Gaara's cut. Nagisa was now properly armed to face the demonic deity. "You know when to come, don't you?" Nagisa commented, referring to the blade in question, as he looked back up to Gaara. Apparently, he shook off his shock and tried at Nagisa again, blades raining down at him. Nagisa took the moment and rushed forward, avoiding the blades, and Gaara landing down in front of him. It was rather quick, but Nagisa was having an advantage this time, Gaara finding himself unarmed and Nagisa coming at him. As Nagisa took his attack, Gaara had to dodge him and try for his blades outside, but Nagisa wasn't giving him the chance this time, and copied what Gaara did earlier: his foot hooking him by the leg and making him tumble to the ground. Nagisa went to him, blade in hand, and Gaara spun himself around and grabbed him by the arm, making him stop. Both of them simply stopped, Gaara frazzled by Nagisa's halo blade, hovering just ten inches above his head, and Nagisa breathing heavily for the energy used. for now, there was room to finally talk. "Look. I know what your thinking, but I swear I didn't come here just to fight you. I'm just trying to get out of the rain and figure out where I am. I promise, as soon as I figure that out, then I'll leave you alone for good, ok?" Nagisa explained. If there was a moment to actually talk to Gaara, it would be now, but even after that Gaara didn't really answer him. Gaara stayed quiet for a minute or two, snapping himself out of shock, and pushing him away. Nagisa saw that his eyes were more fixated on the halo blade than actually on him, though him being a demon as far as Nagisa knew made that understandable. As for Gaara, he stayed silent, and with a huff, he walked back into the house. Nagisa took a step to follow, but Gaara threw his remaining knife right at his feet, keeping him from entering. Nagisa raised both hands up and stayed outside the door, and Gaara disappeared inside the house's shadows. Compared to what could've happened, I was let off easy. ... Even if it meant I had to still sleep outside. At least I had something over my head for the night, but even with all that, I never could've guessed what was coming. ... As the night went on, Nagisa remained motionless and huddled up outside the door, rain still going down fairly hard but Nagisa was keeping himself dry at the very least. Chilled, but dry nonetheless. For the moment, Nagisa was quiet and laying with his back to the building. It was not a bed he'd ever get used to, but since Gaara wouldn't let him in, he just had to work with it unfortunately. With the clouds and rain blocking off whatever moonlight was left, he was literally in the dark and vulnerable to whatever was around. ... *thump**thump**thump**thump* Footsteps. And they sounded like they were coming towards him. Nagisa stayed sleeping for a bit more, but as his own feelings started to take over, Nagisa started to stir just a little bit. The irritation of the feelings were especially bothersome to him, as the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer. "Wakie-wakie, little hero." Such an ominous, hissing voice finally made Nagisa open his eyes to check the area around him. Despite the spine-chilling voice though, Nagisa didn't see anyone at first. Only him, the empty porch and the rain outside. Or it seemed that way, anyway. In such a dark setting, Nagisa couldn't see a figure anywhere, but as he took one look up, the voice's true owner was visible, his arms and legs gripping the overhang like a spider, his head turned completely one eighty degrees, his demonic eyes staring straight down at him. Nagisa was surely spooked, but he didn't bolt for it right away, as the figure dislodged himself from the overhang and landing with silence, his head facing the correct direction and now in front of him with a toothy grin. "King Sombra?" Nagisa asked. That answered turned the face from cheeky to annoyance. "Sombra? King som - ugh - don't you compare me to that pathetic twat! I surpass that creature ten fold. I. Am Tirek," the figure hissed, leaning in towards him. Nagisa kept his composure, his hand reaching for his halo blade. However, the figure was quick to grab it ... and eat it. Right in front of him. "You think this little toy will always work for you?" said the figure, leaving Nagisa with nothing but a small stub of chewed up blade, spat down at Nagisa's feet. Again, Nagisa didn't budge from his spot as he saw what remained of his only weapon shrivel in Tirek's saliva. Nagisa looked back to Tirek, who was now right in front of his face, eyes locked with his. "What do you want. Tirek," Nagisa questioned, at least wanting that out of the way. Tirek straightened up and started to walk around him, back and forth. "You'd know better than to ask, human. I mean, you did technically slay Pluton, as contrived as that bullshit was." "Contrived?" "You cheated: using someone else's sword and Korosensei as leverage! You call yourself a hero and you barely ever lifted a finger. Those worms barely even needed you," As Tirek said this, he grew in size, and his colors faded from red to black, drool turning into blood. Nagisa couldn't turn his gaze away from the horrifying deity, looking more and more horrifying as he spoke. "You think you can save anyone by yourself? HA! A dipshit like you's lucky to save a friend from a Chuchi moth. Ever since you killed my Jizo, all you've done was hold your ass back and let everyone else fight your battles for you. You even got FUTURE VISION for fuck sake, and you can't even get that right!" "That's not true!" Nagisa immediately stated. "Oh really? Ok, tell me one fight, just one fight when your friends didn't clobber their little beastie and only you could finish off the bastard, eh? Or one time you actually put that Future Vision to use for once and actually try to change things instead of letting it happen?" Nagisa tried to think, but the more he tried, the more he realized just how ... well, little he did. When it comes to the actual threat, his friends actually did most of the work for him, and all he did was stand behind. As he'd normally do. ... "But ... but I ..." "But what? Thank your goddamn lucky stars no one important died yet ... underline: YET. Just face it you pathetic creature. Without them ... you're nothing." ....... "AH!!" Nagisa felt a strong hit whack against the side of his head after that horrifying statement. Needless to say, Nagisa woke up with a startle, and a bump on his head. Not the best wake up call Nagisa had gotten. It was morning now: nightmare over, his blade still in tact, and as it turned out Gaara was standing there instead of Tirek. Nagisa rubbed his head, and now was fully awake, looking up to Gaara. Far as Gaara was concern, he was up and that's what mattered. "About time," Gaara simply stated, sounding a bit impatient with Nagisa more than anything. Seeing him move his foot too, it was clear who actually hit him. Nagisa managed to get himself back up, feeling sore, shaken up, but alright overall. At least better than he could've been thanks to Tirek. "You had your night. Now, there's the exit," Gaara said, pointing off to the exit for Nagisa to take. He gave a sigh and started to walk, but then a quick thought about the dream came to him and he soon stopped. That dream seemed VERY real to him one way or another. A little too real. ... "One question. ... Did you notice anything happening last night?" Nagisa asked. "What's it to you?" Gaara asked back. Well, so much for that. "Nevermind. ... Well, thanks anyway." With that, Nagisa began to go off on his wasy, Gaara watching him the whole time until he was well away from the exit. Gaara allowed him to stay one night, Nagisa wasn't up for forcing him on anything, especially since it almost cost him his life. Nagisa took one more look back, just to find Gaara no longer in sight. It was a bit of a bother for him, but Nagisa had to basically be good with what he got. A demon did decide to let him live, after all ... For the next half an hour, it had been nothing but wandering around in the forest, trying to figure out where to go. It was almost like the path to the 3-E building back at home, to be honest ... well, only then I'd known where to go. I was just stuck wondering, pondering, what could've happened to you. ... And what Tirek had said. ... "Good sleep?~" Nagisa stopped cold in his tracks, looking around the forest for the all too familiar voice, eerily familiar. The voice also set off his demon sense, his whole body shivering slightly in response to the voice. Though, he'd probably get shivers, even without the demon sense going off. This time though, unlike before, he found the figure far quicker, whom of which was up in one of the pine trees. Laying on the branch, swaying his legs behind him and arms crossed as if he was laying in bed, the demon lord Tirek was back! There was no mistaking him this time, and seeing this supposed dream beast now alive and in flesh and blood made Nagisa jump back a little. Tirek swung down from the tree, and landed right by the humbled human. "T-Tirek?!" "I know who I am, bitch," Tirek said. Clearly his behavior didn't alter from dream to real life either, but that hardly made him feel any better. Each step Nagisa took just made Tirek step closer again. Unlike before, Nagisa kept his blade hidden away (he didn't want it gobbled up). "But ... wait, how're you -" "You REALLY going to question it?" Tirek brought up, stopping Nagisa cold. Nagisa would protest, but this was a demon lord here, so what was the point? "... Yeah, good point. What do you want?" Nagisa asked, wanting that out of the way. Tirek started to circle Nagisa, who kept himself still. "Oh, just checking in, wanted to chat a little bit, see how easily I can crumble you. Oh, is that a midday snack for me?" said Tirek, yanking the knife out of Nagisa's pocket. Nagisa expected Tirek to try to eat it again, but all Tirek did was pick his teeth with it and tossed the now saliva-covered item to Nagisa, who looked in disgust. "Hands off," Nagisa demanded, wiping the knife clean of the spit. The least he could say is that Tirek wasn't hungry for that. "Damn, I expected that from Karma, not you." "So you know him too?" "I know lots of ya: Aladdin, Pinkie, Ciel, ol Bassie ... Twilight.~ hope you said your goodbyes to them before your suicide," Tirek said, though most of his tone was mischievous rather than sympathetic. His mention of Twilight, especially by her specific nickname, made Nagisa troubled more than most. Any demonlord who knew of his friends by name only meant one thing ... well, one or two. "So you did work with Sombra," Nagisa confirmed. Though, Tirek's cheery attitude immediately turned cold again. "Quit acting like I give a shit about him! I told you, I exceed that runt ten fold! He can't even kill a group of kids like you," Tirek noted, making it especially clear. Nagisa took his words in, the last part making him think hard about it. ... By the time he was finished, the boy felt a horrifying thought creep into his head on what Tirek was talking about, and seeing him smiling with his horrid sharp teeth told Nagisa Tirek knew too. "You didn't ..." "Easy pickings! And such a lovely look on my mantle: Bunch of shitheads, died on the day of Pluton." Tirek mocked, laughing his head off. Not too clever, but Nagisa felt his heart sink when he heard that come out of him. Whether Tirek really did it or not didn't change the true fact. "I don't believe you. ..." "Hoped you say that," Then, to Nagisa's horror, and Tirek's delight, the demon had the nerve to bring up a image, his fingers slicing a square in existence and showing the supposed aftermath of Pluton's explosion: all of his friends laying dead in a post apocalyptic heap of what was once Central Amestris. Just to torture him more, he made sure each one of his closer friends got more of the spotlight in each bit of imagery Tirek left to stick in Nagisa's brain. Tirek relished the look on his face, giggling all the while like the horrid devil he was. "Look at you, so shocked, it's adorable! Oh, the fun I'll have with you! Too bad for you your only little effort for being mister hero got your pals a little seat up in the afterlife. Really, you're so pathetic, it's hilariously awful!" Nagisa just stayed quiet, the last remark reminding him what Tirek had said last night. "Get used to it, kid, cus you'll ALL join them when I'm done!" Tirek announced, fully confident in the statement. As Tirek gave his maniacal laughter, the demon lord strolled off away from him and through a portal he summoned, disappearing right away. He left Nagisa staring off into space, his mind trying to accept the supposed facts. However, his mind was rather torn because of what Lugia told him before back in Synapse and to what Tirek said. They're lucky to have a friend like you Those worms barely even needed you Who was telling the truth? Lugia, or Tirek? ....... "What was that all about?" Gaara. A little odd to see him of all people suddenly show up, but Nagisa was still trying to get his mind straight. He knew what he meant, and he knew how much trouble it actually was, and more of a heartbreak to hear how his friends were basically killed because of Pluton's blast. ... "... You heard all that?" "More than enough. Saw him follow you and I wanted him out," Gaara said, Nagisa sensing the knife he cradled in his hand. Nagisa stayed quiet for a good while before turning to Gaara, a tear coming down his face. Looking to him though, Gaara could care less about the emotional turmoil. In fact, it kinda annoyed him. "Grow up, you. Your not going to do anything by crying," Gaara commented, though he wasn't treating the situation as seriously as Nagisa was. Gaara just wanted him gone more than anything, and him going into a crying fit wasn't gonna make that easier. Nagisa did feel a sting in his heart hearing such cold words being spat at him, but truth was truth, and the truth was ... "Crying won't bring them back." That final sentenced echoed in Nagisa's head for a little bit, and the words Tirek had said accompanying it. ... That was when one Future vision came in his head as well. ... Time to actually use it. Gaara turned to go, only to feel someone grab him by the arm, and hard, just to find Nagisa standing there. "Let go of me," Gaara demanded. "I need to be better than this. ... I need to be stronger. Tirek will destroy everything in this world if we let him go like this," Nagisa insisted. However, all Gaara did was kick him back. "That's your problem, not mine," Gaara simply stated, starting to walk away. ... "Does the end of the world mean anything to you? Everyone will suffer, including you." THAT was what made him stop. Something world-effecting would end up effecting him, no matter the case. Gaara stayed especially quiet, knowing Nagisa was on his feet now and staring at him. ... "... Damnit, fine. ... On one condition," Gaara made clear, turning around to Nagisa. Nagisa nodded his head, more than willing, whatever Gaara had in mind. "When I'm done with you, then you go. I don't care what business you have with hell, but I want no part in it, or it'll be your head. Get it?" "I understand," Nagisa replied. So, Gaara and I got started the next morning. Earlier for me, I had to admit, but if it meant becoming stronger to go up against whatever Tirek had planned, then so be it. At least I found out what his name was after that, but I knew for a fact he really, really didn't want me around. There he was, standing over outside the house, facing against Gaara with his halo blade in hand, while Gaara had, well, nothing. Nagisa was put in a different outfit: the training uniform to be exact. No knife in his hand, or really anything that could suggest any attack, at least not now. "Nagisa. You ready to start, or what?" Gaara asked. "Sure Gaara, but ... shouldn't you have a weapon too?" Nagisa asked. Gaara rolled his eyes on the question. "I can kill you without one. Besides, it's not me who you're fighting. ..." Before Nagisa could ask what he meant, Gaara began to get to work. Focusing his own energy with ease, the gourd began to pour out sand like a waterfall, which landed right next to him. Gaara started to manipulate the sand with a few movements of his hand, the sand suddenly rising up in front of Nagisa's eyes. When the sand stopped pouring, Gaara manipulated it off the ground, and soon enough the pile of sand turned into an almost exact replica of Gaara himself, down to the clothes, and even the eyes almost matched up. Nagisa looked less surprised, and more intrigued than anything, as he readied the blade in his hand. Gaara walked over to the door, the sand clone ready to face Nagisa as willing as Gaara himself would be. "Begin!" Gaara announced. Immediately, with blinding speed, the Gaara clone rushed for him, Nagisa not having too much time to react. Nagisa thrusted his knife forward, but the clone dodged it with ease, and not only did it kick it out of his hand, but it zoomed around, and kicked him in the back, knocking him off his feet. Nagisa tried to get up, but the clone ended up standing on his back to keep him down, just to have his halo blade landing right in front of his face. "That was quick," Gaara said, feeling satisfied to see Nagisa beaten up. The clone moved off of Nagisa after that, getting up to his feet after a bit and picking up his knife. "Damn, we just got started and he clobbered me on the spot. I have to be ready." Nagisa thought. "Begin!" Garra said again, triggering the clone to rush at him once more. Nagisa was more prepared this time, and instead of thrusting, he jumped aside to have the clone rush by him. However, reflexes were slow, and the clone caught him by the leg with a swing of its arm, knocking him off balance a bit. Nagisa stayed on his feet that time, just for the clone to slam both fists into his chest to knock him onto his back. Gaara clone two, Nagisa zero. When that was finished, as fun as it was, Gaara moved the sand clone back from Nagisa's midst, as he managed to get back up, him trying to shake off the hits the clone had made in their training. Just two rounds and Nagisa already got owned. "Can't make this easy, can you?" Gaara asked. "That's my line, demon," Nagisa groaned. Nagisa felt a pain hit him in the side, a hand onto it, as Gaara just stared at him with strong judgement, slightly annoyed too. He then pointed to Nagisa. "Look, let me make this clear to you. First off: you keep calling me a demon, but I'm not. I'm mortal, same as you. Second: I'm not going to hold myself back just because I'm training you. If this is what you want, then keep up," Gaara instructed. It was clear to Nagisa that this was just how it was going to be for a while until he was ready. However, Nagisa's demon sense was telling him that he was telling a half truth to him. "So you're an Alchemist?" Nagisa then asked. "Call me whatever you want, but don't think it'll help you," Gaara made clear, walking back to the front porch of the house, the clone in a fighting stance again. Nagisa sighed, and brings his knife up and at the ready once more. "Begin!" Day in and day out was like a military camp for me. It didn't matter to me how brutal Gaara's training was, my main focus was to get stronger, and at the time I was willing to do whatever it takes. ... Even if that meant training with a demonic entity like Gaara. Ironic, I know, but progress was going, and it was showing through each one of our sessions. I can't exactly describe it, but I'll say this: Korosensei would be crying tears of joy if he saw me during it all. ....... Another training session, three days into it, and admittedly Nagisa felt like he was doing a little bit better in his craft. Well, he wasn't getting knocked out so easily, facing Gaara's sand clone again with blade to blade. At first, Nagisa appeared to be doing fairly well. Nagisa dodged, weaved, and even made a few hits on the clone, stray sand being hit off, though it didn't slow the clone down at all. One strike. Two. Three. For the first time in a while, Nagisa felt on a roll with this! ... "Nagisa!" Gaara shouted, Nagisa looking to him for just a moment ... only to get kicked off his feet by the clone. Nagisa got up on his hands and knees, just in time to hear ... "Concentrate on what you're doing." "Seriously?" ....... The next following night, and Gaara and Nagisa were out over by the boundaries of the house, in particular over by the pond. Rather than just beating him up this time (as much as Gaara wanted to), the training this time was actually balance, Both Nagisa and Gaara up on some sandstone pillars, rather tiny too. Gaara was standing on it just fine, but Nagisa struggled to keep himself from falling over, arms outstretched, and Nagisa putting as much concentration as he could to stay still. "OK, just relax, you got this," Nagisa silently encouraged to himself. Of course, Gaara wasn't going to make this any easier for him, and he made another pillar nearby, one for each of them. Gaara made his jump, Nagisa having to follow him onto his pillar. Nagisa had plenty of difficulty just to stay on it, but he was still on after some flailing of his arms to keep him there. "Let's step it up," Gaara noted, before tossing something at Nagisa. Nagisa thought it was a knife, but it turned out to be some sort of meat, which landed on his head. ... *CAW CAW* AND a Murkrow was a little more than eager to land on Nagisa's head and started to peck at the meat. As if balancing on this little pillar wasn't hard enough, now Nagisa had a bird messing with him. And another. And another. "Get off!" Nagisa tried to say, but a simple nudge would make him fall over. Gaara simply watched I'm amusement as Nagisa struggled with the now several birds. Some perched on his arms, some even fighting over the meat on his head. Nagisa really had to balance his weight with the multiple birds, especially those on his arms which were acting like weights. He didn't want to hurt the birds, but he didn't want to fall either. He felt his body lean one way to another, Nagisa struggling to stay upright, the cawing Murkrow bickering over food right on his head. Eventually, one of the Murkrow ended up stumbling off his head, the claws of the bird's feet scratching his head near his ear, one claw close to his eye. Nagisa turned his head so he wouldn't get his eye scratched, but the movement disturbed the birds and they all flew off. The sound of screeching caws, flapping wings, and Nagisa's yelp was enough to tell Gaara that he lost his balance, and fell to the ground under them. "Good, you didn't snap your neck in that fall," Gaara commented. "Very funny," Nagisa groaned, as he got up to his feet. One of the Murkrow landed nearby him, giving a loud caw before flying at him, grabbing the neat, and flying away. ....... "You ready Nagisa?" Afternoon, and another extra session. Unlike the other previous sessions over the last week, this one was laid out a little different: a set of Gaara clones and placed in a more environmental setting, in particular over by the pond. Nagisa was calmer, more focused, though it was his first time facing multiple clones, each one armed to the teeth with sandstone blades. "Ready." "Begin!" Gaara shouted. A now typical response for whenever a session would begin, and Nagisa was more than ready. Nagisa took his attack and started swiping at the clones with his knife, blocking a few attacks here and there. Dealing with one was enough of a challenge, but two were more than enough for Nagisa. Nagisa moved fast to try and gain some distance, but both clones were not making that easy, even getting a few good hits on him as well. "Ok Nagisa, think for a minute, what do I do?" Nagisa thought, skidding to a stop once he got enough distance between him and the clones. Both clones looked ready to strike him again, though Nagisa's eyes were trying to figure out where else to work for him in this situation. Eventually, his eyes turned to the pond. ... "Got it. Now if can just ..." Nagisa thought this one out, as he aimed his Halo Blade in their direction, but instead of charging forward as Gaara would guess, Nagisa slowly started to circle them. The clones followed suite, keeping their gaze on Nagisa as they both slowly rotated around. Nagisa managed to stop at one point ... and then dropped his weapon. Even Gaara found this confusing, but he didn't protest it - making things easier to get him gone. Seeing him armless, both Gaara clones charged right for him, but Nagisa didn't move. Then the plan revealed itself: at the last second, Nagisa ducked and rushed past both Gaara clones, his arms out and tripping them both. The momentum from their own speed made both clones fall forward right into the pond, and since being made of sand dissolved almost immediately. Challenge beat. "How ... how did I do?" Nagisa panted, looking to Gaara. The fact that Nagisa dropped his only weapon to do that was, while reckless, seemed pretty good in Nagisa's mind, and he could even see some form of interest in Gaara's eyes, though not a word escaped him. "A little reckless. Watch that." It was hard to impress Gaara, even after everything I did. I couldn't blame him though: he was at least part demon, so I didn't expect him to open up so quickly. We just felt distant from eachother ... Well, up to a point. Sunset, inside Gaara's house, and about an hour after a training session with Gaara. Nagisa's body was stiff and sore, some bandages from a particularly brutal training session, but Nagisa still felt pretty good with himself (first time in a while). Gaara got a cup of water for him to drink, which Nagisa gleefully took. "Thank you," Nagisa said, taking a sip of the drink. "Yeah, yeah," Gaara simply said, taking a seat with his own drink. For the first minute or so, it was all silent stairs between him and Gaara, both just sipping the water each of them had. "It's been weeks since we've met. But, I still don't know much about him. He keeps saying he's a human, but ... should I say something to him?" Nagisa thought. Gaara took a look to Nagisa, Nagisa quickly turning his gaze away when he saw him. Nothing could hide from Gaara though. "What do you want now?" Gaara asked. Nagisa sighed. "Sorry, but. ... Well ..." "If you have something to say, spit it out," Gaara said, frustrated a little. Nagisa took a glance to his drink before he decided to just ask. If he didn't he'll just spent the rest of his time wondering what he was all about. "... What are you?" "Eh?" "Ever since you started training me, you keep telling me you're a human like me ... but ... well, I ... I don't believe you." The final statement was pretty hesitant, but Nagisa just had to figure this out. The Demon sense had been going off for a long time now, and he needed to figure this out one way or another. Gaara simply stared Nagisa down. "And why would you think that?" Gaara questioned, waiting for what he had to say. Nagisa had to think on that part. Should he tell him, or no? He did promise to try and quiet down about it, but then again not only did Pluton throw that all out the window, but Gaara proved to be more knowledged about this sort of thing with his sand-kinetics. ... "... I have a Demon Sense. It's basically how it sounds: I'm able to sense these uh ... demonic presence around me. It's been going on with me for months now and ... well, I've been sensing one since I got here. So ..." "Your other demon must be watching you," Gaara cut in. Not too far from the truth, and Nagisa found that too much sense. Gaara drank his water, placed it down and then got up, taking in mind what Nagisa just said. As for Nagisa, he simply watched Gaara starting to go, taking a glance off outside at the sunset. "Unless you want a broken back tomorrow, go to bed," Gaara said, before he started to go off into the next room. But Nagisa still wasn't getting an answer on him. "Gaara, you didn't -" before Nagisa could finish, instead of a closing door, sand enclosed the path and blocked the door, hardening into sandstone on the spot so Nagisa couldn't follow him. Whatever Gaara had in mind, he wasn't going to talk about it to him. ....... So after that, it was all silence between Nagisa and Gaara. Cutting to night time, Nagisa was left alone down near the front door. Gaara didn't say a single word to him at all ever since Nagisa questioned what he really was over what Gaara kept saying. Not much sound other than the breeze outside, and the thoughts in his head. The big thought being what Tirek had showed him. Too bad for you your little effort for being mister hero got your pals a little seat up in the afterlife. Get used to it, kid, cus you'll ALL join them when I'm done! "Tirek. ... Sombra. ... I will avenge my friends. Just you watch," Nagisa thought. And that was a promise he was going to keep too. If they had never released Pluton into the world, he wouldn't even be in this situation. These sort of thoughts couldn't get him to fall asleep, if not the sores he got from training earlier or the lingering Demon Sense. Even if he'd grown used to it by this point, with the uncertainty of it all he just couldn't rest easy (not to mention Gaara's hypothesis of a spying devil around). The moon was only half covered, so vision wasn't all too good except for the stars. ... "Speak of the devil." A new Demon Sense was starting to go off on him again, and this time it was much stronger than Gaara's preexisting one. Despite his sore body, Nagisa got up to his feet to investigate. He kept himself off out of sight just inside the house, peeking outside the door at the situation. Nagisa didn't see anything at first, but he still had his Halo Blade at the ready. He kept his eyes locked to outside, ready for the slightest provocation, and as he expected something did begin to move out from the darkness and over towards the house. It was hard to tell, but the glowing yellow irises was a little too familiar to him. Nagisa expected him to come right in and attack him, but instead the figure aimed above and jumped up onto the roof. There was only one reason for it to do so. "Tirek!" Nagisa thought. He had to get up to him before the demon could do any damage. One problem: the only way up there was trapped with Gaara's sandstone wall! "Damnit." Nagisa tried his best to get himself through, ramming into the wall time and again, but all that did was make his injuries hurt more so, the wall not budging an inch. The sound of scratching claws echoed from the roof, confirming his worries even further. Nagisa rushed off outside to see where the intruder was, only to find the figure already opening a hole in Gaara's roof. Whoever, or whatever this was, he wasn't paying any attention towards Nagisa. A decent sized hole was torn open from the roof, and the figure proceeded to slip inside. Nagisa climbed up onto the roof after him, and while he got close, he couldn't stop whoever it was to slip inside. The part the figure got himself into was, to Nagisa's horror, Gaara's own room! It only consisted of a bed and not much else, but Gaara was awake, and looking to the intruder standing in his midst. "Another intruder," Gaara stated. "If you want me to be, then I'd be happy to," said Tirek, his sinister grin piercing the dark. Gaara, already armed to the teeth with his throwing knives, launched them all right at the demon, only for them to just bounce off of him in little to no effort. In fact, Tirek grabbed one of them and took a bite out of it, the metal melting in his mouth to form a tooth casing. Basically, one bite gave him metallic teeth. He tossed the end of the knife back at Gaara, Gaara dodging it easily. "Oh, a feisty one! Not kind to strangers, are you?" "Get out. If you want Nagisa, take him, I don't want anything to do with you," Gaara demanded, but all that did was make Tirek laugh at him. "HA! You got involved the moment you saw that blue bitch, piss-head! Training that tyke of a human after a little chitchat? How gullible are you to make that call?!" That load of mockery only made Gaara attack him, this time with his sand manipulation, turning the sand he had with him into a large set of swords and blades. They did managed to cut Tirek a bit, but the demon lord walked it off like it was no more than a false cold, marching right up to Gaara and grabbing him by the throat! Gaara found himself gagging instantly, thrashing and whacking him every way he could, but Tirek was not budging enough to get Gaara loose. Next thing Gaara knew, Tirek was right behind him, one arm wrapped around his stomach while the other turned to a fist and shoved it in his mouth to shut him up. Gaara gnawed at his hand, but that didn't help either. After that was handled was when Tirek looked to Nagisa. "Oh, dearie me, look what you did now. You got this lad's life on the line, yet again, just like your other pals back in Amestris. You want history to repeat itself, don't you?~" Tirek cooed, going as far as to stick his pointed tongue out and give Gaara a long, overly sexual lick along the side of his face. Nagisa tried to come up with something to say, but was too angry to even come up with anything. The balls for him to even show up again and screw with another friend of his. "Let him go, Tirek, or I'll -" "Or you'll what? You gave no shit about him, he gave no shit about you, what's the point on protecting him anyway? He tried to kill ya, remember?" Tirek reminded, though they both knew he was just trying to get his way and nothing else. That just made Nagisa even angrier, and even jumping into the same room to confront Tirek. Despite his attempts though, he could feel himself tremble when he did that. "Come on, HERO, you did it last time you didn't hesitate!" "Just let him go," Nagisa repeated. Tirek pushed the steaks by removing his gagged hand, and dug his claws into Gaara's neck. One slash at his throat, and that will be that. "He's teaching ya isn't he? Here's a little tip from me: You can't save EVERYONE in the world." Tirek said, digging his claws in deeper. Gaara groaned in discomfort, ticked off more than ever. To think he was being used for someone else's game was more than shitty. "TIREK!" "Go on, scream your head off, all you're doing is keeping up a cute appearance for the angels up above, that's it. He's a demon, you know it, and you vowed to kill the demons so they won't cause any trouble. Which reminds me. ..." Tirek then tossed Gaara over towards Nagisa, Gaara landing at his feet, gasping for air and gripping his bleeding throat. He was so close to death. "Why don't you take him out then? You'll be doing heaven a favor." "... You're joking, right?" Nagisa suddenly said, not even trying to be intimidating now. "You're threatening to kill me, and now you're trying to make me kill him?" "I'll say this: do that, and I'll stop." "What?" "You heard me bitch boy. You take his life away, and I'll call of whatever tiny plan I have for this world of ours. All you gotta do is get a little blood on your hands," Tirek cleared up. Gaara stayed still, looking up to Nagisa with a glare, but this glare wasn't the same one he'd give to one of his targets, or to Tirek, but this one was more serious than just angry. The answer to the request should be obvious to Nagisa, him staying quiet at first ... And reaching for one of Gaara's blades. "Don't. You. Dare," Gaara growled, but Nagisa didn't listen to him. Tirek found this VERY interesting, giggling like a giddy girl as he watched Nagisa bring the blade over. It was then that Nagisa gave Gaara a smile. A particular smile, not exactly one of cheer or reassurance, but one belonging to one who was in full control. And here, Nagisa Shiota was in control of the situation. Gaara readied to attack, but Tirek was already on him, pinning him down to the floor so Nagisa could finish him off. Nagisa stopped for a brief moment when he did that, but then started walking forward again. What happened next was almost slow motion: Nagisa picked up speed, but oddly he dropped Gaara's blade to the ground. Gaara and Tirek had their focus on the blade, but Gaara saw what he was doing first and kept his head down. As for Tirek, he moved just a little too slow before seeing Nagisa move his arm, and bring out the Halo Blade he had on him. AAAAAAAHHHHH!! Then it was over. Nagisa stood above Gaara for protection, his blade aimed forward with some slight blood still on his blade. Tirek though got the hit that Nagisa was hoping to make: his eye sliced! His left eye was bleeding black, one hand holding it as the blood seeped to the floor. Tirek hissed as he looked back to Nagisa. "Now listen Tirek. I don't know how far you're going to go, but I will not stand for it. You were right about one thing: what I did back in Amestris, I barely did anything myself. Everything was basically done by everyone else. But I promise you one thing: I WILL stop Sombra, I will stop you. I already lost all my friends because of you, I will not stand by and watch everyone else die anymore. Do you hear me Tirek, I'll finish you off, just you wait. You'll all regret the day you decide to take over this world!" Silence. Even Nagisa wasn't sure what happened at the moment, nor how much danger he placed himself in. The only thing on his mind was to protect Gaara from this monstrous deity. Instead of attacking them though, a weaker grin showed on Tirek's face. "... You just dug your own grave." With that final remark, Tirek opened up another portal nearby, and before Gaara or Nagisa could get him, he slipped away and disappeared from their presence. When all of that was over, Nagisa calmed down and got back to his senses, shaking his head, before stepping back and looking to Gaara. Gaara got up to his feet, hand still over the cuts on his neck. "Gaara, you okay?" Nagisa asked, only for Gaara to summon up some more sand and aim a sandstone blade at Nagisa. Lucky for him, Gaara didn't slice him to pieces, his mind lost on something else. ... "Answer me. ... Is that what you had to deal with? ..." Gaara's question floated in the air for a bit before Nagisa answered him. "Eh ... not as disturbing, but ... yeah, pretty much," Nagisa admitted, shrugging a little. Gaara kept the sword in place before it eventually disintegrated back into nothing but sand on the floor. Gaara kept his gaze away from Nagisa for a moment, eventually moving his bloodied hand away and allowing the blood to come out a little more freely. Gaara looked to his own hand, seeing his own blood glistened in the night light, as little as there was in terms of light. Gaara turned back to Nagisa, his eyes locking with his, looking almost surprised, even a tiny bit. "And why didn't you kill me? ..." Gaara then questioned. "Because It's not right. What would killing you even do to stop Tirek anyway? He's just going to kill everyone else afterwards. ... Besides, I shouldn't be thank you by slicing your neck open," Nagisa explained. Gaara turned around completely to face Nagisa, just to see him actually start to remove some of his own bandages, and proceeding to wrap them around Gaara's wounds. "Here, you need this more than me," Nagisa said once he finished. Gaara placed a hand on his now bandaged neck, thinking over what had just happened. Then Gaara sat back down in his bed, again looking to Nagisa, eye-to-eye. "Nagisa. ... It's time you and I talk. What happened, the whole story." "So, what'd he say?" asked Twilight. It took Nagisa a good while to explain everything to them, the moon higher up into the sky. Aladdin and Twilight were pretty deep into this story, and Nagisa was glad to know that. in spite the question though, Nagisa shook his head. "Sorry, I promised Gaara not to tell you. He'd rather say it himself when he's ready," Nagisa answered, glancing back at the house. Nagisa took a look over to Aladdin, who was psyched on what Nagisa had gone through the most. "I ... WOW, Nagisa, all that's amazing. You took on Tirek and won?!" "Well, it was luck, but I'm sure he'll be back. Anyway, Gaara continued training me for the days after, a lot more determined too. As then, out of nowhere, we heard trees falling from your fight," Nagisa continued. "I knew that was you two! All that training is really showing off," Twilight said. "Yeah, thanks for saving us back there," added Aladdin. When they both took a look though, it was Nagisa's turn to shed a few tears, which Nagisa allowed to fall freely from his face. "... I'm so glad Tirek's a liar about your death. ... But he was right about one thing. ... I didn't contribute anything." How could he not say that to them, to be honest? "No, no, you know better than to believe him. The princess of England would've never escaped without your quick thinking," Twilight pointed out. "Yeah, and you're the won who made the plan to stop Pluton, didn't you?" added Aladdin. Normally, Nagisa would take their word for it, but this time he shook his head. "Guys. Those are fine and good, but let's face it: when push comes to shove, I just kept standing back and letting you guys all fight for me. It's not like I was any good anyway: you two, and Blair have magic, Karma and Pinkie has their fighting skills, Ciel Phantomhive has Sebastian ... all I have is a puny knife and few fancy ideas. I'm sorry I wasn't doing much, but things are changing. And so will I." and Twilight and Aladdin couldn't agree more. Nagisa sat down in between them, Aladdin giving him a hug, and the trio were left to look up at the stars for the rest of the time. Tomorrow, they'll be off. Together. S03Ep10: The Yin and the Yang ~陰と陽~"I know they're here somewhere ..." Out in the forest, Gluttony was still maintaining his own little search. Even with his little, and embarrassing defeat before, he still felt he had to find Twilight and Aladdin again. As far as he knew they were the only people who knew where Envy was, and being a fellow Homunculus as, not to mention everything that had happened, he just had to find him! It didn't help Gaara and Nagisa attacked him (something he was also curious about), thus cutting his time a little short until he was sure he would be safe enough to find them again. "They know where he is. Envy. They have to tell me, and maybe then I can eat them!" Gluttony thought, licking his lips on the thought. As hungry as he was, finding out where Envy ended up was a bit more important (shocking as that may be). Following what scent remained of them, Gluttony marched on through the forest. "Hello?! You here?! I promise I won't eat you until later!" Gluttony called, but no response from anyone. Or anything for that matter. All the sound was left was some distant birds, but that was about it. He could smells birds, pine sap from the trees, the faint scent of the humans, though according to that faintness they had been and gone for a while. That surely didn't deter him though, and he continued his scent tracking ... Then he fell over a tree. "Oof! Where'd that come from?" Gluttony wondered, looking back at the tree, only to see a particular bite mark on it. ... "Oh." Well, after getting himself back up, he went back to sniffing and tracking, his nose immediately getting to work. back on the trail. He kept his eyes shut as he tracked down the smells, but as he walked on forward, he ended up walking into something else, making him step back and opening his eyes, just to find ... "Look where your going, buddy." "T-TIREK!" Gluttony gasped, falling back in shock. Tirek was hanging up in another tree, but rather hanging by a noose around his neck and right hand. Seeing a demon basically fail at suicide surely had some mixed feelings. Tirek cut the rope holding him up, and landed with grace right on top of Gluttony. The Homunculus was now on the ground, eyes facing up to his dominator, Tirek standing on his stomach. "Still looking for Envy are you?" asked Tirek. "Uh ... Yes?" Gluttony replied. Tirek took a step off of him, letting Gluttony sit up. "And you're pretty hell-bent too. Sombra forced your ass down, yet you still snuck off to find Envy. And here I thought I'm ballsy enough to just go for it." "B-But no one's seen Envy since Pluton attacked! ... you haven't seen him, have you?" Gluttony insisted, feeling worried sick over him. Tirek though smiled to him on hearing that. "Interesting. I could tell him about Envy ... oh, but what fun is that?" Tirek thought, his grin widening. Seeing Gluttony vulnerable in this situation made it all the sweeter. "Might have. ... or rather what's left, anyway." That was a full lie, but Gluttony felt humbled on his answer. Considering what kind of being Tirek was to begin with, that was a bit of a problem. Gluttony looked up to Tirek. "Where is he? where's Envy?" he asked, more humbled this time, Tirek walking over to him. "There, there. I'll show you where he is ... just one little favor. ..." Next thing Gluttony knew, Tirek had his hand shoved into his mouth! Rather than digging in for a stone, Gluttony's tongue was pulled out, Tirek's thumb on the Oroboros symbol. In this situation, Gluttony couldn't move, at risk of pulling his own stone out. As for Tirek, he focused onto the symbol itself. As he did, the symbol started to glow blood red, some sparks starting to fly off of it for a good bit. Just what Tirek wanted to see. Gluttony stayed completely still at first, but little by little, his body started to feel a sort of pressure around him, head to toe. He started to tremble and twitch, a dull growing pain beginning to take over him. sparks started to fly from all over him, his whole body started to alter in front of him. "Wha- WHAT DID YOU DO? AAHHH!" Gluttony screamed, loosing more and more sanity every second from his pain. "Doing me a favor.~" ~~ "Any sign of them yet, Sebastian?" asked Yoroi. Back at Central, things seemed to be a little tense since Twilight and Aladdin had gone off on them. Sure it had been settled down for the most part, but the rest of Team Harmony weren't thinking on just ditching Twilight and Aladdin to their search. Yoroi felt more troubled about it himself (Twilight was his sister, after all). Sebastian was standing on the roof of the Central building, but on the word he jumped right back down, landing right in front of Yoroi. Yoroi wasn't alone though: Karasuma, Edward, and Alphonse were outside too. "They've grown rather elusive, I must say. disappointing, really," Sebastian answered. This was a bit concerning. "I know: first the king goes missing, and now our only true angel flown off. What a time to be gone," Karasuma groaned, not enjoying the trouble anymore than the others are. The only one who could call heaven for help, and he happened to be the one to fly off. "So I assume you hadn't found him either." "No; he and Salim hadn't been seen since the attack. I'm starting to think they might've not made it," Karasuma informed. And with what they've gone through, that's not too far off. ... "They have to be! No one can replace him, who knows what'll happen if he's dead," Yoroi said, worried for the king. "Chaos, and perhaps a major chance for the demons to takeover, whichever comes first." figured Sebastian. Though, that didn't really help them. "Thank you, Sebastian," groaned Ed. It was then Alphonse turned to Sebastian. "Eh, Sebastian? Is that demon something regular where you're from?" Alphonse asked, Yoroi, Karasuma, and Edward turning to Sebastian, as he went on thinking a little bit. They knew about his demonic identity after a while, though Sebastian still didn't say too much on what he once was, or anything about the Underworld. "I'll need to consort with my master first, but I'll say this: ... your kind will need more preparation for even the lowest of demons." The response, accompanied by the red glow in Sebastian's eyes was enough to give them a few shivers, excluding Karasuma that is. With that remark, Sebastian started to walk back inside, leaving Yoroi, Edward, and Alphonse a bit shaken up. If Pluton alone could do that much, how much could an actual group do? The very thought was a bit scary. However, Karasuma then took a step over to Sebastian. "If I were you, I'd talk. If you're planning anything against us, we can all take you down," Karasuma warned. Though, Sebastian didn't feel very intimidated, but not wanting to fight, all he did was nod and walk away. It was gonna be a while before they'd get him to say anything. ... "HEEEYYY!" Good timing: calling up from above, the group below looked up to see the very people in question flying in ala magic carpet: Aladdin, and Twilight at first. Aladdin had a big smile on his face, waving down to them to get their attention. From where they were, Aladdin and Twilight were the only one's visible, but seeing them was still something good to see. "There they are!" Alphonse shouted, happy to see that they were alright. As he looked up though, one particular pink girl was suddenly on top of his shoulders, looking up as well. Surprising to Al, but Pinkie Pie was especially pleased. "HORRAY! THEY'RE BACK EVERYBODY!" Pinkie yelled in joy, waving up to them herself. Al found his balance after a bit though, and Pinkie wasn't alone either. The other members of Team Harmony, hearing her, came outside themselves along with Sebastian just to find them landing in front of them all. Then they saw it wasn't just Twilight and Aladdin with them. Nagisa was back. "Hey everyone," Nagisa said, hand raised. Reactions were very quick: It didn't take too long until Pinkie jumped down from Al's shoulders, and tackle Nagisa with a tight hug. "YOU'RE ALIVE!! I THOUGHT WE LOST YOU FOREVER!" Pinkie wailed, fountains of tears out of her eyes. "This has been a while," Nagisa thought, feeling her chest push down on him. Some things never change apparently. Still, Nagisa actually managed to get up to his feet, lifting Pinkie up a little bit to see the others. "You crazy son of a bitch, you saved our world and then go off hiding, don't do that," Blair said, though she was just as happy to see him as the rest were. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I got a lot of explaining to do," Nagisa said, rubbing the back of his head, as Karma got Pinkie to let go of him. Many of them were around Nagisa, but Ciel then cleared his throat. "Pardon me for interrupting this little moment ... but who is this?" Ciel finally asked, not sounding too enthused by the subject matter. It wasn't exactly Nagisa though he was talking about: Twilight, Aladdin, and Nagisa had an extra passenger brought back with them. Standing there, Gaara had come along as well, and he'd been rather quiet and observing up to this point. He was not very thrilled about the crowd himself, arms crossed and eyeing them all down. Nagisa went over to him. "Oh right. Everyone, this is Gaara. He's going to be joining us for a while," Nagisa introduced, though any sort of friendly introduction was not in Gaara's motives. "Oh, a new recruit! Awesome! Welcome abroad friend!" Pinkie said, popping up in front of him and ready to hug him. Gaara though easily dodged her with a simple lean and step, making Pinkie tumble forward onto the ground. Gaara cleared his throat and stared daggers at the others. "Let me make this clear: I'm only with you so I can get even with Tirek. No more, no less. Understand?" Gaara made clear. He wasn't there to make friends, that was for sure. "... Who?" "I'm the only one who saw him, Gaara," Nagisa whispered. That just made Gaara a little frustrated, a rough sigh escaping his lips. "Well, perhaps we should take some time to bring everyone up to speed before we discuss our next course of action," suggested Ciel. ~~ In little time, Nagisa and company were all back together again, good as they were before, maybe even better with the new recruit. The whole group got together within the lobby of Central, and Nagisa wasted no time in catching up with his friends on what he had gone through, going into the same amount of detail as he did with Twilight and Aladdin. The two already heard the story, but it was just as engaging as the first time, and the rest took their moment to explain what had happened. Twilight and Aladdin also added in their own bits on what happened to fill them all in from their end as well, including their encounter with Gluttony. much of the group kept keen ears with each word they put in, getting the overall picture on the situation. A pretty good story Nagisa and Twilight were crafting for them to be sure. "A rather intriguing story, I must say," Ciel commented, taking a sip of his tea, courtesy of Sebastian. "You're telling me. Gluttony probably would've eaten us if it wasn't for Gaara and Nagisa," Twilight said. "Yeah, by the way, why don't you show us some moves, Nagisa? Show us what you got," Karma suggested, interested in Nagisa's training and exactly how far he'd gone since they last met. Nagisa took a look over to Gaara, who was silently standing over by the wall, and all he did was give a little gesture for him to do so. "Can I see that cup, Ciel?" Nagisa asked. Ciel paused, and simply gave Nagisa the now empty cup of tea. Pulling out his Halo Blade, he placed the cup up on Karma's head, the redhead seeing where this was going. Nagisa took a few steps back, got himself ready, and soon a green blur went through the air, and the tea cup disappeared off his head, a notable stabbing sound heard on the wall behind him. Karma placed a hand on his head. "That it?" "Turn around," Nagisa simply stated. So he did. Funny though how none of them heard a bit of breaking glass, but that wasn't Nagisa's intention. What REALLY colored them impressed was what the end result was: the tea cup was not only in tact, but hanging off the blade! The Halo Blade managed to slip right through the handle, and caught it on the holder, hanging there like it was nothing with a few little sways. "Well shit," commented Blair. "Quite useful too," added Ciel. "Great job with him, Gaara. Can you teach me next, pretty please?" Pinkie then asked, but Gaara just gave her the cold shoulder in response. "... Please?" "Don't expect any of my charity," Gaara hissed. This did bum Pinkie Pie out a little bit. "You do want to help us, don't you?" "I want to get even with Tirek. I could care less about the rest of you." "Ok, Pinkie, leave him alone. If we can handle Envy, I'm sure we can handle him," Karma commented. Pinkie reluctantly understood, but that little tid bit of dialogue caught Nagisa's attention. Twilight and Aladdin didn't tell him about that yet, and it left Nagisa especially confused. One look at Nagisa's face got the message across to them soon enough. "Oh, right you don't know what happened," Alphonse said. "What're you talking about?" Nagisa asked, more intrigued this time around. "Um. ... You know Envy, Nagisa?" "Yeah what about him? Did you take him down?" Nagisa asked. Karma gave the wrong idea in Nagisa's head, but luckily the others were quick to correct him. It would be good as far as Nagisa knew for envy to be out of the picture, but he wasn't prepared for what they had to say. "He's our buddy now!" Pinkie revealed. ....... "... What? Envy. The Homunculus? You sure?" "It's a long story, but the short version is: Al and I found him powerless and passed out after Pluton's run around, so we took him in and healed him up, and now he's basically with us," Blair answered. for Envy's sake, she left out the final main detail of him being a human now, for Envy might as well tell him himself if it made things easier. Nagisa needed a moment to take this in, but after thinking, it did sound a lot better. "So ... where is he?" "Korosensei put him in his class back home. He figured he should teach Envy a thing or two about our world if he's gonna stick around," said Karma. So not only was Envy with them, but he was now back in Japan as Kotrosensei's extra student for 3-E. Sure, Twilight and Aladdin gave him a bit of a low down, but this extra thing with Envy was a bit to take. Especially considering how much Envy tried to slaughter them since all this started, it was surely a surprise for Nagisa to hear. He just sighed. "Guess if anyone's gonna handle him, it might as well be Korosensei," thought Nagisa. It was then that Ciel Phantomhive spoke up again. "Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way, we've yet to figure out our next step. Have any of you any ideas?" Ciel questioned, bringing up the main subject matter. Yeah, catching up with everyone was pretty good, but the future was just as important as the past, and they needed to plan ahead. Nagisa took a seat down in between Edward and Twilight. "What'd you guys do so far?" "We've been stuck searching and recovering for days," said Ed. "I think you're the only one we actually found," added in Al. Not the best news Nagisa had heard all day. "It doesn't help that the king and his son is missing as well. If we don't find him soon, it could mean disaster for Amestris," Ciel said. A hard truth that they all pretty much had to face, though Gaara could care less about it. Nagisa thought about what he'd gone through, trying to think of some sort of clue to his disappearance, but then something came up in mind. I'm afraid you've been ... well ... teleported. "He may not be dead," Nagisa realized. "What was that?" Karasuma asked. "After Pluton, I ended up teleported away to that forest. You think something like that could've happened to King Bradley and Salim?" Nagisa wondered. "It is a possibility," Sebastian stated, thinking about it. However, as they thought of it more, Twilight then got another thought in her head. "Wait ... did he even show up during the attack? I don't remember seeing him," Twilight brought up. Many of those involved in the fight didn't really had time to think about that. "Wait, where was he? He could've helped us during that fight!" Edward said again, realizing the absence. Not any point in Pluton's attack did Bradley even remotely show up and try to help them out. His whole city under siege and Bradley just left it apparently, him with his son. "Maybe he's trying to save his family?" Aladdin wondered, but Blair shook her head. "Nah; why would he leave his own wife behind?" Blair reminded, still remembering how distraught his own wife was shortly after the whole Pluton event occurred in the first place. She wouldn't be crying her eyes out if Bradley was with her (maybe). "Does it matter why he wasn't out there? The point is that he's missing, and we need to find him before the public start wondering where he'd gone to," Karasuma confirmed. "But where do we even look? Our troops had covered practically all of the capitol already," Yoroi asked, which was true. Karasuma wished he had some sort of answer, but he just came up empty. Aladdin, Blair, and Sebastian didn't have too much of an answer either. As they were trying to think, Blair's eyes saw Gaara again. "Hey, Gaara, you've been quiet. Got anything to say?" Blair asked. Gaara stayed quiet and stared daggers at Blair again. "This isn't my problem," Gaara coldly stated. "Well can't you at least try to help us?" Ed asked. "Why should I bother over something so small?" "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SMALL - MMMPH!" Luckily Al quickly covered up Edward's mouth before anything could occur. "Brother, don't, please calm down," Alphonse insisted, trying to keep his brother from blowing a gasket. Then Yoroi tried his luck. "This is not small, Gaara, this is nationwide! We need Bradley back, and if you know something -" Suddenly the tension was stacked up high when Gaara aimed a throwing knife right at Yoroi's head. The tension rose up high, even more so when Karasuma readied a pistol, though Gaara wasn't so intimidated by either of them. "I'm only here to take down Tirek. And I have no problem taking down anyone else along the way." that was all Gaara needed to say to keep Yoroi quiet, Twilight pulling her big brother back so he wasn't inches from the blade. Karasuma then spoke, pistol still raised. "You better watch it, kid, or -" "Or what? You'll kill me?" Karasuma felt humbled by that remark, especially how casually he said that, but he still kept his pistol raised just in case Gaara would try something even more threatening. However, it was Ciel who stepped in between Gaara and Karasuma. "Ballsy, aren't you?" Gaara remarked. "Gaara, listen to me. We're not going to force you into our group by any means, yet if you do wish to defeat Tirek, then cooperation with Team Harmony is a must for you. You may be strong on your own, there's no denying that, but -" "Stop right there. I'm perfectly capable of killing the bastard myself. I'm only with you because for some reason he's after your heads. Following you will make it easier," Gaara made clear, blade aimed at Ciel instead. Ciel didn't feel too intimidated himself, and kept himself calm with a sigh, even if the others looked ready to jump in. "So that's it. ... To be honest, I'm pleased that someone else had actually met Tirek apart from myself. He took everything away from me, you see: my mother, my father, my aunt, all burned in flames back at my home. Now I can say that I'm not alone in achieving that goal." Well that was interesting, something it seemed that no one else there even knew about. Gaara was quiet at first, but got back to his own senses. "Why should I care about that? ..." "... Because you and I aren't too far apart. We may be different, but our interests are aimed the same way. If you do help, I promise, we'll all help you. I want only what's best for you in that regard, Gaara," Ciel finished. Gaara stayed silent after all of that, looking to this stranger with uncertainty. It took him a little bit, and a lot of reluctance, but he eventually backed down. "Fine. ..." "Thank you, Gaara." ~~ After some more time in discussion, Ciel took a step off outside with Sebastian, Nagisa, and Edward for some alone time on the situation. Weather was clear, and while Ciel felt successful about the situation, it was Sebastian who seemed a little bit confused about what just happened there. And, since no one else was around to really ask him, he decided to get the answer from him. "You didn't tell us you met Tirek before. So he's the bastard who burnt your house down?" Edward questioned. However, the answer caught them off guard. "Never met him in life." "Wait, what?" "If I knew he'd made me suffer like that, he'd be dead by now." "Then what was with that story to Gaara?" Nagisa questioned. "It's far better to have him on good terms than him trying to kill us. And his current status in the art of ninjutsu and sand manipulation could be quite handy someday. In the very same vain as Envy, wouldn't you think so?" Ciel explained, giving Sebastian a smirk near the end of it. "That was quite a lie you told him," Sebastian sighed. Ciel just smiled deviously and looked on ahead. "I find that if you keep up a lie long enough, it becomes the truth. ... And if things do go to hell, I'll have you to clean things up for me." Nagisa felt uneasy. It wouldn't be too long until Gaara would figure anything out from Ciel's end, if his experience was anything to go by. However, Sebastian gave a smile to Ciel, fully understanding his master. "Yes, you do with that. ..." "How'd you and your company deal with him, he's starting to get devious again," Ed whispered to Nagisa. "Yeah, he's like that," Nagisa quietly replied. Even if Ciel heard them both, he'd probably not bother with them too much. ....... *clap**clap**clap**clap* A slow, audible clapping. Nagisa's skin began to crawl the very second that sound emitted and echoed around the empty area. Up above the Central door where they exited, a little visitor was there to see em. He sat comfortably on the door top rim, his smile and eyes the first thing they caught. Tirek. "Well, well, well, Phantomhive.~ You're adorable if you really think that'll work," Tirek cooed, jumping down from the building top and landing on the ground. "Tirek I presume," Sebastian noted. Tirek went over to him first, his eyes taking in the dashing butler. "None better. And you must be sweet Sebastian. Sombra mentioned in his grumbles about you. Oh, you do look lovely.~" Tirek cooed. Even for a demon, Sebastian found it unsettling, giving him a little shiver. "Flattery will get you nowhere," Ciel warned. Tirek leaned in dangerously close to Ciel, enough to make Ciel back up. "And lying will? ... Oh, what am I saying, you've made it worked wonders, haven't you? How can someone say no to this little face," Tirek said, pinching Ciel's cheek. Nagisa had enough, and brought out his Halo Blade, bringing it up to his throat to get him to back up and back away. "Nagisa Shiota. Our last few encounters were fun, haven't they?" "You better back off if you know what's good for you," Nagisa warned, but Tirek could sense that he was still trembling. The demon stuck out his tongue, and gave Nagisa a good lick on the face, making him step back and get the saliva off. Tirek shivered. "MMMMMMM, very well done! Tangy, with a touch of spice," Tirek cooed, licking manically at the very taste of him. "Get out of here!" Edward demanded. If the stories were anything to go by, then Ed wasn't taking chances with Tirek here. "Awwww, widdle bitch needs his milk? You could use some to gain a foot or two, you cute pipsqueak," Tirek mocked. NOW it was getting personal, Edward feeling a stab at his anger being dealt with those words. "Don't call me pipsqueak," Edward warned. "Then how do you want me to call you? A pipsqueak?" That did it: with a clap and a hit to the ground, metal pillars started to launch at Tirek, narrowly missing the others, and missing Tirek. The loud blast of metal launched got the attention of other staff from inside, but none of them noticed just yet. This included Team Harmony too. "What's going on?!" shouted Yoroi. "Well damn it. That must be Tirek," thought Blair when she saw him. "Easy, pipsqueak, you might kill someone. You really want a fight with me?" Tirek mocked. "Well, it's a fight you started!" Edward snapped, readying for another attack on him. Tirek thought it over a tiny bit, but then he remembered something. His hand hit the side of his head. Before Edward could go in though, Nagisa suddenly moved in between him and Tirek. "Don't start with them. It's me you're after," Nagisa stated. That simply amused him more than anything. "Oh, well look who decided to jump in? Cus that worked so well before Pluton blown you to bits." "Shut it. I'm not going to standby and watch this happen!" "HAHA! you mean like you've done SO MANY TIMES before?! Like I said, you're nothing without your pathetic lap dogs to fight your fights for you! by the way, were you crying when you told them your little story, or did you hold back that too?" "QUIT RUNNING YOUR MOUTH," Nagisa demanded. just to humor him, Tirek stayed quiet to let him talk, the boy aiming his Halo Blade at him with pure determination on his face. Yet, Edward was still stuck back on Tirek's earlier comment. "Pluton? ... Wait, THAT WAS YOU?!" "Guilty," Tirek cooed, apparently proud over what he did. That just made them all even more angry at Tirek: not only was he screwing with them, he started this deadly problem in the first place! Eventually though, Nagisa sighed. "... You're right about that, Tirek. I have kept myself back. All I did was just allow them to make the calls whenever hell decides to come up at us. But as I said, I'm not standing by anymore. ... Fight me. Just you and me. ..." Almost as if on cue, something else then came up in Tirek's head. "And to think I forgot your parting gift." "Parting gift?" Their answer came in fairly quickly, as Tirek them brought up a portal behind everyone, the farthest off away from them. Soon, something huge started to pull itself out into view of everyone present. A gigantic, hellish abomination staggered out from the portal; pale, colorless skin, a set of gigantic arms and hands and two sets of extremely tiny feet attached to a grotesque lardy body, a human-like head, and three fleshy tails dragged behind it. Each step shook the ground, and the tiny head sniffed around for its latest meal, finding them all standing in front of it. The sight of this abomination made many of them shiver, but Tirek was surely pleased. When the creature sniffed them out, it grew a very large, and creepy-looking smile, its mouth full of human-like, giant, blunt teeth for crushing. "That's disgusting!" shouted Blair. As true as that was, the details on the creature's face was what unnerved Nagisa the most. ... "W-Wait ... is that ... Gluttony?!" Nagisa thought. The resemblance between the face and Gluttony's head was all too close for him not to be Gluttony himself. "Like him? I gave him a little enhancement before showing up. OH DAMN, did he want to see you so badly. 'Where is he? Where's Envy?' The bitch boy!" Tirek mocked. Gluttony didn't understand what he was saying for the moment, which was probably a good thing for Tirek's sake, but now the rest had this monstrosity to deal with. Nagisa was unnerved, but he didn't run. "And just to make things interesting, coward, I'll let you pick your fighter: Me, or him? Think carefully now, whoever you don't pick will charge after your friends. Nothing different for you, isn't it?" Tirek then laughed good and loud, again stabbing him where it hurts. Nagisa said he wouldn't standby anymore, but regardless now, his friends would end up fighting another fight again. ... But then, a thought came to him. "Then I'll take on both of you." "What?!" Twilight gasped. Tirek laughed himself silly. "You're joking, you pisshead! You think some fancy ninja moves can take on both of us?! WOW, you're just desperate to prove me wrong, are you?!" "You mean you'd rather fight fairly?" Nagisa quickly pointed out. Tirek saw the point, cracking his knuckles and readying for a two-on-one rumble. "You crazy?!" Edward said. "Sebastian," Ciel then instructed. Nagisa thought he was gonna fight, but instead, Sebastian actually grabbed Ed and pulled him back. After a bit, everyone stayed back. Aladdin was ready to go out and try to stop him, but Gaara stepped in the way to keep him back. Now he was all alone. him, with a monster and a demon lord. Tirek knew he'd crumble him over the weeks, but this was simply stupid of Nagisa to do far as Tirek was concerned. "What did that Gaara teach you to act so stupid? K, BOY, LET'S SICK EM!" With a mighty roar from the Homunculus, the fight began. Nagisa was ready for anything and everything Tirek had for him. The first one to make the charge at him was gluttony, rushing directly for him with jaws wide open. Nagisa ran forward, and gave a jump, using Gluttony's own head as a launching platform. As Nagisa ran over gluttony, he sliced his blade through his back, red sparks flying everywhere as Gluttony groaned in pain. Tirek did a similar strategy, and met Nagisa half way, Nagisa barely dodging the first kick. However, Tirek made a connection with a second back kick to knock Nagisa off, Nagisa spinning mid air and landing nearby. The kick stung him, but he was not out by any means. "Those brutes will kill him. Come on!" Twilight said, the others ready to run in, but Gaara wasn't having it: using his own sand, he quickly forced them all back and actually crated a cage-like barrier to keep them in there. "Gaara!" shouted Aladdin. "It's time he fended for himself for once. No wonder he was so weak when I found him," Gaara remarked coldly, no sense of tact nor anything to lighten the blow of his words. They were angry, sure, but Nagisa wanted to fight him himself and Gaara wasn't gonna make it easy for them to stop him. As for Nagisa, Gluttony swung his tails at him, but Nagisa jumped just out of the way, and actually slicing one of the three tail tips off of him. He spun around and met with Tirek, the demon creature blocking the blade's sizzling heat with his own chains as a sort of armor. Nagisa and Tirek then went at it face to face, the training Gaara giving Nagisa surely showing with how fast and quick he was attacking Tirek. Tirek dodged many of them, the only main damage was a finger being cut off, but that was about the best of it. However, Gluttony gave a charge at him, Tirek jumping aside, and launched Nagisa with a whack of his head, sending him flying! The hit launched Nagisa at the sandstone cage wall, crumbling a small part of it before landing down on the ground. "Damnit. I'm not going to last much longer this way," Nagisa thought, and everyone else was thinking the same thing. "Gaara let us out! He's going to die if this keeps up!" Alphonse pleaded, but Gaara wasn't listening. If anything, he mended the cage wall where Nagisa smashed up pieces to be sure they stayed put. Nagisa got up to his feet, tired and hurting all over, blood seeping from his mouth. Gluttony had fully healed up at this point, giving another roar at him, as Tirek readied to charge again. Nagisa rushed aside as best he could to avoid their charges, but he can't keep dodging them all the time to stop them. "Come on, wimp! To think the gods picked you as their little fighter!" Tirek laughed, Gluttony charging forward again. Nagisa rushed underneath Gluttony this time, his Halo Blade slicing at his large stomach. The blood gushed out onto him as Nagisa raced out, just for Tirek to kick him in his side. Nagisa tumbled head over heels, but he eventually got back onto his feet, just in time to see Tirek standing a foot away. "You've been a wimp your whole life, Nagisa, you think one tiny training session with that half-demon's going to save you from that?! YOU'RE TOO LATE TO SAVE ANYONE!" Tirek bellowed, grabbing Nagisa and holding him up high. He meant for this to torture the others, but gluttony rushed towards him and tried again to eat Nagisa. Nagisa had to act fast: his blade finally made a strong hit on Tirek and sliced his hand in two, but gluttony finally took a bite into him by his own arm, thrashing him around in the air before tossing him over his shoulder. The bite was deep, blood seeping out from his shoulder too. The landing wasn't as graceful, but he still was on his feet after that. "OK, that's it," Karma decided, drawing out his sword, and slicing the barrier down. He, Edward, and Alphonse tried rushing out to help Nagisa, but that only gave Tirek the greenlight to attack them instead. Alphonse jumped in the way, and punched Tirek in the face to send him flying off a good ten feet towards Gluttony, catching his attention. "No, stay back!" Nagisa yelled, but it was too late: Gluttony roared at them and was ready to go after them, but this distraction did give Nagisa a moment to jump at gluttony. He ran up from behind, and with a jump, sank his Halo Blade right into Gluttony's head! The beast roared and bellowed, bucking like crazy to get Nagisa off of him, as Tirek gleefully went over to them. "Ah, more little snacks." "WHY YOU!!" Ed roared, sending his alchemy to work and making the ground tremor. Tirek jumped aside from their attack, but at this point, Gaara actually used his sand to conceal them in sand barricades to keep them still. Tirek would try to kill them, but Gluttony's thrashing ended up whacking him back instead, sending Tirek off a good twenty feet. After that, Nagisa jumped off as Gluttony dealt with the blade in his head. Tirek got up to his own feet, and Gluttony managed to shake off the blade, the bloody item landing on the ground. "Gaara!" Alphonse shouted. But Gaara didn't answer. "Come on, give up! You got miles to go before you can kill me!" Tirek mocked, laughing like a maniac towards Nagisa. However, Nagisa did see Gluttony hit Tirek like that. And that gave him an idea. ... "You don't stand a chance. Not even close!" Nagisa shouted. The first thing Nagisa did was rush over towards Gluttony and grabbed his Halo Blade again. Gluttony roared to Nagisa, yet missed his bite again. Gluttony had tasted human blood, and he wasn't going to letup on him. it was then that Tirek became Nagisa's prime target, the boy running right towards him. Tirek readied to dodge him, side-stepping aside, but Nagisa followed him. however, instead of attacking him, Nagisa actually ran past him, literally back to back with tirek. Tirek tried to get to him, but Nagisa kept in his step, and stayed behind him. "The hell're you doing, bitch?!" Tirek demanded, getting frustrated a little bit, but Nagisa didn't answer him, as gluttony charged at him again. The giant beast moved fast this time in his charge, but seconds before Nagisa could get grabbed, he jumped aside, and Tirek ended up clamped in Gluttony's jaws! Tirek felt his body get crushed in Gluttony's teeth before Gluttony threw Tirek aside and reappointed his targets. Tirek felt shaken up, but the wounds, despite looking horrendous, was minor on him. Next, Nagisa jumped back up onto Gluttony's back, sinking the blade into Gluttony's back again. Tirek, now angry, jumped up onto Gluttony for a final blow, but Nagisa planned ahead and actually jumped on Tirek's head, pushing Tirek's sharp horns into the Homunculus far deeper than his blade did. "Damnit! My horns are stuck," Tirek thought, trying to pull his horns out, but with little luck,. This left Tirek a sitting duck, and Nagisa took his opportunity, the Halo Blade now in Tirek's back! Tirek roared in anger, forcefully ripping his horns out of Gluttony's back, taking out a good chunk of Gluttony with him. Nagisa's moves left Gluttony hurting, but this was the move Gluttony couldn't stand. Weak, hurting, Gluttony collapsed to the ground in defeat, falling unconscious. The momentum flung Tirek forward, the stinging blade wound making him less graceful this time. Now on the ground and in pain, Nagisa rushed over for him, and finally pinned him down with his Halo Blade aimed directly at his head. It just. Stopped. The fight came to a halt at that moment. Nagisa breathed heavily, tired, determined, and feeling ... triumphant over Tirek. Tirek stayed quiet and looked over what just happened. ... Only one more message was left for Tirek to place, as he smiled towards him. "... So. ... Now what? You're going to kill me? I'm sure heaven would love a killer to join them when this is over. ... funny thing: to have a place in heaven you have to go through your entire life without any wrong-doing. and yet look at you now. Your fate is purely sealed now. ..." "... Fine then," Nagisa simply said. Nagisa kept his eyes closed, and with one more motion, pushed his blade into Tirek's neck. A fine, clean cute that went right through his neck. Nagisa made sure to keep his eyes closed the whole time, hearing Tirek gagged and twitch on feeling the blade finish him off for good. Everyone else watched Tirek's body started to wither away, leaving nothing behind but the chains that kept him locked away for so long. ... "I ... I won ..." When the fight was finally over, only then did Gaara lower the blockade, and allowed everyone else to finally move around to the arena. First thing the Team did was went right over to Nagisa, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Twilight hugging him on a job well done. "You were incredible, Nagisa, you did it!" congratulated Twilight. Nagisa smiled, but he still felt his injuries creep in on him. "Ow, ow, ow, hurting," Nagisa said, the others letting him go as Nagisa examined the injuries he got in his fight. He knew for sure he might've broken a bone or two, at the very least, but things could've gone a lot worse than that. Especially considering what he had just fought against. "Well, color me impressed. You took on both Homunculus and Demon freak by yourself, and somehow made it work. Props to you, Nagisa," Karma said, playfully fluffing his hair. Nagisa was surprised he did that himself, but seems he had what it takes now. ....... "Color me impressed, indeed," groaned a voice as he observed the entire event. It wasn't just Team Harmony going through some crazy times: Sombra too kept a closer eye on the situation from his Underworld palace, his own magic giving him a view from Gluttony's eyes. There was a reason why he left Gluttony to roam around by himself, but after seeing this happen it was a bit of a misstep. it was convenient that Gluttony's currently unconscious eyes were aimed at Nagisa and Tirek, seeing Tirek's last breath play out in front of him. After seeing that, Sombra removed his spy spell and left to his thoughts again. "Well ... On one hand, they've handled Tirek for me. Makes my situation easier from now on. ... But, on the other, now the world knows we exist. Damnit, Tirek, you had to be so reckless." Sombra's thoughts showed with his hands clenching on his knees. Still, he can't change what had been done. If anything, it would make the secrecy situation even worse. He then got up and moved over to the balcony. His frustration was interrupted when a little bat flew over to him, the same blue twin-tailed one who reported about Hellgar's demise before. The news this messager left this time didn't make Sombra feel any better, and all he did was crumble it up. "Oh, you Zubat, tell me something I'm not aware of, will you?" Sombra groaned. Luckily for this Zubat, it had another extra message at the ready and dropped it in front of him. Sombra wasn't in the mood for reading though, thinking more about the situation more than any extra message. Sombra gave the message a lookover for a little bit, but it wasn't exactly a message, but rather a info sheet. A identification report, and only then did the Zubat fly away. However, Sombra didn't have time to look it over for now, so instead of checking it, he folded it up and left it by the balcony. As he did, Chrysalis strolled on in. "Ah, there you are.~ Stressed over everything, again?" "Not now, I've got enough trouble," Sombra said sternly. But Chrysalis moved on over to him, her nimble hands gently massaging Sombra's tense shoulders. "Come on, Sombra, why don't you take a rest for a while? A grand leader needs a rest once in a while, and I'll be happy to help you in anyway I can,~" Chrysalis cooed, taking the moment to push her bust into Sombra's back. Normally Sombra would be upset, but he was too stressed over everything else to really bother her much. "You never let up, do you?" Sombra sighed. "Even you need to rest, Sombra. And I've just heard Tirek was killed recently? Less stress on you." "First good news I've heard in weeks, yes. But now thanks to that bastard, our very existence is known to the human world. You may not think it's a big deal, but in the long run it may prove -" "Ssshhh,~" Chrysalis said, massaging him again. "There you go again, troubling over the future again. Look, why don't you and I go off and have some fun for a while, take some time off," Chrysalis suggested. Sombra took a moment of silence to think about what she was suggesting, and after some consideration, the demon lord sighed and turned to Chrysalis. "Well, I've been meaning to go around the country for a little bit. If you want to come, then fine. We'll go tomorrow," Sombra finally decided. Chrysalis was satisfied with that response and strolled off to get herself ready. However, sombra still had some business to take care of. "... Credit where credit's due. ..." ~~ "Well, it's time to go." It took a few more days of recovery, but eventually the whole group agreed to go off. Nagisa healed up fairly well, still a little sore though regardless which was surprising for a few. They were outside, Nagisa, Pinkie, Aladdin, Karma, Twilight and Blair all on Aladdin's carpet, and with Ciel, Sebastian, Edward, Yoroi, Alphonse, and Gaara standing nearby. "You're sure then you want us staying behind?" questioned Ciel. "It's okay, Ciel, you got your stuff to do here and back in England. You helped us a whole lot already, thank you for that," said Twilight. "That and if we do need any of ya, we can just get Korosensei to fetch ya," added in Blair. "Sounds fair. couldn't hurt to check in on the manor, anyway," sighed Ciel. Oh, the very thought on memory of the manor, and the staff he was probably sure would make things sloppy when he would come back home. "I'll be sure to make amends when we return home my lord," Sebastian made clear. Meanwhile, Yoroii hugged his little sister. "Take care, sis," Yoroi said. "You too Yoroi. Try to come by home soon, will you?" Twilight asked. Yoroi smiled. "Count on it," Yoroi promised, Twilight sitting down on the flying carpet. Before they could go though, Nagisa had one more thing to present to those staying behind. "Wait, there's one more thing. Here." Pulling out from his pocket, he gave Edward and Ciel a little something for the road: a slip of paper with some detailed writing for each. "What's this?" asked Ed. Nagisa smiled. "I've picked up on a few things while I was away. I figured if we're gonna be away from eachother, I might as well give you both a heads up for the future. It's the least I can do," Nagisa answered. Ciel looked to the list first, and it listed off some basic instructions for a number of things for the future as Nagisa had said, some details rather intriguing to the young earl, though most of these seemed pretty confusing, not to mention unlikely in normal circumstances. The same thing could be said with Ed's list of future highlights. Nagisa had one more, and he went on over to Gaara. Gaara was over by the wall, just standing there and acting like he wasn't interested. "Here, Gaara, this is for you too," Nagisa said, presenting a piece of paper to him as well. Gaara didn't feel very charitable. "Go bother someone else. You already took my kill from me," Gaara said. However, Nagisa took his hand, and gently placed the paper into it. "Just take it," Nagisa simply stated, smiling to him. Gaara didn't answer, but he just took it so he could go. After that, Nagisa felt ready to go, and took his seat on the flying carpet. With some heads-up towards the future, it could give them all the advantage they needed for what could be up ahead. Even with that, just before they could go, Nagisa paused and felt another shiver go through him. Rather than worry though, he started to check around him. "There you are," said a voice. And one none of them would recognized, but Nagisa felt a familiar aura come up from not too far away. As for whatever was coming, the whole group looked off to the building, just to find an unknown figure walk out to confront them. It didn't look to out of the ordinary, mainly an armored humanoid in red, though seeing it as well, Nagisa moved up to it before it could try to hurt the others. "Don't bother, I'm not here to fight any of you," the figure said, sounding grumpy really. "And who're you?" questioned Twilight. "King Sombra we presume?" Ciel guessed. "I'm a friend of Sombras'," said the knight. From the sound of it, it didn't want to really be here, though Karma took initiative and drew out his sword. "What do you want?" asked Ed. "Nothing much. Sombra, for some reason, sent me up here with a message for you. you all want to hear it, or no?" A message? A bit of an odd time to be getting a message from Sombra, but in the end, they nodded to him. On that, the knight cleared his throat and began to relay the message. "Very pleasant, Team Harmony. Nagisa Shiota, word of Tirek's defeat had gone around pretty quickly down here in the Underworld. Normally, I'd try to hunt you down, but considering Tirek was a criminal and prisoner of mine, you actually saved me some trouble. A bit ironic, I'm know. As for the rest of you, I've decided to allow you all a bit of a break. You did defeat a demon lord and a dragon-class by the skins of your teeth, so even I have to give credit where it's due. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to halt my own plans, so don't get too comfortable. Our little game is still going, the rules have just changed as all. Course, you'd probably guessed that by now, and you'd probably know why as well. Until next time, let's see what the future holds. Sombra." After the message was properly relayed, the knight turned and started to walk away, slowly disappearing. A break surely sounded nice for them after everything, though Nagisa figured that Sombra would find out eventually. "Ok, Aladdin, let's fly home." "Got it," Aladdin said. Soon, the flying carpet flew up in the air, and with a wave goodbye, they all started off towards home. With all they did in both England and Amestris, perhaps it would be time to head back to familiar territory at last. Time to go home. S04Ep1: Welcome Back ~お帰りなさい~Well, how much did Team Harmony do outside of their home over the past couple of months? Visiting England and Central, fighting off the Homunculus here and there, being pals with royals, defeating Pluton and Tirek. All these things that would've taken years to handle, and they've managed over just months time. Pretty good for them, though as they were flying along towards Tokyo, they all couldn't help but wonder what kind of greeting they would have once they get back home. If pluton's attack did go worldwide, and if it did reach Japan, then there was no doubt in their minds that they were seen fighting, and defeating the beast. It was anyone's guess really. By the time they did return to more familiar territory, it was getting rather late, nightfall as a matter of fact. It took them awhile to get themselves around Tokyo, dropping off Blair, Karma, and Pinkie Pie to their respected homes, Nagisa, Aladdin and Twilight landing down closer to Twilight's house at this point. Normally the house would be asleep right now, but the lights were all on, saying that the resident was still inside and awake. Aladdin landed down right over in Twilight's front yard, silently and carefully. Twilight got up and looked to her home alongside Nagisa and Aladdin. "It's been a long time since I've last seen this house," Twilight sighed, as she went over to the front door. Well, no time like the present. So, in no time at all, she went on and knocked on the door. Twilight took a step back and waited for only a few seconds before the door then opened up. The trio soon saw Twilight's mother then answer the door, and at first, she honestly didn't know what to say. Her eyes went wide in surprise, and she even needed a double take before she realized it wasn't a dream. "I'm home, mom," Twilight simply said with a smile. "Y-Yugure. You're alright!" Her mother said, tears of joy falling from her eyes as she hugged Twilight tightly. Twilight happily hugged back, great to be home. Nagisa and Aladdin simply watched on with smiles on their faces too. "Oh, Twilight, I was so worried about you! You were still gone, and I've heard about Central, and I ... I ... Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you're alright," Twilight's mother cried, hugging her daughter tightly again. "I missed you too mom. And Yoroi's doing okay too," Twilight said, making her mom feel much better on that as well. It was then she looked to Nagisa and Aladdin. "Thanks for bringing her home," the mother said. "It's okay, Ms. Kagayaki. So, we'll see you tomorrow, ok Yugure?" Aladdin asked, Twilight nodding. "Of course. Have a good night, guys," Twilight answered. ....... So, with the final person dropped off, Aladdin and Nagisa both went right off back home together to Nagisa's apartment. It had been too long since either had even been home to be sure, and when Nagisa and Aladdin went through that apartment door to his home, a good nostalgia sense went over to them the moment the light turned on in the apartment for the first time in months. Not a single thing was moved or bothered, everything left as it should be. Aside from it being a bit dusty, everything was pretty good as it was. The first thing Nagisa did almost right away was crash down on the couch, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Aladdin would join him, but he went off towards Nagisa's room first. "Oh couch, I missed you," Nagisa sighed, feeling very comfortable on the couch. As he enjoyed his couch, Aladdin then came back with a big grin on his face. "Yes, it's still here!" "What is?" "My Vessel! I forgot to bring it along that whole time. We got some catching up to do," Aladdin said, taking a seat over by Nagisa, and doing a few practice notes with it, like a clarinet, the noise sounding more like a flute. Aladdin didn't exactly play any particular song, more rather just testing a few notes, but it was still a good callback to when they first started this crazy adventure in the first place. Nagisa smiled, laying on his side and watching him play. "You know something, Aladdin? It is fun to travel around the world, but it's always nice to go back to where it started. Feels like you gone full circle, you know?" Nagisa commented. Aladdin got the vessel around his neck as he used to, happy to have it back, and nodded his head. "Yeah, I know what you mean. And what a story we'll be telling the others at that Orora high too," Aladdin said. Nagisa then realized what he meant by that. "Oh yeah, we didn't see Orora high yet, they don't know we're back. Boy, I wonder how they're going to react when we go over there," Nagisa wondered, legitimately curious. He hadn't been back at school in months, and sure he'd been keeping pace thanks to Korosensei and the occasional assignment, but still he didn't see a single face back at that building in a long time. It surely gave him some food for thought, that was for sure. As he was thinking, he took a look over to Aladdin. "Hey, can you come with me? I got a feeling that you might be needed," Nagisa asked. "Of course I will! I haven't seen Orora High on months," Aladdin said. "Thanks pal," Nagisa simply replied. ~~ For Team Harmony, morning came quicker than some would like, and for Nagisa and Aladdin, it was a walk off to school and one that they found pretty calming and collected. Seeing these streets was a nice sight for Nagisa Shiota to see, especially after everything he and company had gone off through. Surprisingly, not too many were out that day, but Nagisa figured that would change one way or another once he and Aladdin would arrive off at school. Eventually, he and Aladdin arrived at the all too familiar stoplight, and both took a breather as they had to wait for the light. And that was probably a good thing too, and before they could go, they soon caught sight of the others coming their way. The light turned green when they got together so they all could head off to school together. Blair was a cat this time over her human form she had been stuck in most of the time, and was hitching a ride on Karma's head. "Morning guys. Sleep well?" asked Nagisa. "First good sleep I had in weeks, yeah. Wanted to get an extra five minutes, but I want to see what's going on at Orora high," Karma stated, hands casually behind his head. "Well that's a first," Nagisa joked, the group chuckling. "Yeah, but seriously though, what do you think will happen when we get there? I mean, it's been months, and I don't know about you, but I'm sure that Pluton attack would've gone around by now," Twilight brought up. Pinkie then popped up in between Twilight and Karma. "I know what they'll do: they'll throw a big welcome home super duper party for us! Balloons, cake, korosensei hunting game, all the fun!" Pinkie beamed. "Oh no, no, no, not for me. I just want a casual, regular, calm day at school. I've gone through enough excitement, thank you," Nagisa admitted. "AWWW. Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie decided, a bit bummed out but she saw his point. Some relaxation could do them all pretty good after everything, anyway. "Come on Pinkie, did you forget how much we've done already? We fought a Hellhound in England, a giant pig demon in Central, not to mention the mini devils and Homunculus we keep running into," Twilight reminded. While that is true, suddenly Blair shot up to her feet on another memory from before, the witch cat jumping down off of Karma's head and onto the ground in front of them, spinning around. "Oh yeah, Envy! Think you guys wanna check in on him, we haven't heard a word out of him in weeks," Blair reminded, excited. Nagisa was the only one who didn't really see this happen, but he was as surprised as everyone else when they got the reminder of their new friend here at the school. "Oh right. I almost forgot about him. Wonder how Korosensei's dealing with that fella," Pinkie wondered, scratching her head. "I'll give you guys a heads-up when I find him. He's probably a 3-E student if that demon king took him in for some pointers," Karma said. Being a 3-E student himself, he would probably be the first one to see Envy and how he was doing after being apart of the human world for weeks on end. Nagisa was probably the most curious about Envy over the others. "Right, they did say Envy decided to stay with us over working for Sombra. With what he used to do to us, something big really must've happened to make him change his mind. I'll need to find that out if I see him," Nagisa thought. Their walk remained with basic chitchat for a while more until they reached the main building. A sight for sore eyes, this place, and it had been a pretty long time since any of them really ventured inside the place. It was a bit late, so the group had no one outside, but being only a minute in, it really wasn't that big of an issue, nor too farfetched to say that many students were still roaming about the school's main lobby. As Karma and Blair went off to the 3-E building, the others had the honor (or rather the test), of standing at the front doors. Nagisa was at front, his hands on the doors and ready to push them open. He took a look to the others behind him, and gave a sigh with a smile. "Well, here goes nothing," sighed Nagisa, finally opening the doors. ....... Ten seconds. That was about as quick as it took for the students to take notice of their arrival. As they expected, quite a number of them were still down at front, and when they saw Nagisa and company arrive, well let's just say, they got a taste as to what it was like to be celebrities with a crowd of paparazzi. In short ... they were surrounded by excited students. "Oh my god, you all made it!" shouted one student. "How'd you fight off such a giant monster like that?!" shouted another. "Did the king of Amestris award you after that?" asked yet another. ... Yeah, none of them were used to such attention, especially Nagisa who was more used to being 'invisible' in a crowd. "Oh god, help me," thought Nagisa, not sure what to even do with such a wave of questions. It was obvious that they all did see the report when it happened, and surely they saw what they had done more or less, though they would never guessed the reaction would be something like this. They tried to gain some distance, but it honestly wasn't too easy. They got some distance, but only about a foot. However, one figure got in the way of the students, arms spread out to his side. Turned out the figure was Gakuho Asano himself, looking peeved to see this distraction. "Alright everyone, get to class," he instructed. And that was really all it took for the crowds to get moving and move off. The others sighed, but then Gakuho turned his attention to them. All he did was give them a smile. "Welcome back," Gakuho simply said. Course that was all he really needed to say to them, before he went off back towards his office. ....... So for most of the morning it was like that. It remained fairly normal enough, but when it came to the attention they were receiving, they basically were at the center of it all. No matter which class Nagisa, Pinkie, or Twilight went off to attend to, there was at least a couple of students who'd wanted to ask them plenty of questions about what they actually gone through while they were away. They couldn't blame them for really thinking that, but it surely left a bit of a different impression than what they were used to. Pinkie may be okay with it, being the social butterfly she was, but the rest were a bit new to it all. They turned from basic bystanders in the crowd to the talk of the town. At the least, they avoid getting a full group crowding them, and they didn't really try to bother Aladdin all too much, since he looked like a normal kid after his wardrobe change anyway. All the same, it surely beats constant fighting with demons like they've been doing. Eventually though, lunchtime came around and it was a bit of a different story over the typical, actually given time to tell their little tale to everyone for once. And Pinkie Pie was more than willing to tell her story to the other students, a crowd gathered around and giving them space as if they were on a stage. Nagisa, Twilight and Aladdin sat down nearby as they too listened to Pinkie's version of the story. "It was GIGANTUAN! That giant beast could stomp down onto any of us with one teeny tiny step, and the blows it emitted from those giant nostrils can blast away an entire field in less than ten seconds! So many soldiers stood strong at Central, almost the entire army. RATATATATATA went on their weapons, but they barely made a dent onto it. We were on our last nerves, but then Nagisa here got the great Miracle Sword out and BAM! In goes through its head. And then KABOOM, one giant monster destroyed," Pinkie continued, clearly telling the main story in question about Pluton, detailing personal experience from the fight in general, which got plenty of the crowd pretty interested. "Well, something like that," Twilight simply said. "Wow. It was crazy enough on TV, but damn, that's insane!" said one of the other teens in the crowd. "Especially you Nagisa, I didn't know you had it in you," said another, towards Nagisa in particular. "Eh, well, I don't think I should take all the credit for that," Nagisa admitted bashfully. Sure he did the world a big favor, but he still didn't feel like he should be given all the credit for the fight to the beast. Pinkie gave them all a pretty good yarn with her story of Pluton, and things did start to calm down and relax a bit once she was finished up with the details of it. "You sure know how to make a story exciting, Pinkie," said Aladdin. "How else can I make our heroine adventure interesting? I can't go Mr. Bland on them," Pinkie pointed out, which was true for the most part. As they were having their lunch then, someone else took a moment to stop by the main building to check in on the others. "Everyone having a good time?" "Oh, hey Karma. How's the morning going for you?" asked Nagisa. "Peachy: the others really wanted to hear my story so I took the time to get that handled. Even Korosensei was fondin over me when I was done. But then again, I added a few little details after our last little encounter, so that got him interested," Karma explained, feeling confident about everything. He could feel eyes looking to him with intrigue from not too far away, which made him feel pretty high above them too. "Details? What'd you tell him?" "Your training with Gaara," Karma answered, giving Nagisa a wink. Well, they didn't plan on sharing that story, but at least Karma kept the crowd at 3-E and who was more familiar with these things rather than sharing with the whole school. He didn't expect Karma to tell something Nagisa did though. However, even with that, Karma wasn't finished just yet. "Hey, by the by, 3-E really wants to check you all out when school's over, so wanna stop by?" Karma asked. "Oh, sure. Sounds like fun," Pinkie said, the others nodding in response. Then, as if on cue, the sound of a vibration started to ring out ... from Pinkie's boobs. To say it was weird was the basic sum up. Pinkie was cool with it, and pulled out her phone from her cleavage (that's one way to sneak in a phone). The others were more than used to these sort of antics, so it didn't come across as too odd to them. "Hello? ... Okie dokie. Nagisa, it's for you." "Me?" Nagisa questioned. A bit of an odd thing to get from someone else's phone, but he might as well go on and answer it. "Hello?" "Nagisa, good. I assume you got home alright then." "Wait ... Ciel?" Well that was something interesting, especially when the others heard that name come up. Nagisa knew that voice from anywhere, so it was unmistakable when that same voice came over the phone. On the other end, Ciel Phantomhive was back in his manor, good as new, and taking the call over his own phone. Pretty content to be back home after everything, he had to say. "I guess you're home." "Korosensei was generous enough to give me and Sebastian a lift on our return," Ciel explained. Yeah, that made sense for that demon king to do. "Oh. But, how'd you get this number?" "Pinkie Pie and I had a discussion while you were recovering. I find it more beneficial to keep in contact with you this way, given our distance between one another." "Yeah, guess you're right. By the way, how'd the manor handle you and Sebastian returning home? I'd imagine they missed you, huh?" Nagisa asked. "... Well ..." So, there they were: Sebastian and Ciel at the doors of their home. It was about at sunset, and Ciel was willing to get a good night's rest without anymore trouble. He and Sebastian wasted no time in walking off inside. "Sure feels refreshing to return to familiar grounds, isn't it my lord?" Sebastian noted. "Indeed it is. Though, I do wonder where -" "M-MASTER?!" Nevermind. Looking over, Ciel and Sebastian took sight of the other servants nearby: Grell, Mey-Rin, Tanaka, and Bardroy. All four of the servants were extremely shocked to see Ciel and Sebastian returning after their escapade over in Amestris. Ciel stayed formal though, giving his tophat to Sebastian. "Ah, there you are. I see you've kept this place from going to pot. I assume you're all -" Ciel stopped when he looked, only to find Bardroy, Mey-Rin, and Grell midair, and moving to him. "... Oh." BAM! Next thing Ciel knew, all three servants were on top of him, crying their eyes out and extremely grateful to see him. "I thought I lost another comrade, how could you do that to me?!" shouted Bardroy. "Master! You came back!!" added Mey-Rin. "Everyone, collect yourselves, please!" Ciel insisted. Sebastian couldn't help but snicker at the reactions of the servants, and the reaction of Ciel trying to get them to calm down. "They were more or less overwhelmed," Ciel concluded. "Really? Well I'd thought you would plan ahead for that. I wrote it down for you, remember?" Nagisa reminded. Ciel took a look at the paper Nagisa gave him before he left as Nagisa bought it up. Ciel smiled. "Indeed you did. Speaking of, I should thank you for this, it has proven valuable. The queen decided to send a few Amestris soldiers over to Japan after hearing what happened, and I arrived early enough to suggest a few soldiers to arrive," explained Ciel. "You did? Who?" "You'll know when they get there." "Well, glad it's helping you out. Now, I gotta go, see you later." "Til next time." With that, Nagisa hung up and returned the phone to Pinkie Pie. Nagisa was glad that his future Vision list he left was actually working out for Ciel at least, and by the sound of it he was using it to full advantage too. Good thing the phonecall stopped there: the bell just started to ring. ~~ For the rest of the school day, aside from the regained attention many of them ended up getting, much of the team had gone through the day with little trouble. Yeah, it was something to try and get used to, but in the end they went through the school day with flying colors. Once the school day had ended, it was a walk right from the main building and over to 3-E. Pretty nice to say that a walk over back to 3-E was went without incident either. With the walk itself taking it's time, it did take them a little while before they took sight of the 3-E building. Speaking of the 3-E class, things had calmed down for them as well. Since their last encounter with Tirek, the 3-E students had gone through day by day with only the basics of learning and occasional assassin lesson by the demon himself. By the time the group arrived, much of 3-E was actually still there, anticipating for Team Harmony to come back around. Still, that didn't really mean they weren't doing anything: Korosensei had placed up some targets for some of the students to practice on. Terasaka, Nakamura, and Envy were all taking some practices with knives on their targets. Particularly knife throwing, though only Nakamura seemed to do any good. Terasaka and Envy got their knives on the targets, but Nakamura was the only one of the three who got a bull's-eye. Nabiku and Hinano were sitting off aside and watching them have their fun alongside the other students. "BRAVO, Nakamura!" Korosensei said, giving a good applause to her for scoring the best points. When it was done, Hinano went over to Envy. "Good job, Envy, you've been doing great." "Yeah, this training's doing me good. I think I'll be as strong as I used to be by next week," Envy replied, flexing an arm. It did take a while but envy was feeling confident in himself for a good while, especially with this training they've been doing. "I'm looking forward to it," Hinano said, her warm smile making Envy smile too. It was hard not to feel happy around Hinano when she was cheery. As she was sitting there, Nabiku took a look over to the side, and sure enough there was Team Harmony standing there. While not as vociferous about it, she was just as glad to see them as anyone else would be. Soon she got up and got Korosensei's attention to the group coming in. "Hey everybody!" called Pinkie, waving to them. That got their attention quickly, though only a few of them went right over to them, Envy staying back. Even if he was though, Nagisa still spotted him standing there, surprised to see him. Envy looked even more shocked on seeing Nagisa, all things considered, though he tried to not show it. "Hey gang, told ya I'd bring the rest back," Karma said. "That you did. Seriously, things were such a bore when you left," Nakamura admitted. As the class was chatting with them, Nagisa slipped by and took his focus on Envy. Nagisa stopped about a foot away from him, taking a moment to see who this was. The last time they could recall, things were a bit deadly with eachother, but now it was a bit hard to say. Should he be wary of Envy now, or no? Though, Nagisa wasn't even sure if this even was Envy, he looked so different. He acted pretty different too as he observed him earlier. ... "So, uh ... hey, Envy," Nagisa began. "Hi, uh, Nagisa. Karma told us you survived, but ..." "Yeah, it's a long story," Nagisa admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Envy and Nagisa found the first moment a bit awkward (how could it not?). "Well, congratulations on Pluton, Nagisa. Karma was telling us how you, well, saved everyone," Envy began, rubbing his head bashfully. Nagisa grew firm and decided to just get his thoughts out. guess that would explain why Karma got that out, but he might as well say his truth. "Don't thank me, Envy, I barely did very much to help out. If you're going to thank anybody, thank them. I couldn't have even done that without them," Nagisa made clear, looking over to Korosensei and Karma. Envy looked over there as well. It took a little bit, but eventually Nagisa and Envy took a seat over by the 3-E building and started to relax. Sure it was odd for Nagisa to have a pleasant conversation with someone like envy, but with envy once thinking Nagisa died, the feeling was shared between the two. Well, at least both weren't planning on fighting eachother, and while everyone delt with the others, Nagisa and Envy had a moment to themselves. "So ... how is it being a human? You doing ok, or ... ?" Nagisa asked. "Eh, it's okay I guess. I'm not as strong as before, but hey it could be worse. Besides, I'm coming back," Envy answered, looking up to the sky for a moment and thinking it over. "We saw," Nagisa simply said. "So how is it ... well, dying?" Envy asked, not exactly sugarcoating it. "Well ... strange. I didn't feel anything, it just happened so fast. ... It didn't hurt, but I felt light. Empty. You know, like you're not all there. ..." "That's how I felt when Sombra changed me," Envy said, looking to his hand. "A Homunculus's life-force is its Philosopher Stone. when he pulled that out of me, I thought that would be it for me. ... but I guess Sombra figured that me being a human would be worse than just killing me. ..." Envy could still feel his Philosopher Stone being pulled out of him on that day like it just happened. Nagisa stayed quiet, but he could sense that Envy felt ... indifferent about it. Not sad (not anymore), but still a little uneasy. "Sounds like it didn't work as he wanted," Nagisa concluded. Envy turned to him and smirked. "For once you're right, worm. Homunculus are artificial humans, but now I'm an actual human. Yeah, my powers aren't on me, but you humans are so full of surprises. And now I'm one of them," Envy concluded, remembering his own experience with 3-E. "Yeah, we humans are very diverse. I'm just glad you're enjoying yourself," Nagisa said. That was when Envy snickered. "OH I will be. I look forward to the waking moment when I watch the eyes of my enemy fade away with my hands," Envy firmly stated, turning very dark and dramatic for that one moment. Normally, Nagisa would be concerned, but ... "Wasn't that a quote from The Count of Monte Cristo?" Envy flinched, the drama immediately broken. "... Well, you killed the mood." "Kirara read it aloud one time, and she was especially strong in that phrase. Kinda hard to forget," Nagisa admitted, remembering back during his earlier years in the school. Kinda hard to forget such a dark representation from someone like Kirara. "Well, you get the point: when I find those demon lords, they're gonna be begging for mercy! Tirek, Sombra, I swear you're gonna pay." "Wait. Tirek? you said Sombra took your stone away." "And Tirek tried to talk me into killing myself - for real that time! To think he treated me like shit and get away with it -" "Trust me, Envy, he didn't," Nagisa stated, smirking his own smirk. Envy stopped and turned to him. "How'd you know, you never met Tirek." "Actually I have. Many times actually. When Gaara was training me, he kept on berating me on how useless I was to my friends, and how little I actually had done ... turned out ... he was right. Though, it did inspire me to actually get trained by Gaara, so I could be stronger for my friends. Eventually when I got back he came by again, and ..." Nagisa ended his statement when he showed Envy his Halo Blade. It took no rocket scientist to put two and two together, and Envy's eyes widened. "... You got to be joking." "Not at all. He'd been causing so much trouble for everyone, he released Pluton onto the world, tortured me and you, when I stabbed him through the throat, it felt ... almost satisfying. ... It sounds weird, huh?" "You know who you're talking to? I know how satisfying it is to get even with someone like that, trust me on that," Envy said. Nagisa had to agree on him there, but one thing they both could be thankful for was that Tirek was out of the picture for good. Still, remembering the fight, Nagisa should say something else. "Sorry Envy, but -" "Hell if I care, I'm just glad he's dead." "Not that. When Tirek found me at Central, he wasn't alone. Apparently he found Gluttony and brought him along ... though, he kind of altered him a bit." Envy immediately jumped to his feet. "What happened to him?!" Envy demanded. Nagisa recollected himself, and sighed. "I don't know exactly what Tirek did, but I can say this: he didn't look like a human at all. This huge, pale, mutated looking monster. He was so animalistic too, he couldn't even talk anymore," Nagisa explained, as best he could. Envy sat back down. "... His true form." "What?" "His true form. Some Homunculi are able to be altered in their pure form of what they represent, and I guess Tirek forced Gluttony to become pure. ... And you had to fight him, right?" Envy asked. Nagisa quickly got himself correct. "Well, yes, but I can assure you he's not dead. ... At least, I don't think so. He fell unconscious, and when the soldiers tried to get him, he disappeared," Nagisa explained, or at least that was what he was told. Envy wasn't sure if he should be mad at Nagisa or not for beating up his fellow Homunculus, but then again Gluttony didn't know any better in his pure form. "Sombra must've found him. He would find Gluttony and try to fix him," Envy figured. That's when a thought struck Nagisa's head. "Oh, Sombra, I almost forgot." "Forgot what? Did he show up too?" "I ... think he did? I dunno exactly, but one of his knights showed up with a message for us. Basically he's giving us a break for a while after everything," Nagisa said. "That's sounds like Sombra alright," Envy agreed. With his fight with Pluton AND Tirek, and winning both of them, Sombra would let something like that a little pass before continuing their game. How long though, they had no idea, but Nagisa was more than glad they were getting one at all from this demon lord. "So, you two enjoying your pep talk?" Karma suddenly chimed in, coming up in between them both. "Wha?! how long were you listening?" Envy asked. "Since you asked about him being a human," said Hinano. Well, guess they forgot about the others after a while. All the same, both sides felt pretty good about things at the end of it. ~~ The rest of the day felt pretty good. With demonic activity giving a break, none of them had to worry about any deadly monsters popping up this time, so the rest of the day was a breeze. For Nagisa, finding out this side of Envy was especially interesting to see. He never would've guessed that Envy, a Homunculus that was trying so hard after their heads, would one day finally join up with them and turn out so different too. It wasn't a complaint, naturally, but still very interesting to have happened while he was away. All the same, they were all just glad to be home. Soon, day eventually turned into night, and both Aladdin and Nagisa got back home with little trouble at all, getting ready to head for bed. Getting to sleep in his own bed was something Nagisa had missed for a long time, and Aladdin decided to join him in the same bed, something Nagisa didn't mind at all. "Well, we had quite an adventure, did we?" Nagisa asked. "Oh yeah, you bet. I knew my time in the human world would be interesting, but in the end, that was amazing," Aladdin agreed. Both Magi and Human took some time to reminisce about how much they've done, and while indeed they've gone through a lot, Nagisa then started to think about something else important. "Yeah. I never thought my life would be that exciting. ... Well, I'm glad things are getting back to normal. Well, goodnight, Aladdin, see you in the morning." "Goodnight, Nagisa," Aladdin yawned, going off to sleep. Nagisa rested his head on his pillow, and took a look off outside his window. There was one final surprise for that day for him. "Huh. The first snow. Envy and Aladdin are going to have a little gift in the morning," Nagisa thought, just before going off to sleep. ....... "Your highness. You wanted me?" "Yes, thank you dear. Those humans down on Earth, they're starting to become more wary of the Underworld. ... I believe its time for us to reveal as well. Starting with you." "Me?" "You're the brightest mind of my kingdom. I know I can count on you to help them better become aware and prepare for the future. I'd hate to find a world become wiped away due to ignorance. So go down and try to help them out anyway you can, you think you can do that for me?" "... If that's what you want, then I shall not protest. I'll head there at once." "Thank you." S04Ep2: It's Time for a Lesson ~それはレッスンの時間です~"Nagisa. Nagisa! Nagisa, wake up." Aladdin anticipation was what woke up Nagisa Shiota this time. He didn't mind an early wake up call, but most of the time it would be from his alarm clock. Being woken up by Aladdin was a little bit different, but with what he saw last night he had a guess to what Aladdin was getting giddy about. Nagisa gave a yawn and rubbed his eyes as Aladdin was on his feet and over by the door. "Morning, Aladdin, what's up?" "Look outside," Aladdin insisted. It took Nagisa a bit, but he did follow Aladdin off towards the window in the main room, and sure enough he could see what Aladdin was getting excited about. As Nagisa thought, the first snow of the season had left its mark on Tokyo, and a good line of snow left on Nagisa's window sill. When looking out further, a thin line of snow laid down on the sidewalks, not to mention added a little white to other windows on the other building too. Opening the window and looking more, both of them saw that a thin cover of white color was basically on a number of things down below. Temperature had dropped too, making that morning a bit more chilly than when they arrived. A little chill went over both of them, though Aladdin was pretty intrigued with it. "I'm going to take a guess and say the Overworld doesn't have snow?" Nagisa inquired. Aladdin shook his head. "No not really. I heard of this snow, but I didn't realize how quickly it spreads around," Aladdin said, his hand pressing into what show was there and leaving a handprint on the sill. Nagisa took it all in stride and started getting a whole new outfit together for the cool morning. "Well if you wanna come along, you better dress up. It's pretty chilly outside this time of year," Nagisa suggested, putting on a winter coat as he did so. He wasn't in the mood of catching a cold this early in the morning. If it meant going with him to check this snow out, Aladdin might as well. So, in little time at all, Aladdin and Nagisa were dressed up for the winter morning and outside walking down the sidewalk. Cooler weather meant a different outfit for Nagisa Shiota: a large, three-button blue coat with sleeves reaching to his hands, a white undershirt buckled to his orange pants, and his tennis shoes replaced with small boots, like those he wore during Gaara's training. Going to school like this would normally be trouble, but winter conditions gave a few exceptions to the rule, and with winter starting off like this, adding a few things wasn't too bad of an issue, especially when many other students did the same thing. Aladdin's winter outfit was mainly the same thing, since Aladdin had to borrow some winter clothes from Nagisa anyway, though like the school uniform he had to roll up the sleeves of his coat to accompany his smaller size. It only made sense really. Walking through Tokyo, the winter weather effected other people around them too, many of them in coats and trying to keep warm for the new weather. Aladdin was the most surprised by just how much different everything looked thanks to the snow. The usual colors of Tokyo were added by a blanket of white snow, mainly on things not swept up by passing cars: benches, store overhangs, even traffic lights had at least some color of white on them. Sure, the snow itself was thin, but it shined off easily compared to everything else. Aladdin was astounded with it all, as if he was in a completely different town. "Enjoying the snow?" "It's like the clouds are sleeping on earth," Aladdin said, feeling giddy like a little kid as he stepped around in the snow. Aladdin was mature for his age, but he was still a little kid and Nagisa could only smile seeing him like this. Soon, Nagisa and Aladdin started to near the school, and it took them less time to see Pinkie and Karma there. Guess they weren't the only ones who got an early start that morning, and just like them, they too were bundled up for the winter over their school uniforms. Karma Akabane had the typical school uniform like Nagisa, but his overcoat was a leathery black, accompanied by a fur-lined hoodie. Yeah, his outfit wasn't too different aside from that. As for Pinkie, she added a more child-like look with her winter adjustment, and she had a blue wool cap on her head, with a scarf around her neck and a light coat. It was a more childish choice, but she was childish by nature so it was no surprise there. "You two are up early," Karma commented with a grin. "Aladdin really wanted to check out the snow, what's your excuse?" Nagisa simply answered, in a joking tone. Karma just chuckled. "Give him a minute," Karma simply said. Nagisa and Aladdin looked a little confused, but eventually another set of footsteps started to come up from down the sidewalk. Well, their answer came at a pretty neat little surprise when the rest showed up: Kirara and Envy. Hinano Kurahashi had a similar outfit to Pinkie Pie in terms of school uniform with winter add-ons to it. For her, the outfit was a orange coat with a fur-trim on her too, and she even had a silver wool cap on her head too. Like Aladdin, Envy was still new to this whole winter thing, at least winter being a human, so Hinano helped him out with getting his outfit together. In his case, the outfit was actually a more casual look with Edward Elric's borrowed clothes, accompanied by a pair of winter boots, a red wool scarf around his neck, and a blue-green coat with a fur-lined hoodie, similar to Karma. Envy didn't need anything like this for a long time, so he was still a bit uncomfortable in it. "Morning everyone, having a good time?" Kirara asked, her usual expression on her face accompanied by a small grin. "Hinano, good to hear from ya. How's it with Envy? He giving you any trouble or do we have to discipline him a little?" Karma teased, fluffing Envy's hair. No, he did not enjoy any of that. However, when Pinkie saw him ... "AAHH! SO CUTE!" Pinkie beamed, unable to control herself as she hugged Envy tight. "Hey, let go of me!" Envy demanded, flailing about and trying to get her to let go. It'll be a while before Envy would ever get used to Pinkie and her shenanigans, and the others just sighed on the reaction. "Some things never change," Nagisa sighed. Twilight and Karma couldn't agree more. Eventually Envy finally got Pinkie to let go. "The hell was that for?! And don't call me cute, EVER," Envy snapped. "I'm sorry, you just looked so adorable in that outfit, I just can't help myself," Pinkie admitted, her eyes still sparkling. Envy wasn't sure how to react to that. He'd been called plenty of things: scary, probating, but cute? "Told you she's a wild card," commented Karma with a cheeky grin. Envy groaned. "Well at least 3-E isn't as crazy," Envy thought in reassurance. Pinkie was just a little too much for Envy to deal with, and 3-E and its students at least were less over-the-top. Well either way, it did seem Team Harmony was present and accounted for at this point. A slight breeze went over them and Envy shivered. "So anyway, you and Envy doing good with eachother?" asked Nagisa, Hinano nodding and smiling. "We're doing great at home. It was different at first, but now we're doing peachy," Hinano admitted. Envy would complain but he couldn't think of what to say to her sweet smile. An effect it had on plenty of people as he figured out while staying. As the implications implied, Envy needed a place to stay and Hinano was willing to let him do so. Aside from Blair, Envy found Hinano probably the best option to let him stay. Envy didn't answer. "I don't know who "Peachy" is, but whatever," Envy murmured. "Nice seeing you guys. come on, Envy, let's get to a headstart at 3-E," Hinano suggested. Things seemed pretty normal for now, more students coming up and catching up, but as they were chatting, little Aladdin was still gazing around at the scenery. It was very nice to see, but eventually the little Magi took a glance up into the sky at the clouds. Nice blue sky, white fluffy clouds floating along. ... Something was flying through those clouds. Aladdin narrowed his eyes to study the thing a little more closely, and to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but indeed the thing was there, and he started to see what it actually was. He thought of getting their attention, but before he could, Pinkie started to get a particular shiver in her hair, immediately making her look up. "MOVE!" And not a moment too soon. Before anyone could do anything, Pinkie got her own source of logic to work and got everyone moving off out of the way with a power push, moving them off behind the border wall of the school. And just in time as something landed right where they were standing! "What in the world? ..." That's when they saw it. The group Pinkie was with, and the other students arriving, looking in shock and amazement at the sudden arrival. The landing blew up a bit of snow due to the force, but once the snow cloud settled, they all sighted the creature that decided to land in their presence. This creature, for a start, stood taller than a horse, dwarfing many a human around it, despite the overall body resembling a pidgey in shape and color: orange feathers running along its length with a pale underbelly, stout curved beak, and black marks under its eyes that end in a point. However there were many unique features to distinguish apart from the smaller bird: a magnificent head crest of yellow and red feathers lined its forehead, a VERY long red tail-like feather running along behind it. Its tail also had bright red feathers. The tips of the wing feathers and tail feathers were tinted blue as well. The size and details were surprising enough, and the giant bird seemed to not remotely waver at the sight of the students, as if it knew they were no threat to it. After landing, the giant bird settled down to allow someone else to step off of it. For such a giant bird, the one who rode on it was a human, or at least he looked human enough. He looked pretty small though, Nagisa a few inches taller than him by the looks of things. In fact, Ciel Phantomhive might be just about the same height. He looked less like a student and more like an instructor, or teacher. Though if he were a new teacher, he'd share the same uniform with them but oddly his outfit mirrored Korosensei's outfit surprisingly well. A black cap with white lining and tassel hung off his head, and glasses over his eyes. The newcomer's red hair and amber eyes matched those of Karma Akabane surprisingly well too. Regardless if anyone knew about the Overworld or Underworld or not, seeing him surely turned some heads. As for the bird, with a nod of the figure's head, the huge bird opened up its wings again and then flew off away. A rather odd individual indeed, and he began to walk on towards the main building, his eyes wandering around at the sight of the other students, many taller than him. Without a single word to them, he went right on inside. "... K, so that happened," Karma commented. "Who was that? Hey Aladdin, do you - Aladdin? where'd you go?" Nagisa tried finding him, only to find him hiding away out of sight further away from the school. Eventually, Aladdin poked his head out from the border wall. "Is he gone?" Aladdin whispered. "Uh ... yeah?" Envy commented, obviously confused. Aladdin peeked over the wall to be sure before he moved out of hiding. "Why're you so freaked out?" asked Envy, unimpressed. Aladdin tried to think of something "W-Well, I got caught off guard! Yeah, I didn't want us to be caught by a demon again!" Aladdin insisted. Nagisa wasn't sure about that one though, looking back to where the person was just at with the giant bird. He didn't seem to look like any demon they've met yet, nor did his demon sense go off when he showed up. "He didn't look like a demon ... did he?" Hinano asked. "I never saw him before," Envy answered, shrugging. "Whelp, looks like we're gonna find out. I'll check in, see you guys -" "I'll do it, Karma," Nagisa suddenly volunteered, going in front of him. "You, Nagisa?" "Gakuho's office isn't too far from my first class, I can see what's going on. I'll tell you guys what I figure out later," Nagisa decided. Not the typical option, but hey, he was just as curious about this guy as anyone else. He would've done so anyway. The others watched him go, Aladdin feeling very uneasy ... ~~ In his office, as the school day was beginning to come around, Gakuho Asano was taking the time to reminiscence on what had been going on. His school may be in tact in terms of function (despite Korosensei), but the return of Team Harmony did prove relieving to see. At least one would think so, but Gakuho had the 3-E class student lineup paper on his desk, looking at the one name in particular: Karma Akabane. "That kid helped in saving this world from that giant demon. If word gets around how Ill he's being treated as a student. ..." Before Gakuho could figure out an answer, one of the staff members knocked on his door. He got the paper hidden away before the staff member stepped in. "Uh, sir, there's someone here to see you. He mentioned something about a teaching position," she said. Gakuho found it a little early for visitors, plus a little suspicious. "I don't recall giving any positions out in my school," Gakuho stated firmly. The staff member felt humbled. "Eh ... w-well -" "I'll take it from here, mam, thank you." Interesting to Gakuho how calmly he stepped in, even without the proper word. For the person stepping in, it was the same person who arrived on the giant bird. The figure locked eyes with Gakuho as he stepped in, him holding a black briefcase at his side. "Greetings. You must be Gakuho Asano, am I correct?" he asked. "Indeed. And who might you be?" Gakuho questioned. The figure adjusted his glasses before answering. "I am Heine Wittgenstein: Overworld teacher appointed by the queen. I've arrived in hopes to enroll myself into your school, sir." "Overworld teacher appointed by the queen. ... He must be referring to Seitenshi, if anyone. A rather weird way of putting it," Gakuho thought. Gakuho stayed quiet at first and studied Heine over. For a supposed teacher, he sure didn't look very old for one as far as appearances go, and once more he seemed to be jumping the gun on the subject. All the same, finding a teacher willingly ask him up front for a learning position did struck him as a bit amusing at best. Heine quietly waited for Gakuho to respond, but before he did speak, Gakuho silently signaled the staff member to go so they had a moment alone. "Have a seat, Wittgenstein," Gakuho insisted. Heine nodded and took a seat in the chair, setting down his briefcase he brought in next to him. "Lets get this out of the way: you seem ... a little young, to be in this position aren't you?" Gakuho asked calmly. Heine felt insulted. "Maybe, but I can assure you I'm a full grown adult," Heine made clear. The tone of voice sounded pretty convincing in spite of things, so Gakuho didn't push it any further. He had his own scenario for this in the past, so he knew what to do. "Alright. Understand too that I don't just take any teacher just because they requested it, as flattering as it may be. That said, I wish to test you," Gakuho said, staring Heine down with his own gaze. Heine kept his composure fairly easily, not so easily intimidated as any student would be, or normal teacher for that matter. He was a brave tyke, he'll give him that much for now anyway. "What did you have in mind?" Heine asked. "Oh, nothing special, just a test I usually put for any new employee. Being the best school in Tokyo in terms of succession, you can imagine I don't take teachers with little experience, if you know what I mean. Depending on how well you do will define where you'll be placed," Gakuho explained as he began to get the test out in question. Heine looked down and saw it was mainly an exam test, a test to see how much knowledge he actually had on him. Basic stuff really. "Very well," Heine stated, taking the test and, almost immediately working it over. Gakuho found it amusing and didn't bother him, until ... "Done. Here you go." In little time at all, Heine was finished. Total time: two minutes tops. Gakuho took the test and looked it over from first question to last. Unexpected, but Gakuho seemed intrigued. "Hmm ... all these answers seemed correct. Maybe he does have more to offer after all," Gakuho thought, placing the test on his desk before looking to Heine again. Still, he never saw someone finish up something like this so quickly before ... well, expect Korosensei of course, but still. "Well, Wittgenstein, that was adequate. Usually it would take half an hour to just go through a number of these questions. You do seem to have a proper amount of intellect." "I take plenty of time to study, sir," Heine simply stated. Gakuho went on and got another paper out to show Heine. Rather than a test though, it instead showed a bit of instructions instead. "What's this?" "Our guidelines. If you wish to join us, then I do have a position available, though I'll give you time today to understand how things work here before you begin. You'll start tomorrow," Gakuho stated, a grin on his face. However, Heine could tell that his grin wasn't exactly a compassionate one, something to note of for later. "Well that was disturbingly easy," Heine thought, before getting up. He was just about to go, but Gakuho was already up and met him half way. Heine stopped when Gakuho placed his hand on his head, much to his annoyance for the height difference. "Not soo fast. Keep in mind, my friend, that the written test was the easy part. One instructor passed by the written test with fair colors, but unfortunately his behavior was ... let's just say, problematic," Gakuho explained, an ominous feel washing over Heine as he explained. Clearly, Gakuho was referring to Tataoka: fairly intelligent but his violent behavior had him fired soon as Gakuho found out. Gakuho wasn't going to take another chance with Heine, even if Heine appeared completely different from Tataoka. "So you wish to see my experience, is that right?" "Correct. If you prove to be just as bothersome, I suggest you leave this post at once," Gakuho said, his voice sending shivers through Heine. Heine though felt alright in the end, and all the same, he gave a nod of reassurance. After being secured with that, Gakuho stepped back and allowed Heine to go. Just before he left though, Heine got a thought in his head and turned back to the principal. "By the by, may I ask for a guide?" Heine requested. Gakuho saw no harm in that, so he just nodded his head. So, after all that was done, Heine left the main office. When the door closed behind him, Heine paused and took a look down the hallway for just a brief moment before going off on his way. Good thing he didn't think too deeply into it at the time: Nagisa Shiota kept just out of sight. And he had heard everything. ....... "About time we got an Overworld teacher," commented Karma. As he promised, Nagisa got the word right over to the others (Team Harmony + Envy) when lunch time came on around. Though, they could chat about it a bit more freely, since many students were talking about the new teacher anyway, considering his arrival earlier on his giant bird. "So Gakuho took him in as another teacher now?" Twilight asked. "Apparently, but he wanted to see what he was doing first. Apparently he didn't want the same thing as Tataoka to happen," Nagisa said. "Tataoka, who's Tataoka?" Pinkie asked, scratching her head in confusion. Karma had that answer though. "I heard about him: he was supposed to be 3-E new assassin instructor, but that violent brute tried to kill one of the kids. She kicked his ass, and he got fired soon after that," Karma explained, him and Envy getting the story after catching up with the other students at 3-E once he returned. It was the only big thing they got aside from Envy's introduction to the class. "That would get anyone fired," Twilight commented, which was true. "Heine didn't sound very dangerous. If anything, he sounded like Ciel would be, so ... maybe, he should be okay," Nagisa shrugged. Speak of the devil (metaphorically of course), just as soon after that, Heine then entered the lunchroom. It didn't take very long until students started glancing his way. Though, it was only those who saw him land earlier, that didn't mean everyone saw him do so. With that in mind though, Heine was seen as some fancy kid more than anything. As Heine was going through, he took a look at the guidelines as he was walking around, checking them over time to time. In particular, one phrase seemed to give him the most confusion: ANT. "Given how many of these students were here longer than I, they should give me some insight on this "ANT" system," Heine thought, looking around to the other students. Those at Nagisa's table kept a curious eye on him as well. As Heine was looking around for somebody to ask, apparently some students were willing to mess with him as well. Their hello: whacking the cap off his head. And soon Heine was confronted by some of the higher-ranking students, one being Emi Isuzu (a rather old face to Team Harmony really). "Well, we got another new runt," Emi noted. Annoyed, but he kept quiet and picked up his cap from the ground. "Yes I am, actually. And who're you?" "Who am I? You can't be serious," Emi spat, unamused. Heine didn't feel very amused himself. "I'm. Sure I am," Heine stated. "Emi Isuzu: B class student," Emi simply said, crossing her arms. "Good then. I'm a little curious over this, so if you can tell me that'll be great," Heine stated firmly, showing the kids the guidelines he had received. Emi yanked the paper out of Heine's hand, and looked it over for a quick moment. Suddenly though, the kids started laughing at him. "You, a teacher?! You dumbass, what fool do you take me for? Go and talk to your mom in your highchair," Emi laughed, a few other students laughing at him too. He wasn't taking kindly too it. "Why must I suffer such indignity?" Heine thought in a huff. Seemed Emi would rather mock him than actually help him out. Envy was watching this go on from further away, growing angry himself. "What the hell are they doing?" Envy growled. "That's Emi Isuzu. She's usually like this, berating every kid under her," sighed Twilight. That just seemed to make Envy more upset seeing Heine in this predicament. Karma took a look to Envy, figuring what he was going to do. Next thing they knew, Envy was walking right over to them. Envy found this too familiar to his berating with Tirek. Not as violent of course, but Envy didn't want to see this happen anymore than the others would. Didn't take very long until he ended up right by the bullies, and took less time for Emi to see them. "How about you back off?" Envy warned. "Back off shrimp, mind your own business," Emi said, pushing Envy back with a shove. Not a good idea: Envy immediately went back in action, grabbed her by the hair and yanked down hard so she was bent backwards, and under his level, with Envy staring her down. If Heine didn't attract the attention, this act surely did. "Looking to get your neck cracked, bitch?" Envy growled, his old side coming out of him as he did this. Long time since he did something like this, and Emi was starting to especially get upset, and slapped Envy right across the face, the stinging making him let go of her. "Call me a bitch, you jackass! You're nothing but E-class dirt far as I care, so get lost!" Emi demanded, checking her hair just to find a little bit actually pulled off of her, angering her even more! Envy got up, just for Emi to actually kick him to the ground. Things were starting to escalate. Heine wasn't getting anywhere, but then he saw the others nearby, who were across from them. Heine just sighed and started walking, right in between Emi and Envy. "Now then, can you explain what this ANT system is to me?" Heine asked, this time over to Twilight instead. The fact he walked pass them like no big deal left a bit of an odd notion to Emi and Envy both. ... "Wait! We're you even listening to me?!" Emi asked. Heine turned to her again. "Yes I did. In short, the overall attitude you and your group have towards me is: "screw you, you stupid insect, shut up and die"." ... Blunt, but ok. "I didn't take it that far," Emi admitted. Nagisa and Twilight helped Envy up to his feet, Envy battered and still fuming, ticked off at Emi Isuzu more than most. Obviously things were getting out of hand, but ... "More trouble, I see?" Gakuho arrived, and at a good time too. The second Emi saw him, she quickly recollected herself, and knew the immediate blame. "It was that little runt, he grabbed me by the hair and threatened to snap my neck!" Emi insisted, only making Envy even angrier. It might be true, but she didn't add in what she did either. Rather than deal with Envy though, he turned his attention to Heine. "Did you bother our new instructor, Isuzu?" Gakuho questioned, pointing over to Heine. Emi froze up and looked to Heine a few times to let it sink in. Heine was telling the truth after all. Moments later, Emi was a lot more humble towards Heine. "N-No! Very sorry, uh ..." "Heine Wittgenstein," Heine simply said, though when he looked to her it was a lot more stern. Emi didn't do anything that time (especially in front of Gakuho), and went back to her table with her gang. Gakuho took a look to Heine for a bit before turning and leaving. After all that was over, he sighed and looked to the team again. "You alright?" Heine asked Envy. ... "Physically yes. But that witch has some nerve to strike me down like that. I swear she'll fall before me in defeat when I'm through with her!" "... I could've swore I heard that somewhere," commented Heine, pondering a little. "He's been reading the Count of Monte Cristo," Nagisa said. "I see. Now, before we get any more interruptions, can any of you explain to me this system, please?" Heine asked once more, showing the guidelines to the school, preferably the "ANT" system. Nagisa was the one who took it and did some explaining. Technically this would be the first time he was meeting Heine face to face, so he had to collect himself a little. "Well it's a grading system: all the other classes D through A all try to avoid becoming E class. It's setting an example of what not to be," Nagisa summed up. "So discrimination. Interesting. ... Would any of you mind if I see the E-class?" Heine requested. "Hell I'll do it. Hope you're up for a walk though." "Eh?" ~~ It took them a while, but following Envy and Karma, Heine did eventually reach the E building. A little winded from their walk, but alright all the same. As with the rest of the forest, winter took its grip on the E building as well, snow adding a bit of white to the rooftops. He, Karma, and Envy went right on him, Heine keeping a look around the place. One thing he did notice was how cold it was compared. "So ... this is E class?" Heine questioned. "Yeah, it's not the best place in the world," Envy said. Heine though found it a little bit confusing, if not concerning. He took a breath and he still could see it in the brisk air. "And this is fine to you?" "Well we don't have a heater or AC here, so what can you do? Least we can still keep these on," said Karma, referring to his coat. Heine felt a bit troubled on that fact though, and seeing Envy sulking a little over the main building's accommodations told Heine he'd rather have that over this. As they continued going down the hall ... Nehehehehehe~ *ratatatatatatata* "What's going on?" Heine said urgently. The sound of gunfire action surely got him on guard, and before Envy or Karma could explain, Heine quickly rushed forward to see the situation from the next room. Karma and Envy followed behind, and sure enough, E class tried a surprise attack on Korosensei, but as with every other try it only ended in failure. Korosensei was even in a sort of ballerina pose when they were done, the back wall covered in pellet holes. Heine noted the winter clothes still on the students when he looked in. "Nice surprise, kiddies, but do try to be a little less obvious with your approach, eh?" Korosensei bragged, his head green-striped again. "We were so close that time," sighed Yoshida. "Don't sweat it, we're just gotta keep at it." "Mind filling me in?" Heine blankly asked. "The government's idea: they want us to kill him. He's Korosensei by the way," Karma summed up. Heine immediately recognized the name, if not the appearance of the demon. Heine stayed blank-faced. "Why does that not surprise me?" he thought. Korosensei relaxed, though still prideful of himself, when Heine cleared his throat and made himself known. "Hey gang, doing an assassination without us?" Karma asked jokingly as he and Envy took their seats. "Envy? Who's that?" Nabiku asked, as Envy sat down. "That's Heine. He wanted to check out the E class for a bit, so we brought him here," Envy explained. A reasonable answer, though he did look a little young for what he was dressed up as. When Korosensei saw him though, he found it unexpected, but a bit flattering. "Oh, hi. A little fan of Korosensei, I see, well that's cute," Korosensei said. Heine collected himself. "These were mine to begin with. I'm Heine Wittgenstein," Heine introduced. The normally cheery demon king suddenly stopped and stood still at the revelation. The rest of the class stayed quiet for a moment as Korosensei looked down to Heine. "... Heine Wittgenstein: One of the top Overworld instructors, the one who taught Celestia herself, and who's intellect is the highest in Synapse? THAT Heine Wittgenstein? ..." ....... "I WORSHIP YOU!" Korosensei wailed, suddenly down on his knees and gripping Heine by his feet, weeping tears of joy in being in his presence. Heine felt a little perplexed, if not weirded out. "He worships him?" wondered the class. "A strange kind of attachment," Heine thought. "Worship? and here I thought you only had eyes for yourself, Korosensei," Karma commented. "How could I not be?! Sure, no one in the Underworld's more clever than I, there's no denying that, but in the eyes of the Overworld lords, Heine Wittgenstein is more than worthy of being called master!" Korosensei said, speaking in complete admiration towards Heine in question. This was a pretty big jump for Korosensei to have towards another teacher, nevermind just Heine. "Master? Eh, no, just Heine Wittgenstein will be fine, thank you," Heine made clear, hand raised. "So humble ... Oh, yes, you're right, "master"'s far too generic. Hmm, let's see now," Korosensei tried to think of something, quickly getting the idea. "I got the perfect one: Heine-sama!" "... Heine is fine, Korosensei." "But Heine-sama signifies the true master of his craft, being just called Heine is not giving you any respect in the slightest." "I didn't arrive here for respect, I arrive to spread knowledge and trust to the other students. As for the moment, I'm merely an observer, so please go through your day as if I'm not here ... and don't call me Heine-sama," Heine explained. Sucha humble teacher, but rather than admire Heine any further, he took his advice. "Y-Yes of course, I'll keep from calling you Heine-sama from here on out." "Somehow I doubt that," Heine thought. ~~ So, the rest of the day for Heine was off at the E building with Karma and Envy. Rather interesting for the E class students to see over their previous newcoming teacher, so that was a plus. Still, seeing the class already gave Heine the overall idea after just an hour of time there during the classes. In comparison to the main building, as much as he could figure, things were in the main building's favor WAY more than the E building here. Bigger, more well-kept, and with winter here, a lot warmer too. Heine even noted some of the kids keeping on their winter clothes during classes, since the E building didn't exactly have a heater in it, leaving Heine a little concerned. E was supposed to be an example of what not to be, he got that, but keeping them out in such a way was a bit hard to deal with. Eventually, The school day was over and finished, and Heine was left walking off alone on his way back to the main building. Since he started late, many of the other students were already off and gone, so it was just him going through the winter snow forest trail. And with this time to himself, he easily had time to think on the situation for himself, considering what Gakuho's behavior was during their interaction, and this supposed ant system everyone's going through. As he went along, he opened up a folder full of notes, notes of which he took throughout the day during his observation. Most of these notes he made himself, and summed up how Orora High operated, along with some extra notes left for him as information by his 'queen'. "It seems Gakuho's idea of keeping the E class as the lowest ranking is a lot more hazardous than I thought. A winter in that kind of condition could be disastrous on their health. And judging by the building, I assume they're not going to help them warm up anytime soon. ..." Heine paused and looked through some more of his notes. Some side notes he especially took into consideration: extra rooms, locations of particular places in the building, some notable students (Emi Isuzu being one of them), and other things. Looking at these started working the gears in his head. Eventually, Heine stopped altogether, and sat down under one of the frost-bitten trees. He took out some blank notes and started writing in them again, which didn't take too long to finish up. Once that was handled, he got up and he started to whistle. Though it wasn't a simple whistle, and sounded more like a bird call. Which happened to bring him a much smaller bird. Rather than the giant bird he rode in, this one was a lot smaller, blue in all color, and cloud-like wings. Mainly it was the same type of bird Nagisa saw in Synapse, and the bird itself rested down gently nearby Heine. Once it did that, Heine proceeded to wrap the message around the bird's neck, gently but firmly keeping the note in place. "Have this delivered to the address, if you please," Heine instructed. The smart bird nodded, and took off shortly afterward with message in wing. After that, Heine started walking again, his mind back to Orora high. "If this is going to be the case, then it's time to make a few changes. ... Starting at the Orora high main building." ....... The next morning went on as normal for many of the students as they arrived to the main building for their usual day of school. Sure, word was still chatty about Heine Wittgenstein, but nothing too crazy aside from that as of yet. Team Harmony was just arriving at the front of the building by this point. "That Heine did fine. he sure did make a lot of notes though," added in Karma as they went. "I wonder what position Gakuho is going to give him?" wondered Twilight. "Too high for us, I bet. Not too bad though, I'm fine with Korosensei any day," Karma answered with a chuckle. "You would say that," Nagisa noted. "Yeah, well, see you guys -" "Ah, there you are," said a voice, coming their way. The group looked on to the building and there stood Heine himself. He looked slightly tired, but other than that he looked pretty good and ready for the day to begin himself. To him, it's a good thing Heine found Karma, him being an E student himself. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Wittgenstein. Did you get your job, sir?" asked Nagisa. Heine nodded his head. "Fear not, my friends, I'm here to stay. Gakuho gave me the agreement earlier this morning," Heine revealed. Pretty good news for him, and perhaps to them as well. The only other Overworld figure they've met overall was Aladdin, so Heine was something new and without too much trouble for them. "Hurray for you, Heine," said Pinkie. Heine just nodded, and adjusted his glasses, but as Karma was going to go, Heine got in his way. "What's up? I got the E building to get to." "No need to worry about that, Karma. Let me show you something." ....... "Whoa, what?!" Heine's surprise for the E class was basic, but for the class itself it was pretty nice of him to do, even if Heine didn't think of it as too much. What he showed the E class was a classroom. A classroom about as modern as the rest of the school: lined up metal desks, windows for a good view out the back and to the mountains and forest, a good sized chalkboard at the front along with a front desk, and even a rack over by the door for coats (weather orientated of course). Yeah, when it came to the exact building itself and the room, it shared all the basic things as every other classroom in Orora high, but one little sign outside the door made it clear that this was something different. Something special for the case of this school. Class 3-E. "H-How'd you get us a class here?" asked Nabiku, shocked and surprised as she looked to Heine. "Judging on your current conditions, a classroom at the main building itself would be much better for you. As a teacher, it is my job to make sure you're all well," Heine explained. And he was sure right on that, and many of the E students were more than happy to have a room at the main building instead of off at the E building. "Who would've guess we'd be in the main building for our classes? It's sure nice of Heine to do this for us," Sugino said. While many were cheery about it, Envy wasn't seeing the big deal of it too much. "Why's it such a big thing? You've had a class here before," Envy asked. "Once you're in E class, that's it. Besides, this sure beats that cold shack of a building," Karma replied, and Envy honestly had to agree since it was cold over there compared to here. Heine waited patiently for all of E class to be seated, standing over by the door. "Thank you, Mr. Wittgenstein," said Nabiku and Hinano. Heine simply nodded. "Now now, it's nothing too much. Now, if we can begin -" "HEINE?" Gakuho Asano, and just in time too. By the sound of his voice, although calm, it was pretty stern too. If he could admit, Heine was expecting Gakuho to show up at this point, so he didn't get freaked out over it. What he did find off guard though was how rough he was to Heine according to his face. Some of the E students couldn't help but hear in on their conversation, after Gakuho and Heine moved a foot away. "What. Is. This?" Gakuho questioned, pointing to the E-class sign above their door. "I've taken the time to move the E class from your previous building to over here. It was a rather exhausting night, might I add," Heine explained. That didn't sit well for Gakuho though, the principal eyeing him down. "And who gave you permission to do that? When I agreed to hire you, I never ask you to alter anything like this," Gakuho firmly stated. "True, but when comparing accommodations, it had to be done, Gakuho. I'm only doing what's best for the students attending here," Heine replied. That response made Gakuho step forward, trying to intimidate Heine into submission. "It's not your place to question my authority," Gakuho stated. It was clear Gakuho wasn't taking any risks, but Heine planned for this. "You mean you want your example away from the others? If you really want the E class as an example, it's hard to make your point when your example is so far away, and out of the minds of everyone else," Heine explained. Gakuho was ready to protest, but the more he thought about that, the more of a point Heine actually had. Yeah, he didn't want anything better for the E class, but how could new students learn the ant system properly if the E class wasn't there to see? New students had been coming around as of late after all. Gakuho took a glance to the E class room not too far away, and eventually sighed. "... Next time, Wittgenstein. If you do wish to bring anymore surprises, go through me first. Understand?" "Of course," Heine simply said. Looked like he won the argument for the second time. Gakuho was starting to become a little suspicious over Heine now, taking a glance off behind him as he walked on, seeing Heine going back to the classroom. "That Heine is starting to be a bother. ... I need to keep an eye on him." S04Ep3: With Friends Like These ... ~これらのような友達と...~With one world already going through some changes, Sombra's world was stuck at a standstill with him on his little break with Chrysalis. It had been a bit quiet over this last week, and Sombra did feel a lot less pressured than he was before. At the moment, he and Chrysalis were side by side, and observing the night time sky as the Underworld magic lights flickered and danced. For the Underworld, it sure was a pretty thing to see. Chrysalis was pleased to see the king of Tartarus more content now than before, or at least willing to let her work with him when it came to her advances. "A good view, isn't it?~" Chrysalis cooed. "Actually ... yeah," Sombra sighed. Chrysalis snuggled up to him. Sombra didn't protest, much to Chrysalis's glee, and he just watched the colors. The normally stagnant yellowish colors of the sky now gleaned with multiple colors dancing around. Sombra felt calm and collected, but as the colors danced, some of them were reminding him, yet again, of Team Harmony: Pink, purple, blue, red, yellow, many of these colors were just another reminder of at least one member of Team Harmony, and only reminded him of the team at least one way or another. Chrysalis was quick to note this, and advanced on him to get his mind off of them. "You're thinking about them again," Chrysalis said, sounding annoyed herself. "Sorry, but I can't help it. I know it'll all be over eventually, but ... I'm starting to get concerned." "Over a bunch of spineless human worms, Sombra?" "Those 'spineless human worms' had defeated Hellgar, Pluton of all things, and even took down Tirek. not to mention all the more minor demons that ended up showing up there," Sombra reminded firmly. Chrysalis quietly thought it over, and then she got an idea. "I know: how about you go back by yourself and get some allies? I'm sure at least one human would be more than happy to help you after your special convincing," Chrysalis said, clearly buttering up Sombra on that last part. As much as he knew that, he didn't feel very good about it. "No: the Homunculi were supposed to do that, it didn't go very well. Speaking of, I do wonder if Gluttony's recovered yet. I could surely use his tracking by now," Sombra sighed. Chrysalis cringed on his attachment to the remaining two Homunculus, but she didn't say anything about it. "Well, he's useful for one thing I guess, but what about Lust? Surely I can fill in for her as well as Envy, right?~" Chrysalis cooed, playfully bouncing her boobs as a point. Sombra paused for a moment but didn't take it very lightly. "Chrysalis, stop it. Yes, Homunculus aren't very high on ranking as you and me, but they're not just tools, and I need all the help I can get. Stop treating them as such expendable things," Sombra stated. Chrysalis felt a little surprised at this considering what he did to Envy, but she knew Sombra was being truthful even if it was towards just some servants. Chrysalis huffed, but she agreed anyway. "... You know, I do have one suggestion," Chrysalis stated. "If it's sending more of my demons to the human world, then forget it," Sombra stated firmly. Chrysalis shook her head. "No, not exactly. Come here," Chrysalis said, her finger inviting him closer. Sombra decided to please her and leaned in with an open ear. Chrysalis when whispered her idea to Sombra, and after a bit he got to thinking about it. Sombra took a moment and closed his eyes and focused a bit. Same amount as he would with meditation, and since Tirek's dead, he had little to worry about in that regard. "... You know, that could prove interesting. If you wish to, see if you can handle it. I'll see what I can do on my end," Sombra decided. "Oh, do we have to right now? We had so much fun so far." "The sooner we start, the better. ... And ..." "And?" "... Thanks for the break. I needed that." Chrysalis smiled and gave Sombra some bedroom eyes. "Don't be too long. I'll be waiting for you.~" With that final statement, Chrysalis went off on her way for her suggestion. Sombra smiled, but it was removed as he went to thinking again on his options. This break he gave to Team Harmony could be more useful than he originally thought. ~~ Back in Tokyo, Orora high was doing pretty good with itself. Class E and its new accommodations was a nice thing for them to do with, and Heine taking the role himself as their new instructor after some talk earlier that day. It took a bit for the adjustment, but it beats the E building by a good mile. Still, Heine had his assistance from Korosensei during the classes too, which was a bit of a plus for him even if he didn't ask for it. "All present and accounted for, Heine-sama!" Korosensei said, beaming with stars and flying colors. It was a bit buggy, but Heine just sighed. At least everyone was there, and that's what mattered to him. Korosensei stood at attention over by the door as Heine looked on to the class. "Very good. It's nice to see everyone gathered," Heine stated. "It's the least we can do after what you did, Heine," said Sugino. "Yeah, not every teacher would have the balls to bends the rules for his students," Kirara added. Heine wouldn't consider it bending the rules, or say it that way, but as long as they weren't going to cause trouble, it was fine by him. "Right. ... Well, first order of business, we're going to have three more students attending our class. Korosensei, the door," Heine instructed. Korosensei gave a salute and happily opened the door for any of the new students to come inside. Though, at first, no one really seemed to come in. They gave them a few more seconds before Heine cleared his throat and took a step over to the door to check in on them. "Are we having trouble out here?" Heine asked. "No we don't, now come on you," said a new voice. Though, hearing that voice, Envy and Karma found it oddly familiar. It took the two new students a little bit, but eventually they did go inside after a bit, though one wasn't as thrilled to be here. "No way," thought Envy and Karma. but sure enough, it was. After a little bit, the two students were standing at front and at attention, seeing the rest of the class. Both of them were dressed up in school uniform, but again, one of them wasn't so thrilled about it. It only took a second for the class to become very intrigued and curious about the two coming in, some leaning in astonished to see just how unique they looked. Even some of Terasaka's gang took notice too. After they got in, Heine went on to introduce. "You two, kindly introduce yourselves, first name first," Heine instructed. They both understood and so began their intro. "Name's Edward Elric, nice to meet ya." "And I'm Ciel Phantomhive. Very pleasant." Yes, they heard them right: Edward Elric and Ciel Phantomhive were going to join up with them in school now, shocking as it may be. It was especially shocking that one lived in England and another in Amestris, yet both managed to get here in little time at all, with Ciel chatting with them over phone back at his mansion only a day or two earlier. However, Heine noted only two of the three. "Edward, where's your brother?" Heine asked. "Alphonse too?!" Envy and Karma thought. Edward though wasn't too sure. "Eh, you sure it'll be okay?" "I wouldn't ask him to come if it wasn't," Heine stated. "Uh. Ok, I'm coming." Surely enough, though a little difficult due to his size, then came in Alphonse Elric. Well, to put it one way, if the class wasn't surprised before, they sure were now, and BOY did it show on their shocked faces. Alphonse wasn't meaning to freak everyone out, but it was inevitable. Al heard the instructions from outside, and stood over by Ed. "Uh, Alphonse Elric. It's nice to meet you all," Al said, giving a little bow. Talk it ironic to many of the students to hear such a childlike voice coming from such a intimidating body of armor. Still, the trio of students were here, and Heine was fair enough with that sort of regard onto them. "Whoa, is that really his brother?" wondered one student. "He's so huge, like a tank," commented another. Alphonse could feel the eyes on him, and he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Though the looks were more of fascination rather than any worry or fear. "Now, everyone, don't bother them too much, you'll have all day to learn about them. But for now, let's start our lesson. Ciel, Aphonse, Edward, you may please take your seats," Heine instructed. Edward and Ciel went to their seats just fine, but Alphonse wasn't too sure. Compared to his body, the seats were exceptionally small. What was a giant armor to do? "Uh ..." "You can sit in the back if it makes you feel better," Heine commented, not even looking at Alphonse. He kinda figured as much considering his size, so Alphonse took a seat, crisscrossing his legs and sitting down. Ciel Phantomhive had his seat by the window, and over nearby Karma "So, welcome to Japan Ciel. Did Korosensei talk you into coming here, or what?" Karma asked, leaning in over to Ed. "I preferred our previous communication over this alternative," Ciel admitted, tugging at the collar. However, even with the lesson underway, much of the class was still a bit distracted when they were checking out Alphonse. To say the least, the amount of attention was not something Alphonse was really used to. "So hey, Alphonse is it, so was that you who did that crazy magic on that demon before?" asked Yoshida. "Eh, no it's not me. That would be my brother, Ed," Alphonse said meekly, pointing to Edward Elric. "That little guy did that?" Terasaka asked. Wrong answer. "WHO YOU CALLING LITTLE, YOU PUNK?!" Ed snapped. He was new, but his anger knew no loyalty to anyone, especially when height was brought up. In fact, Ed was right in Terasaka's face with anger fuming. "Who're you calling a punk?!" Terasaka snapped back, getting angry himself. *bam**whack* Moments later, Heine was right there with a pointer in hand, one which he just used to slap them in the head to keep em quiet. It was hard enough to give them a good bump on the head. It was NOT a good start to give that kind of impression on them, especially if it was triggered so easily. "Edward, you just got here, now's not the time to get into trouble so quickly. That goes for you too Terasaka," Heine made clear. A bit violent and forward, but they got the message right away. "Hey, what'd I do?!" Terasaka yelled, but Heine didn't answer and walked back to the front. He knew the pain of being called little, so it was a more personal jab on him than anything. Even if it left some of the students stunned. "We're sorry, Edward, w-we didn't mean to get you angry," Nabiku said. Ed groaned and calmed down before he went off back to his seat. "Yeah, just don't call me ... you know what." "Short?" Nabiku quietly asked. That just angered Ed even more, and Nabiku quickly tried to correct herself. "Sorry, sorry." "Elric?" Heine stated. Not wanting to get hit for a second time, Edward went straight to his seat, and the lesson went on back to normal. Though seeing this on the first day did give the idea that it wasn't going to be as simple as they would thought. Ciel sighed. "Oh bother. ..." ....... Seeing through the monitors, Gakuho saw the three new students coming in, and seeing Heine pull this one on him made him feel a bit more tense. "First he decides to get a new room for 3-E. Now he decides to bring in more students to the course. ... Well, at the least he did notify me this time," Gakuho thought, looking to the three distinctive attendance slips left on his desk by Heine himself. He looked over the details of the students, and while Edward and Alphonse he might by for being E students, Ciel Phantomhive was a rather interesting specimen. ... "A simple fix." ~~ So throughout the day, attention of the three new students Heine had put in were more or less hipped up and spread around the school like crazy. It didn't take very long at all when Team Harmony got the news of their involvement with the school now, and while it was interesting for Heine to do, it would indeed make things a bit more interesting with Ed, Ciel, and Al apart of Orora high. Sure, they've helped them out but who'd of guessed they would end up at the same school as they were, considering not only how far away they were but also their age. Much of the kids there were at least over sixteen, and Ed and Ciel were thirteen to fifteen. Since the 3-E class was now moved to the main building, the 3-E building because a easier place to chill out, and somewhere they no longer had to worry about with the other students (if that still mattered anymore that is). Team Harmony had ended up at the E building, though Aladdin was still not around oddly enough. Ed and Al were still there, but Ciel Phantomhive wasn't anywhere, so the idea they would just be school-time friends was pretty evident. With some extra time on their hands, Alphonse and Nagisa both decided to try some practice with eachother. Normally Nagisa would stand back during training, but with his skills now more suited against opponents like him, the two took time to get started: Nagisa especially. Nagisa was fine with his Halo Blade since it couldn't cut any non-demon entities with it, and even if he could, Alphonse was practically a suit of armor anyway so it was okay regardless. "Look at them go," commented Twilight. "GO NAGISA! GO ALPHONSE!" Pinkie cheered. During their fight, it was clear just how improved Nagisa was in his agility, jumping around, light on his feet with each strike Alphonse tried to make on him. Alphonse wasn't really hurt (they doubt he could feel much pain anyway), but this tank didn't make the fight any easier since Nagisa insisted such. Many a kick, punch, or stab Nagisa made on Alphonse was not hurting him, and in fact Al was having some fun with it for a while. This kept up for another minute, and probably could continue going, but then another bystander gave a good hearty blow of a coach whistle. The whistle belonged to Korosensei, and while assassination may not be top priority, he still had fun training the students either way. Much like anyone else, his outfit was suited for winter along with his job, a big beanie on his head instead of the usual teacher's cap. "K you two, take five," said Korosensei. On the word both Al and Nagisa stopped. "That was fun. I didn't beat you up too much, did I?" Al asked. Nagisa smiled. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks for being my sparring partner," Nagisa said, feeling pretty good with himself, but just as glad to take a break. Training's fine and all, but there was still such a thing as too much of it. Anyway, as Nagisa and Al took a seat by the others, it was Karma and Ed's turn. It was something they all worked out before they got here. "Dang Nagisa, you've been hitting like lightning," Blair commented, as Korosensei gave Nagisa some hot tea and a pat on the back. "Yeah, training in ninjutsu will do that," Nagisa replied, taking a sip. "Well either way, glad to have ya back and better than ever," said Pinkie, fluffing his hair. Nagisa chuckled, and by that time, Karma Akabane and Edward Elric were in position. Karma kept his blade in a holder in the fight, something Korosensei especially insisted on to avoid getting his sparring partner stabbed. "Ready to get beat, Karma?" Edward asked, confident and a bit cocky. "We'll see about that, though you got some balls to enter a sword match without a blade," Karma noted with a smirk. For a moment, Edward gave a cheery laugh, his hands coming together as sparks started to fly. Karma thought he was going to sent a attack on him, but instead Edward altered his metal arm and it soon turned from a hand into a VERY menacing looking blade. Talk about a convenient weapon on hand. Karma looked impressed, and removed the holder from his sword, letting it shine in the light. Ed and Karma met up half way and both weapons clanked against eachother. Korosensei started to freak out a little bit on the use of true weapons on the field. "What're they doing?! this is a sparring match not a death duel!" Korosensei said, freaked out on seeing them try to slash at eachother. Even with it being just a sparring match, both were really going at it with eachother, though Karma had one disadvantage in the fact that Edward's blade was attached to his arm rather than being held like Karma's sword. Nagisa kept quiet and watched them go at it. "Damn. Even if Karma's not had a actual teacher with this, he surely has been improving. Then again, he always had that knack for quick learning on skills that get his attention. I could only wonder how good he'll be with an actual swordsman," Nagisa thought as he observed Karma and Edward go at it with their weapons. Without alchemy being worked with by Ed, both seemed to be pretty even in terms of fighting skill. With each slash of their weapons, they also took a point of some kicks and whacks of their fists as close combat practice as well, which they also did pretty well in. As they were doing that, someone else took the time to come over and see what was going on. "Heine-sama, you're here," Korosensei said upon seeing him. "You're calling me it again," Heine sighed, Korosensei correcting himself right away, but still bowing in his presence. Guess regardless of the case Korosensei was still going to keep that up for a good while more. "What brings you think way, Heine?" asked Twilight. "I noticed that many of you were heading in the wrong direction so I decided to look into it. Training, I presume?" Heine asked, seeing Ed and Karma practicing not too far away. "Yeah, you got it. It's better practicing here over the main building," Nagisa answered. "You make a decent point," Heine noted. He took a moment to watch the training continue on for a while more, until the worrying Korosensei called the practice short with his whistle. "Come on, we were just getting started," Karma groaned. "No way! I'm not standing here and watch someone get sliced up! This is just a starring practice match, not a slaughtering death duel," Korosensei made clear, putting the cover back on Karma's sword for good measure. After they were done, Ed went over to Twilight. "K, so, Yugure, it's your turn," Blair "I would, but, actually I was hoping Aladdin and I could practice together," Twilight admitted. It wasn't that Ed wasn't a good alchemist, but Aladdin needed practice too, and she wanted to continue that for both of them. However, while many of them were understandable, Heine had a look of surprise on his face. "Who did you say? Aladdin?" Heine asked, moving over to her. Nagisa got up. "Oh, yeah, he's another friend of ours, a magi actually. But, since you got here, he's been kinda distant ... do you know him, Heine?" Nagisa asked. He didn't really figure out what Aladdin's connection was to Aladdin, but considering both were from the Overworld, perhaps they did know eachother once upon a time. Heine stayed quiet at first, but then adjusted his glasses in determination. "... Where is he?" ~~ After their long day at school, Hinano, Nabiku, and Envy were off back at Hinano's house. As far as where Envy lived since he arrived to Tokyo as a human, Hinano's house was mainly an average one: a basic two-story house within the suburban area of Tokyo, though the house itself was along the borderline between the suburban and "true city" of Tokyo, as such leaving Hinano and Envy one house away from a 4-way intersection. It wasn't that bad of a problem for Envy, at least he had somewhere to live thanks to generous Hinano and her family. Still, Envy was glad that his life didn't have to be forced into anything, and for the moment it was just him chilling out in Hinano's room. Hinano's room was pretty basic: it had a bed, a book shelf, a window looking to the street, the usual things. Though Hinano's room also had a number of animal-themed items, including some animal figures lined up on her dresser by her bedside lamp, and a safari cap hanging off one of her bed's legs. Nabiku was over for a visit, and Envy just stayed there quiet as Hinano and Nabiku were going through some studying together, along with some side gossip as one would do with nothing else to do. "I heard you and your family went on a trip to Hokkaido a while ago," Nabiku said during their studies. "Oh yeah, it was amazing. Hokkaido always looks so beautiful during that time of year: so many beautiful colors," Hinano said, remembering her trip. "Did you get a picture or something?" Nabiku asked. Hinano then remembered something and went to her shelf, pulling out a picture in question of her, her mother, and a beautiful fall background with them on an ancient Japanese bridge with a river flowing underneath. Clearly a picture worthy of a postcard. Nabiku admired the picture, and envy took a glance over to it himself, seeing the pretty scenery with less admiration and more bewilderment. "Is Hokkaido like that all the time?" Envy asked, pointing to the picture. "Oh, no, only in fall. After only a month or two it all turns to snow and doesn't look too good for pictures," Hinano explained. Envy sighed and looked out the window again at the scenery. Hinano and Nabiku knew envy enough to read him, and he had a face of longing on him. "Is it like this where you come from, Envy?" asked Nabiku. "As if. You're lucky to find a tree without thorns on it." "Come on, Envy, there's got to be something good. You keep telling us how bad the Underworld is, you sure there isn't one thing good about it?" Hinano asked. Nabiku nodded in agreement. Envy took a minute to think about it: was there anything? He never really considered anything in the Underworld beautiful unless it was intending to be, and even then it was probably a succubus trying to woe or something. These thoughts got him laying back on the bed, trying to think of something. "Hmm ... well, the nights aren't too bad I guess." "Really? How so?" Nabiku asked, starting to get a little interested. "Eh, well, Underworld skies aren't the same as yours here. We don't get the clouds, or .... what do you call them again? Those tiny lights at night?" "Stars," said Hinano. "Right. Some reason the Underworld skies put on some lightshow at night: colors flickering and dancing around in some crazy way, like a fire but more colorful." "Aurora Borealis." "Come again?" "The Northern Lights. We get something like what you said, but we can only see it during winter, and even then it's further north than Japan. Is it like that in the Underworld too?" Hinano explained. "Nah, they come and go as much as your clouds do. It does get boring after a while, but it beats this blank blue or black in your sky," Envy said, looking outside at the sky. It was a more purple and orange now since it was getting later in the day, but they weren't as vibrant or active as the Underworld sky. Guess there was one thing Envy could say the Underworld had better, though he never considered that until now. Looking outside now, the only main active light was the sun in the sky, and the occasional car or street light. Not too impressive for natural lights. As Envy was looking out, he saw a few other buildings, a few Pidgeys up on the rooftop huddled together, and at least one person walking along the sidewalk. Usually it would be nothing new, but Envy's eyes went off over to the figure walking, and eventually stopping. "... Wait ... is that? ..." Envy thought. He could've sworn he recognized her, but when he looked more closely, his suspicions were confirmed. ... "I'll be right back," Envy said, getting up to his feet. "Ok, see you in a bit." Envy then went right out of the room. He had to act quickly here, and he went straight to the bathroom. His hands were quick and accurate as he pulled out a bit of gel from Hinano's medicine cabinet. A few quick squirts and a some handling of his hair, and soon enough he had his original Homunculus hairstyle. "Good enough," Envy thought, before racing out of the room and heading right off to the front door. If this indeed was who he thought it was, she had to recognize him as well. So, with a sigh and a more serious look on his face, he then went on to open the door. Time for a moment with the old Envy. "Envy. I've been wondering where you've been." "Lust. You're alive!" Envy said. Least the regular hair worked out well enough. And yes, this figure was indeed Lust, and Lust without a hint of any winter clothing on her so she was still a Homunculus. If he could pull this off until she leaves, then maybe he could work out what to do. However, Lust only needed a basic look to see Envy was not the same as before: smaller, and looking younger too. "It's nice you're still here, but ... what happened to you? You look a little different," Lust asked in disbelief. Envy shrugged, and walked out to the sidewalk where Lust was standing. "Well, things happen, Lust. That damn Pluton tore me apart and I ended up damaging my stone so I'm stuck like this," Envy said, not sounding happy at all about it. Lust felt a bit troubled, but didn't really show it to Envy. "Damnit. Maybe leaving you in Amestris wasn't the best idea after all." "Yeah no shit," Envy spat. Looked like his acting was top notch so far, Lust not suspecting anything. "Alright, you're not dead. come on, let's get back to the Underworld," Lust suggested, starting to walk away. Envy now had a dilemma: if he did go back to the Underworld, Sombra would have his head on a steak, but if he told Lust why that would who knows what she'll do to him? Luckily, his experience with deception and acting gave him some quick thoughts to use. "I can't," Envy stated, making Lust stop. "Why not? Gluttony's been looking for days, I'm sure when he's recovered he'll be crying rivers seeing you," Lust remarked. At least Envy was sure that Gluttony was still alive now. "Sombra's got me on spying again, that's what. What else is new?" Envy remarked, rolling his eyes. "... Then what were you doing in that house?" "Oh, just handling some witnesses. I was gonna kill them when you showed up," Envy answered. Lust looked to the upper window, actually seeing Nabiku and Hinano looking from the window, the two curious when they heard the front door. "Oh. Well then I'll handle them for you, you've done plenty," Lust decided, her finger claws lashing out and ready to slice. Envy was freaking out on the inside, but he kept his composure. "Don't waste your claws on them, Lust, I can handle a couple of worms like them. How about you go tell Gluttony what I'm doing," Envy suggested. Lust felt slightly unsure, but she took his word for it. They did look a bit weak anyway, and there was no point wasting a few slashes if they could help it, so she retracted her claws, and patted Envy's head. "Alright, if you want. I'll see you later," Lust simply said, and with that she started walking away to do her own thing. Envy stayed chilling out until Lust was out of sight, and only then did he go back in the house and shake his hair back to what it was already. Never before was he so glad to fool a friend like that, but he knew damn straight that it won't be the last time he would be doing this. "Envy, you ok?" called Nabiku. "I'm coming." ~~ After a walk through his other portal, Sombra had found himself back in the human world again, this time off in a eerily familiar wooded forest. As Chrysalis was getting some allies together from her end, Sombra had another little idea come around in his own head when it came to this location. Even if he was here on business, Sombra did have time to reflect on what to do during his walk. "Well then. Not only did Nagisa survive Pluton, but he killed Tirek as well. ... If this is all going to be where I think it would, perhaps I need to spruce up my own skills. I haven't done that in a while ..." Sombra suddenly felt a motion nearby, and took a quick sidestep, just to find a blade zoom by him and indented itself into a nearby tree. Judging from where it came from and where it ended up, it would've jutted itself through Sombra's head. Sombra looked up into another tree, seeing the one who threw the weapon perched up there with a killer stare. Normally someone would be freaked out, but Sombra was actually hoping he'd come out. Gaara. "Another one," Gaara growled. "Now, Gaara, calm down, I'm not here to kill you." however, Gaara didn't want to hear him, and jumped down at him from the tree, Sombra jumping aside before he could stab him. Gaara did that more as a test to see how Sombra would react, seeing a calm and collected soul in the face of death. "So you know who I am. ... You know you're trespassing," Gaara warned. "I know you would be on edge to strangers, Gaara, but if you would just hear me out, then maybe we can come to some sort of term?" Sombra offered, hands behind his back in a formal stance. Gaara stood up, but he did not let his guard down and kept his blades ready to strike him. "Sombra. Choose your next words ... Very. Carefully. ..." Sombra didn't realize Gaara actually knew his name already, but he kept his mind focused. He cleared his throat before he started talking. "Gaara. You're a strong, independent child, aren't you? Looking out for yourself, wanting to keep only himself alive and well and taking the means to keep it that way." "Flattery will get you nowhere." "I'm aware of that, now look. You wanted to kill Tirek, but Nagisa took it away from you. If you'd let me, we can give you a little revenge taste. What do you say?" "And what's in it for me, demon?" Gaara demanded, crossing his arms and waiting for an answer. Sombra kept calm and tried for broke. "... Shukaku." Almost immediately, Gaara rushed forward, and suddenly Sombra had two knives right at his throat, so close in fact that his throat started to bleed! Despite his calmness, even Sombra felt a tiny bit startled from Gaara's willingness to kill him at any moment. Gaara's eyes locked with him in a almost psychotic anger. "Where did you hear that name?" "That's besides the point, Gaara. ... I can sense him inside you. Locked away. Trapped in there and causing you so much torment," Sombra said, a finger gently placed on Gaara's chest. Gaara didn't waver, if anything, he was more upset that Sombra dodged the question. "... Now. You can take this how you want, but keep in mind it'll make your life much easier. ... I can take him out for you." Everything was silent for a moment, the realization setting in Gaara's head. It was actually enough to move the blades back from his throat. There were some slight cuts on the throat, but that was about all the damage Sombra had gotten from it. "... How?" "Nevermind the details, Gaara, but I can assure you I'm able to remove that demon out of you. ... That is, if you're willing to help me in something of my own." "You know damn well I don't like being conned." "Me neither. If you do this one favor for me, then I promise to you I'll remove Shukaku myself. No strings attached, no inside debt, no stabbing of the back. ... Just allow me to aid you," Sombra said, even offering his hand out to him in a gentle gesture. Gaara paused and considered his options. He kept his eyes right on Sombra's own, and he could tell that this demon wasn't here to lie to his face. Gaara thought for a good while ... "... What do you want me to do?" ~~ Back at the apartment, Aladdin was quiet and alone, left with only his thoughts. It had been that way for a good while since Heine showed up, and in fact that was what he had in mind for the most part. He'd go to the others when he was alone after school, but the idea that he might run into Heine was enough to keep him away. "What am I gonna do now? The others are going to end up meeting him by now, but what's he going to do with them? Should I meet him again? ... oh, I can't relax," Aladdin thought, unable to keep himself still because of these thoughts, until eventually he got up to his feet. What was he supposed to do? Aladdin hadn't felt this stressed in a while, and at this point, there was one thing he could do. After a little thought, he went over to the window, and opened it up good and wide, the cold air coming in. It did chill him a little bit, but it wasn't enough to deter him. Quietly, he got out his magic carpet and it levitated in mid air just outside the window, giving him his little ride. sometime flying around outside could give him something to calm him down and get him to think a little more clearly. Meanwhile, outside, the others of the group had just arrived to the main apartment building. They didn't get in yet, but they did just arrive over at the door. "He's in here?" Heine asked. "He's been living with me, so he should be," Nagisa said. "So you know eachother back in the Overworld Heine?" asked Alphonse. Heine nodded. "For a good two years. I do hope he's doing well since we last met," Heine replied. "Aside from being paranoid, he's pretty good," Karma said. The group was about ready to go in, but then Pinkie Pie took a look up into the sky, and up to Nagisa's apartment window, she then noticed something: a flying carpet in mid air, and Aladdin getting on it. Rather than telling anyone first, Pinkie then gave a sudden loud whistle, startling the others but seeing Aladdin as well. "HEY, ALADDIN, CAN YOU COME HERE?! YOU HAVE A GUEST!" Pinkie called. Aladdin heard her loud and clear, and while he was glad to see the others, then he saw Heine looking up to him, slightly surprised to see him ready to take off. Though, Aladdin was more worried over Heine than Heine was of him. Rather than come down, Aladdin started to fly away. "Aladdin, wait! Where're you going?!" Nagisa called, but Aladdin didn't stop flying, and didn't take long until he was too far to hear them. A bit of a problem for them. Nagisa knew Aladdin better than the others, and he knew he wouldn't just go off like that on them. Nagisa then turned to Heine, the only new person with them. "Heine, what's going on between you two? Something had to happen if it's making Aladdin hide like this," Nagisa asked. If it was anything too malicious, he wasn't going to stand for it. Heine gave a soft sigh, adjusting his glasses and started walking forward. "I'm afraid I know exactly why. ... Nagisa, you're the fastest, see if you can catch up with him," Heine requested. Not that Nagisa wasn't going to do that anyway though. "I'll be quick," Nagisa said, before racing off to go get him. He was right, compared to the rest, Nagisa was the fastest and would keep up with Aladdin's flying carpet. "Well, don't leave us hanging," Blair said. "I'll explain on the way. come on, let's try to catch up." ....... Farther ahead, Aladdin still got a good headstart compared to his friends, thanks to a flying carpet to avoid plenty of the ground level obstacles. As if knowing he was around wasn't bad enough, now Heine was straight up after him! Aladdin felt very humbled with what he was doing, if not freaked out over it all. The least he could figure was that he got a decent headstart against - "Aladdin! Aladdin, wait!" Aladdin turned back in his flight to a nearby building, just to find Nagisa running down on the ground after him, keeping up with him just enough to not be left behind. Aladdin looked back and saw it was only him who actually kept up with him, so instead of continuing his flight, he took his landing over in a short alley, just out of common sight from the main street. Nagisa was quick to catch up with him, Aladdin facing away from the street. "I ... I uh ..." "Aladdin, come on it's me. Now, what's going on? You never acted this way with anyone else before, so, what's the problem?" Nagisa asked, firm and quick to be sure it got to him before he could go off again. Luckily he didn't fly off, but he didn't turn to him just yet. Aladdin tried to think of some sort of excuse, but he can't think of one that would get by Nagisa, so, all he did was give in. "Eh, listen ... you remember when we met? ... And I said why I ended up in your place? ..." Aladdin asked. Nagisa stayed quiet and tried to work his memory. This was something from a pretty long time ago, and not really brought up too much since they first said it, but eventually he did get it back to memory. "Yeah, you said you're here to fight of the demons with the other angels, why?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin started to feel very humbled and embarrassed, playing with his fingers. "Eh, well ..." ....... "That's not really it?" Nagisa concluded. Aladdin winched from the answer, but he nodded his head. Nagisa was surprised. "Wait, this whole time you weren't supposed to come down to our world? Then why're you here?" Nagisa asked, surprised more than most. Aladdin took a deep breath, and ... "It's my fault, Heine's after me!" Aladdin burst out. Nagisa took a step back, but allowed Aladdin to continue, something Aladdin knew Nagisa wanted to know. The magi still didn't turn around but went on anyway. "What? ... Why? Aladdin, you're a great kid, and a good Magi, why would he be after you?" Nagisa asked, obviously confused about such an idea. Unless Heine turned out to be a demon in disguise, there was little reason for Heine to be going after him, in the way Aladdin was making it out to be anyway. Aladdin then just sat there and decided to explain himself. "Look. Back in the Overworld, he and I had known eachother for a while: if I did something wrong, he'd be the one to get mad at me and coldly lecture me about it. It was fine at first, but I ... I did something bad ..." Aladdin then showed Nagisa the gold whistle he had on him, turning and holding it in front of Nagisa. "Was this Heine's?" Nagisa asked. "... Yeah, it is." "You mean you stole Heine's flute?!" Nagisa gasped. "It's gonna make sense, listen to me, please!" Aladdin quickly pleaded. He knew taking the vessel was a bad idea and he wasn't going to deny it, but he had his reasons for it, and Nagisa allowed him to say it. "It's not just a flute. ... It's called a vessel, because there's Djinn that're held in them. They're very strong spirits that stay in these things so they can stay safe. They're very rare, and vessels are hard to come by ... but one day I found it, and I ... I, kinda, accidentally ... released it. ..." Nagisa could just imagine the whole scenario going on: Aladdin finding the vessel and the Djinn coming out and leaving him. If he was that scared of Heine, Nagisa could barely imagine the worry Aladdin must've got just afterward. Still, it was odd that this was never brought up before. "So let me see: the real reason you've been in the Human world, and with us, this whole time, was to find this Djinn, and return it to its vessel so Heine wouldn't find out and be mad at you?" Aladdin just nodded slowly. "But hold on, when we left for England you left it behind, how were you going to put the Djinn back in there?" "I ... I figured out a spell that would send a Djinn back to it's respected vessel no matter how far away it is. And this vessel was the only one in the Human world, so ..." "Aladdin, why didn't you ever say anything?" "I-I don't know," Aladdin groaned in shame. That question made him feel completely stupid: why didn't he say anything about it? Having too much fun with them? Too distracted to say? Aladdin couldn't even get an answer right, but Nagisa wasn't mad at him for trying to fix a mistake. Still, running off with the vessel to find it wasn't exactly a good move either, nor keeping this to himself until it would be fixed. for all his maturity and magic, he's still just a kid. "Well, lying and hiding didn't help. If Heine's going to be mad, it's going to happen no matter how long you're gone for. The best thing you can do is face Heine." A bit of an odd role-reversal in Aladdin's eyes. Normally he'd give the bigger message when it counted, but now Nagisa was giving one to him. He was right, but Aladdin was still worried. "I know I shouldn't have taken his vessel, but what's he going to do when he finds out?" ....... "So you did make it after all." Suddenly, a third visitor was right there, and this one wasn't there to help them: Lust! She'd seen Aladdin fly in the alley, and chilled out until he was done explaining himself. Lust got out her claws and looked ready to slice them up. Rather than mock them any further, she took the moment and rushed in towards them. "Aladdin, shield!" Nagisa quickly said. Freaked out, Aladdin managed to gather enough focus to get a Magi shield up, but this one was a little slower than before, and Lust got dangerously close. The shield did save them, but not before the claws ended up sliced in two, making Lust back up. "Having a little trouble, are we? And here I thought -" "DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW?" Nagisa suddenly yelled. Of ALL the times Lust would show up, it was after a chase with Aladdin and the big revelation. They didn't need this, REALLY. "Since when were you so hot-headed, Nagisa? Pluton give you a rough time?" "Just shut up, and go away, we don't need this," Nagisa made clear. If anything, he was more irritated by this rather than scared. Lust trued a few more times, but the shield didn't waver to her strikes. Guess fighting was out of the question for them. "It'll all be easier if you can just cooperate. You REALLY have been too much trouble," Lust sighed, both set of claws sharpened and ready to attack, the cut off claws regrown quickly. This was starting to become trouble, and while normally Nagisa would have the shield kept up, they can't keep it forever, and who knows how long it'll be before the others would get there. "Aladdin, put the shield down," Nagisa instructed. Scared, but Aladdin was already tired so he did so, as Nagisa got his Halo Blade out and at the ready. "So forward. It's hard to find men like that." "I'm not letting you beat us up, Lust. That, and I've already beaten Tirek and Gluttony, so I'm sure you'll be no problem," Nagisa said, ready to battle her. Lust's eyes widened when he said that. She was told gluttony was beaten, but not Tirek. "Tirek? So he's the one who killed that old bat," Lust thought. Still, she wasn't willing to let them go that easily. Pretty soon, the fight was quick to start, and with Lust taking attack first, and launching her claws at Nagisa. however, the fleet-footed kid dodged them fairly easily with a few motions, and it didn't take too long until he got close to her, and make a sort of false swipe at her. He wasn't gonna kill her on sight, but he proved to be a bigger challenge than before, making Lust stumble back out into the street. Lust was shocked, to say the most of it. "So fast," she thought, trying to regain her footing on the cold ground, but Nagisa wasn't going to give her the chance and rushed past her, his arm whacking her leg and making her fall over onto her back. How was she so easily knocked over by him? She could hear Nagisa coming back, and she quickly extended her claws like aimed spears. Nagisa skidded to a halt and moved back before he could get skewered, giving Lust time to get up. "I see someone's practiced," Lust said. "I had some time on my hands," Nagisa replied, readying his blade again. Lust launched her claws at him again, Nagisa dodging each and every single one, Lust getting a bit bothered by this. Nagisa even managed to slice a few claws with his Halo Blade, before Nagisa got close again. Their lengthy fight turned into close combat, Nagisa making more and more hits at Lust. Lust tried to keep herself up with the speedy kid. Finally though, Lust have had it with him and gave a strong sideways swing of her leg. Nagisa dodged the first one with ease, thinking that move made her vulnerable, but instead she spun around like a ballerina, and her leg whacked him behind the head again, almost as if the first one didn't even happen at all. Now she had the advantage. "Gotcha,~" Lust cooed, before giving Nagisa a powerful whack of her claws. Aladdin freaked out and thought she just killed him, but when Nagisa fell onto the sidewalk and in the snow, he saw that he wasn't even cut, and his clothes cut up. Nagisa looked just as startled about it. "You didn't cut me." "Look at your hand," Lust said smirking. What Lust did they thought was not possible to do. Nagisa looked to his one hand, the one that held the Halo blade, only to find nothing but an empty holder and his hand bloody! Shocked, Nagisa dropped it and saw the remains of his blade left in multiple cut pieces, his hand given a smaller cut to it in the palm. The wound itself was minor, but with his strongest weapon now in shambles, he didn't have a true efficient way to fight her. "You've been tough with that blade before, but these claws can cut through any weapon: steel, titanium, obsidian, you name it. We're not so cocky anymore, are we?~" Lust said, walking over towards him with her claws at the ready. For the longest time, his Halo Blade was the weapon he had to use for any of his demonic situations, Lust included, but now with it sliced to bits he had nothing to use. Nagisa got up quick, and tried to use his physical strength to fight her. He dodged the claws pretty good, but when he got close, his kicks and punches didn't do as well as before. sure, they were tough, but against a Homunculus it wasn't doing too good. All his skills, but he was still human. His strongest hit was a double kick to her head, just enough to knock her over, but the effort to get there was tiring on him. "Damnit, I can't keep this up," Nagisa thought. Lust found this her victory. ... "BACK OFF!" With some blue sparks and a shift in the ground, Lust was suddenly launched across the street, over Aladdin's head and to the alley by a triggered Launchpad. Good timing for the moment, and both Aladdin and Nagisa saw the rest coming over, Ed getting up from his alchemic attack. "Well, look who decided to join us," Lust groaned, getting up to her feet from the hit. Ed turned to Nagisa. "Late for the party, Nagisa?" "A little bit, but you're fine," Nagisa replied. Now wasn't the time to celebrate though, Lust preparing to launch another attack on them with her claws extending forward straight for Ed! Nagisa and Ed jumped aside before either could get hit, but this strike was exceptionally fast, Ed missing only by inches. A close call but seemingly unscathed. "Well, Elric, it's been a while." "Yeah it has. Now COME ON!" Ed called. *pop* Then Lust found out what damage she did, and all of a sudden Edward's mechanical arm went limp. It didn't completely snap off, but he couldn't operate it or move it, as if something got loose. There was a silence for a moment. "Technical difficulties?" asked Lust. "AAAHHH!" What a time to get a downgrade. Lust saw her chance and her claws darted right for him, but Alphonse wasn't having any of it and got in the way. The claws skewered Al's arm, but being a suit of armor, it was just a minor wound. Karma stepped forward next. He had his sword still with him from training and he was armed up as ever. "Wow, talk about embarrassing," Karma commented, just before rushing forward. "SHUT UP!" shouted Ed. Karma rushed forward with his sword towards Lust, and with the claws indented in Alphonse, Lust couldn't dodge Karma's attack, the kid using the sword to slice off her arms. They soon grew back, sure, but the time to do that open it up for Karma and Nagisa to come back at her. Lust had just enough time to redraw her claws, but not before Karma and Nagisa both tackled her down. Lust sprung around and shook them off, but when she got back to her feet she quickly found the odds against her in this fight. "Damnit, not again. ... Oh well, I still killed someone," Lust thought as she glanced at Nagisa's Halo Blade remains. With the odds against her, Lust turned and rushed away. This fight was over as fast as it started, and admittedly that was a good thing. Nagisa quietly picked up what remained of his blade as the others checked on Ed. "Ed, what happened? She break something in there?" Blair asked, looking at his limp arm. "Yeah, but I don't know what. She had to slice something in it," Ed said, trying to check his arm as best he could, but he couldn't truly figure out what she messed with. It was something they had to look into, but then something else soon came up: Heine and Aladdin. The fight itself was uncalled for, but it also got Aladdin in Heine's sight, and both not too far away from eachother either. With what just happened, Aladdin felt too frazzled to think on what to do, especially with the timing of the fight and what Aladdin had said to Nagisa. He had the flute on him, and he couldn't hide it from Heine, though he was still humbled by him. "... H-Heine. ..." "Aladdin, wait please," Heine noted, looking to the vessel around his neck. There was no point in hiding now, and when Nagisa nodded to him, Aladdin quietly walked over to him. He dropped the vessel at his feet, and he quickly got into a sort of bow, on his knees and bowing to Heine at his feet. Best to start off humble. "I-I'm so sorry," Aladdin started, getting that out of the way. Heine stayed firm. "What for?" Heine asked. "Nagisa, what's the deal with him and Heine?" Twilight whispered to Nagisa. however, Nagisa decided that it would be better for Aladdin and Heine to tell them themselves rather than him ratting out. As for Heine, he kneeled down to Aladdin. "It's my fault: I released the Djinn from your vessel by mistake, so I tried to fix it and find it down here without telling you! Please don't be mad at me, I-I'm trying to find it, I promise I'll find it, I -" Aladdin's moment of pleading was stopped when Heine placed a gentle hand on his head. Aladdin froze up, and Heine brought his other hand out and he looked ready to slap him ... just for him to flick him in the forehead. It barely hurt, but Aladdin remained surprised. "... Aladdin, when I found you were missing from Synapse, my biggest concern was for your safety and wellbeing. You were far from ready to come down here, though I had been rather harsh on you in past lessons. Those lectures lacked the encouragement for you to keep going. So in the way this was more my fault than it was yours." Aladdin stayed very quiet, and looked up to Heine. "A teacher's job is to nurture hope, not harm the heart. In some ways, you disappearing helped me realize that. I can't say what you did wasn't reckless and dangerous, especially for a Magi your age ... yet, I can say you did recognize your flaws, and attempted to go out of your way to resolve them. Not many angels would rush into the Overworld the way you did. Not even I." Looking to Aladdin's face, the young Magi seemingly saw this as the first time Heine spoke to him in such a way. However Heine treated him before wasn't too good apparently, but Heine did learn from that it seemed. Aladdin stayed silent at what Heine had told him, which remained for a good minute until he got back up, picking up the vessel and giving it back to Heine Wittgenstein. It was nice to see resolution and closure being played out as well as this. Once they were done, Karma cleared his throat. "So, Aladdin? Aren't you going to properly introduce?" Karma asked smiling. Aladdin looked to Heine, and sighed with a smile. "Everyone. Meet my Overworld instructor: Heine Wittgenstein." S04Ep4: Field Day ~運動会の日~Lunch time back at Orora high. It was still as busy as it could ever be, nothing too out of place (well, aside from some of Team Harmony's members that is), and many of them acted as if nothing had even happened at all. However, with what did happen last night to those involved, it surely showed on Edward Elric's limp metal arm. He'd yet to get it fixed, and with him in Tokyo instead of Central, a quick fix or ANY fix was out of the question. None of them really knew how to mend such a complex piece of machinery, and even if they could who knew how long it'll be? Aside from Edward though, the others seemed alright and once more Aladdin decided to visit the school again for the first time in days, no longer worried about Heine. Blair was there too along with Envy and Ciel, them all deciding to have lunch together. "You need some help, Ed?" asked Twilight, looking over to him. Working with just one arm was not anything easy for him, being used to his mechanical arm operational more than most. "Nah, I'm fine. It isn't the first time this damn arm stopped working ..." though he wished he could say it didn't last for more than a day. All morning he had to put up with his mechanical arm dangling to his side like a limp noodle, and it being just as useful as one. He couldn't block with it, work with it, or anything. "We'll try to get it fixed soon, brother," Alphonse promised. "Yeah, I know," Ed sighed, taking a bite out of his lunch. "Cheer up, buddy, it could be worse: Lust could've ripped it off and smashed it into teeny tiny pieces," Pinkie said, though it didn't make Ed feel any better. It was there, but what was it good for if it didn't even work? He just had to wait until someone could mend it, whenever what would be. At least he had his other arm on him to work with. As they were talking about that, Blair then glanced over to Envy, who was looking a bit dull himself as he pecked at his meal in front of him. He was in a bit of a bind himself because of Lust, even if it wasn't for the same reason: if they were roaming around here, it would only be a matter of time until he would be found out, and if so what then? But even with that, the exact problem currently didn't have anything to do with that. "What's up with you now?" Blair asked, turning to him. Envy took a look to the witch. "Oh, nothing much. ..." Then he brought her attention to Ciel. Not only was Ciel having a VERY fancy meal of freshly cooked Unfezant with some mashed potatoes and a slice of cake (personal request), but he also had Sebastian standing right by him ready to handle whatever Ciel Phantomhive had in mind next. "But why does he get such a fancy meal?! AND WHY'S SEBASTIAN HERE?!" Envy yelled, pointing a finger at Sebastian. It'd be just a personal issue if no other student was looking towards him, but a number of students felt a similar jealousy over Ciel, and all Envy was doing was saying it. Ciel just ignored him, and allowed Sebastian to answer him. "I have to be there for my lord. what kind of butler would I be if I can't aid in my lord in whatever he pleases?" Sebastian questioned. Though, it didn't exactly make Envy feel any better. All Envy did was sulk and his head rested on the table. He was fine with his food before, but all of a sudden he didn't fancy it anymore. At least not with a far better meal right next to him that wasn't his own. "Don't forget, Ciel's the queen's guard dog. As much as we don't want it, he's going to get some better stuff over us," Nagisa admitted, Envy just sighing and taking a bite out of what food he had. "That aside, how's your hand?" asked Envy. It took little time for Envy to figure out what had happened with them and Lust, and while he was a bit bugged by them fighting her at all, he honestly didn't feel too surprised it happened to begin with due to his encounter with her earlier. Nagisa paused and looked to his hand. Aside from a dull, sideways cut on his palm, it looked in perfect shape. "It's fine. Still feel a little stiff, but I'm alright." "You don't know how lucky you are, Nagisa. Lust's claws can cut through your hand like it's nothing." "We know, she told me after she cut me," Nagisa sighed. "While it is grateful you're still with us, your broken knife would prove trouble for you if they decide to return again," Ciel brought up, following the conversation. Negative, but true, all Nagisa brought with him that day was a small bit of the blade tip. He couldn't bring himself to bring the whole thing with him, mainly because he couldn't use it anyway. "Yeah, you're right. I didn't think she could even do that." "May I remind you that Lust is a Homunculus, not a demon. The rules applied to one thing aren't consistent with another." "Hey, that reminds me, any way to fix his blade, Aladdin? Nagisa's good at his agility, but we need to be at our best," Twilight asked, the magi pausing his own little feast. He took a good swallow before looking to Twilight and Nagisa. "Sorry, but I don't know. I never saw one of those break before. Maybe someone from the Overworld can give you another one?" Aladdin shrugged. "How would we all even get there? ... Besides the obvious option," Ciel questioned. The others felt a cold shiver when Ciel asked that question, but Aladdin was quick to talk. "First of all, you don't have to die to end up there, and secondly ... I have no idea. Not for you anyway Ciel, for ... well, you know." "Yes. Indeed," sighed Ciel, looking to Sebastian. A demonic butler in the Overworld was a bit of a problem indeed, at least to Ciel himself. The others could get there probably. "Don't sweat it, Nagisa, Korosensei's got a ton of those blades with him. I'll just have him give you one when I ask," Ed suggested. "Don't try; already tried those things on a demon, they work for crap. Those are Korosensei-killable only apparently," Karma brought up, remembering his own experience back with the Mega-Banette just before he got his Miracle Sword. "Well, thanks anyway guys. Maybe Heine would know what to do," Nagisa figured. Heine was an instructor of the Overworld after all, he would know how to fix his blade if anyone. All the same, it was a slim chance, but it was the best he got. And speaking of, the teacher in question overheard what they all were talking about. After hearing that, he took the moment to go off and slip away. ....... "Ah, Heine Wittgenstein. I've been meaning to talk to you." Didn't take very long until Heine and Gakuho met up back in his office later on. With what he had just figured out, and what the circumstances were off of Lust's encounter, things need to be considered, yet he still promised to go over them with Gakuho and he was still keeping that when he arrived there. "Is it concerning the new students might I ask?" figured Heine. Gakuho winched slightly, and presented his answer with the profiles of Edward, Alphonse, and Ciel. "We made an agreement on running everything through me first, and yet here I find these three students arriving after the fact." "My apologies, Asano. I thought presenting their profiles would be enough to satisfy you." "It's not entirely you bringing them to my attention, it's more the fact that you believe you can decide where they go. I solely make that choice," Gakuho made clear, his eyes like knives stabbing into Heine's soul. Heine stayed calm and nodded his head. "Understood." "I hope you do. Now, class will be starting in just a few minutes, so I shouldn't keep you -" "If I may, Gakuho? I didn't come here just because of that little issue," Heine cut in. Gakuho stopped and leaned in, slightly interested in what he had in mind. "... Go on." "Does this school still resort to field trips, Gakuho?" "Field trips?" Gakuho questioned. Heine nodded his head again. "I understand a number of schools do take part in these assorted trips, and I ask if I'm able to plan one in near future, say after seven days? I took the time to look over the schedule and it seems the following week could be the better option," Heine asked. Gakuho paused and thought the situation over. Yes, field trips are a thing at Orora High, though they were few and far between, not to mention it was him who plans these field trips, and not the other staff members. At least then he could say where they were going and figure out how long it would be. When he heard that last part though, it made him feel a bit better and he smiled to Heine. "And where may I ask are you taking your class?" Gakuho questioned. "I'll have to consort with my official before I can say. If she says no, I'll remain that in secrecy," Heine made clear. "Oh yes. Your "Overworld Queen"," Gakuho remarked. Heine felt slightly bugged, but he nodded yes anyway. Clearly Gakuho wasn't buying the Overworld thing, even if the Underworld showed itself already. Eventually, Gakuho stood up and smiled. "Very well, if you do wish to do so, then I'll allow you. Keep in mind there's still protocol you have to follow in regards to this field trip of yours," Gakuho instructed. Heine bowed slightly. "I understand perfectly," Heine said. He knew well what to do about the field trip preparations, and he had a lot to do to prepare for it. As Heine walked off, he took a small glance behind him to Gakuho again. ~~ With the decision now given the greenlight, Heine got busy. According to the timespan as it turned out, a week's time was perfect to plan for a field trip, and Heine made sure to work every moment for it into his favor, and his class: permission slips, working out scheduling, where the class can and cannot go, and of course Overworld permission by the queen. With each day moving closer towards the deadline Heine took it upon himself to work out the details to the field trip and figure out who would actually be going on this little trip. The E class and principal after the first three days, ended up probably the only ones who actually knew where they were actually going, as the rest of the school just simply got "we're going on a field trip" and nothing else. A surprise, but without knowing where E class was exactly going they couldn't really feel too jealous of them beyond them avoiding class for a day. Speaking of the class, once they got the news about going to the Overworld, the main response to it was surprising. However, Pinkie, Twilight, and Nagisa faced a little problem with the field trip, being the three of Team Harmony not in E class as the rest got the greenlight for it. For Nagisa, this was pretty good news to hear. Since his currently wrecked Halo Blade was actually from there, perhaps someone could give him a brand new one. ... Or, they would if he was allowed to go, that is. Though, maybe they could mend up Ed's broken Automail arm. Before anyone realized it, the day had arrived. Deadline only a short bit away from reaching, and Heine instructed whoever willing to go to meet up at the original 3-E building rather than over out front of the school on a bus (it would be less attention), and for the moment, it was just Heine and Korosensei there and waiting for whoever was allowed to go to, well, arrive. As both teachers waited for them, Heine took a glance over at his pocket watch to check the time. "Only five minutes until the deadline," he thought. "OOOO, this is so exciting, it's been WAY too long since I've last seen the Overworld, wonder how much has changed," Korosensei wondered. "Why would you even be allowed up there?" Heine questioned, unamused. "I'm not like those hellish demons, they love me up there! Shouldn't you know?" "They only allowed you there because no one could catch you," Heine sighed. Korosensei sulked slightly. "So cold," Korosensei said. Heine didn't give him too much of his mind, and took another look off to the main field. "OI!" Heine and Korosensei looked up, and soon they saw a familiar Magi flying on in with the rest of Team Harmony who wanted a ride. They started to see the other students begin to arrive, turning out to be quite a few. In the end, those who did arrive to go from E class include: Karma Akabane, Edward and Alphonse Elric, Nabiku Hazukashi, Nakamura Rio, and Hinano Kurahashi. Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian had also arrived not too long afterward, though if Ciel was actually going or not was a bit up for debate, but Heine was glad most of them were at least willing to go. Heine looked over the number of permission slips that were given to him over the week, and made sure everyone was present and accounted for. "Nice for many of you to arrive, and with just a minute to spare." "Thanks, Heine. I can't believe we're actually going to see the Overworld," Hinano said in excitement. "Yeah. We get to see where you grew up, Aladdin," Karma agreed, glancing over to Aladdin. Aladdin felt a bit flattered, rubbing the back of his head and smiling. However, Heine then realized a detail after looking through the permission slips, and then he began to pull out some pieces of paper before turning to the others amongst the Team. "Nagisa, Yugure, Ciel, Pinkie, this is for you," Heine said, passing out a paper to each of them. One look at them and it was all it took to figure it out: their own permission slips, all completed and ready to go. "Wait, why're we getting these? We're just here to see them off," Nagisa said. "I took the time to excuse you three for the day, you needn't worry about that. That, and the queen has been meaning to speak to all of you for a while now, though she wanted you all to be familiar with the Overworld first before officially meeting you," Heine explained, though not too worried about the other E students not too far away. With just how much they've been doing so far, it was expected eventually. While Pinkie was especially excited to go, Ciel was the polar opposite and actually returned the slip to Heine. "I don't have the time," Ciel simply said. "Excuse me?" "I said I'm not going," Ciel repeated. He wasn't going to go on about Sebastian and what happened with him and the Underworld. Heine stayed quiet and took a look between him and Sebastian. No one said they were forced to come along, so Heine just took the slip back and nodded his head. "You will need to see her in future, you understand," Heine made clear, but Ciel didn't seem to think so, not even giving him an answer for that. However, this was something he had to handle later, as he looked through the remaining permission slips. "Well, we're all here now. So we should be off on our trip then," Heine decided. "Head off how? There's no bus, car, or anything," wondered Nakamura. Heine didn't give them a straight answer, but instead he went on to show it. He looked up to the cloud-covered sky for a moment. After a good deep breath, he brought his fingers up to his mouth and gave off a huge, single-noted whistle. The whistle echoed all around the forested wilderness, and hung in the air for a good seven seconds. Eventually the sound of flapping wings and a echoing bird call rang in the air before the same gigantic bird flew over just above the tree line. The same magnificent bird who dropped Heine off already, and this time it wasn't just the bird that time. Instead, the powerful bird was actually pulling something behind it. The object appeared to be a Japanese carriage, only this one was WAY bigger than a regular two-to-four carriage one would see. In fact, it looked about as big as a bus would be: lined with some chiming bells up to the front, colored a fine autumn red and orange. "... And nevermind." "Wow," gasped Nabiku, staring in absolute amazement, as Heine pulled out some steps for them to enter. "Talk about showing up in style," commented Karma. "This is one of the queen's personal carriage. She allowed me to take it for our field trip today, so if you all enter single file we'll be off on our way," Heine instructed. "FIRST DIBS!" Pinkie beamed, zooming right on inside past Nabiku and Heine. No way was she going to miss out on this sort of thing, no matter who says what. Nagisa paused and looked back once more before he stepped on inside alongside Aladdin. When they looked in, along with a few others, what they got to see was simply impressive: seats aligned side by side more like a wagon that a carriage, with comfortable wood aligning the seats and floors. Curtains of amber velvet lined the inside walls, and a front window wide open to see the front driver. It wasn't anything too extravagant, but it still beats the average look of any bus. Pinkie Pie already took her seat over by the front of the carriage, eager as ever to be on her way. They took a moment to look around as they took their seats. "So this is the royal carriage," Nagisa commented. "Not bad," added Twilight. "It's like those carriages from our legends. It's so nice of his queen for letting us use it," Nabiku said. Hinano heartedly agreed as both took their seats. Nakamura took a seat next to Nabiku, and looked over to Aladdin. "Well, we're getting the royal treatment. Hey, Aladdin is it? Mind giving us some low-down on what the Overworld's like?" asked Nakamura, her arm resting behind Aladdin as if he was her little bro. Aladdin needed a bit before answering, remembering a bit. "It's been a while since I last been there. Well, it's very high up in the clouds, so, maybe you should be careful where you step. Many beings up there fly, so walking paths are ... not many." "Gotcha," Nakamura replied. Suddenly whoever was in there heard a loud creak, making them startle a bit just to find Alphonse taking his seat. His size was something he couldn't help with his armored body. Nagisa took his seat over by Pinkie, catching the pink girl's attention. "Isn't this peachy, Nagisa? now we get to check out Overworld and all its angely stuff, and you can get your blade fixed up good as new, isn't that sweet?" Pinkie asked with a big smile on her face. Nagisa sighed. "I guess it would be ... if I had it with me," Nagisa sighed. "You called?~" Just his luck, Korosensei peeked through the curtains and suddenly had the remains of his Halo Blade in his tentacle, which Korosensei had covered in rubber so it wouldn't hurt him. "Thank you, nevermind," Nagisa remarked with a smile. Korosensei: always a step ahead when called to it. After another minute, all of them were now inside the carriage, Heine being the last standing there. He got up onto the driver's seat. When he got there, he took another look towards Ciel, Sebastian, and Korosensei there to see 'em off. Heine took a glance to Ciel specifically. "If I let my guard down because he's a child, he may very well pull the rug out from under my feet. ... Ciel Phantomhive is not to be taken lightly," Heine thought. Pinkie poked her head out from the carriage to see Heine, throwing open the curtains so the others could see him too. "So, first time going to Synapse. Want to give us some pointers for the ride up?" Blair asked. "What's wrong with mine?" Aladdin questioned. "We're not going to Synapse. Our destination for this field trip is going to be Elysium." Elysium? Aladdin's eyes opened wide on hearing that, being the only one who knew where that actually was, but the others really didn't have too much of a clue. Heine turned to the giant bird, but rather than pull some reigns or anything, all Heine did was flick one of the bells on the carriage. Hearing the chiming, the bird opened its wings good and wide, and then gave a good running start, much like one would do in an airplane. It took a few flaps of its wings, but eventually the giant bird eventually started to take flight, along with the carriage. Pretty soon, they were off on their way. Next stop, Elysium. ....... Not too long after they left, Korosensei got right to his learning job back in the 3-E room. With Heine and much of the students up and leaving, the classroom was left a bit quiet and less exciting: Terasaka's gang, Envy, Sugino, and Ciel, which left only about seven students there for actual class and not the field trip. Aside from the lack of students, it was mainly regular class-time for the 3-E class (as normal as it would get). Ciel stayed calm and collected, though as he was sitting there, Envy was a little bit impatient over something with his finger tapping the desk. "Can you stop that?" Yoshida asked. Envy did stop, but he still felt a little anxious. "Sorry but some of us are trying to keep schedule." "What schedule?" Yoshida asked. "With that bitch Emi Isuzu. Soon as this school's done, I'm getting my sweet, sweet revenge on that bitch. No one whacks me like that and gets away with it," Envy said, his fingers gripping the sides of his desk. He'd been scheming since it happened, and he'd honestly been waiting for this day to come. "Wait, that'd happened over a week ago, you're still pissed off about it? Seriously dude, she's probably forgotten about it by now," Yoshida said. "You mean me pulling her hair off? Bullcrap." "Yoshida, Envy, pay attention please, we're just about to get to the good stuff," Korosensei said. They did so, but after that, Korosensei then pulled out a set of papers, one for each person in the room. It took less than a second to get them all passed out, but sure enough this turned out to be some form of test. A pretty odd thing to actually get on this day. Ciel examined the paper a bit more closely, and realized that this was no ordinary test, rather than a example of a term test, much like the midterm tests in some aspects. ....... And in his office, Gakuho saw through the monitors the result of this tests, and how much of the class had actually gone when compared to the other classes. Seeing this was enough to bring a smirk on his face. Seeing the lack of students in 3-E was something he was actually counting on. "With most of the class now gone, it's only a matter of time until they come back to my school with failing grades on their tests. ... They will remain the End Class." ~~ Meanwhile, the rest of the class on their field trip were still going along fairly fast through the air. Despite the supposed weight of the combined class, the bird had no difficulty in flying along its route, nor did the carriage get weighed down because of it. In fact, the carriage felt like it was without any weight to begin with. As for those inside, they were more than excited to get there, being their first time up in the Overworld. Even some of Team Harmony's calmest members were getting anxious to get there and have a look around, and those who weren't so calm were having a hard time keeping still. And rightfully so, they felt like they were the first humans to ever set foot in such a place, especially if given a carriage from the queen to use, which to them meant some special accommodations. Heine kept the bird steady in the flight, and eventually the whole group from inside the carriage felt themselves descend a little bit, and eventually land on solid ground. None of them moved until after Heine opened the curtains and bringing out the steps for them. "Welcome everyone, watch your step," Heine instructed, as the students started to exit. It took little time for them all to exit, and soon they all got sight of where they ended up. "Wow ..." Wow indeed. Heine promised they would get to Elysium, and sure enough they found themselves right on one of Elysium's landing platforms, which itself was made of wood and well-crafted stone. If Synapse was considered a countryside town, then Elysium was the urban city, a city up in the clouds! Buildings stood tall on huge areas, many of these looking similar to those found back in London, and it would almost appear that the buildings were floating on their own power, though not in the same way as a helicopter or plane in ways of propellers, but more like the floating islands back in Synapse. For a place home to angels, it had plenty of walking paths to take, a number of bridges connecting many of the floating masses of buildings. There was even a few flag ropes sprawled along in between some flying gaps, colored flags waving in the breeze above their heads. To sum it all up in one sentence up, it all looked impressive at the least. Even Aladdin, a Magi born in the Overworld was ecstatic to be here, almost as excited as Pinkie Pie was. "O-Oh my goodness," Nabiku managed to say. "And here I always thought Elysium was a paradise field of hills and green grass," Nakamura wondered. "Elysium is the Overworlds' most modern kingdom. Though you could probably guess that already," Heine said. Pinkie could no longer hold herself. "OH MY GOD, WE'RE IN A FLYING CITY! COME ON EVERYONE! WOOOO!" Pinkie beamed, racing off to check out Elysium herself. "Pinkie, wait a minute!" called Twilight in vain. "Leave her be. Let's be real; we're up in a city flying above our heads, why wouldn't she be excited?" Nakamura suggested. "Yes, I agree: I imagine Elysium would be an overwhelming sight for most humans," Heine agreed. "Considering it defies all logic as we know it, yeah. So, where do we start?" asked Nagisa. Honestly, he was just as excited to be here as anyone else would be. Heine only needed a little bit of thought before he got his answer, going into his briefcase and pulling out some papers. "Well, considering you and Edwards' specific issues, I suggest we start off towards the plaza. Not only does it give a overview of Elysium, but it also could aid you in your current situation," Heine said. Edward looking to his limp arm, and Nagisa to his Halo Blade, it was clear on what he was talking about. It would also explain why Heine specifically wanted them to be here in the first place. "Well, what're we waiting for then? Lead the way," said Ed. The sooner they could get this all handled the better. And so they went off towards the Elysium plaza. Every minute passed as they went on through the city gave them all a bit more and more of what there was to see in a home for angels. Since so many of them had a very different idea of what the Overworld was like, seeing the Overworld as a Victorian-like city up in the clouds was a bit of a change. Not a bad one, mind you, but still a change nonetheless. As would be expected too, the group were soon seeing the local angels going about their day, some angels flying around on wings while others just walked from place to place. Some of these angels were seeing them go by but seeing Heine and Alphonse with them didn't make them question their presence too much, which was probably a good thing for much of them. It took a few more minutes, but eventually they arrived over in the Elysium plaza: wide open and the central hub of the city with a number of angels around the place. At the very center of the plaza appeared to be a statue of an angel within a fountain pool, wings spread open in glory and the whole statue made up of what seemed to be a mix of silver and sapphire. Normally a plaza like this would be crowded with cars or at least other carriages, but since many locals could fly, most of the activity went on over their heads rather than on the ground. Like any tourist visiting a beautiful place, the group couldn't help but marvel at just how much this place was, appearance and uniqueness of it all. "Are all Overworld settlements like this?" asked Nagisa. "Not truly. As you could well imagine, it's difficult enough to keep such structures in the air with all the power," Heine explained. "Oh, let me tell this!" Aladdin said, moving over and hopping up onto the rim of the center fountain, making it his stage for his turn. Heine stayed quiet and allowed his little student to talk about the Overworld. "The Overworld settlements all remain afloat by a self-reliant, self-sufficient magical energy. The more of the energy present in an area the most elaborate structures are able to be made. Many other places in the Overworld can mainly do villages and countrysides, but what we're in is the hotspot of magical activity, and Elysium is the biggest settlement in the Overworld kingdom because of that." "Well done, Aladdin," said Heine, giving him a small applause. He'd go into more detail, but Aladdin's summed-up version worked just as well. Nagisa thought back to his time in Synapse and considered what Aladdin had just said. "So that would explain Synapse," he thought. "HAHA!" *BAM* The sound of a pounded fist caught their attention, and as Heine probably would've expected, it was what he was counting on. Nearby, some of the angels were doing their own thing, but one of the locals stood out far more than the others did. While the others looked no bigger than they were, one figure towered over them pretty well, about as big as Alphonse, maybe even taller. A sturdy, muscular man in his prime, one helping out a few other angels with some logs they got. One punch from this man literally sliced up one piece into lucky seven log cuts! The man had an outfit similar to that of an Amestris soldier, blue color and everything, though at the moment he had no shirt on and it showed the power this man had just in appearance alone. One word to describe him would be muscular: biceps, arms, chest, all of it were ripped and match a bodybuilder's best example of perfection. Any male would be jealous of such a figure in muscle - a pure mans man. This same mad had a yellow mustache on him, and his head was purely bald with the exception of a tuff of yellow hair up front. With one more log to go, the man gave one more power punch, and it was then they noticed his fist spark blue alchemic light, Aladdin psyched to see that himself. Nearby him were two other lieutenants in similar outfits, standing at attention nearby, and passing wood over to the other man until it was all gone. "Thanks for the help, major," said one of the angels just before they flew away with the wood. the classmates stared on in awe. "Whoa, that man's ripped," Ed gasped. "He's an alchemist!" gasped Aladdin in admiration. "Just who I'm hoping to find," Heine commented. Soon, he gave a quick whistle towards him, and the man stopped to see who it was. The class simply felt small compared to him, Alphonse included in that statement. The man put back on his shirt, which also matched the Amestris military code, before walking over to them and seeing the group. "Heine Wittgenstein, how long has it been?" said the man, hearty in his tone, but happy to see him. "Indeed. You've grown stronger since I've last seen you." "Stronger?!" the class thought in shocked. The man gave a hearty laugh and playfully fluffed Heine's hair (much to Heine's annoyance). It was then his attention drew to the others standing nearby. "And who're they? They don't look like angels," he asked. "They're not: the queen is allowing them to visit from the human world. That and my student Edward Elric could use some assistance." "I can mend this myself, thank you!" Ed snapped. "You haven't touched the thing in over a week," Twilight commented. All of a sudden though, the man was towering over Ed. If he didn't feel small before, he surely felt microscopic now, making the normally hot-headed kid feel rather humble. Some of the other students backed up from the intimidating major. "Now you listen to me, Edward Elric," said the major. Edward gulped as he reached out for him. Nagisa was worried that this angel would try to hurt him, and was just about ready to go in, but instead he picked him up and tested his automail, feeling how limp it was in one hand while easily holding him up with the other like he was a feather. "Your automail appears to be broken. No, this won't do, not at all," he figured. He then gently placed Ed back down on the ground and then added "There's no time to waste, allow me to escort you for repairs." "Oh, hey major, what's up?" Ed asked meekly. "Eh, sorry about that, he's got a kind heart, but sometimes he can be a little overbearing," whispered the female lieutenant to Hinano. "That's a little?" Hinano questioned. Nagisa then remembered what Heine said earlier, and then walked over to him. "Uh, excuse me major," Nagisa said, though like Edward, he too got a little humbled when this major turned to him. Nagisa collected himself though, and presented his sliced Halo Blade to him. the major took one look and saw the situation off the bat. "Where on earth did you manage to get this?" he asked in surprise. "Eh, it's a long story. Do you think you can fix this?" Nagisa asked. However, rather than answer, the major started to think a little bit about the connection. "Wait a minute. ... That must mean ..." ....... "NAGISA SHIOTA! IT WAS YOU WHO STOPPED PLUTON'S ULTIMATE RAMPAGE! The great mind power you put forth to collaborate the great plan of attack, the bravery you all shown in confronting such high odds against the dragon-class monster, the sacrifice you made in the final blow to defeat Pluton, just to be sure your friends survived! COME NAGISA, LET ME WELCOME YOU PROPERLY IN THIS EMBRACE!" Not only did the dramatic manly speech catch them all off guard, but the major threw off his shirt again to show his muscular body as he moved in for the embrace! Freaking out, Nagisa bolted off behind the biggest person there, moving so fast he only left a dust cloud at the feet. He got praise for it already, even if he was convinced he shouldn't deserve as much credit, but this was more than enough for him to make. "Whoa, how'd you know that, muscle man?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Pluton's defeat was a world-changing event. It's hard for it not to be notice, notably up here in the Overworld," Heine explained. It was then Heine turned to the major. "Now, how long will the repairs be, might I ask?" "This'll take no time at all. Come, Edward, the sooner we get you back into shape, the better," the major decided, practically dragging the humbled boy away along with taking the remains of Nagisa's Halo Blade. He'd go into a fit if he wasn't so humbled already by the major. His two lieutenants felt a little embarrassed, but they knew he meant well. "K, so that happened. Is he usually like this?" asked Nakamura. "Eh, yeah. He is," said the male lieutenant. "I like him," said Pinkie. Then again, she liked many people. Heine cleared his throat to get their attention. Once he did that, he went into his briefcase and pulled out a few papers for them. Rather unexpected. "Now while that is taking cared of, the rest of you are to take these. Since we have all day to do so, this shouldn't be an issue for many of you -" "Wait, a test? We're here to avoid work, not get it," Karma commented, just for Heine to give him the paper anyway, passing it along to the other students. Bringing them all here and suddenly dropping this on them was just uncalled for, but Heine knew what he was doing. "Your president Gakuho insisted it, if I'm to bring any of you here. Once we're done, then you all can explore Elysium to your leisure." "I'm fine with that," said Twilight. "Yeah, it'll be great! I can show you the best spots in Elysium when you've finished. You might even run into the queen herself while we're around," Aladdin said with a wink. Heine did say something about that, so they might as well roll with it by this point. It would beat a failing grade at the end of the day too, and none of them wanted that despite being E class, and if it meant seeing the queen eventually then fine. As the others went off on their way, Nagisa stepped over to Heine. "Thanks for bringing the tests, Heine. I'm glad you believed me," Nagisa said quietly. "I wouldn't think for a minute to leave any student behind," replied Heine. Another future vision advantage taken. ~~ Back down in the Human world, the others on E class had been and done with their tests for the day, and soon it was break time between classes. Without much of Team Harmony down on their level, Ciel mainly had to work out the details himself. He got done with the test moreover, but with the spare time he took the chance to see the principal, the only person he would guess be responsible for passing these out anyway. "Now then, he should be this way," Ciel thought, going through the halls around him. Taller students came and went around him, but Ciel didn't really care what kind of looks they gave him, even with his eyepatch on his face for all to see. Didn't help that Sebastian followed him either, but again, Ciel didn't care too much. Being the queen's guard dog made him above everyone here anyway, so what was the point in throwing a tiff over a few stares? "Shall I deal with them, my lord?" asked Sebastian. "Don't bother. Let's focus on the task at hand," Ciel instructed. Sebastian understood, but still kept an eye out just in case. It took them a little bit more, but eventually Ciel and Sebastian arrived to the main office, and Ciel did the honor and knocked a good knock, to make sure Gakuho heard them loud and clear. Sebastian and Ciel waited a minute until they heard a voice from the other side of the door. "Can I help you?" asked an assistant. "I'd like to speak with the principal, if you wouldn't mind," Ciel stated. It took a little bit, but eventually Ciel got the thumbs up, and soon he went on inside. Gakuho was at his desk looking over test papers when he came in, so it wasn't the bets time for any student to enter. Gakuho was going to protest until he saw who it actually was. "Ah. Ciel Phantomhive," Gakuho said, Ciel wasting no time in walking up to him and presenting his completed test. Gakuho felt rather flattered actually. "Giving me your test personally? Well, thank you -" "Why did you give these out?" Ciel suddenly questioned, rather coldly too. The flattered behavior was gone almost right away, the same serious expression back on Gakuho's face. "Excuse me?" "You knew the E class wasn't going to be here in order to take these. In fact, if I recall correctly, our teacher never even mentioned any test when he told us about what's to come," Ciel questioned, though he could probably guess as to why if given the time to look. Gakuho stayed quiet at first. "Would I really be so cruel to leave the 3-E class without notification? I told your teacher about it, but he instead insisted on this trip of his. It's his own fault. Anyway, it's a good thing you happened by, Phantomhive, for I wish to inform you of a transfer," Gakuho explained. Ciel examined his eyes closely, trying to read his mind in a way. Was he telling the truth or was he lying? Ciel would be able to figure it out with some sort of clue, but Gakuho didn't make that any easier with his calm, collected, and serious expression on his face. Not a hint of any lie or misguidance was evident on him by what Ciel could make out. Eventually Gakuho then got out a paper and showed it to Ciel, showing that he had been moved up a few. "Given your intellect, 3-E doesn't seem to suite someone such as yourself. So, in accordance to the test you gave me, I've decided to move you up a few classes. I imagine it would fit you a lot better, wouldn't you agree?" Gakuho asked. Ciel took one look at the paper, seeing he'd been moved up to 3-B, rather than 3-E. ... And he suddenly tore it up! "A fine gesture, but not efficient for me. I seen how they behaved, and admittedly it would prove to be more problematic for myself if I'm to be put in that class. Besides, a student can't be moved up that high after just one test, you understand." "E ... Efficient?" Gakuho couldn't believe his ears. Did this smart transfer student deny his system? He allowed him a chance to leave the worst class in school, and Ciel actually preferred 3-E over anything else! Apart of him felt enraged, but he easily kept that inside, even if Ciel could see it in his eyes a bit easier than before. for Ciel, it was more about the demonic involvement rather than his grading factor (he couldn't care less about school grades, being the queen's guard dog and all). Ciel stayed quiet, but eventually Ciel turned around and started walking away. However, as he went, a smirked showed on his face and he glanced back to him, his good eye visible just before leaving. ... "We'll see how well your plot works, won't we?" Gakuho didn't answer. ~~ It was about just an hour into their trip, and eventually they were all finished up with their own tests given to them, and as Heine had promised, he allowed them all to go around and explore the place so long as they return to him by the end of the day. with the freedom to roam, they basically went off in groups to check out the different places around Elysium, but even if they all could go basically wherever they wanted, they mainly kept together just in case there was some trouble and they needed the others. Heine may be the one bringing them here, but now it was Aladdin's turn to play smart and lead the group along. That, and Heine wasn't around anyway for the moment. "The angels all helped contribute to building and crafting the city to be the finest Overworld settlement there is. Hundreds of years ago this was barely anything more than just a small little town, until the queen of Elysium decided to work its way up, into what you all see today," Aladdin explained as they went along. The others looked around as he was talking, putting all of that in mind. It was nice to have a good tour of the place by their close friend. "So did you grow up here, Aladdin? You know a whole ton about this place," asked Nabiku. "Well, actually no, but Heine had me study on Elysium's history," Aladdin admitted, but he still knew the details like the back of his hand. As they went along, Twilight paused when she noticed one building in particular close by, something Nagisa and Hinano soon noticed as well. "So they do have a library. Hey, Aladdin, mind if we check that out?" asked Twilight. A bookworm by heart, she wasn't going to miss out on this kind of opportunity. Aladdin gave a nod to them, and soon, Twilight, and Nagisa, went off to check out the library. The others followed, though they chilled outside rather than in the library with them. The library's interior looked simply magnificent: a double-floored library with tons of books on many of the library's shelves, similar to what the Tokyo library was like in a way. Though, it was the potential of it that got Twilight and Nagisa interested. They were in the Overworld after all, and some knowledge about its history from here would be very useful. "Look at this place. Just imagine how much work was put into making all these books," Twilight said, almost dreamily. Nagisa took a bit to look around, working off his own memory and trying to think about it. Then something struck him. "Wait ... yes. Yes, Lugia showed me this place! This has got to be important," Nagisa thought in excitement. The vision he remembered was more outside rather than inside, but he made a good call in deciding to come in here rather than wait outside with the rest. He soon turned to Twilight with a new idea in his head. "Hey, let's see if we can find something useful against our demon problem while we're here. If there's anywhere that could help, it's here," Nagisa added in. Twilight couldn't agree more about that, and with Sombra giving them a break in the first place, they should take the moment and do the best with it. "Pardon me." AND they both stopped cold. Nagisa didn't predict that familiar voice coming out, especially in a place like this. Next thing they knew though, the librarian passed them by with a cart of books, ready to be put back on the shelves. On the surface it didn't sound too odd, but when Twilight, and Nagisa looked, it was who the librarian was that shocked them. The grey hair, toothy grin, and black mourner outfit made him far too distinctive to miss. "Undertaker?!" both kids gasped. And yes indeed it was, the same old Undertaker they had come across back in England. He didn't look as ominous as he was back in his coffin shop, but seeing someone like him in a place like this was more than surprising enough. Ciel would be surprised too if he were there. "Been a while, hasn't it?" Undertaker said with a few of his signature giggles. "Wait, but why're you here? how're you here?" Nagisa asked. Undertaker chuckled again. He got the idea; a reaper involved with death in such a holy place like this. "Death is not one-sided, my friend. We reapers are allowed in the Overworld as well as the Underworld. Besides that, I have a part-time job as the Elysium librarian. quite a page turner, these books, wouldn't you agree?" Undertaker explained. not only was the Undertaker a reaper apparently, but his disturbing nature had not gone away. Still, the facts there made enough sense for it to be passable for both kids. "Eh, yeah. Hey, Undertaker, you wouldn't happen to know where anything involving the Underworld up here, is there?" Twilight asked. The Undertaker got a few books on the shelf before turning back to them again. "I might have.~" "Oh no. ..." both thought thought, but instead the Undertaker laughed. "I'm only joking, my laughing toll is only for my Underworld job. There's a section of books concerning the Underworld on the second floor, the fifth row to your left," Undertaker said, pointing them to the second floor. Twilight and Nagisa gave a sigh of relief on that answer (they didn't plan a laughing gag anyway), so the two went straight to where he instructed. Sure enough, they soon found the section concerning the Underworld, just what they were hoping for. Many of these books were indeed page turners: some talking about rankings while others talking in Underworld history. A bit ironic that the Overworld would have this, but this library was also ran by an Undertaker, so each to its own really. "So, where do we start? There's a lot here," Twilight asked. "Hang on, maybe we don't have to go through them all," Nagisa said, looking through the books as best he could do. He was trying to get a particular bit of information out of this section, though while many of these do have plenty of information Nagisa was trying to get a particular idea. Eventually, one book did catch his eye: a book of entities. "Perfect!" Nagisa was quick to pull the book out of the shelf. The book felt a bit heavy, and was pretty big so there should be plenty of tips and tricks on how one should handle specific demons. They've been doing good so far, but they need to be better prepared for what specific kinds of demons would be coming their way. With Pluton destroying so much, they had to avoid that in case another demon decided to cause more trouble. Twilight and Nagisa sat down and started going through the book on the different demon types: Succubi, hellhounds, and plenty others placed in ranks and what they could do. Eventually while looking, there was one particular demon type that both caught. An Umbrum. "An Umbrum: a species of shadow demon. High magical power, demon-class threat level though some had known to exceed to dragon-level threat. Little is known about these demons, as they're a rare species. B class holy items and higher are the only weapons suited against an Umbrum. "That does sound like it would fit Sombra," Nagisa said. Twilight agreed and continued looking, but that was about as much as they got. If Sombra was indeed an Umbrum, then they're going to have to work out what'll be considered a B class + weapon. "A shadow demon, huh? ..." *thump* Nagisa looked off and peeked past the shelves. It wasn't anything too special, just some accessory that got itself dislodged from the shelf wall. He and Twilight looked over as the Undertaker took the time to go up and place it back on its hanging, back on display. The object looked like a shield, and this shield seemed to have a symbol engraved on it, one of which the colors looked eerily familiar. Nagisa went on over towards Undertaker and looking at the shield. "Ah, Nagisa. Finding everything you need?" Undertaker asked, but Nagisa was more interested in the shield more than anything. "Yeah, but ... can you tell me about that symbol there?" Nagisa asked, pointing to the symbol on the shield. Undertaker took a look at the shield. "Oh, that would be the Lugia dragon," Undertaker simply said. Nagisa knew that name all too well along with Twilight, though he decided to humor the Undertaker a little bit. "Lugia? What's that?" "Your friends didn't tell you yet? My goodness, they've been getting a bit behind. Lugia was one of the grand rulers of the Overworld. However, one day he disappeared from the Overworld, and practically all of the angels though him dead. ... Though, I'm not to say much, but tempted to say this: he's never appeared in any of my records.~" with a little giggle, Undertaker went off back to his work, leaving Nagisa to look to the shield with that information. Lugia had came to him time to time, but he had never said anything about him being an Overworld ruler. ... ~~ Meanwhile, off in another part of Elysium, Edward, Alphonse, the Major had finally reached their little business spot to handle Ed's broken automail. With so many of the Victorian-ex buildings, the place they stopped at was pretty mundane, single-floored and with a basic sign hung up above the door. This building actually was its own floating island, connected to it by a small bridge. Not too bad really, but what was he supposed to expect in a flying city like this? The major brought them right to the door. The Major got the door, showing Ed and Al inside. It actually wasn't too bad, but nothing too crazy inside: looking like a garage more than anything. A number of tools were up on the wall, though many of these didn't look too much like regular human tools. A wall-long seating over by the door, looking like seats in a train station, gave them both somewhere to wait. "Looks like a regular garage," said Al. "You two have a seat, and I'll go and get the mechanic. She'll make your automail the best it can be!" The Major stated strongly. "Oh, uh well thank you, Major," Alphonse said. "Of course! With how much you've accomplished down on earth, you and your friends DISERVE THE UPMOST RESPECT!" the Major stated, suddenly shirtless and flexing again. That made Ed cringe a little, as the Major went off to the back to fetch their mechanic. "... Is that gonna be a regular thing with him?" Ed asked. "Maybe? But hey, if it means getting your automail fixed, then it'll be great," Alphonse said. "Eh true. ... Wait a minute. did he say she'll make my automail the best?" Ed wondered. Suddenly both brothers had a rather similar, and disturbing thought of the Major with an equally manly 'women' standing next to him. As if one Major wasn't enough man, the idea that two of them would end up in the same room will be more than overwhelming for them, making them shutter and tremble. "I don't think I'm ready," Al trembled. "Me too," Ed added in. "Winry, you in there?! This is the major! You got two new customers wanting to see you!" "Thanks, dad, I'm going." "DAD?!" They both thought. That only confirmed in their minds the horror they're gonna meet. Edward gulped, and they both began to hear the footsteps echoing from the other room heading to the main garage. When the door opened up, the Major walked out with the mechanic, both Ed and Al expecting another towering being of muscle to walk out. Who they actually saw though ... well, they were still as surprised seeing her in real life over the fantasy idea. The girl looked to be in her teens for a start, probably in Nagisa's age range by the looks of it, and she looked damn beautiful! She had blue pure eyes, and long blonde hair that's lighter than Ed's hair. She had on a mechanic's garb, and donning a beige worker's jumpsuit with the top half open, and tied around her waist to reveal her black tube top, and her belly button. Ed and Al ... needed a minute to process. "Oh," they both simply said. "Morning, how can I help you?" she asked. "Wait. ... Dad. There," Ed said, pointing to the major in utter shock. "Eh, yeah? Is that a problem?" she asked, feeling a little less cheerful. Al didn't want to get into a fight right away, so he got Ed reminded of his automail arm. "Eh, nevermind, listen. Your 'dad' told us that you can mend this thing for me?" Ed asked, rolling up his sleeve to present his automail arm to her. The moment she saw that automail arm made her eyes sparkle in amazement, suddenly grabbing his arm and pulling it to her for closer examination. "Amazing! All those gears, those wires, the mechanical power of it all! This has to be an Amestris brand, it's been so long since I got a chance to study these," she beamed. The Major chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm, but Ed wasn't enjoying his arm being pulled around like this. "Yeah, it is fancy, can you fix it?" Ed asked again. "Oh, yes, of course I can! So what's the problem with it? It doesn't look too damaged," she asked. "We're not sure. We got in a fight a week ago, and it just popped loose or something," Alphonse admitted, as Winry continued to study the thing carefully. "Sounds like a few wires just got loose. And the metal looks out of date too, and ... boy, how long has it been since you had this mended?" Winry questioned. "Hey, I'm a soldier, I hardly had time to check it," Ed snapped. "Glad you're having fun, Winry, you go at it," the Major said, as he took his leave. Winry nodded, and the Major left her to her leisure. Almost on the spot, Winry got out a screwdriver and immediately started to crack open Ed's arm to see the workings inside, much to his surprise. "Whoa, slow your role, you!" Ed demanded, but Winry didn't reply and gave his arm a good look over on the inside with deep admiration. "Not everyday you find Automail like this. But yeah, just leave it up to me and I'll fix it up in no time. There's just so many gears and wires in here," Winry said, fonding over the last part. First good news Ed heard since getting there. "You sure are a big fan of mechanics, huh?" asked Alphonse. "IT'S JUST SO LOVELY! The smell of oil, the hum of the ball bearings! The rugged yet amazingly beautiful form created through anatomical engineering! OH how wonderful you are, grand Automail!~" ....... "Crazy gearhead," commented Ed. "I see the family resemblance now," added Al. ~~ "What is this creature?" Hinano asked in amazement. After some exploration, Aladdin got a number of the students over to Elysium's more opened areas, and they soon were taking in sights of the local fauna during their lunch. The area here was wide open with a number of resting spots for the local birds to rest where they need to. It wasn't apart of the tour exactly, but the opened area on the beaten path still showed some of the birds. These birds were the ones Nagisa saw in Synapse, and Hinano and Nabiku couldn't help but admire the beautiful creatures. "That's an altaria. They're a pretty common bird to be found flying around here," Aladdin explained. "An altaria? But I never heard of such a thing in any of the books I've read, is it a new species?" "Well no, they just don't come down to the Human world that's all," Aladdin shrugged. To him, an altaria was a common enough sight as a Pidgy would be down on ground level. "They're so adorable," Nabiku said, actually cuddling the bird. The altaria, not scared of something like Nabiku, happily cooed and cuddled against her. The others watching nearby smiled, though Nagisa and Twilight had their minds wrapped around their own thing with what books they were given from Undertaker's library, the main one being the demon guide they picked up. A pretty good source of information right at their fingertips, and Nagisa and Twilight were both taking in whatever they could get with this book. Pinkie took a peek over their shoulders and saw the book in question they were reading. "OOOO, you got a meanie book. What nasty things did you two find out in it?" Pinkie asked. "It's demons, Pinkie," Twilight corrected. "That's what I said," Pinkie said. She might as well stop trying at this point, trying to figure her out anyway. Nagisa then brought the book over to the pink girl, letting her look through the pages with lightning speed. "We thought it'd be a good idea to get ourselves more acquainted with these demons if they're gonna keep coming at us," Nagisa said, letting Pinkie go through many of the documentaries and details of Underworld beings. "We got a plus! Hey guys, check this out," Pinkie said, bringing it over to the others in their group to check out. Twilight was about to go over to the others too, but with a moment by themselves, Nagisa actually got up and got Twilight's attention with a tap on her shoulder. He didn't say much of anything but a simple gesture for her to follow was just enough to get her to follow him. The two got about twenty feet away, not too far from the group but just out of earshot. "Ok, this has to be important, so what is it?" Twilight asked. Nagisa took a breath before talking. "Twilight. Now, I've had this brainstorm ever since we left the library. Something big to do that can not only help us, but the Overworld too, but I can't do it alone," Nagisa began. With what they've done so far, this had to be something big as Twilight figured, so she gave him her full attention. "Nagisa, you know I'm here for you, me and the rest of us. Now what's the brainstorm?" Twilight asked. "In a nutshell?" Nagisa asked. Twilight nodded to reassure Nagisa, and Nagisa took to her with determination in his eyes. He worked out his reasoning for his plan, and with everyone together, it was now or never. "We're going to find Lugia." "What?" Twilight gasped. "Twilight, Undertaker told me more than enough of a reason to find him: he was once an Overworld ruler here, and many of the angels think he's dead now. If we can find him, maybe it can work better in the world's favor. Besides, I think he might be having trouble himself," Nagisa said. Twilight thought about it and she knew he was right. Twilight and Nagisa were the only ones who met Lugia directly so far, and they both knew that his future Vision had helped them out a bit already. "How do you mean?" "I didn't bother with it much at first, but when I first met him, he mentioned contacting just one of us is the 'safest' way. not the easiest, but safest. With demons now given the greenlight thanks to Pluton, and how much demonic activity had happened beforehand, that means ..." "Something's keeping him back! Now that you say that, he sounded guilty when he talked to me too before he showed me my future Vision," Twilight concluded. "Exactly. Look, you and I both had met him so far, no one else knows yet, but before we can tell the rest, we have to figure out where he might be first. At least then we can head right off on our way the moment we find him," Nagisa concluded. "That and it'll keep Lugia safer until then too. Yeah, let's do it," Twilight said, both shaking hands to make it official. ~~ For the rest of the day, everything seemed to go on pretty smoothly: the tour was done, everyone was enjoying it, and even Ed got his arm mended up after just an hour of work thanks to Winry. It's all good. With the field trip all finished, Heine got back to the others and pretty soon, they were right off back home to Tokyo in no time at all. A simple ride in the carriage was as good as it could be. For some overall benefit, and since everyone already saw the bird, he actually went and landed over by the main building instead of the E building, parking behind the building itself to keep it secure. The students started to head off on their way, and after some thanks, it was soon just Heine by his lonesome. He called the bird away and that was soon gone as well. ... "You came back, Heine. I see your "field trip" went fairly well." That was until Gakuho came back out. Something Heine Wittgenstein had come to expect honestly, turning around with his items in hand. Gakuho didn't see the carriage, so he was blind to what really happened. "With all due respect, Wittgenstein, while you have had some fun on your ride out, I'm afraid your little antics had cost you. You see, students need to stay in working order, and in your trip you neglected to take account of your students' -" "Here you go," Heine grumbled, pushing the stack of completed papers into his chest. Gakuho paused and looked over the papers, just to find them all being the completed tests! Gakuho looked over each and every single one with a pause for thought, seeing each and every student who went off on the trip not only completing the test, but completing it with fairly decent results. There was only one thought that went through his mind, as the principal gritted his teeth. "Damnit. Lost again." ~~ "There she is." In another part of Tokyo, the revenge-hungry Envy, armed with a small camera, had put his own work into action against his target Emi Isuzu. He'd been scheming for some proper revenge against the girl for sometime, and it took him more than long enough to finally relocate Emi Isuzu at the right time. At the point in question, he found Emi Isuzu leaving the shopping district after some shopping, though Emi appeared to be a little on edge lately herself. She may not be as deep into revenge as Envy, but she still didn't take kindly to him pulling out a chunk of her hair - something she was keeping an eye out for. At least that was Envy's presumed conclusion. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. All by her lonesome, distracted, this'll be a synch," Envy thought. Homunculus or Human, some things just don't go away, and Envy's desire to get even was surly one of them, especially if it was as easy as this. Emi started checking out her stuff and heading off into her apartment. As with many of the bigger-class teens, Emi had an basic suburban home a bit a ways from the main city, and Envy had been keeping that in track for a good while. How was he supposed to get proper revenge without knowing a thing or two about his target? When Emi entered, envy got out and started to sneak around to the side of Emi's house, keeping just out of sight from the house windows just in case Emi was anywhere in sight. Without his usual hiding tricks and transformations, this was a little more difficult to do. Envy peeked inside and just saw Emi going off upstairs to her room. Luckily for him, she didn't see him, making his luck all the better. "Ok, upstairs. Now, where, where ... aha!" Emi had a border fence lining her house, and seeing that compared to the second floor window, it made the perfect little platform. Envy climbed up on the top of the fence, balancing as best he could, and focused to the sill of the second window. If he could just get a peek inside, then maybe he could find out something to use. A little thing called "rumor" can wreck anyone, and if this kid could find something juicy, then it'll work out. Like a cat, Envy positioned himself for the jump, and in one leap he actually got a grip on it. Keeping the grip though was not as easy. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," envy thought, his legs flailing to keep himself there, until he found a foothold on the wall. He just managed to pull himself up just enough to keep from falling, and to take a peek inside. Jackpot for him: this room was none other than Emi's bedroom! Perfect! "SWEET! Now what do we got in here?" Envy thought in excitement. ... There he saw someone inside. He wanted Emi Isuzu to be in there, but this person couldn't be her. Same hair? Yes. Same skin? Yes. Clothes? Well, in a bath robe by the looks of it. Same body? NOT BY A MILE. Just earlier, Envy saw Emi with a toned body, curves in all the right places and a regular model body over all: big breasts with a slim stomach, and such. While the big boobs still applied on this girl, she was far from anything slim. She looked simply HUGE: easily two hundred pounds plus with such a large, fat body! Apparently the stuff brought home turned out to be food, and this women was already eating up her fair share of snacks, Envy watching it all from the perch, the women not noticing him at all. Envy wasn't sure if this was the same girl, but if it was, she REALLY let herself go. Emi looked pretty content in there, thinking she was all by herself, and enjoying the sweets at her own leisure. "This is the life," she sighed happily. God, even the voice matched Emi Isuzu! It took this girl a good half an hour until the snacks were all finished up. Envy kept as quiet as a mouse, as the big girl managed to get up to her feet, her huge body bouncing and jiggling about when she did so. she gave a stretch, now full and content from her meal, and took an extra look around. Emi didn't see Envy looking in still, and Envy actually got himself ready with the camera. This was MORE than perfect! *snap* "What the?" Emi froze when she heard the noise, and her eyes shot over to the window. Right in front of him again, Emi's body suddenly morphed and changed back into her thin body and she went to the window, only to find Envy with a toothy grin and the camera in hand. "Gotcha bitch." "GIVE ME THAT!" Emi demanded, but Envy wasn't gonna give her the chance, dropping off the sill with said camera and bolting for it. Oh, the fun he was going to have with this. S04Ep5: Fuhrer's Rise ~フーラーの上昇~In the clear cold afternoon, the government over at Japan's highest building had been under a bit of tense stress as of late. Ever since they got word about Pluton, it had gone pretty high up in security. The world around may be a bit fine overall, but Seitenshi had to really buckle down and try to figure out what to do. This protection operation they've been going through had been alright, but if demons like Pluton are going to keep reappearing, then Seitenshi had to get some stronger ideas going in terms of protection. Without any word of any angel yet, they were on their own with what they had. And what they had, so it seemed, wasn't enough in the case of Pluton. In the training grounds, Seitenshi and visiting England princess Victoria took the time to observe the training going on in the main yard. From what they could see, it appeared to be going fairly well with both close combat, and far-distance target practice. In fact, both Seitenshi and Victoria took seats nearby to watch the show, Victoria insisting such. "You sure put your pawns to quite some work," Victoria commented as she observed. "They're just training, Victoria. But yeah, they need to be ready for whenever another demon attack would come again," Seitenshi said. However, Victoria found it a bit more amusing than concerning. "Getting a bit paranoid, are we?" "You heard what that monster did at Central Amestris, who knows when such a beast would try and attack again? This is nothing to sneeze at, Victoria," Seitenshi made clear. Victoria looked humbled slightly. "Dearie me, did I hit a nerve? What happened to that cheerful, easy-going girl I've got to know?" Victoria asked. Seitenshi just sighed. "Victoria, I just don't want a bigger loss to happen, that's all. Hundreds were either killed or gone missing, if something like that appears here ..." Seitenshi couldn't even bring herself to actually say it, or even think about it for very long. The only physical stress she had on her was her hands curling up, tugging her dress slightly. Victoria just smiled. "You don't have to worry about anything, Seitenshi. Team Harmony has it all handled, I'm sure." "One group of teenagers isn't going to stop every attack." "They killed it, didn't they? And they saved you back at the Royal Ball," Victoria reminded. Like Seitenshi needed anymore reminders about that particular party. "You're such a poor planner," Seitenshi commented. "And you're quite a worrywart," Victoria said, suddenly having one of her flowers in her hand. Seitenshi quickly grabbed it and put it back on her hat. Seitenshi flustered and Victoria just giggled at Seitenshi's serious attitude. "Can you blame me if I'm a little on edge about what they might try next?" Seitenshi remarked. "Probably. ... That's why I asked him to come by. He'll sort this out." "Him? Him who?" Seitenshi asked firmly. "Keep your shirt on, you'll know when he gets here. I had him check on the Elrics first, and I know they'll be more than eager to see him." Victoria could only imagine the kind of reaction they'll have when he does meet up with them. ~~ Back at the 3-E building, and with Heine coming by for a little visit, things appeared to be going along as normal. With Edward's automail arm now mended, training with him could now commence again, and boy did Ed feel more empowered since his amends. It was training with Twilight this time, and both kids surely showed how much both sides improved in their craft. For Twilight, her alchemy of purple magical diamond energy shined brighter against Ed's fullmetal alchemy. What began as a simple light for a candle now she could actually use as a projectile in some small beams of magic. A decent move, but a big upgrade nonetheless. While Twilight may be doing good, it was Ed who was fonding over his own enhancements. "Wow, it's so light! Incredible, amazing, it's like they're not even there!" Edward beamed, zooming around back and forth while avoiding some of Twilight's alchemic beams. "I gotta say, whatever Winry did to your automail works wonders. Don't think I've seen you move this fast before," Twilight stated, dodging a few more of Ed's punches. Only in this group can a simple conversation be played out during heated practice. And it wasn't just Ed's arm that was mended up; Winry ended up advancing Ed's leg too, and both arm and leg were now strong and light as feathers. Twilight and Edward continued training a bit more, each side showing how much better they've gotten as the rest watched on. "Damn, look at her go. That girl's got some upgrades," said Blair. "All that practicing's paying off," Ciel remarked. And clearly it was; Twilight decided to up her game and try out something a little more challenging. Focusing as much as she could, she aimed her hands forward, and clapped them together, purple aura forming in her hands. Edward, still psyched with himself, charged forward strong, but suddenly he felt the ground under him change and lift him upward. Next thing he knew, a force field gripped his good leg and lifted him upside down! "HEY! Put me down!" Ed demanded, his arms and free leg flailing to get loose. However, his weight along with the flailing made her release him, Ed falling on his head. It'll be a while yet before Twilight could get that off the ground (literally and metaphorically) The bump was a bit minor, but he didn't get too bothered by it. "WOO! Look at you, Yugure," Karma smirked. "Yeah, congratulations!" Al said. "A rather interesting display of Alchemy by both of you. It seems Winry's work paid off for you especially, Elric," Heine noted. Edward continued fonding over his new automail. "This new Elysium automail is magnificent!" Edward said, doing a few kicks and punches with his automail arm and leg. It surely did feel very good on him compared to his old automail enhancements. It could be said this was as good as things would be. Once both of them were finished up, both kids went off and took a break by the others, Twilight having a seat over by Nagisa. "Great job out there. Guess all that training's doing wonders for you too," Nagisa congratulated. "Thanks. To be honest, it's about time I actually got a decent grip on my alchemy. All that extra training with Aladdin was just what I needed." "Yeah. Hey, by the way, anyone seen him? He told me he was gonna be out today," Nagisa asked. Heine took the privilege of answering him there. "I had him searching for his Djinn, actually. I gave him the assignment yesterday, not long after we got back. It would seem he's been focused on it," Heine explained. "I still find tit ludicrous that he'd forget about something like that. Honestly, he barely made an effort about this task of his when he was with us," Ciel noted. "Don't be so mean, he's just a kid. All of our stuff must've side-tracked him, that's all," Alphonse said, but Ciel just brushed it off. "Correct. Perhaps he'll be more focused now that he has the main goal in sight," Heine agreed. "GUYS! HEY!" Spoke too soon. Looking up in the sky, they both soon spotted Aladdin on his flying carpet. The magi flew in so quickly, he didn't have much time to land, and he ended up tumbling off of his carpet, and landing on Alphonse like one would hit a wall. Not the most comfortable ride, but still a landing. He also looked a little frantic himself. "Aladdin, there you are. Good timing, we were just wondering where you were," said Ciel. "Landing needs some work," Heine added in. Aladdin fell off of Alphonse, dazed, but he felt worse before. He sat back up quick and shook off the hit before looking to the others, seemingly looking urgent. "Nevermind my landing, Al you're here, but Ed, where's Ed?!" Aladdin asked, frantic and not seeing him just yet. "Right here, Aladdin," Edward said, walking out from aside Alphonse. Aladdin hopped up to his feet. "What's up with you? You're not the type to go in a panic," Karma questioned. "B-But there's something BIG, HUGE! Ed, Al, it's -" "It's good to see you again. Hope I'm not interrupting anything." It seemed that everything stopped when they saw who the voice belonged to. The figure took a walk out from the 3-E building, cutting through the actual building rather than walk around. In his hand looked like some sort of basket, a melon inside it. Not really much, but it still a nice gesture. ... If any of them weren't so shocked about the person, they'd thank him for that. Almost immediately, Ed and Al were on their feet and saluting to the new coming person. "F-Fuhrer Bradley!!" "Calm down, gentlemen. This is just an informal visit," insisted Bradley, a smile on his face and his hand raised. Fuhrer. King. Bradly. The idea he was still alive was good enough of a shock, and seeing him arrive to their corner of the world after everything built up on it more than most. Even the usually calm characters of this group (Ciel Phantomhive, and Karma Akabane respectively) had some level of shock in them seeing Bradley just show up like this. Bradley took a look to Ed, who looked slightly bruised up with the training. "Looks like you're injured. Here, I know it's not much but I thought it might cheer you up," said Bradley, giving Ed the melon basket. "I guess ... AH - THANK YOU SIR!" Ed corrected. The only one out of the know here was Heine. "Uh, if any of you wouldn't mind ..." "Oh, right. During the Pluton attack, King Bradley and Salim had gone missing for weeks, longer than Nagisa in fact. The Amestris army's been trying so long to find them," Twilight quietly explained. Heine took another look towards Bradley as she was explaining, and then nodded his head. "So, king, you've been gone for a while. You mind filling us in, that'd be swell," said Karma with a grin. "Salim and I had been gone, yes. During the attack by that beast, Salim and I got caught up. One thing lead to another, and we ended up miles outside my own capitol. It's was grateful he and I survived, of course. Oh, and by the way, may I take this moment to congratulate you all on your assault against that beast." "Pardon? You knew about that?" Ciel questioned. "Something like that gets around far faster than you think, my boy," Bradley said. "And what about Salim?" asked Blair. "Yeah, where is he anyway?" Nagisa added. "No need to worry about him: with some help from Victoria, I got him back home safe and sound." "Home, oh yeah, your wife! Last time we saw her she was crying her eyes out!" Blair said, remembering. "And when I saw her, she never looked so happy in her life. Such a sweet smiling face. You know, it does make you appreciate what you have, doesn't it? You never know when you're either going to leave one place in what way, or what chances you might miss," Bradley noted, referring to his wife in particular. He hadn't seen his wife for a long time, and seeing her so happy when seeing her again just made him feel good inside. "I agree: One must consider all options when the opportunity does arise to be truly successful." Heine agreed. However, it did get Nagisa some time to think about what he just said. "What chances you might miss. ..." he thought. "Fuhrer Bradley! Where're you?!" "Well, time to go. Damn bodyguard thinks he's my shadow," Bradley sighed, starting to walk away from the crowd. All of the others watched him go off on his way, thinking about what he said. "I broke away to get a few minutes of privacy. ... Well, farewell for now." and with that, King Bradley then started walking back and leaving the entire group quiet. ... AND only then did a pink-haired girl finally come back out to join the others. "I'm back! I got all the best snacks in town for - ... what's going on?" "Oh nothing. Just a tornado passing by," Ed managed to say, feeling completely lost still. "WHA?! OH NO, SOMETHING EXTREMELY PLOT-RELATED HAPPENED AND I MISSED IT! I gotta step up my game to keep up with everything!" Pinkie said, freaked out that she missed something so important. "Don't worry, Pinkie, we'll catch you up later," said Alphonse. Nearby, some of the others were still thinking a little bit about Bradley's comment before, and they took a look over towards Twilight for just a little moment. ... "... What chances you might miss, huh?" ~~ It took him a while longer to actually get there, but eventually king Bradley had finally arrived over at the capitol of Japan, where Seitenshi and Victoria would be. Since his meeting with Ed and Al were done, as Victoria had wanted, Bradley had no further distractions for the moment in going from there to the base. At the moment of his arrival, Victoria and Seitenshi were waiting over at the front to see him, Victoria glad to see him, but Seitenshi feeling more than surprised seeing the currently thought deceased king arriving at their doorstep. "Hello, Bradley. Keeping well, I hope," Victoria asked with a grin. "Well aside from disappearing for a while, I feel just fine. Me and Salim. And you two?" asked Bradley. "I'm fairing, but can't say the same for Seitenshi. She's been such a worrywart about the little demon attack on Central." "Victoria, please," Seitenshi warned. She didn't need Victoria to make her sound so unprofessional, especially in front of the king of Amestris. "Sounds like a poor leader to me," Bradley said sternly. His behavior to her made Seitenshi feel a little uncomfortable. ... Just for Bradley to laugh. "I'm only kidding! There's no need for you to be so uptight," Bradley reassured them, a shoulder on Seitenshi's shoulder. Seitenshi tried to keep her pride together and clear her throat. "Mended. Yes, thank you," Seitenshi simply said. "It's been such a long time Bradley. Why don't you show us some of your skills?" "Now, now, there's no need for that," Bradley insisted, but cheek Victoria thought otherwise. "What's this? Has the great, ultimate Fuhrer King Bradley started to get sloppy on us? Oh dear, now that is a problem, we might have to look for a new Fuhrer. Of course I could be mistaken, but what am I to know after such a long time without a presentation?" ....... Next thing he knew, he was out in the training field, his outfit consisting only his white undershirt and pants, the usual formal attire of the Fuhrer removed off of him so he wouldn't be held back, and in each hand there was a sword at the ready to fight. Victoria and Seitenshi were off aside and watching the show, Seitenshi feeling troubled about it. Basically Victoria mocked Bradley into doing this, so that wasn't something that sat with her well. Bradley could see Seitenshi sulking in embarrassment as Victoria gleefully waited for him to begin. "Kids," he simply thought with a groan. He took a look at what situation they had in mind before him: several gunmen, all armed up to the teeth and aiming at Bradley. Bradley could sense that, without a doubt, that those men were wary of him. Not because of how strong he was, but the fact they're ordered to attack the king that had been missing for weeks on end. Any huge hit on him and it would be on their heads. Bradley wasn't really worried about them though, nor about the odds stacked against him. "You may fire when ready gentlemen," called Victoria. The other guards felt uneasy aiming their weapons at Bradley, but suddenly Bradley started running at them. Freaked out, one of them actually opened fire and shot at him! several bullets shot right at him, but king Bradley was not only unfazed, but he actually reflected them off and away with a few steady movements of his blades, not a single one missed. for a man with only one eye, accuracy was the ultimate advantage for him against his foes. When king Bradley got close, he blades got to work and he began to slice and dice the men, each cut inches from their faces and leaving them stunned. It only took him just a singular minute to finish up his assault, and one finished he kneeled down in a sort of actor's bow, swords moving with his arms, just before all the guns suddenly split apart into diced up metal! The biggest injury he left on any of them was a tiny cut on the end of three soldiers' fingers. This man didn't lose his skill, and wasn't going to anytime soon. Both Victoria and Seitenshi gave him some applause. "There you go, I'm sure that's enough to convince you," Bradley said, putting his swords away as Victoria and Seitenshi walked over to him. "Now that is especially impressive. I'm more than convinced now, Fuhrer Bradley," Victoria said with a smile, even giving a little bow. ... "You and me both." Karma?! Seeing Karma Akabane suddenly show up and nonchalantly walk over to them, hands behind his head no less, surely showed his boldness on the situation. Just as well, he brought his Miracle Sword with him, which he casually held behind his back, not trying to hide it. "What're you doing here, this is government property," Seitenshi asked sternly. All Karma did was point a thumb behind him, and they all saw Korosensei standing not too far away, dressed up as an army officer. Not the best reason ever. "He's government property, and he let me in here. Anyway, Fuhrer, I've been thinking about what you said. something about taking chances when they come, right?" Karma began, getting Bradley's attention. After that first sentence, Karma presented the sword to him, it gleaning in the winter sun. "Well, I may be badass with this sword, but I think it's time to be a little more professional. In short -" Karma then aimed his sword directly at Bradley with a smirk on his face and finishing with "Make me your student, chief." "Hmm ... well, I am getting a bit busy to taking on students like this," said Bradley. Luckily Karma planned for this. "Really? Wow, just one kid learning a few skills is too much for you? Damn, and here I thought the king -" Seitenshi quickly went over to him and gave a quick slap to the face. It was rough enough with Victoria, she didn't need more of it from Karma. "Knock it off! He already got enough trouble from Victoria, he doesn't need it from you," Seitenshi stated. Karma paused for a moment, hand where she slapped him, and both he and Victoria looked to eachother, Karma putting two and two together. ....... "I'm liking you more and more," Karma said smirking, thumbs up. "Likewise," Victoria said with a smile. "Not helping," Seitenshi said. However, Bradley took it to consideration a bit more and eventually he walked up to Karma, swords drawn out and at the ready. All of a sudden, he rushed past Seitenshi and Victoria, and Karma was suddenly eye to eye with the end of his sword! The move was extremely fast, but not intended to kill him, even if it was a literal inch away from skewering his skull. Karma took a slight step back, but he didn't rush off much to Bradley's glee. "You got nerves of steel, young man. ... I'll be staying here for a little while, so alright. I can give you some pointers, but when I have to go back then that'll be it," Bradley decided. Karma felt a little disappointed, but with who he was talking to, that was all he was going to get from him. "Oh, the others are gonna flip when they hear this," Karma thought. ~~ Off in another part of Tokyo, another group was off and out doing their own thing. Team Harmony may be busy with their own agenda, but Terasaka and his group were off and chilling out at "Matsuraiken" ramen shop: Terasaka, Yoshida, Kirara, and Envy being some customers with Takuya being the one cooking up their ramen. Envy may have had Hinano and Nabiku, but in this gang was when he could feel more like his old self, despite limitations. Envy hadn't exactly tried the ramen from the human world yet, so he took it with a grain of salt really. "So what do you think? Gross, right? I keep telling my old man, but he wouldn't change the recipe," Takuya said, as Envy was trying it out. "Pretty stale if you ask me. Ramen usually this bland here?" Envy admitted. It wasn't exactly an awful thing, but he didn't fancy it too well. "Don't tell me you've never had Ramen before," Yoshida said. "Of course I've had Ramen before, the chefs down there just use different recipes that's all. Besides, you don't need to eat as a Homunculus, so I only ate out of leisure," Envy said, taking another taste of the Ramen in the bowl. Kirara smirked as she was reading one of her books. "Let me guess: human flambé with a side of blood tea, right?" Kirara asked. "That and probably some soul cake for a dessert," Envy added. It did sound chilling to some of the group, but Kirara, being used to the idea, was a bit more enthused if anything. Why wouldn't Demons eat humans anyway, there's enough stories about them doing so. "Hey, let's hit up my place next," said Yoshida. "What I got is the bomb, totally modern. This fossil ain't even remotely in the same league." "Dude!" snapped Takuya. "Eh, sure, but there's one thing I wanna do first," Envy said, hopping down from the chair and starting to head to the door. The gang wasn't entirely sure what, as envy kept this as his little surprise. Envy took a step outside and then he brought his hand up, finger placed in his mouth followed by a good whistle. The gang looked on outside for a moment or two until someone else then went right up to him, even bowing quickly. She looked fairly normal (you know, if they were back in London): a long dress down to her feet, regular dull lavender color, hair draped down and yellow in color, and by the appearance she looked pretty withdrawn. "Who's the chick?" asked Terasaka. Envy, with a cocky grin on his face went on to lean against her, elbow on her shoulder. "Korosensei felt a little sad for me so he decided to upend my keep and give me my own maid. Sweet, huh?" Envy asked. The maid kept a good smile, but inside she was fuming. ... "Your own maid? Damn, you're getting lucky," Takuya commented. "Yeah dude. So, hey, how long have you known him for?" Kirara asked the maid. However, the maid didn't even bother with an answer. "Don't bother. Korosensei told me she's a mute," Envy said. "Damn. ..." "Hey, you think your maid could hitch along with us?" Yoshida asked. "Oh, sure, that's why she's here," Envy said. The gang started to go off on their way, but before Envy could follow, the maid brought her hand to his shoulder and gave him a very angry look. "You little son of a bitch. You're lucky I'm in this get-up otherwise I'd kill you!" "Aww, is Emi Isuzu a little pissed off?" Envy cooed. Shocking to believe, but yes Envy got Emi in this horrid get-up, and the gang was just far enough away to not hear them both. Emi was pissed off enough at Envy, but being stuck in this sort of get up as his maid just made her blood boil. "I'm gonna break your neck!" "Shut it you, be happy I'm letting you be in disguise. Besides -" he suddenly pulled out the picture from his shirt, the one he took of fat Emi back at her house. "- you're on a leash, bitch." Emi froze up and the horrid memory got back into her head. Angry, she tried getting it back, just for Envy to quickly yank it back and hide it back into his shirt. No way was he going to lose his only source of bait for this revenge game. With a few chuckles, Envy started strolling off to get to the rest of the gang. Emi could only follow while grumbling curses to herself. ....... "Pretty badass, huh?" Soon, they were off at Yoshida motors: owned by its namesake, and as the rest of the gang and the maiden watched, Yoshida and Envy were going around on a little joy ride in Yoshida's motorized sportbike around what seemed to be a single square track. To be honest, not too bad of a thing, and Yoshida drove pretty fairly despite the speed. "You do know he doesn't have a license right?" Kirara noted. "Relax, his folks own the track," Terasaka said, seeing Yoshida and Envy cut in close as they sped along. It was Envy's first time on a motorcycle, and seeing himself move so fast surely made him feel exhilarated. "Tell me this isn't the most awesome thing ever," said Yoshida as he went along. "Sure gets your human heart pumping," Envy said. "Oh yeah? Check out my break turn!" Yoshida added, turning the motorcycle to the side. Envy had to hold on tight this time, the wheels screeching like crazy and launching up snow in a wave as the bike skidded down the road. After a good ten feet, the motorbike finally stopped, Yoshida feeling pretty good about his driving. ... just to find Envy in a nearby bush. "Crap! Dude, what the hell was that for?! Help him out of there," Terasaka yelled, heading right over to him. "Come on, dude, he's not hurt that bad," Yoshida said, helping him out of the bush. Envy was dazed, and he got leaves stuck on his face and hair, but other than that he was alright. Envy had dealt with a lot worse before, so this was a walk in the park for him. Emi couldn't help but smirk devilishly at his little crash, Envy getting back up. "There, see? He's fine," Yoshida insisted. "Yeah, I've dealt with harder hits," Envy said. "That I can believe," said Kirara. After that, Envy went on over towards Emi and with a snap of his fingers, Emi (reluctantly of course), started to wipe off the leaves and dirt from his outfit. She could feel the picture inside his shirt, making her even more ticked off at the ammo he had for her. At this point, it was either envy revealing her to be a maid or a fat chick in secret. Both of them sound humiliating, and Envy knew it too. Emi wished she could tear him apart, but anything now and she'll be exposed for sure. The rest of the gang stuck around, Yoshida putting the motorbike away. Takuya casually took a glance up into the sky, pretty cloudy for the winter day. "Hope it warms up by new years," Takuya commented. "Yeah, it'll suck if it's still freezing by then. Who knows, it's still a month or so away," Kirara added, looking up to the sky herself. At first, the sky seemed fairly mundane, but as with anything going on lately, there was always that one other surprise. "Wait, what's that?" "What's what?" "Up and over there," Takuya said, pointing over to the object up in the sky so Kirara could see it. The object was small, going through the clouds, and seeing how fast it was going, having too much trouble getting itself handled. "Incoming!" Takuya called, he and Kirara turning and getting themselves in the garage where Yoshida put the motorbike. They got Envy and Terasaka by their arms and pulled them in just before the object made a crash-landing over right in the middle of the yard. Good thing Yoshida and Envy were finished doing their driving, otherwise they'd be in the firing line of whatever landed. When they all looked, someone new was standing in the middle of the field, snow scattered all over her shoes, and in more casual clothes over the school attire she was first spotted with: A blue hoodie with a white undershirt, bluish shorts with LONG blue leggings, black shoes and biker gloves. This figure seemed like a regular human, but another detail they all saw was her set of large, blue wings of a falcon spread out open and flapping a few times to get some snow off of her. Her hair was also brightly colored: red, yellow, blue, green, and purple all lined along her hair in a rainbow. These details would normally be unrecognizable, but the moment the gang saw her cerise eyes, it all came together. "Ok, let's make this quick," she told herself, looking around for a moment and not seeing anyone. She then started to use some of her own work on herself: she began to move her hands over her hair and bit by bit, her hair completely turned blue like before, and even sooner her wings retracted and disappeared into her shirt. That just made it even more obvious. "Hey, Niji!" Yoshida called out. Niji spun around fast, seeing the gang just a few feet away. "What the - how much did you see?" Niji immediately asked, as the gang came out. Envy and Emi stood further back. "Enough to see you transform. Looks like the government gave you some upgrades," Kirara noted, mainly referring to the wings and multi-colored hair. Guess they did see that after all, but lucky they brought up the government thing otherwise she'd be at a blank. "Oh, yeah, that. They're ... kind of ticked at me for beating up Tataoka, you know, so they uh ... kept me back," Niji admitted. The gang seemed to go with it, but Envy heard the words and he felt a little bit suspicious to her. As he was looking, Niji and Envy soon met eye to eye. "Who're you?" Niji asked. She did not recognize him from her last visit to Orora high, and Envy only remotely heard about Niji from the other students chatting about her. They neglected to mention the multi-colors or the wings though. "Me? Envy, 3-E student. You guys met before?" "Briefly, yeah. Pleased to meet ya," Niji said with a smile. However, her smile was short-lived and he soon saw Emi Isuzu in incognito mode. Envy stepped aside and Niji was suddenly up in the maid's face. Even if Niji was shorter than Emi, the advancement made Emi hunker down ever so slightly, Niji above her and staring her right in the eyes. "No, no, no, don't you dare! If I'm find out now ..." Emi thought in panic. Her reputation was on the line here, if Niji were to expose her right then and now, then her name would be severely tainted., if not ruined! A rumor about her being a maid to this little twat was not going to suit her at all! She'd talk, but Envy already locked her lips shut with the "mute" excuse. "Hmm ........ Have we met somewhere before?" All Emi could do was quickly shake her head in denial. She honestly didn't know Niji all too much aside from a one-sided glance, but other than that she was running a blank, but the situation just made Emi a bit more on edge. Niji stayed silent, her eyes narrowed as she stared right into Emi's own. ... "... Eh, ok, thought you looked familiar, sorry," Niji concluded. Emi felt a wave of relief pass through her. "So what happened, Niji? You said the government kept you back," Takuya asked. "Eh, yeah. But hey, I'm back now so mind catching me up?" Niji asked. "Oh, sure. Nabiku's been missing ya for months," Kirara said, as they all started to head off on their way with Niji. Emi needed a minute to regain herself, down on her knees and getting her breath. As she was doing that, Envy was still a little suspicious over Niji in the way she was talking, especially about this 'government' thing she kept blabbering on about. "No ... The government in the human world can't be that advanced, right? Maybe Heine or Korosensei could clear this up. ..." ~~ Later on that night, Nagisa and Aladdin were off and back in the apartment, ready to go right off to bed. Aladdin was especially tired after a long day of looking, Heine tasking him up to it, and now he was just ready to go right off to sleep and nothing else. It wasn't really successful though, Aladdin groaning and tossing himself out on the couch in defeat. "This sucks," Aladdin sighed. "Still can't find that Djinn, huh?" Nagisa asked, who was walking out to see him. "NO, and I looked all over Tokyo too," Aladdin sighed. guess Aladdin had his own day of running around himself, not including finding Bradley during it all. As Aladdin laid there, Nagisa took a seat next to him. His mind had been a bit busy itself over this Lugia search he and Twilight were doing, but that honestly wasn't the only thing, and ironically it involved the exact same person. He just stayed quiet, until he decided to get it over with. "Hey, Aladdin." "Hmm?" "Look. We've been together for a long time now, right? So I guess I can tell you anything and you'll be okay with it. ..." Aladdin sat back up as Nagisa was talking to him. "Of course we are. So what's up?" "... It's about Twilight Kagayaki. I ... well I ... I like her. ... I really like her. ..." Despite the quiet response, Aladdin still heard what Nagisa had said, Nagisa clamming up and even blushing slightly. Despite everything, he couldn't just blabber on about this to anyone, but he trusted Aladdin enough to open up to him a bit more. At least he didn't berate him about what trouble he had for him. "... OOHH! So that's why you're so helpful to Twilight! Does she know?" "Of course not! ... I've liked her that way for a while, but I never got myself to tell her." "Then why don't you? If you feel that way, just say it," Aladdin insisted. Nagisa though didn't feel so good with it. "Aladdin, it's not that simple. ... But ..." Aladdin started to think a little bit more and eventually he got himself up. Guess it was time for "mature" Aladdin to come out again. "Nagisa, you love her, and I'm sure she wouldn't have any problems with it. I saw both of you work so hard to find eachother: when Twilight went missing, you ran helter skelter all over London, day by day, just to make sure she's alright, and then when you went missing, Twilight and I flew miles all over Amestris to the Far East to find you. All you have to do is say it at this point." Aladdin made that point especially clear, and after thinking about it, Nagisa realized he was right. Both sides went missing from the group at least once, and both he and Twilight tried their hardest to find eachother time and time again. Twilight went missing thanks to Hellgar, and he went missing because of Pluton, yet both sides weren't ready to give up on one another. Honestly, there was no doubt in his mind that he was just holding back. As Bradley had said earlier that day, you never know what chances you might miss. Of course, he couldn't really think of an actual answer, and looking outside it was too late to think of one right now. "I-It's getting late, Aladdin. I promise I'll think about it. Goodnight, buddy," Nagisa said, heading off to bed. Aladdin felt a little disappointed, but at least it wasn't a flat out no. Pretty soon, Nagisa was right off in bed, but he didn't go right off to sleep right away. His mind had too much for him to really go off to sleep anyway, as he stared off out his window at the slight snow fall. "Goddamnit, now what am I suppose to do? Lugia, where're you? You've been giving us your visions, but I know you want to help further," Nagisa wondered to himself. Lugia had been more than enough help with them for lending some Future Sight to them, but thinking about what Lugia might be going through on his end left him wondering if he could actually do anything. For some reason, he began to think very hard about this Future Sight game for a while. ... Future sight's not the same magic as, say, Alchemy. 1.) It's a spell you're born with, and 2.) even if you used it, it's by someone else's Future Sight used on you. "There's got to be something I can do. ... Maybe I can find him in my dreams again. Here it goes," Nagisa decided. The chances of it was a bit low though, so he had to at least try. After all, you can't expect to win or fail if you don't do anything. Soon, trying his best to think about Lugia for some mental contact, he went right off to sleep. Hopefully it'll work. ... ....... After a while, Nagisa opened his eyes again, and took a good look around. It was an immediate idea that he was in some sort of dream again: he wasn't in his room for a start, and instead on one of Synapse's floating islands, sunset according to the sky. The metal flooring and rivers were too recognizable for it not to be. "Well, that was easy. Now where is he?" Nagisa wondered, looking around for Lugia. However, he did not see him anywhere this time. Last number of times he'd been contacted this way Lugia was somewhere around, but at this point the only one there was himself, which was something he didn't want to happen. If Lugia did want to be hidden he did a good job to not show up. Nagisa moved around the platform every which way, but no matter where he tried, all he could see was the sky and a few clouds. "LUGIA! LUGIA! Where're you?! I want to help you, we want to help you, just tell me and Twilight where you are outside these dreams!" Nagisa called, but Lugia still didn't show up around him anywhere. It was as if he was just screaming at the air and nothing else, and at this point it seemed that way. It was then Nagisa got another idea, one that seemed a bit more of a risk but worth the shot. "Ok, if this is my dream, then I can control anything around me right? So maybe I can get him to me," Nagisa realized. Dreams were always known to defy logic, so it was worth a try. Nagisa walked away from the center pillar, and then started to think and focus as much as he could right in front of him. If he could pull this off, then Lugia should show up in no time at all. He had to do this now too, for who knew when the sun would come back up back in his world? One, two, three minutes ticked by quick, and yet nothing happened. No matter how strongly he tried to get Lugia here, it didn't seem to work. ... The more he tried, the darker the area became, and pretty soon he found himself stuck in a blood red mist, too thick to see beyond a foot normally. This sure wasn't good. However, as he tried to look, something suddenly ended up flashing in his face. "Future Vision. Ok, what do we got this time? ..." *BANG* Nagisa spun around on the sound, the noise giving him shivers. He thought it was someone attacking him, but instead he was met with a more horrifying sight right behind him. It was a stand still, almost slow-mo moment, but it was more than enough detail for Nagisa to figure it out: a crowd of teens keeping their distance, an adult over on one side with a crazed look on his violet eyes, and pistol in hand, and Heine Wittgenstein being shot right through the head! Blood shot out as Heine's body was blown on the ground right in front of him, giving Nagisa chills from head to toe. Like any accident, it was horrible but he couldn't look away. However, this was especially detailed for the moment, more than usual. *CAAWW!* Next vision was behind him again, but this time it was a fight going on, some sort of humanoid-like creature fighting with Karma Akabane in a swordsman match. The creature whatever it was managed to knock Karma's sword out of his hands, and in one swift move, skewered him right through the heart! Karma coughed up blood, before his body fell to the floor, his sword landing right at Nagisa's feet. "K-Karma!" Nagisa gasped, horrified, but of course Karma wasn't moving, his blood out in a large pool. Then something else started to appear from ahead, appearing like a towering figure of Fuhrer King Bradley, only this time he didn't have the signature eye patch on his face, and revealing the actual eye to him. However it was no ordinary eye, and the glowing symbol of Ouroboros shined down at him! That, and a few others: Lust, Gluttony, and Selim too were there and staring down at him, Envy trapped just behind them and struggling to escape. However, it was Selim who stepped up to him, his Homunculus self expanding and surrounding him. Nagisa couldn't move, and the monstrous form of Homunculus Pride engulfed him! ....... Nagisa opened up his eyes fast, and sure enough he was back in his room. It was still far from danger, yet he was far from okay with what visions he received. Heine and Karma dead, Bradley and Selim as Homunculus, more demons on a rampage, and worst of all Lugia regretted showing this to him so it had to be true. ... "No. Heine, Karma, Envy. ... We got to alter this before it begins." ~~ "I'm glad you're willing to cooperate, Gaara, this means more to me than you really know." In Amestris, Sombra had his own plans going forward with Gaara, both of them going along together with a walk through the Central city, and heading towards the capitol. Being so late in the night, not a single person was around too much, and with their target not too far away, both demon lord and ninja reached to one of the rooftops of Central. "As long as you keep your end of the deal," Gaara warned, blade at the ready. Sombra just sighed. "Hard for you to trust people, I see," Sombra sighed. He and Gaara took a look around, and eventually Sombra saw a lit-up part of the Amestris base, and also hearing some sort of noise too. Gaara and Sombra took notice of the window, and it was the demon lord who went in and took a closer look. With some shadow magic, he silently slipped on through the shadows and then took a peek inside. No one took a look at the window, and just as well, the other soldiers seemed to be celebrating their king's return in the form of a round of drinks. It wasn't all the soldiers of course, but still a fairly good time to act if they were gonna do anything. Sombra slipped away from the window and gave Gaara the signal to come down. "Some party in there." "King Fuhrer Bradley had recently made a return since Pluton appeared, and it's made quite the talk. This could keep them busy though. ... You remember what to do?" Sombra asked. "Let's just get this over with," Gaara sighed. That was probably the best he was going to get, so Sombra didn't push him any further. Any pushing now could set him off anyway, and Sombra didn't need that here. So as most of the soldiers were busy, Sombra and Gaara took a look around Central at what they had to deal with, and trying to find out where their target was. With many a soldier busy with celebration, that didn't mean that all of them were gone, as some soldiers were still out on patrol so they still had to be sure not to be too obvious in their little approach on Central. With looking around though, it was Gaara who actually got somewhere and soon spotted another window open, hearing a few distinct voices inside. Gaara didn't have an exact idea, but it did sound pretty good so he decided to investigate. With a few steady jumps, and keen balance, Gaara got himself just under the window sill, some sand actually helping him grip the wall so he wouldn't fall down, peering into the room. Inside the room, it appeared to be a sort of friendly guest room, with Mrs. Bradley, Selim, and Yoroi inside. "It's great to see you okay, Selim. Wants some milk?" Yoroi offered, ready to pour. "Yes please," Selim said with a smile. after pouring him a glass, Yoroi gave Selim a nice cold glass of milk, which Selim was more than happy to take. "Oh, Selim, I was so worried about you. Thank god you made it back alright, don't scare me like that again," said Mrs. Bradley. "I'm okay, mom, thanks to dad," Selim said, hugging his mom. Mrs. Bradley did so, all in the sight of the ninja just outside. There was nothing in there directly aimed at him, nor did any of them knew he was there, but something about Mrs. Bradley and Selim's behavior made Gaara's blood boil. ... So it begins: using his sand to cover it, Gaara then shattered the window right in front of them all, remains of sand and broken glass launching out into the room. Naturally, Selim, Mrs. Bradley and Yoroi jumped and rushed away, as more sand entered the room from the same window. It was surprising, unprecedented, and Gaara went right on into the room, fazing through the sand with a killer glare on his face. Gaara didn't say much, having no despire to, and he immediately locked onto his target: Mrs. Bradley! Yoroi though looked ahead, and rushed Gaara, putting his own life on the line. The sand shielded Gaara before Yoroi could attack him, launching Yoroi back, and changing Gaara'a attention towards him. Soon, the whole room had a tiny layer of sand at their feet, Selim and Mrs. Bradley stayed close and tried to keep away from their attacker. "Who the hell are you?" Yoroi demanded. "I don't have to tell you. Stay out of the way or I won't have to kill you," Gaara warned. No, it didn't make the situation any better, and Gaara wasn't even trying to make it such. Being a soldier, Yoroi was already armed with a small weapon, pistol aimed right at Gaara. However, Gaara wasn't so easily intimidated and attacked Yoroi on the spot, sand lashing at the gun and arm holding it! Yoroi forced the sand off of him, but his arm ended up covered in cuts and scratches, as if his hand was shoved into some grinder. "Stay away from them!" Yoroi ordered, but Gaara didn't listen to him. "W-what do you want?" Mrs. Bradley asked, worried over her child. "I came here for you," Gaara hissed, making the situation even more uncomfortable. Both she and Selim stepped back some more, but as they were looking, Gaara looked to the wall at their shadows, seeing that one of them was starting to morph and manifest into a more human-like and menacing. "Sombra mentioned something about a Homunculus, whatever the hell that is. Looks like the little brat's the prime target here," Gaara thought. Sombra had gone over this plan before getting here, but Gaara never truly got what a Homunculus actually was. If this wasn't a homunculus, he didn't know what one would be, Selim being the first one demonic he'd seen all night. Yoroi suddenly opened fire again, the shield coming back up and blocking each bullet blasted Gaara's way. The sand suddenly wrapped around Yoroi, suffocating him and keeping him back. Selim tried to move behind Mrs. Bradley, but Gaara only sent his sand and started to grab and cover the kid from all sides. Gaara would kill him no problem, but Sombra had other plans Gaara was stuck in so Selim ended up trapped inside the sand viel. Mrs. Bradley looked on in horror as she watched her own child get trapped, and she even tried reaching for Gaara, only to get launched back to the wall. Selim was stuck inside the sand veil, Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley hearing the cutting sounds from inside the veil. From within the veil, Selim struggled to get himself free, though trying his best to keep his identity quiet in front of the other two in the room. Gaara looked over to Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley once more, and sent more sand to slam into them, strong enough to knock them unconscious. and just in time too: Selim finally had enough and his Homunculus side broke out of the sand in an explosion of darkness, sharp teeth and large eyes. Selim looked over to Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley, just to find them unconscious nearby and cuts on them as well. "You got some nerve to challenge me," Selim said. "As fun as it would be to kill you, I'm not here to do that. And it was a waste of time dealing with those things there," Gaara said, looking to Mrs. Bradley and Yoroi knocked out nearby. At least some of the witnesses were out of the way now. "Then what are you here for?" Selim asked. "I asked him to." In enter Sombra. He came in through the same window as Gaara, though not as forcefully nor with such horrifying ferocity. "Next time don't be so furious, Gaara. No need to spill more blood than you have to," Sombra advised, referring to the two unconscious figures nearby. Gaara just ignored him and Sombra looked over to Pride. "Doing well I see. I've heard about you. Pride: the very first Homunculus, am I correct?" Sombra asked. "I am. And you must be King Sombra. Team Harmony mentioned you while they were here," Selim said. "If it's what I think it is, then I'm gonna make this clear that I did not do that. That would be the currently deceased Tirek," Sombra sighed. "You mean that monster wasn't from you?" Pride questioned. "No, it isn't. Anyway, I came here to ask your recruitment, Pride. Being the very first Homunculus created could be proven pretty useful. ... If you wouldn't mind," Sombra asked, hand extended to the Homunculus. Pride looked to Sombra like he was crazy. "Your lackie just broke in here, and tore those two apart right in front of me." "Something I'll talk to him about later. ... Now, you wish to join me?" Sombra offered once more. S04Ep6: Powering the System ~システムの電源投入~Lunchtime at the Phantomhive Manor, and Ciel was just about to get his dinner started for the evening. He had a lot less time to enjoy his time back at the manor as of late, but now with the weekend, things started to get back to normal for the young earl. At least he could go back home during these visits so there was some normality to it all. And even then it was the weekend, so he didn't have a reason to go back. For lunch, Bardroy and Mey-Rin were present this time, and Ciel was having dinner of fresh cut Krabby, a seafood dinner this evening. "Standard. Good job, Bardroy," Ciel simply stated. Compared to the usual meals Bardroy would make up, this was apretty decent. Bardroy smirked on the compliment, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing burned this time," Bardroy said. The Krabby was a little crispy but it wasn't as bad as it would normally by, Ciel eating it bite by bite. Looking around though, Ciel did note that while Mey-Rin, Tanaka, and Bardroy had been on the ball, one other servant had been missing for sometime. "Had any of you seen Grell by chance? He's been rather lacking lately," Ciel asked. With the discovery of Grell's true nature months ago, Grell had been around far less than he used to, and Mey-Rin and Bardroy both didn't know where he would go half the time so asking them wasn't gonna do them any good. "Eh, wish I could tell you, sorry master," Mey-Rin replied sheepishly. Ciel wasn't too worried about it though. "Guess that suicidal worrywart finally done himself in," Ciel thought. With how many times he risked and tried to kill himself, the idea wasn't too far off from the truth. Even with his true nature shown to him, the idea was still too deeply engraved. As he was having lunch, Tanaka took a step in. "Sorry for the intrusion young master, but I do believe you have a call," Tanaka said. "A call? Who from?" "Nagisa Shiota, actually. I told him you were eating, but he kept insisting on talking to you," Tanaka replied. He even had the phone with him right by the door, and waited for Ciel to come over. Ciel just sighed, got up, and walked over to answer it. Whatever he had in mine better be important. "Hello?" "Ciel, that you? It's Nagisa." "I'm well aware, now what is it? I'm in the middle of my meal," Ciel stated. "I know, I know, but listen. I want you to come down to the 3-E building as soon as you can, it's very important." "Can't you just explain details over the phone?" Ciel asked, not interested. "I'd rather have the whole group together than just me and you, Ciel. Please, just meet the rest of us by the 3-E building. I'll explain there, but I'll say this: my future Vision needs everyone's involvement to not happen." "To not happen?" Ciel thought. first time Nagisa was so worried about a future vision, that he wanted to forbid it happening. Whatever that future vision was, it had to be important and pretty bad too. Ciel sighed. "Very well. After lunch, I'll be present." ~~ All morning Nagisa got the group together as best he could do, Aladdin helping him out during it all, but eventually that afternoon all the people he asked arrived at the 3-E building as he instructed them to. Soon, the people in question (Karma, Twilight, Blair, Aladdin, Ed, Al, Ciel, Pinkie, and Envy) were all there, waiting to see what this was all actually about, and Nagisa stood in front of the group. "Ok, is everyone here? Where's Heine?" Nagisa started. He did get plenty of people involved, but Heine was especially one of the people he tried to find (being the prime target for the future attack anyway). "We couldn't find him anywhere. He might've went off to Elysium or something," Alphonse figured. Far as Nagisa was sure, they didn't have anymore time to wait. Best to tell everyone now before any of these things happen. "What's got you all railed up, Nagisa?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, since when were you the one to start meetings with us?" added in Blair. All jokes aside, Nagisa calmed down and then addressed everyone. "Listen. You all remember that Future Vision right? You all at least got the idea," Nagisa began. They knew of it in varying amounts, but they all nodded in the end. At least Nagisa didn't have to explain the details to any of them them. "You got another one, Nagisa?" asked Twilight. Yeah, they were right on the button with that one, but remembering the visions still gave Nagisa shivers. Still, Nagisa stayed calm and turned determined. "Yes. ... And we have to stop them," Nagisa stated. First time a future vision had to be stopped in their recorded memory, and while Ciel did get told that ahead of time, he was still intrigued on what details Nagisa had seen. Envy was probably the most vague in details to this Future Vision business. "Wait, come again? We have to stop this Future Vision now? They can't be that bad," Karma stated. "You die for one thing," Nagisa firmly stated. Karma's confidence immediately got shattered on that statement, and it unnerved some others too. "Die?! Well damn, of course we have to stop it!" concluded Ed. "Right, now here's what I saw: the first vision I got was with Heine. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: It showed him getting shot in the head. Now call me crazy, but I think it's going to happen at the main building, and in front of all the students, so we have to be on guard for that for Heine's sake." Well that seemed simple enough on the surface to do, and since many of them were in Heine's class to begin with, it seemed like a fair task to handle. "Wonder who the assailant is?" thought Twilight. "Eh, you mentioned that I ... died, Nagisa?" Karma questioned. Knowing you were going to die was a scary thought for practically anyone, even Karma. "Yeah. Hey, Yugure, did you bring that demon book I asked you for?" Nagisa asked. Twilight nodded, and soon she pulled out the demon guide, and after a quick thanks, he quickly skimmed through the pages of the book. The thing he saw in the vision looked familiar, and pretty soon one of the demons finally caught his eye. He stopped turning the pages fast, and then showed the picture of the demon to everyone there, a finger aimed directly at it so the others could see. The demon looked like a mix of a human and some sort of bird. "My second vision featured this thing in it. Karma, in my vision, you and this demon were fighting out at the military base of Tokyo as it removed your sword from your hands before the finishing blow, and it looked like a lone fight too, so even just one or two of us with you could make all the difference. Don't worry." "I'm not worried, I'm psyched. It was getting a bit dull around here," Karma stated. "Of course you'd say that, Karma," Nagisa thought. "So what's the last one?" Ciel asked. "Now, this last one's a bit tougher to work with. Ed, Al, Envy, pay attention," Nagisa said. While envy seemed up to listening, Ed and Al looked pretty spooked. "Oh no, we're gonna get killed?!" Alphonse gasped, shivering. "What, no! Listen: The Homunculus are going to be coming back, and Envy, I think they're coming for you." "Sombra would send them after me," Envy said, a bit more meek than usual. He was a homunculus himself, and they were acquaintances of his. that and none of them really have a clue what truly happened to Envy after Pluton, so this was something he had trouble dealing with. Especially with his 3-E friends on the line. "Lust already tried to kill us before, why wouldn't they come back again?" Blair blurted out. "It's more than just Lust. Gluttony was with her too, and ... Selim and Bradley." "EH?!" Talk about a surprise for plenty of the group. up to this point the only one who knew was Envy, and even then he only knew one of them was a Homunculus, but with this implication that only meant one thing. "Selim and Bradley were there. That makes them ... Homunculi?!" Al and Ed thought in unison. ... Suddenly Al and Ed were trying to hold back their laughing, down on the floor. "... Not the reaction I anticipated," Nagisa commented. "Sorry, sorry, it's just that sounds so ridiculous," Alphonse said. "Yeah, the leader of Central and the same man who visited us with a gift basket happens to be a homunculus," added Edward. Nagisa hoped that they would take it seriously, but two out of three wasn't the worst score, plus they took the other two pretty seriously enough. Nagisa sighed and placed a hand on Envy's shoulder. "Don't worry Envy, we'll be there to protect you," Nagisa reassured them. Envy just sighed. "Not that I'd freak out but ... you didn't see anyone else taken with me did you?" Envy asked, though he tried not to look too desperate for that kind of answer. He may be a human himself, but that didn't mean he wanted to look like a complete wimp. Nagisa saw right through him though. "No, you're the only one I saw there," Nagisa reassured him. Envy gave a slight sigh of relief. "So here's an important thingy: when is this stuff going to even happen?" Pinkie asked. "I'm not sure about Karma and Envy, but Heine's attack was very precise ... it's going to happen tomorrow, I'm sure of it," Nagisa concluded. It was then that Karma got up to his feet. "Well, looks like our break's over. We need to be on our A game now." The others had to agree. With that message given and now received, there was no other reason for them to stick around. As they were heading off though, Twilight took a moment to go over to Nagisa. "Nagisa, did you find anything out about Lugia yet? Now would be a good time for his help," Twilight asked, making sure it was just them two. Nagisa was actually counting on this question being brought up by just them two, Nagisa still wanting to keep this part quiet until after they sort things out. However it wasn't all too good. "Well, I couldn't find him there, all I got was his Future Sight used on me. Guess if we are going to find him, we're on our own," Nagisa said sadly. With the situation, it would probably be best to give that a break anyway. "Well, let's help them first." "My thoughts exactly." ....... "Uh, sir? Sir?" Back at the main building, even if it was the weekend, there was still some sort of tensity at the building for some of the workers and teachers amongst staff. Students weren't there of course, but as one of these staff members was gonna find out, that was the least of their problems. This staff member in particular was right in front of Gakuho's door. However, his calls went on a unanswered. That didn't mean there was no noise coming from the office though, as the staff member could hear some sound of papers being shuffled around inside. It took a bit of courage, but the staff member eventually went on to open up the door to see what was going on in there. And as it turned out, Gakuho was doing far more than she would realize. Gakuho appeared to be very deep into writing out something in front of him, and judging by the crumbled up papers nearby in a trash bin, it had been going for a while. This was a side of Gakuho that she had never seen before. This wasn't the typical Gakuho look of calm, collected, and even slight intimidation. But rather a look of a student who's desperately trying to recollect himself. Admittedly, it was even more uncomfortable than the collected Gakuho. He was so deep in this that he didn't even notice her open the door. "How ... how long has he been at this?" she thought in shock. Suddenly, she heard the pen in Gakuho's hand hit the office desk, a sign that whatever he was working on he'd finished up. "Yes. Yes, this will do nicely," Gakuho said, satisfied at last. And it wasn't until now that he looked to the door to find the assistant standing there. "Good timing. Where's Heine Wittgenstein? I have a little something for him," Gakuho asked, about five papers of questions in his hand for his ultimate test. "Uh ... W-Well, I'll go get him," she said, going off to grab him. Or at least, she would if Heine wasn't already in the hall. Seemed that Heine either sensed this would happen or it was just some form of luck. All the assistant needed to do was go over to him, tap his shoulder, and point to the office for Heine to get the idea. With a nod, Heine went right over and went right into the office to see the stressed Gakuho Asano waiting for him. Guess he got the test done just in time. "Wittgenstein, glad you could make it. I got a little something I want you to take," Gakuho made clear, pushing the papers towards him. Heine took a seat and looked at the test given to him: five papers with plenty a questions for him. "Another competence test?" Heine questioned, a bit annoyed himself. "A hundred increasingly impossible questions I took the time to make out myself, each one covering many fields of study: arithmetic, sociology, philosophy, history, and many others, not to mention it is written out in five different languages, so the best I can say is good luck ... though admittedly, I don't expect a small one like you to get close," Gakuho said, confident that his test would do him in. The last comment was just to be sure that Heine would actually do it, and Heine didn't like it at all. "Just the way I like it," Heine huffed, before beginning the test given to him. But not before he actually placed a deck of cards on the table, which was a bit of an odd gesture. "Cards, Heine?" "I was hoping you'd take some time for a game, but clearly there's more important things to consider," Heine huffed again, referring to the test in front of him. Gakuho sat back and watched Heine from there, though admittedly he was just waiting for that look of defeat to hit him. "You've bested me before, Heine, but I can reassure you, this will break you. Everything I've tried you just threw right back at me, but let's see you get past this one," Gakuho thought with a confident grin. ... "Done." Done? He couldn't be done, and that fast? Gakuho had to see for himself, and grabbed the finished test out of his hands fast and begun to scan it over closely. The sight of it made him stop cold. "W-what? ... These all look right." "And one more thing: there was a misspelled word in Vietnamese on question seventy two, and another in French on question fifty five. I marked it in red," said Heine. Gakuho rushed and checked that questions, and sure enough there was the marked words in red! Not only did Heine breeze through his supposedly impossible test, but he even corrected it for him! Gakuho looked over to Heine, and as if to just show off, he suddenly had a pyramid of cards on his desk. "Any more tests, sir?" Heine asked, one final card on his hand as he finished up his pyramid tower right there. It was too much for Gakuho: suddenly, almost automatically, Gakuho swung his hand and arm forward towards Heine. Heine quickly backed up, and all Gakuho got to hit was the pyramid, cards flying everywhere. Heine looked stunned at the sudden move, and Gakuho looked ... well, it was hard to say. Corrupt? Glitched out, maybe? Either way, Gakuho was far from okay with this, as he looked to his hand, which was actually twitching a bit from what he just did. Gakuho didn't know what to say to Heine, but Heine turned and walked away after that. He knew when he wasn't wanted, and staying around any longer would prove troublesome for both of them. Soon, Gakuho was alone with the completed test and mess of cards. Now what to do? ... ....... "So that's how you knew the E class." Niji had gotten back to her 3-E friends (Nabiku particularly) after some time, and the feeling for her return after months was a bit positive overall. Envy had the main honor of getting Niji over back to Nabiku after figuring it out, and the reunion was met with plenty of smiles from Nabiku herself. Envy also had the little honor of bringing along Emi (maid outfit disguise of course), as he, Nabiku, Hinano, and Niji took a stroll around town. As they went, the others took the time to help Niji catch up with things when it came to 3-E and its events, Envy's inclusion apart of that too. The least they could do to catch up with everyone. "Yeah, they all looked pretty beat up too. So after that it was me vs. Tataoka, turn around and BAM!" Niji said, doing some kicks as show for her fight with him. "Then what?" Envy asked. "Fought him off of course!" "Well sort of. Gakuho ended the fight, but not until after Niji got a knife through her head," said Hinano. however, Niji was quick to try and make amends. "Hey, hey, hey, don't say that, I'm trying to make it interesting!" Niji insisted. "Getting stabbed and surviving isn't interesting?" Nabiku asked. "W-Well ... Hey, Envy, who's that following us?" Niji asked. Nabiku couldn't help but giggle softly at the obvious question-dodge. "Oh, she's just my little maid Korosensei gave me. Sweet girl, huh?" Envy said, but Emi didn't feel any better about it. She'd much rather go hang out with her actual friends instead of dealing with this troll of a kid. "That demon king gave you a maid, Envy? If I were you, I'd better watch out," Niji questioned. That part got Niji a little bit concerned for him, considering a demon king was the one who gave him the maid. However, when they all heard that, they actually stopped, Niji not noticing them stopping until after five steps ahead. When she turned back though, the group looked stunned actually. "Who told you that?" Nabiku, Hinano, and Envy asked. Niji cringed on her tactless words. "Oh, uh, t-the government did. Yeah, they got word on it and they told me before sending me back out here. don't worry about it, now come on," Niji said, but the look on her face told Envy she was especially hiding something here. After all, he and Emi did see her come in with multi-hair and a set of wings to boot, which also didn't make sense. "Ok, this is getting weird: first she disappears for months after her fight with Tataoka, and now she's saying she knew about this demon king business without anyone of us telling her." "That, and she came to Yoshida's motors last night with blue falcon wings and rainbow hair," thought in Envy. "This is my thoughts, Envy," Hinano said, though still surprised about what he said beforehand. "You do know you're thinking out loud," Envy blankly pointed out. That case nevermind. All the same though, this new information Envy just got out to them did end up giving them something new to chew on, not to mention confirm their suspicions, so ... "Wait, what's that?" Niji suddenly asked, glancing back to Envy. "What's what?" Niji took a look over at Envy, and soon Nabiku and Hinano noticed that something was poking out from the bottom of his shirt, something that none of them noticed until Niji pointed it out. When Envy saw it though, he started to worry a little, and even worse when it fell out and when Niji grabbed it to see. Emi's picture! Emi froze in place on seeing that thing. "Emi? ... That's Emi Isuzu!" Nabiku realized, her voice hushed. "... I didn't know that about you." "What, no, that's not mine! Some bitch must've slipped it in my shirt by mistake!" Envy insisted. He wasn't denying it out of embarrassment, but it was the only thing keeping Emi Isuzu in his favor, but now others were already seeing the thing, and Nabiku and Hinano recognized the person almost straight away. The reaction was shocking to say the least. "Someone slipped this into your shirt, because. ..." "The hell I'm supposed to know! I-It must be Emi herself. I did pull her hair out after all, probably trying to get even," Envy said. That didn't make Emi feel any better. "But this is her in the picture, not you." Another stab. Envy had to think about it this time, and honestly Emi was trying to figure it out too. "I don't know. Nabiku, Hinano, she's known to act odd like that, right?" "You're thinking of Pinkie, not Emi," Hinano said. Again shot down! It was then that Niji took a closer look at the picture, comparing it to the supposed maid standing there. "Ok, Envy, what's going on here?" Niji questioned. "I said I don't know, really!" "Then why're you freaking out? Envy, it's us, you can tell us," Nabiku reassured him, trying to make him feel a little more comfortable. As they were talking, Niji gave the picture to Hinano for a quick moment, and went straight up to the maid, looking at her more closely. Envy having her as a maid was one thing, but having that picture as well got her a little bit suspicious over it. Eventually, Envy appeared to give in, much to Emi's mix of horror and anger. "I took the time to draw it out at one point, and I planned to use it as blackmail on Emi," Envy revealed. Well, it was only half right, and didn't truly reveal what she actually was, but it still was embarrassing to Emi that someone actually knew about the little issue. "Blackmail? What'd she do to you?" Niji asked. "She kicked me in the gut that's what she did!" Envy snapped. Niji though started to think about what he was doing exactly. "So you plan to ruin her reputation because she kicked you," Niji questioned, going off what she got so far. "Eh ... yeah," Envy said, sounding pretty fair to him even if she was still in punishment right next to him. Emi couldn't believe that her big secret was being shown to these three, even if they think it's just some drawing. Even so, it was surprisingly details for just some drawing, not to mention how good it looked to an actual photograph as well. Hell, it even had the date in digital in the corner as in any photo! "Oh yes, just what I can do to her when she figures it out. Just to keep that quiet, oh it'll be sweet! I can get her to shine your shoes, maybe give us a ride -" "Or make her be your maid," slipped in Niji. "Yeah, and make her be my -" Well, crud. Emi was found out now, more than ever, and now it was out. Envy would come up with something if he had time, but Hinano, Nabiku, and Niji now got the whole idea what was going on here. Guess his glory over it all just got to his head there, and the trio took a look at the maid. "Damnit ... DAMNIT!" Emi thought, before she finally snapped out of it and bolted off fast as she could, but not before whacking Envy in the face for that. She better get lost before anyone else figures her out. "My big mouth. ... Well, it was fun while it lasted," Envy sighed, getting himself back up. After sweeping himself off though, then came the rather ... troubled looks of the others standing right next to him. "... What?" "I know she's been a bit ... bad, to us, but isn't that a little much?" Nabiku asked, concerned. "You're kidding me? She clobbered me at Orora High remember?!" "After you pulled out her hair, and that wasn't even on you to begin with. Envy, I think you've pushed it a bit there by blackmailing her like that," Hinano said. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Nabiku, you said she kept mocking you, didn't she? With that "fluttershy" nickname or whatever the hell?" "Well ... y-yeah, but ... I'm as bad as her if I do that!" It was rare for Nabiku to yell her opinion, and that did make even Envy a little surprised. That just simply proves that this was more serious than Envy realized. Still though, with how much of a bitch Emi was anyway, he still didn't see what was wrong. "Eh, look, let's just head home," Hinano suggested. "Can someone tell me what I did wrong?!" Envy yelled. However, his question was left more unanswered. Seems it was gonna be a bit before Envy will get what was wrong here. ~~ While Karma's demon fight and Envy's capture still hung in the air, the time of Heine's supposed shooting was something especially on Team Harmony's mind, making last night a little bit restless for them. If there was some way to keep Heine alive in the end, then they have to get it before the assailant could make his move, whoever it would be. How it exactly would transpire they had no idea, but Heine didn't deserve to die, and if they can alter fate then great. No reason for the smartest mind of synapse to get shot to death. The next morning, the day of the event, Heine himself was taking his time and getting off to school as per usual. With his little incident yesterday, Heine had a suspicion that something else was going to go on today, regardless if Team Harmony told him or not. The image of Gakuho's face after his swipe at the cards was still imprinted in Heine's mind. He paused and looked up at the building, thinking a bit more about Gakuho Asano. "Perhaps it's time I discuss with him about this system of his. If I don't know, it might be dangerous to the rest of the students," Heine thought, sighing before starting to go into the building with some of the early arriving students. The walk from the front door over to the 3-E class. He thought that the class would be removed or something, but no it was still there, which was good. However, something else seemed to be going on over by the door: not many students there at the moment, but turned out that Karma was already there, leaning by the door and waiting for Heine to show up. Being so early, it was odd to see Karma so early. Pinkie was there as well, but the girl looked on edge herself, for some reason being in an Amestris guard outfit. "Heine, that you?" Karma asked. "Karma. you're early today," Heine stated, walking over to them, but when Pinkie saw him she immediately bolted right to his side, standing full and at attention like an actual soldier. "Sir, here to protect you, sir!" Pinkie Pie said. "... Dare I even ask?" Heine questioned, unamused. But Karma was tasked with telling what was what, and with Heine now here, he wasted no time in getting to it. "Listen up chief, I know this is outta nowhere, but we got reason to think you're not gonna do well today. So we're just gonna keep an eye on ya throughout the day til things are over," Karma explained. "Could he mean ..." Heine's thoughts then were reminded again of Gakuho. Well, that and one other little detail ... The day before the trip to Elysium, and Nagisa and Korosensei managed to find Heine and they met up with him over just outside of the building. This way Gakuho wouldn't keep an eye on them during lunch period. Nagisa had the exams all in hand, all of which Korosensei was more than willing to grab for them. "Here, Heine, it's probably best you get this," Nagisa said, giving the stack of papers to him, Heine looking them over for him. "Tests? Gakuho never informed me about any tests." "I know he didn't, but this is something for all classes, and it's not fair you'd be left out," said Nagisa, pointing to the tests. Heine began to wonder a little bit. "Korosensei? You didn't take these without his permission, did you?" Heine asked, unamused. "No, no, no, Heine-sama, Nagisa here just got me on the ball earlier and gave me the suggestion that's all. And what a call that was," Korosensei said, fluffing Nagisa's hair. He may not be a 3-E student, but Nagisa was glad to help them out anyway. "Understood. Thank you for getting these to me," Heine said, Korosensei pleased to get a compliment from Heine. It was starting to get a little bit late in lunch, so they went off on their way back into the building, Heine taking his own way in as Nagisa and Korosensei went the other way. As they did, Korosensei snickered his signature snicker. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say future vision, eh Nagisa?" Korosensei presumed. Normally Nagisa would be surprised, but there was no need for something like Korosensei. "Hey, it's the least I can do. Not like I'm gonna be flying off anywhere anyway," Nagisa remarked. Even if it was to themselves, Heine had just managed to hear over what they just said. "Future vision ..." Heine didn't need to think very hard to figure out why they were doing that, considering what happened with not only that, but with what happened with him and Gakuho as well. "And how long?" "For the whole day, or at least until this luck blows over whichever comes first." "Understood. ... By the by, is there a particular reason why you're dressed like that?" Heine asked Pinkie, concerning the outfit mainly. "DUH, I'm guarding you! No mean psycho's gonna shoot your cute little head off," Pinkie reassured. Heine was bugged by the "cute" and "little" remarks, but the situation shouldn't call for any griping. "Shoot? Pie?" "Eh, an extra detail to your luck today," Karma shrugged. ....... So throughout the morning, the group had been like that. They tried to keep their involvement less open, but all the same kept an eye out for this attacker of theirs. People would try and question Pinkie, but that would be a lost cause anyway so they were good there. However, with each tick of the clock, it was another minute with nothing going on, and apparently with each of those minutes it felt more like a countdown to what they were sure to happen eventually. Basically, they were on a knife edge, ready to spring into action at any moment whenever that would be. This information also had Heine himself a bit more alert than usual. If this was going to happen, then he had to be as ready for it as anyone else would be, being the target or not. One hour, two, three, and so far nothing seemed to happen much. Why it wasn't some weren't so sure, but as far as Nagisa was concerned, it had to happen in front of some big crowd, so his best guess would be around lunch time, since it was the biggest time for any crowd to show up, as crazy as that may be. Then again, crazier things had happened so it wasn't too farfetch'd, especially with how much had happened so far. Eventually, it was the break just before lunch time, and still nothing apparently happened. Twilight and Nagisa had just finished up their classes from there, and met up over by Nagisa's classroom for the walk to the cafeteria. "Anything yet?" Nagisa asked. The least they could do was figure out who was doing it, but Twilight unfortunately shook her head. "Nothing, sorry. You sure it's going to happen today?" "I'm more than sure, why would I lie? This is Heine's life we're talking about," Nagisa whispered, trying not to set off any panic too soon. "I never said you didn't foresee it, but so far nothing happened. Maybe whoever this assailant is might've smartened up," Twilight suggested. Nagisa didn't really consider that, if it was anyone who could get Heine, but then again how would it figure that out? No one could've told the attacker anything, considering no one in Team Harmony would actually know who it would be. "Maybe, but keep a look out anyway. By the way, have you seen Ciel? I haven't seen him at all this morning." "I don't think I had. My guess he's probably investigating it himself." "Yeah, he would do that," Nagisa sighed. someone like the guard dog of London would try and snoop around a little bit in something like this. Anyway, as they went on walking towards the lunch room, at first things seemed to be going on as normal, but then Nagisa then realized something which made him stop in his tracks. "Twilight? You guys checked around between classes, right? Anywhere we missed?" Nagisa asked. Twilight paused and thought over where they checked. It was something they've decided to do after figuring it out: check around the school for any potential attackers, and eventually one place did come to Twilight's mind. "We have just enough time, let's check the office." None of them would check it normally, but with little evidence anywhere else, Nagisa and Twilight then started to head off that way. spying in on Gakuho Asano of all people was a task no normal person had the balls to do, but with push comes to shove, and both Nagisa and Twilight only had that spot out of a few to check out. From Nagisa's class, it only took a minute out of their way to get to Gakuho's office, or at least to the hall leading to it. not many people were there if at all, so they were clear on going up to it. "Wait here," Nagisa quietly instructed, so as Twilight waited by the corner, Nagisa started his move towards the door. He was fairly decent in sneaking around, but with Gaara's training it was as if he wasn't even there he was so quiet. Almost before Nagisa himself even realized it, he was right up at the door. "Too bad Gakuho doesn't have a window to his door, it would make this so much easier. ... Careful," Nagisa thought, examining the door. Lucky for him, or maybe because Gakuho forgot it, the door wasn't actually closed, a very slight crack showing that it was still open. If Gakuho was in there, he had to really pull out all the shots to not be noticed here. Nagisa took a look over to Twilight, who was worried like crazy over if Nagisa would end up caught or not, and after that, Nagisa slid over to the door, and ever so carefully, opened it up just enough so he could have a look inside. One look inside was all Nagisa really needed, lasting about ten long seconds. ... "Crud, crud, crud!" Nagisa thought. Suddenly Nagisa was racing off out of there, as fast and as quiet as he could, and just as Twilight and Nagisa got out of sight, the office door swung open and showed Gakuho Asano now out the door, and checking the hall. Both teens soon saw just how troubled Gakuho actually look, irises shrunken slightly as he checked the area. And there, hidden in his hand, was all the proof they needed to find out. "Twilight, we gotta go," Nagisa whispered. Twilight couldn't agree more, and Nagisa grabbed her and raced down the halls away from Gakuho, and to the cafeteria. They found their assailant. And gun in hand too. ~~ Soon, the lunchroom was in full swing, and much of Team Harmony were keeping a good eye around from their table. Pretty crowded. Pinkie Pie was keeping her post right over by Heine like any good guard would, if he wanted it or not, not being an issue for her. Many of the students weren't aware of what was gonna happen like Team Harmony was, and as far as they were concerned it was probably best. Besides, they'll figure it out eventually when this whole thing starts anyway if it comes to that. If they could forbid the thing altogether then great. As they were waiting and trying to find this thing, Twilight and Nagisa got themselves into the lunchroom before Gakuho, and went straight over to the group. "Nagisa, Yugure, you two are in a rush," said Blair. "I know, we found him," Twilight said in a hush, just enough for the group to hear them. FINALLY they figured it out! Twilight and Nagisa weren't going to waste anytime in getting the information out, and as if hearing it too, Pinkie quickly popped up right by them too. "You did?! Come on then, who?" Edward asked. "Call me crazy, but I swear to god, it's Gakuho," Nagisa revealed. "G-Gakuho?!" gasped Pinkie, just for Nagisa to hush her up. Again, they didn't need the school in panic if they could help it. "SSHH. Yes, him, I just saw him with the gun in hand, the same weapon as in my vision. He's gonna show up any minute," Nagisa informed, hushed again to be sure. "You mean our Gakuho? The principal Gakuho Asano?" "What other Gakuho is there? Come on, maybe we can stop him before -" "Say no more, Pinkie's on the case!" Pinkie suddenly announced. "No, Pinkie, wait!" But too late, the hyperactive girl was quick to bolt right for the door. Their arrival barely turned heads, but Pinkie's rush off was even more attention-grabbing, and it was before any of the group could stop her as well. The others just got up when Pinkie Pie was already out the door into the hallway, the pink girl hyped up and ready for anything. As Nagisa said, maybe she could stop him before things could get worse. And not a moment too soon: Pinkie took a look to her right, and there was the very man in question walking her way. Gakuho Asano did pause himself when she busted out into the limelight. He wanted things handled, and he wasn't wasting time either. All Pinkie needed was that one look before she stood at attention and spread out her arms. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Pinkie bellowed, but Gakuho wasn't even remotely intimidated by this random pink girl, and he calmly walked forward. Pinkie could see in his eyes that he was ready to do some damage, but the gal didn't move, acting like a wall to block Gakuho's way. "Now, now, madam Pie, it'd be easier on everyone if you could move aside for me." Gakuho insisted, but Pinkie Pie didn't budge an inch, quickly shaking her head. "Nope, nope, nope, you're not allowed in the lunchroom! Head-shooter!" Pinkie yelled. not the worst insult spat out of her mouth, but she wasn't going to let this principal pop off any heads. Gakuho was started to get a little impatient, his hand twitching again as it hovered over the gun hidden in his pocket. "I said move." "NO NO NO NO NO, You get rid of that gun and then I'll move!" Pinkie demanded. Gakuho was not a want to take orders, especially by some pink brat. Gakuho stepped forward again, but Pinkie will not move for him. As Pinkie tried to keep him back, another one of Team Harmony caught up with her, and saw what was happening to her. As for Gakuho, he lost patience, and forcefully tried to move Pinkie aside, but before he could get her to move, the incoming helper Alphonse stepped in and managed t0o move Gakuho back. "Elric, Pie, what's the meaning of this?" Gakuho asked sternly. "Sir, I have my respect to you, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone! Please reconsider," Alphonse made clear, even if he was still a bit humbled by Gakuho. The angry man finally slipped out the gun from his pocket, and looked it over calmly, worrying them both a little more. "I know what I'm doing you two. Now move." "NO! No one deserves this, now throw that away and stop this!" "I SAID MOVE." Gakuho had been beaten too many times, and with the pistol, he started to aim it right at them! It was clear this man was too willing to keep his system together for any morality to remain. Alphonse quickly moved himself in between the pistol and Pinkie Pie, his metal body easily able to block off any bullets from that gun. *BAM* The first shot had been fired! It didn't do jack on Alphonse and his armor, but the sound of the shooting gun and bullet hitting metal made the entire room flinch and jump. Team Harmony immediately jumped up and was about to rush to the door, just to find Pinkie Pie tumbling inside with Alphonse! They both were fine, but the momentum of the fire moved them back, and fall onto the cafeteria floor. There stood Gakuho Asano, pissed off more than ever, and his gun out in the light for everyone to see. They all saw the anger in his eyes, irises shrunk down and looking simply crazed. Gakuho walked right inside, both hands on his pistol, which aimed at the ground, as many of the students quickly tried to move out of his way, not wanting to be shot. Eventually, a more clear path remained for Heine, and soon the teacher saw Gakuho aiming his gun directly at him. Heine was warned about it, and he was already on his feet facing him. "So it's come to this." "I told you how this system worked, Heine Wittgenstein. And clearly you've been put here to destroy here. I will not allow that," Gakuho warned, moving towards him with the gun aimed right at him. Before Gakuho could fire, the rest of Team Harmony rushed in the way. "Gakuho stop! You don't have to do this!" Twilight yelled. "I'm keeping things in order, kids. Now get out of my way. ... Or do I have to make you?" Gakuho questioned, gun raised again. None of them wanted to fight him, but clearly it would have to end up that way if Gakuho was so willing to kill like this. "Asano, we know you have your way to keep this Ant System in tact, but killing is taking it way too far!" Nagisa said. Gakuho almost looked amused by this. "I'm giving you all five seconds to step aside. My system has made this school -" "Screw the system," Karma suddenly said sternly, cutting Gakuho off cold. "As exciting as this is, you're just acting way too desperate. How's about you drop the gun before we take it from you?" "Five ... four ... three ..." "He's not even listening! GAKUHO! PUT THAT AWAY AND END THIS ALREADY!" Edward yelled. "Gakuho Asano, please! We know you care deeply about your system, but it's not bad if someone's just trying to give everyone a better future. Is it so wrong to teach kids fairly?" Nagisa added. "... Last chance." "GAKUHO!" but it was no use. Gakuho flat out ignored them, and aimed his pistol directly at Heine, who himself was keeping rather quiet. However, he was more worried over the state of his students rather than himself, more surprised that they would stand there and risk getting shocked despite everything. Gakuho was tired of waiting, and his finger itched to pull that trigger ... ....... *ping* Next thing he knew, the gun was dropped from his hand, as something suddenly ended up piercing Gakuho's hand. He'd dodge it but his focus was too much on killing Heine to even bother himself, but it was enough to make him drop it. When they all looked, it turned out that the object was actually a very well-aimed dart, and the dart made its mark right in Gakuho's hand. "I believe this has gone on long enough," said a rather bemused voice. Ciel Phantomhive! If he were a second later then someone would've been shot at. "Not too late, I hope." "We're just about to die and you choose now to show up?!" Ed asked. "I don't have to justify my actions. A fair effort on all of you, I'll take it from here," Ciel stated, before walking out towards Gakuho. Gakuho got the dart out of his hand, and he quickly got his pistol out again, this time aiming at Ciel Phantomhive. The boy didn't even flinch, or even looked scared for that matter by seeing a gun aimed at him. "Phantomhive. You got a bit of nerve to attack me like that." "Remarks the man pointing a gun at a twelve-year-old child. Now, there is something I'd been meaning to ask you about, and I suppose now would be a good of time as any," Ciel inquired. The others weren't sure how to react to this, but they kept over by Heine just in case Gakuho would try to kill him. They knew the outcome if they let it happen, and it wasn't Ciel that was gonna die ... though it surely was looking that way. "And what's that?" "... Why? Why go so far to keep your ant system in tact? ... You know what, no. How did this even start in the first place? Judging by your willingness to your system over your students, I'm sure something in your history must've triggered something. go on then, might as well," Ciel said. Gakuho was admittedly more impressed that this young boy was so willing to just casually walk up to him, despite him aiming a gun directly at him. Gakuho looked Ciel right in the eye, and got himself calmed down a bit. He was ready to kill, sure, but some justification would be worth the time to perhaps let it slip by. Or at least to humor Ciel Phantomhive before he finishes the job. "... Rikuto Ikeda." "Pardon me?" "Rikuto Ikeda. He was one of my students here at Orora high. That 3-E building was once the main Orora high building when he was with me. such a fun child, a sweet boy. Almost like the son I wish I had, if I'm to be honest. ... It all was fine for a while. He and I would meet up many times, he'd try to sneak out, but I always caught him, yet we had just the best time together ... But one day, he didn't arrive to school. At first, it seemed ok, but after the entire day, I tried to look for him. ... A young body, found at the bottom of the cliff just south of that 3-E building. ..." Gakuho could still remember the images in his own head of the horrid incident: a bloodied, dead body of his closest friend laying down at the end of that cliff. The sad faces his parents had to figure out soon afterward as well, it all was something he could never get out of his head. The entire cafeteria was silent, all hearing every word Gakuho had to say crystal clear. Twilight got thinking about it. "So. So then. ..." I even heard a rumor that he drove three kids to gamble their lives away just for bullying a student of his. "... Rikuto must've been that kid. That rumor is true!" Twilight thought in shock. Gakuho felt himself shiver on the memory, but then looked back to Ciel again, who appeared to be a little surprised about it. "... To this day, my mind is still poisoned by that horrid memory. It was my fault: I taught my students then to be too kind. They couldn't do anything to help themselves. ... So I thought of how to make my students stronger. One thing lead to another, and ... well, here we are. ... I worked so hard for this, and I will not let by and watch my method crumble apart. I'll do anything to keep my system running strong, and if it means this ... well ..." Gakuho finished his sentence by reloading his gun and aimed it directly at Ciel. The others were worried about what would happen, and Ed was ready to go, but Heine raised his arm to stop them from going. He and Nagisa were seeing something different here that none of them were seeing. Silence. Pure silence. ... ....... ... laughing. Ciel Phantomhive started to laugh. And not a sadistic laugh, or a nervous laugh, but a joy-filled laugh as if he heard the best joke in his life. The entire room, even Team Harmony found this odd, and looked to Ciel as if he was crazy. What in that story was so funny to him? Gakuho was stunned, not sure what to say to this apparently suicidal idiot. "I-Is that all it took to break you?! Good lord, one kid dies and you go this far to preserve this rule! You're even willing to kill for it!" Ciel said, continuing to laugh as if it was just ridiculous. It might be to him, but Gakuho never felt so angry in his life, his hands trembling, ready to pull that trigger just to shut him up. But he knew who his target really was here. "How dare you just stand there and laugh at me. Every night I suffer from that, it's not like you -" As Gakuho was talking, Ciel continued giggling, and when he stopped, his eyepatch was removed by Ciel himself, which fell down to the floor. Then everyone who saw his face got a good look at his demonic eye, and Faustian contract that glowed. Gakuho looked to the contract with an unsure expression, Ciel smiling all the while to him with a knowing grin. "A fair bit of yarn you weaved to everyone. ... Now allow me to give you mine. ..." Ciel Phantomhive: Nine years old. The son of Phantomhive estate head - Vincent Phantomhive, and his wife Rachel Phantomhive. Joined with his aunt Angelina Dalles and their single servant Tanaka. A fun-filled life it was: my twin and aunt would play with me every day, my parents loved me deeply, and did their best to care for me in spite of being the Queen's current "Guard dogs". With a life like that, what could one ask for more? "Now, there you two, it's time for bed." Late at night, and Rachel Phantomhive was putting in bed both twin Phantomhives. While they both did look identical (in fact it was a mirror image), the bands going over their faces were moved differently: Ciel's to the right as the other brother has his to the left. Either way, both brothers were feeling a bit excited all the same, despite being so late. Rachel brought them both to bed despite that. "You two are rambunctious, aren't you?" "Sorry, mother, but we're just excited for tomorrow," said Ciel, the twin nodding in agreement. "Anyone would be on their birthday, I know. now you two get some sleep and I promise you'll have the best day," Rachel promised. Rachel then gently gave them both a kiss on their cheeks, and it didn't take them very long until they were both off to sleep. A promise for such a happy day for any young child. And indeed, the next morning it sure seemed that way: a ride through town on our own carriage, a visit off to the castle to see the queen, and to our excitement, a party was waiting for us back at home. ... But when we arrived at home ... The two twins, finishing their visit to the castle, had just got themselves up and back at home. Both twins waved goodbye to the carriage, and both were now standing over at the door. "You ready?" asked twin Ciel. Ciel smiled and nodded, as both twins got to the door, and the twin gave themselves a little countdown with his fingers, counting down from three. Three. Two. One. "WE'RE HOME!" both twins called, opening the door and going right in, expecting a celebration for them for their tenth birthday. nothing. Not a sound, not a single decoration set up, nothing anywhere in the main lobby of the manor. The least they could get was a greeting from Tanaka, but he wasn't there either. No Angelina, no Rachel, no Vincent, just the two twins in a lonely house, barely a sound to greet them. The sight surely felt strange for the twins. "MOM! DAD!" called Ciel, but no response. Both twins started to walk around the manor for a bit more, trying to find out where they were hiding, but no matter where they went around, they couldn't find them anywhere. The size of the manor never bothered them, but with it only being them, it was just ... empty. Quiet. With a hint of smoke. "Wait. you smell that?" asked Ciel. both twins paused and sniffed the air, and sure enough it was smoke, and a good amount of it. Both twins wondered what was going on and,, curiosity guiding them, got them moving right over to the main office of the Phantomhive manor. When they got there, lingering smoke was seeping out from right behind the door, and both twins were worried. "Mom, dad, you okay in here?!" ... And there they were. Our little birthday present: our dog, our mother, father, and aunt. They all were there alright: my mother and aunt resting in a bloody pool right by the door, all their clothes covered in a thick shade of red, and their eyes dazed and staring into nothing. Our dog laid permanently sleeping by the door, a cut through his own brain. And as for father: his heart removed with a gaping hole of flesh and blood, hanging with a simple sway from a noose. An image I'm cursed to bare for the rest of my life. All of which illuminated by a warm fire burning apart the table and wall. ... And then everything went dark, and still. ... ........ "H-Huh? ... Wha? W-Where am I?" When Ciel woke up, he found himself nowhere near the manor. In fact, he didn't look like he was anywhere at first, the place looked very dim. He was trapped like an animal, stripped down to nothing, and inside a cage. When Ciel realized where he was, his nerves started to go haywire on him. "He's awake." said a voice. "About time. Thought he died on the way here," said another voice. Ciel looked up and he found himself surrounded by some odd figures, all in cloaks to hide their identity from young Ciel. "Where am I? What is this place?" Ciel asked, terrified. "We're gonna have fun with you, kid." Just yesterday I woke up to a heaven. And from there onward, I was trapped in hell. Every single day those monsters tore me apart, bit by bit. Every sting, every cut, every part of my innocence was being choked out of me every passing hour I was with those anarchists. I never knew what ever happened to my twin, and those sick twisted things always rubbed their victory in my face, and how they ruined my life and destroyed my own home. ... I was left to wonder if anyone was still alive back home, as I was forced to undergo their traumatizing orders. Those smiles of glee they had every time they punished me. The eagerness some had to watch the young son of the Phantomhive estate suffer with their twisted ideas. All I could was lay there and listen to their ramblings, left to my fate. ... "Is everyone ready?" asked the advisor. "It's all taken care of, sir." "Wonderful. you hear that, Phantomhive, we're gonna make you useful at last," mocked the advisor. At this point, Ciel was desensitized to everything done to him, and simply laid there and waited for it to just happen. "... Is it the last one? ..." "That depends if you somehow live or not." both the humans laughed and went off to leave him alone once again. Ciel stared up at the bars around him and the top of his cage. The only light he'd grown to looking to was a flickering torch, the fire gleefully watching him throughout every single torture he had to work with. If it could talk, what kind of stories could it tell him? Maybe it could tell him who was doing this to him. Ciel felt himself get angry, and turn away from the flames. ... "Hello, young earl." "... Is it time for me to go? ..." Ciel asked, not amused at all about it. Usually, it would involve someone opening the cage, grabbing him and do whatever, but that didn't seem to happen this time. "If you wish to. And I'll help you with that if you're so willing." "Why would I be willing to - ..." but when Ciel turned around, no one seemed to be there. No human in sight apart from a pearched bird hidden just out of the way. "Great. I'm growing insane," he told himself. "You're as sane as you always had been, my friend." "W-Who's saying that?" "I did. Up here." Ciel followed the voice closely, and soon there was the crow again, still looking down at him. Far as he was concerned though, Ciel had no one else to talk to. no brother, no mother or father, not even a servant to talk to, or at least one that would listen to him. It was then the crow flew off the post, and landed right by the cage, looking him face to face. It truly was a big crow. "... you?" "Unlikely, I understand, for such a young human like yourself. I'll be more than grateful to let you out ... that is, if you're willing to make a contract with me." Despite his age, young Ciel knew damn well that crows can't deal with something like this. "What could a crow do? In case you haven't noticed, I'm trapped in a cage, and even if you get it open how do you expect to get me out of here?" Ciel questioned. "What have you got left to lose? If you had any other option, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" Ciel was still unsure about it, and the skinny child just turned away. The crow sighed, and flew over back to the stand, grabbed something, and flew back to him. "If you change your mind, just follow this. We'll keep in touch." And there I was left with the instructions in front of me, my only lifeline to get released out of the horrid hellhole. Left with only my insanity at listening to a simple minded bird. I could only wonder if I truly had become lost in my mind for even putting words in some bird's mouth. But each day, each pain, that offer only grew ... "Be a good boy in there, you won't want to miss out." Another lonely night, and Ciel was all by himself once again. Nothing but him, the cage, and the flickering lights of the torches around him. He'd gone through a harder time now, his whole body bruised up and two cuts bleeding out at the bottom of the cage. He would normally just be quiet and go with it, but he still remembered the bird's offer to let him out. And that night, he began to work something out. With the instructions mirrored in his head, he brought his fingers to the bleeding cuts on his own body, letting his fingers get soaked in the red blood, before he started to draw something out on the cage floor. The wounds stung the whole time, and having to use his cuts like bowls of paint wasn't making it any better. Eventually, the symbol on the floor was made, resembling a spiked circle with a star at the center. It was the best he could do being so weak at the moment. It's now or never: and he waited for something to happen, focusing down all his energy in his hand, placing it on the now dry symbol. ... Nothing. "What the hell am I thinking? Of course this isn't gonna work. ..." He spoke too soon, as the symbol started to come to life on him. He didn't realize it at first, but the lights around him started to dim, the torches blown away and left with only him and the darkness, the symbol glowing faintly. Ciel, surprised, stared intently down at the symbol and waited for something to get him out. Instead, a huge flash launched out, and soon Ciel felt his body being thrown to the back of the cage. The symbol dimmed, and Ciel felt a new stinging sensation on his face, only feeling blood coming from his right eye. He laid there on the floor of the cage, on his back, and soon enough he passed out once more. ... Upon reawakening. I was no longer trapped inside that cage. It was quiet. Silent. Me suspended in the air, a red blanket keeping me warm. All I could see around was a sea of feathers. The feathers of the angels themselves, scattered everywhere around me like snow, and more slowly falling down from the empty abyss above. I felt more dead than alive. ... That's when he spoke to me. "Think carefully. Should you reject the faith, even this once, the gates of paradise will forever be out of your reach." It was him. I knew that voice all too well. The same voice that offered me freedom for the first time ever since my unfortunate capture. He stood perched on a dead branch a foot from me, that same gaze staring down at me from when we first met. Seeing this, I knew at that moment what he truly was. "Do you think. One who is among the faithful. Would ever go so far as to summon someone like you?" The crow gave a small chuckle at his remark. "... I'll ask but once more: do you wish to form a contract with me?" That one question. It was a choice that would decide if I continue to live, or fall before those who'd wrong me, and all I loved. There was only one answer that would accept. ... "I do. Now stop asking these tedious questions, and let me know if we have a deal." All the feathers then started to shift once more, moving up high and blocking the view between Ciel and the crow. The holy feathers stained black from a true devil's touch. All feathers soon turned to crow feathers, and the crow itself was no longer there, but instead a well dressed butler, one who's had extended to him upon the contract being made. ... "You're looking at a child who had lost everything in his life. Hell took that away from me. And hell was what brought me another chance at what life I had remaining. ... A cursed child named Ciel Phantomhive." Every living being in that room of Orora high couldn't believe what they were hearing about this poor child. Even Gakuho, who'd normally be so chill, found his hands trembling slightly, but not out of trigger-happy tendencies, but instead seeing what appeared to be a demon face to face. Gakuho just stared, shocked at everything he just heard like everyone else there, and looking in his eyes the entire time, Ciel meant every single word. Still looking to him, unmoving, Ciel stepped forward, and slowly started to remove the gun from Gakuho's hand, finger by finger. "You talk about going through hell, when you've never truly seen what it's like for yourself. If I had a choice, I'd more than happily take your life over mine, Gakuho. ... And you wanna know what else? A young child like me can walk away from that and move on fairly, yet a full grown adult like you can barely handle it. If you ask me, Gakuho Asano, it doesn't sound like your fault at all. ..." Eventually, a thud of the gun echoed everywhere as it landed on the floor, now removed from Gakuho's hands completely, Gakuho still just staring at him. Staring, and contemplating what 'yarn' he just weaved for everyone. Suddenly, Gakuho's story didn't sound as bad compared to the hell Ciel had gone through, and according to age, that was just a few years ago. ... Gakuho truly lost. "... Go home everyone. ... School's out for the day. ..." And with that final word, Gakuho slowly walked away from everything, and silently walked out of the cafeteria, everyone left stunned at everything they heard. Ciel sighed and walked over to get his eyepatch off the ground, proceeding to retie it to his head. "C-Ciel ..." "Oh, you're all still here. ... Well, that's one of them over. If anyone needs me, I'll be going for a walk," Ciel stated, referring to the future vision Nagisa was talking about. All Nagisa did was slowly nod his head, and they all allowed him to go. BOY do they have something to talk about from then on, or at least until something else comes around. Ciel just left them all with their thoughts, and with all that drama over, they could contemplate themselves. Ciel took a few steps out of the cafeteria when ... "Feeling better, my lord? I never took you to be that open." "And how long have you been here, Sebastian?" Ciel sighed. "Long enough. ... would you care for a ride back home?" "Yes. Thank you." ....... It had been a ... slow time for many of them. Word of the demon child Ciel Phantomhive had spread around Orora high very fast, and why wouldn't it be with not only where it happened, but who else was involved. Such a morbid backstory to how Ciel got to this point would spread around like wildfire in little time, and as far as Team Harmony themselves went, they surely had a different view on Ciel Phantomhive. They knew he was alone without his parents, but having to not only see his parents morbidly killed but get tortured right afterwards was far more than any normal human could deal with, and yet Ciel Phantomhive had to deal with the aftermath for years afterwards. Even Gakuho was a bit humbled, and everyone knew that the moment he called school off for the rest of the day. Ciel's "walk" brought him right back to London after everything, the young kid needing some time off of his mind, and as sunset came, Ciel took his cares away in a nice warm bath. Quiet, calm, and the water kept him warm as he just looked off into space. His little lecture earlier got more of an effect on him than he realized at the time, and only now did he find himself just thinking about it all. ... *tap**tap**tap* Ciel looked over, and soon he had one more little guest coming over, in the form of a letter with a gift basket by the window. Nothing else was there, so Ciel opened the window and brought in the basket, finding it was full of cupcakes! He placed the basket next to him and looked at the letter. A little something for you. Heine. Ciel just smiled. "I'm never gonna live it down, will I?" S04Ep7: Broken Chains ~壊れた鎖~"Well, day three if Bradley training. Damn, this old man's sure hard to beat up, it's like he'd been practicing since he could walk. Sure'll be amazing when I beat his sorry ass in the future," Karma thought, as he reflected another hit from Bradley. A cloudy day over the base of Tokyo, and as Bradley had promised him, he was still giving Karma Akabane a few more pointers when it came to swordsmanship. They had their times training before in their little group, but this extra training with King Bradley was just the thing Karma needed to peek his skills. He still had his thoughts about king Bradley, and with the future vision involving him and Karma's supposed death, he tried to take the initiative and amp up his practice. He wasn't going to die before any demon, now not, not ever. "Well, my boy, you've been giving me your all lately." "You expect what else from me, grandpa?" Karma playfully mocked, trying another slice at him. Of course, Bradley dodged it easily, and with one more quick motion, Karma's miracle sword was whacked out of his hand, the weapon flying through the air and landing over nearby Edward, Alphonse, and Blair in her cat form. Guess it was another fight lost for Karma's side. "I'll get you one of these days," Karma promised. "Don't get too cocky, my boy, I'll be leaving for home tomorrow," Bradley said. Disappointment, but if Nagisa's future vision was anything to go by, then Karma had nothing to worry about (meeting Bradley again, that is). Once he was done, he grabbed his sword again and strolled back over to the others. "Lost again." "Don't worry about it, no one in Amestris could beat the king in swords before. Besides, you've been doing pretty good," Alphonse said, trying to cheer him up. "I know, I know, I'm just trying to sharpen up for that demon fight, whenever that'll be. If I'm gonna be fighting that bitch, I'm not gonna give him a chance to end me. If I could get rid of that homunculus, even better," Karma made clear. He could care less if he couldn't beat Bradley for now, so long as he is strong enough to survive that encounter then he's all set. talking about this Homunculus business though still didn't fit well with Edward and Alphonse. But then again, after seeing Gakuho come out, they weren't so sure anymore. "So. you really think King Bradley is a ..." "Well, Nagisa was right about the gun rampage at school. Doesn't sound too crazy to me," Blair replied, cleaning her face with her paws. As they were thinking that over, Seitenshi stepped out to see Bradley again. Victoria had been and gone back home so it was just Seitenshi calling charge here. And with training over, Seitenshi chose now to go out and see him. "Afternoon, Bradley. You just finished training, I see. You have a minute?" Seitenshi asked. "What for?" "I've been meaning to talk to you, Bradley, so if you can," Seitenshi asked again. Bradley took little time to consider, so he decided to take it. With a nod of the head, he began to follow Seitenshi inside, passing by the crowd as they went. Karma found this pretty interesting, and Edward soon saw the look on his face. "Okay, what'd you do?" Edward asked, suspicious. "Oh, I took the time to drop off a message at Seitenshi's office. Looks like it worked. So, Blair, ready to go?" "Way ahead of ya," Blair said, hopping down, removing her hat, and starting to slip inside after them. Ed and al weren't sure what Karma was up to, but Karma felt confident that Blair would at least figure things out for them here. If Bradley was indeed what they think, then this conversation outta confirm things. ....... As Karma, Ed, and Al were waiting it out, Blair took the initiative and quietly followed Bradley and Seitenshi through the Tokyo government halls towards the main office. Any normal person wouldn't be caught dead here without clearance, but silent little kitty Blair proved to be a good follower. That, and these two weren't aware of Blair's true form compared to her human form, so she was pretty much good so long as no one had any suspicions over cats. Seitenshi and Bradley didn't feel too suspicious over Blair either, or even noticed her for that matter which makes things all the easier for this little spy. Eventually, Seitenshi and Bradley reached the main office, Blair slipping in behind them without making a sound. It didn't look too different from a typical office, resembling Ciel's office back home pretty good with some more modern décor. It was wide open with plenty of room, and Blair took a seat over hidden just by the door, moving just fast and quiet enough to avoid detection. Seitenshi stopped over by her desk, and picked up a notification from it. It was the message that got her thinking in the first place. Might want to check "Human" Bradley. Korosensei. Yeah, Karma wasn't gonna take credit for this one, and much rather place blame on not only a smarter demon, but a wanted man as well. Anyway, with trouble from Homunculus in the past, Seitenshi wasn't gonna let this question slip her by, especially with Bradley in her country too. "Now, you've been involved in our protection agreement for a while. The leader of Amestris for years. ..." Seitenshi was not gonna waste time in this little problem of hers, and Bradley was sensing the motive in her. "... This whole protection agreement began with an attack by the Underworld. In tern, an attack by a creature called Homunculus. Now I want to ask you one question. Fuhrer King Bradley." It was then Seitenshi presented the paper to him, with the simple message for Bradley to see. Despite how blunt and short it was, it was all Bradley needed to see to understand the question. And apparently, he wasn't too surprised to see Korosensei figuring him out of all demons. Without a word, the Fuhrer then gave the message back to Seitenshi, and walked over towards the window. "... I suppose someone was going to find out sooner or later. But did it have to be someone like you, Seitenshi?" Bradley questioned, not sounding very impressed with the result. It was more a question of who, not if, and Seitenshi was not someone he wanted to at least figure him out first. Seitenshi looked rather angry at him with this confirmation, Blair being a bit intrigued herself. "Quite a show you've put on. ... What do you know about the Underworld, Bradley?" Seitenshi questioned. "Nothing at all." "Don't lie now, Bradley -" Seitenshi went quiet when Bradley suddenly drew out his sword and aimed it right at her head. Guess discrimination didn't suit too well for this man, but after a bit he moved his sword back. "Homunculus: an artificial human being created through a Philosopher's stone. ... There's nothing said about them being from the Underworld. ..." "But then how'd you ... how did this happen? And without anyone even knowing?" Seitenshi questioned. Bradley stayed quiet. "... It's not worth my breath over how I came to be this way. Besides, what good would it even do? You already have your opinions on Homunculus ever since they attacked you at the Royal Ball, and like every other human, you keep that in your mind and nothing else. But even if I try to plea mercy, as ridiculous as that sounds, your stubborn nature would simply block it out of your mind in order to keep your name fair for the world around you." Seitenshi and Blair both didn't exactly hear remorse in Bradley's voice as he was talking, but more rather saying it as hard facts that aren't worth anyone's tears over. Blair felt like she had everything she needed here, and she bolted for it as fast as she could. If Bradley saw her or not she wasn't going to figure out. ....... "N-No way!" "I heard everything, he flat out admitted he was a Homunculus, just like that. Sounded like he expected it to be found out too," Blair informed. She wasted little time in getting back to Ed, Al, and Karma, and telling them what was what about the king and president. "Well, well, looks who's right after all," Karma said smugly. "But what do we do?" Alphonse asked. "We tell the others, that's what," Edward said. A straightforward answer, and something they needed to do to get them on the level. Nagisa said Bradley and Selim were involved, but nothing about Bradley being a Homunculus exactly, so this confirmation could prove pretty good. Karma got up, but as they were starting to go off, he began to check around himself. The base, a lone fight with a demon, at that moment it all seemed to fall into place now. Not too many soldiers were outside at this point, and as Karma looked around ... "Hang on, gang, not yet," Karma called. "What, why?" Alphonse asked. "Give him a minute," Karma said. Karma counted it down in his head, and then he snapped his fingers. ... ... *CAAWWW* "Nailed it." Talk about timing. Ed, Al, and Blair all looked to the noise and over to the boundary wall, just in time to see something standing up there. Upon sight, it made a huge jump off the wall, and almost seemed to glide right down to them, landing down ten feet away. The appearance of this demon was exactly as Nagisa had predicted: It had a white shirt with tattered long sleeves, a black hakama, dried rice in the small cloth bags which it wore around its neck, and a katana holder under its arm. A rather traditional (if not typical) outfit for a Japanese samurai, with the soul exception of two large fans on its back, which appeared to work like its wings. It would be a normal samurai overall, but this creature's arms were large crow wings, a long neck ending in a raven head with many eyes staring right at them. If this wasn't a demon, then what was? "Is that the ..." Alphonse said. "Yeah he is," Blair said. "Team Harmony. Which one of you is the one wielding the Miracle Sword?" the demon asked boldly, his own sword drawn and at the ready. "Who's asking?" Ed asked. "Karasu: Follower of the Great Tengu. I've come on his order, against the one who's sword slain the mighty Pluton of the Underworld. Now who amongst you is responsible?" Karasu demanded, aiming his sword towards them. Karasu didn't see Karma's sword yet, so he still wasn't too sure who was the one who attacked Pluton. They all knew damn well what'll happen if they let him fight Karma, so both brothers came to the same conclusion. "He's not here," Alphonse said. "But if you're looking for a fight, we're right here," Ed warned, cracking his knuckle. However, Karasu didn't look too interested. "Pluton's assassin is my only opponent. Him, and him alone. You're just small distractions in my way." "Small?! Why you!" Angry by the comment, Edward rushed forward towards Karasu. However, this demon wasn't carrying the katana just for looks. Rather than charge forward though, he then reached into his sleeves and tossed something out in the light: a human skull! focusing on the skull, the Crow Tengu aimed his sword, and only then did he rush forward and made his move. One slash through the air, and Ed and the demon were passed eachother, but not without injury. In the line of sight of the skull, which was now sliced in two, a deep cut sliced through Ed's chest in a single clean cut, ending at his shoulder. "ED!" shouted Al, just before the Tengu demon started aiming at Alphonse next. Al tried to reach his wounded brother, but Karasu got his sword under Al's head, and threw it high in the sky with a single motion. A good enough distraction for the brothers to deal with as the Tengu then faced Karma and Blair. When he looked, Karasu caught sight of the miracle sword right at Karma's side. "Looking for me?" Karma asked. Seeing the kid who slain Pluton standing there was all Karasu needed, and he drew out the sword again, and aimed it towards Karma Akabane. "So you're the one who killed Pluton?" "I'll let you think that for a while," Karma said. He knew what was coming, and he actually grabbed his sword at the ready. "Karma, hold it, don't!" called Alphonse, who just got his head back on, as Edward was getting himself back up to his feet. However, Karasu didn't need much more convincing. "The Great Tengu will be most pleased. Come forward, slayer!" Karasu yelled. "Eh, Karma, you do know Nagisa said you'll die by this thing, right?" Blair reminded, as Karma started to get ready. "You bring those bands, Blair?" Karma asked. "Uh ... yeah, but dunno how it'll help, here," Blair said, getting the bands out of her witch hat and giving it to Karma. The redhead got Blair to get this stuff together for him for this exact moment, and after a minute of preparation, Karma was prepared, raising his sword with both hands. Even if this was his supposed last match, Karma was going to take this and butcher it however he could. and Karasu was more than willing to take him on in the name of revenge. While Alphonse and Edward were freaked out that he was going to do it anyway, Blair got a closer look at the way he put the bands on his hands, and actually saw what he was truly doing. "Blair, how about you go check on the Elric brothers over there. I got this." "If you say so," Blair said, running off towards the brothers. The Crow Tengu and Karma moved out to the middle of the base arena, and both swordsman were ready to face eachother. Karasu gave a loud crow caw, spinning the samurai sword before aiming it right at Karma. Karma would normally do the same, but he wasn't gonna show off this time, as it would wreck his little idea. Karma looked down to the bands in his one hand, and saw that while some did wrap around his hand, it also wrapped tightly around the handle of the sword as well, basically keeping the sword handle on his hand. He even released his hand, and the sword remained where it was rather than falling off. Karma, in my vision, you and this demon were fighting out at the military base of Tokyo as it removed your sword from your hands before the finishing blow. "He'll remove my sword and then kill me. With this my sword should be in my hands the entire fight, no way it's gonna get loose. As long as I keep my sword on me, it'll end like every other demon fight I've had," Karma thought. Not entirely a fair fight, but at least his own life would remain in tact if this would indeed work. both swordsman just stood there at first in their little arena they've made up, until it was Karma who moved forward first, sword aimed directly ahead like a spear. Karasu charged forward too, and both swords slammed together at the center, the sound echoing around them. A good signal for their swordsman duel to begin. Karasu started his assault with a number of side swipe, but each one just missed Karma, the fifth one dangerously close to his eyes before Karma took another vertical swing. The swing was met with a powerful block by Karasu, his katana not even getting scratched by Karma's Miracle Sword. As they were fighting, Blair reached Edward and Alphonse, who ended up having a front row seat to the duel. "You okay, Ed?" Blair asked. "That thing's strong with that sword. But what the hell's Karma doing out there?! He's going to die by that thing," Ed said, shocked that he'd go through with it anyway, despite Nagisa's warning. "Karma found a loop hole in Nagisa's future sight." "What do you mean a loop hole?" asked Al. "Nagisa said he'll die after that Crow Tengu removes his sword, right? If he can't remove the sword, what's going to happen to him?" both brothers saw what she meant, and both brothers could just see the bands that wrapped around the sword handle to his own hand as they were trying to slice eachother. "Well, shouldn't we help him anyway?" "This is Karma Akabane we're talking about here, let's see where this goes," Blair said. She'd fight too sure if it meant much, but she knew Karma too well to think he didn't believe this would work. during the fight though, Karasu eventually got an upper hand on Karma in a low swing of his sword. Karma had to jump to avoid it and do a roll afterward, but Karasu was already on top of him by the time he spun around. not having much time to strike, Karma could only just barely dodge the blows, about five stabs were made on him, and on the fifth one he bolted past Karasu, but getting a cut on his cheek from the attacks. "Close call," Karma thought. "for such a young child, you've been doing pretty well. Then what else do I expect from Pluton's slayer?" Karasu admitted, turning to him. "I keep in practice," replied Karma. Karasu had more than one trick up his sleeve, and he actually got another skull. Karasu readied to slice it off, but Karma got to it first and just managed to cut it in half! The attack gave Karma the upper hand again, and soon he started swinging his sword like mad at Karasu, strong enough for the Crow Tengu to actually back up. Karasu just needed to bend and angle his sword to block the attacks, but Karma did not relent on the demon samurai As Karma was laying it down on him, Karasu took a good look at the hand holding the sword ... "Coward!" Karasu called, before swinging his sword around at Karma from the side. Karma blocked the swing again, but the samurai sword slid dangerously close to his hand which made Karma back up again. He was alright, but when he looked to his hand, just to find the bands had been cut off. So much for prolonging the inevitable. "Damnit! Ok, just keep your sword on you and you'll be fine," Karma thought, as Karasu charged right at him. "Crud, he lost the bands!" Ed realized, flinching at his pain again. The seemingly minor wound was a much harsher hit than he thought. "Blair, keep him here okay?" Alphonse asked, ready to run in and help Karma. "Al, no!" Ed called, only for Blair to turn to her human form and grab hold of him to keep him still (head in between her boobs night added) "Got hold of him, now kill that bird!" Blair said, keeping Ed's head and body still. Not the best place to hold him, but it was best they could get on short notice. And not a moment too soon either: as Alphonse was rushing towards the fight, the Crow Tengu made the deciding move, and the katana was forceful enough to finally dislodge the sword from Karma's hand! The sword flew up high in the air, and the Crow Tengu finally found the moment to finish Karma off. He was doing so well against the Tengu, and now Nagisa's prediction was playing out right in front of him! He even felt the sword stab him during the moment, and he was sure that would be it. ... "STOP!" Just in time, Alphonse grabbed the Crow Tengu by the head, swung him around, and threw him right off back to the main building! The sword fell out without going in any further, and Karma found himself alive. Stabbed, but alive, and the wound wasn't in as deep as he thought it would. Alphonse quickly went over to Karma, Blair and Edward heading over themselves. "Karma, you okay?! Karma!" "Quit screaming, It's a light stab," Karma groaned, hand over the wound. Though if he had to say, that was the closest he ever got to death since this whole thing even started, and since fate said he would die at that point he should really thank his lucky stars he got a warning first. Just a stab wound and a cut on his face. After the throw though, the Crow Tengu shook it off and looked back to the fight. "You cowards!! How dare you interfere?!" Karasu roared. "We're not going to watch him die, Karasu!" Alphonse said. "This is not your fight to be had, this matter is between me and him! The Great Tengu won't allow that!" Karasu warned. Then Edward got an idea. "Then where is he?" "What?" "This "Great Tengu". If he's so incredible, then why'd he drag you out of your home instead of bringing out himself to the fight? If anyone's gonna be fighting anyone from Team Harmony, then it'll be him!" A decent alibi to get Karasu off their back, but the Crow Tengu felt deeply insulted. "How dare you insult my lord like that! The Great Tengu is deserving of all my respect, and he's capable of bringing the entire area to its knees! You should thank your stars he's deciding to hold back for now and just have me arrive instead, otherwise this whole base will be flames and poison by now," Karasu warned. "Is he now?" Guess king Bradley Homunculus had finally decided to come out, him and Seitenshi. They've been into their meeting for a while, but the fight from outside became too rough to ignore, especially since their window opened up right outside. Now Karma was guaranteed a safe time now, a smirk on his face. If training with King Bradley told him anything it's that if there was anything who could beat this sorry bird it would be him. The Crow Tengu glared at the newcomers with his many eyes. "If you and your daughter are willing for a fight, then stay back. My sword only yearns for the slayer's blood. Any other taste will not satisfy," the Crow Tengu stated firmly. "This girl isn't my daughter, demon. And also, who said you were allowed to come here?" "My lord, the Great Tengu, that's who. All you are is skeletons in the way, so unless you yearn for a death wish, then keep you and your niece back." "... Does it really look like she and I are related in any way, you idiot?" That time the Tengu ignored him, and turned to face the others again. Alphonse stepped in the way and acted like a wall in between Karasu and his brother and friends. "Stand aside! This is your only warning." "No I won't! If you want to get at them, you're gonna have to go through me first," Alphonse made clear. This samurai demon would not be denied the privilege to take down the slayer, so the bird threw out another skull from his sleeve, and tossed it towards Alphonse. Focusing again, the bird rushed forward with the blade, and skewered right through Alphonse, but the armor refused to stay down. In fact, the stab would didn't seem to do anything, and in fact it even got stuck in him! Karasu tried to pull the sword out, but some reason he couldn't pull it out so easily. Alphonse took this moment to force the sword out of his hand, and clock him square in the beak! Now without a sword, and with a hurt beak, Karasu was ready to fight anyone that got in his way - Tengu. Fallback now. "... I'm needed elsewhere." Grabbing the sword out of Alphonse, and as suddenly as he appeared, Karasu started to fly and soon enough he was gone. The event was over, and the Future Vision had a different outcome again, but this one was far too close to ending like it originally had, the stab on Karma's torso more than enough proof. "That makes two. Only one left now." ~~ "So did you see Emi Isuzu anywhere? I haven't seen her in two days." In another part of the world, Hinano and Nabiku took some time to hang out again, hanging out at Hinano's house for the day, both putting in their studies for the upcoming assignments back at school. As calm as it would be, ironically the two ended up wondering how Emi was doing after a while. Even if she had done them rather badly, seeing her go off like that was something completely foreign for her. "Nah. Honestly I dunno how to feel about it. I mean, as Envy said, she's been rather harsh on many kids at school," Hinano admitted. "But that doesn't mean being bad to her makes it any better. ... I do hope she's okay," Nabiku said. At this point, Envy came back into the room, and brought in some more of the books they've asked for. Compared to the three, Envy was feeling pretty much fine with everything, as if nothing even was going on at all. Envy still wasn't exactly seeing the problem going on, and he felt indifferent more than anything. "Okay, are these the books you want?" Envy asked, showing the books to them. "Yeah, that's right, thanks," Hinano replied. Envy gave the books to Hinano and took a seat next to Nabiku. Nabiku simply grew quiet, still thinking about the situation with Emi Isuzu, as Hinano tried to keep things a bit more comfortable for everybody. "Alright, so, here Envy, why don't you try to have a look at this one," Hinano suggested, giving envy a history book amongst the stack they got. Envy just nodded and went on to check it out, but as he was trying to focus on it, he still couldn't get a feeling off of him, whenever he took a look to the Nabiku. The girl was studying sure, but she still looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to say to him. It wasn't really anything new for Nabiku though, so Envy didn't really try to question it. ... At least, not at first. The more times he thought about it, the more something started to bag at his mind, and the more annoyed he got. Oddly, it was a similar situation to Nabiku as well. "Okay, that's another question, how're you two holding -" Hinano immediately stopped when she looked to Envy and Nabiku, seeing them both struggling to just focus on what they're doing, a sort of gloomy aura around them both. Hinano could see that the problem was not going to go away anytime soon. "... Uh, guys? ... OK, maybe we should talk this out," Hinano suggested. "Talk what out, I'm fine," Envy suggested, though looking on his face, Hinano knew he wasn't, and same thing could be said about Nabiku. "Not again, Envy, we all know what's wrong." "There's nothing wrong, seriously. You two are getting paranoid," Envy admitted roughly. "Paranoid? Envy, we haven't seen Emi Isuzu in days!" Hinano got out. Now envy was getting annoyed. "This again? Look, if she wants to cry a river about it, that's her choice. Serves her right," Envy stated coldly. "How can you say that?" "I just did." "Not literally, Envy. Look, we get the idea of getting even with her but you pushed it a bit far." "I did not! I'd be pushing it far if I got her tied up and whipping her or something," Envy said, almost jokingly, but shortly he actually started to think about it. "Don't get any ideas!" Hinano quickly stated, shivering a little. Imagining Envy there with a whip and Emi tied up was a pretty big step between revenge and flat out torture (not to mention masochistic for some). "Hey, believe me when I say there's far worse things to punish someone with, making her my maid's hardly anything compared to the Underworld's punishments." "Wait ... oh yeah, you are from the Underworld." "You gotta be kidding me," How could she forget that obvious detail? Guess it had been barely mentioned in a while. Nabiku kept hearing the bickering between Hinano and Envy, and she felt more and more inclined to get her words in. Eventually ... "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DENSE, ENVY?!" The shout caught Envy completely off guard, as Nabiku turned to face him. Nabiku was suddenly on her feet and up above Envy. "Envy, this isn't the Underworld anymore, this is the human world, we have new rules here! You humiliated Emi just because she took one hit on you, now I can probably understand if she broke your arm or leg, but she didn't even do that and you're completely fine, and she didn't even want to bother with you! It may feel good, but it doesn't last very long, and now Emi's probably depressed and hiding away somewhere because not only did you make her be a maid and force her around, but also you humiliated her with that drawn out picture! Even that main character in that book series you love reading learns to forgive in the end so why can't you?!" Envy didn't know what to say at first, this usually quiet and shy girl snapping at him in such a way as if something snapped. It kinda freaked him out to be honest, and Nabiku realized how scary she just acted. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Nabiku quickly said, worried over it herself. Envy still didn't know how to react exactly, and her saying she was sorry just made it even more confusing. In the end though, a much bigger nagging was now hitting him. "Oooohhhh ..." ....... "I can't believe I'm doing this." Next thing he knew, Envy was walking down the street, and away from Hinano's house, soon taking in sight of Emi's place. He knew what Nabiku and Hinano wanted from him, and he honestly wasn't enjoying it very much, but whatever nagging feeling was hitting him here, if he could handle it by doing this then he might as well. Besides, punishment was done, so what else could he do? Anyway, Envy got himself walking right up to the door, and started to give it a knock. Of course, no one answered. "Emi! Emi! You in there, or what?!" No answer. Course why would she answer to him? Envy waited a bit longer, but still nothing seemed to happen to the door or any word inside. Envy dealt with this scenario before, and he knew what to do here as he walked over to the fence again, and again seeing an open window. Here we go again. Envy did the same thing as he did before: climbing up on the fence, and then with a jump got a grip on the window sill. Rather than just hang there though and peek in, he pulled himself up enough to keep himself there on the sill and look inside. As he expected, there was Emi Isuzu again, back in her fat self and laying on the bed though she wasn't really eating anything this time if not just laying there. Envy found this depression a bit ridiculous personally, but he might as well get this over with. "Hey Emi, it's me again. K look, I'm sorry for pushing you around like that okay? I got upset and got a little carried away with the whole blackmail maid thing, so you can go back to being top dog now or whatever you want," Envy said. He didn't even look at her and made the message quick, tone not exactly sounding sincere either, and when he was done he waited for some sort of reaction. Emi eventually looked over to him, and she didn't look too pleased at all. "Sorry doesn't get that picture gone. They still saw me like ... this ..." Emi said. Envy rolled his eyes. "OK, what's the big deal here? So what if they saw you fat, it's not the end of the world," Envy said, not even bothering anymore. He said what he said and it apparently didn't work with her. Emi though seemed a lot more different about it than he was. "You don't get it, do you? I'm class 3-B student representative, and those 3-E students saw me in that ugly maid's outfit AND saw me in that picture! What will the others think of me when they find out?" Emi wondered, sounding angry still. Envy took a step into the room as she said that, arms crossed. He still found this much sadness a little bit silly. "Yeah, so?" "SO?! I'm known as the hottest girl in school, and the entire school either envies or respects me, when they see me like this it's all over. You probably told the entire school by now, did you?" Emi accused. Guess reputation was important for Emi, and Envy was still feeling a bit one-sided on this scenario. He could care less about what someone like her would feel about it, but this talk about keeping appearances for other people's sake did sound slightly familiar to him. The Homunculus who had to constantly hide his true face for the sake of his spying job. "You really need to get your act together, it's not as bad as you think." "What's worse than having your complete reputation ruined?!" Emi yelled. now Envy was getting upset. "Oh, let's me think: getting burned alive, torn to pieces, stuck with a overlord who could give less of a shit about you, constantly hiding your face at every waking moment. ... Yeah, someone seeing you gain some weight suddenly doesn't sound too bad does it?" "Just shut up! You still have that damn picture of me -" "It's gone." Emi then paused. "Gone?" "Yeah, a bitch took it from me and shredded it to pieces. If you're freaking out over that then you're fine now," Envy stated. Course it wasn't true exactly, but being a good liar meant it did its job. Emi could feel a wave of relief go over her on the news, and she started to relax a bit, much to Envy's annoyance as he sat down next to her. "Look, Emi, I know damn well how it feels to try and keep a face for someone else, but there's no reason to cry your eyes out if someone finds you out. If they find out, they find out, it's really not as bad as it sounds. Besides, those three girls thought it was drawn anyway, so in a way it's like no one even saw you like ... well, this," Envy made clear. "I guess not. ... But they still saw me as your maid though." "You're really freaked out about what others think of you, huh?" Envy concluded. "How could I not be? It's hard keeping this popular sexy appearance when looking like this, it's bad enough someone actually saw me, then they take a picture and have a field day with it, yeah it's kind of a problem." "By the way, how're you doing that? hiding all of this, I mean?" Envy asked, pointing to her belly. Emi just sighed and got up, standing up in front of Envy as she started to concentrate a little bit. Right in front of him, Emi's body started to alter and thin out until she was her outside self again. "Uh, showing me isn't exactly telling, I already saw you do that." "It took a lot of practice for me as I grew up, but I found this uh ... thing, that has me alter my body at will. It's kinda complicated, but everyone prefers this over that real me," Emi said, trying to put it as understandable as she could. Far as she was concerned she was talking to just some other human, so giving him details would probably make it less believable. Envy didn't feel very weirded out by Emi's answer, he saw way weirder things in his existence, and when he heard this, he just scoffed at it. "I know that's a lie." "Do you now?" Emi asked, bemused. "Yeah. I personally find this form overrated. At least your actual form's something different for my eyes to see," Envy said, rather bluntly too and not looking at her. A rather interesting thing to hear for Emi, considering so many others like her for the outside form she had, not her original. After saying that, Envy got back up and heads over to the window again. "Well, that's all I came to say," Envy sighed, before hopping out the window, and leaving Emi with that. Emi just felt less sad and more unsure than anything, seeing the points Envy had made before he left. As for Envy, he simply took a walk back towards home, and leaving Emi behind him. He still felt a little bit silly to apologize to her, but at least that nagging feeling stopped. If it worked or not didn't bug him too much. ... "Hey Envy. So you talked to her?" Niji. Envy saw Niji up nearby on a fence, xsitting down rather casually, though this time her wings and multi-colored hair were on her person as she had back in Yoshida motors. With no one else around, this form was something Niji was more comfortable showing to Envy, and apparently she had seen everything happen. "Yeah, I talked to her. She's getting over her little slump," Envy groaned. "It can be a bit hard, but hey, it's good to forgive. You feel any better about it?" Niji asked. Envy paused for a moment before walking again. "I'm alright. ..." S04Ep8: Meeting of the Minds ~心の会~"Is Karma Akabane and Edward Elric in?" "Right this way." With news of the encounter with the Crow Tengu, Team Harmony took time to go in and visit both Karma and Edward at the Tokyo midtown medical center, somewhere Seitenshi had both of them go to not long after the attack, Karasu's hits more damaging than expected. Guided by one of the staff, it didn't take them too long until they found the room where Ed and Karma were taking note in. Each one was in their own bed, side by side, both in patient garments, and bandaged up in a number of places. Edward Elric had his chest bandaged up, along with some bit of his good arm and a white headband on his head. As for Karma, his bandages covered up his torso where he was stabbed, and a bit of his head where Karasu sliced his face. Not too big, but still there as both of them needed stitches to seal up their cuts. Alphonse was there as well, but the injuries didn't seem too bad as Karma was sitting on his bed as Ed was actually on his feet already. Whatever injuries they actually got couldn't be too bad. "Hey Karma, Ed," said Pinkie in her usual cheery way. A good little greeting from Team Harmony after everything. "Oh hey guys, what's up?" said Edward, walking over to them. "We're doing fine, and you two?" said Twilight. "Much better than we thought, but they said we're gonna be in here for a day or two. you know, just to be sure we're alright." "Considering one of you were going to die, that's pretty good. By the way, you doing alright, Karma?" asked Nagisa, looking to him. "Eh, I'm fine, considering. I'd get skewered like a marshmallow if Alphonse didn't send that Tengu Karasu flying away," Karma said, looking over to Alphonse who was sitting nearby. "I'm just glad to see you're all safe," Alphonse said. "A Tengu you say? It sounds like the Great Tengu is coming up to play after all," Sebastian noted. "What're you blabbering about now?" Ciel asked. Sebastian took little time to get to his point, and actually had Twilight's demon guide in hand and skinned through the pages to the Tengu in question, showing multiple Tengus including the Crow Tengu Karma fought "These Tengu you just fought with. Notice how it numerously mentions this "Great Tengu" amongst their beliefs?" The others took a closer look at the details, and sure enough, the overall Tengu race has this reference to the Great Tengu in a number of places, often showing this being as a lord among Tengu in some sort of way. "Hey, you're right," commented Nagisa. "Indeed. The Great Tengu's a rather isolated demon in the Underworld, but it seems your little games had coaxed it out to the human world with its group of Tengu. This Crow Tengu, Karasu, was merely a Tiger Class demon, where as the Great Tengu is rumored to be just one fight away from a Dragon Class level. ... course this is just rumor," Sebastian said, giggling at the last part. "DON'T TREAT IT LIKE A JOKE!" Nagisa, Twilight, and Aladdin insisted. "It's just rumor, calm down," Sebastian insisted calmly, hands raised. "Well anyway, I think we'll be fine. That's two futures screwed up, now there's that last one left. We're on a roll with this," Karma commented smugly. "You kidding me, you barely made it Karma," Edward advised. Karma didn't want to make it out like that, but he was still right. That, and the possibility of this "Great Tengu" was still a bit interesting to wonder about. If that Crow Tengu could nearly kill him, he could only wonder how strong this Great Tengu must be. This did remind him of what happened with Seitenshi and Bradley though. "Oh, by the way, you said Bradley and Selim were Homunculus, right? Guess what: that Fuhrer flat out admitted it to our president like it was nothing," Karma threw in, giving them all a word for thought. The others were surprised Bradley would even do that, Ciel looking more bemused than anything. "You're kidding," groaned Ciel. "Guess he's not scared to admit it," Aladdin realized, scratching his head. "You should've seen him during the meeting," Blair said, being the only one who was actually there for the meeting. "Ok, ok, so we saved Heine and Karma, but we still got Envy to deal with too. Let's try and keep an eye on him for a while," Nagisa suggested. Something they all could agree on for Envy's sake. *knock**knock* Looked like they had another guest showing up today. Pinkie had the honor of checking the door and soon their guest ended up coming in with a bouquet of roses, as out of nowhere as that was. "Greetings Elric, Akabane. When I heard you two were in the hospital, I DASHED RIGHT OVER!" The sight of the manly man gave Ed and Al shivers, especially with that manly statement, some of the others a little bit unnerved themselves. Lucky for them the room was plenty big enough for them all. The manly man saw them both and gently placed the flowers on a nearby table. "As I suspected, you're in desperate need of my assistance. ..." AND off came the shirt, and out showed the expansive and incredible muscular body. If they weren't freaked before, they sure were now. "AAHHH!" "What you need is an example of a perfect, physical specimen to inspire your recovery! You see, you love lively already!" "WILL YOU GET OUT?!" shouted Ed. God was it awkward in there. The only who hadn't met this supposed stripper was Ciel, who was unnerved to say the most of the situation. "Who in bloody hell are you?! And put your shirt back on this instant!" Ordered Ciel, obverting his eyes away from the situation. "That would be the Major. We kinda ran into him during our first trip to Elysium," Nagisa explained. Though that didn't make the situation any better, especially with Major flexing still, despite Ed and Al's attempts to make him stop. Lucky Sebastian made a quick fix and got the shirt back on the Major before this embarrassing display could go any further (and before anyone could get kicked out). "Not helping, my friend," said Sebastian. "How'd you know they were here, Major? The attack just happened yesterday," asked Twilight. "One of our comrades brought back word, and I had to come down to aid in their health!" "Stripping's not aiding!" Edward snapped, as the Major went over to the roses, got his hand in there, and actually pulled out a message from inside it. "Your current instructor Heine told me to give you this," the Major said. "shall I read it, my lord?" asked Sebastian. "Feel free," Ciel simply said. Sebastian took the letter and looked it over. Once he did, he took a moment to clear his throat and started reciting the letter. "Team Harmony. I've recently had word back in Elysium of your fight with the Tengu, and it has reached the queen. Celestia wishes to meet up with all of you at the earliest convenience. And this time, I mean ALL of you. Ciel Phantomhive, I wish to have a word with you in private beforehand in regards to your current situation." "Why does that not surprise me?" Ciel sighed, as Sebastian continued. "Sincerely Heine Wittgenstein. P.S.: speaking on behalf of one of our generals, Edward and Alphonse are to have a word with her as well." "Wait, her? Her who?" Aladdin asked. "I'm afraid he left that to be desired," Sebastian sighed, showing that there wasn't an exact name to this female general. However, considering it pointed towards Edward and Alphonse Elric, it had to involve them in some sort of way. "Funny how he pointed them out in particular for this one." "Guess so. Hey Ed, Al, you know -" when Nagisa asked, both Ed and Al looked a little bit frazzled about the news, both of them not even looking at them. "I suddenly don't feel so good," Ed said meekly. "... Well, we still have a day or two until they get better. Major, tell Celestia we'll be there as soon as we can," Nagisa instructed. At least it'll give them some time to figure things out. The Major saluted them and went off on his way. They can't go anywhere with Karma and Edward being treated in the hospital anyway. ....... "Sombra! Open up in there!" While Team Harmony may be doing successful over there, Gaara himself had been far less lucky. With his agreement to work with Sombra, things had slowed down quite a bit since their encounter with Pride. Sombra had brought Gaara back to his Underworld palace, but as it stood, he was just left doing nothing for the most part, with the occasional demon passer for company. Now though he was getting a bit impatient with this demon king, and as Sombra was trying to handle some meditation, Gaara was right outside his door and trying to get in. "And here I thought he was telling the truth," Gaara thought in anger. He continued to bang hard on his door over and over again, trying to get an answer, when another demon of the castle found him. "My, we are impatient, aren't we?" said the female demon, strutting over to him. Gaara hadn't met too many other demons yet, so seeing the green succubus was a newcomer for him. "Stay out of it. Sombra made me a promise, goddamnit," Gaara stated, before trying to open the door again. However, the succubus moved right in Gaara's way, grabbing him by his arm and moving him back before he could punch a hole in the wall. "Listen, Sombra's not a demon to forget any promise he keeps, so do yourself a favor and refrain from breaking his door, will you?" "How about I break your neck instead?" Gaara warned. "Temperament, Gaara," warned the succubus. It was then that the door ended up opening, revealing not just Sombra, but Pride as well. Pride did end up joining with them after all, and at this point he and Sombra were a bit busy. In fact it was Pride who actually answered the door, making it a bit odder for the succubus. "It's just Gaara and Chrysalis, Sombra. You want me to deal with them?" asked Pride. "No, no, let them in. Gaara would anyhow," Sombra said. so, opening the door, Pride allowed Gaara and Chrysalis to come in. For a room in the Underworld, which was supposedly a medieval time place, this place looked more like an experimental area: which included a tester table and a number of experimental items: needles, scissors, and other examples of surgical tools. Seemed he and Pride were in the middle of some sort of practice when Gaara and Chrysalis interrupted him, but luckily the practice wasn't as big or dangerous enough to put them in big trouble. The first one he took note of was Chrysalis. "Ah, Chrysalis. And the results of your recruitment?" Sombra asked. "Pretty good. I managed to get a number of candidates together after a few kind words," said Chrysalis, as she pulled out a sort of list from her cleavage, and presented it to Sombra. Sombra was more interested in the list rather than where it came from so he went on to take that instead and read it over. Gaara was getting a bit impatient with Sombra as he was doing this. "Hmm ... I'll think about them. Thank you," Sombra stated, putting the list in his pocket. Gaara reminded him of his presence with a grunt of his throat. "Yes, Gaara?" "Sombra, I've been waiting since we had our little get-together in Central, and we haven't done anything in days. If that was the last thing from me, then you fill in your end of the deal," Gaara made clear, speaking to him as if he was just some other piece of scum he'd come across. This reminder just made Sombra a little bit more frustrated with Gaara. "Gaara, I've told you before I would get Shukaku out of you, and I will, but I got more than enough to do right now," Sombra made clear. Gaara though was not having it, and actually had the balls to step in Sombra's way, which actually unnerved Chrysalis a little bit. "Now listen here, I've kept myself down because you said you're the only one who can get him out of me, and goddamnit I'm not going to wait any longer. You get him out of me, and I don't want any waiting," Gaara sternly spat. Chrysalis then intervened and grabbed Gaara. "How dare you speak to this great hunk of a demon like that? He's the king of Tartarus may I remind you," Chrysalis snapped. "And I'm reminding you to back off," Gaara warned again, forcing himself out of her grip. "How sad," Pride commented. "Right. ... OK, that's enough," Sombra stated, getting them both to stop. It was then he looked over to Gaara. "You sit down. I'll get him out right now," Sombra stated. That was all Gaara needed to hear, and he went over as Sombra had said, taking a seat nearby. Sombra sighed and sat down across from him in his meditation position, before looking Gaara dead in the eyes. As he was doing this, Sombra's body started to turn into smoke, and began to seep into Gaara from his nose and mouth, temporarily choking him before he fully entered Gaara's body. If Shukaku was anywhere it would be inside him. Eventually, Sombra opened his eyes and found himself in a rather empty area, completely dark and devoid of almost any light. Not any sign that he was anywhere in particular, nor anything around him to see or talk to. It wasn't exactly anything new for him though, as the demon king took time to look around. If Shukaku was anywhere here, it shouldn't be too hard to locate. ... And not a moment too soon either. After a little bit, something started to make its appearance after a few minutes. Something huge, far bigger than Sombra himself would be. A huge creature, who's body appeared to be made up purely of sand, large and thick as well. It had two stubby legs with huge claws, and very long arms with similar like claws on them too. Its single tail looked scaly, layering over one another like a pinecone or skink scales, and its head met with small yellow eyes and sets of sharp teeth to appear like that of a jack-o-lantern. The skin on the creature's body was colored in a similar sandy color, with multiple black streaks, stripes, and marks all over it, giving it a similar appearance to an obese, humanoid, demonic raccoon. Not too far from the truth. Sombra had found Shukaku. "Shukaku." "Sombra. ... First time in centuries did someone recognize me," said Shukaku, his voice surprisingly high-toned and almost screechy. An ironic voice for such a giant and foreboding demonic creature. "And you're aware of my name?" "I see and hear everything that husk of a boy hears and sees. Whatever that Gaara tries to keep secret can't get past me," Shukaku stated, giggling a little bit afterwards. A little familiar to another demon Sombra had to tangle with. "Note for future. ... Listen, you want out of here, don't you? I can easily let that happen," Sombra said. Bizarrely though, Shukaku started to laugh like crazy at Sombra. "You're joking! I can get out of this body anytime I want to! did you not see all that sand?" Shukaku pointed out. Sombra realized what he meant when thinking about all that sand manipulation attacks Gaara had used. "That was you then. So if you can get out of here on your own, why don't you?" "Can't you figure it out or do I have to go into a lecture?" Shukaku questioned. "Damn, he sounds as crazy as Tirek," Sombra thought. ... "Tirek? And where is that pathetic little troll of a demon at? Did he finally kill himself?" Shukaku questioned. Nothing in any book mentioned of Shukaku being telepathic at all, so hearing it make that supposed guess was a bit of an interesting surprise. "Telepathic, huh?" "No, no, you're just contacting me that way. Talk with your mouth or your brain and you'll still be talking to me." "Oh yeah. And as for Tirek, yes, he was naïve enough to think he could charge out into the human world without planning and got himself killed. ... Then again, if you could see from Gaara's eyes, you should know that by now." "Oh I saw that tiff, but with the reputation of regeneration it's always hard to tell if something's really dead." "Decent point. Back to topic, shouldn't you rather be outside rather than inside Gaara Shukaku? If all that was you, it's clear you got more than enough power on you." Shukaku laughed again. "Ironic: you get ticked off at Tirek for releasing a savage beast and here you are trying to get me out." "This is a favor to Gaara, Shukaku. We made a deal, you know that, and between you and me, Gaara's being a persistent pain about the whole thing." "Who wouldn't be? Gaara's always had a one-track mind since he was born. Hell, he could barely stay asleep without me playing with him and keeping him awake. Nothing like a few threats to make one submit to your will, eh Umbra?" "It's Sombra," Sombra corrected. "And I'm not gullible either," Shukaku joked, laughing again at Sombra's expense. Sombra wasn't really amused at all. "Very funny. Now are you coming out or not?" "To be honest I planned to. I've been biding my time until I come out, but not yet. I'm having plenty of fun with this, and it keeps me out of trouble too with Team Harmony and their antics. Besides, wouldn't it be easier to control me in this husk rather than my true form?" "Who said I'd wanted to control you, Shukaku?" Sombra questioned. Shukaku started to move closer to him, his stubby legs shaking the ground from under him as he did so. Sombra actually had to take a step back as Shukaku towered over him like a god. "You're talking to the one of a few remaining Nine-Tailed beasts, you know that. That, and I'm sure you have your reasons for recruiting Gaara in the first place? I'm the real reason he's keeping in line with you because he's so desperate to get rid of me. Why else do you think he even bothered to train Nagisa in the first place?" Sombra was going to remark about that, but he was surprised as to how right Shukaku was. If Gaara really wanted Shukaku out of him, someone with a blessed weapon like a Halo Blade would be enough to drive him out. "A surprising amount of sense. ... How long until you get out, might I ask?" "You can figure that out yourself. And just some food for thought: Gaara only has that sand manipulation because of me. You remove me from Gaara, and you're only left with another young human with a short temper. Is that what you want out of a Team Harmony potential ally?" "Damn, you're good," Sombra thought, but Shukaku still heard him. It didn't matter anyway, as these points Sombra didn't exactly consider until now. "That and he could reveal some tough information as well." "That'd be the idea. After hanging out with you for a while, I think we can work out a little deal that'll make everyone happy. Well, namely you and me." "... What did you have in mind, Shukaku?" Shukaku gave Sombra a rather sinister grin. ... Eventually, Sombra returned back to the real world, he and Gaara finished with their little session, and back in the room with Pride and Chrysalis. Gaara took one look to Sombra when he was done, not seeing really anything happening. "Well?" Gaara asked. Sombra sighed and looked a bit disappointed in the result he had. "Take this how you will, but I couldn't seem to find him in there. The task might be harder than I thought ..." "Damnit, Shukaku." "... Still, maybe you could try to handle some things with Chrysalis for me beforehand?" Sombra asked. That didn't suit well for Gaara at all, but Sombra raised his hand to keep him quiet. "Now I know what you're thinking, and I do promise that I'll eventually release Shukaku, but It's going to take some time and there's too much going on. If you and a few others could keep things out of the way or now, I could get a solution much faster that way. Please understand that being a Demon King has it's priorities, and those have to be handled before I could help you. You think you can do that for me?" Sombra asked. Gaara felt his hopes being stabbed at by the very same demon that's still stuck inside of him. Then again, Sombra was the only lifeline he had left to get Shukaku out of his body, and a guaranteed one nonetheless, so in the end Gaara had to consort with Chrysalis. "Fine. ... You better not forget why I'm here," Gaara warned, before getting up and beginning to walk away. "Chrysalis, he's gonna be working with you and your group for a bit, so be sure you tell him what to do," Sombra instructed. "Awww, do I need to?" "Do you want me to have some fun with you later?" Chrysalis needed no more convincing, and she went off on her way to catch up to Gaara. Soon it was just Sombra and Pride again. Eventually, both of them went over to the table once more, Sombra picking up a syringe nearby. "Now, where were we? ..." ~~ The next day, Edward and Karma both were released from the hospital after some recovery in their wounds, and as they've said earlier, they were more than ready to head off on their way to Elysium. Heine waited for the whole group over off at the pickup nearby the 3-E building as before, with the giant bird and carriage all present and awaiting for their arrival. A bit of a Deja Vu, but Hopefully there wouldn't be too much trouble. "Not too long now. Let's hope everyone's more willing this time," Heine thought, taking a look at the time. He didn't give a specific time to go off, but with how much longer it was taking to his liking he might be asking a bit much out of them. ... "Hold that carriage, Heine!" "There they are," Heine noted, and indeed it was. The whole group of Team Harmony had showed up now, which included Alphonse, Sebastian, and Envy. Heine had expected plenty of the group to show up, and seeing Ed and Karma well was a plus too, but he didn't expect to see Envy come around this time, though not that he really was annoyed by it. Heine was glad they all decided to go though. "Hey, Heine. We're ready to go now," said Twilight. "It would seem so. Now a word of advice for some of you though before we go: Sebastian. I highly advise you especially to keep some needed distance. You may be amongst Team Harmony, but that won't excuse your chemical reaction to the Overworld, understand?" Heine advised. Sebastian knew all too well what that would mean, and Ciel understood this too. If Sebastian was coming, he just had to be a bit more careful up there than he would be down here. "I will keep a low head, Heine," Sebastian reassured. "Very well then. In that case, may you all head on and we'll be off on our way," Heine said, as they begin to board up the carriage. It didn't really take them too long before they all were seated inside, though it was Envy's first time seeing the carriage itself, taking a moment to look around the place before sitting down over by Blair. "A royal Overworld carriage, huh?" Envy commented. "I know right? We are going to see the queen though, so why wouldn't we be here? Think this'll be the first time you've seen the Overworld Envy," Blair noted, fluffing his hair. "Yeah. Come to think of it, I don't think any other Homunculi seen the Overworld either," Envy said, now that it was brought up. Suddenly Envy started to feel a bit more special about it, being the first Homunculus to go to the Overworld. He was now a human, but still it was interesting. "OH, a bonus!" Pinkie beamed. "It would be said for me as well. I've heard many a word about the Overworld, but it'll be the first time seeing it with my own eyes," Sebastian also noted. Sure a homunculus may not be put into too much trouble, but he was a fullblood demon so that made things more complicated for him. Not just in law, but in health as well. "You just be careful there, Sebastian, and everything will be fine. Everything all set up there?" asked Nagisa, turning to the front seat to Heine, who at this point had got into the driver's seat. All Heine did was nod and rang the chime of one of the bells, and the bird flew off once again towards the Overworld Elysium. With their flight off, Ciel took a small look off back down to earth, seeing how high up they were getting after a short while, the ride giving him time to think, and remember about a particular talk he had at that same building. ... "You wanted to talk, Heine?" Heine nodded his head, finding Sebastian and Ciel over by the 3-E just the night prior, and inside the building too to avoid the night cold. "I do. Now I do want to point out that this is a required visit to Elysium this time, so I do want to point out a number of details for you and your demonic butler there, if I may," Heine explained. however, Ciel didn't find it too interesting, nor something he could make worth while. "You might as well save yuour breath. I don't intend to go up to the Overworld anytime soon, you get it." "Your trip to Elysium isn't a request, Phantomhive. Celestia wishes to meet all of you, and that's not something that can just be denied so casually," Heine said sternly. Ciel was starting to get upset, but rather than do that he removed the eyepatch and revealed the contract symbol to him again. "... Heine. You were there when I told Gakuho off with my own past. This contract confirms the fact that the gates of paradise will never be for me to venture to. Even if I wanted to go, I can't even do so. Stop pretending like it's something possible," Ciel made clear, though he didn't sound too worried or remorseful about it, much like how facts can't be altered either. Heine began to see what he actually meant, but he wasn't willing to give up and suddenly his pointer was aimed directly at him. "It's time for a lesson," he announced. Heine was seeing something else behind those eyes, and Ciel just allowed him to go on with whatever he had to say. "Before quitting something you want to do, you should always explore alternative solutions. Broadening your horizons to the options when they come forward will give you a more profitable future, where as keeping your mind narrowed will bring forward the latter. Don't try to immediately avoid these chances when they do come around. As I've said: One must consider all options when the opportunity does arise to be truly successful." "Ciel ... Ciel?" Aladdin's word got Ciel back to reality, the group already high up into the sky and closing the gap between them and Elysium. "Uh, sorry. What?" "I'm trying to tell you something about Undertaker: he actually works as a librarian up here. We might actually run into him again if you're lucky," Aladdin told him. "... I doubt that," Ciel stated, this news catching him off guard more than most. Why would the Undertaker be up in the Overworld in the first place, and as a librarian no less? ....... "We're about to land." It really took less time than Ciel, Sebastian, or Envy really expected. Envy got his head out from the side of the carriage as they flew, and sure enough they were reaching the city of Elysium, the very sight of it a big surprise for the kid. The floating buildings, many flying angels, and almost dream-like physics to the place surely had a special look to it for Envy to see. Unlike before though, which Heine parked the carriage by the main lobby, he brought the group over from the main streets and over towards a much larger building. With how much it looked like a castle, it was clear where the stop was actually going to be. Eventually Heine found a landing platform by the palace, and got it down gently. Waiting for them was some of the Elysium guards, all lined up and waiting for them over by the door, outfits similar to the Major and his troops. "Hello Elysium, we're back for round two!" announced Pinkie Pie as she hopped right out. The others followed her outside, Heine going off from the driver's seat. Many of them got out okay, Envy and Ciel included, but it was Sebastian who started to feel a little bit uneasy. not exactly sick, but feeling just a bit off when he got out. "Looks like they were expecting us," noted Nagisa, seeing the line up in front of them. Looking back, Blair noticed that Edward and Alphonse were standing ... pretty far back. "You two okay? You've been in Elysium before," Blair pointed out, but both boys felt way more uneasy than Sebastian was. A bit odd since they joined the others in getting to Elysium the first time on the field trip and even went off on their own to mend Ed's automail, so why were they freaking out now? Ed tried to chill, but Alphonse looked too worried. "I think I'm too scared brother. There's no way she's not gonna kill us," said Al, freaking out and shaking in his armor, both brothers holding hands. "Hey, don't chicken out on me now, I'm scared too okay?!" replied Ed, equally terrified. But, terrified of who? Was it this general they were talking about or what? "She, who's she?" asked Twilight. Apparently they didn't have too long to figure that out, as they heard the soldiers get in position. Once that was done, then walked out the "she" they were talking about. Each soldier stayed still as she passed them by, walking straight towards the team. She was dressed up in an Overworld general's uniform, showing her high authority to whomever was coming her way or passing her by, not to mention a sabre sword at her side. Her blonde hair reached down to her waist, covering one of her blue eyes which pierced through the team with little effort on her part. Eventually she stopped and examined them over. Of course, it didn't take very long until she saw Edward and Alphonse, her eyes narrowing "Hello, little red runt. I heard you've become one of Amestris's military dogs," she said sternly. Normally Ed would pummel her or at least tell her off for calling him a runt, but he was too freaked out to do so, which shocked most of the group. "Oh y-you heard about that?" Ed said meekly. "Uh, hi there. I guess you're one of the soldiers?" Nagisa asked, only to be met with a glare to silence him. At first she didn't say much, and looking him over again, but she eventually spoke again. "My name is Olivier Mira Armstrong. And you're to refer me as "General"," she made clear. "Armstrong, ease yourself. This happens to be Team Harmony, you know. The same group who'd been handling demons down in the human world, remember?" Heine reminded. According to Olivier though, she didn't see very much promise in this rag-tag team of humans. When her eyes saw Sebastian though, Olivier immediately grew suspicious. "Not promising." "So cold," the team thought. Heine found it annoying, but they still had a meeting to get to, so there was no time to waste. "Now, let's be on our way. You can talk to Ed and Al later, Olivier," Heine said, beginning to walk by her. Ed and Al begin to follow, just for Olivier to grab them both by the shoulder, pulling Al down to her level. The grab freaked them both out. "You two don't forget our little get-together. Because I'll find you," Olivier warned. "We won't, we won't, we promise!" They both quickly said, and only then did Olivier let them go. It was kinda hard to notice for some of the members. "What did they do to piss her off?" Nagisa thought. ~~ "Now all you remain here until everything's prepared. I'll get you all later." So, after that little venture, Heine brought them off from the landing port and started heading through the castle. That little encounter got plenty of them even more curious over what happened with Ed, Al, and Olivier, especially with how harsh she was treating them. They did get to the room Heine brought them to, but instead of the throne room straight away, it looked more like a guest room, with plenty of space for them all to wait. Heine left them to their leisure from there and while they were alright overall, Sebastian was starting to feel a bit more uncomfortable. So much Overworld energy made Sebastian feel like he was in a minefield. He felt some very slight sweat form up on his face, which he patted away with a napkin from his coat pocket. "Easy, Sebastian, the others will catch onto you if you keep freaking out," Envy commented. Any angel finding out about Sebastian's demonic identity would get them all in trouble. "My apologies. ... A bit warm, that's all," Sebastian simply said. "Way ahead of ya," Pinkie suddenly said, and all of a sudden she had a little something for him: an umbrella. How she got that here was anyone's guess, but after she opened it and gave it to him, the shade surely helped Sebastian a bit. "Much obliged," Sebastian said. "Where'd she get that from?" Envy wondered. One of many questions best not to ask about Pinkie Pie. As they were chilling though, the nagging question over Edward and Alphonse's involvement with Olivier still hung in the air, and the brothers could feel that they wanted that sort of question answered. "Hey bros, what's with you and Olivier?" Karma suddenly asked, finally getting that question out and open for the brothers. "Yeah, you two secretly Angels going incognito?" Pinkie asked, popping up between Edward and Alphonse. "Eh ... no, we're not," Alphonse said. "Then what happened with you three? that bitch nearly tore your arms off - MMPH!" Envy's comment was shut up by Alphonse, who covered his mouth. "Would you watch it?! If she hears that she'll actually do that," Alphonse said, scared. That was not something to say to someone like Olivier, if she was nearby, but luckily for them she wasn't around. "You might as well tell us. Seriously, I've never seen you two so freaked out before," Nagisa admitted. And with many of them in recorded memory that was mainly true. Edward sighed and got himself comfortable in his seat. "OOO story time," said Pinkie, as Alphonse started to think and remember a bit. "let's see ..." "NO! That's my livelihood you idiot!" A rather troubling accident: in one of Amestris's towns, one seemingly aristocratic man had just made a rather rough accident with someone's food stand. The main aftermath effected them both one way or another: the car was dented up with a broken windshield while the food stand laid down in a heap of wood with smoke bellowing out from it. "I-I'm terribly sorry sir," said the driver. "Well 'sorry' isn't gonna fix my stand," retorted the angry stand keeper. Rude, but unfortunately true, and with the extent of these damages it was indeed a troubling sight to see. Who knew how long it'll be before this was fixed. "Looks like you could use some help!" called a distant voice. Both men turned, and there stood the person that would give them their answer. The person: Edward Elric. He looked a bit younger here, slightly shorter by an inch, but he still had his mechanical parts on him. He was in a more "introductory" pose, fingers pointed forward with a wink on his face for style as his brother (still in his armor by the way) was nearby with Japanese-styled fans for cheery support. "It's a good thing I happened by. Edward Elric: State Alchemist at large!" Ed beamed. Alchemist? both men weren't exactly convinced, but before either one of them could complain, Edward Elric clapped his hands together, blue sparks flying out, and in little time all with a bit of regeneration, both the car, and the stand, were up and good as new! "Wow, that's amazing!" said the shopkeeper. "Thank you very much sir. Please, you have to let me pay you for this," said the other man. This act quickly caught attention of the locals, but Edward didn't have too much trouble with that. If anything he enjoyed it pretty nicely. "Pay? Well that's not necessary but thank you," Edward said, acting humble about it as his brother continued his support with his fans. Amongst the crowd was another person, an old women, who came up with what looked like a broken pot. "Please can you mend my broken vase? It's a priceless family heirloom," the old lady asked politely. "No problem at all mam," said Eh with a thumbs up. It didn't take very long, but eventually Edward started to fix up things all over town. Soon after the broken vase was mended it was one item after the others, each one done with equal amount of hero-enthusiasm and little time needed for each one: Edward found a old man with a snapped walking cane, and one alchemic try and it was good as new. Some construction workers saving tons of time on a support beam to an outside overhang when Edward mending the beam with a clap of his hands. Edward even took the time to help out a mother and baby by fixing up their baby carriage, the baby giddy about the light show more than anything. All this stuff finished up in no less than an hour of time, which would take hours just to get through one of them. The more things the Elrics got involved in the more attention they got, and by the time they were done Edward was up on a light post in a hero's pose, taking in the cheers and joy from many of the locals as Alphonse continued his support with his fans. "That's right, I'm your friendly neighborhood state alchemist! Don't forget, I'm Edward Elric!" Edward announced, more cheers from the crowd. It was a good day for many a people around this town, thanks to the alchemy used by Edward. ....... Soon, they got a break from it and it reached sunset. With all that help they gave, they both felt pretty good about things. With this town all handled in their main problems, both Alphonse and Edward both went off through the outskirts, and on their way down the road and away from the town. Even without too much money given to them, the two still felt pretty good for helping out the town. "K, so where to next? This town's taken care of," Edward asked. "You know, we have been doing these small towns, so why not try and go up a bit?" Alphonse suggested. Edward didn't need very much time to get where his brother was coming from, and a grin came on his face. "Of course, Central! Why didn't I think of that? If we can make miracles here, Central would surely give us a great welcome," Edward figured. He could see it himself: both him and Alphonse being greeted by the men and women of Central, all in salute to them, and cheering for them both when Edward would show off his alchemy regeneration skill. While his brother didn't worry about fame like Ed, he still thought about just how much help they could be when they would get there, imagining him and his brother as highly respected individuals because of it, seeing them both earning the generosity prize from the king himself or something like that. Regardless if it was for either fame or generosity, both brothers reached the same conclusion. "Central?" Alphonse asked. "Central," Ed simply answered. "Not just yet." Both brothers stopped when they heard the statement, as someone else walked out of one of the alleyways to meet with them, blocking their way. This women was Olivier, and she was quick to stare them down the minute she showed up. Seeing her made the two shocked more than anything. "A Amestris soldier?!" the two thought. Guess the stern look wasn't the thing that shocked them first. "I saw what you two did earlier today. Now, you and I need to talk," Olivier said sternly, and coldly. Al and Ed immediately turned and were whispering to eachother. "What're the odds an Amestris soldier would be showing up here?" Alphonse noted. "I know, this is perfect! After we're finished helping her, she'll put a great word for us at Central for sure," Edward said, excitedly. The logic seemed to be there, and since they've never been to Central yet this could very well work in their favor. The decision was made fairly quickly, and both of them turned to Olivier, Edward stretching before walking up to her. "Well, you want some help from the state alchemist? Well, you came at a great time, because I'll help in anything you need," Edward said, acting out the hero role from earlier. Unlike practically everyone else around town though, Olivier was not remotely impressed by it. If anything, it bugged her even more with the cocky nature of Ed. Her answer moments later? ... Slashing at them with her sword! The sword didn't hurt them at all, but when Ed saw some of his hair get cut off and fade to dust, that surely freaked them both out, both kids yelping and jumping back away from her, as Olivier aimed her sword right at them. "W-What was that for lady?!" gasped Alphonse. "You two think you can show off that alchemy so freely, you little bugs?" "A bug? I'm no bug, lady - WAAAHHH!" Ed was immediately silenced when Olivier skewered right above his head. A inch lower and Ed would've got killed by her in that strike, though it mainly showed that Olivier was more than worthy to beat them both up in no time at all. "You're in no place to be talking down to me. Now where'd you figure out how to do that?" Olivier demanded, her sword aimed at them and waiting for an answer. Any wrong word and they'll be nothing but cubes before she would be done with them. Ed gulped. "I-I ... I ... Look, thief!" Ed said, pointing past her. However, Olivier didn't remotely budge. "Terrorist! ... there's a sale on weapons! ... uh ... not working, huh?" "Idiot," Olivier simply stated, her sword dangerously close to his face. The sword, combined with her almost terrifying glare humbled both boys. "Had either of you ever heard of secrecy? You can not show off that kind of power like it's a new style. Maybe I should cut off what limbs you have left to teach you a lesson." Ed and Al weren't going to stay to find out any further, and both of them bolted for it. That just sparked Olivier to go right after them, much to their surprise. Olivier proved to move much faster though, and was catching up fast. Alphonse tried to avoid her, but Olivier actually went a bit far with her approach, and tackled Alphonse down. That move was forceful enough to knock off his head, which Edward caught in his arms as he turned back. Now Edward was getting angry at her. "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, LADY?!" shouted Edward. "Don't try and run away from me, coward!" Olivier yelled. "Well, let my brother go then!" Edward insisted. Olivier paused and looked at the armor, but she couldn't find anything inside at all. Nothing but air and metal walls of Alphonse's armor. Olivier did get off, but she wasn't by any means calmed down as she moved over to Edward. "That thing's your brother?" Olivier questioned. "Yes he is, and don't you think you can kill my brother because you're an Amestris soldier," Edward warned, though this was more of his anger talking rather than sense, something which Alphonse was a bit worried about. As for Olivier, she looked back at the body again, which was actually up on its feet and walking back to them as best it could. Edward took the moment to give the head back, and soon Alphonse was whole again. Eventually, Olivier aimed her sword back at Edward again. "You need to keep this more quiet, get it? And that goes for your "brother" too. Stop treating this alchemy like it's some sort of game, there's a reason why alchemy is dead here," Olivier firmly stated, making sure her words didn't miss them. The brothers didn't want a fight anymore. "Ok, ok, we promise, just put that thing away," Edward insisted. Olivier sighed roughly before withdrawing her sword, and with that said she started walking away. That was all the reassurance she needed, but she decided to give them one more message. "And one thing. If I catch either one of you playing around with this in front of anyone else again," Olivier finished her statement by slashing apart a nearby barrel, which freaked out them both. With that, she went off and out of sight, leaving the two brothers wondering what to actually do now. "That explains it," Aladdin said. "Yeah, so after that Al and I went off hiding from there. I had to keep Alphonse out of sight for the most part, and had to keep Alchemy low," Edward explained. "Hence me finding Al in an alleyway and not with you?" Blair asked. "Yep." "Sorry to hear that, Ed. I don't think she'll be too mad at you now, especially with what happened," Nagisa assured. "Well I don't know. Considering ... considering ... she's gonna kill us when she finds out what happened," Ed wept. "It would've been nice to at least have had a girlfriend before I died," Alphonse added, also worried sick. However, as surprising as it was that they met a Elysium general on their travels, Nagisa started to wonder a little bit about it. "No, that can't be right. Ed and Al are more strong than that, they couldn't have been that scared of her then, right? ... Something else must've happened between them," he thought. Before they could go any further, the doors soon opened up again, and ... well, speak of the devil. "Hello, little red runt." "Gah! ... little, red ..." Ed said, freaked out and shivering again. Just their luck she would show up after their little story. And after hearing that as well, the others had their impression on her already, and they doubt if Olivier cared about that or not. "Ah, Olivier, we were just talking about ya," Karma suddenly said, freaking out the brothers even more. "I heard you already from outside the door. Edward, Alphonse?" Olivier said, her sword drawn out again, scaring them both. That was more than enough for Team Harmony, and Envy, and Pinkie suddenly were grabbing the sword in Olivier's hand, worried she would attack them. "Back off, Olivier!" Envy demanded. "Let go of that, you brat," Olivier demanded, trying to get the sword back, but Envy and Pinkie weren't letting up. "Ed and Al are trying their best, they don't deserved to be marshmallow'd!" Pinkie cried. confusing, but Olivier managed to get her sword back after a good yank. She was more upset at Pinkie and Envy than she was at Edward and Alphonse. "Who said I was going to kill them? I'd 'marshmallow'd' them by now if I did," Olivier said. "Y-You're not mad?" "Don't push your luck," Olivier warned, worrying Al again before addressing everyone else in the group. "Now who's in charge here?" Olivier asked. In charge? None of them really considered that at all, most of the time they were just friends working together and didn't consider anyone in charge of anything in their group. In the end, Ciel Phantomhive got her attention. "May I ask your reasoning, Armstrong?" Ciel questioned. Olivier didn't like the tone given to her, but she bared it and reached for what they thought was her sword again, but instead she tossed what looked like a folded paper to him. After some unfolding, it turned out to be a set of wanted posters of a number of notable figures on it, each with their own bounty underneath. "The queen was going to blabber on about this, but I got tired of waiting. The longer those pansies continue going around, the more damage they'll cause." "So you want our group to go out and handle them for you," Ciel concluded. "with me. I'm not staying behind just because it's your group doing it," Olivier made clear. After hearing Ed and Al's story it was a bit out of nowhere. "Damn, first you try to kill these two and now you're asking for our help. Talk about a one eighty," Karma joked. Olivier just ignored his remark, Ciel nodding his head and giving it to Nagisa to look over. First time they've been actually tasked to hunt down some demons since this whole thing started. Most of the time they just found the demons where they went, so this was interesting for them. Not to mention one of them was actually the Great Tengu they were just talking about too. "We'll see what we can do," Ciel simply concluded. Olivier could tell that was the best answer Ciel was going to give her, so she then went over to Ed and Al. "And you two watch yourselves! If Pluton wasn't dead because of your involvement then there'd be a world of pain for you," Olivier warned. Ed and Al quickly got the hint, but still moved back a little bit, which Olivier found a bit silly. "Really now, I expect far more from my former students than a bunch of cowering dunces," stated Olivier. Well THAT came out of nowhere! The whole group turned to Ed and Al, both of which felt a little embarrassed. Before they could explain themselves though, Olivier had another message for them as she opened the door. "By the way, Celestia's ready for you now, so you better get moving," Olivier suggested. The others begin to get up and go, but suddenly Sebastian was stopped by Ciel. "... For the sake of the rest of us, you stay by the door," Ciel simply instructed. "Yes, my lord." ~~ After some guidance from Olivier herself, the whole group had gotten themselves from the guest room and off to the throne room. They had time later to figure the student and teacher thing out with Olivier, Ed, and Al, but for now they had a meeting with the queen to get to. It didn't take them too long, but eventually they did reached the main doors to the throne room in question. The throne room was fairly large, and pretty elegant for the queen of Elysium to have. A long red carpet reached from the door to the throne itself over clean white floors. The walls lines with pillars and window murals up to the throne itself, each side of the back wall had a banner for the Overworld symbol, resembling the sun and the moon. Pretty nice for the queen herself to have. Speaking of which, it didn't take them too long before they saw Celestia herself standing there. The two words that would describe the queen would be beautiful and regal: a women with fair skin and a skim figure, standing about as tall as Sebastian. She wore a white cream, long-sleeved dress which ended in a yellow flair at her feet, a set of yellow heeled shoes, accompanied by small gold accessories on her wrists, elbows, and running around her neck and shoulders, a purple gemstone at the center of her chest. Her hair flowed down her back in a flow of many colors, a calming rainbow almost like the aurora lights, and her violet eyes greeted them with calming demeanor and almost motherly comfort. The angel was clearly recognized as such by her creamy white wings, and a horn that came out of her head like that of a unicorn. The horn was also accompanied by a tiara, which was also gold and having a purple gemstone on it. They all could sense a sort of holy power flow from her, regardless if they had a sense for it or not, and Aladdin almost immediately bowed to her. Being a Magi of the Overworld, it would be disrespectful otherwise. Turned out as well she wasn't alone: Heine was over nearby and at attention, along with the Major. "Team Harmony. It's so nice to see you all at last," Celestia said, walking over to them. "I-It's nice to see you too, uh, your highness," said Nagisa, humbled at her presence. The others felt similarly, though Pinkie couldn't help but stare in amazement at the beautiful queen. Celestia took a moment to look them all over, and actually started to smile and giggle softly. "What's so funny?" Ciel questioned. "Oh, nothing much. I'm a bit humbled myself, actually," Celestia admitted with a smile. "Let me guess, because of how many demons we battled off of our world?" Karma figured. That would be enough to earn respect regardless. "And it was all done by a group of children too. At such a young age and look at how much you've all done already. Congratulations," Celestia said. "Oh. Uh, thank you," Twilight said. It was then Celestia looked to Aladdin, who was still bowing on the ground. Aladdin was just trying to show his respect to her, but he didn't realize that no one else was doing in. "I think you can get up now," Blair said, nudging Aladdin. "O-Oh, uh, ok," Aladdin said, red in the face and getting up to his feet. Ciel then stepped to her. "So, queen Celestia -" "Call me Princess Celestia. It makes me sound younger," Celestia joked. "Right. Princess Celestia, what's this about exactly?" "It's just a visit, Ciel. Is there anything wrong in just a informal visit?" Celestia asked. Not exactly what Ciel expected to hear, but they didn't really protest against it. However, she then took a look over at Sebastian standing over by the door, and noticed that he was feeling a bit troubled. Sebastian had been a bit troubled since arriving here, feeling pretty warm since showing up, but while the others didn't want to get into trouble, Celestia actually started going up to him, making the situation a bit more troubling. "Is everything okay?" Celestia asked. Sebastian felt himself heat up when she moved over to him, but he tried to keep himself relaxed and not act too troubled for being here. "Just under instructions, mam," Sebastian simply said, not even looking at her in the face. The others were beginning to get a little bit worried, and Celestia actually went on and gently placed her hand on Sebastian's hand, keeping it there for a moment. Sebastian tried to keep himself together. Eventually though, Celestia started to sense something with him, especially where her hand was. "Oh dear. A demon in the throne room." Crap, they were found out! The news got the Major and Olivier very on edge, and Olivier immediately drew out her sword, but Nagisa, Twilight, and Blair got in the way, Celestia backing up. "NO, NO, NO, NO, wait a minute! Yes, he's a demon but he's on our side really, he saved our lives multiple times, and yeah he can be a bit rough but he's not willing to harm anyone!" Twilight quickly stated. However, Celestia looked at them all down with disapproval. ... but then laughed. "I'm joking, I knew he was a demon since he arrived here." "Well, why didn't you say?" Olivier questioned. "You heard what they said. Sebastian is a demon, but he's done more good than harm. As long as he doesn't run into any holy water, he should be okay," Celestia said. A wave of relief washed over all of them, including Sebastian. At least Celestia had an open mind about the situation, even if it meant letting a demon run around her own castle. Celestia then turned over to the rest of the group, walking over and stopping in front of Envy. Envy had tried to keep quiet about it, but seeing the Overworld queen like this left him unsure what to say. He took a few steps back as she came close. "Ah, Envy. Heine did mention you while he was there. Are you enjoying your life as a Human?" Celestia asked. Envy recollected himself, glancing at Heine nearby. "Eh, it's okay. Took some time getting used to, but it's fine," Envy said. What else could he say? He couldn't even look up at Celestia, but Celestia brought her gentle hands under his chin and lifted his gaze up her, Envy seeing her sweet smile. After that she moved over to the front of the group again, Envy trying to calm down from that. "It is nice to meet all of you, but as this is a meeting, I do have something for you," Celestia informed, catching their attention. "Sweet, what is it?" Blair asked. Celestia then turned over towards the Major. They didn't notice when they came in, but they did find out that Winry was also with him, standing at attention. "Edward. I believe it was Winry who mended your automail, right?" Celestia asked. "Uh, yeah, why?" "Because she's going to be your new mechanic from here on out. In a way, it is her automail your wearing, so it would make sense for the mechanic of the automail to be with you. Winry Armstrong, do try to help him however you can," Celestia explained. So basically, Celestia gave Edward a mechanic. Edward glanced to Karma, who was smiling smugly at him. Edward knew the idea Karma must have in his head, but he didn't say anything. With her dad standing right there, and how strong he even was, he'd rather not get his head cracked open by Alex. "... Wait. Winry Armstrong?" Ed thought. He worked out the family tree in his head and reached the similar conclusion as the others: Winry was related to Olivier. "Hey Ed, Al, guess we'll be hanging out together for a while, eh?" Winry said with a smile. "Eh, yeah. Cool," Ed said meekly. He could only wonder what sort of traits she might've got from Olivier, and not a good idea to make any snazzy comments to both parents here. "Ah, a new member! Welcome aboard," said Pinkie with a grin. "Do try to make her feel right at home. It'll be grateful over what you three had gone through. Also, I do have something else to show you all," Celestia said, ready to grab whatever it was. However, she found that the item was ... kind of missing. Celestia looked a little confused and tried to find it. After a little bit though, Nagisa started to guess what she had in mind and then pulled out the poster Olivier gave to them earlier. "Looking for this?" "How'd you get that already?" Celestia asked. "Your general Olivier got impatient, that's how," Karma commented. Olivier felt a little bit ticked for the tattletale, but more embarrassed for it being right in front of Celestia. The queen just kept that aside and looked back to the group. "Yes. I know it might be much, but perhaps ..." "Sure," Nagisa said, a bit quick too. "We've been running into so many left and right, I'm more than sure we'll end up finding them anyway. Besides, Karma already faced one of the Great Tengu's followers, so seeing him shouldn't be for too long." Honestly, saying this won't happen to them was simply hogwash at this point, and with how many they fought before they might as well take the task at hand with more open arms. At least Nagisa was more up to the task, and in the end many of the others started to agree to (Envy being the only exception that is). Celestia smiled on this word. "How wonderful. I'm glad you're all so willing to help." "Well let's be real, it's probably gonna happen anyway, why fight it? I'm actually looking forward to meeting the Great Tengu. If his followers are gutsy to attack at a military base, I wonder how the Great Tengu will fight," Karma brought. That detail about the military base actually reminded Ciel of another detail. "Speaking of, Celestia, there's something I want to ask of you. A number of leaders down in the Human World had started a protection agreement, you see." "Protection Agreement?" Celestia asked. "Oh, that. It's an agreement for countries to protect eachother from the demons showing up. They've been pretty rough lately," Nagisa said. "Well, something like that. And we've been wishing for some more Overworld support." Celestia smiled. "I'll have Olivier and Alex arrive in Tokyo to help you then," Celestia decided. "Sounds good to me." "Nagisa, what the hell?!" Ed and Al thought. "It's all settled then. I wish you all my blessing," Celestia finished. With the meeting over, Team Harmony took their leave from the throne room, Sebastian opening the door and letting them all go off. Sebastian took one look over back towards Celestia before leaving himself, and they all begin to go off towards the carriage. A lot had been done in there: more demons to find with a bounty, a new member for their team, and now some Overworld support against the demons down in the human world. "Well, that couldn't have gone better, could it?" Ciel concluded. "Yeah, and now we have a new member to our team. It's gonna be great!" Pinkie said, referring to Winry. "I'm glad you like me here," Winry said with a smile. Blair took a look over to Envy then, and Envy actually looked very frazzled, hand over his heart as it was racing. "My god. ... Is that what goddesses truly look like?" he thought aloud. "I know, it's amazing! Celestia gave all of us her blessing, that's such an honor!" Aladdin beamed, hands together and eyes sparkling. As they went along, Nagisa started to think over what just happened. "Let's see. We still have Envy's capture to deal with soon. We got these four Demons to find and stop alongside the general and the major, and Twilight and I still have Lugia to find. We got a lot of work to do, but with the group we have, I think we'll be okay." S04Ep9: Inner Demons ~内悪魔~Well, it had been a pretty long cool down for Japan, and for the world for that matter. The last huge demon involvement had been months ago at this point, and be that as it may it would only be a matter of time before that would exactly change. And in the case for one Homunculus, it was time to finally come out and play: Gluttony. Gluttony had been put in deep regeneration for a while, not to mention that he was no longer the mindless beast he once was by Tirek (which was what had to take more time to reverse in the first place), but now he was back in action, and the first order of business on his mind was to find out where Envy was. A major setback thanks to Tirek, but he was still sure his Homunculus friend was out there somewhere. He at least wanted to see if his Homunculus was alright. Anything left in the wake of Pluton was not something that even he could stomach. After getting released, Gluttony got himself up back out into the field over in the more suburban part of Tokyo. It was getting a bit later, but Gluttony didn't really care so long as he finds Envy. He put his great nose to good use, trying his best to figure out any similar scent, and even went in the area he was last spotted in. If Lust could find him, surely he could! "Yes, he's here somewhere. He has to be," Gluttony told himself, smelling the air around him. Scent tracking over a Homunculus lost for months was no easy task, and without anything to back him up he had only his memory to work off of. He smelled that scent off of Twilight and Aladdin, he knew he was somewhere with them for some reason, so if Envy was anywhere it had to be with Team Harmony ... as crazy as it sounded. "Thanks for the lift." Gluttony heard the voice just enough to get his attention. It sounded slightly off, but it was extremely close to who he was looking for. He crept up and peeked around a street corner, and soon he saw that someone was being dropped off at home by Korosensei. "Anytime kiddo. So, how was it with the queen? Did she give you any goodies?" Korosensei asked, eager to figure it out. "Eh, it was fine. She gave us some thanks, a mechanic, and left them with some bounties to handle," Envy stated. But in his mind, it was still racing that he actually got to see an Overworld queen without getting killed over it. "Oh god, oh god, I can't believe that even happened! She looked so beautiful," Envy thought. "Aww, it was hoping she'd give you a souvenir. Sure is nice for them to bring you along, Envy." "They said it was to keep me safe for another day, but yeah," Envy admitted, shrugging it off. He hadn't forgotten about his supposed capture by his fellow Homunculus, which was why he decided to go off in the first place, but with how much he heard them defying fate so far he grew less worried over it. Not that he wasn't at all, but he was still a bit calmer about it. "Good for them and you. Whelp, sorry I can't stop, we must keep time you know," Korosensei said, before jumping up in the air and flying off on his way, leaving Envy all alone just outside the house. Did Gluttony hear him right? Was that Envy standing there? Gluttony could feel his emotions overflow him on seeing him, and ... "ENVY!!" "What the - OOFF!" Suddenly, Gluttony charged right out, arms opened wide as he tackled Envy in a hug, which knocked them both to the ground. Envy was still in a state of shock, so he didn't know what to think at first, but Gluttony was more than happy to see him, tears pouring out of his eyes like fountains. "OH ENVY, YOU'RE ALIVE! MY FRIEND, MY BUDDY, I THOUGHT I LOST YOU FOREVER!" Gluttony cried. Envy struggled to get himself out of Gluttony's grip. His Homunculus body would take it just fine, but his human body just wasn't strong enough, and it strained at the least. However, Envy got himself back to line, and realized what was going on. A known Homunculus had found him, and he didn't have time to alter himself at all. "G-Gluttony? What the hell are you doing here?" Envy asked, Gluttony setting him down. "Looking for you! That mean Pluton tore you apart and I couldn't find you anywhere, so I searched and searched and here I am! ... Why're you dressed like that?" Gluttony then asked, only now actually giving Envy a better look. once being a Homunculus of deception, Envy already got a lie at the ready. "I'm undercover, Gluttony, not so loud," Envy warned. Gluttony covered his mouth, and quickly looked around, but then he took a small sniff. Something smelled different about Envy. Envy started to get uncomfortable when Gluttony took a few more sniffs. "You smell good. ..." "Eh ... thank you? Ok, look, just get out of here before anyone sees you, you'll blow my cover," Envy insisted, but Gluttony continued sniffing some more. Envy sure smelled good, almost delicious. ... But, why would Gluttony smell that kind of scent on him? Suddenly, Gluttony grabbed Envy and gave him a hearty lick. "Gluttony, what the hell?!" Envy snapped, pulling his arm away. The taste just made Gluttony's mouth water, him tasting something exceptionally good off of him. Normally he'd go into a feeding frenzy at this point, but considering this was a Homunculus Envy he was talking to, the revelation and clues were just shocking to him, his eyes wide and staring in horror. "... Oh no. E-Envy ..." Envy groaned. A Homunculus didn't taste or smelled like a human being, so these factors stood against him. He'd make up a lie for the smell if Gluttony didn't actually taste him first, so eventually he just looked to his Homunculus friend. "Alright, alright. Pluton did too much of a number on my stone, so I got stuck in this damn human body. A good disguise, but all my powers are down, okay?" Envy admitted, very annoyed about it and a lie he had to make up on the spot. Gluttony was shocked to hear what had happened to him. "Does anyone from Tartarus know?" "Aside from Sombra, no. But god damn it, it's bullshit without my power quick fix," Envy complained. Gluttony really wanted to help Envy out of this little slump of his. A Homunculus like him without his powers was a big problem for any Underworld or Overworld being to deal with, especially a being like Envy. Gluttony scratched his forehead, trying to think but then he got his eureka moment. A big smile then went across his face. "Too bad I don't have a clue how," Envy groaned, rolling his eyes. "I do!" Gluttony suddenly said. "... Y-You do?" "Sombra! He brought you back to life before, I'll get him to fix you and you'll be a Homunculus again!" Gluttony decided, turning and running off away. "Gluttony, hold on!" Envy called. But Gluttony didn't stop, and soon Envy was by himself again. He tried lying out of trouble, but instead he just sealed his own goddamn fate. The Homunculus are going to be coming back, and Envy, I think they're coming for you. "DAMNIT!" ~~ Nighttime, and off back in their apartment, Nagisa and Aladdin were both off and taking some rest. Honestly it wasn't anything too typical for them both, and along with the rest of the team they had a pretty good day overall. Seitenshi would surely be pleased when Olivier and Alex do end up arriving under Celestia's request. First time they got some true aid from the big angels now, and Nagisa rested more reassured then before. Nagisa still had some thoughts going through his mind, though not as many as before, the main subject being Envy and the Homunculi. Bradly flat out admitted it without too much trouble, Lust, Pride, and Gluttony were still out there, and who knew when it was actually gonna happen. Nagisa did a fair job pre-planning for Gakuho and Karasu, but this one he didn't have much clue on when. It could be any minute, it could be any week, but all the same it stuck around with him as he went to sleep. He had one idea how to find out. ....... "Good, it happened again. I'm getting better at this." Yep, back to the dream world, and back to looking for Lugia again. Lugia was the only person who would have anything more about these sorts of visions. The area was the same, with the exception of a star night sky instead of blue. Nothing new really, and at this point he was growing used to it. However that didn't make finding Lugia any easier. He looked and looked, but as before he was all alone again. No Lugia anywhere. "Lugia!" called Nagisa, but as before he didn't show up. Just him and the lone tower of Synapse. Whatever this bad thing was, it either was going on, or it must've already happened, because Lugia would've shown up by now. "Oh no. D-did something happen to him?" Nagisa thought. He really didn't want to think that, since he and Twilight were trying to help him, but if something bad had already happened, what was he supposed to do? Did Lugia knew they were looking for him? No, they didn't tell him yet, but then again Lugia knew a lot of things long before they even showed up so who's to say? Nagisa turned his eyes up to the tower this time, and then he began to see that something was actually floating down to the ground. The object was small, a piece of paper, and it gently swaying and turned in the air until it landed right in Nagisa's hand. "Lugia!" Nagisa eyes shot up back to the tower, hoping Lugia would be there, but no, nothing was there that would've dropped the paper off. This was bad, and he took a look at the paper dropped down to him. I hope this prepares you ... Then the flash happened again. ....... With the morning sun rising up after enough time, Aladdin gave a good stretch and awakened to a new day. At least last night went fairly well for him, as the first thing he did was go over to Nagisa's room to get him up. It'd been that way for a while when they had a school day: if Aladdin woke up earlier than Nagisa, he would wake him up to start the day. So, Aladdin went off to do that, and soon he opened up the door. "Morning, Nagi - ... Nagisa?" Gone. Nagisa had not only woke up before him, but apparently gone from the apartment altogether. The Magi didn't see him in there, nor in the main room either. As he looked though, Aladdin did end up seeing something up on the coffee table, something he didn't catch when he woke up. Turned out it was some more instructions Nagisa had left behind for him. "What's this?" Aladdin wondered, picking it up and reading it over. Off to get Envy. I know it's school today, but we won't have any time left to save Envy if we do that. Tell the others what's going on and where I'll be at. If they want to see me, then fine, but here's what I plan on doing ... As Aladdin read down exactly what he had in mind, which was surprisingly detailed in time and place, Aladdin grew more and more worried, his hands shaking, and nerves ranked up. When he was finished, he gripped the note, quickly summoned out his flying carpet, and rushed off right out the window! There was no time to waste! ~~ As Aladdin was flying off on his way, Nagisa was walking off on his own way towards his destination. He wouldn't usually go this way for any reason, honestly, so memory was a little bit more vague than his typical visits, but thanks to Korosensei and some direction, Nagisa got in his way over to where Envy lived, and as such towards Hinano's house. He had his own list to work out in his hand, and Nagisa took the walk some time to look it over. He already crossed off the first thing, which was leaving a note for Aladdin, but he had more to handle than that, and he even had the time limit to handle all these things before the deadline. He also had a wrist watch, and he kept time with that too, and so far he was doing pretty alright. "Alright, so Aladdin should've gotten that note by now. If they stay away then fine, if they do come I'll just have to explain myself. Hopefully Envy's more open to the plan," Nagisa thought, a yawn escaping himself. He wasn't so thrilled about it either, but he made out all the stops for this, which took him about three extra hours straight after waking from the dream (which was why he was a bit tired), and he had to do his absolute best to get all his chips gathered before handing this kind of bet. Eventually, Nagisa did find the house in question passed the next corner, and he wasted no time in getting there. He checked his time again. "Only five minutes to eight. They should still be here," Nagisa thought, and indeed they were. In fact, he caught one of the residents just in time, seeing Hinano coming out with all her stuff for school, but Envy wasn't with her. He could probably guess why though, and Hinano saw Nagisa coming straight over. "Oh, Nagisa? What're you doing here?" Hinano asked, a bit surprised to see him show up. Again, Nagisa wouldn't normally come this way, nevermind so early. "Don't worry about it, Hinano, I just want to talk with Envy. Is he still here or did he leave already?" Nagisa asked. From the tone of his voice Nagisa sounded like it was important, but Hinano still wasn't too sure about it. "Eh, well yes he's here, but I don't think it's such a good idea right now." "Why?" "Let's just say he's a bit on edge," Hinano admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "No surprise there," Nagisa thought, before looking at the time again. Nagisa turned to the house before he spoke again. "Can I go in for a minute, it won't be too long." "Well, you can try talking to him, but I don't know how well you'll do. He's just upstairs in the first room to your left," Hinano said, pointing to the stairs just inside the door. He gave his thanks and went right on inside, as Hinano started to feel a little concern. With what happened to Envy before, Hinano could only hope that it wasn't too bad. Checking his time again as he went in, Nagisa wasted little time in going from the front door, and going straight upstairs and right to the first room to his left as Hinano said. So, Nagisa went on ahead and actually opened the door. ... "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME!" "AH, Envy wait, it's me!" Apparently this edginess came with a bat in Envy's hands, which Envy nearly clocked Nagisa with. Envy was freaked out for basically setting up this fate of his and he really didn't want any chances with it. Nagisa had just a moment to dodge the bat and only then did Envy realize who he just swung at. "Oh. What's up?" Envy asked, still holding the bat but more casually as Nagisa went into the room. "Look, it's about that vision I had, you see -" "Look, don't rub it in, I know it's gonna happen! I already screwed myself, don't hammer it in," Envy admitted, feeling angry at himself for his big mouth. "What're you talking about?" "Just yesterday gluttony just so happened to show up, and now he's running around back in Tartarus trying to get Sombra out here to "fix me". Well goddamnit, I'm not going anywhere without a fight," Envy said. He knew what'll happen when he would be caught by them, even if Nagisa didn't say. He knew Sombra way more than Nagisa did, and as far as he knew, mercy was not on Sombra's mind. That only confirmed when this would exactly happen, as Nagisa looked to the list again as Envy was explaining. "No they won't," Nagisa firmly stated. "How're you so sure?" Envy spat. "I already got a plan worked out for them, and if it works, we'll all be okay. I need your help though in order for this to work, and NO, you're not going to be captured for it," Nagisa said, making that clear before Envy could bring it up, Nagisa even showed Envy the written plan out on the paper, which Envy looked up and down and reading the details. Once done, he looked to Nagisa with a rather perplexed look. "Seriously?" "Yes, I am. ... Now, you still have them somewhere, don't you?" ....... Back at Orora high, things were getting a bit more casual since the whole Gakuho affair, and at this point it was as normal as it could get to. Much of Team Harmony too were going through the motions, though none of them really had noticed Nagisa just yet, or Aladdin for that matter, and with one more future vision still up for grabs, anything could happen for them now. It was still fairly early for much of them, only about an hour into school, and at this point it was just in between classes. Twilight and Pinkie both met up near the 3-E class. "So you still didn't see Nagisa anywhere?" "Nope, and our Magi's been and gone too. I bet they're gonna be doing something big and heroic," said Pinkie, slightly annoyed that they were left out of the fun. "Big and heroic?" "We've been doing that for months, why wouldn't they be? Why did he have to do it without us though?" Pinkie added in. Twilight felt more worried than anything, but they were on their way to the 3-E class, so maybe they could figure out what was going on. It took just a minute for them to get there, but they got another little surprise while there. Turned out they weren't the only ones who decided to stop by the 3-E classroom today, and actually it was Gakuho Asano of all people! "Oh. Morning Kagayaki, Pie," Gakuho said. "Gakuho?" Twilight asked. "I'm just stopping by as all ..." Gakuho admitted. Hard thing to swallow, but the principal felt that, in his heart, an apology needed to be said to the man who he drew a gun on. That would be enough at least. Before either one of them could open the door, there stood Heine. "Ah, morning sir, Yugure, Pinkie." "Morning. ... Heine, I -" Heine knew exactly why he was there, and he actually raised his hand for Gakuho to be quiet. "If this is in regards to your "episode", I've already forgiven you for that. You at least were aware enough to recognize when to stop," Heine said. Gakuho turned away. "... Understood. ..." Gakuho could feel some slight sense of relief for that. It had been going on in his head over the last number of days, and at least Heine was understandable enough, even if it was on something as extreme as this. "Now, let's try and start over, wouldn't you agree?" Gakuho suggested, a hand extended. However, Heine merely grabbed his finger by his index and thumb. "I would want to point out how unnecessary that actually was. A teacher worries over the future of his students day in and day out, and in the end, Gakuho, that was all I was trying to do. I'm aware you care about your ant system, but you have to understand any and all students need to have a proper future, and they shouldn't be held back from doing so. You do understand, do you?" Gakuho was quiet and looked to 3-E, and to the other two girls nearby. The images of his desperation echoed in his head, and he sighed gravely. "... Yes. I understand." "If it makes you feel any better, sir, moving the students to the main building was, and will, be the biggest move I'll do. So as long as you treat the E students as every other class rank, don't expect any major changes apart from that anytime soon." "I ... I promise, Heine," Gakuho finally said. After such a long time of his discriminative nature in his ant system, the flaws in the design were finally starting to show up for him. Of course, and Heine knew this all too well, you can't give a man a seed and expect a farm overnight. Time will tell how well it'll go. ... "HEY! GUYS!" The somber moment was cut short when a freaked out voice cut the silence, all four of them turning down the hall to see Aladdin standing there, the note still in his hand from earlier that morning. He was scared, breathing heavily, and really needed to find the others. "A-Aladdin? What's going on, you okay?" asked Pinkie. "Where is everyone? Ed, Al, Ciel, Karma, they're here right?!" Aladdin asked, sounding almost panicked. Now, it was rare for anyone to look like this, so it was clear that something wasn't right now. Twilight then started to realize. ... "What's wrong? Where's Nagisa?" ~~ Back in Hinano's home, Envy awaited just outside, waiting right by the door for Nagisa to be finished. Thanks to him he knew the entire plan, and he seemed a bit unsure about it for Nagisa's sake. Eventually though, Nagisa Shiota was outside and met up with him, though it wasn't exactly the same Nagisa Shiota Envy met with that morning. It took some effort on Envy's part to help, but eventually Nagisa looked like ... well, him. Wearing Envy's old clothes, and even styling his hair to the darker black, Nagisa looked almost exactly like Envy, the only exception being the hair being a bit smaller, but it could easily be overlooked for everything else. They even got some lenses in his eyes so they appeared purple instead of blue. Nagisa felt a little embarrassed for the outfit choice, but kept that bottled up inside him, as he gave himself one more spot check. "Ok, how do I look? Think I can pull you off?" Nagisa asked, looking over his shoulder to see the back of him. "It fits you surprisingly well, I can't lie," Envy admitted, surprised himself as to how well Nagisa actually looked to mirroring him. Though he wasn't wearing it for the hell of it, there was a plan to work with, and Nagisa checked the time once again just to be sure. "There's still half an hour left, so it'll leave me enough time to get there. You just wait inside," Nagisa concluded. And with this look, he felt confident he could get it pulled off. Nagisa himself took a look at the list, which he had marked off a few more times down to the wire, and soon not much of it was left. Only a basic instruction and the deadline time. Envy did as he said, and went back inside the house, giving Nagisa one more look before closing the door. Nagisa sighed, and just got ready to go when - "NAGISA!" Even if it was still school, the others just had to catch him. Aladdin managed to get Ed, Al, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie on the level, unable to find the rest of the group in time, nor did he have enough time to even look. Nagisa sighed, and at least had the option at the ready for if they were to show up before he left. "Hey guys. So, what do you think? Look good?" "Yes, but I think you're crazy, you can't do this!" Pinkie straight up said, summing up the whole situation pretty good. Nagisa sighed. Leave it to Aladdin to get the word out quickly enough like this. Nagisa showed them the plan next. "Everything will be okay," Nagisa insisted. "How do you know? And why this of all things, cosplaying won't stop them!" Edward said. "Yeah, you look exactly like him, but why?! You don't even know what'll happen! ... Do you?" Pinkie added, her tone shifting very quickly on the last question. "As a matter of fact, I do. Look, last night I got an extremely detailed vision, down to even the time. If this plan works, it'll help everyone out, I -" "Nagisa!" Twilight suddenly shouted, "Don't do this, please, we all thought you died already, we can't bare to lose you again!" Nagisa paused and remembered that trouble, and how long he was actually gone for with that kind of thought in their heads. "If this works, you won't have to. Besides, I don't want any of you caught up in it either. Read it," Nagisa insisted, and so they did. The plan was detailed very well, whatever vision Nagisa had making it so up to a point, and they did notice one sort of detail that did come across as at least a reason. He'll want no witnesses to anything. Be sure to go alone, otherwise they'll be killed. "... Rather blunt, huh?" Pinkie said, though for once she wasn't trying to make it funny. "You mean we'll die if we show up with you?" "Why do you think I had Aladdin tell you instead of me? At least then I might've been and gone before you got to me." "Come on, we can handle it, really! Don't treat us like we can't!" Edward snapped. Nagisa sighed again, and saw his point but he really didn't want to take the chance with any of them, not even Alphonse. "Listen, I know it sounds selfish to keep you all back, especially after how much you all did, but ..." "But ...?" Twilight asked. "... But, I don't want to watch my friends be killed. If it does all work out and one of you dies, I'll never forgive myself for it. So, the best thing any of you could do is wait until it's over. Ok?" There was a silence that hung in the air after that as they all considered the plan given to them, and the one that Nagisa worked enough time into to make it fool-proof. However, with this being a future vision they were talking about, just how big of a risk was it? Ed and Al were Very unsure about it, but Twilight and Pinkie both were slowly starting to see just how sure Nagisa was. Similar to his decision to fight Tirek and Gluttony before, similar to when he ran off to finish off Pluton even. ... All Twilight did was nod her head. "Ok. ... I trust you." "I promise I'll come back." Nagisa's final statement came with him turning around and starting to go off on his way. As he went, a thought then struck him again concerning what Twilight said. He thought she was gone too at one point, and she spent enough time looking for him. "Wait. ... One more thing. You know, just in case if something happens," Nagisa said, turning around and starting to walk up to them. ... "Nagisa, I trust you enough, don't say -" Then he did it. After too long in his mind, he finally did it. He was right in front of Twilight Kagayaki. ... A kiss. Right on her lips, and Nagisa kept it there for three full seconds. The shock from Ed, Al, and Pinkie were more than enough to see just how big this was. Twilight grew flustered, eyes wide and in shock at the kiss being given to her, and she didn't know what to say. Nagisa looked Twilight in the eyes for once more before he turned away, and raced off out of sight. "Nagisa ..." ....... Pretty soon, and it took a good while, but eventually Nagisa managed to find his destination for this deadline to take place. It was secluded as expected, over off in the outskirts of Tokyo, just by a streetlight. No one seemed to be around anywhere except for himself, and with the disguise all set and just him there, Nagisa had everything figured out. He looked to his list one more time, before crumbling it in his hand and tossed it aside. The list was practically done anyway, and with silence, his mind went back to what he just did, namely kissing Twilight. "I didn't miss that chance. ... No regrets now," Nagisa thought, as he took a look once more at his time. It was just down to seconds now. "Five ... four ... three ... two ... cue Pride Homunculus." "Hello Envy. I found you." And right on time. Nagisa made sure to keep quiet just in case they would hear him. If either one did that, then the cover would be pointless. After all, he can't change his voice no matter what they did to him. As for the Homunculus, as he thought, it turned out to be Selim Bradley Pride, and he wasn't hiding his Homunculus side this time, with the physical body there and the huge Homunculus form slowly seeping out towards him. Pride grinned. "Quiet today? Very well. It was nice for Gluttony to tell us about you. And here I was thinking you've actually perished in the Pluton incident. Yet, here you are," Pride explained, as Nagisa felt his shadows creep up his body, a tiny hand actually giving a slight cut on his face, showing that they were more than just shadows. Any move now and he could be sliced to pieces. Still, he didn't say a word to him, Pride clearly buying into the disguise good enough. He could even feel himself being lifted off the ground by these same shadows. "Don't take this personal, Envy, Sombra's orders. come on then," Pride said. As Pride crept into the alleyway where he came in, Nagisa realized that there was another symbol written out on the wall, but not a demonic star or any Homunculi Ouroboros, but instead an eye inside a triangle, within a circle. All Envy needed to do was press his hand onto it for it to activate, glowing a orange color before an outlime of a door appeared, one to fit inside easily. "So that's how they're coming here," Nagisa thought. And the alchemic symbol didn't look too complicated either, so he kept that in mind. Pride first moved Nagisa through the portal, his Homunculus body flowing inside as the physical body walked in. ... "NO YOU DON'T!" "Oh great, more trouble," Pride realized, looking back behind him and seeing that Edward and Alphonse actually caught up with him. Not something Nagisa wanted to see, but lucky for him, Pride wanted to get through more than kill them right now. He got his catch, and it was time to head home, but Edward and Alphonse weren't going to give up so quickly, and they actually managed to grab hold of one part of Pride's shadow form, pulling back as hard as they could! "Let go!" Pride demanded. "No way, give him up!" Edward demanded back. Pride was a lot stronger though and charged his entire body through the portal, and Ed and Al felt themselves actually bring dragged into it! Pride was honestly having enough with them both and, using the shadow part holding Nagisa, he swung him right at them. Then it's lights out for Ed and Nagisa. ~~ ....... "Brother? Brother, you okay?" Ed needed a minute to get himself waking up again, but when he opened his eyes, his body was actually inside Al's armor. Though he couldn't entirely grasp what actually happened at first, but he wasted no time in getting himself out, pushing open the chest plate to see where they actually were. He and Al could guess that they weren't back in their world anymore, but where'd they end up was the real question. To start, they weren't back in any street, but instead appearing to have crash-landed inside some sort of castle, and Ed could see he hadn't been out for very long, since they were still in the presence of a smashed window from where they fell in. The sky outside surely looked different from the typical bright blue winter sky back home. Guess Pride dragged them down here rather than killed them. Either that or their souls ended up here. "What happened, Al? Where are we?" "I think we're in the Underworld." "WHAT?! YOU MEAN WE'RE DEAD?!" "Brother, hush. No, I think that Homunculus dragged us down here. I tried to get him, but he was too strong for me. I'm sorry," Alphonse said. Edward sighed and got himself out of Al's armor, standing up along with him. "Look, let's just fine him. He's gotta be here somewhere." *grrrr* Well, they had company. Ed and Al turned and sure enough, the local Houndoom pack had found them, all of them growling and baring their deadly teeth at them. Not even a minute here and they're already found out by the security. Ed would normally fight, but he saw what demons could do, and when he saw one of them snort out smoke, both brothers got to the same conclusion. One of them immediately jumped at them, and almost bit Ed, who jumped up onto Alphonse as he raced off for it. "Run, Al!" "I don't know where we're going!" "Better than getting killed!" ....... "Rise and shine, Envy, welcome back." Off isolated from much of the other parts of the palace, Nagisa woke himself up on the surprisingly soothing voice and he found himself in a rather rough spot. Getting knocked out wasn't part of the plan unfortunately, but it didn't feel like it was too far off from the vision itself. His body wasn't just bounded and gagged, but instead he found himself chained up and stuck on a suspended stone pillar, held up by other chains from the ceiling. The room was dimly lit up, the floor seemingly covered in some sort of metal tubes, like roots. He wasn't alone either though as he looked around: Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Chrysalis, Gaara, and even King Bradley were present, all looking up to him. A pretty decent crowd for this little execution, but he felt his heart sink when he saw Gaara sitting there of all people. Honestly he was beside himself on that one. Nagisa tested the chains, but he could barely even budge with how tight they were around his frame. "Everyone's here," Nagisa thought. "Still not a word? Did someone rip out your tongue too?" Chrysalis cooed. "I wouldn't be too surprised, but then again he would've grown it back by now. Why not just kill him and be done with it?" Gaara suggested, though he could care less about what happened to Envy, so long as it was out of the way so his own problem could be done. "We can't do that! Don't worry Envy, soon as that human body is taken care of, you'll be a Homunculus again in no time!" Gluttony promised. It did sound like good intentions, but that made Nagisa more trembling. He found the reason that they captured "Envy" anyway, and it seemed to be on Gluttony's head as the real Envy had said. "Indeed, Envy. It'll only hurt for a moment," said Lust. Apparently Envy did lose his tongue because Nagisa refused to say anything again. "Stubborn, isn't he?" Bradley commented. "He's usually like that in revenge. Guess your little game of capturing him gave him a new grudge," Lust stated. It would be something Envy would get pissed off about, but Bradley and Pride both knew that they let him out as well not long after Pride showed himself, so it wasn't too big of a deal. Chrysalis then decided to tease him a little bit, and went right up to him. "What's the matter Envy? Don't feel up for talking to anyone today? Maybe you'll be more talkative after we're done here," Chrysalis said, Nagisa still not answering. All of a sudden they heard more footsteps off further away, as one more figure moved up to the light. Nagisa's first true encounter with Sombra. "Hello Homunculus. Gaara, Chrysalis. Seemed you did get him from what I hear," said Sombra. "He practically gave himself up when I found him. Must be glad to see us," Pride said. Sombra went over and looked up to Nagisa for a moment or two, seeing what everyone thought was Envy being up there and suspended. Though he doubt that he would be happy since he put him in such a spot in the first place. "Right. ... And no one else saw you, right Pride?" "Some pathetic kids found me, but I took care of them." "Hope you did. ... don't worry Envy, this'll only be for a moment," Sombra confirmed. That was what Nagisa was afraid of, but when he heard what Pride had said, his heart sank. What else could 'took care of them' meant in terms to his friends? Just the thing he didn't want to happen. Anyway, with a signal from a snap of his fingers, something then started to show up from the floor under him. An intense heat began to bellow out from under his feet, and when he looked down, a lava floor was suddenly shown right under him, all in a huge stone bowl, big enough to put the entire pillar inside. The light from the lava shaded Nagisa's body a bit, everyone else looking on from below and waiting for "Envy" to be boiled up for the Homunculus process to start, as the pillar started to descend. "This is it. Just like it was said. Goodbye everyone ..." ... "Hold on!" Suddenly everything stopped. The pillar stopped moving, but the lava pit remained where it was underneath him. What made Sombra stop? "Hold on? Hold on what, don't you want Envy to return to normal?" Gluttony asked. "Just a minute," Sombra said. Then he ordered the pit to close shut, and the pillar dropped all the way down to the ground, at their level. Sombra went right up to him, and his eyes skewered through him during his examination. Nagisa kept his eyes onto Sombra, but he didn't feel too worried, if not a bit unsure. "Hurry up, will you?" Gaara demanded. Sombra just ignored him, his hand starting to look him over. He moved some of his hair for a bit, and looked right into his eyes. "... wait a minute ... you're not - ..." Suddenly, Sombra brought his hands right up to Nagisa's eyes, and in a quick move, the lenses were actually tossed out of his eyes and thrown back over to the others. Now Nagisa looked to Sombra with his true eyes. Exposed! Sombra actually took a step back, but quickly corrected himself as he allowed everyone else to see what was really going on. "Nagisa Shiota. Pride, I thought you said you had him," Sombra said sternly, more disappointed than upset. Pride felt himself grow upset himself, but Chrysalis found this especially interesting, and she was right next to him, her breasts right by his face. "Well look at the hero. How adorable,~" Chrysalis cooed, though Nagisa tried to ignore her, but at least he could talk now. "Well, so you're Sombra," Nagisa said. "You were to find out eventually. And you decided to play a deception game too? I have to say though, you did go all out on this one. You did fool even Gluttony here, and he would usually use his smell to figure people out," Sombra noted, glancing back at the now shocked Gluttony. Nagisa realized he was right: amongst other things, scent was something he couldn't hide either, and somehow Gluttony didn't figure him out from that. "The hell?! What're you doing here?" "I was about to ask you that, Gaara! Why're you working for him now?" Nagisa questioned. Gaara rolled his eyes. "We made a deal, that's why, and Sombra here's been a bit distracted in you know what," Gaara made clear. Nagisa felt betrayed. The more times it was brought up, the more under pressure Sombra felt about it, but that wasn't the bigger issue for the moment. "W-Where's Envy?! Please, I miss him so much, why did you have to take his place, I want my Envy back!" Gluttony pleaded. "You really going to start pleading the enemy, Gluttony?" Gaara questioned. "YES! Envy lost his body for the longest time and I want my Envy back!" Gluttony added. That's when Nagisa got an idea. "Lost his body?" Nagisa asked, sounding confused. He had to keep his courage up. "If you have to know, Envy lost his body and powers because Pluton destroyed his Homunculus body. There's barely any power in that stone left," blabbered on Chrysalis. Sombra felt a cringe come up for her open-mouthed nature, but it seemed to be fair enough. Nagisa didn't exactly see what had happened to Envy himself anyway, and whoever did wasn't even there so he didn't feel too worried about it. As far as he knew ... "Time to turn the tables," Nagisa thought. If there was a time to do something, it had to be now that everyone was there, looking up to Sombra. "We both know none of that is true," Nagisa stated firmly, but Sombra's gaze was starting to humble him a little bit. "Not true? Envy lost his body after Pluton's attack, there's no denying that," Sombra repeated. "Says the demon who tore out his Philosopher's stone and the witch who drained his power in the first place!" Nagisa yelled, making sure he was heard by those nearby. "YOU WHAT?!" Gluttony gasped. Now it was out, and Sombra felt a stab go through him when Nagisa said that. He and Chrysalis now had Lust and Gluttony angry with them, but with a simple motion of his head, Pride grew active and suddenly had them both bounded. "Ok, fine. I did remove the stone, and yes plans of removing the original power from him had been done. In fact, Chrysalis has it right here. But do understand you two, that pure Homunculi such as yourselves can easily be replaced at anytime. Envy's number simply came up, that's all. ... That, and Nagisa simply brought it up so he could get himself out of this with your help, and I know you won't do that while I'm standing here. Isn't that right, Nagisa?" "He's good," Nagisa thought, though his face basically said that as well. He didn't expect Sombra to be so calm and open about it after all. "I must admit though, I am confused. A plan like this isn't without an escape plan, or a reason. Would you care to tell us why you did this?" "What's the point on telling you?" Nagisa asked, not looking at him, just for Sombra to gently move his head so he was eye to eye with him. "Don't tell me you came into this plan without a backup," Sombra said, actually sounding a bit disappointed in him for not thinking it through. "... I didn't expect to be found out, for one thing. But when they find out I'm gone, they'll never stop until they take you down. ... My friends will make sure of that. ..." "What would the point be? To bring you back to life? Revenge has always been meaningless, and yet you humans always think that should always be something to toss your own lives away for. If any of them were smart they won't even bother," Bradley said coldly. "You think they won't?" Nagisa growled. "We can't expect everything, Nagisa, you should know that by now. All the same though, while appearing noble of you to toss yourself in like this, you put yourself in a situation where you don't have a single advantage: several powerful creatures are here, myself included, you have no weapon on you to escape, and even if you could you don't know how to get back to your world, so in a way, you're trapped anyhow. And one more thing: your friends don't know how to get here either. ... Easier on myself, of course, but I was hoping our game would last a while longer." Then the floor opened up once more. His talk was done, and he had nothing more to say to him, and Nagisa was raised up once again. Far as he knew, this was it, and for sure this time regardless if he was "B-But wait, but Envy -" "Gluttony, Lust, you'll get a new Envy in due time. It's no carbon copy, but you'll get one soon enough," Sombra said, just to try and calm them down. Chrysalis found that a bug, but Gluttony started to feel relieved. Lust was still indifferent about it though. "... No regrets ..." "SOMBRA! SOMBRA! WHERE'RE YOU!" Again, cut short. This time, it was one of Sombra's guards rushing in from the gloom. Now wasn't the time for another messenger to rush on in and halt everything. The demon skidded to a halt. "What is it now?" Sombra asked. "Sombra, my lord, we got a situation here!" "Already taking care of it." "Not that, we got invaders! They're running amok -" "Coming through!" Suddenly, blue sparks flashed up like crazy, a gate suddenly being made on the wall before one fullmetal alchemist shoved them right open, knocking the guard back and Edward and Alphonse rushed in! "You just said you took care of them, Pride." "We'll handle them right now," Pride said, his Homunculus form rushing for them both. However, being hyped up, Edward wasn't having any of it and focused his strongest Alchemic power and the entire room was effected by an alchemic ground wave! A wall of metal launched forward, and everyone was forced to move back from that. Nagisa was glad they were still alive, if not shocked they still were. Alphonse quickly saw what was happening, and he rushed right in, using his strength to ram the bowl over and pouring out the lava into the room, forcing much of them back again. "Al, give me a boost up!" Edward said. Getting in position, Edward landed in his hands, and Al launched him up high enough to get him onto the pillar and right next to Nagisa. "You two are alive? I thought Pride had finished you off," Nagisa said. "He was in a hurry, now time to get out of here," Edward said, using his alchemy again on his arm to turn it into a knife, and cutting through the chains keeping Nagisa there. Pretty soon, Nagisa was free, and both he and Ed dropped down to their level, avoiding the lava on the floor as they did so. It wasn't what Nagisa had in mind, but they didn't have much time to think about it, especially with the big guys standing right there. Bradley saw them first, and actually got himself around the lava and rushing right at them. Ed had to duck so Bradley wouldn't immediately skewer his head with the sword. If he didn't believe that he wasn't a Homunculus before, seeing his eye made all that more obvious. "B-Bradley, what're you doing?!" "Not Bradley. I am Wrath the furious, and now you two are getting to be a bother," said Bradley, or Wrath as he put it, before he rushed at them again. Ed and Al didn't come here for a fight, but Wrath charged in fast with the sword out to try and get them. Wanting to get them safe, Alphonse jumped in the way and took the brutal stab, getting him in the arm. "Al, come on!" Nagisa called. "Why're you doing this? So many people respect you back at home, why're you throwing all that away?" Alphonse asked, making sure the sword stayed and that he couldn't pull it out again for the moment. "You think it would matter too much if the leader of Amestris would end up gone? I didn't rule Amestris when it was founded, and I'm sure as hell am not going to continuing ruling forever. It's time you humans start working for yourselves," Wrath said, forcefully pulling out his sword form Alphonse's arm, ripping out a good chunk of metal from it as well, actually enough to tear his arm off! Alphonse had to grab it and rush off before Wrath could finish him off, and soon the trio raced out. "Don't just stand there, come on!" Sombra ordered, giving chase after them. Wrath, Chrysalis, Gluttony, and Pride ended up going off after them, leaving just Gaara and Lust there, left to ponder what just happened. ....... Meanwhile, Edward, Alphonse and Nagisa were racing through the halls of the castle, each one of them knowing that danger was just behind them. Slowing down now, and they'll be in more than enough trouble. Since none of them actually knew about the castle, they really weren't sure where they were going, but so long as they were out of reach from the demons chasing them they should be fine. As they went, Alphonse and Edward both saw a the window where they crashed in. "This way!" Ed said, ready to rush out. Before they could reach it though, Pride's Homunculus body managed to block off their exit. "Not so fast, you trespassers," Pride hissed, the three bolting on aside before the body could grab them. So much for the easy route. They needed to gain some distance between themselves and the crowd behind them, so Edward took the initiative, clapped his hands together, spun around, and his alchemy created a thick wall right behind them, cutting off their path. The demonic group skidded to a stop, the wall not even Pride's body could break through. "Thanks, Ed," Nagisa said. "Thank me when we get back," Edward said, the three running off. As long as they were blocked off, this gave them a head start to wherever their next exit would be. As they kept going though, the hellhounds from before could be heard ahead of them. "In here!" Nagisa quickly said. Little option, the three found another room to go into, and they quickly got right inside before the horde of hounds could see them. They also made sure to lock the door so they couldn't get in there. "There, we should be safe right now," Alphonse said. It was then the three took a look around where they actually were. The room turned out to be Sombra's study, a number of books in his personalized library with a large window at the back of the room. A rather odd place to end up, but it didn't matter much for Ed and Al in the end of it, as Ed immediately went to the window, opening it up. "Great, an exit, let's get outta here - WHOA!" ... Just to find out they were stories high. Nope, they weren't going to get out of this place anytime soon, at least not through any window. None of them could fly, nor had any method to get down safely so that was out of the question. Nagisa looked around the study room for just a moment or two, actyually rushing around the room for a bit, but couldn't find a way out. When he stopped after a short bit, he started to remember something, which included how Ed and Al got into the room to save him. "Ed, Al, I got an idea." "Well, on with it, the king's onto us!" Alphonse said. "Before I got pulled here I saw Pride making a symbol to open a portal from there to here. You're an alchemist, Ed, maybe we can do the same to get back home!" "I'm up for anything, what do we do?" Ed asked. "Ed, you need to make a blood symbol on the wall there, make a eye within a triangle and in a circle," Nagisa instructed, working off memory. There was little time to actually figure anything out, but before they could even start, a huge yell and a bang struck the door, freaking them out. "OPEN UP, ALCHEMISTS! GLUTTONY'S HUNGRY!" roared Gluttony, making them freaked out. Ed rushed off to get the symbol started, as Nagisa and Al tried to keep the door shut. Ed was already a bit cut up from Pride, so he used his own blood to do the job, working out what he had as best he could do. The longer it took though, the more forceful the door was being hit so they could get in. Alphonse and Nagisa were having more and more trouble keeping that door shut, even if the door was locked. One hit even knocked them back, and forced the lock off of the door, but both quickly pushed the door shut before any could get in. As for Ed, he had to work fast, and soon he got the symbol made up on the wall. Hearing them fall made him even more desperate to get out, and he clasped his hands together, and forced it onto the symbol. The symbol started to glow again, this time the same colors as his sparks, and the portal was starting to open up. "IT WORKED, MOVE IT!" Edward called, the others seeing the portal being made. Al shoved the door one more time and both he and Nagisa made a bolt for it. The trio just made it through the portal as the door was broken open, Gluttony charging in with mouth wide open ready to bite. The portal closed up behind them on the Tartarus end, and all Gluttony got to eat was the wall. ~~ Opening up on the other end, Edward, Alphonse, and Nagisa got themselves back to where it started, and the trio stumbled out back in the outskirts of Tokyo. Bruised up, slightly battered, but they all were alive at the end of it all. With everything that just happened, they needed a minute to recollect themselves, Ed and Nagisa breathing heavily. "Told you we could handle it," Edward finally said. "Yeah. You're right there. ..." "NAGISA! EDWARD!" Soon, the rest of their group had finally come back around, Envy included, just to find Ed, Al, and Nagisa alright. Tired, but triumphant. "Nagisa, you're alive!" Aladdin beamed. "And still pulling off Envy too," Karma added. "NAGISA!" Pinkie cried, suddenly tackling Nagisa in her signature hugs. Ed and Al were alright too, and were helped up to their feet. "Yeah. That should be the last one too, so you're safe Envy," Nagisa said, slightly strained by Pinkie's hug. Eventually Pinkie let go of him. It was then that Nagisa spotted Twilight standing there. Considering what just happened between him and her before this all happened, and he wasn't sure what to really say, but before he could think of what, Twilight was right in front of him, and hugged him tightly. "Don't scare me like that!" Twilight said, tears of joy flowing from her eyes. Nagisa returned the hug himself, but eventually the others started thinking about what he actually did. "Nagisa? I'm sure we're all thinking it at this point so I'll just ask: why did you feel you had to do it by yourself?" Ciel questioned. That was indeed a question on everyone's mind, or at least those who didn't get shown the plan. Nagisa sighed, and faced his friends. "I didn't want any of you to get killed, that's all. I was sure that any of you would be if you came with me ... though, guess that was proven wrong, right Ed?" Nagisa admitted, Edward nodding his head. "Thanks so much for saving him, Ed, you and Al are lifesavers!" said Aladdin, hugging Ed actually he was so happy. "Don't sweat it," Ed said with a grin. "All the same, Nagisa, I could understand if there was some sort of advantage to it, but from what I get, you ended up with nothing," Ciel stated, thinking it over. That was when Nagisa smirked, and his hand actually went into his shirt, and he pulled something out of it. They could say it was leading to nothing, but turned out Nagisa proved them wrong on that himself: it showed what looked like a thin book, a slip of paper sticking out of it along with a small stone. "What's this?" Ciel questioned, Nagisa giving him the objects. Ed and Al didn't see that stuff with them since they showed up, so finding them with him was a bit of an odd thing to find. "Oh, just an Underworld Atlas, a portal spell from one of Sombra's books, and a small Philosopher stone. Got those things while we were stuck in Sombra's personal study." "WHAT?! Let me see!" Blair said, quickly grabbing the atlas book from Ciel and looking it over. Turned out he was right: many pages of different parts of the Underworld, Tartarus included, and the portal spell was what Ed had just used for them to escape, now more detailed on how it works and how to use it. As for the small stone, it wasn't very big and sat in the palm of Nagisa's hand, which he gave to the one who knew best how to use it, putting it in Envy's hands. "Here you go, Envy. Maybe you can make some good use of it," Nagisa said, Envy quietly looking to the stone Nagisa managed to grab. "These maps are pretty detailed. could be very useful," Ciel noted. "That's sugarcoating it: you know how hard it is to get one of these? We got several kingdoms all mapped out in our hands now!" Blair said, excited. "That's why I got them. It won't be too long until we'll probably end up in the Underworld, so if we got something like this to get us prepared before we do, then it'll make it easier," Nagisa explained. "So let me get this right: your plan was to disguise yourself as Envy, get taken by Pride, and penetrate Sombra's castle in order to get us some big info on the Underworld?" "Well ... Yeah. Sorry for not -" "Sorry? You crazy son of a bitch, you got more balls than any of us. And look what we got, we're leagues ahead of Sombra with this stuff now. Any other stuff you've figured out while there or what?" Karma asked, sounded interested actually. "Well, he was right about Bradley; he nearly killed us while we tried getting out!" Edward said. "Not just him. Gaara's now working for him too. He looked ready to see Envy die much like the others were," Nagisa added. The same kid who helped him get strong was working for the demon he was fighting against. Then he turned to Envy. "Oh, and one thing, Envy? They know how you really turned into a human now." "What?! Why'd you have to tell them that?!" "Envy, They were planning on killing you by dumping you in a lava pit," Nagisa protested. "... Nevermind." "Yeah. Gluttony and Lust looked more than shocked after it was found out too. I don't know what that'll lead to for them, but we'll see," Nagisa admitted. The future vision didn't get that far, so it was anyone's guess. Sombra and Chrysalis kept Envy's lie so they could stay in line, so now that they know what actually happened, it could mean a number of things. But, everything was explained, and in the end, while a bit of a stumble, they all were still alive and still together. They stopped Gakuho, Karasu had been stopped, and now Nagisa saved Envy from death too. Twilight went to his side, and both of them smiled to eachother. As they started to head off back, Nagisa had one thought in mind. "There. ... Lugia. I did it." S05Ep1: Sum of My Parts ~マイパーツの合計~"So, you're leaving Aladdin?" asked Nagisa. In his apartment, not too long after the festival, Aladdin got the news out to Nagisa Shiota the second they got back. It was some pretty big news for him, and with how much he was actually looking around for his Djinn, Aladdin was happy to get himself moving. "Yep! Heine found out where the Djinn is, and he wants to come with me to get him back," Aladdin said, getting a number of his stuff ready for the fly-off. The main things he got together were his staff and vessel. "Sounds good and all, but are you sure you don't want the rest of us to come along?" "Nagisa, I'll be okay, promise. Besides, you and the rest of the gang have those demons to catch, remember?" Aladdin reminded. "I guess you're right. That and you'll have Heine with you this time, you'll have some company," Nagisa said. When he and Twilight ended up alone, they were truly by themselves for a good while, so with Aladdin having company to join him, it wouldn't be too bad for him. He'll have help, unlike Nagisa and Twilight. So once Aladdin was ready to go, he got out his flying carpet for his own little adventure to begin. "Good luck out there, Aladdin," Nagisa said. Suddenly Aladdin actually gave Nagisa a hug. "Thanks. I'll be back soon," Aladdin promised, hopping up onto his flying carpet as he began to take flight. Nagisa walked out to the window, watching his magi friend fly off to get Heine, and to get his personal goals fixed. Nagisa sighed, and began to head off to bed as his mind was thinking over things. "This has been a very crazy year. I can only wonder what's going to be in store for us next," Nagisa thought. He began to head off for bed, and soon he was simply laying there, lights off and staring up to the ceiling. "Well, we're on a good track now. Those visions are taken care of, we actually got some layout of Underworld, we -" Nagisa suddenly stopped his thought there when one particular fact went through his mind: Lugia. He at least could get to the same spot more directly now, but when it came to Lugia himself, he just wasn't making finding him any easier. Last two times he tried he didn't find anything of him, and the detailed instructions and vision he got in the second one was by paper. "Well, third time's the charm. Here it goes ..." ....... Nagisa opened his eyes again, and as before he was back at the tower. Just where he wanted to be. He jumped up to his feet and looked around a bit again. He looked around for only a little bit this time, and sure enough ... Lugia. About time! Though, by the look, Lugia probably didn't realize Nagisa was even there, his back to him and looking off to the edge of the platform out to the open sky. "Lugia!" upon the voice, Lugia felt startled, and was about ready to walk, but Nagisa rushed over before he could leave. "N-No, don't go, I-it's just -" Nagisa paused when he saw Lugia turn to him. Tears. They were small, but they were just enough for Nagisa to see the current moment about Lugia's previous encounter with him. Lugia felt terrible about the visions. ... "Nagisa. I'm terribly sorry about Heine. And Karma. ..." Lugia said, sounding guilty of everything. "So he doesn't know what happened? ... Wait, he still thinks you can't alter the future," Nagisa thought, realizing the actual pressure Lugia must be under. If only he saw what Nagisa did already before with them both, or at least Lugia seeing them alive would make him feel better. Lugia wiped away some of his tears, Nagisa going up to his side. "Lugia, listen to me, I know you think the future can't be change but you're wrong - We've changed each one of those visions so far just by informing the group: Heine's still alive because Ciel stopped Gakuho, and thanks to Alphonse Karma's alive too. They're still alive because we changed our fate!" Nagisa answered. Lugia was quiet at first, but he just sighed. "... Look, I know you're trying to make me feel better ... but I couldn't help at all. I'm terribly sorry. ..." "Turn around, Lugia, will you?" "Nagisa, I've been in the dream world as long as anyone else. That voice is just you trying to -" when Lugia looked to Nagisa though, he found that this kid was looking more shocked than he was supposed to be. If this was in his head, he wouldn't be looking so surprised. That made Lugia a little curious and he did eventually turn around. ... Karma. Twilight. Pinkie. Ciel. Blair. Edward. They were all there?! Lugia looked a bit startled by the entire group suddenly showing up there, and without either one of them even knowing about it. Was this apart of the dream messing with them, or no? Nagisa's expression, it being his dream, made that unlikely. Seeing Karma Akabane too made it even more surprising for Lugia. "Look who's still alive," said Karma, hand raised in greeting. "Wait a minute. How'd the rest of you get here?" asked Nagisa. If it was just Twilight alone, then it would be understandable, but the others didn't even see Lugia face to face yet, but here they were. "You tell me, we just ended up here after Yugure told us," said Blair. "What? When?" "Yugure told us about it not too long after your little festival. This charade of keeping quiet had gone on more than it should," explained Ciel. Twilight felt a little embarrassed about it, but after not hearing anything from Lugia, she had to get the others involved to help him out. "Sorry, Nagisa." "No, it's fine. Guess we should tell everyone anyway." "K ... K-Karma?" Lugia moved right over to Karma next, and looked him over just to be sure he was telling the truth. There would be some sign, but he didn't see a sign anywhere on him. However, Karma then backed up. "Ok, ok, easy with the eyes buddy," Karma said. "So it was you who'd been giving Yugure and Nagisa Future Sight, am I correct?" Ciel concluded. "W-Well, yes but - ... You ... but how, I - ... but you - ... how?" "Alphonse saved him, that's how. He just needed someone there to not get killed," Edward answered, being a witness to it himself. Lugia still felt completely confused about it, especially seeing proof standing right in front of him. "See Lugia, we can change our fate," Nagisa said. "Yes-indeedie! Everybody's happy!" Pinkie agreed. "... Wait. What about Heine, where is he?" Lugia asked. "We're in dreamland, right?" "Not exactly how you say it ... but yes, why?" That was all Pinkie needed to hear: her clapping her hands together and working some of her own will into the dream realm, the environment changing and altering around them in a blur. It took them all a little bit until the setting completely changed around them, until. ... "You talk about going through hell, when you've never truly seen what it's like for yourself. If I had a choice, I'd more than happily take your life over mine, Gakuho. ... And you wanna know what else? A young child like me can walk away from that and move on fairly, yet a full grown adult like you can barely handle it. If you ask me, Gakuho Asano, it doesn't sound like your fault at all. ..." Gakuho! They all were stuck witnessing the same event play out again, all of it down in exact details. In fact, it looked rather ... realistic almost, but still anime anyway (not to mention dramatic). Seeing this, Lugia was left speechless, and yet there was Heine not too far away, still standing and still alive as they were saying. "This how you really saw it, Pinkie?" Ciel quietly questioned. "Nope, but look how neat it is," Pinkie replied. Yeah, true that, but the point was indeed made clear for Lugia. "See, Lugia? We can change our fate, nothing's set in stone," Nagisa cleared up, as the image faded away back to the original tower. "... You ... you really altered your fate? I-It shouldn't be possible." "So's killing a giant demon about the size of Tokyo tower, but that happened," Blair commented. "And with just one sword," added Karma. Lugia stayed quiet for a little bit more, realizing that Nagisa was right after all. Something as set in stone as this, and yet these kids all managed to use it and make it their own, changing the outcome entirely for the better. Lugia actually needed a minute to comprehend what this could mean. "Lugia, it's your choice if you want it to happen, not your fate. Sure it can be hard, but if you don't even bother to try to work with these Future Visions a bit, then what's the point on having them in the first place?" Twilight explained. There was a long silence. ... ... "... You do realize. You're the first to actually do so. Right?" "Well, if we're "destined" to get killed, damn straight we'll try to stop it! Why would we want our friends to die anyway?" said Ed. "That, and it's pretty wasteful to not at least consider these visions. You might as well just imagine them if that were the case," Ciel added. Lugia gathered himself, seeing all their points. He could assume Envy was fine then if this was the case, but he didn't want to push it any further so he left that part out. "Lugia, let us help you. We all know you want to help us," Nagisa then stated. "... I really want to. ... But, I can't." "Why's that?" Ed asked. That was when Lugia grew quiet again, slightly turning away from them. "Lugia, why?" Twilight asked. "I ... I'm scared ... I-I'll just make it worse." "AHA! WORSE! WORSE HOW?!" Pinkie suddenly shouted. Lugia cringed. "I'd rather not say. Listen, it's not that I don't care about what's going on. I wouldn't even give any one of you the visions if that's true, yet ... It's best if this is all I do." "SERIOUSLY?! You mean you're just gonna hide away from everyone?!" Ed yelled. "I don't enjoy it anymore than you do. Besides, you all have enough to worry about, you don't need to worry about me." "You don't have to hide either! If you want to help, just come out with us," Ed sternly stated, though he was more upset that someone like Lugia will try to keep out of the problem he clearly needed to be in. "He's right: we're all willing to help you if you'll let us, just tell us where you really are and we'll do that," Nagisa added. Not exactly what Ed said, but still as much meaning to it. Lugia had been giving them vision after vision, but still he didn't step out to see any of them physically. And now ... "Everyone, listen. I do want to help you, I really do. ... But if I go in and use what power I hold, it'll do more harm than good. ... Just focus on what you need to do for now. You've done far more, and able to handle the situation better than I ever could," Lugia said. They all could tell that Lugia was regretting this decision, but something just was holding Lugia down in chains from actually going out and helping. And Lugia, while not enjoying it, knew it was for the best of everyone. "Well have some decency to tell us why at least, quit talking in riddles!" Ed said, angry with him. Before this could go any further though, light started to come in brighter than normal, a signature sign of the dream's ending. "Oh great. The dream's ending." "What?! not yet, just tell us!" "I'm sorry. Good luck everyone." And there, the dream ended. ~~ So, new years had come and gone, and so had the festival itself. Tokyo had its fun in the sun for the brand new year to bring itself around, but even after all of that, some facts still remained. In the case for Team Harmony and company, Sombra's demons still had to be addressed in some way. Homunculi Wrath and Pride, info regarding the Underworld mainly, and still some more problems to handle all the same. And with this little dream of theirs, the group had a bit more to think about. Since Lugia just wouldn't come out to help, they had to get back to their own devices on the matter. What else could they do? So, by the next morning, it was straight out of bed for Nagisa Shiota, and deciding to get his little act together. Since Lugia won't exactly admit where he was, he had to focus on the other problems at hand with the wanted demons and such. Good thing for them they didn't have school still, otherwise it would just complicate things for what they were going to do. Their meeting place this time, while it would normally be the 3-E building for a number of these meetings, this time their get-together was actually over with Ed and Al back at Seitenshi's military base. Honestly, they might as well get life-time passes at this point with the privileges like this. Along with those in the dream, Sebastian, Al, and Winry also ended up part of the group's little meeting. "All present and accounted for, my lord," Sebastian informed. "Good job, Sebastian. Now we can get underway without any trouble," Ciel said. The room they ended up in was basically a office the others borrowed for this little talk, and Nagisa got on with the discussion. With some help from the others, he got the main posters up, each one for a different figure for them to find and face, all named, and all with a different bounty, and the threat levels mostly consist of Tiger class level. Considering what they were dealing with, they shouldn't be taken too lightly. "OK, so which one should we go after first? Do you want to go from the bottom and work up, or do you want to get the hardest over with?" Nagisa asked, everyone looking over the wanted posters at the options. Pinkie then started to a relatively regular person to the Great Tengu. "Eh, I dunno: we could try for this guy, but then again he could end up being the strongest one over Mr. Tengu over here," Pinkie pointed out. "I'm leaning more towards the slicer myself," Karma said, looking to 'the slicer' demon criminal. They had mainly three options in the grand scheme of things: a butcher, a regular, and a Tengu, though considering what they all had gone through so far it was anyone's guess on what sort of danger should they actually try to get at next. It could be the easiest challenge, or the most dangerous, who knows? "Hey, Sebastian, you got anything on these three?" asked Twilight. "How so? Just because I'm a demon doesn't truly mean I know every demon in the underworld. Jumping to conclusions are you?" Sebastian said, though he sounded less annoyed and a little more playful, which bugged Ciel a little bit. "Do you know them or not?" Ciel questioned. "Just a joke, my lord. Naturally I do," Sebastian said with a grin, as he went over and picked up the first wanted poster he found interesting. The others stepped back so they could listen to him, as he went on to pick up the first one about 'the slicer'. "First there's the Slicer: he's been a bit of a serial killer to many humans in this world and the Underworld. He was planned for death row, and on the date of his execution he ended up being transmutated. Think of him as a murderous counterpart to your friend there," Sebastian said, pointing over to Alphonse Elric. Interesting to note that another living body of armor actually exists here. "Wait. Like me?" Al asked. "Oh yes, it's just your one of the very few made here that's all," Sebastian stated. "Neat. What else?" asked Karma. Sebastian then went on to get the Tengu poster. "The Great Tengu. Many species of Tengu refer to him as their lord, and according to human legend he often trains with ice and water isolated in the mountains. Should be straightforward on his location, at the least," Sebastian explained. "If this Great Tengu's anything like Karasu, then it shouldn't be long," Karma said. "Karma, he nearly killed you, remember?" Nagisa reminded. He didn't need him to get too cocky over these demons. Karma didn't really answer him though. Sure it didn't go like he planned, but Karma still felt confident again the Great Tengu over his crow lackey. It wasn't the Great Tengu Nagisa predicted would kill him anyway. "What about him?" Twilight then asked, showing the seemingly "normal" demon on the poster. Sebastian paused and looked him over pretty carefully, his eyes examining each details drawn out onto the poster. "... Not a thing." "Excuse me?" "Well, admittedly my lord, I'm not entirely knowledgeable of all demons, but you'd think one like this would be known about in the Underworld. And yet, I've never heard mention of this face," said Sebastian, disappointed really. The other two had some sort of underworld reputation, but not this guy. "He must be a newcomer then. Or maybe he's not a demon at all," Ciel concluded. "Whatever the case, he shouldn't be too bad to deal with," Blair concluded. "Not so fast, we don't know that. So many demons looked normal, but still can kill anyone anytime, what makes you think he can't be any different?" Twilight suddenly figured. She did have a point there: Sombra didn't look too much like a danger as far as they're aware, or how Sebastian described him yet he proved to be extremely dangerous. And Sebastian too; a butler that can kill anyone with some fancy butter knives at any time. In fact, many demons and Homunculus looked fairly normal but gave them a run for their money at least once. "Point taken." "Well, we got more than enough trouble with what we got already so if we're going to tackle any of them, we can't waste any time with it. So, perhaps it would be best to take attack to the most difficult one first and then work our way down," Ciel concluded. "Or we could just split." The others all turned to Karma on that idea. "Split up, are you sure?" "Now hear me out: we got enough trouble already right? We got King Sombra already, and Aladdin already flown the coop yesterday so who knows how long it'll be until he gets back. We got three demons to deal with right now too, and about ... eight, nine, ten of us. So we'll split up in groups, pick a demon, and call it a day." "I get it: it can save us a lot of time from going from one demon to another, and this time we'll still be together fighting them when we do. Least we won't be alone this time, plus we got the Elysium soldiers on our side too," Nagisa concluded, thinking it over himself. "Can we leave them out of it?" Ed suddenly asked. "What? No, they're looking for them too Ed." "You just don't want to deal with Olivier," Ciel figured. "What's wrong with you, do you have no senses?! That general looked ready to tear my arms off!" Ed insisted. ... "Hello, little red riding runt." Speak of the metaphorical devil. Just after he said that, Olivier was suddenly standing right at the door. "Gah! ... l-little, red ..." "Are you all done in here? If you're ready to do this job, then stop wasting our time," Olivier stated, looking at the situation. Alongside her was actually Alex Armstrong, and his two cohorts, who was about ready as anybody else would be to go off and do the job. "We'll be ready in a bit, we're just figuring out which ass to beat up first," said Blair. "We thought of splitting into groups, but we didn't decide who'll go after what demon yet," Nagisa added, Alex going over to them, looking a bit intrigued with the answer. "Well look at you. Me and Olivier were actually doing that decision ourselves, and we already decided which demon to face. If that's what you're going to do, some can go with me while others can go with Olivier," Alex explained. "You two are on the ball. OK, who's going where?" Pinkie asked. "I'll be going after the Great Tengu, and my sister will be - gah!" before Alex could finish, Olivier was suddenly stepping on his foot. "Uh, sis? ... Will you be so kind as to remove your foot please?" Alex groaned. "You are to refer to me as General," Olivier said firmly, making Alex Armstrong stand up at attention. "Yes! General!" Alex said, and only then did she move her foot off of his. Embarrassing as it is painful on his foot. "I'll be going after the Slicer. Now you all have until tomorrow to make your choice," Olivier said. "Shall I deal with her?" Sebastian suggested. "Don't bother, Sebastian," Ciel replied. "Goodness, how're you ever going to find a husband with that kind of -" Not the right words, Alex: Olivier gave him a strong kick to his knee, making him stumble and kneel down as he held his knee. "That's enough of your sniffling, you pansy! Better go before I catch your cowardice," Olivier stated, before she went off, leaving the group a bit stunned by her behavior. Seriously, was she really an angel or what? ... "I'm going with her," commented Karma. "Eh?" ~~ Well, it'd been a long day for them after that, and once it was all handled and figured out, all there was left to do was to wait it out until tomorrow to leave. It was a bit of a gamble to be sure, namely for the fact of who wanted to actually go with Olivier over Alex, yet it was all worked out regardless, though some still were wondering over the "normal" guy, as Olivier and Alex didn't even consider going after him yet, so whoever wanted to go for him would have to go without the Elysium aid. Those going with Alex: Nagisa, Twilight, Ed, Winry Those going with Olivier: Karma, Pinkie, Blair Those after the normal Demon: Ciel, Sebastian, Alphonse It was a decision they had to work out for a while, especially when splitting up Ed and Al, but Olivier insisted such and both brothers had no choice but to agree (none of them wanted to defy Olivier anyway). At least they had until tomorrow to go so they had some time to get themselves ready. For Ed and Al, they got their own "home" to relax and work out the situation to their new roommate Winry as she was sprucing up Ed's metallic leg for the task ahead. "So who're you two going with?" Winry asked. "Al's going to head off with Phantomhive while I go with your dad to go after the Tengu," Ed explained. "I thought you two would go with my aunt. She was your teacher, right?" That reminder simply made the two shiver a little. They had their respect for her, naturally, but they weren't so willing to rush off with her on a mission like this, knowing too well how serious she could be. "We value our life a bit more than that, thank you." "Come on, she's not that bad. she can be big on her job, but she's nice when you get to know her," Winry reassured them, but the two weren't going to risk it. "So, Winry. Are you enjoying your stay down here with us?" Alphonse asked. "It's pretty nice here. It's lively, though not much walking space," Winry said. Considering she lived in a city with flying angels, that was understandable. "Well we humans can't always fly, you know," said Ed. "I know, I know ... and done, that should do it," Winry finished, just finishing Ed's leg. Now mended up for the task ahead. Edward tested out the leg and felt that it was good and ready to go. As Ed and Al went to eachother, Winry had another question floating around in her mind since she's been living here pretty much. "Hey Al?" "Yeah?" "Hope you don't mind me asking, but, why're you always wearing a suit of armor?" Winry asked. Now the brothers were feeling uneasy again, but not in the same way as their thoughts towards Olivier. "I-It's a hobby," they both said. "... what? That's even a hobby?" Winry thought. After that was done, Ed then began to head off to bed, but as he was going, something in Ed's pocket caught Winry's eye. "What's that?" Winry asked. Ed turned back to her, and followed her eyes to the same pocket, seeing the same item. Ed eventually pulled it out to show her, and honestly it didn't seem to be anything too special: just a silver pocket watch. "Oh this, it's just a pocket watch I've had from back in Amestris. It's nothing special, but -" "Can I see?!" Winry suddenly asked, grabbing it and admiring it with eager eyes. It wasn't too far from a reaction to some new automail or something like that. "The workmanship, the detail! This is the work of a craftsman, how does it work: do you wind it or is it self-wound, or could it be some new technique?!" "I dunno, and so long as it's working I don't care," Ed said, smiling to Winry's enthusiasm. He still was getting used to Winry's big enthusiasm over mechanics (of all things), but it wasn't really harmful so he allowed it. "Can I see how it works, Ed, please?" "You crazy? I've had that watch for years, you'll take it apart to the last screw," Ed said, taking the watch out of her hands before she could tamper with it. Winry wasn't willing to give up on it though, and tried again. "Well even if I do, I'll put it back together again, and it'll be good as new, you said I'm the best mechanic in the world right?" Winry insisted. "When did I say that? Get somebody else's," Ed simply stated. Winry felt disappointed, and then she tried something else. She turned her eyes to Alphonse, and gave him a starry-eyed, puppy eye beg. Al felt humbled, but something told him not to mess with the situation so ... "I-I'm gonna go for a walk. Yeah," Al decided, walking to outside. "... Wow, you guys are stingy, aren't you?" ~~ Well Al didn't expect to be going out for a walk, but guess some things lead to others and the next thing he knew, Al was walking down through the suburban sidewalk of Tokyo. Well, even if he didn't plan prior to the little incident, it did give Alphonse some time to figure things out and time to relax a bit. The soft snow on the sidewalk gave the area a pretty calming feel, and while it was cold it didn't bother Alphonse thanks to his armor body. The world looked nice, but the moving thoughts going through his head. One in particular ... Do try to make her feel right at home. It'll be grateful over what you three had gone through. "What did she mean by that? Sure, there's me, and there's Ed, but ... what happened with Winry?" Al wondered. Celestia didn't sound like she was referring to anything particular, but then again what did happen to Winry before? Or for that matter, why didn't it get brought up again by the others? He tried to think about it a bit longer, but little by little, he began to realize something else, but before he could actually get what - "Hello there." The voice made him stop. Not a voice he ever heard before, and given where he was, not able to be seen either. "Uh, hello? Who's there?" *clank* Then came the sound from a alleyway across the street. Al got into a fighting position, fists at the ready for whatever would come out at him, but instead, some sort of helmet simply rolled out. The object turned out to be some sort of helmet. It wasn't any normal helmet either: a composite of iron, facial bones and some kind of hair or fur. The nape and the scalp made of two distinct metal plates, with a pair of small horns just above the eye sockets, and Al could see the number "66" written on the left side, just above the cheek bone, and the white long hair protruding from the back. The bony face was formed of white facial bones of some unknown humanoid animal, having large eye sockets, a large mandible with two spiky bone going downwards and eight distinct razor-sharp fangs, four on the upper jaw and another four for the lower jaw. If it didn't scream a demon, Al didn't know what. But then walked out the owner of the helmet. This figure had a full body armor suit, with the words "hulking" and "grim" fitting it rather nicely. His upper arms and legs were comprised out of several long, silver colored iron plates, while his lower arms were made out of a pair of two plates tied together. His hands - a pair of iron gauntlets, each having a pair of four spikes in stead of knuckles and fingers made of cloth. The middle, ring and little fingers actually looked fused together, leaving his index and thumb separate. The feet are a pair of leather boots with iron guards. His chest was formed out of two large metal plates held together by an iron ring, in turn held in place by five leather belts. Around his waist and left shoulder, he sported brown tunic with fur trims, which is tied together by a black leather belt with two dangling rings of iron. The neck is an extension of the torso plates, in turn covered by an iron guard formed from a single, long iron plate that forms a circle around his sides and the back of his head. One little detail though ... No head. "Oh, why does my head always get away from me? It can be a bit of a bother, though I suppose you are wondering how this happened," said the figure. Al didn't really answer him, still trying to take in the details and keeping his guard up, yet the figure was more than happy to answer anyway. "There's a bit of a story behind that, actually. A pretty good yarn if I do say so. You probably already know it, but I'll be happy to tell you," offered the man. Al again didn't answer, but allowed him to continue. "It all started with a man by the name of Barry. ... Once upon a time, there was a butcher named Barry who loved his work. It was all a nice job, but his favorite part was cutting up the meat into little tiny pieces. But one day Barry realized that simply cutting up cows and pigs wasn't going to be enough for him. So what's a lone butcher to do? Why, take to the streets of course, and he began cutting up people instead, every single night. Of course, in time the authorities caught up with him. But not before twenty three victims stained his name, and his knife. He was sent to gallows not to long afterwards, the world being rid of such a horrid and terrifying creature. ... That's what everyone always figured. And where did you think he'd ended up, huh? Where could such a killer being himself to?" Al was a bit surprised that he would share something like this so freely, but if this was going where Al thought it was, the answer was right in front of him. Literally ... "... You ..." "YES, THAT'S RIGHT! HE'S STANDING BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES! I AM THE INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLER: BARRY THE CHOPPER! HAA!" The mighty roar was met with two weapons in his hands, one a butcher knife, the other a clever. ....... "Sorry, I've never heard of you." ... Well that killed the mood. "I'm from the countryside in Amestris, so -" "FINE! But even if you don't know who I am, shouldn't you at least be a little scared?!" Barry yelled, completely annoyed as he kept removing and reattaching his head to show what point he was making. "Shouldn't you be going "AAHHH!" or "What happened to your body?!" or something!" Then Al removed his own head. "AAHHH! What happened to your body, freak?!" Barry yelled in shock. "Hey. Now that's impolite," said Al, not really fazed at all. After that little display, he was a bit more talk than Al was expecting him to be. Al put back on his own head. "Oh, hell with it, I'll cut you down anyway! YAHH!" Barry suddenly jumped forward at Alphonse, his blades trying their best to slice him up, yet Alphonse's own armor deflected each and every single shot as he laughed manically. Al wasn't really having any ill attention towards Barry. In fact, only one punch was all it took to knock Barry off his feet, and onto his back. Yeah, Al really wasn't so spooked by Barry anymore, if he was to begin with that is. Barry tried over and over again, but Al wasn't even wavered by each attack at this point, and he punched Barry again. "Uh, sorry but, can we call it a draw? My friend's are going to worry about me if I'm gone too long," Al said. "Friends, you say? You mean that little runt following you around earlier today? Sound fun to chop up, far more fun than dealing with you!" Barry laughed. Now Alphonse was getting worried. "Wait, don't do that, I'm not gonna let you hurt my brother," Alphonse suddenly insisted. Now it was Barry's turn to be a little but curious. "Wait, hold on. "Brother". you mean that little pipsqueak is your brother?" "Yes he is, and he hates it if you call him Pipsqueak. Or anything referring to small for that matter," Al said. Barry thought it over, eventually nodding his head ... and laughing. "What is it?" "So it was your "brother" who put you in that armored shell, isn't that right?" Barry asked. "Yes, I'm sure he did. He saved me," Alphonse said, but the more he thought about it ... "OH, isn't that rich!" Barry laughed. "What's so funny?" "Oh, sorry, sorry. It's just that brotherly love is so beautiful ... even when it's a total fraud!" "A ... A fraud?" "Artificial affection!" accused Barry. Alphonse knew better than to believe Barry though. Why would love being an artificial thing, even for him being a suit of armor? He knew who Ed was, why wouldn't it be right?! "No, you're wrong, you don't know anything about us! My brother loves me for real, and I love him!" Alphonse insisted. Barry's red eyes stared right into him, as he aimed his clever at him again. "What a naïve worm! Ask yourself this: if your a fake - an imitation - how would you know the difference?!" Barry questioned. Al stopped himself on that question. "You said your so-called brother put you in that suit of armor. So how do you know you don't love him because he made it so you would? Altering your memories and personality to suit him best!" Barry accused. Al was getting upset now towards Barry, and he stepped towards him. "Stop that! My brother would not lie to me! My name is Alphonse Elric, and I'm the exact same person I was since I was a living human boy!" Alphonse insisted. That just amused Barry more than anything. "Ok, prove it! I told you my little yarn, tell me how you got into that body then. What happened so horrid, so gruesome, that your "brother" had to stuff your soul in that suit without a hint of your normal body?" Barry asked, both as mockery and a hint of legitimate intrigue. A story like that was always a nice story to hear, and Barry wanted to hear Alphonse's little transmutation story. Alphonse wanted to prove him wrong, but he tried and tried, and tried some more ... "HA, there see?! If your brother did craft that body for you, the least he could do was tell you what happened but he didn't even do that, now did he?!" "G-Give me a minute!" Alphonse insisted. But Barry knew he was just trying to fish for an answer rather than just say one. "Come on, if you knew what your little "backstory" was, then you would've said it straight up! You didn't need to think about it for a moment since your reminder's right there in front of you!" Barry brought up. The more Barry kept insisting that, the more he seemed to be right. "Okay, so I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know who I am, and who my brother is!" "But that's the trick isn't it? Your little soul, it's invisible, undetectable by any scientific tool! So what if you were designed in a way to make it impossible for you to decipher what's real, and what lies your brother has been feeding you! Tell me that!" "No. You're wrong about Ed, he wouldn't lie to me about anything." "Well then why don't you march right up to his face and ask him yourself, if you're so sure. Ask him what really got you stuck in that metallic husk, and then try to prove me wrong," Barry said, laughing himself silly again. Alphonse had to finally admit it now. He was right: Ed never truly told him exactly what happened to him, or Ed himself for that matter. Some reason his memory came up empty, and it all just stopped after a certain point. Barry might be onto something though if he did want to find out. "You know, maybe I will. But not before I do one other thing." "Oh yeah? What's that?!" Al grabbed Barry's head, pulled it off, and threw it clear out of sight. "HEY! THAT'S MY HEAD YOU'RE THROWING!! DAMNIT, DAMNIT, DAMNIT!" Barry quickly raced off to get his head back, off out of sight and out of trouble. Alphonse really didn't see what the danger was with him, and as far as he was concerned, he was just all talk. But it was his talk that got him thinking as he went on for home. ... "What did happen?" ~~~~~~ "Come on, let's go!" The next day, the whole group met up over by the 3-E building for the fly off. Team Harmony had their method of flying off on their way. Olivier and Alex both had a different way of getting to where they needed to go: Olivier had gotten a military chopper together thanks to Seitenshi, and Alex got a less dramatic method in the form of one of Celestia's carriages. It was clear who was more focused on their tasks here, or at least what situation it was going to be. At the moment, the group was split in two, one standing alongside Alex, and one over by Olivier, with Ciel and Sebastian standing way side since they picked neither to follow really. "Hey, good luck out there Nagisa," said Karma, giving Nagisa a pat on the head. "You too Karma," Nagisa replied, as he started to head into the carriage. Before he fully got in though, Karma started to nudge him. "And hey, enjoy your little time with Yugure," Karma teased, referring to Twilight again. Nagisa stayed quiet for a moment or two, as Winry and Twilight passed them by. Karma waited for a reaction, but eventually Nagisa just turned to him and actually smiled. "I'll be sure to." And with that, Nagisa went on into the carriage, and left Karma a little bit quiet. Karma wanted to have some fun with his own little "play thing" but Nagisa's reaction didn't really fancy him. Well so much for teasing two lovebirds with one stone. Anyway, he simply shrugged it off and went into the chopper with Olivier. Fun as it was to play around with Nagisa, the chance to beat up some demon was a lot more entertaining anyway. Just before Edward could go inside though, Alphonse got a hold of him. "Brother? Can I talk to you before you go?" Alphonse asked. It took him a bit by surprise, but Ed did end up turning to him. Ciel and Sebastian were getting a little curious over what was going on, as Al got Edward isolated from the others after a bit. The others allowed them to do so, though they were wondering about it themselves. After all, it did kinda come out of nowhere. Ed and Al got a good thirty feet away, by the forest of the 3-E building. Far enough to talk with Ed in private. "I need to ask you something." "Oh, sure Ed, what's up? Wondering when I'll be back?" "This is serious. Ed, I need you to be honest with me," Alphonse made clear, showing that this wasn't a simple question. "Uh ... what?" Ed asked, now confused. "... This body." Ed paused on hearing that. "I just want to be sure. You told me that you saved me to put my soul in this armor. ... Is that true?" "What're you talking about, of course it is. I lost my arm and leg because of it, why would I lie about that?" Ed questioned. "Well -" "YOU TWO, GET MOVING! Or do I have to drag you over here?!" Olivier yelled, losing patience. They had a mission to do, and they can't do that if the brothers are stalling. Al wanted to figure this out, but neither of them wanted to get their faces punched out of them by someone like Olivier. "E-Eh, you know what, nevermind. Sorry I brought it up," Alphonse admitted. "No, Al, is everything okay? what brought this up?" Edward asked. "I-It's fine. I was having doubts recently, and I just wanted to be sure, and now I'm sure. You better get going before Olivier drags you over," Alphonse suggested. It didn't matter if what Barry said was true or not, he didn't want Ed to get into trouble because of him. Eventually, Ed just sighed. "Ok, I guess. Well, good luck little bro," said Ed, just before heading off back to the others for the liftoff. Alphonse still felt a little bit uneasy with his own answer, but again, he didn't want anyone to get into trouble because of it. They all had tasks to go to, and they all needed to get going before things could get any worse. "... Good luck." S05Ep2: Djinn ~ディン~It was a rather long flight on magic carpet, but when it would usually come down to with a ride on Aladdin's magic carpet, they were making express time. Aladdin and Heine both had been flying for a good day or two, and although a bit tired for Aladdin, they've really had been going on in record time which was what they wanted. Aladdin did wonder time to time on what his friends back at home were doing, but all the same, this mission Heine had him on couldn't be ignored like before, at least not as much. Who knew what happened to the Djinn since they've been away from it, or since it got released for that matter. Aladdin gave a yawn during the flight, showing that he was up for pretty much the entire time. He had to, of course, to keep the magic carpet from dropping them to the ground. For Heine, one side of him was glad he was taking this more seriously, but another part of him was a bit troubled by his lack of sleep, not only for the flying carpet, but also for his condition when they do get to the Djinn. Lucky for them both, the destination itself wasn't any further away. As far as landscapes went, the situation had changed rather dramatically. After so long of seeing forests and fields, the land changed into some dry grasslands, something Aladdin only saw in some of Japan's literature: long fields of dried up grass, some areas not even having grass on them and only showing either dirt or sand, though some tall trees still in a few places. While a change in area to be sure, the place they were truly aiming for looked like a medium-sized town, going along a fairly large river. Heine and Aladdin landed over nearby, just outside of town nearby a lone palm tree, and finally giving Aladdin some time to rest (AT LAST). "Good job, this spot will be fine. Now our first objective should be -" before Heine could finish, he heard a thud behind him, just to see Aladdin laying down and fast asleep. Aladdin had been going pretty long without any rest, and Heine could only smile. "I told you this would happen, Aladdin," Heine sighed, before he began to pick him up and move him over into the shade of the tree nearby. It's the least he could do after such a long flight. Heine would rather stay by his side instead of wandering off on him, so Heine too stayed with him by the palm tree. What kind of teacher would he be to just ditch his own student? It took an extra hour out of their way to have Aladdin rested up properly, before Aladdin began to stir again. He woke up to find himself next to Heine, and his own turban carpet used as a blanket for him. A good loud yawn got Heine's attention. "Sleep well?" "Are we there yet?" Aladdin yawned, not thinking properly. "Yes we are. You feeling any better?" "I'm ready, sir," said Aladdin, getting up to his feet and working the "blanket" back into a turban for his head. It was just what Heine wanted to hear, and he too got up alongside him. "Very good. Now, did you bring that map I asked you about?" Heine asked, Aladdin nodding his head and pulling something out from his blue shirt. Heine did get him on the level about a number of things, and one of them here was a map courtesy of Korosensei - who else? - which he gave to Heine right away. Heine opened it up, and he made the comparisons from the map to the town, and as he could see, it was a good match. It may be midday, as he observed the sun, but Heine and Aladdin at least needed to check around town first before just settling in for the night. "Very good. Now, let's see if anyone can give us some entail about the Djinn. If the reports are accurate, it shouldn't be too long until we can get a lead about the matter, just be sure you have your vessel ready." "Where do we even start? It looks like a big place," Aladdin pointed out. "Whoever willing. Now let's get started," Heine decided, adjusting his glasses before beginning to head off into town alongside Aladdin. ....... So their search began. The town they got themselves into was about as active as many of the other towns the two had gone to, the buildings made up of firm, sturdy sandstone, much of the town giving a tannish color, a breath of fresh air compared to Tokyo's modern cement and metal. Even the roads and sidewalks until their own feet seemed to be made of the same stuff in a few places. Not that this town had none entirely, but most of it was still new for him, and in fact Aladdin was feeling a bit relaxed here. As for the people around town, much of them actually had a similar look to Aladdin's typical Magi outfit. In fact, Heine looked more out of place than he did, which honestly was a first, so Aladdin was free to stroll around town simply as himself. "Is this a town of Magi? They all look just like me," Aladdin pointed out at one point. "Not exactly: humans and outwardly appearances vary depending on their cultures and locations. In this case, your outfit just so happens to match theirs, that's all," Heine explained. "So humans are influenced by angels," Aladdin concluded, looking around. Most of these looks appeared similar to magi, so why wouldn't he reach that conclusion. "Not what I meant," sighed Heine. Eventually, they began to see a few higher officials nearby, appearing like officers, who at the moment were resting and keeping an eye out. Aladdin figured they'd be a good start, so he went straight over to him, waving to them as Heine trailed him. "Hello, sirs, nice day isn't it?" Aladdin said. "Nothing really happened, so guess that would be a good thing," said one of the officers. "Hey, you new around here? I don't think I've seen you before," noted the second officer. Aladdin nodded, but Heine tapped him on the shoulder as a reminder on what they were doing, so Aladdin corrected himself. "Oh, right, uh can we ask you something?" "Ok, shoot," said the officer. An odd way to say it, but Aladdin went on anyway. "Haven't seen a Djinn anywhere, have you?" "A what?" questioned the first officer, a bit confused. Heine had to go in and correct Aladdin's bluntness. "We've both heard of reports coming from around here about some odd happenings. Either of you familiar with any of it?" Heine asked. Both officers looked to eachother before answering. "Eh, well yes and no. We got several calls over the months, but they weren't really anything as crazy as they said," explained the first officer. "Yeah, we always either found some simple reason, or just jot it up as tricks or something. I don't know if any "Djinn" had anything to do with it, sorry," said the other officer. While it didn't help Heine and Aladdin right away, the several people did make it a bit interesting. So maybe they could help them get some clues out of the way to find their Djinn. "Mind telling us who made those reports?" ~~ It took a bit longer, and closer to sunset, but even with the people they've met they weren't getting anywhere. Sure, some had seen their Djinn, but had no clue where it came from, or where it was hiding. Many of these reports went around seemingly at random, from those within the main town to those on the outskirts, and whoever they spoke to had something freaky happen to them: either some levitation trick, a magical spell, or some other odd trick but it would usually stop before anyone too big would show up to stop it, as such resulting in what the officers had already said. "So that's about nine people," Aladdin noted. "And none of them knowing where he is either," sighed Heine. Aladdin tried to think a little bit on some other figure. They tried officers, and those who already reported it in, where else could they try? "I know, how about we try some of the local get-togethers? There's lots of people in places like that we can talk to," Aladdin suggested. Heine saw what point Aladdin had, and practically any settlement had at least one spot where the most people would be found and would hang out at. Heine nodded, and the two were going through town again, but as they were though they began to hear some sort of commotion going on across the way. Nothing too bad, but rather more like some giggling. It didn't bother Heine, but Aladdin stopped to look. *boing**boing* Well, he found a good view, and some of the staff at one buildings were greeting some guests inside. Each of the three staff members were girls, and Aladdin's eyes were locked onto what huge boob racks they had. Heine stopped, and saw what was going on. "... Don't even think about it." "Can we try a little bit, please?" Aladdin asked, hands clasped together in plead, but Heine was in no mood for it. "Aladdin, we're here to find the Djinn, don't you forget. We don't have time to fool around right now," Heine made perfectly clear. Aladdin felt very bummed out, seeing the human version of angels walking over into the building with the newcoming customers. Aladdin HAD to get in there! "Come on, Aladdin, think," Aladdin thought, trying to come up with an idea. Eventually though, a thought struck him. "But it's a local get-together," Aladdin concluded. "Hmm?" "Look at how many people are in there, sir, maybe there's at least one person who might know where the Djinn is. We can go immediately after we find that out, I promise," Aladdin pointed out. It wasn't an entire lie for why he wanted to go in there, but it was still more of a half-truth. Heine still felt a bit unsure about this whole thing, as he just stood there, thinking hard. ....... "I hope you enjoy your stay.~" Heine would never think he'd end up in a place like this. The get-together spot turned out to be a sort of club, and while a number of other people were indeed there as Aladdin had said, most of them were mainly there to enjoy themselves: namely drinking wine or chatting with the staff women. Aladdin though was really enjoying himself, the little Magi happily meeting up with a few of the big-bosomed ladies and having his little fun with them and his greedy little hands fondling their breasts. normally he'd get pummeled by now, but none of the staff members were upset, and were giggling and having fun themselves with Aladdin's antics. "You're all so pretty ladies," said Aladdin, smiling wide and enjoying himself. "Thank you, you little cutie," said the staff member, playfully fluffing his hair. This was the most fun Aladdin had ever had, and he took a moment to see how Heine was doing, his head rubbing against her boobs as he did. "How're you doing over there, sir?" Heine didn't even answer, and he just sat over by one of the tables and drank some of the weaker wine. Last thing he wanted to do was get drunk on a mission, but it was clear he was annoyed with what they were doing. Few things would get Aladdin to remove his head from such sweet soft mountains, but he didn't want to get Heine too upset. "Heine?" "Had I'd known you'll be this reckless, I wouldn't have agreed to come in here in the first place," Heine stated, his mouth in the glass. "Come on, this place is great! Let's have some fun while we're here," Aladdin suggested. "Did you even ask anyone here, or were you too ... pre-occupied?" Heine asked. "I asked, I swear. I talked to some of those ladies there, and they didn't know either," Aladdin made clear. "Somehow I doubt that," Heine thought gravely. Before Heine could even start to give Aladdin a talk, he felt the hip of one of the ... larger women, her hip touching his. Heine didn't bring himself to look at her face, but off the corner of his eye he could still see her large rack. "Such a adorable little man.~ You fairly new around here, are you? A pleasure to make your acquaintance,~" she said. Heine kept focused. "Well if you must know, yes," Heine sighed. Then another women suddenly showed up, and leaned in from next to him, behind the seat. "Can't you smile for us? I've never seen someone so serious," she asked, sounding as flirty as she was disappointed. "I wonder why," thought Heine. He glanced over to Aladdin, who was still having fun with a few more boobs, a little too preoccupied to see what was going on. Heine cleared his throat. "Me and my friend are wondering about some of the odd reports as of late, in regards to some deity. any of you happen to know anything about that?" Heine questioned. The ladies though didn't seem to know. "Not from me. How about you just enjoy yourself, you cute little man you?~" Well, he tried. Heine was ready to get Aladdin, but next thing he knew, three different women were fawning over him, some cuddling up to him, and one who's boobs were pushing the back of his head. Heine was still feeling a little silly, but on the other hand ... "... Well, I suppose being mistaken for a child isn't too bad. What was I going to lecture Aladdin about?" ~~ "Oh that was so much fun. Hey, when we're done getting our Djinn, let's come back here okay? Promise?" Aladdin asked, after they were finished. Heine found himself feeling rather unclean, and in more ways than one, his cheek having some red lipstick still on him from the ladies who were fawning over him earlier. He could thank the lords above that none of the other angels saw him and Aladdin there, otherwise he wouldn't know what to do. Lucky he got a napkin, which he wiped off the still wet kiss off his face. That and they still weren't close to finding anything out from any of them, which was disappointing. "Let's not and say we did, Aladdin. I'm more disappointed that we still got nothing out of it," Heine groaned. "You had some fun didn't you?" Heine's response to Aladdin was a whack on his head by his teaching pointer. "Try to keep yourself a little more focused on your work instead on women, ok?" "Ok," Aladdin sighed, rubbing his head of the red mark whacked on him, it still steaming hot. On the bright side, they could at least mark another spot they wouldn't have to come back to in regards to the subject in question. Aladdin and Heine started to walk off down the road, trying to find anyone else who would help them out, but it was pretty late at this point, the sun already gone and the moon just coming up for the night. Guess they spent more time in there than they figured. "Well, thanks to our escapade it's grown far too late. We'll have to find a place to stay for the night," Heine concluded. Now Aladdin was feeling a little bit guilty for ending up wasting their time. Maybe he could find a way to make up for it eventually when they find their Djinn, but for now they had to find out where they were going to sleep. However, as they were looking around the place for any area to sleep at, they really couldn't find a free place to rest. None of them brought any money per say, so that was going to be a problem. It was still early at night, and some people were still going about the town plaza as they continued trying. Heine went over to yet another inn nearby, and tried his luck with the innkeeper. "Excuse me, but you wouldn't mind if me and my friend would rest here, would you?" Heine asked. The innkeeper went over what rooms they had. "Well we got a few rooms available. That'll be ten pounds," said the man. A cheap price for the town, though a bit iffy for Heine and Aladdin. Aladdin did have a few yen on him, but as the innkeeper tested it, he just shook his head. "Not enough, you two." "Right. Well, thank you anyway," Heine sighed, walking over to the center plaza fountain. Aladdin followed him, as Heine sat down over on the rim, not saying a word. Heine was getting a bit annoyed with it all, but he could already see that Aladdin was feeling a bit sad about things, some of their yen spent at the same club they went to earlier. "We'll find out where to stay, don't worry," Heine reassured him, but with them already trying several inns as it was, it wasn't sounding too likely. "Wish we had some pounds to pay that inn with." "Yen and pounds aren't the same amount, Aladdin. No one can blame you if you didn't know ... but it does help," Heine said. Now Aladdin tried to think on what to do, his eyes looking around at the other people in the plaza. They would ask around about the Djinn, but Aladdin was more wondering where they were going to sleep for the night over their Djinn mission. Aladdin kept looking around and he could see plenty of people having Egyptian pounds in their pockets for some late-night shopping in the plaza, though he wondered how he was going to get some. Then his eyes drifted down to the instrument vessel. ... "... Hey, sir? Do people here perform?" Aladdin asked. A rather random question, but as a teacher, Heine answered. "Human beings are known to perform for others, indeed. Some humans actually make jobs out of that," Heine explained. That was all Aladdin needed to hear, and he stood up over on the side of the fountain. "Then I need you to give me a beat. Can you clap for me?" Aladdin asked. Heine eventually got the idea. "Good luck, Aladdin," Heine simply said. Pretty soon, Heine began to clap a good enough beat for Aladdin to follow, him keeping his claps at a decent range and beat so not to mess Aladdin up. After tapping his foot and getting into the beat, Aladdin brought the vessel up and started to play a tune on it. Pretty soon, the simple foot tapping turned into a dance: him hopping on one foot and then switching to the other every two hops, each foot hop helping him keep beat to the vessel's music. It took a bit of work, but little by little, the performance was catching the eyes and ears of the locals, and they stopped to watch and listen to the show. Aladdin was pretty skillful with his instrument, and everyone was beginning to enjoy it. Aladdin was enjoying it himself, and eventually he got the beat down to heart, to the point when Heine stopped clapping and allowed him to go off on his own. Even if he didn't the crowd helped him out with that, and some were clapping to the beat as well, Aladdin getting more into it. Eventually the simple hop dance was joined by a few ballerina spins to wow the crowd, him playing the vessel as he did which impressed them even more. Eventually, some of the crowd was even tossing in some Egyptian pound coins their way, as such paying them for the performance, which was what Aladdin was hoping to happen. He was entertaining the crowd, and he was getting money to get them a good room for the night because of it. That, and it was fun to play a happy tune for the crowd altogether. Eventually his performance came to an end with a good spin, and then a bow to the crowd, who applauded him for a job well done. Needless to say, they can pay for the room now, if not gave the town something to talk about. Either way, the two then went over to the inn, and were ready to pay, but it turned out the innkeeper was already inviting them in. "Don't you want your pay?" Aladdin asked. "You kidding me? After that performance, that's payment enough for the room. You two earned it," he said. A nice little surprise. ....... So, with a room for them both now in their name, Heine and Aladdin both took the time and went off to rest. Aladdin was more than glad to finally get an actual bed for himself after such a long ride on his flying carpet. As for rooms, Heine and Aladdin got their own respected rooms just across from eachother. Heine and Aladdin just got a good look at what room they had going for Aladdin. It wasn't anything too fancy: just a simple room with a small light by the bed, over by the window. "Get some sleep, Aladdin, we have a busy day tomorrow," Heine advised. "Of course, sir! Finally I get to sleep in my own bed," Aladdin sighed, ready to hit the hay properly. Heine nodded and went off to his own room, as Aladdin started to take off his turban. It had been a very long day, and Aladdin was more than ready to get right off to sleep. Seriously, after who knows how long of flying on the carpet, this was something more than heavenly for him to take. Aladdin placed his staff and the Djinn Vessel over by his bed for the morning. With a good yawn, the young Magi crawled into bed. BOY did it feel good. "Oh, yeah, that's much better," Aladdin sighed, taking a minute to enjoy the nice bed. He first laid down on his stomach, arms and legs outstretched, but eventually he rolled over, a smile on his face. He got himself comfortable, and eventually his eyes took one look right above his bed, and ... "AAHH - MMPPH!" "If you don't calm down, I'll have to end you." The hell just happened?! One minute he was laying in bed, and the next, someone got a hold of him! It was just too dark for him to see who it actually was that grabbed him, but he could make out two things: it was a women due to the voice, and she was VERY strong! Any of his struggles could not dislodge her grip off of him, and with his mouth covered, he can't call for help! The figure moved up from the bed, carrying Aladdin with ease, and suddenly she jumped right outside! Jumping off the ground, and then up onto a taller building with a few jumps. Aladdin was a bit freaked out, but with the moonlight he got a good look at who was actually holding him. Her eyes and hair were a deep red, similar to a boy Aladdin knew back home. For outfit, it consisted of a short white dress with a rope tied around her waist, and black bands on her calves down her legs in a net fashion. One odd feature was that chains were on her wrists, which shined in the moonlight. "I'll be taking you to see him now. Don't look down," she stated, and to Aladdin's sheer shock and horror, she actually leaped up off of the roof! Without anything to help Aladdin fly, or to protect himself, he was at her mercy. "AAAHHH! HEINEEEE!" *BAM* ... "Aladdin!" Heine gasped, quickly coming into the room just after they left. Unfortunately, Heine was just not fast enough to get his student back. What's worse, as Heine tried to find out some sort of clue, he saw just a tiny bit of red hair left behind on bed. "He's in grave danger. I better find him fast." ~~ ....... "Ow. My head ..." Aladdin took a bit of time to get his consciousness regained, a red lump on his head to show that he was knocked out during the capture, but he did figure out that he ended up in a completely different spot. Instead of anywhere in town, it looked more like a chamber of sorts, all lit up by torches, and Aladdin laying down on a carpet. The only exit Aladdin could make out was WAY too high for him to reach without any magic to help him fly. And without his staff for any magic tricks, he was basically stuck in whatever this place was. It didn't look like a dungeon or anything, as he wasn't chained up exactly, but the figure who brought him here was standing right next to him, eyes closed and silent. "Oh. Where are we?" Aladdin asked. At least he thought she was a slave according to the outfit, but the girl didn't even bother to answer. Aladdin had to try and think of some way to get himself out of here. Who knew how long it'll be until Heine would figure out where he ended up, and then his friends would be worrying about him if he stuck for too long. "Hello? Can you tell me where I am?" Aladdin asked again, but yet again, she didn't even answer. If he was going to get anywhere with her, he needed some sort of response. And with her being the only person there, he might ads well try to get something out of her. Aladdin started to think as hard as he could. "Ok, Aladdin think. What would the others do if they were in this situation? ... Gain her trust, I guess?" Aladdin thought. Then his mind started to think over the pink friend Pinkie Pie, probably the most sociable of the bunch. So, Aladdin then began his approach: beginning with a few silly looking faces for some sort of reaction. However, she didn't do a thing, or even looked his way. Another, even nuttier thought struck him on what to do. "Hey, lady?" Aladdin then asked, only then the girl looking to him. Aladdin then started to work his efforts into some sort of reaction, a very cute face with puppy dog eyes, and he even started to roll on his back like a puppy would. He could just make it out, but he did see her starting to giggle slightly, only for her to cover her mouth. "Hey! You actually smiled, lady," Aladdin said, hopping up to his feet in success. "I was not laughing," she insisted, still stone faced. "Hey there, little people.~ Look who the red kitty dragged in this time." Aladdin and the girl looked up and something started to fly on inside. The strange being looked only barely human, rather simplified in features. the overall body was light purple with several pink markings. There was a v-shaped marking on its chest and bands around its wrists. Additionally, there are pink markings around its head and a growth on top resembling hair tied into a ponytail. A yellow, ring-shaped marking marked the center of its forehead, and green eyes with yellow sclera stared them down with mischief. On either side of its head is a dark gray horn that curves slightly upward. Looking too, it had three gold rings: one large one around its lower body and one hanging freely on each of its horns. Its arms weren't attached to its body and floated next to it. Each arm had a small golden spike on one end and a hand similar to a mitten on the other. There's a golden spike on each shoulder, which is similar to those on its arms too. The lower body consists only of a wispy structure similar to its ponytail. Aladdin gasped on seeing the deity float right down to them, smiling cheekily at them both. "O-Oh my ..." "Hey there, if it isn't the little Magi who busted me out of that vessel. How's it going?" The Djinn asked with a cocky grin, knowing Aladdin had no power anywhere. "D-Djinn ....... you're a lot smaller than I remember." And the Djinn, who was actually smaller than Aladdin, looked a bit peeved. "HEY, I can still beat your rear into the dirt!" The Djinn snapped. That was about right, since Aladdin had literally nothing to use against him. The Djinn's mood changed fairly quickly when he noticed the stone on Aladdin's forehead. "OOO, what do we have here?" The Djinn asked, checking the reflection it gave off. Aladdin quickly covered it up just in case the Djinn would try anything fancy with him. He already lost the vessel for the Djinn and his turban, he didn't need anything else stolen from him. The Djinn then turned to the girl. "Hey Morgiana, nice for ya to get the kid here. But maybe without knocking him out next time, ok?" The Djinn said. Morgiana felt a little silly and could only nod her head. Well, at least Aladdin got her actual name in that conversation. Anyway, the Djinn looked over Aladdin up and down, seeing if he had anything else on him for some goodies, but as far as he could see, there was basically nothing. "Where's that vessel?" The Djinn questioned, scratching his head. Aladdin didn't exactly answer him, and the Djinn just glared towards Morgiana, who stayed stone-faced. Despite that, Aladdin could slightly tell that Morgiana made a mistake according to the hidden expression on her face. The Djinn, hand to forehead, floated away from Aladdin. "Fine, I'll get it. Just keep him here, will you lackey?" The Djinn groaned, before floating up to the window and disappearing from sight. As he said, Aladdin wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. ....... "Aladdin! Aladdin!" Through the night and just minutes until dawn, Heine had checked out early from the inn and was still trying to find where Aladdin had disappeared off to. The longer he remains missing, the more risk he'll end up in, so Heine had to figure this out before Aladdin could get himself hurt, or worse. Heine gathered Aladdin's items, both vessel and turban in hand, and he tried his best to go and find his student. Heine went through the town center plaza a few times, and at this point he took a break by the fountain, trying to get his bearings. Heine took a look to the only evidence he had on hand, being the hair he found. "To think that this species would reach here. If one did end up kidnapping Aladdin, the results could prove horrendous," Heine thought, just wondering what kind of danger Aladdin could be going through. He had found Aladdin just months earlier, he didn't want him to be lost again, and so close to finding the Djinn too. ... As he sat there, the shadow from the building was joined by a humanoid figure, and one that had just showed up to see Heine Wittgenstein below. Heine sensed that someone was there the minute the shadow showed up, and he took a look upward to the top of the roof. "I'm baaaack.~" To Heine, he was fairly new to him, but his look was unmistakable to those who had seen his true face before: his long red hair flowing out in the dawn breeze, his green eyes almost seemingly glowing with the light of the dawn, and a sharp-toothy grin stretched across his face. Heine felt a bit unsure, but when he saw the red hair and compared it with the tuff of hair he had on hand. It had a slightly pinker color compared to this man, so that didn't help too much. This same man hopped down from the roof, and landed down in front of Heine Wittgenstein. Now having a full view of this man, Heine knew exactly who this kind of person was, adjusting his own glasses. "Reaper Grell Sutcliff. Who'd of guessed you'd be around here," Heine said. "Oh, you've heard of me, have you? Isn't that rather interesting. Maybe I'm becoming more popular with the boys at last," said Grell, posing like a female model to the young man. Heine felt especially uneasy with Grell on that remark, sliding back until he was at a more comfortable distance. "Please don't talk like that. It's disturbing coming from you," Heine insisted. Grell, hands on his hips, just looked down to him disappointed. "You were always so uptight, Heine. Seriously, do us all a favor, and drop dead this instant," Grell said, shooing him away as if he was some sort of dog. That did annoy Heine a little bit, but he had more worrying things to think about other than some cheeky reaper. "Some other time, Sutcliff, I got more pressing matters over you right now," Heine said, starting to walk away. Grell felt insulted, and actually turned to him before Heine got too far. "Trouble after trouble. so what's the problem this time?" "If you must know, my student Aladdin has been kidnapped just hours ago," Heine stated. The mention of the name got Grell's attention more than most. He remembered Aladdin pretty well, even if it was the longest time, and if it was the same Aladdin he was thinking, it only stood to reason the rest of the team was there too. Not to mention one hell of a butler as well. Grell got a cheeky grin on his face again, an idea coming into his mind. "I suggest you find something else to do. Unless you have something that could help me that is," Heine inquired. Golden moment. "If you must know, I did hear someone screaming like a true banshee last night, heading off south. Maybe it's our little Magi." "Our little Magi?" inquired Heine. Grell didn't really bother to answer him, which Heine had come to expect. Who could guess around this reaper anyway? That, and he didn't have much time to question him, as he was the first true lead he had since he began searching. "And don't tell me: you want to come along as well?" "Might be.~" Grell cooed, the answer making Heine shiver a little in disgust. As if dealing with a club wasn't rough enough for him, now he had a homosexual reaper to handle. "I can hardly stop you. Just watch yourself," Heine advised. "Come on, since when have I -" Heine only had to glare at Grell. "... don't answer that." "Just come on." ~~ Well, as Heine (and now Grell apparently) were heading his way, Aladdin was still seemingly stuck there to that morning. Morgiana was still standing at her post right next to him, not saying much of a word still, and her eyes closed. Aladdin had just woken up, and when he saw Morgiana, he wasn't sure if she was sleeping at her post or not. "Morning, Morgiana," yawned Aladdin, Morgiana not answering him as the magi stretched. "... You awake?" Aladdin asked. Still no response. He tried to wave his hand in front of her face for some sort of reaction, but he only got nothing and nothing else. It was annoying, sure, but with Morgiana quiet, maybe this can work in his favor. He got up and began to walk over to the wall keeping him in here, wherever here was. He didn't notice it last night, but the wall was actually slightly uneven, a number of rocks jutting out for some good stepping stones. Aladdin took one more look behind him to Morgiana, the girl not reacting still. If there was any moment to give it a try, it would be now. He brought his hand onto the wall, but then a thought struck him as he looked back to Morgiana again. "Morgiana ... I want to go back to Heine, but what about her? ..." he thought. ... He removed his hand from the wall, and then he began to move over to Morgiana. "Morgiana? ... Morgiana?" It took some effort, but eventually he finally got a reaction from Morgiana, the girl looking to him with the similar expression. "Please stay here. He would want to see you," Morgiana stated, seemingly reading his thoughts on the matter. Either that, or she did see him try to get out. "I know, I know, but ... do you want to come with me?" Aladdin offered. Morgiana looked a little unsure. "With you?" "Yeah! I can tell you don't like being the Djinn's "lackey". If you come with me, you can be a lot more free," Aladdin offered. Morgiana was quiet, but she just had to show the chains on her wrists to show her answer. "Even if I wanted to, these chains bound me to here. The Djinn bounded these onto me," she explained, though she sounded rather indifferent about it. However, Aladdin thought it over and just smiled. "Say no more!" Aladdin said, rushing off to the nearby wall. There was some debris on the ground, and Aladdin got a decent sized rock from it before rushing over back to her. Morgiana looked a little bit confused on what Aladdin was going to do here. "Let me see them," Aladdin insisted. Morgiana wasn't sure if it'll work, but she presented the chains to him anyway. With one hand holding them in place, and the rock in the other, he tried to smash them off of her wrists. However, a few hits crumbled the rock over those cuffs, which remained in tact. If only he had his staff or vessel, it would probably make this easier. "Hold on, maybe if I -" "No. Only the Djinn can remove these chains of mine, and he's not willing to do that anytime soon," Morgiana sighed. Well, it was a nice try anyway, but Aladdin felt determined, yet another thought struck him as he looked to those cuffs. ... "Aladdin!" A stroke of luck. Aladdin knew that voice outside, even if it was a bit vague and quiet. He was pleased to hear that, but Morgiana immediately responded with a jump, strong enough to reach the window with a single leap! Morgiana took a look just outside, and she could see that they had company: Heine Wittgenstein and Grell Sutcliff. both figures had ended up finding out where the hideout actually was, and Morgiana wasted little time in actually jumping down to their level to confront them. Aladdin was stuck inside again. "You're not allowed here," said Morgiana. "We just want to ask you a question," Heine stated. He didn't want to fight right away if he could help it, though Morgiana appeared willing to fight at the moment it'll provoke it. "So we're doing the simple route? We both know she's got the magi, let's just go by her and grab him already," Grell insisted, but Heine quickly got in his way. "Don't take her lightly, Grell. She's far more deadly than you think," warned Heine. However, Grell wasn't exactly seeing it with this seemingly normal girl. "Eh?" "Don't 'eh' me. She's no ordinary human: she's a Fanalis. A species of human with skin of steel, and strength and senses beyond any normal human. One individual can have enough power to topple down a tribe of demons in little time at all," Heine explained, a sort of sequence of multiple Fanalis being shown. ... "That little runt didn't look anything like in that sequence just now! How can that girl be apart of the Fanalis tribe?" quizzed Grell in disbelief. Morgiana was surprised that Heine actually knew about the tribe, let alone the details, but was quickly upset with Grell's assumptions. She started to walk forward to them, Heine and Grell looking to her again. "Listen, we're trying to find a student of mine: a young magi, with blue hair and a gem on his forehead. You haven't seen him, have you?" Heine asked. If a fight could be avoided, that would be great, but unfortunately, Morgiana would rather have them gone. However, she then noticed a vessel in Heine's hand. She did remember the Djinn mentioning something about the vessel, but with him not around, she wondered if she could keep it until he would come back. "Hello Heine!" Enter the very Djinn in question, floating in from the top of the building. "And look who we found as well." "Miss me? Yeah, as for that magi of yours, sorry but we got nothing on him in that building, so have a good day now," the Djinn said, actually chilling out and laying on Morgiana's head. Honestly, Heine was more bewildered that the Djinn would even say that. "I never said anything about that building." ....... "... Morgiana, get that vessel, and get them out of here," the Djinn quickly said, flying off at a safer distance. Morgiana then went to confront them. The Fanalis got in her fighting stance, though her hands were positioned more like claws than fists, one out front and one behind her, both hands aimed at them both. An odd stance, but a standard one for a Fanalis. Guess avoiding a fight was out of the question after all. "Well, we tried. Grell, get ready," Heine instructed. Grell already had his weapon out and at the ready, the scythe screeching in activation. Grell still wasn't convinced as to how deadly this girl actually was, and before Heine could stop him, he bolted forward right at her! "That little runt a Fanalis. Hogwash. This should take less than a few in no time," Grell thought confidently, his chainsaw ready to slice and dice Morgiana into pieces. The chainsaw was out front like a spear, but Morgiana gave him a bit of a surprise, and both her hands gripped the chainsaw scythe in a clap, both hands on each side of the blade. It was strong enough to make the blade stop spinning! And once more, she simply threw Grell back with a single back motion, throwing Grell right to the wall with ease. The impact Grell made to the wall could be felt by Aladdin inside, making him try once more on climbing out. Grell twitched a little on impact before falling to the ground, and Morgiana confronted Heine. The Fanalis still appeared ready to fight, and this time it was her who went forward first. Heine made a few jumps back, avoiding a number of swipes from her. "This is trouble. One hit from her and it'll be the end of me," Heine thought, keeping calm to the situation despite this. Morgiana kept trying to hit him, but Heine was in no mood to fight, so he moved past her to get to the Djinn, and to Aladdin. He had to keep focused. Grell got himself up again at this point, seeing Morgiana run right up to them. She was a lot faster than Heine, and pinned him down fairly quickly with a single grab. Heine winched on the strength she used on him, but it was here that Heine got a good look at the chains on her wrists. "A slave. ... He seemingly has control over you, am I correct?" Heine asked. Morgiana responded with throwing Heine aside, and away from the building, Heine landing on his feet. At this point, Aladdin had finally reached the top of the window, and into view of the fight going on. The Djinn didn't really notice him show up just yet, more interested in the fight going on underneath him. "My orders are to my master," she stated, only confirming Heine's suspicions. "There's no need to fight here. Nor you belonging to a Djinn as his slave." "These chains say otherwise," she stated, showing the chains. She didn't sound happy with it, and Heine could easily tell, looking with more disappointment than anything. "... Which ones? Those to your hands, or those to your will?" Morgiana kept quiet for the moment or two, and Grell came to at this point himself, shaking his head and getting to his feet. Grell tried to see the situation and regaining himself. Aladdin looked down to Grell Sutcliff, and he saw that the Djinn was right underneath him. "Don't try your luck, Heine, those chains I got full control over! I can get her to do whatever I say, and they can never get off of her long as I'm here!" The Djinn called cockily. Heine honestly wasn't too enthused by it, and since he had a vessel in hand ... "We'll just have to change that." Heine then brought the vessel up to his mouth, ready to play it. The Djinn thought that he was going to get him back in there, but Heine's focus was on a completely different thing, his gaze locked onto Morgiana's hands. Thinking the same as her master, Morgiana rushed forward to Heine to stop him. Heine kept his composure, and avoided the attempts to get the vessel stolen. Heine started to play it, doing surprisingly well in his situation. Morgiana got in a fighting stance again, but when she did ... *click* Off went her cuffs. In a single snap down the middle, each of her cuffs opened up on their own, and dropped down to the ground. Just like that. Morgiana stopped herself completely, looking in surprise at the cuff-less wrists she now had. The Djinn turned pale, mouth agape. and ... "HA!" "OOF!" Aladdin saw his chance, and dove right down onto the Djinn right then and there. No better moment to pounce than when someone's speechless like that. The Djinn scrambled a bit, trying to fly with the added weight, but he ended up down onto the ground. "Well done. We make a great team, don't we?" Grell said. "You didn't do anything," Heine said coldly. Grell withdrawn on the answer, as the Djinn struggled to get himself together. "You okay, Aladdin?" Heine asked. His biggest concern right now was the safety of his student, but lucky for him there wasn't too much damage apart from some bruises. He needed to keep his energy on holding down the Djinn under him. They managed to find him, and they had to fix this at least. "Time for you to return, Hoopa. Aladdin, keep him down until I'm done," Heine instructed. Aladdin agreed, but Hoopa wasn't exactly done just yet. "Come on, this isn't fair! Being stuffed in some vessel for no reason whatsoever, wouldn't that make me the victim?!" Hoopa yelled. However, Heine was not going to let the Djinn run off on them here, not now and not again. Heine just sighed, and started playing the vessel again, aimed right at Hoopa. Aladdin didn't get off until Heine started playing, and Hoopa felt himself starting to be pulled towards the Vessel. It took only a short thirty seconds, before Hoopa was completely pulled away, and sucked right into the Vessel. Now captured. "That's that." Once that was done, Aladdin, Grell, and Heine turned over to Morgiana. The girl was still in a bit of shock over what just happened. Not only did Heine basically freed her, but her master ended up sucked into the Vessel, and therefore, no longer having control over her. She stared down at her free wrists for a moment or two, trying to comprehend a little bit on what had just happened. "... How ... how did you do that?" "A common spell, really. Now you don't have to listen to him anymore," Heine simply said, giving the vessel to Aladdin. The Magi was happy that Morgiana got the cuffs off of her. "See? You're free now, Morgiana!" Aladdin said with a smile. Morgiana didn't answer them, but before he could say much more, Heine rested a hand on his shoulder. "Alright Aladdin. We got what we came for, now let's be on our way," Heine instructed. With the Djinn in their grasp, they did have everything they got, but he remembered what he offered inside as he looked to Morgiana. Heine began to get the flying carpet together, but Aladdin went over to Morgiana. "So. You want to join us now? You're call," Aladdin offered. Morgiana stayed quiet again and thought it over a bit. Heine got everything prepared, though he looked over to Morgiana and Aladdin as Grell took a seat on the carpet himself. "Well isn't that just sweet? Your student found a little friend during the night," Grell cheekily noted. Heine wasn't too sure about it though. He already was stuck with Grell Sutcliff, yet they did get done what they had to, so depending on what she has to say. "It would appear so. Aladdin!" called Heine. Aladdin turned around, and was basically reminded by the sight of them that they had to get going. They got their Djinn, no reason to stay much longer. "I ... I don't know ..." Morgiana quietly said, still unsure how to take this sudden turn of events. "Well, I'm not going to make you come with us. You can do what you want now. Bye," Aladdin gave Morgiana a smile before heading to join Grell and Heine. They got their Djinn, and got Morgiana free after that, so it was basically all finished. With some magic focus, the turban started to fly, and Morgiana simply waved goodbye as they began to fly away. Of course, Morgiana was still left with a hole. "... You're what I want. ..." S05Ep3: Behind the Mask ~マスクの裏側~Well, heading off to the location had been a fairly easy task. Nagisa, Twilight, Edward, and Winry continued off on their way to the north, guided by Alex Armstrong in their carriage. They were joined by Alex's close lieutenants. Considering who they were going up to face, it was a bit of a precarious means of transport, but it was still a silent way to find the great Tengu, wherever he was. The four were taking their time and were chilling out inside the carriage, and they were basically bored at this point. Sure they were flying pretty fast, but just how far was the Great Tengu anyway? Still, at this point the land had changed up a bit from Tokyo City to more mountainous terrain to the north. "Hokkaido. You sure this is the right way, Armstrong?" asked Nagisa, who was looking out from the carriage at the terrain. "The reports say the Great Tengu lives in the mountains, so we have to be close. Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, get ready when we land," Alex instructed, keeping the carriage steady as they went. Nagisa sat back down inside. Those names were to the two lieutenants that went with them. "Well?" asked Ed. "I have no idea," Nagisa sighed. Edward was getting a little bit edgy about it, wanting some sort of action to start at some point. He liked relaxation as much as the next guy, but really it was taking so long just to find this one Tengu. "It can't take that much longer," said one of the lieutenants. The male lieutenant then looked over to Nagisa. "Oh, hey Nagisa? I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened to you after Pluton? We were told you disappeared after that?" Denny asked. Nagisa felt a little shiver run through him on that, but he felt good enough to at least answer him. Guess this would be the thing they will be chatting about aside from Jizo. "Eh, it's kinda confusing. One moment I was in Synapse, and the next I was in some forest. That Miracle Sword saved me," Nagisa summed up. He would go on with the full story, but they didn't have too much time for it. "You mean you teleported? I didn't think humans could do that." "Give us enough time and we can do anything. I mean, we didn't have your holy power, yet we've been taking down demons left and right, so I think we got it," Ed said, showing his mechanical arm in a flex. "Good point. I mean, you are an alchemist, you and Yugure. And Nagisa, you got a halo blade and are light on your feet. If you ask me, the Great Tengu's going to be a bit surprised when he sees you all," Maria stated. Ed felt his confidence rise on him again as he smile smugly, but Nagisa and Twilight saw her point there. Most demons don't see humans as very much, so perhaps they'll give this Great Tengu a run for its money. "By the way, how strong is the Great Tengu? Tiger Class doesn't sound as dangerous as other demons," Twilight noted. She had found this out as they were reading the demon guide and it's ranks, and Tiger class was a bit down there really when compared to other demons they've faced (Pluton and Sombra in particular) "Beats me, I never met the Tengu before," shrugged Denny. "Me neither. But let's watch out anyway," Maria suggested. "She's right. Ed, I want you to be careful out there," Winry then said, a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Winry, I'll be fine. What do you take me for?" Ed asked. however, Winry's mind wasn't exactly on him, specifically ... "Because I'm not going to be happy if you come back to me with my automail wrecked. You wouldn't do that, would you?" she then stated, sounding a lot more menacing than any of them expected. Ed moved so Nagisa was in between him and Winry. "Eh, yeah, sure thing," Ed said. "Now I can see Olivier's side to Winry," Nagisa thought. A decent mixture, he had to say, but for Ed's sake he just hoped it didn't have to come to that. Ed didn't want to know just how much of Olivier was in Winry though, so, he just left it at that. "Don't worry, Ed, it'll be fine. Who knows, maybe this Great Tengu won't be too much trouble after all," Twilight reassured him, beginning to move the curtains to look out the window again. They had nothing else to do on the way there. Twilight could see a number of snow clouds, but not too much on the land underneath them. No, it didn't really say how far they were from the spot, and who knows how much longer it'll be? However, turned out, Alex began to descend the carriage through the clouds. "We landing, Alex?" "Just about," Alex replied. That was all the news they needed to hear as they descended down from the clouds into the terrain of the region. As they kept saying, the area turned into more mountainous region. The group stayed inside the carriage as they descended down until they felt the carriage stop itself upon landing. "Ok, suit up everyone, we're here," said Denny, giving everyone some winter clothes to keep them warn on this mission, something they packed with them before they went. I mean, they would suit up to go into the mountains anyway, it only made sense. So after getting some winter coats on, they went off outside to see where they were. The exact area was higher up in the mountainous region, patches of forest here and there covered in snow. Speaking of, snow was coming down in a good flurry around them. It didn't take them too long until they all were out of the carriage. Now outside, they got a full view of the place, and it basically was isolated from many a settlement. It was probably for the best though, as this demon could cause a ton of trouble if it did end up finding other people up here. However, that didn't mean that they were completely in the wild, as when they looked up the mountain, they could just make out some sort of shrine. Bit odd for where they were, but it was just proof that something was here. They couldn't see much of it, but Nagisa felt the shiver run through him. "We're at the right spot. Ok, is everyone ready?" Nagisa asked. "We're all ready, just say the word," Twilight said. Well, time to get this started, one way or another. With the word all ready to go, the group started to head up the path leading to the shrine. Nagisa could sense the demonic presence here more with each step towards the shrine, as if it was coming from the shrine itself. "There's a lot of energy coming from up there. Whoever the Great Tengu is must be a powerful demon ... I hope we can handle him," Nagisa thought. He looked back to the others for a moment as they went, seeing Twilight and Ed first. "... No, don't start thinking like that again. We got this," Nagisa then thought. He wasn't going to try and throw himself to the beast again like before, and he needed to believe in his friends as much as himself, not to mention the angels following behind them. Eventually, they managed to get to the main area in question. This place looked similar to the area back in Tokyo, but instead the Hokkaido shrine looked simply torn apart! Clearly something ended up going wrong here. The only area that hadn't been touch was the shrine itself, but the other buildings around the area looked ripped up, with boards pulled out, walls torn to pieces, and simply looking like it had been wrecked for who knows how long. One of the buildings actually had the roof caved in. Nagisa had a bit of a mixture on this place: such a good spiritual place, and he felt such a demonic presence. "Alright, fan out the area, the Great Tengu could be anywhere -" "He's over there," Nagisa suddenly said, aiming his halo blade off a ways from the entrance. The direction was actually over by one of the wrecked buildings rather than the untouched shrine. "That didn't take long," said Danny. "He does have his demon sense," replied Twilight, Nagisa getting ready to fight whatever was in there. "Tengu, come out! This is the Elysium guard!" Alex called, just as ready to apprehend the demon whoever it was. At first, some silence was left in the air but eventually a voice did start to speak. "The Elysium guard? Well, I never would've thought I'd be that high in ranking to have you called. A stain in my feathers that name." Then the figure began to move out from the building, and out onto the porch to see them. It started out slow, until the dim light of the winter air presented itself to the demonic entity. for a start, saying this demon was human may not be the right word, looking more like some bird than a human. A set of large talons, each claw as large as their hand, scrapped the ground underneath him as he moved into the light. The first, and most prominent feature that got their attention was the face: a gigantic face, pure red, and a gigantic nose jutting forward as long as Nagisa's arm. An angry expression edged the giant face, starring them all down. A old samurai robe covered the body, and once he stopped moving, the Great Tengu spread out its mighty wings, edged with grey and green feathers. This was the mighty Great Tengu they were here to find. And by the sound of him, he was hoping they would show up. "So, you're the Great Tengu," Edward figured. "In the flesh. Though, I didn't think it was bring your child to work day. What're you thinking doing that?" The Great Tengu questioned. "Watch your mouth, demon, that Team Harmony you're talking to!" shouted Denny. The Great Tengu took another look to the others, though the face stayed angry he was actually rather intrigued about it. In a single flap of his wings, he was suddenly right in front of Nagisa, right in the face. Almost instinctively, Nagisa jumped back in a few steps, throwing his Halo Blade right at him. However, the blade not only didn't do damage, it didn't even cut! It just bounced off the face, and landed on the ground nearby. That either proved that this wasn't the actual face, or this was a far deadlier demon than he thought. "Team Harmony? You mean you little humans were the ones who defeated Pluton?" "WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!" shouted Ed, ticked off on the very word (as usual). The Lieutenants got in the way of the Great Tengu, but the demon raised a wing and readied to swat them aside, just for the wing to be held back by Twilight's magic, coated in a purple hue. "Just come quietly, we don't want any trouble," Twilight said. The Great Tengu shook his wing a bit until he got it free. "You're hopeful. But I'm not going with you that easily. But tell you what, I'll cut you a deal: if I win, whoever's left get lost. If you win, then I'll come along quietly," The Great Tengu offered, though by the sound of it, he thought that he would win fairly easily by a good mile. "Be ready to come with us then, because we're not letting off easy," Ed asked, still fuming about the comment from earlier. The Great Tengu then began to take flight, the wings kicking up snow around them. Guess they were in for a fight after all. "Be warned: I've trained year after year to get to where I am. You've all may have lady luck, but it'll take more than her to take a demon like me down," The Great Tengu said. It wasn't like they were expecting no fight though, and they all were ready as they'll ever be. "What're you waiting for then, BRING IT ON!" Ed yelled. And bring it on he did. The first move was actually given to the group, Edward using his Alchemy to turn his arm into a huge, threatening sword. The Great Tengu took off out of reach from Ed, and flapped his wings to cause the snow to fly up too, making some blinding cover for him to make his move. This didn't work on everyone though, and Nagisa flew out of the snow, grabbing the Great Tengu by the face. Nagisa tried again to get his knife in, but his blade wasn't doing any damage to the Great Tengu in the slightest, and the demon spun in circles to get Nagisa off of him. Twilight got her magic to work again, and used it to give Nagisa a softer landing. "He's tougher than he looks, this Halo Blade's not doing anything," Nagisa informed, getting worried. "He's got some nerve to challenge the Armstrong line!" Alex said, his own alchemy starting to come to life. and just in time, as The Great Tengu began to bring his own attacks to the table: icicles starting to conjure up and launching down at them. They started to move aside to avoid getting skewered, but Alex Armstrong gave a power-filled punch, blue sparks flashing as the icicle was launched off to another building, breaking down a wall. The Great Tengu flew right for Alex, more ice forming in front of it like a wall. All Alex did was slam his fist into it, but that again launched the attack to the building. "Unexpected." "What the heck are you doing?! you're making it worse!" Ed shouted. Before Alex could get another word in, the Tengu targeted Twilight out of the group and flew right for her. Nagisa was ready to rush in, but Twilight got a magical shield up to reflect his oncoming icicle attacks. Nagisa saw that he was behind the Great Tengu, and saw his chance for a good hit. He and Ed worked together on this part, and they both raced up and stabbed the Great Tengu in the back! The demon cringed on the stinging pain, blood splattering out, but he swiftly spun around and swatted them off. "Sneaky, but it won't work on This Tengu!" The Great Tengu said. He then started to focus more energy, until the Halo Blade popped out of his back, landing further away. "Yugure, you ok?" called Ed. "I'm fine," Twilight replied, but just one call was enough for the Great Tengu to dive-bomb him, the talons grabbing him by the mechanical arm, and lifting him skyward! Nagisa grabbed the leg, and gave it a good stab, but the Great Tengu wasn't giving in no matter how much his leg bled. "Damn it, let go of me!" Edward demanded. "Stop poking me with your tiny stick, human," The Great Tengu said, starting to do a tailspin to shake off Nagisa, and wreck the mechanical arm at the same time. A few good spins, mixed with the sharp talons, tore off Ed's arm with relative ease, and both Ed and Nagisa fell to the ground, shaken but not cut. "Not a good idea to bring a spoon to a blade fight, boy," the Great Tengu hissed, dropping what remained of the arm onto the ground in a heap. Edward was getting very ticked off now, but he couldn't work his alchemy correctly with one arm, and Maria and Denny tried to keep him back from the fight. Winry tried to help him stay back too, but ... "Seriously boy, you might as well take this scrapmetal and go make some fancy tin cans out of it. Whoever made that for ya doesn't know a wrench from a walnut." Now Winry looked ready to kill. Mad enough that her automail was wrecked, now he's talking crap about it. However, a magic blast was suddenly hit on the Great Tengu's wing, making him spin around and land on his side. Twilight and Nagisa were taking the chance here, and the hit did some good damage to the Great Tengu. Alex Armstrong activated his alchemy again, the ground starting to tremble under the Great Tengu's feet. He quickly took flight just before the ground could crush him. His wing may be damaged but he could still fly, and he had more tricks up his sleeve. "You wanna fight rough, do ya? Let's see how you handle this," The Great Tengu stated. Something else began to happen as the demon was up in the air. The huge face on the demon started to actually break off in one clean sweep, a completely new figure now replacing the face. Turned out that face was a shield, and the Great Tengu actually looked like a red human being underneath the body shield. He had a set of human arms, one of which was holding the shield, as the other grabbed the nose and pulled it out to show another weapon. The nose part was the holder, and the energy busted out into a light saber-like sword! The real face looked more human, but still blood red and with a fairly large nose. He dropped down, as he looked ready to fight. They all looked to the demon, and the Great Tengu started to rush in. Edward Elric was in front of the crowd, and while he had one arm missing, he was still ready to fight. A-Al, you ... you okay? He hesitated, and the Great Tengu sent him flying! One mighty hit from the Great Tengu launched him into the shrine, knocking the wind out of him immediately. "ED!" Nagisa and Twilight gasped, rushing right over to him straight away. The Great Tengu watched them rush to his aid with a sort of intrigue on his face. Nagisa may have been hit with plenty of hits, but he didn't even prepare himself for that kind of hit. "Elric, you alright? Say something," said Maria urgently. Edward didn't know what happened there, but the Great Tengu knew exactly where this was going, and began to walk away. "You all know where the exit is, don't let the door hit you on the way out." "We're not done with you!" Nagisa shouted, rushing at him. However, all it took was a few good flaps of his wings to cloud them in snow, and disappear into the distance. The Great Tengu was gone from the shrine, and now they had a knocked out Edward to deal with. ~~ Well, they thought it was going to be a fairly easier approach, but the end result was a bit disappointing. The Great Tengu basically flown the coop on them, and not only did Ed have his arm destroyed, but the hit the Great Tengu left him, seemingly, weak. The squad went back to base of the carriage (only spot of shelter from the winter storm, by the by). ... "It's not that bad, Winry," insisted Ed. "N-Not that bad? Do you see what happened to my creation? I-It's completely destroyed," Winry stated meekly, the remains of her creation in her trembling hands as she looked in dismay. Ed didn't feel too bad about that though. "Come on Winry, it's the same thing just in smaller pieces." That response just got Edward a wrench to the forehead. Winry was in no mood right now for those kinds of comments, especially if it involved her automail. "The hell was that for?!" Ed yelled. "My joke tolerance is pretty low right now, Edward Elric!" yelled Winry. "Like I meant to have my arm destroyed!" "Well you should've watched it out there, you would've still had your arm!" "At least I did something, I didn't see you do anything!" Twilight and Nagisa weren't enjoying their bickering anymore than the others were. "Eh, we're really sorry. She's really likes her automail," said Maria. "I see. Winry, Edward, will you two calm down?" Twilight asked. Both figures glared at Twilight with a death stare, making Twilight shiver. However, before they could continue the hit he took earlier started to sting again, and Edward cringed on the pain. "Damn it." "Ed, sit back down. No offense, but you took a bit of a hit back there, you shouldn't be getting all worked up," Nagisa said, helping him calm down. "I can take a wrench!" "Ed, you know that's not what he meant," Twilight corrected, reminding Edward of the trouble earlier. Edward just gave a rough sigh, but that did remind him of that little ... well, he wasn't sure exactly what it was. A vision, maybe? Well, whatever he would call it, somehow it kept in his mind and he just couldn't shake it off. "What happened back there, Ed? He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" asked Denny. A question on everyone's mind. Ed brought his good hand to his forehead. "I don't know, something just ... I dunno, clicked." "Something ... "clicked"?" Winry asked, confused. "I don't know. I need some air," Ed sighed, getting up and starting to head out of the carriage. Clearly something was on his mind and the others could see that, and it wasn't just the physical fight itself either. Ed didn't go too far from the Carriage. In fact, he just sat down over right by the side of it. The weather was still cold, but at this point the snow had calmed down, which was probably a good thing for the situation. Nagisa followed him outside, looking a bit concerned. "I told you I don't know what happened." "But it is something with the Great Tengu, right?" Nagisa asked, sitting down next to him. "Look, I don't know what exactly happened ok? He was rushing at me, something ... happened, and next thing I knew, I was on the ground in that shrine," Ed said. Troublign as it is, Nagisa was getting curious over this other something. "Something happened ... Ed, I know this sounds odd, but, did this something ... show you anything?" Nagisa asked. Ed looked a little surprised, but in the end he nodded his head. "Apparently, I saw me and my brother as kids in a wreck of some kind." "A wreck? What wreck?" "You tell me, I never saw it before," Ed replied, getting a little annoyed with him prying in. Nagisa started to think a little hard on what this could be, but he was drawing a blank here. "Clearly Edward got a vision of some kind. Is that a future vision? No, why would he be a kid again. ... Unless ..." Then a crazy idea struck him. "Seriously, what's that Tengu's deal? I never got any vision before, that's usually your department," Ed said. At this point, Nagisa got up to his feet, which caught his attention. "How about we find out?" ....... Short time later, Nagisa and Ed went off back up to the shrine. It was a bit later by the time they got there, but that wasn't exactly the main issue here. Something was up between the Great Tengu and Edward Elric, and Nagisa wanted to help Ed out with that. When they got there, the two were alone, and Nagisa kept quiet, focusing his demon sense again. It wasn't as strong as it was when they arrived, but it was indeed a presence somewhere here. "Alright, where is he?" Ed wondered. Apparently, not a thing was around, and the place still had some evidence of their last fight earlier. "He's around here somewhere. come on, let's look around," Nagisa insisted, taking a few steps in before. "HA!" A loud cry and an impact got their attention rather quick, even seeing something getting launched into the air. It wasn't another person, but instead a practice dummy. Nagisa and Ed quietly went over to the building in question, peeking out just behind the building and saw that their Great Tengu was in the tail end of some practice. The whole area looked actually roasted up, evidence of some fire attacks being used here. The snow landing on scorched ground simply proved that more than most. The demon didn't notice either one of them yet, though that was probably a good thing. He wasn't with his mask this time, and after some training there, he took a break and wiped some sweat from his forehead. "I need a drink," he said, going over and heading inside one of the buildings, in particular the one they were peeking over from. Ed and Nagisa waited until he was out of sight before slowly moving to the back door to see what he was up to. Looking in, some candles were set up for some good lighting and, it turned out, this demon was a bit of a drinker: taking a moment to chug down on some sake inside the building. "... Tengu?" The Great Tengu paused for a moment, wiping off some saliva from his lips as Nagisa and Ed actually came up to confront the demon. He licked his lips of what sake was on his lips, and looking to them. "Look who decides to come by and see the G.T. again. come for round two?" "We came to talk to you," Nagisa made clear, though the Great Tengu could see that Nagisa was trying to keep himself together. He may be more used to his demon sense, but Nagisa still got the effects from it all, and he had little clue about what this demon could do. The Great Tengu wasn't really intimidated at all, and in fact extended a hand over in front of him. "There's two spots here, why don't you two take a load off then? You got me in a good mood," said the Great Tengu, chugging some more sake. While a bit unsure about it, eventually both of them did take a seat in front of this demon. A bit of an odd situation, but if it could explain a thing or two, then fine. "So, where's the rest of those birds in that holy flock of yours? They ditch you here, or what?" "They're still down the path so don't get too comfortable," warned Ed. "Yeah yeah, sure. So, what's with you two?" The Great Tengu asked, setting the sake down by his side. "We ... we'd like to get to know you a little bit. That ok?" Nagisa asked. The Great Tengu smirked. "Wanting to know the Great Tengu, eh? Well let's see now: I've been training for years since I ended up dead in these mountains for a start, and I've been working up my ranks as a demon to get that dragon class. How's that for a start?" Honestly, Nagisa and Ed weren't sure what to say. Not that it was surprising itself, but the fact that the Great Tengu just started saying it without any trouble. Then again, that could be the sake talking. "Well, neat. Uh, a little more specific though -" "AH! Let me take a guess, you got something lingering in your head about me and your friend, am I right?" "How the hell did you know that?" Ed asked. "Oh, this demon's been wondering about a little somethin too." "What was that?" Ed growled, sensing what this "small somethin" was. If he meant to or not, it wasn't too much off of his nose. "What're you talking about?" Nagisa asked. The demon tried to get the exact memory out right, but apparently it was a vague one and it didn't come to him right away. Eventually, the Great Tengu got up to his feet. "Eh, give me a five, I need to get my mind together," The Great Tengu said, strolling away from them for a brief moment. "... This is weird," Ed quietly said. "At least he's honest ... I guess," Nagisa quietly added. Yeah, it was odd as heck, but on the bright side, the Great Tengu wasn't going to try and kill them straight away. The Great Tengu eventually got himself back, but there was something in his hand, and it was ... rather mundane, actually. "K, you nuggets, you all want to figure me out, well why don't you feast your eyes on this? Get turning those pages," The Great Tengu said, tossing the paper over to them. It was Nagisa who caught the thing, and they both took a moment to look it over. Once again, nothing too out of the ordinary with this, as it looked mainly like just some newspaper on a rather late date, years ago in fact. Both weren't sure exactly what he was getting at, but before they could actually figure anything out, the Great Tengu began walking off outside with the giant mask, opening his wings, and with a powerful flap, disappeared into the night. The launched made tons of snow splash them, and the candles blow out. Well, they were alone again, and this time they got some sort of clue to it all, and what was going on with Ed and this thing he saw. ~~ "So you tried talking to him and he gave you a newspaper," recapped Twilight. Nagisa and Edward didn't take very long to get back to carriage, and explain what had happened to them. Basically, there leaves a lot to be desired, and they weren't any closer as far as they knew. "Yeah, I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it out myself," Nagisa replied, showing the paper to the girls, Twilight in particular. On the surface, this paper just wasn't giving them too much. It showed the date being years ago, so it shouldn't be anything particularly recent. That, and most of the news on said paper was more concerning a new locomotive train more than anything. New hybrid train revolutionizes railway The main headline gave no clue to anything. "What does a train have to do with me?" Ed wondered, annoyed at the vague "clue", if this even was one. "Well, I dunno why he would be that open to you, but we have to heard back now," Denny said. "What?! Why?" Ed snapped. They just found the guy, and they had to go back home again? "For starters, you got your arm ripped off, you need that fixed. Secondly, the Great Tengu flown off, and if that's true then who knows where he'll be by now? We'll get right back on the field before you know it," Maria assured. "Come on, I'm fine! Winry, can't you mend that arm for me?" Ed said, trying to get them moving. However, Winry was left with such little to work with thanks to that Tengu. "I would if I could, these parts are too torn up for a quick fix. I got tools, but not enough that'll get this all mended in the carriage," Winry admitted, one side of her sad she couldn't do anything, and another ticked off at Ed for letting her automail get torn up anyway. "COME ON ALREADY!" Ed yelled, completely stressed. all of a sudden, Alex suddenly popped up by them, shirtless and flexing again in his manly ways. "You're acting like a spoiled brat, Edward Elric!" Alex said, flexing his muscles as he said so. That sight surely was unnerving for him, and clammed him up yet made him tumble back. "Again with the shirtless?" Nagisa thought, also humbled. "But hold up, don't you want to get him too?!" "Of course I do, but I'll never risk anyone's lives for it, especially if they belong to someone like you kids! We're setting a course back home," Alex decided. "Sir, yes sir!" said his lieutenants. As annoying as it was, looks like they had little choice. ~~ After that unfortunate decision, they were off and heading back. Too bad none of them had a clue where the Great Tengu would be, and Nagisa's demon sense was completely dormant so they couldn't use that. Much of them were off and trying to sleep as they were still flying, though that wasn't easy with the space they had to work with in the carriage. ....... "... You ready to wake up yet?" "Huh?" It took a bit, but when Nagisa woke up again, something just felt off. Now, typically in these dreams, Nagisa would be over at Synapse, or something like that, but this time he was still in the carriage. The exception to this was that no one else was there with him. No Twilight, no Ed, none of the lieutenants or angels. Just him. "That doesn't sound like Lugia. ... Who's out there?" Nagisa wondered. Well, you know what they say about curiosity, and soon Nagisa went out the back of the carriage. It looked fairly darker, but nothing exactly evil looking. Just the typical night sky with a moon overhead. When Nagisa looked ahead though, there sat a particularly unnerving figure. King Sombra. "Have a seat," Sombra simply stated, a hand gesturing to sit down at the chair in front of him. Sombra was sitting in one as well, a desk in between both. "S-Sombra," Nagisa said, hesitant to even leave the carriage at first. He wasn't expecting Sombra to show up here, but something started to pull him from the carriage, and over to the desk. Possibly it was from the dream logic playing against him this time, and soon he was sitting down in the chair. Well, on the bright side, at least he was alone, and no one else will get hurt here. Though some comfort in knowing where they were would help. "Calm your nerves, human. I can't physically harm you in your dreams even if I wanted to," Sombra made clear, which made sense, though bizarrely, his demon sense wasn't as active as it would be. "You are there, are you?" "Your demon sense? It doesn't work in here, but I can assure you I am. Now, I've been meaning to have a word with you, and I believe we both know why," Sombra began. Nagisa knew only one moment he could recall that Sombra would remotely bring up, and Nagisa started to calm down slightly. That didn't mean he got his guard down. "So you know about that." "I knew about it for a while now, after some observation of course." "Right," Nagisa simply said. Sombra leaned in, his hands under his chin as support, as he looked to his adversary in the eyes. "Let's start off with the obvious question. Your ... "plan". To throw yourself to me for Envy's sake. How did you think you'd get out of that situation the way you did? I could tell you didn't entirely think it through," Sombra questioned. Nagisa turned away from him. "... I didn't plan on surviving this long. Guess fate wants me alive even if I try not to," Nagisa said. "I see. Let me start by saying just how wrong that sounds: I can understand if you have a particular goal in mind, or some sort of strong reason where throwing yourself away was the only thing. Or at the very least have an escape plan worked out, but you never did any of that, now did you?" "Why should it matter to you of all people?" Nagisa questioned. "Because if the time comes when we face eachother, I'm not going to fight a suicidal dumbass," Sombra replied coldly. Nagisa felt like more of an idiot with all of this thrown at him, like he needed any reminders. "I know I screwed up, ok? I was completely selfish for not letting my friends help me, I just didn't want any of them killed. Though, how would you know that?" Nagisa replied. Sombra felt a slight sting at the end there, but didn't show it in the face. "You imply that I don't care for any of my demons, Nagisa?" Sombra questioned. "You threw Envy away like it didn't matter to you, so why not?" "Envy is a Homunculus, not a demon. They're far more expendable than a true demon of the underworld. That, and he was screwing up on me and acting too rebellious anyway, though you already knew that," Sombra stated. Thinking back on how willing Envy was to kill them, he honestly felt 50/50 about it. Sombra got up and began to walk around towards Nagisa. If he had his demon sense, it would go crazy by now. "As a king of Tartarus, I have to take some consideration about my demons, especially with what I'm trying to do. I do not throw in my demons so mindlessly - I have my sanity and compassion in me still, just not for your kind. Why would you think I kept Tirek locked up?" Sombra questioned. To Nagisa, the mention of that word just gave him some bad memories with his involvement with the deity. But, this revelation was a surprise. "You kept him locked up? Not being bias, but I'd thought you'd work better with him." "Tirek has a lot of power, yes, but he's too ... what's the word ... trigger-happy. You saw what happened when he released Pluton on the world, something I'd never considered if I could help it. and now thanks to him, not only does the whole world know about us, but I lost my strongest trump card." "You were planning to use him though." "... Not right away, you understand." This conversation, to Nagisa, wasn't as surprising as his encounter with the Great Tengu, but it surely was an insight on the situation here. Sombra, the man behind it all, was having a standard conversation with what he assumed was his core enemy: himself. Nagisa got up next and turned to Sombra. "Sombra? If you're worried about your demons getting hurt, why are you sending them out here at all? just have them stop coming here, and this whole thing can end." "But I don't want it to end. Not until I reach my goal, anyway. And we know what goal that is, now do we?" Nagisa didn't take much time to figure out what he meant, but only grew more determined to get through to him. "What do you have against us? We didn't do anything to you before this started." "You need me to tell you?" Sombra then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Once he did that, the landscape changed dramatically, and next thing they knew, they were in a rather sketchy part of the city, looking grimy, and polluted everywhere. Nagisa looked around for a bit before looking to Sombra in disbelief. "You serious? You're mad at humans for polluting the earth?" "No. I'm mad at you humans for destroying the Earth. The Earth, the Underworld, and the Overworld as well. Ironic, I know: a demon mad for the angel's sake." "How's the Overworld and Underworld effected, we barely knew you even existed until now!" Nagisa retorted. "I know that. You humans took the world and made it your own, and the effects from this is suffocating the foundation all of us live on. We Demons and Angels don't do that to our own world, what gives you the right to?" Sombra questioned. That only made Nagisa think more than anything. For the longest time, no human knew their actions would be effecting theses worlds, but it seems that's the case. ... effecting those worlds ... "Wait. ... Wait a minute, but. No. No, you can't blame us for that!" "Why. Not?" "Sombra, no Human knew those worlds existed, not to mention being effected by us. Humans are trying to fix this problem on our own world, how're we supposed to do that to the Underworld and Overworld if we don't even know about it?" Nagisa explained. "As far as I'm concerned, it's far too late for you to do much. Getting rid of the human race will best secure the future for everyone. ... Speaking of which, that's one thing I was wondering about too." "The future?" "Your future. ... Have you learned Future Sight, by chance?" "Like you need to know!" he quickly replied. Now it was getting dangerous: this was a rather big thing for him to have, and if Sombra found out, it could mean the end of everyone. It was the biggest advantage they got right now. "Strange. ... You know, I too have Future Sight. I use it during my meditation most of the time, and I've seen those visions myself: the Tengu. Gakuho. And Envy. somehow though, not only did you know all those things, but you even went as far as to prevent them. ... How is that?" Sombra wondered. Nagisa had to think of something. "... They came to me in a dream," Nagisa simply said. Not the full truth, but truth enough. Sombra stayed quiet for a bit, and turned to Nagisa. "... A dream. ... Well, some do say that dreams are human's true insight into the world, if they realize it or not," Sombra sighed. "I can believe that," Nagisa simply said. Sombra just went over back to his seat, hand on the side of his head. "Oh ... this plot is so predictable," Sombra groaned. Nagisa started to think about what Sombra had said, and in the end ... "You're probably right. We both probably know what the end's gonna be." "Humor me then: how do you think this will end up?" Sombra asked, mainly out of amusement more than anything. Nagisa needed a bit to think over the scenario, and through the experiences so far. The end result was a straightforward one. "Well, it'll probably end in a big fight between your world and mine, possibly with the Overworld involved that is still debatable. And at one point ... it will be a single fight between you and me." "And that fight will ultimately decide the fate of everyone. Yes, that's practically inevitable at this point. Do note, that I still have my own cards to play in our game, which at this point isn't going to last much longer. And if they don't work, well ... you know by now." Oddly, Nagisa then smiled. "I'll be ready for it. Me and my friends. I'm not willing to give up the world I live in, you know that. So when that final fight comes, I'll be ready for you," Nagisa concluded. The answer Sombra was hoping to hear. And just in time: a light began to brighten up further away, coming from the moon. "A proper note to end it on. I'll be seeing you soon, Nagisa Shiota." "Looking forward to it, Sombra." S05Ep4: Return to Central ~中央に戻る~"Can you let me out now?" "Not a chance, Hoopa." "Can't you shut that little pest up?" groaned Grell. Well, the fly off back home wasn't as quick as the fly off to the location, as much of the group had little rush this time. Aladdin, Heine, and now Grell were taking a moment to rest within the countryside, a nice fire going over in the forested landscape after some work by Heine himself. Grell was laying on the ground by the warm fire, though his hands were covering his ears from Hoopa's pleads and complaints to be let out, all of which were unsuccessful. Aladdin was getting some berries from some nearby bushes for a little snack for the three, and Heine was keeping the Vessel in check. "Here, sir, I got the berries. These the right ones?" Aladdin asked, showing the berries to him. Heine adjusted his glasses for a moment and examined the berries before nodding his head. "Good job, Aladdin," Heine said, Aladdin sharing the berries between himself, Heine, and Grell. Grell wasn't too impressed with the meal though, but it was better than nothing. "Can I have some?" Hoopa asked from inside the Vessel. Even when locked up, they could hear him loud and clear (unfortunately). "You're a Djinn, you don't need to eat," Heine simply stated, popping a berry into his mouth. "Come on, have some decency!" "How're we supposed to even feed you in there?" Aladdin asked, not sure even how to do that with Hoopa being stuck inside the Vessel anyway. Suddenly the vessel went silent again, not coming with an exact answer to the situation. "Just ignore him, Aladdin. It's just the desperate attempts at a runaway that has been caught," Heine coldly stated. Heine had made up his mind about the situation, and Hoopa was stuck in there no matter who did what. "They were just tricks, Heine, you can't throw someone into jail for that! Come on, get me out of here, be a good sport!" Hoopa yelled again. All of a sudden, both Heine and Aladdin began to hear a familiar sound of a chainsaw. "Can I just kill the loudmouth?! I swear, he's going to drive us all mad!" "You can't get any worse then how you are now, Grell," Heine sighed. Grell felt a cold stab at his heart from that, but Heine did take the turban from Aladdin, and wrapped it around the Vessel. Hoopa tried to talk, but it was now a lot more muffled, as if someone just gagged Hoopa's mouth or something. The sound of the chainsaw dulled down to nothing, Grell finally happy to hear the Djinn shut up for the first time in their get-together. "So, Aladdin, you said you met Grell Sutcliff before?" Heine then asked, turning to his student. "We ran into him when we visited England," Aladdin answered, rubbing the back of his head. "Did you now? Guess that would explain how he knew you when I met him," Heine said, Grell finally getting some sleep by the fire. "Aladdin, let's try and get some sleep. We should be able to reach back home by tomorrow if we're on course," Heine said, starting to get some rest himself over by the fire. Aladdin agreed, and readied to get some sleep himself, but seeing the Vessel one more time before his eyes closed up. ....... *bonk* "Ah, wha, huh?" Not the best wake-up call he had ever, but Aladdin did end up waking up with a jolt when something ended up bouncing off of his head. Heine and Grell didn't wake up from Aladdin's outburst, but there was one little bit of difference that Aladdin immediately noted. The vessel had moved! That was enough to get Aladdin up and looking around, just to find the Vessel had not only unwrapped itself from the turban, but was currently hopping away from the group! Aladdin immediately jumped to his feet and raced after it. Of course, it didn't take long until Aladdin grabbed the Vessel in a dive to the ground, and Hoopa was stuck again. "Oh no you don't!" "Give me a break already, I don't like it in here! come on, kid, can't you let me out of here, please?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin got up after that. "I can't do that, Hoopa, Heine's orders." "So what if it's Heine's orders, you let me out before, you can do it again." "I didn't know what I was doing before, but now I know you're only going to cause trouble if I let you out again," Aladdin said. Hoopa was annoyed, but he started to notice something with that statement. "Oh, ok, just because I'm a Djinn immediately makes me a bad guy. Wow, cool, who's got who trapped in a vessel right now?" Hoopa said. Aladdin stopped. "Hoopa, you've had a innocent human as a slave, didn't you?" "Eh ... well, yeah, but that's a common sight in that part of the country. Besides, she's no normal human, she's a Fanalis. If I let her go, she'd tear that place apart!" Aladdin wasn't sure if Hoopa was telling the truth or just acting desperate again, but Aladdin was seeing the logic behind it somewhat. "How would you know that? Morgiana didn't look too dangerous." "She tried to kill Heine yesterday just for him showing up, remember?" "But you ordered her to, right?" Aladdin asked, though this time it was less genuine curiosity and more mundane. Hoopa groaned, his lies not getting anywhere. "Ok, look kid, so I tried to get Heine gone, you think I enjoy it in here? It's cramp, quiet, dark, and I can barely do anything unless someone summons me. I'm glad I could get away from Heine as long as I had already," Hoopa explained. Aladdin placed the Vessel down in front of him, getting a little curious over Hoopa in there, and he sat down again. "But Hoopa, haven't you been causing trouble? That's why Djinn are in those vessels, so they could keep in check." "Says who? Sure I did a few tricks, but did I harm or kill anyone? No! It's like throwing you in jail for throwing eggs at a house - that's just stupid at best!" "I ... I guess that's true. ... But I can't risk the search all over again. Heine will get mad at me if I let you out again," Aladdin admitted. Hoopa was trying to think, but then he got an idea. "W-Wait, what if I can help you? You let me out, I can help you." That got Aladdin's attention. "Help? Help how?" "For a start, I did get some interesting little information I think you'd want to know. You let me out and I can tell ya, and trust me, I think it's pretty important," Hoopa said. Aladdin felt conflicted here. "... Can you tell me first?" Aladdin asked, genuinely curious. "Kid, give me a break: you let me out, I'll tell you, it's common sense here. You can put me right back in here when we're done, and no one will know, see? So come on, can you let me out of here?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin didn't know what to do here, but if he did have some important information it could help them in the grand scheme of things. Then again, what will Heine think if he found out Hoopa's out again? "What do I do? Should I let him out? Come on, Aladdin, think. This is a Djinn who kept Morgiana as a slave. ..." Then Aladdin got an idea. It was a bit of a long shot, but hopefully it'll work. Hoopa could hear Aladdin walking away from him. "Hey, kid, wait, where're you going? You gonna let me out or not?" Hoopa called, but he didn't get an answer out of him or anyone. Hoopa thought he was at a loss, but eventually footsteps did come back to him, and Hoopa felt the Vessel move. "Ok, Hoopa. You ready?" Aladdin asked. "As I'll ever be," Hoopa replied. Aladdin held the Vessel firmly, and focused his energy into it. The method to releasing a Djinn from its Vessel wasn't too complicated, and Aladdin gently moved his head up and down it like a magic lamp. Aladdin kept his energy focused on it, and after a little bit, some form of stream started to come out of the Vessel. In little time at all, Hoopa was out. "HAHA, you gullible Magi! Thanks again for the quick escape cutie pie, now see ya!" Hoopa felt very confident after that, and readied himself to go, but as he quickly flew, suddenly both his arms were yanked down, and he got grounded. He took a look ahead, and he found that his arms were ... well ... cuffed. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Hoopa yelled. Immediately he tried to get the cuffs off of him, but no matter what he did, they were stuck on him. Not even his own magic apparently did the job, and Aladdin simply stood there, looking almost cheeky. "Thanks, Karma," Aladdin thought. "What'd you do?" "I found a middle ground: now you don't have to be in the Vessel anymore, but we can still keep watch over you with your own cuffs. At least now we can be sure you're with us, and you can have your space," Aladdin explained. Not good enough for this Djinn though, yet all he could do was pout in disappointment at the end result. Honestly, this wasn't what he had in mind. Aladdin was still waiting on his answer however. "Now, can you tell me what this important thing is?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa felt shanghaied. "No you don't, I'm still stuck with you!" "Wait a minute, you said you will tell me if I let you out, and now you're out, now please tell me." "UGH, fine," Hoopa groaned. What else could he do? At least he could still float around, and he floated to his eye level. "K, look, you heard of a Homunculus before, Aladdin?" "Sure I do: One of my best friends is a former Homunculus." "Yeah, sure. Well, heard from a little birdie that one's gonna be targeting Central, which if I'm correct, you'll fly right by at the rate you're going," the Djinn explained. Aladdin's thoughts immediately jumped to one Homunculus in particular that would go after Central again. "Wrath! He's going after Central?!" "How'd you know his name?" Hoopa asked, legitimately surprised. "I've been told about him, he's the only one I could think of that would head there. do you know when?" "Your guess is as good as mine. Could be tomorrow, it could be next year, who knows?" Hoopa shrugged. That got Aladdin thinking on it especially. "Now ... Can you happily remove these cuffs so we both could be on our way?" ~~ "For the record, this sucks." It took some explaining next morning, but eventually the group did go off and ended up on their way in their flight. Heine saw the logic, and Grell just tried to keep the complaining out of his head as they went. Well, on the bright side, at least Hoopa wasn't crammed in some flute during the flight around the countryside. "You do realize this makes things a bit more difficult," Heine sighed. "Maybe, but hey we still have him with us. Isn't that what you wanted, sir?" Aladdin asked. Heine glanced back towards Hoopa, who just crossed his arms and sat down on the turban. "Well, perhaps we can alter accommodations when we get back. Though inform me next time you try something so reckless. ... Again," Heine stated. "Yes sir," Aladdin said in a slump. He still was bummed out that they didn't return to that heavenly place with all the big boobs, but what else could he do now? Aladdin still had Hoopa's warning in mind though as they went along, especially with Wrath. The magi kept his eye out around him, but then he took notice of a distant city, which he then stopped the flight in mid air. "There it is!" Aladdin said, pointing off over to the general direction. "... That's Central Amestris," Grell pointed out. "I know. come on, let's go," Aladdin insisted, but Heine grabbed him by the shoulder. "It's out of the way, Aladdin. I told you not to listen to Hoopa, remember?" "I know, but crazier things had happened. Let's just stop by for a visit, I haven't seen Central in a while, and you can see it for yourself. Come on, please?" Aladdin asked kindly. Heine thought it over, looking back to Hoope and Grell. They did technically get their mission done, and Heine hadn't seen where the defeat of Pluton had taken place himself. "... Well. Maybe just for a little while. Just stay out of trouble," Heine advised. That was all Aladdin needed to hear, and he went right off towards Central. ....... The flight right to Central was, in itself, uneventful but that was a pretty good thing for the most part. Looking down, the city had fully recovered by now, much of the city showing little signs of what Pluton had done to the place. Pretty good to see after just how much damage had been done to it before, yet as they past the square, there was a bit of a special monument built up: it basically showed Nagisa Shiota, standing tall with a sword at his side. Aladdin sighed. "Nagisa sure left his mark in this place. Wonder how he's going to react when he finds this out," Aladdin thought, as they flew by. Aladdin's main target wasn't just the place, but rather the very capitol of Central. It had been their main place of stay, and since they had been deeply involved with the place for a while, Aladdin knew much of the soldiers wouldn't mind their little visit. Speaking of soldiers though, many of them seemed a bit more on edge than usual. They landed over by the main building, and all got off to look around. "Well, it's not exactly a fancy mansion in England, is it?" Grell commented, having a look around. Aladdin took a look around the training area, and soon he spotted a fairly familiar figure, working out some of the soldiers and checking in on them in their guard duty. "Yoroi!" Aladdin called. And indeed it was Yoroi. He knew that voice all too well, and he didn't need a second to realize who had come by for another visit, Aladdin heading right up to him. "Hey, Aladdin, long time no see," Yoroi said, though it didn't take too much time for him to notice the change in crowd. He didn't see anyone of Team Harmony there, and didn't recognize Heine, Grell, or Hoopa from any prior experience. "Who's this?" Yoroi asked. "Greetings. I am Heine Wittgenstein, nice to make your acquaintance," Heine said, hand extended. Yoroi gave his hand a good shake, Grell checking Yoroi out himself. "I see he's your ticket for today. What's with Team Harmony getting all the good looking men?" Grell commented, unamused and maybe even a little bit jealous. However, Yoroi overheard him pretty good. "That's Grell Sutcliff: he's a ... old acquaintance of mine," Heine introduced, though he felt strained on admitting it. "Is that what you think of me?" Grell said, disappointed like a stereotypical teenage daughter. "Where're the others? Karma, Nagisa, Ed, Al?" Yoroi asked Aladdin. "Eh, no, it's just me. They're all busy with their own demon-hunting missions right now, so I went to find him," Aladdin explained, looking over to Hoopa. "And who's him?" "Don't worry about that," Heine simply said. Hoopa just groaned on that answer. If only he could just go off on them right now, this would be a lot easier. "I just thought we'd stop by," Aladdin added in, though Yoroi felt a little rough on that answer. "It's nice, but now's not the best time. Unless ..." "Unless what? what happened?" "It's Selim and Bradley - they've gone missing again. I haven't heard a thing from Fuhrer Bradley since he left to Tokyo, and Selim had been and gone since a sand demon came in and attacked Central. ... Did any of you seen them on your flight? Please, we can really use some good news right now," Yoroi asked, hoping for a good answer. However, Aladdin felt a bit uneasy with that kind of statement, more than the others. It was probably best that they did come by after all. "Yeah ... about them ..." ....... "THEY'RE BOTH WHAT?" After going inside to talk, they sat down in the currently abandoned study, ironically where the attack took place, and explained the entire situation to him. Information about Bradley and Selim both being Homunculi surely hit hard on those soldiers who actually listened to what they had to say. Aladdin and Heine sat side-by-side, Grell standing over by the door, along with Mrs. Bradley. "Homunculus: a fake human being made up of a Philosopher stone. Bradley said so himself," Aladdin explained, remembering what information he got from the others after they figured it all out. "That's crazy! This is King Bradley and Selim we're talking about here: a ruler of all Amestris with his potential successor, how could they hide this fact for the longest time?!" Yoroi insisted, still in disbelief about it all. "Long enough to fool everyone in Central for years. Apparently," Heine stated. He really had some hard time taking this in, but some of the soldiers were actually seeing some sense out of this. "Wait. He never did show up when that giant monster attack Central." "Probable, considering it would be his own counterparts he would be fighting," Heine said. "Geez, why is this such a shock to everyone? That old wreck of a man got tired of you humans, it happens to everybody. You might as well go cry over a baby bird," Grell shrugged. "... May I borrow that pistol?" Heine asked. One of the soldiers gave it to him, which he proceeded to gladly shoot at the wall, inches away from Grell's head. That freaked him out in a yelp, making him fall over. Without another word, he gave the pistol back. "But ... Bradley, he never told me that. ... I-I can't believe it," Mrs. Bradley said, bewildered. "I'm very sorry mam," Aladdin said, trying to comfort her a bit. "Ok, if we're done with these water works, then how about you get your human guns ready for his comeback?" Hoopa asked. "What're you talking about?" Yoroi asked. "That Homunculus's going to come back here and get his throne back, that's what I'm talking about. And YES Heine, I know what I'm talking about!" Hoopa snapped before Heine could get anything in. "What?! when?" Yoroi asked urgently. "Hell if I know," Hoopa shrugged. That surely got their attention. Bradley never showed up in their fight with Pluton, but now he's showing up to reclaim his throne? Who knew what that would entail for them all, especially with what information they've gathered about him and his involvement with Sombra. The general in there came to a more troubling conclusion. "That case, we have to keep him back! We can't have a worker for hell ruling Central," the general stated. "Guess we can't," Yoroi said, though he was slightly unsure himself about it. Comparing the whole world to one man though, one outweighed the other by a mile. "We'll help too," Aladdin chimed in. "We will?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin took one look over to Hoopa, a pleading puppy beg on his face. "AH! Ok, ok, we will," Hoopa said. Well that didn't take much to change his mind. Heine was a bit surprised that he would so willingly help Central out, but Heine then gave a smile to him. "So that's why you brought us here, Aladdin. Well, it's hard to deny a Magi of his calling, I suppose," Heine thought. The only one who felt unsure with it still was Grell. "Grell?" "What? Well surely you can handle this problem by yourself," Grell insisted, a mix of compliment and insult rolled into one. "Please, Grell?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, come on, it's such a rough little scuffle with a swordsman who can take on any for, you really expect me to just dive in on a whim?" Grell pointed out. Aladdin had to think again, trying to figure out once more what his friends would do in this situation. Then a particular Phantomhive came to mind, though he felt a little less thrilled about it. ... "You do this, and I promise when we get back, you can have Sebastian and do whatever you want with him. How's that?" Awkward indeed, but Grell quickly found this interesting. "Hmm? Sebastian and anything I want ... AH! Even kissing?!" Grell gasped in glee, now a lot more excited than before. "Whatever you want, I'll have Ciel make it clear for it." "Can I use tongue?" Grell asked. Aladdin felt a shiver run through him on that question, but if it meant anything, then he'll have to just roll with it. "I said anything you want." That sealed the deal for him. "AAAHHH! Now that's an offer I simply can't refuse! I'm dead serious!~" Grell said, very excited for his reward. Well, not exactly the best sort of thing, but at least he was on board with helping them out. "And you're sure Ciel will be alright with this?" Heine questioned. "W-Well, I guess if it means he'll help, then ... yeah," Aladdin admitted. Guess there was some things he should've left to professionals. But no matter, they got a place to guard up before Bradley would show up, and now they got a reaper to help them. ~~ So, things got busy. The clock ticked by and the military group of Amestris quickly got themselves together, and on high alert. Grell actually got his use together and was getting the soldiers put up here, there, and everywhere, alongside the generals of Central. Heine, Aladdin, and Hoopa ended up with the schematic layout of the Capitol, which helped them in the set-up very well, especially with where Bradley would possibly come from. "So that should do it then. The soldiers are in position all over the perimeter," informed Yoroi, once getting back to them. "Understood. By the by, is Mrs. Bradley moved from the premise?" Heine asked. Yoroi nodded. "She's being escorted to her summer home right now," Yoroi said. "I hope this'll all be worth it," Hoopa said. "We have to try, Hoopa," Aladdin said. "Come on, you think that he's just going to march up front, and -" "There he is!" called a soldier. The group took a look out from the balcony of the capitol, and soon they saw who they were talking about. King Bradley. Right at the front. So many soldiers lined up to keep the assailant back, and instead of sneaking around everything, he was out there in front and ready to face them all head on! King Bradley wasn't exactly amused by this shift in loyalty, both swords in hand. "... Well, damn, there he is. Wow," Hoopa simply said, more bewildered than anything. "They really think I'd make a mockery of myself by going through the back door of my own palace?" Bradley questioned. Sure, it would be easier, but all the same this was his own place, so sneaking into his own house would make him look simply pathetic. And by no means was he going to take his home back being pathetic. Both swords were at the ready. And then he charged. "Fire!" multitude of soldiers started to open fire on Bradley, but the swordsman master not only didn't get hit, but he easily reflected each shot that would've otherwise killed on him sight! And if that wasn't scary enough, the nearby tank gave a power shot right at him, just for him to use his own sword to slice the cannon shot in two: one side knocking back a row of soldiers as the other one exploded on a nearby building! That got a few worried at the least. "Damn it. Move back!" called the general. The workers inside the tank quickly began to back up at full speed, in order to gain distance between them and Bradley. The group could hear soldiers getting skewered, sliced, and cut open at the end of Bradley's swords as he went through. "He's coming up. Heine, anymore bright ideas?" Yoroi asked, getting unnerved. "Make sure he doesn't past the gate," Heine simply instructed. It was a broad one, but what else could they do? "That can go unsaid," Grell simply said. Back with Bradley, things had taken a nasty turn: now in the path to the palace, the tank kicked into higher gear as fast as a tank could move, any soldier in the way of Bradley being sliced up. The tank was in Bradley's way, and this de-crowned king was not going to be denied by this renegade tank. The tank fired again, but as before, Bradley sliced it in two, both sides exploding behind him. Annoyed, Bradley took out some frustration on the tank's wheels, and sliced one side to disable it. The Tank swerved in the path, and actually crashed in the side, leaving some bit of smoke and debris falling down in front of it. The drivers couldn't see exactly where Bradley was, but as they tried to drive, the driver suddenly ended up skewered! "Take the control!" called the general, the secondary driver scrambling to get the controls as the general kicked open the hatch with a gun in hand. "Damn! Where is he?!" it didn't take too long until Bradley showed himself, slicing the gun in two along with his face! Bradley tossed his body away, and left one more little surprise for this tank. A pipe bomb. *BOOOOOMMMM* "What was that?!" gasped Hoopa. That explosion could be heard, and even felt, by those who were lined up at the main gates to the capitol building, some distant smoke from what happened to the tank remaining. Eventually, and to their shock, King Bradley walked right up the front steps. A little dusty from the fight, but not a single injury from his charge. One man against an army, and the man won. His swords weren't even stained with any blood, despite taking down several lives in their prime on the way up. "He took out a tank? He's not human," Heine noted. "See? What'd I tell you!" Hoopa said, humbled himself. Sure he had plenty of tricks up his sleeves, but seeing a regular human do all this even made him humbled. Bradley was undeterred by the various amounts of his own comrades going against him in such a way, and he began to move forward in an almost casual march, both swords out side by side as if they were his own arms. Desperate, a few other soldiers shot and tried their luck, just for Bradley to deflect them in such a way that they actually shot their own men! Not just a deflect, it was a U-turning reflect, and just as bad of result as it would be. Whoever was alive was crippled down so they couldn't do anything. Yoroi, scared, brought out his own weapon, but Heine slapped it down with his pointer. Another shot, and it'll set Bradley off again. "Why're you all so worried? Your king has returned. Now open the gate for me," Bradley ordered. However, none of them were willing to do so, not even giving him a reply. "I said open the gate for me, Yoroi Kagayaki," Bradley said again, this time referring to him by name. Knowing now who he was really dealing with, Yoroi wasn't going to listen to him. Just in case, Aladdin took a moment to get out his Magi shield, just to be sure that they were safe. Bradley didn't charge forward though. "What's it to you that taking over Central would bring, Bradley? I fail to see how this adds up," Heine questioned. Bradley took a look around the group, and saw the full situation. "You humans always try your hardest to get your own way for no reason at all. How much would it matter if I even told you?" Bradley scoffed, unamused by any of them there. He couldn't attack any of them stuck inside that shield, it too strong for even his swords to be used on them. "I guess "coming quietly" is out of the question. Then would a duel satisfy you?" Heine concluded. A bit quick. "Heine?" wondered Aladdin. "A futile effort. But you are an angel of the Overworld. The least I could do was allow this privilege," Bradley decided, and he even gave them the offer by throwing them a sword to use. Now the question was who was going to fight him now? And Heine was more than willing to take the sword off the ground. "An angel, Heine?" Yoroi asked. "... As this is a single man's duel, none of you are to interfere here, understand?" Heine asked. "You kidding? Heine, this is King Bradley -" Heine took a look to everyone at that point, his eyes alone silencing Yoroi from his attempt. He knew what he was doing, he knew the dangers, and he also knew the risk there was to letting Bradley through to his palace. "... Alright." Yoroi stepped back, and got Aladdin, Hoopa, and Grell moved aside, as Heine moved out into position with the sword. Bradley was as ready to fight with him as anyone else would be, sword out front, and aimed directly at Heine. Heine gave a sigh before he too aimed his sword to his challenger. "I'd like to take this moment and say how impressive it is of you to challenge me. And just as worthless of an effort," Bradley stated. "If you really believe it's not worth anything, then you wouldn't even be here, now would you?" Heine stated back. Equally tenacious in words. Bradley gave a rough humph before he focused his sword, and charged right for him. Time for their duel to begin. Of course, the first one to strike at Heine was Bradley, swords lashing at one another right away. Heine showed his skills here, and attempting his own attacks towards the king, just for Bradley to constantly reflect each and every single attack Heine attempted against him. All of the attacks Heine gave were pretty good in their own right, but none of them could compare to the skill Bradley was showing with his own sword. For the first few minutes, both sides were holding up fairly well against eachother, the group nearby waiting in anticipation for who might be winning. Heine wasn't given too many opening to attack him head on though, as Bradley was lightning quick with each attack, not giving Heine enough time to even do much other than block. Then Heine did a rather odd move: Bradley lunged forward with his sword to dislodge Heine's weapon, but Heine made a quick release from the handle, leaned back, and his foot actually kicked the sword upward, the blade narrowly missing Bradley's ear! The first cut Heine made on him, and it was just a tiny bit of skin off his ear lobe. Heine caught the sword after flipping over back onto his feet, aiming his sword at Bradley again. Bradley paused, and placed his hand on the cut. "Impressive agility, Heine. Not bad for someone your age." "I've taken note of it in case I needed to defend myself," Heine said. "But it won't be enough." Bradley went forward again, Heine managing to block the attack again. "He actually hit him?" Yoroi gasped, as the fight continued. Aladdin was starting to get very worried over Heine though, a shiver running through him. "Psst, Grell. I know he said not to, but if things do get bad -" "Say no more kid. In fact, why wait?" "Wait, Grell!" Bradley and Heine both saw Grell rushing into the Frey, and Bradley bolted back before Grell could hit him. Sure, fighting against a sword was a bit hard in a duel, but Grell was using his own chainsaw scythe as his weapon. "Grell!" Heine yelled. "Oh, come on, like I can avoid a good scuffle like this," Grell said. Heine would continue, but Bradley wasn't too troubled by a sudden two-on-one match. In fact, the distraction was just what he wanted, and he rushed forward again, this time towards Grell! The reaper had only a short moment to dodge it, getting a few red hairs cut off on the process. "It's meaningless to me how many you bring into the fight, you humans and angels are all the same. I'll face all of you at once," Bradley stated. Heine didn't had too much time to actually say much, having to dodge and block again after a minute. Grell came at him with his chainsaw, and Bradley found himself between two death callings, and he wasn't willing to answer to either one of em. Bolting back and forth between hits, Bradley was blocking off one attack after the others, one a sword, and one a chainsaw. During the fight though, it was starting to turn a little chaotic, and one hit from Heine accidentally struck Grell in the arm! "The bloody hell, Heine?!" "I didn't mean to - incoming!" Bradley took aim towards Grell here, and with the reaper's back turned. His sword slipped down from his shoulder, and got just at the reaper's handle, and with one yank, the scythe was dislodged from Grell's hand! Heine tried to get Grell aside, but Bradley moved fast, grabbed Heine, and sent them both flying at the wall! It wasn't as brutal as what Bradley could've done, but now they both had no weapon, and Bradley got both swords. "I sometimes wonder how such a species manages to survive up to this point with how many odds are put against them. Putting your lives in peril for no true reason what-so-ever. It's disappointing, if you ask me. This has been fun." ....... "Back. Away. From them." One more player: and she appeared up right above the door, staring down at them like a hawk. It took a while for them to figure out who was up there, but by the time they saw the figure, she jumped off! Bradley foresaw where she was gonna land, and jumped back, just to see the ground under her feet crack open! And down there, they saw who it was completely. "Morgiana!" gasped Aladdin. Morgiana stood up, and stared daggers at Bradley, the man who threatened their lives from what she was seeing. Bradley wasn't so easily intimidated, and went forward at her instead. "Out of the way!" Yoroi warned. But, Morgiana didn't budge. Bradley's swords were inches from her throat, but the girl raised her arms, and focused her strength in grabbing his hands. The grip stopped Bradley cold, and so strong, her nails dug into him like claws and making him bleed. Bradley cringed a little bit, and Morgiana spun him around, and threw him off aside! The king tumbled a bit, but he got to his feet, only to see Morgiana charge directly at him! Bradley only kept her back with his own sword, which did get a good cut into her. This Fanalis though found the otherwise lethal cut nothing more than a paper-cut, and she wasn't crippled in the slightest. Bradley kept attempting his slices until Morgiana grabbed both swords with one hand, and tore them in two! Now Bradley had no weapon to fight them with, and to be sure of it, Morgiana took the torn away blades and kept splitting them until they were just palm-sized metal pieces. Yes, she was that strong. "So strong," the group thought. Bradley, now getting ticked off, took a chance and tried hand to hand combat instead. Morgiana wasn't even going to give him a chance there, and she brought her foot up high, and stomped down on Bradley's foot hard. The strength immediately cracked his bones on impact, Bradley groaning in pain as he dropped to his knee, hand gripping his leg as if his whole leg was broken. He had no weapon, and now he got knocked down thanks to a sudden Fanalis newcomer. He was angry at first, but then he smirked. "You humans never give up. I'll give you that much." Suddenly, Bradley took the only option there was left, but before he could even do that, Morgiana grabbed him by the collar. Without hesitation, and without a second thought, she lifted him over her head, and literally tossed him right out of the capitol like trash! Well, the fight could've lasted longer, but Morgiana wasn't up for that today. Morgiana turned to the others, Grell and Hoopa actually cowering behind Heine from that little display of strength. Last thing they want is to be launched into orbit. "You ok?" Morgiana asked. "Uh ... yeah we are. Thanks Morgiana," Aladdin said, still a bit humbled by what he saw. At least they were safe, but he was shocked to see her here. Morgiana was glad that they were fine after that, but the question still hung in the air. "Now hold on, how'd you get all the way here, we left you all the way back in the middle east!" retorted Grell. "I followed you." "That's not creepy," Grell thought. It was then that Morgiana looked over to Aladdin, looking down to him with a softer expression. "Aladdin. ... You said now that I'm free. I can choose what I want to do with myself, right?" Morgiana asked. Aladdin nodded. "... Then this is what I choose. I want to go with you, Aladdin," Morgiana decided. Aladdin was surprised, but then he remembered his own offer he left for her back in the middle east. At first he didn't know what to say, but he eventually grew a smile on his face. "Welcome aboard!" Aladdin happily announced. S05Ep5: Your Way and Mine ~あなたの道と鉱山~Team Harmony may have been busy bees when it came to their tasks, but with the whole group basically away, Orora high school continued its schedule without too much trouble. Even with that though, they still wondered what was going on with Team Harmony off on their demon hunting missions, which had gone around basically since they left. Gakuho had allowed them to go off and do this, albeit a little reluctantly, and with Heine also gone, things were looked fairly normal around his school. No Heine, no Team Harmony, almost the same as it had before this whole thing started. Underline almost. Over in the E class, the lack of any Elric or Phantomhive really dulled down the mood for many of them. As if the lack of any assassinations were dulling enough (for most of them anyway), without Karma, Ed, Al, Ciel, or Heine around, as pre-mentioned it appeared as the same as it had before the demon situation started. The only thing that remained was Envy, and he was honestly feeling a little fifty-fifty about things. Sure, his fateful meeting with Sombra didn't happen, but just as well, he nearly caused Nagisa to throw his life away, which was oddly nagging at him. That, and with Team Harmony all but gone, who knows what'll happen now that they're away? As far as he was aware, him and anyone else, Tokyo was left a bit open for any demon to hop in and cause some trouble at the least. Not that they couldn't handle it themselves, but it still was something to think about for many of them here. At the moment, it was class-time, second period, and 3-E was still going a bit slow on things. Not even Korosensei's fancy trick of his mach-20 speed, making it appear that he was in multiple places and fazing with each one, didn't exactly lift up any spirit or made things too exciting. "Alright class, let's get some special teaching treatment rolling today! You all just got back from new years break, so let's brighten up the minds and re-light those bulbs!" Korosensei said, trying to get the mood up and up. Envy just sat there, staring out to the window as Korosensei was doing this, taking little notice of what he was even doing. Korosensei's voice even jumped from one to the next, and it sounded like a crowd was giving different lectures at the same time. Hinano, in spite of the racket, saw Envy over nearby and she could easily see that something was bothering him. "I'm here, I'm fine, why do I feel like crap about it? Damnit, these emotions, I thought I got this all down already," Envy thought, his teeth gritting ever so slightly. It got to the point when the chattering was starting to get to him. The class wanted to say something about this odd move, but they didn't really get it out fast enough for Envy's liking, so ... "WILL YOU SHUT UP?! God, I can't hear myself think!" Envy roared, up on his feet now. Korosensei freaked out and stopped. "What, I thought this personal study would be better on the student. Each mind operates differently, and it's my job to help with that," Korosensei said, now appearing at the front desk. "We all can't think with that kind of teaching, one Korosensei's fine," Terasaka said, equally annoyed. At least now he can actually say something without getting overblown by all the racket. Envy sat back down, hand to forehead, and trying to calm down as some students watched on. ....... It took a bit quicker than expected, but the periods passed on from there, and eventually, Envy was out in the halls with the other students for the lunch break. Envy took the moment to chill out not inside the school, but off just outside by the forest edge. Typically, no one else would really be out here behind the school, especially during the cold winter days, yet Envy got himself in some winter clothes and was feeling pretty content with himself. That, and it wasn't just him out here, but a rather surprising guest as well: Emi Isuzu. And since she was only with Envy, she wasn't hiding her true, fat self with him either. Under any normal circumstances this would be completely alien, but with their given history with eachother, they grown at least a little more comfortable with their company. And, fitting lunch time, they both had their respected bento boxes and were snacking away. "Ah, this is the life," Emi sighed happily, laying her back against a tree. Normally she wouldn't enjoy herself like this unless she was home alone, so the extra privilege was pretty nice for her. Envy wasn't gonna judge her by physical appearance, she was guaranteed that. "Yeah, guess it is. You make that yourself?" Envy asked, looking to Emi's bento box, which admittedly was plenty bigger than his own, not to mention looking pretty good. "No, picked it up on the way to school. I managed to get the deluxe package too," Emi said, happily eating away at her meal. Envy watched Emi eat up her meal with joy, and while it was nice, it did remind Envy of someone else he knew. Flashes of him went through his mind, and he turned away from her for a moment. Emi caught him staring though. "What's with you?" Emi questioned. "Nothing, it's fine, you just got a large bento," Envy stated, which was true. Most bentos were typically smaller than what Emi had. Yet, while many of his lies did help him before, Emi started to grow a bit cheeky. she saw him staring at her, and she knew enough why someone would be. "Checking me out?" Emi teased. Envy felt a shiver. "When did I say that? I said you got a large bento!" Envy insisted. "Come on, I saw you, you little pervert. You know how many boys check me out everyday, I know damn well how this works," Emi said, winking to him and even pushing out her chest a bit, letting her boobs bounce over her belly. "You know how many times I've gone through this routine, bitch, it won't work," Envy bluntly stated. He already saw Gluttony with her, Lust was another reminder he didn't want to think over. Emi just smugly grinned. "You know Envy, we are alone.~ Perhaps you and I can have some fun?~" Emi cooed, snuggling against him. Now Envy got freaked out and bolted back ... just for Emi to laugh. "That didn't take much," Emi laughed. "Well how would you feel if a chick suddenly came onto you? Since when were you so cheeky anyway?" Envy snapped, Emi laying back against the tree. "Well, I already showed you the real me. I can relax and have some fun," Emi pointed out, smirking. Envy saw her point, though the sudden sexual advance wasn't on his mind. She did have a point though, at least she had one person she could show herself to without backlash to her reputation. Envy didn't consider her as a cheeky sort, but what was he to know about that anyway? If being a human taught him one thing, it's that they can be wild cards when they want to be. "Whatever you say," Envy simply said. And not a moment too soon either. Envy sat back down, and looked on into the forest for a moment, just ready to take another bite of his meal, when something off in the forest started to rustle a bit. It wasn't exactly something usually too weird, but when Envy looked, it appeared to be a sort of human figure. And he couldn't figure out who it was at first, though his nerves were amped up almost immediately, irises shrinking and eyes widening. "You can't be serious?! Is that -" Envy blinked only once, and the figure was suddenly gone. "Damnit, lunch's over," Emi pointed out, snapping Envy back to reality for the moment. With this figure now gone, Envy had a feeling that it wasn't going to be so simple anymore. ....... Well, school went on normally from there, and boy did Envy have more on his mind now. Lust, Gluttony, that figure he saw earlier, all of that swirled around in his head as school time ended, and as he was heading off for home. He didn't have much time to join with the usual crowd for the walk back, and he actually ended up going off walking alone. Not with the gang, not with Hinano, just him by himself with his thought. This nagging feeling he had wasn't exactly the same as the one he had with Emi Isuzu before, but it still was there and still was bothering him. "How are those two doing? Lust. Gluttony. ... Here I am enjoying a better life, and they're still stuck as Sombra's toys. Damn it. They're the only ones who actually treated me correctly, and I just ditched them. ... Damn. Does that Team Harmony have these thoughts all the time?" Envy's inner monologue was met with his hand to his forehead, seeing the possible answer for these nagging thoughts. He hadn't seen hide or hair of Lust and Gluttony ever since they captured Nagisa, but there was one thing he could confirm: they know what happened to him. And with that stunt, they know he doesn't want to go back either. Then his thoughts returned to that figure he saw earlier. "You bastard, Sombra. I know you're somewhere here. If you did anything to Lust and Gluttony, there'd be hell to pay," Envy thought, gritting his teeth. He had enough trouble going through this hurdle himself, now he had to think about what his old friends were doing off back home. Then again, they were still Homunculus, so, they could handle it far better than he could now. Eventually, Envy's walk was briefly stopped thanks to a traffic light, nearby the shopping district. Typically, the rush of people going through the district would be nothing to Envy at this point, and he took a moment to look over to the crowds. "Still as busy as ever? Don't these people have anything better to do? ... Wait a minute." Envy focused his vision to the crowd, and he could've sworn that someone in there looked ... familiar. It wasn't as ominous as the figure earlier, but it did make Envy stop and stare a little bit. And she was walking right to him too. "I really am getting homesick," Envy thought again, just as the light turned green, and he started walking on his way. Being gone from the Underworld for so long was taking a toll on him, apparently, and another nagging feeling started to follow him. Not one of guilt, but instead the feeling he was being followed. Go figure. He glanced back, and sure enough, that same person was indeed following him along. "No, no Envy. Just get it over with, you bitch," Envy decided, stopping, and turning around to face whoever it was. If it truly was who he was thinking, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He just has to lie himself out of trouble again, that's all. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway, and soon that same figure was standing in front of him. "Envy," said the all too familiar, female voice. It was a bit of a hard place to talk to her with, so Envy walked off to a more secluded location with less people to hear them. "Hey, Lust. Been a while. What're you doing here now?" Envy asked, sounding like he would normally be. The women knew her own name, and it confirmed everything else. "I want to have a word with you," Lust answered. "K, look, I know I'm going through a lot with this damn human body, tell Sombra I'm working it out," Envy said. However, Lust was a bit smarter this time around, and she wasn't buying the simple act. "Envy, we both know he left you for dead. You don't have to keep lying to me," Lust stated. Envy cringed on that. guess Nagisa told them the details after all, and what exactly happened to him. Envy groaned, but then ... "... How is it? Being human?" Lust then asked. now Envy really didn't have a clue what to tell her. This was the same Lust as back in the Underworld, right? Envy rolled his eyes, but he knew he can't keep up with this act of his. "Complicated. But hell, it beats being a servant. Why, did Sombra send you after me?" "It doesn't matter. After Nagisa's little visit, I took time to think, and ... I left that demon lord behind me," Lust admitted. Envy couldn't believe his ears. Sure, he no longer worked for Sombra, but he was banished from his group, he didn't know anyone who was willing to ditch the demon king like Lust did. "No way, she's serious. What did Nagisa say there to change her mind?" Envy thought. Lust then looked to Envy again. "If that Nagisa was willing to replace you, it's clear you'd rather be a human than a Homunculus. There has to be something about being a human that you want to keep, and I'd like to know what that is." "... Well, I'm free for one thing. Humans here aren't stuck being servants their whole lives, they can be whatever the hell they want." "You know, I still remember a time when you thought humans were nothing but worms," Lust pointed out. Envy knew exactly what she meant by that, and he knew damn well his previous thoughts on them and how they were completely dashed after his time there. Envy then noticed something else. "Where's Gluttony?" Envy asked. That was one Homunculus he would expect to come along, but unfortunately Lust slightly recoiled on that question. "I tried talking to him, but Gluttony won't come with me. Something about fresher meat with easier access," Lust said, disappointed. Envy felt his hand slap his forehead. "Really, Gluttony?" he thought, though he could feel his mouth move to the words anyway. But then again, Gluttony would be a cannibal in the eyes of the human world, so there were some mixed feelings about it anyway. What's he supposed to do for that? "So, you want to know how to be human, huh?" Envy asked once more. Lust wasn't a human by any means, but if it meant that she was away from slavery, then it would be a better idea to at least try. Lust nodded to him, and Envy then started to walk by her. "I know one teacher that will be perfect for you. Meet me by the Orora High building tomorrow morning, and we'll see what he has to say, ok?" Envy decided. Lust couldn't help but agree to it, and as such they both went their separate ways. Well, one out of two. ~~ As day turned into night, Envy managed to get on back to Hinano's house. It had been a long time since envy actually had something planned out for tomorrow morning, and as he laid there in his bed, he just had to think about how this will work. "So Lust actually ditched Sombra. I wonder how long it'll be until that demon finds out?" Envy wondered, staring up to the ceiling. As far as any demon was concerned under Sombra's rule, he would find out anything and everything that goes on in his group. It won't be too long until Lust would be found out, and who knows what'll happen then? Before he could fall asleep, Hinano actually ended up knocking on his door. Guess she had something she wanted to ask him about after all, so Envy allowed her in, and opened the door. "Hinano?" "Hey, Envy. Is everything ok?" Hinano asked. Well, getting right to the point it seemed. "Going right to the point, huh?" Envy commented. "Well, Envy, you looked a bit ... out of it today. You can tell me," Hinano said, sitting down on the bed with Envy next to her. Envy sighed, and casually stretched. "Yeah I'm fine, nothing wrong here. Did run into Lust today though," Envy said. Hinano jumped on that answer. "Lust?! Where, when?" Hinano gasped. "After school, I found her at the shopping district. I don't know what'll happen, but I'll say this: we might have another student soon. ... Again," Envy concluded. At this rate, she might as well be, considering what she did and what she wanted to do now. Hinano had a vague memory of Lust once upon a time, and Hinano felt a little uneasy about it. "Eh, Envy, I don't know. There's nothing really normal about a adult women posing as a high school student," Hinano said. "Says the student who has a octopus demon as a teacher," Envy bluntly stated. Suddenly the idea didn't sound as bad as she thought. "Good point." "Yeah." Envy stretched again, and then proceeded to lay back down on the bed, in a similar position as before. Hinano had another question fly through her mind then. "Did Lust become a human too, Envy?" "Lust? ... No." "You sure?" Envy would say the same thing, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized something. Lust did say she left Sombra, there's no denying that, but he didn't see anything that would make her a Homunculus. Her Ouroboros symbol was covered up, so he can't figure that part out, nor did Lust actually show any signs of being a Homunculus: no power activation or anything. "We were in a populated area, I don't think they would like to see a girl with claws that can cut up a tank," Envy stated. A decent point again, and one of many he can pull out of a hat. Hinano took that as her answer, and then smiled to Envy. "Well, Homunculus or not, we'll make her feel right at home, I promise," Hinano said with her sweet smile. Envy just couldn't help but smile with her too. He was lucky to have such a nice roommate. "Plan on her moving in with us too?" Envy joked. Hinano blushed a little. "No, but maybe Korosensei might be interested," Hinano admitted. Envy and Hinano laughed at that, and Envy was starting to feel a bit better. Korosensei had plenty of tricks up his sleeves, so perhaps Lust would be fine yet. Hinano got up and began to head out, and Envy got himself comfortable. Tomorrow will decide what'll happen to him, Lust, and those in 3-E. ~~ "Welcome everyone, glad you all could be here today! It's so nice to know you'll all be so willing, it warms my heart." The next morning, and in Orora high, class was just about ready to begin. Aside from Team Harmony of course, there wasn't really any sight of missing students that morning. Well, not at first anyway: Korosensei went through his attendance sheet, and after a little bit, he noticed some people actually were missing. Guess he jumped the gun there. "Eh? Anyone seen Hinano and Envy?" Korosensei asked, but none of the students really answered at first. And in the end, they didn't have to. "We're here, we're here! Sorry we're late!" Hinano and Envy had arrived, though it was Hinano who got there first, slightly winded, and lucky to make it there in the time she did. "Ah, Hinano, glad you could join us. And just in time too, we're about to go over some Underworld arithmetic this morning, I'd hate to leave you left out," Korosensei said, sounding a bit excited. "Sorry about that. Envy and I have a surprise for our class: a new student's joining us today," Hinano announced. As if a few alchemists, former Homunculus, and the queen's guard dog weren't enough. Korosensei looked confused, his face turning into an X symbol. "You know I'm the one that makes that announcement," Korosensei stated. "Not this time." "Oh, Envy, there you - WHAAAA?!" And in entered Envy with their new "student". Envy felt pretty good about it, but when everyone else saw Lust Homunculus walk in, all attention was shot right to her. It took a bit for her to get in a more comfortable, and more appropriate outfit (as hard as that was for her), and in the end she had the look of another teacher, or representative. No high school outfit was going to exactly fit her, and even if one could, decency wouldn't even exist with Lust. The boys especially saw her interested. Go figure. "WOWIE," Korosensei gasped, his face pink and steam out of his nostrils, almost in a cartoony fashion. "Wait. You mean him?" Lust asked, pointing to Korosensei. "Trust me, I questioned him too at first. Hey, Koro, here's your new student, Lust Homunculus. Thoughts?" Envy asked. Korosensei looked as willing to have her aboard as many of the other students would be. The teacher was a little too distracted to think properly. "Sure thing.~" "So forward?" Lust thought. It took a bit though for both of them to see where he was gazing at, and Lust just took it in stride. For a Homunculus who's embodiment is her namesake, what else would she expect? "How about you take a seat by young lady?" Korosensei suggested, tentacle extended to the classroom, and showing her the options. "Isn't she a bit old to be a student?" Nakamura quietly commented, though she was beginning to feel much like Envy's namesake when she was watching her go by and go into her seat. "I-It was Envy's idea. She wanted to learn how to be human," Hinano quietly explained, though she was a bit iffy about it herself. None of their students were adults, after all, and look who decided to show up. "How did she even get in here in the first place? Did you and Envy bribe Gakuho or something, or did she actually seduce him for this?" Nakamura then questioned, trying to figure it out. Hinano really didn't know how Envy pulled it off with Gakuho, or even if she did, she didn't feel up for answering that question. Envy could sense just how many eyes were focusing on his homunculi friend. "Well I'll say this: no one has a problem with her being here. ... Glad they're already used to Homunculi." ....... The day continued onward from there, and without too much incident apart from some classmates getting a minor distraction out of the bombshell in their class now. Lust just kept quiet throughout most of the classes, at attention with what Korosensei had to say, a bit more than she would normally do. Envy kept a close eye on her throughout the day, just to be sure she was comfortable with things going on here, and to be sure she was learning her skills in being a normal human being. It mainly worked as a shifting system: Korosensei would give his know-how to her during classes and Envy would actually give her some tips and tricks in between. It was a basic practice, but an efficient one in order for Lust to get the full idea down on how being a human actually worked. Lucky for Lust, the reaction by the time lunch came around wasn't really as crazy as it would be. Then again, this school had seen its fair share of the weird and wonderful, so seeing a sexy chick suddenly show up didn't make such a commotion. Or at the least, not such a commotion as the first couple of newcomers had, as a few boys did turn their gazes to her time and again, again Lust not giving them much mind. "So, Envy, I see this is what you've been used to over these months?" Lust noted, looking around the lunchroom. Envy was enjoying his own lunch as she was saying such. "Yeah, it's fine: plenty of light, cooler, and plenty of humans who're not trying to get you," Envy replied. "That last part's still debatable. I think many of the humans would want to try me," Lust said, glancing back to some of the boys nearby, who pretended like they weren't looking. Who were they trying to fool? Anyway, as they were going through lunch, there was still one demon teacher who was still keeping a proper eye on them: Korosensei. Like any peeping tom, he kept well clear of his target, peeking just around the corner of the cafeteria door, giving him just enough of a view of this fem fatale of a Homunculus. Eventually though, after giving himself a reminder with a hit of his own tentacle, Korosensei straightened up and went over to her, seemingly with something in hand. "Here you are, my dear, got the little trinkets like you asked," Korosensei said with his signature giggles, placing down Lust's meal. It wasn't really a Japanese dish, but more of something from back in England, with a fresh meal of cooked, fresh Feebas. Lust smiled. "Thank you. You're pretty sweet," Lust said, giving some bedroom eyes to Korosensei, the demon teacher swooned by her charm. Envy just smirked, and continued his own lunch. Leave it to Lust to swoon a gullible chump into her fingertips. Though, Envy got a closer look, and :Lust seemed a bit deep into swooning Korosensei. "Let me know if you need anything else, ok?" Korosensei said. "I sure will," Lust responded. Korosensei simply giggled, and went back to his post off out of the way. "Was Lust always this flirty? Guess I didn't have much time to notice," Envy figured. He was gone from her for a long time, guess some things had developed with her. It happens. "Neuhuhuhuhu~ This is interesting. Wonder when I can set things up? We'll just have to see." ~~ "Goodnight, Envy, see you in the morning." Well, the rest of the day was pretty much the same, and as Envy had probably figured, Lust was offered a place to stay once it all was done for the day. Korosensei was the one who made that preparation (naturally), and after a little bit, Envy was off and back to his own corner of the world. Throughout the day, and envy was simply wondering over Lust, and how she must be doing with all of this. One day seemingly went well, and after school went pretty smoothly too, far as they knew. And on to the night, it all went on fairly normal. ... So far, nothing really occurred throughout the night. About three hours in, and Envy was still fast asleep. Not a single noise that could actually bother him. As he stayed still, quiet and sleeping, he began to feel something actually go onto the bed with him. Envy groaned a little bit, trying to move his feet so whatever was on there would go off and stop bothering him, but it didn't work. He did eventually open his eyes though, and oddly, he found that Hinano was standing off nearby. "What now?" Envy yawned. Hinano turned her eyes downward. "I ... Well, can I ... sleep with you tonight?" Hinano asked. Envy was far too tired to think properly. "Yeah, sure," Envy answered. Hinano soon joined Envy from there. Envy expected this to go smoothly, and he was ready to go back to sleep, but all of a sudden Hinano started to move herself around a bit. Next thing Envy knew Hinano was on her hands and knees, looking sexually stressed in the face, and stripped down to her bra and panties. ... Wait what? "H-HINANO, WHAT THE HELL?!" He wasn't tired anymore. Envy quickly backed up to the head of the bed, sliding up straight so he wasn't underneath Hinano, the girl moving closer to him. What the hell happened in those three hours?! "Envy, it's me Hinano." "I know who you are, but -" suddenly, Hinano brought her finger to Envy's mouth to get him to be quiet. Envy wasn't sure if this was some twisted dream he's having, or if Hinano was showing her true colors, but regardless he didn't know how to react to this. Hinano started to move closer to him again, eye to eye with Envy, and her eyes showing a desire that Envy knew shouldn't be for Hinano. It was just foreign for her to jump to this so quickly, and so unprompted too. It was then Envy got a closer look at Hinano's eyes. "I've been holding back for so long, Envy. Please, just let me do this.~" ....... "SCREW YOU!" Envy pushed Hinano back, and before she could recover, Envy brought up both feet and slammed her square in the face! The impact sent her flying to the wall, the thud good and loud for the people in the house to hear what was going on. If that thud didn't do it, Envy's scream surely would've. "E-Envy, how could you?" "Shut it, Chrysalis! You can change your form, but not that green aura of yours," Envy scoffed. Hinano didn't react at first, but she then got up and made sure that the door was locked up. Then came the aura change, and in green embers her whole body started to change. The transformation wasn't exactly the same as Envy used to transform, but when he saw Chrysalis standing there, Envy's blood immediately began to boil. The same women who stole everything from him was back again, and nearly had her way with him no less! Chrysalis, now barely clothed and flaunting, turned to Envy with a devilish look in her eyes. "Well, you would be the one to know how your own powers work, huh?" Chrysalis snickered. "The hell do you want this time? You already took my powers away from me," Envy scolded. Chrysalis ran her fingers through her hair, her arm under her boobs as if to flaunt her breasts to him, as much of a mixed feeling that was for Envy. "I heard from a little blue bird that someone actually likes being a human being. So I thought I'd check in on him to figure it out, and looks like he's right," Chrysalis said, strutting closer to him. Envy was already freaked out, and he didn't need her to try anything fancy with him. "So what if I do? I'm not wasting my breath as your kind's play thing," Envy scoffed. Chrysalis however got onto the bed again, this time forcing Envy under her. "What's wrong with being my play thing?~" "Get off me!" Envy yelled. He still wasn't as strong as he used to be, despite all his training, and now that Chrysalis wasn't holding back, she had him stuck. "Didn't change too much, I see. I still don't know what Sombra sees in you, but it's starting to piss me off that he'll let a Homunculus live even after banishing him. ... You understand, don't you, sweetie?" Envy's thoughts were confirmed when Chrysalis then brought her hand down to his throat, wrapping around it. Envy's eyes opened wide, but before Chrysalis could start with him, they both heard the doorknob being tampered with. "Envy! Envy!" called Hinano. Chrysalis got her hand covering Envy's mouth to keep him quiet, and then cleared her throat. "Just a rough dream, Hinano, go back to sleep," Chrysalis said, her voice now sounding exactly like Envy. Envy struggled under her grip, but with Chrysalis now having only one hand on him, he got more control, and forced Chrysalis's hand off of him. But then it was Envy's turn for another surprise, him jumping right out of bed, and reaching under his pillow ... and pulling out a steel hand gun! "Taking tips from Ciel, I see," Chrysalis asked, admittedly a little off guard by the sudden power shift. "You think I'm going down that easily?" Envy asked. "Envy, who's in there with you?!" Hinano called, worried for him. It was then that Chrysalis got an idea. "I wouldn't if I were you. You don't want your human friends involved, do you?" "That's it!" Envy had enough with her now. she took all from him, and now he had the moment of revenge right in his sight! His trigger-hungry finger finally pulled, and the gunshot rang out throughout the house! Chrysalis just managed to miss the shot, but Envy wasn't going to give her the chance, and reloaded his gun for another shot. When he took a look again though - "N-Nabiku?" his hesitation screwed him over, and Chrysalis's trick left him wide open. Then it was lights out. ~~ "Envy? Envy, you still with us?" Well, that was something that happened. Envy got himself around after a while, but he wasn't back home. Or at least, not back at Hinano's house, but instead, he was off down in a street alleyway. Where exactly, he had no idea, nor did he knew how he got there, but one thing he could guarantee was that his migraine was not just from a bad night's sleep. He stayed quiet, getting his vision after a while. However, it didn't come back fast enough when he tried to attack whoever was in front of him. "Hey, calm down, chill!" the same voice said, just avoiding Envy's hits. Envy shook himself off and got his eyes straight, and found Terasaka's gang around him. That, and it was morning too, so he was out for a while. "Chill, dude, it's just us. Got in a bit of a brawl last night, or what?" Yoshida asked, seeing the injury Envy had on his head, which at this point was nastily bruised up and red. "Wait ... How could I know one of you is not Chrysalis in disguise?" Envy asked. "... Who?" Takuya asked. Much of the gang was completely confused on this statement (why wouldn't they?), and envy had to get himself straight here. "How hard did you get hit in the head?" Yoshida asked. "Ok, dumbasses, how'd I get here? Did you drag me out here to finish me off? Which one of you was here and who showed up to -" Terasaka got Envy to shut up by slapping him in the face. Unprecedented, but it got Envy to think a bit better. Envy saw none of the others did anything when he did that, plus if they were against him, they would all go in at him. Terasaka would hit harder at least. Terasaka raised his hand again. "No, no, no, no, OK, OK, accusing, over," Envy quickly said, lowering Terasaka's hand before he could get another hit. "Envy, we just found you passed out right here this morning. Sounds like this Chrysalis left you for dead after she beat you up," Kirara hypothesized. That would be something Chrysalis would do, far as Envy was concerned. But he wouldn't be out here. ... Then something hit him. "Hinano!" Suddenly, he was on his feet, and despite his injury, rushed off out of the alleyway, and down the street. "Wait, Envy!" called Terasaka. Pretty soon, Envy was in a mad dash to get himself back to Hinano's place, with Terasaka's gang following behind him. Even after his beating, Envy had plenty of energy in his mad dash, and he didn't stop for anyone . A number of people actually had to get out of his way as he ran by. He continued running down the road non-stop, until he reached the similar corner that'll lead over to the house. However, he only needed one second to see that last night was no nightmare: the police had arrived at Hinano's house, several police cars and an ambulance around the area. Hinano's parents were talking to the officers, and lucky for Envy, Hinano was sitting in the ambulance. She was still conscious, but it was clear that Chrysalis had more than just Envy she wanted to beat down, as Hinano had a brutal injury done to her right side, which was bandaged up with an ice pack to it. She was talking to some officers too, and Envy wasted no time in rishing right in. "Envy!" Hinano called. Envy stopped himself when he got closer to Hinano, much of the gang stopping earlier along the borderlines of the cars. The gang took a moment to see the details of the area they ran into. Aside from all the police reinforcements, the actual house remained a bit untouched apart from a window that had been smashed from the inside. "You know this boy?" asked one of the officers near her. "I'm her roommate, now what the hell happened?" Envy quickly asked. Hinano looked over to one of the doctors who showed up to Envy. "Your friend has a deep gash to her right side, just narrowing missing her liver. It doesn't look too fatal, but she'll need to be sewed up and remain in hospital care for a few days to be sure," the doctor explained. Envy felt a swell of rage rush through him when he saw Hinano with such a injury. The human he was closest to, and he knew damn well who did this to her too. "Chrysalis," he hissed, just loud enough for the officers to hear him. "Chrysalis. Wait, you know who did this?" "Do I know her? she tried to kill me in there! If she thinks she will get away with this, so help me." Envy didn't need to finish his sentence for everyone to get the idea. "Damnit Chrysalis! Why did you go after them? You're just trying to piss me off, aren't you?" Envy thought, the images from the night prior flashing through his head. He expected her to go after him, sure, but to go after Hinano ... now that just crossed a line. However, despite his anger, Hinano was moved inside the ambulance, with her parents ready to follow her. "You going with them?" the doctor then asked. Envy stayed quiet at first. "I'll come by later," Envy simply said. It took a bit before he saw Hinano being taken away in the ambulance. He walked over back to the gang nearby, letting the officers try and handle the situation at the house. Chrysalis wasn't there, so what could he even do? He'll have to figure it out later, but there was still another question that shot through his head. "Wait ... how did she knew where I lived?" Envy stated, growing slightly spooked for a brief moment. And this statement wasn't ignored either. "Oh, I think we can answer that. Neuhuhuhuhu~" ~~ Well, it felt lonely the next day. With Hinano in the hospital, 3-E just had a bit less of a positive lift in their classroom. The incident spread around the room in little time at all, and soon the whole class knew about what the Kurahashi family. They were troubled, sure, but oddly enough, envy seemed less sad and more ... monotone. He had been given some treatment yesterday after arriving at the hospital, leaving him with a patch on his head, which many of them noticed easily. Lust was the only one in there that wasn't exactly in the know about what had happened, nor was behaving too strongly about it. Something that Envy was taking quite a bit of note on ... "Where is that teacher?" wondered Sugino. A bit odd to note, Korosensei would've shown up by now, yet that morning he wasn't there. Could be from the incident yesterday, perhaps, but Envy knew what was going on. Nabiku quietly looked over to Envy for a moment, and Envy was actually acting a bit impatient. Sure, he didn't show as much sorrow about it, but it almost looked like he had an appointment to keep, his finger impatiently tapping on his desk, as he was waiting for Korosensei to show up. "Come on, Koro," Envy thought, trying to keep himself down until - "Good morning, class!" Bingo. It took a bit of time, but Korosensei did eventually show up to class. A bit later than normal, but he was there, and he was ready to get this ball rolling. "What kept you?" one of the students asked. "Oh, just wanted to prepare some things, fellow hunters. It's come to my attention that we've been a bit lacking in the training department, so I had a chit-chat with Gakuho this morning, and he's agreed to let us head off on a little trip." "The 3-E building?" assumed Kirara. "3-E building," Korosensei confirmed. "Seriously? No offense, teach, but we just got here," Sugino noted. "No problem: take all the time you need ladies and gentlemen. The endurance will be a sure fire method in your little training," Korosensei said, suddenly disappearing and reappearing in an instructor's outfit. It was annoying, but Lust did find this a bit interesting. "Training? So he's been teaching them how to fight, Envy?" Lust quietly asked. "It's been his hobby for a while now, and it's been working out pretty well. We can't do it here, so we handle training off at the isolated 3-E building," Envy explained. After a bit, they began to go, Lust thinking a bit more on what Envy had just told her. ....... "One! Two! Three! Four!" It took some time, but they managed to get to their old stomping grounds of the 3-E building, and out in the winter cold, it was off and training again. A bit nostalgic actually, for it had been a while since many of 3-E had been to the place. The building, they would've thought being worn out, was actually spruced up a bit for their return by you-know-who. Much of the students were off aside and training, but Lust actually got a free pass, since she had plenty of deep experience about fighting herself, not to mention the disadvantage the others would have with her. "Envy sure has been practicing. Guess that explains some of his moves," a particular someone thought. As they continued training, Envy actually paused first, stopping his training and looking back to the 3-E building itself. "Envy, come on, keep up," Nakamura said. "No need, you all can stop now," Envy stated. They did, but it was a bit confusing. Once they did though, they soon saw Korosensei and Lust sneaking off on them, heading towards the storage shed. "Ok, what're you up to?" Nakamura questioned. "Let's just say Korosensei's doing me a favor," envy said, looking devilish in his smile as he watched them go into the shed. "Wait, what, but isn't she your friend?" Nabiku asked, shocked. "Just watch." Meanwhile, inside the shed, Korosensei and Lust went on inside, and Korosensei closed the door himself so the cold wind wouldn't go in. It was just him, Lust, and plenty of the school's sports equipment and weaponry. A sight for sore eyes for Korosensei, and he went on to look around. "And here's the old storage shed. Oh, the memories I have of this place. So, what is it you want to pick from here?" Korosensei asked. Lust was quiet at first, but when Korosensei turned to face her, he soon found something that any normal man would ... well, love to see. his face turned pink, flustered, and Lust looked to him with a face of longing, as her dress was slowly starting to slide off of her! "I-I'm sorry for this. But, I've wanted to get to know you better, my sensei.~ I always had a thing for such lovely creatures like you.~" Lust cooed, moving closer to him with plenty of cleavage to show. Korosensei looked freaked out on this advance, tentacle flailing around, and his face blushing up a storm. "Am I a naughty girl, sensei?~ You think I should be punished?~ Please punish me.~" "W-Whoa, whoa, whoa, w-we've just met!" Korosensei insisted, though he actually was very flattered by this. "I just can't help myself. It drives me crazy seeing such creatures like you. ... I can't hold back.~" "Right now?!" Korosensei gasped. "This naughty girl needs to strip down out of these clothes. I won't be long, sensei.~" Lust cooed, slipping behind a nearly chalkboard. Korosensei, entrapped by the advances, simply stood there giggling like an idiot. Standing there, defense lowered, and off guard. ... Unaware of some peering eyes looming in from the darkness of the storage shed. "RAAHH!" Then it happened: out of the gloom, as Lust hid behind the chalkboard, four large, powerful demons leaped out from the darkness, each one looking more like insects than humans with dark green skin, sharp claws, and razor teeth with bug eyes, and each one leaping right onto him with their claws and teeth digging into him! Korosensei's gasp caught the attention from outside, and the other students grew concerned over his safety, but a good amount of the class didn't move in to help him. "W-What's that?" one of the students asked. "Come on!" Nabiku suddenly gasped, blindly rushing over towards the storage shed. Or at least, she would if Kirara didn't grab and stop her first. "He'll be fine," Kirara reassured. "B-But, but -" All of a sudden, the noise stopped. nothing left but the sounds of some weak groans, none of which were from Korosensei. As for what's going in inside there, Lust waited for the fight to cool down, and slipped out from behind the chalkboard, only to find ... "Nice try.~" Well, the plan didn't work. The four demonic creatures laid on the floor, cut up by, to her surprise, some needles Korosensei was holding in his tentacles. And the surprise was that, while he was cut up, he was hardly hurt and any tentacle he lost grew back with ease. Lust was quiet, but Korosensei was enjoying himself, slowly moving closer to her, as she moved back to the wall. "Oh, you're so predictable: lulling your target into some false security and try to take them down one by one. There's some things you should know about me. One: my body is highly regenerative, and some simple scratches from claws and teeth are nothing but tiny paper cuts to this body. Two: did you honestly think that a middle-aged women would even want to be in a class with high-scholars? Three: ... I've wanted to present a little technique of my own. I have a little talent in massage.~" ....... "NOO! ... No. ... no ..." ... Ok then. "W-what the?" "What's he doing?" The curiosity got the better of the students now, and after everything had calmed down, a number of students went right up to the storage shed, just as Korosensei, calm and happy, went right on outside. His face was normal again, but that was the least of their issues here. "What happened in there?" Nakamura asked. "And where is she?" asked Envy. "She's in there, and you won't have to worry about her for a while," Korosensei explained. The group was confused a bit, but eventually someone did end up slowly going outside too, though she wasn't as gleeful as Korosensei was. She looked rather weak in the knees, slowly walking out like a zombie would, her eyes in a daze, and her face red. And for some reason, dressed up in a student gym outfit, which can go without saying was a bit small on her. However, it wasn't Lust exactly who was walking out of that storage shed. It was Chrysalis. "... The hell is wrong with you?" Chrysalis managed to say, weakly. She wouldn't show her true self like this, but she was far too weak to shapeshift right now. "It would take longer for me to say what happened than the time it took for him to do it. He worked out the knots in my back. Massaged me head to toe, in every spot. A change of clothes, just because. And there was this thing with his tentacles. ..." Chrysalis then collapsed onto the ground, too weak in the knees to stay on her feet. The sexual images flying through their heads not withstanding. "What thing with his tentacles?!" the class asked, though they didn't get an answer from her. "You didn't do what I think you did," Envy noted. Korosensei's face turned white and blank, turning away. "Sometimes adults need ... special care." "That's not the face of a trusting adult," Sugino said. Well, Chrysalis was found out, and found out in such a predicament. The humiliation was horrible, and it didn't help that Envy was standing right there, looking down at her. Him and other humans she would normally kill by now. "How does it feel, Chrysalis?" Envy hissed, hammering in the point. "D-Don't you start. ... So what're you going to do? Kill me? Sombra will hunt you all down when you do," Chrysalis hissed. Once upon a time, Envy would take that as an offer, but after a little bit, and looking to the class, he had another idea in mind. "Chrysalis. You stole my power, disguised yourself as Lust, sexually assaulted me, and left me for dead. You think killing you would be good enough?" Envy asked. Chrysalis wasn't sure what they were up to, but she didn't want to stay around for it. Korosensei was quick to tie her up though, and soon, she ended up bounded down with surprisingly strong wire rope. Well, Chrysalis can assure herself that her life would stay in tact, but what could he have in mind? "She sexually assaulted you?" asked Takuya. "Disguised as Hinano, yeah. Horny bitch," Envy replied. "But ... Why did you have to do that? what did they do to you?" Nabiku asked Chrysalis. "Nothing at all; just getting rid of some dead weight. Or I would be if you bastards didn't do this to me!" chrysalis yelled, in a fit and trying to get herself out, but her energy was still too low to break out of this problem. Nabiku was simply stunned on that kind of answer. "Maybe I can suggest something?" Kirara then asked. "Sure, knock yourself out," Envy offered. Kirara went up to the Envy, and whispered her own idea into his ear. Not too long, a impish grin stretched on envy's face, mirroring Korosensei's grin. That was not reassuring. ....... "GET ME DOWN FROM HERE, YOU'RE BURNING MY BRAIN!" AND next thing they knew, Chrysalis was wrapped from head to toe, good and tight, hanging upside down in a tree, and some good amount of condiments up her nose. She was burning up like crazy, hurting, and being upside down didn't help much either. And what's worse, the condiments were tubes of salsa and hot sauce (you think mustard and wasabi was gonna do it?). "Karma would be proud," Envy said, smirking as he watched her like this. "So how long should we leave her like this, you think?" Korosensei asked. "Oh, me?" "This is your revenge object, you might as well decide the time at least," Nakamura said. Envy didn't need much time to figure out the answer. "Give her a good four days, that should do her good with the cold front coming in." "WHAT?! I'LL FREEZE TO DEATH!" roared Chrysalis. "Not with that hot sauce and salsa keeping your inside warm," Envy smugly stated. That just angered Chrysalis even more so, and they simply left her there to her punishment. As they walked back to the main building from there, some of the students were a bit skeptical on their decision. "Four days? Isn't that a bit long for a punishment? I-I'm not saying she shouldn't I mean -" asked Nabiku. "She'll be fine. Barely," envy noted. "Odds are she won't be able to smell for the next month, and have a severe dislike for hot sauce. Bitches pay prices for messing with the E class," Korosensei said, his face green-striped and cheeky again. "Now wait a minute. When did you find out she wasn't Lust?" "I had a suspicion about it, but I couldn't pin it on her until after that attack. Sorry Envy," Korosensei said. Envy felt some anger come up, but he wasn't dumb enough to jump at him. He didn't know the connection either, and a random attack might not come up at a good result anyway. However, Envy didn't give him an actual answer on their walk, so long as she was being punished. Envy sighed and just looked up to the sky for a moment. "Where are you guys?" S05Ep6: Fear the Tanuki ~タヌキを恐れる~A good fly around through the countryside, and away from their encounter in Amestris, Aladdin's group had grown yet again, now with Morgiana. It was a bit of a surprise choice, but given the fact she did save them from Wrath's blades, Heine was willing to give her a chance to stick around their group. not like they had much choice anyway, considering she ran miles on end just to do so. For the moment, the group had just got themselves a good spot to rest up after some good flying around, and it turned out to be in another part of the eastern forest. With spare time to have, Aladdin took it to get his magi skills to better use, and got himself back into some self-training close by. It had been a while since he had done this, and his skills were starting to get a little rusty on him, so this was a must. As Aladdin was doing that, Grell, Morgiana, and Hoopa were resting over by the fire, the Fanalis keeping a close eye on her prior master. Heine wasn't around for the moment, as he was getting some food from the nearby brush. Eventually Heine came back with some sitrus berries in hand, about as many as would grow in this part of the world. "Welcome back," Morgiana simply said. Heine nodded, and took a seat, passing the berries around to the others. "More berries? I swear, I can't wait to get back to the others, I can have a proper meal," Grell griped, as he ate one of the berries. For once, Hoopa had to agree, there was only so much berries one could take before it starts to get annoying. "You're more than capable of hunting for us, you know," Heine stated coldly. "What? And waste a perfectly good scythe? This scythe's not going to spent its time cutting up bunnies and birds," Grell insisted, though that just bugged Heine more than anything. However, Morgiana was a little more compassionate. "I'll go hunting," she decided. "Very well then. Good luck," Heine said. with a nod, Morgiana went off on her way through the night. Perhaps they'll get their meat fix yet. Once she left, Hoopa couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Bout time she left," Hoopa sighed. "You would say that," Heine commented, unamused as ever. As they were taking their dinner on berries, they began to hear a good amount of magical energy off nearby, and it turned out just to be Aladdin trying to get his magic peaked again. "See someone's training." "He mentioned getting a bit rusty in his magic tricks. Not surprised," Hoopa said, shrugging. Heine took a moment to look at his student, before he got up and began to walk over to him. Aladdin was practicing some similar magic to what Twilight would use, not as strong but still evident in his staff. Heine took this into consideration, especially with how easily he got this started. "Rather talented since I last met him. ... I wonder ..." Heine decided to go on and ask. "Aladdin. May I have a word with you?" Heine asked, as he walked near. Aladdin paused his magic once he saw Heine. "Oh, hi sir! Did you see me just then?" Aladdin asked, wondering about what he thought on his magic. "Yes, I can assure you. ... Though I do have to ask just how much improvement have you've done over the last year," Heine questioned. Aladdin began to sense some other motive or lecture coming up, which dulled his mood a little bit more. "Oh no, I know that tone of voice. D-Did I do something wrong? No, no, just calm down, maybe it's not as bad as you think," Aladdin thought. He stopped his training altogether, and faced his teacher. "My improvement sir? ... Well, I've did a lot better than I used to be: I've been practicing a whole lot for months," Aladdin reassured. Heine paused for a moment. "For months you say. and did you develop anything new since we last met?" Aladdin tried to think up of something, but in exact terms, he drew a blank. "Uh ... well, I did try some water techniques, but they didn't turn out so well," Aladdin admitted, fiddling with his fingers as he said. Heine didn't say much of anything at first, leaving Aladdin a bit shaken up before he actually answered. "Aladdin. Over these few months, I've began to notice something with you. In particular, your contribution towards your team. Off of what I've been told, while you have been helpful with your magi shield and flying turban on more than one occasion, that was all you've contributed from what I understand." Aladdin felt his heart sink. "B-But I've been trying," Aladdin admitted meekly. Heine didn't want to put as much pressure on Aladdin as he used to be, so he improvised. "Now, Aladdin, don't put it all on yourself: Blair, Ciel, and Pinkie have their own contributions, yet I've understood that they don't really handle that much in the exact battle itself. Your friend Twilight's working on it, but she's still rather low," Heine noted. "Now wait, they don't have to fight to help out!" retorted Aladdin. "It's not just about fighting Aladdin, it's about protection." Aladdin grew quiet as Heine continued. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to avoid a fight. But it is a problem if you can't handle one altogether. If the others end up captured, or even crippled, then you and the others won't be able to protect yourselves ... and your fallen friends. You see where I'm going with this?" Heine explained. Aladdin took a moment to consider it and he realized that he was getting a point. The magi looked down to his feet, and what came next just came out. "But the others are so much stronger than we are." "... I see. So you hold yourself back because the others are capable of handling it without you." "W-Well, it's not exactly lying. How many times did they fight a demon and got out of it alright? Even Pinkie helped in a jam once or twice." "You make a decent point. All the same, you can't put your reliance entirely on a few of your team. We both know not every situation they can handle. Or did you forget Karasu?" Aladdin grew shocked at that statement, but Heine was correct as always. Karma barely survived his fight with Karasu, and only survived because Alphonse intervened. Karma did get a warning by Nagisa, but ... "Wait a minute, how'd you know that anyway?" "Korosensei likes to gossip, let's leave it at that," Heine simply stated. Didn't need more than two seconds to realize where the information and came from, Aladdin feeling silly not to think that sooner. His mood quickly changed though when he saw a pointer aimed at him. "Aladdin. It's time for a new lesson," Heine decided, pointer in hand, and aimed at him. "He said new. It must be important," Aladdin thought. ....... Meanwhile, off into the eastern forests, Morgiana was still going around on her own hunting task for her group. With such a clearer night, hunting shouldn't be too difficult tonight for her, but that didn't mean it was a walk in the park. Morgiana kept moving around through the forest, keeping her eyes wide open and looking back and forth, side to side, taking in the entire area she was in. Each step she made, every movement of the head, every dart of the eye, it was all in search. Eventually, her nostrils flared up, as a scent went by her. Food. Morgiana sniffed the air to pinpoint the location, and soon she began to move towards the item. It smelt fresh, and could be just the thing for the group to have. As Morgiana got closer, she started to shift from walking, to stalking, and got down onto her hands and feet to be sure she wouldn't be seen. Her senses told her something was there, and something she can hunt down. She made her post over within some foliage cover, and slowly took a look out from within a bush, expecting some prey to find there. Well, she was half right. Looking out, the object she does find was some meat in the form of a deer, yes, but it was already dead by the time she got there. There it lay, almost as if it died on the spot. Morgiana went over to investigate the creature, but no sign of any scratches, shots, or any of the sort shown on the head, yet she did notice some stray sand just around the mouth. It died gasping. Morgiana made a quick look to be sure she was alone, like any good scavenger would. Yet, something just felt off with this kill. Typically a cut in the neck, or some scratches would indicate a typical hunt, or if it was a human possibly a bullet wound somewhere. None of that was evident on this deer. She gave a few more sniffs before it confirmed her suspicions. "... He's here. Brother." ~~ "Morgiana! Morgiana, we're gonna go! Come on back!" It had been a long night for all of them, and for the next morning, it was up and search. Morgiana hadn't returned from her hunt since she last left, far as they knew, so for Aladdin, he was off and going around with the rest of his gang in order to find her. she wouldn't join their group and then just ditch them like that, would she? "Seems as though your friend's decided to leave us after all, Aladdin. Perhaps we should continue on our way without her," Heine suggested. "We can't do that, she just got to us!" "Come on, you little magi. I may be the one for death, but this is such a bothersome way to go," griped Grell, not enjoying this at all. "Stop that! Come on guys, Morgiana just saved us all from Wrath a few days ago, remember? Come on, just a little more," Aladdin reminded. As true as that was, that didn't mean they were too thrilled about it. But lucky for a number of them, the exact search around didn't last much longer. Sure enough, Morgiana had heard their calls, and got right back to them through the trees. "Aladdin." "There you are, Morgiana. You had a busy night," noted Heine. Morgiana wasn't focusing on him though, and her gaze locked onto Aladdin. "Are you ok?" Aladdin asked. "I need you." "Huh?" before the others could do anything, Morgiana grabbed Aladdin by the arm, gentle but strong to keep her grip, and next thing he knew, Aladdin was pulled away through the forest, Morgiana dragging him behind her through the trees! The world moved by pretty fast for the magi, but lucky for him Morgiana only went about a good five minutes until they stopped moving, Morgiana landing on the ground and gently placing Aladdin down. Admittedly, not the best ride ever - at least the first time Mor knocked him out first. "We're here." "Eh? Where?" Aladdin said in a daze. "Please return my student at once, you Fanalis you," Heine called. Aladdin got to his senses by the time they caught up with her, and as for where she brought them. Well, to put it bluntly, Aladdin was the only one who knew what this palce was, and considering they were in the eastern forest. ... Gaara's eastern forest shrine! It took Aladdin a minute to realize what they were looking at, and another to realize that Morgiana needed him here for whatever reason. "Oh? So what's this old shack about?" Grell asked. "It's a isolated shrine. And it looks rather well maintained too," Heine noted, adjusting his glasses and observing it a bit more closely. "And you're trespassing." Speak of the devil. The group turned around, and up in the tree in question, the very person who lived in the shrine was up in the tree, staring down daggers at everyone. Gaara only got a good view of Grell and Heine, the others slightly obscured, so he saw nothing more than some trespassing band. With little provocation, or time for the group to get ready, Gaara jumped down and rained his ninja blades on all of them! Most of the group leaped out of the way, Grell freaking out a little bit as he did, but Morgiana stood there and took it, three blades digging into her arm! She cringed, but they didn't hurt her as bad as it looked. As for Gaara, he landed not too far from his tree, and now got a better look at his quarry. "Brother. Wait, I don't want to fight you," Morgiana said. "That makes one of us. Now get out of here," Gaara warned, readying a few sand blades. Before a fight could start, Aladdin jumped in the way. "GAARA, HOLD ON! Don't hurt them!" "... Aladdin? ... What're you doing back here? Someone else get lost?" Gaara asked, but he didn't sound like he cared much for it. None of the others knew what he was talking about, but the delay did give Aladdin time to bring up his magi shield. "Explanation, Aladdin?" Heine questioned. "I-I'll tell you later, sir. Gaara, we didn't mean to bother you, we're just passing through." "I did," Morgiana suddenly said. no, that didn't make it any better, and Gaara was more willing to believe her over Aladdin. Gaara stepped forward, more sand turning into blades around him. Before Aladdin could do much, the shield was suddenly moved down when Morgiana made him lose focus in a quick grab. "Aladdin. You helped me when I needed it. You can help him," Morgiana said, just before moving Aladdin so he was right in front of Gaara. A bit forward, but at least Aladdin knew what the concept was ... sorta. "I let you off before, Aladdin. I'm not doing it again," Gaara warned. Aladdin glanced over back to the others for a moment, Morgiana seemingly in anticipation. Aladdin took a quick look around to be sure that they were alone, and none of Sombra's demons were coming in. "You are alone, are you Gaara? I-I heard Sombra found you," Aladdin began, trying not to piss him off again. Gaara straightened up to a more casual stance. The blades still aimed at them though. "I'd like to remain that way. I left Sombra," Gaara simply stated, getting it out of the way before the angels would get on his case too. Aladdin felt relieved somewhat on that answer, but that didn't mean he should keep his guard down completely. Gaara was still highly dangerous. "Well, ok. Gaara, I really don't get it, but, Is something -" Aladdin was cut off when one of the blades touched his throat. "The only thing wrong here is the fact that you won't leave me alone." "Brother, they're with us," Morgiana said. Gaara though growled a little bit. "Stop calling me that!" Gaara attacked again, and Aladdin quickly got the shield back up, Gaara's sand swords slamming into the shield time and time again. Normally that would be enough, but Gaara wasn't going to let this shield off so easily: the sand underneath the shield seeped in from under their feet! In a huge spike, the shield actually broke from the inside out, and everyone ended up scattered, some landing on their feet, others slamming into the ground. After that, Gaara focused his target on Morgiana, and charged forward at her. Pretty soon, it was a brother and sister scuffle. Morgiana though was stronger than Gaara in physical strength, and while he kept cutting into her, Morgiana threw him off of her. "STOP!" Aladdin yelled, getting in the way again. This time though, a shield wasn't brought up in time, and Aladdin was slammed with sand, him sent flying over to the shrine, and landing into the shrine's pond. For once, Gaara didn't mean to attack him. Now Morgiana was getting upset with him, and Heine rushed off to get his student. "I'm giving you all five seconds before I kill all of you," Gaara stated. "WHAT'D I DO?!" Hoopa yelled, just for a sand sword to nearly skewer him! Gaara was in no mood for any games, if there was any to begin with, and Hoopa was clear to get the message. "OK, OK, we're going, off we go!" Hoopa said, pulling out a ring, big enough to cover him, Mor, and Grell. "Wait, but Aladdin." "His funeral," Hoopa said, before the ring activated and dropped down over them. Like a stage act, the ring went down and the trio disappeared from within it, in a single scan, before the ring disappeared itself. Gaara had three out of five handled apparently, but Heine and Aladdin were still in his property. speaking of, Heine got Aladdin out of the pond, the magi a bit bruised from the launch. "You ok?" Heine asked. "Yes, I'm fine," Aladdin answered, getting up to his feet with Heine's help. "Now do you see what I mean?" Heine questioned. Aladdin found it a bad time to get reminded of Heine's lecture, but the message was painfully clear. "Yeah," Aladdin sighed. Heine took a glance over, noticing the lack of action suddenly overcoming the area. Gaara jumped over the boundary wall of the shrine to confront Heine and Aladdin. But once he did get to the right spot, he found that both of them had already been and gone, running off before Gaara could catch up to them. ....... Miles off, the teleporting ring had gotten Morgiana, Grell, and Hoopa off a good mile or two before they all were dropped off in a different part of the forest. They found themselves a bit closer to the eastern coast, just a good yard away from touching sand, but apart from that they didn't have a clue how far they went, or where they ended up exactly. Hoopa was relieved from that. "That's a close one." Hoopa said. ... Just to have Morgiana grab him by his body, and crushing him in her grip! "How dare you." "WHAT?! WHAT?! It's not my fault, I was gonna die!" Hoopa choked out, but that just made Morgiana slam him into the nearest tree. The young boy who helped her so much, and now he's at the mercy of Gaara and his sand attacks. Hoopa fell down to the ground in a daze, Grell picking him up like some loose trash. "You sure are quick to comply, aren't you?" Grell commented. "Shut it, reaper, you'd do the same thing," Hoopa groaned, arms crossed. "He's in danger," Morgiana stated. Hoopa and Grell quickly got the idea, but Hoopa was not standing for any of it. "No, no, no, no, no, no, don't you start that. Look, why don't you just relax a little bit over here, and -" Hoopa was actually pushing her along to the coast as he was talking, but before he could finish, Morgiana put her foot down, which cracked the ground under it. She turned back to Hoopa and Grell, both looking shell-shocked, and was actually puffing her cheeks a bit in her anger. "We're going back for them." "... Yes mam," Hoopa and Grell said. Why argue with a girl that can crush their bones? ~~ Day turned to night again, and now the group had split in two: Heine and Aladdin managed to get good distance from Gaara's part of the world, and just managed to make up a fire. It surely turned quiet with Hoopa, Grell, and Morgiana not with them, but at least they can say they weren't going to get hurt. With the warm fire going, Aladdin and Heine sat across from eachother, Aladdin keeping the flames going and poking the fire with a stick. "It seems the others are taking their time," Heine noted, glancing up to the sky. Wherever they were must be pretty far away wherever it was. "Where do you think they are?" Aladdin asked, feeling worried. "Hard to say. They couldn't have gone too far though," Heine figured. Aladdin wasn't sure if he should go and look around or just wait around for them to show up. Then again, if Morgiana could track them over miles on their travel, then perhaps she would make it back to them in no time at all. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind, and Heine could tell by looking at his face. "Gaara bothering you?" "Well, not him exactly. ... He never said he had a sister. I mean, Morgiana kept calling him brother -" "Not biologically speaking," Heine cut in, finger pointed upward to the idea. Aladdin paused, confused. "Huh?" "Fanalis are their own people, Aladdin. And it's common to hear them refer to eachother as brothers or sisters, more in a racial sense. Morgiana may be referring to Gaara in that kind of sense," Heine explained. Well that did explain why Gaara didn't refer to Morgiana as a sister, but that did reveal Gaara's race, which was equally as interesting. "I guess, but. Gaara doesn't want to admit he's apart of her race. ... Do you think the Fanalis drove him out, maybe?" Aladdin asked. Heine adjusted his glasses, starting to think more carefully about Gaara. Considering the idea, and rehearing Gaara's words, his denial especially. "... It is a possibility. But what reason would be the question, Fanalis won't drive their own kind out of their group to this kind of degree, nor would they even have the magical power to do so." "What do you mean?" "It's like this: you and me have a more prominent connection to the Overworld, and various humans too. That means what magic spreading off of the Overworld can be better spread to the human race underneath, even in small pockets. Nagisa with his demon sense, for example. The Underworld, however, doesn't have that similar of a spread of magic, and so those amongst the Fanalis tribe have to rely on physical strength and enhanced natural senses rather than magical abilities like us." Aladdin had to think about that one, but as usual, he saw how right Heine was. Morgiana, despite all her strength, hadn't used one single spell to help her. no healing, no enhancement or anything, just pure power. "So wait a minute. Is Gaara a Fanalis, or ..." "To tell you the truth, I'm not too sure. Speaking of which, that's something I want to ask you about: your explanation?" Aladdin got his thinking cap on, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh. That. It was kind of a short visit: Twi - er, Yugure, and I lost Nagisa after that whole Pluton attack, so she and I went out to look for him, and turned out Gaara was training him. We found him at his shrine back there, but he nearly killed us ... which is weird, since he saved us from a Homunculus the night before." Now that he thought about it, it sure did sound a bit backwards out loud. Heine quietly pondered about that, getting the pieces together for this little puzzle that was Gaara. "Understood. ..." "You're ok." Good timing: Aladdin and Heine looked away, and there was Morgiana, Grell, and Hoopa finally catching up to the group. Grell was completely winded from his dash, and Hoopa was in Morgiana's grip to be sure he didn't go away. "Morgiana! You all okay?" Aladdin asked, jumping to his feet. "Aside from a bloody marathon, I'm fine," Grell panted, hands on his knees as he tried to get his breath. Morgiana released Hoopa once she stopped, Hoopa falling to the ground in his own daze from the run around. "Just grab me and abuse me," Hoopa said in a daze, his eyes spinning. Aladdin can't help but relate to the djinn, picking him up as he shook his head. "Where'd you guys go?" Aladdin asked. "Your Hoopa teleported us off to the coast, that's what. Bloody Fanalis made us march through the forest all day!" Grell griped. As they were talking to one another about that, it was Heine who was starting to think over Gaara's situation. ... "Everyone? It's time to give Gaara another visit." ~~ Night turned to morning, and back at the shrine, Gaara was left up on his feet and going around back and forth on the upper level, feeling rather antsy with himself. As far as many of the humans would go, Gaara had a mixed feeling to it all: he got involved with both heaven and hell and both of them didn't seem to fancy him. He had his involvement with Team Harmony, and his revenge target was already taken care of, not by his hands, and as for Tartarus. ... "You sure you'll want to?" In Tartarus, Gaara and Lust had a moment to themselves not too long after Nagisa's crazy involvement, and off just outside the main palace, Gaara was about ready to head off on his way. "Don't try to stop me, homunculus. This is taking too long," Gaara firmly stated. Lust was a bit mixed about the situation too, but not to this extent. "Sombra's not the kind to lie, Gaara, and if you do this -" "What? He'll hunt me down? What difference does that make?" Gaara cut in, Lust silenced just from that. Gaara could care less at this point, and if Sombra was taking this much time, he wasn't having any of it. Without another word, he turned and began to go. *knock**knock* Gaara's thoughts were cut off when he heard that noise, it not making Gaara feel any better. As if he had enough company today. He took a moment to glance on outside to be sure, and sure enough, the same company had come back, though one of them appeared to be missing. Morgiana and Aladdin were hoping that this talk could clear things up for Gaara. Knives at the ready, he began to head down to see who was there. He kept himself in the shadows to be sure he wasn't spotted straight away, just in case, but the person was a bit of an odd one for him. Heine. "You again?" Gaara growled, both knives in hand and aiming right at him. Heine remained calm in spite of the lack of weaponry he had on him, and how willing Gaara looked ready to kill him. In fact, that seemed to confirm his suspicions. "Now, that's enough of that. I want to talk to you," Heine stated, hand raised. "Do you?" Gaara questioned. However, Gaara was not willing for any of it, and went over charging at him instead! Heine however wasn't going to make it that easy for him, and he made a quick side-step and avoided Gaara's lunge forward, and his hand actually grabbed his second blade, yanking it out of his hand. Gaara readied to swing his first blade around, but Heine ducked and avoided the hit again. "You need a lesson, Gaara. This one's going to be a little rough," Heine stated, just before he took to offense. Gaara tried to attack, but Heine took the second blade off the ground, and got it just in Gaara's palm, forcing the first blade out of his hand to disarm him, and before Gaara could even do anything, Heine shoved him back off his feet, and to the wall, pinning him to the wall. For someone so short, Heine had a good amount of muscle on him, and his hands were on Gaara's neck! Heine didn't want to go this far, but he had no choice here. "Drop me!" Gaara demanded. "Do know that I'm not here to hurt you. All you're doing is jumping to conclusions," Heine coldly stated. No, that didn't make him feel any better, and that just made Gaara kick Heine in the stomach. It was just enough to make him let go, and Gaara got his blades back after bolting past. Heine had to figure this out. "I didn't ask you to come back here." "Is that you talking? Gaara? Or is it that the demon inside you telling you what to do?" Gaara froze. "They told you." "No, you did. Just now." Heine was on point, but Gaara was more upset with himself over Heine being there. "GET OUT!" Gaara had enough of him, and so had Heine. ....... It lasted only a few more seconds. One moment, Gaara was on his feet with weapons in hand, and the next minute, he was on the ground, stunned, and on his back. Heine did make an attack on him, but it wasn't an ordinary one - much too potent. Heine just stood there with his hands together, aimed like it was a blade itself. Whatever attack Heine had done onto him left Gaara limp and stuck on the ground. Once that was done, Heine walked over to him, looking down at Gaara. "The hell? ... How the hell did you do that?" Gaara asked, now straining in his voice. "That, I've sworn to secrecy," Heine firmly stated. Gaara felt frustrated, but what could he do with his limp body? Heine sighed, and went over to him, soon standing over him and leaning in. "Gaara. I want to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me. How did you come to be here?" "Why should you care about that? I have my own problems, no one needs to be in them," Gaara growled, not looking at him. "... Is that what you tell yourself? You truly think no one in any world can help you?" Heine questioned. Gaara gritted his teeth and stared at him, showing his eyes. "Your eyes. Usually a Fanalis would have red eyes. I can assume something happened to you that involved this demon, am I correct?" "Who cares what a Fanalis is supposed to look like? I'm not a Fanalis, so stop calling me that." "How come?" Heine questioned. Gaara tried moving, but he was still sore from Heine's attack so he couldn't do anything to him. "It's Aladdin, he sent you out here didn't he? Or was it Morgiana?" Gaara asked in a glare. Heine found this interesting. "Neither of them sent me out here, I came here myself. And anyway, clearly you have a connection with her: I never did mention who she was, nor did anyone call her by name." Well that was strike two, and Gaara was getting more ticked off. In the end though, Gaara just wasn't going to get anywhere here with getting Heine lost. "Alright you caught me: I am a Fanalis, and I do know Morgiana, but why should you even care? None of them did," Gaara stated. "Pardon?" "This damn demon, Shukaku. I'm the only seal that's keeping him inside me, and my own people didn't even want me with them," Gaara said. Heine's eyes widened. "Shukaku. I assume he's one of the tailed beasts." "Smartass. Yeah, that's right." "That still doesn't explain why your own kind would have you come here," Heine noted. Gaara scoffed. "Have me come here? They drove me out, forced me away, wanted nothing to do with me! All because some bastard of the sands made me his personal vessel," Gaara growled. Heine found this a little hard to swallow, but not because it was a shocking idea itself that Shukaku would make him a vessel for him. It took Heine only a short while to figure everything out, and he gave Gaara a knowing stare. "I get it now. ... You ran away." "What? You deaf, I said they -" Heine cut him off with a raise of his hand. "I know what you said. But if that's so, why is Morgiana trying to bring you back?" Heine questioned. Gaara didn't even bother to answer. He could sense Heine staring him down. "Gaara. I see what's going on here: Shukaku possessed you. And worried for your people, you isolated yourself, and drove yourself to the surface world. you kept out of contact with everyone so Shukaku won't hurt anyone, and you plan to keep it that way by making yourself cold-hearted as a cover-up so no one would bother to come back for you." Gaara just stayed wide-eyed for a moment or two before he answered again. "... You don't know a damn thing about me." "... You've stayed alone for a long time, Gaara. But has it made your heart feel any lighter?" Gaara wasn't sure how to answer that. He never really considered anything like that in his life, or at least ever since he left the Underworld. Gaara turned to say something, but only to be met by Heine's pointer aimed at his face. "You can run a thousand miles from the world. But no matter how far, it will always follow no matter what you do. Eventually, you're going to have to turn around and face it. ... Running away is what Shukaku wants. He wants you to come here, he wants you to put yourself away from the world. ... Isn't that right, Shukaku?" oooOOOooo.~ How interesting~ All of a sudden, Gaara felt a sharp pain run through him. Gaara tried to fight back, but thanks to Heine, his body just wasn't strong enough to keep himself in. Heine stepped back a bit, and soon, somehow, Gaara was on his feet. A bit groggy, but on his feet nonetheless. One look in Gaara's eyes though, and Heine knew that this wasn't exactly Gaara who got up, the eyes black with yellow irises, which almost seemed to glow. Of course you'll be the one to figure me out. Before Heine could do anything, sand began to gathered around his feet, and next thing he knew, he felt himself launched off from the shrine, and landed outside. "Heine!" gasped Aladdin, rushing over to him as he got up off the ground. The whole group heard the thundering laughs from inside, as the being moved outside with sand all over him. "What a dumbass! You just made my job a lot easier, you know that don't you?" Gaara hissed, but his voice wasn't the best sounding, nor the exact same voice. A sort of hiss to his words, per say. Now with this mixture of appearances beginning to take hold on Gaara, the true identity of this demon was more than known at this point. Speaking of mixture, his face showed one half of a devilish smiling demon on the right, and on the left a terrified Gaara. "S-Shukaku," Morgiana murmured. "Gaara, fight him!" Aladdin yelled, trying to bring Gaara around. Gaara was surely trying, but now Shukaku wasn't going to give him much of a chance, as his full body began to overwhelm him. They could tell that Gaara was struggling, and Aladdin raced in, grabbing his free arm, and tried to pull him out of Shukaku's grip! Morgiana got in and tried to help too, each one pulling as hard as they could, but Shukaku proved just stronger, and quickly engulfed Gaara, and forcing them back. "OH ISN'T THAT JUST PEACHY! Let me give you a thank you after I push up daisies!" Hoopa yelled. "Not now, Hoopa. Move, we have to make distance between him and us," Heine said. Morgiana and Aladdin didn't want to at all, but with Shukaku forming right in front of them, they didn't have a choice. More and more sand added to Shukaku's growing body, restoring him to his original glory, and the bigger he grew, all they could do was turn and make a run for it. And it didn't take long until he had fully regained himself. The roar echoing around him made that apparent. "YOU'RE MINE, ANGELS!" The situation has turned critical. The group managed to get some cover just out of sight of Shukaku, but the giant monster was still roaming around looking for them, Gaara trapped inside. Shukaku gave another roar, as if signaling the world that he was king, and to send shiver down those who're under him. "Well, 'heroes', any more bright ideas?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin tried to keep himself a bit more focused here. "It's time to deal with the real problem. If we can separate Gaara from Shukaku, then maybe we'll get back the Gaara we all know and love," Aladdin concluded. "I DO NOT LOVE HIM!" Grell snapped. "Ok, not the point. It's all about getting Gaara out. We got to find a way in there," Aladdin said. "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!~" Shukaku bellowed. It was painfully clear that this wasn't gonna be an easy task, especially with this monstrous beast wanting their blood. His body shook the ground with each step made, and to Aladdin it was a little too familiar to his own experience. Heine and Aladdin was seeing the whole situation, and if they were going to get Gaara freed of this beast, then they had to work fast. "Hoopa, how far did you mention the coast was?" Aladdin asked. "I don't know, about a good mile east. ... Wait, you're not thinking." "Grell, feel up for a challenge?" ~~ It was now or never, and the group wasn't wasting any time here. Shukaku continued looking down onto the forest, trying to find his targets hidden somewhere in the forest. "Where're those insects? I know they're here somewhere. They wouldn't leave their poor friend behind to suffer, would they?" Shukaku thought, snickering to himself. He figured it was rather typical for the hero to try and get their own friend, and it would only be a matter of time until they will show up to meet their maker. "Hey big boy!~" About time they showed up. Shukaku turned himself around, looking up in the air, and seeing Grell and Aladdin flying up in the air, not too far above his head. "THERE YOU ARE!" And in little time at all, Shukaku was rushing at them, his long arm almost whacking them right out of the sky! Grell yelped on the attack, but it did get the creature's attention. "Fly, magi, fly!" Grell yelped. "Hang on tight!" Aladdin said, getting the flying turban moving off eastward. Shukaku watched them fly off like insects, and soon he took note of a few more: Heine and Hoopa being carried along by Morgiana at the same speed. Shukaku just laughed when he saw this, and with nothing to keep him down, he could do whatever the hell he wanted. Soon, he was charging off after them, and even with his stubby feet, he still kept up close behind them. Each step he made shook the ground, but it didn't make the others slow down. After a while, Shukaku was starting to get more furious with these speedy movers. "HOLD IT, HUSSY!" Shukaku began to force more sand to rise off in front of them. Suddenly they had a gigantic wall of sand to deal with. They couldn't slow down, not yet: and Morgiana and Aladdin knew it. "Hoopa, ring, now!" Heine ordered. Considering they were being chased by Shukaku, Hoopa was in no mood to argue, and threw the ring in front of them, which in turn made a little tunnel through the wall. Pretty straightforward, but not so much for Grell and Aladdin up in the air. With Shukaku behind them, they had little time to change course, and that was what Shukaku wanted to happen. Aladdin quickly shot upward, Grell barely able to hold on, and just managed to get over the wall. and just in time, any slower and Shukaku would've got a hold of them! "BASTARD!" Shukaku roared, slamming through his own sand wall in a mighty charge. His mighty jaws were wide open, sand blasting at them, and Shukaku even used the spreading sand to gain speed. "Hold on Gaara, we'll get you out," Aladdin thought, looking back to Shukaku rushing towards them as fast as the giant could go. After a good half an hour, Shukaku was getting tired from this crazy chase. "DIE!!!" He had enough, he wasn't leaving without one life taken! And he aimed his eyes up to the sky. His jaws opened wide in a roar, and jumped out in a mighty leap! Heine, Morgiana, and Hoopa turned back, just in time to see Shukaku go airborne, aiming right at the magi and reaper. And this time, there was no time to escape, and Shukaku's jaws slammed down over them both! "ALADDIN!" ....... Aladdin and Grell were trapped in darkness inside Shukaku, but the demon's insides weren't the same as any normal animal. No organs in here, and the only thing remaining was a black void. Aladdin kept his magi shield up as they went in, and kept it up until they hit ground, which was a complete expanse of sand. Like a twilight desert. "BLOODY HELL, SHUKAKU! YOU GOBBLE ME UP LIKE IT'S NO ONE'S BUSINESS!" Grell yelled, jumping to his feet. However, the two could say that they were still alive, but how could they get out was a different matter. They saw no walls, no ceiling, nothing but sand dunes. Aladdin took more time to look around than yell, and eventually he saw someone on top of one of the dunes. "Gaara!" Aladdin immediately made a run for him, and both he and Grell quickly saw Gaara's predicament: his entire body was wrapped up in tentacles of sand, keeping him completely still and unable to do anything anymore. "Gaara, wake up! Gaara!" Aladdin tried to bring him back around, but he looked rather weak from the takeover Shukaku did on him, but he did have enough energy to at least see who was there with him. "Aladdin? But ... but how?" "Don't worry about it, we'll get you out of here," Aladdin started to grab and try to get the sand tentacles off of him, but no matter how much he tried, the tentacles weren't budging from his strength. "Oh, you're never gonna get him out that way," Grell said. "What else can we do?" Aladdin asked, still trying to pull the things off. Grell simply pushed him aside, and soon brought out his chainsaw. "THIS IS HOW YOU SLICE AND DICE!" Grell said in glee, turning on the chainsaw. Aladdin though began to freak out. "Grell, no, you'll cut up Gaara too!" MEDDLING PARASITES! YOU'RE ALREADY TOO LATE. Grell and Aladdin suddenly found themselves surrounded: one by one, something shot out of the sand and revealed to be serpent-like tendrils, each one with Shukaku's face on it, hissing like snakes. That creature's already torn down, no way will he get back now! And who's gonna be helping you two?~ Shukaku's voice echoed throughout the room they were in, and none of the words missed any of their ears. One of the snake heads launched forward at them, only for Grell to slice the sand snake in two. It was quick, but they had a lot more of them to deal with. "Permission?" "Go ahead, I'll get Gaara free," Aladdin instructed. They didn't need much more time to agree, and Grell charged into the fight with his chainsaw roaring, and Aladdin went straight back to Gaara and continued trying to get him free. "Get out of here. Shukaku will kill you both if you stay here," Gaara said weakly, but Aladdin wasn't listening to that. "Who's going to get you out of here if we leave?" Aladdin asked, actually just getting a tendril off of Gaara with his staff. Gaara paused. "What's the point? Shukaku's free, and -" "AND we can defeat him! Gaara, you can't give up that fast, you think we're going to give up on you?" Aladdin asked. Gaara glanced behind Aladdin, seeing Grell having a ball with slicing and dicing Shukaku's tendril snakes, one of which he killed as he spun like a top, the chainsaw making mincemeat of the creature. "... Even after everything ..." *hisssss!* At this point, one snake actually slipped by Grell, and focused on the main problem, rising up right next to Aladdin and Gaara! Aladdin turned around, and only had seconds to react. What did he do: bring his staff forward, and the snake slammed down on it! The staff was just strong enough to keep the jaws from slamming shut, but the snake quickly bolted back, swinging Aladdin away from Gaara, and throwing the staff aside. It had the target in sight, but Aladdin wasn't going to stand still for it. As it lunged forward, the magi bolted aside and went straight back to Gaara. Aladdin was putting his life on the line for him ... You've stayed alone for a long time, Gaara. But has it made your heart feel any lighter? Running away was a mistake. "... Stand back." "But Gaara, you -" Gaara looked down to Aladdin, but it wasn't his usual look of cold, or anger, but instead a similar look Heine would give. Aladdin didn't have much time to react, as the snake hissed again. The sand around Gaara began to shift and alter slightly, the tendrils keeping Gaara down beginning to shiver violently. Next thing they knew, the tendrils suddenly burst open, and Gaara was out! First thing he did: destroy the snake after Aladdin with his own sand spikes. "I'm taking control, starting now!" ....... "ACK!" Outside, Shukaku suddenly began to feel himself start to cringe. Even if Aladdin and Grell had been eaten, Morgiana, Heine, and Hoopa still managed to get Shukaku closer to the coastline, yet they still weren't close enough when Shukaku actually stopped himself. Gaara, stop this shit!" Shukaku thought, though inside of him Gaara heard him loud and clear. You made me suffer enough! Shukaku focused his power to try and keep Gaara down, but something seemed to be happening inside the demonic beast that not even Shukaku could handle. The trio outside were left stunned on this, and Shukaku actually gripped his head, trying to keep himself together. Loud groans and roars escaped his mighty maw. "Eh, something tells me we should move, like, now!" Hoopa said, and without Heine or Morgiana's permission, got out of Morgiana's grip, and bolted for the bushes. Shukaku then went silent. "MOVE." Then came the ultimate realization: Heine and Morgiana looked up to Shukaku, and only needed one look at the eyes to see what had happened: The eyes had altered, from black and yellow, to white and green. Gaara was now in control. First, something began to happen on the beast's stomach, swirling like some sort of cyclone for just a little bit. Heine and Morgiana thought it was going to be some sort of attack, but instead, something was launched out of it, and out into the sky: Aladdin and Grell! In a line of sand, both figures along with the flying carpet were flung high and out of the way, Aladdin managed to straighten himself out, and get onto his carpet. Grell panicked for a bit before Aladdin caught him, saving him from a long fall. Gaara looked from one side to the others, and then looked out over to the coast, which now was easily in sight. Gaara knew exactly what they were going to do. Focusing all his energy to control the body, the gigantic tanuki began to run straight for the sea, charging through the forest, and narrowly missing the team down below. Gaara was struggling to keep Shukaku under his control as it was, but with a role reversal like this, it was extremely straining. The Shukaku side of him kept trying to stop Gaara, evidence by the roars that continued to echo out of Shukaku. In little time, the mighty beast was right at the shore. The group raced up to catch up with it, just as the monstrous sand demon made a mighty leap off land, and right over the ocean, out fifty feet in one jump. It was more than Gaara could take, and Shukaku got control back. Too little too late. Next thing Shukaku knew, he found himself submerged in water! Roars and screams echoed from him as he tried to keep himself together, let alone get back to shore, but it was no use. Like actual sand on the beach, Shukaku's body began to dissolve and misshapen, to the point when he could barely move. Even a giant demon like this couldn't get out of this, and all the water soaked into his body, and dispersed him in mere minutes. Shukaku's markings started to disappear, and this demon wasn't getting out of this alive. Watching the demon drown, There was one more important step they had to do. "Gaara!" gasped Aladdin. Aladdin got up onto his feet, and without a second of hesitation, he dove right on down! The others gasped, and the mag darted right into the water. Thanks to Shukaku's sand however, the water turned very murky, Aladdin not able to see properly as he tried to swim and find Gaara amongst the muck. A lone figure he could just make out in the sand. ....... ~~ ....... "Gaara? Gaara, can you hear me?" It took nearly the rest of the day before Gaara began to come to again. He could barely grasp what had happened to him, but he was no longer inside Shukaku, nor in the ocean. Instead, he was laying down, just twenty feet away from the beach, with the group keeping an eye on him throughout the hours. Gaara felt exhausted, but oddly, a bit lighter somehow. He sat up, and rubbed his head. "How long was I out?" Gaara asked. "For a few hours, luckily," Heine answered. Gaara took a look out over by the coast, the last bit he could remember before passing out. "... Is Shukaku gone?..." "It would seem," Heine stated. "How're you feeling Gaara? Feeling any better?" Aladdin asked. Gaara needed a minute before he answered, looking at his own hands. "I ... I'm fine. ... I think ..." "Y-You feel good?" "... No?" "You feel bad?!" "No? Can you just give me a minute?" Gaara asked, now getting annoyed a little bit. Aladdin did keep quiet as Gaara slowly got to his feet, aided by Morgiana. His knees were slightly weak, and it took a bit for him to get his balance together, but he was soon on his feet. "Well, we all nearly died to save him, I hope you're happy now. Next time, don't drag me along into it, eh?" Hoopa groaned, his heart still pounding from the crazy chase earlier. Heine gave him a whack with his pointer to keep him quiet. "Don't you start," Heine simply stated. It was not a good time for Hoopa's comments, especially after everything, but Gaara was too tired to really care much for that, negatively at least. "Answer me one thing before we do anything else," Gaara began, catching their attention. "... Heine, you're right. I did act cold, and it was to keep everyone out of the situation. I nearly killed all of you earlier today ... and you're still willing to try and save me? Even after all that? ... Especially you, Aladdin." Aladdin couldn't help but rub the back of his head. "Well, we already have a friend like that, actually, so ... you're not the first one," Aladdin admitted. Gaara paused and suddenly found his acts a little bit more sensible in a way. "I'm so glad you're okay," Morgiana then said. "Yeah, that's great, and in the end that's really all that matters," added Aladdin. "You think so?" Gaara asked. Aladdin nodded. "Gaara, it was Shukaku who made you end up doing all those things, not you you. ... That, and you didn't want anyone else hurt by him," Aladdin brought up, rather humbly. Gaara started to see a similar connection between Aladdin and Heine with that statement. Gaara took a few steps before he sat back down, the overall fact still a big shock for him. Shukaku was gone, dead, and the plan of this team was what truly did it. Sombra wasn't going to go that far, Gaara was sure of that. "And you're willing to risk it all for me," Gaara restated. Morgiana and Aladdin simply nodded, and Gaara ... didn't know what to say. I mean, sure, Nagisa did save his life only once before, but compared to his personal problem he had kept under wraps this long, his involvement with Tirek was a mere fluke - something that just so happened to involve him. Shukaku was something he'd dealt with for years, and he didn't think anyone would bother to help him with this, nor would he have wanted anyone else involved. ... Yet, here they were. "... I ... I uh -" "Now, you don't have to say anything if you can't find the words, Gaara. just be glad it's all over, and Shukaku's dead in the water. Literally," said Grell, playfully fluffing his hair. Gaara wouldn't be so fond of that, but he had a point. Shukaku was finally gone from his life, and in the end, that's all that mattered now. S05Ep7: Campania ~カンパニア~It had been a bit of a trip since they had left Japan, but a bit of a nostalgic breath of fresh air for the two working together. The groups may have had a bit bigger of an understanding when it came to their demons, but in this case, Ciel and Sebastian had been brought over to a far more familiar playing field: straight back to England. Again, pretty nostalgic after many a trip to everywhere else. And today, they were in for a treat. A bright and simple day off over by the docks of the port. It was a fairly busy day one way or another, with usually was how it goes, with how many boats come and go with cargo and what not, but today was a bit special. Aside from a standard shipping vessel, today stopped by a rather spectacular sight in the form of a giant cruise ship. But not just any ship, a luxury passenger liner, truly a gigantic ship, biggest one they've ever seen. A black underbelly with a shining white upper floor, three huge ship funnels running along it, and plenty of luxury floors were easily evident here just by looking at the cruise liner. Ciel and Sebastian observed this from a road away, keeping a sharp eye on the situation from afar rather than up front. Speaking of which, Ciel Phantomhive had a bit of a costume change: the main change being a mirrored outfit to Sebastian, a blonde hair wig and bandages covering the eye. It wasn't the most elaborate of disguises, nor as embarrassing as a particular ball night, but it did the job anyway. So long as Ciel kept the eye hidden, he should be just fine. Sebastian himself had nothing to worry about in his appearance (obviously). Sebastian smiled and looked to "Right on schedule: The Campania's just ready for the passengers to board," Sebastian reported, though Ciel could see that for himself. After all, there was quite a lineup of aristocrats lining along the dock to the Campania ship, all of which appeared high-class like them in some sort of way, if not just there to watch to boat go off on its way. "Very well. Have you figured out a solution to our ... current predicament?" Ciel asked. "I took care of it, my lord: I've taken the liberty to acquire us both a set of line tickets, under the permission of the queen herself," Sebastian said, and to prove it, he even gave Ciel his, and he held his own. Ciel nodded. "And Alphonse?" "I've given him some unique accommodations." ....... Cut to Alphonse in the cargo hold, his head poking out of one of the cargo boxes. He really wasn't too amused by this decision, who would be? ....... "You're gonna drag us both into hell one day, I swear," Ciel groaned. But, so long as Alphonse was on the boat, what was he to say? What kind of story could he make up to have Al on the boat anyway if he did just walk up with Alphonse behind him. Too much attention, and too much of a stand out for any sort of camouflage or disguise to work right. "Let's go, Sebastian," Ciel announced. And go on over they did, joining up with the crowd. As Ciel and Sebastian had hoped, not many of the crowd took too much notice as it would've been, and they blended in quite fine. Bit by bit, the crowds started to go up onto the ship, each one showing their tickets to the boarding ticker taker as they went for their authenticity. Several pairs got by with little trouble when Ciel and Sebastian came up, presenting their tickets. There was a bit of a pause, but eventually they were given a pass, and both earl and butler went right up onto the main deck ala entrance ladder, following the others up. Once up there, Sebastian and Ciel took a moment to walk around the main side of the ship, taking note of more passengers boarding, and the eventually preparation of the ship's departure. None of the people recognized him as Ciel Phantomhive, nor recognized his butler. It took merely a half an hour of work to get the entire ship ready to set off, but eventually the lone Campania began to move off out of the dock, and out to the open sea. Many people still out on the dock gave their waves and their goodbyes to the others up on board, though Ciel knew better than to join them in that regard. Sure, it would be authentic, but this wasn't just some casual, and convenient ship cruise, this was a mission he had to handle. With Campania moving, there was no turning back now. "Sebastian, go and check in on Alphonse. Make sure none of the staff decided anything crazy with him," Ciel instructed. With a nod, Sebastian went off on his way down to the cargo hold where Alphonse Elric would've ended up. As he did that, Ciel quietly observed the ship slowly making it's voyage away from Southampton, and out into the Atlantic ocean. How this will turn out was anyone's guess, but the moment of silence for him gave him time to think about his target: a seemingly regular person far as he could see based off the picture he could remember on the wanted poster. "If this demon is as crafty as King Sombra would be, taking him lightly would not be a good idea. ... All the same, something's with him. Did I meet him somewhere before?" Ciel's thoughts continued to ponder about this man, as he tried to work his memory on him. Appearances could be deceiving when it came to demons, Ciel knowing that better than anyone else, so if he were to find this demon here, he would have to figure out the person in the wanted poster and see if he could really pin it on him. He'll just have to figure it out as he went along, but for now, word about Alphonse and how he was on the ship was probably a good idea to handle first. But still. That man ... "Master, you've made it. Didn't have too much trouble with getting aboard, did you?" "Not now, Bardroy, I'm thinking," Ciel said, as he turned to walk away, hand to forehead. ... Wait. Bardroy? Ciel stopped cold in his tracks, and turned to the man who referred to him as master, turning out to not be Sebastian. Turned out, and to his shock, there was Bardroy standing there, but not as the typical cook he knew of back in the Phantomhive Manor. To start, Bardroy wasn't dressed as such, but instead dressed as a great Britain soldier: red and white uniform with loaded rifle included in his appearance as a true soldier to the queen. Seeing Bardroy not only showing up here, but shown in such a way had Ciel completely off guard. "W-What the devil - Bardroy? What're you doing here?" Ciel asked. Bardroy brought the rifle up to his shoulder. "Well, lot had happened while you were busy: the queen gave us a letter one day and asking me to come back to the forces," Bardroy explained. "And you accepted it, I assume?" Ciel asked, now a little bit annoyed that his worker had just accepted such a thing behind his back. "It was a request by the queen, how could I not?" Bardroy stated, though that just bugged Ciel more than anything. Then again, how can he himself go against the queen? It was her wish that made him join the team in the first place. Anyway, Ciel just sighed, hand over his eyepatch. "Do keep it down, then. No one on this vessel knows who I am aside from you," Ciel advised. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, my little dog.~" "You got to be kidding me," Ciel thought. But sure enough, walking up casually to Ciel and Bardroy was madam Victoria, princess of England, and now passenger of the vessel. As if seeing Bardroy wasn't enough of a surprise, Ciel actually felt a little less surprised on seeing her coming aboard. "Of course the princess of England would join the ship's parting," Ciel thought. "It's interesting that you've joined us, Phantomhive. Yet I am disappointed. I wondered what dress you'd be fitted into this time." "Very funny," Ciel grumbled. Bardroy didn't know what Victoria was talking about, but it was a story for another time not on guard duty. Victoria brought up a more calmer face. "So, dear, given a break from your hunting trips?" "Well, no. In fact, that's why I'm here," Ciel simply stated. He waited for Victoria to follow up on his question, but instead she simply nodded her head and began to walk by him. "Well, keep up the good work, then, don't have me distract you. And have some fun while you're here, will you? Come Bardroy," Victoria advised, patting him on the shoulder as she passed him, Bardroy following her. Ciel didn't answer her straight away, but it wasn't merely a friendly gesture that pat on the shoulder did, and something was actually left on his shoulder. He got it and took a closer look at it. A small golden pin of a red bird. ....... As much of the crew and passengers were enjoying their time up on the top deck, Sebastian took his own time of lonesome, as instructed by Ciel, to head down into the ship's cargo hold. With so many up outside of the ship and on deck, he had little trouble in terms of extra passengers, or crew members, as he went down the halls, cutting corners, until he ended up finding the door into the cargo hold in question. As expected from such a large ship as the Campania, the cargo hold was especially large inside: wide open and plenty of supplies on board, many in crates as it seemed to be. The demon butler took one extra look around the place for just a bit, before slipping into the cargo hold and taking a look around. For a luxury cruise liner, there was a lot of cargo on it. Sebastian strolled around the place, looking around for where Alphonse might've ended up. Looking around here and there, eventually the sound of clanking metal got to his ears. He took a short walk to the noise, and one of the crates was starting to stir a bit, seeing Alphonse's head just outside of it. "There you are," Sebastian sighed, before walking over to him. "Thanks," Alphonse simply said. He didn't have much to say, nor wanted to. "Just doing my duty as a butler." "Ok. So ... can I come out?" Al asked, waiting for Sebastian to open the crate for him to move again. However, Sebastian simply smiled, and instead of doing that, he reached his hands out, and pulled off Al's head. "Hey, what're you doing?!" Alphonse yelled. "Now, you truly believe that a whole ship of high-class humans will not take notice of a walking, talking body of armor wandering around their presence? I find this a bit more sufficient to avoid unwanted attention, if you understand," Sebastian explained, as he began to casually walk out of the cargo hold with Alphonse's head in front of him. Well, what was Alphonse supposed to do now that his head was removed? "Oh alright, but don't forget my body in here," Alphonse said, sounding rather serious about it. "I won't even think of such." "No, Sebastian, I'm serious. We're going overseas, and the seal in my body is the only thing keeping me alive. If it gets washed away ..." Alphonse didn't need to finish his sentence for Sebastian to understand the importance of it, and nodded his head just as they reached the door back to the hallway. "Very well. I'll warn my master about it in just a bit." "Thank you." ~~ After getting Alphonse's head out of the cargo hold, it was mainly silent stairs for the day when it came to what involvement Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse had with everything. With new knowledge about not only Alphonse's body, but with Victoria and Bardroy on board as well, this could make or break the mission altogether. At least, if it weren't for their little clue that Victoria had dropped off for them, namely the pin with the bird on it. Rather small, but still rather interesting too. As dusk approached, Ciel and Sebastian met up in the dining hall of the Campania, which at the moment was quite crowded with the standard guests roaming around and engaging in small talk over a bite to eat. A rather similar idea to the Royal Ball, but unlike before, there wasn't any extra people to back them up, and it was just them three. Ciel sat down at one of the tables, and actually having a sweet snack in some sliced strawberry cake, as Alphonse was placed down at the center of the table, looking over to Ciel, and Sebastian stood alongside him like a good butler would. "Ah, so the princess has decided to join us," Sebastian stated after the information was exchanged. "Something I have mixed feelings on, I admit. On one hand, she could be a hurdle of our investigation. On the other hand ..." Ciel finished his statement by placing the pin down onto the table, which Sebastian and Alphonse looked over. "A membership badge," Sebastian concluded. "A what?" Alphonse questioned, as Sebastian picked it up to examine further. "I believe we found our culprits, my lord, Elric. It would seem that the Aurora society has boarded with us," Sebastian revealed. "What's the Aurora society?" Alphonse asked. "I've heard rumors about this society. Apparently their a kind of secret group, not dissimilar to manors of a hospital, hidden out of the eyes of even the highest of authority for many years now. Unfortunately, what this group is exactly about, or what the goals are in detail, I'm not too sure," Sebastian explained, his hand resting under his chin as he did his monologue. Ciel and Alphonse pondered for a moment about this Aurora Society, and honestly it didn't take too long to figure out what concept this society might be getting themselves into. It made too much of a coincidence that this Aurora Society would be here after the trio went off on this bounty hunt for demons. "How predictable. Are there any members here?" Ciel questioned, a little quieter this time. Sebastian went over to him, actually moving Alphonse's head so it was lined up with his young earl in terms of vision. 'Look closely at the couple over to your left there, my lord. The women in violet," Sebastian instructed. Ciel did just that, and looked around to the left at the couple in question, seeing them both starting to walk out of the dining hall. Ciel studied the two a bit more closely, and something ended up glistening in the light of the Campania that caught their attention. Sure enough, they too had at least one membership badge on them. "What do we do?" "We follow them, that's what. Come on," Ciel said, picking Alphonse up, and quietly beginning to go off after them. ....... After a short bit of silent walking, eventually the trio followed the couple off away from the main crowd, and off into a more isolated area, possibly another get-together area on Campania. Ciel peeked around the corner at the couple, who presented the membership badge to the two greeters right by the door. Only then did the couple went on inside. "That must be it. Alphonse, if you can refrain from saying anything, that'll be much appreciated," Ciel quietly concluded. Alphonse, who was being held by Ciel at the moment, had to agree, but before they could go, Sebastian grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait, my lord. There's something you should know: evidently the Aurora society has a secret greetings. Unless you know it, you won't be permitted to enter," Sebastian informed. "You didn't think of telling us til now?! ... Alright, what's this greeting then?" Ciel asked, a bit bugged than anything. "You must say ..." and Sebastian proceeded to whisper the exact greeting to Ciel Phantomhive. ... Which in turn made him back up to the wall. "No, absolutely not, you can't possibly be expecting me to do that!" Ciel insisted. Alphonse wasn't sure what this greeting was, but if it made Ciel freak out of all people, it wasn't any good. "Don't perform the greeting, and they'll turn you away immediately. You mustn't hesitate," Sebastian informed. If they were to get to the bottom of this, Ciel had no choice but to agree. As much as he didn't want to. "In that case, shall we go?" Sebastian then asked. Ciel and Al agreed. In little time, the trio went right up to the door, and the greeters, after a little bit, opened up the doors to let them in. Alphonse tried to keep quiet, but he couldn't help but feel a little surprised on what they were seeing in there. The room appeared similar to the dining hall, but had a fairly good-sized alter towards the back not dissimilar to one in a church. A whole room full of Aurora Society members, all aristocratic in some way, but that wasn't the only thing he was catching out of this crowd. And that was evident when the first man stepped forward to see them, a membership badge on his person for them to see. "Are you two new to the Aurora society?" the man asked. A rather bold question to ask straight away, but it was something they've come to expect. With a nod from Sebastian, Ciel placed Alphonse down onto the ground in front of him before looking up to the man. "The uh ... The perfect flame that burns within us." Ciel began. "May be hidden, but cannot be distinguished," added the man. "Through it all ..." Suddenly, Ciel and Sebastian got into what Alphonse would assume to be the "secret greeting": both of them got onto one leg, both arms spread up in a display as if the two had wings, and then exclaiming "We are Phoenixes!" ... Did it work? "... Phoenix! Brothers, I welcome you to the Aurora society!" the man said, going into a similar pose as they were. Guess they were in, and once more, the man then went into his pocket and pulled something else out for them: a set of membership badges. Still feeling a bit shaky, Ciel took them with a nod, but he was red in the face and steaming from that display. He felt like a complete idiot. "There. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Sebastian said with a smile. Ciel didn't even bother with an answer, as Sebastian got his badge onto him. Ciel went on to pick up Alphonse after that, and turned his head so it locked onto his eye. "You are not to say a word about this, am I clear? Unless you want your body thrown into the sea!" Ciel grumbled, quietly as to not draw anymore attention to himself. "I-I promise, I swear, wouldn't dream of it," Alphonse meekly answered. Unfortunately ... "Hehehehehehehe, oh how priceless! I'm afraid if I laugh and longer, I'll give myself an injury," said a giggling voice nearby. OH GOD NO. "U-Undertaker?!" gasped Ciel. Indeed, it was Undertaker, the giggling character also sporting a badge of the society in question. "Oh the way you said that. 'We are Phoenixes!' oh how princess that was, and you kept such a straight face too." "You bloody -" "Temper, my lord," Sebastian advised. Never a good idea to start a confrontation this quickly on. Alphonse was a bit weirded out by the man, and any name like "undertaker" wasn't making this person's image any better on him. Sebastian kept his usual calm demeanor though, and looked to the Undertaker. "I must say, this is quite unexpected. What brings you onto the Campania today?" Sebastian asked. After a few more giggles, Undertaker looked to them. "Oh, you can call it professional curiosity. A hospital has the best customers for someone of my profession, don't you know," Undertaker explained. Well, if a hospital was what this Aurora Society was about, guess it would only make sense for a man in charge of the dead to show up to a place like this. "Bloddy hell: first Bardroy, then Victoria, and now him! How many more characters from my side of the story are going to be dropping in?" Ciel thought. It was then that Undertaker took note of Alphonse sitting in Ciel's arms, just for the Undertaker to pick him up. "Oh, what do we have here then? Am I mistaken, or is this Alphonse Elric's severed head I have the pleasure of seeing?" Undertaker asked in glee, though it didn't help Al any, making him shiver. Ciel quickly snatched Alphonse back. "I-I think you're the one who's mistaken." "Oh, come now, we both know I'm not. How could I ever forget such a memorable face like his? News of sentient armor travels fast you know, especially if one's apart of the army, isn't that right?" Undertaker pointed out. Nothing would get past this guy, no matter what they tried. "O-Ok, you got me. You know eachother?" Alphonse quietly asked, trying not to talk too loud. "You can say that me and the young lord have a interesting relationship with eachother," Undertaker answered, his signature grin edged on his face. Ciel gave Alphonse to Sebastian and corrected himself. "Yes, I am curious about the Aurora Society's activities. What information can you tell us?" "Steady now, we know I won't blabber on anything without proper payment." "You just laughed for a minute straight!" retorted Ciel. "I suppose that's true ... how about another Phoenix pose for old times sake?" No, that didn't make Ciel any better, and he began to fluster up. He already embarrassed himself enough, he didn't need anymore of it. However, and supposedly lucky for Ciel and his dignity, someone else caught wind of their conversation, and. "We are Phoenixes!" Enter a new player to this Aurora game. The figure who decided to arrive to the scene appeared to be a man in his prime, and an extremely handsome one at that: blonde hair that went past his neck, violet eyes that had a sort of natural charm to them, and the outfit of a true aristocrat with a black suite accompanied by a red stone around his neck as display. He too did the Phoenix pose, but for his there was a lot more enthusiasm than what Ciel and Sebastian pulled off: one leg straight up in the air, and both hands aimed to his left side in a dazzling display, a rose in between his right fingers. "Pardon me, but I wanted to include one of my own," said the man. Admittedly, a rather interesting display to an otherwise stupid pose. The man straightened himself up, and went over to see the newcomers himself. The Undertaker went off to check out the rest of the meeting's guests. "Ah, some new members, I would presume?" he asked. "Indeed: we heard about the success of the hospital's work and decided that it would be an intriguing experience," Sebastian explained, Ciel and Alphonse keeping quiet. However, the man was a bit more interested in them over the butler, and slipped by him to see what they were about. Soon he noticed the bandages on Ciel's face, and his hand gently grazed his cheek, the man looked a bit concern. "Oh dear, how sad that such a young man's pretty face to be met with such a experience," the man noted. Ciel had to think fast. "Y-Yes that's right! I heard that the society could cure me!" Ciel quickly stated. Mainly it was just so he could get off of him, but he didn't have a clue what he himself was talking about, or if this was that kind of place to do it. The man looked startled at first, but then just smiled down at him, much to his dismay. "Is that all? Oh, the Society can do far more than a simple surgery, my little robin. I do have to ask though; you have a sort of attachment to that armor piece your holding?" he pried, referring to the Alphonse head. Boy, the hard questions are rapid fire in this place, and Ciel had to work the gears in his head on some sort of answer, yet Sebastian already had one. "Well, if you must know, that is actually a sort of puppet. He got it from his late father when he was little and found it quite hard to get rid of. You might say it's a memoir to him," Sebastian said. The man paused for a moment, and looked back to ciel. "Oh? Dabbling in ventriloquism, are you? How about you present your little puppet out? It can't hurt, could it?" "What's with this cretin?" Ciel thought, now on the spot. How did 'memoir' turn into 'ventriloquist'?! "Oh, don't bother with him, he's nothing but a silly loon!" Alphonse suddenly said, good and loud for him to hear. Ciel grew shocked. "I beg your pardon?!" "You're always leaving things behind you. You'll lose you're head too if yours wasn't attached," Alphonse said, adding a few chuckles. "Shut it you, at least I can walk around!" retorted Ciel. "And how many bananas did you slip with your steps?" Alphonse asked. Ciel was getting angry with Alphonse, but the man ended up laughing not too long after the bickering. "My, you got me in stitches," the man laughed. Ciel and Alphonse clammed up, and the man playfully fluffed his hair. "Well, back onto our little topic, I'll see if we can give you a little appointment to make you handsome again. Well, not up to my standard, of course. Though I do believe a little display is in order first." "Display?" Alphonse asked. The man found that a bit cute. "You'll see. Until then, my robin,~" and with that remark, the man strolled away, leaving both Alphonse and Ciel a bit shaken up. Boy, are things going on a rollercoaster with this boat, and to top it all off, they even heard Sebastian snicker not too far away. Now they both agreed silently to keep this to themselves - last thing they want was some kids at home asking for a ventriloquist session out of them, but the idea that a display was going to be presented was a bit interesting. "What kind of display did he have in mind, you think?" Alphonse asked. "I doubt it's a basic surgery, I'll say that much. Perhaps it can prove worth looking into," Ciel concluded. And looking into it was something they had to do, for the sake of "pinning the problem". Sebastian went on over back to them at this point. ~~ As Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse were doing that, back in the dining hall, Victoria and Bardroy were doing their own rounds as well throughout the ship, Bardroy keeping good guard over Victoria as she was enjoying herself. That didn't mean Bardroy didn't take some bit of wine himself during his stay. "Sure is nice to be out of that palace, wouldn't you agree Bardroy?" Victoria asked, as she enjoyed some of the wine offered. "to tell you the truth, I'd never imagined I would end up here," Bardroy admitted. A soldier like him in such a high-class area just made him feel out of place really, as many typical soldiers don't end up in places like this. Victoria smirked to him. "Don't be so modest. I'd invite all of you if I wanted to, but you're the only one with an actual military record. Care for more wine?" Victoria offered to pour him another glass, which he declined with a wave of his hand. One glass was good enough for him, as Victoria poured herself another glass of wine. "Try not to get too carried away, please?" Bardroy advised. But rather than just sip it, Victoria smirked and gulped it down fast. "Who're you to give me orders?" she questioned, giving him a more serious look. Bardroy shuttered a little and turned away. "Sorry. Your mother didn't want you to get too carried away, so she asked me to make sure of that before we left," Bardroy said, as Victoria got herself another glass. "She should know by now I can handle my own well-being. And anyway, we got other matters to attend to aside from a few glasses of wine," Victoria explained. Bardroy felt a little puzzled, as Victoria drank her now fourth glass. Bardroy brought his gun around and at the ready, just to be sure things will be alright for her sake. Her, and the queen too. "I think they'll start now. Come along, let's see what our friend of the Phoenix are up to," Victoria advised, beginning to walk off out of the dining hall. Bardroy began to follow her after a bit, but he began to feel a little bit unsure with this whole thing, feeling a bit suspicious about her. But he knew better than to say anything to her, and he simply followed her quietly. ~~ With time ticking on by, those amongst the Aurora society were getting a bit of anticipation, as this "display" was starting to take shape up on stage. Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse managed to find a seat amongst the tables set up within the room, along with plenty others, though most of the were standing to see what was about to happen. Pretty soon, as the trio was considering just going they were waiting so long, eventually the handsome man that met with them earlier took a step up onto the alter, getting some good applause from the crowd, and getting the attention of Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse again. The man relished in the applause, and both hands were raised as a smile went over his face. As a bit of an example for the presentation, something was brought out to the place, all covered up by a sheet. "Thank you, thank you everyone, it's just a pleasure to have you all here tonight. And grateful as well for a fine audience for my presentation, a toast for you all coming," he said, even raising his own glass, some returning the gesture as well. Some of the members of said society then being forth a rather peculiar device up onto the alter, none that they've seen before surely. After the gestures, the device itself was placed in position. The body of this device looked like something out of some Frankenstein movie: a set of satellite-like pieces connected to six different electrical cylinders, with the main base being a power cell of a generator. The whole machine itself was huge, about a good fifteen feet tall, and looked more like a tower than a machine of sorts. "How peculiar," noted Sebastian. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you all: the complete salvation. You may hold your applause until after you see what magnificent medical power that I'm willing to show. I like to personally introduce to you all the grateful participants for this event, may I please welcome Mrs. and Miss. Connor to the alter," he then brought a hand out to the couple that the trio had seen earlier arrive to the alter, Miss. Connor praying that this presentation will be successful, whatever it was. "Please bring her back for us. It's been only weeks, but it's been too long," Mrs. Connor insisted gravely. The man was willing to do just that. "I, Aleistor Chamber, will guarantee it. Speaking of which ..." The man, now known to the trio as Aleistor Chamber, presented another little extra assortment to the crowd, as a assistant pulled off the sheets to the object in front of the device. To their surprise, it was revealed to be a corpse! The body really did have a Frankenstein look to it: stitches in several places, her body in only a night gown, her eyes covered in a sleep mask, and wires beginning to be placed onto her torso and body. Aleistor looked to the crowd again, his glass of wine raised towards the body in presentation. "A poor, unfortunate accident has taken the life away of seventeen-year old Margaret Connor merely two weeks ago, and so many feeble minds would declare her dead. To that I say hogwash! For the grand salvation of my medical science will bring this fair maiden back from the dead!" That last part especially got their attention. Sure, medicine could save people from death, but bring one back from it? Even Sebastian found this a bit intriguing, being a demon of the underworld himself and all. "Back from the dead? He's serious?" Alphonse thought, which was the main reaction that the others shared just as well. Eventually, the workers under Aleistor gave him the thumbs up, and prepare to start the machine next to her. With a flip of a switch, and press of a button, the machine began to roar to life, blue sparks shooting out like crazy, as the device roared in glory. Electricity shot through the corpse's body, surges making the body twitch and shake from the sheer force of it, Aleistor himself relishing into it with his arms spread like the bird the society has symbolized. "Bring this girl back to us! Give her life again, like the Phoenix you are!" Aleistor declared, as the electricity continued to surge through her, everyone, including the trio, watching to see what'll happen to her. It felt like forever had flown by, but what was truly just half a minute of thousands of volts, before the machine calmed down, and the body ceased movement. The crowd waited with baited breath, waiting for what sort of sign the body would give. At first, the body remained just that: just a body. Cold, stone dead. ... Then a twitch. Then the hand moved. "S-She's moving!" and indeed she was. Much to the amazement of the crowd, Margaret, slowly, but surely, begun to rise up from her death bed, managing to sit up in her bed. Her body still felt a little twitchy, but apart from that, she wasn't falling over again. And to just prove how alive she became, her hand slowly felt the wires and plugs, and proceeded to remove them herself with simple tugs of the wrist, and curiously felt the blindfold over her eyes. Her parents were simply amazed at what they were seeing, tears of joy coming from both of them on seeing their daughter back with them. "Allow me, my blossom," Aleistor decided, gently untying the bandages over her eyes, and allowing her to see her parents for the first time in weeks. Her eyes were still a little glossy somewhat, but considering she was just dead, that was easily overlooked. Slowly, she even grew the strength to get up back onto her own feet with little help. She was back from the dead. Just as Aleistor promised. "Oh ... Oh M-Margaret!" the mother cried, embracing her daughter on her arms. Margaret didn't react too much to the gesture though, as Aleistor looked on to the crowd of amazed members with only one thing to say. "THE PHOENIX HAS RISEN AGAIN!" That response gave the entire crowd into a roar of applause to this amazing feat. Not only did he prove that his method worked, but they brought back a family member's lost relative just as well. On the surface, a very good deed, at the least, and a god's gift at most. For the first time in his missions, Ciel Phantomhive was speechless. Almost as shocked as everyone else would be. This man can bring back the dead. Or so it appeared. ....... "He actually did it." that was the main statement Ciel gave to the whole thing once they got back to their room on the Campania. It was a basic room like any other on a ship, with the basic necessities one would have. Being a luxury cruise liner, fancy was the main word for the room, and one Ciel was more used to. Speaking of, Ciel sat there on the bed after a long day, Alphonse placed over on a nearby counter by a mirror, and Sebastian at his main post as per usual. "Quite an intriguing display of engineering, wouldn't you think so? And here I thought you humans didn't have that kind of ability," Sebastian commented, giving his master some late night dessert (his sweet tooth demanded it). "This is a rather unique case: Bardroy, Victoria, and now the Undertaker joining us on the ship, and now we have a man who is actually able to revive the dead." "... He didn't do it." Ciel and Sebastian turned to Alphonse Elric, who himself had been thinking on the situation ever since they got back form the society meeting. "Pardon me, Elric? He did seem bring Margaret to life, as promised during his presentation." "The body, maybe, but not Margaret. Didn't you two see just how lifeless she looked when her mother embraced her back there? She didn't react or anything. All that machine did was restart her physical functions, if anything at all. ... He didn't bring her back to life," Alphonse concluded. A very likely, and surprisingly more plausible idea now that Al had brought it up, and Alphonse would knew more than anyone there, ironically enough, the different of being alive and being, well, just there. "Now, let's not jump to conclusions right away. All the same, we'll check in on the Connor family tomorrow morning, and we'll see just how "alive" their Margaret has gotten," Sebastian suggested. "Why wait? It's been a few hours since they did this, you go and check on them, Sebastian," Ciel decided. Sebastian just did his usual bow gesture. "As you wish, my lord." ~~ So, as Ciel and Alphonse were in their room to get some sleep, Sebastian did what his master requested, and was going about the ship by his lonesome, and heading on his way to the Connor's room to check in on their little Margaret. Being late in the night, that didn't mean that people weren't going around the place, and Sebastian was seeing multiple people still going about the late night hours. This wouldn't be a problem, normally, but some stray eyes could cause some problems if they saw him peering in on the Connor family, so he can only hope that the family wasn't out for the moment, nor was there a crowd awaiting at their door. "Is there something the matter?" Sebastian stopped himself on hearing Aleistor's voice coming from somewhere, though on the surface he wasn't anywhere around. A bit interesting though, on hearing such a voice out in the open. Sebastian took a minute to look around, and sure enough, down the next hall, there was Aleistor himself with the Connor parents. A good time as ever, and Sebastian placed himself over just by the corner, keeping a close eye on the three as best he could manage without making it obvious. The parents then invited Aleistor inside their room, Sebastian taking the opportunity to slip in closer, and stopping himself silently by the cracked door. As for Aleistor and the two parents, they were quick to point out the problem to him, and they showed Margaret inside, who at the moment was just sitting on her bed. Sebastian just managed to see her from where he was, and looking at her, he could see what Alphonse was talking about earlier. Margaret was just sitting there, emotion lacking and barely reacting to Aleistor coming in. She simply sat there, as if she was a doll that was situated for a little girl's tea party, and lacking just as much life. "She's been like this since we brought her back. We tried many of her favorite activities, but she wouldn't do anything," explained the rather worried mother, as Margaret just looked up to them with a blank expression, more like a curious dog than an actual human. Aleistor simply shrugged it off though. "Needn't you worry about that: She's been practically gone for two weeks, you know. Her mind just needs to come back to her, that's all," Aleistor reassured them. That sounded like sense to them, but seeing their daughter so quiet and withdrawn like this was still a bit of a worry. Sebastian quietly took note of this, metaphorically, and literally, as he had a small little pocket book to write down the information (a butler must be prepared for everything). "If you're sure," said Mrs. Connor. "I know I am. I'll give her ... three to four days, and you'll have your daughter back to normal," Aleistor explained, as he took his leave. Aleistor took a step out, and began heading back to his room, Sebastian just out of sight and out of his way. He had the information they needed, and he went off to take his own leave. Or at least, he would've if someone wasn't standing a foot away from him. "May I have a word with you?" ....... Sebastian then ventured into another room of the Campania, though this one was a little bit isolated from the rest of the passengers, and even a bit of the crew. It looked like a singular bedroom, nothing too fancy, but Sebastian didn't care much for that, his mind more on the person who brought him here in the first place, who meanwhile walked in behind him with a case in hand. To put it simply: first there was Bardroy and Victoria, next came Undertaker, and now ... "I do have to admit, I didn't think that a lord like you would have time to go on a cruise," Sebastian noted, as the demon lord gently walked in, closing the door behind him. Sombra. "I felt stressed as of late, and Chrysalis was getting to be a bother," Sombra stated. Sebastian smiled on the remark, but he didn't lower his guard for an instant. This was the demon lord he was speaking to, and now the first time either. "I do want to ask how you managed to get onto the ship without suspicions," Sebastian inquired. Sombra walked over to him. "Well, let's just say that you've had some proper involvement with that," Sombra said. Sebastian felt slightly confused, until something started to show on his wrist: and a similar sort of object formed from their first encounter with eachother. "It always helps to have a backup plan in a situation. Why else would I have you tagged?" "Rather clever of you," Sebastian noted. Sombra walked by him, and went over towards the mirror in the room. Sombra had more on his mind, as he began to work with "That aside, Sebastian, I didn't come out here just for a simple talk. I have something for you," Sombra stated, referring to the case he brought with him. Sebastian waited patiently, but something then began to cross his sense of smell, a few whiffs of the air telling the demon that this was something very intriguing, not to mention delicious. Sombra opened the case, and then presented a medium-sized item, looking like some sort of medical needle, only the needle was the size of a turkey baster, and had a few extra attachments to the interior of the object. Sebastian could even make out a Arabic written spell onto the object in question. "That's new." "Oh, it's not just the needle you should be new to, Sebastian. Now, I took the time to study on this Faustian Contract of yours, and then something occurred to me. Sure, you could wait for the contract to complete, but once you do that, you'll end up with a rather ... messy scene. not to mention the unwanted evidence it would leave behind. That, and I can tell you do care enough for Ciel to keep him alive for so long. So ..." Sombra then placed the item down into Sebastian's hands, letting the butler read over what was engraved into this big needle. "I've taken the time to work out this spell into this needle. It should be enough to get that soul of yours." "I've seen this spell before, Sombra, yet this wouldn't keep the human's life in tact once used," Sebastian pointed out. Sebastian could already tell that Sombra had tested this device out from the smell of souls lingering from the end of the needle. "If used on a knife or a scythe, maybe, but that's exactly why I've had it engraved in this needle," Sombra explained. "I've seen how humans used needles to extract blood from the body, and unless used extensively, it's usually harmless depending on where the item is used. So this way, you can extract that soul you've worked so hard for from that Ciel Phantomhive, and keep your earl alive and breathing like nothing happened at all." "... To tell you the truth, I'm surprised you'll still go through with this. Considering our last excursion." "Yes. Noted. Despite that, you're a demon, same as me. I may be a cruel creature to the surface world, but I'm not stupid, I won't kill my own kind if I can help it," Sombra made clear. Sebastian took the idea into deep consideration. Sombra fulfilled his promise after all, and Sebastian was so sure that it wouldn't happen, one of the few things he would be sure on. "I see. ..." "Well, that's all I came to do -" before Sombra could go though, Sebastian did a rather bold move and actually grabbed him by the arm, masking Sombra stop. "We both know that's not true. You wouldn't just stop by without any other motive, would you? I AM with Team Harmony after all," Sebastian pointed out. Sombra got his arm out of Sebastian's grip, but he just smiled. "Will you ever cease to humble me, Bassie?" Sombra said. "Yes. ... Now, there is one thing I do want to tell you as oppose to the contract as well, Sombra. Though I can assume you probably know it. ..." "And what's that?" "... My existence is as in jeopardy as him," Sebastian said. Sombra was a bit confused but allowed him to continue anyway with a motion of his hand. "You keep saying to just extract his soul and be done with it, but if I do that before the contract is complete, then as a demon, I would betray my own duties. Pure will turn to poison, as it would be." "There's always a catch, is there? So contrived," Sombra sighed. One variable that even he didn't know about. "Needn't you not worry about that. Ciel's soul would be a wonderful taste for my final breath. I'm more than willing to take that. ... Though, I too have one request to ask you. As a fellow demon." "A request, Sebastian?" "... I'll agree to lend you Phantomhive as a reward." That last part surprised him. Sebastian, a demon who had worked for Phantomhive for years, was this willing to go through with the soul extraction despite throwing his life away to do so. And here he thought Sebastian was a clever demon. Yet again, he wasn't the same species of demon as Sebastian, so perhaps it was a much bigger deal than he would know. But then again, Sebastian was promising quite a reward, and what other chance would he get for such a easy grab, and with Ciel of all people? "No catch?" "Even if there was, I wouldn't live to do it." "... I'm listening." ~~ Back in the room, Ciel and Alphonse were both simply waiting for Sebastian at this point. They would go to sleep, but Ciel was still waiting for report from Sebastian, and as for Alphonse, the quiet ride now gave Al a bit more to think about. He didn't have much time to actually think things over for himself, with getting on the ship and all, not to mention the alter, but now he had one other thing to think over. You said your so-called brother put you in that suit of armor. So how do you know you don't love him because he made it so you would? Altering your memories and personality to suit him best! "... Ciel?" "What now?" Ciel asked, feeling a bit tired himself as a yawn escaped him. "... Do you know anything about transmutation?" Well that was an odd question for the young earl. "Why do you ask?" "Well ... say you could transmutate someone. Someone you knew had just died, and you decided to transmutate them to bring them back. would you?" Ciel stopped him when he raised his hand to him. "If you're asking me to revive your body, I wouldn't hold my hopes if I were you." "N-No, not that. ... I mean, would you ... alter it?" Alter it. Ciel stayed quiet at first, and began to ponder a little bit. Far as he was concerned, it was Edward who did this to him, and it didn't take the earl too long to figure out what Alphonse was really talking about. But rather than jump on him, he decided to humor him a little. "If I could find them any use to me, then yes. I would try to remove any negative traits so they would do better at their tasks." "So ... you think anyone else would do the same?" "I don't see why not. ... But then again, I would want my true brother rather than an alteration," Ciel stated. Alphonse didn't need to hide this much anymore if Ciel could figure it out so quickly. Ciel got up, as Alphonse went to his next question. "You really think so?" "Well, if I did, I wouldn't even call him my brother, would I? ... I assume someone made you doubt?" "... You can say that," Al simply said. Although he wasn't as deadly as other underworld deities, it still was hard to forget Barry's horrifying face, not to mention the fact he too was a transmutation brought to life like Alphonse was. Ciel then smirked. "Did this other person try to gain anything out of you by telling you this?" Ciel asked. Alphonse had to rework his memory on his initial encounter, but eventually it drew blank. "I don't think so. He was more willing to chop me up, actually," Al answered. Ciel pondered again. "And was he sent by Sombra, perhaps?" "He just showed up out of nowhere, so, I don't know exactly." "I see. ... One more question: is your brother the type to be a good liar?" Alphonse paused and thought it over again, but this one came a bit quicker. "Not really. Ed doesn't really like to lie," Al answered. Ciel turned to Alphonse. "Then you're just jumping to things: sounds to me like whoever tried to assault you and plant these idiotic ideas in your head was just trying to point you the wrong way." "You think so?" "Of course. I would do that in a heartbeat if I could avoid everything turning to hell," Ciel said. Now Alphonse wasn't too sure about him on this one. "You mean ... you'll lie to me if it could help you?" "Now what do I have to gain for lying to you? And before you answer, I already have Sebastian with me. In short, I didn't need you coming with me for the most part, so lying to keep you around would mean rather little." Well, there goes Al's follow-up response. As cold as that was, that did ensure Alphonse that at least Ciel was telling him the truth. But then again, it also reminded him of what kind of person Ciel Phantomhive was: a kid with little faith, and who'll do whatever it would take to achieve the task given to him. He just hoped throwing his body overboard wasn't apart of that. "You can be very cold when you want to." "It tends to happen time to time," Ciel said. Ciel gave a stretch, and went off back to bed, but he didn't go the sleep just yet. "Where is that damn demon?" he thought. ... "My apologies for the wait, my lord." Speak of the devil, Sebastian had arrived now, looking pretty content with himself. And just before Ciel would fall asleep too. "About time. And the Connors?" "Their daughter's not doing too fair, I'm afraid. Aleistor had arrived as well and reassured them a three day extent until she's fully recovered," Sebastian informed. Of course, Alphonse wasn't buying it. Before Al could say much, Sebastian picked Alphonse up. "My lord? I believe it's time to confront our host for the evening," Sebastian said. Ciel got up to his feet. "A bit soon, if I were to say so. Let's go." ~~ And so, the plan was brought on into motion, and the trio began to head off to their target in Aleistor. At this point, later in the night, not too many were going about the ship now, which was a pretty good thing for Ciel, Alphonse, and Sebastian to get by with. Sebastian brought them off over back to the same room where the presentation took place, only this time no one else seemed to be there. With the presentation over and done, guess there was no other reason for those of the Aurora Society to even be there. "Well, where is he?" Ciel asked. "He'll come. Take Al, and set up position out of sight, just over there. I've given him a private invitation on your behalf, so he should show up any moment with the device. Do you understand what needs to be done?" "Not the type to give orders, but yes," Ciel said, and he went off out of sight with Alphonse in his arms, taking position over right behind one of the stands in the room. Not the best spot, but best considering what they got to work with. And right on cue. "AH, welcome, fellow Phoenix. The pleasure's mine." Enter Aleistor. He had a glass of wine in hand with him, and he looked as dazzling as he would be. What he also brought in was the salvation device from earlier, possibly the reason Sebastian got him into thinking for this meeting. and once more, Sebastian was seen first, and no time to think over what to do. "Aleistor Chamber. That was quite a performance you've presented earlier today. I'm pretty impressed," Sebastian stated. nothing like buttering up the target for some false security, and Aleistor was quickly enjoying the admiration. "Was there ever any doubt?" "Not for me. However, it is curious: some rumors around the ship had been in regards to Margaret, and they do wonder if you truly brought her back to life." "Oh, how ridiculous: you all saw her rise up from the ashes." "The body, maybe, but not Margaret. Didn't you see just how lifeless she looked when her mother embraced her back there? She didn't react or anything. All that machine did was restart her physical functions, if anything at all. ... You didn't bring her back to life." Alphonse was not amused. Aleistor paused for a minute, swirling the drink in his hand and considering this man's accusation. Eventually though, the man simply laughed. "Oh, come now, she just needs time to bounce back, that's all. I mean, really, you'd be a bit out of it too if you were dead." "... May I suggest you to explain your reasoning. I am especially curious as to why the Aurora Society would bring forth resurrection of all things," Sebastian stated. Aleistor found this very amusing. "What a silly question. What's your name?" "Michaelis. Sebastian Michaelis," Sebastian introduced. Aleistor thought it over, before he actually began to explain. "With the power of this device, I shall birth a brand new empire under the Aurora Society!" "Huh?" said the main reaction of those in the room. "Just imagine: a kingdom where not even death is considered something to fear. And once our progress has been made, my great Aurora Society will branch out all over the globe, and yours truly will be in charge of it all." "You got quite a goal, don't you? The authorities will be all over you, I'm sure," Sebastian noted. However, this didn't deter this man. "I can defeat you all with one glass of wine!" He declared, followed by an ego-filled laugh. OH did that get under their skin. "Would it be alright to kill him?" Ciel quietly asked. "No ... but I understand your feelings," Alphonse said. Killing him won't do much justice, not by a long shot. And Aleistor either knew that by the look on his face, or flat out didn't care about the danger he was in. Sebastian started to adjust his glove on that sort of answer, letting the lunatic laugh himself silly. "So you think you can challenge me, do you? You're as delusional as you are obnoxious," Sebastian stated. however, Aleistor then did a rather questionable move. He took the wine he had in hand, and actually ... poured it on himself. "... Now I'm just confused," Sebastian stated. Aleistor made sure that the wine drenched his head and shoulders, running his fingers through his hair and tossing it back, looking dazzling in the display but Sebastian just found that obnoxious again. "I just enjoy a little freshening up before I deal with the devil, as all." "Devil. ... so you know who I am then?" "Of course. You lot would be the only ones who would object to my fabulous work, isn't that right? Jealous that such a pretty face got the idea first, right?" Aleistor said, waving his finger to Sebastian as if he was pitying him, and giving him a wink. Sebastian had just about enough of this, and bolted forward to get at Aleistor, but the second he touched him, his hand began to sizzle! Suddenly, he had to jump back. If he held Aleistor any longer, and it would've burned him for good. Aleistor wasn't doing any metaphor here in terms of demons apparently, the ego man smirking. "I'll have you know that I took some study on black magic when in my youth. It looks like my wine mixture worked like a charm. Then again, naturally it would." "Black magic wouldn't burn me." "But holy water would. Black Magic isn't only for the Underworld, you know." Now it was getting troublesome: this man was mixing things up from both heaven and hell with mixing holy water and wine. "This man's smarter than he looks," Ciel thought. Aleistor strolled over to the nearby table where Ciel and Al were hiding behind, and actually got himself another pour of wine. Sebastian didn't think much of it, but now it was like liquid poison he was pouring in his glass. Now Sebastian can't go near him without burning himself, which posed a bit of a problem in his situation. With the holy water in him, and on him, what can he do? "Such a nice refreshment if I do say so myself," Aleistor commented with a triumphant grin. "Steady now, Aleistor," Sebastian warned. All that did was make Aleistor dip his fingers into the wine, and flick droplets of it at Sebastian, those landing on his face burning ever so slightly like a bee sting. Sebastian got a napkin and wiped it off of him. "How about you sit down for me, my pet. I'm not scared of you." "How about us then?" Then came even more. Looking over to the door to the alter, Aleistor, Sebastian, Ciel, and Alphonse found that more company had shown up to the party: Victoria, Bardroy, and Undertaker! Well, what timing for them to show up. Again though, Aleistor didn't appear too troubled. In fact, he looked pretty pleased with this. "Oh, when will my children leave me be? I can't get enough of it!" Aleistor said, highly dramatic as a hand rested on his forehead as if he was gonna faint. Not a good showing for them. "Oh, why if it isn't Aleistor Chamber. So this was your little plan, eh?" Undertaker said. "Hmm ... Ah, you lot were the ones that saw my presentation earlier, weren't you? Hope you all had a good show," Aleistor said. "He figures it out NOW?" Alphonse thought. How dunce was this man?! "Don't give us that! Now come quietly," warned Bardroy, aiming his rifle at him. That did make him a bit hesitant, but he quickly corrected himself. "Now what's all this here? I'm no lawbreaker, am I?" "I believe you do: an underground organization like this, bringing those back to life is a crime itself. Plus if you do this, I'd be out of a job," Undertaker noted. "AH, sacrifices have to be made for some progress, we know that. You all should be thanking me for keeping Grim Reaper at bay from stealing you all and dumping you six feet under," Aleistor joked, but Undertaker felt a cringe run through him, and his hand twitched on that response. Reapers can't continue without death, it just doesn't work that way, nevermind the actual job as an undertaker. "Feisty one, aren't you?" "I'd prefer the word 'bold'. A true heart of a leader," Aleistor stated, acting dramatic again. "Can I just blast this idiot?" Bardroy quietly asked. "No, no, be patient. Though I'm seeing your feelings," Victoria said, as she walked up and presented herself to Aleistor. "Don't mean to tell me you're against this as well, my lord," Aleistor said, rather puzzled really. "Not the idea itself, no: I mean, it's such a nice thought to go through life without immediate death. But this silly idea that your "kingdom" will overpower mine ... I'm afraid I can't have that," Victoria said. Aleistor chuckled. "Don't be preposterous, I wouldn't even dream of challenging your family to my army. how conclusive can you be?" "Army? What army?" asked Bardroy. "Hmm ... Well, if you so insist." Aleistor then brought his hand up to his mouth, and gave a long whistle. This one wasn't a regular one, extremely high-pitched, and while the group didn't hear much of anything of it. but that didn't mean it was ignored: the doors to their exit slammed shut, and something began to head out onto the alter: a good twenty staff members of the Aurora Society! Though, the way they moved didn't make them as normal as anyone else would be. When they got into the light though, the multitude of stitches and blank expressions presented themselves as nothing more than animated corpses. "Did he had to ask?" Ciel and Alphonse thought. "Ah, there they are. Margaret wasn't the only I've tried this on, and I have to admit, I've done wonders with them all. Now, I'll be out of the way, and I'll let you all have some fun," Aleistor said, walked past his corpses with little fear of them. They were brought to life by him, so he had no reason for it. Once he got situated well out of the way, he snapped his fingers, and the horde of corpses started to march forward to the foreign intruders. "A zombie apocalypse. Damn, not something I expected honestly," Bardroy said, loading his rifle for the horde coming at them. None of the zombies too quick, about as fast as a fast walk, but Bardroy made short work of about a good two of them before the group had to move away. The zombies started to split up after the others. Well, all but one, and his sense of smell got Ciel and Alphonse not too far away. "Uh oh." "Blasted." both of them had to move out of the way before the zombie could sink its teeth into them, knocking over the wine table as it did so. The group had plenty to deal with, but Aleistor was gleefully enjoying it all. "Oh, this is like the coliseum of corruption! And I am up watching it all, enjoying my wine like the great Emperor Nero," Aleistor declared, imagining himself as said Nero as he did so. He was having too much fun with this, and the others were getting pissed off more and more. "AGH, do we kill him?" yelled a angry Victoria. "You just told me not to earlier!" snapped Bardroy. It sure did felt like he was watching some sort of play to Aleistor: multitude of the main characters of this little story fighting against a horrid enemy, and some into more trouble than others, and the addition of Ciel and Alphonse just added to the fun. While he saw his zombies getting killed, he began to notice something, as the group killed more and more. "Odd. Could've sworn I had more staff. They starting to get lazy on me?" Aleistor thought, glancing to the back of the alter. Sebastian and Bardroy did most of the fighting, continuing to get at the zombies' weak spot, which we all know was the head. Aleistor actually took a stroll over to the back to see what was going on with them. His whistle should've gotten them here by now. One look was all Aleistor needed to see the fate of the other staff members. Or rather, what was left of them. ... "DOWN!" Sebastian called. And not a moment too soon, as one more player jumped in. Bardroy and Sebastian did a good job in killing about ten zombies, but the remaining killers were immediately sliced and decapitated by this newcomer, the killing only taking about five seconds total. Everything went quiet. ....... "Rather messy." King Sombra! The final player! his involvement in killing these zombies was a bit of a U-turn in the eyes of many of these people, with the exception of Undertaker. Sombra had very little blood splattered on him from his onslaught, taking his own napkin and wiping off some blood off of his face. "Sombra?" gasped Ciel. "Hello everyone. hope I'm not intruding too much, but I couldn't help but notice that someone trying to play creator," Sombra stated, glancing back to the now scared Aleistor. All of his staff killed so quickly, he wanted to part of it. Sombra was disappointed in him, but he had other things in mind. Then Sebastian stepped forward. "Thank you for the aid, Sombra. They've been giving us quite a trouble," Sebastian said, smiling. Sombra went over to him. "A favor's a favor. Speaking of which, may I have my end of the deal?" Sombra looked over to Ciel, who himself didn't have much clue what was going on. Sombra wasn't wasting time with this, and Sebastian smiled devilishly. "Assuredly." "Wait a bloody minute, what's going on?!" Ciel demanded. Normally Sebastian would answer, but the demon remained silent, and rather show than tell. As he went closer, he then presented the item he had hidden away: the needle Sombra gave him. Ciel was shocked, and Sebastian made Ciel drop Alphonse, lifting him up and carrying the struggling kid over. "Release me, damn it! SEBASTIAN!" Still nothing, and all he did was smile, his eyes locking onto him less like a master, and more like prey. "What the hell are you doing?!" Bardroy demanded. "Needn't it worry you. Just handling a favor." "WHY YOU -" Bardroy raised his gun, and started firing, only for Sombra to rush over, and slam Bardroy to the wall, just like that. Ciel was stunned, and the needle was held right in his view. "Don't struggle little one, it'll hurt only for a few moments. See this as a visit to the doctor's office," Sebastian said, before Ciel felt a stinging sensation hit him in the arm, the needle sinking into the skin and into his vein. Ciel couldn't believe what Sebastian was doing to him, and he tried to get himself out of it, but his struggles made it hurt even more, telling Ciel that he can't get out of this without losing his arm in the process. Sebastian waited for a minute until the writing on the needle started to glow a greenish color. Signal for activation, and signal for extraction. Ciel could only watch, as Sebastian slowly began to such out a white substance from his body, glowing slightly in a haze of smoke and energy. And then, just like that, Sebastian got his prize, and rested Ciel down onto the ground. Ciel's soul was in Sebastian's hand. "Bastard, what in hell do you think you're doing?!" Ciel yelled. "Enjoying my dinner." "WE HAD A DEAL, SEBASTIAN!" ",... Well, I'm afraid that just expired. Farewell, my young lord, it's been interesting working with you." And with a slow release, the soul began to seep out of the needle, and Sebastian began to inhale Ciel's soul right in front of him! Ciel wanted to rush in, but Undertaker oddly stopped him from continuing. "Undertaker, let go!" "Just watch, my young earl," Undertaker said, and before Ciel knew it, the entire soul was now gone, and all eaten by this satisfied demonic entity. Sebastian took a moment to relish the taste of such a soul, very pure ironically. A soft smile went over Sebastian's face, as if he achieved his life goal. "Like the fruits of Eden. ... And yet, just as deceiving. ..." Blood began to seep out of Sebastian's mouth. Sebastian simply stood there for a moment or two, and the contract on his hand began to glow a bright red. Ciel's eye began to do the same, but his lasted shorter than Sebastian's symbol. Once the glowing stopped, Sebastian closed his eyes, and fell backwards onto the floor, a single thud echoing throughout the room. ... Silence. "W-Wha ... S-Sebastian? ..." Ciel slowly walked over to the butler, the demon simply laying there on the ground, not reacting to anything going on, or the presence of Ciel looming over him. The only other sound was Sombra walking up behind Ciel, as he proceeded to grab him by the collar. "Well, my little Phantomhive. ... On that contract, you've agreed that heaven will never be in your reach. So you wouldn't mind it then, to be the first of your group to visit the Catacombs." "The ... The Catacombs?" Ciel felt something tighten on his throat, only to find a metal collar and some chain, which Sombra had a firm grip on. With a snap of his fingers, a portal opened on up right by the alter, and Ciel immediately knew what that meant. "NO YOU DON'T, DEMON!" Bardroy roared, gunfire suddenly ringing out. Each shot though either missed, or was blocked by a shield Sombra had made around himself. The plan wasn't going to get him killed, not by anyone. Instinctively, once that didn't work, Bardroy grabbed his young lord and tried to keep him from getting dragged into the Underworld. Ciel tried to get the chains broken, but it was no use out of that either. Bardroy glanced over and saw that Victoria and Undertaker weren't doing anything! "Don't just stand there, bloody help!" Bardroy yelled. But neither of them did much of anything. "It was fun, Ciel, but I'll find another dog." Victoria said. "Sombra would know better than to drag us down with him," added Undertaker. At that moment, Sombra had enough with him: and whipped Ciel right out of his hands! Ciel was launched upward, and slammed into the ceiling before hitting the ground below, much to Bardroy's shock. The soldier tried to regain himself, but by the time he did, Ciel and Sombra were already right by the portal. Bardroy didn't had time to grab Ciel again, and could only watch his master get pulled right through. And after that, the portal disappeared, and everything was quiet. Ciel was gone. And Sebastian was dead. "... Damnit. DAMNIT." Bardroy fell to his knees, facing the alter where Ciel was just standing. His efforts were in vain after all, but then a bit of anger shot through him after a bit, his eyes turning back and locking onto Victoria and Undertaker. "YOU IDIOTS, WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP?!" Bardroy roared. "Well that's simple: if we got involved, we'd be dragged down to hell as well," replied Victoria. "And you let Ciel die because of that?!" "Of course." Bardroy couldn't believe his ears. But before he could continue, they all began to hear a sort of quiet whimpering coming from Alphonse nearby. It didn't matter if they could see him or not, just seeing both Sebastian and Ciel get taken away like that, and him not doing anything, simply broke him. Bardroy locked up his anger for a bit, and went over to Alphonse. It's gonna be a long ride back home. ... S05Ep8: Castaway ~キャスト・アウェイ~*caw* *caw* "H-Huh? ... A-A few more." *peck* "Ow!" What a ride. Aladdin's eyes were met with a bit of a blur of light hitting his face, though it didn't help that a bird was squawking in his face, the noise belonging to an island seabird, a seagull to be exact, and a quick peck got Aladdin springing upright. Once Aladdin did that, the bird hopped back, along with about three others who thought they found a meal on the beach. Speaking of which, Aladdin needed time to figure out what beach he washed up on, yet it wasn't anything he could recognize, or anything familiar at all: a smooth sandy coastline, the waters cold yet smoothed out gently grazing his feet, and the storm having passed hours ago. Aladdin's hair had also unraveled from the storm as it turned out, no longer being the long ponytail and sprawled out behind him, soaking wet and salt-logged from the sea. But, that was the least of Aladdin's issues, as he just managed to get up to his feet, a bit groggy, and taking a moment to wring out his hair of what water was still in it from the waves. "Guys! Anyone here?!" Aladdin called, as loud as he could manage, but not a sound of Heine, Morgiana, Grell, Hoopa, or Gaara was anywhere. The only sounds came from the sea and a few stray birds, who now kept a further distance from Aladdin. The young magi took time to look around the place, but that didn't really help him much either, as there was little to no clue on any civilization anywhere. Not here, not above, nowhere. "An island? ... But where is this place? Is this Japan, or no?" questions like these went through Aladdin's head, as he looked around. From where he was, it looked like a bay of sorts, the land shaped in a U, and Aladdin facing to the exit of the bay leading back out to the ocean. "How'd I even get here? ... Wait, hold on ..." "Alright, Gaara? Are you feeling better now?" "... more or less." It had been quite a while, a little longer than some would like, but eventually, along that same coast, Aladdin's little caravan was ready to make the final trek back to Japan. With their Shukaku incident though, there was a bit of a setback of course. "Oh, about time. I can't wait to see my Bassie and share my valiant story!~" Grell cooed, very excited. This would be the part for heart to pop up alongside his head as he wooed over the idea. "Who this "bassie"?! Can someone fill me in, please, I'm getting tired of Romeo bragging about Juliet over here," Hoopa griped, hands over his ears (or where they would be). "Sebastian is his name, and apparently Grell Sutcliff has a bit of an engagement with the devil. ... Though it's more one-sided," Heine answered, actually just as annoyed about it as Hoopa was (shocking, I know). Aladdin got the flying carpet all ready to go, laid out on the sand, and big enough for a full group ride. The others got on, but Morgiana and Gaara were a little slower. Morgiana was alright, but it was Gaara who was still trying to heal up from his experience. "You ready to come with us, Gaara?" "Ready as I'll ever be," Gaara replied, Morgiana staying by his side just in case he would fall again. Both Fanalis walked over to the carpet, and Gaara sat on down for their flight. The once vessel for Shukaku took a look off out to the ocean, still having vivid memories of the incident going through his mind, at least based off what the others told him. Aladdin took a glance over to Gaara. "Don't worry Gaara, you won't have to worry about him anymore," Aladdin reassured him. Gaara sighed. "I know, it's just feels so ... different. To not have him inside me ..." Gaara paused and felt his chest. "You'll get used to it, Gaara," Heine made clear, Aladdin happily agreeing. Gaara took a look over to Morgiana, who while not looking too excited, she did still had a smile on her face for her own reassurance. Gaara wasn't used to such compassion yet, but if this group could banish Shukaku out of him in such a way, then perhaps he should take their words in, and not block them out so much. "... One thing before we go? ... Heine? how did you know about Shukaku?" Gaara asked. That was one thing that wasn't explained all too well, and Heine adjusted his glasses. "I am one of the bright minds of the Overworld, Gaara. Studying on such things are essential, even if they are from the Underworld," Heine answered. Fair enough. After getting that cleared up, the flying carpet began to lift up slowly off the ground, ready to fly off on its way. Aladdin knew where to go from here, and it will be a straight shot from here right back to Tokyo in no time at all. Once they got high enough, with some focus on the carpet, they were soon heading off and flying over the ocean. "We're coming home." ....... And not a moment too soon did they leave, as someone else walked out into the open and over by the shore not even a minute after they've flown off. He could sense that Shukaku was here, looking out to where Shukaku had melted away. A bit of a sting had struck him on this revelation, and he looked up to the group flying away, none of which had notice him down on the shore. Even if they had, they wouldn't want to stop to pick him up. "How wonderful," he groaned. "The one time I'm a little late, and Shukaku's dead. ... And killed by a rag-tag team no less. ... Oh well, maybe I can still find some sort of use out of one of them yet." ~~ The day continued ticking on by, and the group was still flying over the sea, land no longer in too much sight in between the Asia mainland and the Japanese island. As far as much of the flights had been going, the flight over the japan sea was a pretty nice one, and a very calm little trip with clear skies above, and calm waters below. The group had a very relaxing ride so far, this part of traveling shouldn't be too time-consuming. "We should be getting to Tokyo by this afternoon. Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing them again," Aladdin noted. "I do wonder how they'll react to seeing our group though. Not too surprised, hopefully," Heine noted, looking back to Grell, Hoopa, Gaara, and Morgiana. "This is Team Harmony, Heine, they'll like them, I know they will," Aladdin reassured. "Who's Team Harmony?" Morgiana asked. "Oh, they're my friends: Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, Karma, Ed, Ciel, lots of people. I haven't seen them for a while now, I wonder how they're doing," Aladdin wondered. Morgiana was a little taken aback by how many friends Aladdin had waiting for him off back at home. He already had a bit of a varied crowd as it was, so Morgiana could only wonder what kind of friends Aladdin would have when they do get to Tokyo. As Aladdin looked back, another thought had struck him when he saw Hoopa. "Hey, what're we going to do with Hoopa when we get back?" Aladdin asked. Heine glanced over back to Hoopa, Who at the moment was just floating over by Grell. "We'll leave that for Celestia to work out," Heine simply stated, though Hoopa did hear over what he said and wasn't too thrilled about it. If he didn't have the cuffs still stuck on him, this wouldn't be so bad at all. Hoopa just groaned and laid down onto the flying carpet, looking downward to the water underneath them. nothing much but blue, and rippling rushing along away from them. nothing exactly too weird, but as he continued looking on, something just underneath the waves began to move in on them. Hoopa kept an eye on this thing for a good minute, and it actually got right underneath them with lightning speed, staying under the shadow of the flying carpet. Hoopa kept a eye on this mass following them, and even with how they were moving, something reached out from the water, and touched the bottom of the carpet. "... Shit." "What're you complaining about now?" Grell asked, ready to plug his ears from whatever complaints he had in mind. Hoopa though felt a bit more troubled, and floated up above Grell's head, keeping off of the carpet as best as he could do. Heine and Aladdin turned around. "Now what?" Heine sighed. "Look-bay under the carp-ae." "... What?" "Under the carpet," Hoopa said, pointing down and talking through gritted teeth. Confusing but Aladdin took a look anyway, only to find nothing but the water. ....... "Gullible." The carpet suddenly stopped, and much of the group had moved to the corners of the floating carpet, leaving room at the center for a sudden newcomer to just pop up out of nowhere, and grab Aladdin by the back the ponytail, quickly catching his attention. Looking over his shoulder ... "S-Sombra?!" Sombra stared Aladdin down for a moment, pulling him upright. Sombra also, for some reason, had a gothic parasol above his head, guessing to seal him from the sun since no other shade was anywhere out in the sea. "And where're you all going?" Sombra calmly asked. "Not your issue," Heine said. Sombra kept Aladdin at a grip, Aladdin struggling to get himself out, but suddenly Aladdin was pulled right up to Sombra's face, their eyes locking with eachother. Clearly this demon was after something, and they were starting to worry. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you this time. ... Just a simple question for you to answer for me, and I know you do. ... Where. Is. Team Harmony?" "W-Who?" Aladdin asked, a bit more confused than scared. Sombra got a little irritable on that answer, his eyes looking to Hoopa. his fingers snapped, and an open palm waited for something. "Ring, Hoopa," Sombra demanded. Hoopa readied a ring to keep his own safety in tact, but the others weren't going to let him do that so easily, and tried to keep him from giving the ring to him. Sombra snatched it though, regardless, and he wasn't going to fool around. "Lugia. You better cooperate." "L-Lugia?" Then came what almost felt like a blur: the ring was tossed out to the sea, and Aladdin felt himself suddenly being spun in the air, Sombra holding him by his ponytail before throwing him right on through the ring! "Oh yeah. ... Oh no." *BAM!* Before Aladdin could properly process this turn of events, the sound of a crash over nearby made him jump out of his skin. Who knew what it was on this island? He didn't see who, what, or where it came from at first, but he only needed to go inland a little bit to figure that out. Turned out he wasn't alone: Hoopa was on the ground, a bit shaken, and his cuffs actually glowing for a bit, fading away when Aladdin went closer to him. "Hoopa! you alright?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa didn't reply at first, a bit out of it from his supposed flight, but he did eventually shake himself off ... and grab Aladdin by the throat. "YOU DUMBASS, NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID! WE'RE BOTH STUCK HERE NOW!" Hoopa yelled. Aladdin got himself free, shaken but not broken. "Sorry, sorry. Have you seen the others?" "Hell if I know, but who cares?! Why didn't you tell that Sombra where that team was?" "Hoopa I can't rat out on my friends!" "Why not?! It's them or you!" retorted Hoopa. Aladdin stepped back on the sudden response. "But I can't!" retorted Aladdin. "Then Sombra's gonna place you on his mantle!" Hoopa huffed, turning his back to him and crossing his arms. There was a bit of silence at first, but Aladdin did speak again. "But ... I know, I'll just mislead him! It'll give the others some time to get ready!" Aladdin decided. "Didn't help you just now," Hoopa coldly spat, shooting down the idea almost immediately. Hoopa turned to face Aladdin again. "Come on, you dumbass, this isn't some dumb game we're playing, it's a demon king we're talking about!" "I know but -" "Aladdin? You know, I was actually starting to tolerate you and your little gang. But if you're gonna be so stupid, I'm not gonna stick around to see the result! I want to live. Even if you don't!" And with that final remark, Hoopa turned and began to float away, leaving Aladdin alone standing on his part of the beach. ~~ From there, it was mainly silent stairs for Hoopa and Aladdin. With nowhere else to really go, Aladdin went on inland to the island to try and get his bearings together. The island he ended up wasn't giving him anything fancy to work with: lots of short grass, a few bushes and large rocks. Wind was also a stronger issue here, since there's nothing to block the wind off the island was hit with a good amount of it. Poor Aladdin didn't have much to work with: no Vessel, no turban, no staff, nothing but his own two feet and what memory he had on him. Well, what was a young Magi to do, without knowing where to even go or how to get off the island? ... *BOOM* "What now?" Hoopa was trying to get comfortable as best he could on the island since he ditched Aladdin, but he still was just as lost as Aladdin was when it came to this island in particular. He tried to get some rest, but the sound of explosions not too far away was just enough to make him stir and wake up. Did Sombra find them after their encounter or what? Floating a bit, Hoopa eventually found the source of the racket being from Aladdin himself, who was now on the ground after a seemingly decent-sized explosion, judging by the amount of clouds. "What you doing now, pyro?" Hoopa asked, now above him and staring him down. Aladdin got himself up after a little bit. "Trying to get stronger," Aladdin replied. guess that would explain the lack of enemy. "Hold it, that was you?" Hoopa asked, Aladdin getting to his feet. Aladdin looked a little beaten up from whatever exploded, singe marks on him (comically, probably). "Heine told me I should start learning more offensive spells, but I don't think it's working," Aladdin sighed. Aladdin walked over to the spot where he was standing, and tried again, this time Hoopa watching him from a little closer. To Hoopa's surprise, Aladdin focused and his hands actually began to glow, forming what looked like a silver orb in his hands. This same orb began to look a little unstable, and Hoopa bolted for some rock cover just before it exploded on Aladdin again, launching Aladdin back. "Why isn't it working?" Aladdin groaned. "What're you even trying to do? Commit suicide? Because you're getting pretty damn close," Hoopa asked, though he was more curious than sarcastic. "I'm trying to make a magic beam, but this keeps happening. I don't think I'll ever get this right." "... You do know that a Gyro Ball you're making, right?" Hoopa asked. "Gyro Ball?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa, hand to forehead, went right up to the Magi. "Aladdin, you're not making a beam, you're making a bomb! You got the Gyro Ball perfectly, you just keep forgetting to throw it!" Hoopa made clear. Was that what that was? Hoopa didn't even need to hear Aladdin to know that the magi was a bit new to it. "Look, do it again, but throw it this time," Hoopa instructed. considering he didn't have much else to do, Aladdin did so, and after some focus, the same silver orb formed in his hands. Instead of keeping it, Aladdin grabbed it and threw it further away. The Gyro Ball floated a bit until it made contact with a nearby rock, and only then did it explode, doing some good damage to the rock itself for impact and explosion. Aladdin was blank-faced on the realization. "There, see? Though you might wanna work on making that thing a bit stable," Hoopa suggested, though that mainly was because if they do end up fighting something, he didn't want to explode. Aladdin turned to Hoopa, and actually smiled. "Thanks, Hoopa," Aladdin said. Now Hoopa was a bit confused. "Eh, for what? I barely did anything." "You told me what I was doing wrong," Aladdin answered, working another Gyro Ball some more confidence. "Eh, that's not exactly new between us, you know," Hoopa shrugged, as Aladdin launched the Gyro Ball again. However, this one was going against the strong wind, and actually made a U-Turn at them! Both Magi and Djinn ducked as the Gyro Ball zoomed by, exploding behind them and hitting another rocky outcrop, this time the speed crumbling the rock. "... Note: do not throw a Gyro Ball against strong winds," Hoopa meekly stated. "Yeah. Got it," Aladdin replied meekly. both of them got up, lucky to avoid the hit, and looked back to the damage the Gyro Ball had made. They ended up finding the rock blown up in half, one side blasted to pieces, showing just how strong a Gyro Ball could be. There was quite an explosion cloud as well, which took a bit to clear away, but once it cleared, Aladdin and Hoopa were met with another little surprise for this island: a tunnel going into the island itself. That was an interesting thing to see, considering a huge rock was covering it up. "Eh? A tunnel?" Aladdin wondered, going a little closer to investigate. This wasn't an ordinary tunnel, old, rock stairs going down into it. This was a ruin they were looking at, and Aladdin grew rather intrigued from it. Hoopa actually feeling a little similar. "... You uh ... want to check it out?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa thought for a bit, and then just shrugged. "Why not? I got literally nothing else to do," Hoopa replied. ....... So, with Aladdin taking the lead, both he and Hoopa started to go down into the tunnel, watching what steps they made as the ventured further into their little tunnel. This tunnel hadn't been used for a very long time, extremely quiet, and the air stale from the test of time. As far as light was concerned, it got very limited as they kept going down, darker and darker until they could barely see eachother. It was then that Hoopa flew a bit closer to Aladdin, just to be sure he didn't end up lost or get hit by anything in this cave. "You hadn't figure out some sort of light spell, did you?" Hoopa asked. "Eh ... no. I don't think so," Aladdin replied, though he wished he did at this point. Who really knew where this actually went to. "Well, at least this is a straight line, we won't get lost in - WHOA!" "Aladdin!" all of a sudden, Aladdin lost his footing when his foot met air, and the Magi found a drop off on about ten feet downward. Aladdin was alright, though a little bit sore from the fall, Hoopa bolting down to him from the drop-off. Aladdin found the bottom of this tunnel was less rock and more sand, so he had that going for him at least, Aladdin shaking off the drop and both Djinn and Magi looking around. They weren't sure at first if the tunnel continued or not, but soon they both actually started to notice a dimly lit light further down their little tunnel. Well, onward and forward. After getting up, Aladdin and Hoopa followed the light down the tunnel a ways, the light itself a shade of blue rather than natural light. They sure got a bit of a surprise when Hoopa and Aladdin got to the source of this light. A large, open cavern, varying lights from what appeared to be crystals scattered around. Water from the sea washed in from a few tunnels, keeping this part of the cave moist and cool with mist coming in and out from the waves outside. As for the 'ruin' aspect of it, they took note of a few platforms over at the center of the area, looking like a meditation platform. "No. Way." "What?" Aladdin looked to Hoopa, looking completely speechless (first time), and Hoopa turned Aladdin's head to focus on where he was looking. Aladdin soon ended up completely speechless in his own way, eyes wide in awe at what, or who, he was seeing. The figure was hidden off just past the platform, over by the edge of the cooling mist coming in. By the looks of it, he was actually cleaning his long silver hair in the water, not saying a word, and letting his hair soak up the mist like it was water running in a shower. Once he was done, he stood up, tossing his hair back and letting it flow down his shoulders. Then he turned around, noticing Hoopa and Aladdin standing just by the entrance. He looked a little surprised and off guard seeing them. "...Oh my. ... Y-You're ... y-you're ..." Aladdin couldn't even say it, he was so amazed. The figure just sighed. "... I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. Hello, Aladdin. Hoopa," the figure said, calm and collected. "... Lugia. ..." In the flesh. Lugia took a minute before fully turning to them, the two deities humbled at Lugia's mere presence in absolute amazement, Aladdin more so than Hoopa. Their eyes sparkled on seeing this long-lost figure. "I-It's really you! The Lugia of the Overworld! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Aladdin beamed. Hoopa quickly got them both to bow down in his presence, just in case so they wouldn't get into trouble for lack of respect, but Lugia wasn't in the mood for formality here. "... I guess Team Harmony's looking for me after all. How did you and your friends find me?" Lugia asked. Aladdin, still kneeling, looking up to Lugia. He needn't lie to the ruler. "W-Well, they didn't: I woke up on the island with Hoopa and ... kinda found the cave," Aladdin admitted. He felt so excited to finally see such a legend in front of him, no way was he going to lie to him about what happened. Lugia thought it over for a minute, and went over to the platform. "Are they with you?" "Uh ... No. ... But wait, h-how'd you know about my friends?" Aladdin asked. Lugia sat down calmly, as Hoopa and Aladdin got up to face him. "I've met with them some time ago, few times in fact. I'm grateful to see you're alright in your mission to find your Djinn, Aladdin. not to mention your involvements afterwards," Lugia said. Aladdin blushed up actually, shocked that Lugia even knew about that, and Aladdin had never met him before up to now. "He knew about that?! He really is as wise as everyone said," Aladdin thought, simply amazed. Lugia then turned to Hoopa, and noticed that he had his cuffs on him. "I see how you kept Hoopa with you, Aladdin. ... Mind if I see them?" Lugia asked. "Uh, ok," Hoopa replied, showing Lugia the cuffs he had that kept him bind down. Hoopa wondered what Lugia was going to do with him, considering he was basically a prisoner to the group when all was said and done. All Lugia did was tap the cuffs, and in that simple motion, the cuffs broke open! "W-What?" "Hoopa. I do want you to be a bit more careful with your power. You're stronger than you think. Can you promise me you'll be careful?" Lugia asked. Hoopa didn't know what to say at first. Here was an Overworld legendary deity, actually deciding to release him from his cuffs. "You're letting me go?" Lugia simply nodded. Hoopa even felt a tear come down his face, but this one was of joy that rushed through him. He floated back over to Aladdin, and they both were just amazed. Yeah, there was no other word to describe it. "Oh my god, this is incredible, we all thought you were dead! Oh, just wait until the others hear about this!" Aladdin beamed, lost for a moment in the concept itself. That was when Lugia actually got in their way before they could go out. "NO!" Lugia said urgently. "... Wait. No?" Hoopa questioned. "... Just. Just don't. It's probably better that the Overworld doesn't know where I am," Lugia stated. Now Aladdin and Hoopa were confused again, Lugia simply walking back over to the platform, and sitting down. "What?! But why?" "Now, it's not a problem you should be worried over. You should probably try to find your friends first," Lugia suggested. Aladdin and Hoopa looked to eachother for a minute or two. However, in the end, they both had to agree. "W-Well ... ok, I guess. Come on, Aladdin, let's go," Hoopa suggested, still very confused. Hoopa went on through the tunnel, but Aladdin wasn't ready to go just yet. An idea came into his head that could change the odds into their favor with the biggest problem going on at the moment. "But Lugia, the demons, they're -" "I know they are. I can't do anything about that. ... I'm sorry ..." "You can't? You are Lugia, aren't you?" Lugia didn't answer, and left it at that. The little Magi didn't know how to react to this, but he could also tell that if Lugia couldn't do anything about it, then this problem was far bigger than he thought. Aladdin felt really reluctant, but he did eventually began to turn and go. "Well, thank you anyway ..." ~~ "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, I can't believe it! Lugia's not just some legend, he's actually alive! And we're the first people to actually find him in person after who knows how long, they're gonna freak!" As Hoopa was going on about it, Aladdin was a bit more concerned with the fact that Lugia refused to return, even after being found. The two were back outside again, not too far from the tunnel. Hoopa was still lost in himself over the very idea to see the exact problem. "Why would Lugia not want to go back home?" Aladdin wondered aloud, trying to think of a possible answer. "Who knows, don't worry about it: once we tell the gang about it, Lugia'll come around." "You really think so?" Aladdin asked. "Sure! That, and who knows how much praise we'll get when we get the news back to the overworld rulers?" Hoopa wondered. Aladdin could see what intentions Hoopa had with this information, and sat up. "You're not planning on running off and causing more trouble because of that, are you?" "What, no way, weren't you listening in there! Lugia wanted me to be more careful, and that's what I'm doing. Least I can do to get out of those damn cuffs," Hoopa said, showing his free arms of the cuffs in question. A thought suddenly struck Aladdin on that fact. "Wait. Oh no, Heine's gonna kill me when he finds this out!" "Oh, who cares?" Hoopa shrugged, but Aladdin wasn't sure if Heine would believe him or not. Sure, Lugia was a big deal, but he was also missing for god knows how many years, the odds of Heine buying it are pretty low. "Hoopa, can't you think about something besides yourself for a minute?" "Hey, I've been stuck being prisoner for weeks already. Besides, I'm not going anywhere, I don't know where we are!" Hoopa replied. Aladdin then thought of something. "Wait ... how'd you find me anyway?" "Those cuffs have a sort of aura sensory on them. If I go over a mile away, those cuffs pull me straight back to whoever put them on me, and since you were teleported away by Sombra, they yanked me right to here ... wherever here is," Hoopa explained. Aladdin thought it over for a moment, and then realized something else. "Just a mile away ... then that means -" "ALADDIN! HOOPA!" Well, talk about luck (good or bad, it really depends). Both Djinn and Magi looked upward, and sure enough their guess was right. Up above them, flying Aladdin's turban still, the rest of the gang was up above their heads. Heine, Gaara, Grell and Morgiana, all looked down to the duo on the island, and they were more than quick to land down onto ground to see them. Well, looking at them all, it was clear that Sombra didn't hurt anyone else, so it was glad to see that anyway. Once they landed, Morgiana went off first, and rushed right over to Aladdin, giving him a vice-grip of a hug. Her way of showing how happy she was to see him alive, though the strength factor didn't help Aladdin much of any. "You're alright. I was worried," Morgiana said. Gaara got her to let Aladdin go, the kid dropping to the ground. "Same. You all ok? What happened?" "A bit peculiar, but Sombra soon left us after he threw you through the ring. Hoopa's cuffs began to pull him out of sight, and as such we followed him here. Speaking of." then confirmed Aladdin's worries, as Heine was quick to notice the cuffs actually missing on Hoopa's arms. "What happened to his cuffs?" "Er, well uh -" "GUYS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!" Hoopa suddenly said, in between Aladdin and Heine. It was enough to make Heine jump back seeing Hoopa so excited. "We can see your cuffs are off, Hoopa," Gaara said. "No not that! Well, ok, that's sweet, but guys ... Oh, you wanna say it or me?" Hoopa asked, turning to Aladdin. Aladdin had only that to work with for an answer to the cuffs, so he might as well go on with it. "Ok, ready? ... WE FOUND LUGIA." ... There was a long silence. ... "Who's Lugia?" Gaara asked. Morgiana shrugged, but Grell and Heine were a bit more in the know on that one. "Who's Lugia?! The legend of legends of Overworld, that's who! And get this, he's right inside that tunnel!" Hoopa added in, pointing directly down the tunnel they've traveled through. Heine paused and went over to his student, feeling his head. "You don't seem feverish. No bumps either." Not very amusing. "Sir, I mean it, we just saw him inside that tunnel, we swear!" Aladdin insisted. "Aladdin. Lugia has been missing for hundreds of years. If you did decide to just remove the cuffs from Hoopa, just say so." "That wasn't him, Lugia got them off me! Aladdin doesn't have the spunk to get em off me." "Yeah! ... Hey!" Aladdin said. Hoopa knew he was right though. As they continued talking though, Morgiana took a look down the same tunnel Aladdin was talking about, and she stayed quiet to focus down it. Gaara actually did the same thing, but it was Morgiana who had the higher advantage here. Even so, they reached a similar conclusion. Soon though, Morgiana took lead, and went right on inside, Gaara following behind. "Hey, where're you going?!" Grell called. "Wait up!" Aladdin added, running after them. Guess they got the memo before they could reach it, and Hoopa joined Aladdin in going after them. Well, it was back to the cave again. Just ahead of them, Morgiana lead the party down through the tunnel. Unlike before, this one took a bit less time to navigate through, and it honestly took them little time to even reach the same cave from earlier. With one particular difference ... ....... "Wait. Where is he? Lugia, where're you?!" Gone. It was just minutes, and Lugia had disappeared from the cave. Not a soul in there. With only one exit out of the tunnel, how the hell did that even happen? They all looked around for some sign of Lugia, but there was literally nothing there, as if it hadn't been touched for as long as those ruins remained there. The others caught up with them, and while the ruins were interesting, they weren't convinced. "Where's Lugia?" "But he was here. how'd he even get out, there was just one exit out of here," Hoopa wondered, trying to find some sort of clue to how Lugia would've gotten out. Heine was ready to confront them, but then he felt something touch against his foot: the same cuffs Hoopa had on. They still remained unlocked and open from the interaction earlier, and Heine picked one up to examine it closer. "Interesting ..." "Over here," Morgiana stated, now standing on the platform. Morgiana's senses were telling her things weren't as they seemed. She looked right down to the platform, raised her fists, and slammed them both down right onto the platform! Not even the Fanalis strength could break this platform, but it did actually give a clean split right down the middle, as if it was already there. Morgiana got her hands in between, and managed to pull apart the heavy platforms with only slight strain on her part. "... Well, that's one way of doing it," Hoopa commented. Heine went on over to the extra passage to see what it was about, but the path was completely submerged in seawater after about a foot inside. Well so much for a simple pass to find Lugia. "Well, it's clear that whoever was in here doesn't want anyone to follow," Heine noted. "Lugia ..." Aladdin thought. This was the only other way out of this chamber, and now it got blocked out of their way. "Let's be off then. It won't be for too long until we reach Japan, and then everyone can join together again," Heine instructed. Aladdin and Hoopa looked down into the water for a moment, both reaching the same conclusion that Lugia had to of used this passage to get out. Both Djinn and Magi glanced to eachother for a moment or two, Morgiana staying by their side and looking into it as well. Aladdin and Hoopa couldn't see much past it, but Morgiana closed her eyes and got to her knees. ... "Damnit! Now what do we do?" Hoopa groaned. His chance to be on better terms with Overworld were now dashed. However, Morgiana and her Fanalis senses were telling her otherwise, and it wasn't her sense of smell talking to her this time. And she dove right into it! "Morgiana, wait!" called Heine. But Morgiana didn't stop her swimming. Aladdin wanted them to see Lugia, and Morgiana was going to make that happen. The extra tunnel was a bit more manmade than the tunnel getting here, and surprisingly a bit short, only going through about a minute or so before Morgiana saw the end of it. Morgiana took her breath once she breached the surface, and found that this lead to a opening right on the edge of the island coast, opening out to the sea, and the seawater washing into the tunnel from the waves. The cave itself was simply a evidential sea cave, and nothing side from the tunnel she swam through appeared to be mad made, with land being convenient in the cave by a small path alongside. And there was Lugia. Standing with his face to the sea, a little wet from the swim still, and Morgiana sensed that this man was more than what he appeared to be. Lugia didn't notice Morgiana just yet, a bit too distracted with his own thoughts on the matter. "They've actually found me. And so soon too ... Now what am I supposed to do?" Lugia wondered, still thinking no one else was there to hear him. At least, no one at the tunnel ... "There you are." Lugia felt a shiver run through him, and after a short minute, someone else walked out from outside of the cave, and out into sight of Lugia. This was the very thing he didn't want to happen. Sombra had found him. Morgiana kept very quiet, almost completely submerged in the water with only the top of her head above water to breathe. Sombra and Lugia stood facing eachother for a minute or so, eye to eye with one another. "Sombra. It has been a while. ... I notice your plan has become active over the last year," Lugia noted. "It has, yes. And I notice your "Team Harmony" throwing my kind for a hellish loop," Sombra remarked. Lugia was well aware of that with a nod of his head as Sombra moved a bit closer to him. "I was starting to wonder if you've moved on, Lugia. Glad to see you're still with us," Sombra noted, but Lugia wasn't exactly happy to hear that. "If you could find a way around it, you would've killed me by now." "You make a decent point. Speaking of which, we both know you're just prolonging the inevitable this way. ... Though, interesting that you've been giving your vision to that Nagisa Shiota of yours." "What would you expect when I have to keep isolated like this? It's all I can do ... or could do." "Right. So there's no point in hiding anymore, is there? That, and the humans are very much aware of us by now, but you already knew that, I bet," Sombra concluded. The images of Hellgar, Pluton, and the involvement with Elysium, Lugia had to agree. "Right. Sombra, you're not still considering that, are you? ... I'm beginning to worry about you." "Lugia, my demons had been getting killed left and right by the Angels of your fleets, not to mention the humans as well. I'm too deep in to turn around now. Besides, things are looking up for me here." "Have they now?" "I'm afraid their Sebastian has killed himself ... As bothering as that is," sombra revealed, pausing to reflect on that particular incident in his head. Lugia felt humbled on that answer too. "... I guess the price of Ciel's soul was too much for him, huh?" "I suppose. And here I thought I could find another loophole in that rule this time. I was liking Sebastian." "There's unforeseeable consequences to some of these rules you simply can't avoid, Sombra," Lugia made clear, which was only frustrating the demon lord. "Tell me something I don't know," Sombra groaned. "... Well, it's a little late to ask you to stop, I suppose. But don't take this as us giving up in the other worlds." "I'm well aware of that, Team Harmony ultimately proved it. Though, this does mean you're going to have to come back out of hiding, Lugia." "Don't think that it'll come to fruition, Sombra. Team Harmony had proved that the future isn't as concrete as you might think," Lugia cleared up. Sombra pondered for a moment or two, but the shadows around Lugia began to shift and move a little bit. "Maybe. ... But we both know what's going to happen, now that I found you." "... Yes. ... I know ..." *BAM* Out of nowhere, Morgiana jumped into action, and got right in between Lugia and Sombra, both deities caught off guard by her sudden jump in. Her force was enough to crush the ground, and nearly make the cave crumble from her strength alone. Sombra almost tumbled into the sea before regaining his feet and looked in surprise to see Morgiana standing in the way. "What in the world?" Sombra asked. "You nearly killed Aladdin," Morgiana stated coldly, obviously not happy to see him, nor seeing him ready to get at Lugia. "Damnit. Sure, they saw me, but ... but how did she get here? If she's here, then -" *GASP* Then entered the others coming in, or at least one of them, as Aladdin breached the surface, Hoopa jumping out as well, quickly getting dry and seeing what was going on. Lugia was a bit surprised as well with this reveal, and Sombra couldn't get at anything now that they were here. And no way was Morgiana willing to listen to him anytime soon. After some short thinking, Sombra felt a stab at his own plan. "One detail, just one detail. Damnit! We'll finish this later." And with that remark, a frustrated Sombra went off and jumped over out of the cave, turning into shadows before going down into the water. Morgiana rushed to try and get him, but by the time she got to the edge of the cave, she was only met with the shore of the sea, and the waves of the water. Sombra had gotten away from them, but at least Lugia was alright. Aladdin and Hoopa went over to Lugia, Morgiana as well, and before Lugia could even calm down, Grell, Gaara, and Heine breached the surface of the tunnel. "I do wish you wouldn't keep running off like -" Heine was cut off the second he saw the unmistakable Lugia standing there, a little shaken, but alright all the same. "There, see?! We told you!" Hoopa insisted, reminding them why they were back in the tunnel in the first place. The whole group now found Lugia, for better or worse. Lugia straightened up and tried to calm from what he thought was the end, Heine's irises shrunken and eyes wide in absolute shock. "Oh, well who's this then?" Gaara questioned, not recognizing him at first. Heine though was down on his knees, and forced Grell and Gaara to do the same by grabbing them both and pulling them down. "Hey!" Gaara snapped. "Don't you realize who you're talking to?" Heine questioned, a bit firmer than usual. Lugia knew well, especially with Heine now there, that there was no hiding anymore. "... Hello everyone," Lugia sighed. "My lord. Lugia. I ... words can't express how wonderful this is to see you," Heine said humbly. The feeling was a bit mutual though, but Heine didn't realize that just yet. "And you thought we were making it up," Hoopa said, nudging Heine a bit in a "told-you-so" manner. Gaara though could see that Lugia was indifferent about it, and got up to his feet. "Looks like someone had a different idea in mind," Gaara noted, and Lugia just nodded to confirm it, which confused a good amount of them. "Not that I'm not happy to see you again. ... But I have to ask, how did you even find me? Aladdin and Hoopa told me his ring had something to do with it?" Lugia asked, wanting that cleared up. "Hoopa's cuffs activated and pulled him to Aladdin. All we had to do was follow the same direction. It's such a great honor to see you after so many years, my lord," Heine explained. Lugia sighed, and looked over what kind of group they had found him. A Djinn, Magi, Angel, two Fanalis, and a Reaper. Quite a mixed bag, surely. "My lord. I'm sorry to pry, but the Overworld needs your help more than ever now. The demons had been -" "Yes. The Underworld beings had been coming out and fighting against the surface world, I'm well aware of that. ... Especially with Pluton's involvement back in central." Heine wasn't gonna question how Lugia knew that incident in particular. "Right. We need you back, Lugia," Heine stated, calmer now. This time though, Lugia turned away and just looked out to the sea. "... No." "Excuse me?" "Look. Heine. You've got a whole lot of help from the Overworld, and the surface world as is. you even have some Underworld aid right now ... It'll only make things worse if I do enter into the field myself." Similar to earlier, a pause hung in the air, but this one didn't last too long. "How so?" Heine asked. Lugia wasn't sure if going into detail was a good idea or not, but Morgiana actually whispered the full situation to Aladdin, seeing what had happened herself in full. Aladdin's eyes widened on the detail she had gotten, and Gaara just managed to overhear them. "Sombra?" Aladdin quietly gasped. Morgiana nodded, and Lugia just sighed. "Let's just leave it at that, Heine. ... I'm sorry." ....... "Who's controlling you?" The group looked over to Gaara, who at this point walked right up to Lugia. This situation was by far too familiar to him, and even if it was just a few days, Gaara wasn't going to see this play out again. "Well, no one exactly." "Don't lie to me; I've literally gone through this days before ending up here. If there's anyone that can get this demon away from you, it would be them," Gaara made clear, referring to the group themselves. Them getting rid of Shukaku was more than enough proof for him, but Lugia had a different view in mind. "It's not the same. You isolated yourself to save those from a being far stronger than you are. ..." "Well then what's the problem? You saying you're strong enough to beat whatever's bugging you," Grell pointed out. Lugia took a look down to his hand. Lugia stayed quiet for a bit, but he just closed his hand and looked to the sea again. "... Too strong. ..." "What was that?" Gaara's question was met with silence, and before anyone could stop him, Lugia followed where sombra had left, and jumped right into the water! This time the others got to the water's edge, and Morgiana even jumped into the water, but as quickly as Sombra did, Lugia was already gone. Morgiana got herself out, the others a bit unsure what was going on with Lugia. Many of whatever detail they got were pretty vague after all. "Ok, so we can do one of two things: go off after Lugia, or go off after Japan. Flip of the coin here, which one is it?" Hoopa asked, waiting for some sort of answer. Heine thought it over pretty hard, and he went on out to the open ocean. "... How many of you want to go back to Tokyo?" Heine asked. Bassie's waiting for me, of course I do!" Grell insisted. Morgiana felt a little uneasy with that answer though, considering what she just heard from Sombra. "I'll go wherever Aladdin goes," Morgiana said. Gaara felt similarly to getting back to Japan, and nodded his head. Aladdin though felt a little bit torn between the options. "Well, Tokyo, but what're you thinking of sir?" "In that case. Hoopa, you care to give everyone a quicker ride home." "What, no way, I can't carry all of them!" Hoopa retorted. "I meant with your rings," Heine corrected. "Oh ... Mkay," and taking out one of the rings, he began to get ready as Heine started to explain. "All of you, go back with Hoopa to Tokyo. I'm going after Lugia." "Wait, by yourself?" Aladdin asked. "I'll be alright. Go back to Tokyo and try to get Hoopa to the Overworld for me. If they ask, tell them that Heine's on a very important task. Think you can do that for me?" Heine placed a hand on Aladdin's shoulder after explaining that. Getting back was important, but if they could get Lugia on the level, even better. "... Yes sir," Aladdin said. ....... "Oh wait, before we go, there's something I gotta get!" Hoopa realized. Tossing another ring to the ceiling, Hoopa bolted up, and came back with the other items they came in with: turban, staff, vessel and all. "Since when were you compassionate?" Grell questioned. "Hey, Lugia asked me to stop acting so cheeky, and I don't want to get into cuffs again," Hoopa said, tossing the items to Aladdin. Well, it's not a good reason, but it's a reason. Hoopa then got the same ring and got it a lot bigger, enough to make it a sort of gateway for them all to go through. Well, all there was left to do was do just that, and the group began to head on through the portal Hoopa had created. Aladdin paused and looked back one more time before he too went through as well, and soon, Heine was by himself. "... Good luck." S05Ep9: Dueler of Transmutation ~変容の闘い~"So, Olivier, how much longer til we get to this Slicer guy anyway?" Karma, Pinkie, and Blair had been quite a bit on the move since they left the gang back in Tokyo. Going on through the place inside a military chopper was quite a bit of a change when compared to the carriage Alex had, not to mention little time to actually relax. How can one actually sleep in a military chopper anyway? The only one who actually got some true sleep was Blair, who was curled up as a cat over by some of Olivier's soldiers. Karma was just watching the world go by as they went on, and it was Pinkie who was the most excited to see this Slicer guy, much to Olivier's annoyance. "About one second closer than the last time you asked," Olivier replied, unamused by Pinkie's questions. Pinkie Pie was getting more and more impatient with each passing second to reach this Slicer, and if even half of what Sebastian told them was true, then they were in for a pretty difficult time. ... Whenever they would get there, that is. "UGH, how do they tolerate her?!" Olivier thought, her teeth grinding from having to deal with Pinkie Pie's antics for WAY longer than she would like. Karma glanced over to the front, seeing how frustrated Olivier was getting. "That's just Pinkie for you, you're just gonna have to handle it," Karma advised. no that wasn't exactly helping, but no other exact advice can make the mark at all. After that, he went on and looked back outside. Winter may be on it's later legs back in Tokyo, but the further they went, the colder the area seemed to be, and more snow covered up the ground underneath them, and some falling down from the clouds around them. Wherever they were going, it was pretty far north, and looking at the foreign trees, far away. Karma wasn't showing it as much as Pinkie Pie, but he too was getting a bit antsy over the whole thing. "K, how much longer is this gonna be? Nagisa and Ciel must've got their demons by now, last thing I want is to be late for the get-together," Karma thought, and a thought that summed up the whole thing for him. Sure, Ciel had a farther target, and Nagisa a powerful enemy as far as he knew, but the least he could do was get his before the others get back. As he sat there, Blair began to stir, and stretched on Karma's lap, giving a kitty yawn as she did. "How much further do we got, K? I'm bored," Blair said, looking out the window with Master. "Hell if I know. Olivier's not telling, and Pinkie asked about ... twenty times now." "Let's go for twenty one. Olivier, you even know where this place is?" Blair asked. Olivier cursed under her breath before turning to the others again. "I know where it is, now quit complaining," Olivier ordered. She had enough from Pinkie, she didn't need more from Blair. "Hey, it's not our fault this is taking forever." "Location in sight, prepare for landing," called in the pilot. Thank god he told them just before a fight could break out. ~~ Eventually, the helicopter made it's landing onto a flattened area of the wilderness, what little they got as it turned out. Snow covered all of the ground around them, more so than what Japan would normally get, and the helicopter blades blew a ton of it aside as it landed down. Good thing, since much of the snow was a good foot deep otherwise. The troop within the helicopter got out into the cold weather, suited up for the winter climate. Prepared as they would be, Karma, Pinkie, and Blair after turning into her human form, got suited up in their winter outfits for the walk, and went right outside, ready to fight the Slicer at any point. "Come forth sir Slicer! We're Team Harmony, and we're gonna take you out!" Pinkie called. "We're still a mile away from the compound," Olivier stated. Well that sort of ruined the spirit of the hyper Pinkie Pie, and bugged Karma a bit too. "And you didn't parked us right at this "compound" why? If we're going to fight it, saving energy would be a bit important in this weather," Karma pointed out. Olivier ignored him though, and simply gave the signal for her footmen to follow her. Karma, Blair, and Pinkie could already feel that their walk was going to be a long one. "Why do I feel this trip's not gonna be as fun?" Karma thought. Well, Pinkie Pie went off pretty quick to catch up with the group, Blair and Karma casually walking behind the group themselves. ....... For a mile long walk, the amount of what actually happened during their walk, aside from snow biting at them, was pretty small. The whole troop with Olivier was kept a bit alert, weapons drawn and at the ready for any surprise visitors or sudden attackers. A bit of a nice display, with with nothing going on, it wasn't too needed for Karma's point of view. Before any of them really knew it, the forest began to break, and open up to more plains of snow. And it wasn't just a simple plain either, but instead what appeared to be some sort of base. Fairly large, sturdy, and actually appeared abandoned to some extent, as no evidence of other soldiers or mercenaries anywhere. And out here was where they saw something they honestly didn't expect: more troops lined up and at ready, all just outside the base's perimeter. None of these soldiers appeared to be any from this base however, outfits similar to that Olivier and their group had themselves rather than what could be from this base. Some of the soldiers began to hear the troops with Olivier, recognizing her and one of them giving a salute to her. As for who this was ... "Your status, Niji?" "We got the Slicer inside the compound as of now, general. He refuses to cooperate, and won't come out," said the soldier. ... Niji. Niji from Tokyo Japan, and who saved 3-E from Tataoka. Sure, Karma, Pinkie, and Blair weren't too aware of Niji, despite Karma being from 3-E himself, but that didn't mean they knew nothing of her (3-E sure chatted it up when they got back from their Amestris trip). Seeing the winged, rainbow-haired angel was intriguing. Information also included her being an apparent "experiment" by the military, so, that gave Karma a little teasing material. "Results on causalities?" "None of us went inside yet, so we're not sure." "Well, well, well, look who we have here," noted Karma. Niji and Olivier turned and the trio was right there. "Hi Niji! You a Ms. general too?" Pinkie asked. Niji flinched slightly when she heard her own name by these supposed new recruits, and it wouldn't be so bad if Olivier actually knew about this. "Not a general, but more of a soldier. And how did you know her name?" "We heard something about it back home, how she saved a group of kids from a super-mean Tataoka!" Pinkie said. Olivier glared at Niji, who was whistling as if nothing was wrong and that she was innocent to whatever actually was. Yeah, she wasn't fooling anyone. "... What?" "I thought I made it clear to not get that involved with them," Olivier growled. "They were inches from getting killed, what am I supposed to do?!" Niji snapped. "She's still going on about that? I thought that idea's been dead months ago," Blair commented. With so many problems left and right, what really was the point anymore? Either way, Pinkie hopped in the way of Olivier and Niji before anyone could get hit or a fight could even start. "Hey, hey, stop being a jerk, Olivier. Niji did a good deed!" "A good deed by beating down a human being?" "YES! ... Wait, no. ... Eh, about 50/50. But she did save a lot of E class before they got broken up like teeny tiny little sticks," Pinkie brought up. Olivier didn't seem to care for this conclusion, but her eyes glanced over to the compound, and she knew they had more important things to worry about right now. "We'll finish this later," Olivier simply said, before going over to check on the situation. Niji needed a minute before she got back around, her attention going to the trio. "Eh ... thanks for that." "No-problema," Pinkie replied. "So. An experiment from the Japanese Military, are you?" Karma pried in. Well, that lie was blown out of the water. "It was the best I could come up with, give me a break. ... Wait, how'd you know about that?" Niji asked. Karma smirked. "Your friends sure were chatty about it. I am from class 3-E after all," Karma noted. Niji paused, and worked her own memory on the idea. It took Niji a bit, but she did end up getting it altogether. "Karma Akabane!" "You got it. 3-E told you about me?" "Yes, sorry I didn't recognize your group right away! So you guys were the ones who killed Pluton," Niji presumed, finally realizing who she was dealing with. "Why is it only Pluton we're known for?" thought Karma. "Pluton, Hellgar, and tons of other big meanie demons here, there, and everywhere," Pinkie stated. Might as well make that known if it's gonna be brought up constantly. "Really? How many did you get?" "If you all are done gossiping, we got a situation here," Olivier called. As she said, might as well finish this later. Pinkie, Niji, Karma, and Blair went over to Olivier, and took a look at the situation. They stayed crouched down behind some made barricades. Olivier tried to find where the Slicer was, but she couldn't find much of anything that suggested he was even there. The other soldiers were at the ready on the word, they just needed Olivier's greenlight for that. "He could be waiting right under our noses. OK, here's what we're gonna do: Niji, take half of your footmen, and go over to the eastern side. I'll meet up around the western side, and Karma, you take -" "Come forth sir Slicer! We're Team Harmony, and we're gonna take you out!" Pinkie called ... again. Before anyone realized it, the crazy girl was standing right out in the open, and right at the front door, in a sort of heroic battle pose, ready to fight whoever or whatever Slicer was. ... And after three to four seconds, nothing happened. "COME ON, SLICER, I'VE BEEN PRACTICING THIS, CAN'T YOU COME OUT?!" She yelled, more childishly this time. Olivier, kept slamming her fist into the ground in anger at what the idiot was doing, the others in Team Harmony ... kinda expecting it to be honest. Pinkie tried knocking on the door, and even trying to pry it open, but of course that didn't work. If Slicer was behind that door, he wasn't letting them in. "Get back here!" Olivier called, but Pinkie Pie was too preoccupied to really listen to her. Well, Karma and Blair got up and went out to her themselves, though it was mainly because nothing was there to hide from. Karma took a look up, and found that while the front door wasn't exactly open, Karma did see a taller window much higher up. Bit by bit, eventually the rest of the troops came up to investigate as well. "K, Pinkie, we're good," Blair said, getting Pinkie Pie to stop. "Hey Niji, you can fly, fly in there and see if you can find an opening," Karma suggested. Niji looked to Olivier first, and while annoyed Karma was ordering her soldiers around, she would've suggested the same thing so she simply nodded, and Niji flew up to the opening. Seemed simple enough. Niji flew on inside, and it took just a mere minute of silence before they all began to hear the doors slowly open up. Well, that problem was fixed easy. "Thanks, Niji. So, chief, ready to go in." "Yeah. Alright, head in," Olivier decided. ~~ So, after that, it was a march right inside. It hadn't been a minute, and already they were getting a good look at what an abandoned compound really felt like. This large compound itself was rather quiet, and felt like it had been deserted for many years with how quiet, dark, and isolated the place was. When the group got to the main lobby, it looked a mix of a steampunk factory and military base with the size and just how many pipes, metal bars and floors, and other mechanical parts and objects were scattered around the place. The lobby they got themselves into had a lot of room, and probably would've been a sort of bunker for military vehicles, large enough for a jet plane to be parked inside if they wanted to. A smaller, second level was also visible that went to other parts of the compound, connected by a steel elevator not too far away. The main lobby just as well, had as little of people as it did as outside. While it is unclear exactly where they went to, if the Slicer did have something to do with it, then he sure did a damn good job in clearing the place out. "Either Slicer had a field day or everyone left the place quick," Niji said, looking around the place. With how little actual head count was, possibly the latter. Either way, Olivier was about ready to come and face this killer, whoever or whatever it was. For Pinkie Pie ... well, three's the charm, as she cleared her throat. "Come forth sir Slicer! We're Team Harmony, and we're gonna take you out!" "Please work, please work, please work, please work," she thought in anticipation. ....... *clank* *clank* And then someone else stepped forth from the upper level. Out of the upper hallway, and to the upper level of the lobby came what at first looked like a very tall, very sturdy knight. The armor laying over the body looked very robust: a helmet similar to Alphonse, shoulder plates of a medieval knight but with a chest plate of a samurai. There was armor for the arms and legs, but they upper part was covered with a sort of green fabric while the bottom half had pants similar to those Aladdin wore, with the exception of steel chains binding it together like a belt. On top of the helmet was a long strand of silver hair, again mirroring Alphonse Elric. A small set of eyes glowed from within the head, looking down at the newcoming fighters. "YES, IT WORKED!" Pinkie beamed, eyes sparkling. "So. Sir Slicer, is that right?" Karma asked. "Precisely. You got my name after being assigned to me, I presume," Slicer noted. Slicer then jumped down from the lobby, the soldiers instinctively readying their weapons, but Olivier raised her arm. "Don't bother. He's a transmutation, remember? You'll only be shooting at steel doing that," Olivier instructed. "As I expected from an Elysium general," Slicer commented. The suit of sentient armor took a bit to look around the lobby, seeing just who and what he had going for him this time. It wasn't until he landed did they notice he was already armed with a sword "I'm only doing what I was instructed to do. Don't think badly of me for following orders," Slicer said, readying his sword. Guess he wasn't going to wait around either, but Karma was pretty okay with that. "Same to you. Don't take badly being beaten by a kid," Karma commented. Slicer took note of the stance and position Karma was in. "A swordsman, eh? ... Let's see how good you are." All of a sudden, Slicer was right on top of him! Karma had seconds to react, reflecting it with his Miracle Sword, giving Karma a moment to strike at Slicer. As expected though, his strike was nothing more than a tiny cut to the suit of armor, and if anything just shoved him back. Karma rushed at him again, sword aimed like a spear, just for slicer to block it, and force Karma back. Olivier saw her chance now, and all of a sudden slicer had two swordsman to deal with. Being a suit of armor though, it wasn't as bad as the concept sounded, and he continued taking it in stride for a good half a minute, until he forced them both back. It may have only took a minute, but they all could see that Slicer was no pushover. Slicer even got a small cut on Karma's shoulder, even if a minor one. "Surrender now, Slicer! you can't win," Olivier warned. "You'd like to think so. So you all know about my state." "It's nothing new," Blair said. That got Slicer a little interested. "Oh? So there is more that are in the same state as I, huh?" "Yep, one of our buddies is going through the same slump as you," Pinkie answered. Slicer found this interesting, but concerning the situation, he didn't really push it any further than that. However, instead of getting into another assault, he actually took off the cloth around the helmet, and showed a number on his face. "See this? Number 48. My death row number." "Death row?" Karma repeated. "I was to be executed a long time ago. But instead of that, I had been transmutated into this suit of armor, and made into what you could say as a guard dog," Slicer explained. not that it wasn't something they already knew about thanks to Sebastian's know-how, but Karma was still having his sword at the ready. "Guard dog, huh? So 'guard dog', that means you got some weak spot on you. something to keep you together?" "... Precisely." And in a rather odd, yet generous move, slice actually lifted the front of his face, and showed the interior of the helmet, just to reveal what looked like a alchemic mark of dried blood inside. "My seal of blood. If you destroy it, then you win," Slicer said. Even Olivier was a little bit surprised that he would show them his weakness like this. "Sounds rather stupid to share your weakness," Olivier commented. She didn't know about the others, but she would die first before showing what weakness she had to someone so freely. Slicer got his head back into place, and got the cloth back on. "I'm the type who enjoys the trills of fighting. It's only fair," Slicer made clear. "Generous enough to come quietly then?" Karma asked smugly, though he already knew that answer. "You really think a murderer would let his prey go so easily?" Figured. So, with the fight ready to start again, Slicer charged forward with his sword at the ready, Olivier taking the block instead of Karma, and faced him head on. Now knowing where the weakspot was, Olivier tried aiming her sword for the head, but Slicer wasn't making that really easy. This was not only a killer, but an experienced fighter, and each time Olivier tried for the head, Slicer would block or evade. Karma took a moment to see the situation. After a minute though, Slicer could see Karma coming back at him, coming in from the crowd of soldiers, and soon it was two on one again. This time though Slicer was a bit quicker on the draw, and knocked them back again, this time a cut getting into Olivier in the side. "A long time since I had this kind of adversary," Slicer commented. But Slicer didn't knew what kind he was truly dealing with ... "BLAIR, NOW!" Karma suddenly yelled, turning to his right. Expecting an attack, Slicer quickly turned to the same direction, his sword at the ready for anything ... expect for Blair not being there. "What the -" "PI-PI-PUMPKIN CANNON!" Blair was suddenly on the upper balcony, and after charging up some magic, she gave a mighty pumpkin cannon shot directly at Slicer! This time though there was no avoiding, and it landed him square in the chest, sending the suit of armor flying off right into the wall with a mighty explosion! Blair sure felt good. "Bull's eye!" she beamed, before hopping down to join them. When the dust cleared, Slicer was still in tact, but stuck on the ground, a bit frazzled up from the sudden blast of witchcraft. "How foul," he spat. "No rules when it comes to fighting," Karma simply stated. A decent point, but then Olivier gave a whistle, which sent her soldiers off to apprehend him. with his weapon not in reach, Slicer soon found several soldiers grabbing him and holding him down in place, Slicer struggling a bit to get himself together. Blair hopped down to Karma, feeling pretty good with the shot. "Damn, that felt good. Ready to give up yet, Slicer?!" Blair asked. Slicer, despite all the men, actually got to his feet. He took a look to his chest region, and while the shot did leave a good dent in it, it didn't break open as he was worried about. With a few strong shakes, he dislodged a good amount of the troops on him, swinging two of them towards Blair. Strong, sure, but he didn't have his weapon on him, and he tried to grab it, only for Niji to swoop in and snatch it like a thieving harpy. "Nice try!" Niji called, flying out of his reach. This surely wasn't going in his favor. Slicer was getting a bit more angry now. "This fight isn't fair at all." "You're a wanted criminal placed on death row, and now homicidal transmutation, you really think we're going to try to play fair against you?" Olivier made clear. "Decent point. In that case ..." Slicer then bolted past them, and aimed his target in a different way. Without his weapon to back him up for now, he quickly grabbed hold of Blair, and held her tight, one arm grabbing her mouth while the other wrapped around her torso, taking her hostage. Blair was simply stuck, and try as she might, she wasn't going anywhere. "Hey, no fair!" shouted Niji. "Who said there was no rules in fighting?" asked Slicer. Not even a minute after that quote, and it was already coming back to bite them. But while it was doing it's job against Karma and Pinkie, Olivier actually charged forward with all her speed. Before anyone could stop her, Olivier's sword dug straight through Blair, and into Slicer! No hesitation, and it caught even Slicer off guard, feeling the sword skewer through him as well. sure it didn't hurt him, being a suit of armor, but Blair just stared off into nothingness, feeling her blood pour down from the new wound on her stomach. This was a horrid case of Deja Vu for her, and even more so, Olivier lifted both of them head over heels, over her head, and slammed them into the ground, yanking her sword out of both Slicer and Blair. Before Slicer could get himself up, the same sword got into the helmet and yanked it out of the body. It didn't strike the weakspot, but it did make the body go limp after a bit, Blair falling off. Blair got up off the ground, feeling the cut into her body, as Pinkie and Karma got her off the ground. "Damnit," Blair coughed. "Did she take another life?" Pinkie asked, very worried over her. Blair felt the cut in her body, and where it exactly got her. "It's just a stabbing, but I could use some stitches," Blair said, though they knew it was a bit more than that if it went right through her! "Get her back to the chopper, Pinkie, will ya?" Karma asked, though his gaze was aimed down for the moment as he asked. Pinkie complied, and she began to bring Blair away from the scene, but Karma had a little something else in mind. Blair immediately got bandaged up after Pinkie Pie got some around her (Pinkie logic to how she even got the stuff), and the bleeding did begin to slow down a bit, but they didn't get out of there in time to ignore what came next. "Hey chief." "What do you want -" All of a sudden, Karma got Olivier quiet when he gave the general a good, powerful punch directly to the face! The hit knocked her back, and it actually made her nose bleed a bit. Everyone was shocked at what he just did, but Karma could care less about them. Slicer's head was tossed in the air, landing over nearby the others soldiers. "Damnit, Karma, what the hell did you - ACK!" Karma kept her quiet by pressing his foot down onto her throat. He no longer had his typical smile and cheeky demeanor on him. "You think it's a good idea killing my friend for the sake of getting Slicer? You screw with my bitch, you screw with me, got that?" Karma warned, his voice less cheeky and more legitimately dangerous. Olivier grew angry herself, and tried to get Karma off of her, only for Karma to kneel down and slap her in the face, making a number of the soldiers worry for him. "I thought it would be fun going along with the short-tempered, hardcore general. But looks like I'm just dealing with another devil." With that remark, Karma removed his foot and allowed Olivier to ponder on that, before he grabbed the head of Slicer off the ground, and began to take his leave. ....... "Owowowowow." The fly back home after that was a bit of a quieter one than they would really like, Blair dealing with her injury. Lucky for her and her current life she was dealing with, this one was saved as the stab was strictly to the skin. At least that's what some of the experienced soldiers had concluded once they got to the helicopter. She stayed in her human form as to not disturb the bandages on her, and probably make it even worse. Sure she had more lives to spare, didn't mean she wanted to waste them all up. Slicer was with them too, albeit only his head up at the seats while the rest of him was stored away and out of sight. Slicer stayed oddly quiet, although he wasn't technically dead per say spite of being without his body to move around with. Karma was a bit quiet too, and the same as they were flying to the place, again was staring out the window at the world going by. His cuts were patched up, sure, but that wasn't what was on his mind, and many of them knew what that was. "A rather unfortunate turn of events," Slicer noted. First time he spoke since his capture, most likely. "We don't need any reminders, Slicer. And you have the right to remain silent," Niji reminded, who was sitting right next to Blair. "Let him talk, Niji, he's not gonna do much," Blair suggested, surprisingly chill about it despite what happened to her. "You kidding? how're you so calm with him after he tried to hold you hostage?!" "I'm a cat witch, I still got eight lives to spare. Besides, that stab didn't hit anything important," Blair reminded. Niji had no idea about her extra lives, and was actually blank-faced on that. "Not exactly an uncommon fact, young angel. I've heard of that about her kind. That's why I used her over the others," Slicer admitted. "Why the heck didn't you say anything then, we all thought you're gonna die!" Niji brought up. "Didn't think it was needed." And THAT response came from both Slicer and Blair. Weird, but ok. At this point, her eyes went over to Karma Akabane, both she and Blair as well. "Come on, K, I'm fine. K, so I got skewered by Olivier, but I got more lives to spare, it's all cool -" "No it's not," Karma suddenly cut in. He grew quiet again after that for just a minute or so before Pinkie Pie got in. "You were all sunshine and rainbows to get Mr. Slicer before we got there. Why so down and gloomy now?" Pinkie asked. Now Karma turned to her. "You kidding me right? Celestia's so-called "angel" shoved a damn sword through Blair just to get the job done." "So? Karma, you know I got more lives," Blair said, but more thoughts and possibilities went through his head. "... Niji, is Olivier always like this?" Karma then asked. Niji paused, and took a look over to the front of the helicopter, where Olivier was sitting next to the pilot. "Eh ... maybe?" Niji said, trying to say it without setting someone off. But Karma only needed to hear that, and he just looked out the window again, seeing the warmer weather as they went on their way. "Karma, is that you? since when were you so silent and troubled?" Blair then asked, trying to actually get a rye out of him. Karma then shrugged. "Give me a break. Yeah, I'm not the nicest guy in the world, but I have to draw the line somewhere," Karma stated. He never thought he had to get a line into this when it came to just what eh can do, but then again, if they are going to win there are some things he had to consider, no matter the case. Up front, Olivier had to consider a few things too. sure she got Slicer, but what Karma did still stuck with her, her face bruised slightly from Karma's punch on her, and her nose patched up. Although she didn't look it, she had heard every word. I thought it would be fun going along with the short-tempered, hardcore general. But looks like I'm just dealing with another devil. "... A devil huh?" "Pardon, general?" asked the pilot. Guess that thought came out loud. "Nothing. Make sure they have a holding cell ready to go when we return," Olivier instructed. Just another day. ....... ~~ ....... "Ugghh ... S-Sebastian ..." He could barely, and truly make out what exactly had happened to him. He felt tired, cold, and his eye still stained of dried up blood. The brutal hit Sombra had made onto him left him with a splitting headache, but after some bit of his memory returned to him, he slowly started to realize that it was the least of his problems. It took him a while to finally come to, but where he found himself was anything but good. It was very dark for one thing, so it took even longer for his eyes to properly adjust to what kind of hell he'd been thrown into. Eventually though, little by little, he started to find himself in what looked like a cage. A old, metal, dark cage. One with a few lit torches scattered around the area. Ciel needed a bit to realize what was wrong, and once he did, his heart began to race. "No. N-No! NO!" Ciel screamed. Instinctively, Ciel tried to open his cage, trying to break himself out of this cell he had befell into, but it was no use. These bars were not going to open up anytime soon, and even if they were, it wasn't going to be by his hands. Ciel could feel cold sweat fall from his face, and his pulse in a horrid frenzy at the reality he unfortunately relived. Trauma in its finest had found him once again. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!! HELP!!!" Ciel screamed. He can't relive his torment, not again! All he could hear was distant moans from the damned, and the rattling of the chains that held his cage. Ciel felt horrified. For the first time in years, he felt horrified. And he felt sick too, a hand covering his mouth as he began to feel something try to come up. The memories, those horrid memories, they were alive again. And without Sebastian there to help him this time, all poor Ciel Phantomhive could do was slowly sit back down, and huddle in the corner. Hell had tortured him. Hell had saved him. And now Hell had betrayed him. S05Ep10: Requiem ~レクイエム~Slicer? Check. Hoopa? Check. Great Tengu? Not check. Aleistor? Semi-check. Not exactly the best track record one could have, but hey, 50/50 was still a decent try all things considered. At least each side found their targets, and tried to get them together. Well all the same, each side began to head their way back home to Tokyo, with their main landing spot being at the capitol. (why wouldn't it be at this point?). The first group to make it back was Nagisa's group, while without their man still had some important things to take care of, and now with them back, their first priority was fixing up the parts that were wrecked during the fight, which Winry was quick to begin the minute she got her tools. Winry knew this was going to be a while to do, and she didn't want to be disturbed. ... Unfortunately, eager Edward Elric was getting a bit too antsy without his arm, and just like a curious little brother, he kept looking over Winry's shoulder at his automail just to be sure that the girl was getting the job finished. ... "Get out!" Winry snapped, grabbing Ed by the collar, and dropping him outside the door like some puppy, slamming the door behind her. Yeah, who knew how long it'll be until his arm was mended up? Then again, who could blame him? He can't exactly perform any automail tricks without it, or even fight properly for that matter. Nagisa and Twilight were with them, waiting for the others to come back just as much as they were. "Hey, what'd you do that for?!" Ed snapped. Normally he'd be more ticked off, but this was the person who'd be his mechanic, so he can't get too ticked at her. "I'll just say it: you're acting like a little pest!" "LITTLE PEST?! Come out here and say that to my face, jerk!" Ed demanded. Of course, the door stayed shut, but Nagisa grabbed him and held him back before he could break down any door. "Ok, Ed, calm down, give her a break!" Nagisa insisted. "Well how long's she gonna be? How am I supposed to do anything with only one arm?" Ed griped. "Ed, she needs time to get this. Besides ... she does have some point." "Come on, I didn't bug her that much, did I?" Ed asked. Nagisa and Twilight glanced to eachother for a brief moment. ---(just yesterday)--- " Oh, look at you, working so early in the morning," Ed said, smile on his face as he checked in on Winry. "Been up all night," Winry replied, going right back to work. And a conversation cut short. ---(few hours later)--- "Still busy as a bee I see. At this rate, you must be almost done," Ed commented, again checking in on her, same smile as before. Winry still didn't had much time for a conversation it seemed. "One more all-nighter," she simply said. again, conversation cut short. "Pretty much," both Twilight and Nagisa agreed. A cut down in his pride, surely, and Ed simply slumped on the couch nearby. At least last time his arm went out on him, it stayed in tact, but now he had literally nothing to work with. Who knew how long it'll be. "Eh ... right. I'm gonna check in on the others," Twilight said, getting up and heading off to the window. If they were going to be anywhere, they would be up above their heads. Their main place of destination was kinda hard to miss after all, and if they were to bring any criminal anywhere for now, it would be here. So far though, the skies remained pretty clear for the most part, no sign of anyone anywhere. Well, that was until a shape began to show up in the clouds, flying just into sight. Guess the secondary group had just arrived, and at a good time too. Nagisa knew immediately who this was the second he saw the square shape coming in from the sky. "Aladdin's back." So with a smile on his face, he, Twilight, and Ed went outside from the main building to see them land at the drop zone. It sure was nice to see Aladdin after their little ventures around the place, and Aladdin was just as happy to see his roommate as much as Nagisa was to see him. The minute they landed, Aladdin hopped up and went straight over to him. "Nagisa!" "Great to see you too, Aladdin," Nagisa replied, as the magi hugged him. While it was nice to see that, it was pretty quick that there was a lot more people coming by than he expected. Seeing Hoopa was one thing, but adding that with Grell, Gaara, AND Morgiana? Yeah, surprising. "You were busy," Nagisa commented. "W-Wait a minute, what the hell's he doing here?!" Ed asked, finger pointed right to Gaara. Last he remembered, Gaara was working for Sombra, so seeing him there did not make him feel any better. Morgiana stepped in between Gaara and Edward just in case. One glare from her was easily enough to make Edward back up. "No, no, no, Morgiana, he's a friend," Aladdin quickly insisted. "So that's your name?" Nagisa said, looking to her. Morgiana calmed down a little bit more, looking over Nagisa and Twilight over. "Yes," Morgiana simply replied. As they were getting to know Morgiana, Grell already began to go and look around for who he was so sure would be here. "Now hang on a second, where's the rest of that group of yours? Never known Bassie to be late for a little get-together," Grell said, looking left and right to try and find him, leaning over Nagisa as he did. Nagisa got Grell off of him. "They're not here yet. Your group's the first one to show up, Grell," Nagisa answered, pushing Grell off of him. Hoopa wasn't really too thrilled. "Geesh, give it a rest, Grell, this Bassie could give less of a shit anyway, she's probably got an engagement already," Hoopa said, mainly to just shut him up. "She?" "Yeah, Sebastian, you know. Isn't she one of your little devils?" Hoopa inquired. Nagisa and Twilight glanced to eachother unsuredly. "... Sebastian's a guy," they both said. ... "... So ... you're a homo, Grell? You really are hopeless." "Well at least I got a love interest, how many guys do you have?" Grell snapped. "I have none because I'm not a homo!" "Don't judge me." "I WILL JUDGE YOU!" "Was it like this the whole time?" Twilight asked. All Aladdin did was nod, fingers in his ears to block out the argument. Morgiana was more than glad to intervene, and swatted them both like the flies they were, right on the head. Nagisa and Twilight flinched on just how hard she whacked them, and while Grell got a good hit, Hoopa only got grazed as he bolted for Aladdin, though he was a little too slow. "Thank you," Gaara replied. Morgiana nodded and Gaara went over to the others, taking quick note of Ed's missing arm. "Don't tell me: demon got a hold of you?" Gaara asked. Ed glanced to the missing arm, more annoyed than anything. "Like you need to know," Ed simply said. "So, Aladdin, how about we head in and catch up? It'll be a little bit until the others show up," Nagisa suggested, Aladdin agreeing. ~~ So, it took a while longer, but eventually the others did finally arrive back home, and with all the group now back together more or less, they all went off from there and to the guest lobby as Slicer was put into proper custody. Since it was just his head, it honestly wasn't too hard to handle, so while the soldiers were doing that, the rest of the group, including the members who joined up with Aladdin, got together in the main lobby to talk over what they've been through on their little round about. While they had a LOT of newcomers here and there (Victoria and Bardroy joined Alphonse for the ride to Japan), the only ones that weren't there were Ciel and Sebastian, whom of which Grell was eagerly trying to locate so he could tell his part of the story. Still, it was Aladdin who was going over what he had gone through first, having the most trouble and most to talk about since he flown off from Japan. He had gone through a number of details already: first encounter with Hoopa, his involvement in Central, and freeing Gaara from Shukaku (which Gaara allowed him to talk about), and at one point ... "Lugia?!" Twilight and Nagisa asked. "I know, it's amazing!" Aladdin said, equally excited. "At least it would've been amazing if he didn't fly off on us!" complained Hoopa. "What'chu mean?" Pinkie asked. "Exactly what I said: they tried getting him to come back but he thinks it's better to run away." Hoopa was more upset that the biggest proof he had was no longer with him, but Nagisa and Twilight both were only having their thoughts more confirmed that something was indeed keeping him away. "What's with him?!" Ed groaned. "Don't know, but Heine's trying to find him right now. Apparently he was ... too strong," Gaara explained. Well that surely made things a bit confusing, and label Lugia as simply selfish at worst. "Well, good luck to him. So Nagisa, Ed, how'd that Tengu mission go?" "He got away from us. But, to tell you the truth, I think there's more to him," Nagisa revealed. Edward knew exactly where this was going, and was actually already getting out a little something he had held onto since they left the shrine. "How so?" Al asked. Funny he should be asking that out of anyone, and soon Ed pulled out that newspaper Tengu had left for them. They still couldn't figure it out very well, and the clue had the others in a bit of a loop too. "He knows something about Ed and Al. something big, but he won't tell us what. We tried talking to him directly, but he only gave us this to work with," Nagisa explained, showing the main article for the revolutionary train. Pinkie and Karma got hold of the paper for a closer look. "W-what sort of something?" Al asked. "I don't know, but that paper isn't helping. What does some new train have to do with us?" Ed replied, the same question from the trip being brought up. Karma and Pinkie looked at the picture a little more closely, and even began to look through some of the pages to the details of said train. It didn't seem like there was any clue throughout most of the information, but one of the pictures caught sight of them both. The picture in question showed a train station with a crowd going on aboard. Much of this crowd looked foreign to them both. Karma and Pinkie looked and studied the picture a bit more closely ... "Where is he?!" suddenly, a tired and annoyed Grell Sutcliff had come back around from his little look around. Grell had gone up and down, here, there any everywhere but couldn't find hide nor hair of Sebastian, or even Ciel for that matter. "What's with you?" Gaara asked. "I'm getting gipped, that's what! Aladdin, did you or did you not give me a promise for my help back in Central? Well, where's my reward, eh?!" Grell stated. Aladdin had gone through this part with him to the others already, so embarrassment over that was out of the question. Alphonse was the only one who grew a little quiet. "How desperate are you?" Hoopa bluntly asked. "They'll get here, won't they? Hey Al, when's Sebastian and Ciel going to show up?" asked Ed. Alphonse's silence managed to get their attention. "... W-Well ..." "Come on, don't keep us in suspense, spit it out," Grell insisted. If al knew something about Sebastian, he would love to know. But then Al began to look to his lap, his hands turning into fists. "... We uh ... ran into some trouble. ... Sombra found us." "Sombra?!" They all gasped. Alphonse quietly nodded. "Wait a minute, you don't mean ..." "... He took Ciel ... and Sebastian's ... dead. ..." There was a long silence. Sebastian. Their true demon and strongest in their own group. Dead. The silence was only cut short when Grell began to laugh. "Some joke that is, ha! Seriously though, where's that hunk of demon at?" Grell asked. Alphonse couldn't even look up to the reaper. "... He's dead ..." "Now, Al, stop with the same joke, where is he?" Grell asked again in a playful tone, but this one was less playful and more desperate. "He's dead, Grell, what do you want me to say?!" Al finally yelled, up to his feet and even making the reaper back up. Grell was hoping this was a joke, but clearly Al was not changing his story here, nor would he for his sake. "But how did it happen?" asked Twilight in a hushed voice. "I don't know ... Sebastian took Ciel's soul, ate it, and he just ... dropped dead ... I'm sorry, Grell," Alphonse said. Grell stayed quiet for another minute, and actually collapsed. It'll take a long time for them to take this in, and soon Karma sighed and took another look at the paper he had. "Pie, pen," Karma stated, hand open and ready. Pinkie got a pen after a tiny bit, and Karma worked with the pen onto the page for a short minute, before he rolled it up, and ... *whack**bam**bang* Clock on Ed, Winry, and Al's head. "Hey!" Winry snapped. "You really should look at this," Karma made clear, opening up the paper in front of them before she could snap at him. At first Ed wasn't too sure what Karma was going on about, but Karma made sure to mark it up on the paper with a drawn out circle ala the pen. Ed and Winry looked at the mark, and what Karma did mark made both Edward Elric and Winry Armstrong stop cold. It was them. Edward. Alphonse. And Winry. They were in that shot! They each looked a lot younger in the shot, and it didn't take much longer until some of the others saw the three in there. "So you hitched a ride on a train? Eh, a bit mundane," Blair said. Nagisa and Twilight though could sense there was a bit more to this, and there was only one way to pin it. "Wait. Ed? Winry? Do you two know anything about this?" Twilight asked. Ed and Winry didn't answer right away, looking over to the date, and seeing the authenticity of it. "W-Wait. This has to be manipulated. ... Someone know how to check this?" Ed asked, though he looked more freaked out than actually legitimate about it. None of them actually knew how to do that though, but - "Yoink!" Pinkie said, pulling it out of Ed's hands, and looking over every little teeny tiny detail on it. After a good little minute, Pinkie reached her conclusion. "Now chill out, will you? It could be just nothing: it's just you guys boarding some hybrid train, what's the big deal?" Blair asked. However, that did end up catching Hoopa's ears, eyes shooting open. "Hold up. Did you say "hybrid train"?" Hoopa asked. "Uh, yeah? It says so right on the paper." "Let me see!" Hoopa floated over quick and yanked it right out of Pinkie's hands, seeing the exact marks made, and the details they had in mind. Hoopa's eyes widened and he took a moment to work out what he was looking at, glancing back and forth between the kids on the paper, and the one's in the room. A-Al! wake up please. During this, Ed felt a mental shot hit through his head the more he thought about this hybrid train, and now that he was seeing himself, Al, and Winry for some reason on the same paper - "Have you solved it now, kids?" Everyone suddenly stopped once they heard the new voice come in, looking to the door and seeing Alex Armstrong come in with his two lieutenants, a bit more quiet than normal (and with his shirt on for once). Alex felt a bit rough on this subject, but he could feel Olivier standing just out of sight, and waiting for him to explain himself to everyone, a few in particular. The next question was inevitable. "What do you know about this?" asked Edward, standing up to confront the only man who actually knew more about this. Alex Armstrong needed to gather himself a bit more, but he knew along with Olivier that there was no turning back now, especially after the clue left for them. He had to explain before someone else does. His hand turned into a wrist, as if his own body was trying to hold back for just a brief moment. "I uh ... I have a ... confession to make. ..." "You in position, Armstrong? Over." "I'm at the station. Ready to head out, over." Not too different from how he looked now, his mustache missing from his face, but the younger Alex Armstrong was just as strong as ever, and after a talk through his communicator back to the Overworld, ready to take on the challenge prepared for him as he readied to head out to the next encounter thanks to the train. At the moment, many people were already there, and already excited for the Hybrid Train, which was at the moment in all it's glory, and about ready to head off in the next half an hour. With his Amestris soldier get-up, he blended right in when it came to Central's train station and those amongst the staff. That, and there was a few other soldiers ready to go, so there was that too. He was about ready to get into the train, but before he could, he began to hear the sounds of children not too far away. "Strange," Alex noted. Looking over, there was a set of children going about their day, both excited to have a train ride in what they thought was the newest thing since wheeled wagons and sliced bread. Alex found it pretty adorable to see, but he wasn't exactly informed of such young people boarding the train. He saw a pair of brothers, one just taller than the others, and both eager to get on the train with their parents. And it wasn't just them after looking, but he also took sight of a young girl with her mother and father just a few meters away. It was just enough to get Alex curious, and began to move a little closer to investigate a little bit. They were the youngest of the entire group being shown here, though seeing them was still something sweet for Alex Armstrong to see. Before he could continue though, one of the eager boys actually took sight of him, which made Alex stop. Still, the two were surprised to see him there, and actually insisted to go over, which their parents agreed with a nod of their head. "Oh, wow, a general!" said one of the boys, very excited to see Alex standing there. Alex cleared his throat. "Well, a pleasure to see you as well," Alex replied, a little softened up by how excited the boys were to see him. "Excuse me, but do you know when the train will be departing?" asked their mother, happy but a bit more subtle. Alex took a minute to work out his own personal clock in his head about that, but lucky for him a clock was set up at the station for him to work out. "You have about fifteen minutes before the train will go," Alex informed. At one point, one of them noticed something on Alex's hands, in particular, the symbol on the metal marks. "What's that symbol for? Is it a new Central emblem?" he asked, pointing to the mark. Alchemy wasn't exactly so popular as of yet, so just sharing that kind of information wasn't the best idea. Alex had to improvise. "No, I just got them that way. Maybe one day you boys can get some of your own," Alex said cheerfully. That surely got the two excited, just imagining getting some cool armor from Central when they get older. The parents got their attention again, and moved them back so the general could have his space. "Easy you two, what have we told you about personal space?" said the dad. "Oh, I don't mind it at all," Alex said with a smile. Before their conversation could continue, Alex began to hear the communicator in his pocket go off again. "Well, sounds like I better be going. Enjoy your trip," Alex said, even smiling and playfully fluffing one of the boys' heads. A chuckle came from him as he went off and along the way, though he still was a bit surprised about seeing them here. Walking along, he then took sight of the girl not too far off, who wasn't exactly as interested in seeing Alex go by. He could tell that the children were pretty excited about getting on this train, though the girl surely looked very hyped about it, looking over the train as if it was the best thing ever. Alex simply smiled but he still had to answer his communicator. "A change in plan, Armstrong, we need you position west of the station. The figure is on the move, over." "My apologies. ... One question though: were children supposed to be boarding the hybrid train?" "What? No, I don't think so. All of the passengers are at least young adult, why?" "You should double-check then: I saw at least three children boarding the train just a minute ago." "I wouldn't worry about them, Alex. They're probably there to see the others off, that's all. Now, try and get to your new position, over." guess that made sense in an overall statement. After all, the girl he saw earlier looked way more interested in the train itself rather than actually getting into the train cars, so perhaps it wouldn't be as bad. Alex gave a sigh before responding. "Will do. Keep an eye on the target, over." After checking in, Alex began to walk off away from the crowd, and soon was off and out of sight. He can't waste anytime now, but he can't show his alchemy or any special tricks either, so he had to make sure no one was watching him. He had to get a quick way to his next position, and fast, before the train would go off, and there was only one way to do that ... ~~ *caaaww!* After summoning the main transport which was a young Pidgeot, Alex Armstrong flew far ahead of the hybrid train, and along the tracks of said route to be sure. He had to keep a good eye out around for his target along the countryside. The plains were especially clear of many a person, so that was a fairly good thing, but Alex had a bit more of an important task to take care of. Looking down from the bird, at first, he wasn't seeing much of anything along the route, but that surely didn't last too long. "YAH!" "There he is," Alex thought. Landing off further away from the tracks. By the looks of it, Alex came at a good time, as a bit of a fight had broken out with a few more Elysium soldiers, some already on the ground by the time Alex had arrived, and the demon they were facing was doing a bit roughly himself, but going strong nonetheless. The demon in question was a particularly strong one, and one that Alex was ready to face. The Great Tengu was ready for battle. The demon still had his shield around his body, and didn't bring out his sword yet. "Where the hell were you?" The Great Tengu mocked, the face unchanging though as he flew up above their heads. Alex wasn't going to waste anytime with it though, and immediately began to try and apprehend the demon. The symbols on his hands started to glow, and his alchemy activated the ground underneath the Tengu. Since he was flying though, striking the Tengu with a ground pillar was not as easy as it sounded. The Great Tengu flew up high in the air, and started to send down icicles from the air, which the major made short work of with a alchemic barrier brought up to block. Alex could see his soldiers fall back from the attack. "Hold your ground, that demon has to be stopped!" called Alex, trying to rally up his soldiers. Once the icicles were finished raining down on them, the soldiers ran out again and fired the demon, though each shot simply bounced off of the demon's face. A swat of his wing made the bullets stop hitting him, but it did lay him open to Alex's alchemy, which made a strong hit from below. The Tengu stumbled in the air for a bit, but just narrowly missing the ground underneath his talons. Once regaining himself, the Great Tengu was off and at them again, charging forward to the group retaliating against him. Alex tried again to keep the Tengu back, launching a power-filled punch right to the demon's face. But then came the move that would change everything: the Great Tengu charged up a fire-attack, the icicles turning into fireballs. This move came pretty fast, and Alex had to make a barrier to keep the fire back. However, a few stray fireballs flew by over their heads. *CRASH!!!* ... Everything stopped. The fireballs that avoided the barrier Alex had made flew way off out of the way, and onto the same tracks in a fiery explosion. A part of Alex begged him not to look, but the remaining soldiers that did turn to look were completely shocked at what they were seeing. Or rather, the end result. ....... Calling the accident horrid was far from just sugarcoating it. As the remaining soldiers tried to get the Tengu, Alex himself went down to see the accident. There were only two cars attached to this train, and each one was completely derailed, and wrecked by stray explosions. Smoke bellowed from the train itself, which looked less like a train and more like a heap of scrap metal. Fire still seeped out from the engine, metal scattered everywhere. But, for Alex, it wasn't the train that made his heart sink, but more over how many had been in the train during the accident. The amount of people boarding the train: about a good fifty. The amount of people still there: ... about none. Alex's heart sank on seeing just how many lives were cut short during this crash, and with the demon responsible for this, he felt a wave of guilt rush him. And it was about to get even worse. "A-Al, you ... you okay?" "No. ..." A rather familiar voice, and one not too far away from the horrid group. his eyes slowly turned and sure enough, the same children he met at the station were now laying in a pool of their own blood. Alex was silent, seeing one brother, who grew horribly limp, tried to wake up his other brother, who honestly looked horribly damaged. The second brother passed out from his wounds shortly afterwards, and Alex saw that his arm and leg looked horrifically burned and limp. Alex's eyes opened wide on the sudden realization of it all, and if they were there on the train, then - "Dear oh dear. What a large amount of coffins I have to make now." Alex spun around fast, and soon he saw one particularly unexpected visitor to the accident, as he was looking over the bodies of the deceased. Alex thought it was one of the soldiers, but it was too unmistakable and distinctive to be that. "Undertaker ..." "Fine day, Alex. That accident sure gave me a lot of work,~" Undertaker said, in his usual cheeky voice. Alex got up from the ground, and moved over to the reaper. He knew there were dead amongst the wreck, but exactly who was what he wanted to figure out. "Undertaker, please tell me. Did anyone survive this? ... anyone?" Alex asked, almost pleading. Undertaker took out a little pocket book and looked it over off of what he got so far. "As nice as it would be, I don't see anyone surviving this little wreck. And as for the three children over here ..." "Three? ... Oh no, he doesn't mean - ..." Alex's thoughts were only confirmed when he saw Undertaker gently lifted out a limp body of the same girl he saw at the train station. The young girl, and the two brother, all dead and killed in the most abrupt of ways possible. Alex collapsed, his eyes wide and tears coming down on the horrid revelation. Undertaker had been taking names of these people for a good while now, but had yet to get these three just yet. "Now let me see here. ... Edward and Alphonse Elric, and ... Winry Rockbell. Been a while since I did child-sized coffins," Undertaker noted, ready to write down their names to the report. It was more than Alex could take, and he got up and placed his hand on Undertaker's hand before he could write it down. "Wait. Undertaker, please reconsider." "Reconsider? Now why would I do that?" Undertaker questioned, but he soon saw just how sad and heart-broken Alex Armstrong was to the news. "But ... But they were so young. No child deserves to have their lives cut so short ... not like this. Undertaker, give them another chance please," Alex pleaded. Undertaker paused, and closed his book for a brief moment, but it surely didn't seem like he was changed by the Elysium soldier. "Well, I don't know. Defying death is a risky business," Undertaker pointed out, as if he was playing with him. Alex though couldn't stand the idea that his reckless mission resulted in their lives getting cut down this way, all that evident in his face. "Just this once, Undertaker." "Even if I wanted to, it won't work, Alex. I mean, one of them did see you fly off on your little bird," Undertaker pointed out. That made Alex a bit more surprised about it. He thought he did well, but the girl was just curious enough to see the man go, and Undertaker knew as well as him that it won't do. Alex stopped pleading for a moment, and looked to the dead girl. Despite the explosions, she looked the least damaged apart from some blood coming out of her mouth. Undertaker could see the guilt and sorrow on Alex's face as he gently stroke her hair. ... "... Well ... I was curious on what'll happen if I do change the story," Undertaker pondered. Alex perked up on that, and turned back to the reaper. "Can you, please? They don't deserve to die so soon." "Steady now. If I do this for your sake, this could cost you plenty. That, and I do have to give a little change in their lives in order for this to work. You willing to put that in jeopardy?" Undertaker asked, as he brought out his pocket book. Alex stayed deathly quiet, and looked back to Winry, Ed, and Al on the ground. "Changes ..." "Oh, just a few little kinks to their lives. I won't alter too much, but I'll fix it up. No one likes trauma, you know," Undertaker explained, his pen floating over the pocket book and ready to write down what the state of theirs would be. Alex just turned his gaze to his feet. "... I'll take the responsibility," Alex answered. And so, Undertaker began to write. There was a long silence after Alex had finished, the major not even able to look at them in the face. For Edward, Alphonse, and Winry especially, this news took their toll on them. The group had their eyes to the three, waiting to hear what their reaction would be. It was Winry who first broke into tears for the reveal, the silent flow of just how effected the truth had on her. This man, her "father" ... can she even call him that anymore? "I'm so sorry I never told you ..." Alex stated, hoping that it would have some sort of amend to what he just did. ... But that was not going to happen. *BAM!* All of a sudden, even to Olivier's surprise, someone slammed Alex Armstrong right in the head, and with such force, it knocked him back out into the hall, slamming into the wall! They expected that from Ed, or Al, but this punch actually came from Winry Rockbell. While they were distracted by that, both she and Ed as it turned out, cut their get-together short and ran off. "Winry! Ed!" called Aladdin, trying to catch up with them, but it was no use, they were gone by the time he got to the hallway. Their attention went to Alex next, who Maria and Denny helped get up to his feet, a notable red mark on his face. A part of him said he deserved that for keeping this quiet for so long. Alex straightened up and took a look at his sister, who was rather quiet herself. "... That was the most heart-wrenching thing I've ever done. I hope you're happy now." And with that remark, Alex just walked passed her after that, feeling his own tears coming down his own face. He might as well try to get some healing for his new wound, but it would take more than that to fully heal the damage. "Come on, Aladdin. We'll be right back," Nagisa then said, before he and the magi went off to catch up with Ed and Winry. A mental jab hit her hard. Alphonse stepped out and then turned to Olivier and Alex, but he didn't say much of a word, and rather than hammer it in any further, just turned and tried to get to his brother. Or ... at least who he believes to be his brother. ~~ A very quick leave from the capitol building, surely, and both Edward and Winry got themselves both isolated away from everyone else with only their thoughts as extra company. And boy did they have a ton of thoughts going through their heads, one side wondering about his transmutation situation with his brother, and the other wondering about her actual parents. Both of them were found over by the very edge of the property, looking out to the city, and just ... well, sitting there. "I can't believe it. I thought that we could find an answer. ... I'm such a dumbass! What was our lives really like? Was I even meant to live at all?" Ed's thoughts were only cut off when he heard Winry next to him silently weeping, her tears coming down her face. Ed didn't had tears on his face, but he knew this was something very hard for her too. He placed a hand on her shoulders, but Winry didn't look up to him. "Winry. ... There, it'll be okay." "... All this time, I can't believe he never told me. I'm not an Armstrong, I'm not even an angel! ... I ... was supposed to be dead. My real parents ... our parents. ..." Winry didn't continue, but Ed knew what she meant. Winry looked to Ed and saw his dry face, no tears on him. "Why aren't you crying?" she asked through her breath. "... What good would it do? There's no point. A few tears can't change the past. ... It can't give my arm and leg back, it won't restore Al's body. ... And it won't ... it won't ..." Even as he said this, Winry saw a single tear escape from Ed's eye, which she could've swore shined in the light, before Ed wiped it away. Winry stayed quiet and didn't bring it back up, but in the end she didn't have to. Ed sighed when he saw more tears show up on Winry's face. "Winry, it'll be alright." "No ... it's not just that," she sniffed. "... Someone had to cry for you, right? ..." Ed paused again, and all he could do was looked off to the distance. "Winry! Ed!" both kids easily heard the group catching up to them, and soon it wasn't just them anymore, but the whole group. With how they left, it was bound to happen. "Oh. Hey guys," Ed said. "Guys, look, I know Alex kept this away from you, but please don't be too hard on him," Nagisa insisted. Winry wasn't too convinced. "I don't know. ... How could he lie to me for so long? ... If he could, he could've brought back everyone. ... Why'd he have to fill my head with all those lies? No ... why just me? He couldn't bring my real parents back?" Winry wondered in sorrow. Now it was more than enough for Gaara to take, the kid walking up to her. "... You idiot." Blunt, and it stung her. Winry and Ed looked to Gaara, who felt more indifferent about it more than anything. Ed was ready to snap at him, but Gaara's glare kept him quiet ... only for a brief moment. "How can you stand there and say that?" "Because it's true. ... I don't know how deep you and Alex were, but from what I heard, Alex risked a great deal of hell to let you and the brothers live. Don't start crying because it wasn't exactly how you want it," Gaara cleared up. Winry felt horrified at how cold Gaara was, and jumped up to her feet. "What the hell do you know about anything like this, Gaara?! I lost -" "Lost. what?" "My ... My family, you idiot!! Nagisa, you guys tell him!" Winry demanded. However, the answer wasn't what she had in mind. "... Actually, Winry. ... I don't think Alex could even if he wanted to," Nagisa admitted. "W-Wha?" "Alex Armstrong made Undertaker bring you, Ed, and Al back to life after that crash. And by the sound of it, that's not something you can just do without getting into a lot of trouble." "Oh, you're just sugar-coating it: defying death would give ya death if you screw it up. normally something like that would end up making some sort of exchange that would've killed him, but Undertaker didn't bother with that ... for some reason," Hoopa said. "Winry, Ed, Al. I'm sure he would've wanted you all to be your normal selves, but there's just so much one request can do. Maybe this was the best he could ever manage. He didn't want any of you to die, and he risked his own just to do that," Twilight said, trying to be nice about it. "The point being: How about you at least apologize to him. He may not be your real dad, but hey, he did a pretty good job in raising you," Karma said with a smirk. Winry looked around to Team Harmony, and began to realize what they were saying. It was a harsh reality to hit her, but she shouldn't have taken it out on Alex. He was only trying to help her and the brothers after all. The words were getting to Ed too. After a little bit, Winry wiped away her tears - *clap*...*clap*...*clap*... "Well, well, isn't this a sweet little play you all have going here. Tell me, how much for an encore? You can make some good actors.~" What a load of nerve. Looking up above their heads to the source of the voice, the very demon in question was gleefully watching them from above their heads. How could Nagisa Shiota not have sensed him there?! The Great Tengu! "you," Ed growled. now knowing his true backstory, and reasons behind his missing limbs and Al's missing body, seeing the Great Tengu above them made his blood boil. The Great Tengu, who was already in chaos mode, wasn't too threatened by the entire group, and upon being noticed, he went straight down and landed right in front of everyone. This was the last thing they needed. The group quickly drew out their weapons, but the Tengu wasn't too threatened. "The Great Tengu. Been waiting for you to show up," Karma noted. The Great Tengu walked right up to them, and with a swing of his own weapon, slammed it against Karma. Miracle Sword and the Tengu's saber sparked as they clashed, but it was mainly to get them to back up. "Back away from them!" Pinkie warned. "Easy there, cotton head, I just wanna talk. Though if you wanna fight, then by all means, blow that whistle," the Great Tengu insisted. His eyes then noticed Alphonse amongst the crowd, but the others weren't going to let him near him without a fight. "You do know the elite Elysium forces are just inside that building, don't you?" Hoopa pointed out, only to be silenced by the Great Tengu's saber aimed directly at his head. "And do you know who you're chatting with, pal?" "We would ask you the same question. You're talking to Team Harmony here, demon," Morgiana stated. The Great Tengu actually paused and observed his quarry. "Hold on ... all of you are Team Harmony? ..." ... "God damn, what's with kids getting these big roles these days? Adults not worth it anymore?" The Great Tengu said, hand actually to his forehead. They have their weapons still raised, but with how the Tengu was acting, they weren't as on guard as they should be. "Don't act so innocent! We know you're the one who made them the way they are!" Winry yelled, pointing to Ed and Al. "So you did put the puzzle together. Well, now you detectives got that fixed, how's about answering me one little question," the Tengu offered, moving a bit closer. Nagisa wasn't willing to have that, and nearly sliced him when he got too close. The cut grazed the Great Tengu's hand, and while it did sting, it wasn't too effective. And before he could end up going any further. "How dare you come here." Olivier had now showed up. Her and a number of her soldiers. She saw the Great Tengu from inside not too long ago, and was as ready to fight him as the Team was. The Great Tengu found this a bit more interesting. "Ah, cool. You're off the hook, my worms, they can answer my question and not you." "What question?" Olivier asked. The Great Tengu flapped his wings, blowing a gust of wind at Team Harmony to keep them back in case of a attack, and next thing they knew, the Great Tengu was right in front of Olivier. Instinctively, Olivier raised her sword, only to be met with his energy sabre. "... Know how to Transmutate?" the Tengu asked. ... "What?" "You heard me; you and muscle macho rejuvenated and revived those three, and you got one of them in an immortal suit! come on, don't hog your beans and spill em to me! That's something amazing!" the Great Tengu replied. The "praise" hitting an angry alchemist's ears. "What?" Ed asked. The Tengu turned away from Olivier, and started moving over to Ed. "Come on, be real! Look at him: no food, no rest, no pain! Really, you angels got him into that body, why not have me in it? Sounds like heaven to me!" The Great Tengu stated. "That's enough. Shut your damn mouth!" "Hmm?" "YAAAAHHHH!" Ed had enough. He had never felt so upset, so ticked off in his life! This Tengu cost him everything, it was all his fault, and now this! The scream surely got his attention. "Sounds great to you?! It seems perfect?! You have no idea what kind of hell he has to go through stuck with that body!! And you want to know how to transmute a soul?! YOU DESTROYED OUR LIVES AND YOU WANNA TRADE SECRETS WITH ME?! I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU, CREEP! I'LL SMASH YOU - END YOU! AND I WON'T GIVE YOU JACK!!! In other words. There won't be an exchange with you, SCUUUUUMMMMMM!!!" Silence. Even the Tengu didn't know what to say to him, still shell-shocked by Ed ultimate tantrum. Not him, or Team Harmony for that matter. ... But it did get Olivier to shed a tear. "And here I thought he'd never grow. Brings a tear to your eye doesn't it?" "SERIOUSLY?" Nagisa gasped. "YOU CHOOSE NOW TO BE EMOTIONALLY INVESTED?!" gasped Twilight. It didn't help that the Great Tengu just gave a slow clap, more impressed than anything. "... You know, you had your chance. But hell with it. Ring that bell and let me Hitmonchan ya!" And while the reference flew past most of their heads, the Great Tengu took off to the sky, and bolted down with his sabre, and they all had to scatter for his fly in. This Tengu was taking the challenge head on. The first one to attack him was Ed, bringing up his alchemic power head on and slammed them into the ground, a wave of metal shooting right to the Tengu. The Great Tengu dodged one attack, but landed right onto another and he felt someone slice his leg, making the Tengu fall back, only to see Nagisa with his blade just finished slicing through some demonic meat. Karma came in next, and tried to skewer the Tengu, just for the demon to zoom back with a flap of his wings. "Why're you wasting your time with them? How about focus on me instead?" Karma mocked. "Come on, man, it's no fun to play with one ball in this ball pit. Bring it all on, I'll beat you all right out of this ring." "I have no idea what you're saying," Karma commented. "DANCE, BOI!" And with a quick summoning, a blast of a good sized flamethrower was shot right their way. Aladdin jumped in between and summoned his shield to block off the blast. "Don't you know anything else, you little genie?" "Actually, I do," Aladdin said, beginning to focus his energy into his hands. The Tengu folded his wings back and dove down at them as Aladdin formed a good sized Gyro Ball in his hand, and got a direct hit, sending the demon flying back towards Olivier and her troops! "WHOA, when'd you learn that?" "I had some help while I was away," Aladdin replied with a smile. The Great Tengu was left stunned from both the hit and explosion, but he was not out by a mile. The demon side-rolled just in time to avoid Olivier's sabre, but getting hit by Twilight's magic beam and a second Gyro Ball to send him to the wall. "I knew I should've trained on my agility," The Great Tengu groaned, as he got himself up and flying again. "PI-PI-PUMPKIN CANNON!" "Oh shit." The Great Tengu flew as quick as he could, but he foot was caught in another blast by Blair, sending him spinning in the air for a bit. "Gaara, Morgiana!" yelled Nagisa. "Right!" they both said. When the Tengu straightened out, Gaara and Morgiana were rushing right at him, jumping straight to him for a finishing hit. But the Great Tengu wasn't going to give them the chance, and his wings beating at hummingbird speed, the gusts of wind sending them back. "What are you all, a bunch of hyper mini monkeys?!" "WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!" Ed yelled. The word mini wasn't needed, and the Great Tengu found himself dodging more alchemy from the ground. Gaara and Morgiana jumped again, this time grabbing the demon by his wings. Gaara sliced at one of them and Morgiana crushed the other, quickly grounding the Tengu fast. "THAT'S IT!" Now legitimately angry, the Great Tengu went all out and focused his energy into both hands before copying Ed's technique with slamming them into the ground, sending a wave of ice right at them all! "Aladdin, shield!" Nagisa ordered. Aladdin got it up for protection, but Morgiana actually got it covered, and her fists slammed hard into the icy wall, making the wave suddenly stop cold (metaphorically), and shattering into pieces. The Great Tengu was actually left stunned by the strength, giving Olivier the chance to jump in and pin him down. "... COME ON!" "Give up, Tengu?" Olivier asked, her blade right at the Great Tengu's throat. The demon rose up with Olivier on his back, only for a few other soldiers to rush in. The Tengu grabbed Olivier and swung her around at her soldiers, getting freed again ... "Stay down!" And BAM! with the combined hit of Nagisa, Morgiana, Karma and Gaara, the hit finally got the Tengu off his feet and on the ground. The strength made the Tengu cough up blood, and slammed him back onto the wall, this time pinned down. "Note to self: don't pick a fight with a dozen people who kick ass on a daily basis ... especially demonic ass," The Great Tengu thought, dazed and hurting as he got back up. "Can't that monster stay down?" Olivier thought. "Oh, you kids are pretty fancy for a bunch of seeds. ... I was gonna save this, but hell, it'll end this faster," The Tengu growled. In his mouth, he opened it up to show what looked like some sort of purple substance being developed in his mouth before charging forward again. Karma rushed forward, but suddenly Gaara tackled him down before the Tengu could take a bite. "The hell, get off me!" "You would've died if he bit you, don't you recognize venom when you see it?" Gaara stated. "Hold still!" The Tengu demanded, trying to bite them again, only for both of them to jump aside. Karma sliced his sword into the Tengu's side before gaining some distance. "He's got a poisonous bite now? K then. Al, he's all yours!" called Karma. The Tengu rushed at them again, but Alphonse grabbed hold of him, even with his teeth biting down into his arm. All the Great Tengu tasted was metal, and his poison wasn't doing much of anything. "You better stay down before things end up getting worse," Alphonse advised, holding him by the head. "Another reason why I want a transmutation," The Tengu said through a muffled mouth. Alphonse held the Tengu in his grip, and without his wings to fly, the Great Tengu could only struggle as he was put in a headlock. "Why don't you take a break?" And with that, Alphonse twisted the Great Tengu's head fast, the group hearing a good amount of cracks from the demon's neck. Only then did the Great Tengu drop down, now too weak to even get up properly. "YES! Now that was a good fight," Karma said, feeling pretty good about it. "At least everyone's okay. So, what do we do with him?" Twilight asked, looking to the defeated Demon. The Great Tengu was still alive, but plenty of blood going out of his mouth. Alphonse made sure to keep him down just in case. "Hmm ... you do have quite a nose there. Anyone have some hot sauce? I could go for some nostalgia," Karma asked. "What am I, an entrée?" The Great Tengu asked, the idea flying over his head. "Complain all you want, you had your shot and we've beaten. You might as well give up," Gaara stated. "I don't get it. I've trained for years on years, and here I am getting beaten up by a bunch of nuggets. what'd I do wrong here?" ....... "You picked a fight against impossible odds. If you're going to pick a fight, be sure you have the advantage. Or at the very least, some subordinates to even the odds into your favor." Down with one opponent, and then enter another. Looking to the building, their next adversary started to walk out, the metallic noise and distinctive voice telling a number of them already who this was. but that didn't mean they weren't surprised to see him. coming out of the shadows of the front door, the figure turned out to be Slicer! And once more, Slicer seemingly had some fun already judging by the blood coating his armor and sabre. "Slicer?! How'd you get out of your cell?!" "Does that truly matter, Olivier? ... and I see there truly is someone else in the same issue as I," Slicer noted, looking to Alphonse. The Great Tengu found this his only chance, and with what strength he had, he jumped up, making Alphonse stumble off. "Sweet, I got an ally in this tango. come on Slicer, let's finish em off." "... The feelings mutual, I'm afraid." "Mutual?" And then, right then and there, slicer bolted forward fast and his sword skewered straight through the Great Tengu's head! The force was so strong that it pulled the Tengu's head clean off of his currently broken neck, killing him instantly. This quickly turned the tables for everyone there. "Wait what? ... You are from the Underworld, aren't you? Why would you kill your friend there?" Blair asked, dumbfounded. "I don't have to come from the Underworld to be a murderer. The demons mean little to me. You should know that by now," Slicer stated, before swinging his sword and getting the head off of his blade. Angry, Olivier rushed him, but Slicer rushed to the side and dodged it easily, and slammed his sword at the base of her back! It didn't slice her in two, but the pain was still evident on her face. "K, gang, aim for the head, it's his weakpoint," Karma said. "Say no more," Gaara said, immediately rushing in with blinding speed. Even with that, Slicer connected and the same sword aimed right to Gaara, meeting with his throwing knife. Olivier got up, just to be grabbed by Slicer, and used as a projectile, sending her and Gaara back away from him. Pinkie Pie managed to rush in though and grab him by the strand of hair, yanking the head off quick. "Got the weakpoint! Who wants it?" Pinkie called. "... We're not done yet." "AAHHH!" Pinkie suddenly felt something sharp hit her in the back, yelping in pain, and getting her head slammed into the ground by the body! Slicer's body picked up the head, and held it so the head aimed forward to the group. Karma and Blair thought they had it, but clearly they were thrown for a loop. "W-What? But you fell flat when we yanked off your head back at the base." "One detail I forgot to mention: the homicidal Slicer ..." "Is a pair of brothers," replied the body armor! "Brothers?" gasped Alphonse. "That's about it. And we're not falling until we have our quarry," Slicer replied. "Not a chance," Karma replied, he and Ed rushing in at Slicer, one side with a Miracle Sword, the other changing his arm into a blade. The Slicer brothers weren't having that, and the killer bolted right passed them, both blades not even cutting into them, and all of a sudden, the blade of Slicer got into Alphonse's neck, and popped his head off with ease. Morgiana caught the head before Al could hit the ground. ... But the head had one more surprise in store, as the brother placed the head onto Al's body. ... "There, brother. fit well?" the brother asked. Slicer actually began to control Al's body, moving the arm and legs as if they were his own. "A good fit," Slicer replied. "You bastard, GET OUT OF MY BROTHER'S BODY!" Ed demanded, seeing this happen. "Your brother, huh? ... Well, you wouldn't want to hurt him then, now would you?" Slicer asked, making Ed's blood boil even more. But a part of him was severely torn when it came to actually fighting him, since Slicer had Alphonse's body to control. And slicer knew it. "Brother, you ready?" "Always," the brother replied, as both brothers bolted to their opponents. Ed froze, and tried to get the head only, but with such a restricted aim, Slicer found it easier to dodge, and used Al's strength to grab Edward by his metallic arm, and tear it off with a powerful yank! Ed stumbled back from the pull, only for Slicer to grab him by the metal leg and swinging him around like a ragdoll, nearly hitting Karma and Olivier multiple times as they tried to dodge. This kept up until the leg itself broke free, sending Ed flying off towards the other brother. "ED!" gasped Aladdin, trying to get him, only for the brother to jump in his way, and almost decapitating him. Most of the brother's attacks were more ground based, and Aladdin kept trying to dodge the attacks as the brother's blade kept slicing the ground. Morgiana got hold of the arm, and actually used her own strength to tear it off with ease. "DAMNIT! Brother, help!" the brother called, Slicer seeing his brother in trouble. Karma rushed in, but Slicer grabbed him mid air, and rushed towards his brother, throwing Karma hard at Morgiana before any more limbs could be torn away. Now it was getting serious for the brothers as well, and both of them got some distance away from Team Harmony. "Don't you dare harm Aladdin," Morgiana warned, staring daggers at them both. The brother readied to go in again, but oddly, Slicer raised his arm to stop him. "No brother, you did good. I'll handle it from here," Slicer said. The brother paused, but did stop going in for them, as Slicer confronted them all. "...Hand over the arm. do that, and you can have your body back, Alphonse," Slicer instructed, hand opened and ready. "Why should we believe you?" asked Olivier. "You have a higher advantage if I do that. Why are you questioning it. ... Besides, Edward, he's your brother. And I know that if there's one thing you want now is for your brother to be safe. All I ask is for my brother's arm in return," Slicer said. "You first," Ed demanded. ... And he complied. His brother, went in and lifted off Slicer's head, and got it back onto the original body. The Slicer brothers then tossed over the body of armor to them for Al to have back. ... *clap* What happened next came by too fast for most of them to even comprehend. Nagisa felt a horrid shiver run through him the minute he heard that clap, but the Slicer brothers slammed them into the ground fast, and activated what looked like a symbol, all underneath the team's feet! This portal was extremely fast to open, and only Blair, Aladdin, and Nagisa were out of the way just enough to avoid it, falling outside of the portal ring. ... The others were not as lucky. Looking back once the portal vanished. They were all gone. Team Harmony had completely disappeared in a matter of seconds, and it wasn't until too late which they found what the brother was really doing, as the streaks from his sword on the ground giving a faint glow of a pentagram. A group of ten plus cut down to just three in three seconds, too fast to save any of them. "Target. Captured," Slicer stated. It took them a minute to grasp what just happened to them. Slicer meanwhile made a much smaller pentagram under his own feet, and got that activated just before anyone could capture him. "Wha ... what ... what happened?" "We got screwed, that's what happened! Slicer's got them all in the Underworld now!" gasped Blair. Nagisa got up and tried to reactivate it, but it was no use. This portal just wasn't going to open up for him, and the reality was quick to settle in. "Nagisa? ..." Aladdin asked. For a while there was a bit of silence for a while, Nagisa completely torn at what just happened. Eventually, his look of sorrow turned to one of anger. "... We're going." "Going? What do you mean?" asked Aladdin. Nagisa turned to them with determination edging him. His choice was final. "Exactly what I said. ... We're going to the Underworld and getting them back." S06Ep1: Welcome to Hell ~地獄へようこそ~Lunchtime at Orora high. On the surface, the lunchroom was relatively normal, and nothing really seemed out of place, but the absence of a multitude of Team Harmony was something some couldn't ignore entirely. They were aware of their mission out and about for demon hunting at this point, but for Envy, the situation had turned a little more critical. Sure, them rushing after multiple demons was quite a danger itself, but just how long could they go on for? Before envy could continue, Terasaka and his gang went on over to him for some lunch time together. "Hey, Envy," Kirara said, as she sat down next to him. Terasaka, Takuya, and Yoshida sat down across from him, ready to have their lunch. "Hey guys. Kirara, did you uh ..." "Got it right here. Here you go," Kirara said, pulling out an item from her bag, turning out to be another installment of the Count of Monte Crisco. guess some habits are hard to break. So, as Envy was reading his new addition, the rest of the gang started to handle some simple chit-chat. One subject in particular. "So, anyone else notice teach earlier?" Yoshida asked. "Yeah, not often does he get this bummed out," Kirara noted, working her memory on the demon. It was awfully quiet over in study hour off in 3-E. The students went through the hour fairly quietly, going through some basic studies, but unlike other study hours, this one was annoyingly accompanied by the sound of squishing, Korosensei slumped over by the door and his tentacle weakly punching the wall. Or rather, just bumping it into the wall. His head was a different color now, and instead of typical yellow, it was a shade of blue, which is probably what summed up the mood best. "Teach, knock it off, we're trying to study here!" one of the kids finally said. Korosensei did stop and spun around. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Korosensei insisted. "Who knows? That demon's probably worried sick over Team Harmony's antics," Takuya figured, taking a bite from his bento box. "How long have they been gone anyway? Easily two weeks, right?" Yoshida asked. "Bet they're having a ball with all of this demon hunting," Kirara figured. However, Terasaka was getting a little bit antsy himself. "Yeah, they're running off on their adventure and here we are stuck here." "Jealous much?" Yoshida teased. "I didn't say that, but come on! Here we are training for months on end, and we haven't done jackshit compared to what they did," Terasaka brought up. And he had a point there. Sure they had a few run ins here and there, but in an overall sense, they weren't really doing all that much. "I know, but they have an excuse, we don't," Kirara said. However, while that was true, Envy did begin to think about a little something else he had in mind. ... "NO WAY, they've been captured?! Oh god, oh crap, what're we gonna do now?! Sombra's gonna tear them to pieces now that they're in his world!" Over at Orora High, upon request by Nagisa, Aladdin had stopped by the school and quickly got the main bit of information to Gakuho himself, along with Korosensei. Gakuho had to be told after their last excursion, and Nagisa Shiota simply didn't had enough time to go to school and inform right now. Aladdin had his head lowered. "So your friends are still going to be absent?" Gakuho asked, as Korosensei was panicking not too far away. "I'm very sorry, sir. Nagisa promised he'll make up for how much he missed, but he really needs to save his friends. Who knows what they're going through right now?" Aladdin replied. Gakuho felt a bit sorry for Nagisa. Bad enough he had to go through all this demonic nonsense, and now this. "I'll ... excuse it. This is bigger than any grade," Gakuho decided, hand raised. Aladdin was a little surprised, but didn't try to question it for Nagisa's sake. "Thanks," Aladdin said. Aladdin then turned and went off on his way. ... And that didn't go without a shadow listening in either. "... Why don't we?" The gang paused for a minute after Envy finished his question. After eating a piece of fish from his bento box, he looked to his gang. "What, Envy?" "Look, I don't know about you guys, but I've been meaning to get back at the Underworld for screwing me over like this," Envy said. "We know, but what can we do? Team Harmony's been doing all the big work," Yoshida said, taking a drink of his soda. "About that: I've heard earlier this morning Team Harmony's been taken," Envy revealed. That revelation was enough to make Yoshida choke for a second on his drink. "W-What? Taken?" he coughed. "You don't mean captured," Kirara assumed. "Yep. It was bound to happen eventually, but apparently Aladdin and Nagisa had avoided it. So ..." Envy didn't need to finish up his sentence to figure out where this idea was going. "You want us to help em out, huh? Hell, why not?" Yoshida concluded. "They've been saving the world enough already, so we might as well return to favor," Kirara concluded. Well, that was easier than he thought, but hey, he had a gang with him, so that was pretty good for him. "Finally, some action! So, Envy, know when they're going?" Terasaka asked. Envy readied to answer, but unfortunately his mind went blank. "I ... I have no idea," Envy admitted. Well, that bummed them out a little bit. "Damnit. They could've ran off already then," Takuya groaned. "They're still here, they won't run off until after school." The group looked off away for a moment, seeing Nakamura strolling over to them. The gal overheard their conversation apparently, and she wasn't going to miss out on this chance if what Envy said was true. The blonde went over to Envy in particular. "How'd you know that?" Envy asked, as Nakamura sat down over by Envy. "Saw them heading to the E building before coming to lunch. So if we're gonna head off to hell, we better get going now," Nakamura said. "Wait, we?" asked Terasaka. "Duh! You think you're the only one's left behind in everything, no way am I missing this," Nakamura stated. "Nakamura, maybe you should just -" before Envy could finish, Nakamura smiled, and placed a hand on his head, giving envy a pat. "... You don't have a choice." Blunt, but ok. Guess Envy had another helper in this mission, whether he wanted it or not. ~~ Nakamura was right: off down towards the E building, Nagisa was taking charge and marching straight over to the building with Aladdin and Blair following in toe not too far behind. Nagisa was not going to wait around any longer for any moment now, and while normally he'd be concerned with school at this time, his thoughts were focused on his friends trapped in the Underworld. He'd seen the Underworld himself, he almost died in the Underworld, and while he never got the full taste of it, if Sombra's castle was anything to go by, it was not a place someone would want to just chill out in for too long. Aladdin, Blair, and Nagisa all had a number of items with them, carried in backpacks similar to an investigation or exploration (which this would probably end up being anyway). "Aladdin, go down the list for me: Underworld Atlas?" "Check," Aladdin said, showing the map amongst the number of items he was carrying. "Portal recreation spell?" "Right here." "Rations?" "Plenty of that," Blair answered, holding onto the rations herself. "Good, we got everything we need. I got all our weapons and extra supplies with me, so we should be ready to go," Nagisa decided. Pretty soon, almost before they realized it, the trio was over at the E building. It was clear, open, and with the main field still left alone, the perfect place to open up a portal to the Underworld without any fear of reoffending. Nagisa, Aladdin, and Blair were more than ready for this, and Nagisa got out his Halo Blade and quickly went to work on the hard ground. Blair and Aladdin stood aside and watched him quickly make out a pentagram into the dirt with his slicing, one nice and big, big enough for a quick run through. It took little time to make the symbol itself, and that was good enough for him. "There, that should do it. Aladdin, Blair, you two ready?" "Ready when you are, Nagisa," Aladdin said. Nagisa and Aladdin were down, but Blair still had a thing or two to make clear to them, being a resident of the Underworld herself. "Guys, hold up. I know you're eager, who wouldn't be, but we can't just charge in! They'll find us for sure, so if we're going back, how about somewhere outside Tartarus?" "Since when were you so worried?" "We're going in hell, damn straight I'm worried about losing more lives than I have. I already nearly lost mine because of those slicer brothers, and they're the easy ones," Blair made clear. Guess if Nagisa wasn't going to do it, someone had to be a voice of reason, even for a little bit. Nagisa felt a sting in his plan, but he knew she was right about that. He knew jack about any particular areas of the Underworld that would actually be safe for them, and considering just how many Demons were dangerous to him and his friends, it was far easier said than done. "Hey, hold up!" Before they could decide where exactly to go, the new voices of some newcoming aid caught their attention, which was odd since none of them called for some extra help prior to this. Eventually, as they ran pass the E building to catch up with them, the trio saw Terasaka's gang, Nakamura, and Envy now catching up with them, glad that they didn't go off just yet. They didn't stop running until they were only a foot away, Envy up front. "What're you guys doing here?" Aladdin asked, obviously confused. "What does it look like we're doing? We're coming along this time," Terasaka answered. "What?" "Don't what us, it's our turn for some demon hunting," Nakamura said, actually already armed with a shotgun in hand. The others had some weaponry as well naturally, but this sudden recruitment caught them rather off guard. "Now wait a minute, we're not just hunting demons here. We're going into the Underworld, I can't let you come," Nagisa stated. "Tell us something we don't know," Takuya simply said, confusing them again until Envy stepped forward. "Nagisa. You and your friends had done so much for this world, and for the people who lived on it. Hell, you're even ready to save my life after everything I did. The least we can do is help you get your friends back from those bastards. They're more than ready to face them, and so am I. I think I had a long enough break from the demonic stuff anyway," Envy explained. Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin paused for a moment, and looked them all over. They all had a weapon armed on them, knife and gun armed at the ready for anything. Eventually, Nagisa addressed everybody. "The Overworld isn't just a simple test area like what Korosensei had been giving you. If a fight starts down there, they will not hold back, and if Sombra's forces find us, they'll try to kill us on site. There's no turning back either once we're through that portal," Nagisa warned. There was a bit of resentment at first, but they were still determined either way. "Sounds like fun to me," Nakamura said with a wink, gun raised at her side. "Right. ... you all ready?" "Ready, just say the word man," Takuya said, the others nodding. Clearly he had reassurance and they weren't changing their minds either. "Open it up." There was no more needed to be said, and Blair, Aladdin, and now Envy went over to the symbol on the ground. They still had little idea on where to go, but they can't go anywhere in the Underworld if they're just standing around here. Before they did anything, Envy reached into his pocket, and actually pulled out their key: his Philosopher's Stone, which he flicked to the center of the symbol like flipping a coin. Blair and Aladdin clapped in unison, and placed their hands onto the symbol itself, the spell quickly activating, and began to open up a portal into the ground (Envy grabbing his stone first, of course after the initial sparks). This portal was fairly big, and didn't shut up as quickly as it had when Slicer had used it, probably because no one had jumped in just yet. Nagisa brought out his halo blade, armed and ready himself. "Let's go." ~~ The portal traveling itself didn't take longer than a minute, and the group, now up to nine again over the starting three, mainly had to deal with a decent-sized drop, a good twenty feet down from their surface world, and into the Underworld. Just to be safe, Aladdin made sure to bring out his turban after falling through to catch everyone on the way down, just in case. But even if he didn't, the ground wasn't really too far down from where the portal had opened up, and once they did hit ground (far gentler than they would've been), they took the time to look around the area. However, as the portal vanished soon after their passing, they found themselves in a fairly unknown area, much of it dry and with plenty of rocks, not dissimilar to a quarry or canyon. The rocks were dark, almost like coal, and the skies above their heads held a eerie yellowish color, with very faint clouds floating above them in a smoky haze. Nothing seemed to be around them, which was a saving grace, yet they had no clue where they were exactly. "Looks like we're safe for now. Envy, Blair, got any idea where we ended up?" Nagisa asked. "I do have one idea, but I can't tell from here," Envy said, trying to get some sort of clue to their whereabouts. Aladdin then looked up to a particularly high rock not too far away. "Say no more," Aladdin said, as he got his turban on and moved over to the outcrop. In what looked like a single jump, Aladdin flew right up from their level, and onto the top of the rock. They all knew exactly what he was trying to do, and met up with him below as Aladdin took a look around. "What do you see?!" called Nakamura. what Aladdin was seeing was a surprisingly vast wilderness of open spaces, and a detail that Aladdin didn't expect: scattered trees. Of course it wasn't the same forests he saw back in the Surface World, many of these lacking in leaves, growing like dead skeletons in the dry soil. Aladdin still didn't had too much to go on, hand over his eyes like a shade to better see the landscape. It wasn't a fiery hell as some would assume it to be, but not as lively around here. Eventually, Aladdin looked pretty far out, and actually noticed something else: a very faint view of smoke, and a few rooftops. Eventually, Aladdin hopped back down. "Well?" asked Envy. "I could be wrong, but I think there's a town off that a way. ... does that help?" "Aladdin, there's settlements all over the Underworld, that doesn't help us at all," Envy bluntly stated, bumming out Aladdin. "Here, let me try," Nagisa said, as he began to climb up the side of the outcrop in little time until he got to the top. However, Aladdin pretty much summed up what Nagisa was seeing, but one thing Nagisa could already tell was the high amount of demonic energy around, his demon sense giving him shiver as if it was dead winter. And up exposed on a high rock didn't help him out that much either. Still, he continued looking around a bit more, and soon caught sight of something that Aladdin seemed to missed. "I see a river off a good mile from here off that way. It looks very big too," Nagisa said, calling down from the perch. Envy and Blair tried to figure out what that could be, and eventually Blair pulled out the Underworld Atlas, skimming through the pages as Nagisa hopped back down. Envy and Blair looked over the map they got, and eventually found the details they were talking about after some skimming, which included the town and the river in the spots they've mentioned. "Got it: we're near the Styx river. Yeah, we're good out here, too far from Tartarus for Sombra to bother us right now. Unless he's desperate," Envy informed. "The Styx River? Isn't that the river separating us from the Underworld?" Kirara asked, a bit intrigued on the subject. "... Uh, no? It's just a large river, but it does separate Tartarus from a few other countries," Blair said, pointing to the other country on one side, comparing it to the other two. "So now what do we do? We're not gonna get anywhere by just standing here," Takuya said, bringing up a fairly good point. They could either start right away to Tartarus across the river, or they could try the town and figure things out from there. Nagisa had to think a bit on it, but looking around, there was one thing they had to do regardless of which side they decide to go for. "Well, either way, we're gonna have to get out of this quarry first. Aladdin," Nagisa sighed. Aladdin knew where this was going, and after a short bit, the group were flown out of the quarry, and up onto the same level. A fairly easy task all things considered, though the easiest it'll probably get. "Right. Blair, try and scout ahead for us?" Nagisa asked. "Oh, sure. Try to keep up, gang," Blair said, starting to race off ahead of them. As she did that, Nagisa took a moment and gathered himself. "Be careful guys. Stay alive." ....... Oh, if only it were that simple. The attack they've been horribly given, and the trick they've been dealt had left them all weakened just enough to sustain their capture. Unconscious for much of the trip, the first one to wake up from the initial drop was Twilight. She struggled to get herself awake, and checked over who else was with her. The only ones missing were Nagisa, Blair and Aladdin, everyone else not too far from her. Twilight tried to get up, but she wasn't going anywhere so quickly, feeling her arms pinned down by some red thorn chains. Her pulls only made the hooked thorns dig into her skin, so she didn't continue much further. She was in some sort of cage on wheels, all side draped in a cloak, and a strange insect-like Scolipede creature pulling it along its way. In the cage, Twilight found a few of her friends with her: Edward, Morgiana, and Karma in particular, though she had no idea where the others were at. "Guys, wake up!" Twilight shouted. It took a bit for them to do so, but the shout did anger the creature, who responded with a loud hissing noise. "What the hell? ... Al? Alphonse, where is he?" "No idea, but ... I think we're -" "Alright, in you go," said a low gurgling voice. All of a sudden the cage was opened up, but before any of them could get out, a large hand reached in and grabbed Karma before he could wake up. Karma just came to in time to feel himself get tossed into somewhere else, hitting the wall. A rude wake up call, and more bars closing up before he could get out. Edward and Twilight were in some bit of trouble, but Edward was even more so as he tried to get up, only to find his arm and leg were completely missing. No evidence of removal except for some end plates on his stubs, and as such not able to get up. Then they got a good look at the demon that had them: a large, yellow skinned, cloaked demonic creature, the face hidden behind what looked like a slip of paper with red paint for a symbol on its face. In this case it was just two lines horizontal of eachother. "Only three left," said another voice, turning out to be another demonic creature. This one looked similar to the first, but a bit thinner and having purple skin instead of yellow. This one took a look into the cage, seeing Morgiana first. "What do you want to do with the Fanalis?" it asked, fingers grazing her skin. The first demon paused and went over what looked like a list of sorts. Eventually, the demon shook its head. "She's not wanted. Throw her out," the demon advised. With a nod of the head, the second demon pulled Morgiana out through the bars. Twilight didn't want anyone taken away, and actually tried to pull her back, only for the first demon to grab her chains and pull back hard, the second demon tossing Morgiana over its shoulder like an old towel, before moving away. Ed tried to balance as best he could, but his remaining limbs were also chains in red thorns, digging into his hands and feet, threatening to tear them up as well. They both began to feel the cage move again, the Scolipede pulling it along to the next cell. Twilight tried to do some magic to get themselves out, but upon sensing the magical aura, the chains began to heat up quick, making Twilight stop. "Where are we?" Edward asked. "You two are in Purgatory, that's what. You try breaking out of those things, you won't have any limbs to run off in." "Did you put us in these?" Twilight questioned. "We'd put you in ice locks, but your captor suggested those instead. Just keep out of trouble, and we'll all be fine," the yellow imp advised, before the Scolipede stopped again, this time in front of what looked like a side cell. The cloak was lifted up to open the cage, this time Twilight being pulled out. Oddly the chains didn't heat up, possibly sensing the demon energy from the imp, and she was thrown into the cage herself, the bars closing up behind her just before she could get out. "Where's everyone else?" "Don't worry about them, they're already put in their cells before you woke up. Let's get you in yours now," the yellow Imp said, grabbing hold of Ed and pulling him out. the Scolipede went on its way, and it was revealed that a hanging cage was right behind it, which the Imp placed Edward into. Ed struggled to get free, but with only one arm and one leg, he was only as strong as a wriggling fish. Edward couldn't move all too well, let alone get himself out, so once he was in that cage, he couldn't get himself out. Then by some unknown force, the cage began to lift away, Ed only able to watch Twilight disappear from his sight below. Now, Twilight was alone in her cell. She tried to get the bars to break, but it seemed that her magic wasn't enough. She focused her aura on the bars, hoping some pressure could break them, but the bars actually ended up on fire! "Come on, come on!" Twilight said in hope, thinking it was the fire spell she activated. Unfortunately, the bars were just set off a warning system, and the bars turned back to normal in little time at all. Twilight just tried her strength, but the bars were very sturdy and not moving at all. She thought for a brief moment that it was all done, but then she remembered the save at the last second, and the only three members that didn't get caught. "Damn it. Damn it! I can't believe it ... Nagisa. Aladdin. Blair. Wherever you are, you'd better hurry, please." ~~ Pretty soon, they were off and on their way again. They would normally fly, though as much as they've insisted on such, if they did try to fly they were be easy targets to spot, so to keep out of sight they had to walk instead. They weren't going to become flying targets so soon, nor were any of them interested in such, so traveling on foot was their best bet. They all took a look around the spaced forest as they walked along on their way. The only other animal out there with them was an occasional bat, hanging up in the trees and watching them go by like vultures. "Hey Envy, the Underworld isn't all this barren, is it? No offense, but I was expecting a bit more action coming in," Nakamura asked, a bit bored to be honest. "Really? You should be lucky we didn't run into trouble yet!" Envy said. Sure, it was a dangerous place, but that didn't mean he wanted to start something in here! "Yeah, yeah, but you'd think that something would pop up right now aside from these dumb bats," Yoshida commented, just for one of the bats to flutter on by him, screeching for a moment before going out of sight. "Will you quit complaining, we're not here to start a bar fight, we're here to get that team back. I'm not willing to get killed right away," Terasaka said firmly. "Thank you, you beat me to it," Envy added in. "Come on, dude, we'll be fine. I mean, just what can end up -" "DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE," Envy warned. Last thing they needed right now was a jinx, and Yoshida clammed up on seeing how serious Envy was in that statement. "Geez, I'm only joking," Yoshida said, hands raised in submission. As they continued, Envy looked up to the sky. Their conversation was overheard by Nagisa, who on the idea began to worry a little bit. His demon sense was alive still, even if faint, but what kind of demons would end up roaming around here was what worried him. and indeed, it was strange that nothing came up after them just yet. He took a look over to Envy. "Damn, it's been forever since I've last been here. Has it already been nearly a year?" Blair wondered, checking out the area. It was surely a sense of nostalgia for her, but before she could continue, Nagisa tapped her shoulder. "So do you know the place, Blair?" "Eh, it's been a while since I've been in the Underworld, so it's still a bit hazy," Blair answered, hands behind her head casually. Nagisa sighed, and looked on ahead of them, wiping some sweat off his head. "Tired already? How'd you save the world if you can barely walk half a mile?" Kirara asked, just for Blair to nudge her. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just been a while since my Demon sense has been this active," Nagisa sighed, forgetting a moment that most of the group didn't even know about his senses. "So you can sense demons now?" Takuya asked, scratching his head. "It's been something I've had for a long time. ... I don't know if it'll work as well in here though with it so active over everything," Nagisa stated, just as another few bats flew by his head, making him shiver. Even the bats are demonic apparently, and they flew fairly close to them. While two bats did fly by, one bat gave a pain-filled screech right behind them, making them turn around fast. They only found one bat flying that time, a lot faster and more frantic. "Who's there?!" Terasaka demanded, gun out and ready. ... *nyaa* Nyaa? Turned out, it was only a cat, holding a now dead blue bat in its teeth. The cat looked up to them for a moment or two before it shook the bat again. The group calmed down a little bit, but Terasaka felt a little stupid. "Seriously?" Terasaka groaned, teeth gritting and hand to forehead. Freaking out over a little cat. Really. *hiss* Turning around again, and out came another cat, but this one looked a little bigger than the first cat, hair raised and barring its teeth in a threat display. Nagisa started to feel a little uneasy with the situation, considering where they were, and raised his Halo Blade their way. "Another one? ..." *rowr!* THAT made them all on edge now, this time looking up into the trees. Once there was bats, but now about several cats appeared above their heads! Each cat had black fur, and each were eyeing down to them like leopards, and probably just as much of a predator. Some were laying in the branches, some hissing at them, and some coming down from the trees to confront them. Next thing they all knew, they were surrounded by an entire clan of cats, a good fifty of them! And none of them looked very happy to see em, as they kept hissing and growling at them. It wouldn't be too bad if there wasn't so many of them. "Ok, the hell's with all these cats?" Yoshida said, feeling uneasy now as they began to come close. some of them started to back up, but this only made Takuya step on a cat's tail, making it wail and slash at him! Takuya managed to dodge the slash, and aim his knife down at the same cat, making a number of them hiss and growl at him again. Eventually though, Terasaka found one just too close to him. "Back off!" he yelled, and he actually pulled the trigger on one of them. Suddenly, ten of the cats bolted up off the ground in one jump, and landed in a nearby tree, but five of them leaped back down at him and one grabbed his gun, two which cut his face! "HEY!" Terasaka snapped. Suddenly, several other cats rushed at them, jumping at them and taking their weapons one by one. Try as they might, at least one of the clan members got them disarmed, either a gun or a knife in their teeth. Some even got them right out of their pockets just to be sure they were indeed disarmed. Nagisa was a little more difficult to disarm, being a bit quick on moving, but even he got his Halo Blade taken from him after one sneaky cat landed on his head and distracted him for that brief moment. "Damnit," Nagisa groaned. Once they were all disarmed, one other cat began to move out from the crowd, a few of the cats moving aside to let it through. As appearances go, it was nothing more than a black tom cat, golden eyes looking up at them. "... You're a bit far from home, aren't you?" the cat said. "D-Did he just talk?!" gasped Yoshida. "It's not the weirdest thing in the world," Envy commented. Nagisa tried to calm down the best he could, but his demon sense was going haywire as this seemingly small cat neared him. "We're just passing through, honestly." "A few humans just passing through the Underworld. Yeah, sure," the cat said. "HOLD IT!" Everything stopped when Blair finally spoke up, now going up to the front of the group, and kneeling down to the cat's level. None of the clan really took too much note of Blair up to this point, and the black cat stayed quiet and looked over who this was. Before they could fully confirm, Blair then turned from human and down to cat, though her witch hat did cover her body for a little bit until she lifted it off of her. ... "Hey there. I'm back." "Blair!" "Wait, what?" the rest thought, a number of the cats going over to Blair. Well, this was unexpected, but at least the cats stopped fighting them. "Where have you been?" one of the cats asked. "We thought you lost all your nine lives," said another. "Oh, out and about you know. I had to high-tail it to the Surface World, and it's there I found these cute humans," Blair explained, presenting the humans to them. Now the cats were looking them over a bit more curiously than aggressively. "An explanation, Blair?" Envy asked, dumbfounded more than anything. Blair turned to them with a cheeky smile. "We're in luck: I told you guys I came from the Underworld, and get this - this is my clan! We'll be good around here," Blair explained. ~~ Well what're the odds of this? They've been in the Underworld for at least an hour now, and already they got some friendlier company in Blair's clan. Well, friendlier in a vague sense, but they weren't trying to kill them anymore, so that was good. Once that was cleared up, the group were given their weapons back, and were actually brought back over towards the town they've seen when they arrived (go figure). For the town itself, the place looked about as run down as they've expected it to be: many of the houses old to the hands of time, though when it comes to the cats, it was home sweet home. That didn't mean each house was a complete wreck however, as some of them were well-maintained while others were left to rot away. Many of the buildings were easily accessible at least, and soon the clan brought their visitors over to the lead cat's den - it was a shrine off to the north of town - and letting them inside. The group took a load off in the shrine, with the talking black cat and Blair sitting across from them. Several other cats were around as well, peering in and seeing what was going to happen. Seemed that humans were a rare sight in this part of the Underworld, at least casual ones like this. "So you're Blair's leader?" Nagisa started. "That's right. I'm Yoruichi Shihōin. And word around the Underworld says that you've got a history against us, is that right?" the black cat asked. "Well, me yeah. ... Whether I like it or not," Nagisa admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Petty," Yoruichi said with a smirk, which probably wasn't the right word for him. "So what are you exactly? Clearly you're not normal cats," Takuya asked, looking at some of the cats nearby as they talked to one another. "Well you're not in a normal world, so there. Talking cats isn't the most surprising thing to find down here, though if you can get down here yourselves you probably knew that already," Yoruichi noted. "Eh, yeah, pretty much. Thanks for not ... well, killing us," Envy said. The least he could do, as Yoruichi moved over to him, starting to sniff him a little bit. As he sniffed him over, the cat began to notice something in his pocket, Envy trying to get him to stop, just for the cat to pull out his Philosopher's Stone. "So that's the odd scent. You a former Homunculus?" "What the - how the hell'd you know that?" Envy gasped, as Yoruichi examined the small stone he dug out. "All of your friends are either magical or armed to the teeth. Yet you only have this," Yoruichi pointed out, pawing the stone for a bit before Envy grabbed it and kept it away from the peeping cat. "Yeah, so what? I don't need knives and guns to protect myself in this place," that was a lie, but a well-made one, yet Yoruichi didn't look as convinced as anyone else would be. "Speaking of, I find it hard to believe that a bunch of cats are living fine in this hellhole," Nakamura commented. Yoruichi walked back to Blair, and sat down. "You still think that we're just normal cats?" Blair asked in disbelief. "No, but talking can't save you from getting killed." "... I get it. You want to see my true form, then?" "True form?" Nagisa asked. The black cat began to smirk, and Blair knew EXACTLY what was coming next. The cat moved off to give Yoruichi some space to handle his transformation. As the cat stood there, a mist started to form up around him, slowly but surely covering him up. It wasn't as immediate as what Blair did, nor purple clouds, but the effect was still there, and they began to suspect the true power of this cat coming to life on them. Nagisa felt a surge of demonic energy come around, and his hand gripped the blade in case of some sort of attack. Blair however, suddenly turning into her human form, grabbed the blade first and kept it there so he wouldn't jump at him. ... Then came the true form. Yoruichi Shihōin now stood at average height for any human being his age, skin darkened, and eyes still the same golden irises as the cat. His hair, black like the fur, turned waist-length, with a mixture of side bangs and a ponytail. Oh, and one detail? ... He was actually a she, slender and well-endowed women. And she smirked smugly to them, the girl completely naked. "W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Terasaka gasped, all of them shocked and off their guard at the sudden display of feminism and sex standing in front of them. Nagisa quickly slammed his eyes closed, hand covering his eyes for good measure. The shocked reactions from the group just made Yoruichi snicker to herself, her arms crossed around her boobs just as the mist cleared around them. Nakamura and Kirara, being the only girls in this group, had a bit of mixed feelings about it as the boys ... well, either look or not, there was no in between here. Blair ended up laughing herself silly. "OH, how I missed that! I forgot how hilarious that was!" Blair said, laughing all the while from the reaction. The only one not freaking out too much was Envy, but he kept his gaze lowered anyway so he wouldn't piss of the others. Yoruichi then began to strut closer to them. "Surprised are ya? You all thought I was a boy, didn't you? Can't say it's the first time, my cat form does have a male voice with it, but then again it's always fun to see how people like you react to seeing the real me like this.~ Now as for your little escapade, maybe our clan can -" "FOR GOD'S SAKE, BITCH, PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" yelled Nakamura. Sometime later, and Yoruichi did just that, looking a little disappointed all the same. The outfit she had on now was a step better than earlier: an orange overshirt with a black undershirt, white straps on her shoulders, a beige sash around her waist, and black stretch pants with brown shoes. Not a standard outfit, but hey, it saved them the trouble of anymore embarrassment. The ONLY one aside from Blair without a problem was Aladdin, but envy kept him well back by gripping his own ponytail like a leash. "Well, I can see where Blair learned that trick from," Nagisa thought. "Now, as I was saying, maybe our clan can give you somewhere for the night. It could be fun for us," Yoruichi said. Takuya and Yoshida glanced over back to some of the other cats nearby. "Eh, you're not gonna say the other cats are like you, are you?" "I won't." "They are," they thought. Blair was down for the idea, but Nagisa then got up. "It's a nice offer, but I'm afraid we can't. We're on a very tight schedule, and we have to get going," Nagisa made clear. "Come on, Nagisa, this is my hometown! What other chance can I get to show you around the neighborhood?" Blair said. "That and you won't get far anyway," added in Yoruichi. "Why not? You kitty bitch think we can't make it out on our own?" accused Nakamura. "No: it's that it's getting late. Any of you looked outside?" Yoruichi asked, pointing a slender finger off back outside. They weren't sure what she was talking about. "The hell are you talking about, it's only -" before she could finish, one look outside and it already showed that the world was getting dark! That one look outside immediately made them at a loss of words. "HOW THE HELL?!" Nakamura gasped. "How'd it get so dark so quick, we just got here an hour ago!" said Yoshida. "The Underworld doesn't have the same clock as you all do. And might I add in that you might be hunted by the Gillian if you go off at night here," Yoruichi warned. That made them feel a little bit unnerved, with the exception of Kirara, Envy, and Blair. "A Gillian? what's a Gillian? Envy, Blair?" Aladdin asked. That was something Heine didn't teach him up on yet, and where they were, it could be anything. "Oh, shit, I forgot about those things," Envy said, hand to forehead, and a little bit troubled himself again. "What? What are they?" Nagisa asked. "Eh, let me see. ... Their about as tall as a building, draped in black, have a gaping hole in their stomachs, have these pointy-nosed white masks, and roam around the Underworld at night to pick off any stray person, or even demon that's running too far from their settlements. Think of them as like a wilder version of curfew patrol." "Shouldn't you thought of telling us that before we jumped down here?!" snapped Terasaka. "It slipped my mind, okay?!" snapped back Envy. However, this new idea did make Nagisa very worried. If the possibility is that his friends were just dumped out in the open for those things to capture, who knows where they would be by now. Or for that matter, if they were still alive or not. Still, the last thing he needed was to freak out all over again. "Well, I don't care what's roaming down here. My friends are all stuck here, and I'm not going home until I find them and get them back," Nagisa made clear, determined to get his friends back. "Neither am I," said Aladdin. "So you lot are going to stay here for a bit, or no? It's the closest settlement within a hundred miles of the Styx river, and unless you all plan on staying in the river, I say you might as well get comfy." "Wait a minute, don't they go into settlements too?" Nakamura asked. "Rarely, but only those that're controlled by another deity, and even then they won't wander off into a town unless they're told to," Blair explained. Kirara scratched her head for a moment or two, but then something came up in her mind. "Gillian, Gillian ... wait, that's a Hollow, isn't it? A type of spirit trapped in limbo too long?" Kirara asked. Yoruichi looked impressed. "That's right. Ran across one before?" "Well, we have our own demon egghead named Korosensei, and he went on about demon types for a whole week straight," Kirara admitted. "Oh yeah, he did mention that, didn't he?" Takuya noted, thinking back to the many demon lessons he gave to the E class. It was still a bit foggy in details, but Hollows were indeed mentioned during Korosensei's O so many lectures and demonstrations. "Korosensei? Isn't he some yellow octopus with a school uniform?" "And judging by you, I don't see why he wouldn't meet you before," Nakamura teased, knowing his perverted side to the demon. "That aside, Yoruichi. ... What do these Gillian do with those they find?" Nagisa asked, at least wanting to get that off his mind. "You know, it depends on which one. some Gillian just slaughter their prey while others drag them back to their lairs. If they're controlled though, they would bring them to their masters, or whatever the hell else they want to do with them. So, word of advice: don't get caught alone out there," Yoruichi advised. Something that could so unsaid at this point. "You can kill these things, can't you?" "Not that I'm aware of. Believe me, I tried," Yoruichi answered. "Damnit. Well in that case, we don't have a choice. We'll wait it out for tonight, then go off tomorrow morning. Or whenever the lights comes up, whichever comes first," Nagisa decided. "Yeah, sounds good. Hey Yoruichi, any rooms for us?" Yoshida asked. "Oh, I think I can find one place. You mind, Blair?" "You need to ask? Of course I'm cool with it, they let me stay up there as things were getting testy down here." "Good to note. Follow blair, she'll take you to her home to stay." Now Blair was a bit confused, as was Nagisa, Envy, and Aladdin. "Wait. Her home? I thought it got destroyed, didn't it?" Yoruichi only smirked on that answer. ....... Pretty soon, they were brought from one part of town to another, and this time the home that was in front of them looked less like a house, and more like a ... well ... a vegetable. The entire outer building had the shape, and coloration of what one could assume to be two pumpkins stacked onto eachother, small on top, large on bottom. A few windows were along the bottom half, and those on top made it look like a face: two upside-down triangle eyes and a triangle mouth. The so-called 'stem' of the top pumpkin was the chimney. "I-It's here! MY HOME'S BACK!" Blair beamed, her eyes wide and sparkling. "Well, since you've ran off, I figured this would be a nice little surprise for when you would come back," Yoruichi said. The others took a moment to check out what kind of house this was. "This is your house? Looks more like someone's Halloween project," Takuya said, scratching his head. "Hey, how many people do you know that live in a house like this?" "None." the group replied. "Well, beggars can't be choosers. Still beats being hunted by Hollows," Kirara shrugged. Well, they might as well go in, but before Terasaka could go, Yoruichi took a look at him. "Now what?" "I noticed one of my clan members got you pretty good there," Yoruichi noted, a finger gently pointing to Terasaka's cuts. For what it is, and what it could've been, Terasaka shrugged it off. "I'll be fine, it's just a scratch," Terasaka said. "Oh? You sure you don't want to heal up?" "Heal up for what? I'm sure no one died from getting a damn cat scratch," Terasaka retorted. He tried to go but Yoruichi still had her grip on him. "But they will when a Hollow sniffs out your blood as you travel." ... Well shit. ~~ "Aaahh~ that's the stuff.~" After some time getting the others comfortable, Blair was actually away from home a little bit and off into town joining a few of her clan members for a night drink. Her drink was also joined by Yoruichi, both clan cats having a drink of milk (nothing alcoholic for this group). Blair was enjoying it pretty nicely, and was glad to be back with her old clan in the world. "Been a while since we had this time together, huh?" Yoruichi asked. "Been too long," Blair replied, gulping about bit of her milk glass. Yoruichi smiled, though she still had something she wanted to talk to Blair about. "So Blair. Have you really thought about what happens now?" "Now?" "About staying with your clan or not." Blair suddenly stopped her drinking for a moment on that question. It was nice to meet up with her clan again no doubt about it, but she didn't consider the option until now, a bit too caught up with Team Harmony's shenanigans. "Well. It is nice to see you all again, not to mention having a house again, but ..." Blair wondered how to exactly consider it and say it the right way. Yoruichi took a sip of her milk glass, the clever cat knowing exactly where this was going. "But you're worried about your group." "Eh... well, more than half of them's actually locked up right now, so, yeah." "Locked up?" "Well, we think they are. Team Harmony's been on Sombra's pay roll for nearly a year now, so why wouldn't they be," Blair explained. Yoruichi got the identity and main problem already, so Blair at least didn't had to explain it completely to her for a second time. "Ah, got it. ... Well, if you are going to go off and do that, no point in stopping you. Just try not to forget about us little kitties, will ya?" Yoruichi said, fluffing Blair's hair. Blair smiled to her leader. "Did I ever tell ya how happy I am to know ya?" Blair said. The response afterwards was a toast as they clanked their glasses and had a good time. ....... Meanwhile, Terasaka was in another part of this strange town. It was indeed getting late, just at dusk, but not officially night time yet though that was harder to tell. Terasaka still found it silly to go and heal up just from a few scratches, but if even half of what Yoruichi, Blair, and Envy said about those hollows were true, then he wasn't going to take any chances with them. After some direction given by the locals, Terasaka found himself in a more well-lit area, just on the border of the cat clan town. What was the place he found? Well, turned out it appeared to be a sort of spring. A hot spring surrounded by rocks inside the interior of a cave, lit up by magical aura. Well, a spring is a spring, and Terasaka didn't see anything too wrong with this one in particular, so after some stripping down, he went on in and got comfortable in the water. "So dark already? Damn, what kind of timezone is this place in? Ah, well at least we got ourselves some place for the night before the real hell could show up. This feels pretty good," Terasaka said. The water was nice and warm as any hot spring would be, and Terasaka splashed some water on his face. Some of the blood got off, but as he placed his hand onto it, he began to notice something. ... The cut not only healed up, but disappeared! "Whoa, this spring heals you?! How the hell did it do that?" Terasaka gasped. Sure, they always say it's therapeutic, but this was amazing! Terasaka splashed about in the water for a bit, feeling the magic of the spring healing him up. He got some of the water in his hands, taking a moment to think. This was the Underworld, a place of pain and misery, yet it has hot springs that actually heal wounds. Contradictory if he had to admit it. "Having a good time in there?" asked a voice nearby. Terasaka had his back turned to Yoruichi, so he had no real problem. ... Of course, he couldn't see what she was doing behind him either, until ... "Well, if it's that nice, I might as well join you." Oh boy. "THE HELL YOU ARE!" "What's the matter, I don't see the problem here.~" "You're taking your pants off for one thing!" "Oh, stop being so stiff. Then again, maybe that won't be too bad.~" "Will you get out of here?!" Then a cat's paw stepped into the water, and Terasaka found it was just the cat form instead. Yoruichi swam up past Terasaka, not as freaking out as he was earlier. "That's much better. Oh? You look a little disappointed. You wanted to see me naked, don't you? You little pervert." "I'm gonna drown you," Terasaka growled. His attempts for doing so were fruitless though, and Yoruichi was as safe as can be. Terasaka and Yoruichi were now in the spring, and Terasaka simply kept his mouth shut. As long as Yoruichi kept her cat form (and didn't get more curious about him), then he's fine. "You enjoying the hot spring?" Yoruichi asked. "Well, it's helping me. Since when is it that hell has the healing springs?" Terasaka questioned. "Think about this for a minute: you're in a world where it's more night than day, with even the moths that can be dangerous and want to have you for a snack. Something like this is more vital than you take it for," Yoruichi explained. In a way, she was right. If any of the demons they've come across were anything to go by, then some extra health boosts would not only vital, but required if one thinks about it. "Damn. and to think you call this home sweet home. So - AH!" AND Yoruichi was naked and human again. Terasaka stumbled back into the water, Yoruichi giggling a little. "Always the same reaction, isn't it?" "Can't you at least close your legs?" Terasaka asked, keeping his back to her. Yoruichi smiled flirtatiously, but before her teasing could continue, they both began to hear some more footsteps off a ways. Yoruichi turned around and saw Envy coming over to them. Envy didn't really care seeing Yoruichi naked, which Yoruichi noticed. "Ah, Envy. Taking a peek at me, are you, you naughty boy?" Yoruichi teased. But Envy literally stepped passed her and went straight to Terasaka. "Don't pretend I'm not here.~" "Blair showed us her naked bod half an hour ago, you're not showing me anything new," Envy bluntly stated, and he pushed Yoruichi off of him. She never thought anyone would say that to her. "You gonna be longer, Terasaka?" "Nah, I'm getting out," Terasaka replied. Envy nodded, and started to walk out as Terasaka grabbed a nearby towel. He felt he'd been healed enough anyway. ~~ "I always wondered what your home was like, Blair." As Terasaka was getting healed up for his cuts, the rest of the group took time to see what Blair's home was all about. Funny thing though, even with the odd outer look and where they were at altogether, Blair's home looked nothing different from what one would find in the houses back in Tokyo: much of the group over in the living room. Considering it was just a one-person home, the living room was fairly small, though well lit on the inside. Odd thing though, they couldn't really make out where the light was coming from, but hey, that's a minor detail. "So, now what do we do?" "Exactly what I said: we're just gonna wait it out here until tomorrow morning, then figure out where the others are from there. They could be anywhere in this world," Nagisa said, having the Underworld Atlas out in front of them. It did show a lot of the place, but they do need some idea. He looked down to the map more closely, wiping off some sweat from his head. "Well, Sombra's kingdom is Tartarus over here. So, if this Slicer is taking them in, then all we need to do is cross the Styx River and work our way from there," Envy explained, looking over the map himself. "Straight-forward," Kirara said. "No it's not: we don't know if Slicer's even working for him," Nagisa brought up. "What'chu mean?" Takuya asked. "Come on guys, not every demon we've met worked with Sombra. Tirek released Pluton onto the world and he apparently hates the guy, and I don't think the Great Tengu would be someone Sombra would even bother with," Nagisa explained. Regardless if they actually knew about Tirek or the Great Tengu, the point was still made across. "Damnit, you're right. So now what, do we find his boss around here or something?" "What else could we do?" Nagisa sighed. He hated to say that, but if they go in the wrong direction, it would just leave them in more trouble down here, and his friends would be in even more trouble as well. "Ok then, Envy, you got any idea? I mean, you lived here for most of your life, right, you know anything about this Slicer?" Yoshida asked. Envy tried to work the gears in his head. Someone like him would be a notable name in the Underworld if he was from around here. "Slicer, Slicer ... we are talking about a transmutation here, right?" "So you do know him! Come on, where'd he go?" Aladdin asked excitedly. "No idea. I barely know the guy personally, but rumors say he's actually wanted by the Underworld for onslaught." "Wait. ... Wanted. In the Underworld?" "We have rules here too, shocking I know. From what I've heard, Slicer took it too far and decided to cut up demons for some amusement instead, and that was just enough to do them in," Envy explained. This only made things more complicated: why would the Slicer brothers decide to go to the Underworld if they were outlaws of such a place? "An outlaw of the Underworld. That's new," Kirara said. "Yeah, I'd never would've guessed rules even applied down here," Nakamura added. "They're just a bit more loose, that's all," Envy replied. "But then, where'd he go? Sounds like walking into a kingdom won't be his first option," Takuya asked, trying to get some idea. Before any of them could figure out some sort of answer ... "You-hoo, everyone having a good time?~" In entered Blair in her human form. Not really too bad, but the girl was dressed in only a towel. And considering how she was showing her cleavage, this kitty was feeling playful. "So which one of you boys wants to take a bath with me? The water's nice and warm,~" Blair cooed, bringing her hands up behind her head. Soon, much to their surprise, the towel began to unravel itself! Nagisa quickly turned around before her naked body could fully be on display, and the other boys were a bit caught off guard. "COME ON, YOU TOO?!" Nagisa said. "Why not? You're in my house now," Blair joked. Aladdin, goofy smiled, waited to have fun with her fun bags, but Nagisa kept him back. Kirara glanced over to Envy, who didn't really care much at this point. "You're pretty cool with her being naked." "I lived in the Underworld Kirara, that's the least traumatizing thing one can run into." "True. Hey, Blair," Kirara said, looking over to the naked cat witch. Blair got her towel back on, giggling to herself, before looking to Kirara, who now had the atlas shown to her. "We need to know where the Slicer went off to. Got any ideas?" Kirara asked. "Aren't we trying to get to Tartarus?" "The slicer took them away, Blair, and according to our Homunculus, he's a homicidal criminal in the Underworld. Unless he plans on turning himself in, he won't just waltz right to their front door," Nakamura said. That was pretty intriguing to the witch, and actually began to realize something. I was to be executed a long time ago. But instead of that, I had been transmutated into this suit of armor, and made into what you could say as a guard dog. "So that's what he meant." "What?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, nothing. Well, if he did collect them, he could be hired by Sombra still." "So they would be in Tartarus?" "Eh ... maybe? But not near the castle. Your team's been an enemy to the underworld for nearly a year straight, so if you all were to go anywhere, I'd put my money on ..." Blair took a minute to lean forward and check the map again. she looked to where they were, and then up the atlas a bit, passed the Styx River, and then made her mark over on the most eastern point passed Tartarus and to another country. Envy shivered on her conclusion. "Y-you're not thinking there really, are you?" Envy asked. "Where else would Sombra dump them?" "And what's there? A prison?" "Well ... sort of. It's a purgatory called "Abaddon". It was once a mine that servants are put into to as punishment in case they start retaliating. But eventually Tirek had it turned into a type of purgatory, and remained that way since. Unless Sombra decided to change it that is," Envy explained. "Don't see why he would, that purgatory's the most secure one in the Great Rift, and closest to Tartarus," Blair noted. "Interesting," Kirara simply said, finding it fascinating of an idea. "Sounds like a place Sombra would put them. He wouldn't want any of them to find any secrets in his own home if any of them would break out," Nagisa said. He would think that, since Nagisa had done that already with the atlas, portal AND stone Envy had on him, and if he were Sombra, he wouldn't want to risk something like that twice, and with so many others over just one as well. "Sounds good to me. Anyone wanna tell Terasaka?" Takuya asked. "I'll do it," Envy replied, getting up and heading out. They got the place, and they got the plan. "Well it's settled then. so as we're all ready, we're heading off to Abaddon," Nagisa decided. ....... Farther off into the lands of the Underworld, the blue Imp moved out to a more opened wasteland, Morgiana still on its shoulders. It wasn't a very comfortable ride, but Morgiana knew it would be the best bet to get out of the trap they've fallen into, at least for her. Soon, the Imp stopped at a drop in the path, and like some garbage, threw Morgiana right down into the ditch. It's not the most clever way to get rid of someone, but hell, they were gone and that's what mattered. Once the Imp had moved away far enough, Morgiana sprung back to life, and got to her feet in little time at all. The Fanalis stayed quiet just in case, and brought her senses to the forefront. She didn't utter a sound, eyes closed, and hands on the ground. "I'm coming." S06Ep2: Heart of the Fanalis ~ファナリスの心~Throughout the night from there onward, the interruptions for the team was little to none, which was for the best since none of them wanted another attack so quick (sexual or otherwise). They all spent their night over in Blair's house, most of the group anticipating just what they would have to go through tomorrow. What kind of land was the Great Rift? And what kind of dangers await at Abaddon? Those two questions much of the group couldn't really answer, and the only way they could was when they'll get there. They should be thanking their lucky stars that the first encounter with the locals didn't have any of them dead after the first half an hour. While much of the group was fast asleep, the only one who had a bit of trouble sleeping was Nagisa himself, the faint nagging left in him for his Demon Sense keeping him slightly on edge a little more than usual, and honestly he had all the right to be. All things considered, he was a criminal to the Underworld, him along with the rest of his group so who knows what they'll come across next. And that's not even including the thoughts on what his friends must be going through in this world as well. Hard to think then, that the first one to actually get up during the middle of the night was actually Envy, and that was only because he turned over, and found that someone was ... well, actually missing. Opening his eyes and seeing the group sleeping around the room, most of the group was sleeping around him, but Kirara wasn't around anywhere. Envy slowly got up and looked around a bit, no sign of her anywhere. Nagisa tried to act asleep during this, but it wasn't until Envy actually got up and moved out did Nagisa finally decide to just get up. There was no point in simply sitting around if you can't even relax. "Man. I haven't been this bad in a long time. ... Maybe I need some fresh air," Nagisa decided, getting up himself and quietly heading off after Envy. Nagisa paused for a moment and checked the rest of the group, seeing them all fast asleep still. He didn't want to wake the whole group after all. Soon, after a short walk out, he was just outside Blair's house, and out in her front yard. It was something he should probably expect, but the trees around him outside gave them another little surprise, when the tips of their branches gave off a faint glow as if someone hung up Christmas lights on them, flickering like candles. It did add some special look to the forest around the town, and soon he found Envy standing off over by the boundary fence, looking up to the trees, as if looking for someone. "Hey, Envy," Nagisa said, walking up to him. "Oh, you're up too?" Envy asked. "Yeah, I can't go to sleep with my demon senses like this. Among other things," Nagisa replied, leaning against the same patch of fence. "Thought you'd have some control over it by now," Envy commented. Nagisa couldn't blame him for thinking that, him having this sensory system for a good while. "Me too ... so what's keeping you up?" ... *thump* Just beyond the fence, both Envy and Nagisa looked to one of the trees and found that something foreign had fallen down from it. Not really a leaf, but actually a small book. Envy knew damn well you don't get books falling from trees, so Envy looked up the branches of the same trees, and found the answer. Standing up in the tree, Kirara was doing what looked like some sight-seeing. Kirara kept her balance up by holding onto a higher branch above her, standing to the base of the tree, and almost looking like she was on watch for something. Blair wasn't up with her, but they were half way there either way. Envy and Nagisa walked up under the tree, picking up the book she dropped. "Hey guys, you thought to have a look around too?" Kirara asked from above their heads. "What're you doing up there, Kirara?" Nagisa asked. "Trying to see if I can find one of those Gillian Hollows from up here. What other chance would I get to actually see one myself?" Kirara explained, looking back to the area around her. Why were they so desperate to find trouble? "Stop trying to kill yourself, this isn't some game," Envy warned. "I know that, I'm not going out of town to do it. ... Besides, I think I just about found one." "Wait, what?!" they both gasped. "Don't believe me, come on up," Kirara offered, waving them up. Was there a Hollow roaming by? Nagisa was the first to take her offer, and with a few quick hops, made it up to a higher branch as Envy was pulled up by Kirara up to her level in the tree. They got a good view from where they were, and after a bit looked off in the same direction to where Kirara was looking. Nagisa tried to keep his demon sense down, but when they did look off in the same direction, Nagisa knew immediately why his senses were going off so much. A very tall figure was roaming around far off from the house. A very tall, black-cloaked figure with a white mask with a pointed nose, EXACTLY how Blair described it to them earlier. The only extra details Blair didn't place on these things was a small ring of spikes around its chest, and a set of long arms ending in white, pointed fingers. Even if the figure was a good fifty feet away, it still looked easily taller than the trees they were in. Nagisa's eyes grew wide. "There's been one this close? No wonder my demon sense has been going off, that's gotta be why," Nagisa realized. And as if reading his mind, Envy looked up to Nagisa. "I think we found out your trigger, Nagisa." "Yeah, think you're right. I hope Blair and Yoruichi weren't lying about it staying away from towns," Nagisa noted, shivering at the idea. However, even if they were in the Gillian's line of sight, and it even turning to them at one point, the tall entity didn't attempt to move in any closer from where it was. The trio could even see the eye holes and teeth in the mouth of said Gillian as it turned to them, looking to them like a curious deer. Kirara got her book back, and with a pen she brought with her, actually started to sketch out what she was seeing. This was probably the best view she would get of one that wasn't gonna try to kill them, and seeing the beast made Nagisa shiver again out of demon sensing. Much to their relief though, eventually the Gillian turned and slowly began to move away, oddly very quiet as it did so, like a looming ghost. "Thank. The lord," Nagisa sighed, before beginning to go down the tree. "Very nice. Here Envy, what do ya think?" Kirara asked, showing Envy the picture she drew once they too got down the tree. A pretty good drawing considering how far away the Hollow was. "That's actually pretty good," Envy noted, slightly impressed actually with the amount of detail she sketched out. "Well, you do know we might end up running into one of those things if we don't watch it, right?" Nagisa warned. "You heard Yoruichi, it'll go away when day breaks. And hey, maybe you'll actually get some sleep," Kirara said, walking passed them both and heading off back to Blair's house. Crisis obverted for now. And maybe Kirara had something there, at least Nagisa knew why the demon sense was going off, but that also proved one other fact. Whenever they get out, they'll HAVE to find somewhere to rest in a town before night falls. ~~ The rest of the night proved uneventful for them, and by the time dawn came around, and after some slight preparation, they were soon up and ready to go, packed up and ready for anything. It was probably for the best that they waited for daytime to go off, not willing to get caught by any nearby Hollows. If one was that close to them, who knows how many others were out there with it? The whole group gathered over to the edge of town, Yoruichi there to see them off, something by her side. "Well, thanks for letting us stay for the night," said Nagisa. "Thank you for taking care of my Blair. She's been telling me about your adventures together all night, and you all did a great job," Yoruichi said. "No problem, mam. Well, we'd better be going, who knows when it'll get dark again." "Hold on a minute, I got a little something before you go," Yoruichi made clear, walking over to them with something in hand. "Well, sweet, what is it?" Takuya asked. Removing the covering over it, it turned out to be a few cartons of milk she got together. A bit of a random thing for her to give, but it could be a long time before they would get something to eat or drink. "Wow, thanks," Aladdin said. He began to head on over, but as he was, his eyes began to wander to another milk dud in front of him, and his hands started to feel a bit antsy. Just before he grabbed the cartons, his hands passed them and - "Don't you dare, Aladdin, we're just about to leave," Nagisa stated, grabbing him by the ponytail and yanking him back before he could grope anyone. "I know," Aladdin meekly replied. Yoruichi can't help but chuckle when she saw this, and as Nakamura took the milk cartons, Yoruichi gave the young magi his wish and moved his head right between her boobs. Well, gotta send him off with something. Aladdin's face blushed red with a goofy grin on his face as the others looked on. After about five long seconds, Yoruichi moved back, Aladdin smiling and face red. "... Thank you," Aladdin said, Yoruichi just patting his head and moving him to the rest of the group. "Feel free to come by anytime," Yoruichi offered. "Count on it!" "Anyway, we'll be going. Take care," Nagisa said. Soon the group began to walk off, Aladdin having a bit of a giddy spring in his step. While the groping was a bit unexpected (or maybe expected, they weren't sure), it was a nice add-on to their rations, and some good hospitality. Perhaps this could be good for the future. ....... Unfortunately, that can't be said for the group over in the holding cells. The morning light from above just managed to seep into the place, the first one waking up being those within the hanging cages: Edward in particular. Well, regardless of the light though, he could barely sleep anyway with all the moans from his prison, the unknown locations of the rest of the group, and his brother might he add, and just how much danger they all could be in. He tried to move, forgetting for a brief moment about his arm and leg missing. Even fi he was sleeping though, something jumped onto the top of his cage, and making him wake up, turning out to be one of the Imps, another blue Imp of the patrol. "Time to eat," it said, peering in from the top of the cage and holding a little something for him, tossing it into the cage. It turned out to be some local food, made up of some dried up berries and a cup of water. Not much, but it was something. Ed simply glared at the demon on his cage. "Come on, eat up." "Will you quit it, I know you want us all dead, why don't you just kill us and be done with it?" Ed spat. "Why would we do that?" the imp asked, actually sounding legitimate in its words. That took Ed off guard a little. "What'd you do with everyone else then?" Ed demanded. A question he wanted to clear up for some time now since he was in here. The Imp spun around and was now gripping the bars of the cage like a monkey. "You're in a Purgatory: an Underworld prison, your friends are scattered around in their cages and cells right now, like you friend down there," the Imp said, pointing down to Twilight down below, who at the moment was given some breakfast by what looked like a red Imp; a bit of the standard type, slightly broader than the blue Imp on Ed's cage. "And they're still alive?" "If you're that up tight about it, I'll have you know you'll be let out around midday for an hour in the fields. you can find them and ask them then. now you better eat up." And with that advice, the blue Imp jumped off of the cage, just to open up what looked like a kite on its back, gliding down to the bottom level. An interesting piece of information to gain, even if it wasn't intended for the moment. Ed began to think it over and get a smirk on his face, as he began to eat his berries. The blue Imp met up with Twilight down there next, meeting up with the red Imp. "You feed him?" "Just did," the blue Imp replied before walking on to continue. Twilight wasn't enjoying this anymore than the next prisoner, though it was a bit interesting that these demons weren't torturing them as much as they thought they would. In fact, the place itself was doing more of that than the actual Imps going around so far. The red Imp turned to Twilight in her cage. "You gonna eat?" "Yeah, thanks. ... You know, I ... wasn't expecting this." "Expecting what? Being put in bars?" "Eh, no, I figured that. I mean, how you're treating us. It's not really as ... bad, as I thought," Twilight admitted. The red Imp took a seat over by her cage. "That's not how it works: you're put in there for jail time not for death. trust me if you're given a death sentence, you wouldn't even be here right now," the red Imp pointed out. Twilight got a image in her head of her friends getting torn to pieces, and she can't help but agree. "Good point," Twilight simply said. "Right. Your track record could've gotten you in a worse sentence, see?" "What's the normal verdict?" she asked. The red Imp scratched its chin. "Well you've been hunting down demons a whole lot, which included a dragon-class, so ... seventy to one hundreds years confinement to ... I dunno, maybe the ice caps or the fire plains. BUT you did take down a wanted criminal of demon-class former king of Tartarus, so it's been cut down to about ten to twenty in Abaddon." "Ten to twenty over a hundred?!" she thought. Talk about a time gap from what could've happened to them. "Why're you so surprised?" "Ten to twenty years? That's still a long time, too much time." "Too much? You're expecting a week in here?" the Imp groaned. "You don't understand, w-we have a world to protect up there, it's going to collapse at any time now," Twilight pleaded, but it was met with deaf ears, the Imp having a pinkie digging for some ear wax. "That's not our problem, rules are rules. Now, enjoy your meal, it'll be your only one for a while," the red Imp said, going back on its patrol. Well, so much for convincing one of the guards for something. On the bright side, at least their current situation wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. ~~ Well, as the first part of this trek was all walking, Aladdin gave them the privilege of flying as they had to cross the Styx River. With no boat, raft or anything, they had that as their only option to cross the river in little time at all. They had a decent fly by as they continued, the Styx River itself about as wide as the Nile river, and probably just as hard to pass over for any regular. Nagisa just needed to see the river flowing underneath them to see why a Gillian wouldn't follow anything across this thing, looking very long and deep even for that Hollow to take. As they flew along over the river, Nakamura, Nagisa and Blair were taking a look over the atlas. "Well, looks like a straight shot from here. just keep flying Aladdin," Nakamura said. "Will do," Aladdin replied, getting the turban to fly a little quicker, yet kept it smooth so nothing would fly off. Last thing they need was something important to fly off into the river. "So, Envy, Blair, anything you wanna tell us before we enter this "Great Rift"?" asked Terasaka. "Eh ... actually, no. You been there before, Envy?" Blair asked, just for Envy to shake his head. "Nah, Sombra wouldn't let us go over there unless it's straight to Abaddon, and even then I've never gone there personally so ... your guess is good as mine," Envy shrugged. "Damn it. Well, Aladdin, just keep off the ground will ya?" Takuya asked. "Sure thing. We're about to reach the bank, actually," Aladdin said, pointing off ahead. The whole group looked on pass Aladdin and sure enough, the little Magi was finishing up their fly over the Styx River, and soon the group found themselves from freshwater to dry land. A bit funny to think though, that while the first bit of the Underworld was a bit barren and lacking much in life for the most part, this area looked far more alive than they would've expected. They continued flying along the place, and looking down, it looked less like the Underworld, and more like prairies: long savannahs of dried grass and open spaces with a few scattered trees. The grass itself was a lot shorter than typical grass, and from what they could see, all of it looked like rough stubs of vegetation over typical green grass. As they continued, the local wildlife started to get their attention as well. This life found here was anything but normal, though there was some vague resemblances to animals back home that they had noticed on their flight, some grazing on the grass, others bolting once they saw them fly by. "Ok, I'm just gonna say it: the Overworld's got nothing on this," Nakamura stated. "What?" Aladdin asked, surprised. "Aladdin, look at it, does the Overworld have something like this?" Nakamura pointed out, pointing to the creatures underneath. Aladdin wasn't ready to say it just yet, but her point was still there. In a world up in the clouds, land was hard to come by. "You just gotta know where to look, you only been in Elysium," Aladdin retorted, also saying a decent point. As they continued to fly along, Nakamura took a look over to Nagisa, who actually wasn't as bad as they were coming into this place. "Looks like your demon sense is toning down, huh?" Nakamura said, nudging him. "Actually, yeah. ... You think there's any demons around here?" Nagisa wondered. "You tell me, you have the rader," Nakamura pointed out. So Nagisa took a minute and focused his energy in trying to sense a demon around the place. However, the further they went in on their flight, the less Nagisa actually sensed any demons around. What kind of place was this? "No. Actually, the only one I can sense right now is Blair. Are demons not allowed in here?" Nagisa realized, actually surprised on that answer himself. His demon sense was going crazy for the longest time, only to be dulled down here. As they continued going though, they eventually flew closer to one of the trees, and as they did it spooked what looked like a flock of crows. They looked like any normal crow as they flew by them, but there was a few members of the flock not flying away from them. These crows that began flying at them looked a little bigger than your average crow. This bird had a reptilian-like column tail, and three eyes instead of two, with one eye at the center of its forehead. "Carrion Crows!" gasped Blair. And there was quite a lot of them coming up at them. Soon, several birds were already on top of them, cawing and pecking at them for getting too close to their tree. Aladdin got the carpet moving to dodge the birds, the Carrion Crows chasing after them. At first it was alright, but then one of the quicker birds got its beak on the actual carpet, and started to fly back, tearing into the turban! "Hey, get off!" Terasaka yelled, swatting the bird off with a patch in its beak. It looked like a minor hit in their carpet, but with a patch torn away, the carpet actually began to weakened a bit! Aladdin tried to get it flying, but it kept dropping on them, slowing down for the other birds to catch up and try to get them down. "Can't you fly any faster?!" Nakamura asked. "I can't!" Aladdin replied. And what's worse, two of the birds were beginning to peck away at the turban again, tearing it to pieces! In no time at all, the turban got too weak, and started to fall down right to the ground below in a crash! The landing made them all tumble off and onto the ground, right in the open! "God damnit, birds!" angry, Terasaka grabbed his rifle and readied to shoot them. The sounds of the shots did spook them a bit, one bird even getting shot, but it didn't get the flock to go away. They were in their territory, and these birds weren't going to let them get away so easily. "Stand back," Aladdin said, readying and charging up a Gyro Ball. Terasaka, Yoshida, and Envy bolted aside and gave Aladdin room the shoot, Aladdin blasting the attack directly at the birds. The following explosion made four of the birds fly back, only for them to caw and fly at them! Nagisa came in next with his Halo Blade, slashing and trying to keep the birds back. This assault was more effective, and two of the birds gave up and flew off back to their tree, but there was still a lot of birds there. They were ready to fight each one of them off, and the crows were ready to do that same. At least, it seemed that way. *RAAAAHHHHH* Out of nowhere, a roar came up and shuttered the ground! All the crows freaked out like crazy, taking off and high-tailing it back to the tree. The team began to hear rustling off nearby in the grass, and they all armed up for whatever else was coming their way. ... "... I missed you. I'm so glad you're safe." "Morgiana?!" A great sight to see, and Aladdin raced right up to her. Morgiana met up with him with a hug of her own, though strength was a issue again, and she griped hard on him. Aladdin cringed on the strength, but he didn't gripe about it just yet, he was just glad someone from their team was with them. "You know her?" asked Yoshida. "That's Morgiana, one of Aladdin's friends," Nagisa answered, remembering the story Aladdin had when explaining her. "I owe myself to him," Morgiana stated, not letting go of Aladdin until after she said that. It wasn't exactly the right way of putting it, but at least they can be sure she wasn't gonna kill them. As nice as it was to see her, her presence is also a very good sign to a number of them in what they're trying to do. "Wait. If you're here ... Morgiana, are the others with you?!" Nagisa asked, hopefully. Unfortunately for them, Morgiana shook her head. "No. I'm the only one outside of the purgatory right now," Morgiana answered. "Purgatory. You don't mean Abaddon, do you?" Envy asked. "I think so." "Called it!" Blair said. What luck they would pick the right purgatory on their first try, and now with Morgiana with them, being such a strong ally according to Aladdin's story, this rescue was as good as done! It sounded like none of them had died either, so that was very good to note for their sake. "Thank god. Well there's no time to lose! Aladdin, get your carpet ready and let's get moving," Nagisa said, ready to head out. ... "... Eh. I think we're stuck walking," Aladdin replied meekly. The others soon saw that his turban was completely torn up thanks to their little encounter earlier with the Carrion Crows. Cuts, tears, and rips were evident all over the sheet thanks to the many beaks and claws used on it. In short, they weren't going to fly anytime soon. Aladdin even tried to fly with it from there in front of everybody, but all the turban could manage was a foot off the ground, and even that was after a good amount of strain. "Damn it! Well, how far is it from here?" Terasaka groaned. Morgiana thought for a little bit, and the answer she had was not a good one. "Three miles." ~~ The view on the landscape was drastically changed now. While it appeared intriguing and nice from up in the air, now that they were on the ground, the whole area became a dangerous, and troublesome place. All those creatures they've seen earlier are now on their level, and they had to really watch their backs as they went on through, weapons all drawn and at the ready for whatever could be following them within the grass and behind the next hill. They had three miles to get there, and with every step, they all knew they had a long and precarious way to go. Morgiana, Aladdin, and Nagisa took the lead as everyone else followed behind, all of them armed to the teeth like a military patrol. If they had one thing going for them it's that for most of the walk, they weren't completely stuck in thick forest, and as such could see very well for miles. However, that's a double-edged sword, as they too can be seen for miles by any predator out here. And the last thing they want is to be caught under predation now. As they kept on going, the landscape began to turn from flat-plains to a more hilly area of rocky landscape, often breaking to drops and cliffs around them. Not as many animals were around here though, but that wasn't enough of a reason to drop their guard by any means. "Well, so far so good. Everyone's so on edge right now. I sure hope we get there soon," Nagisa thought, looking back at the rest of the group as they continued along. As they went, Nagisa accidentally bumped into Morgiana, who actually stopped herself at one point, seemingly sensing something. "What's the matter?" Nagisa asked. Morgiana waited a minute, and then got to her knees, hands on the ground, and focusing hard. "... They're here." "Abaddon?" Nakamura asked. but that wasn't the case here. As they were standing there, they began to hear something begin to move around them, yet with how many times they turned and tried to figure out what was there, nothing seemed to show up. Morgiana knew damn well something was there though, and could sense them all moving around them. Yes, all of them. What was strange though was that Nagisa, despite being on edge, wasn't sensing any demon activity. So, if these weren't demons, then what were they? And then one presented itself on top of a nearby rocky outcrop, looking down to them. Some stray rocks fell down the cliff for them all to catch their attention to this new creature looking down in some aggression. A large predator, looking like a mixture of sorts between a wolf and a dragon: with a dog like snout filled with thick, jagged teeth, skin covered in red scales from the end of its snout to the end of its tail, with a thick mane of red hair running down to the middle of its back. This one in particular actually had three braids in its mane by the head. Strong claws dug into the ground, one paw visible from their level as they looked up at the red creature. And even worse, it was not alone. One by one, more of these hunters moved out into sight of the traveling band of humans, and each one was a bit different in their own right. One thing in particular was that some of these individuals had a good amount of scars, be it a simple cut on the neck or slice of the face, just to name a few things. Either way, these animals were not any pushovers, and now this pack had them surrounded. "Great. First a bunch of cats, and now a bunch of dogs," Takuya said, loading his weapon, only for Morgiana to suddenly jump at him and actually kick the weapon out of his hand. "Don't even try," Morgiana warned, giving Takuya a sort of death stare. "Why the hell not?" asked Nakamura, just as three of the jumped down from its perch, and landing down right in front of the human group. The creatures stood easily taller than them, and pretty imposing to them to say the least. At first, the large animal kept quiet, but then Morgiana went straight up to it. The animals took a bit to see Morgiana before confronting the rest. "What's our sister doing with you?" it then asked. Well, that reveal was rather blunt, and shocked most of them. "Sister? ... Wait. these are Fanalis?!" Aladdin realized. With just how different Morgiana looked compared to this tribe of feral Fanalis, the idea that they were one of the same was beyond shocking. The creature moved in closer to them, moving over to Envy as his nose picked up something interesting. Envy kept his hand on his pocket so his stone won't be taken away from him again. "... You're not all foreign. ... Who are you?" the biggest creature then asked. Envy gulped. He felt a sting of irony for this, as for the longest time things like this wouldn't even worry him, but he never had such a weaker body before, and predators like these are now a deadlier danger. "Uh, T-Team Harmony," Envy answered. Not the particular name, but still some identification. Lucky for Envy, Aladdin jumped in the way. "Wait, wait, we're friendly! W-We saved Morgiana from being captive by a Djinn back up in the Surface World," Aladdin quickly explained. The large animal then turned over to his fellow Fanalis. "This true?" "Yes. He gave me my freedom again after I was captured. I was bounded in magic chains, and if they hadn't come for me ... I wouldn't be here," Morgiana answered. As good as that was, the growl the creature made gave them some shivers. "Magic binds. Those demons always cheat with that," the creature growled, which wasn't too far from the truth really. "So none of you have magic on you?" Nakamura asked, arms crossed. "Why the hell would we?" retorted one of the female Fanalis. "True strength is not some light show," added another one. Well, Aladdin did feel a little bit worried, considering he had a lot of magic to use, but little physical promise to speak of. "You have to have some." The tribe and group then turned over to Kirara, who took a few steps forward towards the large animal. "I mean, either Morgiana was cursed to look like a human, or you have to have some sort of human form you can turn into. Unless we're talking werewolves, I'd call that some kind of magic," Kirara explained. While they weren't sure what a Werewolf was, that didn't really lift up the mood very well. "And why should we listen to you?" one of the Fanalis asked. "Ok, fine, don't. We're just going to Abaddon anyway," Terasaka made clear, reminding them on where they were going, and even starting to head off, only to be blocked by another Fanalis, this one a male and with a more serious look over a standard aggressive one. The larger animal walked up behind him. "What business would you have there?" "Leave him alone!" Nagisa suddenly demanded. He didn't want to lose anymore people if he could help it. The animal turned around, and rushed at Nagisa, the boy actually bringing out his Halo Blade, and aimed it right at him. The beast's claw met with the blade, and both of them stopped. The blade stayed sturdy, but it wasn't burning him as it would a normal demon, making Fanalis something else entirely and explained why he couldn't sense them earlier. "... Not even a flinch." "You're not the first Underworld creature I had to fight. I am apart of Team Harmony, and if you're going to kill them, I'll fight you any time," Nagisa warned, surprising a good amount of them. Not often would Nagisa warn a fight, if ever, but Nagisa had no time to cut corners, and no one's going to die if he could help it. Eventually, after a pause in both sides, the Fanalis lifted his paw off of the blade, and raised his head. "A fighter at heart. ... Well, let's see how much of a warrior you are. Masrur!" All of a sudden, the Fanalis gave a loud bark, which signaled one of the Fanalis to jump out. They all thought that it would be an onslaught, but instead, it was just one Fanalis, and actually grabbed Aladdin from behind. Aladdin barely had time to react, and was now in the jaws of one of these Fanalis. After that, the Fanalis group turned and raced off with Aladdin as their captured prey! "Aladdin! Everyone, come on!" Nagisa yelled, almost immediately rushing off after the Fanalis. There was little time to react, so they had to run after them. The tribe of Fanalis continued racing on ahead through the land, not showing any signs of slowing down in their run. With their size and speed, this made it difficult for the humans to keep up with the Fanalis. The exception to this rule was Morgiana and Nagisa, with one of the Fanalis looking back just to see them right behind. Sure they were far behind, but still were keeping up and weren't farther away. As they kept going, the land began to break open to what looked like a canyon up ahead, and the team thought that they would slow down, or turn. ....... "W-What?!" One by one, without slowing down in the slightest, the tribe began to jump across the great canyon! It was enough to make Nagisa skid to a stop, him and the rest of his group, seeing the Fanalis members make the jump following their chief. Morgiana was the only one who didn't stop, and followed the tribe across, her natural strength making it look pretty easy. Then again, none of them could crack a tree in two with a clench of their wrists like they could. "Y-you shitting me?! How'd they jump across that?!" shouted Terasaka. "Well, they are Fanalis," Envy noted. Some of them looked over the cliff, and it didn't help that they couldn't see the bottom of it either. And just for that icing on their little cake of troubles ... "Well?! Come on and jump!" called one of the members. "They won't do it!" mocked another. Well, they've tried for the longest time to get this far into this Underworld, their one chance on getting allies in this place, and with the Fanalis laughing at them, there was no chance. Such a long cliff like that no human can ever jump, and somehow the Fanalis tribe here proved they could no problem. Morgiana waited for at least one of them to try, but none of them even bothered to go, intimidated by the feat these Fanalis had easily done. "S-so now what do we do?" Envy asked. Nagisa stayed quiet for a bit more, and actually turned around, beginning to walk back. That just seemed to prove to the Fanalis Tribe that they were not up for something like this. "Nagisa? ..." Blair said. Not a word. Across the canyon, the Fanalis tribe all began to head off. Morgiana and Masrur stayed a bit quiet for a bit, looking over to the humans themselves, and eventually Masrur placed a paw on Morgiana's shoulder. a silent gesture to move on. Morgiana readied to follow her tribe onward back to their camp when - "WAIT!" The tribe stopped, and took a look back. That voice was from Nagisa again, this time facing towards the cliff face, and seemingly impossible jump. His friends were on the otherside of this cliff, according to the map they've been given. They were suffering there. "... I can. ... I CAN. ..." Then he began to run. "W-WHA, NAGISA WAIT!" called Envy. But Nagisa Shiota didn't stop. Determination edged him in his run, and as everyone watched, his feet met the very edge, and with all his power, launched right off in a mighty roar! It was a jump for his life, and for a moment, Nagisa almost felt like he was flying, arms spread to his side and body angled forward like a flying bird. Those on both sides were taken aback, Nagisa focusing only on the otherside. The winds from the canyon struck his body from below, as if it too was aiding in his goal. Landing. It was a bit rough, Nagisa had to admit, as he almost lost his footing, but sure enough he was on the otherside of the canyon! Nagisa gathered himself, and looked back. "WOO! WAY DA GO NAGISA!" called Blair, hyped up from the display. "No way, he actually made it," noted one of the Fanalis. Masrur stayed quiet and continued to observe what would happen next. Aladdin smiled on seeing that ultimate victory, and he began to sense a similar determination vibe begin to grow in the others too. "I've trained too long be shown up by these Fanalis! I'M GOING FOR IT!" Nakamura decided. "No doubt about that!" Blair added in. She then turned to Terasaka's gang. "Hey! Let's show those Fanalis what we Humans are really made of!" "RIGHT!" the boys said. Their inner fighter had come to life now, and there was no stopping them. And with the signal, Nakamura lead the charge with Blair, the group of Terasaka's gang! "H-Hold on, you're all gonna die if you try!" Envy insisted, but none of them were having any of that. And even more so - "Right behind you!" "W-WHAT?! Kirara, you can't be serious!" Envy gasped, seeing even her run too. "My gang's nothing without me, Envy, so I have to go!" Kirara said, following close behind. Next thing they knew, the group off on the otherside, and those still remaining on the one, saw the group of humans make their jump in a mighty warrior cry. Envy couldn't even bare to look, and closed his eyes tightly as they flew over like Nagisa did. Right in front of everyone, much to their surprise, they just managed to get themselves across too! Terasaka landed more roughly than Nagisa, and got on his knees from the impact, but he wasn't too hurt from the fall, and everyone else was alright overall. To say that the Fanalis were impressed was an understatement. Envy opened his eyes and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. This group of humans had actually did a feat thought only Fanalis could do! "T-They all made it?!" Envy gasped. "YEAH! We're all making it, baby!" said Takuya, fist pumped into the air for the victory. Heine straightened up, and adjusted his glasses. "Not just yet," Nagisa said. That brought their attention over back to Envy, who felt completely at a loss for words. "Come on, Envy, it's easy!" called Yoshida. "Just get a good running start, and you'll fly over in no time!" called Nakamura, equally hyped from the feat. Envy felt a twitch in his left eyebrow, eyes wide. "G-God damn it," Envy said to himself, doing as they said and slowly backing up. If he had his original Homunculus strength this wouldn't be too bad, but he still had his human strength on him. Before going, he felt the stone in his pocket, and pulled it out to look at it in his hand. Eventually, his hand gripped it into a shaking fist. "Come on, Envy. I'm not a Homunculus anymore. ... I'm a human. I'm as strong as I was before! So what if I don't have a Philosopher stone in me. I need them. And they all need me!" In a state of determination and bravery, and making a warrior cry himself, Envy finally started to run towards his team! He made it this far without his Homunculus tricks, no way was he going to give up now. They all were waiting for him, and he met with the cliff with the biggest jump he could muster. Envy launched off with all his strength, and he felt the wind lift him over much like the others had done. Envy looked like he was going to make it with such a leap across, but at the last moment, he started to slow down, and he landed right on the edge of the cliff, his foot slipping down! Envy struggled a little bit, but he did eventually pull himself up to the otherside. Safe. Envy needed a minute to realize what the hell happened, but looking back, he was alive, he was alright, and he had did something he thought couldn't be done. Him and the rest of the group. Then came the steps of Masrur coming over to them. "What now? You going to complain some more?" Blair asked. Instead, the Fanalis dropped Aladdin onto the ground, and the tribe confronted them all. Were they going to fight them now? However, Morgiana was smiling at what they did, and they didn't reach their weapons. "... You're all warriors after all," Masrur stated. That was enough of indication they needed to reassure them. This tribe now saw them as actual soldiers worth their time, not to mention they got Aladdin safe and sound. Then stepped forward the first Fanalis they saw. He at first didn't saw a word, but he actually looked a bit more guilty than anything. "... I'm terribly sorry to misjudge you all like that. Our kind doesn't like demons, and seeing him, I ... I hope you can forgive me," he said. While this was indeed humble of him, Nakamura actually found it kinda funny, even laughing much to the Fanalis's surprise. "Talk about a one eighty: first you try to kill us, and suddenly you're groveling. But hell, who can blame ya for being worried about demons down here?" Nakamura joked. The Fanalis wasn't expecting one of them to actually joke about it, but there were no hard feelings from her. "All the same, maybe if you want to prove someone's worthy, capturing friends shouldn't be the first thing you do. You alright, by the way?" Yoshida asked, turning to Aladdin. "I'm a little shaken, but I'm ok," Aladdin replied, arm holding his shoulder. Then however, the large Fanalis began to seemingly bow to them, head aimed to the ground in what looked like either respect or submission. "Ok, we accepted your apology, you don't have to be so formal about it," Kirara said. "I don't that's what they're doing," Envy said. And before they could say much else, the Fanalis in front of them began to change a bit. Turned out Kirara was right about the magic in these creatures, as a sort of light began to cover the body. It wasn't exactly the same as the transformation Blair would do, or Yoruichi, but the effect was still overall the same as the beasts began to shrink down and become more human-like, such as Morgiana. After a short bit, Team Harmony found themselves with a tribe of human Fanalis, and no longer in the company of the red beasts (not in a literal sense anyway). The first Fanalis turned into a tall and muscular man. His hair was long and went down to his back, some bands tossed in front of his shoulder. The outfit on him mirroed that of Morgiana in a sort of Romanian toga with sandals on his feet. what remained from the animal counterpart would be the red eyes, red hair, and unique eye markings which appeared like eyeshadow. For him, he had what looked like a piercing under his lower lip, which was a distinct characteristic. The other Fanalis did the same thing, and every single one of them, despite the differences, all had red hair, red eyes, and similar eye markings. Morgiana fitted right in now, and the kind's resemblances are now staggering. And once that was done, the leading Fanalis went forward, hand extended. "I am Muu Alexius," he introduced. Nagisa smiled, and shook his hand. "Nagisa Shiota." ~~ As the day continued on, those within Abaddon eventually reached their own time outside of their cells for their hour in the yard, as it were. Still, "outside" might not be the right word, as it was more of just going out in a larger part of Abaddon Purgatory. The first one to be out there was Karma Akabane, though if one saw him clearly could tell he had seen better days. Going out with a few other prisoners of Abaddon, Karma looked beaten up to a degree, bruises and a few cuts along his body. Though being a tough kid, he had little to really worry over with these injuries. The area "outside" was a large opened area, no visible way to the outside. The area stretched about football field length, the whole area lined with walls with many different types of demons going around inside. Usually the walls would be steel with occasional barbed wire, but these walls were red and lined at the top with sharp, curved teeth. Karma's first stop was actually over by one of the walls, looking it up and down as if it was some art piece. He could just make out some Imps patrolling on the otherside, one of which peered in and looked down at him. "Some architecture," Karma commented. his hand pressed onto the fleshy substance, but he began to feel it start to suck him in, Karma immediately pulling himself back. "I wouldn't!" called a green Imp. "Those are absorbent: you try climbing it, you'll just add to the structure!" "Thanks for the tip!" Karma called back, strolling away from it before the wall could eat him. And good timing too, as some more familiar prisoners began to catch sight of him. "KARMA!" Suddenly, Pinkie Pie charged out of nowhere, and hugged Karma tight, super happy that another one of her friends were alright overall. Pinkie sure didn't look very happy herself, her usually poofy hair now draped down in a smooth layer, Pinkie crying fountains out of her eyes. "Good to see you too, Pinkie," Karma replied, as Pinkie cried. "Everyone's so mean in here!" Pinkie wailed. Karma got Pinkie Pie to let go of him, just as a few more familiar faces of Team Harmony: Twilight, Gaara, Hoopa, and Winry in particular. "See you two are still with us," Gaara commented. "Hey guys. So, any of you found a way out yet?" Karma asked, getting right to the main point. Unfortunately, the group didn't look too promising with their expressions. "We all were tossed into our cages after being knocked out, how're we supposed to figure that out?" Hoopa commented dryly. "Why, Hoopa, have you any ideas to share to the class?" "I'd use my rings, but those Imps confiscated them like everyone else's weapons! ... I miss em'," Hoopa said, the last part a lot more humbled. It's just not something he was used to. Hoopa without rings is like fish without fins, it just didn't feel right. Karma looked around nearby, but for the moment, that was all of Team Harmony that came outside, the others apparently missing. "And what about the others? Olivier, Al, Ed, Ciel?" "We thought they were out here with you," said Twilight. "Someone mention me?" The group turned away, and soon found at least one of them coming out. Though, it wasn't exactly on his own power, as the large Yellow Imp was carrying him outside to join the others. Seeing his missing arm and leg easily explained why the Imp did this for him, the Imp carrying him on his back like he weighed nothing. "Didn't we say you'll see eachother out here? Here you go," the Yellow Imp said, as he placed Edward on the ground over by Winry. Edward fell on his head when he did that, but at least he was out there, Winry getting him to sit upright. "Don't tell me: you confiscated his automail too, right?" Gaara assumed. "What else did you expect? He can't use alchemy with one arm, can he," the Imp replied. Fare enough. "And what about the others? Olivier, Al, Ciel, where're they Mr. Imp?" Pinkie asked, going right up to it. The yellow Imp scratched its head, trying to remember. There were a lot of demons going around in here, and narrowing it down was a bit hard to do, but eventually it did figure it out. "Let's see. Olivier Armstrong caused some trouble, and even killed one of our Imps so she's in solitary. Alphonse Elric had to be confiscated, so he's not out here -" "My brother's not a tool!" Ed suddenly snapped, making the Imp jump back. "I-I know, protocol! ... anyway, as for Ciel Phantomhive ... well, we tried getting him out, but he wouldn't go so we left him in there. Can I ask you one question?" the Imp finished. "Ask away." "Did your friend deal with this before? We don't see someone that broken up unless they've been put into Gehenna first," the yellow Imp asked. "Don't see why we should tell you," commented Edward. "And what is Gehenna anyway? Another prison?" "Let's just say you won't be alive for a day if you're in there. Especially you, Ed," the Imp said, considering his missing limbs. It was then another thought came to mind, and Winry went over to it. "You devils didn't destroy my automail, did you?" she asked. Her scary expression caught the Imp off-guard, expecting such a look from a devil not what he assumed was an angel. Rather than answer, the Yellow Imp jumped up to the top of the flesh wall to the next platform. Only then did it answer. "Yes." "... GET DOWN HERE!!!" she screamed, trying to climb the wall, but she began to get sucked into it! Karma, given the warning earlier, pulled Winry out before she could be absorbed into it. Winry thrashed as if a demon possessed her, trying to get him to let go, some of the other Imps stopping and looking down to her from the top of the wall. "What's with her?" asked a red Imp. "She cares a lot for her automail, apparently," shrugged the yellow Imp. They were lucky though that Winry couldn't climb the wall after them. "Will you calm down, it's just some metal," Gaara said. Winry looked to Gaara with an almost demonic glare. "That "metal" is my creation." "So what? Going on a murder spree won't help, and it won't get us out of here any faster. Unless you want to join solitary with your not-aunt," Gaara pointed out, giving Winry a bit of a glare of his own. He may not have a demon in him anymore, but he still had his demonic tricks on him. As mad as she was, Winry slumped and sat down over by Ed. Ed wasn't feeling much better about it, and he knew Gaara was right. Even if he wanted to hurt them though, what could he do with one arm and one leg? The Imps went off out of sight, much to their annoyance. "Well, this is just a fine kettle of fish, is it? Sebastian dead, we're all stuck in here, and we got literally no way to get out. This is the bottom of the pit," Hoopa griped. "Tell us something we don't know," Ed sighed. "Guys, don't count it out just yet. Blair, Aladdin, and Nagisa didn't get caught, remember? They'll find us, I know they will," Twilight said. "Wait, yeah they didn't. Well, looks like we'll have to put our hopes on them," said Winry. "Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie said. "Look, I know you got a lot of faith in your boyfriend, but be real: Abaddon has the highest security in the Great Rift, how the hell are we supposed to get out? He's gonna need more than just some speed and a toy knife to do that," Hoopa explained, as narrow-minded as that was. "Hoopa, we're talking about a kid who took on Tirek and won, I think he can figure something out. Or would you rather stay stuck in here?" Karma stated. *AAUUGH!* Before their conversation could go any further, the sudden scream caught their attention. Off into the field, it looked like one of the demons was in a bit of a tiff, and he suddenly had a smaller prisoner in its mouth, shaking it around and tearing it apart! Stray blood splattered over near their feet, but this commotion did spark the Imps to suddenly jump in at them. A group of green Imps swarmed the larger demon, forcing it to drop the smaller one, and keep him back, but it seemed too late to save this one, the body laying in a pool of blood, organs and bones crushed. A pair of blue Imps joined the green Imps in seeing the incident, some of Team Harmony going over as well. "God damnit, not again," the blue Imp groaned. "Again?" asked Pinkie. The blue Imp gave a whistle, and some of the Green Imps went on over, going around the body. They thought that they were going to take him away, but instead, one of the Imps got what looked like a wooden flute. The lesser demon started to play a tune on it. ... *GASP* And after a good minute, the seemingly dead demon sprang back to life! The wounds were still bleeding, but he looked a lot better than he did earlier. This caught them off guard the most since arriving in Abaddon. "Hold on ... you revived him?" asked Twilight. The blue Imp turned to her. "It's a rule we have here: you can't go through your sentence if your dead, so we have to revive them if something like this happens. This is the seventh time in the last three months," the blue Imp explained. "Weird. Won't the reapers be pissed off at you for doing that?" Gaara asked. "Oh, you'll stay dead of you're outside Abaddon, but it's not a way out in here. so try to stay alive, please?" the Imp replied, going away with the group of green Imps once things calmed down. So not only were these Imps a bit more open, but they were actually merciful as well. ... Well, sort of. "Well, least we can say we're not gonna die in here," shrugged Karma. ~~ After this, the whole group was given a far better welcome by Muu to his tribe, and with some aid of Morgiana, the group was brought over back to the Fanalis camp. It sure was a good change from killer to kindness, and Nagisa would've forgive himself if things would've gone worse. At least they've managed to get things right, and that was the important thing. For the exact place they had in mind, the group was brought to a more opened tribal settlement, looking like a village of sorts, not too dissimilar to the place Yoruichi had made home in for her clan. The only difference though was that this was more well-kept in an overall sense, and plenty more room to roam around. The group went on through the front, and noticed other Fanalis going about their time. Some human-like, and some still as the same beasts just coming back from hunting. It didn't really mattered on what age they found them in, be it adult or kid, they all had the similar markings and red eyes and hair. They still noticed that they had scars as well, each one different in its own way. And ... well, someone had to say it. "Is anyone else feeling like Deja Vu right now?" Yoshida quietly asked. "Eh ... yeah," Envy replied. The group began to head on inside the village for a bit, following Morgiana and Masrur. Seeing the Fanalis all around them, it didn't take much time until this group of humans got the tribe's attention. Not often would humans even get out this far, let alone be invited into the camp. "Are scars an accessory to you Fanalis?" asked Nakamura. "No, but each scar a Fanalis has is a sign of how much one has gone through in life," Muu answered. "But you don't have any scars," noted Blair. Muu rubbed the back of his head with a smile. "Just because it's common doesn't mean we try to get scars. Besides, we Fanalis are a lot stronger than other humans, so getting scars is harder on us," Muu joked. Before they could continue, one of the Fanalis began to get a meal ready for the tribe to eat up, something they easily got a good smell of not too far away. A smell of meat to be sure (why wouldn't it be?), and with how long they've been going around with what rations they had now diminished from travel, it was a welcoming sight for them. "Karma would have a field day with these Fanalis if he were here," Nagisa thought. ....... So it didn't take too long until they were starting to eat up. And with the Fanalis, meals come big, and most of it was mainly animal meat from the Great Rift, most of which was a bit unrecognizable, but it was still pretty good anyway, as many of them were given a good chunk of their share. Blair, Kirara and Terasaka were given some Carrion Crow meat, all cooked up and juicy. "Talk about your ironic twists," Kirara simply stated, taking a bite of the surprisingly good meat. A bit spicy, but pretty good all the same, tasting like some spicy chicken wings. The others had their own different types of meat given to them, and the various members of the Fanalis tribe, young and old, were enjoying every bit of it, like it was a big celebration or something. Nagisa and Aladdin enjoyed their meal, though they were a bit more humbled by the Fanalis more than anything. "You not hungry, Nagisa?" asked Envy, nudging him. "Sorry. I'm just wondering how the others are doing in that Abaddon place. They could be going through anything in there," Nagisa sighed, picking at the meal he had in front of him. Here he was eating up a feast and his friends were probably getting scraps in their prison. "Eh, not everything. I mean, Abaddon's the most secure but not the most cruel." "So much better," Nagisa remarked. They may be alive, but what did that mean exactly? It didn't matter much to him how secure a place like that is, he just wanted them out. "Actually, yeah it is." "Ok, Envy, what won't they do in there now that they got Team Harmony locked up?" Nagisa asked. Envy needed little thought, and whispered the number of ideas he could come up with he knows they won't do. ... And Nagisa felt a shiver run through his spine just seconds after Envy started. Needless to say, the idea of what demons so to their prisoners was far more horrid than he thought. But, he quickly shook off his fear. "Well, anyway, I'm still not letting them stay locked up." "Oh, year, of course, damn straight we'll get them out!" Envy reassured. Yeah, Abaddon wasn't as bad as brought on to be, but they were surely getting them out regardless if it meant to keep the world in tact from Sombra's reign. "Right. Morgiana?" Morgiana paused for a minute in her eating, with what looked to be a large slab of meat in her mouth. "How much further until we reach Abaddon? do you know from here?" Morgiana took a moment to swallow her meat before she gave her answer. "We're miles away still," Morgiana simply answered. *thud* "Still not close?" Nagisa groaned, now his face meeting the table. How far did they travel through the Great Rift already? He would think that they'd be at least close, but clearly it wasn't gonna be a straight shot after all. This thud got the attention of one of the other Fanalis sitting further away from him. some of the others, Masrur included, had overheard what Nagisa's goal was, taking some interest in it. "Abaddon?" Masrur asked. "Yeah, we're going on a rescue mission. Looks like we have to wait though," Aladdin said, disappointed when he looked up to the sky. If they were still miles away, it would be well into night time when they would get there, and they weren't interested in being victims of Hollows roaming around during the night. "Who's stuck there?" asked a female Fanalis. "Quite a few actually: Pinkie, Twilight, Karma, Edward, Alphonse, Gaara, and then there's Winry, Hoopa, and Olivier I think," Blair said, going down the list in her head. And going over said names, that was quite a lot of people they would end up looking for. The amount they were trying to go for was something intriguing to say the least. "You're hopeful," Masrur stated, not believing that they're gonna be very successful. That caught the group's attention. "Hey, we're trying to save the world here before it all goes to hell by Sombra's demons, damn straight we're gonna try to get them out and save everyone," Blair suddenly blurted out. The chatter suddenly died down when they all heard this, many of the Fanalis tribe looking to her and the group in this statement. Surprised either from their big mission, or the fact Sombra was starting an attack on the Surface World. Blair and company soon grew quiet themselves. "... Say that again?" asked Muu. "What part? Sombra attacking the human world, or us fighting against them?" Blair asked. No, it didn't help the excitement and surprise much, and Nagisa felt a little bit of Deja Vu from before. It was the day he returned from his Pluton victory to school all over again. "The demons finally decide to face us humans," pondered Muu. "They've been giving us shit for about a year, yeah. And now Team Harmony's stuck in Abaddon," Envy replied. The Fanalis took this into some consideration, as Nagisa waited for that question to come up. "I know what's coming. Pluton's gonna be brought up again," he thought. Then Masrur turned to him. "... So you killed Tirek?" ... Well, he wasn't ready after all. And this time it was something he did so himself, and not broadcasted to the entire world. Admittedly, Nagisa wasn't sure how to handle this one. Well, he didn't have to explain it to his whole group, much of the new gang well aware of who that demonic creature was, Envy especially. Kinda hard to forget someone who tried to force suicide onto him. "Tirek?" "We heard about the defeat of the former king. So was it you who did that?" That got the attention of a few other Fanalis as they waited for his answer. Well, with how many times Pluton had been brought up, Nagisa had grown a bit more used to it by now. He took a look to Blair and Aladdin, both of which waited for the story themselves. "Go on," Aladdin insisted. Eventually, Nagisa smiled. "Who's up for a story?" ~~ As nighttime came, the Fanalis Tribe began to show a lot more respect to the group, Nagisa Shiota especially for his story on his fight with Tirek. It surely was a bit of a surprise for the Fanalis to hear a seemingly normal human defeat a Demon King, but it did put a better word with the rest of the group, not to mention his friends stuck in Abaddon. For the night, the group were given a place to stay within their camp, an offer they had to really take mainly to avoid the Hollows. Their main place to stay was mainly a large shared room, much of the group sleeping for the run tomorrow. However, as with the nights prior, Nagisa just couldn't go to sleep, the worry over the others back in Abaddon stuck in his head. Sure, half of what cruel things Envy said were forbidden in there, but that didn't mean that they weren't in any trouble. The world was still in danger after all, and having them all locked away wasn't the best scenario (though Sombra might think so). Though, at least his Demon Sense was calmed down while he was here. "Come on, Nagisa, get some sleep. I need all my energy for tomorrow," Nagisa thought, trying to calm down. He had his eyes closed, and all he could do was toss and turn a little bit. "Oh, it's no use. My Demon Sense isn't acting up, but ..." Don't see why he would, that purgatory's the most secure one in the Great Rift, and closest to Tartarus. Nagisa finally sat up, realizing something. "What was I thinking? Sombra would want us to just go in there, he's probably waiting for us to show up just to take us all at once. Envy and the others were nice to come along, but it won't be much against King Sombra himself. ... They'll probably kill me for thinking that," Nagisa thought, looking to his friends still sleeping. A sigh escaped him, as he continued thinking. "Well ... If he is going to expect us, then we need to try and step ahead of him. K think: your friends are in a Purgatory close to Sombra's kingdom, about a mile or two away from the -" And it suddenly struck. Throughout their travel through the Great Rift, demonic activity had been surprisingly low. Sure there was the Carrion Crow, but that was about the worst of it so far apart from the Fanalis. And then there was the clues some of the others had said on the way. Nah, Sombra wouldn't let us go over there unless it's straight to Abaddon, and even then I've never gone there personally so ... your guess is good as mine Magic binds. Those demons always cheat with that "That's it!" Nagisa realized. That last part escaped his mouth instead of keeping in his mind, but it wasn't enough to wake the others up. This could be proven as a good advantage in this demon fight in the long run, and as they were sleeping, Nagisa slowly got up and quietly walked on out. If it'll all work out, then he'll tell them in the morning. ....... "Good night, Nagisa?" Well, what timing was this? Nagisa did jump on the voice, but found it was the very person he wanted to talk to: Muu Alexius! And he was in his animal form no less, which made the encounter even more of a surprise, almost making Nagisa fall over. "M-Muu? You're up still?" Nagisa asked. "I just came back from some hunting. I didn't wake you, did I?" Muu asked, turning back into his human form. "No, you're fine ... though, it's good you're up anyway. Can I ask you something?" Nagisa asked, walking a ways from the others so to not wake them up. However, Muu himself was already starting to sense a bit of a stronger motive, and took Nagisa a bit more seriously. "... I want the tribe to join us against Sombra." Now it was out. Silence hung in the air for a bit more between Muu and Nagisa, letting the offer fully be known to the Fanalis chief. To Nagisa, this was the first time he actually made this kind of offer to anyone, but with all the clues, the Fanalis would be perfect allies against Sombra. Nagisa just had to make it work first. "To join you. ..." "I know this is kinda out of nowhere, and it just came to me now. ... But ... but Sombra has to be stopped. We need all the help we can get when he decides to try a full takeover," Nagisa explained, trying to be sincere about it. Muu though had a different look on it. "I know where you're coming from. But I can't have my people go into danger like this. We don't actively hunt demons." "... Neither did we," Nagisa admitted. This kinda took Muu by surprise. "You didn't? You mean you didn't hunt down Tirek?" "Well, no. In fact, he was more eager to find me than I am to find him. To tell you the truth, we didn't start to actively hunt demons until a few months ago. Sombra's been sending demons after me and my friends, and we have to fight him back before things can get any worse," Nagisa explained. Muu honestly was a bit taken aback, but if Tirek was just jumping up there to get at him, he saw how much pressure Nagisa was actually under. "And how long have you've been dealing with demons?" "Almost a year," Nagisa answered. "You mean you never hunted any demon until now?" "It's complicated. ... Listen, I'm not going to force you if you don't want to, but Sombra has the entire world in a time limit, and if we're not ready when it ends ..." Nagisa didn't have to finish his statement to Muu for him to understand the situation. After some bit of thinking, Muu actually nodded his head. "I'll need to talk to my tribe first. If they all want to help you, then ok," Muu decided. It was probably the best answer he was gonna get. S06Ep3: Monster's Maw ~モンスターのモウ~If daytime wasn't harsh inside Abaddon, then nighttime was simply horrible. Many a prisoner still stuck inside, Team Harmony included, had to deal with the constant and distant screams and moans echoing throughout the Underworld Purgatory. The prisoners can wail and moan as much as they wanted, but none of the Imps were going to let them go until their sentence was up. Team Harmony wasn't enjoying any of this, now split up again and dealing with their own brand of Underworld punishment. For Ciel though, being trapped in such a place was hell enough for him. He had gone through all of this before, and this time though, Sebastian was not going to appear around to help him. A bit ironic really. Ciel remained high up in his lone cage, the only company being the sounds of the purgatory itself, none of his team anywhere near him, nor was he even aware that they were in here at all. As he laid there, one of the Imps hopped up onto the cage, turning out to be a trio of green Imps, having his last meal for the night in the form of a bit of bread. "Last meal for the night, Ciel," one of them said, tossing in the bread to him. However, Ciel was feeling a bit too sick to eat anything. "He's still not eating?" asked one of the Imps, the other shaking his head. "Eat up, Ciel!" "... What's the point? ..." "Aren't you hungry?" "Naturally. ... Though I'd rather die than continue living in a horrid place like this," Ciel said. And with how little he ate, that was what he was trying to do. One of the green Imps went over to the front side of the cage, seeing that Ciel looked rather malnourished. The green Imp got this word to the other two, and then one of them began to play a little tune to Ciel. The boy tried to ignore it, but he looked to himself and began to see that his body was regaining muscle and basically turning to normal. If Ciel wasn't gonna eat, then this was gonna have to be the case. Ciel looked to himself with some shock. "If you want to kill yourself, at least wait until after your sentence," one of the Imps said. "... Why did you do that?" Ciel asked, turning and looking to them for the first time since his capture. "It's one of our rules, that's why." "Bloody bastards," Ciel said. The Imps weren't sure what he was angry about, and with a shrug just left him in there to continue on their patrol through the night. Ciel looked off upwards from his cage, seeing that his cage actually had a view of outside, though way too far away for him to even get to, and just dropping down to the bottom was out of the question, he couldn't see the bottom of it. "Nowhere to go. ... Damn you, Sebastian. Why'd I ever agree to your hellish term?" Ciel thought through gritted teeth. He should've known a demon would backstab him after a while, he knew he should've. So many years of his power over him, the sense of authority and control were all gone the second Sebastian tasted his soul, and now he had paid the price. Years of dedication, wasted. However, as he tried to think, he began to feel the cage begin to move, but this time no Imps were on it. The chain holding him up began to move his cage downward slightly, and then moving it along through the purgatory on what he assumed would be an assembly belt. "What now?" Ciel wondered. Eventually, the cage stopped over somewhere a little closer to the ground, or some sort of ground. Ciel wasn't sure what was going on, but suddenly the bottom of the cage opened up and dropped Ciel off, Ciel landing onto the ground with a rough thud. The cage moved off out of sight into the gloom, Ciel left exposed to whatever was down there with him. The ground was cold, and little light at all helped him figure out where he was, or what could be down there with him. *thud* Ciel turned around on the noise, though while he couldn't see him, the voice made him realize that Edward had been dropped down with him. And with that thud, it wasn't anymore graceful than Ciel's fall, as he went on over towards him. Seeing his arm and leg missing surely didn't make him feel much better, as Edward spun himself around as best he could do, but he looked ... a little more out of it than usual. "Elric?" "A flea. ... A little flea. ... They called me a flea. ..." Ed murmured. not really the worst thing that could happen to somebody, but Edward's little bit of "torture" (quote on quote) still got to him. It didn't help that Edward couldn't even do a thing without his arm and leg on him. "That's their torture method. Why does that not surprise me?" Ciel sighed. "Ed? Is that you?" And not the only one. Ciel and Ed looked on towards the voices. Coming out of the darkened gloom, Ciel could make out a human-like figure, but lucky for him the figure turned out to be a familiar, more friendlier face of Winry Rockbell. Ed would respond, but he was still a bit traumatized in his own way. It took a bit, but Ciel was starting to see the rest of the team now in there with him, each one a bit beaten in their own way, for better or worse. "So he's got you all trapped in here too? How on earth did he manage that?" asked Ciel, though he was more cynical with that question, as Karma walked over to Edward. "Let's call it a shitty trick. Hey, Ed, you with us?" Karma asked, looking to Ed. "A little flea. ... Little flea. ..." "Permission?" "Oh, sure," said Twilight, and Karma went on to slap some sense into Ed. It did make him come back around, but still was not any better with his situation. Karma placed him down, and looked around. "Thanks," Ed simply said. "Well, anyone wanna take a guess as to what they're gonna do next?" Karma asked, arms crossed. He was about up for anything at this point, and so were everyone else. "My guess would be interrogation," Winry said after a little bit. "You sure that's it?" Twilight asked. "Either that or they grew tired of us," Gaara stated. It really was anyone's guess at this point. "Correction: I grew tired of you." All of a sudden, the group found themselves surrounded by conjured flames. none of them reached the group, but walls of fire stood tall and kept them all back. now with the light, they all found the best of the group with them, including Hoopa and Olivier, the only one missing being Alphonse much to Ed's worry. The minute Ciel Phantomhive saw the fire though, the already horrifying place became his trauma incarnated. Flashes of all that torture and horror flashed through his mind, his heart racing and his muscles becoming weak. "Ciel! Ciel, stay with us!" Twilight quickly said, trying to calm Ciel down. But with the light as well, they found themselves off in a pit of red flesh and teeth, as if they were inside of some monster's mouth. And looking up to the top wall, their visitors looked them down as if they were a bunch of zoo animals. Chrysalis, the Slicer brothers, and Sombra had come by now. While they did recognize the three from prior events in some way, Chrysalis did look a little bit different: a bit taller, thicker, and looking a bit stronger than before as well. "Well, would you look at that. All of Team Harmony in one little place. Doesn't that calm you down, a little bit, sweetie?~" Chrysalis cooed. Sombra took a minute to look down at the group down there. "Well, if it isn't King Sombra. No surprise there," Karma commented. "A rather convenient way to see you all, I know. and it seemed the rumors about Ciel's pyrophobia hold more than I figured," Sombra noted, looking over to Ciel, who was still freaking out like crazy, eyes wide and terrified of the fire around him. Then Pinkie and Olivier started to talk. "Keep talking, Sombra, your days are numbered!" Olivier warned. "Turn down the fire so Ciel can calm down! AND YOUR STYLE SUCKS!" Pinkie yelled. "Seriously?" Twilight thought. Sombra paused and took a look over to Ciel Phantomhive. ... and actually complied. He kept the fire on, but with some magic focused, the fire dulled down to a more decent flame, giving Ciel some time to gather himself. At this point though, Sombra took a second to count out exactly who was actually there. "... Slicer? ... Why is she here? And where are the others?" Sombra questioned, giving the slicer brothers a death stare to make a reaper cringe. "They've disappeared. I went to find them, but they're gone -" and before he could continue, Sombra gave him a good whack in the head, enough to make the head spin for a bit. "My instructions in detail were to get every single member of Team Harmony and have them in Abaddon, and you've screwed up! What made you think leaving any behind and replacing them with these canaries was a good idea?!" Sombra yelled. "Canaries?" Winry wondered. Sombra was so close to getting them all, and one slip ruined all of it. Chrysalis went over to him and tried to calm him down. "It's still a very good score, Sombra, look. We even got a elite angel captured. Would it really make much -" "YES. YES IT WILL," Sombra hissed. "We're still here!" called Pinkie. Sombra avoided beating up the hunk of armor for this mess up, and looked back down to who remained, and quickly counted out on who exactly was missing. "Hmm ... Nagisa. Aladdin. Blair. ... Of course it's him who doesn't get caught." Sombra calmed down enough to make a proper backup plan for this, his future vision starting to come to activate. After a short bit, he calmed down fully with a sigh of relief, much to the trouble of the prisoners. "Well. We know where he'll try to go. We'll improvise." "Sombra, if you think you're going to win in the end, you got another thing coming to you! We'll not stop until you're taken down!" Twilight yelled. "Don't give me that. It'll probably be better for him when he sees you're all still alive in here anyway. ... Besides. Our little game is almost over. Soon as we see what your friends will do once they get here." "You mean "if" they get here?" Pinkie asked. "No, when. I know he'll be coming here sometime soon, he won't rest a night until he knows you're all out and safe. He'll sneak in, go around for a little bit, and the minute he sees you all down here, he'll jump in and try to get you out, only to be captured himself. It's pretty straightforward at this point. You all just stand there and look good, then we can go when they're here," Sombra explained, before he began to turn and go off into one of the other halls. "What makes you say that?" asked Slicer, a little curious. "I'm a people's person," Sombra simply replied. ....... Unfortunately, Sombra was correct about one thing: Nagisa and company were indeed on their way towards the prison by the next morning light, and they've made a bit of ground when leaving the tribe off behind them. A good night's sleep to be sure, but unfortunately for Nagisa, it turned out to be just them by the looks of things. "Didn't you get that turban fixed yet, Aladdin?" Envy asked. "I'll get it fixed when we get back. If we are close, we won't need to fly," Aladdin answered, though it was a weak one for him not knowing how to sow. As they kept going, Nagisa took a moment to look back to where they walked from, barely seeing too much of the tribe camp, if at all. "Well, it was worth a shot. We just got to be more alert when we get there," Nagisa thought. If Sombra was waiting for them it would have to be the case (if only he truly knew though). "Deal with the chief didn't work, eh Nagisa?" Blair suddenly commented, making Nagisa suddenly stop. "Wait, how'd you know?" Nagisa asked. "Dude, we heard you yelp last night right next to the door, how could we not hear you?" Takuya pointed out. "Yeah, kinda hard to miss, especially with that big dog standing there. Besides, Morgiana woke us up anyway the minute you stepped out," Kirara added. "Oh. Well, sorry, I didn't want to wake you up. I was hoping we could get some extra help from the Fanalis against Sombra," Nagisa answered. "I'm still here," Morgiana said. Nagisa sighed. "I know, and thanks for coming. I thought you'd stay with the others, actually," Nagisa admitted. However, Morgiana than grabbed Aladdin by the arm. "I would, but you need me right now. I'm gonna fight with you," Morgiana firmly stated. "Good answer there," Nakamura congratulated, before looking off ahead to the terrain of the Great Rift. They could see plenty of grassland still to cross from the hill, but looking further away, Nakamura started to notice a little something out of the ordinary. It looked like a distant rock outcrop, or plateau of sorts. "Hey Envy, Blair, that the place?" Nakamura asked, as Envy and Blair went up and had a look. They took a moment, but eventually they both smiled. "That's Abaddon alright!" said Blair. "Damn it's closer than I thought. At this rate, we'll get there by this afternoon," Envy added. "Well, what're we waiting for then? Last one there's Hollow bait!" Blair said, before getting a head start on them. "Hey, wait up!" Aladdin called, running after her. The rest of the group began their run off down after Blair themselves. It won't be too long until they get to Abaddon now. Much to Sombra's delight. ~~ A rather nice run along, one can say, and as afternoon started to approach the Underworld, the Team had actually managed to get to the outskirts of Abaddon in record time. The interior may be horrific, but the exterior of said purgatory made it look much like a start of a cave. A cave with a multitude of demonic activity emanating from it, something that made Nagisa Shiota shiver once they got close to it. With a whole land lacking in demonic activity, this shiver got him more on edge now. Even from the outside, they can see patrols of Imps going around the front, lined up on guard. None of them got caught, thank goodness, and for the moment, they got themselves positioned just behind some foliage, Nagisa Shiota looking over the situation with shivers running through his body. They may be weaker demons, but there was a lot of them in there, not to mention the demon prisoners stuck inside just to add it up. "Abaddon purgatory. Well, got a point of entry? I'm guessing the front door's not the safest option," Nakamura said, looking over with Nagisa to the guards outside. The Imps looked pretty bored actually, some yawning and even snoozing, but setting off any alarm was NOT going to happen if they can help it. Nagisa turned back to the others, and sat down with Nakamura. "They got the guards lined up all over the place." "So let's just shoot them to bits. We can kill a good thirty of those devils in no time," Terasaka said, loading his gun for some action. "You idiot, don't you shoot, they'll be all over us!" Envy warned in a hiss. "You have a better idea?" Terasaka asked. "Yeah, anything but that!" "Will you two quit complaining? We just gotta find another way in, that's all," Kirara said. "Ok, like what?" "There's a tunnel." The group got quiet and turned to Morgiana, who had her hands on the ground in concentration as they were talking. "A tunnel that can lead right into Abaddon. The western side, and will lead straight inside," Morgiana informed. Well, convenient, but it'll work out just fine. The others even looked on from their position to where Morgiana described, and low and behold, there was a small opening just in the line of sight. They all stayed quiet and just looked to Morgiana for a bit. "... What?" "How the hell did you know that?" Envy asked. "A Fanalis can sense the world around them. Didn't they tell you?" Morgiana asked. "Oh yeah, forgot they can do that," Envy said. "Oh god, again?" Terasaka groaned. "Gripe later, and come on. Who knows how long it'll be before they change position," Nagisa said, starting to go off to said position as best they could without being seen. The Imps though just weren't too organized up out front, so they kept themselves a bit more busy with their naps and itches than actually noticing them go by. Good thing for them, and they got to position over by the tunnel. It was very small like Morgiana had said, and about the size of a vent, and probably used for the same thing. Nagisa could feel the demonic energy blow at him from that vent, and if his friends were inside, then they had no other main option. "Alright. You keep guard here, I'll try to be fast," Nagisa said, already beginning to go down on his hands and knees, ready to go through. However, before he could, he suddenly felt his legs being pulled back, pulling him back out. "Slow down there, buddy. I know you're eager, but how about you sit this one out?" Nakamura said. "You kidding me, my friends are in there -" "And they'll get you when you jump in there. They caught the rest of Team Harmony, why wouldn't they go for the whole set?" Nagisa paused on that thought. "Wait. She's right: they'll capture me for sure if I go in there. And if that happens ..." As bad as it sounded, and as much as he didn't want to, that just wasn't gonna work. The whole team would be found out if that was to happen, then where would they be? "I see the point. But who's going in then?" Nagisa asked. The group stayed quiet for a minute, but eventually, their eyes began to shift off to two other people amongst the crowd: Envy and Kirara. "You two suit up." "Wait, what?" Envy asked, caught off guard. "Of course: Envy, you're more familiar with this demonic stuff than any of us, so you got the know-how. And as for you Kirara, you're infamous for being the black widow of E class, you can sneak around just fine," Nakamura explained. "It really takes that one time to get infamous, huh?" Kirara shrugged. "What's she talking about?" Aladdin asked Envy. "It happened during one of our 3-E training sessions: someone found Kirara crawling around like a spider and take out five students without any of them noticing her. It stuck with her since," Yoshida explained, though it didn't matter if Kirara heard him or not. Kirara started to stretch a bit, ready to head on in. "Whatever. I might as well anyway: the others might get lost in those tunnels anyway," Kirara noted. "Watch it, I got better scores in navigation than you do!" Yoshida reminded, but Kirara ignored him even though being reminded of Yoshida's score of 3.5 compared to her score of 2. "Well, alright. But before you two go in, there's something I should give you," Nagisa said, going through the supplies they've brought with them. For one item, he gave one of them his Halo Blade just in case things go bad. Suddenly, and out of nowhere admittedly, Nagisa brought out something else: what looked like earpieces, and a communicator. ... "Korosensei?" Nakamura asked. "Korosensei. He stopped by during lunch and dropped it off as a "good luck" gift," Nagisa answered. "Just in case we ended up split," added Aladdin. Eh, fare enough. And even if they didn't say it, the notable mark of Korosensei's face on said ear pieces was proof enough. Anyway, Nagisa gave the two their ear pieces, as he went to try and turn on the communicator. Both Kirara and Envy could hear them activate loud and clear. Both of them looked to the tunnel for a moment, then to eachother, and both of them nodded. They were entering the belly of the beast. "Good luck." ~~ It took Envy and Kirara long enough thanks to some Morgiana skill navigation, but finally, and with some strain, they managed to slip into the prison hold of Abaddon. And just where they wanted to be too; there was already a cell right next to them where they landed! A cell like this one, farther away from the other cells in this underworld hellhole must mean that a high up prisoner would be in there. Envy got himself shaken off a bit, and went on over to that first cell. "Psst. Ciel? Karma? Anyone in there?" ....... "OH those names. What a rough nametag to wear ... Whah?!" That surely didn't sound like either one of those characters, and taking a few steps back, another, much larger being slipped out into the limelight. And it wasn't just any demon stuck inside there, nor any of the humans captured. The Great Tengu himself! "Envy. You got some hard balls to come around here." "Tengu? Short time, no punch, see you're still in jail," Kirara said. They may have not seen it first hand, but chit-chats through the Underworld did share that information with them. "I thought you were dead," Envy added in, again going off the stories. "And I thought you weren't a pair of mini-bitches," spat Tengu. Envy kept his anger down pact for the sake of the situation. The Tengu's unmistakable voice could be heard over Kirara's earpiece, and the group knew exactly who it was the moment the words started flying out. As annoying as some were, Nagisa got an idea. "Kirara, he came in here since the others did right? Maybe he might know something," Nagisa said. Kirara got the idea. "Let's get past the name-calling and get to business: a little birdie told me you know where our friends ended up. That true?" Envy asked. Tengu wasn't at all impressed. "Looking for Luck-tag-Team Harmony, eh? Sorry, but I'd rather see you get busted big time! GUARDS! HOLLOWS!!" Envy, in a desperate move, quickly slammed the Tengu's mouth shut before he could scream any more. Get caught now, and they won't be getting out of here, alive or dead. The group gave a sigh of relief when the Tengu did stay quiet. "You trying to get us all killed? And where's that generous cheeky nature you're so famous for? Back in Tokyo, you surely looked like the bigger man from what the others said," noted Kirara. "I am a big man. Big with the payback, and the appeal. Got that, ant? On this track, I'm in control of the beat. you're just a dancer." Now Kirara was starting to get a little angry with this trash-mouth of a demon. "Look, if you rat me out to those Imps, then I'm gonna get thrown in there with you. And it'll be hell of a cage-match," Envy warned. "Worth it to see your smug face behind the bars!" growled Tengu. "Listen "pal", we already know who'll win in a fight between us. We're not looking to start something, but you know we'll finish it," Envy warned. With so much stripped off of him, the Tengu wasn't as cocky as he was before, thinking over what situation he was stuck in. "True that, human. In the one-on-one duel between you and me in here, you'll win. ... But look around, you soft sock. It's a super-sized satanic blowout! You start a fight with me, and execution for you and your posse will be yours. You want that, jack?" Tengu warned. The earpiece went off again, this time being Terasaka in her ear talking. "Will you be careful, you two? Tengu's right: you can't start a fight in there, you won't get out of there alive, no matter how strong you are!" he warned. Both of them paused and glanced off past the cage, and down the small hall to the rest of Abaddon. Demons everywhere, and Hollows on patrol ... yeah, not gonna happen. Then again, how're they gonna find the group in here? "Damnit." she thought. Kirara thought for a moment or two, but then one ... rather nutty idea went through her head. "If those Imps kill us, who's gonna break you out of here?" Both the group on her end, and the Tengu perked up on Nakamura's offer, but the Tengu was more surprised than the group, who was very skeptical on that idea. Tengu took a bit of a long, unsure look to the two, Envy surprised that Kirara was going there. "... Can you really crack this nut?" Tengu questioned. Envy looked to the locks on the cage, and found it was actually double locked: one for a key, one a wheel. Well, if it'll get things easier, Envy might as well not try to question it at this point. "Sure: we got locks like these back at school. I can crack it, no problem," Kirara said, smugly grinning, and finding it funny that the Imps would do a lock system this mundane. As promising as it sounded though, the Great Tengu start to scoff a bit. "You might get this cell door open, but those guards will find me out, and tear me up. and then I'll get the double sentence for not only busting out, but blabbering to you. GRIEF!" Tengu fell onto his back on a more sorrowful note, and Kirara was seeing the situation on that remark when Envy spoke to her. "You mad, Nakamura? We can't bring him with us! Did you forget what he did back home?" Envy pointed out, not believing his own ears. "Do you have a better idea? If so, I'd love to hear it right now," Kirara simply replied, and right on the dime too. Envy didn't have much of an idea, but then Nagisa, reluctantly, took to the speaker and both earpieces went off. "Keep trying to get the info out of him first, at least. Try keeping it quiet if he talks, maybe that'll help." "Oh, yeah, of course, I'm not that gullible like Terasaka," Kirara said. "HEY!" After that chat, they turned back to the Great Tengu. "Here: you talk, and the secret stays between us. You know my reputation - keeping things quiet is what I do best," Envy said. "Trust a band of humans? Do I look chumpy to you?! You're so-called promises, will be cold comfort when I'm pushing up thorns while nailed to a cross!" Tengu moaned. "Try promising protection," suggested Nagisa. A good answer in their eyes. "Look, me and the others, we'll protect you. You know Team Harmony's reputation, and 3-E. you got a good amount of guards." "Sombra's a big wheel - he'll roll all over us. That demon's got a giant army, so many demons to command, too many to count. To talk is like sitting on one of your electric chairs. Sombra has eyes - eyes and ears - ears and claws! The Great Tengu will be discovered, and the class is cut!" "What the hell did Sombra do to him?" Envy wondered. He had to have done something especially harsh for the Great Tengu to think of him like this, considering how cocky he was before. Looks like it won't be that easy. Kirara then got a little idea of her own, and looked to the Tengu with a more softer expression. A knowing one, if you will. "Come on, Tengu. A demon like you can deal with what Sombra has in here. You've trained more years than anyone I know," Nakamura stated. Tengu started to perk up again. "Training? ... Y-You're right. If I can out-train him I can surely out-smart him. All is told through results, heh. ... One thing: how're we getting out of this mousetrap?" Tengu asked, not sounding as sad or scared anymore. Nakamura thought it over a little bit, and then saw the vent again. "Look, see that tunnel there? We managed to get in here that way, we both can use it to escape." "I can't fit in a vent. Look at me! I'm packing too much flesh and muscle to fit in a vent like you twigs," Tengu stated, showing his larger body to them both. Clearly that was more than correct, so vents were out of the question. She then placed took a step away, and activated her own earpiece. "Any ideas, guys?" Kirara asked. The group on the other end tried to figure something out, but Blair got a similar answer. "Try on some disguises," Blair suggested. Simple enough, but will Tengu go with it? "Look, how about I steal some uniforms for us, suit up, and then just stroll out of here?" Kirara asked. "Smart idea. Imps aren't too clever to tell who's who when they're wearing a mask," Envy agreed. "What do you think this is, some 90's comedy? They got hellhounds roaming here, they need one sniff to sniff out a soul, and alarms will ring for days, then it's back to square one again! And you're worried about me dumping us into the same garbage can." Another strike. However, that voice was overheard by Nagisa this time. "Envy, can you hear me?" "What's up?" ....... "Well, you just gonna stand there?" Tengu asked. After the plan was given to him, Envy confronted the Tengu again. "How about this: we'll get the Imps' attention, then run for it. Once they're all busy trying to get me, you can slip out no problem." The Tengu paused, and then a devil grin edged his face. "NOW that's a plan I can get behind! OK, I'll talk of the Harmony line-up, if you agree to owe the Great Tengu ... a favor. Which I'll collect in a few months of time." "A favor?" Kirara questioned. "This here's no small-time favor like: "Will you water my fish, or feed my plant?" NO WAY. This is old-school, samurai, blood-pact favor. Like gods, big time." Now the Tengu's got the table again, much to their annoyance. "Don't fall for it, Kirara!" Envy warned. He wasn't sure about her, but Envy wasn't willing to just take in any demon so easily, not to mention owing them a debt. "Isn't your freedom enough, Tengu?" Kirara questioned, arms crossed. Now feeling in control, the Great Tengu leaning against the walls of his cell, arms behind his head. "Tell you what, you give me a deal I raise you four: you agree to my deal, and on Demon's pact, I'll get your friends out of here myself," The Great Tengu declared. NOW it really was up to them. she could just get the information out of him, but then again, just how much did they really know of this place, and even if weakened, Tengu was still a lot stronger than they were. "He's saying something about a ... Demon's pact? Guys, care to elaborate?" Kirara quietly asked through the earpiece. "He really is serious: it's a sure fire promise that a demon will indeed give you said offer after you've completed your part of the task. ... Kirara, Envy, we don't have a choice: you have to accept it," Blair said. As reluctant as Envy was feeling about the idea, he gave a deep breath, and then turned back to him. "Ok, Tengu. Get our friends out of here, and we'll owe you one." "DONE! Hah, the bargain she is struck! OK, to find the key, you're going to have to find it inside the warden's main office. It's just past the main lobby down the hall, can't miss it," Tengu explained. They looked down the hall. "Ok, great." "Get me out of here, and I'll find your gang, no sweat. Just keep on the down-low, and out of sight near them Imps. They're a bad bunch of bunnies," Tengu warned. Something that can go unsaid honestly. So, after their little deal with the Great Tengu, Kirara and Envy went on down the hall as silently as they could, and soon enough, they found themselves off into the main lobby in question. And boy it didn't look anything good: each floor and wall red and dried up in blood. There was a large skylight in the main lobby, but it was lined with teeth curved inward. Envy and Kirara could see many a Imp going around and on patrol, some flying around while some simply walked along on different levels. No Imp was close enough to see them both, so for the moment they were still shadowed and safe. "I can't believe we've even agreed to his terms," Envy groaned. "It's probably better anyway," Kirara noted. "How? We're not here to break out a demon, remember?" Envy reminded. Kirara then leaned in. "Even if he doesn't he can make a damn good distraction while we gather everyone up. how about that?" Kirara whispered. "... And suddenly this sounds a lot better. Now where's that warden's office?" Envy wondered. Within such a place, that was a pretty hard thing to work out, not to mention the Imps still roaming around that could catch them at any moment. The hellhounds though were still a bit iffy, but they'll have to try and cross that bridge when they get to it - "Eh, not that I don't agree with your logic, Sombra, but you sure you know what you're doing?" Envy and Kirara ducked out of sight on the noise, and looking down from their level, they saw Sombra going on through the lobby with one of the Imps in charge of Abaddon. "He will not leave his team behind. Once he figures out where they are, it will be a matter of when, not if, he'll show up. The second one of your Imps sees them, report to me at once." "Yes sir," the Imp replied. Now this was getting a bit testy. "I think we got a situation guys: Sombra's in here with us, and by the sound of it, he's expecting you to show up, Nagisa," Envy quietly informed through his earpiece. "Drat! How far are you in there?" Nagisa asked, freaked out on such news. "We're in the main lobby, and so is he," Envy answered. Nagisa felt a horrid shiver run through him. Just the person he didn't want to be there, but what was he supposed to do? Kirara and Envy were already in there, and they had a deal to make with the Great Tengu to do now among other things. "Y-You'll just have to give him a wide berth." Nagisa reluctantly decided. "You got to be joking," Envy groaned. "If he catches you now, there's no way you'll get out of there. At least try to fulfill the Tengu's deal, then you can get out of there while he rounds everyone up. I know you're mad at him Envy, I get it, but now's not the time for it," Nagisa explained. As great as it would be to get his revenge on Sombra for everything, Envy couldn't help but agree with what Nagisa said. "Gotcha. Applying "Wide Berth"," Envy sighed. Even he had to agree that revenge will have to be put on hold at least until everyone's out of this place. The others outside didn't hear the exact deal though for them to distract the guards anyway, so if Sombra was here, he was going to find them either way. Looking closer into the warden's office, they began to actually see a lot of other things hidden off inside: a box of confiscated weaponry, and all of which were from Team Harmony. "Kill two birds with one stone," Kirara thought. Envy and Kirara stayed quiet for a moment still, watching the Imp and Sombra converse some more until Sombra started to stroll away to check out the rest of the place, as the Imp went on to the room itself. Now it was an issue all over again: how're they gonna get the key to the Tengu's cell with a Imp chilling out inside the same room? How were they going to do this? Well, Kirara only needed one look to Envy, and can already tell that he was a bit peeved on not being able to go after Sombra, even seeing his hand grip the Halo Blade a little tighter. "... Envy, how about you go on?" "Huh?" "You've been talking about revenge on Sombra ever since we met. And clearly, I know you want to go and do just that. This is your perfect chance to do this, and you got the weapon for it. I'll deal with the key and the Great Tengu," Kirara explained. Envy looked off to Sombra, who just moved off out of sight, and turned back to Kirara, who was actually smiling to him. "You've waited long enough," Kirara simply said. Envy took a moment, and gave a long sigh. He wanted this. He SO wanted this. ... And he did wait long enough for his chance. "Be careful, Kirara," Envy finally said, and with that note, the two went on to split, and Kirara watched Envy go off after Sombra himself. And what timing too, as Kirara's earpiece started to go off again as she quietly started to go to her own positon. "Did you two go off yet? No pressure, but I think the Imps are getting antsy," Yoshida asked. "We're handling it right now." ~~ As Kirara was handling the Tengu, Envy was keeping as silent and as close of a visual as he could ever do to roaming king Sombra. With the mixture or not only king Sombra but the Imp guards as well, Envy had to be especially vigilant of both parties. Any slip up at any point could end up killing him, but at least he can say that the others weren't following him here. As Envy kept to the shadows, Sombra continued on his stroll around the purgatory, finding content that many of the cells were locked up, and prisoners still locked inside each and every single one as he passed. some ignored him, some found it as a surprise, and some even growled at him, but regardless of which one, Sombra stayed quiet and continued going, seemingly unaware that someone was indeed following him. Envy could feel his pulse race a bit, the closer he got to Sombra. His hand itched to stab at Sombra's heart with that blade in hand. It only began to race even more so with where Sombra was actually going, finding him heading to a more isolated area of the purgatory. The more isolated Sombra seemingly made himself, the more antsy Envy started to feel about it. "Envy, calm down! ... Just one hit," Envy thought, now right above him, as Sombra stopped himself for a moment to figure out what was going on, looking around the purgatory for just a brief moment as if looking for someone. "... I know you're there, Envy." Envy froze, but having worked with Sombra, it was something he was expecting honestly. So, without hesitation, Envy jumped right down at him, just for Sombra to lean back, and his arm grabbing Envy by the throat before swinging him over his head and onto the floor! When Sombra took a look at him, he could already tell just how deeply he was with being human, as Envy tried to get himself out. "Envy, stop struggling. I'll make the situation easier for you," Sombra promised. "Damn it!" Envy growled. Trying to get away, Envy swiped the halo blade forward, dangerously close to the demon's face, but it was poorly planned, and Sombra whacked it out of his hand. "... Envy. You are upset over losing your status as a Homunculus. But killing me will not make up for what is done here. You brought it all on yourself." "You think I'm gonna let you live after you ruined the old me?" "I'd hardly call it ruined, Envy." And as if to show how little of a threat Sombra saw of him, he actually released him. Envy rushed for the blade, and tried again, only for his arms to be grabbed by the king. "Envy, stop that. It's embarrassing at best." "Like you'd care anyway! You've planned to get rid of me, remember?" "You've been making mistakes left and right for the desperation of a little pathetic thing called revenge. you kept rebelling against me. you kept causing far more trouble than any demon would like, and to top it all off, it was you who single-handedly exposed your kind to the world with your attempt back in England. YOU made the protection agreement happen, and nothing you say will change that." At the end of his statement, Sombra threw Envy up above his head, and slammed him against the wall a few more time, hitting some cage bars until he was good and bloody. "... I know I screwed you over. But you know what? I wasn't born to be a Homunculus. I like being human, and even before that I was jealous of them. Jealous of how better they were compared to me." "You can say that?" Sombra questioned. "Yeah. ..." Envy then gave Sombra a smirk. "And I'm not going to wait and have you ruin my new life by bringing hell up to us." "Big talk considering you're pinned down right now," Sombra noted. Envy managed to find his feet, but Sombra still had him held onto, both of them staring eye to eye for a minute before Envy tried to get himself free, hitting Sombra with his hands and feet over and over, but yielding nothing. "Will you cut it out? Envy, I got enough on my mind without you in it. Yes, I ruined your Homunculus self, but I still allowed you to live, didn't I? Is this how you thank me for letting you survive?" Sombra asked. Envy paused for a brief moment, but this only left Envy open for another throw by Sombra, sending him flying to the back wall. Envy was stunned, but still came to as Sombra walked over to him. "Don't bother using your innocence, Sombra! We both know you've wanted to kill me, but you can't do that while I was a Homunculus. But now that I'm a human, there's no rule you've made to keep yourself from doing that. I bet you wanted me to show up." "... Well, and here I thought you were too wrapped up in your revenge to work it out." "Why else would you let me go?!" Envy snapped, having his hand on the halo blade again. Sombra though shook his head. "Envy, Envy, Envy. Look. I'm a demon king: I got an entire kingdom to look after, along with trying to get my plans for those humans into fruition. I've seen my demons getting killed left and right by them, and that's not including the amount of kills you've been forced into. Yes, I did make you a human, and in a way, that meant that the rules I've established during my reign no longer imply to you, but you've jumped the gun: I've tried to get you back to normal for Gluttony and Lust's sake, yet I instead find your friend Nagisa in your place." "Oh yeah, sure, making me better by dumping me into a pot of lava, and making me as you wanted! If you think I'm letting you control my life, then you're the dumbass here, not me!" Envy made clear. Sombra just gave a sigh, and even turned his back to him to walk away. "Look, regardless if I kill you or not, you still going to have to face your fellow demons once I release them in the real world. Thanks to your stunts and this protection agreement nonsense, I've had to push my schedule to end our little game quicker than anticipated. If I don't do anything now, then we're all going to be going into Limbo for it." "You're not going to do anything!" Envy roared, rushing off at him again. Sombra sensed Envy coming, and actually turned into shadows, making Envy rush right through him and tumbling off into the open, in view of the other Imps just outside of the isolated area. "HEY! Intruder! Intruder!" one of the Imps called, raising an alarm. So much for a quiet approach, as Sombra walked out into the limelight with him after solidifying. Envy felt a stab at his confidence when that happened. "Well, that didn't take long, did it?" "You made it happen!" "You can blame me all you want to, Envy Homunculus. But in the end, you can't do anything about it. You've had little power over me even with your abilities as a Homunculus, what makes you think you have any authority over me now?" Envy jumped at Sombra once more before Sombra turned into shadows, and actually flew off out of sight to another part of the purgatory. "Get back here!" Envy called in anger, chasing after the shadowy demon. Suddenly Envy found himself in a mixture of pursuit and chase, as some of the Imps began to close in on him not too long after the alarms had gone off. Envy had to skid to a stop in order to confront the Imps, actually slicing one after another as he tried to keep up with Sombra, the demon king looking back and seeing Envy doing surprisingly well against the other Imps on his tail. "For a human, Envy's holding up fairly well," Sombra thought, even seeing Envy slice a Imp in half with the Halo Blade! As foolish as he thought Envy's revenge was, he could see just how determined revenge was to him. He was so distracted with Envy though ... "OUTTA ME BLOODY WAY!" "What the -" suddenly Sombra was slammed by a seemingly unknown force hitting his side. Sombra landed on his feet, but a little stunned on not only the hit, but who actually ran into him. The Great Tengu was out of his cage, and he had his shield back! "T-Tengu?!" "That's my name, don't waste it all in one day, dig?" "But how'd you even -" before Sombra could answer, he took a look behind him, only finding Kirara with what looked like a Imp mask on her face, and a key in her hand. "... Nevermind. Get back in your cell, Tengu." "That's Great Tengu to you, Mr. Shadow. You threw me a good bone for a while, but guess who's back at full power?" The Great Tengu asked, before sending a stream of acid right at the demon king. This was not something he had foreseen, and as he had to deal with the Tengu breakout, Kirara went on over to Envy next. "Sir! Give us a hand with this, will you? We got a runner!" "They're really falling for that?" Envy thought, finding it downright ridiculous. Kirara had the simplest of disguises, and the Imps fell for it easy. No wonder Imps were so low on the threat level. Kirara acted like she was going for Envy, only to kick the Imp off of the path, and bringing out her own weapon to shoot at the others. "Looks like you're having trouble with Sombra. Need a hand?" Kirara asked, helping Envy up. "I feel great, thanks. See you got the Tengu out too, but where're the others?" "Oh, he lied. In fact, he whacked me away the second he got out of that cage," Kirara said. Well, they figured he would do that, but as she said, this was a great distraction for the Imps and Sombra to tango with. "Envy, Kirara, what's going on in there?! We can hear the fight from outside!" Aladdin asked over the earpieces, as Envy and Kirara went off to try and find the others. "Yeah, the Great Tengu's got us covered right now. How's it looking out there?" Envy asked. Those still waiting outside of the prison looked off away, and the fight was actually sending Demons away from the front, and rushing in to get the Great Tengu before he could kill Sombra. "The guards are going inside. come back, the Tengu should -" "The Tengu's fighting Sombra, don't bother." "What?!" "What'd you expect? In fact, come on in, he's got Sombra busy and everyone and their mother's trying to deal with the Tengu right now. If you want your friends, now would be a good time to get em," Kirara informed, as Envy cut another Imp down the middle as they ran off. "In that case, try to keep alive, we're coming in," Terasaka decided. "Over and out." And Envy and Kirara sure had their own luck in accordance to this. With the Great Tengu keeping much of the guards busy, much of the paths they took were pretty well open, and clear for them to rush on through. sure, a Imp or two did come at them, but they made short work with whatever came close with either the blade or a gunshot. As they went, their first stop was straight to the warden's office, skidding to a stop once they got to the place. All of Team Harmony's weapons were inside: Karma's Miracle Sword, much of Olivier's weapons, and over tied up in the corner was Alphonse himself! "Told you I'd be back, Al," Kirara said, as she went over to him along with Envy. Alphonse however was only a head, his body tied up not too far away. "Kirara, Envy! So you got them busy right now?" "Oh yeah, they're running like mad out there. So, you remember where the others are?" Envy asked, picking Envy up, and placing it back on his body. "I think I do. One of the Imps mentioned they're over at the front lobby as bait!" "Bait?" ~~ Meanwhile, with the guards now gone up front, Nagisa and his group went on inside through the front. Thanks to the Tengu's crazy antics, the guards were hardly any, but that didn't mean they didn't had any problems, as a few stray Imps still tried to get at them as they invaded inside. It didn't take long until they took action, Takuya, Terasaka and Yoshida lighting up and shooting off some demons to keep them back. As for close range, Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin had them covered, Aladdin working out his Gyro Ball attack on a number of demons as Blair and Nagisa handled close-range combat. Without his Halo Blade, Nagisa had to work out his agility and martial arts, though was a bit harder to work with. The group of Imps though were just a warmup for much of them, them pushing forward passed the frontal hall, and went right over to the front gate, which was shut tight. "Damnit, open up!" Terasaka yelled, trying to open the door himself, but to no luck. "Pi-Pi-Pumpkin Cannon!" shouted Blair, and with a combined hit with Aladdin's Gyro Ball as well, both witch and magi gave their projectiles a target in the gate, and both collided to the bars with a mighty explosion! "A warning next time?" Terasaka groaned. "Sorry about that," Aladdin replied, as the group started to go on inside and over to the front lobby. They thought it was going to be a harder time, but when they saw everyone else down on the bottom floor, they quickly were taken aback by this. "Right there? Damn, they're just asking for us to break in. Come on!" Terasaka ordered. "Nagisa?!" gasped Twilight. "Twilight! Come on, everyone, it's time for a rescue!" Nagisa called, rushing out to them. "Nagisa, no, stay back!" she called. But Nagisa was too determined to get to her to hear her, and by the time she finished, it was already too late. What happened next was almost slow-motion: in a split second, Nagisa started to sense a higher demon not too far away, and closing in fast right above him. A quick shiver warned him, and he quickly bolted back as a demon slammed into the ground right where he would be standing. His demon sense told him that this wasn't Sombra, but indeed someone just as dangerous: Chrysalis. "Hello there, Nagisa.~" she cooed. Seeing Chrysalis much bigger and voluptuous than before didn't help him any, Chrysalis here about as tall as Korosensei would be. Despite the thickness, Nagisa could tell she was a lot stronger in terms of muscle, her arms slender yet toned, not to mention the ground cracking under her feet. "C-Chrysalis!" gasped Aladdin. "I got her!" Blair called, ready to shoot her, but Chrysalis anticipated her attack and jumped at her instead, moving surprisingly fast, and very strong to grab Blair and pin her down right away. Of course the others tried to send Chrysalis back, shooting her, but to their shock, all the bullets did was bounce off her skin. As Blair was pinned, Chrysalis decided to waste no time with her, and her mouth began to open up. Blair struggled to get her off, but her strength outmatched most of the group, as she began to suck out the lifeforce and magic from Blair right there! "NO YOU DON'T!" Nagisa shouted, jumping on top of her, and stomping right down onto Chrysalis's head. This stunned Chrysalis, but it didn't stop her assault, and soon she finished up her draining, and only then releasing Blair, feeling content and almost an arousal sense as she felt it flow down through her. Chrysalis actually grew a little bit, adding another half a foot inches in height, and a extra few inches in her curves too (much to the boys' mixed feelings). "I've been waiting to have a taste of your kind of power.~" "The hell'd you do to me?" Blair asked, feeling very dizzy, as Chrysalis got up fully, as if showing off herself to everyone. "Try me, and you'll find out." "Alright. PI-PI-PUMPKIN CANNON!" ... nothing. Blair tried a few more times, but she didn't feel much of anything. Chrysalis smiled and then brought her hand forward, as a too familiar ability began to show itself. "Pi-Pi-Pumpkin Cannon," she said, using Blair's own attack against her! Everyone scrambled to get out of the way, just avoiding getting exploded by the demon bitch, but the evidence was clear on what happened to Blair, and how come Chrysalis looked more powerful. "I bet you all thought you'd come in here and just rush on out, right?" Chrysalis asked in a cheeky tone. "Get out of the way, Chrysalis, just let us have our friends back and we don't have to fight," Nagisa made clear. That just made Chrysalis laugh more than anything. "Feisty,~" Chrysalis said, starting to strut over towards him. The others weren't going to give her a chance though, and Takuya took a closer aim, shooting at her face, but she just brought her hand up and blocked the bullets. "Nagisa, it will be easier on all of us if you could just hand yourself over. They all did.~" "Bullshit! Come on, let's clobber this bitch!" Terasaka said, turning to everyone else. However, they didn't come forward, as much as they wanted to. Karma felt frustrated the most, but even he didn't take a step forward. "Guys?" Nagisa asked. "... If we try to attack her, she can use all our powers against us, and everyone else," Twilight answered. "And?" Chrysalis asked, wanting them to finish up what they said. Twilight cringed a little bit. "You don't mean ..." Twilight only confirmed Nagisa's suspicions with a nod of her head. And with what just happened to Blair, the pieces fell into place. Chrysalis had sucked all their power away from them: Twilight's magic, Ed's Alchemy, Gaara and Pinkie's agility, Olivier and Karma's strength. Chrysalis now had each bit of that, and left the team with nothing. That explained why they didn't attack her on the spot, they couldn't. As pissed off as they were at her for doing so. And even if she didn't, they still were unarmed with their weapons gone, so basically, they had nothing to work with. "How dare you," Nagisa hissed, turning to Chrysalis. Chrysalis laughed again, looking down on the meek little human, the demonic energy and power gained being sensed by him. Nagisa felt his body shiver, his pulse at an all time high, and his demon sense acting up like crazy! Chrysalis decided to show off her skills by blasting a magic beam of Twilight's over towards the group he was trying to save! Aladdin saw this and brought out his Magi shield to block it, though the hit was still a lot stronger than normal. Nagisa though did whack Chrysalis in her legs, just enough to make her stumble back a bit. "She has all of their powers?" wondered Takuya. "How the hell are we supposed to fight that?" Yoshida wondered. "You can't. Though it's always adorable to see such men try their luck. But then again, so many do love to try me,~" Chrysalis cooed, giving the boys a sexual wink. "Pervert! Major pervert!" the group thought. Chrysalis turned to her other target, Nagisa trying to fight her, only to have to block a quick kick by the queen. Nagisa landed on his feet, though Chrysalis then changed her target again, and this time went over for Aladdin! she already had Blair, now it was the magi's turn. Chrysalis reached to get him, just for Aladdin to rush passed her legs, feeling very stunned already from the sexualized show he was given. He had to keep his focus. Aladdin turned around, just to find Chrysalis already on top of him, pinning him down to the floor. "Get off him!" Terasaka demanded. "You just wait there and look as adorable as ever. You're next~" "HOLD IT!" Everything suddenly stopped. Nagisa had just about enough of this, and while he had no idea on how to get their abilities back, he didn't want to see anymore of his friends get completely drained of their power if he could help it. "Oh? And what's the matter with you?" "Just let them go, Chrysalis. It's me you're after, not him," Nagisa said. Chrysalis smirked towards him, but all the same, Nagisa was correct. "Nagisa, what're you doing?" Pinkie asked. "Challenging her, that's what," Nagisa answered. That surely got a surprise out of most of them, but this did intrigue Chrysalis, especially considering Nagisa had no weapon on him here to use. "With no weapon?!" "I don't need one." "Ok, Nagisa, normally I'd be impressed, but this is some grim odds here," Karma said, and if Karma didn't think it was a good idea, then it truly wasn't. Nagisa though knew what he was doing, and went out to fully confront her. "Confident, are we? You do realize who you're going up against, don't you?~" "And do you know how many bastards we had to deal with before meeting you? I've already fought against Hellgar, your Homunculus, Pluton, and even won against Tirek and Gluttony in a two-on-one fight. If I can go through all that, I'm sure I can handle you," Nagisa explained, walking up to her. Chrysalis was willing, but as she began to advance towards him, Nagisa oddly remained still. He even closed his eyes and opened out his arms. "The hell?! Nagisa, move!" called Takuya. "She's gonna kill you if you do that!" added in Terasaka. Chrysalis didn't really stop though, and Nagisa prepared for what was coming up next, as Chrysalis's mouth opened up, and began to suck away at his lifeforce, and his powers! "Nagisa!" shouted Aladdin. He tried to go up to her, but someone then grabbed him by the ponytail, only for him to turn around and see that it was Gaara grabbing hold. That block off was just what Chrysalis needed to fully suck away all of Nagisa's abilities. All of his martial arts strength and Demon sense were now hers to control, and Chrysalis grew stronger on that. "Oh you silly man.~ You're willing to die for me? How generous of you.~" It was then that Nagisa smirked. "Feeling a little antsy, Chrysalis?" Nagisa simply stood there, arms crossed, and waited for what he knew would happen to her. Chrysalis had no idea what he was talking about, but eventually a sensation suddenly started to form in her, a shiver running through her body. Chrysalis froze up, feeling the effects of the demon sense hit her. The shivering continued to go through her, Chrysalis feeling a sharp pain hit her head from so much demonic energy housed inside her. "ARGH! WHAT THE HELL?!" she screamed, hands grabbing her head, as she doubled over and collapsed. Oh, Nagisa knew how that felt, the demon queen down on the ground. The pain stuck from the demon sense was more than she could handle. Everyone else had no idea what was going on, but Nagisa simply walked up to her, and raised his foot to press down onto her head. Chrysalis looked up to him, the kid now smiling. "Looks like I win." "W-what? ... But you didn't do anything." "I didn't had to, Chrysalis. You're the one that absorbed my Demon Sense, and we all know that the Demon Sense will go off whenever demonic activity is close by. Considering you're a demon queen, that means that the Demon sense is at an all time high right now. And I'm no expert, but I'm willing to bet it won't calm down anytime soon," Nagisa explained. "To Limbo with that, how do you stop it?!" Chrysalis asked through gritted teeth, the migraine she developed making it extremely painful. Nagisa wasn't letting her off the hook that easily: the demons of hers captured his friends, so he wasn't giving her any sympathy here. "No idea. Now, all you have to do is give it back, and then it'll stop." "SCREW THAT - ACK!" Chrysalis felt a sting through her body again on another migraine headache. Nagisa knew she was hurting because of this, and knew her pain all too well, but this was an advantage that he was exploiting out of her, and he wanted to get every ounce of it. "You mean you'd rather have a horrid headache like that the rest of your life? The only other way to calm it down is to go to the Overworld and stay there." "No way, if I give you back your powers, I'll have to do it to the rest of you!" Chrysalis shouted. "Exactly," Nagisa simply said. So that was his plan to defeat her. Admittedly, they were a bit surprised, yet impressed quite a bit, but Chrysalis could feel her own problems now stack against her. However, she did give Nagisa a sly grin. "What a clever boy,~" she cooed. Nagisa stepped off of her, and allowed her to lift up off the ground. Sure, all this power was all fun and good, but it seemed she bit off more than she could chew. no amount of power in the world could end up fixing this problem, and in the end she had to comply. Unfortunately. Slowly, she got herself fully standing in spite of the headache, and her mouth opened again. Instead of draining though, it began to release the abilities she had stolen from everyone, starting with Nagisa himself. Nagisa could feel the energy coming back to him, and the similar Demon Sense starting to give him a similar shiver, albeit not as strong. One after the others, the prisoners of Team Harmony, and including Blair, all began to regain their abilities and strength, feeling better than they had in a while. By the time it had ended, Chrysalis had actually shrunk down to her normal size, and felt relief run through her as the ability stopped making her brain hurt. "How're you all feeling now?" Nagisa asked. "Like a champ," Karma replied, doing a few strong kicks and punches to prove he was all better. Twilight tested some of her magic, and found she could do that too. But for Chrysalis, she had another trump card, although rather weak from all that release she could barely stay up. "Ok, so you're all strong again, you're still powerless without your weapons!" "You mean these?!" called a voice. And at this point, Kirara and Envy caught up with them, all the weapons now with them, and Alphonse Elric arriving good as new. Well, so much for that card. "Heads up, you guys!" Kirara called, throwing all of their weapons down to them. Gaara was the first to grab his weapons, rushing in and leaping at them in a blur. Karma grabbed his next, which he grabbed the handle of right away. Hoopa even got his rings back after that, and he couldn't be anymore pleased with such a big smile on his face. "Oh, rings, how I missed you!" Hoopa said, even hugging them. Envy and Kirara went over to the others after this, being greeted by the rest of Terasaka's gang. "So, wanna finish her off?" Karma asked, ready for his sword to dig into some flesh. However, Nagisa shook his head. "She's too weak to bother anyone. Let's get out of here and get home." "But how're we doing that? My rings are good, but not big enough for this crowd," Hoopa noted. "Envy?" Nagisa said. "With pleasure," Envy said, as he began to work out the carving into the wall. Chrysalis tried to get up, but she was just too exhausted to do much to stop them, and soon enough, Envy made out the circle. With a toss of his Philosophor's stone onto the circle, the portal was quick to activate, and sure enough, it was opening right back to a familiar area of home, right where the first one was back at the 3-E building. "Ta-Da!" Envy said with a grin. "Shall we?" Nagisa said with a smile, hand extended towards Twilight. Twilight smiled. "Thanks for the rescue," Twilight replied. Well, that was that, and both groups went on through the portal. Nagisa was the last to go, and he took a look back into Abaddon purgatory. Just to see Sombra standing in the shadows, seeing the whole thing happen himself. He may be disappointed, but all the same, Nagisa could hear a slow, audible clap come from him. Nagisa smirked and even gave Sombra a bow, before he took his leave. "That Shiota. Heh. ... Maybe he's ready for my army after all." ....... ~~ ....... For one person, Ciel Phantomhive, the return to the Surface World was the biggest relief of all to him. He was finally away from that hellhole of a purgatory, but all the same, there was still one other thing he had to go off and do. While some would find this a bit ironic of him, Ciel knew down, in his heart and non-existent soul, that it at least was something that should be considered. ... The ringing of the church bells was the calling card. And after some silent, and sorrow-filled work of the Undertakers from back in London, Ciel found himself fully healed, yet quiet, as both his eyes gazed upon the Tombstone in front of him. To the memory of Sebastian Michaelis Died March 2018 May you be in heaven for an hour until the devil knows you're dead A somber moment indeed, and holding a bit of irony. Here was a demon who had double-crossed him, and here he was at his own butler's funeral to the same man. And Ciel felt ... quiet. Calm, yet knowing deep down that he was ... gone. Truly gone. He wasn't alone at this funeral: aside from the Undertaker came out Mey-Rin, Grell Sutcliff, Bardroy, and Tanaka. Some of Team Harmony had also came apart of it, Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma respectively. And while each one of them had their own levels of sorrow for such news to be brought to the graveyard, though the feeling of sadness went through many of them. The silence was broken though when May-Rin finally spoke. "Oh, master! He promised he would never leave you're side, how dare he go on and lie like that!" Mey-Rin cried, tears running down her face. Grell was even more heartbroken by the news, trying his best not to simply cry his eyes out, Bardroy keeping his gaze turned away, Twilight placing a hand on his back, tears coming down her eyes. Pinkie joined Mey-Rin in the crying, hugging Ciel. "Oh, Ciel, we promise we'll always be with you, we swear! I swear on all my heart, you'll never have to deal with this again!" Pinkie promised, tears running down her face. Ciel stayed calm in spite of it all, and he simply smiled. "... He and I are lucky indeed. To be so well loved by people such as you." Ciel stated. Even with what happened back on the Campania, Ciel still had to give his own credit to Sebastian. After everything he had done for him, Ciel owed him that much at least. Nagisa came up next, and as he was standing there, Nagisa knew well Sebastian was truly gone. And for this moment, his Demon Sense was quiet, as much as he was, as he gently placed down a parting gift for him: a small blue rose. A memoir to his life as a Phantomhive butler. And perhaps, would not displease him. "Come on everyone, he wouldn't want us to linger any longer," Ciel simply said. And slowly but surely, without another word, the group took their time to leave Sebastian's grave behind them. As they began to go, Ciel paused for one final time, and looked over back to the grave. He still found it a bit to take in, that his butler was indeed truly gone. But for him, when all was said and done, it was probably a way he would've expected Sebastian to go. "... Goodbye, old friend." S06Ep4: Haven't you Heard? ~聞いたことない?~Gakuho Asano continued on with his work in his office. It had been a pretty mundane sort of time since many of the students of his had left his school for one reason or another: much of Team Harmony and even plenty of the 3-E students respectively. During a typical time of going over grades and classes, one of his assistants came in. "Uh, sir, were you expecting anyone else coming into our system?" she asked. Gakuho stayed quiet, working his memory. so far, the only one he managed to figure out so far was Heine, so he shook his head. "Who is it this time? Another Overworld teacher?" "Well ... actually no. He's not even interested in enrolling into your school." "Is that so?" Gakuho said, thinking more intently. Well, one part of him did feel at fault for that, and another part of him felt a bit annoyed. In the end, he just looked to the door. "Send him in." And the employee gave a nod, and stepped aside to the newcomer, and so the newcomer walked on inside. Gakuho took a moment to look over this man, and for a start, he looked rather ... standard. If not a bit handsome in appearance: brown eyes with glasses over them, short black hair neatly kept, a professional host suit of lavender. Gakuho examined him head to toe, and the newcoming man stepped into the office fairly not intimidated by him. The look on his face told Gakuho that whoever this was, was either rather cocky, or actually knew a thing or two. "Morning. You must be Gakuho Asano. Principal of Orora high, I believe." "Yes it is. And what brings you to my school?" Gakuho asked. The man took a seat himself, looking to Gakuho eye to eye. "I am Kyoya Ootori. And I'll just get right to the point." Kyoya paused and brought out what actually looked like a good amount of money to present to Gakuho. A closer look to the cash, and it appeared easily over a thousand dollars, made up of hundred dollar bills. Gakuho could probably guess where this was going, and got to it first. "If you're asking to buy the school from me, Ootori, you have another thing coming," Gakuho made clear his glare edging into Kyoya's soul. However, Kyoya raised his hand and smiled. "Oh, no no, not for Orora High. I was actually thinking about that 3-E building you have about a mile off from here." "You want to buy the building from me?" Gakuho asked, a little caught off guard on the request. "Indeed. It's a simple proposition, but as it stands, I'd like to make that building into something more operational. It would be better than to tear it down, wouldn't it?" Kyoya pointed out. Gakuho paused for a minute or two. He actually did consider tearing down that old building in recent, since Heine moved the E class over to the main building. Still, he might as well hear him out. "... And what did you have in mind for the E building?" Gakuho questioned, though given the luck his school have had, he could guess already. And it only became more apparent when Kyoya got out some papers in regards to some of the demonic activity going on over the years, one especially including the Tengu incident. "I trust you can figure it out for yourself," Kyoya figured, and he wasn't wrong. Gakuho looked at the Tengu paper extensively. "You want to make it a training class? That would be my first guess." "I wouldn't call it a training class, if not more of a optional after-school training course." "And this is deeply involving the E class too, is that right?" "Not exclusively, anyone from Orora High can take part if they want to. They just need a permission slip for the after school courses first." Well, it wasn't as strict or precise as Gakuho had figured, and it actually didn't sound too bad. That, and he would be getting a good amount of money off of it as well if he did agree to terms. "So is it a deal?" Kyoya asked. Gakuho took it into proper consideration, but not in a good one. "It's rather precarious. You're not the first to make this offer to me and, let's just say, it didn't turn out so well." "Ah. you must be referring to a sir Tataoka. Yes, now I can reassure you, I care far more over safety than that brute ever did. ... Oh, and in case you're wondering how I know Tataoka, let's just say that I have my sources." His last remark was met with a knowing smirk on his face, him taking a moment to adjust his glasses. Gakuho kept himself quiet for a moment or two, and his mind power started to work out what this could exactly entail for the school, or for Tokyo for that matter. "So another trainer," Gakuho thought. "So much of Team Harmony is under my school system, so any act upon them will be an effect on the school as well. ... If he is going to be starting the training course again, I can't leave anymore to chance. The slightest mistake now could lose everything." On that decision, Gakuho Asano got up, and looked down to Kyoya. "If you do wish to buy the building from me to do this training course, then so be it. ... however, I want to see what "training" you've had in mind. If it's exceeds the safety limits I have, then I suggest you take your business elsewhere, am I clear?" Kyoya stayed quiet at first, but then got up himself. "Assuredly. I'll have to set things up, so just stop by tomorrow morning and everything should be prepared for the course." "... Fair enough. So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning then," Gakuho inquired. Kyoya got up, gave him a smile, and went off on his way, leaving the payment for said building on the table for Gakuho to look over. There was some silence at first, Gakuho stuck pondering. "... That voice ... where have I heard that before? ..." ~~ Well, Nagisa felt pretty good with himself as he was heading to school. Typically his run in with Demons don't usually end up too good, but to say that Nagisa wasn't feeling too chirpy with himself after his own little escapade would really be a lie honestly. The smile he had on his face was one of confidence, a feeling someone like Nagisa Shiota really didn't had too often of, but when one goes into exactly what had happened and what he did, it really wouldn't be too surprising. Still, he wasn't really Pinkie Pie levels of giddy either: there's still Sebastian's death that happened, Ed was still crippled up from his own little experience as well, and that wasn't the overall trouble of what Sombra might try next. Sure they were things to think about, but Nagisa was still glad that his friends were not only alive, but back at home where they belong more or less, be it from the original Team Harmony or the new team that came with him. He still was pleased that none of them were killed during the rescue mission. Almost before Nagisa realized it, he found the Orora High school not too far away. A sight for sore eyes this place, and Nagisa was ready to head on back there. It did make him feel good when he saw Karma and Twilight outside waiting for him, them and Envy too as it turned out. Pretty nice to see them all here, and it was Twilight who went up to him first. "Looks like someone's in a good mood this morning," Karma joked with a smirk. Nagisa really couldn't help it. "Well, yeah. I'm just glad everyone's okay," Nagisa replied. "After all that bullshit and you're still so modest," Karma said, playfully fluffing his head. "I guess asking you if you're alright is out of the question then," Twilight assumed, Nagisa nodding his head. "I feel great, thanks. Speaking of which, anyone hear from Ed and Al yet?" Nagisa asked. Envy answered him here. "They're not here, at least Ed's not. He's still getting his new automail put in since he got his stolen. You ask me, we're not gonna see him for a while until he at least gets his leg back in," Envy replied. Nagisa could imagine just how frustrated he must be going through that kind of process, laying in bed not able to do anything as Winry was busy at work making brand new automail. "Hope he gets back together soon. And what about Ciel?" "What about Ciel?" And right on cue: Ciel Phantomhive showed up not too far away, walking on over towards them. It was a little bit different seeing Ciel without his eyepatch, and he seemed pretty monotone as well with what had happened already. "Oh, so you did show up. Feeling okay?" Envy asked. "Don't trouble yourself over it, I'm fine. ... A bit shaken perhaps," Ciel admitted. That was mainly sugar-coating it though, but none of them wanted to push it any further. He lost his butler, and had to live through trauma again, so the group began to head off inside the school from there, but were still talking as they were going to class. "Well, ok. How're things around the manor?" Nagisa then asked. "Nothing too special honesty: with Sebastian around or not it's still as bothersome as ever. Then again, Mey-Rin and Bardroy had been showing improvement since the funeral, though I guess it was them trying to make up from Sebastian's absence," Ciel explained, not acting too heart-broken over it, as per usual. "I understand. Well, hope they're not giving you too much trouble," Karma said. "Well, no, but they still have a ways to go. As you say, it's better than nothing," Ciel sighed. Envy though had been thinking about that. "I'm still shocked that Sebastian would do that. I'm no Phantomhive, but I know that won't be something he would just do." "He did it because Sombra gave him a way out, simple as that," Ciel stated. Envy couldn't help but agree, shrugging. "Yeah, Sombra's good at that. If he can find a loophole in the rules, he'll milk it for all its worth." "I thought Sombra was pretty strong with all these rules," Twilight said. "He is, but here's the thing: Sombra wouldn't attack Sebastian because he's a fellow demon. But at the same time, he's still an enemy to him since he's working with us, so if he could find a way to not kill him directly, he wouldn't violate his own rules but still would get him out of the picture. Get it?" "So you're saying Sombra convinced him to take my soul because he knew Sebastian would kill himself, and as such Sombra wouldn't be blamed for his death because it wasn't him who did it." "Pretty much it," Envy answered. Ciel still found this a bit confusing, as Sombra still would be held responsible for making him do this. "Well, regardless, Sebastian's still dead. That means we're all going to have to work a little harder now without our demonic ally, wouldn't you think so?" Ciel concluded. "And that means you're gonna have to do some training yourself, kid," Karma brought up. Ciel felt a shiver run through him, but he knew he was right. Sebastian was his major trump card, and without him to back him up, he needed to be a bit more ready than this. "I would say you're right though I'd hate to admit it," Ciel concluded. "It's not that bad," Nagisa said, remembering his own experience, "Yeah, it's hard at first, but you'll get the hang of it after a while. How'd you think I felt when I started with Gaara?" "True. While we're on that subject, had any of you seen Gaara? I haven't seen him as of late." "Now that you say that, he did kinda disappear since we got back. I'm sure he's around somewhere," Nagisa figured. Eventually, they ended up over by the 3-E class, Envy and Ciel ready to head on in for the day. Karma was about ready to go in himself, but before he could, someone else caught them there. Gakuho. "Ah, Shiota. Kagayaki, Akabane. I see you've returned," said Gakuho Asano. "Morning, sir. Yeah, we're back, sorry for being gone for so long. I promise I'll -" "No, no, let's not start with that. You've been gone, yes, but you've gone through more than enough trouble so I'm not counting any of it," Gakuho said, as surprising as it may be to hear that from him. "Oh ... Well, thank you." "Yes. In fact, I've noticed a bit of improvement in your work, and considering you weren't around for the start of the course this year, then here's your classes," Gakuho said, giving them their classes for the new semester. They've gone through this a while back while they were going through their missions in demon hunting, so no better time than now with all of them back. Twilight, Karma, and Nagisa were given theirs, and once that was done Gakuho went off on his way. Well, with class starting in just a little bit, they might as well see what they got and get moving. Twilight looked to her classes, and she ended up with 3-B. As for Karma, he actually went up in class, and from 3-E to 3-D. "Looks like I'm going up," Karma smirked. "What about you Nagisa?" Twilight asked. Well, Nagisa went on to check his classes, and ... well, he needed a minute, him simply staring at the paper for a minute or two, and eventually Karma and Twilight looked over passed his shoulders to see what Nagisa had ended up with. Class. Three. A. ... This year's gonna be a bit more interesting. ....... "What're the odds I would end up here?" That was the main thought Nagisa had when he was heading off to class 3-A. Sure, if he was going up in grades, 3-B would be next, but to be hit all the way to the top so quickly left him completely at a loss of words. He wasn't sure how to handle this: 3-A was the top of the elite, and full of students who's completely above everyone else. That wasn't him in school terms, not at all. Be that as it may, Nagisa might as well give it some chance, and soon he found himself over at the front of the 3-A door. A place he really never would've though he would end up being stuck in, but then again, he never thought he would be fighting demons and working with angels, so, why put it into question at this point? So, Nagisa went on into class, and it didn't take very long until the students of the 3-A class took notice of him. Class didn't start just yet, though with it so close, he ended up being the last to arrive, and seeing so many of them basically staring him down made a shiver run through him, and there wasn't even any demons nearby! "Seriously?! Sure I saved the world, but why the hell would I be here?" Nagisa thought. They all knew Nagisa Shiota, long before this whole demon/angel involvement even got started, but with recent events over the last year, their opinions were kinda mixed to put it lightly. Nagisa took a look to the paper Gakuho had given him, and with that, he went over to his seat. At least he could say he was over in the middle of the class rather than up front, but that didn't mean he was feeling anymore comfortable. Sure, he recognized a number of kids, but none of them he would consider a friend. Nagisa could hear the opinions being passed around him, either surprise or interest being brought around a lot, and all with him being center of conversation. Nagisa simply stayed quiet, his eyes going around the classroom and him simply waiting for that bell to ring so class could start. "Class 3-A. The highest rank of our school. And now I'm one of them. ... Well, maybe they're not as arrogant as they've been before? ..." He was hoping for too much. Of course they wouldn't bother him since he was one of the 3-A pack now. His mind began to wonder though about the others in the lower classes, 3-E especially. What's to become of them now that he was basically too high to be in contact with? He didn't have to wait very long for the bell to ring and for class to start, and to his surprise, the class almost ... turned off. They all quieted down the second they heard the bell, and looked forward to the teacher. Impressive. "At least they won't talk about me during class," he thought. It took a while for the class to get started, and Nagisa quickly realized that the class of 3-A had a lot more going for it than he thought. Not a inch of conversation was made during the work hours, and Nagisa could barely keep up with them as they went (for a change). They all were given their papers, and Nagisa ended up finishing about seventh place when it came to the time of finishing. Sure, it may not be the first time Nagisa was behind in this, but this just reminded him on what kind of quarry he would be up against now. Even with him simply going up and turning his paper in, he can sense the eyes looking over to him. It could be from his reputation as a demon killer, or it could be the basic fact he was 3-C before this, but either or, he surely felt like the center of attention. As he went back to his seat, his eyes started to drift around the place, seeing who he was up against. They didn't bother talking to him, though that was probably because it was in the middle of class. But then the next hour began, almost before Nagisa could realize it. And wouldn't you know it would be study hour? If anyone's going to talk to him, it would be now, and Nagisa waited for it. Eventually, one kid finally did perk up, and he was over by him. "So, Shiota. Looks like my dad finally got you up to the high ranks." "My dad? ... Oh, don't tell me," Nagisa thought. His eyes looked up, and sure enough there was ... well, he looked like Karma. A lot. In fact, he could probably be mistaken for his cousin or something. Of course, there was some notable differences: his hair was a strawberry blonde, and his eyes were instead matching Twilight's violet eyes. Nagisa couldn't believe who he was seeing. "Gakushu," Nagisa noted. "I'd never would've guessed someone like you would end up in the 3-A class. Did you bribe him or something?" Gakushu joked, though Nagisa could guess that he would already know. "Eh. No. I'm surprised myself," Nagisa admitted, not looking to his face. He didn't need to look up to notice that other students were heading over to him: One student seemingly looked plain in appearance, glasses over his eyes and short, dark-green hair. Another had fair skin, almond-shaped eyes, and dark brown hair that was flipped to the side in a kariage hairstyle. Another had shaggy, messy black hair with black framed glasses, squinted eyes and crooked teeth. The last one also looked fairly normal in appearance with flat, brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. They all seemed like just a few of 3-A students, but Nagisa knew immediately who these kids were, and he didn't even had to look up to know they were there. When he did finally look up, he saw his quarry, and his suspicions were correct. "Looks like they're all here," Nagisa thought. "Well look at that, a 3-C runt's managed to crawl his way up to our level," one of the kids mocked. "Hey now, don't be too hard on him. You're talking to a Team Harmony member, don't forget," Gakuhsu reminded, but that didn't seem to make it any better. The crooked toothed kid went on over to him next, just seeing him making Nagisa shiver. "Team Harmony, eh? And you think that's gonna keep you up here?" he noted. Nagisa tried to not look at him directly in the face. He preferred Korosensei's creepy smile over his any day. "W-Well, not really, actually. I-I don't know why Gakuho got me up this high," Nagisa said meekly. "You'll have to try and keep up then. Because if you do want to keep up with us, the 3-A class won't take slackers," advised one of the kids, standing on the opposite side. The kariage kid then went over to them both and got them to move away. "Alright, alright, give him some space. Apparently he's already been to hell and back, so how's about cutting him some slack?" he advised. Guess it was impossible for that to not pass word around the school. "Seriously? Yeah, he did that, but in the end, he's still a dunce," mocked another kid. However, Gakushu got him quiet with a flick to the head. "Credit where credit's due. ... But all the same, you will fall back if you can't keep up. So watch yourself, alright?" Gakushu advised to Nagisa. Something that could go unsaid really, but he nodded anyway, namely so they could go. The group of five did just that, and went off back to their seats, but Nagisa's mind began to wonder about them again. "I can't believe the Big Five would even bother with me. Out of all the students in Orora High, they're the highest ranking students of the main campus. Gakushu Asano: the student council president, and son of Gakuho Asano. Teppei Araki: head of the school's broadcasting club. Ren Sakakibara: The school's top secretary. Natsuhiko Koyama: head of the Biology club, and the sharpest memory. Tomoya Seo: the chairmen of the student assembly. All of them are infamous for being the most intelligent students in the school, and all are leaders in their own right. ... I don't know what kind of world I'm gonna be in if they're taking an interest in someone like me." Nagisa's inner monologue was accompanied by the images of each of the big five showing up in his head. As if being put in 3-A was rough enough, now he had to deal with the Big Five themselves. Just what kinds of indication would this bring up? ....... Meanwhile, as the students were dealing with their own brand of change, Gakuho Asano took the time to head from the main building and off to the 3-E building. He may have had a bit to do, but he did reassure Kyoya that he will go and check him out, to see what it was all about over at the 3-E building. "Kyoya, for your sake and mine, you better not have done anything drastic," Gakuho thought. The school had enough questionable history as is, with demons appearing by his school, the involvement of Tataoka, and especially with his breakdown thanks to Heine Wittgenstein. One more bad report, and he will lose his job, among other things. Then again, the building technically didn't belong to Orora high anymore since Kyoya bought it from him, so maybe he shouldn't be too strung up over it. At least he had a quiet walk on the way to the building. Soon, Gakuho arrived over to the building's main yard, just in time to see Kyoya starting to set up a few things off outside, which included some of the targets they've used for assassination practice. Kyoya got up the fifth target when he stopped and noticed Gakuho coming over. "And what're you doing?" Gakuho questioned. "Gakuho, glad to see you. Considering this place was a area known for practicing combat, I've decided to incorporate that," Kyoya said, setting up the next target. Gakuho was a little bit concerned over this. "I thought you said you'll have everything prepared for this morning," Gakuho reminded. Kyoya though smiled. "Well, I have to figure out what works and what doesn't. Oh, and by the way, do expect a few representatives over the next few weeks. I'm sure you wouldn't mind them being here," Kyoya stated. "What. Representatives?" Gakuho questioned. "Oh, just a few notable figures as all. I'll be sure they won't do too much damage to the students, and will keep them away from the main building if it makes you feel any better," Kyoya said, as he began to head off into the building itself. Gakuho would have to watch for this one. ~~ Well, before any of them knew it, lunch time came. At least that was one point in their little day that was the same, though perhaps even that wasn't the right word. Ed and Al weren't there of course, and Ciel was basically alone and had to deal with what the school had without Sebastian's support or his little perks. Even with the class switches, they still met up at the same table once they got the chance, though it was rather apparent that Nagisa was simply out of it ... as in laying his face on the table in stress. "3-A not suiting you, Nagisa?" Karma figured. "It's ... a lot harder than I thought," Nagisa managed to get out. "You were placed in the highest class, what did you expect?" Envy commented. "I know, but it's not the work. Everyone's been watching me since I came in that class. Doesn't help that the Big Five's taking an interest in me now," Nagisa explained. "Pardon?" Ciel asked. "Oh, the big five's 3-A's big shots. You know, the highest grades? Anyone taking their interest must be damn special," Karma summed up. Nagisa didn't find the situation any better, but Envy picked him up by the head so he was looking his way. "I wouldn't freak out if I were you, Nagisa, you got a lot more to worry about than some group of students. Besides, what's the point anyway?" "What do you mean?" Twilight questioned. "You kidding? Guys, you're Team Harmony: a group of humans who're stuck in a war with Demons and Angels for a year straight. Even if school goes bad, you think you'll actually have time to live a normal life constantly jumping at whatever's coming up? As far as I'm concerned, you all already got a future set with or without this school," Envy explained. This may be coming from someone who once was a Homunculus, but he did had a point. It would be a very hard time trying to live a normal life with how much they've been doing so far. "I don't know ... maybe ... but I don't want to drop everything just to fight the Underworld," Nagisa stated. "Says the kid who nearly killed himself by disguising as me," Envy bluntly stated, cutting Nagisa down. "W-Well, yes but that's a mistake I'm not doing twice. I acted too desperate, and I didn't trust in any of you to help me. I know you all can help, and I'm not forgetting that," Nagisa replied. Still, he didn't consider his future at all during this process, and not including the future visions. If this kind of thing was to continue on, then what was he going to do for himself? Just drop it all to become a guardian? Before he could continue this though, a shiver ran through him. "Here comes Korosensei." "GUYS!" And sure enough, Korosensei popped in right by them, his eyes streaming tears of joy. "Oh thank the heavens above, you're all alive! I was so worried about all of you, being taken by Sombra and everything, you all are okay are you? He didn't do anything permanent to any of you did he?!" And he was saying all this probably as fast as he was moving, unable to stay still in one place for more than a second he was so glad to see em. "Do stop worrying, we're fine. Far better than you apparently," Ciel stated, continuing to eat and waiting for Korosensei to chill out for a minute. Eventually the demon king did, but all the same he still wasn't too calmed down to keep himself still for long. "Well can you blame me?! The heroes all getting captured in one clean swoop and it was up to one brave soul to venture into hell and get them all back, it's a story of so much suspense!" Korosensei said, right by Nagisa with a tentacle on his head. "Hey, he wasn't alone!" Envy snapped. But perhaps it was something he shouldn't have said, as he was suddenly getting hugged himself, rather tightly might I add. "I know, and you all put yourselves in so much danger to save your friends too!" "Me and my big mouth," Envy groaned. "Ok, Korosensei, you can chill out. Mind catching us up on what we're missing?" Twilight asked. Korosensei's head turned orange with a circle on it, but this wasn't exactly a correct answer, if not a lightbulb moment, as he quickly disappeared, and popped back with a slip of paper. This paper was given to Ciel in particular, and it turned out to be a permission slip for Kyoya's after school training course. It wasn't exactly anything too special, just a standard slip, though the new addition of a training course was a bit intriguing. "Wait a minute, so this attempt to assassinate you is becoming public all of a sudden?" Envy questioned. "Nah, I thought they gave up on it months ago," Karma shrugged. "No, no, a newcomer has bought the 3-E building and is offering those from the school to go under demon courses. And he's asked yours truly to pass em out to potential candidates, and since you all have the most experience of any human, he asked me to give these to you personally," Korosensei explained. "We don't need anymore training, teach. In case you haven't noticed, we've been facing demons left and right and came out alright. Though, how about you give a seat to our aristocrat here?" Karma offered, hand on Ciel's head. Ciel was not amused at all by this. "Well, we can still check it out. If it is involving demon hunting, maybe whoever this Kyoya is would want us to come by. You know, to give a few starting pointers?" Twilight figured. "Why would he do that?" Ciel asked. "Why wouldn't he do that?" That was a blunt answer, but it was straightforward anyway. They took a look to the paper some more, and basically all came to the similar conclusion ... ....... After school was over for the day, Team Harmony got together, and began to head off to the 3-E building themselves. It wasn't their first time there by any means, but it was a long while since they've went there for a training course of any sort, not to mention having the building apart of the Orora High School again. Since they were students of the building once upon a time, and visiting so many other times, they didn't hesitate going right on inside the building. It didn't look very different from prior visits, a bit dusty perhaps from maintenance lack but that was a given really. They got to the main classroom of the building, and sure enough, they found their "instructor" for the afternoon, Kyoya just finishing up his cleanup work on the chalkboard. "Afternoon, everyone. I would presume you're all Team Harmony," Kyoya said. "Well, not everyone, but yes. And you are Kyoya Ootori?" Ciel asked. "Indeed. My pleasure," Kyoya said, shaking hands with Ciel. Immediately something was different bout him the moment he started talking. "That voice ... no, that can't be right, could it? He sounds so familiar though ..." Nagisa thought, thinking hard on the voice itself. This person looked very different to him, but the voice held a strong resemblance to him. The others were feeling a bit of a deja vu in the voice as well. "So, you're doing a training thing here?" "I thought it would be beneficial. I mean, with all the demon attacks appearing here and there, some protection would be a nice addition. I'm sure no one wants to get torn to shreds by a rogue demon, no?" "No." they all said blankly. Well, normally they'd let this go, but this just seemed far too coincidental to just happen. The first one to bring this up was Karma, going right up to Kyoya. "Ok buddy, the voice." "My voice? what about it?" "I'm just gonna say it: it's WAY too familiar. Let's start off with question one: how'd you know about demons?" "Well that's a silly question: didn't a giant demon attack Amestris last fall?" "That is a dumb question," Nagisa thought. "And what about asking us to come personally? Korosensei mentioned that while giving the slips to us. All of this is too coincidental for you to greenlight this. And just after our trip to Abaddon as well," Ciel brought up. Kyoya paused for a minute and looked over everyone else for just a moment or two. He didn't get anyone else in there yet, and he did call them in personally after all. So, Kyoya then smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Close your eyes." "Pardon me?" "Only for a moment. And do try to use some imagination," Kyoya insisted. Ciel found the request a little bit silly to do, but he decided to humor him. "Fine," Ciel said, and right there he closed his eyes. The others played along and did the same thing, and soon Kyoya was in a room with blind kids. Kyoya smiled, and decided to work his little revelation in the bluntest way possible, clearing his throat. Well, at least in his own way. "Good morning, young master. Your schedule for this afternoon's like a fresh field of virgin snow, blank as a unlined page. Today, everything will be as you wish it. My lord." A shiver ran through most of them, and Ciel had to open his eyes. and for a brief moment ... "S-SEBASTIAN, IS THAT YOU?!" ....... "Sebastian, you better have a damn good reason for that stunt you've pulled back on the Campania, or so help me." It took a while for them to calm down, but eventually it was back to conversation again. Ciel hadn't forgotten about what had happened, not by a long shot, and neither did "Kyoya". Karma stayed leaning on the wall over by the door, and Nagisa sat down on the teacher's desk, as Twilight stood next to him, Kyoya over by the center of the room, turning to them all. "I guarantee you, Phantomhive, I have an all good reason for it." "Sounds like a crazy ass one: pulling a homunculi act on us to come back from the dead like that," Twilight said. "Oh, he didn't. you can still find him in that graveyard ... well, him there AND here." "Don't start us with riddles and start explaining," Ciel demanded. Kyoya smiled, and the flashback played over the screen like an old movie black and white movie, including the footage rolling to begin and showing similar images to the audience as he explained. "During my time as Sombra's little assistant, I managed to discover some intriguing information about our king, yet he unfortunately had me in a bit of a bind. He placed what one could call a tracker on me, just to be sure that I didn't truly betray him as a backup measure, so even after I did return to you, the tracker was there to keep a further eye on us, to keep track of our progress. I'd remove it myself if it wasn't known by Sombra of course, and if I did share this information with any of you, he'd cut the game short per say. Rather bothersome for me that the only way to remove it from my person would be to remove my physical body, and I knew Sombra would dare kill his own kind if he could help it. So, I took it on myself and broke our own deal. Upon my "death", the tracker on me would finally deactivate, and as such nothing will hold me back anymore. Without Sombra knowing, at least." "That still doesn't explain this Kyoya disguise of yours," Ciel cut in. Kyoya was willing to explain though. "Well, just before you and I confronted Aleistor Chamber on the Campania, I made my own little deal with him, and lucky for me there was a body available for my own soul to be transmuted into, and make my own. I had to give him some proper instructions on soul extraction and transmutation, of course, and as you all went off out of the room, he managed to get my soul out before my body was taken away. One thing promptly lead to another, and sure enough I was back from the dead. I didn't have my identity as Sebastian anymore, and I even have some memories of Kyoya Ootori as well. So you could say that his memories and mine are linked in a way." The footage ended its rolling, and the flashback ended there, the others pondering on what Kyoya told them. "So in other words: you had Aleistor give you a new body because it didn't have the tracker on it," Twilight summed up. "It was a precarious plan. In fact, I was unsure if Aleistor could even pull it off, yet -" he paused for a moment and pulled down on his collar, the group taking a look at the transmutation symbol on the side of his neck. It wasn't an Oroboros symbol like Envy had, but more like the one Alphonse had on him. "- I'd say he did a fair job for his first try." "I didn't know you can do that with a flesh body," Envy said. "Eh, neither did I." They didn't bother to comment on that. "Well, you said you found something intriguing about Sombra? what is it?" Nagisa asked. "I've actually planned on sharing it with the president in a few days. Seitenshi, Victoria, Miss. Bradley, Celestia, they're all gonna be there. You can stop by if you want, though unless you wanna play messenger, I'd get everyone else together." "Wait, you're not gonna tell us? You just said nothing's holding you back." "There's not. I just makes this feel a lot more impacting." Since when was Sebastian this cheeky? Guess that was more Kyoya and not Sebastian, but how were they to know? "Well, when exactly then?" "This weekend give or take, if it goes without a hitch. Just head over to the Presidential building Saturday, and it'll all be explained there, alright?" "Oh, sure. Eh, one more thing," Twilight said, before giving him the slip Korosensei gave em. "Eh, these slips. They're only for a selected few, right?" "Not at all: anyone from Orora High is free to take part. No point in keeping a secret that's all out there, am I right?" "Stop acting so cheeky. Now come on, you got work to catch up on back at the manor," Ciel instructed, starting to head out. However, Kyoya didn't follow him. "I don't think so." "What? That's an order, Sebastian!" "I'm not Sebastian anymore. I am Kyoya Ootori. In other words: I don't work for you. ... In fact, you'll be working with me in future if getting stronger is what you want," Kyoya said. Ciel almost felt like he was shot by a gun, with the reality of the situation. He no longer had a demon to control, whether Sebastian was alive or not, and whether he wanted it or not. Ciel was upset, but he tried to keep it under a stern face, though Kyoya could tell that Ciel was pissed off. "... We shall see, you cheeky creature." and with that remark, the others began to leave. Sure they didn't see the initial sight of Kyoya's course, but figuring out what happened to Sebastian was a thumbs up ... sort of. As they went back home, their attention was directed right at the young earl. "Well ... I-It may not be how you want it, but look on the bright side: we know he's alive ... kinda," Twilight said, trying to cheer him up. "He's was never dead. ... He just wanted a new job," Ciel groaned. So much for that. ~~ Well, as Nagisa and company were at school, some of the others were taking this time to check in on some of their friends. At least that was what most of them were up to. Aladdin, Blair, and Morgiana were arriving at Ed's place, Edward Elric still stuck and waiting for his arm and leg to be completed. If it wasn't long enough just getting it fixed, now he had to wait for it to be done from scratch. He surely felt weak without his arm and leg, and he literally couldn't do anything for himself. "Hey Ed, how're you doing?" Aladdin asked coming in, only to find Edward sitting down nearby, looking a bit more dead than alive. "Hey guys ... dying of boredom over here," Ed said in a sigh. Aladdin went right over to him, sitting by his side. "Still not fixed yet?" Blair asked. "No, they're not. Winry's still working hard to remake them in there," Ed replied, a thumb aiming over to the door where Winry was busy herself. The three could even hear the tool whirrs and the occasional hammering Winry was doing. "Sorry about your automail, Ed. Don't worry, you'll be back to kicking butt before you know it," Blair reassured him, but that didn't make Ed feel much better. Morgiana took a look around, but notice something else as well. "Isn't Alphonse with you?" Morgiana asked. Ed checked to be sure the other door didn't open, and the work didn't stop, telling him that she didn't hear them. "Keep it down. Look, Winry doesn't know Al left, he went to get Alex and Olivier so we can talk with them," Ed whispered. "Why is it such a secret?" Aladdin whispered back. "Because A.) she wouldn't do it herself if she knew right away, and B.) she's the most effected here. She was raised by them, remember?" Ed reminded. They may have gotten some pep talk before being captured, but with that said, they never really had time to talk to Alex and Olivier face to face. "How long has he been out?" asked Blair. But before Ed could even answer, they began to hear the door open up, and sure enough, there was Alphonse Elric coming in. He tried to be as quiet as a suit of armor could be. "She still working?" Al quietly asked. They all nodded yes, and Al looked back to the hallway before going inside. As Ed had said, Olivier and Alex weren't too far behind, both looking a bit humble for being there, Olivier mainly. Olivier knew better than to start snapping at them, especially after what happened. "So ... where is she?" Alex asked. "In there," Ed answered, looking to the room. "Sounds busy," Olivier noted. "She's been working on the automail since we got back. Almost non-stop," Edward said. There was a bit of silence at first. "Look, I just wanna take this to say I'm dreadfully sorry. If I could fully revive you, I would, but -" "We get it already," Ed cut in. Alex and Olivier looked over to him, Edward looking away. "Yeah, it's not how we wanted it. But hell, you could only do so much. Besides, it's not going to get our bodies back by yelling at you two," Ed stated, looking to his missing arm and leg as he said so. Even if he was mad at them and wanted to clock em, how could he with no way to even walk, let alone fight? Olivier sat down. "So you're still trying to bring Alphonse back?" "... Damn right I am. I may not be the one to use transmutation on him, but I vowed to revive our bodies. And I'm not giving up on it, not by a long shot," Ed said. Olivier stayed quiet but then smiled to him. "Still stubborn. Like how I taught you both," Olivier noted. None of them realized it yet, but Morgiana tapped Ed on the shoulder. "What?" "Sshh. Listen," she instructed. "... What, I don't hear anything," Blair said. However, suddenly it all came to them what was actually going on. There wasn't any noise, not a word, not a sound. No noise from the other room. ... And then she opened the door. Winry stayed quiet at first, her gaze down to her feet. Alex and Olivier didn't had much time to talk to her, but it seemed that she wasn't willing as of yet. She took a long breath. "... Armstrong. ..." "W-Winry, I -" Alex didn't speak when she raised her hand. When she looked to them though, she didn't look as filled with rage, but a bit humble herself. She hadn't forgotten what the team told her about this, the words echoing in her head. "I shouldn't have left like that. I know there was just so much you could do for me, and I was too heart-broken to think clearly. I'm still mad at you, but ... I'm sorry," Winry got out. Alex and Olivier were quiet, but it was Alex who had tears come out. Before they knew it, Winry was hugging Alex Armstrong. It'll still take some time before this fact would be accepted, but it was a start. However, this talk of transmutation though did come across as a bit of a gear-turner for Morgiana, Aladdin, and Blair, and suddenly the witch got an idea. "Wait a minute. ... Yeah. Yeah, I think I got it!" "Got what?" Al asked. "A way to get your bodies back!" now THAT got their attention, Ed spinning around best he could to see her. "You do? What?" Al asked in surprise. All eyes were on the witch as she thought it over quick. "Well let's think. Alex, what exactly happened to their bodies after Undertaker altered their time? You know?" Blair asked. Alex tried to figure it out. "He had to take them away, I think. He didn't detail it. Why?" "Well this is simple then: all we gotta do is find your bodies wherever Undertaker took them, do a few transmutation magic, and bingo! you both get your bodies back to normal in no time!" Blair declared. "Transmutation doesn't work like that, you can't put a soul into a flesh body. Especially one that's just died." "Well, has anyone tried to do that before?" Ed asked. Olivier opened her mouth to say, but she tried to think, and her mind came up blank. "Hmm ... no, I don't think so." "Well then we're going to try!" Ed announced. There wasn't a way before, but now that they got the facts down pact, they finally had a lead in getting their bodies back. Ed, in the spur of the moment, jumped up to his foot ... only to fall back onto the floor. "I should really finish up that automail," Winry said. "Ow." ....... Off just outside of Tokyo, as the city was very busy with its own work, there was another who was on her own corner of the world. There was a good view of the city from the road she was on, and she parked on a parking lot overhang, taking a moment to look out to the city herself. A middle-aged women with short, navy-blue hair, looking out to the city with a sort of mission in mind. "Mom's here, honey." S06Ep6: Sword's Single Light ~ソードのシングルライト~The days continued on towards the weekend, and during the whole time, Nagisa had kept clear of Hiromi. It was a bit of a hard fact for him to admit, but with how little he now spent at his own apartment, namely for her being there at all, Nagisa took his time more to spend with his friends, which actually wasn't anything new for him nowadays. His friends were more than willing to let him do so, with them now knowing what had happened on that night on the rooftop along with the concept in general. Even if Hiromi got to see him at home, she had a bit too much to actually think about over the last few days as she was sitting on the couch in Nagisa's apartment. Not only for the fact that Aladdin can use magic, but over everything that Nagisa Shiota had told her up on that rooftop, and the hits she had taken from said kid still felt on her face, which was now bruised up on her cheek. Those words, the actions, the attacks, none of those were from the Nagisa Shiota she remembered, and yet that same kid had defied her completely. She gave a groan and got up from the couch, getting ready to head out to town for a while longer. It was a bit hard to accept whatever Nagisa had said to her. It's no wonder dad left you so many years ago. "What does he know? He's just a child. ..." with that statement, Hiromi finished up getting her esentials together, and went on out. The mother went off alone from there, and off towards the market for the day. On her walk, her mind was simply stuck going on the little incident up on the Orora High school roof, and it didn't really help that the market had to pass by the same street, and Hiromi soon ended up seeing the school on her way. She knew Nagisa didn't want to leave, and she knew too according to Gakuho Asano that she wouldn't be sending her child off out of there anytime soon. "Damn school. What do you mean you refuse? It's not up to the child to decide his future, it's the parent. Who's he to say no, anyway?" Hiromi thought. She didn't realize it until half way that she was actually walking to the building itself. But then she noticed something else off near the school's parking lot that seemed awfully out of place. Sure she saw a few cars, but one appeared more like a official's limo. It was enough to get her attention anyway, her and a few other passersby, who were talking amongst themselves and wondering what it was doing there. Or rather, what's she doing there. "Is that Seitenshi's car?" asked one of them. "What's she doing here?" wondered another. "It have to do with that Shiota kid you think?" added yet another. That third one got Hiromi a bit more troubled. Did Seitenshi somehow saw what happened on Orora High grounds? Or, no, what did Nagisa do that even got her attention?! Hiromi was already a bit angry with how he acted prior to this, but now she could feel her blood boil. Only for a moment anyway until something else came up to mind. He mentioned he had a girlfriend ... "H-His girlfriend is her? N-No way, my little boy can't have gone that far without me could he? No, don't, that's ridiculous," Hiromi thought. The idea that her child would be in a relationship with the president of Tokyo was completely crazy, far as she was concerned anyway. Then again, seeing one of his friends seemingly a magical deity, and him living alone for so long without much of a hitch was also a bit of a clue. Still, she was in control, and no matter what the case was, she wanted to keep it that way. But looking to the building, no one seemed to be there. It was the weekend, but if not the main building, where would he go? Well, if she were him, she wouldn't want to stay at such a commonplace twice. And she knew one place isolated enough where that would work. ....... While outside seemed a bit active, inside the halls of the school the place was awfully quiet, as Gakuho took his time to see the situation himself. He wasn't outside of course, looking down from the front windows at the limo parked on just outside. You'd think she would've seen this coming, but guess some things weren't considered. Gakuho could see just how much of a commotion this was causing, seeing the crowds outside and how curious they were. So much was being put on his school as it was, and this little visit wasn't making it any easier on him. Well, at least one person gave him a warning of peculiar visitors coming by here, though Seitenshi was quite an unprecedented one. He needed to go and talk to the Kyoya again. ~~ Kyoya got the meeting together, as he pre-mentioned few days prior. The entirety of Team Harmony was present this time, Ed fully armed and fully operational thanks to the hard work Winry Rockbell had put in. They would've gone to the capitol for this, but after some "situation" (try and guess what that was), they decide to keep the meeting isolated and placed over at the 3-E building instead, working the information off inside the classroom. And it wasn't just Team Harmony either: the other figures Kyoya had mentioned were also present, alongside Korosensei, both Armstrongs, Undertaker, and - "BASSIE!~ THANK THE LORD ABOVE!" Grell Sutcliff. "Please stop that," Kyoya sighed, but Grell was a bit more psyched now than anything. His love was still alive, albeit in a different way, but that was good enough for him, tears of joy coming down his face. "Oh such a horrid change of fate. But I promise, my bassie, I will love you no matter what the case may be - *snack*" And Kyoya got him quiet with a slap to the face. While it did shut him up, it wasn't as strong as it used to be. "Do pardon him, he's just a pervert," Kyoya stated, Grell being moved aside as he spoke to the rulers. Nothing like some gushy love to make things a bit more embarrassing. "Duly noted. Now, you mentioned you had some very important information for all of us?" Seitenshi asked. Kyoya nodded, and then proceeded to write something out on the chalkboard. "Psst, hey, Nagisa. You feeling any better since ... you know what?" Aladdin whispered, just enough for him to hear. Though, keeping it at a whisper by this point was a bit pointless, they all knew what happened by now, even with his physical injuries healed up by this point "It's alright, Aladdin, really. Look, let's just focus here," Nagisa suggested. He didn't want his mind going over Hiromi right now. By the time they took focus back up front, Kyoya got the message written out in kanji, fairly basic, and fairly easy to make out. King Sombra: Umbra, Wolf Class, Tartarus king. "Now, this is the basic idea of what we know of him by now, am I correct on that?" Kyoya began. "No, but I have a feeling we're gonna be learning more," Victoria confirmed with a smirk. Kyoya couldn't help but smiled, as he started to write down another word on the chalkboard, and circling it once finished. "How many of you want to hear his backstory?" Kyoya offered with a smile on his face. Sombra's backstory? Now THAT was interesting, and got Team Harmony's attention. Something like this was just what they need to get the full situation, as they knew little on him aside from what he himself had said. "His backstory, Kyoya? You mean he actually told you?" Karma questioned. Kyoya shook his head. "No, but he really should keep track of his books and personal files. Quite a page-turner," Kyoya joked, though the idea he actually managed to read through Sombra's personal files was beyond shocking, especially for Envy who actually worked with him. The news made him almost jump out of his seat. "You what?! How the hell'd you do that, Sombra never has anyone in on his files unless he wants them dead!" Envy gasped. The only, Nagisa had notice, that wasn't as surprised on it was Celestia, though something told him that Undertaker would reveal why that is. His conversations with Sombra began to go through his head a bit more, especially with his conversation after the Great Tengu. "Here we go." Elysium. A fairly bright day, and fairly quiet too, as around the Elysium castle, while many a angel was going around the area, enjoying their own lives of sorts, there was one in particular that just wasn't really doing much enjoyment. In fact, he wasn't even flying for that matter, keeping his guard as he went around the main area. Sombra! Though, he didn't look the demon overlord he was today. In fact, quite the opposite: his outfit was pure blue and matched the outfits of an Elysium guard, something like Alex Armstrong would wear. No crown on his head here, and he looked less like a king and more like a commander of sorts. Those angels that saw him didn't pay him too much mind, though some lesser angels did watch him go by with an odd sense of admiration. As he continued, he then began to hear the sounds of metal and wings. Something he knew immediately as he stopped and saw two patrols coming his way. "Ah, morning. Your report?" Sombra asked. One of the angels gave him a salute before giving him their report. "More black clouds spotted coming up five hundred yards from the Elysium borders, sir," the angel reported. Sombra felt a groan escaping his lips before looking to the pair. "Again? Well, some of our patrols should be able to move it away. One of you get the flyers sent," Sombra instructed. One of the angels nodded and took off to do just that. Sombra just looked to the report with disapproval. "This is getting out of hand: that's the sixth times in the last three months these black clouds had appeared," Sombra groaned. Both he and his angel looked over to the clouds outside of Elysium, all of them pure white and clear, unlike these "black clouds" that kept coming in. Sombra sighed and looked to the angel. "Should I even ask if this was human involvement again?" Sombra asked, though by the sound of it he already knew what was going to come up next, as the angel saluted him. "One of our scouts had seen a human settlement releasing the black clouds on a severe level, sir," the angel answered. Sombra was starting to get a bit troubled with the situation. This wasn't the first report, and so far it was linking to human activity. And things were about to become more problematic: before Sombra could go, they began to hear the sound of wings again, but this time the activity sounded a bit more strained. When they looked, they saw a angel managing to fly in with a pair of angels alongside, but this one looked like she was injured in some way. Sombra watched her be placed down nearby, and curious over it, went right over to her. The angel looked alright overall, but her right wing looked injured in some way, some blood coming out from the wing in a small seep. how could a small injury make her struggle to fly? She looked to Sombra, feeling a bit embarrassed in herself for seeing him, and being seen in such a way. "Uh, hi sir. Sorry." "Sorry for what? What happened?" Sombra asked as a few of the angels were trying not to hurt her wing. Sombra studied it more closely, and he even extended the wing a bit. The angel cringed, Sombra trying to be gentle with it as best he could. Looking at the wound, it looked like a puncture mark at first, but he did find something inside it. He started to work with the item, trying to get it out, the angel trembling and yelping from the pain as the object was removed. A bullet. "I-I'm sorry. I was hearing these small explosions and went down to investigate. Next thing I know something struck my wing, and I crashed to the surface world." "Did anyone see you?" one of the angels asked. She shook her head. "I don't think so. I was taken away before any human could see me," she answered. Sombra meanwhile began to think hard, and started to put two and two together, looking to the bullet as he did so. "But how'd you get hit with this?" Sombra then questioned, showing the bullet to her. "That's what winged me?! That little thing? It felt a lot harder," she said, surprised herself that such a small rock did so much damage to her wing. One of the other angels answered the question for her, as she was given the bullet. "We saw her fly amongst one of the local fauna: a flying bird of sorts. A few others were shot down before we heard her land, sir," the angel answered. Sombra found that confirming his suspicions, looking annoyed more than anything. "Have her healed up, I'm going to talk to Celestia. This is getting out of hand," Sombra confirmed. "Uh, sir, I don't think they meant to hit me. It's my own fault for flying too low," the injured angel said, feeling guilty for what happened. Sombra begged to differ. "Don't blame yourself for what someone else did. Besides, whether they meant to or not doesn't matter: they can actually hurt us now. And they can do so with only that silver pebble," Sombra concluded, beginning to walk away from the situation. Bad enough humans had spears and what have you, but this was something more troubling than most. A human hurting an angel, accidental or not, can't be ignored. "I think that's the only one," one of the angels noted. "Well, have her checked anyway. It's time this is brought to a higher authority." And his eyes were set up high to the top of the hierarchy. Right to Celestia's own castle. Those angels that saw him didn't pay him too much mind, though some lesser angels did watch him go by with an odd sense of admiration. Eventually, he went up through the frontal doors of the palace, and after a bit reached Celestia's throne room, where Celestia herself was waiting. She was present with a few other guards at the time, though, on seeing him come in she didn't feel too troubled by his arrival. And who was it? "Sombra. Good to see you. Any news from outside?" Celestia asked. "We're fine. Celestia, I want to have a word with you," Sombra began, sounding troubled over a particular subject matter. Nothing Celestia wasn't used to happen however, and she got up from her throne to see him up front. "What seems to be the trouble, Sombra? You're not known to be worked up like this," Celestia noted, seeing his expression. Sombra kept his mind focused, recalling a few things that he felt needed to be addressed. "I'm sorry for that, Celestia. It's just I'm getting a bit concerned with how it's proceeding in the Surface World," Sombra began. Celestia felt a bit confused. "The Surface World. How so?" Celestia asked. Sombra took a glance off to the door he came in before he looked her eye to eye. "Celestia, I've been on patrol for the last several weeks, and I've counted several times when the human beings down below showed some questionable actions. Actions I'm sure will have an affect on the Overworld unless something changes," Sombra informed, even bringing out from his coat what looked like a patrol report on a piece of paper for Celestia to look over. Celestia looked in and took her own note on what the reports had to offer. Mainly they said of the pollution being caused by the surface world's factories, Sombra taking note specifically on the "black clouds". Celestia sighed. "Sombra, I see your concerned over this, but the rules say that we can't reveal ourselves to just anyone down there." "I'm well aware of that, but Celestia, this is just one report out of eleven. There's a lot more that those humans down there are doing that have an affect on our world as well," Sombra insisted. Celestia however shook her head, and looked to her commander with a sorrowful look. "Sombra. If they do find of our existence, then it will be a danger to everyone. It's probably best if we keep our involvement at a minimum," Celestia reassured him, but Sombra felt his hand twitch. This wasn't the answer he was hoping to hear. "Celestia, I just saw an angel get shot down by a human!" "I've heard of that before you arrived. It's only an accident, and no one else was seen or injured," Celestia responded. "But Celestia, please, we can't just -" "Sombra. ... Our influence is doing the best it can on the surface world. It's the best we can do right now. We both know that," Celestia said, trying not to sound harsh about it herself. Sombra stayed quiet for a minute or two, until he simply nodded. "Y-Yes. If you say so," Sombra sighed, before turning and beginning to head off on his way. Celestia was growing concerned herself, but more for Sombra rather than the humans. As for Sombra himself, he paused and took a look back to Celestia, before he went off on his way. Black clouds, and now an injured angel. And so far nothing was being done. After his talk with Celestia, Sombra went on over back to his patrolling route, keeping his guard around Elysium. The afternoon following left Sombra with a lot to think about in regards to the humans down in the Surface World. with no one around, his thoughts were on monologue as he continued, holding the report in his hand as a sort of reference. "As if dealing with the pollution of those black clouds wasn't bad enough. How could a human being even manage to do this kind of damage like this?" Sombra felt a bit mixed on this subject the more he thought about it. However, as he kept going along through Elysium, Sombra got to his senses. "As nice as it would be to try and handle this, I can't break the rules," Sombra concluded. Still, thinking on the situation just made him feel more bothered than most. Pollution was one things, but there was a line between that and actually getting harmed by it directly. He took a moment to stop and closed his eyes, focusing for just a bit as he thought about the situation. What would become of this, he would really want to know, somewhat anyway. ... "Sombra!" Sombra was startled by the noise, but it was only one of his patrols coming to get him at this point. And by the looks of it, he was not looking too good. Not hurt of course, but clearly something was wrong. "What now?" Sombra asked. "Sir, I-I'm sorry, but come quick, something bad's happening to our member," the angel said, freaked out. "Which one? There's hundreds of angels. ... Unless ..." ....... And unfortunately, it was. Sombra was soon brought from his patrol and over to the medical center of Elysium by the angel. The injured angel he had helped earlier that was shot was still within the place, with one wing now looking less ... well, like a wing. When Sombra came in to see, he was at a loss for words: the same spot that he got the bullet out of now was deprived of feathers, and the wound itself looked a bit worse. sure, the bullet was out, but the injury itself was deeper than he realized, as he went over to have a look. "Sir?" she asked, looking to him. "How are you feeling?" Sombra asked. "My wing ... I can't move it," she answered, even trying to move her wing to show him. She could move it, but it was rather limp for most of said wing, as if much of it had lost feeling. Sombra held the wing in his hand, trying to put it together. He looked to one of the staff of the medical field, his expression asking them for an answer, but they took a bit before they actually got an answer for him. "We're trying our best." "What happened to her? Just tell me." the staff members glanced to eachother before answering. "... Her injury's more severe than we thought. It got through her wing somehow," one of them answered. Sombra took a closer look to the injury itself. Whatever that stone did to that wing, it struck far faster and harder than any of them could know. All Sombra did was walk out. ... "He worked for you, Celestia?! Why the hell didn't you say anything?!" Ed yelled, shocked that something this important was kept quiet. Celestia knew she should've but didn't really look to him. "I'm sorry. I promised Sombra I would never bring it up to anyone. He may be a Umbra, but he's still one of my commanders. I owed him that much at least," Celestia said. Before anyone else could get a word in, Underwater got up. "May I cut in?" Undertaker said, walking up to the front board, snickering a little as per usual. Well, they weren't as freaked out now. "Well, can't say I'm surprised. You willing to share, or do we have to pay your debt first?" Victoria asked. As humorous as it would be for them to try and get him to laugh, Undertaker decided to decline. "No, no, not today. Though don't expect the same treatment in future," Undertaker said with his signature smile. A breath of relief could be heard from the crowd. The last thing they want is about an hour of laugh attempts. "Well, it would be fare for you to tell them. You've been there yourself, after all," Kyoya said, intriguing them even further. Here they go again. Night came, and off in his personal study, Sombra was on the edge of things. And surely, he didn't feel good with any of it. He simply sat there by his desk, elbows supporting himself on the surface as his hands covered his face, him trying to relax a little bit. The situation was becoming a bit more critical, more so than he could've thought or prepared for. It was more on the concept and implications that truly bothered him: an angel was basically crippled, and no one was willing to do anything about it to those responsible, even if it was an accident as Celestia had said. It still was not anything good, and with no one doing much of it, it just felt ... wrong. simply wrong. In front of him was the same report, as if it was a reminder, or even a calling card for that matter. The meeting surely didn't help him, getting to the point when he got up and started to pace back and forth. He took a moment to bring a hand to his head, and he actually managed to activate his future vision for a moment. This vision he saw wasn't too complicated though, only a single figure - *knock**knock**knock* AND it was cut short. "I don't want to be bothered right now," Sombra said, before he tried to reactivate his future vision. He didn't want to be bothered right now, but the knocking on said door rang for five seconds until it abruptly stopped, giving sombra a chance to focus again. He saw a single figure, standing over on - *knock**knock**knock* "I said I -" "Don't be like that, Sombra. Just a quick chat is all I ask." Now Sombra felt humbled. that voice. Was it him, or no? Sombra gathered himself, and reluctantly went over to the door. With a long sigh, he went on to open it, and who did he find on the other side? A lean man with silver hair. He appeared aristocratic in appearance, his suit all black from head to toe. One strand of long hair was braided, and his ears were pierced three times, with half-framed silver square glasses over his eyes, the eyes emerald green, chartreuse phosphorescent, and almost seemed to glow. Even Sombra, who normally would be calm and collected, was a little bit startled to see this man show up at his door, though then again, he didn't look ready to take anything away from him. That didn't mean he didn't back up when he entered his personal corners, and as such, personal space. "A fine evening, eh Sombra?" "R-Reaper," Sombra said. The reaper wasn't really intimidated by the commander, not by a long shot, and in fact found his humbleness amusing. "Don't get your wings in a stitch, I'm not here to take you away ... not yet,~" the reaper informed him. Sombra wasn't sure if he should be grateful, but it was probably the best thing he could hear from a reaper of any kind. Of course, seeing him did end up giving a rather horrifying idea after a short thinking. ... "So. ... Our angel, I-is she ... is she gone?" "You would think that. But no, when I saw her she got her wing clipped. she'll be a half-flyer from here on out. Your troops wouldn't tell you in the face, so they asked me to do that deed for them," the reaper said, undeterred with anything he just said. While he was glad she was alive, knowing she'll only have one full wing didn't make the situation any better. Sombra straightened up. "So she did end up crippled ... damn it." "Oh, careful there. such naughty language for a angel," the reaper joked. "Very funny," Sombra dryly replied. He was in no mood for any jokes, especially after that revelation. He took a look away from the reaper, and off outside his window to Elysium outside. not many angels were evident at this time of night, and the thing that was flying in the sky was some small stars. "What on earth did those humans even do? I-It doesn't make sense, such a small silver rock can't have -" "Bullet." "... Excuse me?" "Humans have made some fancy trinkets. Looks like one of those renegade hunters got a little to trigger-happy with their little guns of theirs. That "silver rock" is what those guns are armed with," the reaper explained casually. Sombra didn't realize that humans had such things, making this even worse. "This is worse than I thought. Human beings had already did a number on the Overworld with their pollution, but now this. ... THIS can't be just brushed off." "Is that so? Can't say I'm surprised: you did had an eye on that cute little thing for a while, have you?~" "You're mistaken. It's the concept that worries me," Sombra corrected. The reaper went up to his side, looking to him with his own signature grin as Sombra looked to his clear, flawless face and green eyes. not a scratch on his face despite his line of work. "There, Sombra, you'll live." "It's not me I'm worried about, and you know it. If those humans think hunting angels is gonna be a pastime, who knows what they'll do?" Sombra said. "Well, you got to think outside of the box, my friend. If you're so troubled, why not go out and handle it instead of moping all the time?" "What're you talking about? The rules say that Humans can't know of us, remember? It's been that way for millennium. And if we do handle something they're just going to figure us out anyway," Sombra concluded, though the reaper could tell that in his voice, there was doubt in that statement. "Who says you can't work with those humans without getting caught? Have you seen how the demons operate? angels influence them for good, and demons can get rid of any of them so long as they're not seen." "Cut it out, you're not a demon, reaper. And I'm in no mood to become one." "Says the Umbra," the reaper smirked. Sombra was starting to get upset now. "Umbras are wolves, and they don't have to follow those standards. I may be born in the Underworld, but I don't have to fall under the same influences. Now can you be quiet for a minute, I need to check this," Sombra stated firmly. Still, the reaper could tell that he had more on his mind, and many of these false statements weren't entirely him. He thought it over, and then remembered something for him. Sombra brought his hands to his head and tried his future vision one more time. He kept his focus this time, and the reaper didn't bug him here as he made his check. He saw a single figure, standing out in the open of some plain. ... And this figure summoned a mighty creature onto a densely populated area. The exact details made Sombra open his eyes, staring off in shock at such an idea. "Well? what did you see?" the reaper asked. "Not now, reaper. Oh, this is terrible, terrible: some lunatic's going to summon the dragon-class demon onto the surface world! The whole world will know for sure the second that thing arrives," Sombra said, worried over the possible outcome of said result. The reaper found it actually amusing, thinking on what that could do for the humans. "But what can you do? Apparently you can't get involved in surface world matters, right?" the reaper brought up. Sombra found his own words now skewering him. "Shut up! I have to do something before that freak of nature wrecks all three realms," Sombra said, ready to go out. however, the reaper actually stopped him from rushing out blindly. "You happen to see who you're going up against?" the reaper asked. Sombra was to answer, but he ended up drawing a blank on it actually. The figure sure didn't look like anyone he knew. "Ok, no, but I'm not going to let that happen. Why, you know?" "Easy, my boy, some description would be lovely." "Hmm ... well, he was red, long horns, yellow eyes I think. ..." Sombra couldn't get too many details, but the reaper got just enough for him to work it out, snickering to himself. "What's so funny?" "Sounds like Mr. Tirek is at it again." "Tirek? The inventor of torture? ... It's suddenly not too surprising now," Sombra figured. Still, he needed to work something out before Tirek would do this to the world. The reaper smiled. "He could handle the problem of those humans for you down there." "If I want to handle them, I'm not going to do that," Sombra snapped. "Oh? Well what are you going to do?" The reaper asked. Sombra paused and thought over the details in his head. What would be do in this kind of situation? ... He actually began to calm down. ....... It took him all night to work it all out, and when the sun rose up, it was the beginning of Sombra's ultimate choice. If he was to go and handle things, there was something he had to try to do first. The reaper had come and gone, and he was on his own again, and his first order of business: right to Celestia. His walk to the castle was a silent one, and he didn't rush himself in getting there, taking the time to finalize his own words. The time was now. And with the worlds in jeopardy, he wasn't going to waste time any longer. As with yesterday, he went right on into the throne room, and as he expected, Celestia was present, along with a number of her high-ranking guards. "Celestia." "Sombra. I'm very sorry about your troop, but -" Celestia paused when he raised his hand. "Something for later. We have a far bigger problem now. Tirek's going to release a demon onto the surface world, and we have to take action," Sombra informed urgently. "Tirek? Sombra, he couldn't be." "I know he will, and unless we take action now, then all three realms are in jeopardy," Sombra informed. However, Celestia, as troubled as she was, actually shook her head. "We can't take direct confrontation to Tirek, Sombra." "What? Did you not hear what I said?" Sombra asked in disbelief. "I know what you said, but Sombra. I know you want to involve yourself, but Tirek knows the rules of the world same as you and me. He won't try anything that drastic, I'm sure of it. ... The best we can do is stand by, and stop whatever demon he has on him." "Celestia, do you hear yourself? This is Tirek: the inventor of torture and leader of Tartarus we're talking about. He only stayed back because of Lugia, and do you see him anywhere? He's got no reason to stay back anymore, and once he finds that out -" "Sombra!" Celestia shouted, getting his attention. She went over to him and looked him eye to eye. "... He won't find out. I promise you that. so long as he's in the Underworld, he barely would know anything about up here. Please, try and stay at ease. I know you're worried. But it's the best we can do right now." Sombra couldn't believe it, his gaze looking down to the floor. A angel had been shot down, and now a demon lord was ready to release a monster that could ruin everything, and she still won't do anything about it?! Sombra didn't know what to say that wouldn't start a argument with her. ... his eyes then looked to her in disappointment. He turned away from her without another word. Celestia was quiet about the silence, and Sombra went for the door. As they say: actions speak louder than words. And sombra's next action sealed what fate had for him, and everyone there. ... His commander badge. Now on the floor. And without another word, he was gone. ... "So, wait. He's a demon ... and an angel?" Pinkie summed up. "That would about sum it up," Undertaker answered. The reaction to all of this was pretty mixed: some were intrigued while others were left speechless. This demon overlord, not only known to live in the Overworld, but also somehow made it to ranking of commander to Celestia? Considering this was a demon they were talking about here, that was about near impossible. Whatever the case maybe though, this surely gave them all some insight on Sombra's view on things. But that didn't mean that they weren't upset with him however. "So let me get this right: it was you who gave him the idea to start attacking us in the first place?" Ciel concluded, and while he was smiling, Undertaker could tell (as with the others), that he was far from happy. Undertaker playfully shrugged. "Oh, hit a nerve did I? I simply got the ball rolling, I had no part in where that ball would end up," Undertaker joked, finger on his cheek. But this was far from any joke to much of them, considering the damage this all had caused. While Ciel was mad, it was actually Gaara who got him by the collar and pulled down hard. "You have any idea what you've started? Thanks to you, so much of hell had transpired onto this world, and you're taking it as a joke?" Gaara growled, his hands on his throat. Undertaker's smile didn't go away, only angering him more, but Twilight and Pinkie got him to let him go. "Gaara, hold on, attacking him won't do anything. It's Sombra that's doing all this, not him," Twilight quickly made clear. "Correct, Ms. Kagayaki," Korosensei agreed, his face orange with a circle on it, "One mustn't blame the teacher, but more on how the student presents it. Sombra went a bit nutty with his interpretation, as all." "So what, he gets away scot-free? That bitch got Sombra out of Elysium!" Ed spat. Undertaker moved over to Ed, and smiled. "Steady boy. Remember, I was the one that kept you alive after your little train crash, you wouldn't want to throw that away do you?~" Now, normally Ed would go and attack him right then and there, but Undertaker went on to show him his eyes. Normally covered by his hair, the moment Edward Elric saw those eyes, his heart almost stopped. Undertaker had a look in those green eyes of his. A look that told him who truly was above who. Alphonse helped bring Edward away from him, them all a little humbled, before Undertaker laughed again. "Oh, that joke gets them every time," Undertaker chuckled. Hardly much of a joke. "Well, that may be a new insight, but I don't see how that can exactly help us. Sombra probably wanted us to find that out if you just ended up finding it in the open like that," Nagisa concluded. Enough encounters with Sombra would end up reading the motions, and Sombra wouldn't leave something like THAT out in the open so freely. Kyoya however, went to the front desk and had something else in his papers that got them intrigued: a bunch of papers, most of which seemed to be plans. "Then how about these? Sombra is always a planner, and I managed to write down some copies for you all to look over," Kyoya said, tossing them for them to catch. These plans all seemed to revolve much around the same thing: battle strategies, army setup, and what's more intriguing - studies on them! Nagisa was the most disturbed by this, seeing just how much detail was on his piece in particular. "H-He studied us?" Nagisa felt a shiver run through him. Pinkie though looked a bit more impressed than anything. "WOW, he's good. He even got my cup size right," Pinkie pointed out. "WHA?! That creep, why would he even do that?! HOW did he even do that?!" Korosensei gasped, seeing the details himself. Ironic, maybe, but seeing just how much work Sombra had in each one of his character studies made Korosensei feel a bit uncomfortable. Not on how detailed these are, but on the idea of how he could even get these in the first place, of not at all. "You're one to talk, Korosensei," sighed Ciel. Still, after this, Karma got up. "Well, there's nothing for it. I think it's about time we stop kicking side-asses and deal with the heart of the problem. The longer we ditch Sombra, the stronger he's getting, so what do you say we actually think on dealing with him?" Karma concluded. "Agreed, but we all know he's not going to make that easy. We can't just charge at him," Nagisa added. Though admittedly that could go unsaid. As they were trying to work that part out, Korosensei began to take note of the door for just a brief moment. It might've been noticed by the others, it might be not, but this demon was beginning to head over to said door. "Where're you going?" Seitenshi asked. "Oh, it'll just be a second. someone wanted a little peek." And before they knew it, once he opened the door, someone actually fell inside. Not a good idea to lean on a door rather than the wall. And who did they happen to see laying on the ground? "M-Mom?" gasped Nagisa. Hiromi Shiota had heard pretty much everything while standing there, and while it was still a bit vague on what her son's role in all of this was, she can now conclude that it was a bit bigger than she first figured. Nagisa felt mixed about this: on one hand, he was surprised as anyone else would be, but on the other hand, why wouldn't she try to spy on him after the stunt he pulled? "Mom? So this is the women Twilight told us about," Kyoya wondered, as Hiromi got herself up. She looked around the room at just who indeed was within the room and in this meeting. "Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be -" Kyoya was stopped when Hiromi brought her hand up and covered his mouth. A bold move. "Nagisa? Can you be a dear and tell me what's going on here?" Hiromi asked, her eyes turning to him. Nagisa knew that look all too well, and she looked ready to go off at any moment. Nagisa knew as well that he had to say it, seeing to the others around him. "Mom, look. This is something far bigger than you can imagine. I know you're here to get me to leave, but I told you, I'm not going anywhere," Nagisa stated, looking away. Wrong answer. "That's not what I asked." Before she could get near him, Karma, Pinkie, and Twilight got in the way, yet Undertaker placed a hand on her shoulder. "Steady now. you don't want to set him off again, do you?~" "YOU AGAIN?!" she snapped. "Again?" Victoria questioned. Nagisa could feel himself crumble in this awkward situation. "And here I thought she would've got the point across by now. But what else should I expect from her?" Nagisa thought. If anything off of what happened on the roof was anything to go by, they were dealing with a loose cannon, and Undertaker's involvement wasn't doing them any favors. They could already see her face turn red. Still, seeing her here did mean that they had to clear a few things up for her, and Korosensei was just the demon teacher to oblige. "Miss. Shiota, I'll have you catch up on what had happened. Nagisa, if you and your friends would come too?" Korosensei insisted. "I know where this is going. ... Oh well. At least I won't be alone this time," Nagisa thought. Hiromi was more than ready to hear them out. (One explanation later) ... If one word could say anything about Hiromi, it would probably be somewhere between speechless and horrified, her face from a hot red to an almost sickly blue, eyes wide. Korosensei and Team Harmony took their time to explain everything that her son had gone through up to that point, and that didn't include what Nagisa had already told her before on the roof. Getting good grades and a girlfriend was one thing, but fighting demons and practically saving the world from Pluton was quite another. She felt shivers run through her spine on the very idea of it. "N-No ... no way ... h-he did all of that?" Hiromi shuttered. "Oh dear, you're not gonna faint, are you?" asked Victoria, though she was more playful than concerned, Karma adding a few chuckles himself. Hiromi would snap if she wasn't so freaked out. "Victoria, not now. Ms. Shiota, your son has done more than enough to help this world. I know it's a lot to take in, but everything we said is true," Seitenshi answered. Hiromi looked to Nagisa for a moment, trying to imagine the kind of hell he had to go through. However, she snapped back, hands gripping her head as if to block it out. "You are lying! I know my son and he wouldn't do any of that." "COME ON ALREADY! He's even got his own statue of his fight with Pluton back in Amestris, how can you not believe that?!" Korosensei asked, somehow having a picture of said statue with him to show the confused mother. Nagisa could only shrug when she looked to him. "You are right though: he wouldn't do that on his own accord. But sometimes fate does kinda gives one a wild card, isn't that right?" Kyoya said. Nagisa knew what he was talking about, and his memory went WAY back to when he first discovered his Halo Blade. Hiromi had to think straight here. No. no, they wouldn't be lying to her, not after everything she had seen already: Aladdin's magic, Korosensei, and now all of this. ... "Oh, by the way, how'd you not know about Pluton? It's been broadcasted worldwide," Aladdin pointed out. Hiromi started to play with her fingers. "I ... I don't watch the news." "Seriously?" thought Nagisa. "Don't worry: if you've missed it, I've taken courtesy of recording footage for just such an situation. I'm sure this will give you more than enough proof," Kyoya said, presenting a disk in his hand. none of them were even going to ask about that (why would they at this point?). Hiromi took the disk from him, her hand actually trembling a little bit. If even half of what they said was true, it was all the proof needed to say that Nagisa truly had a bigger life than Hiromi had planned for him. "... I need to lay down for a while," she finally stated. This was all A LOT to take in, and she really needed to get her mind straight. Nagisa felt a bit of Deja Vu come up on that sentence in particular as he glanced to Aladdin. It was all to her now. S06Ep7: Where the Dead Go To Die ~デッド・トゥ・ザ・ダイ~Both sides got busy from there onward. With Sombra working his plan of attack to finally go to motion, Team Harmony was basically, for a lack of a better term, doing the same thing. Odds are the world will be in the middle of a warzone anytime now, and with what they've gone through so far, they got to get themselves ready with as much as possible. Victoria, Seitenshi, and Celestia got their own troops under their own word, and training and planning with them was pretty much guaranteed after they got the plan down pact. As for Team Harmony, they pretty much got the same idea in mind, and kept their mind on their upcoming battle as much as they could, even more so than their actual school work for Orora high, which was understandable. Gakuho didn't bother them too much, getting word on what they were doing not too long after the meeting. What else could he do? With enough dirt on his hands already, anymore drastic action on his part to keep the system in tact was, now, out of question. for much of the team, the news on Sombra was probably the biggest thing they've got on him yet, and explained ... well, a lot. Nagisa was now fully understanding where Sombra was coming from: his anger for humans stemming from an attack on an Angel, and only growing from there as time went on by. Sure, there were still gaps missing, but that was the least of their issues here. Besides, with their luck, those gaps would be filled either way. Kyoya's training school also went on with a bit of a hit, and with plenty of students coming in (most of 3-E of course), who were truly starting off strong. With training tips from Kyoya, along with Morgiana, Gaara, and so on, improvement on the students was surely showing promise. Good thing too: they needed to be ready the minute an onslaught would start. And as far as they all were concerned, an onslaught was inevitable at this point. It was just a matter of when, not if. As weather now started to shift to far warmer weather, and spring now in full swing, outside activity became a lot more proper. for Envy, Hinano, and Nabiku, they took this time to head off to the spring swimming pool off by 3-E to hang out. Or, Hinano and Nabiku were mainly, Envy trying to get his training up a bit more on a nearby tree. Hinano and Nabiku knew the importance of training as much as the next guy, especially since both knew what Envy had just gone through, and they both could see he was doing pretty good with it all. "Go, Envy, go!" Hinano cheered. Envy was doing a pretty good job nonetheless. He ended his practice with an air spin, and kicking the tree good and hard, before hopping back to Nabiku and Hinano. Envy was feeling pretty good with himself, a smirk on his face. "You've really been showing a lot of spirit lately, Envy," Nabiku noted. Envy did some air punches as she said that, in the zone more than anything. "I'm not letting this pass by me. Sombra's on his way and he won't even know what'll hit him," Envy said with confidence. Though admittedly, regardless of if it would be him who'll face Sombra or not, he still had demons coming for them all she he had to be ready same as everyone else. "Well hopefully. But Envy, you had us both very worried when you ran off with the others." "I know, I didn't tell ya because you'd come with me no matter what," Envy concluded, which was actually true, both Hinano and Nabiku blushing in embarrassment. "By the way ... when is he coming?" "We're talking about the ruler of Tartarus here, I think we'll all know when he'll show up full power," Envy said, not bothering to sugarcoat it. Why would he at this point? "Well Envy, no matter the case, we're all going to try our best. I'm not going to let my home get destroyed, I don't know about you," Hinano proposed. Envy stopped on a dime. "Wait a minute, no you can't!" "What?" "Hinano, Nabiku, this is literally hell that's ready to come out! You know what they'll do to two innocent people like you?" Envy pointed out. "That shouldn't matter! Envy, this is our home, everyone's home," Hinano insisted. "Had any of you even faced an actual demon before?" Envy questioned. Hinano and Nabiku glanced to eachother, thinking a bit on their own experiences. However, when it came to fighting an actual demon, the two really didn't have much to go off of. "Eh ... we did meet a Mega-Banette a long time ago. And I was found by this giant moth one time. ... does Tataoka count?" Nabiku asked. "I don't know if humans count, but I guess that works. And don't forget Korosensei teaching us this whole time and he's a demon.," Hinano added. Envy was left blank. Sure, there was Korosensei, but the other few times caught him off guard. And that didn't include their encounter with Tirek either. "... Eh, nevermind." "It'll be fine, I promise. You can count on us, Envy," Hinano promised, with a smile on her face. Envy paused and simply looked to her innocent smile. Such a sweet grin, and Envy admittedly knew there was no way he could say no. Nabiku looked willing herself on the matter, and all Envy could do was nod. "Well, with our luck, you'll probably end up fighting anyway," Envy shrugged. "Do you know when he might be coming?" Nabiku asked. A question that they really weren't sure how to answer. "Who knows? It could be tomorrow, next week, or next year," Envy said. "Whenever he'll come, we'll be ready for him," Hinano said. Well, Envy could say that his friends weren't going to leave him, not on their own accord at least. "Speaking of which, I've heard that Ciel's been improving a lot in his training," Nabiku pointed out. "Eh. Well, he's not getting hit as much," Envy shrugged. Improve may or may not be the right word, but with what memory the three could get from their training sessions alongside Ciel Phantomhive, it was worth something. They just hoped that Ciel would be ready enough to fight anyone head on, as a fight with a full blown army was inevitable. Words could only do so much. "You guys wanna check on him? I heard he's getting some extra training today, maybe we can stop by and see how he's doing," Hinano suggested. "Sure, why not?" ....... "Steady your balance, Ciel. Keep your shoulders loose, and your arms at attention." "I'm more than competent in handling a gun." With the rifle in hand, and aiming at the ready, Ciel's training course shifted from physical to projectile, and Korosensei, joined by Kyoya, was getting Ciel Phantomhive to practice his marksmanship with a hunter's rifle, courtesy of the demon teacher and loaded with anti-Korosensei beads. No way was Korosensei leaving any kid with a live gun, not if he had anything to do with it ... even if it was for a kid with plenty of use of a real gun. As for his target - "Hey octo-head? I'm up for training and all, but WHY THE HELL AM I BEING SHOT AT?!" Not too enthused. Turned out, it was Hoopa who was going to be the target practice, much to his annoyance no less. "Someone has to be a target, and I've been it MORE than enough," Korosensei answered. not that he was getting tired of it, but some change would be nice. "... Can I at least use my ring?" Hoopa asked. "Oh, sure, go ahead." WAY BETTER. Korosensei and Kyoya stood wayside as Ciel focused on Hoopa. Hoopa quickly got his ring out. It wasn't any shield by any means, but with it teleporting things away, it worked just as well. All Hoopa had to do was keep his ring up and bolt like a maniac, and that was exactly what he did, giving Ciel a speedy target to shoot at. By the time Envy, Hinano, and Nabiku arrived, Ciel was shooting up the sky, Hoopa freaking out with each one of those shots. "Evening, Envy. Come for a visit?" Kyoya asked. "We're checking in on Phantomhive, that's all," Envy replied, the three seeing Ciel shooting around five to seven shots in the sir. Hoopa got them through his ring, but the ninth shot coming in slipped just passed his ring, and whacked his horn, sending him in a spin. "HIT THE RING, NOT ME!" Hoopa yelled. "No one said I had to, Hoopa," Ciel stated. Eh, true, but he wished someone did. Hoopa simply groaned. "Damn good shot," Envy commented. "Ciel's always had a talent for marksmanship, even with just one eye. All we're doing is perfecting it," Kyoya explained. Well, considering he technically was Sebastian, he would know from his years with him. Hoopa kept as much distance as he could at one point, but like a hunter after game birds, Ciel aimed his rifle high up into the sky, and with a well-aimed shot, actually shot the hoop out of Hoopa's hand ... and shot an extra bead at Hoopa for good measure. "Disarm the enemy. Then finish him off," Ciel told himself. A little lesson in battle he picked up with his tips and tricks from Kyoya and Korosensei. Hoopa landed, dazed from the hit to the head, as Ciel decided that was good enough for him. "If you need me, I'll be heading home. Korosensei, if you may," Ciel said, ready to head on back himself. ~~ It was something like this that much of the group was doing. Aside from this, the exact idea was still hard to swallow for some: Hiromi Shiota being the prime example of this. She had seen the video on said disk given to her while ago, and she was left beside herself with everything. Nighttime, and she was simply left alone with herself. Again. Seitenshi, Victoria, everyone but her believed Nagisa was capable of making his own decisions, and clearly, capable of defending himself if the footage was indeed anything to go by. She just looked outside the apartment building to the city out before her. "Nagisa ... Come on, get yourself together, Hiromi. ... I-It's probably just for a movie or something. No way would he really do any of that in real life, right? ... Yeah, maybe he did get into Hishimaru and didn't tell me yet." Still in denial unfortunately. This time though, it was still nagging her mind somewhat: would Seitenshi get involved in it or no? A movie won't explain that, or the authenticity of it all. Nor would a movie explain the working magi shield Aladdin had used on her already. Eventually ... "Mom? ..." Speak of the devil: Nagisa Shiota had finally came back home for the first time in days. Nagisa felt that, especially after the big story back at 3-E, that he had to come back to his own house sooner or later. A long day of extra training for a demonic onslaught left him a bit battered, but alright. Soon it was Hiromi and Nagisa seeing eachother eye to eye. "Oh, hi. You uh ... look a bit worn out today," Hiromi said. "I went through some training, that's all. Nothing to worry about," Nagisa replied, having a seat on the couch. Nagisa could tell she had finished up the disk by seeing it in her hands, and the blank screen on the TV. "So how was your day?" Nagisa asked, looking up to her as he laid down. "It was fine. ... And how was yours?" "Alright," Nagisa simply replied. Not much of a conversation. Hiromi placed the disk on the table, Nagisa seeing this as he looked to her, his head upside down on the rim of the couch. "Guess you saw that disk?" "Yeah, I did. I'm happy you've finally got into Hishimaru after all." Nagisa felt himself cringe on that statement. He would say something, but what would convince her now? "Yep, she's in denial. Might as well play along," Nagisa thought. No way would he ask himself this out loud, not with Hiromi standing right there. "Surprise," Nagisa sighed. When he looked again though, he could see that Hiromi was ... having trouble in believing her own statement. Sure she had a smile and all, but in her eyes there was doubts on her own statement. Nagisa didn't bother to bring it up, and simply relaxed himself, his eyes looking to the ceiling. He felt like he should say something. Something a bit calmer than how he did on the rooftop. "... Mom?" "Yes?" "... I ... I'm sorry for what happened on the rooftop. I know you're just trying to look out for me. But ... I'm not a kid anymore. I'm in my senior year now, and I've got a firm grip on my life. ... I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I'm not saying your decisions never were valuable, but I'm not ... Well. I'm not you. I am not you. I'm me. I'm Nagisa. I'm very sorry but, I can take care of myself, mom. ... You do understand, right? ..." There was a long silence that hung in the air. Nagisa tried to make this message less painful, and better to take in, but lord knows what will happen now that it was brought up again. Nagisa tried making it clear already, the others tried to, and that didn't seem to work. So if this didn't work, then it was the last time he was going to try. Hiromi didn't move an inch, thinking back on her history with her son. Hiromi turned to face her son fully, but while Nagisa waited for the beating that she would bring up, she instead placed her hand on his head. Her fingers gently went through his blue hair, but he didn't feel hurt. She didn't yank on it, tear it, or anything. "... Nagisa I ... I ..." Hiromi tried to think up what to say to her son, but she just couldn't figure it out. And even more so, Nagisa saw her eyes begin to water up. "Wow. I've never seen her like this before. Who could blame her though? She just found all of this out. If I really am apart of her playthrough, then she must not know how to continue it," Nagisa thought. It was a crossroad from here: either continue on her current playthrough, or pick the option to start her RPG over again. And Hiromi didn't know what option to choose. Hiromi's eyes just screamed a very confused and distraught state of mind, as she literally was on pause. But while she didn't have a clue how to continue, another scenario came up in Nagisa's own RPG. His Demon Sense went off again. "Nagisa?" Hiromi asked. She felt the shiver under her hand, but Nagisa didn't answer straight away, getting up to his feet. He gave mom the hand signal to keep quiet, as he went over to his window, and looked outside down to the street below. He looked up and down the street for a bit, and soon he began to see a few dark figures slip through the night, racing across the street to a different location. This wasn't good, but Nagisa was, actually, more annoyed. "Starting already? Geesh, we're not going to get a break anymore," Nagisa sighed, though this one came out loud, whether he meant to or not, as his hand met his forehead. "Break from what? What's the matter?" Hiromi asked, concerned. "Look, I need to go. I'll be back later," Nagisa said, arming himself up with his Halo Blade at his side. He wished he wouldn't have to leave her hanging like this, but with demons roaming around outside, he had to do something. They would be looking for his friends anyway, and if he could get them before they could do that then great. Hiromi didn't try to stop him this time, as she heard him go on out, and left her alone with her thoughts again. No. She had to figure this out, one way or another. ....... Being as silent as he could, Nagisa followed his demon sense as best he could do, in order to figure out where the nighttime demons were going. It was a bit bad that he had to cut off his mother for the sake of this, but duty calls, and if experience told him anything, it's that he can't let this situation just go by and expect nothing to happen. Nagisa didn't need too much time until he managed to locate his quarry: a set of demonic entities prowling through the city. Both of them were hellhounds, though these look a bit more standard: black dogs with red glowing eyes. His demon sense told him as well that these were lesser demons compared to the Houndoom they met before, but a demon's a demon. both said hellhounds didn't seem to notice Nagisa above them yet, as they scurried through the shadows towards their next destination, moving very quick. Nagisa kept good pace with them. "Where're they going?" Nagisa thought, trying to keep with them, but also keeping out of their radar. Both hounds fail to notice their own shadow up on the rooftops, and eventually he found both hounds heading to a particularly troubling sight: the capitol. This was never going anywhere good. Nagisa got himself up ahead of the hounds, and with a good jump, Nagisa just got himself into the capitol walls, leaving the hellhounds off outside. It wasn't until he looked down from the boundary line did the hellhounds see him, and growled menacingly up at them. He had these hellhounds cut off - *shiver* But not all of them. "Damnit, they're already in there?!" He was trying his hardest, but apparently he still had a ways to go. Looking into the area, focusing his demon sense on the stronger force, Nagisa managed to figure out where this other demon was, the hellhounds moving away and trying to find another way in. Before Nagisa realized it, both hellhounds got themselves in and moved passed Nagisa, just as another figure moved on out from the main building. And this demon didn't come out alone either. Chrysalis was back. And she had Ed and Winry in custody. Both kids looked passed out, but none of them had any injury to speak of, as if knocked out on the spot. The hellhounds went right up to her. What surprised Nagisa the most was how little security was actually coming out: no Al, no guards, nothing. The only one up right now that would try to stop her was Nagisa. "Oh no you don't." Nagisa took action, and it took little time before Chrysalis saw him. She would go up after him, but she was under order, and unlike some demons she didn't want to disappoint. With a quick whistle, the hellhounds charged at him, but all it took was a few quick slices for a fast defeat. He didn't had time to deal with hounds, but the hounds were actually more of a distraction, and there was a lot more than two for him to fight. One lunge after another sliced them down quick, one after the other as each hellhound tried to take him out. "Damn mutts," Chrysalis groaned, quickly working out a portal into the ground nearby. Nagisa managed to take down a good ten hounds in his slicing and dicing before he realized a portal even opened up. "Don't you dare!" Nagisa yelled. He just got them back, he wasn't going to lose them again like this. With him trying to get to the others though, four hellhounds jumped him from the back, and pinned him down. One got him by the back of the neck, another standing right on him, and the other two holding him by arms and legs to keep him down. Chrysalis smirked on seeing him down on the ground. "Much better. You just can't leave any demon alone can you, Nagisa? What, come for another taste?~" Chrysalis cooed. Nagisa found it actually ironic for her to be so cheeky after what he did already. He tried to get up, just for the hellhound on his back to bite into him. Any movements and his spine will break and he won't move at all. "Alright. Good thing you showed up anyway, I was going to get you, but looks like it'll be easy." "Don't tell me: you want to throw me back in Abaddon right? Or perhaps to Sombra's palace?" Nagisa asked, his voice strained from the weight of the hounds and the stinging pain of the biting. "Nah, I got a far better spot for you three. But first, to deal with these two," Chrysalis said, giving Nagisa a pat on the head. "Ed! Winry! Wake up!" Nagisa shouted. But for some reason both of them didn't. Were they already dead when he showed up? Chrysalis stretched and readied the portal. Nagisa tried to get the hounds off of him, struggling as much as he could as the hounds dug their teeth into him. Passed out, Ed and Winry were lifted up, and tossed down through the portal like trash. In a burst of energy, Nagisa got himself free and rushed forward, just catching Winry by the arm ... just for Chrysalis to kick him into the portal! So, Nagisa, Edward, and Winry were off out of the world again, and Chrysalis felt pretty good with herself. "Done and done. Have fun in the realm of the dead, bitches," Chrysalis chuckled. ~~ "Ugh ... what the hell? ..." It took him quite a bit to come on to, but after being tossed like trash, Edward came back around. his head was pounding, but upon waking up he found himself ... well, somewhere. Where exactly, he had no idea. And he just couldn't see anything anywhere, no matter where he looked. The sky was very dim and the brightest thing around was probably the very faint shine off his own metal. The ground was cold and dry, and he couldn't tell if it was day or night. He tried to get his memory together, but the more he tried to remember the details, the more his head started to hurt. "Damn you, Chrysalis, you cheater. Where am I now?" Ed groaned, getting to his feet. No one else seemed to be around, but who can confirm anything in a place like this? Ed needed some sort of light, somehow, but that was easier said than done as he couldn't see beyond five feet at best. Ed tried to get some sort of vantage point in this landscape, but regardless on where he was walking, it just left him wandering with little direction, if at all. If he could make out anything at all, it was the skeletal trees, but that was about it. ... "Ed! That you over there?!" A good sound to hear, and the first good sign since being dumped in this place. Ed turned around, and could just see that Winry was rushing his way. Edward was happy at first, Winry stopping about ten feet away with a make shift torch lighting up the empty space. He could guess she got it after some quick engineering from the dead trees, but another thought struck him. "Winry! ... Wait a minute." Winry looked a little puzzled as Ed pointed to her. "How could I know you're not Chrysalis in disguise?" "Come on, Ed. Do you want me to recite the exact mechanics of your automail down to the last bolt?" Winry asked. "Ok, you're Winry," Ed answered. Mainly that was to avoid a long draining talk with her though, but at least he can say this wasn't another trick from Envy 2.0. With the subject brought up though, Winry started to grow suspicious too. "And what about you, how could I know you're not Chrysalis? You runt." "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A RUNT, YOU JERK?!" Ed screamed, immediately trying tp punch her lights out, Winry moving fast enough to dodge the hits. "Ok, it's you," Winry sighed. no one can truly mimic Edward's rage, no matter how hard they try. *arrrrooooooo* That distant howl reminded them both of the situation they were in, and Ed stopped his anger rampage for a moment. Clobbering Winry wouldn't get them out of here, wherever they were. Their torches, while giving them plenty of light, didn't show them the extent of the land they've fallen under. With their light, they could only get about twenty feet of clear vision, and even then it wasn't much help as all they could see was cold ground underfoot. "Now what do we do?" "We find a way out of here, that's what. Just stay close," Ed instructed. What else could she do? With little to now knowhow on that could be lurking around here, it was not a good idea to stick around and figure that out, so Ed and Winry picked a direction and started walking. And walk the two did. With Winry's torch to add some light, both of them went on through the landscape with, admittedly, little idea on where they were going. As far as the land was concerned, they could barely make out themselves in a ravine of sorts, rocky and without any life to - *grrrr* "Already?" Ed thought. Not even five minutes and already in dire trouble: Ed and Winry both looked around. It was a bit hard to tell at first, but something did eventually begin to slowly come out of the shadows towards the two. A dog-like shape began to move out into the dim light. The body appeared belonging to a large dog, Rottweiler, but the head was demonically humanoid with glowing red eyes, and large serrated teeth that almost outgrew the jaws. And the pack numbered at a good fifteen. Both of them kept a sharp eye on these things, but Winry never seen such horrifying animals before. Her time in Abaddon didn't give her anything like this. And they ALL were locking their eye on her. ... "Winry, get back here!" Ed called, but Winry wasn't going to stay around, not with those hellhounds. Ed kept many of them at bay himself with his alchemy activating, but one of the dogs saw Winry run, and actually managed to slip by Ed, despite his alchemy. Winry kept running until she ended up on the back wall, finding herself trapped with this creature blocking her path. The snarling beast barred its human teeth. It had been so long since human flesh had entered its domain, and it wasn't going to let her go so easily. Winry had nowhere to go it would seem. *neigh!* Neigh? The dog heard the odd sound above Winry, and one look was all it really needed to give a warning howl. All the dogs stuck with Edward heard it loud and clear, and all of a sudden they all turned and ran for it, tails between their legs. Winry rushed back to Ed by that point, but they were a bit less relieved. There was only one thing that intimidates a predator. A bigger one. In the dim light of the lands, that ended up finding themselves stuck in some sort of shadow from the top of the wall, something looking down at them. They turned around just in time to see said creature jump off the balcony, and landing down a foot away from them both in a loud crash! "W-WHAT THE -" Ed could barely get his words out, stumbling back on seeing this thing. The animal, in essence, was some sort of horse, and according to the saddle on its back, a domesticated one. One look at the head however, and both Winry and Ed immediately realized this was no ordinary horse: two bulging eyes glowing a purple hue, a large nose, and overly-sized human teeth, giving it a sort of demonic, almost goblin-like face. Saved from the demon hounds by an even more demonic horse! Its mouth was foaming, as if it had rabies (probably not far from the truth), and it reared back on its hind legs, a bellow echoing from its maw. Ed and Winry could only make a run for it before it could crush either of them under its hooves. It didn't take very long though for the horse to catch up with them, whacking Edward and knocking him onto his back. Winry skidded to a stop, only to turn and see the horse standing right on top of him, frontal hooves pinning him down on both of his hands, Ed staring eye to eye with this monster. "Human." it hissed. Its long tongue then came out, and gave Edward a long, hearty lick, from his chest to his face. If this beast wanted a meal, then it got one. Ed tried to kick it off of him by its stomach, but that was about as successful as spitting at it, and it didn't even faze the creature. It opened its jaws, the rancid breath of rotting meat hitting Ed's face, as it readied to bite him down onto his head for the finishing blow. As for Winry, she was left completely shaken at this display, but seeing the saddle gave her an idea. It was a bit risky, but it was the best shot she had for saving Ed. So she went for it: she raced right up to the horse, and before the horse even realized what happened, its reigns were being pulled back hard. Winry had mounted it, and it wasn't gonna take that sitting down. It neighed good and loud, bucking like a mad man to get Winry off of it, Ed getting to his feet. "GET OFF!" it bellowed. Winry forced it to go back from her friend, but this angry bronco finally got Winry off of it in a swing of its head. "Winry, come on!" Ed called, rushing to her and helping her up as the horse got itself together. These two had to go, and they race off as fast as they could. The horse galloped at them fast, but this time Edward didn't took another chance, and with a quick activation of alchemy, sent the horse flying away from them. "That should keep it busy," Winry said. Ed looked back though, and the horse not only shook off the hit, but actually landed on its hooves. "Not for long, move!" Edward said, the two running as fast as they could. The horse saw them cut a corner down the path, though instead of running, it went in a trot. It could catch up to them easily, so it didn't need to waste any energy in a reckless race. As for Edward and Winry, the two didn't bother to look on back, knowing that the demonic horse was coming their way. Still, as they kept going, one sight ahead of them made them stop cold. As if the land of demonic monsters wasn't enough of a horror, the two found themselves facing an entire ravine of corpses. All decaying, rotting, all displaying of past victims of whatever had went through here. Even a few demons could be seen amongst the corpses, all as dead and rotten as the rest of the bodies. The ground itself was completely covered in blood, as if it had just rained blood around the place. The sight of so many horrid corpses made them both feel sick, but the whinny from the demonic horse reminded them what they were trying to get away from. "When in Rome." "Wait, wha -AAHH!" Short time later, the demonic horse caught up and found itself in the save ravine. It expected to find Winry and or Edward, but it didn't find either of em. It was familiar with this place, and went right on in, its hooves splashing through blood and walking over crushed bones and flesh as it searched for its targets. It took a few sniffs in the air, but for some reason their scents weren't picked up at all. It looked around a bit more closely, and amongst the bodies, it saw a particularly familiar one in the form of Ed! Here though, he was completely covered from head to toe in blood, sprawled out in such a way that it really looked like he was dead. Winry was doing the same thing not too far away. to the horse, both sure looked dead, and it leaned in a bit closer to Edward, sniffing him a little bit. It gave a good snort at him before it decided to just move on. It was not above scavenging, but the bodies were just too putrid to eat, even for a demon like it. With a snort, it moved on and out of sight. ... "UGH! This is so disgusting, I can't believe you talked me into doing this," Winry yelped, jumping to her feet and shaking the blood off of her. Ed did the same thing, wringing the blood out of his hair as he got it off his hands and arms. "Oh shut up, it's better than the real thing. At least that thing's gone," Ed concluded, though he didn't enjoy it either. Who would enjoy pretending to be a corpse anyway? Winry and Ed got a good amount of the blood off of them when - "Well look who's having fun." Come on, more trouble? Winry and Ed followed the voice off nearby a rocky outcrop, and there was the one who got them into this trouble in the first place, Chrysalis! She looked down to them with a sinister smirk on her face, finding some fun in seeing them act out as corpses for the minute. "Were you there the whole time?!" Winry yelled. "I don't know, what would you want to hear?" she joked, nonchalantly. "I can't believe you -" "Please show us the way out of here!" Ed suddenly shouted. Well, his tune changed quickly. "She dumped us here, and you decide to grovel?!" "If it means surviving, I'll be her best friend!" shouted back Ed. Chrysalis felt a little bit taken aback by how quickly it took for one of them to grovel, even more so with it being Ed to do so, but still entertaining for the demon queen. "Ha! You think you're going to escape from this realm with your bodies in tact? you're in the Shinigami Realm, kids." "Shinigami Realm? Wait, this isn't the Underworld?" Ed wondered. Winry was frozen in fear on that answer, though it seemingly made the hellhounds and demon horse a bit more probable now. "That's right: you humans die and think you end up in heaven or hell. Well, this is where violent deities go to die. You think you've been tough before, good luck finding a way out of here, we'll have your world by the time you do," Chrysalis mocked. No way will she blabber on where to go to these guys. "Where the hell do we even go?!" Ed asked again. Chrysalis jumped down from her post, landing just inches from Edward, grabbing him by the mechanical arm. Winry thought she would break it, but Chrysalis had other ideas. "Oh you go west, find a pit, and throw yourself into it to be eaten alive. That'll be peachy. Oh, one thing first." And then, same as before, she opened her mouth, and started to suck away at Edward's alchemy! Winry was a bit quicker about it this time around, and tried to make her stop, the demon queen only getting about half of the alchemy from Ed. Not all of it, but enough to not make him a complete powerhouse of alchemy. And Chrysalis followed up this with a mockery of laughs. Was it really going to be that simple? As for Chrysalis, she decided to leave both kids to their fate, and moved on out of sight from them both. Ed and Winry tried to find her, but passed the outcrop, and she was completely gone. With the only person actually having some information about this place now gone, Ed and Winry were truly stuck. While they didn't know where to go, they weren't going to be staying around this bed of corpses, especially with that demon horse still roaming around. One thing was clear: they had to go. ~~ Nagisa woke up with quite a startle, the fall itself knocking him out upon landing. Ed and Winry may have needed time to wake up, but his landing only lasted for a few minute before his own sense of demonic activity forced him to wake up. His view on the world was just as dark and foreboding as Ed and Winry's, but Nagisa found himself up instead on a outcrop rather than on flat ground, and once more he just couldn't really make out any sign of either Ed or Winry. A bit odd though, the demon sense going off was actually very low, more of a very slight nag than a shiver, which made where he might be even more confusing. "What's this place? ... There doesn't feel like much demon activity around here," Nagisa wondered, looking around as best he could. He closed his eyes and focused as best he could on what his demon sense had to say, his eyes no better than any other human in this kind of place. The exact placement was a little too hard to make out, very scattered. It was too bad Ed and Winry didn't have any demonic energy to work off of, otherwise finding them would be a bit easier. "Ok, keep it together. This won't be too hard: just find Ed and Winry, make a portal back, and get out of here. Ed can use his alchemy to open it, no problem. I just hope they're alright," Nagisa thought. Straightforward, but he just needed it find them first, and he didn't waste any time in starting his move. Or, he tried to, but he couldn't see how far the drop was. Instead, his rush turned to a bit of a crawl, as he scaled down the drop off, keeping a sharp eye out for whatever will be roaming around this place. A few stray stones going down the cliff echoed throughout the area. However, Nagisa listened closely, and they only stopped sounding after one second. He was closer than he thought. With a jump, more sure this time, Nagisa got to the ground level, and tried to figure out where he was. "EDWARD! WINRY!" Nagisa called. However, the only sound he heard was the silent wind and his own echo going back to him. Nagisa started to go on forward a bit, trying his best to find some sort of sign of either of them, but got nothing but empty landscape. "This is bad. This is night time down here. If even half of what they said about the Underworld is true, we're as exposed as ever. They couldn't have gone too far, I better find them before something else does," Nagisa thought. This got his walk turned into a run, as he tried to figure out where the heck they've ended up. Nagisa had no clue where to even go, or for that matter where he was going. It was during this that he began to see a light off ahead of him, the brightest thing he could see in this place so far. "Is that them?" Nagisa wondered, rushing over to see. The sight of what he saw next made him skid to a halt: Ed and Winry were indeed there, but ... "AAHHH!" "No, no, no, wait, it's us!" Ed shouted. He was glad to see him, but seeing Nagisa freak out and aim his blade right at them both. Who could blame him though seeing them head to toe in blood? "I know it's you, but what the hell happened?!" "No, calm down, it's fine - this isn't our blood. We had to ... well, improvise." "Improvise?" Nagisa questioned. "It's complicated." "Oh, nevermind. Glad to see you two are okay," Nagisa replied, calming down a little bit. It took a bit, but Nagisa began to notice a little bit of suspicion coming from their side after they got their minds at work. "Wait a minute ... Are you Nagisa? Or is this another trick?" "Guys, I swear I really am me, and I can prove it." "Ok, go. What'd we do so far?" Ed questioned. Nagisa cleared his throat. "We first met over back in Amestris, both of us on our way to central. You went with us on the same train and saved us from Lust and Gluttony before we arrived there. You even got Twilight training for a bit before Pluton showed -" "OK, I get it, you're Nagisa, gotcha," Ed said. He didn't had time for a long exposition dump, but if he could come up with this on the fly then he got it right. "And you're Ed and Winry. But wait, what even happened? I tried to get you and you both were unconscious. Did Chrysalis get you?" Nagisa asked. "That bitch disguised herself as Seitenshi and got everyone in a meeting just to knock us all out!" Ed answered. Not too detailed, but it was good enough. "Even Alphonse?" Nagisa questioned. "Wait ... did she get him? I don't think he even showed up," Winry said. The only person who couldn't be knocked unconscious and he wasn't there to help them out? What kind of sense is that? Ed didn't think about that until it was brought up, but Nagisa found them now, and the next step was a route off back home. "Don't worry you two. Come on, let's get back," Nagisa said, as he began to carve out a similar underworld portal into the ground. He only needed a minute before completing the circle at their feet. "Ok, Ed, light it up, and let's go. ... Ed?" Ed was actually a little hesitant, all things considered, but if it means getting out he had to try. So, like any other alchemic trick, he clapped his hands together, and slammed them into the ground, focusing as hard as he could muster. Unfortunately for them all, the only thing he managed to get out was a few sparks, not enough to activate the portal. A long silence ... "Uh. E-Ed?" Winry asked, feeling a shiver. "Hold on, I got it," Ed said, trying over and over again, to the point when it was just him whacking his hands into the dirt. Still nothing happened. Sure, a few sparks came out, but that was all he had to show for it at the best of it all. Nagisa could take a hint on what might've happened if Chrysalis was involved, and seeing this made him feel a bit nervous. Chrysalis and company were still on the surface somewhere, and with them in here, what's to stop them from ripping their home apart? "Please don't tell me she sucked away your powers, Ed," Nagisa said. "W-Well ... not all of it," Ed admitted, feeling defeated as he simply sat there. But she might as well, since they couldn't get out of here now with what Ed had left. Ed tried one more time, the hardest he could do with as much focus as he can, sparks coming out of the ground, but it just wasn't going to be enough for the activation. "This is bad. Ed, come on, it has to work!" Winry said, freaking out. "Winry, everything will be okay, I promise. We're in the Underworld, there has to be a way -" "No we're not," Winry shivered. "We're not? ... But then where are we?" Nagisa asked, looking around. "T-The Shinigami realm. I've heard rumors about this place: this is where the worst go after they die, deity or otherwise. Who knows what'll be lurking around here? not even the highest ranking angels or demons want to be here." That last part sealed the deal for Ed and Nagisa. Sure, Ed got the word from Chrysalis already, but the extent of such an idea made this place a lot more horrid than they imagined it to be. The demon hounds, and demon horse were just scratching the surface, far as the three were concerned. *neigh* Speak of the devil. Nagisa and Ed jumped over to Winry, and it seemed that the demonic horse from earlier had just found them after seeing the sparks of light. With the light from the torch it just made the horrifying equine even more scary, the flicking fire light reflected off its blood-covered muzzle and glistening teeth. Ed tried to work some alchemy, but it was not strong enough, and all it did was shove the animal back. and even then it was only about two feet. Nagisa could sense the demonic energy inside this creature, and got his halo blade at the ready. "Stay back, demon," Nagisa demanded, his blade aiming right at the creature's face. It didn't look very fazed by the threat at all, its nostrils flaring up and sniffing the fresh meat. It opened its jaws, ready to bite, and Nagisa went for broke, his blade stabbing the beast right in the head. It bent. "... Oh no." In a quick jump, Ed, Winry, and Nagisa made a run for it, narrowly avoiding the lunge this demonic horse did onto them. The horse was so strong the ground cracked underneath it, and all three teens made a mad dash away from the monster. "Hey! That went well!" shouted Ed. "Think you can do better, be my guest!" shouted Nagisa. The demon horse started to gallop after them, but unlike before, Nagisa grabbed Ed and Winry and with his own speed actually gave the horse a harder time catching up. Even with the added weight, Nagisa was as fast, if not faster than the galloping equine. The animal clamped its jaws down time and again, trying to bite into its prey, but It just couldn't get a proper bite out of them, despite being so close. Edward got his mechanical foot up and kicked the animal square on the snout, making it slow down, and the kick so hard it kicked off a couple of teeth! It bellowed a groan, skidding to a halt and gave them all enough time to race off out of sight. Their mad dash though, while it got away from their monster, did make Winry drop her torch, and it didn't take long until they were left in the dark. Nagisa didn't bother to slow down until the demonic energy was hardly any, and he began to slow down. "Glad that's over. You two alright?" Nagisa asked, just to see both Ed and Winry completely winded. Both were not used to running that fast, not at all. But at least they got some distance between that beast, and them. "Be with you. In a minute," said an exhausted Winry, just managing to get the words out between breaths. Well, they may be tired, but at least they got out of trouble. But the question now was where do they go from here? ....... "...WHAAAA?! NOT AGAIN!" It took a while before news of this happening got around, but since many of said witnesses were either kidnapped or unconscious, it didn't go around until the following morning, and even then they had little idea on what exactly happened. Seitenshi, Victoria, Undertaker, and Korosensei (who was freaking out again). As for Alphonse though, he surely didn't look too good. Hard to say if it was hellhounds who tore into him or Chrysalis herself, but when they did find him, he had his arm missing (again), and Alphonse did not feel well at all with the situation. "I'm sorry, everyone," Alphonse simply said. Though, what else could he say in regards to this? "It isn't your fault, Al," Seitenshi made clear, placing a hand on Alphonse's shoulder. Alphonse may be strong, but he's not invincible. "Well then again, I'm surprised at you: Chrysalis managed to put us all to sleep, but yet you still didn't do much yourself when she showed up." "Not helping Victoria," Seitenshi stated. All Victoria did was shrug on the response, but she was still right. Then again, Alphonse's quick crippling was the least of their problems right now. "Well, on the bright side, most of the hellhounds had been taken care of. Undertaker, Korosensei, you're familiar with the Underworld. Got any idea on where they might've ended up?" Seitenshi questioned. It only made sense that they would end up in the Underworld again, and if anyone knew knowledge about the Underworld it would be those two. Undertaker didn't say much, looking out the window as Korosensei thought it over. "Well the odds of them being anywhere in particular are fairly slim: an Underworld portal can open to anywhere that the caster sets their mind to, and if they have no idea it's just placed at random. Even someone like myself can't accurately pinpoint something like that," Korosensei admitted, unfortunate to say. "Oh. Undertaker, what about you?" Seitenshi questioned. Undertaker kept his gaze off outside, looking to the outer floor. From where he was, it would be the perfect spot to observe the portal opening if he was there at the time. His signature grin ended up on his face before he turned over to the others. "I have one idea where they might've ended up." "Well, what is it?" Seitenshi asked. However, Undertaker didn't answer right away, instead going up to Victoria. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, Victoria eventually smiling contently herself. "Is that so? ... Well, in that case, we should be going. It would be morning in that realm by now." "Wait, you? Where do you think you're going, you can't just jump on into the Underworld without knowing what to do -" "We're not going to the Underworld," Victoria stated. Korosensei started to calm down. "Oh, good." "We're going to the Shinigami Realm." "WHAAAAA?!" AND he's off again. ~~ With morning in one world, the Shinigami Realm also was starting to turn to morning. The Underworld gloom of the pitch black night began to fade to a far more hazy, light grey sky with a slight hint of fog everywhere. Not enough that it was completely blinding, but still evident nonetheless. For Nagisa, Ed, and Winry, it was far from a peaceful night. They didn't sleep at all since they arrived, and the whole time they didn't even stop moving. Then again, if they were to stop, odds are some monster would be on them no doubt, so rest was all but impossible. They were tired, on edge, and with Alchemy and holy weapons barely much use, as vulnerable as they could be. Sure they had their own fighting skills, but quick kills were NOT going to happen, and they can't waste any time. "Worst. Night. Ever," Ed groaned. "We're all tired, Ed. But at least we can see," Nagisa replied. Not the best view, but hell it beats pitch black like they've been doing already. "I don't know where you're going: this realm doesn't connect to the Underworld, Overworld, or Surface world. All we're doing is wandering to nowhere," Winry said, remembering what lessons she was told of back in Elysium. They were still vague, but that was what she got from it all when it was said and done. "Stop saying that, every world connects to somewhere!" Nagisa snapped. Things like that kept being brought up, and it could also be him not getting much sleep, but he was getting sick of hearing it. *aroooooo* The howls in the distance made their skin crawl, but at this point they've been hearing that for hours now. It'll be way too soon when they get out of here from those hellhounds. Nagisa's demon sense was still vague, but went up slightly with the howls heard. He covered his ears this time. "As if the Underworld wasn't bad enough. At least the Underworld I have some sort of grip on what's going on. My friends were demons, and I've got a bit of a hold on how things work. But here ... What rules even apply here?" Nagisa's inner monologue was cut short when he began to see something further ahead of him, making him stop along with Edward and Winry. With so much land of complete abandon and waste, it was a bit of a surprise that a building-like shape began to be shown amongst the fog. And a very big one at that. They weren't sure if it was a trick of the eye when they saw this place, but with hellhounds roaming everywhere, they weren't going to take the chance with it. So, the trio didn't hesitate, and went right up to the door. Upon looking in, it almost mirrored the Library off back in Elysium, with three floors full of various books containing who knows what. It wasn't exactly a perfect place, but all the same, it sure beats roaming around nowhere. Now they at least had some sort of point to work with. No one looked to be inside here, so they had the place to themselves thank god. "Finally somewhere more comfortable," Nagisa sighed. "Last thing I expect. What kind of information do you think's in here?" Winry wondered, looking around at the book shelves. Ed wasn't entirely a bookworm, but with nothing else to do, he might as well see what was what. "Well, one way to find out," Ed replied, going for one of the books. Though, it admittedly didn't seem to give them much help, as the book seemingly was all about a singular person and their life story apparently. Nothing that could help them, nor was it anyone of interest. Winry and Nagisa did the same thing, but their books were mainly about the same concept: someone's life story from birth to death. Nagisa found one of them that was eerily close: a demonic entity in particular. He never met him before, but reading through the details did make Nagisa feel a little bit uncomfortable. "There's sure a lot of details to this. Birthdate, youth, their education, and their exact time of death. Not even our best history books are this accurate ... unless ..." Nagisa felt a new idea come up as he looked at all of the books. Putting the first one back, he started to skin through the various books, seeing them in alphabetical order. He went through each letter, until he found T amongst them. And one word confirmed his suspicions ... "Tirek." "You say something, Nagisa?" Winry asked, as Nagisa pulled out the book. He quick began to skim through the pages until he got to the end of it. And to his horror, he found the exact, detailed narration of Nagisa killing Tirek in that same area of Central. Every detail of the fight, every cut gained, and a section even wrote down those last words he spoke just before Nagisa got his blade into his throat. It was a more bitter memory he was seeing in these pages, but what concerned him the most was how it got here in the first place. Ed and Winry looked over his shoulders and saw the book itself. "Whoa, Whoa, WHAT? How the hell did that get here?" Ed asked, wide eyed and shocked. "I-I think I know who this place belongs to." Before either of them could answer, they both then began to hear the front door open up. They were not ready for another fight, and quickly moved off out of sight as two newcomers began to venture on into the library's interior. The three hid off behind one of the book shelves, only hearing the voices. ... "Ah. See you've been keeping this place tidy since the last time I've visited. and here I thought you'd leave this place to pot," said one voice. A second voice snickered. "Oh, come now, I'm not that much of a slob in this kind of field, you know that. Besides, if they are going to be anywhere, it will be here. After all, it's the only settlement within miles on miles in this realm if they came in from Japan," said another voice. "Hold up, that sounds familiar," Ed whispered. Nagisa shushed him, as he gently moved some books aside to peek through. He left enough of an opening to show only one eye, but when he looked, he didn't see anyone there at front. He had little room to look, but no sign of anyone anywhere. "Wait, where'd they go?" "Knew you'd be here.~" Spinning around and yelping at the sound, the trio found their newcomers were already behind them. They first thought of a fight, but on a second look, it turned out to be Undertaker and Victoria! Creepy, sure, but at least it was someone they knew wasn't there to kill them all. "Oh, Undertaker, it's you. Victoria too." "Naturally. Of course, why wouldn't I miss the chance to show you three around my existence's work?" "Y-your work? Wait, you wrote all this?" Ed asked, pointing to the book Nagisa had. Undertaker chuckled as he plucked the book out of Nagisa's hand. "It took you until now to figure it out? I say, you humans can be so foggy in the mind sometimes. No offense to you of course, princess," Undertaker noted. Victoria ran her fingers through her hair before responding. "No, I agree: you're in the Shinigami Realm inside a Library categorizing souls and you couldn't figure out it's the reaper's doing until after being told right out. Really now," Victoria agreed, a bit more cynical this time around, her gaze more focused on the books rather than the others with her. "We've been up all night, give us a break!" Ed snapped. Victoria sighed, and moved on passed them, she and Undertaker bringing them on out into the main lobby of this library. Victoria kept her back to them as she stopped over by the door. "Convenient we would find you at the library anyway. Undertaker told me on the way that he wanted to show you three a few things, isn't that right?" Victoria noted, only then turning around to face them. Undertaker snickered, who at this point was standing behind them. "Nothing gets by you, does it?" "We don't have time for a tour, we need to get back home before Chrysalis goes and destroys everything," Nagisa made clear. "Needn't you worry about her: she came in this realm with you didn't she? Odds are she's trying to figure out where to go herself. For once, it's you who actually has the upper hand here. I only have a few items to give you anyway," Undertaker noted, though he said this uncomfortably close to Nagisa, enough to give him shivers. Though he did have a point there, though who's to really say if she already left the realm or not? With a wave of his finger, Undertaker signaled them to start following him to the upper levels of the library. Victoria kept some distance from them though, the lingering smell only now hitting her nose. "Seem you spent a bit more time in this realm with that kind of Oder." "Hey, we were trying to survive, and Ed got us rolling around in corpses!" Winry retorted. That got Ed ticked again. "Don't put all the blame on me!" Ed snapped. A whistle from Undertaker got their attention though, and he actually already got a few books with him. Since there was three of them, they figured it was one for each, but when he got down to them, he gave all the books over to Ed instead. "There you go, how about you take your time to look through these? It'll be worth your while," Undertaker promised. Ed was a bit unsure, but he just needed to see the title of said books to figure out what this was about. Looking down to the first book, it showed an all too familiar picture. A family portrait if you will: of him, Al, and both his mother and father. The Elric Family. Ed moved the first book and saw the second one was a similar look on it, but instead showing Winry with her parents. The Rockbell family. Ed gave that one to Winry to look over, but the third book they got was a bit more ambiguous. This one looked less like a history document and more like Twilight's spell book, an odd medieval incantation symbol up on the front of it. Undertaker took that one and gave it to Nagisa. "And this one's for you, my boy." "For me?" "Take your time to look through them all ... OH, and one more thing." This one came from the sleeve of his own coat, coming out as a slip of paper, folded up in a small neat square, small enough to fit in between his two fingers, giving it to Nagisa specifically. Nagisa took a look to it and then back up to Undertaker, able to see his green eyes from the angle he was in. He honestly had some mixed feelings about this, and he went on to look at the paper given to him, unfolding it quick and giving it the once over. ... "... We better get this back," Nagisa concluded. S06Ep8: A Bad Omen ~悪い予兆~Well that could've been worse, couldn't it? Sure, Ed and Winry REALLY needed to wash up after their visit to the Shinigami Realm, but other than that, the items they've gotten a hold of were VERY interesting to put it lightly. It may not be anything big compared to the info dump Kyoya had given them, or anything really involving Sombra for that matter, but when it came to their more personal issues, they hit quite a ball on it. Well, with that taken care of, and back home, they went on through school the next day with a bit more on their minds than just some simple work. As his classes went on, Nagisa continued on with everyone else, but today he was going just a little bit slower, his eyes glancing down to the odd book given to him by Undertaker, which he kept in his school bag next to him. It was mostly out of sight, but he could still see a little bit of it, and he was actually a bit antsy in when the class would end. He got his work done and from there it was a waiting game, his finger nervously tapping his desk as he was waiting for the next bell. "Come on, bell, ring already," Nagisa thought. Why is it whenever someone's wanting something to end time ticked slower? This sort of anticipation of course didn't go unnoticed by everyone in class, as the keen-eyed Gakushu Asano started to take mental notes. He already saw the odd book since he stepped into class, though since it was said classtime he didn't try any advances on him just yet about it. Same thing could be said for the rest of the big five, though they didn't notice it as quickly as their leader did. Nagisa could feel their gazes at him again, but he tried to ignore them this time. After all, getting this information to the others was a bit more important than worrying about other students. His eyes finally took a glance back, and he only saw Koyama looking to him. "Oh god, why him of all people?!" Nagisa thought, feeling more uncomfortable. Of all the people he could've seen and it happened to be the one with the most bothersome face. Hard enough to concentrate as it is. *ring!**ring!* "About time. Now to get to the others," Nagisa thought. Lunch time was a short time span, but just enough to get this extra info in to the rest of his friends. Nagisa moved a bit quickly, being the first to exit the classroom with all his items together, though admittedly he wasn't aware of exactly how much mental notes that the Big Five had done with him. ....... "Can't say I'm surprised. He is a reaper, after all," Ciel shrugged. It didn't take much time until Nagisa got back together with the others, them already pretty deep into conversation. Their trip in the Shinigami Realm surely got them all in attention after the mere mention of the place, Ed and Nagisa lucky to be back at all apparently. They've gone over quite a bit already with Winry and Ed's read through of their family's history, thanks to Undertaker's work and detail. And while Winry wasn't there with them, Ed sure had a lot to talk about, already going over how he even got the book at all. "Wow, look at all this! Undertaker's been a busy bee," Pinkie noted, skimming through all of the pages in said book. Ed had gone through the whole thing already with Alphonse before coming here so he didn't need to look it over twice. "Yeah. A part of me is glad I can figure out what my family was like ... but another part of me is disturbed." "What would one expect from Undertaker? That man's probably giggling his head off right now," Ciel noted, which was probably not far from the truth. "Speaking of, why'd he give these to you? Maybe there's something useful in here?" Aladdin wondered, skimming through the pages to see if there was something interesting worth while, though Ed himself wasn't too sure of it. "I've read that book up and down all day, I didn't see anything that could help us with Sombra if that's what you're trying to get," Ed answered, Aladdin looking the book every which way, even upside-down at a point, but not seeing too many clues within its pages. Guess Undertaker really did want to just give him some family know-how apparently. As they were dealing with that bit, Nagisa took his own time to check out the book in hand he was given, the others seeing this as a spell book with a twist. Many of the spells and tricks in here weren't exactly alchemy or basic magical enhancements like what Magi use. "What about your book? Is that giving us anything?" asked Karma. "Well, it might. Maybe you can learn some new spells," Nagisa said, showing the spells to Twilight specifically. He wasn't exactly the magic user here, so if anyone would make better use of this it would be Twilight. "But what kind of magic is this? I never heard of half of these, and they don't look like any Alchemy or whatever I've read already," Twilight wondered. Looking through one spell after another, many of these surely didn't look familiar to either of them. The spells showed various tricks that looked less like spells and more like natural traits or abilities (flying on aura, hypnosis, that sort of thing). Nagisa didn't go through too much of the book, so he wasn't sure how much was in this exactly. "We'll see if Korosensei can work it out," Nagisa concluded. A good answer, and an easy source of information on something like this. With them all looking in these books though, there was still one small folded up paper they didn't get to just yet, and Blair was willing to comply and pick it up. "What about this?" "Oh that. Uh, Ciel, that's for you," Nagisa answered. Ciel was a little intrigued on that response, considering where this piece came from. So, he went on to pick it up and opened it up fairly quickly to see what they got. Ed and Winry may have gotten their own specific book with their own brand of history to work with, but when Ciel saw this slip of paper, he was left stunned somewhat. The paper wasn't focusing on one individual, but the exact details on this sheet were of that for some sort of Occult group. It showed about several members being held in custody, an extra picture lower on the page showing one of them in what seemed to be an electric chair. A rather old method of execution but it got the point across all the same. These men all looked ... eerily familiar to him. Ciel looked to the date of said paper, and that was what seemingly confirmed what he was looking at here. "So. Someone else did the job for me. Perhaps it's just as well," Ciel groaned, tossing the paper over to Twilight nearby. "... Wait. W-We're these men the ones who -" "Tortured me? About right. And according to the date, it was shortly after I even bothered with Sebastian. Looks like that demon wanted to milk his role for all it's worth," Ciel sighed. He admittedly had some mixed emotions on this: on one hand he did technically get his revenge on this occult with what he was reading here, but on the other he didn't even know about it until now. "But I thought he was with you to get revenge on them." "So did I. I'll talk to Kyoya after school, he's sure to have an answer," Ciel sighed, as they went back to their lunch. Ciel didn't know anymore: he got Sebastian in order to get his revenge on everything, but apparently fate had the job done for him. Was there even a point in getting Sebastian now? Either way, they all had their own answers to take care of in some way, and after school would be a better time for it. They just needed to get through the rest of the day first, only a number of them actually eating their food. As they were doing that, Nagisa went on and looked through the book some more, more interested in that than the food. Eventually though, one particular trait caught his eye: Chrysalis's spell. The spell to drain one's magic to use as one's own. This one was about similarly detailed as the others, but there was actually a small note located off inside it. None of the others noticed the note really except for him, so he kept it with him for later ... ~~ So for the rest of the day, much of the group went on through the motions one way or another, and continued on wrapping up school before heading off to the E building. Ciel would have to go there anyway for the sake of his training course, so, honestly it worked out that way if he wanted to talk with Kyoya. However, that had to wait. He, along with Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, and Blair, went on over as well, seeing him practice with some of the E students. Or at least, he tried to, as he felt a bit more off than usual. Terasaka's Gang was also present for the training today, and most of them with the exception of Takuya, were joining in on the session. "Come on, keep your focus everyone! One two, one two, you got this!" Korosensei cheered. "Can't you shut up, you octopus?" Ciel thought. Compared to the gang working with him, he was pretty behind. "Oh, don't mind him, just focus on me," Kirara said, her own practice blade at the ready for him. It was mainly a tag-team effort today, and Ciel was partnered up with Kirara for this session. Ciel went at her again, but Kirara had a bit more practice than the young earl, and he found himself being beaten a good six times in under two minutes, stabbed in the chest or leg mainly. "Damn, Ciel's a bit off today. Out of practice, much?" Blair noted. "I wouldn't say so: he's rich. Being rich made him weaker than all of us in the physical aspect," Karma assumed, though this was mainly a tease. "That is a bloody lie!" Ciel shouted, leaving him open for another stab, that time aimed at his shoulder, close to the neck. "Come on, Ciel, you got it!" Twilight encouraged. Kirara backed up let Ciel recover a bit. Tired, Ciel staggered upright again, but they could tell that something was a little bit off with him. Something Nagisa started to notice first as he looked a bit more closely. "Hold on. Ciel, you feeling okay?" Nagisa asked, getting up and starting to head over. Ciel though didn't answer at first, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "Don't give me that, Nagisa, I'm alright," Ciel insisted. "Ciel, you look exhausted already. Come on, you sure?" Ciel was ready to respond, but something just felt ... wrong. A groan escaped him, as he felt his stomach. "... You know what, yeah. A small break will work," Ciel decided. Ciel started to go back with Nagisa, albeit a bit weakly, but before any of them knew it, Ciel suddenly stopped altogether. Whatever was going on with him, it took toll off him and he couldn't even balance right. Suddenly, he was on the ground, collapsed, on his knees as the others went over to him. Nagisa caught him before he could fall to the ground completely, but clearly something was wrong now. "C-Ciel!" gasped Nagisa. "Ciel, what's wrong?" Twilight added. Ciel suddenly began to look rather sickly, looking up to the others with a sort of dazed stare, more focused on the pain rather than the questions. His face was turning red, as if he suddenly got a cold, and he looked ready to pass out. Karma got to his level and tried to keep him awake with a few pats to the cheek, but that wasn't doing good either. "The hell happened? I didn't hit him that hard," Kirara said, going over to him. "Ciel, talk to me, what's the matter?" "I don't know, get it? ... I-It just started ... hurting," Ciel groaned, helped up to his feet by Nagisa and Twilight. This was completely out of left field for most of them, but Korosensei got his IQ to work. As he thought on it, a hypothesis began to come up in his mind. "Ciel. You didn't happen to eat the school's lunch, did you?" Admittedly a rather odd question. "Do I need to say it?" Ciel groaned, his stomach churning up a storm again, making him keel over in pain. Korosensei was beginning to see the picture, but as with any hypothesis, he needed to study up and know for sure. "Hold on, I'll be right back," Korosensei said, before jumping up high into the air and bolting off out of sight. ....... "Hinano! HINANO!" While Ciel may be having his own issues, Envy was having his own bit of problems too. He himself may have not ended up eating the poisoned food, but poor Hinano was stuck in bed, sickly from her own intake. At the point Envy was trying to give her a hand with this problem, whatever it was, but he was a bit freaked when he found her sleeping in bed. Lucky for him, Hinano did wake up, albeit a bit groggily, on Envy's words. "Envy? not to loud." "Don't fall asleep on me, Hinano please. What even happened to you?" Envy asked. Hinano thought it over. "I ... I don't know. I was just fine this morning," Hinano said, her voice quieter than usual. Envy had gotten her a cool towel for her head, as she had what felt like a fever for some reason. Envy couldn't really figure it out really, he didn't notice anything different from any other day that happened to any of them. As Envy tried to work out an answer, some form of shadow started to appear by the bedroom window. Upon looking, there was Korosensei, hovering just outside of the window and letting himself in. "Hinano!" gasped Korosensei. Hinano didn't react too much, too tired and with enough of a headache already. Korosensei though was getting more worried on seeing her like this. "What do you want?" Envy asked. Korosensei was in some doctor's get-up, and checking up on Hinano, a tentacle feeling her burning forehead. It was sad to see such a happy-go-lucky person so troubled like this. "You too? No, no, no, no, this is awful." "Too? Don't tell me other people are like this," Envy said. Suddenly Korosensei had a clipboard with a list of names shown to Envy. And it was quite a list, a good ten to twenty kids in similar circumstances. "All of these kids are suffering from the same ailments: weakness, fevers, nausea, there's no doubt about it: someone had poisoned the supply of food at Orora High," Korosensei concluded. Envy paused on the idea, letting the possibility sink in. He didn't have any of their food today, but Hinano he knew had, and yet he was all fine. Out of anger, his own hands snapped the spine of the clipboard in two, making Korosensei a little nervous. "Who the hell did this to Hinano?!" Envy demanded, going right to Korosensei. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me -" Envy suddenly had Korosensei by the tie, and pulled him down to his level so they were eye-to-eye, the fury in Envy's gaze impossible to ignore. "I'm not asking your apology, I'm asking who the hell did this!" Envy yelled. He would go further, but then Envy felt a gentle yet firm hand grab his other arm. "Don't be mad at him, Envy, please. ... It's not his fault," Hinano said meekly. Envy was still furious at whoever did this, but he did comply and released Korosensei of his tie. Pulled any harder and it would've became Korosensei's noose, the demon quickly getting it loose so he could breathe. "Sorry, Hinano. You've helped me so much already, I just don't want you to die on me," Envy said. "I know. I know," Hinano simply replied. Envy calmed down and looked over to the demon again. "I'll get the culprit figured out, Envy, I promise you that. Now, excuse me." Korosensei then opened the window and was off and on his way again. ....... It took the speed demon about half a minute before he eventually came back around, in that time zooming around not only the main school, but in numerous parts of Tokyo as well. He bolted here, there, and everywhere in a mad blur, before popping up back to the E building. His yellow head turned blue with worry after landing, almost shivering. "We got a situation," he stuttered. "We can see that," Ciel groaned. "No, not just you: I got it tested and the food from Orora High had been poisoned! Everyone who ate lunch at the school's stuck in bed sick, or worse!" Korosensei revealed. Well THAT was scary. "Poisoned? But how'd it happen?" gasped Yoshida. Korosensei then whipped out what looked like a note from his sleeve as his answered, which Karma caught. "I looked up and down the school, and I found this within the kitchen," Korosensei informed. The note itself wasn't too complicated, nor was it really hard to figure out the motivations behind it. All your kids are gonna die by tomorrow night. Unless you send over that blue-haired bastard, then you'll have a gravesite at your doorstep. Send her to the warehouse outside of the city, and come alone. "Ransom. Well Nagisa, you're on the block again," Karma noted. Nagisa took a look at the letter, but while "blue-haired bastard" might match him for a demons' eyes, the fact it wanted "her" to come made it questionable. If not a bit of a callback. "Wait a minute, it's not me." "What other blue-haired bastard do you know of?" Blair retorted. Nagisa looked back to the letter once again, thinking a bit hard on what it could really be. Funny thing though, the more he looked at the letter, the more his head started to hurt. *FLASH* Nagisa brought his hand to his head after the vision flashed in his mind. Future Sight must've got triggered again. "Now what's wrong? You didn't eat any of the food too, did you?" Korosensei asked, troubled. "No, no. My Future Sight started up again," Nagisa replied. "future sight? Well out with it, what'd you see?" asked Blair. Nagisa needed a minute to get himself together. "I got two: one at the warehouse, and another ... somewhere else. A fight's going to happen at the warehouse, but I couldn't tell who it was, or who's going to be there. The second one ... well, it showed a reflection off a knife, and someone's going to get killed. I saw the killer clearly, but ..." "And who's going to die?" asked Terasaka. Nagisa needed a minute. "M-My mother, actually." "It's a murder attempt." the group around looked over to Ciel, who while still looking ready to pass out, still had enough of a mind to know what this meant. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Whoever's after you is going to send you all off to this damn warehouse, and the killer's leaving you to that while he kills madam Shiota," Ciel concluded. The group looked around to eachother, and after a bit seemingly got the same idea. Well, all except for Nagisa, who they all ended up looking to. "What?" "We need to be in two places at once. We got that cure at the warehouse, and the killer wandering Tokyo, so all we have to do is split up. Nagisa, you go and protect your mom, we'll get the cure for the rest," Twilight decided. It was a rather quick move, but the plan was straightforward enough. Nagisa was feeling a bit torn again, either the life of his mother or the lives of countless kids at his school. His mind scrambled for the right answer. "Ok, let's see. Sure, there's a lot of lives at stake, b-but Hiromi she - ... no. No, she's still my mother. Even if she didn't do much for me. ... It wouldn't be right to leave her. ..." his thoughts came to the final conclusion. "Alright. Be careful you guys," Nagisa finally decided. "It's settled then: you get off home and arm up, we're heading off to the warehouse. Let's go kick some ass," Karma said. ....... As good as things were, Hiromi was still on the edge of things. Off back at home, unaware of the problems going on with everyone just yet, she had ... well, she honestly wasn't sure anymore on anything. Very stressed she was, as she tried to handle some dishes. In such a state of mind, she was at a point when any sound or negative comment could, and would set her off again. Her face may be red, but she didn't look as scary as she would normally be. I am not you. I'm me. I'm Nagisa. I'm very sorry but, I can take care of myself, mom. "... Then what am I supposed to do?" the question escaped her mouth without her realizing it, but it didn't matter. She had it all figured out, and she wanted it to go the way she intended the minute she would find her son. But, it almost felt like her world was turned upside-down. All of this, and she still wanted to believe that she had control. She had a reason to have Nagisa go her way - to fulfill the dreams she couldn't get herself. But now ... could she ever do that? "... Nagisa ..." *BAM* Hiromi almost jumped out of her skin on the sudden noise, and Nagisa was standing there. He was breathing a bit heavily when arriving "Is that you sweetie?" "Yes. Is Aladdin home yet?" Nagisa asked, sounding urgent himself. Hiromi didn't turn to him, and she simply pointed to the bedroom. She really didn't want anything else to think about right now. Nagisa nodded, and went on back to see the magi. All Hiromi did was stand there, keeping her gaze to the sink in front of her. She hadn't heard much out of Aladdin since he got home. "Aladdin, how're you feeling?" Nagisa asked through the door. "Nagisa?" a voice groaned. Nagisa opened the door, and there was Aladdin on the bed, laying on the bed, more tired than sick really, but the red on his head did suggest that the poison got to him too. "Oh no. Well, at least he made it home, I can watch him and mom until this whole thing's over," Nagisa thought, as he walked over to him. Aladdin looked to him, his face weak and red. Nagisa placed a hand on his head, feeling a fever good and hot. "You doing okay, buddy?" "... What happened?" Aladdin groaned. "Look, I'll tell you later. Just hold tight, ok?" Nagisa said, trying to comfort him. The others should be able to get the antidote, hopefully. And all the while, this was being overheard by Hiromi. She couldn't stand it. ~~ Just before dusk, and both sides of this coin were off and ready to go. Nagisa Shiota was in his position to take care of Hiromi and Aladdin, and everyone else was heading off from the E building to this Warehouse, as pre-mentioned by the ransom. The warehouse was very far from the E building, practically across Tokyo, which explained why they had to take so long to get there at all. The group was not at full strength, and only those from the E building training (except for Ciel of course), were there and ready to get this game started. If even half of what Nagisa said was true, then they couldn't leave anything to chance. The group were just one block away from reaching this warehouse, and it took them pretty far off to the outskirts of Tokyo. "Ok, this should be the place," Twilight noted. "You really think they'll have it?" Blair asked. "I don't know, maybe? We'll have to get in there, it's the best shot we have," Twilight answered. They began to hear a few sniffs next, and they came from Korosensei. "They're there alright: the notable chemicals emitting from that antidote is right inside. This nose can sniff it out anywhere," Korosensei said smugly. "K good. ... One question: Why the hell do you look like that?" Yoshida asked, looking down to Korosensei. Korosensei didn't look the same as before, but rather than some weak disguise or some human get-up, he instead looked like a small ball, the size of a basketball, with a see-through spear surrounding his smiling head. "Hold on, no one said any rules against basic self-defense! This coat of armor is impenetrable by any substance known to man - I'm invincible!" Korosensei retorted. "But you can't do anything like that," pointed out Twilight. Korosensei clammed up. "... I can be supportive." A groan escaped much of Terasaka's gang, but Karma found this fairly interesting. "Come on guys, it'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, we can use Korosensei as a distraction while we grab the goods," Karma noted, picking Korosensei up, tossing him up and down as if he was a baseball. "Hold on, I didn't take this form to be abused!" ""Well too bad, Korosensei." "Will you all quit bickering and come on? There's people who's lives are on the line remember?" Twilight reminded. Now was not the time to go into critique. Pretty soon, they all were lined up at front. The warehouse building itself was a gigantic one, even if it looked rather old. Wherever this cure was, then they had a bit to look through. They kept their distance at first, keeping themselves lined along the walls just by the warehouse door. Takuya, Blair, and Kirara were on the left, and Twilight, Kirara, and Terasaka were on the right, Karma aiming his sword at the door. Clearly they knew who was leading this charge. With a grin on his face, Karma swung his sword in an uppercut right between the doors, them all hearing a notable slice from the lock. Good call. Karma had the honors of opening the door, and the dim light gave them what look they could manage. With the dim light and no lights on in the warehouse, vision was pretty limited to say the least. They expected a full onslaught to meet them at the door, but after making themselves known, there was no response. "Well damn it. I was hoping for a fight on our hands the second we arrived at this place. Oh well," Karma sighed. As questionable as that was, the others moved on in, looking around. "Well, let's get started. Fan out, and try to figure out where this antidote is," Twilight instructed. "What're we even supposed to be looking for?" "I don't know, some case, or canister, something that can hold this antidote in it." "Leave it to me, children," Korosensei said smugly, "this nose of mine can sniff out that antidote in no time. Just leave it to me." Well, Korosensei had a use for them after all, as he sniffed around. The smell of cardboard, steel, and dust was the main scent he was picking up, but eventually the demon got the scent locked. "Aha! I got the scent! It's in a metal case within this warehouse, over on the third floor." "You got all of that just from smell?!" Blair gasped. Korosensei giggled. "Oh, you have no idea." "Can we get moving before we're all caught. Come on," Terasaka said, going on ahead with pistol in hand. And so they began to look around. Considering it was up on the third floor according to the demon in a bubble, their first task was to find the stairs to go up with. Twilight got some light with her magic with a flick of the wrist, the task far easier than to her training, and the purple hue illuminated plenty of the place a good ten feet around them as they went through, many of them armed to the teeth for this brawl that will supposedly happen. Much of the warehouse was stocked up, but no sign of any guards or demons anywhere yet. The purple hue flickered like a candle, giving a more haunting feel to the entire warehouse, at least from what they could see. "Hey, Koro, think you can sniff out any guards with that nose?" asked Yoshida. However, Korosensei didn't have to: the main door slammed close behind them. Immediately Terasaka and Kirara shot right at the source, and they all began to hear hissing, good and loud. None of the shots sounded like it made any hits, or if it did, the creature wasn't fazed. "Slaughter them!" shouted a voice. It didn't take very long until the onslaught started. These demons were smaller, more like shadowy animals if anything, and in the dim light they were moving very fast. The group began to rain bullets practically everywhere. Twilight and Blair got a few magical spells to work and was as efficient with them as the group was with their pistols. If anyone was outside the building, flashes and gunshots could easily be heard outside. ... And just after a minute, the attack stopped. Just like that. Ringing of gunshots and magical blasts were still echoing in their heads by the time they were done, and many of the demons were down on the ground, dead. "Well, that didn't take long," Karma noted, cleaning his sword of the demonic blood. "If that's all they got then this shouldn't be long at all," Blair added. "Oh, do you think so?~" Spoke too soon. Sure much of these demons were handled, but when they heard that voice, they all got armed up again. For some, the voice was eerily familiar in tone. It didn't come in a form of a figure, but something was then tossed down to them from the darkness of the warehouse. *BOOM* In a sudden blast, the already dim room suddenly filled up with smoke. Whatever light Twilight could use was almost useless here. Ironically though, the lights in the warehouse suddenly turned on, but with so much fog and smoke from the blast it was almost blinding at first. "Damn it! Who's there?!" Terasaka demanded. It took a little bit, but eventually they began to hear something start to come out of the fog. It looked like a human at first, but when they saw the full figure it was anything but: dark skin, arms and legs having holes in them to reveal flesh, with eyes much like insects. Karma quickly went at him with his sword, only barely able to get a cut into him. The fog cleared up after a bit, and ... "Oh, screw this." Well, what was shown next was jarring to put it lightly. They saw many other figures everywhere, but they didn't match the first one at all. Terasakas, Kiraras, Yoshidas, Takuyas, Blairs, Twilights, Karmas, so many copies were all over the place! The first one they saw smirked, and suddenly it was another copy of Twilight after a quick body alteration. A perfect match, and same thing could be said for everyone else. "What the hell?!" Takuya said. "Changelings. Everyone, stay as close to eachother as you can! Don't get lost in the crowd!" Korosensei instructed. The Changelings weren't going to give them that time however, and the group of twenty were already rushing at them in a frenzy! With the light blinding them with the fading fog, keeping together was a lot harder than it sounded, and Kirara, Blair and Twilight were quickly yanked out of the crowd! "So much for that," Karma sighed. This wasn't any good. ... It took only a minute before the warehouse became a warzone of humans and Changelings. Sure, fighting off demons was no big deal, but the problem here was who was actually who. At least the warm-up fight was straightforward, much of the group now had to worry about who the hell was who, and try not to kill their friends in the process of it all. Copies of them were scattered everywhere, and it was impossible to tell on who was actually where, or who to actually attack. During the fight, Yoshida took focus on three moving in on him. Kirara seemingly had a similar issue and both backed up into eachother. Yoshida wasn't too bothered ... until Kirara turned around and hissed in his face! "Ok, this is getting weird!" Yoshida said, seeing the Changeling lash out its lizard tongue at him and attempt to bite his throat. Yoshida got pinned down as the others closed in, but this Kirara Changeling got blasted right in the face by Twilight's magic beam, along with the others closing in on him, slamming them into the metal shelves. Yoshida felt grateful but Twilight levitated him, bringing him over and ready to blast him. "You're mine!" Twilight shouted. "Hold it, wait! Real me! Real me!" Yoshida shouted, just in time before she could hit him. Twilight placed him down on the ground. Good save. Meanwhile, Blair and Takuya were having their own problems. They got to handling a few other changelings in this mix, hopefully none of them really their own. Takuya looked a bit scratched up already but still going as strong as he could manage. Blair and Takuya kept close to make sure they didn't confuse eachother. "This is balls, we keep this up the others will be dead before we even get back," Blair groaned, before kicking a Changeling in the face. "Well got any ideas to make this faster? I'm all ears," Takuya replied. During the scuffle, four other Changelings moved in on them, two Takuyas and two Blairs. "Damnit, we can't keep wasting time. ... Takuya, go with me," Blair instructed. Before Takuya could ask what, Blair was suddenly on top of him, trying to beat him to a pulp! Takuya, taken aback, tried to fight back himself, and the other changelings moved away. With such a scuffle, who could really say on who was who? Soon as they left, Blair stopped. "Warning next time, I would've killed you," Takuya said, as he got off the ground. "Don't you get it, that's what they want us to do," Blair answered. And soon as she said that, four Terasakas were suddenly there, all angry, and ready to tear them to shreds. Takuya and Blair readied to attack them, but suddenly one of them smirked, and clobbered the other three, sending them flying with a wall aimed whack of the arm in a single swing. Clear one of them was real if they were gonna do that. Terasaka got them both up and kept them with him as they went back to the onslaught. With all this going on, one of them took the opportunity to save them some time and actually tried to focus more on finding the stairs than actually fighting: Karma and Korosensei. Ironic, really, but he knew what they were up to the moment he saw them form. With him keeping himself out in isolation, he won't hurt any of his friends, and they can't hurt him either. He kept Korosensei with him, who was a bit more troubled about what Karma was about to do. "Eh, Karma, shouldn't you tell them about this? I-It's kinda risky, and you might kill everyone," Korosensei shuttered, but Karma didn't hesitate. "Quite wining. Those demons will have us running in circles by the time everyone keels over. Besides, I've always wanted to try a domino effect," Karma said with his signature smile. With the position of many of the Changelings and the shelves of materials, Karma already got his plan in action. And all he had to do was get his sword lined up with the first shelf's legs just right enough. He placed Korosensei down to give him a front row seat to the results. Not that he could do much anyway given his situation. With Korosensei placed, Karma got his sword and got to work. The plan itself was simple enough, and considering many of these items looked easily over a ton, this shouldn't take too long. Korosensei could only watch as Karma went to the first line-up, and his sword sliced the legs right at the bottom. He raced along the front as fast as he could, his sword making a clean cut all the way through. In the fight, none of them really took notice of it (Good thing for him). *creeeeek* The sound of straining metal was what got their attention. "HIT THE DECK!" shouted Terasaka. Much of the group just managed to get out of their in time, but the Changelings were just a little too slow. In screeches of shock, the Changeling horde was crushed under tons of metal and crates, and with the first part falling, it slammed into the other, and as Karma said, did a sort of domino effect. The crash rang in their ears as the dust cleared, revealing a row of about four to five metal shelves now on the ground, blood splattered on the ground under the debris. When it all cleared up, much of the group was alright ... at least Korosensei hoped it was them and not some look-alikes. "The hell man?! You could've killed all of us!" Terasaka shouted. Karma went back to Korosensei and picked him up. "Ok, Teach, think you can pick out who's who in this crowd?" "You wait until AFTER to ask that?!" Korosensei yelled. "Can't believe you didn't work it out yet. Nagisa said that only one person was going to die, if anyone, and that would be his mom. His future sight didn't say a thing about any of us except the fact we'll be in a fight, and hey look, we just finished," Karma said, finishing his statement with his other hand extended out to present the carnage left behind. Korosensei did see only one of each person left standing and out of the heap as Karma finished with "So, who do you think they are?" "... And here I thought I'm teaching you." Korosensei simply replied. Karma couldn't help but laugh it up as the others went over to him. "If you're going to nearly kill all of us, how about a warning next time?" Twilight advised. "Why? It's more fun being spontaneous. Besides, it got rid of that horde, didn't it?" "True. Come on, that cure's gotta be up there somewhere." ~~ As things were looking up for Twilight's group, Nagisa's side of the coin was a bit too meh. Not a thing happened yet, but Nagisa needed to keep himself a bit alert here. While his future sight didn't tell him any exact time this would happen, if Ciel's words were anything to go by, then it would be happening soon. A bit too soon for him though. The city streets were a bit quiet that night, and while most would be off asleep at this point, one particular person was ... looming. Waiting. Keeping just off and out of the way dangerously close to the apartment where Nagisa was living. He kept his gaze locked off to said building, though he was a bit trigger-happy on just going in and causing mayhem. Or at least try and get whatever he had to done before it could get away from him. He placed his post over on instruction, hidden off in an alleyway about a block down. His fingers gripped the wall, as if trying to dig into them and crumble it up, before he began to see sight of someone further down, just exiting the apartment in question. But it wasn't Nagisa leaving, but instead Hiromi, and she just ... well, she didn't know what to think anymore. She simply kept quiet as she left, and possibly Nagisa might've not known she had left at all considering she came out alone. Her mind was fogged up, confused, and unsure how to take any of this really. And with confusion came stress, and at this point she was pretty high up there. "Is that her? ... No. She didn't look like that. ... You better be damn right about this ..." the figure slipped off out of sight as Hiromi slowly started to move on closer and closer to his position. Step by step she went, her gaze down to her feet. And soon, she was in striking distance. And then he got her: in a grab, Hiromi was caught in his strong grip, grabbed immediately and yanked out of the street! Hiromi, in such a state of mind, didn't realize until too late what just happened, and did what any sensible person would do: scream. Especially when she took a look at this man's face. A look of a man who lost his mind, his eyes staring passed her with a sadistic-looking grin edging his face. It didn't help that what looked like claw marks edged his cheeks, almost like downward stripes. He looked simply terrifying, a horror of a man. Hiromi tried to get away from him, but this man was not letting her get away so easily. "That's it, keep screaming, she'll come to me." he thought, but Hiromi was ready to snap at this point. So much trouble and now some mugger was taking her hostage! Lucky for her, her screams did not go unheard. "Mom! Where're you?!" Nagisa! Hearing his mother, Nagisa didn't hesitate to come out and see what was going on. But oddly, the man didn't feel too worried, and in fact moved out into view. He made his presence known by throwing Hiromi aside, tossing her into the street. She did her purpose, and when this man saw Nagisa, he was sure pleased. Nagisa was slightly taken aback by this opposing human, the man towering over him and in his prime, far more than what he used to be. One look told Nagisa that this was the moment he was waiting for. "There you are," the man hissed. "So. You're the one who poisoned everyone?" Nagisa asked, trying to keep his nerves together. "Yeah, so what? It got you here, just like I wanted you to, bitch," he said, cracking his knuckles and ready for a fight. Nagisa was ready for a fight himself, his Halo Blade at the ready. This amused the man. "Say what you want, your plan isn't going to work." "It already worked! I poisoned your friends and look who's here. You're all mine Niji." ... huh? "Wait ... Niji? Who?" That got the man more upset, him moving forward fast and almost killing Nagisa on the spot! Of course Nagisa jumped back, stopping ten feet away after a few hops. "DON'T SCREW WITH ME! You clobbered me - you ruined me! I was at the top of the military defense force, and they all mocked me, humiliated me, BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID! YOU E-CLASS BASTARD!" He bellowed. Nagisa knew he wasn't the target, but this man should know the difference ... right? "E class? What's he talking about ... they did keep talking about this Tataoka instructor. Is this him?" Nagisa thought. Though even if he said it aloud, it didn't matter much since he looked simply crazed as it is. Tataoka in the flesh, and he was in no mood to screw around anymore. "I'm not letting you get away from me, and this time I'm making sure you're dead." And with that statement, Tataoka charged forward and attacked with all his strength. For such a large imposing man, he sure moved fast, and the first kick almost got to Nagisa. Nagisa jumped to the side and with no option but to fight, he whacked Tataoka in the chest. It was enough to knock him back, but only a little bit. He didn't want to fight a fellow human, but Tataoka begged to differ and rushed at him with blind rage filling his gaze. Hiromi got herself picked up, her own face red, but she felt more torn than ever when she saw Nagisa fighting. And Nagisa was holding his own surprisingly well, hitting Tataoka more than he was hitting him thanks to his agility. Hiromi managed to find her feet, and seeing Nagisa hold his own this way just hammered in the fact further. This fight was heard throughout the place, and then Hiromi began to hear someone else come out not too far away. Aladdin! Despite being sick, he can't stand by and watch this happen. "I'm coming!" Aladdin called, trying to focus as best he could do for a Gyro Ball. It was a bit harder, and he only got a attack the size of a tennis ball, and the explosion barely did much, more like a smoke bomb than anything. Nagisa looked over to Aladdin, but Tataoka saw his chance, and slammed him into the dirt. The Gyro Ball left a bit of a mark on him, but Tataoka brushed it off. "Nagisa!" Aladdin gasped. He tried getting over to him, and Tataoka grabbed Nagisa by the leg and swung him as the Magi like a mace, sending Aladdin flying off to the ground nearby Hiromi. Tataoka didn't care for him, and seeing Hiromi gave him an idea. "You! Finish him off and I'll let you live!" Tataoka demanded. Hiromi froze up in place for a minute, her breath heavy and her eyes glued down to Aladdin. She could feel her rage build inside her, and Aladdin was worried that she was going to unleash it on him, but her mind was focused on somewhere else. Nagisa Shiota, her own son and only child, pinned down and unable to move underneath Tataoka, who looked more than ready to slaughter him. Regardless if he was Niji or not. Hiromi strained in her breath, her own look ready to kill, before she turned to Tataoka. She had broke. "GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF MY KID!!!" And with that roar, she jumped right at Tataoka, her hands clamped down hard on his head, and forcing him off of her child. Hiromi had finally broke, and the break from that got Nagisa up to his own feet, just to see Hiromi pummel Tataoka in the face, one punch after the other and going all out on him. Tataoka whacked Hiromi off of him with ease, a bit stunned but now ticked off. "THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" shouted Hiromi. "I'LL DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT, BITCH, NOW MOVE!" Tataoka roared, before clocking her in the side of her head, sending her head over heels before slamming into the concrete. Nagisa felt stunned himself on seeing her do this, but he had bigger problems to worry about, as Tataoka began to run right to Aladdin! Nagisa got in the way, knife at the ready, but that didn't slow him down. "You! You're mine, Niji!" Tataoka shrieked. Before he could reach him, Hiromi was up again, and actually caught up, knocking him off balance. "Damn you, bitch," growled Tataoka. "I'M NOT WATCHING YOU KILL MY KID, BASTARD!" Hiromi shrieked, landing a fist right into Tataoka's face. The hit was so hard, and so forcefully that they heard a notable crack, Tataoka's nose getting broken, and blood coming out shortly after. Tataoka no longer cared, and kicked Hiromi off. Now he was as pissed off as Hiromi was. "I don't give a shit about your opinion, I'M IN CHARGE HERE, YOU DO AS I SAY, AND YOU'LL SEE THINGS MY WAY!!" Hiromi got grabbed in the head, and with a mighty swing, sent Hiromi flying into the air a good five feet up before slamming to the ground, stunned and bleeding from her head. The madman looked to Nagisa and Aladdin, his nose blood red and almost looking dented. but with his mad smile, he didn't care at all. "Goodnight, Niji," Tataoka hissed. He was ready to charge, just for Hiromi to jump onto his back, and grab him by the neck, gripping tight. Tataoka choked in pain, her nails digging into his skin like claws. Hiromi was bloody in the head herself, but she was not giving up, not by a longshot. "YOU BITCH, LET GO OF ME!" Tataoka choked. Tataoka tried to make her let go of him, but her legs were wrapped around him so just yanking her off wasn't going to happen. He had enough: Tataoka jumped backwards, and slammed Hiromi into the wall. It was just enough to get her off, and the hit was enough to make her cough up blood. Her grip left Tataoka gasping a little, bit he recovered first. "Mom! Aladdin, get to her, I'll handle Tataoka," Nagisa ordered. Tataoka readied to fight, but Nagisa met him first and whacked him aside with both his feet hitting his head in a single thrust, sending him to the ground. Aladdin skidded to a stop over by Hiromi, stunned and hurting. "NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU WIN AGAIN!" Tataoka roared. "My name is Nagisa Shiota, and I don't care who you think I am. No one attacks my family," Nagisa said, his foot on his throat. That seemed to be the weakpoint, and only weakpoint, and Tataoka was tired of choking. His arms gripped Nagisa by the leg, and swung him off good and hard. Nagisa though landed on his feet, in time to see the enraged man run at him again. Tataoka was fast with his own punches and swings, but Nagisa just kept himself out of his reach. Hiromi came to, and Aladdin stayed close. N-Nagisa," Hiromi managed to say. "No, stay down, it'll be fine," Aladdin said, trying not to let her go. However, when she saw Nagisa fighting Tataoka again, she spurred back to life, but not before shoving Aladdin aside. The magi jumped to get her, but Hiromi was already running at Tataoka. Nagisa noticed her first, but Tataoka suddenly found two fingers jabbed into his eyes! This was worse than getting his nose broken, and Tataoka keeled backwards. Now with no nose, and with two black eyes, Tataoka had enough of both of these humans making a fool out of him. Hiromi got grabbed in her sides, and with only one grip on his face, Tataoka pried her off of him before throwing her at Nagisa, sending them both to the ground. Tataoka, with both eyes red and bleeding, stared down to both targets. It was bad enough being shown up by Niji, and then get fired by Gakuho, but he will NOT get shown up three times. In a battle cry, Tataoka got his arm for the finishing blow. And Hiromi threw Nagisa aside. "NO!" Tataoka got his fist right into Hiromi, slamming her down into the road so hard the concrete cracked like glass! Hiromi was not going to get back up after that hit, and Hiromi simply laid there in the road, a small pool of blood now under her head. Nagisa froze on seeing his mother collapse in such a heap, and Tataoka turned to Nagisa, his fist cracking as he readied for another go. His fist was bloody from both Hiromi and his own, and this powerhouse moved right over to Nagisa. "Your turn, you bastard. I WILL NOT BE SHOWN UP." What happened next ... well, it was such a quick blur. Tataoka was above Nagisa, his arm ready to finish Nagisa off the same as his mother, and Nagisa ducked to avoid it. but after that, Tataoka saw his reflection in a silver blade that suddenly sliced in an uppercut. It was inches from his face, and any close would've got his neck cut open, so he had to step back. He felt something grab his shirt and weighed him down, making him collapse to the ground. Tataoka would react again, but something wasn't right: he didn't find his target in front of him, but the target was suddenly behind him, and he froze up. A hand got over his eyes, and another held a knife at his throat. The viper had struck. And not a moment too soon. Nagisa turned over to Aladdin. "Aladdin? I know you don't feel well, but please tell the others what happened. They're at the warehouse in the northern outskirts of Tokyo, think you can do that?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin needed a minute to get himself together, worn out already, but that objective was straightforward enough. Getting his turban into a flying carpet, he went off on his way, leaving Nagisa with Tataoka. Help will come. Hopefully in time. S06Ep9: Make Me Fly Again ~私をもう一度飛ばす~"I guess I should be thankful it didn't get any worse than this. Tataoka had been given a life sentence behind bars now, which was probably for the best for both us and him. My friends too: they're alright after everything and got that antidote around to everyone. They should be better by now ... I hope mom's okay. Please be alright." With these thoughts in play, pacing back and forth, unable to stay still, Nagisa Shiota found himself over in the hospital, his mother in emergency care for what happened to her the night prior. He wasn't alone here, joined in waiting with Aladdin and Twilight. Aladdin still looked a little under the weather, but a lot better than what he was last night. As he continued to pace around, eventually the doctor came in to see them. "Well?" "Well ... her skull's suffering a fracture. And had torn multiple muscles. ... But I think she'll pull through. She'll need to stay in emergency care upwards of two weeks at most though, just to be sure nothing else develops," the doctor explained. Not the best news he heard, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. It may not go exactly how his future sight had brought it out to be, but that didn't mean Hiromi would go out the exact same way. "Can we see her, or no?" Aladdin asked. "Unlikely. she's been out of the operating room no more than two hours, so -" before the doctor could finish, another one went up to him and tapped his shoulder. The two did some quick talk before the first one looked to them. "... Well, in that case, follow me." It took a little bit, but Nagisa, Twilight, and Aladdin were then brought to one of the other rooms for the patients. Hiromi was laying on bed, bandaged up around her head mostly when compared to the rest of her body. Nagisa didn't want to admit it but he expected some sort of severe head injury after seeing her being slammed into the ground like that. Hiromi herself looked a lot more relaxed as she rested, something a bit rare for Nagisa to actually see. Aladdin and Twilight stood off by the wall next to the bed, as Nagisa moved over to his mother. "Nagisa ..." "Hello, mom. How're you feeling?" Nagisa asked. Hiromi sighed, her arm gently touching her head. She cringed slightly, as even if relaxed it was still a bit sensitive. "Tired. ... My head still hurts ..." "I can guess. ... Mom, I -" "Wait," Hiromi said, cutting Nagisa off. Hiromi did have something to say to him, and Nagisa waited for what she had in mind. Was she mad at him for this? It didn't look that way. "Nagisa. ... All my life I've tried to emulate what I couldn't do onto you. I thought that ... in some way, I could feel successful when seeing you succeed where I fail ... but look at you now. You're in the best schools in Japan, you're friends with Seitenshi herself, and after last night you can easily take care of yourself. Who am I kidding, you're doing far better than I ever could have you be. Maybe it is time for you to grow up on your own without me controlling it. ... I'm sorry." Hiromi waited for what Nagisa had to say, Nagisa himself quiet as he worked out what to say to her. Aladdin and Twilight glanced over to eachother, as Nagisa got himself together, smiling to Hiromi. "... I'm just glad you're alive," Nagisa said, gently holding her hand in his. Hiromi was quiet, but smiled herself. After what happened, and how much he had gone through he was still smiling. Twilight and Aladdin couldn't help but smile themselves on seeing this gesture. Sure Hiromi would need more time yet, but they were on the right track. "We're very sorry you got caught up in this. If it makes you feel better, they have Tataoka in custody," Aladdin said. Hiromi may be glad for that but this girl didn't feel to satisfied. "Oh no. If even half of that video's true, then some demon must've got into it. Maybe something with groveling involved," Hiromi said, getting a but upset over it, and how much they were trying to kill her son. Before this could continue though, all of a sudden, a gust of wind went on by. Suddenly, the hospital room was completely covered up with all sort of gift baskets, mainly one of all sorts of flowers and beautiful plants, some with banners reading "get well soon" on them. To say Hiromi was a bit confused was sugarcoating. "What the? Am I seeing things, or does this room look like a florist all of a sudden?" Hiromi wondered. Nagisa could feel his demonic sixth sense go off, and soon someone else hopped down into sight, wearing a headband reading "apology" in kanji on it. "Ms. Shiota, please accept my dearest apologies!" the figure pleaded, on his hands and knees and shaking in worry. Korosensei arrived, and apparently he heard what Hiromi had said, the women a little bit speechless on how to react to this. "Uh, I uh -" "I can't tell you how sorry I am , good madam, my kind had given you nothing but a world of trouble, I BEG YOUR FORGIVENESS!" Korosensei yelled in plea. Hiromi shuttered on this sudden jump at her, but seeing the others more calm in the face of him told her that this may not be the first time this had happened. At least something as random as this. "Um ... should I even uh ..." "Don't bother," Twilight and Nagisa replied. ....... "Where is he? ... Where is he?" Too bad it couldn't be the same thing said for Ciel. He got over his sickness same as everyone else, but this was more of a distraction for him going through. He still had questions, and he was getting answers from the one source he knew damn well would give it to him. So, with that in mind, he went right off to the E building, where he knew he would be at by this time, and Ciel wasted no time in going up to said building. He opened up the door, and looking into the room, Kyoya was there and present, cleaning up the chalkboard from his prior lessons. "Ah, Phantomhive. A bit early for class, but if you wanted some early training, I could fill in some time." "Stop your stupid blabbering," Ciel said coldly. Kyoya was taken aback by this but Ciel was not there for some small talk. When he had a goal in mind, he wasn't going to waste any time with it, and soon after he got his attention, Ciel pulled out the similar article he had received from Nagisa after their visit to the Shinigami Realm. Ciel made sure to hold it out so Kyoya could read it. "Sebastian. Or Kyoya, or whatever you want to call yourself. Mind explaining me what you know about this?" Ciel questioned. Kyoya paused and looked to the paper in question, adjusting his glasses. "I believe this cult was the Tartarus group. A rather secretive and -" "Not that," Ciel cut in. "You offered me a way out for the price of my soul to get my revenge on these men for what they did to me and my family. ... but wait, this date seems to note how they were taken into custody after you made the deal. Something you're not telling me? We know I hate being lied to." Kyoya waited a minute or so, thinking about where this conversation would be going. Regardless on what he would be calling himself now, he gave the young earl a smile, giving the paper back to him. "And who gave you this?" "Nagisa Shiota. Who in turn got it from Undertaker." "So I see. Well, someone as smart as you was bound to figure it out eventually." "Don't try and butter me up, it won't get you anywhere. Now care to explain what this deal was even about? By all the rules, you just made a deal over nothing." "Who said there was nothing to gain?" Kyoya questioned, walking passed the earl, and leaning against the frame of the door. "I would be given your soul, and you would be given my service. Fair trade, no?" "But you would've never completed the deal. That, and we all saw what happened to you when you did eat my soul without completing the contract," Ciel pointed out. Kyoya licked his lips for a brief moment. "Indeed. That aside, how does it feel living as a Soulless now? I'd imagine walking around as an empty husk would feel a little uncomfortable for you," Kyoya inquired. Ciel placed a hand over his chest, still remembering the syringe being plunged into him and his soul being sucked out in front of him. "Not much worse than what I've been through already. And anyway, I was gonna ask you the same question. Must be a bit troubling for a demon to be turned into a human," Ciel inquired. Kyoya took a moment himself, feeling the constant heartbeat now going on inside him, something Sebastian really didn't feel much of, if at all, before the Campania. "Well, it's a different experience. I've grown far weaker than Sebastian was, my heart beating constantly something to get used to, not to mention my daily requirements as a human being such as hunger, thirst, rest, things my past life never had to handle as much of. ... Except for hunger, of course." "I'd like to ask one more thing. You knew that if they were to be killed by someone else, the contract would never be completed, yet after seeing this happen, you never informed me, and allowed me to live for the next few years thinking they would still be out there, and have a reason to give my soul to you once this was supposedly over. ... Tell me then; why go through all that trouble if it was for nothing? I find it hard to believe a demon like you would go through all that trouble for nothing whatsoever." Kyoya stayed quiet at first, before he turned and looked off outside. "You think your soul's the only thing I wanted, my lord?" Ciel found the question a bit confusing, though it was the first time in some time that Kyoya referred to him as his lord, so he allowed him to continue. "As you can well imagine, living for hundreds of years can make one's life so ... monotone. It's the same process all the time: I lend a contract to some human, handle whatever they wanted me to do, have their soul, rinse and repeat. Even a demon can becomes depressed at such a rate, and I needed some ... diversity to my existence." "Oh please, that can't be the only thing. Surely even a depressed demon wouldn't have the nonsense to kill himself," Ciel groaned. He worked with him for a long time and something like that can't be it could it? "True ... if there was nothing to gain, that is." "And what could you possibly gain from dying other than an early grave? I expect that nonsense from Grell, not you." "Oh my, you didn't figure it out yet? And seeing you put two and two together right away with Nagisa's future sight worked wonders." "Answer the question and quit stalling on me," Ciel firmly demanded. He hated nothing more than a cheeky demon, or a cheeky demon turned human. "First of all, I'm no longer having to follow some poor creature as a servant, and I can decide what I can do with my existence without being under someone's debt. And secondly, many demons and angels wonder, at least once, how it would feel to become a human. And that thought came across my mind after sometime working with you," Kyoya explained, glancing back to Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive found this a little bit silly to think about. "So to sum it up: you went on as my servant, knowing damn well that the people I was after were already dead, and decided to throw your life away on the Campania just because you were curious as much as bored? Then what's the point on taking my soul away?" Kyoya smiled. "Well a demon isn't born with a soul, I needed something to use for Aleistor to work his own brand of regeneration. Besides ... I wanted one last meal before I left." Ciel was mad, but then again, what did he expect from a demon like Sebastian anyway? He knew what he was getting into when signing the contract with him when it all started, though he at least had some satisfaction from it, or he thought he did. Ciel took a moment and looked to the paper, before he crumbled it into a ball and tossing it over his shoulder, it landing on the ground by the front desk. "How about you clean that up?" Ciel asked, before he began to walk away. Kyoya didn't feel much intimidated by him, and simply did as he was instructed, picking it up and putting it in the rubbish bin. "Oh, before you leave, perhaps I should say some more news." "And what's that? Your yarn just now wasn't enough for a mitten." Kyoya couldn't help but giggle at the pun. "Oh, not much. Heine Wittgenstein just gave me a letter yesterday. He's arriving back in due time, and he's bringing a friend." "A friend?" questioned Ciel. Kyoya took his time to get his letter out, and giving it to the young earl. The notification was a bit small, and to the point. Arriving back shortly. I found him, and he's coming back with us. Meet us by the Tokyo shrine. Heine. ~~ The note may be short, but if memory served on what Aladdin had told them already, then this was a fairly big thing to consider for much of Team Harmony, not to mention the Overworld as a whole. This was a ruler, gone for who knows how long, and now Heine was finally coming on back with him. Or hopefully it was him. For Ciel, he made sure this message was brought around fairly quickly, and soon enough the team was brought on back together for the supposed meeting, all meeting up at the shrine in question. They knew one main shrine, and got there later on. It was mainly the group there and not much else, so if secrecy was what they were going for, then they got it. "Somehow I figured it would be at the shrine," Karma commented. "So did he say when exactly he'll be here?" Aladdin asked. "The letter didn't specify much of anything. The only instruction was to wait here, and not much else," Ciel replied. "Oh, hope it's soon," Aladdin then replied, hands together and looking up to the sky. If they were going to appear anywhere, it would be up in the air. Maybe. Well, they'll find out when they get there, would they? Nagisa looked up too, quiet. "Aladdin said Heine was looking for Lugia when they split up," he thought. "So if he's coming back, then ..." Much of the group admittedly got the same idea going. Lugia. Much of the group (Twilight and Nagisa as the exception of course), had only met him once, and even then the leading Overworld lord refused to tell them much of anything on where he even was. Far as they were concerned, they were lucky enough to find him at all, even if it was accidental. The anticipation was around everyone for a while. "Can anyone see him?" Alphonse asked, only able to see clouds up in the sky. Blair, as a cat, hopped up onto Al's head to get a view herself, her paw over her eyes to get the best view she could manage. At first it all just appeared like blue sky and clouds, a few pidoves flying by them as they tried to see any sign of them. "See a bunch of birds," Blair said. They took a look over up at the flock, but one of the birds looked a bit slower. And WAY farther away. "Hold on ... There they are," Ciel concluded. Took a bit for them to fully conclude, but that one "pidove" amongst the flock turned out to be the Pidgeot Heine had on him, and seeing the shrine down below was a signal for the bird to come on down. Its wings spread open and talons ready to land, the mighty bird landed down with a strong, yet gentle touch of the floor. The blowback was a bit strong thanks to the wings, but pretty fine overall. Sure a sight for sore eyes to see this bird, and for that matter Heine coming off of it. Aladdin was the first to go up to his teacher. "Heine!" Aladdin gasped, hugging his teacher with a smile on his face. Oh, it'd been too long since he last saw Heine, and the teacher smiled himself, taking note of much of Team Harmony there as well. Been a while since he had seen any of them here. "Good to see you all. Nothing bad happened I hope," Heine stated. "Eh ... we wouldn't say that," Twilight admitted. Kinda hard to ignore their Abaddon imprisonment, really. Course there was time to explain everything to him later on. And then they saw Heine's passenger ... Lugia himself. Still sitting up on the bird, and only then looking to Team Harmony. Seeing Lugia alright after everything was a good thing to see, especially for Nagisa and Twilight. It sure felt different seeing him in the flesh compared to the dreamscape, and Lugia got off the bird to properly meet the full group. Lugia didn't look too different from his dream counterpart, him standing just at Alphonse's shoulder height. Much of them felt great on seeing him, and when Winry saw him she looked extremely amazed. "L... L ... L-Lugia? The Lugia?" Winry managed to say, her hands over her mouth in pure shock on seeing him. Lugia expected such, all things considered. "Very pleasant. Good to see you all are here," Lugia stated. "Good to see you too, Lugia. sure been a while, hasn't it?" Nagisa replied with a smile of his own. With him disappearing for the longest time, it was good seeing him okay. Same thing could be said for the others amongst the group. "You met him already?" asked Winry. "We all met him once already, long before you showed up," Ciel noted. Not the nicest way of putting it, but still true in the case of Nagisa at least. The others took time to see if Lugia was truly alright, but despite looking a little bit down himself, he was alright. "Still the same as always, I see. I'm grateful to see you're still here after so much," Lugia said, calm and collected as usual. "More or less. Though, you probably know about what happened lately, don't you?" Ciel figured. Lugia glanced away gravely. "Yes. I'm sorry about Sebastian," Lugia responded. With the conversation with Kyoya earlier however, Ciel could give less about it now, though he didn't say much of it out loud. "Anyway, Lugia, now that you're here, you can now help us like you wanted to. No reason to hide anymore," Karma pointed out. "Yeah, and won't the Overworld be psyched to see you again?" added Pinkie. Lugia had to draw a line there however. "I may be here, but -" "Stop. Can't you at least show the Overworld you're not dead? Have some decency for that," Ciel suddenly cut in. He remembered their last chat with Lugia, and it really didn't go as well as they hoped, so he was not going to have any of it. Heine though found it a bit of a surprise, and got a pointer out, hitting Ciel in the head. "Show some respect," Heine said sternly. "Don't start that, if he is here -" "Everyone, please! Don't start a fight amongst eachother," Lugia cut in. He was gone for long enough, he didn't need a fight triggered right away just because he was there. "... Yes, I'll go to Elysium. I think I've worried them all for long enough with everything," Lugia concluded. Heine and Winry both were glad he agreed, but a bit perplexed with taking this kind of treatment. Then again, they have met before so maybe it was something they shouldn't question too much on. "Alrighty then, let's get going. Up up," Pinkie said, referring to the bird. "My bird can't lift everyone up at once. If we're going back, then I'll get the royal carriage for us. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to see him," Heine figured. It was something good to hear, but Nagisa looked over to the Lugia and he began to look a little concerned. And so did Lugia. ....... *knock**knock**knock* "Sweetie? You in here?" Chrysalis asked before she went on to open the door. The queen had been a bit ailing since their little experience in Abaddon, and when she did find Sombra, he was a bit ... quieter than usual. He was in his meditational balcony, but he wasn't exactly meditating this time. Instead, he was simply looking out to the world passed his palace. Chrysalis was joined by Pride and Wrath, Sombra recognizing the auras of both Homunculi. The orb he had used to spy on the group for the longest time was now thrown at the wall, not shattered but still cracked from the force. "Looks like you saw something important," Pride noted, seeing the orb. "... It's too far ..." "Huh?" Chrysalis asked. Sombra turned around to them. "Exactly what I said: I've left Team Harmony alone for too long. They're ahead now, and I'm falling behind. This is bad, very bad." "How exactly?" Wrath questioned, not too worried himself. Sombra couldn't believe they would ask such a question, and he looked Wrath right in the eyes. "What do you mean how?! Those bastards have just got hold of my personal files, my plans, they have it! Now what am I supposed to do?" Sombra said, stressed out beyond belief. Chrysalis went over to him, gently hugging him with her arms around his shoulders. "There, there honey, it'll be okay." "Stop pretending!" Sombra snapped, shoving Chrysalis away from him. "My future sight had all pointed to them all being in custody in Abaddon, and not even THAT worked. That was our last shot. ... Speaking of which, where's Slicer?" Sombra's question came with a growl. "He's gone: fled out after your outburst in Abaddon. He could be anywhere," Pride answered. Sombra didn't feel any better about it, and he actually got down to his knees, facing the balcony. This stress was really getting to him. "I don't get it anymore. I thought I had everything under control, but somehow these humans kept throwing me in for a loop. A group of fakes from Korosensei's class even outsmarted me. It's so bothersome, I don't know how they keep getting away with this -" *smack* Pride, having about enough of his hysterics, whacked him in the face with his true form's body. It was enough to get him to think a little clearer now. "Are you quite finished yet?" "... Yeah. I needed that. I'm alright now," Sombra replied, getting back to his feet and collecting himself. "Good. Now, what information did they get?" Pride asked. Sombra didn't answer right away, as he was beside himself on the whole thing either way. This was more by chance that he discovered this, after all. "Does it matter? ... Well, there's nothing for it. ... I'll be right back," Sombra instructed, walking off passed them all. Wrath went over to him next. "Where're you going now?" "Don't worry about it. I just have a message to deliver, that's all. All of you, get ready." The gloves are coming off now. ~~ And so off they went. Right off from the shrine in Tokyo, way off to the clouds of Elysium. It would be their first place to go now that Lugia was actually with them this time, and they all were ready and willing to share this news to Celestia. Many of them kept a eye on Lugia though, and he didn't really look like someone who wanted to go back. They kept conversation low when it came to him, but they could tell he was a little bit guilty in some way. After all, Lugia didn't say a single word during the whole flight, more wondering what the others will do when they get there, or how they'll react to him. Arrival in Elysium was pretty calm and straightforward, and their spot was right at the doors to the palace itself. They didn't want to waste time with any of this, so meeting Celestia up front was probably the best option here. Pidgeot found its landing spot closer to the landing platform of the main building, out of the way of the many angels off in Elysium so nothing would go awry right away. The others got out, though Heine waited alongside the entrance to the carriage until Lugia himself went out. "Want us to tell her before you show up, or does it matter?" Blair asked. "I'm sure they'll be as shocked either way. I'll go in with you for it," Lugia decided. Decent enough, and the group started to go off into the palace from there. Lugia needed to gather himself a bit before he started to follow the group inside. Such a sight for sore eyes this place, at least for Lugia himself. "Nervous?" Nagisa quietly asked him, walking alongside Lugia as they went. "You can say that. I haven't seen many of them in years, and even then ... I don't know if I should," Lugia admitted. "It'll be fine, Lugia, really ... and ..." "And what?" "Well, I'll talk to you afterwards," Nagisa replied. And just in time, as they all found themselves right by the throne room door. Nagisa did need something cleared up, but they can wait until afterwards, whatever it was. For now, it was time to meet the lords. Heine took the lead inside the throne room upon arrival, but it turned out it wasn't just Celestia there this time. Some bit was already going on in the throne room, and it wasn't simply Celestia inside: Seitenshi had come on up for a talk here, and on looking she seemed to be joined by Olivier, Alex, Gaara, and Grell as well. A bit odd seeing them here of all people. "Grell? Gaara?" "Heine. See you've come back," Celestia said. The others began to come in themselves. "Gaara! Where have you been, we haven't seen you in days," Aladdin asked, surprised to see him there. Gaara didn't expect them to show up with him, but took it more in stride. "I've been a bit busy. You're welcome," Gaara replied. "Gaara managed to give us some information in regards to Sombra's plans, and Kyoya even got the paperwork as well," Celestia explained. Sure they already got the info, but it was more for Heine to catch up on things, though what could Gaara get from Sombra that hasn't been said? "Paperwork?" Heine questioned. "Sombra's past work as a Elysium guard, and a few plans for varying scenarios all in documents," Ciel said. "Well, we got something for you too," Twilight said. "Wonderful. And what is it?" Then they began to hear footsteps. It was a signal for Lugia to come out from the hallway, and go inside to see them at last. Rumors of Lugia had gone to some of them already, though the second he showed himself, the angels were left wide-eyed and stunned. Lugia kept his gaze lowered at first, but once putting himself in front of Team Harmony, he raised his eyes to see the amazed expression of Celestia. "You actually got him back here?" Grell quietly asked Heine. "It wasn't easy to find him again after he left. But it's never good to run away from your problems," Heine replied, adjusting his glasses as usual. Lugia looked around, seeing many of the familiar faces surrounding him. Celestia needed a minute to realize who she was seeing standing there, and the others left the angels to get reacquainted, standing off nearby. "L-Lugia. ... Oh, Lugia, it's so good to see you again," Celestia said, keeping a calmer look as to not overwhelm him right away. "Likewise, Celestia. Alex, Olivier. It has been a while." "Yes. You're here at last. ... And just in time: we've never needed you more," the queen replied. Lugia probably knew where this was going, but he decided to let her speak anyway. "Pardon me?" "You see, Lugia. The worlds, since you've been away, is starting to become more troubled with appearances of demons amongst the surface world. They've been appearing everywhere, and reeking havoc. We've tried fighting them, but more and more continue to arrive." "But now you're here," said Winry. "Yes, you're here at last," Celestia agreed. Nagisa felt a pit in his stomach hearing this, for he knew in a sense just how Lugia felt on the situation far more than anyone else. Lugia felt less than willing now, his face already catching Celestia's attention. "Lugia?" "... I ... Look, I can't help you." "What?" gasped Celestia. "What for?" Alex then asked, equally surprised. That question just wasn't answered properly to anyone, and Lugia felt himself cringe on these questions. "It's complicated. The underline thing is that if I get involved ... it would only make things worse. This is not a fight I can finish." "Can't finish? You? The legendary Lugia?" Alex asked. "Legends have their limits, Alex. I'm terribly sorry for worrying all of you for so long, but there's nothing I can do here ... I'm sorry." Lugia quietly turned and began to go off, but before he could go, he felt someone grab his arm to keep him there. Looking back, there was Olivier. "The world is risk going to hell and you're going to turn your back on everything?" "I know you're upset. But trust me, it'll only make it worse if I try to do anything beyond what I've done already. ... I can't put myself into it." "What're you talking about? Who's stopping you?" "Look, that's not something -" Lugia paused for a moment when he looked to them all again. Here he was, in the middle of everyone, all wanting to know the exact same thing. Team Harmony had some idea of it, but not enough for a full answer. He had a way out before, but not anymore. The dreamscape had the sun, and the island had the sea, where was he supposed to go here? "... I can't beat Sombra." "What? Why not? Lugia, you've faced hundreds of demons before this," Celestia pointed out. "And you've got so much power to rival the dragon-class demons, don't you? How strong is Sombra?" added in Olivier. Lugia went off passed them, and sitting down at the foot of the throne. "I don't enjoy this anymore than you do. ... But Sombra, he's different. It isn't his strength that worries me ... It's mine. And how he can use it." "How he can use it?" Pinkie asked. "Team Harmony, tell me. What was your first encounter with Sombra like? Back at Orora high. Think carefully now," Lugia said. It seemed to be a rather random question, but Nagisa, Twilight, Karma, and Pinkie in particular began to reminisce a bit. It was one particular moment in such a long line of events so it was a bit hard for them to fully remember it, Pinkie Pie getting it first. "Oh, it was creepy: he had the body of Mr.Gakuho and got us started on our big little game at point one," Pinkie answered. Lugia didn't give an exact answer, but simply brought out his hands, open-palmed as if presenting the idea to them. "Oh. You think he'll end up taking you as his body armor," Karma concluded, his finger snapping. "I'm don't think he will, I know he will. My future sight showed Sombra possessing me, and using my power to destroy the world. I ran into him already and I was only saved because Morgiana was there, and before that even he didn't know where I was. If he knew already, then none of you would be alive by now ... and it would be all my fault." "Hence why you ran away and kept yourself hidden, to make sure Sombra doesn't find you and carry out his plan," confirmed Gaara. All Lugia did was nod his head. "It's the best option I could do. But now that he knows I'm here, it's only a matter of time before he'll try to take me," Lugia felt a shiver run through him on that final part. It was not the best option by any means, but the fear was enough to keep Lugia away. Anything that would do that is enough to give everyone a bit of a shiver ... well, most of them. "Well Lugia. What now?" The whole group turned over to Ciel Phantomhive on his question. "If that is true, Sombra will never rest until he has you. All you've done is prolong it up to now. So now that you're out of hiding, what next? Or is hiding all you'll do?" The angels were going to speak, but Lugia raised his hand, specifically to Olivier. "Don't be mad at him, it's no less than what I deserved. ... To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. But here's what I do know: Sombra knows I exist somewhere, and once he figures out where I am he will not hesitate any further. He will take me on the spot ... When I found one of you had got a hold of your first weapons from the Overworld, I truly thought for a moment that it would be over before it could begin. But I guess I'm asking for too much, aren't I?" Lugia actually started to cry at this point. All of this sounded so selfish and arrogant of him: hoping someone would handle a problem for him when it was all on his head. "You did what you thought was best at the time," Celestia said, trying to make him feel better. Lugia didn't answer, and silence fell over the room again. It sure felt a bit troubling all the same. After that, Lugia got up and began to head off to the door. "Well, I came here to show that I'm not dead. Needn't you worry about that anymore ... I'll be fine," Lugia said. He went and saw himself out, leaving them a bit quiet. Guess whatever this meeting was got cut short, and Nagisa actually began to go off after him. Even if he had his mind made up, Nagisa still had something to talk to him about, and he couldn't talk to anyone else about it other than him. Lugia got down the hall until he felt Nagisa stop him. "Oh, sorry Nagisa. I forgot you wanted to talk to me. So, what is it?" Lugia then asked, turning to him. Nagisa was worried over him but he needed to clear this up in some way. Nagisa took a glance off back to the door forst though. "Here, I want to talk to you alone for a minute." ....... And off they went. Lugia and Nagisa both went off and found a more secluded spot away from the others, finding an empty room amongst the palace so no one else can bother them. The room was small, and opened up to outside to a balcony to the cloud-covered space of the Overworld. "So, Nagisa, what is it?" "Well ... you can see the future, right? Is it only one option you can see?" "You know the answer to that, Nagisa. I guess you want a prediction?" Lugia figured. "Well. Kind of." Nagisa then reached into his pocket, and pulled out the letter he had gotten from that spell book. As for what this note had to say ... Take my word for it, and try learning this spell. U. "Undertaker gave you this." "Along with a spell book from his library. It was attached to one of the pages for Chrysalis's draining spell, and ... it got me thinking. ... I need to know how this encounter will go. You're the only one who can actually show me." "Wait, you're not thinking about - ..." Nagisa nodded his head for his answer. "... It's such a risk though. You sure?" "If it works it'll be worth it. Besides, it's the last resort in case he reaches you. It's gone so far, I'm not letting him destroy the world ... if you'll let me." Lugia didn't know what to say to him. It wasn't the first time he was risking his life for this, but Lugia could see in his eyes that it was the choice he was sticking to. And with how vague it even was after Sombra possesses him, it's a chance Nagisa felt had to be taken. Lugia thought it over for a bit quietly ... and his despair actually started to go away a little, as he looked on into the sky. He closed his eyes and began to focus as much as he could on his Future Sight, seeing what'll happen. ... "... Nagisa Shiota. ... Here you go. True Hero." and Lugia began to focus and sure enough, Nagisa Shiota received a grand future sight from Lugia. This one Lugia made sure was especially detailed, not a single bit missed, and he stopped with the possessed Lugia confronting Nagisa himself. It was as far as the Future sight would give him, but everything else was especially detailed, and just what Nagisa needed. Just as it finished though, that's when a particular aura began to make him shiver. This was noted by Lugia as a far too familiar vibe. "He's here." ~~ And about time he did tell them too. With so many of the guards on alert around the palace, there was no true way any demon would end up getting passed them. But then again, the demon in particular was no ordinary cut. Eventually, one guard did begin to notice what appeared to be some sort of portal opening up by the landing platform. The moment this demon stepped out would be when Nagisa's demonic sixth sense would be going off, especially with what demon decided to show up. Sombra. Why wouldn't he? The demon king and former Elysium commander ventured into his old world, a darkened umbrella keeping him out of the sunlight as he came up. He may have grown used to sunlight during his commander days, but as an Umbra, it still was too much of a bother to what he can do. That, and he didn't want to stay much longer anyway. The guards didn't look ready to let him inside, something that Sombra wasn't too surprised on seeing. "See someone's on form," Sombra commented. The demon king took a look around towards the entrance, many of the Elysium guards ready to raise the alarm when some of the others began to go out to confront Sombra. Sombra soon found himself in company of Ciel, Celestia, Seitenshi, and Nagisa. Everyone else waited on inside, just at the door ready to come out if something were to happen. "Sombra. How ... unexpected," Seitenshi said. "I doubt that. Nagisa probably sensed me the moment I showed up," Sombra figured. Nagisa felt more shivers run through him, but what did he expect at this point. "Come to end the game, have you?" Ciel figured. "As surprising has it sounds, no. ... Though the game is what I've wanted to talk to you about, if I may," Sombra said, walking over to them. The guards started to move in, but Sombra kept them back with his own brand of magic, making a barrier between him, the other four, and the guards. He wasn't there to finish things, but apparently they begged to differ. "Hold down. He won't attack us," Celestia said. "That, and I said I wouldn't. Don't blame you for being worried though after everything," Sombra agreed. "So what do you want, Sombra? Not that it matters, but we're kinda busy," Seitenshi informed him. "Oh yes? Going over my personal plans and files, I'm sure. The one time I turn my back and you take my most personal items to use against me. A part of me wants to kill you now, but another part of me knows better than to expect anything less," Sombra explained. "You are on the ball, aren't you? ... Now, the game?" "... I want to make a deal with you, actually." A deal? Coming from a demon though, and especially for Ciel's experiences, any deal with a demon should be taken with a lot of salt. Nagisa was a bit more confused though, as Sombra didn't behave completely insane like the other demons, or as barbaric. He was a puzzle in of itself. "What is it?" Nagisa asked, looking him eye to eye. Sombra took a minute before he began talking. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say this game has gone on long enough, and clearly most of my attacks on you hadn't gone well for me. In fact, Abaddon was supposed to be the final one, but clearly that didn't happen. You see where I'm going with this?" Sombra questioned. For many of them this was a little bit unsure, but some managed to get the idea. "Then we'll make this our last game. Us against you. All or nothing," Ciel decided. "And whoever wins will decide where the world will go. That about right, Sombra?" Nagisa agreed. "You took the words right out of my mouth, humans," Sombra said. He gave a sigh before looking more determined. "The game is simple: I know Lugia's alive, and odds are he's with you somewhere. All you got to do is beat me before I get to him. ... If I win, I'll destroy that human race of yours. And you are going to let me, angels. And on that, I'll also leave the Overworld untouched. And if you win ... well, I'll let you decide what to do afterwards." "And suppose you live when we end this?" Nagisa questioned. Sombra glanced to his feet. "I highly doubt that will happen ... but if by some odd chance I do, I promise you it will be the last you hear of me. I'll stop all my attempts, and you'll all have your world the way you want it. If you do end up seeing another demon it would not be from me, I'll guarantee you that." "You mean that?" Seitenshi asked. Sombra simply nodded, and then extended his hand to make it official. This was the deal that would basically decide where everything will go from there on. And Nagisa could tell that this demonic entity was NOT going to lie here. He never had lied before when he thought about it, so why would he lie here after everything? The choice didn't need words. It was their best chance they ever could have now, and only one they got. And Nagisa did the honor of shaking his hand. "Alright, it's a deal." "Good. I'm giving you two days to prepare yourselves. Be ready ... and good luck." Sombra turned and summoned a portal again to get him back home once again. He took a glance back, and while many of them didn't hear, Sombra could've sworn he heard two of the most unlikely words just before he left. "You too." S06Ep10: Deal's a Deal ~ディールはディールです~ (PT1)It had been a very long while, but now everyone was finally back together, Lugia and all. Yet, it was hardly time to really celebrate. Team Harmony finally had everything they needed for the final push. Sombra had been doing game after game with them, demons coming up here, there, and everywhere, and now it's time to get this started. After getting back to the human world, they didn't have too much time to rest, and their next area of meeting was back in the palace after the day and a half of preparation. Probably the best place anywhere to avoid any interaction and encounter with the demonic spies Sombra would send out to find them at this point. This meeting in particular was out in the throne room, with all the big minds themselves all there and waiting: Celestia, Heine, Seitenshi, Victoria, representatives of the pre-mentioned realms: Morgiana for the Fanalis, Karasuma for the Tokyo armed forces, Yoroi for Amestris guard, and of course Team Harmony themselves. This was a big crowd, and a very important one as well for what they were all about to do. "I've checked in on Lugia. He's off hidden away, and should be just enough to keep out of sight until this is over," informed Yoroi, who actually went off to check in on him sometime earlier. It was then that Celestia presented everybody. "Everyone. We have little time now. As we're all aware by now, Sombra's plans for destroying the human world is close at hand. As such, we all must take this opportunity to stop him before he could reach this realm," Celestia began. As she was explaining, Olivier and Alex both brought up the map that of Tartarus, showing the entire territory, including the castle itself. A rough site for some of them, but they kept themselves together. "Listen up: Sombra himself has his mercenaries all lined up around the borders of the castle. His squads are placed over all around the palace itself, though he does have patrols on guard throughout the northern, and eastern borders specifically. IF these reports are accurate," Olivier stated, shifting a glare over to Kyoya. "I guarantee that they are the exact readings, my dear. I wouldn't dream of having this mission compromised, especially after such an ill treatment to my master," Kyoya said, sounding surprisingly noble in contrast to his usual sly behavior. "Good! Now, the weakest patrols are aimed over to the southern borders, lining the canyon here, yet once we're over that line, they're sure to come after us." "Let me guess: we send the soldiers to the strong borders as some troops aim at the rear, right?" Karma concluded. It sounded straightforward enough, really, but Nagisa couldn't bring himself to believe that. Sombra would never be that straightforward with his set-ups. "That would be the idea, Akabane. With the fight going on at front, there wouldn't be time for reinforcements to head south to stop the troops from infiltrating the castle itself," Alex explained. "That's what he wants us to do." The group turned over to Envy. "Why would he want that?" questioned Celestia. "Look, this is Sombra we're talking about: a demon Umbra who was once from the Overworld, AND has a future sight adaptation to boot. That demon's not a type to leave an opening THAT easily without some catch to it," Envy explained. If anyone would know him, it would be Envy himself, and they took his word for it. "Then what does that demon have planned in the south?" wondered Yoroi. Victoria smirked, and walked over to the map itself for a better look. "Quite simple: he would have a trap set for the majority of the troops. He would see the majority fly in, spring his trap, and then take out a good amount of our forces in little time at all. I would do that, no hesitation," Victoria said. "You would say that, princess, but you're not exactly a demonic entity now are you?" Olivier questioned. However, Victoria just needed to give her one of her dominant looks for the moment. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to, Olivier?" However, as far as Team Harmony was concerned, this had to come to conclusion. Nagisa stepped forward, bringing himself up onto the main platform to address everyone there. "Everyone, listen. We don't have much time to question anything right now: Sombra's taking this time to get all his energy together, and destroy everything. If we're going to act, I say we do it now - the longer we fool around just puts us at more risk," Nagisa concluded. The group all had to agree on that term, and Seitenshi smiled to him. "Like a true leader. ... So, Nagisa. It's your call now. Now what is it you need us to do?" Seitenshi asked, awaiting for Nagisa's answer. Nagisa actually felt humbled from this response, as the leaders and representatives listened and waited. "My call, huh? Well, my old life is gone now. ... Let's do it," Nagisa thought. his old self had completely come off now. With Lugia's ultimate vision, and the allies he had on his side, the time to fight back is now. Determination edged his face. "Right. Lugia had given me the vision of the final battle with Sombra. No doubt in my mind that Sombra would be expecting the exact same thing, so let's turn the tables in our favor. Karma, Morgiana, you two take charge of the Fanalis tribe." "Us?" Morgiana said in surprise. "Yes. You all follow the tribe to south of the borders: Sombra will be expecting you to charge from the frontlines, no doubt on that, and his trap is mostly set for the alchemists and magis. Your people don't have any magic, so the trap won't work on you," Nagisa explained. Karma smirked smugly. "Putting me in charge of an entire tribe. Now we're talking," Karma said, cracking his fists, though they knew he was as determined as everyone else would be. Nagisa got the first group together. "Edward, Alphonse, you're in platoon two. Take your attack to the eastern side of the border. Olivier, you and Alex Armstrong have the aerial troops fly in from the north. Sombra wouldn't be expecting so many aerial flyers, and would've set it all up with mostly ground patrol, it will give you a higher advantage there," Nagisa explained. "Got it," Edward said, even giving him a salute. Next he turned to Ciel Phantomhive. "Ciel, did you get the others together like I asked you to?" "Mey-Rin, and Bardroy had arrived yesterday, yes." "Good. Now, I need you to keep guard of Lugia himself. Go to where he is, and it'll be on you if he gets too close, you understand me?" Nagisa informed. Ciel was a little quiet but still smiled. "Think I can't hold my own there? Very well." "It's probably for the best anyway. With how much Ciel already had gone through down in Abaddon, he wouldn't want to go back," Twilight thought, which made sense considering everything that went on down there. All that torturing, all that trauma to add to what he had already gone through, Ciel wouldn't be able to continue on with them in this operation. It was then that Celestia presented everybody. "And for the assassination squad. ... Envy." That choice caught most of them by surprise, Envy the most. Him? In charge of a platoon? "Me, Nagisa? Y-you're serious?" "Yes. You know the interior of the palace more than anyone else here, you have to take us, and infiltrate the palace itself. We're all relying on you," Nagisa explained. Envy took a moment to absorb this sudden responsibility he was put in. The angels were putting the trust in him, the first time ever ... "... Y-Yes. YES! You can count on me!" Envy announced. Nagisa smiled, and turned to the rest of the group. "Blair, Pinkie, you two join Seitenshi and Victoria back in the human world. as soon as Sombra catches on, he'll head into the Surface World, so the forces have to be ready there the minute he arrives. The portal will open just outside of Orora High, over by the E building forest. If we don't get him in time, we'll give you a warning," Nagisa explained, working off of the images Lugia had given him. "Right-o, Nagisa! Those demons will be packing their bags for a home trip when we're all done!" Pinkie said, saluting him. "Yeah. and hey, maybe get some angels with us too, can't have too much defense on the up-side," Blair added. "Good, make sure the teams are set up as well. Twilight, Aladdin, Gaara, you come with me. We'll be joining Envy in infiltrating the main palace," Nagisa instructed. Both walked over to his side. The plan itself was simple, yet a plan that Nagisa was confident that wouldn't fail. Or at the very least, the best plan they could get at such short notice. Nagisa looked over to Gaara, who just gave Nagisa a smirk and a nod. They got his support in this endeavor, and they need all the help they could get. And there was no turning back now. "Let's go!" ~~ And Sombra was expecting his own trouble in all of this as well. Tartarus was all up in arms now, and Sombra began to look around the troops he had placed. His own Future Sight got him ahead with defense, and he got the troops all lined up best he could manage. As he stood there, Pride went on in to see him, standing off nearby. "Hello Pride. Are they all in place now? I see Wrath is out in position," Sombra asked, as he looked outside to Wrath out in the field. Pride's Homunculus self started to loom around Sombra. "They're all in place more or less. Apart from a few." "Excuse me? Who's missing?" Sombra asked. Pride didn't look pleased at all about it. "Lust and Gluttony left. They're not anywhere in Tartarus by now." "What? ... Damn it. And what a time to lose comrades too. Envy must've inspired them," Sombra sighed. "Trust me. I'll perfectly make sure they're punished for betraying their master." "Let them go, Pride, there's not much time for it left anyway," Sombra informed. Pride was a little bit bothered by this answer. But for Sombra, and what was going on, there would be little point for it. ....... "Here they come!" Looking on ahead of the group, Wrath took sight of the oncoming troops heading their way. however, rather than the strong magic users as he was told, the troops coming in turned out to be the Fanalis tribe, with Karma and Morgiana leading into the fight. This wasn't what Sombra informed him about, but Wrath wasn't remotely worried about it too much. "So the Fanalis are heading this way?" Wrath realized. He would have to talk to Sombra later, but for now there was a fight to be had. The Fanalis charged forward into the fight, and with a signal of his own sword, the demons with Wrath also charged on forward. Wrath himself went in himself, both blades out at his side and leading this charge. It wasn't entirely what he had in mind, nor what Sombra had instructed, but as far as he was concerned, this fight will end like every other he had faced in his life. "And that trap will activate ... NOW!" On Morgiana's prediction, the ground at their feet suddenly started to glow, a gigantic alchemic signal opening up under their feet. The demons didn't halt their charge, and they were more hyped than ever, as a Houndoom rushed in with abandon. "HA! NO MAGIC FOR YOU, DUMBASSES!" the houndoom roared, rushing in. The light grew so bright, they couldn't see beyond the alchemic activation, the circle reaching a good mile to cover the entire tribe, and then some. The demons were confident, but the houndoom was met with a nasty surprise: Karma's sword piercing through his neck! Karma tossed the body aside, a quick kill for him, and looked to the demons in front. Three other houndours rushed in, only for three Fanalis to charge in and crush them with little trouble at all! "Ain't gonna work, bitch. CHARGE!" Karma called, rushing in head on with the rest of the tribe. Wrath was disappointed in Sombra now, but he had little time to actually do much about that. The Fanalis were closing in, and his swords were itching to cut them to pieces. "We'll talk later, Sombra," Wrath groaned, before he went in himself. It didn't take much time until it was a bloodbath out in the battlefield: demons and Fanalis retaliating and fighting it out. Blood scattered everywhere from both sides in the scuffle, and Wrath could tell for a fact that this wasn't just a simple fluke on Sombra's part. He would know if the Fanalis were coming one way or the other ... "Hey, Wrath! Remember me?" Karma got up to him now, already blood stained from the fight at hand. His miracle sword was covered in the blood of those he already sliced up, and by the appearance, he didn't even look touched by teeth or claw, though a few cuts were still there. "Looking to a fight against impossible odds? You may have shown promise, but it's for the wrong side. And you'll deeply regret it." "Is that what you thought when Morgiana crushed you, Bradley?" Karma retorted. The memory flashed through Wrath's mind, as a swell of anger built in him. Of course, with his anger, it didn't take too long until he and Karma charged at one another, blades clashing against eachother, and bloods at a boil. Wrath went at him with no mercy, but Karma was faster, stronger, and whenever Wrath would leave even the slightest opening, Karma would go in and actually cut him! Wrath groaned in pain from his cuts. "You've grown a lot stronger, Akabane. Haven't had this good of a fight in a while," Wrath stated, before running in, swords a blazing, and forcing Karma back. "I learned from the best, old man," Karma mocked, only infuriating Wrath more so. Karma made his point especially clear after a bit, and actually got one sword out of Wrath's hand, sending it flying into the air! Wrath jumped back, feeling a deep cut in his own hand as well. As this fight was going on, some of the demons took notice, and actually were starting to come in. "DIE, SLAYER!" they called, catching Karma's attention away from Wrath. However, it wasn't the only attention they got, and Morgiana suddenly came in and sent them flying with a well aimed kick, cracking one demon's skull, and sending two other houndour flying into the bloodbath where they came in. She wasn't going to let him die, not if she could help it. Wrath found a two on one match again, and this was an all too familiar setting. "Not this time," Wrath thought, and with one sword in hand, he rushed forward again at them both. Karma and Morgiana focused on Wrath now, but Karma then saw something in his single eye that told him Wrath's true target. Morgiana had moments to duck to avoid a stabbing, but Wrath sent his knee right into her face, the blunt force of the hit knocking her back. She didn't have time to shake herself off before Wrath readied his sword for a head shot, only for Karma to come in and shove her aside! The hit was deep, and deadly, striking Karma right in the shoulder, and slicing down his right arm! The hardest hit Karma had yet, and his miracle sword didn't get any hits to heal him yet. "Why throw your life away?" Wrath questioned. Karma cringed, gripping his arm for a moment before answering. "Because I actually have morals, unlike you. No one told you when to quit, and look what happened to you. I still have some friends who kept me from going down the same way," Karma stated boldly. Wrath looked to Morgiana, who was in the Fanalis fighting stance to face him. "For the longest time, I saw you humans as nothing but stubborness and pride. But it seems there are some of you who can learn. Who will change. ... It infuriates me that I can't predict how you'll behave." ....... "Hmm ... Interesting set up." Out in his balcony, Sombra and Pride stood there in the balcony, as they watched the whole battle unfold down before them. A strong mixture of holy and unholy energy was all over the place, with all sorts of demons, angels, and a few othyer races and deities running around and fighting practically everywhere. "It seems the Overworld is a bit more dynamic than you've predicted, Sombra," Pride noted, though Sombra himself had already figured that out. "I don't need any reminders. It won't be long until - ... wait a minute." Sombra took a moment to have a closer look at the battlefield around him. Sure, it was chaotic, and it was easy to tell who's on what side just by looking at the fighters, but there was one particular head that he couldn't count longer he looked. His eyes widened as one question passed his mind. "W-Where's Nagisa?" ... And that's when the realization hit him like a freight train. Pride examined the crowd, but couldn't see the weight of the situation just yet. "What difference does one human make?" "Don't take this lightly. Go into the Homunculi chamber, keep guard," Sombra quickly instructed, and making sure each word did not miss Pride's ears. Pride just agreed and went off on his way, but Sombra didn't know what to do now. Not only were these angels giving him a run for his money, but Team Harmony was closing in faster than he anticipated. If they reach him now ... "What was I thinking? They got Lugia over there, of course he would give them a heads up first? Think, Sombra, think? You're so close, you can't give up now," Sombra thought, trying to get himself together. The thoughts ended up making him pace around back and forth, the sounds of war outside not making things easier. He brought his hand to his forehead, and tried to focus on getting the answer of his through his Future Sight. His stone glowed as it was activated ... and after that, he calmed down. "Ok. It's a bit soon, but ... the time is now." ~~ The assassination squadron: Nagisa, Aladdin, Gaara, Twilight, and Envy just managed to find the secret cave leading off into the palace. There was still some good patrol nearby, but none of them noticed the small group of five standing by the entrance. Nagisa looked off to the east, and there stood the another part of the platoon: Kyoya and Olivier. They nodded over to the five, and Olivier turned to the squad with her. "Onward!" she called. And the group began their attack on the demon group right then and there. It was just the cover they needed to get in. "Good luck," Nagisa thought. and with that thought, Envy taking lead, the group rushed into the tunnel. It was now or never. With their charge, it didn't take long until the tunnel darkened up, and the path less noticeable, but Envy knew these tunnels like the back of his hand. Even with the lack of any light, he had it all mapped out in his head, so there was no time to slow down. However ... "There they are!" Guarded! After five minutes of running, they all quickly were met with guards set up in the tunnel. Sombra wasn't taking chances apparently, but lucky for them there didn't seem to be too many, and with five fighters on their side, they didn't have much to worry. Nagisa and Gaara met with the demons first, the first demon knocked out right away. Twilight got her magic together, and used her magic to throw one of the demons into a crowd, slamming them into the wall. Aladdin saw one demon jump to him, but his shield launched it back no problem. It only took a minute for the group to finish off the first group, and soon they were off running again. Good timing too, as just around the corner of the tunnel was the entrance to the castle catacombs. "The homunculi chamber. Envy, where do we go from here?" asked Twilight. "Once we get out of here, it's a straight shot to the palace. Sombra's throne room should be right down the same hall. just focus on getting there," Envy said. Simple enough. "Nice of you to make it this far." Wouldn't you know it, it wouldn't be that simple? The group looked to their only exit out of the chamber, and found that someone else was waiting for them. Pride Homunculus. This homunculus already looked a bit worn out from the fight going on the surface, but he still looked as ready to fight off the main enemy as anybody else would be. Worse yet, this Homunculus was right in their way, his true form between them and the door, with his human vessel of a body standing at center. "Not again, Pride," growled Gaara. This was the last thing they needed here. "Don't act like you're surprised, Gaara. You really think lord Sombra will leave an opening like this unguarded?" Pride questioned. His true form started to shoot out at them, Aladdin using his shield to protect them from Pride's attacks. Pride was just faster though, and actually grabbed Aladdin in his grip! The shield was torn down, and the magi was pulled up out of the crowd, slamming him into the ground hard. Nagisa rushed in, his knife slicing off a number of Pride's arms, just to get entangled himself and his blade forced out of his hand! "No you don't!" Envy grabbed the blade himself, and actually threw it directly at the core body of Pride, getting his eye cut open! Nagisa and Aladdin broke free, the magi sending a few spells at Pride's true form to do so. Pride was now getting angry, a hand over his eye. "Damn you, Envy. Have you forgotten you were one of the Homunculi? Where's your honor?" Pride asked, forcing the knife out of his own head, taking part of his human face with it. "My honor? You wanted me dead, what difference would it make? Just like everyone else here!" Envy yelled. Pride straightened up. "Lord Sombra was willing to recreate you, but it seems you'd rather stay trapped in that pathetic husk of yours. You really think being a human's better than a Homunculus?" Pride asked. With his attention focused on him, Gaara took the advantage, and forced the others to move to the exit! Pride saw them go, but Envy took the moment, and threw the halo blade at him again, making him screech in pain. "BASTARD!" Pride roared, focusing all attention on Envy, and slamming him into the wall with all his strength! That immediately made Envy cough up blood, and Gaara grabbed the halo blade before Pride could catch him. "Envy!" gasped Aladdin. "Guys move, Sombra's waiting!" Gaara yelled, trying to get them to move. "But Envy, he can't face him alone!" Nagisa said. "He knows that," Gaara simply stated. Nagisa looked to Envy, his head down, and blood coming out. However, Envy looked to Nagisa, and while he appeared at his end, Envy's eyes told Nagisa a different statement. Nagisa felt a tear run down his eye before he too understood. And just in time: Pride attempted to block their path again, but the others rushed through and Gaara, for extra measure, used his sand to collapse the ceiling above the door! Rocks collapsed and tumbled down, and soon there was no entrance into the castle. It was only Pride and Envy now. "Good. You'll find him," Envy thought. But he wasn't out of the woods yet, Pride throwing Envy to the ground. Angry, Pride tried to finish him off, but Envy actually grabbed the strand, and used all his strength to keep himself still. It was a stand off between Homunculi. "How much information did those humans force you to take, Envy? You could've got everything back if you were to just listen." "Listen? Listen? I've listened to enough of Sombra's crap my entire existence. Oh wait, he nearly killed me! You're telling me I should take that kind of command without complaining?" "Why ask such a ridiculous question? It's only natural that we should obey our master, no matter the order," Pride coldly stated. "You're the one who's ridiculous, Pride: you're the first ever Homunculus, you don't even have a master, and you think it's best to have some lower demon tell you what to do? He's running you ragged, wearing you down, and he's willing to throw you away at any time when you can't do anymore." Pride was fuming. And all those facts were true. "Why should I care if Sombra doesn't? I'm still something far above a worthless worm you've turned into. I am one of the Homunculi! WHAT DO YOU KNOW HUMAN?!" That was met with Pride tossing Envy around like a ragdoll, slamming him here, there, and everywhere, breaking him apart, until he slammed him into one of the blood pools. Envy was still alive in that pool, just above the blood pool so he could breathe. "Apparently more than you do. I'm not as strong as I used to be, but at least my voice isn't dropped on deaf ears anymore. I'm no longer some byproduct of the Underworld like you are, I got far more with those "worms" than I ever could working with you." Pride started to tighten his grip, and strangle the breath out of Envy, but his neck was refusing to break, much like Envy's own desire to stay free. Pride came down to him, starting to feel his own strength starting to quiver a little bit. "This vessel won't last much longer. No matter. This body has outlived its use. Once you're gone, I'll have a new vessel. Your body belongs to me," Pride stated, ready to finish Envy off. Envy could barely think straight now. "Damn it. I can't get out of this," Envy managed to think, feeling blood come down his face from the beating he took. He felt his life begin to flash before him. In particular, his memories of his time as a human, and how much he had been given, and how much better of a life he had then. Along with a few other things ... Just stay here with us, Envy. It'll be fun to have someone like you as a friend "Friend. ... No. No. They were willing to die for eachother, to die for me. I can't fall now. I won't!" As Envy was thinking this, to Pride shock, he actually, albeit slowly, started to get to his feet. With all that strain Envy had against him, he was not falling. "They all believe in me. ... I WON'T FALL." With that thought, Envy finally broke himself out, his mouth biting into the arm around his neck, and biting so hard it broke off like coiled rope! Pride was surprised at this, Envy forcing Pride to release him with each arm torn off! "What? but how? You're nothing but a mere human now, you couldn't be able to break free!" Pride gasped. Envy straightened himself, standing in the same pool he was born in, his eyes staring Pride down. "That's one thing that about humans, Pride. You'd think you can figure one out after some time, but then they always have some way to surprise you." Pride wasn't having it: he tried to regain his grip, but this time Envy was moving a lot faster, and dodging him with some flowing movements. The closer Pride got to him, the more nervous Pride got, and it got to the point when he actually started to move back. Next thing Pride knew, and to his surprise, Envy had a hand gripped right over Pride's open wound, and as such, the main connection between his true form, and the vessel he relied on! "This is impossible! How's this human able to do this to me?! I'm the Homunculus, it shouldn't be possible!" "I got you now, Pride!" Envy yelled, getting a vice grip. Pride froze up in fear, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. Pride tried to move, but he found his vessel locked in place, Envy pulling back hard on the major connection between his true form and the vessel. It hurt. Pride tried to use his human body to fight, but Envy was not budging from his struggles, even though they were hurting Envy too. Pride wrapped his body around him, and tried to pull himself free, but the more times Pride tried, the more pain shot through him. There was only one thing to do ... And in one mighty pull, Envy severed him. It took all the strength Envy could muster, but it was enough to finally severe Pride from his human body. A horrific shriek from the Homunculus echoed throughout the Homunculi chamber, as the gigantic form of Pride started to disintegrate, and wither away, along with the physical body as well. Envy stayed completely still, watching Pride reduce himself down to another form. And one that Envy would never would've expected. He took a moment to check his hand, and turned out he was holding Pride's Philosopher Stone. As for Pride himself? ... A small child. A tiny, fetal, humanoid child. with a small circle on his forehead. "So this is who you really are," Envy simply stated, gently picked up the child, who was so small in fact he could holding it in his hands. At first, Envy wasn't sure what to do with him. He could finish him off now and try to continue on, but on the other hand, this was a child. And Envy too was a Homunculus like him, and he can say now, a Homunculus now turned human. Envy took a look around the area for a bit, and then came to one main conclusion. "Now you know how I feel, Salim. ... Let's go." Envy turned around, and tossed Pride's Philosopher Stone into one of the pools, just before he started walking out with Pride in his arms. He only stopped at one point to glance back to the entrance to the castle. He had only one thing to say before he began heading back out. "Good luck, Nagisa." ....... "Okay, just a little more, a cut here, and there ... good." In the top chamber, Sombra was getting his portal ready to go. He could hear the fight outside, everywhere there is, and who's to say on where Nagisa was at. The demon king didn't feel right in leaving the demons like this, but he knew if he stayed here, then it will be the death of him for sure, and he wasn't going down without a challenge surely. The symbol will get him to the Human world above him, but before he could even get it activated though, the sounds of footsteps rushing up to him got him under more pressure. He may not have any senses to figure out who it was, but he already had a good guess, the doors to the chamber knocked right open as the Assassination Squad arrived. Sombra jumped up his feet, turning around to see them. Gaara, Twilight, Aladdin, and Nagisa. "Just in time," Gaara noted. He didn't hesitate and rushed for Sombra, the demon king having to jump aside away from the symbol on the ground. Gaara tried multiple slashes at him, lightning fast, and Sombra actually had some trouble. In his attempt to avoid the blade, his body quickly ended up turning into shadow, the blade going right through him. "Why're you fighting me Gaara? Of all people," Sombra asked, before grabbing him by the arms and throwing him right back at the group. Twilight caught him in the fall, Sombra solidifying again. "I promised you I'd help, but then you ran off on me?" "You were never going to help me in the first place, liar," Gaara growled. Sombra didn't had time for this, and got back to the symbol, hands clapping together and ready to activate it. They weren't going to let that happen: immediately Aladdin readied a Gyro Ball and launched it right at him, Twilight following up behind with a magical beam. Sombra just got the portal started, but couldn't get into it in time before he was struck down by both magical hits. The portal was open now, and Sombra was hurt a bit but barely much. The group quickly blocked Sombra's way from the portal created. Sombra didn't had much time for this; he had a goal in mind, and damn it, he was going to do it! Without another word, he rushed forward again, his body turning into shadows, but even with this Nagisa's blade still got him, and the Umbra groaned in pain from the cut he managed to get him in. It wasn't enough though to finish him off, and before they realized it, he was through the portal! "Damnit, he went through!" Gaara growled. "We're not done yet. Time for plan B: Aladdin, get Karma and Morgiana, meet us in the Surface World, okay?" "On my way, Nagisa!" Aladdin replied, starting to rush off to do that. Twilight, Gaara, and Nagisa meanwhile took the chance with this portal themselves, and jumped right on through. They weren't out. Not yet. ~~ Karma's fight with Wrath was a slaughter all things considered. With screams of battle cries and pain-filled howls, Karma akabane was left in the fight of his life in Wrath. The Miracle Sword got his arm working after some good slashes, but in honesty, he was getting hurt quicker than getting healed, and it didn't help that Wrath had two swords over one. With many fighters going out all around him, he ended up tumbling onto the ground at a point, knocked down hard by Wrath. "Is that really all you got? I thought I taught you better," Wrath growled, Karma getting up to his feet, a bit dazed and bleeding out the mouth. Karma would remark back, but he was getting tired. Looking to him, Wrath was pretty bloody too, but walked on like nothing happened to him. Karma was not enjoying this at all, and aimed his sword right for him. "Well, excuse me for my enthusiasm," Karma said, coughing up a little blood for a moment. That just left him open again and Bradley slammed his foot into Karma's stomach, knocking him off the ground. Karma found his feet before landing, though he wasn't showing much power as when he started. Wrath was NOT letting up. Karma had to think fast, and in a desperate move, his sword dug into the ground and dirt was shot at Wrath's face. Barely a distraction as Wrath sliced up the rocks knocked up at him with a few hits of his blades. "Damn it. He may be old, but he's still got it," Karma thought. Whatever thoughts he had in mind next were cut short when Wrath moved up to him, trying to skewer his head. Karma moved fast enough to avoid the stabbing, except for the last one that got his ear. A minor wound but still stung good and strong, his free hand grabbing where he got sliced before jumping back from a deadly slice. It felt ironic really: a warrior with a sword that can heal the user was doing worse than a fighter with two swords. At this point, it was a stand off between them both, Karma still willing to fight Wrath despite the injuries. He was tired, hurting, but if he fell now he would not get back up - they wouldn't let him do that. Wrath waited for him to fully get up and actually didn't jump at him right away. "... There's something quite comforting about facing death like this, wouldn't you agree?" Wrath asked. Karma kept his guard up, and despite the war around him, he could hear every word as clear as crystal. "It doesn't matter. nothing else seems to exist, out of my pure instinct to survive. ... Rank. Personal history and birth. Race. Sex. The name given to you. ... It's all meaningless. This is the only thing that's real: to fight on behalf of my own life and nothing else." Karma could see the dead scattered around them as he was saying these words, a mixture of allies and enemies scattered amongst the same ground. This was a man only out for one thing: his life. His life and no more. "I've never felt so complete ... I guess you can say I've finally arrived." And with that, Wrath charged again, Karma this time having no choice but to jump back at him. Both swords clashed together hard, two sabers against one miracle sword. Karma gathered what he could manage, but Wrath brought his foot up and finally slammed him under him. Karma found his foot was actually metallic now, and he wasn't getting it off of him. Morgiana must've done more damage than he thought if the king of Amestris had automail to replace. Karma found himself in the worst possible situation: underneath a killer, bleeding ... Karma's eyes widened at the reality of it all. "Damn it. ... I'm ... I'm going to die ... I'm gonna die ..." Something snapped. Spurring into action, Wrath suddenly felt a sharp pain of Karma's sword jutting out and whacking his head, getting his ear cut in two. Any harder and it would've killed him on the spot, but Wrath found himself jumping back from the sword almost getting his eyes. Karma jumped up and suddenly he was all over Wrath, slashing, slicing, and whacking every which way he could do, giving Wrath not much time to get him. Karma's attacks now weren't as predictable as it was before, flowing together like it was one single attack. In one of the many spins Karma ended up doing, Wrath saw one sword get sliced at the rim, and his hand cut in the process. Karma made sure he didn't use anything on it by slicing it several more times. Karma took a moment to gather himself, but when Wrath looked, his eyes were not from the cocky, and confident boy he had met before, but this time one of pure primal aggression. "I'm not being killed that easily. Come at me, demon," Karma growled. Wrath was ready to oblige, and rushed him, now gathered up again. This sudden shift in behavior just infuriated Wrath even more: he was just talking about morals half an hour ago and now here he was as wild as the demonic fauna of the Underworld. How the hell was he supposed to read any of this? And it didn't help that when Wrath started striking swords with Karma, two hits clanged the sword, and a third strike actually got in between his teeth! Karma used the sword them to slice the sabre, keeping it in his mouth for a bit and forcing Wrath back before spitting it out. Now things were a little more shifted, Karma now having the blades and Wrath left with only fists to fight. Swordsmanship was one thing, but fisticuffs were another matter. Not saying he didn't give Karma a rough time though, but killing him was just going to take a bit more brute force instead of some clean cuts. For Karma, he continued his attacks on Wrath, and with no guard, Wrath had to dodge the slices. He couldn't do them all though, and then ... in a battle cry from Karma ... Karma's sword had skewered him. Right through the middle. And at the very tip of that sword was the Philosopher's Stone that made Wrath the Homunculus he was. Wrath froze, eyes wide and blood gushing from his mouth. When Karma had done that, feeling the blood on his face, and feeling his wounds slowly heal, he released his sword, letting Wrath fall to the ground, the sword popping out of him upon landing. If any of the Fanalis or Demons noticed this, they would be left speechless at what occurred. Karma blinked a few times, gathering himself, before seeing the fallen king. Any movement would surely kill him quicker, and Wrath simply stayed still. It took the king a bit before he looked to Karma. "Well, that's that. Anything you have left to say, Bradley?" Karma then asked. "... None. ..." "Tough life. What were you looking for, Homunculus." "... This." "Huh?" "... So disappointing, seeing so many humans ... humans who can't hold for themselves in such a crisis like this. ... What ever happened ... to human kind's power? ... Relying so much in deities you're not sure even exist, to the point when you won't do a damn thing yourself ..." Wrath paused only to spit out some blood from his mouth, though Karma could tell that he wasn't going to last much longer this way. Even in the midst of all this war, everything seemed to fall still between him and Bradley. "I get it. Bringing humans to their former glory ... you know what, Bradley. ... You did a damn good job," Karma kneeled down to Wrath. "And what else? We have grown stronger over this last year. All these demons showing up, it's giving all of us a wake-up call. I say it's time we humans evolve a little." Wrath was silent. Even almost killing him, Karma was talking to him in such a way ... well, like he would do. Wrath gave a low sigh, his eyes gazing up at the flickering auras of the Underworld sky. "Your wife's still up there, you know. Got anything to say to her? I'll make sure she gets it." "... No. ..." "Wait, you don't have -" "Don't trouble yourself. ... My wife understands. She's the one I chose to lead by my side. ... There're no words that need to pass between us now ... that's what it means to be the wife of the Führer. ..." Karma then began to see something happen to him: his hair started to turn grey, and his skin beginning to slowly peel away in paper-thin sheets, almost as if time was catching up to the man. "... Do me one favor, though. ... You may follow under god. ... But it's you who truly makes the choices. Make sure ... it is your hands that you use to decide your future. ... Not his ..." It was an odd request to make, but Karma, a well-known fighter, felt his hand clench into a fist. "I think we all can do that. Bradley." "... Good. ..." And with one final, slow breath, the former king closed his eyes, and gave his last breath. This warrior has fought his final war. Karma waited for some surprise, him to spring up on him, but nothing happened. Wrath was dead. Karma simply pulled out his sword from Wrath's body, and looked around at the battles around him. Or rather, lack there of, as some of the demons and angels stopped on this. They heard what Wrath said. Karma needed a minute before sighing, turning to the crowd he unwittingly gathered together, and surprisingly, some of the demons under Wrath's command actually began to run away! Seeing their strongest cut down meant they had little chance of fighting them off, and they weren't going to stick around. "Karma," Morgiana said, going to him. "... Well, there's no such thing as a good war. Come on, let's see if Sombra's down yet," Karma replied. This gave the team more than enough time to get everything together and finish off - "Karma! Morgiana!" Then came the sound of Aladdin, flying off as fast as he could on his flying carpet. What timing too. "What's up, Aladdin?" called Karma. Aladdin flew down close. "Karma, Morgiana, get on! Initiate plan B!" Aladdin called, flying off down as quick as he could to them both. "Plan B. Don't tell me Sombra got away." "What else does Plan B mean? Hurry, he'll be there any minute now!" Aladdin informed urgently, going off what Nagisa told him. There was no time to wait now, Karma cracking his fists, and getting his sword slicing up the ground to make the symbol, and as Aladdin was busy working with that to activate it, Karma took one more look over towards Bradley. He had fought and killed off demons, but this was the first time he actually killed a human being like himself. At least he still considered him a human being. After some magi magic, Aladdin got the portal to work. Morgiana and Aladdin went on in, and it took Karma a bit before he too entered through. He'll come back later when this is over. S06Ep11: Deal's a Deal ~ディールはディールです~ (PT2)"Hmm ... well, what a turn of events. Slicer, Lust, Gluttony had left me, Wrath's probably dead by now. Oh, my Future sight's not helping me anymore. Odds are they've been given a heads up. How else did they plan against me that well? ... Well, they should be waiting for me when I get up there. ... Here we go, Lugia. I know you're there." The group had to work fast to get the Surface World team all prepared. There may be a war going on in the Underworld, but now with the Surface World at risk, they needed to get themselves in gear for their plan B. The Team had gotten themselves out of the Underworld and to the Surface world, and with just a headstart and pre-planning on their side, they got the ups on Sombra and where he would come out. Speaking of, off in what seemingly appeared to be the isolated corner of the Japanese forests. With the portal opening up above his head into the shade of the forest floor, King Sombra had reached up back to the Human's surface world. ... And in such places, he was not alone, the assassins hidden off out of sight either within the trees or in the foliage. "Damn, look who it is. Look like I owe you, huh?" Kirara said. "Don't count your blessings yet, we still have to get him. Now get your team in position," Nagisa ordered. Terasaka nodded and gave the signal for his group to follow as Nagisa got to his communicator. "This is Blue fang contacting Team Crimson helm. Target has appeared, is your team ready?" Nagisa asked. It was Karma who answered. "We're getting there, blue fang. Hurry up guys," Karma instructed, looking over to his troops. They were almost ready, but given their position, they still didn't give him the signal for their preparation. He stayed in his position over by the rocks, glancing off to the nearby Cliffside. Eventually though, someone did look out from her spot and gave him the signal. "Scratch that, blue fang, we're ready to go. Just say the word." Just what Nagisa wanted to hear. "Noted." Nagisa turned over to Sombra after that, peering through the tree branches like a spying predator. He kept his position hidden alongside Gaara and Blair, keeping themselves up high in the trees, just outside Sombra's radar. As Nagisa did was nod to the three and they all moved off silently through the branches. They needed to cut off his routes of escape here, and to an extent Sombra knew this too, his own eyes examining the forest. "Clever, they're not charging at me all at once. What else would I expect though? They're getting in position around me, I know they are." And Sombra's thoughts were on point, as the very faintest sound of branches were caught by his gaze. They were circling him from above his head, and Nagisa got his position over to the right. Nagisa felt his heart racing at the anticipation, making him feel very antsy. "No, I gotta calm down. One false move, and who knows when I'll get another chance? Everyone else is ready. He's expecting everything, and so am I," Nagisa thought, his hand gripping tightly on his halo blade. "Fate. I know you've been good to me and my friends. But please, hold out for a while longer." Sombra stayed completely still, his eyes taking in everything around him. He saw bushes, trees, grass of greenery everywhere, but all the same, he saw little to no one. But if his Future sight told him anything, it's that they were there. And they all wanted to take him down. This was it. This was to decide where it'll all go from here. With the world in force off elsewhere, who's to say where it'll go now? Even if he looked calm as ever, his own heart was racing. Ready to spring at the slightest sound. "Why isn't he doing anything?" Blair thought. The anticipation was enough trouble, and where he will go would defy the plan from there. Every team in every spot. Sombra's eyes looked over around him until they ended up locked upward into the trees. He gave a little bit of focus but he could just narrowly make out the blue tint of Nagisa's hair and eyes. Both eyes locked in place. THAT's when he began to get nervous, and got in a more battle-ready stance. "I see you," Sombra hissed. Nagisa though didn't budge, as if he was still out of sight. This was a bit confusing. "Come down from there, I know you're up there Shiota." Still nothing. Well, Sombra wasn't going to prolong this, and moved over to the figure. Gaara and Blair nearby started to feel more on edge, now that one of their own was caught. But the thing was, where Sombra was going wasn't where Nagisa placed himself. ... "Nagisa, I'm giving you until three to come out. You've thrown me for a loop as it was back in the Underworld I have to admit. Sending the Fanalis to my magic traps and leaving your magic users out of sight was the opposite of what I expected of you. ... Of course, you did get your help from Lugia himself with his own Future Sight. Still, we all know that there's only so much you can do. Now I'm going to count to three, and if you don't come out, I'm coming after you. ..." Still no response from Nagisa Shiota. Gaara and Blair readied to head in on the countdown. "... One. ... Two. ... Three. ..." And only then did Nagisa start to come down from the tree. He jumped down, landing down just in front of Sombra. Sombra smiled, but he kept his gaze down at first. Eventually though, he began to raise his gaze to meet with his own. One look at his eyes was all Sombra needed to see. This wasn't Nagisa, it was Niji! What happened next was almost slow motion: as if appearing from thin air, Sombra sensed a back attack, and he turned in time to see Nagisa coming in! His eyes were locked onto his target, and his blade at the ready. Sombra had seconds to react, and Nagisa's blade met its mark, scraping at Sombra's arm before he took off in a mad dash away from him. The cut stung him, but it didn't slow him down at all. Nagisa made sure Sombra kept running with several other close slices of his blade, two of which almost got Sombra's eye cut out! This wasn't a kill, but more of a trigger, something to get Sombra moving. "Blair, Gaara, after him!" Nagisa ordered. They didn't need to be told twice, and rushed off after Sombra to keep him on course. Niji went on over to Nagisa. "Thanks Niji, you saved us a lot of trouble there." "Hey, you're the one with a future call," Niji reminded, playfully punching him in the shoulder. They both looked on ahead of them, and saw Sombra keep his pace as Niji got to her communicator. "Flora, he's heading your way. Don't fire until he reaches the path. If you don't get him tell us where he's heading to," Nagisa instructed. "I see him, and he's coming fast," Nabiku instructed. Her group was placed over closer to the pool. Looking in from their end, their group could see Sombra just coming in from the foliage, Gaara and Blair following him from up in the trees. Gaara made sure to throw some knives at him to be sure he kept going the right way. Sombra had his focus in one direction, and it wasn't until he was just a few yards away did Hinano jump out with duel pistols ready to shoot! A few shots were fired at him, but they all missed, as Sombra cut corners and bolted out of firing range. "He pulled a fast one!" Hinano gasped, as Sombra kept moving. He went up through the mountainside forest and went off north instead. Just what another group was ready for. As Sombra raced through the next part of the forest, a few other students (Yoshida, Takuya, and Kirara) went on out of the forest and began their chase. Sombra looked back. "Now this is more what I expected out of you!" Sombra said, suddenly turning around. Now he had targets he can better focus on here. Or at least he thought he did. "That's it, keep those eyes on the ground." BAM! A gunshot right to the back! Sombra jumped on feeling that, and he almost got shot in the head and chest by the others. He had to keep moving, and made a quick side step out of sight, taking to the trees. In the jump, he actually saw Terasaka up there himself. Such a large sturdy human in such a small space. "Nicely done." Sombra took off in the trees next, and with that he quickly got out of sight. Terasaka felt pretty good, smirking as he got to the communicator. "This is Bronze cut calling Bird of Pray, he's heading off to the clearing. I got him wounded in the shoulder, but it's not slowing him down," Terasaka reported, as he got down the tree and moved with the others off after him. That sure was good news to hear from Aladdin's side. Aladdin's side was off in a clearing near where crimson helm was located, and hearing this news got them ready. Sombra kept his eyes behind him, seeing them following him and try to take their shot, but when Sombra looked ahead - "Oh no you don't!" Sombra suddenly jumped aside, and began to go off up hill. This was off course. And worst still, he was heading up to the Birds of Prey's position. Lucky Morgiana heard him. "Get down!" Morgiana said, quickly moving Aladdin down before Sombra jumped out of the trees and into the clearing. They planned for him to be on the lower cliff coming in, not on the upper level by them, and Sombra knew they wouldn't shoot their own team. Karma, Nakamura, and Bardroy got their weapons lighting up as Sombra, just fast enough to get him tumbling to the ground. The umbra recovered fast and had to bolt off back and forth as he ran directly towards them, rushing by them in a blur. "Nice job, you let your target slip. Don't assume your prey will follow your plan!" Sombra advised as he ran. "Damn it!" Karma groaned, as Bardroy went for the communicator as it went off. "Crimson helm, what's going on?" "Sombra juked us: he came in from the top instead of the path. He's heading to the E building. Meet us there," Bardroy instructed. This was all getting crazy: with Sombra now heading where he wanted to go, things were beginning to escalate. The troops were in on him, and he needed to make up for lost time if he was to finish this off. With the troops off behind him for the moment, he could finally make out the E building off ahead of him. No troops outside, no traps set, completely unguarded and not expected by the rest. He found his way. ... Or did he? "HIYAAAA!" "What the - ACK!" Out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie leaped out and suddenly her foot clocked him right to the face, sending the Umbra off balance. This didn't last too long though, and Sombra found there was indeed another troop here, one that his spying eye didn't catch on his own oversight of this plan. Sure he knew they'll be here, but he didn't expect her group to show. Pinkie's group was joined up by Yoroi and Hoopa, who quickly surrounded him. Sombra needed a breather here. "So what? You all going to charge at me?" Sombra asked, waiting for one of them to come forward. "We just want you to stay put," Yoroi stated. "Well tough luck for you. Can't you humans just let this happen already?" Sombra groaned. "But why do you have to make this happen?" Pinkie then asked. Sombra couldn't believe the question. "Why should I say? Kyoya surely told you everything as is, I don't need to tell you any further than what I've had," Sombra made clear. Looking back into the forest though, someone was starting to catch up to him. He had the building there, and the troops closing in. "Good job: He's stuck in the open. No matter how strong he is, Umbras can't do well in sunlight with fully exposed," Nagisa figured. Sombra was more than his magic though, and when he saw them come out of the forest, he rushed off right passed Hoopa. It was just enough time for the troops to arrive on scene, but with everyone out in the open, Sombra had a visual on everyone. Bad news was that he had no cover either, so he had to jump and dodge every which way to avoid the shots. Looking back, Nagisa, Gaara, and Morgiana were right on his tail. "Okay, it's about time I admit it: you humans are beyond a shadow of a doubt, clever. Think you can keep it up?" Sombra asked as they ran. "Gonna ask you the same question," Gaara replied, making a quick turn and jumping at him. Sombra ducked just enough to avoid the lunge. He was getting close to the E building now, few yards away, but then a thought struck him. And he jumped on the roof and over. "Wait, where's he going?" Gaara thought, the group skidding to a stop. Sombra made it over the building and glanced back, seeing that none of them were following him now. It would seem he gave them all the slip. Not a good move, and the trio rushed around the building to catch up to him. "Anymore tricks?" Sombra thought. "UP HERE, UMBRA!" Sombra looked up, and saw that indeed they did: Aladdin and Niji had managed to catch up, and this time with Mey-Rin and Nakamura on the flying carpet, armed and ready. He was not out of the woods yet. "Flight isn't working. Time to fight." Sombra stated, as his demonic energy started to build. He may have it weakened with the halt in sunlight, but he still had plenty to work with. Mey-Rin and Nakamura began their firing from there. Sombra jumped to one side, then to another, and by the third jump, he launched his own energy right at them all. Aladdin had to veer the carpet off out of range, the orb missing them just by inches. Aladdin responded with his own Gyro Ball, aimed over in front of Sombra to stop his path. The explosion was strong, and Sombra actually got struck, but he didn't slow down at all in his attempt. "Even with all of my tricks, all of these humans and angels are over-powering me. It won't be long until they do me in at this rate. Just got to reach Lugia." ....... Meanwhile, back at the main building, much of the others were keeping themselves up on lookout, just in case if Sombra were to get this far. Twilight, Kyoya, and Korosensei kept in watch the best they can, them hearing the distant gun fire and explosions going on. It won't be for much longer at this rate until they would catch up. Korosensei was the most nervous, his teeth gnawing on his tentacles like someone would chew their nails, and as rapid as ever. "He's getting close," Twilight said, feeling very nervous on noticing this. "Oh, please tell me you know what you're doing," Korosensei shuttered. "We have everything worked out. He won't win, I know he won't," Twilight reassured them all, but the more she heard those shots, the more troubled she was becoming. And not a moment too soon, as out of the foliage, Sombra rushed out with the others behind him. He looked worn out, but still determined as ever. It wasn't until he got to the building did he finally slow down a little bit, looking up to the others up on top, though he didn't completely stop until something forced him back: Twilight's force field. Her practice surely paid off, and Sombra couldn't get himself in. This final one got everyone to surround him now, guns drawn and weapons at the ready. He was tired, and now surrounded. "It's over, Sombra. We planned for everything you could've done, and will do," Nagisa made clear. Sombra didn't reply at first, catching his breath before confronting the huge crowd. He felt the force field off behind him, like a wall. "So it would seem. But I'm not giving up anymore than you are," Sombra made clear. "Sombra, look around you: All of us, we don't want our world to be destroyed anymore than you want yours to be. We're trying our hardest to keep our home alive and well, and why we're fighting down in the Underworld right now, why we're doing all of this. This has to stop, you have the power to do that." "You all tried to kill me, and you try a compromise again? Nagisa, may I remind you we know how this all will go. So I'll give you one final chance to get this correct. Will you surrender. Or no?" "... As long as I'm breathing. It's never over." "So be it." With his strength regained somewhat, he used the full potential of it all and slammed them into Twilight's shield! One hit was all it took to crack it to pieces, and immediately the group took aim and fired at him, guns blazing. Several shots struck him, but Sombra just managed to get himself inside the building before any fatal blow could be done to him. Bloody, and weak, but he finally made it. The others wasted no time in getting through the door. ... He was gone. "W-What the, where'd he go?!" Aladdin gasped. No sign of the umbra anywhere in here, but there was one particular clue that sealed their fate. A portal mark engraved into the wall. ... "No. NO! Damn it, he played us!" ~~ Lugia stayed quiet inside the E building. All that noise he had heard, all those tremors he felt from the war going on outside the room, and in the Underworld. He felt it all, every bit of it. And every time he heard a gun go off or an explosion ripple the ground, it left him with a bit of a shiver. The only one with him here was Ciel. "Sounds like it calmed down a bit, don't you think so?" Ciel asked. "Yes. ... though, to tell you the truth, I don't know if it will do much good." "Not this again, Lugia. You haven't truly met humanity, have you? We won't ever stop until we reached our goal, no matter what the cost. ... I should know." "So I've noticed. But by now, Sombra would be showing up after misleading your friends. In just a moment, he'll be here." "You do realize he just ran over the roof," Ciel pointed out. "AND do you realize he's come back?" Lugia and Ciel looked for the voice, though it didn't take too long until they did see the next oncoming problem. So much trouble as it was with demons fighting on both ends, and now the one that started it all got through a portal to his target at last. Ciel tried getting up, but his sore body just wouldn't let him, and Lugia knew what would be coming next at this point. Sombra looked beaten a bit, bloody too, but otherwise alright unfortunately. Sombra took a moment to look around, getting his breath together, and just to make sure he didn't lose his quarry, a shadow barrier blocked off every wall, ceiling, and exit they could take. No one was going anywhere. "Lugia. I believe this has been long enough, don't you?" "Yes. Though, it looks like they've been giving you the runaround." "Yes, thanks for noticing," Sombra sighed. Before Sombra could get to him, Ciel ended up getting up and standing in the way. "You're kidding." "Sombra. Before you go in and turn this world into your version of hell, an explanation would be nice." "This again? Ciel, this is ending today, and unless you want to get killed, then I suggest you step out of the way." "Aren't you going to kill us all anyway?" Ciel pointed out. Sombra was getting bothered again. Normally he'd stay calm and throw Ciel for a loop, but with all the pressure, he didn't need any of this. One step forward though, and Ciel suddenly drew out a pistol, and without hesitation shot him square in the chest! Sombra flinched at the lack of hesitation, feeling the stinging bullet in him. "Now you know better than that Ciel, demons can't be killed that easy. You of all people should know that," Sombra stated, using his magic to pull the bullet out of him. It was really a matter of when, not if, Sombra will jump at them. His prize was right there, and the more time ticked by the closer the rest of the team was coming back to him. "Have some decency, and answer already. We know there's more to it aside from some damn angel." "Excuse me? That angel did nothing to deserve getting her wing clipped, and with all the damage you've already done to your own world, you think I'm going to let you all go to our worlds and do the same thing? You humans already laid waste to hundreds of demons as is." "So all of this for one half-winged angel? How pathetic." Sombra had it with Ciel's talk: suddenly he had the child by the throat, one hand holding him up and gripping tight. "You're one to talk Ciel. You may have some authority over your own friends, but you do NOT have any over me. YOU have no power here, stop thinking you do just because of that Phantomhive name of yours." And with that statement, Ciel was tossed aside. It was then that he walked right up to Lugia, Who believed this to be the final time now. He was here, Lugia had nowhere to go, and Sombra wasn't going to let him get away this time. "Sombra ... please. You know not all human beings are the same thing. Not all of them deserve to die ..." "Don't you give me that: they all have their variants, but in the end they're all only looking out for themselves and no one else. They could give less about any angel or demon if they could help it. You saw what they've done to the Underworld already, and even to some of the angels as well. They're looking to take it all, and damn-it, I'm not having it!" ... laughing. It started out small, but then grew into joyous laughter, and all of which came from Ciel Phantomhive. "What's so funny?" "You are!" Ciel said in his laughter. "A-and here I thought you were just some clever twat of a king, but no, you actually figured us humans out!" "And you treat it as a joke?!" Sombra yelled, but Ciel didn't care. Lugia probably would've foreseen what was going to happen next, so all he did was step back and let him speak. "We humans are a breed apart, trampling eachother like insects," Ciel stated, beginning to step by Sombra and Lugia as he continued to monologue. "We're cowardly, and we're fierce! Petty and small and nasty, we're more demonic than demons are!" Sombra had no words. He KNEW what was wrong with their species. He KNEW that they were horrid. And this whole time he still was trying to save them from all this? Sombra wasn't sure if should expect this from Ciel or not. Ciel continued laughing until he eventually stopped himself, almost as if reading Sombra's mind. "... And yet ... I'm just like them, don't you see? ... I'm full of it. That same ugliness courses through my veins as well," Ciel then stated, still smiling as he looked to his hand. Soon, the smile disappeared and his hand turned into a fist. "It's just how we humans are ... SOMBRA DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, IT'S WHO WE ARE!!" Everything went still, and Sombra looked shocked. for the first time in a very long time, he was legitimately shocked by pure word alone. Who we are? What did that mean, exactly? Sombra was quiet, and Lugia and Ciel waited for some sort of response from him. ... and then his arm shot out. In a blinding second, his arm turned into shadow, and struck Lugia right in the chest, going through him and into him. "... Let's see it then." ... *BOOOM* That was it. What happened next almost went in a blur: the group outside were just about to reach the E building when they began to see a sort of light begin to come out from the windows. That light quickly turned into what they all thought was an explosion, as much of the E building turned into nothing but pieces of wood. But what shocked them even more what was came out from the building, and now in the air. With Sombra controlling him, Lugia no longer had the same control over himself, and no longer was in a human-like form. This form Lugia had now was that of a draconic-like creature: a mix between a dragon, bird, and plesiosaur. his head ended in a beak, ridged to resemble a set of sharp teeth. His arms had strengthened and lengthened into hand-like wings, and ridges ran along his back and two on the end of his lizard-like tail. his eyes had spikes jutting out of them as well. Thanks to Sombra though, he looked far more horrifying, his skin a shadowy dark violet, the spikes and ridges a dullish silver, and his eyes were glowing red, steaming a purple hue like Sombra's eyes would do. This creature had laid waste to the E building, and as for Ciel, he was thrown out right to the team, still alive, but hurting all the same from the explosion. Sombra took a moment to observe himself in both new body and soul, finding flying an ease, and the sun not as effected on him as it should be. He then gave a mighty roar down to them, and he saw that even that alone made them all step back. "Damn it, he got to him," Karma groaned, already running at him. "Karma, stop!" Nagisa yelled, but Karma wasn't going to let him get away. In a swing, Karma aimed his sword directly at the creature's face, but while this would normally be death to any demon, Sombra used his new beak to clamp down onto the sword, and in one quick bite, the sword snapped in two. All that was left was the handle, which dropped down to the kid before Sombra swung around, slamming his tail right down onto him. Karma was only saved by Pinkie's quick thinking and reflexes, and the slam cracked the ground with little effort on the creature's part. "... Well. ... You've tried your best, I'll give you that. ... Farewell." "SOMBRA!" before any of them could reach him, the creature took one flap of his wings and launched up into the air, the blowback sending many of them flying, and a number of trees falling to the ground. One flap got him up fifty feet skyward, again impressing Sombra, and soon the creature flew off on his way. Sombra had gotten his prize. "Oh god, no. Lugia ..." ... "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Too little too late: the group remaining at the site began to hear the remaining soldiers returning to the Surface World. Ed, Al, Olivier and Alex had handled their portion of the fight off down in the Underworld, and it did show with them beaten up a bit. However, it was too late for them to even do much, seeing the destruction of the E building, or rather what was left of it. "Sombra's gone, and Lugia's with him," Gaara reported. "WHAT?! Where'd they go?" Olivier demanded. A distant howl from Lugia made that answer painfully clear. "We' figure it out, now come on!" Karma ordered, starting to head off. The others wasted no time in going off towards Tokyo. It was down to the wire now, and they weren't done yet. ~~ The alarms were ringing out. Team Harmony wasted no time in rushing from the E building and to Tokyo, but whether anyone would want it or not, with Sombra finally reaching the power he needed, hell was ready to fall onto the humans. Sombra himself wasted no time in getting into Tokyo city, the large creature flying through the city with little effort, everyone everywhere seeing the monster ready to come down. Of course, possessed Lugia wasted no time in starting his rampage through Tokyo. He got his prize and he wasn't wasting another second in his assault any longer. Residents were left screaming and running from the draconic creature, each attack and move Sombra had in arsenal laying waste to the city in some way, be it the wind gusts from his wings or the strength in his own body. His roars shattered every window, and every hit of his tail or wing crumbled buildings into rubble. All of these attacks were like nothing to him now, and he used it for all its worth. By the time the group got to him, the place looked like a mess. "Welcome back, Pluton," Ciel sighed. "He's going to destroy everything at this rate. We got to find him!" Alphonse said, something they all knew of at that point. not long after he said that, a building off a block down suddenly exploded as Sombra rampaged through. "That shouldn't be too hard," Karma replied. And it didn't take much for him to see them either. Rather than engage in some conversation though, a glare of his eyes was enough to get the point to them. He had all the power, and they weren't going to stop him so easily. "SCATTER!" called Twilight, just before Lugia launched forward. Everyone rushed to the sides, ducking as his wings sliced through the buildings like butter, making short work of the place. The buildings by their heads crumbled quick, and they had to dodge the falling debris as much as Lugia. He went upward and spun around to see the effect of that one attack taking down a full street. "Well, Lugia, I can see why you wanted to keep your power down," Sombra said, though seemingly it was to himself which was not far from the truth. "Anyone have any ideas?" Ed asked urgently. "You tell me, the plan didn't go this far," yelled Niji, just before he came down again. This time he used his wings to lift up a building like the hands they resembled, actually getting it tossed ten feet away from the group, and leaving a good amount exposed again. "Screw it then. CHARGE!" Ed shouted, rushing in towards Lugia, hands clapping together and his own alchemy started up. Sombra saw this coming a mile away and quickly got airborne just before the ground cracked open with alchemic energy. Some did strike Lugia, but it barely did much, if anything at all. Sombra moved in at Ed, him ready to attack him again, just for Nagisa to suddenly tackle him to the ground. "The hell are you doing?!" "That's Lugia you're attacking! Sombra only has his body, you kill him and you kill Lugia," Nagisa made clear. "THE HELL DO WE DO THEN, LET HIM TURN THE WORLD INTO A GRAVEYARD?!" Ed yelled. Their conversation was cut short when Sombra roared again, suddenly behind them, wing ready to whack them. Nagisa acted like a shield for Ed just before they got hit, both of them sent off flying, much to the horror of the others. Both of them though suddenly were caught by a yellow blur, turning out to be Korosensei. "Gotcha," Korosensei grunted upon grabbing them. And unlike with Nagisa and Pluton, he wasn't slipping up this time and quickly made like mad to get them, and everyone else out of Sombra's line of fire. The possessed Lugia roared loud and then began to charge something up, which at first looked like a Gyro Ball. However, this was no Gyro Ball, and developed into a cyclonic blue beam, narrowing missing Korosensei by inches as he flew around like mad to get them out. Considering Korosensei was at Mach-20, that was deadly, but where the beam did hit the buildings, twenty were torn from the ground and left as pebbles in a matter of seconds. Korosensei just managed to get them off at a better distance in another part of the town already wrecked, similar in appearance to the wreckage back in Amestris. The roars and attacks from the possessed Lugia rang around everywhere. "It doesn't matter if Lugia's in there or not, if we let him go it'll be the end for all of us!" Ed made clear. "Precisely why we have to work together to take him down. Sombra can't hold onto that body forever," Ciel added in. There was little time to actually work out an exact approach though, as Sombra wasn't going to let them get away so quickly. Taking flight off into the air, the possessed Lugia soon found them on the ground, and they had to rush away from another oncoming blast of power, an Aeroblast tearing the ground. There's no doubt about it anymore. "Well, no time like the present," Kirara decided, aiming her gun right to the beast. Shots started to ring out, but each bullet literally bounced off of his wing in a block. Sombra turned to face the shooting creatures, but this distraction left him open to another hit by a sudden Blair pi-pi-pumpkin blast, hitting him square in the face. The explosion stung, but didn't do much on him other than halt him briefly. "Brave. You all willing to kill Lugia?" Sombra questioned through Lugia's voice. "Lugia would not want to kill the humans! Let him go and this can end!" shouted Alphonse. "It already ended the second I possessed Lugia. And you lost." The fight began to ring out again, Sombra charging forward and sending up gusts of wind right at them. Edward tried to block it with some quick alchemy, making the ground jut upward for the blast, but the winds proved too strong and both were knocked back quick. Korosensei got them in his grip before they could crash. Sombra readied to jump again, but then something grabbed him by the tail, turning out to be Morgiana. "You will NOT hurt them," she stated, before the Fanalis began to rush up his back and right for the throat. She jumped at his neck, and gripping it tight, and it did strain his breath, Sombra wasn't having it and flew up skyward. Aladdin and Niji were quick to follow and flew up after him, the possessed Lugia flying and shaking like a madman to get Mor to let go. Morgiana may have all the strength of a Fanalis, but even she had a limit, and this creature finally dislodged her in a corkscrew spin. Niji managed to catch her, and Aladdin got up a magi shield just in time before Sombra released another array of energy at them with roars and wing beats. The shield did its job to protect them, as the wind gusts forced them to the ground! the possessed Lugia was caught under more gunfire again, combined with the E students and the servants of the Phantomhive manor, all shots hitting his chest and stomach, but one well aimed shot from Mey-Rin got him right in the eye! THAT shot made Sombra groan in pain, like someone getting dust blown in their eyes. angry, Sombra made a dive down at them, wings and ridges folded back in a falcon dive. "NO YOU DON'T!" Korosensei came alive and tackled Sombra in the side, the Mach-20 speed just enough to send the creature off twenty feet. This actually made him grounded, not able to recover quick enough to avoid landing, and now grounded, this left Sombra open to the others. That didn't mean he was disarmed though, and another beam began to charge up and launched forward. This one was slower and more like a tidal wave, but this still was enough to make them bolt for it. "Stand aside, I'll halt him!" "He's all yours, Major!" Ed yelled as they ran passed him. The oncoming flow moved in closer to him, and Alex's metal gloves started to spark. Gathering all his strength together, Alex Armstrong slammed his fists right into the beam, making it halt for a brief moment, but this beam was not stopping, and instead was redirected to aim just high enough to avoid them, just for another building to get struck down. "Major, watch what you're doing! We don't want to destroy the city, do we?!" shouted Niji. "What do you mean?! DESTRUCTION AND CREATION ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN! YOU MUST DESTROY TO CREATE - THAT IS THE LAW OF THE UNIVERSE!" Alex bellowed, suddenly shirtless. "Did he have to strip?" groaned Olivier. Alex released another alchemic attack right onto him. Sombra flew up, but the alchemy was just fast enough to whack him off-balance in the air. His roar echoed out on the hit, He felt sore from the strike, and the group weren't done just yet with him, as a Gyro Ball and a pi-pi-pumpkin cannon were shot off at him at the same time. Even with a wing blocking the explosion, he fell to the ground again, but this time it was on his feet. Edward and Alex worked together next and their alchemy began to crack the ground around him, trying to enclose him inside. This beast was not having it, but rather than a wing beat, all he had to do was slam a foot on one of the earth sides to slam it to the ground again. He roared loud at them, and actually grabbed one of the alchemic earth pieces with his beak, and threw it at them in a powerful swing. "INCOMING!" shouted Terasaka, several members ducking down fast as the chunk of earth flew above their heads. Then his attention turned to the magic-users off nearby, and gave his thanks with his beam aimed directly to them. Aladdin and Blair had to bolt off out of the way as fest as they could, just avoiding getting killed on the spot. Sombra gave a primal word of warning for all of them to back off, wings spread wide like an angry bird of prey. He heard guns being loaded, magic being charged, and all eyes were on him. ... And suddenly, he shook his head. "The hell am I doing? I've gone too far to waste time with any of you." And before any bullet could shoot, or any beam could fire, the possessed Lugia launched up into the air, the gust sending them all off their feet. He didn't need to waste time with one group of humans when there's billions of others to deal with. "Our force isn't working. We need a new strategy and fast!" Aladdin said. "There's one final shot we have," Nagisa stated. He really was hoping that it wouldn't get this far, but if this plan would work, it'll be good for everyone. "Well lay out what you want us to do because we're working random at this point," Karma said. Nagisa looked off to the direction of the noise, walking passed the others. "All of you find cover. I'll be right back." And off he ran. "Damn it not again - NAGISA COME BACK!" ....... With the possessed Lugia continuing his rampage off through the city, Nagisa made his own run after him. With sombra controlling Lugia, tracking him wasn't too complicated, his demon sense guiding him to where Lugia was at. In such a short amount of time, Lugia got a far distance into the heart of Tokyo, continuing his rampage with Nagisa following him off behind. It was hard enough just keeping up with him, rushing along what roofs remained as Sombra flew off just out of reach. Sombra did notice Nagisa trailing him, but he didn't slow down, simply flapping his wings to send a gust back at Nagisa. It got him knocked back a bit, but Nagisa kept behind him. Eventually, Sombra turned around after gaining some distance, and suddenly rushed at him. Nagisa had to skid to a halt and jump up as high as he could, narrowly missing the possessed Lugia by inches, only his by the weak ridges on Lugia's back. "Gaara taught you well, Nagisa," the creature said, Nagisa landing on the rooftop again. Sombra stopped a moment, flying in mid air, out of reach from him. "Why are you still fighting? I've given you all the time in the world to be ready, and even then I STILL got Lugia. All predictions aimed to this conclusion, and you humans don't stand a chance any further." "What makes you so sure?! We've proved the future's never set in stone. You may got Lugia, but you ever planned on what'll happen after you did?" Nagisa called. Sombra briefly felt surprised, but he no longer needed to hear this. "I know where this'll go: the human race will fall and this world will be open once more. As I said, you humans had torn this world apart long enough, and I will not stand by longer to let you do the same to everyone else." "What makes you think we can't change?! I've changed, they've changed, everyone changed! We never knew we even were affecting you because none of us knew you even existed until now! Sombra, believe me when I say we can change the world for the better. I'm not denying that we humans haven't done anything bad to you or anyone else, but at the same time we're just as willing to fix as much as we destroy. Just give us a chance to do that, and I swear we will!" "Don't pretend you will! Human beings are a breed apart, you trample eachother like insects: petty, small, nasty, you're worse than us! And you know what's ironic about that statement: CIEL PHANTOMHIVE made that clear to me, and he laughed at me for it. You know you're rotten, and you won't do anything about it." "I'm not denying there are worse humans out there, Sombra, believe me. But Demons and Angels are just as varied as everyone else here: look at you! A Umbra demon who somehow managed to become a Elysium commander! According to that logic that would be impossible, but it happened! You really going to stay there and think that no human being can change when you already proved no one can ever truly be the same?" Sombra roared, the sheer force almost making Nagisa knocked off the roof. The words were getting to him far too much, and it was ticking him off more than any weapon could hurt him. "I've had enough of this I'll see you in true paradise, Nagisa Shiota." Then came the blow to defy everything. Sombra started to charge up his attack, the blast gaining power every second. Nagisa knew what was coming next, but he wasn't moving. He had to focus, and calm down from the fight. "Lugia ... I'm ready. God. Please. Please make this work ..." Nagisa felt a tear come down his face, hoping and praying that this final resort would finally work. He had such little time to actually get this, such pressure was on him. And if this didn't work, nothing will. Sombra continued charging, but he saw that Nagisa was not moving. He was just ... standing there. Waiting. Anticipating the blast coming at him. And to him, this was surrender. With full confidence now, and with no holding back, Sombra released the mighty power of the Aeroblast, aiming directly at Nagisa. All the power Lugia and sombra had mixed together into a force of pure magic of the world. Nagisa opened his eyes just in time to see the blast. ... And it struck him dead center. "NAGISA!!!" screeched Twilight. The whole team couldn't do anything to stop the blast from hitting, and none of them could look away as all they saw was light and magic. Everything felt like slow motion when this happened, the building under Nagisa decimating in seconds, them just out of the blasting range, and everyone feared this was the final breath of Nagisa Shiota. So much, all leading to this. Sombra felt triumphant in defeating Nagisa, and tried to stop the Aeroblast ... he tried to. "Huh? Wait, stop! I can't stop?! Why won't it -" The final resort had been activated: it took a bit of time after the blast, but the impact of the hit began to alter, much of the beam suddenly being moved back to just in front of Nagisa, and what everyone thought was the final move now worked against Sombra. there was Nagisa, still alive, and sucking all that power into him! Sombra tried to get the move to stop, but the blast was nothing more than a power-filled drain, and Sombra couldn't break out of it. Panicked, Sombra had no choice but to get out of Lugia, but not even that did him much good, the move still in affect on not just him, but on Lugia too! None of them knew what was happening, staring with baited breath at this shocking turn of events. Lugia stayed still and allowed this to happen as Sombra struggled to keep what power he had, and what power he was born with, but both weren't going to stay on him. Pretty soon, the drainage stopped, and Sombra and Lugia landed on the ground below. Lugia was still in his true form, but now the colors were that of blue and white, but while weaker, he knew what had occurred. "H-He ... He drained them? ... B-But then -" Twilight stopped cold when she saw what happened to Nagisa. The blasts of magical energy didn't go down, and a powerful aura now surrounded him. his eyes were wide open, irises shrunk as he felt the power he now had in him. A mixture of the mightiest holy and unholy energy, now fighting within his body for dominance with eachother within his being. The aura around him burned like a fierce fire, blasts of pure energy emitting from him like force of a rocket ship, and just as dangerous. However, Nagisa's own body proved too weak to even handle it, every muscle tense and stiff, twitching, and cracking under how much energy begged to come out. His body was not ready for this, no matter how much training he could've done. To everyone's shock, it was to the point when his body started bleeding out of his mouth, eyes, and even finger tips started to get cut open. "Oh god. I can't hold this any longer. L-Lugia!" Nagisa thought. He couldn't speak to anyone with how much force he had to keep it together. His eyes looked to the only creature that knew of this plan, and Lugia simply nodded slow. He knew he was hurting, and seeing him in such pain, he knew too this can't last much longer. "Go." That was all Nagisa needed to hear. He started to ready himself, each step alone enough to crack the ground underneath him, and with all the energy he had, he jumped skyward. One jump now got him a mile high, and away from everyone below him. He couldn't hold it together any further, and his gaze aimed directly to the sky. His energy holding it altogether had completely broke, and all of it was released in a mighty blast to the heavens! This wasn't an attack though, but this was a release, and he wasn't aiming for Sombra and Lugia down below. No, his sights were far higher than any of them. The magical energy spread off all over the sky as if the Aurora borealis had come to life, and every inch of it launched in all directions, aiming at the ground, the sky, and everything in between. This attack harmed no one, and in fact the magical energy was actually mending everything that possessed Lugia had destroyed, everyone below the blast was still standing in the light and magical energy. This spread off miles on time in all directions, and it was enough of a blast to break apart the barrier and disbelief for good. Slowly, the power from the release began to calm down, the light diminishing, and after a while, all the energy was released from Nagisa. All that pressure, energy, and strength, all now exiting his body in one major move. Everything fell silent. And Nagisa, far up in the sky, began to succumb to gravity and fall down to the world below. Nagisa's fall would've been his final one if Aladdin didn't fly up and catch him first. Nagisa's body landed in his turban flying carpet. Everyone rushed out to them as they landed, wanting to see if Nagisa was alright. However, he didn't look very alive laying there, completely quiet and not even breathing at a first glance. Twilight went up to him first, down on her knees right by him. He was not budging at all. "How is he?" asked Karma. Twilight tried to test some vital sign, but it wasn't looking too good. His blood left on his fingers, mouth and eyes still stained him, but no longer was any flowing out of him. She placed her head on Nagisa's chest. .......... *ba-bump* ........... *ba-bump* .......... *ba-bump* .......... Very faint. but still a sign that he's holding on. "His heart's still beating." "Well don't just stand there, find what hospital's standing and take him there," Ciel instructed. Korosensei was more than quick to oblige, and scooped him up gently. He held him in his tentacles like a mother to her child. No way was Korosensei going to harm him any further from here. In a jump, Korosensei was off and on his way to the nearest hospital. This left them with one other little problem though, and he was just getting himself scooped up off the ground. Weal, tired, and shocked beyond belief. Sombra could barely grasp what occurred right there, but ... he saw them all go over to him. Beings from all three realms had done him in. And he knew when he's defeated. "... Well ... you have me ... what're you gonna do now?" Sombra asked, and admittedly he had no clue what will happen now. "You need us to tell you?" Ciel stated. Sombra willingly brought his hands forward in defeat, as if ready to be cuffed. "In that case do what you will. I've tried everything, but clearly you've won our game. You've proven that human beings can, and ready to, face the challenges brought forward by our kind and theirs. I'll willing take whatever punishment you have for me." ... "Wait a minute. ..." Everyone turned to Twilight, as she stepped forward. "Yours and theirs, Sombra?" Twilight questioned. Sombra wasn't going to repeat himself so all he did was nod and waited for what he was sure to be the killing blow. Twilight though began to ponder a little bit about this, and including the fact Sombra was apart of Elysium before all of this ... "... OOOHHH. So that's it." "What's it?" Olivier asked. "Guys, at the very beginning, Sombra told us that he wanted to play a game with us. That's all this is: a game. He never planned on killing all of us at all, in fact ... you were preparing us, weren't you?" Twilight concluded, turning to Sombra. This realization began to come through to the other members, Ciel snapping his finger in said realization. "I see. I did wonder why you didn't kill us the last dozen times we kept seeing you if you really wanted us dead. You had us when we were in Abaddon, but you just wanted us locked away, not killed. That, and you were once a commander of Elysium, and any normal demon wouldn't ever dare to venture up there with a typical persona and hatred for humanity. And your future sight as well. ..." Sombra stayed quiet on what they were saying. But this wasn't a look of disbelief, nor a look of defeat. Sombra slowly got up to his feet. "We're right, aren't we?" Ciel said. No one attacked him right away after hearing all of that, waiting for what Sombra had to say about all of that. He turned his back to them and walked a few feet, feeling the sun on him, which didn't feel as warm as it was before. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat, as if readying himself for some speech, and bringing his hand up, one finger aimed upward. "... Kyoya told you all why I left with his own lecture about my past. I knew the day would come that this world will meet with all of ours eventually ... I know not all humans are the same. Just as not all Angels can be holy, and not all Demons sinful. ... Though, I didn't expect myself to be alive this long." "You know you've put a lot of trouble on yourself, why didn't you tell us anything?" Korosensei asked. "Funny you would ask. Look at you: a rare breed of slime from the Underworld, and a human couldn't even touch you. And you're not even classed. How could any of them even prepare for a full on merge for demons like Pluton?" "It all makes sense now. So all of this truly was a teaching method on a global scale for the human race to better adapt to the arrival of the Overworld and Underworld. You only said it would be your doing just so no one would go easy on your attempts and give it their all. The global protection program, the assassination classroom, Team Harmony itself. ... You were actually hoping they'd do that. It'll prove that the human race can adapt to this fate," Korosensei explained. Sombra just sighed. "Nothing gets by you, does it? ... Well, anyway, I'm done here. You can have my head, or whatever you wanted to do." There was some silence from the whole group, taking this all in as Sombra fell to his knees, his gaze to the ground. However, the group did go away for a brief moment to discuss amongst themselves, yet Sombra didn't go away just yet. The only one who didn't leave him was Lugia, who kneeled down to him, a hand on his shoulder. Eventually though, the group did go back to him. "Sombra? ..." eventually, Sombra felt a hand touch his chin, and lifted his gaze up to a ... comforting smile of Twilight Kagayaki. "... You still have a kingdom to look after. It wouldn't be right to take Tartarus away of their king." "... You're letting me go? ..." "That'd be the idea, Sombra." Sombra got up, but wasn't sure how to take this exactly. Were they really letting him go like this? After everything he tried to do to them? "After all that I did, you're ... you're not going to kill me?" "Well Sombra, you may be a demon, but let's face it, you got more morals than most other demons down there. Most of them would've slaughtered us on the spot, unlike you. Instead, you wanted to test us, see if we can adapt to the changing world. And you know what ... thanks." Thanks? did he hear them right? For someone who was always so prepared, that was the last thing he expected to hear. ... "... I've underestimated you all. ... I'll be going then. If any of you need me, I'll be cleaning up after our uh ... scuffle. No doubt there's plenty of bodies to clean up," Sombra sighed. He didn't open up any portal or anything here, not that the sunlight would let him. He just walked away. Sombra only paused once to look back to the party. He also looked around at Tokyo, how mended it all gotten from Nagisa's move. He only let out a sigh. "And to think I thought humans weren't ready. ... The only one that wasn't ready was me," he thought. His last thought before he went off out of sight. To the victor ... ....... ~~ ....... "... Nagisa? Guys! I-I think he's finally waking up!" "You think so?" "Guys quiet, he's coming to." All grew quiet again when Nagisa Shiota, after everything, finally came back to after his ordeal. His vision, blurry and a bit dazed, opened up to what he could only see as just a blur of white. Everything was so quiet. So peaceful. So ... bright. Nagisa needed to figure out where he was, and needed a minute, but he did eventually start to see someone's face come into view, tears down her face, and happy to see him finally awake. Nagisa knew this face anywhere. "T-Twilight. You're alive ... or we're both dead ... Are we in Synapse again?" "No, no, we're fine. Everything's fine," Twilight reassured him. Nagisa blinked a few times and soon started to look around and see what actually happened to him, or rather where they were. He wasn't in Synapse, but instead his eyes found that he was indeed in a hospital room, his body laying down on a hospital bed, soft and comfy for him. He looked in pretty bad shape: needles working good blood into him from what he had lost, a life supporter working it's own magic next to him to keep him alive. Compared to how tense and ridged he felt during the explosion of magical energy, he never felt so relaxed in his life, ever. He would get himself up, but he felt so comfy he didn't want to move. Not like he could if he wanted to, him connected and all. Naturally he was joined by his closest friends: Twilight, Aladdin, Pinkie, and Karma. The four that stuck with him since the very beginning of this crazy adventure. They also had Hiromi with them, who while still bandaged, was good enough to walk. "... Where's everyone else?" "They're just outside the door. Can't crowd you when you'd come back, right?" Karma said, thumb aiming to the door. They knew how Nagisa felt about being center of attention anyway, so that was good for him. "How're you feeling, honey?" Hiromi asked gently. Her hand gently stroked his head, and it felt ... good. No way can Hiromi ever be mad at him for doing what he did. He went through enough, anyway. "... Tired ... what even happened to me? I can take it, whatever it is." "I'll say this: kept that power in you any longer and you'd blown up like a balloon! Literally!" Pinkie said. "Probably. ... Sorry for scaring you like that. ... Again." "Don't sweat it, Nagisa, at least you're safe. Damn, just wait til you see Tokyo. Korosensei sure got it all spruced up." "Wait, how long was I out?" Nagisa asked, mildly surprised. "Two weeks. The doctors said you'll be stuck in here for a few more months at best," Twilight explained. Small price to pay for stopping the end of the world. But thinking on that just reminded him of something else. "... Speaking of which. Where's Lugia? Is he still around here?" "I'm right here, Nagisa." The others moved off aside to allow Lugia to walk forward, now in his human form, and looking down to Nagisa. Although weak, Nagisa simply smiled. "... See? ... It worked ..." "That it did, Nagisa, that it did. Everything's going to be alright." Music to his ears. There was still one other question though ... "... And Sombra? Where's he?" "Sombra surrendered not long after what you did. He straight up admitted that we humans deserved this world if they can hold their own against both him and Lugia. Too true," Karma explained. "He disappeared after that. And since then our efforts were to rebuild Tokyo from the damage he - ... we've caused. ... And ..." "And ...?" "Eh, wait, Lugia, you sure you wanna tell him? He just woke up, you know," Aladdin brought up. Whatever he had to say it must be important, so Nagisa raised his hand, only then finding that all his fingers were bandaged up. "It's fine, Aladdin. ... I can take it, whatever it is," Nagisa said. And so Lugia began talking again. "... You've changed the world, Nagisa. And that isn't a simple statement: when you released our combined magic, it spread far and wide all over the world. Even the Overworld and Underworld felt the effect from the spread, and now ... and now. All the worlds are connected. The barriers that kept the Underworld, Overworld, and your world apart had been broken. And all three realms are now apart of each other." And they were right when they saw Nagisa's reaction to it. The shock was more that it was him who did that and not just the idea itself. Far as he knew, the worlds had been connected the second he got his Halo Blade from the sky. "By the way, how'd it feel to have all that power anyway?" Karma then asked. "... Exhilarating ... but terrifying. Then again, I didn't keep it for long. My body couldn't handle it," Nagisa joked. but all that aside, what Lugia had said was enough to confirm what had changed. "Right. Well, we got all the time in the world to finally relax a bit. No more crazy demon attacks from Tartarus from here on out, if that umbra keeps to his word," Karma stated. "Oh, I think we will. We did let him live after all, and he's not the type to lie as you've noticed," Lugia pointed out. "Eh, true that," Pinkie shrugged. As they talked a bit more, Nagisa laid back down and smiled. "... You know. It would be time for our three worlds to get to know eachother a bit more. We've spent so much time apart from eachother, we barely know anything. So much of what we already know has been thrown out the window. The Angels are surely much stronger and more willing to fight than I could imagine. And the demons can actually be pretty friendly. ..." Nagisa took a moment to look outside. seeing the clear, blue sky. "... let's see where this goes now." ~~~~~~~ (Several months later ...) The word of the Lugia attack may have gone around a bit since, but if one were to look around now, little to no evidence of the carnage remained. All of Tokyo sure looked good that afternoon: the streets as busy and lively as ever. As if nothing even happened at all. Any evidence of Sombra's attack on the city was only left in memory to those who witnessed it, and ever since then, nothing as major as such had even occurred. no major attacks, no new demonic involvement, everything was as normal as it was when it all began. Fore so it appeared, anyway. Today was a special day for Orora high School, as it neared the end of the day. A typical day wouldn't offer anything special, but today was different: the yearly graduation. Many kids had come and gone over the last graduation, and this year it was going to be no different. With their heads held high, many of the students of Orora high School stood there proud in their graduation uniforms. This was the students who went above and beyond the call of duty this year. Team Harmony never looked better here: Karma Akabane, Pinkemina Diana Pie, Yugure "Twilight" Kagayaki, and Nagisa Shiota. Many of the other members were grateful for seeing them from the crowds seeing them off, Aladdin and Blair the most so. Gakuho Asano himself did the honors of giving each student their diplomas for a job well done, Nagisa looking on. We've come a long way, haven't we? To think that when I first arrived at Orora high ... well, I can't even remember what I used to be. Such a long time. Nagisa began to then see his own friends starting to come over to get their diplomas as he was thinking, and next thing he knew, it was his turn. Nagisa moved over from his position, and right over to Gakuho Asano, who smiled to him as he gave him his diploma. He took a moment to look to the crowd. We sure made a lot of new friends over this adventure. Angels and demons, royals and commoners, Japan to England. I'd never would've guessed when I first arrived to this school I would be meeting such important people ... Then his eyes began to see someone else in the crowd. Or rather, two people. Nagisa saw Hiromi amongst the crowd, sure, but she herself was with another person, another man precisely. Nagisa's father. The tears on his face proved this was a great day. Soon, the ceremony itself had reached it's closing, and soon the doors to the school opened up for the graduates to head off to their own stories of life to begin. Nagisa Shiota of course was amongst them in his walk out, and he felt pretty good with everything. His memory began to go through everything that brought him to this moment. The very start of it all, when he got his Halo Blade, he was such a different person back then. He could still remember how it clocked him in the head when it came to him, him placing a hand on his head. That was now nothing but a cakewalk compared to how much he had gone through since. *tweet**tweet* A particular noise. Nagisa stopped himself in his walk for a short moment and followed the noise until he found himself looking up to the school's tree. The same cherry blossom tree he had been seeing day by day. And despite everything that happened, it still was standing tall as it had been since planted. And up in the tree, a family of Pidoves. A mother and father with baby chicks in a nest. It was a callback to a simpler time, and Nagisa could only smile. "Nice home for those Pidoves," Nagisa simply said, as he began to walk on his way. Walking up to him, Twilight had caught up with him, along with his friends that he started this all out with. Karma, Aladdin, Blair, and Pinkie were all with him, and they were just as happy. Even after all of this, I still wonder what else might be coming our way. But I think we got this. It's a whole new world now. And we'll crossover together. S01Ep1: Nagisa's First Day ~渚の初日~The sun beamed on down onto the city of Tokyo; the great Capital of Japan. Even if early in the morning - around about 6:50 - the city was already as active as ever, people and cars on the move from place to place. It was rare for Tokyo to not be up and about, when all was said and done. Even with all the activity, there're some that were still asleep (somehow). One of those examples, still asleep in bed soundly, was a kid by the name of Nagisa Shiota, still having his eyes closed in his bed. The sun has penetrated his room, but didn't reach his eyes just yet. However, soon as it did, the emotionless body began to stir, eventually Nagisa's eyes opening up. He sat up in his bed, stretching his arms out to get his body up along with his mind. He looked to his clock by his bed, at first, feeling relaxed and tired ... until he realized what time it was, anyway. "Uh oh, I'm gonna be late," Nagisa thought, getting out of bed. His morning after that went by rather quickly, getting many of his morning stuff done in record time: getting his hair done, lunch ready, dressed up, and ready to go. No sooner after that, he ended up running off out of his apartment building, starting to rush down the sidewalk. The streets, rough for Nagisa, had a fair good amount of people, so Nagisa had to maneuver through the crowds as he charged through. He especially needed this: being Nagisa's first day of the school year, and he didn't want to be late for it. Last thing he needed was being late on the first day. The kid continued to run through the crowd as fast as he could, trying to avoid running into anyone. Eventually he got to a red light crossing, and had to wait. Being in a hurry, he ran in place for a bit until the light changed green, him making like a rocket and took off down the sidewalk. He didn't bother to stop his little marathon run until he could catch eyesight of his high school just ahead. And not a minute late either, as he finally stopped at the entrance to catch his breath. When it came to the high school, which was known as Orora High, it basically had the same look any modern Japanese academy would look: a modern, five-story building, with the courtyard in front leading to the main doors. Nagisa was glad to finally get to the school, all things considered, as he watched other students walk about the place. Compared to the rest, he felt a bit petty (it didn't help that his body, along with his blue hair, made him look too much like a girl either). So, he began to walk towards the main entrance, taking in the students around him. "Huh. There's a lot of newcomers this year," Nagisa thought, seeing many faces he didn't recognize from the 2 years beforehand, as he continued to walk through to the school...as he was, someone just ahead at the door immediately caught his eye. Ahead of him, he noticed a young, light tanned girl, about a year older than him, and taller than him as well. She had on a similar girl school uniform, consisting of a black skirt and a sort of violet coat, one to fit more of a formal professor than a student. Her 2 - button shirt showed her black tie around her collar. Her hair laid down her back, covering her tailbone, it was so long. While most of her hair was a dark violet shade, she had one strand of purple, and one strand of hot pink hair that followed down. She had a headpiece, with a light purple star on the right side of it. Her purple eyes were looking right at Nagisa, a gentle smile on her face. While most of these students didn't look familiar, Nagisa easily recognized this face, and was very happy, rushing over to her. "Hey, Yugure!" Nagisa said with glee, close to hugging her, he was so happy to see her. But, he kept his composure, and stopped himself before going overboard. Yugure gave Nagisa a cute giggle. "Nagisa, it's great to see you again," Yugure said. "You too. How long has it been? 5 years, was it?" "Last I counted it was 7 years, but yeah, it's been a long time since we last seen each other," Yugure reminded, her index finger pointed up at the idea, as if pointing it out. "Yeah, but, I thought you moved, didn't you?" Nagisa asked. "For a while, but, mom and dad decided to move back. Just got transferred from Canterlot high." Nagisa and Yugure had been rather close friends from a very young age, and time taken away since she had moved, their friendship had died down quite a bit. But, Nagisa was deeply grateful that Yugure had moved back, being one of few he can fully share his feelings with. After sharing another smile, she began to play with her hair. "So, was there anything I missed important?" Yugure asked. Nagisa took a minute to think, hand to chin in thought. "Hm well, aside for plenty of newcomers today, there's not much from what I know. Well, Good luck on your first day, Twilight." Nagisa felt a bit embarrassed and blushed up on that last part, the "Twilight" name just slipping out. When it came to them, Nagisa had his own nickname for Yugure, which was "Twilight". Twilight though was a good sport, playfully fluffed his bright blue hair, like if Nagisa was her little brother. "You too, Nagisa," Twilight simply said. Just then, the school bell had sounded off; class starting up. "Uh oh, sorry Nagisa, we'll talk at lunch, see ya!" With that, Twilight quickly turned around and hurried on into the school. Nagisa was hoping there was more time to talk to her. "Ok ..." ....... "Oh, great. Down another class? ... Well, maybe the kids will be better here," Nagisa sighed, looking at his schedule in his hands. After the typical classroom orientation, Nagisa had been hit with some rather rough news in terms of where he was supposed to be. When it came to this system in this school, it was a basic grade system with five grade levels: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E. Lower class means lower the overall grade and respect. Unfortunately for this time, Nagisa Shiota was kinda stuck in the lower class. He was a fairly smart kid, and he was doing pretty good for the last two years (low ranking class B to be exact), but the lack of care from last year had made him now an average C student. It's not the worst thing ever, but not the best either. What he worried about now, is what kind of students he'll be with. The teaching, teachers, and grades themselves didn't bug him much, but the fellow students seemed to either go for better or worse depending on the grade level, as it went on Orora High. Too high meant ego-maniacs, and too low meant rebelliousness galore. So, maybe Nagisa might get a break. With some navigation thanks to the instructions on his schedule, Nagisa got to his classroom in decent time. The classrooms in the school weren't much different either: teacher's desk at front, and about five rows of seven desks each. No one else was there yet by the looks of it, not even the teacher, so Nagisa had time to get his act together, and figure out which seat he would be choosing. Convenient for him, he saw the seating chart over on the front desk, and a quick lookover, he found himself over right next to the windows, third desk down from the front. Not bad at all, and a nice view to outside as well. So, Nagisa got his stuff on his desk, and took a seat. No doubt in his mind that the other students will come around soon enough. As he sat there, he looked over his schedule up and down time and again, and took some time to look out the window. It gave him a nice view of the school's courtyard, which had a lovely cherry blossom tree for him to observe. Nagisa could even see some unique-looking birds perched in its branches. It was a nice sight, and Nagisa could even hear the birds chirping from inside, inspite the windows being closed. "Nice home for those Pidoves," Nagisa thought, seeing the flock of Pidoves flutter around, enjoying the day. Nagisa relaxed, and just stared on outside for a for the next few minutes ... *poke* *poke* "Huh? What is - AAHH!" Nagisa found himself turning around just to see the demon staring at him. A devilish smile full of teeth and wide eyes with small iris too. It was enough to freak out Nagisa out of his own seat, the kid tumbling onto the floor. Not a good showing. Nagisa got himself back to his feet as the student gave a chuckle, looking normal now. The kid here was a bit taller than him, and looked like the polar opposite of Nagisa. for starters, his hair was short and blood red, and his devilish eyes shined with a stunning amber. His school uniform was close to Nagisa's, but there was a few changes: the overcoat was pitch black over Nagisa's dark blue, no tie on his neck, and the overcoat was unbuttoned to show the white undershirt. "Oh. Morning, Karma," Nagisa said, meekly, as he got himself up to his feet. "Hey, kid, where've you been all vaca, eh?" Karma asked. While Yugure may be a older friend, Nagisa would consider Karma a newer companion when comparing one to the other. Nagisa sat back down, Karma leaning down, a hand on Nagisa's desk. "So, I saw you were chatting it up with a babe outside. That your old girlfriend?" Karma teased. Nagisa was flustered. "First of all: she's not my girlfriend. And second ... yes, it was," Nagisa admitted. He may not be as honest to Karma as to Twilight, but Karma was a lot more clever than him, and would catch him in a lie anyway. Karma chuckled. "Called it. You know, she's not the only Canterlot high kid here. Maybe you and I will fit in a lot better now," Karma said, thinking about it. Nagisa thought it over too, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe," Nagisa agreed. ~~~~~~ So as the day went on, it was mainly classroom first time orientation, and getting kids ready for the year ahead. Nagisa Shiota had gone through this sort of process at this school many times, so this was mainly old news for him. The blue kid may not put much focus to the subject and system speeches, he took to mind in what new kids came into his classes. Some were basic kids, some were from Canterlot High. It seemed easy to tell with which kid was colorful, and who wasn't. It wasn't really matter of skin, but color of hair. Many Canterlot students had rather flashy colors in their hair, Nagisa's blue hair and outlook not too far off. From how many he counted, there was at least four students from Canterlot that transferred over (what he counted in his classes, that is). The rest were just other kids from Tokyo's schooling system. Each class Nagisa went on through for the next three hours were mainly repeats of themselves, and the pattern from class to class was pretty much the same: introduction of new students, explaining each subject, catching up with old students, and explaining the school system. It was a boring day, but Nagisa was grateful for a smooth first day, because he knew it's just gonna get more troubling further down the road. Each class period, he simply kept quiet and just went with the motions as any norm student would do, occasionally looking out the window from time to time. Classes went well all and all, and before he knew it, it was time for lunch. A better time for him to just chill out without work being shoved at him, though student interaction was just as much of a rough game. While different classes meant different kids for different parts of the day (a few exceptions of course), lunch time is with ALL the kids together, and anything can happen easily during that time, when all is said and done. By the time Nagisa arrived, plenty of students were already in high numbers, and doing their own thing. Be it just eating lunch, or just chatting with eachother. "It been a while since I saw this scenario. Just go with the flow, and keep quiet," Nagisa thought, giving himself instruction. He just wasn't the type to just make attention to himself, and he'd rather just eat his lunch and continue his day from there. He at least got his lunch already, so going to get his lunch was outta the question. He already got his surprise today by Karma, so if he could just find him or Twilight, then he'd be all set. It wasn't easy though in this crowd. It took him a while, for sure, but he did eventually find his own spot that was outta the way, and over by the door. The blue student took his seat, and got out his lunch. It was just a Bento box really, but lunch none the less. Even if they don't show up, he didn't mind eating alone. "Ok. No Twilight, no Karma. Guess I'm alone today," Nagisa figured. He got out his utensils, and just about to take a bite into some packed snack fish. It just hovered at his open mouth when ... *boing!* Nagisa froze up, feeling something push on the back of his head. It was as if he was froze in place. The fish slipping out of his chopsticks, back into the Bento box, but Nagisa still didn't budge. Two soft breasts had placed themselves on the back of his head, and it took seconds for Nagisa to know what was going on. "Hello," said a cheeky, childish voice. Nagisa turned his head slightly, and indeed he found his head being smothered by someone's big boobs. The boobs belonged to a newcomer high school student. She had big, pink, curly hair, almost like cotton candy. Her face had a big smile on it, her blue eyes beaming into Nagisa's eyes as well. Her school outfit was a regular one, though it did curve to show her large boobs within them, and Nagisa could tell. Nagisa, in his seat, couldn't exactly move away without pushing into this girl's chest, so he was kinda stuck. "Uh. Hi. You new here?" Nagisa asked, hoping the question would get her to back up. It actually made her push into him a bit more, as she looked over his shoulder at his meal. "Yes indeede! Ooooo, is that a Bento? OH, those'er so cute, tiny little boxes full of yummy goodies. It's like a surprise in every box! It's neat how much you can put into these little boxes. Hey, can I sit with you?" Nagisa had never met someone like this before. Such a happy go lucky girl seemed almost out of place in this school. As for the question, Nagisa wasn't sure how to respond in words, so he just nodded, and the happy girl sat down right next to him. Not where he wanted, but at least her boobs were off of him. "This is a neat little school you have here. So many new friends everywhere, new things to do, it's so exciting! Say, what's your name?" "Eh ... Nagisa ... You?" "Pinkie Pie," she beamed. "... No, seriously," Nagisa stated, more dryly this time. He knew no kid anywhere in Tokyo with THAT name. Pinkie apparently saw the point and cleared her throat to try again. "Okay: Pinkemina Diane Pie." "That's even weirder," thought Nagisa. Pinkie, as if she had read his mind, began to feel a little annoyed, kinda like an actual child. "I'll prove it to you!" Pinkie declared. In a rather swift move, she unbuttoned her shirt a bit, showing plenty of cleavage (much to Nagisa's surprise), shoved her hand in between her boobs, and whipped out a piece of paper from within them. A flick of the wrist got the paper straightened out for Nagisa to read, and it turned out to be her birth certificate! Turned out, it was indeed her true name, right there in black and white. All the same Nagisa didn't know how to react ... "She had THAT in her boobs?" Nagisa thought in wonder, his face crimson red, as Pinkie Pie shoved it back in her cleavage, and buttoned back up her shirt. Being lunch time, Nagisa took a bite of his food as Pinkie readied to eat hers. "Time to eat!" Pinkie said, getting her own lunch out. Nagisa looked at what Pinkie Pie had for food, but this meal was no simple Bento. In fact, Pinkie suddenly had a big, delicious looking fruit parfait sitting in front of her! Large, beautifully decorated with all sorts of fruits, which included a set of bananas, kiwis, strawberries, and even sliced apples (amongst other fruits) topped with whipped cream and a little cherry. Nagisa was left wide-eyed, and mouth agape. "That looks so good," Nagisa commented, but it was mostly to himself, as Pinkie happily dug into her parfait. "You should eat up, your tummy will complain all day if you don't," Pinkie advised, through a full mouth. So Nagisa did, but he couldn't help but feel envious over Pinkie's fruity masterpiece. As it might be expected though, he wasn't the only one who noticed the pink girl, and Nagisa could feel many a student at least glance their way. All he could do was keep quiet for a bit, until he heard someone else walk over to them. "Well, look who it is. Sup, Nagisa?" Wouldn't you know it Karma would show up? Pinkie turned to see Karma standing there. "HI!" Pinkie beamed, a hand waving to the redhead. Karma casually walked over to the blushing Nagisa. Of anyone who'd catch him with this kind of person, and it happens to be the Kid who scared the crap out of him earlier today. Karma actually sat down over next to Nagisa. "Who's your friend?" "Oh ... well, this is Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, this is Karma." "Good karma or bad karma?" Pinkie bluntly asked. Karma was taken aback, but still laughed. "Badass karma," Karma replied. Pinkie scratched her head on the odd response. Far as Nagisa was concern though, that would basically fit Karma. "Okie dokie lokie! Are you two local here? What's it like?" Pinkie asked. Karma brought his hands casually behind his head before he took the liberty to answer her. "Eh, I'll say this. Keep your grades up or you'll get your ass kicked to end E building," Karma summed up. "End E?" Pinkie questioned, head tilted like a curious puppy. "It's how this school system works, Pinkie. A through D get to stay at the building," Nagisa said. Both Karma and Nagisa were not going overboard with anything here. The school learning system is based strictly off the grading level on who gets what. Dead end E class, as it would be for many schools throughout Japan (on Anime anyway), got the short end of the stick. In this case, class E wasn't even connected to the main building at all! At least typical schools would keep A - E levels at one place, but not Orora High. Just a fact Nagisa and Karma learned to deal with. Pinkie Pie though, had her own reaction to hearing that. "WHAAAAA?!" NOW more kids were noticing them this time. Pinkie didn't care for it, but Nagisa could feel the eyes hone in on them. Nagisa slumped down in his seat until ... *ring!**ring!* "Oh thank god," Nagisa said, quickly taking another bite of the Bento, tossing the rest, and going right off before anything else could happen. "What'd I say?" Pinkie wondered. ~~ For the rest of the day, it was business as usual. He may not had managed to find Twilight, as she said she would, but it didn't bother him too much. The remaining classes were the same as before in what was going on, and the day was basically a breeze through. Different students came and went, some Canterlot, some not, though he was lucky a freaky moment like he had with Pinkie didn't repeat itself during either one of these. That didn't mean Nagisa didn't catch some students talking about her, and by the sounds of it, he wasn't the only one whom the pink girl had visited today. Nagisa just hoped that this nutty gal would keep herself in control next time they would bump into eachother. Who he did bump into once, was Twilight, and was a bit more grateful to see her over the other two. Pretty soon, school was over for the day, and Nagisa walked on out with the crowd to head off home. Not too much trouble, nor did many of the students bugged him as he went on his way. By the time school had ended, the weather had shifted a little bit, turning into a more cloudy day then it was earlier. Not that Nagisa minded this, though. Even if he did, his mind was wrapped up in the newcomers to Orora High. "Well this has be a interesting first day. Canterlot High students now in Orora High School? Why would so many just join in though?" Nagisa wondered. It wasn't uncommon to have different students come to Orora through the years (Nagisa being Junior, so he should know) but it was odd to have so many from one place at one time. Comparing other new students to those he can recognize coming from Canterlot High, he can say that Canterlot High students beat the remaining five to one. Eventually Nagisa just sighed. "Well, who am I to judge? They wanted to come here, why worry about it? Twilight seemed to be doing well, even after being gone so long. Karma hadn't changed very much from his badass attitude, and that Pinkie Pie ..." Nagisa paused for a moment, as he remembered her soft breasts pushing his head. "Gonna need some getting used to," Nagisa concluded, as he continued off down the sidewalk. Despite being in Tokyo of all places, Nagisa had found a moment of privacy, as he found himself alone over at the afternoon streetlight. It was a nice break from the usual noise. Nagisa had to wait for the light to turn green however, before the finishing walk home. The kid awaited for the switching light for another five minutes at this point, but eventually he began to look around a bit. His eyes glanced up to the sky for one short moment, and that was all it took. *BANG* "AH!" In a flash, something struck Nagisa right on the head! It was too quick for the blue kid to actually see what was up, and whatever hit him bounced off his head and down onto the sidewalk. Nagisa quickly shook off the hit and got into a sort of karate fighting stance to confront his attacker. But there was no one there. What he did find though was what had landed on him. The item landed about five feet away, and fully exposed down on the ground. Upon closer inspection, picking it up in his hand, Nagisa found that the item appeared to be some sort of hand blade, the size of a steak knife. It didn't look like any regular knife though. The color of the blade looked like a sea green, and texture of said blade wasn't anything metal. In fact, it felt smooth, and bendable like rubber. Just as well, it couldn't even cut his own skin. Looking closer, he also saw some strange kanji markings labeled along the length of the blade. Nagisa looked it over up and down, not seeing any typical blade look like this before. "Where did this come from?" Nagisa wondered. He looked around him to try and find who had dropped the blade, but he found no one around that could've dropped it where it came from. Even if there was, it fell far too quickly to just be dropped from a roof. He couldn't find any clue on who it belonged to either, or any sort of brand name for that matter. Regardless, it probably wasn't a good idea to just stroll down the sidewalk with a weird looking blade in hand. He could do one of two things: keep it hidden off to home, or put it back where he found it. In the end, the latter option was the easier one, so all Nagisa did was gently place the blade down on the ground, and began walking away after the light turned green ... The walk back home was a bit uneventful after that, as it usually is for Nagisa. For home to the kid, despite being a high schooler, he actually got himself a apartment room. He easily maintained his apartment home, and found it good to work with for a kid his age. With the casual walk up to his home, Nagisa went on to open up the door into his home sweet home. Far as apartments go, Nagisa had it pretty decent. His apartment had the kitchen over by the door, the living room further in with a nice flatscreen TV, with the bathroom and bedroom down a short hallway. His apartment was up a couple of floors, so he got a nice view of the city of Tokyo from his windows. Typically, Nagisa would either do his homework, or just chill out, or something along those lines. At first, Nagisa didn't notice anything wrong just yet, as he closed the door, and headed off to the living room. Nagisa threw his school bag over on the couch, and he laid down on the couch himself. He looked up at the ceiling for a minute or to, until he then thought of Twilight. He hadn't seen her for years, and here he was at his own house. It would be nice to rekindle their connection after so long, though Twilight didn't say where she moved back to. He did knew where Karma was though, and he hadn't hanged out with Karma in a while. "Wonder what Karma's up to," Nagisa finally said. He turned to his side, just about to get up, but what he saw on the coffee table next made him shutter ... The same blade he found at the streetlight, now right in front of him! "What the? How'd that get here?!" Nagisa gasped, not sure how to take this. This same rubber knife that bonked him square on the head was now laid down on the table, even aimed right at him! The concept of this same blade just showing up outta nowhere was what spooked Nagisa the most. He sat up on his couch, snatching the blade up from the table. The kanji on the blade this time though looked a little different too. "This is weird. Did someone sneak in here and leave it for me? That has to be it," Nagisa thought aloud. That didn't seem to make it any better, but it was the most realistic answer he could think - *hic!* ... Odd. Nagisa froze up, and slowly turned to the source of this noise. Didn't take long to find who was in with him. This sudden newcomer was sitting in a crisscrossed position on Nagisa's kitchen counter. He had a decent figure, a foot shorter than Nagisa himself, with very long blue hair. The bangs in front stop at his eyes, but the back was put in a braid that stretched far down his back, reaching just past his hips, almost as if he had a long tail. His large eyes were blue like Nagisa as well. For the outfit, he was also wearing a turban on his head, and a ruby sat on his forehead, connected to the turban. He had a small blue open vest with bandages around his chest, long puffy white Arabian pants, and no shoes. Around his neck appeared to be a golden flute as well. He looked like he was cosplaying some sort of genie by the looks of things, and this same kid was enjoying a snack, eating up one of Nagisa's melon slices, as he was looking right at him ... What an awkward first moment this was ... "... Uh ... do I know you?" Nagisa asked. The kid hopped down off the counter, and was soon standing in front of him. Nagisa got up, waiting to see what he was planning to do. "Glad to see you're back. How was your walk?" the boy asked, kindly. Apparently the awkwardness was one-sided. "I-It was fine ... excuse me." Nagisa slipped past the odd kid, and soon got to the phone ... "Hello? Police? I'd like to report a break-in." "NO, NO, NO, NO, WAIT!" ....... After that fiasco (and some convincing to the police to not come by), it was Nagisa and this strange kid now face-to-face. Nagisa was sitting down at attention on his couch, as if he was back at school, while the kid in question was sitting down on his coffee table in a similar leg-crossed manor as to earlier. The kid seemed oblivious to the odd situation, but Nagisa still needed a few short minutes before he could get his mind straight, and his nerves relaxed. "Ok, ok. Let's get this out of the way: who are you, and how did you get here?" Nagisa asked. Before any more complicated questions, he might as well get the obvious ones out of the way before going any further. The boy was quick to answer. "I am Aladdin, and I just appeared here," he introduced, in a friendly tone. Nagisa though was a little bit skeptical. "Aladdin? The middle eastern, "guy-who-found-a-magic-lamp" Aladdin?" Nagisa questioned. He wasn't too familiar with the tale itself, but the name and the association with the magic lamp and all that was still something he caught wind of during his free time. Aladdin took a moment to think, but just looked a little confused. "There is another Aladdin on Earth?" Aladdin asked curiously. Nagisa only groaned. "Oh, nevermind. now, how'd you get in here? I had all my doors locked and everything," Nagisa then asked, which was probably more important comparing the two. "I just appeared in here. Just -" Aladdin made a *pop* noise with his mouth and opened both hands as if showing the popping noise. " - here I am." "Is he for real?" Nagisa thought. No, that didn't help Nagisa. The only thing it did help him in was to confirm that this Aladdin was probably someone from the nuthouse. Course, he didn't say it out loud, and Aladdin seemed friendly enough. Nagisa got up after a bit, walking a bit away, trying to comprehend correctly, but Aladdin then saw the blade on the table, picked it up, and gave it to him. Nagisa then began to realize what might be going on. "Ok, I get it now. sorry for taking your blade, I didn't know it was yours," Nagisa said. However, Aladdin tilted his head in confusion. "But this is your blade, right? Magi's don't have weapons like these," Aladdin stated. Now Nagisa just didn't know what to say. This same blade just popped up outta nowhere, and struck him blind outside, and now this weird cosplaying kid was saying this blade actually belonged to him in the first place. "... No. No it is not." "You sure?" "I'm pretty sure. I just found it outside," Nagisa said with an awkward chuckle. Aladdin looked over the blade a little bit more, but then smile, turning the blade to show the kanji on the knife itself. "It found you, actually. Look, there's your name right here. "Na-gi-sa" right?" "What?!" Nagisa gasped, surprising Aladdin as Nagisa snatched the blade away to see for himself. As it turned out, just to add to the freaky and somewhat scary moment, the blade itself had some more kanji writing on it. The extra writing was down on the handle rather than the blade itself where the extra kanji symbols were present. The sight of the name was indeed there, and Nagisa's eyes went wide with shrunken irises on seeing it. Rather than completely freak out, Nagisa gathered himself fast, and then turned to Aladdin again. "And ... you are supposed to be ..." "A Magi: a type of grand sage of the heavens, chosen by the magnificent gods to protect this realm of the many evils that plague it," explained Aladdin ... "... I'm going to lay down for a while," Nagisa said. It was still daylight, but Nagisa still needed time alone to actually take this all in. Without another word, Nagisa simply turned, dropped the blade in Aladdin's hands, and went off to his room, leaving Aladdin just standing there alone. "Ok, talk to you later then," Aladdin said with a smile. ~~ The rest of the day was a bit of an awkward time for Nagisa. While he did calm down from his own bit of shock, the fact that he had a new roomie completely out of nowhere was nothing short of strange. It just made it weirder that this blade - the same one that fell straight down on his head from the sky - actually belonged to him after all, even though he never had seen said blade before in his life. Nagisa himself just wondered exactly why he even ended up with this blade in the first place. If Aladdin was true to his words, then something must be up. But, why him of all people? As night came near, Nagisa had washed up and was now in bed, staring off into space, with his hair tossed out on the bed without his headbands on. He had not heard a single word from Aladdin since his encounter earlier, but he knew that he was still around, since he could hear him sleeping on the couch in the other room. "What a day. Twilight coming back after seven years, A Magi in my living room, and a blade from the sky belonging to me. Why do I get the feeling that this is just the beginning?" Nagisa felt a sigh escape his mouth, as his mind wandered on what could happen ... "Maybe it'll clear up tomorrow morning. It's the start of the school year, and I better figure out what to do there. ... Well, we'll see..." ....... While the day may be done over there, other areas of the world were going through their own sense of change as well. Miles away from civilization, one area of the world was getting their information on this turn of events well before anyone else in this world. The clear night skies over the pacific islands showed the full moon in its undeterred glory. On one of these islands, which was shaped like a crescent, the full moon beamed down strong within the bay. However, as calm as it was, one creature did start to stir from just beneath the cooling waters of the bay. It stayed silent, feeling the moonbeams reflect off the creature's smooth skin. As it laid on the seabed of the shallows, two bright, silver blue eyes opened up slightly, and looked up to the moon through the waves. "Ah. Nagisa Shiota. Grateful you've retrieved your blessed weapon ... And not a moment too soon ..." The creature closed its eyes afterwards. The image this creature saw was a simple one ... A peaceful sleeping Nagisa Shiota. "... Be safe ..." S02Ep2: Welcome to England ~ようこそイギリスへ~The morning sun began to arose into the England landscape. Out in the nature of England, just outside of London, the landscape was drastically different over Japan, and in the summertime, the thick forests a healthy greenery. The morning light was greeted by many a birds, including a flock of Swanna gracefully flying through the summer air. Their flight towards the nearest lake passed by one particular area of this England forest, none of the birds paying it no mind, and flying right on past it. This area wasn't a simple patch of forest, or an opened grass, but instead it was what appeared to be a house. Far as a house would go, this one was exceptionally large. The expanse of land belongs to said home, and the bushes and trees were just the main outline for it. The home itself, lined by the rising morning light revealed an aristocratic, yet old manor. The manor stood stories tall, like a castle in some ways, with the exterior lined with bricks ranging from whites to greys, with a prominent, yet darkish blue rooftop lining it all together. Such a building sounded more like a spot inside London, rather than a place on the outskirts. With the rising sun, this light began to reach into the manor's windows, lighting up the inside with its natural light. Amongst these rooms, one of them was blocked off by a prominent blue curtain. A very regal one for a old building such as this, but even with the curtain up, the morning light still prompted one figure to begin his daily duty. "Good morning, young master," a calm, soothing voice beckoned, as said figured started to move the curtains out of the way to allow the morning light to fill in the room. As to be said along with the curtains, the room itself looked far more regal for where it was located. The room was one of the bedrooms in the manor, the master bedroom to be exact, with a king-sized, four-poster bed aligned with the same blue curtains with yellow trimming. Clearly, this place was not only well-kept, but one for high-ranking society. In this case for 'high-ranking society', the young master was just starting to wake up upon the calm words and welcoming light from outside. He began to wake himself up, stretching his arms and getting his senses awake. The young earl looked like a fairly average boy, looking in his teen years. His hair was black, short, and well maintained, and his eyes were as blue as the curtains that lined his bed. He was in a sleeper's nightshirt, though it was easily going to change up. He wasn't alone in his room though, as he took sight of his acquaintance. The other figure was a lot taller than him, a Divining male in his prime. His hair was also short and black, and according to his black tuxedo, his position was fairly clear as the youth's butler. Not often can a earl get a butler quite like this one, with such dazzling looks and calm demeanor. His eyes were a blood red, and skin smooth with a palish tone. Pretty soon, so began the butler and earl daily morning routine. The butler's job here is to dress the young master, and so he did. Each act was done with delicate precision: buttoning his shirt, slipping on his socks and shoes, and so on. All the master had to do was comfortably sit there and let the butler dress him up, so not too much effort on his part aside from lifting the arm or foot when needed to. The whole process, which was clocked at just under two minutes, was all done in silence. The butler didn't need to be told step by step on how to do this, and the earl was grateful to have a smart butler to serve him. Speaking of serving, the butler also had his master's morning drink, which was all set up with a tea cup, plate, and kettle matching set. When dressing was all done, the butler went over to the serving table, as the master reached for the top of his dresser for his last, signature dress piece. At least with this, the young master tied on himself. "Today, we have moon drop tea, made with only the finest ingredients," said the butler, as he gently poured the tea through a strainer into the master's cup. The young master was given the cup of tea, the sweet smell soon reaching his nose after a small sniff. "Smells nice," said the master, as he took a sip of his tea. A nice morning drink to start the day. The butler stood quietly nearby, letting the young master enjoy his tea before he have the cup and plate back. "Sebastian, what's today's schedule?" Asked the earl, referring to the butler by name. "I believe we're to visit the market today, my lord. Our chef says that were running low on ingredients and products," answered Sebastian. The young earl sighed, and got up to his feet. He took a step or two before looking at himself in the mirror, seeing his one blue eye, and the other covered by his final dress piece: a black eyepatch. "Very well. Go and get the car ready," the master order. "Yes, my lord," replied Sebastian. With a simple bow, Sebastian went off out of the room to start the car for his master, as the young lord got himself handled with an extra trinket - it was just a blue ring - added to his ring finger. It was a sapphire ring, a lovely piece of jewelry. Once that was added on, the young master turned, and left the room. Time to begin the day for the young earl. ....... "WOHOO! HELLOOOOOO LONDON!" Pinkie yelled, as she stepped out from the airport. When it came to the others, their time in London England had to wait a little bit, since their arrival was in the middle of the night. Now that they're rested up, they all were ready to check out London for themselves, and were soon walking down through the city from the airport. Nagisa would've never guessed that he and his friends would end up in London England, and yet here they were. May not be as dazzling without the light show, but daytime gave them a better view of London for what it is. Buildings here compared to Tokyo were less 'apartment complex' and more 'residential', many buildings made of bricks over the smoothed materials back in Tokyo, and many not over five stories tall like the big city apartment buildings at home would have it. It wasn't as crowded either, not by a long shot, which was a nice change of pace. It wasn't as up-to-date as Tokyo Japan though, so that would be a downside for some of the group, if they took that into account that is. "Glad I'm out of that damn cage," Blair commented, now in her human form and liking the space much better over the small cage she can up in. She was the only one who didn't have any fun on the ride up. "Just be glad you didn't have to stay in there the whole time," Aladdin said. That was the only proper thing that Blair could say about it, really. "Just don't try and shove me in that thing, ok?" Blair made clear. "Ok, ok. At least you didn't lose anything in your flight, my sword's stuck back in a Tokyo airport tray," Karma said, wondering how the hell he can get that sword back. He can't fight any surprise demons without his great sword to back him up. "Don't worry, maybe we won't find any demons while here. You'll get it back when we get back," Twilight assured. Karma hoped so. Nagisa watched them with a smile, as they continued walking along. Nice to have moments like these in between the craziness. "Either way, let's try to enjoy it while we're here. So, Pinkie, what's up first?" Nagisa asked. Pinkie was hoping they'd say that, and she pulled out the list to look it over, going right to the top. The first thing was probably more essential than fun, but still interesting to explore since they're pretty much a continent over. "First stop: food shop! Let's see what goodies they make here in jolly ol England," Pinkie said, skipping ahead. Looks like the group got their first little activity to do. However, while the others went on ahead, Twilight began to think back a little bit, and stopped Nagisa from going any further. After all, he also had a similar dream compared to her own. "Twilight, wait. ... Does this place look familiar to you?" Twilight asked. Twilight took a bit, but her memory did begin to piece together slightly. "... Now that you say that," Nagisa stated. Suddenly, Twilight went to her bag, and managed to grab a slip of paper. This was a main list of all the 'visions' Nagisa and Twilight had shared from that one dream. Such a strange dream was not to be ignored, and now with it in hand, they both took a quiet moment to check it. The list was just description and words, but it was enough to get the idea of it all. "Let's see, let's see ... there," Nagisa said, pointing to one name in the list. The word mainly was just 'airport exit', and it came from Nagisa's side of the dream vision trade. "That's one already," Twilight said. "It could be just a coincidence," Nagisa concluded. "Nagisa, Yugure, shake a leg!" Called Pinkie Pie. Nagisa and Yugure were quick to catch up, and soon they were off on their way to the market. ~~ Their walk through England gave them all a good sight of London until they eventually arrived to the market. The market here didn't look too different when comparing this one to the one at home; a main walkway the size of a street with shops side by side. It wasn't too bad, and the walk gave little Aladdin and Blair the view of the market. Aladdin and Blair both got some different disguises over their usual looks back in Japan, looking more formal and mimicking the townsfolk in a bit. When comparing this place to that of Tokyo Japan, London England was just simply smaller. "You know, humans sure are open to ideas. Didn't humans all over the world look like this at one point?" Aladdin asked. Blair took a glance over at some of the locals, some of which were checking them out. "I dunno. Then again, overworld and underworld beings had stuck to ideas for centuries. I mean, look at us," Blair pointed out. "Yeah, good point. Magis and witches are an older concept nowadays. Guess I'm one to talk," Aladdin admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Blair didn't mind it much though, and during their check out of the market, Blair stopped when she saw a part of the market selling fish. Being a cat at heart, it's an offer that she wasn't gonna pass up. The types of fish were different from Japan fish. While Japan had such fish like Magikarp and Seaking, the fish being served here appeared to be Feebas and Remoraid from the sea coast, out on display in an ice tray. Blair never tried either fish, and was in the mood for some cooked Feebas. "Ah, morning. Can I interest you in fresh fish today?" The fisherman asked, as they both got near. Aladdin had never seen such fish before, and the sight of such a fish intrigued him. Blair focused more on the fisherman rather than the fish. "Bet you can. I'd like to have one of your uh ... Feebas," Blair said, after figuring out the name. "Nice choice. You want it pre cut, or whole, madam?" "Whole. My first time trying this fish isn't going to be pre-made, thank you," Blair stated. The fisherman grabbed one of the Feebas on display (the one Aladdin was looking at) and got it wrapped up for her. Blair licked her lips, and she just couldn't wait to try it out after some home cooking. Blair held the delicacy in her hands, but the fisherman was waiting for payment. "That'll be twenty dollars," said the fisherman. Blair and Aladdin didn't have a single coin on them, and even if they did, Japan money won't work in the United Kingdom far as they know. "Oh, surely that can't be the real price.~" Blair said, starting to work her charm in. If it worked in Japan, maybe it can work here? However, the fisherman was a bit more firm than that. "More than sure it's twenty dollars, madam. Not very much, I'm sure," the fisherman corrected. Seems this wasn't gonna be so simple. So, Blair gave the large fish to Aladdin to hold, and she brought herself into the counter to step up her game. She sat down comfortably, swung her leg over the other, and gave a good pose. "Seriously, what's the real price?~" "... Nice try. Twenty dollars please." Well this wasn't working. Blair got back down, and looked to Aladdin, who was staring eye to eye with the Feebas. How was she going to have the fish if she can't pay for it? Blair got Aladdin to pay attention with a few taps to the head. "You have any money for the fisher?" Blair asked. Aladdin looked to the fisherman, and then saw how much the Feebas actually cost. Aladdin checked his person for some money, but he basically came up empty. Not a cent in his pockets or anything. Then again, it was hard to check himself when holding a large Feebas fish. He did eventually find some money, but it was yen coins. "Do you take yen here?" Aladdin asked, presenting about ten yen coins to him. The fisherman looked at the yen pieces on his counter, taking one and looking it over to make sure. He got it straight away that these two weren't from around London. ....... Blair and Aladdin were back with the others further into the market. The whole group were now looking at the fruits, Pinkie and Aladdin looking over what was available. Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, and Blair were standing aside. Blair was a bit disappointed with what money could buy. Instead of a full-sized Feebas, she was holding a bag with some chopped up Remoraid. And rather small at that. Not what she wanted to get by a mile. The others got some extra food for their stay, though it wasn't too much better than what Blair got, consisting of small bags. "Well, shopping could've been easier," Karma said. "This is a rip off," Blair groaned, looking at the Remoraid cuts. "Not really. Money's different over here, that's all. Not everywhere in the world takes yen," Twilight said. It still didn't seem too fair for the cat witch. "So I noticed." Pretty soon, Pinkie and Aladdin were finished in the fruits, coming out with a lot more stuff in her bags. Aladdin was already munching on some freshly grown tomatoes by the time they got back to the others, enjoying the taste of the red treats. Pinkie's bag had plenty of vegetables to boot so they got that going for them. "Hey guys! Having fun in our shopping day?" Pinkie asked, oblivious to the bad shopping they've gone through. "Eh maybe we should try to find a place to stay now, Pinkie. We've been shopping for an hour, I think we're good," Twilight said. Pinkie needed a sec before she got the idea, a HUGE gasp escaping her. "You're right! All these yummy goodies, and no place to goodie-out! Come on, our quest shall commence!" Pinkie announced, already going off ahead to find them all a place to stay. "There she goes," Karma commented, as the others began their casual walk. Leave it to Pinkie to run off on them like that. Twilight, Aladdin, and Karma moved onward, leaving Nagisa for just a moment in the back of the line. He needed a bit to get himself walking again. ... "I believe that's everything, master Ciel." "Very well. Let's head back." "Yes, my lord." A strange sort of voice over nearby. At first, Nagisa didn't really pay too much attention to a simple argument, but the oddly calming, soothing voice was one that seemed a bit odd to hear for him. Behind him, as it turned out, both Ciel and his butler Sebastian were shopping at the same market, and at this point, this Ciel had just finished getting the products as said earlier that morning. Not too much of a problem for Nagisa if his body wasn't shivering on him again. Both figures stepped into a car, and they began to drive up and away. Nagisa took one glance behind him as the car past him ... One look was all it seemed to take. The look was only two seconds, but his eyes only needed two seconds to see who was actually in the passing car. In the car, Nagisa saw Ciel in the car, the kid in a blue formal outfit, of a buttoned blue overcoat and a blue top hat. Ciel took a look outside as well, and his one eye also took a look at Nagisa, taking him in just as much. Both boys in blue ... and something unique about them both that both sides seemed to notice, as if sensing eachother. However, the two seconds wasn't enough to figure it out fully, and soon Ciel was gone down the road, and around the corner, leaving Nagisa Shiota stunned. ... "Nagisa, you got icebergs on your feet or something? Pinkie's a mile ahead of us!" called Karma. "Y-Yeah, coming!" Nagisa replied. ....... It was a quiet drive to get back to the manor, but Ciel and Senastian managed to get back home in decent time. Sebastian parked the car nearby the manor, and as any butler world, opened the back door for Ciel. As Ciel got out, Sebastian looked to his young master's face, and noticed that Ciel was thinking something over. "Is something troubling you, young master?" Sebastian asked. Ciel took a few more steps until he stopped at his front door. "Sebastian. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary during our visit to the market today?" Ciel asked. Sebastian closed the car door, and followed his master inside the manor as his mind went to work. "I did sense a unique sort of presence, yes," answered Sebastian, as he began to take his lord's hat and coat. Ciel began to think a little bit more, hand reaching his chin during his mind process. Sebastian got Ciel's hat and overcoat on the front coat rack. Something about that kid earlier seemed off to both Ciel and Sebastian. "What sort of presence, might I ask?" Ciel inquired. "A little unclear, my lord, though I do believe it's a sort of holy energy. A blessed sort of energy." "Blessed energy. ..." Ciel took it into consideration, but before he could put it together, Sebastian then pulled something out from his coat pocket, and gave it over to his young master. The object seemed to be a small letter, address signing to his estate. Sebastian picked it up on the way home, and only now did he give it over to his young lord. "For you, young master." "You decide now to give this to me?" the earl questioned, a little bugged as he took the letter, and began to open it. He took a quiet moment to read it over, top to bottom, and then taking his options again. Soon, Ciel turned to his loyal, trusted butler. "I'd like to ask a favor of you. Come here," Ciel instructed, as he began walking along. Sebastian began to follow his master through the manor from there. The walk itself was quiet one, but Ciel knew where he was going through the large halls of his manor. It was a bit strange with how little there was actually inside the manor halls. Plenty of possessions, sure, but when it did come to the amount of people inside the manor, there was little evidence aside from Sebastian and Ciel in these halls. As for where they were going, it took them a bit, but Ciel got both of them into his office. A bit big for a young earl, but it was all his. The large room had few things to cram it up with: a large book shelf to the right wall, large windows to the back, and the master's desk over to the center. Ciel went over to the desk, sat down, and began to work something out on a piece of paper. Sebastian, as any good butler would, stood aside and waiting as Ciel wrote a simple sort of message down. After that was done, he folded it up, and gave it to his trusted butler. "See this gets to Nagisa," Ciel simply instructed. "Yes, my lord." ~~ The group in London's populated center had eventually found a place to stay at a London hotel. It wasn't anything too fancy for what the group could get, but it seemed efficient enough. The room they got resembled that of an apartment building, so adaptation for some of them wasn't going to be too much trouble. The room consisted of two beds, and after some tricks, a kitchen to boot (how they manage was anyone's guess). As the others chilled out in their temporary home, Blair and Pinkie were cooking up some of their food, most of it being a vegetarian meal with the exception of the Remoraid fish they got. Work with what you got, really. "Dinner's ready!" Pinkie announced, happily going to the others with plates of food for each one of them. Since the meal was mainly fish, Blair and Pinkie decided to make the group some Remoraid Sashimi. A good meal that didn't require too much fish, and with some of the vegetables as a side. The others begin to eat up the Sashimi, but little by little, they begin to see that one of them wasn't really hungry: Nagisa. It wasn't that he was not hungry at all, but his mind just was focused somewhere else. "Something's on your mind, isn't it? What's going on?" Twilight finally brought up. "Nothing, I'm good. Just not hungry, that's all," Nagisa said, placing his plate aside. However, the others weren't buying it. "I know that look. Come on, spill it," Karma insisted. It took a bit before the situation sunk in, and soon Nagisa just got it over with. "... Ok, maybe I'm a little edgy," Nagisa got out, sitting up on the bed. "Edgy?" Aladdin asked, his mouth full of Remoraid meat. Nagisa placed a hand to his head. "I'm gonna take a wild stab, and say your demon sense acted up again?" Karma assumed. "I-I don't know. Something happened at the market, just as we were leaving, but I don't know what. It can't be my demon sense - no demons were around anywhere. ..." Nagisa trailed off in thought at this point. Was there a demon at the market, or not? The last number of demons (Jizo, Houndour, Korosensei, and even Blair) were a bit obvious to tell simply by what they look like. Yet, this was different. Nagisa's own demon sense acted up in, apparently, the wrong place. All he saw was another human go by him in a car, and that was it. Twilight moved over next to him, looking to him in concern. "Maybe that demon sense is just screwing around with you," Karma figured. "Nagisa, what did you see while we were there?" Twilight asked, trying to pinpoint the problem. "Nothing! all I saw aside from you guys was just another kid. He looked like one of those 'earls', or something," Nagisa explained. That word 'earl' got Twilight to think a little bit more. "What's an earl?" Aladdin asked. "It's just one of those noble bitch families who think they're above everyone else," Karma bluntly said. not very in tact, or exactly what it is, but it was too the point far as he was concern. Twilight though felt like the word sounded a little familiar to her, and not just because she knew what the word meant either. "... Earl ... wait a second." Suddenly, Twilight was up on her feet, and went over to her bag, fishing out that list she and Nagisa checked earlier. They had already confirmed the first thing Twilight had seen, and marked it off the list much like a checklist. She quickly went right back to Nagisa, the others a bit unsure what was actually going on. When she sat down, Twilight showed the list to Nagisa, and pointed to one of the things that they put in. "An earl! Nagisa, didn't you say something about that?" Twilight asked. Nagisa didn't consider it, but after Twilight brought it up, his mind began to think back. Did she mean - "Yoink!" Blair suddenly said, taking the list, and checking it herself. The others weren't told of Nagisa and Twilight's strange dream yet, and when they looked over this, the questions began to flow into their own heads on these supposedly random things. Nagisa and Twilight knew right away that they were wanting to know about this. "What's the list for?" Karma asked. Twilight was the one who decided to say. "Well, we were going to tell you on the day, but you all were kind of busy preparing, so ..." "PLEASE say already! The suspense is killing me!!" Pinkie insisted, hyped up on the dramatic build up. "Ok, ok! Me and Nagisa had this ... odd dream, a couple nights ago. That list is the things we saw in it. We thought it wasn't much, but after arriving ... maybe it's a bit more important," Twilight revealed. Blair straightened the list in her paws, reading it up and down. It really didn't explain why it sounded important a few seconds ago though, but Aladdin did have a theory on it, but he needed to know more about this dream to be sure. "What else did you two see?" Aladdin asked, a bit intrigued himself. The dream was a while ago, so both of them had to get their memories jogging for a minute. "Well, let's see ... We were both at some sort of flat island, I think: few trees, a river or two. While we were there, this thing began to fly around in the sky. This flash happened when it saw us, and ... well, there's the list there," Twilight explained. Pure silence. When the others looked, Aladdin just sat there in complete shock, eyes opened wide, and a Sashimi piece dangling from his mouth for a bit before falling back onto his plate, expression unchanged. Was as if Aladdin was frozen on hearing the details of the dream. "... Aladdin?" Nagisa asked. "EEEEEHHHH! OH MY GOSH, Twilight, Nagisa! This is incredible, you two used Future Sight!" Aladdin beamed. "WHA?!" Both of them gasped. Future sight? For real?! The name was self-explanatory on what it actually was, but the fact both of them actually had it happen to them was a mind-blowing revelation. "Future Sight? You sure about that? That's not the most common magic ever," Blair said, astonished but unsure. "What do you mean?" asked Twilight. "Future sight's not the same magic as, say, Alchemy. 1.) It's a spell you're born with, and 2.) even if you used it, it's by someone else's Future Sight used on you," Blair explained. Regardless, it was still exciting to hear it even being used on one of her friends, if not them using it themselves. "This is HUGE! REALLY HUGE! You guys have no idea how rare this is," Aladdin said, as giddy as Pinkie Pie would be about it. It was amazing to even see this at all, and according to the fairly decent-sized list of visions, this must be a pretty big one. "OOOO, Here, do it to me, do it to me! Tell me my future, oh soothsayers!" Pinkie said, head bowed and ready. However, neither side even knew how it happened, so, they didn't do anything. "... How accurate is this Future Sight, anyway?" Nagisa asked after a bit, turning to Blair and Aladdin. "I dunno. I did read somewhere that it is pretty close, but exact timing's not so great," Blair said, and even then it was just a guess on it. Such a rare ability being used at all, nevermind used on someone else, was about as rare as a blue moon according to the magi and witch. Karma took a moment to check the list too, now thinking over just how much was in store for them if this was as accurate as Blair said. "Sounds like we're in for one hell of an adventure," Karma concluded. However, Nagisa just felt a bit off about the whole thing. "So that's it then. Looks like things aren't going to be the same, huh?" Nagisa said, bummed out. "Why's that a problem? I say you EMBRACE it! Take it in! Have a lot of fun! Who knows what's coming aside from Future Sight-seers?" Pinkie insisted, catching their attention. "She's got a point. I mean, we're already neck deep in this angel and demon stuff before getting here. So, why not just go along for the ride and see what happens? Sure beats our boring ass lives back in Tokyo any day," Karma agreed. Nagisa would protest, but he couldn't really think on what to say. After all, they were in this kind of deep already, and Nagisa already talked to Aladdin about this, so ... *knock**knock* "OOO, visitor!" Pinkie beamed, going right over to their room door. It couldn't be room service over the fact they were eating Sashimi already. Upon answering it, Pinkie Pie found that it was actually one of the staff members for the hotel, holding a note in hand. It didn't take very long: the staff member gave Pinkie the note, a 'thank-you' exchange, and that was it. Pinkie Pie opened up the letter, and ... "EEEEEEEEEEE!" "Pinkie, what's up?" Karma asked, as Pinkie Pie hopped right over back to them, extremely excited. Pinkie was quick to show the letter around one person to the other, giving each one time to at least get the main idea of it. An invitation to the Phantomhive manor. "Damn, talk about timing," Blair commented. "WOOO! PARTY AT PHANTOMHIVE HOUSE!" Pinkie cheered. "I don't think it's going to be that kind of party, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Not until I walk in!" Pinkie said, still as excited. Aladdin and Pinkie both ended up excited to go, giddy about it all. Karma couldn't help but smirk, and he looked right over to Nagisa, who was still in disbelief about the whole thing. They were just talking about change, and suddenly here was an invitation to a 'Phantomhive manor', almost out of the blue. "Let's go along this ride, shall we?" Karma smirked. Nagisa took a moment to take everything in. Here they were, in London, now being invited to the Phantomhive household. They've gone through plenty of surprise back in Tokyo, made friends with a witch and a magi, and took down their fair share of demons. So many of these things happening, and it really does appear that his life was not going to be the same again. Then again, he went back to thinking on what Aladdin had told him before they left Tokyo Japan. Nagisa smiled. "Yeah. I think we will." ~~ While the world may be normal over here (as normal as it would get), one being in his own world was getting his own plans up and ready. The room he was in was dark, ancient, and empty - only him and one other being encased in the room's shadows. The only source of light came in from the dim light of the violet flames left amongst the wall's torches. The first being was standing straight, and the other figure, more animal-like, stayed laying down in front with its head aimed to its feet. "Had the Homunculus arrive in London yet?" The first figure asked. The animal nodded. "I witnessed them leave Tokyo myself. I don't know how they wouldn't be there by now." "Good. ... You go. Meet with them there. You know what to do." "With pleasure." S02Ep3: Be My Guest ~私のゲストになる~Another morning at the Phantomhive manor. After the main morning practice of dressing, Ciel Phantomhive was about ready for the day as he'll ever be. All night, he'd been working his own investigative brain on that kid he saw at the market, and so had his close butler. His preparations for his visitors had begun to come to start after breakfast, and while Ciel was working his mind, Sebastian was busy with his own work on the visit. Ciel had given him the instructions during morning orientation, the list in his hand as he walked down the hall, but Sebastian had more than his own tasks to handle. His main objective was preparing the house itself in terms of cleaning, but other tasks were still in order: meal preparations, proper table setup, exceptional service, that sort of thing. Sebastian may be a good butler, but he wasn't going to tackle all of these himself. Not first and foremost anyway. In fact, his first task was actually re-assignment to the other persons in the manor, whom of which Sebastian was actually looking for. They should be up by now. ... "AAHH!" *crash* "There they are," Sebastian thought. He stayed calm, and began his walk down the hall to the source of the noise. His walk stopped at one of the many manor doors, and he soon found the problem the second he opened it. Looking in, the room itself was just one fancy room out of many. A nice study room with plenty of book shelves stacked high with many sorts of literary works. A few couches stood around a smaller table as well. However, there was one detail to accommodate it. One look, and Sebastian saw plenty of books that had accidentally toppled over, leaving nothing but a complete mess of a book pile on the floor. Standing nearby, another person stood in complete embarrassment nearby. This girl, with velvet hair to show, was in fact another worker at the Phantomhive manor, a maid as a matter of fact. The typical look of black and white maid attire signified her look and job placement, with a pair of large glasses over her eyes. Judging by the book still in her hand, she tried to get her book, only to have several follow with her. "Mey-Rin," said Sebastian, making his appearance known to her. Bad enough she goofed, now it had to be in front of a crowd. Mey-Rin froze up, completely red in the face. "I-I'm sorry, I tried to get a book and -" "Now, now, there's no need for that. Where're the others?" Sebastian asked. Before Mey-Rin could answer ... "AAAHHH, HELP!" No need to. Sebastian and Mey-Rin looked out from the same room, only to find another worker in his own problems. While Mey-Rin and her issue was more understandable, this one's issue was a runaway server's cart, with him stuck on it as it sped out of control down the hall! Sebastian and Mey-Rin stood just out of the way as it sped by, only to see it and the worker crash at the end of the hall! Another problem for Sebastian to sort out. As for this worker, he was a fellow butler like Sebastian, and the outfit also resembled the typical black attire, yet there was more of an overcoat in his outfit. His hair was long, dark brown and was tied back into a fairly long ponytail, tied together with some red ribbon to make a bow, and a smaller set of glasses also were on his face, though these were more formal than actual vision aid. ... Though the crash looked like he needed it. He was on the ground in a heap, broken glass, and tossed silverware around him, as a broken tea cup stayed stuck on his head. Unhurt for the most part, but still embarrassing. "I told you to watch it, you eget!" Shouted another voice down the hall. This one, another butler of the Phantomhive house, was running down the hall to catch up to the trouble. This butler was not as formal as the others were: no black overcoat on him for one thing, and a stray cigarette in his mouth. He looked a bit scruffy in the face, with a sort of 5 o'clock thing going on with his face, with short blonde hair. Far as looks go, this one didn't seem to fit too well when compared to the others. As inconvenient as the accident was, it was still convenient to find the other butlers show up for Sebastian. "How convenient you're all here." "Oh dear, oh dear, I'm so sorry! How can I even cope with such sorrow?" The broken butler sobbed, very guilty for wrecking their set. Sebastian cleared his throat. "Anyway. Everyone, we have a special guest coming this afternoon so I'm expecting you all to begin preparations," informed Sebastian, in a manor as if he too was a master amongst them. Quickly, they all got together to receive their instructions. "Mey-Rin, you are supposed to set up the dining room for our guest," Sebastian began. The look on her face told him that it actually slipped her mind. Sebastian turned to the next worker. "Grell, you and Mey-Rin are to help serve our guest during his stay. I also expect none of this kind of trouble in the meantime," Sebastian made clear, referring to the wrecked cart. Grell looked down to his feet in shame, but just nodded. "Bardroy. Shouldn't you be preparing for today's meal?" questioned Sebastian. Bardroy was a bit more casual about it compared to the others, but Sebastian was a bit more firm than that. It did seem that much of the manor was kind of behind on things. As per expected far as Sebastian was concerned. Either way, Sebastian did his part in instructing the other butlers and maid in what needed to be done. "Right. Well, our guest should be arriving soon, so get to work," Sebastian instructed, just before going off to handle his duty. Grell, Bardroy, and Meyrin waited a bit until Sebastian passed a corner in the hall. "Alright, now'a our chance," said Bardroy. Grell and Mey-Rin looked to the confident Bardroy. "Sebastian looks down on us all the time, but today'll be so perfect, he won't even know what hit him. ACK! ... YEAH, that's what he'll say!" "ACK!" gasped Grell and Mey-Rin. "That's for him to say, not you." ~~ Meanwhile, farther away from the manor, their guests were starting to near the Phantomhive estate. Nagisa and his friends had started going bright and early, though it was mainly because Pinkie Pie got them moving. The walk was an okay one, albeit a bit long, and Pinkie Pie was way in the lead of the others in her stride, excited to get to the estate for this supposed party. Any party will be met by the pink gal, no matter what! The wilderness and path they went through was a pretty nice bit of scenery during their walk. "Come on, slowpokes!" Pinkie called. "I know you're anxious about this visit ... are these outfits necessary?" Questioned Nagisa. As for the outfits, Pinkie Pie did quite a makeover on what they should be wearing. Instead of their usual outfits, or at least the casual clothes they came to London, Pinkie had the courtesy to dress them in more formal outfits for London. Nagisa, Karma, and Aladdin had colored formal suits while Twilight, Blair, and Pinkie were in formal dresses. Each one had their own flair to it: Karma Akabane had a rather radiant red suit, though as he would with his school attire, the main overcoat was unbuttoned to show the white undershirt. Nagisa Shiota, and Aladdin, had on blue suits though there were some differences between the two. For Nagisa, his suit had a dark blue color throughout, accompanied with white gloves, and Pinkie had him add a Swanna feather to his hair. Aladdin's was very close to Nagisa's but his was a lighter blue. He was allowed to keep the turban and headstone on him, though his scarab Pinkie gave him was pinned to the suit like a badge. For Twilight, she had a violet dress, with lavender flairs along the bottom trim. She also had white gloves, though hers reached up to her elbows. Blair also had a purple formal attire on her, though she altered it up so she could make it 'her own' per say - having it show more cleavage, and having it only reaching her knees, as much as she'll allow. Quite a set. "Of course, it's a party! And we're going to a fancy house, so it can work!" Pinkie cleared up. "Well, at least these outfits fit us. Come on, we gotta be close," Aladdin said, going on ahead with Pinkie Pie. Least one of them didn't mind the outfits too much. Honestly, it really didn't take too long until they began to see a building come up from the wood. From where they were, the building may seem decent, but they quickly found out that this was no simple cabin in the woods. There was no doubt that this was the Phantomhive manor, according to directions given to them from the invitation. It took them all a while before they all start to near the manor, and some of them couldn't help but be impressed with the place of Phantomhive stay. This was it, and as Karma told them, they might as well go on for the ride and see what happens now. Soon, Nagisa found himself over right at the front door. "Well, here goes nothing," he thought. They were here, and they might as well get things started whatever the case may be. Nagisa stood right at the front door, and gave a good knock onto it. Once that was done, he took a few steps back and waited for something to happen. Nothing seemed to occur at first, leaving them all just standing there at the front of the Phantomhive manor. Eventually though, someone did end up answering the door, and soon the group got their first look at one of the house residents. However, this wasn't really Grell, Bardroy, or Mey Rin who answered. Instead, this butler look a lot older than they were, elderly even with his grey hair and mustache. The appearance of said man had a clear look of a aristocrat: a sophisticated suit, white gloves on his hands, and a monocle over his eye. Clearly this man had the look that screams that he owned the place. Genetically speaking, anyway. "Ah. Nice of you to come," the man said, seeing Nagisa first. It took him a bit before noticing the rest of the crowd just behind him. "I see you brought some company on your way?" He asked. Nagisa nodded. "They're my friends, Mr. Phantomhive, uh, sir," Nagisa said. He still was a bit uneasy to how things were going, but this man seemed friendly enough. The man though felt a little bashful about the identity bit. "Phantomhive? Oh, no, that's not me. The house's steward, perhaps. I'll go inform the young earl of your arrival," the man said, and soon he walked off on his way, as the rest walked in. The entrance room itself was enough to show how big the place was, a set of stairs going upward in front and splitting off the the left and right mid way to the other floors. The walls, rimming on the stairs and second floor, the floor under their feet, and practically everything else all looked very high-class. Still, the front room gave them a whole lot of room to walk around if they so wanted to. They were a bit curious over who the exact owner of the house actually was now, if not the man who invited them in at the front. However, as they were standing there, Nagisa's eyes began to wander a bit, looking around the manor. They all waited around the front for another minute, until they began to hear more footsteps coming their way, just to find the same man, and Ciel coming in. ... That shiver began to creep back onto Nagisa once he saw him. "Hello!" Pinkie said upon seeing him. Ciel didn't say hello straight away, and soon saw Nagisa standing nearby. "So you're the earl of this place, huh? " Karma commented as Ciel walked over to them. "I am. Tanaka informed me you had company with you," Ciel said, looking to Nagisa. Nagisa tried to keep himself relaxed. "That'd be us, Mr. Phantomhive," Aladdin said. Ciel didn't look to amused though, which made Aladdin a little uneasy. Ciel looked over each one of them with his one eye, the young earl seemingly judging them straight away. Each one of them almost immediately noticed just how different this all looked. For one, Ciel was only a foot taller than Aladdin, but shorter than the rest of them were. This young kid not only had an eyepatch, but the apparent owner of this manor. Either he's really lucky, or matured a little too quickly in persona. "Well, I suppose we can adapt to the situation. Sebastian!" Ciel called. It was then that Sebastian came in from upstairs, walking down with a small pocket watch in hand. "Is lunch ready just yet?" Ciel asked, as Sebastian stepped over towards them, stopping when he was next to his master. Nagisa only needed one look at the butler to feel the shiver creep up on him again, trying to keep it together. "Not quite, but it will be shortly," informed Sebastian. Lunch did sound pretty good to a number of them, the walk from their hotel to the Phantomhive manor leaving them rather hungry. "Oh goodie," Pinkie said, licking her lips. Ciel simply nodded.. "Looks like lunch will have to wait. Nevermind, If you'll follow me. Sebastian, be sure the others are on form," instructed Ciel. "Yes, my lord," Sebastian said, starting to go off on his way to check on the rest. Officially invited now, the others started to follow Ciel, but Nagisa couldn't help but glance at Ciel and Sebastian as he went on with the others. Nagisa felt his skin crawl as he looks to both Ciel and Sebastian. Ciel may seem more physically troubling, but Sebastian ... something felt wrong. He took a few steps into the crowd, as if trying to hide from them, but Nagisa tried his absolute best to keep calm. "Let's hope the others don't cause more confusion," Ciel thought. ~~ After a short, and quiet walk through the halls of the manor, they all were soon at the Phantomhive study. Lucky for some of the workers, Sebastian had cleaned up the previous mess in the study before the guests got there, all of the books placed back onto the shelf. Many of the guests got comfortable in the study, most of them sitting on the couches with only Karma and Pinkie standing close by. "You know, you got it made here. How many kids grow up in a place like this?" Commented Twilight. Being a bit of a book worm herself, she was the most impressed with the study hall. "It does get a bit dull after a while, but yes," said Ciel, as he took a sip of his tea. A rather typical response for any aristocrat when it came to this, but it was true. Nagisa, who was sitting furthest away from the earl, was still trying to handle himself as they continued talking. "You got a good thing going here, Mr. Phantomhive. How'd you get all of this?" "The Phantomhive manor has been in my family for generations, passed down from one earl to the next," explained Ciel. "You must got your earl status rather early then. Your parents must've really trusted you." Suddenly, Ciel was quiet. He was about to take another sip of his tea when Aladdin made the comment, the cup now just being held in mid air. The silence was quickly caught by Aladdin, who felt a bit more uneasy now than before. It was as if Ciel was taking in some rough memories, by the look on his face. "... Did I say the wrong thing?" Aladdin asked meekly. "No. Both my parents had been dead for three years now. Rather unfortunate, of course. Since I was the only remaining direct bloodline to the previous master earl, naturally it was passed down to me." They all were taken aback on some level by this new information, and once more, how calm Ciel went on to just say it. It would possibly explain why he was the current earl of the Phantomhive house, and perhaps even the eyepatch now shown on Ciel's face. If this subject was a harsh one, Aladdin knew better than to continue on the details. "I-I'm so sorry," Aladdin said. "I suggest changing the subject," Ciel decided, taking a sip of his tea. He may have accepted the fact, but Ciel didn't want to continue on the matter any further. On the other hand, it was bound to be brought up sooner or later, and he was at least glad to get it out and over with. "When is that lunch going to be ready?" Ciel thought. ....... "How exactly did this happen?" And unfortunately, some things amongst the preparations weren't going so smoothly. After going to check in on the other workers, Sebastian found himself in a heap of a mess in a number of spots. The main thing in this case was a broken set of dishes on the floor in one room, a burnt-up lunch in the kitchen, AND a messed-up dining hall decor. "I-I was trying to reach for our tea set, but I tripped and the cabinet fell," Mey-Rin started, feeling rather meek about it. "I thought things would go faster, but I tried tried to tidy up the floor and everything spilt," put in Grell. "It was a lot for lunch to prepare, and it was gonna take a long time, so I used my flamethrower," finished Bardroy. Well, so much for Bardroy's idea of 'impressing Sebastian'. In fact, Sebastian almost expected such from the three: Grell and Mey-Rin in a tizzy while Bardroy just turned away. At least Tanaka wasn't as much trouble as this trio. Regardless of the case, Sebastian simply started to clean up the mess of broken glass first as he informed the others. "Well then, I suppose you can leave the rest to me and relax for a bit. But I need you to do well - very well - during lunch this afternoon." "... He said it twice," noted Bardroy. "Very serious," added Grell. Far as things would go, they'd better get their acts together. ~~ After a short, and quiet walk through the halls of the manor, they all were soon at the Phantomhive dining hall. The room was pretty large, and rather long as well to accommodate the dining room table, which itself was large enough to easily fit in all of them with plenty of spare seats. While many of the chairs were nice, the master chair at the end of the table kinda dwarfed them with the large cushion headrest. It was clear that this was for the earl and only the earl. Nagisa, Blair, and Karma sat beside eachother on the left side, and Aladdin, Twilight, and Pinkie on the right. Not too much of a problem for them, and evened out one side of the long table. Ciel, of course, took his seat at the head of the table, putting himself next to Twilight and Nagisa. For the lunch that was prepared, they each had a good plate of roasted pheasant, mash potatoes and an Oran berry side salad, and cup of tea (naturally). Around the table, Sebastian, Mey-Rin, Bardroy, Tanaka, and Grell were there as well with the servers cart in case anyone needed any refills and/or any dishes to be put away. As far as casual eats go, this was a fairly decent one. The meal of pheasant was better than the Remoraid meat meal last night. Aladdin and Pinkie were digging right into their meals, but Nagisa was less hungry and more bothered. He could even feel a little sweat going down his face at this point, using a napkin to dot away the unsightly sweat. The others didn't really notice, and even if they did, they didn't question it. "This pheasant is simply Devine!" Pinkie commented, tasting how delicious the pheasant meal was. "So, why don't you live in town? I think it might be easier for you there rather than here," asked Blair, as she took a bite of the pheasant. It wasn't fish, but it was still delicious for a cat like her. "There's no need for me to stay amongst the commoners. Besides, there's no room in the city for the manor," Ciel replied. "Can I have some more please?" Twilight asked kindly, her cup empty. Ciel just needed to look over to the others nearby, and Grell immediately began to grab the kettle for their drink. Can't have any glasses unfilled, can you? Unfortunately, Karma glanced down at Grell's feet, and noticed that they were a little unsteady. Next thing you know ... "AH! HOT, HOT, HOT!" Spilt hot tea, and right onto Mey-Rin! One simple misstep on this clumsy butler and that was all it took to mess things up. Not that it wasn't anything new for this group. Grell began to freak out on seeing Mey-Rin like this, the others watching what was going on. "Oh, I'm sorry! Uh, here, I'll wipe it off!" Grell said, reaching for a spare napkin on the table ... just for the rest of it to be pulled with it. A few plates, cups, and side dishes ended up knocked over, and some tumbling to the floor, much to Grell's dismay. The butler jumped to his feet, freaked out and failed in a simple task like this. The others in the group were kinda left a little speechless, Ciel bringing his hand to his forehead. "Master, why'd you hire such a useless idiot?" questioned Bardroy. "You're one to talk," commented Ciel. "Eh ... maybe I'll get my own tea," Twilight said meekly. Guess this was a time to not open her mouth. Grell just stayed on the floor in crippling embarrassment. However, what happened next took everyone off guard. "I'm so sorry for causing such trouble. I can't apologize enough ... Wait, that's it! The only thing I could do now is die! I SHALL ATONE WITH MY DEATH!" Suddenly Grell was on his knees, and a silver knife in his hands, the blade aimed down directly at his throat! That surely got the guests to jump, but before they could do anything, Sebastian was already on it, placing a hand on Grell's shoulder. "Now, there's no need for that," Sebastian calmly stated. Grell stopped for a moment, and turned to him. The others were grateful someone talked Grell out of it. ... "Just think of the mess you'd make. It would take hours to clean up all of the blood." "... Thank you. such kindness," said Grell, now smiling and deeply grateful ... for whatever reason. "That was kindness?" questioned Aladdin. Pinkie and Twilight shook their heads. Soon, Sebastian got himself the kettle. "Perhaps you should go and relax for a bit before you should cause anymore trouble. I'll take care of it." After that little drama shift, Sebastian was pouring tea to refill the cups, and it was during this that he caught Nagisa's attention. The way he moved from one guest to another just made it feel like he was just looming amongst them, sneaking by each and every one of them with his tea kettle and his gentle offer of tea to them as he went. Nagisa felt himself gulp, and more sweat and shivers go through him. The added information from Ciel did not make Nagisa feel any better. "You care for some more tea, Ms. Kagayaki?" Asked Sebastian. Twilight nodded, and Sebastian went on to fill her cup. Nagisa watched this from afar, and it was like watching someone calmly pour poison into her drink, that sort of feeling washed over him. What was going on here? "Nagisa ... Nagisa?" "Huh? Oh, sorry, sorry, what's the question?" Nagisa said. He ended up lost in thought, and a few demands from Blair finally got him around. "You alright? You got that look again," whispered Blair, referring to his troubled expression. Nagisa relaxed a little bit (as much as his state would let him). "I-I don't know ..." "More tea, Mr. Shiota?" And there was Sebastian right behind him! Now, his body was starting to go completely off the beam: shivers all over him, his nerves reeved up, and left completely tense. Nagisa felt cold, and he didn't have a single clue why. Nagisa looked up to Sebastian, the mere sight of him was enough to leave Nagisa humbled at the very least. ... "No thank you. Uh, excuse me, but where is, uh ..." "Take a turn to your left down the hall, sixth door to your right," said Ciel. The rattled up kid then got up, and began to go off. Twilight though saw that something else was going on inside Nagisa's head. Nagisa was too overwhelmed to stay around here any longer, and soon as he stepped out of the dining hall, his walk turned into a run. The only one who got up was Twilight, just catching him go down the hall a few more feet. As for Nagisa himself, he continued running for a while longer until he managed to find where the front door was. He wasted no time in getting that door open, and going straight outside. The poor kid's nerves didn't calm down until he got himself there, and now was when Twilight came out of hiding. "Nagisa, what happened back there? You feeling okay?" Twilight asked. Nagisa stayed quiet at first, but he knew Twilight's voice better than anyone. His close friend wasn't going to leave him hanging. "Nagisa, come on it's me. What's wrong?" Twilight asked again. Nagisa finally turned to Twilight. "I ... I don't know what happened. Twilight, listen to me. Something feels ... off about this place," Nagisa said, looking back to the manor. "Know what you mean. Such a lonely place, too." Both Twilight and Nagisa took a moment to look back at the manor. An old, yet well-maintained building placed so far away from everyone else in London. It just advertises that something was amidst. This odd feeling Nagisa kept getting in regard to this place didn't make things any better, but Twilight did have a theory in mind. "Nagisa. You don't think ..." "No, there can't be a demon in there. You see one in there, cuz I don't!" Nagisa insisted. His demons didn't look anything human, at least from his experience. Even if that was the case, why was his sense acting up still? He would've been calm and collective if that was true. Either way, Twilight didn't want to keep going with this if Nagisa was just going to be a nervous wreck the whole time here. "Here, the others are still eating. We'll finish lunch, and then we'll head back to our hotel, and then enjoy the rest of our vacation. Deal?" Twilight offered. Nagisa felt like it would be simple enough, but he needed a little bit before he looked to Twilight in the eyes. "Ok, deal. I think I can handle it until then," Nagisa decided. Seemed fair enough. ~~ Sometime later, after Nagisa and Twilight returned to the rest, lunch was over and done. Ciel had separated from the others to check in on some other business, leaving the others to themselves inside the manor with the other servants. Nothing to worry about as far as Ciel was concerned. Ciel took the time to stop into his personal office for some needed work time, and some alone time to study on his guests. Ciel was in the middle of his thoughts when Sebastian stepped in. "Sebastian?" "My lord. I believe I got some entail about your guests. They're apparently well aware about the demons in our world," Sebastian informed. Ciel remained unfazed by this news, but still listened. "Is that so? Aware how?" "Seems Nagisa Shiota had sensed this presence ever since arriving to the manor, my lord," explained Sebastian. Apparently Nagisa and Twilight had a sort of shadow during their little excursion outside. "I see. See to it that you get some more details," Ciel instructed. Sebastian simply nodded, and went back outside of the room to get the information. Well, this did seem to open a few options for this young earl, leaving the Phantomhive in more thought. This could give him some more insight, and might explain a thing or two. This was something that he needed to know more about. "He knew about demons, huh? This could use some more looking into ..." "Not on your life, codger." Ciel did not recognize that voice, but before he could even react to anything, something ended up covering his mouth and nose, appearing to be a sort of cloth. Then, it's lights out. ....... "Young master? I-I do hope you're not upset at me, but I brought you your afternoon tea." A short time later, there stood Grell with a good set of tea for his young earl. He stood at the door, wondering if the young earl was still cross with him or not. He did mess up pretty badly earlier, and while suicide may not seem like a viable option for Grell, he felt he was still at fault for this. As he was standing there though, no answer came from the door ... "Master Ciel?" Grell repeated. But still no answer. Grell, humbled, and with a hint of curiousness, gently opened the door. ... "AAAHHHH! MASTER!!" The horror-filled scream was rather easy to catch by the rest of the manor's residents, along with Nagisa's group, and it didn't take them much longer to see what had happened within the room. One obvious, yet disturbing fact was that the room was, for a lack of a better word, ransacked! Papers, books, and chairs were left toppled down onto the ground. The back window was left wide open, a slight breeze gently swaying the curtains. Looking down onto the floor as they were examining and observing, other details of scratches were left on the floor. A struggle was clearly done here, but how long was it like this before Grell found it? Much of the workers were left surprised except for Sebastian (physical-wise anyway), and the guests were also left surprised to find their host being taken away. "This is terrible. ... The fresh beverages will all be wasted now," Sebastian noted, glancing to the tea tray. "Is that all your worried about?! Your damn master's been kidnapped!" Twilight snapped, not believing her ears. Some of them started to look around for some sort of clue. However, Karma suddenly began to casually walk away. "Yeah, well, good luck with that. Think it's time for us to -" "Karma, how can you just say that?" Pinkie snapped, overly shocked. "Hey, it's not our problem," Karma shrugged. As this went on, Twilight went in to check by Ciel's desk. On his desk, claw marks stained the desk, but there was something else put down onto the desk that made Twilight shutter. The look on her face got Aladdin, Bardroy, Sebastian and Blair to investigate as well, and they too saw the same thing. On the table, stained in blood, a similar Ouroboros gleamed in the faint light. "The Ouroboros insignia," Twilight stated. "A Alchemic symbol of the everlasting cycle of life and death. Dating back to the 14th century, I believe," added Sebastian. Grell was frantically looking out the only known exit where Ciel would've been pulled out of, but he wasn't seeing much of anything. Least he can say that Ciel didn't kill himself jumping out the window, since he didn't see any body or blood in the ground and near shrubs. Karma overheard what they were saying, and tried to think up more on the exact symbol in question. "That demon's still running around, huh? Whatever," Karma thought with a sigh, remembering the fight with one particular demon single-handedly before Korosensei made things easy. That Ouroboros symbol was on him. And seeing a blood-stained Ouroboros on Ciel's desk meant only he was the one who must've taken him. "Oh dear. Grell, Mey-Rin, Bardroy, have this mess cleaned up by the time I get back," Sebastian instructed. Not his place to order, but Sebastian had Ciel Phantomhive to find, and they were on a tight schedule. After that order, Sebastian went right to the window, and started going up onto the window sill! "WHOA, hold it!" Aladdin gasped, but he couldn't catch Sebastian in time, the butler jumping right outside! However, rather than a true suicide upon landing, Sebastian was just fine upon landing. They looked to the Ouroboros, and then Karma began to think on it a bit more. He could just go off and just leave Ciel to his own issues, thus getting him and his friends out of trouble. ... "Your class had to face up against an entire school in terms of grades, and while the highest ranking students put in their high grades to impress, you on the other hand have, nothing. Only fair: for that's what your non-profited, devil-care attitude has contributed towards your class, and to your cause. See where I'm going with this? ... Anyone who refuses to apply themselves, and let the chips fall where they may, are destined for disappointment! So is the blade of the lazy assassin." He didn't consider it much at the time, too angry to think it over, but now looking at the situation, it seems like he was starting to figure things out. Here was the earl, now taken by an enemy only HE knew, and he's considering just letting these bag of chips fall where they will despite what was going on. ... "Your one hell of a teacher." Karma quietly commented. "Huh? You say something?" Questioned Bardroy. Suddenly, Karma was smirking, and cracking his knuckles. "Come on, gang. We got an earl to bring home." ~~ He couldn't remotely grasp what had happened. He was just in his office thinking about his guests, just to get knocked out by the cloth method. He managed to get himself to, but when he did, he found himself in a bit of a predicament. His hands and legs were tied up, and left him laying down in some sort of cabin. Hardwood floors, very little furniture to speak of apart of a bed, a small furnace, and a seat and table by a window. The only door was rather crudely barricaded by a plank of wood with a dresser. Ciel himself was left over on the bed, and he tried to get himself moved around, even a little bit. It wasn't too much use though, and once more, his captor was sitting casually down over by the window, legs kicked up onto the table, and hands resting behind his head. It looked like a man, mid forties by the looks of it, with pale skin, and looking like the spitting image of Sebastian, except for different colored eyes and a small set of glasses. "What do you think your doing?" Ciel demanded. "Ah, I see your awake, sir Phantomhive. I'm just having you stay here for a while," the man said. Rather than get scared like any other, Ciel simply glared. "You do realize how big of a mistake you've made," Ciel warned. "I planned on it. An Ekens adder can't slither near this building without my patrols blasting it to bits. I'd be happy to release you once ransom is paid forward." How typical. A rich child getting captured for ransom money. Honestly, it sounded VERY cliche and too textbook, but one that still seemed accurate when it comes to getting cash, and if this man was telling the truth, then it was going to be difficult for any help to get itself through to him. Still, Ciel simply laid down, and awaited for what surely will come. He was sure of it. For the man, he looked outside to the wilderness, the place of stay being pretty high elevated to see the landscape. They didn't appear to be near any sort of civilization, so help from officials was going to take a very long time. What WAS around though was what appeared to be plenty of guards on duty, roaming around the perimeter in patrols and lookout. Ciel was as good as kept by the looks of it. Just outside of the cabin, about a good mile away, there was indeed one man willing to get his master out. Hidden off by some nearby foliage, Sebastian had just managed to get himself within distance of the kidnapper's base, the patrolling guards not noticing the intruder just yet as they continued their patrolling. Sebastian wasn't all too worried, but he still wasn't going to let his master be taken hostage like this. He took a glance at his pocket watch for a moment before shutting it, the notable click making some guards stop and do a check on the surrounding area. In their eyes, they saw nothing to be put on guard over, and silence kept up for another minute before they went back to patrolling. Sebastian was just about to get moving again, but he began to sense another presence moving in towards him. "Hey, Sebastian. Found the earl yet?" Sebastian glanced back, just to find Karma, Nagisa, and the rest right there with him. The others at the manor stayed to clean up the mess, leaving the rest to go off to here. "Come to aid the humble butler, are you?" Sebastian questioned. "That's why we're out here. We can't have our host getting captured on us, right?" Karma said. Sebastian was in no mood to look after these kids while trying to save his master. "Perhaps it's best you just go back to the manor." "Sebastian, we wanna help you, please? Just let us help you get Ciel back. We won't slow you down," Aladdin said. Sebastian could see that they were willing to help, but before he could decide, the guards seeming caught sight of them! The sound of commands and footsteps closed in on them, as a number of armed guards charged in. Sebastian didn't have time to really get a choice in word wise. "Suppose there's no time for a choice." "Good man. Just keep the guards at bay as much as you can, and we'll fetch your Phantomhive," Karma instructed. As circumstance goes, Sebastian went to it. So, as the others started to go on ahead, Sebastian confronted the other guards to give them time to pass. There wasn't much time to answer such questions. All they had to do was just keep moving. They both heard guns go off, but only for about twenty seconds before abruptly cutting short, just to have Sebastian rush past them, almost in a blur. He was on form, no doubt. For the next minute, the forest was alive with guards! And this forest was filled up completely, from on the ground to even up in the treetops! Many a guard had at least one firearm locked and loaded, all aimed for these intruders. Lucky for the group, it seemed Sebastian was easily taking care of them as they went. The group stopped at one point in the forest, hidden just out of sight under some brush. "Where is he?" asked Nagisa. Far as he knew, he was the only protection they got against these guards, and bullets were scraping the trees during each shot. When they heard the bullets of these guards stop, they continued forward. Most of the group were getting a bit frazzled by some of the noises being made: gunfire, blades, and loud grunts and yells of pain time and time again. At one point, Nagisa looked over to his right, and he saw about five guards up in alarm. Sebastian came into frame, and he was suddenly (and disturbingly casually) roasting them with a portable flamethrower! The sight of this made Nagisa skid to a halt, looking on in horror. "Nagisa, move it!" Blair said, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. Nothing worse than to just stand in the middle of a firing zone. Sebastian did see them, and after his roasting, rushed over alongside them. "See you're doing well," Sebastian said as they ran. "Told you we'd stay outta trouble," Karma said, unfazed by this craziness they were in. Nagisa looked over to Sebastian during this. He was troubled, yes, but now was no time for that. They had Ciel to get, and he'll have to figure them out later. Finally, after what felt like a marathon of running, they all began to catch sight of the cabin where Ciel was being held captive, and then did they slow down. Sebastian took care of the guards, so they only had their boss to handle inside. However, twilight, Nagisa, and Blair were a bit winded from their dash. At least they didn't have to avoid getting shot at anymore. They looked out to the cabin, Sebastian looking deeply through the window. It was hard to see, and while he could see the face of the boss through the window just fine, he only just caught sight of a body on the bed still. And he knew that body better than anyone else. "That's my lord alright. And so is our one thieving rat," Sebastian noted, seeing the man look back out. "K, now how're we going to do this? Any ideas?" Nagisa asked. They took a lot of effort just to get here, and they knew this kidnapper wasn't gonna give him up just because they were there. Karma already had his idea though. "I got this. You wait here, I'll get him out," Karma decided. "What? Karma, your unarmed!" Twilight pointed out. "Tell me something I don't know. One of you just be ready to get in there while I keep the boss busy," Karma said. Before anyone could stop him, he went right on out of hiding, into sight of the boss in the cabin. Karma was not just going to mess around and one thing go along, he's gonna make this happen! So, Karma got himself in position in plain sight just outside the cabin, right in the opening. The boss in the cabin smiled deviously, and started to head for the window rather than the door. In a agile jump, the man leaped out of the window, armed and ready. Time to start this dance. "I knew someone would show up. So, where's that ransom?" "Sorry, don't have any of your queen's coins. By a knock-off at the gift shop." The man armed up, and aimed his weapons at Karma, who while a little humbled, was ready to get his legs running. "I dunno how you're got pass my guards, but this is where you stop." "So cliche." And just like that, the shots start to fire. Karma quickly started to move, trying to get the boss to run off. The boss stayed firm, but as more shots keep missing him, he started to get even more upset and began to close in. Just what the others wanted. "Sebastian, think you can go with Karma? We'll get Mr. Phantomhive out and meet with you later," Twilight asked. Sebastian took a look towards the cabin, and sensed that things were alright before he went off after Karma. The group, now free, went right for the door of the cabin. However, the door was locked up tight here, and they couldn't get the door open. "Damnit, door's locked." "Ahead of ya," Blair said, going right for the window. It was fairly easy for her to handle getting in, and she was quick to find little Ciel tied up on the bed. So, Blair got busy, and pulled the cabinet out of the way to let the others in before going for Ciel. "Come on, earl, it's time for a rescue," Blair said, as the others came in. Aladdin and Twilight begun to untie Ciel, but the young earl was looking over the rest of the crowd here, seeing that something was missing. "Isn't there supposed to be six of you?" Ciel asked, now freed from the rope. "Yeah, but Karma's handling business. He and Sebastian will pop back around," said Pinkie. ....... Farther away, Karma was still running amok with the boss on his tail. His dodgy movements made him a hard target to hit for the boss. Each bullet narrowly missed Karma, showing this guy wasn't too good of a shot. Still, Karma knew what he was doing, and he stopped when the only sound he heard was clicking of an unloaded gun. Well, so much for that. "Run out of bullets there?" Karma mocked. The man, angry, just threw the gun at Karma, just to miss. "Damnit, why can't you just stand still?!" The boss yelled. "And why can't you show your face? Come on, we both know why you really did that," Karma said. It was time to get to business. They were alone, again, and back at even stevens, with no weapon for either of them. For the man, it was no point in hiding anymore. "I Thought I killed you back in Tokyo." "You think you can kill me that easily? Ha! And looks like you ditched that fancy stick back in Japan," mocked Envy. Karma could really use that sword right about now, and Envy looked ready to rumble and finish what he started. "And look at that, you're all alone again. There's no 'Korosensei' to save you now!" Envy said, starting to close the gap between Karma and himself. No way he was going to let this one get away from him this time! As he was running - "Perhaps." AND bam, something lands right on Envy's back. Karma stood still at the sudden launch, and soon the Homunculus was on the ground, Sebastian suddenly standing tall on top of him! "DAMN IT! GET OFF!" Envy yelled, teeth grinding, and glaring at the butler. "Don't be too hasty now, only following instructions. I assume your fair, Karma?" Sebastian said. "Yeah, I'm cool. Keep him around though," Karma simply replied. Now that someone else was here, Envy got back to acting off his own character. "Ok, you got me. Go on, kill me. Least it's been -" "Nah. I'm not that kind of person. Besides, we're not done," Karma suddenly said, cutting Envy off and pulling something out of his own pockets. ... "No, I'm just getting started." "... What the hell are those supposed to be?" "Mustard and wasabi. Never know when you need them to shove up a nose." "YOU WHAT?!" ~(4 hours later)~ "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Just about sunset. After Karma's little game, Envy was once again back at square one. Out in the woods again, the homunculus was releasing his inner rage out on a tree, banging his head on it over and over again. Bad enough taking the first strike being stuck in plastic, but now Deja Vu happened on him, and he got humiliated AGAIN! Talk about a sour taste. His banging and rambling were caught by two other homunculus, who were quick to find him. "Hey, Envy. I was wondering where you'd run off to," Lust said. Envy was in no mood, his back to them, as he gripped the tree in fuming anger. Envy didn't turn around to face them right away, but Gluttony took a few sniffs in the air, smelling a different sort of scent floating in the air. "Something smells tasty," gluttony said, licking his lips in anticipation. However, it was then that Envy turned around to face them. His expression and face said it all: a red spot on his forehead from banging against the tree, but his nose showed what he had to endure as well. The left nostril showing a dry yellow substance while the right one had a dried green substance, both mixed together on the way down to his mouth. Gluttony looked to the substance, and one whiff of that stuff gave Gluttony an idea on what might've happened to him. Even if it was hours ago, both mustard and wasabi still hold a strong scent, and one that won't be going away a while yet. "Not a word about this from any of you," Envy hissed, as curious Gluttony got a tiny bit of it on his finger and tasting the mustard and wasabi mix, much to Envy's annoyance. "Come on, we're here to recruit remember? Be a little patient," Lust advised, as Envy rubbed some of the mustard and wasabi out his nose onto his arm. He knew EXACTLY where his vengeance will be get at this time. "He'll be nothing but a mutilated pile of bones when I'm through with him. You know what, no, I'll keep him as my own slave. Yeah, then he can watch all his friends die before I'm done with him! Yes," Envy growled, loving the idea. Killing him would be easy if given the right chance, but watching him die emotionally would make it even more enjoyable. "Look Envy -" "You know you can't pick your own slave, Homunculus." Gluttony, Lust, and Envy began to look around on the voice. They were the only three there last time they checked, but after a bit, a fourth started to talk a casual stroll down towards them, confident and pretty chill. They'd be aggressive, but one look was all it took for immediate identification. For a start, their visitor wasn't humanoid at all, but an animal. This creature stood on all fours, about as tall as a large dog. In fact, it looked a lot like a dog overall, but with many major details to separate it from any regular pooch. His body was covered in black fur, with an orange muzzle and underbelly. His tail, fairly long and thin, ended in a triangular shape, like the head of an arrow. Speaking of the head, he had no ears, but instead had a set of sharp, curved horns. Four bone-like ridges grew down his back, and a cuff-like silver rings were around all four paws. This demon hound was suited up in a sort of rustic brown armor, with a flank plate, helmet, and chest plate with a skull on it. Around his neck was also a gold, spiked collar. Even if he appeared just smaller than Envy if one excluded the horns, his appearance still impressed a few. "Hellgar. You again?" Envy groaned. "Yeah. Boss wanted me to come up here and take care of a few miscreants. Just as well I did come up by the looks of it," Hellgar said, glancing over to Envy and his stains just under his nostrils. Envy glared at the demon dog as Hellgar looked over to Lust. "So that's why I'm up here, what's your excuse?" Hellgar asked, as he started to scratch his head with his back leg. "The boss wants us to get some more members to our side," Lust informed. "Well, he put ya in the right place. London's a regular hotshot - a demon getaway especially in recent years. Surprised you didn't find even one candidate yet." "Oh, not like you're any better, demon hound. Where's that pack of yours, anyway? Thought they'd revive by now. Or did boss get tired of those little bitches screwing up on him?" Envy hissed, a evil grin on his face. "Takes a bitch to know a bitch," Hellgar simply said, unfazed by Envy's mockery. Envy's brief moment of joy was dashed on the spot, a glare returning again as Hellgar casually strolled past them all. "Anyway, you stick to your job, I'll stick to mine. I'll have this part of the world into hell by the end of the month," Hellgar stated, almost business-like, licking his muzzle at the idea. After a bit though, Hellgar took a glance over at Gluttony, who was sucking on his finger again. Looking at him seemed to remind the demon hound of something. "Oh, by the way Gluttony. Boss wants you to come back to the underworld for a minute. Says he's got a disposal unit for you, and they're getting rather feisty," Hellgar informed. Gluttony grew excited, much like a small child after hearing great news, his mouth immediately drooling after the mention of it, his tongue licking his lips like Hellgar did. "Can I?" Gluttony asked Lust. "Go ahead. We'll meet up later. I'm sure your nose will find us when you come back," Lust said. Gluttony grew almost giddy, and he immediately took off, leaving Hellgar, Envy, and Lust alone. "There he goes," Envy commented, as Hellgar strolled on his way. "And off we go. If I were you, I'd try the London outskirts. I be blessed if there's not at least one person who might be worth your while," Hellgar suggested. And with that, the demon hound went off on his way. He knew what he had to do, and he knew just how to do it. S02Ep8: What They Don't Know ... ~彼らは知らないもの...~"Alright. You can do this, Yugure. Maybe this can work." Managing to isolate herself away from England for a while, Twilight was back at it with her alchemy. Methods, for the most part, had been rather slow as the days came and went, and in a way, she really was just training alone like her letter had said. Her alchemy book in hand this time for the alchemy practice, this little alchemist decided to try some other types, since fire alchemy just seemingly didn't work for her despite the much practice she had done with it. This also meant a different symbol was being used over the other fire type she'd been using. On some new gloves, she made a different alchemist mark onto it, this time looking less like the star symbol and more like a diamond symbol instead. She clapped her hands together, and took a glance at the book to be sure she was doing it correctly. Her target this time, taking it with her, was the same candle she had in her room which she placed on a rock as a stand. Some reason it became her target of practice as of late, though this time she wasn't trying to light the candle. "Here it goes," Twilight thought, taking a deep breath, and putting in her full concentration on the target. If fire wouldn't work, maybe she can try on something else. After full concentration, she brought her arms forward, took a step in front, and both hands were around the candle again. All was quiet at first, and Twilight tried her absolute best to light the candle, or something to it. This wasn't fire alchemy, so who knows what'll happen to this candle now? ... "Come on ... please ..." After about five seconds of focus, Twilight began to get excited when she started to see some sort of glow coming from the area where her hands were. Twilight moved them out of the way, and she found that something did happen to the candle this time. It was actually lit up, but not in the typical red flames. In fact, it wasn't even flames for that matter, but instead it looked more like a glowing aura. Strong, bright, and deeply colored in shades of blue and purple dancing in a hue. Not the fire Twilight was used to, but it was very interesting, and very exciting for the girl to see, as she picked the candle up. She moved her hand around the aura, and found that it wasn't even hot like fire, but functioned in a same way as candle light. "Yes. YES! Finally I got one right," Twilight said to herself, in pure glee and joy. She tried many times before to find it, and now she finally got an Alchemy correct as it was supposed to. It's a start, anyway. ....... "YUGURE?!" Not again! Twilight quickly turned herself around, her eyes suddenly looking around as much as she could. THAT voice she knew a little too well, and it gave her shivers almost instantly. "Where are you?" Twilight asked. "Everywhere." "Oh no ... I-I don't know anything! Nothing at all, I-I swear!" Twilight stated during her worrying. The girl kept her eyes scanning her surroundings. However, the thing that troubled her was that she didn't see anyone anywhere that could've spoke to her. The trees were quiet, the wind blew softly around, the book sat there unmoved, and Twilight couldn't see a source of the trouble anywhere, at any point. Was he really everywhere? That possibility made Twilight even more on edge, her eyes darting around, and she quickly got her alchemy book up from the ground just in case. Twilight continued looking around a bit more, until her ears picked up the sounds of movement just behind her. One turn around, and her nerves went into overdrive. There he was. Hellgar. Coming right up to her. "AAHH!" "I haven't asked you anything yet," Hellgar stated, calm yet threatening as he continued his advances. Twilight started to back up, trying to keep some distance away from the hellhound. Hellgar could see the fear and obvious guilt Twilight had on her face. For each one step Twilight made was two of Hellgar's, the hound getting closer and closer. "I still don't know!" Twilight insisted. "I know you don't. You didn't tell me about the Ball," Hellgar growled. Twilight was a bit more legitimate when it comes to the confusion here. "What ball?" "The Royal Ball your friends scouted for demons last night," Hellgar growled, barring his teeth, and giving them a lick so they glean in the light. Twilight knew that Hellgar wasn't going to go easy on her this time, especially after his previous warning. Twilight's heart raced as Hellgar prepared to jump her, teeth barred and smoke steaming from his jaws. Twilight knew she was on the ropes, but she literally had nothing here. In the end, she only got one solution. ... Run. "Think you can get away?!" Hellgar roared, immediately giving chase. Twilight got a head start on her running, running over back towards the town. But despite the head start, Hellgar soon caught up with her, and tackled her down to the ground easily. The tackle hit her right in the back, the blow hard and forceful enough to knock the book out of her hand, the alchemy book landing about two feet away. Hellgar snarled harshly at his spy, hot saliva dripping down onto Twilight's body, as smoke was puffed down at her in huffs, making Twilight cough a bit. "You're working on my last nerve, Yugure! I did not, repeat, DID NOT let you live so you can screw around!" Hellgar roared, his jaws inches from Twilight's ear. "I know you didn't!" "DO YOU?" "I DO, BUT -" Hellgar slammed his paw over her mouth on her outburst. Twilight couldn't even breathe at first, Hellgar's paw in her mouth and her nose sucking in his smoke. Hellgar leaned in, eyes locked to hers. "You miserable, creeping worm. ..." Bizarrely, he took a step off of the girl, and moved over to one of the trees. Twilight recovered and got up to her feet, but by the time she did, Hellgar had already managed to cut down one of the branches from the nearby tree, tossing it down in front of Twilight. Hellgar had enough with his typical threats, and decided to amp up the steaks this time around. Obviously Twilight's own life wasn't working. "I'll make this simple for you. Say this is your friends. If I come across you again, and you don't have anything for me ..." The implications by what he did next was enough to make it clear. Hellgar looked down to the large branch he grabbed, inhaled, and blasted a powerful fiery flamethrower straight at it. Twilight quickly backed up from the hellhound, the flames close to scorching her! All that was left from the hellhound's blaze was nothing but ash. Twilight got the idea very quickly, leaving her extremely terrified. "... no ... You wouldn't ..." Hellgar gave Twilight a menacing grin with his muzzle, teeth gleaning as he even went in towards her again in a fast trot. Twilight shuffled like mad to get to her feet, but Hellgar was right on top of her again. The hellhound even opened his jaws and hovered right over her face. Twilight thought for sure that the creature would tear her head off, but all that happened was excess smoke blasted at her face. Hellgar couldn't help but laugh as Twilight fanned the smoke away before she would suffocate. "Okay now, Yugure. This is your final warning. So. Meet me tonight near the Victorian Tower, and you better have something for me this time. Do I make myself clear?" "... Crystal, sir," Twilight said meekly, getting herself off the ground, and picking up her book. She had her own ways to get out of it before, but there was no escaping it this time. Hellgar now had her whole group by their necks, and it was up to her if they'll be safe or not. One more goof, and it'll be six more graves, one which was high society. Hellgar moved over to her, calmer this time, and steadily moved away, his tail gently grazing her side just before he confidently moved away, back from where he came. Twilight was alone again, and now she had a more pressured job to do. With that in mind, she went off away from the location as well, book in hand, and knowing what she had to handle. For the first time, she was regretting going to her friends. ~~ Back in the big city, things were in an uproar over the events at the Royal Ball. As if the event itself wasn't big enough, this breakdown of the palace's balcony made a bit of a surprise to those who found it during the day. Kinda hard to hide a missing balcony, even with the debris removed and cleaned up thanks to Korosensei's involvement. Try as he might, it wasn't going to be missed when the first passerby saw the wreckage, or even earlier with some curious guests seeing the crash. Whoever saw it, it spread about the place. Lucky for some people, anything supernatural was pushed out of the question in favor of some faulty structuring. In the palace, with her involvement on the matters last night, Seitenshi was more than quick to get a personal meeting with the queen to order. After all, not only was part of her home destroyed, but these Homunculus did almost kill her granddaughter, so if anyone is to be aware it's going to be her. It only made sense really. With some navigation on Seitenshi's part, who was being escorted by some England high guards, Seitenshi got herself to the Queen's more personal quarters. The room was fairly big, resembling a throne room with a large seat for the queen herself to sit. A long carpet of violet velvet stretched from the throne down to the door, which Seitenshi kept on as she approached. Large windows lined the room up to the throne, silver curtains lining each and every single one. Some guards were also present there, excluding the ones who escorted Seitenshi, all standing at attention near the queen. Nearby her, Victoria stood at attention as well, a gentle expression presenting to Seitenshi as she came in. Seitenshi presented herself in a formal fashion with a small now of the head in presentation. She may be on equal level, she Seitenshi was on their terms in their own home. The queen herself was the first to speak. "Seitenshi. A pleasure for you to make it," the queen stated. "I feel like I need to. Listen, it's about the Royal Ball last night, it -" "The destroyed balcony. Yes, and my granddaughter did mention something about some demonic hooligans," the queen said. Seitenshi was a little humbled, but continued anyway. "Yes, they were there. You also know that we need to figure out a course of action against these creatures. We can't allow these to continue being a threat to the citizens," Seitenshi made clear. A suggestion any leader would consider for his or her people in such situations like these. The queen nodded in agreement. "Considering how they managed to destroy my property with relative ease, I quite agree. But how to proceed? If the local population learn about this kind of activity. ..." The queen trailed off on that thought, but her point was clear. Local panic would be immediate if they find demons attacking the highest of elites. "We can always try to call the king of Amestris. I must say, it's been a long time," Victoria suggested. But the queen shook her head. "There's no need to bring other countries involved in this matter so soon, dear. We don't know how dangerous the matter even is yet," the queen brought up. Victoria looked slightly disappointed but had to agree with her on that. "The threat level is pretty high by what happened. They nearly killed me, Victoria, and a number of other guests last night in one attempt, not to mention destroyed apart of your house in one move," Seitenshi informed, remembering her experience. "Speaking of which, where are those 'guests'? Haven't heard much of them since our little get together last night," Victoria wondered, slightly interested in them a bit. That group seemed to know a bit more than they do, anyway. Before any of them could answer however, there was another visitor to the palace, who a guard also escorted to the throne room. It was no stranger exactly, but instead it was Ciel Phantomhive. The kid had arrived with similar intentions as Seitenshi had. "I assure you, they're alright now," Ciel started. "Phantomhive. A bit unexpected," the queen stated. "And without your butler," added Victoria. Seitenshi watched Ciel invite himself in, heading right up and standing alongside Seitenshi. The queen didn’t tell him to leave, and allowed him in. "He’s currently busy at the moment," Ciel stated just before he stopped. When Seitenshi took a closer look at Ciel’s face, she did begin to sense a bit of an odd sense of Deja Vu from him. Did she see him somewhere before? Ciel kept his formal attitude in front of the queen. "I can see both of you are alright after last night’s excursion," Ciel stated, referring to Seitenshi and Victoria personally. Victoria smiled warmly to Ciel (or it looked warmly anyway). "And I see you’re not enjoying your own crossdressing, Phantomhive." NOT something Ciel wanted to just get blabbered on about. Still, Ciel tried to keep a straight face, despite a crimson color forming on his cheeks. Seitenshi stayed quiet, but she was starting to figure out why Ciel looked familiar now. ... "I-I wouldn’t call it as such." "Then how would you consider it? Gender-swapping perhaps?" Victoria teased. "Some other time you two, we have other matters to attend," the queen said, ending their chat before it could escalate, much to Ciel’s relief. This was not the time for two kids to argue about crossdressing, especially when they both were nearly killed last night. Seitenshi cleared her throat to get their attention now. "Whatever decision is going to be made, I believe it can’t be limited to just London alone: I’ve been getting reports of activities like these back in Tokyo. I have a feeling something bigger is going on here," Seitenshi informed, remembering the reports over in Tokyo about hellhounds, Jizos, and other matters of such. If demonic activity was happening in both spots like this, then it couldn’t be just a coincidence at this point. The queen thought on this revelation, and soon started to turn over to Ciel. "Phantomhive. Anything about that task I've given you?" the queen asked. "Unfortunately no. Dozens had gone missing since I’ve started, including my own butler, but I’ve yet to figure out where they’ve gone to. ... My apologies." "Don’t be. In fact, it’s best you told me anyway. ..." The room was quiet for a moment, Ciel, Seitenshi, and Victoria waiting on the queen’s word on what should be done. They can suggest whatever they want, but it came down to the queen on final conclusions. Eventually, the queen finally got the idea hatched in her head. "Protection." "Huh?" "Seems clear that these forces are becoming more frequent, and if so, then the public is all at high risk. Seitenshi. How does a protection agreement sound to you? With combined efforts from the UK and Japanese forces, perhaps both sides can have a better chance in keeping such threats at bay. I’m sure, with some proper training and explanation, then any demons that would appear in London, Tokyo, or otherwise would have more than enough trouble when facing our forces." "I couldn’t think of anything better. But we should keep it from the public." "Oh, of course. We’ll keep this in military services, between us, and not beyond that. ... With the exception of this group of guests. As Victoria here has told me, it seems that those normal kids have a deeper involvement than either of us would anticipate," the queen hypothesized. With the Homunculus’s behavior towards those kids, she might have a point. The decision did feel a little bit mixed for Ciel. Him, being an owner of a demon butler, and being acquaintances with a witch, and Magi. Then again, it really depends on where the agreement goes from there. Either way, Seitenshi concealed the agreement in a handshake with the queen, Ciel and Victoria watching from afar. "I’ll start preparations the minute I return home. Thank you." "And thank you for your cooperation. It might take some convincing, but it sounds to me it’ll be easier back in your corner of the world." Once the decision was made, she then turned over to Ciel standing nearby. "Phantomhive, you try and inform those other guests about the matter. See what you can figure out with them." "Assuredly, my lord," Ciel replied, and started to walk off out of the room. With this protection agreement starting to come underway, it will only be a matter of time before they will see how much it will effect both countries. ~~ Three days came and went since this was decided. With the information about this protection agreement now official to both sides of the military call, things were starting to get interesting for many a soldier, guard, or otherwise involved with the situation. Seitenshi stayed with the queen for working out the details in said operation from the palace. Just because an agreement was met, doesn’t mean everything was sorted out, and that was something both London and Tokyo needed to consider one way or another. As for Ciel, the time gave him time to explain the situation back to Nagisa, and his friends (Twilight being the only exception to that). A sort of mixed reaction did come from hearing such news, in particular the fact that a set of strong rulers of the human world were aware of the demon activity now, but they did relax when Ciel said they’ll keep it quiet from public hearing which was something they REALLY wanted to avoid. With their friend missing, hysteria in the community wouldn’t make things any better. Any Demon, Homunculus, or whichever would need to watch it from here on out. Aladdin and Nagisa both took the time to go out for a while, and leave the others back at the hotel for some extra time to look around for Twilight. Nagisa honestly had been the most troubled ever since Twilight first left, and he’d been looking around more than the others had been. Since he was his closest pal since coming to the human world, Aladdin too had been looking around alongside him, for the sake of helping his friend. At the moment, the duo went farther away from the more populated areas of London, and towards the outskirts of the place. They’ve been checking up and down the more common areas already, so what other spots to even go out and check? Not as many people were out here, and just as well, this left Nagisa and Aladdin some more freedom in their search. "Aladdin? ... Do you really think we’ll ever find her?" Nagisa finally asked, after a bit of silence. "Of course we will, she couldn’t have wandered off too far," Aladdin assured, as he glanced down an alleyway in between the resident buildings, only to find no one. Nagisa was starting to wonder if Aladdin was just saying that or not. "We hadn’t seen her in weeks now. I’m starting to think something might’ve happen to her." "Didn’t that creepy Undertaker say she’s still alive?" "Who said she was dead, Aladdin? She could be lost, or even captured for all we know. She would never just run off on anyone like this. ... Never. ..." Nagisa stayed quiet after he got that out. The thought of one of his old friends captured by some horrid demon scum gave him shivers. The things they’d do if they had her in custody. Aladdin started to worry himself too on what they would do, but he tried to stay optimistic about it, resting a hand on Nagisa’s shoulder. "Nagisa Shiota. I promise, we’ll find her. She’ll be safe and sound, and we’ll bring her right back the minute we find her, okay?" Aladdin promised, trying to cheer Nagisa up. If there was one thing Aladdin was good at, is cheering up his friends with some good-hearted words. Nagisa smiled to him, and Aladdin looked on ahead. ... "Yugure. ..." "Yes, that's -" "No. Nagisa, look!" Nagisa, although a little hushed, sounded a bit excited in his tone, and Nagisa went on to look ahead. The path up ahead didn’t look much different from the rest of the sidewalk they’ve been going down, but up ahead both Nagisa and Aladdin met up in what they see. The sidewalk ahead of them lead past one of the consignment shops, and someone began to head out, coming into view. The figure looked a bit scruffy, a different outfit from the norm, but the second they saw her purple hair and eyes, there was no mistaking her. "... Twi ... Twilight?" Nagisa quietly stated. Aladdin just managed to hear Nagisa state that name, but before Aladdin could say anything, Nagisa was already heading straight for her. She looked right over to them, and sure enough, she quickly recognized them too. "Nagisa?" "Twilight! It's you!" Nagisa beamed, hugging his old friend. Nagisa couldn't thank the gods enough for finally finding her. Aladdin couldn't be happier too, seeing Nagisa happy for the first time in weeks. "Twilight, I thought I'd never see that face again. Where've you been?" Nagisa asked, overjoyed as he could ever be. However, when he saw Twilight's face, her reaction to seeing him and Aladdin were ... more mixed, to say the least. "I've been practicing alchemy. D-Didn't that note tell you?" Twilight got out, acting like it wasn't that big of a deal. Nagisa felt a little humbled that this note was ACTUALLY right after all, but he was just glad that Twilight was still okay all the same. Nagisa regained himself, and released Twilight from the hug. "Oh ... that was really what you were doing." "Uh. Yeah." "Who's Twilight? I thought we're looking for Yugure." Aladdin suddenly cut in. Only then did Nagisa realize what he called out at this point. Nagisa just stayed quiet, embarrassed that he just blabbered that nickname out like that. "Uh ... It uh ..." "It's a special nickname. I let people close to me call me that," Twilight said, humbled herself. She may have not expected them to find her, but she was glad to see some familiar faces again after such a long time. ....... "YUGURE!!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!" AND the reaction back at the hotel was a bit more overboard. Pinkie Pie cried tears of joy, hugging Twilight tightly to the point Twilight felt like her eyes would pop out. Least Twilight can say that they missed her too, and VERY good they all weren't hugging her with Pinkie. Karma and Blair were happy too. "Nice. To see. You too," Twilight choked out. Luckily Blair got Pinkie's attention, and the gal loosened her grip on Twilight, the purple girl falling backwards onto the bed, trying to regain her breath. As she did that, Aladdin sat down next to her. "It's great to see you back. Hey, you said you were practicing alchemy, right? What did you learn?" Aladdin asked, very interested. "Yeah, show us what you can do," Blair added. Nice that they decided to take on that subject right away instead of going deeper into why she left. With her book in hand, she turned the pages to the one, and at this point, only successful magic she managed to pull off. She got up, and it took her a bit to get her act together, putting on the gloves with the new diamond symbols. Since she did it on a candle though, she really didn't know how to handle it directly, but she clapped her hands anyway as she did before ... Then they started to glow. "Whoa, wait a minute, not yet," Twilight said, worried that it would wreck her gloves. Instead, when her hands separated, a violet sphere floated in between her hands. This one was more purple than her first try, but the non-heated light floating in her hands still got the others interested, Aladdin especially. It was unintended, but at least nothing got destroyed this time around. "WHOOOOA, you made a glow thingy!" Pinkie commented, eyes sparkling with stars. "It's a aura orb!" Aladdin said, equally excited about it. Twilight held it in her hands, keeping it at a steady level so nothing would go wrong with it. "Weeks of disappearing, and you only managed to make that?" "I just got this right this morning, give me a break. I've been fiddling with the others, but this was the only one I got right," Twilight explained. The others were glad Twilight finally was getting somewhere, but Karma obviously found this a bit suspicious. Weeks on end and that is what she got to show for it? Karma went right up to her, hand on her shoulder. "OK, Yugure, enough with that," Karma stated, Twilight stopping her magic show right then and there. Karma leaned in at her side, so he was eye-level with her. "So, what have you been really up to?" "Really? Up to?" "Yugure, be real: you've been gone for weeks, ISOLATING yourself, and none of us had heard a damn word out of your mouth. Not to mention it happened not too long after our little game when Ciel got himself captured like a little damsel. ..." Well, Twilight didn't know what to do now. They all waited for what she had to say, but Twilight didn't know if she should tell them straight out or not, especially after Hellgar's sickening warning. Any mess up now, and her friends were all on the chopping block ... "What really happened?" Karma repeated. Twilight looked around at every face in the room, each one waiting for Twilight to answer. She could feel the pressure around her. She'd been away for far too long for that white lie to work. ... "I WAS CONNED!" Twilight shouted, surprising everyone in the room. "Conned?" "Another demon found me after we saved Ciel. He tried to get me to spy on you, so I had to keep away from everyone! That way when he found me I wouldn't know anything and I couldn't betray anyone! It was awful. ..." Now it was out. Twilight finally got the actual situation out to the rest of the group around her. Well, that explains everything far as they were concern, Twilight going out into tears about the whole thing. Admitting the problem just reminded her of the many threats that Hellgar shoved into her head, and it began to show in the tears forming on her face. That just made the others feel a little rough themselves. "Oh, Yugure. ... Don't worry, you're safe now," Nagisa said. "We'll keep you safe from this demon," Aladdin agreed. "YES-indeedie! That meanie won't mess with you anymore!" Pinkie added in. Twilight was quiet, but a smile did show up on her face despite the tears coming down. At least she had her friends now, unlike before, even if Hellgar would show up again. ... Show up again ... "Wait, what am I thinking of? He told me to meet him at the Victorian Tower tonight. If I don't show up, we know where he'll come to look for me," Twilight brought up. Better to have them aware of the danger than to just leave it on that kind of note. The others took a moment, looking back and forth to one another. ... "Then let him come." ~~ *crash* Another sound of yet another dish being splattered on the floor back at Phantomhive manor. Things honestly hadn't gone very smoothly there since Sebastian had been up and gone, and the evidence shows time and time again. Ciel was honestly taking it rather hard. Being a young earl and all, most actions around the manor were done with pure efficiency by his butler, but with him gone things had been put a little bit slower, not to mention more troublesome. Just hearing the noises, and pleads from the other people just outside his office made Ciel stressed out more than anything. At least with Sebastian around, he could lend them a hand and clean things up, but with him absent, well, the results were unpleasing. In his office, Ciel tried to calm himself down when Tanaka stepped in, tea cup in hand as per usual and a tray of something else for Ciel. "Please tell me that wasn't another dish I just heard," Ciel groaned, at this point hoping that it really was him just hearing things. "My apologies my lord. Mey-Rin and Grell are cleaning it up as we speak," said Tanaka. The young child groaned again, his head now on the table. Tanaka took a few steps into the office, and stood by Ciel's side, similar to how Sebastian would. "I do apologize for Sebastian's absence." "Where did that pathetic butler go? This is unheard of for Sebastian," Ciel wondered allowed. Never before had Sebastian just went off on him in such a way like this. Not a single hint, clue, or whatever, just gone. "There, there my young lord. I'm more than sure Sebastian will come back around one of these days. I don't blame you for worrying over -" "I'm not worrying over him!" Ciel suddenly protested. Tanaka quickly regained himself as Ciel also regained. "Things went a lot smoother while he was here. I'm going to give him a good telling off the second he steps through that door," Ciel said, sounding angry. With how much trouble was going on, even excluding the trouble with the other servants in the manor, stress was understandable on the young lord, Tanaka seeing that easily with Ciel here. He still was a kid all the same, in spite of his maturity and all. Still, Tanaka did bring something else in for him, and presented some desserts for Ciel. "I thought some of your favorite sweets would calm your nerves, my young lord," Tanaka said. With that, he quietly walked off on his way to help the others out with their trouble, leaving Ciel to nibble on some of the cookies left for him. A nice little snack, but it didn't help the issue aside from some stress eating on Ciel's part. He only got through about five of the dozen of cookies when ... "ACK!" "Now what?" Ciel said, almost in a stressed growl. The young earl got up from his seat, and went right on outside his office, following the sounds of strained chokes over to the next room, only to find Grell. ... Well, finding Grell in a noose, that is. "What're you doing now?" Ciel asked, Mey-Rin, Tanaka, and Bardroy coming in behind him to see Grell up there. "I do believe I'm in the process of dying, master Ciel," Grell choked out. Normally this would panic anyone, but this was Grell, and Ciel had grown a little too used to this. "Get him down, somebody," Ciel instructed, the others scrambling to get him down before his neck would break. He was going through enough trouble, a suicide attempt was not going to fix anything for him. As they were busy with that, Ciel took a walk out of his manor and to the front garden. He had a lot on his plate: Sebastian missing, the protection agreement, and these involvements with Nagisa's group and the Homunculus. That alone was a bit rough, even with Sebastian for company, but with him away he was left more alone than he'd like, despite the other servants inside the manor helping him out as much as they could. These days had been rather messy, to say the least. "... Sebastian. ..." ~~ And now, it was nightfall. Things seemed awfully quiet for the hotel, not a sound to be heard anywhere in the room. The night may be cloudy, but moonlight still found its way to creep into the room. Laying on the bed, sound asleep it seemed, Twilight went on to rest her mind in one of the beds. Strange though, the rest of the room felt oddly quiet, not another soul in there. Not in the second bed, nor by her own. Just her there, with only the company of the night wind and distant sounds of London. Resting soundly, alchemy book by her side, as if she was back at the other hotel at the outskirts. Truth be told, Twilight was anticipating what would be going on, and once more she wasn't alone. "Yugure." "Here we go," Twilight thought. Twilight opened one eye to check her surroundings, but couldn't see anything anywhere. She glanced by her bed, over by the window, over by the door, but no sign anywhere. Regardless though, her nerves were up. Then came the saliva. Looking up from the bed, her midnight visitor began to reveal himself, slowly crawling out from what looked like some pocket portal in the wall. His eyes burned with a red hue, steaming saliva dripping from his sharp, serrated teeth. Hellgar had arrived, and this hellhound was NOT pleased at all. Twilight stayed still, with Hellgar moving in more and more until he was fully into the room. Even with the dim light, Hellgar wasn't by any means invisible to Twilight's eyes. The girl sat up in bed to face Hellgar again. "So, my dear, dear Twilight. I didn't see you at the Victorian Tower. ... That, and here you are, hiding." "No. No," Twilight quietly said, Hellgar leaning in. "I should warn you: a Houndoom's bite is beyond lethal. Once my species attacks hit and tear, the wounds will never heal. One bite out of you, and all that will be left of you is a pool of blood. ... That is, if you actually have anything for me this time. ..." "... Yes. Yes I do," Twilight stated. Hellgar smiled wickedly, and sat down on the bed, on Twilight's legs. "Well then? It's about time you came around. Now, what. Do. You. Have?" It all happened rather quick now: Twilight suddenly gave a good and strong whistle, one that Hellgar immediately jumped to. And he wasn't the only one either; the rest of her friends charged at him, appearing from the shadows! Hellgar didn't have time to even comprehend when they jumped him, Pinkie tackling the demon hound off the bed first. Hellgar came alive in a fit of barks, snarls, and thrashes as the others tried to keep him still. Pinkie gripped hard on his shoulders, but Karma really made a difference when he gripped Hellgar's neck to keep his head still, holding him down in a manor like a gator angler would to a crocodile. Soon enough, Karma and Pinkie both were sitting on top of the demon dog, Karma keeping his hands firm on the back of Hellgar's neck. When the lights came back on in the room they all got the better picture, Nagisa helping Twilight up. Hellgar tried to get them off, but he was just stuck under them altogether. "Damn it, damn it. Get your fat asses off of me!" Hellgar demanded. "Hey, my booty's awesome, thank you!" Pinkie snapped. "Yeah, not a chance hellhound," Karma said. After a while, Hellgar decided to reserve his energy and stop thrashing around for now. Aladdin, Nagisa, Twilight and Blair have him a good look over. "Is this him, Yugure?" Nagisa asked. "Oh yeah, you got him. Thanks guys for the help," Twilight replied. Hellgar snarled at them again, but as he looked each one of them over, his eyes then drifted over to Blair, who felt uneasy the whole time on seeing him. Could be her being a cat and him being a dog, but worth mentioning. ... "YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DESTROYED MY HOUSE!" Blair revealed, an accusing finger aimed directly at the hound in question. A rather unexpected surprise, as Hellgar snapped his jaws at Blair, but not reaching her. "Still pissed off about that, are you?" Hellgar growled. "Careful hound, we're armed up," Karma warned, though Hellgar wasn't so easily intimidated. "You pathetic slugs think you can even scratch me? I'd rather be at the manor than deal with any of you right now!" "The hell are you talking about?" Karma questioned. Hellgar tried to look back as best he could. "Like I need to tell you." "TALK, BITCH." Instead of actually complying, the hellhound finally found his feet, and with a powerful push, Karma and Pinkie both were tossed off of him, landing down onto the floor. Hellgar was more mobile now, but Aladdin got a shield up just fast enough to avoid any attack from the hellhound. It was just enough to block off Hellgar from the others, and Hellgar wasn't strong enough to take that out of the way. "You humans can't listen to anything, can you? Yugure, you just had ONE job, and I'd left you alone, and you can't even get that right!" Hellgar scolded, pressing his front paws against the surface of their shield. The hellhound was especially ticked off now, and they all can see it. "She doesn't have to listen to you! Why'd you pick her anyway?" Nagisa questioned. "Just following orders, scum. If I had the choice I'd kill you all right now!" "Who's orders?" Questioned Aladdin. Hellgar paused there, and quickly got himself together. A screw up on his part, to be sure. After a quick shake of the head, Hellgar stepped back. "I'm not telling you anything. I don't need to. But one of you better give me something to work with before I scorch you!" Hellgar roared, embers blasting out for good measure. None of them wanted to say a thing to this guy, and the shield easily deflected the embers launched at them. Basically they were captive: the second Aladdin's shield goes down, Hellgar would make them into nothing but ashes. Something like this was what Twilight wanted to avoid the most, with her friends in danger thanks to Hellgar. What to do? ... "Okie dokie, how about a trade?" Said a familiar voice. All of them, Hellgar included, turned to Pinkie Pie the second she said that. Of course Hellgar wasn't buying it for a second. "A trade?" "Yep! We got questions too: you tell us we'll tell you, deal?" "WHAA?!" The others gasped. Was Pinkie serious?! Here they were, almost getting roasted, and she was willing to tell him everything. Still, Hellgar found this interesting. "You go first. Depending on what you say, maybe I'll get mine out." Hellgar said. Before anyone could stop her ... "Okie-dokie-lokie: my friend got this fancy show in a dream and we got here to London, and we all had a super time at the Royal Ball where mean Homunculus tried to kill us, and president of Tokyo plus the queen granddaughter, and they gave a protecto agreement for any future meanies to pop up like you. Just like that." Her chat ended with a big smile on her face, most of her friends freaked out on what she just blabbered on about. Hellgar paused for a bit to take it in, especially that last part. Eventually he grew a devilish grin on his face. "See Yugure, it's not THAT hard. Now, if you excuse me -" "Nah ah ah! Your turn doggy," Pinkie cut in. Hellgar though was already over at the window. "Really? You really think I'd actually follow - AH!" And Pinkie jumped him again. This time she suddenly stepped on his tail, and pulled it hard until it was in front of his eyes. Pinkie still had her smile on her face, which made the sudden assault a little more unsettling. Hellgar tried to blast fire at her, but Pinkie quickly wrapped his own tail around his mouth like a noose. Smoke bellowed out of his nostrils and lips as he tried to get it loose. With his paw, he actually went as far as to slice his tail off! "I don't like people who lie to me. It's not nice," Pinkie said, still smile on her face. "What just happened?" Twilight whispered. "You should've seen her at the ball," commented Nagisa. "MMMMM mmmMM!" Hellgar gagged, words unable to figure out normally. Pinkie somehow understood, and loosened the tail around his muzzle. "You're damn lucky I can regrow my tail." "Now your deal, please? Pretty please?" Pinkie said, sounding innocent enough. Hellgar rolled his eyes, and just groaned. "Fine. ... My boss's name is King Sombra, current ruler of Tartarus. He's the one who tasked me here. ... Happy now, bitch?" Hellgar growled. Not too much information, but it was safe enough far as Hellgar was concern. After all, they never met him face to face far as he knew. Apparently that was enough for them, and Pinkie got the tail off of him. It made more sense than what Pinkie's own words were. But Hellgar wasn't done here. Soon as he got more freedom, he used it to tackle Pinkie, his horns ramming her right in her stomach, and slamming the girl harshly into the wall! "PINKIE!" Gasped Aladdin, as Pinkie fell to the ground. Hellgar grabbed Pinkie and threw her at the others, the girl landing on Twilight and Karma, just before bolting out the window. None of the others could catch him, the hellhound moved that fast, and by the time Nagisa and Aladdin got to the window, Hellgar was gone completely. And just in time. ... "Is everything okay in there?" called a voice from the otherside of their door, sound a little frazzled. After a quick hide-away on Blair and Aladdin's part, in came a passing room attendant of the hotel, only coming in to find Pinkie bruised, and on the floor. The others didn't know what to say to this person. "Oh my god, what happened?!" the attendant gasped, helping Pinkie up to her feet. How were they supposed to tell him what really happened in here, especially with such a cracked up mess on the wall. Lucky for them, fast-thinking Karma and planning Twilight already had a pre-plan in case the encounter ended up getting attention. "A robber got into our room from the window. We drove him off, but that bastard slammed our friend before we could," explained Karma, as Twilight helped Pinkie Pie up to her feet. The pink girl was sore, a bit dazed, but nothing too serious apart from blunt force itself to her stomach. The attendant helped Pinkie Pie as well, and Pinkie was put over onto the bed. The attendant looked over to the wall, freaked out from seeing that. What kind of thief had THAT kind of strength?! Well, as they handled Pinkie Pie, Nagisa glanced outside to the window where Hellgar had jumped out. "Sombra, huh?" S04Ep10: New Year Bloom ~新年の花~Blair, as a cat, was taking a snooze over on Karma's couch when Karma said the news out loud. It had been a bit quiet though for her tastes, as she hadn't heard a thing out of Karma in about an hour. "Nyaa, Karma, what's keeping you?" Blair yawned, before she got up and hopped off the couch. She really wanted to do something, and Karma was the closest person in the house. So, she went right from the couch and right up to Karma's room. Maybe Karma could spice up her day. "Karma.~ I'm bored, can we - ... what the?" Well, Blair didn't expect this. Looking in just outside Karma's door, the redhead bad boy was ... looking over dresses. He had two supposed dresses on hangers, and he was actually comparing them both in a mirror, one a lighter red and the other a darker red. A bit of a favor by Pinkie Pie, who actually left him the present earlier that day, so he might as well at least try something here. His behavior here was so ... foreign to Blair, as Karma turned to her. "Oh, Blair, hey. Say, which one you think fits me more? I'm leaning towards the blood red one myself," Karma said, holding up the dresses. Blair just stared wide-eyed. "... You cross-dress?" Karma got two and two together pretty quickly. "Oh right, you never heard of the New Years festival have ya? Here, Pinkie got you one of these too," Karma said, pulling out a similar dress for Blair to wear, this one deep dark purple. Blair got covered in the thing, but as funny as it would be for Karma to be in a dress, it was still confusing. "New Years Festival? What's that about, and what does it got to do with these dresses?" Blair asked, pulling herself out from under the dress. "First off, they're kimono garments not dresses, and second, you'll figure it out this weekend. Besides, everyone in our group's gonna have one, so why fight it?" Karma explained, comparing the kimonos again until he decided on the blood red and left the lighter red one on the bed. Blair started to think about it a little bit, and then realized something. "So that means Nagisa's going to embrace his inner girl again?" Blair giggled, envisioning Nagisa in one of those Kimonos, and acting cute and pretty. Karma realized what she meant, and a cheeky smirk got on his face. "Ciel's gonna relive the glory days too," Karma stated, imagining him alongside Nagisa in a similar way, as mischievous about the thought as Blair was. "Remind me to bring my camera." ....... It had been a while since the group had actually chilled out since Lugia's Future Sight gave Nagisa the visions. It had kept them on edge for quite sometime, but now that they all were handled, it finally gave them all some time to chill out and let things calm down for now. For Nagisa, he took the time to rest up back at home, taking a nap on his couch after going through everything that had happened. His crazy run in with the Homunculus and demons during his disguise affair gave him more than enough of a reason to try and calm down. As Nagisa was doing that, Aladdin was quietly playing the vessel like the instrument it was shaped off. It didn't bother Nagisa much, and in fact helped him rest a bit, left with his inner monologues. "Nice for Aladdin to be playing that thing. Seriously it would be too quiet after everything that happened, I wouldn't be able to even relax right now. It's almost been an entire year, and so much had happened to me and my friends. Homunculus, Phantomhive, the Elric Brothers, these Tartarus Demons, the Angels of Elysium. And to think we're still not over yet. Those bounties Celestia tasked us to, Winry Armstrong joining us, Bradley and Selim being Homunculus, Lugia still being out there somewhere, not to mention Sombra would probably be pissed off when he figures out what I took. ... Wow. Is this really what being a main character feels like? So much accomplished, and yet so much left to do. ..." *beep**beep**beep* And then off went his phone. Luckily, Aladdin went off to answer it and allowed Nagisa to stay quiet and resting. "Hello? ... Yeah he's here, he's trying to chill out. ... Huh? Really? This weekend? Uh I dunno, I've never heard how that works, plus it's two days away, so - ... Oh. Well, I guess I'll ask him, are you going? ... Yeah, Pinkie would do that. she's just trying to make you happy. ... With a history like yours why wouldn't anyone?" "Who're you talking to, Aladdin?" Nagisa finally asked, turning over to see him talking on the phone. "It's Ciel. He's asking if you're going to be doing anything for the New Years Festival this weekend," Aladdin explained. Nagisa looked a little surprised, but it only reminded him just how much had been done in one year. "It's the end of the year already? Wow. Well, sure, no way I'm going to miss it. Tell him I'll be there," Nagisa said. "He says he's going to be there. ... Ok then. Alright, see you then," after chatting with Ciel, he went on and ended the call. Sometimes it was hard to really figure out someone like Ciel Phantomhive, and at least with someone like Pinkie it was less suspicious and more cute. Aladdin sat down over by Nagisa. "Sounds like a lot of fun," Aladdin said. "It's okay to do, especially when nighttime comes. You see, a New Years -" "I know what it is." "Oh, you do?" "Yeah, Heine told me about it one time when we were hearing explosions under Synapse. It sure kept us up for the night." "He's talking about the fireworks, I bet. With how much light and noise they make on New Years, I'm not surprised," Nagisa thought, just thinking about the yearly fireworks set off for the New Years celebration each year. "Anyway," Aladdin then added in, "Since this is my first new years in the human world, I can actually take part. ... Uh, is the any rules I should know about?" Aladdin's question was met with some humbleness on his part, him playing with his fingers as he was asking. Nagisa had been to the celebration more than enough times, he knew the ins and outs on how the New Years Festival works. So, he sat up and smiled to his magi friend. "I'll get you ready. We could use some fun." ~~ For the next two days up to the weekend event, things had been a bit busy for them as things would have it. Even after what had been going on with the world, something like this was something no one in Japan would even dare to pass up in anyway, and in Tokyo it was no different, as with each passing hour of the combined twenty eight hours, the New Years Festival was now up and running. The first ones to begin the New Years tradition was Aladdin and Nagisa, though they both were sure that the others weren't going to be too far behind them, considering the festival wasn't too far away from the urban Tokyo district. Both Nagisa and Aladdin got their own respected Kimono, both blue and fitting them nicely. As they flew along, one would think that the festival itself would be the first spot, but that morning Nagisa had a different idea, and they both instead landed in a more natural area of Tokyo. Eventually they both landed gently over nearby the destination. The place had little people there, despite it being the early morning of this year's last day, and the area in question appeared to be some sort of Japanese shrine. "So is this the place?" "Yeah, you got it. Come on," Nagisa said, getting up and starting to walk over towards the shrine. Aladdin followed behind, but he was a bit tired still. "I know this is a Japanese custom and all, but why do we have to do it so early?" Aladdin yawned. "I just want to show you how this works before the big crowds come, that's all," Nagisa said. A reasonable answer. It didn't take either of them very long until they reached the shrine itself. They were met by a large arch, and over nearby looked like a sort of display for ... well, something, Aladdin wasn't sure. Looking like wooden blocks to him with some words on them. It was there where they arrived to first, both he and Aladdin holing some of those with them. "Guess they got a few started already. Ok, Aladdin, did you bring your Votive Tablet?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin nodded, and showed Nagisa his tablet in hand, which he wrote down himself. Nagisa also got his own, and they both looked for a spot to hang theirs up. "Uh ... there," Nagisa said, hanging his up over at the very center. Hanging there in kanji writing: I hope the future for me, my friends, and everyone of the three worlds will be great and wonderful. A future he would surely hope to keep with what's been happening and what had been done so far. "You know, even with all that has happened, it's nice to get back to some good ol' tradition. I do hope this does come true though. Sure, the demons may be causing problems, but they're not all bad," Nagisa thought, looking at the votive tablet he just hung up. A simple message on the future, yet still one that felt like should be something to hope for. A bright, happy future for everyone. After that, he turned over to see Aladdin trying to find a spot to hang his tablet, until eventually hanging his up just underneath Nagisa's. When Nagisa read it though, he felt his face fluster a little bit. I wish for Twilight and Nagisa to live a happy life together. "You like it? You told me you kissed Twilight before, I thought this will help," Aladdin said with a smile. Nagisa couldn't get mad at someone like Aladdin, yet that statement and his Votive Tablet reminded Nagisa of that particular moment, the moment flashing through his mind. "That kiss. ... I hadn't heard much from Twilight since that happened. Did I go too far?" That thought made Nagisa shiver. He didn't want to make Twilight wary of him because of that, not at all, but without much word about her since he did that. Then again, the tablet was promising a happy future for them both, so, Nagisa just got it under wraps. He didn't want to ruin the whole day because of it, especially so early. He'll figure it out eventually, but for now, it was time for the shrine itself. "Thoughtful, thanks. Now for the shrine," Nagisa said, he and Aladdin heading over to the shrine itself. How disrespectful would it be to not lend prayers while they're visiting here. "So now what? do we put another tablet?" "No, we give our prayers and wishes. Here, watch me," Nagisa said. He turned over to the shrine, and brought his hands together, and started his prayers in silence. Little Aladdin waited to hear anything to do, but Nagisa stayed oddly silent. "He's got his hands together. Wait, is this an Alchemy trick?!" Aladdin thought, his eyes sparkling on the idea. However, there wasn't really a clue that this was actually Alchemy being used, or any sort of magic for that matter. After a little bit more, Nagisa had finished with his wish, but it left Aladdin confused still. "There, that's it." "... What's it? The Alchemy?" Aladdin asked. Nagisa glanced to his hands, and then started to chuckle. "No, no, it's not alchemy. It's just making a wish to the spirits to receive. Here, you try it," Nagisa offered. "But you didn't say anything." "You're not supposed to say your wish during the prayers, otherwise they won't hear you," Nagisa said, remembering the ritual. Aladdin seemed to get it from there. "OOOHHH, Telepathy. Ok, give me a second," Aladdin said. It wasn't telepathy exactly, but so long as Aladdin did it right, guess it didn't matter. Aladdin brought his hands together and started his own number of wishes to the shrine, and to the supposed telepathic spirits who would be listening. If Nagisa could do it, surely he could. Eagerly he went through them and thought over what wishes to do until he eventually got through one of them. ... "Hey, Aladdin, Nagisa," said Blair. Looked like they weren't the only ones who decided to come here. It wasn't everyone, but a fairly good amount: Karma, Blair, Sebastian, Ciel, and ... Twilight. They all were in their respected Kimonos, all in their respected colors as well. Nagisa smiled when he saw them, but Aladdin looked completely shocked. "Hey guys, coming before the crowds too?" Nagisa asked, rubbing the back of his head as the wide-eyed Magi glanced between the group and the shrine in absolute amazement. "Correct. A pleasure to see you as well, Nagisa," Sebastian said. "Blair, you got to try this! You pray your wish and it grants it!" Aladdin suddenly said, super psyched about it with stars in his eyes, grabbing and pulling Blair by the arm to try it out. "Whoa, whoa, really?" Blair asked, trying to not get dragged on the ground. "I just did it and it worked! I wished for you guys to come here just moments ago, and look who's here! Come on, you should try it!" Aladdin insisted. Guess those two would be busy with the shrine for a little bit, as Nagisa dealt with the rest of the group. "So is this one of the required customs, Nagisa?" "Well yeah, praying to the spirits should give us a good year, you might as well." "Not what I meant. ..." It was then Ciel looked to the kimono he was wearing, Nagisa quickly getting the idea. It was Karma though that started to get cheeky. "Come on, those dresses fit you and Nagisa like a glove. No surprise," Karma teased. Ciel got flustered, but tried to keep his pride. "You should thank your lucky stars that this is customary for this New Years Festival of yours," Ciel griped. "Now, let's not get irritated straight away, my lord. Come, let's give our respects at the shrine for the moment, shall we?" Sebastian suggested. So he, Ciel, and Karma slipped by Nagisa, and soon it was him and Twilight alone for the moment. Oh boy, he knew he was going to have to get this handled eventually, but at least it was in the morning and not too late. Twilight and Nagisa didn't know what to really say at first, considering their last main encounter involved ... well, a kiss. "... Morning. Nagisa. ... Nice kimono." "Oh, uh this old thing? ... Well, thanks. You too. ..." BOY this was awkward for them, and they both knew why as well. Nagisa tried to get it out of his mind. "So, where's the others? Ed, Al, Pinkie?" "Oh them? They're all working with the staff for the festival. Pinkie couldn't help herself," Twilight admitted. That was Pinkie for ya, and when there was a celebration to be had, she was surely going to get involved in making it work. "Yeah that's her. ... So, uh ... How're things going?" Nagisa asked. Twilight knew why he would ask, she hadn't spoke a word to him in a while since the event with the capture, and she just felt pretty shy about it. "Eh, alright. S-Sorry I've kinda stopped ... well you know." "No, no, no, I-it's fine really! ... So ... after here, you want to check on the festival?" "Oh, sure. Might as well." Since Nagisa was done with his wishes already, Twilight went by him and went on to do her own ritual with the shrine, which also included adding her own tablet to the display nearby. Guess Nagisa just had to wait, though he was sure Twilight would at least see Aladdin's tablet. Indeed, Twilight did, and her reaction was pretty much the exact same thing as Nagisa was towards it. And all the while, the two unknowingly had a little audience nearby. "Seriously? The two just kissed and they're still freaking out about the whole thing," Karma quietly noted. "With the circumstances, it's not too surprising," Ciel sympathized. "Sure, but look at them, they're an item together!" insisted Blair, and thinking it over they were indeed correct about that. So much time together, and Nagisa even admitted out that he loved Twilight, that kiss only confirming it for the eyes to see. Karma smirked a Korosensei smirk, and got an idea flowing in his head ... "It's settled then: Let's hook them up." ~~ "And BA-BAM! Look at that!" Back at the actual festival, things were already getting underway. Plenty of the locals were already up and about as morning turned to midday, and as Twilight said, Pinkie was indeed helping out and taking part in it more deeply than many others aside from the staff. In fact, she even got her own time to set up her own little stand to get some yen off her sweets she spent all night baking. Nearby, Ed and Al were lending their own hand in the event, Edward using some of his alchemy to get some stands set up, having set up about six so far, and finishing up the seventh. You have alchemy that fixes things, might as well use it to get some aid. Alphonse was lending some hand too in the interior set up of the final stand, his strength making preparations pretty easy. While Ed and Pinkie were in their kimonos, all provided by Pinkie Pie, the only exception was Alphonse. Too big. "That's the last of them," Alphonse said happily, getting out from behind the stand. A good job well done for the games all set up for the whole place. "Hey, Ed, Al, want a free sample? They're fresh," Pinkie offered, showing them some of her work. At first, they weren't too sure, Edward especially for his brothers sake, but Alphonse didn't want him to feel left out. "It's okay, brother, go ahead." "You sure, Al?" Ed asked. "It's fine, you enjoy yourself," Alphonse insisted. Ed still felt a little reluctant, but in the end he took the free sample of Pinkie Pie's cupcake. Ed took one bite and his eyes shot open. "H-How could a sweet taste this good?!" he thought. The reaction on his face all Pinkie Pie and Alphonse really needed to see to figure out how he took the sweet. Too bad Alphonse couldn't try it himself thanks to his armor body - armor body equals no mouth, and therefore no need to eat even if he wanted to. "It's my secret recipe," Pinkie whispered, Ed honestly taking in each bite, the flavors exploding in his mouth with each bite. No cooking back in Amestris even came close to this. As he was eating his own, the crowds continued going along their way, though some did stop and glance Alphonse's way. As this was going on, another group of friends were heading up and on their way past them: Envy, Nabiku, Nakamura, and Hinano. Why wouldn't they at least try to come in and check things out, and after some convincing, Envy got himself a Kimono, his a bamboo green. Ed, Al, and Pinkie didn't take long to see them. "Hi, Pinkie. Nice to see you're all set up this year," Hinano noted. However, Pinkie's eyes were focused somewhere else, leaving her almost frazzled. Her eyes were focused over with Envy and Nabiku. "You okay?" Al asked, the others a little confused. "Y-You're just the cutest stinking thing," Pinkie squeaked. "This again?" Envy thought. "So, you're checking out the festival too Envy?" Al figured. "Well, I have nothing better to do," said Envy, hands behind his head. Though admittedly he did find it interesting, even by a little bit. Suddenly his face met up with one of Pinkie's cupcakes, which she had another sample at the ready for them, one for each one of them. "Care for a free sample? Free sample for customer," Pinkie offered, the surprise making Nabiku jump. However, it was a pretty nice gesture from her. "Why, thank you Pinkie," said Nabiku, who took the cupcake with a grin on her face. Pinkie was sure pleased, as she gave the sample to Envy and Hinano as well. Nabiku and Hinano took their bite, reaction similar to that of Edward, but Envy felt a little reluctant. "Seriously dude, try it," Nakamura insisted. Envy might as well humor them, and he took a bite out of the treat. ... "W-What the hell? What flavors, I-is this some sort of magic?!" Envy thought, his taste buds never having a chance to taste such a thing before. It was enough to even give him shivers on his body, it was such a surprise for him. What kind of method was Pinkie using in her goods?! Eventually, they had one other guest soon show up from not too far away, cutting off from the earlier group so he could get the others involved with the situation. "There you are, been trying to find you guys. See you're out to play too, aren't you Envy?" "It's Hinano's idea, Karma," Envy insisted, though before Karma could tease any further, Pinkie was suddenly in front of him with a cupcake in hand. "Hey, Karma, wanna cupcake? Free for first customer?" Pinkie said. Karma then smirked. "Oh, sure. In fact, make it two, and some designer's choice by your truly can help too," Karma suggested. "Huh? It's just one," Pinkie said. Karma then gestured her to lean in closer, and he whispered the situation to the pink girl. About five seconds was all she needed to pop back in her stand, and come right back out with an extra cupcake for him, though this one having a blue heart on it. While it was a bit out of nowhere for many of them, but Nakamura found this interesting. "Well, well, well, look what we have here? So who's the lucky gal getting these, you little heartbreaker?" Nakamura teased. "Nice try, but not for me. Nagisa Shiota's got his heart out for that Yugure Kagayaki, and since he's still chicken about it, I'm giving him a little boost," Karma said. Ed, Envy, and Al already knew that, bring there when it happened, but the others did find it interesting to figure out. "So you were right, Envy," Hinano said. "Damn straight, I wouldn't lie about it," Envy said. "Hey, how's Nagisa and Yugure doing anyway? We didn't hear too much out from them," Ed asked. "Aside from being too shy to even look at eachother right, pretty okay," Karma simply stated, finishing up his own cupcake before getting himself ready to head off after Twilight and Nagisa. Nakamura still found it pretty neat herself with this little love game. "So Nagisa and Yugure are becoming an item now?" "It was a kiss: since Nagisa planted one on her mouth-to-mouth, she's been nothing but a hot mess," Karma blabbered on, surprising them even further. However, Nakamura sensed Karma's actual motive here, and a similarly cheeky grin grew on her own face. "I get it. If we could get those two together ..." "We can tease two lovebirds with one stone," confirmed Karma. Both devilish grins shown on both girl and boy. "We'll have a shiny new plaything," they both concluded. So it sounded like Karma had an ally to join him in this personal little game of his, though the others weren't entirely enthused by the reason behind it. "Should we stop them?" Hinano quietly asked. "We'll see what happens," Envy replied. ~~ Meanwhile, the festival continued going underway. Nagisa, Ciel, Aladdin, Twilight, Sebastian and Blair took time after their visit to the shrine to check out the rest of the festival, seeing what they could do during the celebration. Nagisa and Twilight were still a bit distant with eachother as they went along, which was actually starting to bug Aladdin a little bit. "Come on, what's the problem? I mean, they were doing so well before, why can't they get along now?" Aladdin wondered. "Well how would you feel if your friend suddenly gave you a kiss before trying to give himself up?" Ciel asked. "I'd be overjoyed seeing her again, that's what," Aladdin answered, though Ciel wasn't being too serious about getting a legitimate answer from him. "You don't get it at all do you? In case you haven't noticed, love is a rather complicated turn of events for anyone in their lives. You really think it can just happen after one little event like that?" Aladdin was speechless. Was Ciel being true about this? Aladdin tried to think, but so many clues fit in with how they treated each other before, there couldn't be a problem. "I'm so confused," Aladdin replied in a huff, arms crossed. Ciel groaned, hand to forehead. "You can be such a child sometimes." "Wait, but you and I share the same age, don't we?" Aladdin pointed out. "No, don't be silly! ... I turned thirteen two weeks ago," Ciel corrected. Still not too much on him, but Ciel didn't like being called a child in that kind of insulting way. Aladdin still wasn't all convinced about it, and looked back to Nagisa and Twilight again. Both of them were over by one of the stands to get some snacks for their walk around, but they both could hear their conversation more than enough. Both could only slump about it, as they both knew it wasn't going to be dropped anytime soon. Nagisa felt even more troubled about it, since he was the one who gave Twilight the kiss in the first place. "God, what have I done? Come on, you can think of something else," Nagisa thought, feeling flustered again. He can't enjoy the festival if they keep bringing this up, especially with what the subject was about. Twilight could see just how flustered Nagisa was actually being about it too, and while she was a bit uncomfortable with all the gossip, she didn't like seeing Nagisa so bothered. "Pleasant day." "Ok, thank god," Nagisa thought. They looked over, and there walking over to them was Heine, also taking some time to observe and interact with the festival, though unlike many of them he wasn't in a kimono. "Ah, Heine Wittgenstein. Been a while since we last spoke with one another," Sebastian said. "Likewise. I see you're all in the traditional kimonos as well, including you Ciel. Rather interesting tie-in to the tradition, wouldn't you say?" Heine said. "It's not like I'd wanted to, Heine, let's make that clear," Ciel corrected, which was true on his part at least. He couldn't help it though that it was a "required" thing, even if it made him feel a little silly. "Are things going better for you at school, Heine? We haven't heard much since you-know-what happened," asked Nagisa. "It has been a bit fairer; Gakuho gave me an apology after a few days of mental recovery. And I can see your mission went well too, Nagisa?" "It has gone fairly well: he's still alive, and he's even managed to get a hold of one of Sombra's personal atlases during the visit among other things," Sebastian said, giving Nagisa a breath of fresh air from coming up with anything in that regard. "A Underworld Atlas. Those are indeed difficult to come by nowadays," Heine noted. "Told you," Blair commented. "How're you enjoying the festival, sir?" Aladdin then asked, showing Heine the kimono he was wearing for the event. "It's rather interesting. I see you've been given your own kimono?" "Yes I did! guess what, there's this shrine you can visit and it grants wishes for you! I already tried it and look, all my friends are here," Aladdin said with a smile, super psyched about it. "I see." Heine nodded his head, and then began to walk past them. "By the by, I saw Karma and Nakamura earlier today looking for you. I do want to warn you: I believe they're scheming something against you and your friend, Nagisa." "Why wouldn't he?" he and Twilight thought. Why wouldn't Karma try anything malicious after that little venture? Well at least they got a warning about it, and whatever Karma had in mind couldn't be worse than what they've gone through already. After that was shared, Heine went off on his way to check out the shrine. The others were about to go, but Aladdin did find something just inside his collar of the kimono, which looked like a simple letter of sorts. Aladdin. Concerning the Djinn, meet me by the old Orora High School building. Heine. "You forgot to look for your Djinn again, didn't you?" Ciel assumed. "No I didn't, I looked around. I just got distracted by everything that's all," Aladdin insisted. Ciel just sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, you can go and see him. We'll meet up later by the docks, ok?" Twilight said. Aladdin figured it was something important if it involved the Djinn in some way, so he at least had to see Heine about that one. He gave a smile. "Okay, see you guys then. Let me know how it all works out, okay?" and with that, Aladdin ran off to catch up with Heine. They all knew exactly what he was talking about. Again. ~~ Meanwhile, off in another corner of the New Years Festival, Karma, and Nakamura were going around the docks and , to pass the time, checked out some of the extra games to do. After their encounter, they were joined up by Envy, Ed and Al, along with Nabiku and Hinano. The only one who didn't tag along was Pinkie, mainly because she had to deal with her stand. Speaking of stands, there were quite a bit of them lined up along the coast, one of which Envy and Nabiku were actually trying out, which involved some lottery tickets and a few prizes. "Geesh, where could a couple of lovebirds hide?" wondered Karma, looking around the docks. He even had the cupcake in his hands still, ready to find him and have him give it to his other half. "Look, I know you two want to get them hitched, but can you find another reason besides making them your own play thing?" Edward asked. "Yeah, it's nice to get a couple together, but just so you can tease them is a bit selfish," Hinano agreed. "Good enough for us," Nakamura and Karma said. No that didn't help them much out at all, but before they could go any further about it - "Oh MY GOD!" Sounded like Envy was having some trouble nearby. He tried over and over again on the games this stand had to offer, using whatever yen he had on hand to do it, but he just ran dry and he ended up with basically nothing. Without a piece left in his pockets to try again, it seemed this man in charge of it still wasn't doing him any favors, Nabiku trying her best to calm him down. "Get mad all you want kid, no refunds," the owner said dryly. "What's going on now?" Ed wondered, walking over to them. "Envy wanted to try this stand out, but ..." Nabiku didn't really need to finish up her sentence for them all to actually get the idea. Envy tried, failed, and he wouldn't get his money back for any of it. Soon, Nakamura and Karma did a 'rock, paper, scissors' match, and Nakamura ended up winning. "Ok Envy, three questions: how much did you pay for this, how many times you tried, and what place did you end up in?" Nakamura asked. Envy knew them too well. "... eight times? fifty yen a piece? and fifth at best?" "You are hopeless," Nakamura thought, but then the cheeky blonde slipped by them and confronted the owner of the stand. The others stayed back and watched what Nakamura was about to do. "Sounds like a ripoff to me, maybe even a scam. I suggest you smarten up and give my friend his money back." "Scam?! Your friend's just got bad luck that's all, no refunds," the owner repeated. Envy looked ticked off to high heaven, but Nakamura actually got a little notebook and pencil in hand, smirking a more cheeky grin. "Let me see here: my friend didn't score higher than fifth in any of your games. Now, given he's tried eight times in a row, the chances of anyone being fourth of higher, hold on let me give you a concrete figure." Eventually, Nakamura did her fancy math work on the subject until ... "Oh, look at that, 0.05! I don't think the prices are worth what he spent. If you don't believe my math, we can always ask a cop." "O-Ok, ok, you can have your money back, just keep quiet," the owner said, caving in to Nakamura's argument. It was shady enough these prize tickets, but if this were to go around then it'll be the end of him! So, acting quickly, Envy got his money back and they went on their way, leaving the owner in a mix of relief and disappointment. Karma and Nakamura shared a high-five moment. "Nice little trick, Nakamura. Always speak up." Been a while since they've last seen Korosensei, and the sudden appearance still caught them off guard. They could never get used to that, but at least it was someone who was glad to see em. Like many of the others, Korosensei too had a kimono on him of his own design, not to mention a number of sweets in his tentacles. No way was he going to go to the New Years festival without some sort of sweet on him. "Korosensei, where'd you come from?!" Alphonse asked. "Well I was doing a little somethin somethin when I spotted you all under me," Korosensei said. It was then he noticed the cupcake still in his hands. His head turned green-striped when he saw that. "OOOO, got a little lover K? I always saw you and Rio hooking up," Korosensei giggled. "It's not for us," Nakamura and Karma stated. BOY did that sound familiar. "Eh?" "Just thought of getting a little congratulations gift for Nagisa and Yugure on their little date together," Karma revealed. Korosensei saw exactly what he was talking about, but suddenly his face turned into the purple X, and he snatched the cupcake away. "Come now, me boy, you gotta do better than that to get those two together," Korosensei said. "Any tips then?" Karma asked. Korosensei disappeared for a brief moment, and about ten seconds later, the speedy demon returned with a little something for them: it looked like a time schedule, one of which he highlighted for the fireworks later on tonight. The demon also had himself a set of firework rockets, about five per tentacle, and in his mouth looked like plans for some sort of seaside wooden float. "I'll give you more than that, gang, I got a full plan for the perfect date night for this New Years!" Korosensei announced. And when looking at the plans, the poster, and the fireworks, they all began to figure out what Korosensei was actually getting to. ....... As plans were continuing over there, Aladdin and Heine made their randezvous at the old 3-E building. It was just Aladdin and Heine there, no one else around to get involved in this little meeting of theirs, and the mission with Aladdin's Djinn. In fact, as if class was still going on, they were inside the classroom, Aladdin sitting in one of the seats as Heine stood at the front of the room. "Well, Aladdin, I'm glad you could make it. For a start, have you been keeping in mind of your Djinn?" Heine asked, just to be sure if he indeed was or not. Aladdin answered him with a nod of his head. "I was doing my best, sir," said Aladdin. "And how well did that end up?" Heine then asked. Aladdin felt a little embarrassed, shifting in his seat. "Uh, nothing. I-I've been trying, but other things came up ..." "No need to apologize. In fact ..." Heine then took a piece of chalk, and began to draw something out on the chalkboard. It wasn't exactly writing, but instead some sort of map, and pretty detailed as well. Aladdin watched with some anticipation on what Heine was actually drawing out for them, and once Heine had finished, it turned into a locational map. Not just any spot though, but instead a spot down on earth, which Heine got his attention to with a hit of his pointer to the picture. "After some time of study, I've took the time to find a probable location for our Djinn," Heine concluded. Aladdin perked up on this sudden news, a smile on his face. "You found where it is?!" "The best known spot, according to the human reports I've managed to find," Heine stated, even placing a printed out Japanese paper in regards to the subject, this one talking about some odd sighting just outside a town. This surely made things easier for Aladdin in this little mission of his. As he read it over, Heine walked over to the door, and appeared ready to go. "The sooner we go, the better," Heine simply stated. "Wait. Now? Right now?" "You do want to retrieve your Djinn, don't you?" "Yes, of course but ... oh, it's my friends, they're waiting for me back at the festival. I can't just ditch them, so ..." Heine knew where he was going with this, and while retrieving the Djinn was important, it would be cruel to just take off on Nagisa and company. "Go on, we'll meet up after the Festival." "Yes! Thank you so much, sir!" And with a quick hug goodbye, Aladdin went right off on his way to rejoin the festival. All Heine did was watch him go with a smile on his face. ~~ Well, throughout the rest of the day from there, things had been pretty busy for a number of them. Nagisa's group just continued going along and enjoying the festival for what it's worth as Karma's group did that along with getting a stage set up for two lovebirds to get comfortable. Nagisa and Twilight both just weren't all in it still, both of them trying to ignore the main problem that everyone else could easily see. They've made the kiss, and now they're acting like odd acquaintances with eachother, which was starting to bug a number of people who support the pairing. Still, they were having a pretty good time, and no demonic attacks or dangers showed up on any of them from here, and throughout the rest of the afternoon and through sunset. With each hour ticking by was an hour closer to the big firework event everyone was looking forward to. The teens of Orora high gave those not in the know their own interpretation of the event, and if even half of it was true, it was something many of them were wanting to see. It wasn't too long now, half an hour away from the big firework show, and the skies were plenty clear for the big event to start whenever it was ready, and the groups were still going about and doing a number of the activities. Twilight and Nagisa found a moment to themselves as the others were trying out some of the games again. They were off by the docks as they said earlier, and Aladdin was already back with them, not to mention the rest of the group too. "So how much time do we have left before the fireworks show?" asked Blair. "Not too long now. Believe me, you'll know when it starts," Karma said. "To be exact, about twenty or so minutes. And if we remain around here, we'll have a rather excellent view," Sebastian stated, glancing to his pocket-watch. "Not as excellent as what those two are gonna get," Nakamura said, referring to Twilight and Nagisa nearby. "What do you mean?" Aladdin inquired. "Korosensei gave us an offer earlier today, and we thought it would be a nice surprise for those two. Wonder if he's finished yet," Hinano explained. "Look, that demon fixed up Central in just weeks, I think he'll be done with this by now," Ed said, remembering the reveal back at the time about how quick Korosensei was in repairing the entire city. If anyone could get this done in record time, it would be him. "But what is "it"?" "He said he'll show up by now, you'll find out yourself," said Envy. And Envy wasn't wrong about that either. Twilight and Nagisa could just make out what they were saying from where they were, as much as they'd rather not, but the idea that even Korosensei had something for them due to their little moment did get them a little bit curious. What exactly did a demon like him had in mind for them? It could be anything, though it couldn't be too malicious. "Three. Two. One." "Hey, kiddies, how're you doing?" AND the two couldn't have called it better if they tried. On the one, without milliseconds to spare, Korosensei was back with them, still in his kimono, and happy to see them. "Hey, Korosensei, what's up with you?" Nagisa asked. "Not as good as you two," Korosensei giggled. Geesh, there it goes again. Before they could remark about it (if they had anything to say that is), Korosensei was right between the two with his signature grin. "So, not too long now for the fireworks, eh? Yours truly lend a helping tentacle in the preparations, so I hope you all enjoy." Twilight looked a bit bemused. "You didn't put our kiss in the sky for all the world to see did you?" she asked dryly. "What?! No, no, no, I may be a demon, but really that'll just be cruel!" Korosensei insisted. Well, this demon was no good liar, so they could be sure he was telling the truth anyway, both giving a sigh of relief. It was awkward enough, they didn't need the entire city to know about it right now. However, Korosensei then got the two into his kimono, ready to fly. "But I did get a little something ready for you two," he giggled, before suddenly flying away with them! The flight was short and quick, and they found themselves off shore and out in the Tokyo bay. Rather than just dropping them in the water, Korosensei actually set up a raft out in the middle of the bay. Fairly big, smoothed out, and set up a but like a picnic, even including a soft blanket for Twilight and Nagisa to relax on. A nice little gesture by the demon. "So, our own little platform huh?" "A perfect view for the fireworks. you can have some me-time out here now, so no more awkward moments between you and your company back on shore. Now you two sit back and relax, and I'll pick you up later. See ya!" and with that, Korosensei hopped off their platform and flew back to shore to join the others. Well, neither Nagisa, nor Twilight felt up for swimming back to shore, so they might as well try to relax. At least the others were away from them for the moment so they can at least try to figure things out. So, minutes ticked by, and eventually Nagisa and Twilight were laying down side by side, and looking up to the sky. For being in a city of lights, the stars above the did shine pretty nicely, as if they were wanting to see the event unfold under them too. With this time alone, they had two options: keep quiet until after the fireworks, or actually touch on what was the main issue. In the end , Twilight chose the latter. "Uh, Nagisa ... look, I'm sorry for ... well, being quiet these last few days," Twilight said, knowing that it was what Nagisa was thinking about. While it was a part of it, Nagisa shook his head. "No, don't be. ... I uh, I should be sorry. I was the one who ... well, you know ..." Twilight looked to him next. This awkwardness had gone on long enough, and she knew that it won't help if it kept up any longer. "Okay, look. Nagisa, I want to ask you something. ... After you kissed me. Did you think you'll ... come back?" Twilight finally asked. It was an enigma that had been on her mind for a while and only Nagisa would truly know that answer. Nagisa, being alone with just her, decided to just go on with it. He closed his eyes for the moment and remembered that event play out in his mind. "No. ... At least not right away. At best, I'd get away, but still be trapped in the Underworld. So in a way, I guess I wouldn't be able to escape. ..." Nagisa could feel Twilight's shock on that sort of answer, and he turned to his child friend. "Nagisa. ..." "I-I'm very sorry to scare you like that, Twilight. ... I know we've been doing good on these Future Visions, but, Karma barely got out of his alive, so ... I just didn't want any of you getting hurt, you know? My vision stopped when I got captured so who know what would really happen after that?" Nagisa felt beside himself: he wanted them safe, but at what cost to him? And to them for that matter? Lucky for him, Twilight understood why he would do that, and could see he felt sorry for it. "Nagisa, I understand. You were scared, and so was I ... Why else did you think I had Ed and Al come to help you?" Twilight said. Normally Nagisa would be surprised, but the situation didn't need any reason to be surprised over. "It was you who asked them to come after me?" "Yeah, but let's be honest, I'm sure they would've gone after you anyway," Twilight admitted. Nagisa could see that actually, and nodded his head in agreement as they both looked back up at the sky. "By the way ... I know this is kinda jumping off subject, but, did you see Lugia again when you saw that Future Vision?" Twilight asked. Nagisa nodded. "No. But ..." "But what?" "Well ... Lugia doesn't think any of these Future Visions could be altered in anyway, and he really thinks they're just for show. Well, I have two theories on that: either he doesn't want us to get involved in his problems, or ..." "If something bad is going to happen, he doesn't want us to trigger it," Twilight concluded. To Nagisa, she was right on the ball on that one. Guess that would explain why Lugia would at least try to keep the idea out of their mind for now, at least it was prolonging the supposed inevitable. Then their thoughts returned to the kiss, and Twilight sat up. ... "Nagisa Shiota?" Nagisa sat up himself and turned to face her. "... That kiss ... well ... how long did you feel that way about me?" Twilight then asked. Nagisa sighed, and thought long back. "Well, I'll say this. You were the only one who was ever nice to me back at that girls-only academy. ... And it kinda just grew from there. ... Look, I-I'm sorry for jumping at you with that, I-if I could I would stop myself for doing that if I -" suddenly Twilight stopped him talking with a kiss of her own. It was on his cheek rather than his lips, but the effect was still strong enough to make Nagisa stop on the spot. "Nagisa, why should anyone be sorry for loving someone? I shouldn't have stayed away from you straight afterwards. I guess I gave you the wrong idea huh?" "I thought I went too far with that," Nagisa admitted. "You just didn't want to miss your chance. ... To be honest, I would've done the same thing." "Y-you would?" Nagisa asked, flustered again. Twilight, who was slightly blushing herself just smiled to him and confirmed what she said was true. So, Aladdin was right after all. And not a moment too soon, they both began to hear something go off high in the sky above them. With flashing colors and epic display, the New Years fireworks started to go off right above them. Oh, Korosensei was right: the fireworks looked amazing from where they were. Now that closure was put on what they were going to do, Twilight and Nagisa laid back down with smiles, and watched the great show above them play out. Then Twilight got an idea herself. "How does this sound to you: No one said everything has to change after one kiss. We'll take it one step at a time, day by day. No rushing it, no pressure. What do you say?" "Sounds perfect," Nagisa simply said. S06Ep5: She's Always Watching ... ~彼女はいつも見ている...~Afternoon, a few days after the initial class switch at Orora high, and even with that time, they're still was some changes that needed to be getting used to. For Nagisa, the amount of changes was staggering: 3-A's involvement was one thing, the Big Five taking their interest in him as well, not to mention how much work school was putting on him. Kyoya's training course was a bit interesting, though Nagisa himself took more focus on his school rather than that, at least for now. For the moment, thoughts such as that were going through his mind as he sat there in his living room, going over a few questions and reading a few books as study. "Kyoya's training course sure is interesting. I should've expected it though with what happened. My team's been infamous already, but now, we're escaped convicts. Runaways from Abaddon. From here on out, we actually are truly wanted people. ... Well, Sombra, if you wanted to kick up the game, now would be your chance to do so. I may not need anymore training, but I need to keep my wits sharp. Who knows what the Underworld's going to come up with next now?" As he thought about it, he began to realize a little something in the demons he met so far. "... Wait. What do they have left? We've faced some powerful enemies already. Pluton, Tirek, Slicer, and now Chrysalis. Sombra has to be running out of demons by now, at least Demons like them, anyway. He wouldn't waste his strongest though, would he? ... No, he's too smart for that. He's probably waiting for us to put our guard down before hitting us with hells' champions. And Pluton and Tirek weren't even his fault anyway, so who knows?" Before Nagisa could ponder any further, he then began to hear someone come into his room. Nagisa looked over, and saw Aladdin coming in with his school outfit on, with a few necessities, and plenty of food from the market. "Hi, Aladdin. how's the market?" Nagisa asked with a smile. "Awesome. They actually had a sale today, check it out!" Aladdin said, going through the bags and showed Nagisa plenty of fruit. Nagisa was a bit too busy with his own studies to really take notice much of it, something Aladdin saw after a bit. "Wow, Nagisa, you sure have been busy lately." "I have to be. On top of this demon hunting business, I got my own problems keeping up my grades, and now that I'm a 3-A student, I REALLY have to buckle down and get this stuff in. 3-A tests and worksheets are not to be taken lightly," Nagisa said, going back to his homework. "Oh. You know, you should try to relax a bit. Yeah, we just got out of the Underworld and got everyone out of Abaddon, but maybe you should calm down." "Not helping," Nagisa said, shivering on mere mention of those two words. Aladdin sulked. "Eh, sorry. But hey, I got a surprise for you!" "Not another demon, I hope," Nagisa asked, a little interested. He was just hoping this surprise wasn't anything too bad compared to his other "surprises". Aladdin giggled. "No, no. Ok, you can come in, Mrs. Shiota!" Nagisa suddenly felt stone cold. All his worry he had before suddenly came up at once and a shiver ran through his body. "Mrs. Shiota. He isn't really referring to -" his thoughts were cut short when the newcomer went in. "Nagisa!" "He is." Nagisa thought. Soon, another lady then came into his room. A middle-aged women with navy-blue, shoulder-length hair. Aladdin was sure happy to have her come in, but Nagisa was more surprised than anything. He really didn't know what to say here, blank as a page in the expression on who he was seeing. Did Aladdin really bring her to him? "It's your mom! I ran into her at the market, and she was looking all over for you so I brought her here to come and visit. Lucky you, huh?" Aladdin said with a big grin. Unfortunately, the feeling was one-sided. "Eh. Yeah, lucky me," Nagisa replied meekly, as his mom went over to him. "He's such a nice boy. Oh, Nagisa, how long has it been since we've last seen eachother?" she asked. "Eh ... W-Well, I last counted ... Five? Four years, maybe?" Nagisa figured, though admittedly he lost track. His mother smiled. "And how's school? I see you've got a lot of work, sweetie. did you get yourself into Keisetsu University?" she asked, sounding a bit hopeful. Aladdin never heard of the name, but Nagisa knew that one very well. "I'm still in high school, mom. Orora high." "... Orora. High?" she questioned. "B-But I'm in the top ranking students now, class 3-A! I swear, I'm doing amazing!" Nagisa insisted. Well, it wasn't Keisetsu, but it did make her happy to hear. "Oh, well congratulations, Nagisa. Keep up the good work and you'll be noticed by the big companies in no time. You might even be apart of a big movie company like Hishimaru," she noted. Nagisa made a quick sigh of relief. This was a ... interesting conversation. "I'm getting more than enough attention, thank you," Nagisa thought, though he wouldn't say that right to her face. Guess Aladdin didn't tell her about all the attention he was getting back in school, or by the president for that matter. However, Nagisa soon noticed the confusion coming up on Aladdin's face. "Uh, mom, can you excuse us for just a second?" Nagisa asked. His mother nodded, and Nagisa got Aladdin over to his room for a moment, closing the door behind him. Aladdin though already had his questions. "Keisetsu? Hishimaru? Do you know what she's talking about?" Aladdin asked. Nagisa needed a minute before facing his roommate. "Yeah, but Aladdin ... did you tell her anything ... big, before coming here?" "Big? If you mean all this demon stuff, then no. She looked more worried on finding you, so I figured it might be too much for her," Aladdin said. "Good. ... Look, why don't you check on the others for today? I heard Kyoya's trying to train Ciel now." "Oh yeah! Wait. Aren't you coming?" "It's fine. You can tell me when I go back to school, ok?" Nagisa said. Aladdin eventually nodded and got out his flying carpet. Nagisa should thank his lucky starts his bedroom had a window, otherwise this would be even more complicated. So, getting out the turban, and hopping on, Aladdin flew off on his way. Once he was far enough out of sight, Nagisa breathed a sigh, and before heading over to the bedroom door. ....... "Bloody hell. You're having way too much fun with this, Sebastian," Ciel thought through gritted teeth. By the time Aladdin had arrived to the 3-E building, training for one aristocrat was going underway. Sure some of the other students of Orora High had come back around to try their luck in this course, namely those of 3-E since they were experienced already, but with Kyoya's smirk watching him do the basics of techniques, Ciel could tell that this little situation of role-reversal was just plain annoying at the least. Although, it wasn't Kyoya who was exactly giving the pointers at the moment, but actually it was Gaara, though with how he trained Nagisa that was to be expected. Off on the sidelines was Karma, Korosensei, Twilight, and Pinkie. Ciel found himself very lacking, especially since people like Hinano, Envy, and Nabiku were handing some bit themselves, and they were doing a better job than him. "Ciel!" Gaara suddenly yelled. Ciel looked over to him, but that mere moment gave Gaara an opening, his foot hooking one of his legs in a spin, and knocking him off balance. And what did he say afterwards? "Concentrate on what you're doing." "Screw you as well," Ciel groaned, getting himself off the ground with Nabiku's help. It was tricks like these that ticked him off more than anything. How was he supposed to concentrate when being thrown these sort of curve balls? "What's going on?" Aladdin asked. "Hi buddy. Ciel's been busy as a bee with this training stuff, but I don't think he's enjoying it very much," Pinkie replied, both of them seeing Ciel up on his feet away. Ciel look exhausted, and almost bruised up, but he was still on his feet. "So where's Nagisa? I thought he's gonna come by today," Twilight asked. "Oh, that's what I wanna tell ya. Guess what?" Aladdin questioned excitedly. "What?" Karma asked. Aladdin smiled wide. "Nagisa's mom over at his place!" Much to Aladdin's confusion though, Twilight looked less happy and more surprised. And not the good kind either. Pinkie Pie was happy for it though, a big smile on her face. "His mom's here?! I never knew he had a mom." "Me neither! Isn't that sweet? Nagisa's got to be lucky. What do you think of that guys?" Aladdin asked, but it wasn't until then that he saw just how troubled they were. Karma wasn't too troubled, but Twilight looked about as stone cold as Nagisa was when he got the news. "T-Twilight?" Aladdin said in confusion. "... You found his mom?" Twilight repeated. "Eh ... yeah? She was at the market earlier, and she was looking for Nagisa, so -" suddenly Twilight had Aladdin by the shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes with a troubled look on her face, mixed of surprise and worry. "And you actually did that?" ".. Uh ... yeah?" Twilight backed up, releasing Aladdin from her grip. However, this action caught the attention of the others, her worried expression catching them off guard. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no." "What's wrong?" Nabiku asked, walking over to them. "I brought Nagisa's mom over," Aladdin answered. "You did? He never mentioned anything about her before," Envy said, scratching his head. "Well, she's back now. That's a good thing, isn't it?" Hinano wondered. "No." The whole group looked over towards Twilight, who at this point was facing the wall of the 3-E building, sulking for some sort of reason. Clearly something wasn't right with this reaction. "What's the matter? Nagisa's been living all by himself, isn't this a good thing?" Aladdin asked very confused. "Not at all. Guys, he wouldn't want me telling you but ... there's a reason he lived by himself." Twilight paused before she turned over back to the others. She thought she never would have to tell them this, but if this was indeed true, then she felt like she had to. For his sake. "... The truth is. ... Is he ran away from home." "He WHAT?!" the others gasped in shock. Twilight felt in her heart someone else should know about this, especially now that his mother had found him. "R-Ran away? You sure?" Korosensei asked, a little bit humbled. "He told me a few years ago, before I moved back to Tokyo. He contacted me one day, and he told me that he found a new home for himself without his mother. ... He didn't explain it too detailed, but from what I got, he just couldn't take his mother's abuse anymore, so he just left her. He even got the owner to not tell his mother about him, and he even got him to pay for his room. At least until he graduates. Sounds like he was sorry for him too," Twilight explained. She could imagine it playing out in her head: Nagisa just leaving out the door and walking down the road with his mother far behind him. It was a decision that even she was still surprised about. "I always wondered how he kept a room without paying for it," Pinkie noted, but that was the least of the problems. "A-Abuse? Twilight?" Nabiku asked. "Why else would a high school student live alone in his own apartment?" "But, wait, he never said anything about this before," reminded Aladdin. "Guess he never felt like he had to. I don't think he'd want to tell us now either," Twilight admitted. She could feel that Nagisa would be upset with her for telling them all of this. Aladdin felt a wave of guilt rush through him. If even half of what she said was true, either him running away, or his mom's abusive nature, Aladdin felt that he did more harm than good. "Oh dear. ..." ....... "Look at this place. You've done pretty well keeping it all tidy. Just like how I taught you," Nagisa's mother said, as she was looking around. Nagisa was sitting down over by the couch, continuing his studies for the 3-A building. "Thanks, mom," Nagisa sighed. She went on and sat down next to her son, and she took notice of his longer hair. Nagisa just stayed quiet as she reached out and ran her fingers through it. Nagisa normally didn't mind this, but now he was feeling a bit indifferent. "Well, it's nice that you've been up so high in Orora High, honey, but let's try to face it: you deserve more than that. The sooner we get you out of that school the better." Nagisa felt a shiver run through him on that statement. Leave Orora High? But to go where? As if it was hard enough dealing with the class change, now she wanted a school change?! "I'll be scheduling an appointed with Mr. Asano very soon, and I expect you to come with -" "No, you can't!" Nagisa gasped, jumping up to his feet. "Please, you gotta let me stay there! I know you don't like it, but I'm bringing my grades up and it's a lot of fun! I'll go to wherever college you want, but for high school, I really really -" Nagisa suddenly stopped. His mother may look calm and collected with the whole thing, but Nagisa knew his mother better than that. Even with that smile, her eyes. ... Her eyes read out something far more sinister. "Oh no, what have I done? ... Here it comes," he thought. And that was all he could think before he prepared for what was coming next. ... In a rage filled breath, suddenly she jumped at him, grabbed him by the hair and she began to shake his head violently! Her face was all red, and her blood boiling. "SHUT YOUR FILTHY UNGRACEFUL MOUTH! I DID NOT RAISE MY SON TO BE A REBEL, YOU HEAR ME?! I WORK AND SLAVE THROUGH HELL TRYING TO GET YOU YOUR FUTURE, AND TRAVELED ALL OVER JAPAN TO FIND YOU AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?! HOW DO YOU THINK YOU ARE RIGHT NOW?!?!" Nagisa felt his own body try to pull away, but after such a long time being away from eachother, this brutal attack was a horrifying case of nostalgia for him. He couldn't break free, all he could do was stand there and take it, the shaking threatening to break his neck, and tear his hair right off his head. The attack lasted only half a minute, but it felt like forever until she finally stopped, her breath wheezing and strained. How long has it really been since this last happened? "... I-I'm sorry. I was being selfish," Nagisa simply replied. Then, and only then, did she let him go, allowing him to back up, his hand feeling the back of his neck to be sure it was alright as his now distraught mother tried to recollect herself. "Damnit. It's been so long, I almost forgot about how quickly she can get into one of her moods. ... At least the others aren't here to see this ..." he thought. It took a few minutes, but she did finally relax herself, and Nagisa stayed completely quiet as she went around behind him, her hands gently placed on his shoulders. These same hands that nearly pulled his head off his own shoulders, now rested gently as a mother would. "You're just a kid, you have no idea how to get through life. But don't worry, because your mom knows all the twists and turns. I have your future all planned out, trust me. Remember, our main goal is to get you to Keisetsu University, and I know that a new school will be perfect for you. I found this excellent school over in Osaka I think will fit us perfectly, so I'll go and clear this up with Gakuho tomorrow after school," she reassured him. Her reassurance wasn't really comforting however, especially after the attack that just happened. Still, Nagisa simply nodded quietly. No amount of demon fighting in the world could get him to defy his own mom, not even close. There was a difference between a family member and a demon after all. And both were equally as threatening. "I-Isn't that kind of out of nowhere?" "Trust me. It's for the best, sweetie. So if I were you, I'd be a good girl and say goodbye to your Orora high friends." "And she's gone dark again ... nothing I'll say now will ever change her mind." ~~ It sure felt a bit of trouble through the night and onto the next morning. Nagisa hadn't shown up for school just yet, and the rest of his friends were about ready to head off for class. With Twilight's information told to them yesterday, they could probably guess why, but there was only so much they could be told. Nagisa's runaway told them that something must've happened. Even after class had started, Nagisa didn't show up, and eventually this sort of absence to third period, just one minute before lunch. Twilight got to her locker, the hallways empty for the moment since class had already started, and she was getting a few items together before the lunch rush. It was a bit quiet, but before she could go much further, Pinkie Pie and Ciel came out to see her. "Oh, hi Pinkie Pie, Ciel. You feeling better since yesterday?" Twilight said, just getting her stuff out. "A bit sore perhaps," Ciel sighed. "You've seen Nagisa lately?" Pinkie asked. "No, I haven't. In fact, where were you Pinkie? Nagisa, I understand, but please tell me you've seen him," Twilight said, really worrying over his well being. Ciel shook his head, but lucky for them Pinkie Pie had some better news. "I have!" Pinkie said. "Y-You have? Where is he then?" "Hey guys," said a meek voice. And there Nagisa was, coming out from another hallway around the next corner, but ... well, they thought it was him. He looked like Nagisa, but some reason he was completely dressed up ... well, like Twilight. That included the skirt instead of his usual pants, and his blue shirt was replaced with the standard grey. He even had on leggings on, and girl shoes! To say that Twilight and Ciel were speechless was an understatement. "N-Nagisa? What the devil - why're you wearing that?" Ciel questioned. "Some imp thought it would be funny to replace my wardrobe," Nagisa replied, feeling embarrassed as ever. Crossdressing wasn't new, but he still never like it, and apparently he didn't have a choice this time. Ciel and Twilight glanced to eachother, as Nagisa made sure no one else was around. Sure he could sense Korosensei in E class, but that was about it, as it was only them in the hallway thank god. If anyone else in school saw their 3-A student dressed like this, he'll never hear the end of it. "Don't worry, Nagisa, Pinkie's got your fix right here," Pinkie answered, suddenly having Nagisa's original wardrobe in her hands, his pants in one hand and shirt in another. "I'd be concerned, but apart of me knows better," Nagisa thought, as he took his clothes Pinkie had with her. If the demons were watching him, they would be having a ball with this, though apart of him wished a imp really was who did this. Ciel though cleared his throat. "Now, Nagisa. Word says you had a visitor yesterday?" Ciel inquired. Nagisa felt a shiver go through him on that question, though considering Aladdin, he probably told them about his mom whether he wanted it or not. "Eh. Well, yes, but she's been and gone. Don't worry about it. You mind giving me a hand with this, Ciel?" Nagisa simply replied. Ciel glanced to the girls before nodding his head. "Very well." And with that, Nagisa and Ciel started to head off to the nearest restroom for the wardrobe change, Pinkie and Twilight staying quiet and watching them go. A part of them knew that she wasn't gone, not just yet. Not so quickly anyway. Even if class was still going, Twilight and Pinkie decided to go off with them for a bit. Lucky for Nagisa, the wardrobe change wasn't too long, and by the time they caught up to the two, Nagisa had already changed back to normal attire. Nagisa just couldn't believe that he would ever go to school in THAT kind of outfit to begin with. It was probably good that he changed, and just in time, because no sooner then he got done, that the bell for lunch period rang out in the school. "Don't tell anyone about this, please?" Nagisa pleaded. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us," Twilight reassured. Pinkie zipped her lips, locked them, and tossed some invisible key aside before giving him a thumbs up. Well, once that was said and done, they began to head off to lunch, but after seeing Nagisa like that, they all started to get some extent on what his own mother put him through. what kind of mother would force her boy to dress as a girl anyway? When Nagisa got to the cafeteria, the rest of the group took little time to notice him. Nagisa got his lunch together, but the others were keeping a bit of an eye on him now. Nagisa just ate his lunch, grateful that no one else saw him stuck as a girl. He could still hear his mother's voice just before he left for school. "Haven't I ever told you how badly I wanted a baby girl?" "Only a million times," Nagisa thought. This similar watch over him kept up through the rest of the school hours, and the rest of Team Harmony keeping their own eyes on him as they were going through their own day whenever they could, or whenever they did catch him go by. None of them really brought up this little fact to him just yet, as they were planning on chatting with him after school. At least then they could talk to him without anyone peering in on them. Nagisa of course had far more on his mind, and as the hours ticked by he became more invested in the 3-A class over the home troubles. Still, that didn't mean he completely forgot everything, the biggest issue of moving away to Osaka still nagging in the back of his mind. No one liked to move, surely, and this idea was jumping at him out of nowhere. And no way would Nagisa be allowed to come back here after that was done, not if his mom had anything to do with it. Eventually, and a bit longer than they would like, school was over for the day, and as they've had before, they went off nearby the 3-E building. but rather than going right to the building itself, their meeting place turned out to be the mountain pool within the forest. not the first place, but in case his mother somehow showed up, she would show up at the 3-E building before anywhere else if Orora High didn't go too well. Much of Team Harmony was there, which included Morgiana, Envy, Hinano and Kirara, who they told the situation to. Kyoya and Korosensei were present too, with Korosensei being the last to arrive, which was ironic. "Did you get him here, Korosensei?" asked Twilight. "I tried every trick I could muster, but he's not coming over. He did leave you all a little something though," Korosensei replied in dismay, his head all blue and in a slump. All he did manage though was a simple letter, which he tossed over to Pinkie. The letter wasn't too complicated, and only had one thing to say: can't come by today. Too busy. "A blunt little lie," noted Envy. "Nagisa ..." Twilight was disappointed. "Oh, poor Nagisa. If I knew she was like this ..." Aladdin trailed off in thought, feeling especially guilty about the situation. He was the one who brought her to Nagisa after all. "Don't start that, Aladdin, it isn't your fault. None of us knew what she was like," Hinano said. However, this conversation was getting Kyoya's mind working again. "I don't suppose that Nagisa's mom happens to be Hiromi Shiota, would it?" Kyoya questioned. "Uh, yeah? Nagisa Shiota," answered Twilight. Kyoya thought for a little bit, but then he and Kirara began to realize something upon that name. "That explains quite a bit about Nagisa actually. He always was a bit more level-headed when facing danger, and with someone like her ..." "The hell are you talking about now?" Ciel questioned. However, it was Kirara who actually got up to tell them. "Hiromi's actually a bit infamous. Now, this is just rumor, but one day she tried to enter in some big movie company, Hishimaru. However, they didn't accept her, and she simply lost it." "Did you learn this off of that conspiracy website you always go to?" Envy questioned, eyebrow raised. "It was correct about Tataoka, wasn't it?" Kirara brought up. "So what'd she do? You said she lost it, lost it how?" Blair asked. "All it took was one argument and suddenly she was all over him. Now, the reports vary a little bit, some say she grabbed him by the throat and tried to crack his neck, other say she pinned him and beat him to a pulp. Either way, few days later he came back from the medical care, and she was fined with 5,000 yen for attempted murder." Well talk about a record, though they were more surprised that jail time wasn't considered for her. "W-w-what? Y-You're kidding. I mean, when I found her she was totally fine. Y-You're just exaggerating," Aladdin said, freaked out more than anything despite his worried grin. "Sounds like she's blocking her true colors behind a normal face," Korosensei said. That, and with Hiromi's mention of a movie company, that made the possibility even more troubling. ... Then it suddenly connected. You might even be apart of a big movie company like Hishimaru. "Wait. Hishimaru. She mentioned that yesterday, she wanted Nagisa to try for it," Aladdin realized. There really was more truth to this than he thought. "The same movie company she assaulted?" Karma questioned. Now they all slowly began to understand the situation Nagisa was going through, and possibly what he had to go through before running away. No way would he say that aloud. "So that's it then. ... time for Plan B," Korosensei said, readying himself. "Plan B? What plan B?" "Me." ....... Meanwhile, back at the school, Nagisa and Hiromi Shiota were going through the hallways leading up to Gakuho's office. Much to Nagisa's own dismay, his mother had him go back into his girl uniform after finding him in his old clothes again, and this time there was no changing back to normal, not with her walking right next to him. He simply kept his gaze down and his mouth shut, as he wasn't in the mood to get beat up twice in one day. "I know this may be a bit much for you at first, but I promise you, it's for the best," Hiromi reassured him again. Nagisa nodded, but he still felt simply awful about things. "Yeah, ok mom," Nagisa simply responded. What else could he say? Any other words of defiance could easily set her off again. Eventually, the walk over to the office ended fairly well, and the two found themselves right at the door. Whether or not he was there, they'll just have to figure out, though Nagisa was praying inside that he was not there. not only for his mom's attempt to remove him from Orora high, but the fact he was dressed up as a girl as well. Nagisa stayed aside, out of sight of the door, as Hiromi opened it up. Nagisa stayed quiet and waited outside, him waiting it out. Well, at least he wasn't forced into the room for now, no way would he be able to survive the humiliation. He just felt quiet. "There she goes. ... It's scary how determined she is. But what am I supposed to do? This is her RPG. ... I'm just apart of her playthrough. And now that she's found me again, she won't ever let me go," Nagisa thought. ... "Come in, Nagisa," she said. Nagisa looked around once more before begrudgingly going in. It was unfortunate, but then he saw a ... bit of a surprise. Korosensei! Well, ok, he was in a human disguise, but he was surprised all the same to see him there. Well, at least Korosensei wasn't going to start laughing at him for being dressed as a girl. Gakuho and Korosensei got them both to sit down. "Looks like he told Korosensei too," Nagisa thought. "Good to see you, Ms. Shiota. How can I help you?" Gakuho began. Hiromi nodded. "Yes, now I'm sure you must be very busy so I'll get to the point: I wish to have my son transferred out of Orora High. I've reason to believe that the school I've located on Osaka would be better suited for his needs," Hiromi stated. Gakuho immediately found this suspicious, if not a little bit insulting to his system. His was the highest ranked school in Tokyo, and that was not good enough for her? Korosensei had given him some lay down off of what he heard, so Gakuho decided to test something. "Better suited, you say. ... And how does your son feel about it?" Gakuho asked. Nagisa thought this was his chance, but Hiromi wasn't going to even give him that, and with both her hands on his shoulders, he was silenced. "Let's not worry about that. It's the parents' job to decide the future of their children," Hiromi stated, Nagisa seeing the hint of her inner anger in her eyes as she tried to keep a good appearance. Though, if she was trying to do that it wasn't working, Gakuho and Korosensei both quickly seeing what this was about, and how bad it was. Gakuho took a glance over to Korosensei for just a quick moment, Nagisa apparently the only one who saw that, before he went on to speak. "The child needs to have a word in it," Gakuho simply stated. Hiromi felt conflicted: she knew what Nagisa's answer would be if she allowed it, and she wasn't going to. "W-Well, Gakuho sir, it's for the best." "Is it? I'm sorry, but no." "Excuse me? B-But you can't do that, if the parent wants to do what's best for their child, then it's not up to you to decide that." "Oh no, not again," Nagisa thought, listening carefully to the tone. Gakuho was not deterred by any of it, and in fact her increasing outburst confirmed their suspicions even further. "I think it's best you go. I'm not willing to start a fight here, thank you," Gakuho instructed. That only angered Hiromi even further. Nagisa waited for the screaming outburst to come up, his eyes closed and ready for that noise. However, this time it didn't show up, but instead Hiromi simply stormed out in a huff. She grabbed Nagisa's arm tightly on the way out, and all he could do was let her drag him along. Korosensei took note of how little he was actually fighting her. As soon as they left ... "I see what you meant now," Gakuho noted to Korosensei. "I know, it's tragic. You want me to handle it, or do you got it?" Korosensei offered. Gakuho needed little thought on the matter. "I'll take care of it. He is one of my students, after all." ~~ After their talk with Gakuho, it was straight off to home from there. No sidestops, no extra visits, just straight home and nothing else. And the whole time, Nagisa was held so he wouldn't go away, and his arm wasn't released until he got home, his arm feeling a little constricted from it all. Even after released, Nagisa still felt her grip on his arm. That vicegrip that kept him bounded to her like a chain and handcuff. For the moment, his mom went on out, and left him alone again. A good place for a moment, but he knew she wouldn't just leave him like that. His other hand held where she grabbed him, and his eyes simply stayed looking down to the ground. He was only left with his thoughts for a good while, but before he could do much, he heard Hiromi coming on back home, this time with some dinner. Guess they were doing some carryout tonight. "I've tried my hardest to keep away from her. ... Well, guess she was going to find out sooner or later. Though I was hoping until at least after graduation. At least then I could say I have some more self-reliance in myself," Nagisa thought. "Dinner time, honey," Hiromi said. Nagisa looked over and saw that she had a dinner bowl microwaved and ready to eat. It was really a type of bento box, but it was still dinner. Nagisa didn't answer, as he sat down, looking to the bento box in front of him. Hiromi was already eating her meal, seeing her son barely touching his. "Eat up, dear. You can't grow strong if you don't have your dinner," Hiromi advised. He got out his chopsticks, but he didn't eat just yet. "Look, mom, I-I'm sorry. You know, for the trouble I've been causing. ... I know it must've been hard on you," Nagisa said, though if he could say it, he wished he wouldn't have to apologize. He also knew she would clobber him if he didn't. Hiromi smiled to him. "It's alright, I'll be sure to help you from here on out. It must've been hell for you trying to live on your own like this, without knowing what to do with yourself. Mom will give you all the points you need," Hiromi promised. "Cold comfort," Nagisa thought. Clearly Hiromi didn't care much about his apology, if at all, so long as she had him under her control again. Nagisa got some of the fish, bringing it over to his mouth. Before he could bite into it, his eyes took a look over to his mother again. She was watching. Anticipating. Something didn't feel right. Nagisa closed his mouth for a moment, and placed his fish back down in the bento box. He began to feel a bit of a headache ... Then came a flash. A all too familiar flash going through his mind: showing him on the ground, his meal finished, and his mother carrying his limp body away. She didn't look very sad about it either. ... She wanted to poison him. "It's not alright ..." To Hiromi's confusion, and perhaps even frustration, Nagisa placed his utensils down, and pushed his meal away from him. Regardless of what exact details this would entail, Nagisa wasn't going to take that kind of chance, not after everything. He kept his gaze down and got up from the table, not saying a word to Hiromi as he did so. Hiromi got up too, but Nagisa was already heading off towards the door. "I'm going for a walk," Nagisa simply said. "Now honey, wait a minute -" Hiromi attempted to grab Nagisa, but he sensed that it wasn't going to end well for him if she would manage to grab him. Nagisa got the door open when she got close, and he made a break for it. He moved fast, keeping away from his mother's grasp. Now, it could be a trick of the eye, or some demon really did end up appearing in his own home, but when he glanced back, he saw his mother's red, angered, terrifying face. This mother's plans had been scuffled, and if she wanted to go with her plan she had to improvise. If she could catch him. ~~ Nagisa had a very good headstart to his mad dash, and without a home to even go to without facing Hiromi directly, he needed to get a grip. This was when his agility gave him the higher advantage, and he was far beyond his apartment building by the time Hiromi would get out to catch up. It was dead at night, the city lights filling in the otherwise dark sky. He could go along the rooftops if he wanted to, but he was more focusing on keeping as much distance as possible, so he kept to the ground. He knew Hiromi was after him, the images of her terrifying angry face stuck in his mind as he kept running. If he had one thing to say that was good, it was that he was a lot faster than he used to be, and when he looked back to check, he found that he couldn't even see her anymore, only then he began to slow down. "Well, this is sure some nostalgia. It's not the first time I've done this: and every time she always caught me. How far do I have to go until you stop chasing me?" Nagisa thought, at one point his eyes closed to shed a tear. He knew she was still behind him. Still chasing him. Still after him. He couldn't stop, he never could if it meant he could get away from her, and he was about to start going off again until he realized where he actually stopped. "Orora high. ... The only school I've gone to that I've decided for myself." And indeed it was. Orora High School. Being so late of course, there was nobody there to monitor him, and with enough chasing him here, Nagisa decided that he needed somewhere he could open his head. And somewhere Hiromi couldn't get to him as easily too. The 3-E building of course was a bit off limits, and somewhere she would catch him easily if she were to go that way. No, that just won't do. So, with one more look to be sure she wasn't right behind him, he went on inside the building. Lucky for him, or perhaps it was something planned somewhere, the doors weren't locked up, and entrance was a bit easy for him. And he made sure to lock the door before he continued on. Just in case. Soon, it was just him and the silence of the building, the lights of the city coming in from the windows. He knew each one of these hallways like the back of his hand, and he walked on through the halls as if it was just an ordinary school day. Sure was a lot quieter here without so many of the students going around the halls. None of the teachers, none of the students, transfers or otherwise, it was just the sounds of empty space, his own breath, and his footsteps. Some of the halls were especially dark, and as he started heading to the more upper levels of the school. He would normally do this to head to class, but that wasn't on his mind tonight, as he passed room after room, until he saw one particular door and set of stairs. The school's roof. Nagisa silently went up those stairs, and pushing the door open found himself at the very top of the school. Several stories up, cement underfoot, and nothing up there apart from a flat surface with some smaller rooms for said stairs to open up from. He had a great view from both the front of the school and the back. City to one side, and nature in the other. Or at the very least, as much nature as Tokyo would have it. The lights may be bright down below, but up here he had a far better view of the stars up in the sky, and the cool spring wind brushed his skin, now with little to block it. For the moment at least, Nagisa Shiota was alone, it was quiet, and he could finally relax and gather himself. "It's so peaceful up here. Never realized just how much you can see up here," he thought. Though even if he said it, no one was going to hear him. Feeling the wind brush him, he walked from the door and over to the nature side of Orora High, not stopping until he was right along the rimming of the rooftop. The wind was coming from the mountains, and Nagisa took a step on the very edge of it. With his arms out spread, and the wind carrying, he closed his eyes and smiled. It meant little to him how high he was, or just how close to the edge he was. He looked up, taking a deep breath, and seeing the stars above him. "You miserable brat! Come down here this instant!" Nagisa would tense up, but all he did was look down. That voice he knew all too well, and sure enough, his gaze saw his extremely angry mother looking up at him. She was still mad, still fuming, and she didn't care where Nagisa was or what danger he was in at that moment. He would normally be scared, but even he knew she couldn't reach him up here. Nagisa didn't move, and Hiromi was especially angry at him. While he did lock the front door, Nagisa began to hear something else go on from down there. The sound of breaking metal. ... "I always knew you were desperate with me, but this is much even for you," Nagisa stated, though he knew she wouldn't hear him from up there. It was only a matter of time until she would reach him at the rate now, but he didn't worry much anymore. This time still gave him time to think over his day. His possible future away from Tokyo. And if anything that happened today was anything to go by, a future only made in her image. As he recalled what happened so far though ... "... No. This can't happen. All my friends, everything we've done together. I can't just leave them. I won't leave them." "NAGISA!" And just in time too, the door from the stairs swinging open fast, and there was Hitomi Shiota, pissed off as ever. He'd seen her angry, sure, but now it was beyond even that. "YOU HORRID CHILD, HOW COULD YOU RUN OFF ON YOUR POOR MOTHER LIKE THAT?! YOU REALLY THINK I DON'T CARE AT ALL, WHAT KIND OF THANKS DO YOU CALL THIS AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU?!?! YOU'LL LIVE YOUR LIFE AS NOTHING BUT A FALIURE IF IT WASN'T FOR ME, HOW DARE YOU TRY TO RUN AWAY ON MY AFTER SO LONG?!?! YOU BETTER GIVE ME ONE DAMN GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T PUNISH YOU RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I'M AT MY LIMIT BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" The very force and blast of her words almost seemed to threaten Nagisa to fall off the roof, but in this crazy rage, Nagisa felt his body tense slightly, but he stayed calm this time. No more running away, and what else? she actually gave him an opening to talk for once. Here it goes. "Stop pretending like I don't have a damn voice." Nagisa turned around and got off of the rim of the roof, beginning to walk over to his enraged mother, the women breathing heavily. He wouldn't be able to even say that last time they even spoke, but that was then. And this is now. "You want me enrolled in Keisetsu University because you didn't make the cut. You want me to have a job at Hishimaru because they didn't hire you. Everything you say you're striving for my future isn't even for me. You don't care about me at all, do you? All you care about is seeing your so called "daughter" succeed in everything you failed at." OH how he waited to say that. "YOU THINK I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU?!" "No I don't! This isn't your child. And having a child doesn't mean you get to constantly mold them into whatever you want, and Goddamnit, I've had it with you." "What?" "Why else did you think I ran away? you call me a failure without you, but look: I'm in Class 3-A of the highest ranking school in Japan. If you got any sense at all, you should know that's succeeding in something! I've changed over the years, I'm far better off where I am. I've grown confidence, I'm succeeding in school, I've made so many friends, I even got a girlfriend for god sake! And all this time you haven't changed a bit. I want you out of my room, I want you of my life, and you will not have any say on the matter! After everything I've told you and you still think you can control me. You still think I'm a failure? It's no wonder dad left you all those years ago." That did it. That last statement did it. All those things Nagisa had said finally made Hiromi snap, and Nagisa suddenly had a fist slammed in his face, strong enough to send Nagisa off his feet, and landing right back to the rim, his head slamming on the concrete. Hiromi didn't care anymore, she WILL control him, and she'll do whatever she has to in order to make that happen. Once Nagisa was on the ground, Hiromi jumped him, and punched him repeatedly, over and over again. "HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE AND LECTURE ME LIKE I'M THE DUMBASS HERE?! YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD, WELL DAMNIT I'M THE MOTHER, I CONTROL YOU, I COMMAND YOU, AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!! I DON'T CARE WHAT OPINIONS YOU HAVE, MY LIFE WAS HELL AND THE ONLY CHANCE I HAD IN REGAINING WHAT I LOST YOU TOOK AWAY FROM ME!!! I WANTED A GIRL, AND YOU CAME OUT INSTEAD, HOW'D YOU THINK I FELT WHEN I SAW YOU?! I TRIED TO MAKE IT WORK, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IF THIS IS HOW YOU'RE GOING TO ACT, THEN WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?!?!" ....... "Dearie me, what ever have we got here?" All this distraction had blinded Nagisa's demon sense in this whole situation, and ironically, the voice made Hiromi stop beating her child. And who did the two see standing on the rooftop with them? Now that Nagisa could focus a little bit, his did begin to feel his demon sense go off. Someone was nearby, but he couldn't move with Hiromi right on top of him. As for Hiromi, she turned and saw the figure off nearby. The Undertaker. him and Aladdin. Not Nagisa's first guess, but a sight for sore eyes (literally). "Who the hell are you?" Hiromi questioned, her temper still fuming. Undertaker was not at all intimidated, and in fact found her kinda funny. "Steady now, Hiromi. I know you have so much fun blowing a gasket, but no need to take it out on me." "HOW THE HELL'D YOU KNOW MY NAME?" She demanded, this time getting up to her feet. Nagisa managed to get up, bruised and a bit bloody from all the punching. "Word gets about, especially with your track record. I mean, really, I almost got to make a new coffin for a top paid manager for Hishimaru Movie Studios. It's not often I'd have that kind of chance, you know," Undertaker explained. "Undertaker, what're you doing?" Nagisa thought, though he was more curious actually. What was he doing there? Was he trying to get her upset again, or was he actually trying to help him? It was always hard to tell with someone like him. Looking to Hiromi however, she looked less angry and more spooked, though her fear was well hidden in her rage state. "I-I didn't kill him!" "Ah, but you sure were close, I must say. That and you sure looked ready to kill your own son right there. Or does it not even matter?" he snickered. Now she was getting upset again. "Mis. Shiota, please don't hurt him anymore. He doesn't deserve all of this," Aladdin then said. That just got Hiromi ticked, and grabbed the Magi by the collar. "Don't you start talking to me about how to take care of my child!" Hiromi demanded, taking him and shaking him violently. Now her anger had transferred off of Nagisa and onto Aladdin. This was NOT the answer he was going to allow. "GET OFF HIM!" Nagisa demanded, and he actually whacked Hiromi right in her head, the same amount of power she used on him to knock him off his feet not sending her tumbling to the ground. Aladdin wasn't hurt too much, Nagisa giving him a gentle hand. If this was the first time Nagisa stood up to his mother, this surely was the first time he attacked her. Hiromi laid stunned from the strike, feeling blood come out of her mouth from the blow, and she looked over to her son, Aladdin worried over Nagisa's own injuries. Nagisa sure looked beat up with the bruises on his face from the punching, but Nagisa didn't look too deterred by it, something Hiromi hadn't seen in her son yet. "You okay, Aladdin?" Nagisa asked. "I'm fine," Aladdin replied. Hiromi got up off the ground, hand on her face where she got hit. Such a brutal hit from someone she never would've guessed would do such a thing to her. Nagisa turned to her, expecting to see her completely enraged at him for even thinking of such, but instead Hiromi looked more shocked than anything. Nagisa placed himself between her and the others in case she would come at them again, something he anticipated actually. As for Hiromi, she looked to Nagisa with a puzzled expression, her anger fuming. "Y-You ... you struck me." "Damn right. Mom, I know your life wasn't how you want it, but forcing me into doing it isn't going to work. I'll decide what I want to do with my life. So here I stay," Nagisa cleared up. "Ooo, steady now. You might set her off again," Undertaker snickered. Well, someone was enjoying this, but he wasn't wrong in that statement, as Hiromi jumped up and readied to attack him again, only for Nagisa to stop her mid way, his skull meeting with hers, and knocking her back. Hiromi was stunned again, and seeing Nagisa barely fazed by this hit. How was this child stronger than her? She was the parent, she was stronger, and he was the child, he was weaker. Therefore, she had control over him ... right? Hiromi rushed over again, but not wanting them hurt, Aladdin got in the way and brought out his Magi shield. Hiromi was knocked down, and this time she stayed down, stunned at what she was seeing. Her anger almost immediately jumped aside for shock at seeing what was supposed to be impossible. "W-What? WHAT?" Nagisa had to take this in stride. "Stop it! How can you be so cruel to your own son? What'd he ever do to you?!" Aladdin asked. "Aside running away you mean?" Undertaker reminded. That didn't make the statement better, but Hiromi still had to recollect herself. She was mad. She was furious. But the more she thought about it, the more she saw what point Nagisa was trying to make. The anger no longer showed on her face. "Nagisa. Home. Now," Hiromi instructed. She tried to be calmer, but the shield was not put down, and Nagisa didn't move. Hiromi waited more, and she could see that he was not going to listen to her anymore. At least he wasn't going to be forced around by her anymore. Hiromi got angry again, but all she did was storm off in a huff. No more instructions, no more fights, Hiromi didn't stay around anymore for it, and she no longer wanted any of it. "If I were you, I'd check in for some medical attention for those little bumps of yours, wouldn't you agree, Nagisa?" Undertaker asked. Nagisa rubbed off some of the blood he felt. It wasn't too bad compared to what else he'd gone through. Hiromi wouldn't leave her son, now knowing where he was, and Nagisa knew it after all this revelation that she would have A LOT to work out in her head. "Yeah. Okay."
S01Ep2: Newcomer ~新人~Nagisa had quite the first day. He had yet to stay more than a week at school, and yet the teen had already undergone a bit of weird occurrences: getting an odd blade and meeting Aladdin as the prime targets. He kept the blade at home, and lucky for him it didn't end up teleporting to him during school, nor did it crash through a window just to get to him. Nagisa still had his thoughts on why he had a blade like this with his literal name on it. He had never held any sort of weapon before that one came along, and he had NO source for this item to return it to. Basically, the rubber blade was a random present with no gift receipt. Even if he went and got something like it, it wouldn't be made of rubber and useless for combat against any assailant. He may not had much issue with the blade itself, Aladdin was another matter. Aladdin had not left Nagisa's home at all since he first popped up in his kitchen, and it was starting to trouble him. He never had a roommate before, and he never met anyone like Aladdin before. Even with these claims Aladdin kept making about these Magi and whatnot, Nagisa had yet to see him actually do anything that would consider magical, so Nagisa had a lot of doubt on these claims. He honestly thought Aladdin was just some weird kid who stumbled into his life one day, acting like he was some literal genie. Until he could actually find a real clue on this, Nagisa just kept it as that. When it came to the others at school, Nagisa didn't remotely bring it up to anybody at school. Who would believe him? Even his close friends would think he was nuts himself, either for the concept on who this Aladdin was, or the fact Nagisa was keeping this stranger in his house in the first place. Nagisa Shiota would need to find out what family Aladdin belonged to, and soon. When the school day was done, Nagisa got his homework together, and was soon back at home. Upon arriving at home, Nagisa found Aladdin passed out on the couch, sleeping the day away. Nagisa had his work ready, but he might as well wake Aladdin up. "K, I'm back," Nagisa said, though Aladdin didn't really wake up yet. Nagisa's main place to do his homework was the living room, but he can't do that with Aladdin laying there. "Hey, Aladdin?" Nagisa said. Aladdin didn't seem to really wake up. In fact, seeing how Aladdin was stretched out, his ponytail down to the floor, arms and legs sprawled out on the couch, he looked deep in sleep. Aladdin did start to move his hand around lazily, as if reaching for something. Nagisa wasn't standing very far away, and suddenly, Aladdin's hand was suddenly pressed on Nagisa's chest ... "... huh. Flat," Aladdin said in his sleep, his hand clenching as if trying to squeeze something. Nagisa felt more awkward here over when he first met Aladdin. Now he knows the kid was a pervert. Nagisa simply poked Aladdin in the head to wake him up, the Magi waking up right away just to see his hand on a boy's chest. "Can you let go?" "OH, oops," Aladdin said, quickly removing his hand from his roomie's chest, and he moved aside as Nagisa had a seat. "Back for the day?" Aladdin asked. "Yeah, I am. How'd you do?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin sighed, and laid his back on Nagisa's side, as the student was starting to work out some of the problems down on his work sheet. Nagisa had insisted that he'd not follow him to school, to keep out of trouble. However, Aladdin had nothing to really do for the last four days that he did this. "Why can't I come with you to this Orora High place of yours? It sounds like fun," Aladdin stated. At this point, anything sound better than lazily hanging around here. "I told you, because you're not a student there. Besides, you wouldn't like it," Nagisa replied, not looking at him and working on the answers. "Why not? What's wrong with it? Is it a bad place?" "Depends how you look at it. It's probably better if you just stay around here until I find out where your family is, ok?" "I've been staying around here for four days straight, and my only family is the fleet up in heaven right now." "Yeah. Sure," Nagisa sighed. Aladdin had gone on about this "fleet" for a while now, but Nagisa never really believed in what that was about - not much proof of it. Aladdin laid his head back in boredom. "Can't I just do one day? Just to try it? Maybe I will like it," Aladdin insisted. Nagisa, getting distracted by this, soon got up again. Aladdin fell back on the couch, banging his head on the arm, as Nagisa turned to him. "Aladdin, look. You shouldn't have to worry about this. Just wait it out, I'll find your "fleet", and you'll go right back home from there, I promise," Nagisa said. Aladdin sat upright, and watched Nagisa take his homework and go off to his room. Guess one of the two blue kids would rather get his own work done. For Aladdin, it was getting rather redundant, and honestly, he was getting tired of it. He could tell from Nagisa's choice of words that he wasn't exactly believing in him on what he was saying - it took this long for him to figure it out - and Aladdin's mind wandered a bit, crossing his arms and laying back down on the couch. "Why can't I go to Orora High? It doesn't sound like a bad place. Maybe Nagisa just doesn't want me to suffer the trouble ... no, that's not fair on him," Aladdin concluded. The Magi looked over to where Nagisa walked off to, thinking on what kind of place Orora high might be. "So that's it then. Tomorrow, I'm going right over to Orora High. No matter what." ~~ The next morning was a bit of a odd one for Nagisa. It wasn't exactly the routine, which went on as it had been over the last couple of days. He went on to freshen up, dress up, and prepare for the day with his bento box, but there was one thing that seemed to present itself: Aladdin was missing. He didn't see or hear Aladdin anywhere within his own apartment, but the small blade was still evident, still laying down on the table from yesterday. "Where'd he go? Aladdin?" Nagisa said, and waited for a response. He waited for a minute or two for any response, but it seemed that Aladdin just wasn't around. Nagisa had no indication for him leaving, but then again he got no indication for him coming over either. Nagisa got his bento, and his homework into his school bag, all ready to go. As he went to the door though, Nagisa turned back one more time and waited for Aladdin to show up somewhere, just to tell the boy that he was around, but no such thing happened. Eventually, Nagisa stepped out, and began going off on his way. "Looks like Aladdin went back home after all," Nagisa concluded. ~~ Eventually, Nagisa went on over to the school with little trouble. It was still a bit early in the day, so students were still going along their way into the building. Nagisa could guarantee himself that he wasn't gonna be late, at least. Plenty of students were going along their own walk, and Nagisa soon spotted a familiar pair of faces amongst the crowd: Karma and Twilight talking to eachother! Nagisa was not ready for this, and by the look on Twilight's uncomfortable face, Karma had been pulling his hellish charisma on her for a while before he showed up. It didn't take long til Karma noticed Nagisa either, and he raised his hand to flag him down. "HEY, Nagisa! About time you showed up," Karma said, as Nagisa sheepishly went up to them both. "Hi Karma, Yugure ... See you met before I showed up," Nagisa noted. He could only wonder what the hell Karma was talking to Twilight about. "We had plenty of time on our hands before the bell," Karma said. "So, he's a new friend of yours, Nagisa?" Twilight asked, walking over to Nagisa rather than be over by Karma. "Eh yeah. We knew eachother since freshmen year, actually," Nagisa said, but Karma suddenly ended up ruffling Nagisa's blue hair, messing it up just a little bit. "Yep that's right. And Nagisa here told me you two were close several years ago, weren't ya?" Karma then said. Twilight smiled a little awkwardly, but still nodded. "Eh, yeah," Twilight simply said. Karma smiled in a cheeky manor. "Oh you two are just cute together aren't you? So, you two planning to do what together?" "We're not THAT kind of friends," Twilight and Nagisa quickly insisted, just resulting in Karma to laugh at their denial. An awkward moment, yes. Before it could go any further, the time quickly presented itself as more students began to head inside. "Alright you two, catch you later," Karma said. And with that, he went right on inside. Twilight and Nagisa basically did the same, and soon, the front yard was empty of students ... well, almost every student. Appearing just at the front door, one student was a little bit late for his arrival. He had been hiding off, observing, and after the other students had left and entered the building, only then did he go out and started heading on in himself. Aladdin! Of course, Aladdin did look a little bit different from before. Rather than his usual Arabian wardrobe, he took the time last night to work out his own outfit for school. Namely, borrowing Nagisa's own spare. The outfit was mainly the same, albeit a little long at the sleeves and legs, but Aladdin tucked in both leg and arm sleeves to get a better fit. His hair was still braided back, but his Turpin wasn't on his head this time, nor was his gold flute around his neck. The only thing that he had to keep on him was the head gemstone, but it was a minuet detail which he can easily get away with if he had to. "Ok, here it goes," Aladdin told himself, prepared and ready to go. Aladdin's first day of Orora High School just got started. ~~ "Where is everyone?" It hadn't been an hour, and already Aladdin was having trouble. More or less, he just couldn't find anyone outside the classrooms. He looked down many a hallway in a casual walk, but he just couldn't find anyone anywhere. He didn't understand yet on where kids were supposed to go, but he knew that they had to be somewhere in this place. "UGH, if I'd known it was gonna be as lonely here as before," Aladdin sighed. Aladdin kept wandering around, not really sure where he was going. He had been just wandering around the school for quite a while now, and the only main clue he had was the occasional signs that pop up above classroom doors. He knew if he'd been by the same class by passing a similarly labeled sign, be it a D class, or C class. At this point, Aladdin was wandering around the halls of the B class students, when the bell finally rang. Aladdin jumped on hearing that bell, apparently coming from nowhere, but he did end up hearing, and eventually seeing, students go out of class and into the halls. FINALLY some students to talk to! These kids though didn't lay him no mind at first, and frankly all of them were taller than him in some way. That fact didn't bug him though as it would to probably Nagisa, so Aladdin went around to see if he'll have any luck. "Morning everyone," said Aladdin, waving a arm to greet hello. However, not many of the students were really listening to him, and Aladdin brought his arm down. So instead, he decided to walk in and try his luck from there. Again though, many of these students didn't pay him no mind. Well, even if they weren't so talkative to him, least he can say he wasn't sitting alone. "Doesn't look like anyone wants to talk. Is this what Nagisa deals with every day?" Aladdin thought in wonder. If this was true, then it would explain why Nagisa would be so withdrawn. As he continued going on though, Aladdin did notice that some students were looking his way, but mainly because he seemed slightly outta place. A kid his height with a gem on his forehead, and that long of hair, would stand out amongst this crowd. As he kept on going, trying to spark a conversation, one student did finally end up being in his way, making Aladdin stop. This class B student, as expected, was a bit taller than him. She wore the usual outfit for the school's dress code, which was a grey school shirt with a grey skirt rather than pants like the boys do, though she had her grey overcoat un-bottoned to show her white undershirt. This girl was, for a lack of a better word, gorgeous! Her hair was pink, curled in several places, and had lovely blue eyes perfect for a fem fatale. For Aladdin though, his eyes were quick to catch the girl's impressive, e-cup boobs, which the white shirt showed off lovingly. "Oh, hello," Aladdin said. Rather than a hello, she looked him over, hands on her hips. "You new here?" She questioned. "Wow, how'd you know?" Aladdin gasped. "Because you're a shrimp that doesn't know what he's doing. Do you know where you are?" She asked. Aladdin wasn't sure on the question itself, or knew what she meant. He was in the right building, wasn't he? "Eh ... Orora High?" The girl groaned. "Damn, you must be a new E kid," She figured, going right up to him. Aladdin quickly noted the bounce her boobs made with each step, so he wasn't exactly listening to her ... "This is class B territory. Why don't you go back to the End class where you belong?" The girl mocked. However, Aladdin was set on bigger things. A set of bigger things ... "AH!" The other students in the hall stopped for a brief moment, and were left blindsided and flabbergasted by what happened next. Suddenly, and almost outta nowhere, Aladdin had his head and hands getting their feel of the girl's boobs! Aladdin had his face right in her cleavage, both hands freely fondling and squeezing her boobs like it's nobody's business. "You have nice boobs. I love big boobs," Aladdin said in glee, his voice kinda muffled since it was in her boobs. Everyone around her couldn't believe what Aladdin was doing, and as for the girl in question ... *SLAP* next thing he knew, Aladdin was tumbling on the floor, in a daze, with a steaming hot red hand print now on his face. By the time Aladdin did come to his feet, he saw just how ticked off this girl was: fire in her eyes and everything. "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, PERVERT!" She bellowed. Since he valued his life, Aladdin took off running as fast as he could. Not a good showing. ~~ The hours came and went for Orora High, and Nagisa was still unaware on who else had ended up in the school. Since Aladdin's little groping earlier, he had to play a little hiding game, which would explain why Nagisa and his friends hadn't seen Aladdin just yet. While they didn't see him, they did catch rumor of a sexual attack on a Class B student. Kinda hard not to hear about. As lunch time came, things were going on as it would normally do for the students involved, though news of what happened spread like wildfire. Nagisa and Twilight were sitting next to eachother, eating their own food, and overhearing the conversations. Karma and Pinkie hanged around them too, though it was their own convenience. "Sure has been a lot of talk today," Twilight noted. "No kidding. Then again, it was involving a higher class student, so it was bound to go around fast," Nagisa figured. Twilight took a bite out of her own bento before continuing. "What is it exactly about anyway?" Twilight asked. "Apparently some kid had the guts to feel up VP Emi Isuzu's breasts. Bet he got quite a good groping outta her," Karma informed, with his signature cheeky grin, and his hands clenched as if squeezing boobs himself. That detail was one thing Nagisa and Twilight didn't catch beforehand. "That's who got groped? I hope that kid's got his story ready for the principal," Nagisa said. Any kid messing with the higher class like that would end up in trouble with the principal, whatever the issue. As they were talking about it, one kid found them, and went right over to them, actually hoping up into the seat next to Nagisa. At first he thought it was Pinkie Pie and her games, but ... "Hi, Nagisa, how's your day?" "It's ok, thank - What are you doing here?!" Aladdin. The happy kid was now sitting right next to Nagisa, the blue kid getting pretty startled on seeing him. Aladdin, who had a apple with him to snack on, took a bite of it before continuing. "I wanted to see what your school's like," Aladdin said casually. "OH! Hello buddy! I'm Pinkie Pie! This is Yugure, Nagisa, and Karma! who're you?" Pinkie suddenly asked, leaning over the table with her own big smile. Aladdin's eyes saw Pinkie's boobs too. Though they weren't as big as Emi's were, they still were big and a bit bouncy. Unlike before, he got what Pinkie said easier. "Aladdin. Funny name, Pinkie. You didn't tell me you had these kind of friends, Nagisa," Aladdin said. And there, Nagisa got caught. Pinkie, Karma, and Twilight looked right to Nagisa for some explanation, the kid feeling embarrassed that his little situation had to be revealed this way. "You know him, Nagisa?" Twilight asked. Nagisa just sighed. "Yeah. He just showed up at my home one day, and kinda stuck around since. He Said he just "poofed" up at my place," Nagisa admitted. What else could he exactly say? Meanwhile, Aladdin tried to get his hands on Pinkie's own set of breasts, and his hands were actually getting very close until ... "Just poofed up at your place? What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "I don't know, that's what he said. He's hard to figure out," Nagisa stated. Pinkie straightened up fast, her boobs bouncing to Aladdin's delight, but making him fall forward onto the table, missing his grab. "OH! OH! Can I try guessing? Please, please, please?!" Pinkie asked, excitedly. "Alright, knock yourself out," Karma allowed. Pinkie cleared her throat, and ... "Aladdin's-a-member-of-one-of-the-heaven-fleets-and-he-came-down-to-Earth-because-you-found-a-blessed-weapon-so-he-is-sent-down-to-help-you-fight-off-demons-that-are-doing-mean-things-to-the-world-AND-give-you-some-know-how-on-how-demons-work!" Pinkie finished her little theory with a smile of her face, though Twilight and Nagisa were left wide-eyed and mouths open. Karma was a little confused on it, and as for Aladdin ... "WOW, I've been telling him that all week! And you said no one would believe me, Nagisa! ... Nagisa?" Nagisa didn't have a single clue how Pinkie managed to guess THAT kind of story right off the bat like that, but Pinkie seemed to be an odd one anyway. Karma snapped his fingers in front of his and Twilight's face to snap them outta it, and get them back to reality. Nagisa shook his head, but instead of answering Aladdin, he looked right to Pinkie Pie. "How the hell'd you guess THAT?" "Just a hunch," Pinkie simply said with a big grin. "All that was a hunch?!" Nagisa thought. He quickly corrected himself though, and turned to Aladdin as Karma was talking. "One hell of a hunch, Pinks. So, Aladdin, you got some connection with heaven?" Karma asked casually. "That's what I've been telling him!" "Quite a stretch. How about some proof for me and my friends here? I'm sure my pals would like to see some fancy tricks," Karma suggested, ruffling Nagisa's hair again. Nagisa fixed it quick, though a demonstration did sound like a good idea. Aladdin needed proof to give his own ideas something to stand on, and with days of no magic and all talk, Nagisa would need some evidence on that. Aladdin was up to the task. "Oh sure! But I dunno around here." "Don't worry. I know just the place." ~~ And that place in question was a bit away too. When school was done for the day, Karma lead Pinkie, Twilight, and Nagisa, off down a nature trail just behind the main building. Being a nature trail meant that some walking had to be done to get there, though it wasn't anything new. Nagisa knew damn well where they were going, though Pinkie and Twilight were a little unsure. Pinkie Pie though was very excited, all the same. The trail itself was well traveled on, and the forest and trees gave the trail a nice scenic view, which included a number of birds singing in the trees, including Pidgy, Starly, and Pidove. "So where's Aladdin?" Twilight asked. "He said he'll meet us there. He wanted to get geared up first," Karma replied. He and Aladdin had a quick chat before they left, and Karma agreed to let him get himself ready. During their walk (which took about a mile along the trail), they soon begin to spot another building coming up. Since it was later on in the day, student and staff weren't around, so they had the place to themselves. As for the place, it was a decent-sized, old school building. It was a lot smaller than Orora High's school building, and not as advanced as well, with a HUGE open yard used for gym exercise. The roof of the building looked boarded up, with several holes here and there, and the building itself was made up of mainly wood. For Nagisa and Karma, this building was a unmistakable one, if not rather rundown. The sign up on the door said it all: Class E. Yes, this is where the End class students go. And judging by the looks of it, it wasn't getting and plans of renovation anytime soon. Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma went around the Class E building, heading over to the main yard. Looking around though, they didn't see any sign anyone else was around the place. Out in the yard, the only thing out was about three stray Starly birds pecking for some insects, but that was about it. They kept looking for him somewhere, but Aladdin didn't seem to be anywhere ... "Where is he?" Nagisa wondered. "Hey guys! You made it!" The group turned and there was Aladdin, sitting on the roof of the E building, looking down at them with a smile on his face. Aladdin had changed out of his school attire, and was back in his old Arabian outfit, which he liked a lot better. Pinkie, Twilight, and Nagisa weren't sure how he got up there, and since he will be demonstrating, weren't sure what he had planned either. "Aladdin?" Pinkie wondered, very curious. "Ok, kid, what do ya got?" Karma asked in a smirk, waiting for something to happen. Aladdin got up to his feet, standing right at the edge of the rooftop. "Watch this," Aladdin said. With confidence on his face, she turned himself around so his back was to the edge. Suddenly, the Magi began to lean back, and he started to fall! Freaked, Pinkie rushed right under Aladdin, where he would land in order to catch him. She brought her arms up to grab ... Nothing? "TA DA!" Aladdin was floating! The reactions from the others said it all. Nagisa was simply wide-eyed and in complete shock, Twilight looked amazed with her hands covering her mouth, Pinkie stared straight up with starry eyes and a loud gasp escaping her open mouth, and even Karma looked very impressed. Aladdin was suspended in mid air, only his hair hanging down like a coil of blue rope. From his position, it looked like he was sleeping on an invisible bed. Aladdin stayed like that, even pushing away from the building with a tap of his feet just to make sure the group weren't mistaking it for some illusion act. After that, the Magi raised his right leg, and swung it down to spin himself upright. Aladdin looked down to the shocked crowd, hands on his hips, and a cocky grin. "NOW do you believe me?" Aladdin asked, though they didn't need to say anything to give him his answer. There was no possible way he was being suspended there by any usual means at this point. No rope, no jet pack, no nothing! This was pure magic keeping Aladdin up in the air. After a bit, Aladdin floated down to the ground, landing on his own two feet, light as a feather. "WHOA, HOW'D YOU DO THAT?!" Pinkie gasped. "Being a Magi, I have some enchanted items to use. My Turban gives me the ability to float around when I want to," Aladdin explained, showing it to Pinkie. Pinkie was simply amazed. "What else can you do?!" Pinkie asked, excitedly. Aladdin took a moment to think on what to do next, and soon he then showed another item he had with him - one that Nagisa hadn't seen before. It appeared to be some sort of staff, completely wooden and made into a sort of triangular shape at the staff's head, giving the appearance of a small bird opening its wings. Aladdin gripped it in both hands, and focused hard and strong. The others waited for a little bit, waiting to see what Aladdin was going to do for his next act. After some concentration, Aladdin spread his arms out, and suddenly he ended up having a sort of forcefield around himself, a yellow aura left in its wake. "OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!" Pinkie beamed, clapping her hands, and jumping in place like a little school girl. Karma walked up to the forcefield in question, leaning against it casually as Twilight felt the force field herself, amazed as ever. "This is incredible! It - It has to be magic," Twilight gasped. "So you can make force fields too, Aladdin? Not bad, but how about some strong magic? A hyper beam, or thunderbolt maybe?" Karma asked with a smirk. Aladdin though crossed his arms. "This is a strong magic: only true Magi can do this," Aladdin insisted. Karma took a little walk around the force field, seeing how it covered Aladdin's entire body, and how perfectly spherical it was. As he was, over nearby, Nagisa was left simply lost on words, sitting over by the door. He really had been very quiet since Aladdin first started to float around in the air. His mind was wrapped up in what was going on, too much to pay attention. "Oh my god. He really is magical. ... If he's right about that, then ... what else is he right about? ..." "Hey, Earth to Nagisa, still with us?" Pinkie suddenly asked, right in his face too. Nagisa snapped right back to reality. "Oh, uh yeah, I'm fine," Nagisa assured, getting up to his feet. Aladdin removed his force field at this point, and it didn't take long before Nagisa decided what to do next, going right up to him. After seeing Aladdin not only fly around, but summon a magical force field, Nagisa now no longer had any doubts about Aladdin's claims. "Hey, Aladdin?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin stopped what he was doing and looked over to him, seeing that Nagisa now was looking a bit more serious this time. "You and I had been around for a while, and the whole time you kept saying you were apart of some "fleet", right?" Nagisa began. Pinkie, Twilight, Karma weren't sure where that came from, but they didn't exactly stop him. Even if they did, Aladdin didn't give them the chance to, answering them with casual ease. "That's right." "And you also said you're supposed to protect this world from evils, right?" "Me and the other angels." "What're you getting at? Not everyone here knows what the hell's going on," Karma asked. "Aladdin has been telling me this stuff since he showed up," Nagisa simply said, before addressing Aladdin again. "Can you explain what's going on?" Aladdin, oddly enough, was a little quiet at first, before answering him. "Really? I can't just say it to anyone!" Insisted Aladdin. "Aladdin, you just showed off your magic to three kids you just met today, and you told Nagisa already," Twilight pointed out. Aladdin opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out in response. He had showed off his flying AND his Magi-only force field to three strangers just outta convenience ... "... Oh yeah. OK, but can you all promise to not tell anybody else please?" Aladdin asked, a bit more serious in tone, hoping they would agree. "Sure, Aladdin," Twilight started. "K. I'm good at secrets," Karma added. As for Pinkie, her promise was a little elaborate: she zipped her lips, locked them, dropped her imaginary key, and did some other odd stuff with her hands before stopping. "... Sooooo, are you keeping the promise, or no?" Aladdin asked. "Of course! That why I zipped my lips, locked them with a key, threw the key, buried the key in a hole, and build a house on top of the hole!" Pinkie explained. The others were still confused, but Aladdin took it anyway. The Magi turned to the group now, and started to explain. "Listen. As a Magi, me and the other Angels of the fleets are supposed to protect the world from whatever evils that appear. It's usually something Angels do hidden away from regular humans so they won't get hurt." "Evils, you say?" Karma asked. "Demons, monsters, witches, that sort of thing. They keep showing up, and it's our job to stop them," Aladdin explained. Demons? Devils? THAT'S what Aladdin was talking about?! It was then that clever Karma started to put the pieces together. "And Nagisa has something to do with this?" Karma asked, pointing to Nagisa in question. "Right. He actually has a blessed halo blade, before I appeared with him." Having a weapon like that in his possession was a detail Nagisa didn't want just shot out, but what can he do now? The others didn't seem too bugged by it, and Karma was first to give his two cents about that. "Damn, you lucky son of a bitch," commented Karma. Nagisa though was a bit more troubled. "Uh, Aladdin? Does this mean that ... we'll end up coming across these demons?" Nagisa asked, worried. Aladdin thought a tiny bit, but shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Humans and demons don't bother eachother directly often. Besides, you got me," Aladdin assured Nagisa, the student giving a sigh of relief. Demons and Angels had been at eachother for a while, as far as Aladdin knew, and rarely did any demon dare to directly confront any human, so chances were very slim. As long as that was settled, then it couldn't be too bad ... Right? ~~ When Aladdin was finished showing off his abilities, the group then parted and went on home from there. While it was nice to have company on the way home, Nagisa eventually was stuck alone at one point during his walk, not too long after they past the main Orora High building. It was something Nagisa was used to though, so it wasn't much of a bother. What was slightly a bother was how late it got. Walking a mile and back from the E building took a bit of time to do, and was late in the afternoon by the time he split off from his friends. He felt a sense of Deja Vu during this: walking alone at the same spot, no one else apparently around either. Nagisa himself was a little to preoccupied to really notice that, thinking about what Aladdin told him earlier. His mind continued to go through various questions: what kind of demons was Aladdin talking about? how dangerous were these demons? How many demons and angels were there in the world, and how long had this been going on? These sorts of things kept going through his head and Nagisa continued his quiet walk down the street, not seeing anyone around. "It looks like Aladdin wasn't making things up after all. Least I can say I won't have to worry about me or my friends meeting any demons ... at least, I hope not ..." Soon, Nagisa reached a rather familiar crossroads and traffic light: same spot where the blade found him already days before. Unlike before, the light was already green, so after a quick check of the road, he started to walk across. It seemed alright, and nothing out of the ordinary at first. The second Nagisa stepped onto the next curb, Nagisa was ready to keep going, but he ended up stopping himself. He felt a cold chill on the back of his neck, and it soon begun to overcome him. It wasn't a ordinary chill one would feel on a cold day either. In fact, the day was pretty warm actually, so where was this feeling coming from? "Wait ... What's this? ... Something's not right ..." Why was he thinking that, he wasn't sure, but Nagisa started to look around a bit anyway. He didn't continue forward to home, and his eyes kept going around, trying to find the source of this strange unseen trouble. Nagisa began to wander away from the usual path, taking a right, away from the main road back home. It wasn't a route he would normally take, but the more he kept walking, the stronger this feeling was getting. Something was causing this, and for some reason, he needed to figure out what. Nagisa stopped again when he stepped into view of one of the city's many alleys. Looking down the alley, Nagisa saw nothing but concrete and walls, and at the very end, it splits away as apart of another alley. It didn't seem out of place on the surface, with a few garbage cans by the back doors. It's what was at the second alleyway that caught Nagisa's eyes. Down at the end, as Nagisa went to investigate, something was standing at attention in the late noon light. The thing, which appeared to be a statue, stood about eight to nine feet tall from top to bottom. It looked vaguely humanoid in structure, with a human-like face. The statue had no arms or legs, but it did had a red cloth around the neck in terms of clothing. From the shape of the statue, and blank expression on the face, it had the proper look to a traditional Jizo Statue. The statue didn't look very new, and showed deep signs of wear and tear, the stone used on the statue worn away and even having faint hints of green on the rocky overcoat. "A Jizo statue? What's this doing here?" Nagisa wondered, looking it over up and down, and all around. There wasn't any indication that it had been brought in, or any sort of branding. It was as if someone just made the statue in its place and left it there. Nagisa still felt that cold sensation, and now he was at this statue it just grew stronger. "That feeling again. But why? what's going on? It's just a Jizo statue. ... Is it?" Nagisa thought. Nagisa placed his hand on the statue, trying to think. Yet, his hand was placed on the Jizo statue's chest ... *thump**thump**thump**thump* "Beating? ... Wait. Heart beating ... It's alive!" And proved it's true: seconds after Nagisa figured that out, the statue itself suddenly made a loud rumbling. Nagisa stepped back as the statue came to life on him! On each side of its body, the statue creature began to grow a pair of long, humanoid arms, each ending in a dagger mantis claw. The head also extended on a long, rugged neck. It still had no legs, but it still looked menacing whatever the case may be. Well, Nagisa knew what the feeling was, but now what to do? He was in dead sight of this creature, one that he had no clue what was capable of doing. As for the creature itself, it didn't really move or anything, but instead simply stayed put and stared back at Nagisa. Nagisa didn't do very much either aside from staring. It's a standoff. Without a word, Nagisa slowly started to move backwards, step by step, trying not to make any sudden movements. The living Jizo statue stayed rather still itself, the head swaying and turning, as if it was studying the human in front of it, and trying to see what kind of target he was. Nagisa had no weapon, no backup, and no way to defend himself. Each step Nagisa had made was quiet, not a sound being made to be sure. The blue kid had to remain calm until after he was far enough away from it to make a quick getaway. And at first, he thought he might be able to pull it off. just a few more steps ... *clunk* "Damnit." one stray step, which knocked over a small can on the ground, was all it took for the statue to react. The first strike by the beast was a strong lunge forward, using its arms to grip the ground and shoot forward. Nagisa only had seconds to react, and could only duck, and rush forward. Nagisa felt the scythe-like mantis claws tear at his shirt during the lunge, one clean cut down the back, but he dodged it just enough to get a minor scrape. Nagisa took the moment to make a run for it down the other alley, scrambling to get away. However, the Jizo monster surprised Nagisa with its own method of moving: balancing on its wrists, and chasing after Nagisa like they were legs, and moving just as fast as he was. The creature lunged at Nagisa again, but this time there was no dodging it. Nagisa almost made it out of the alleyway when the Jizo creature struck him, the huge claw slamming Nagisa to the wall. That, combine with the brute force of the hit, made Nagisa go limp. The hit wasn't enough to kill him, but Nagisa surely felt like the hit done some horrid damage to him, one way or another. The hit gave Nagisa a deep bruise to his right side, but the Jizo monster was not done with him yet. After a bellow, the giant claw of the beast swung down at him, the human only able to dodge by a few short seconds. The swing was so hard, it dug into the earth like a pickaxe! While one dodge avoid that hit, the second claw was quick to catch Nagisa, the blunt end of the creature's wrist making a brutal blow to Nagisa's face. The hit gave Nagisa a black eye, and flung him a good ten feet down the alley. And, before Nagisa could even shake himself off, the Jizo creature rushed him, and rammed him square on the stomach, knocking the breath out of him! This time, Nagisa wasn't so quick to get up off the ground, his injuries to the point that he was bleeding from the mouth, and his clothes started to turn red from the impact wounds seeping blood as well. Nagisa laid at the wall, coughing and wheezing, as he sensed the Jizo monster closing in on him. The monster didn't jump at him right away, and instead it watched him just laying there, both claws placed down on each side of him, basically pinning him down. Nagisa stared up at the monster, feeling blood seep down his face, and dripping down his chin onto the ground. "Damn. DAMN! ... I can't get out of this alive ..." That was all Nagisa could really think, and by the looks of the situation, that was more than true. After a bit, the creature brought one of its claws around Nagisa's head, and at first Nagisa thought it was going to crush his skull. Rather than do that, the monster lifted him up to his feet, and gave Nagisa a vice-grip on the neck, holding him and crushing. Nagisa struggled against the monster's grip, but the Jizo wasn't going to let him get away. Nagisa's strained eyes locked to those of the creature for a moment, but something flashed through his head then ... "Dear god, I hope this works," Nagisa thought. Soon, Nagisa's body made a suddenly twitch, and soon after that, he grew limp. The creature held him for a while after seeing this happen, slowly moving its head to see what was going on. After checking, it appeared that this monster had its next meal. The Jizo beast released Nagisa, and placed him down onto the ground ... And THAT's when Nagisa charged off! The beast, angry at being tricked, soon began racing after Nagisa again, but this time Nagisa had more time to make distance between him and the beast as he got to the main road. The Jizo beast didn't stop its assault, and went off after him to the street itself. For Nagisa, he really didn't know how to get away from this Jizo monster, looking around and trying to figure something out. "Ok, ok Nagisa think. Think. What do you got to work with?" Nagisa wondered frantically. However, looking around, he seemed to have nothing to really have on hand, or anything to work with. The Jizo beast moved in on Nagisa step by step. Nagisa moved back a bit more himself. He needed to think of something to do, and fast. Then he got it. Nagisa looked down the street, and he began to run again, this time towards the hanging traffic lights where he first was. The Jizo managed to catch up to him, Nagisa stopping at one of the street light posts. The Jizo beast swung its claw at him, just for Nagisa to dodge it. The slice was dangerously deep in the street light, and Nagisa raced out into the road, passing under the lights, and stopping near the otherside of it. The Jizo statue saw him do this, and began to move in on him. "Come on. That's it. Right. There." *snap* Then it happened. The sound of the breaking light post, which was holding the hanging light up, finally got too weak and gave way. The hanging traffic light, no longer having any even support in the air, also fell down hard. Nagisa was safely out of the way, but for the Jizo, both the pole holding the light up, and the hanging traffic light itself fell right down on top of it! Both objects, with the combine weight, collapsed right down onto the creature head and neck, slamming it into the ground! Nagisa could help but cringe upon the impact. Upon impact to the floor, there was a loud, and distinct sound of a crack. Blood pouring out of its head, and onto the street. The arms twitched and stuttered for a few moments, just before they went completely limp, as did the creature. Stone dead. As for Nagisa, hurting, but alive, he made a mad dash straight back home. If this thing was somehow still alive, he didn't want to stay around and find out ...
S01Ep3: Blair Witch ~ブレア魔女~"Strange. Where is he?" Twilight wondered. It had been rather long at school the next following day. For Twilight, overall, it was relatively normal, but throughout the day, one thing did seem missing: Nagisa. Throughout each class she had went to, Nagisa was not anywhere in the school. She didn't see him when she first arrived at the door, she didn't see him in any of her classes, not even during lunch time. Being absent in school wasn't anything new for any student, but Twilight was one of the people Aladdin told about the angels and demons that lurked around Earth. With that kind of knowledge, it was rather troubling at the least to find Nagisa missing the day after Aladdin's information. At this point, school was done, and Twilight was just outside, yet Twilight still hadn't caught sight of Nagisa anywhere amongst the leaving crowd, which today was oddly a little quicker than normal, as if they want to find something too. As Twilight kept looking, Karma was soon to be spotted, walking casually out as normal. "Hey, Karma!" Twilight called, going over to him. If anyone would know where Nagisa is, it would be his more recent friend. "Hey, Yugure, what's up?" Karma asked. "I'm fine, but did you see Nagisa at all? Couldn't find him anywhere," Twilight asked. Karma brought his hands to behind his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. Didn't see his blue head anywhere today. Bummer too, I wanted him to go fishing with me," replied Karma. Cionsidering who Karma was for the short time she knew him, she didn't ask him about that. However, Karma's lack of knowledge got Twilight a little more troubled again. "Nothing. Oh dear. Maybe we should check on him," Twilight suggested. Karma glanced her way before he began to walk the other way towards his own home. "I wouldn't worry about it. He's probably just called in sick or something," Karma figured. "Karma, but what about -" Twilight suddenly stopped herself, and leaned in closer to him to whisper. "Those demons?" "What about em? That's for Aladdin to worry about, not us," Karma pointed out. Karma did have a point there. Even with this warning, this was something Aladdin should mainly be wary over, not Nagisa. Regardless of the case, as his friend, Twilight should at least check on him just to be sure. After all, it still was too much of a coincidence for Nagisa to be missing the day after the fact. "Well you do what you want, I'm going to check on him," Twilight decided, starting to go off on her way. Nagisa had told her where he had lived after a few days, so Twilight had got it down pact just enough to get going. Karma himself didn't bug her on about it, and he simply went on his own way home. "You're just too worried about your hubby, aren't you? Don't worry, your love will be happy to see ya," Karma teased, making Twilight fluster. "He's not my boyfriend!" Twilight insisted. Karma simply smirked, and contained walking. "Whatever floats your boat, Princess," Karma commented. Twilight groaned, face red, as she went off on her own way. There was no point in arguing about that now. As Karma and Twilight went their own ways, neither had noticed a set of eyes watching them from afar ... ~~ Twilight kept up her quick walk for a while longer, not bothering to stop herself at any point. She needed to see what was wrong with Nagisa here, and her worried head got to work on her with what could be wrong. It was a natural for Twilight to think, and overthink, which can be either a blessing or a curse. The longer she got these thoughts going, the more of a cold sweat she was stuck with, and quicker she was to get to Nagisa. It was enough to make her shutter even, making her go out into a jog. "Why would Nagisa skip right after we were told this? Oh, if he got into trouble already ..." That made her just go quicker. The violet student had to work on pure memory when it came to the directions. Far as she understood, the direction wasn't much of a problem. She continued on down the road for another five minutes, but as she was, her ears began to catch some sort of commotion going on ahead of her. The crowd was mainly made up of about several students from Orora high, along with twenty others. Some had their phones out, trying to get a good picture of something going on, but from where Twilight was, she couldn't see what it exactly is. Twilight began to pick up the pace, this time to get to the crowd, her curiosity getting the better of her. As she went closer, she saw some other details that made this a rather bigger situation: police tape, and caution blockades. "What's going on?" Twilight wondered as she neared ... Then she saw it. What Twilight stumbled on was a crime scene of otherworldly proportions. In the location, just at the crossing, there was the same Jizo statue - the exact same one that Nagisa had faced yesterday! It had yet to be handled, and much of the body had yet to be moved away. The Jizo beast, which now just looked like a normal Jizo statue, was still laying there with its skull still under the traffic light and pole, dry blood down around the body, and into the street. A set of police cars were at the scene, about five officers trying to get some information about the incident from some of the local shopkeepers who were on the same street, though they didn't had much to go on. Some construction workers were also present, trying to clean up the mess and repair the damages done from Nagisa's fight with the beast. It was quite a surprise, to be sure, but Nagisa himself wasn't seen anywhere here either. Even so, it was enough to stop Twilight cold. Twilight went over to the borderline, but one of the officers went over, and got in her way. "Hold it! No one is to pass here until after the damages had been cleared," said the officer. "What happened?" Twilight asked, which was the first thing that came right to her mind. "Theirs not your concern, mam. If you need to pass through here, there's a detour off that way," the officer instructed, pointing down the road to another turn in the sidewalk. It may be a bit different, but Twilight had to find out about Nagisa, and she was off running. ....... "YOU KILLED IT?!" It took some trial and error, but Twilight did find where Nagisa lived, and she was quick to tell Nagisa the situation. And since this was Twilight Nagisa was talking to, he was clear to tell her about what happened to. For Nagisa himself, the attack did leave its mark on him, him still sporting a black eye and a few bruises, though not as nasty as yesterday. His eye had some bandage and a patch on it, but apart from that, Nagisa appeared to be virtually unscathed. Aladdin figured it out rather quickly himself when Nagisa came back the hour after, but Twilight took the information as a shock, mainly for the well-being of Nagisa himself. "I didn't had much choice, really, it would've killed me if I left it alone. Or it could've gone after someone else," Nagisa said, a hand resting at his side, where his bruise was still evident. Twilight had to gather herself up before she could continue. "But this is an actual demon! The police were there, and other kids and - and ... Oh, I'm just glad you're safe," Twilight said, trying to relax - though hard to do. "I'm glad I'm not crippled after that," Nagisa commented. That's when Aladdin spoke up. "You're very, very lucky, Nagisa. A Jizo is a rather high-ranking demon to meet for the first time," Aladdin said. "Ranking? How high is it?" Twilight asked. Aladdin took a moment to think, scratching his head. Aladdin shrugged after a bit. "Dunno exactly. I did hear that it is a very powerful demon, highly respected in Tartarus," Aladdin explained. Nagisa took this deeper in consideration more than Twilight did. "If I did kill a demon that respected ..." "Don't worry, it's just one. It won't be enough to bring around too much trouble ... maybe you should bring your halo blade around though," Aladdin insisted, giving the halo blade to Nagisa. Aladdin figured it would help him out a bit more if he were to keep that around in case something like this happens again. "Aladdin, I can't bring this to school! You know what they'd do to me?" Nagisa gasped. "... Take it away?" "NO! Well, yes, but worse than that: they'll sent me to Class E on the spot for that." "What's wrong with that?" Aladdin asked, tilting his head. "Class E is "the end" class - the lowest grade you can be in. You saw where Class E was, didn't you? It'll be all over for me and whoever else is there," Nagisa admitted. Not exactly a thing he'd say out loud in public, but many students Class A through D would think of the same thing. Aladdin found it a bit unfair, but he didn't make the rules for Orora high anyway. "That doesn't sound fair at all," Aladdin commented. "It's just the way things are," Nagisa simply said. "Well anyway, you shouldn't have to worry about more demons, Nagisa. If any come your way, just leave it to me," Aladdin assured him. "You sure?" "Sure I'm sure. I'd hate to see this happen to you again," Aladdin admitted. Twilight couldn't help but agree with him. She didn't want Nagisa to get hurt anymore than Aladdin would. As for Nagisa himself, he placed his hand onto his black eye, and smiled to them both. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Hey Yugure, since you're here, wanna study a bit with me?" Nagisa asked. "Oh, sure. I got your homework with me anyway," Twilight said. Aladdin usually was bored when it came to this, so he knew this was gonna be a boring time ... ~~ Hours ticked by, and the day soon turned to night. It was very late, and at this point, much of Tokyo was off and quiet, many people off to sleep for the next day. While Nagisa and Twilight had their night handled fairly well, Karma back at his house had a lot more time on his own hands. While Nagisa had an average apartment to live in, Karma had the privilege in living in an actual house: a three level house near the city, over in the suburbs. It wasn't too far from Tokyo itself, so a walk from there to home wasn't too bad. It may looked ordinary from outside apart from a fancy wall lining it with a gate to open for the garage, this house showed evidence that this place had some good amounts of money in it. Karma's bedroom alone had quite a bit of things in it. Karma's room alone had some signs of this: a high-tech DELL computer at his desk, a self filled with TONS of DVDs by his closet, and a signed poster of "Sonic Ninja" up on his wall, just to name a few. At the moment, Karma was in bed, only in his underwear, hands behind his head, and already fast asleep. No one else was in the house, although he still lived with his parents like most high school students, and unlike Nagisa. For Karma, he was slightly intrigued with the idea of demons and angels actually existing in the world, thanks to Aladdin telling them the day before. While he was intrigued, he didn't worry over it too much like Twilight or Nagisa , already coming to the conclusion that it wasn't his problem to deal with. Besides, why risk his own neck for something he wasn't involved with anyway? As the night went on for the next three hours, nothing seemed out of the ordinary for him, and he was still fast asleep. He stayed asleep for a good while, until ... *clank* Karma wasn't woken up right away from the odd noise, but it was just enough to make him stir ... *CLANK* "Huh?" That louder clank was enough to wake Karma up. The red head opened one eye, looking over to the door, but he didn't see much of anything, or hear much of anything after that. "Parents must be home," Karma thought, before he went off back to sleep again ... *Nya* Nya? His parents did NOT go *Nya*, no matter the case, and he know damn well that he didn't have any cats. Karma, curious more than most, got himself out of bed and quietly began to step out of his room. Step, by step, he went on through the hallway, and started on downstairs, hearing something going on over in the kitchen. It sounded like some sort of sizzling, and Karma started to smell something cooking. Despite the situation, it actually smelled pretty good. But Karma knew an intruder when he heard one, and if this intruder thought he could cook up something in THIS house, well Karma knew it won't end well for whoever. He slowly got to the kitchen door, and quietly peered inside ... Over by the oven, indeed something was cooking in it. On the stove, there was a pan with a Magikarp in it, at this point pretty well-done in the sizzling pan of cooking oil. While that might be normal for a afternoon supper, Karma also saw some other creature sitting next to it on the counter, waving a paw and making the pan move. The figure, which took a bit to see fully in the dark, looked like some sort of cat. A rather small, purple, long-tailed cat, which was happily cooking up a late night snack for itself out of the Magikarp fish. Karma didn't rush in at first, and in fact, began to go on back upstairs, more casually this time. "Better let the bitch cat do its thing," Karma thought. Again, why risk his neck for something he wasn't involved in? If the cat did notice someone moving around the house, it really didn't seem to worry too much about it. Karma just yawned, went back to bed, and was soon right back to sleep ... ....... For the rest of the night, Karma was undisturbed. Sleep was great, and despite smelling cooked fish through the night, it wasn't really bad. Morning was soon there, and light went right to Karma's eyes. It took about a minute, but Karma eventually woke himself up, though it was more thanks to the sound of his alarm clock. "Damn it, forgot to turn it off," he groaned sleepily, his hand reaching out, trying to turn it off. As he was reaching though, he felt his body being weighed down to the bed. It didn't feel like a heavy blanket, or something of that sort, and Karma's eyes lowered down to see what was on him ... A girl. A naked girl!! Talk about a wake-up call. The girl was asleep herself, a smile on her face and under Karma's covers, looking like she was snuggling him. She didn't look entirely normal though, with her hair a bright purple, and what appeared to be cat ears. Karma felt her breasts push on him, squishy like a set of balloons. Maybe Karma should've done something about that cat last night after all. The girl was quick to wake up once Karma had moved, showing Karma her big, cat-like, yellow eyes. "Morning, sunshine," Karma said, tapping her on the head to get her up and at attention. This girl either didn't know she was naked, or she didn't care much for it. Karma still was slightly pinned down by her, the girl rubbing her eye sleepily. "Nya," she yawned. Karma managed to get himself upright on the bed. "So, you were in my kitchen last night, I presume?" Karma figured, managing to get up. However, the girl got him by the arm, hugging it. "Aww, don't go. I'm cold," the girl whined, giving him some puppy eyes, and sticking his hand in between her boobs. Karma felt his fingers get squished in her cleavage, and while it did feel nice for any pervert, Karma instead lifted the gal out of bed, making her fall to the floor. When this happened, Karma saw that she also had a purple cat tail. "And who're you, kitty bitch?" Karma asked, as the catgirl got herself upright, standing naked in front of Karma. "Me? Name's Blair," she said, not looking very scared of standing there like this. Karma got quite a good eyeful of Blair's curves, leaning back onto the bedroom wall. "And you know you're naked, right?" Karma asked. Rather than act worried or surprised, she instead brought her arms behind her head, and made her boobs bounce a bit, winking to Karma. "I'm sure you don't have a problem with that, do you?~" Blair cooed. Normally a kid would be on the floor with a nose bleed by now, but Karma had more on his mind with the overall concept of this person. Here he was, just being told about demons and angels, and suddenly a cat witch just pops up at his house. Karma grabbed the blanket, and with quick speed, got Blair at least wrapped up like a towel, so he could get his mind and hormones straight. "Nice try. Now, what's a bitch like you doing stripping in my house? You in heat or something?" Karma asked casually. Not exactly the way to ask the question, but, it was a basic one considering who (and what) he was talking to. Blair had a slightly guilty (albeit cute) look on her face, playing with her fingers. "Things had been getting nasty lately, so I wanted a nice place to stay for a while. Won't be too much trouble, right?" Blair asked, throwing in a wink at the end for some charm. Karma decided reality is a must here. "You just broke into my house last night, ate my Magikarp, and woke up naked on my bed, and you pick NOW to ask me to stay?" "I wanted both of us to get comfortable together, Karma -" "How'd you know my name?" Karma asked, cutting Blair off. He had NOT said his name at all since Blair started talking to him. "I caught you talking to your girlfriend earlier yesterday," Blair simply said, both sides remembering the short talk beforehand. Karma sighed. "Nah, she's not my girlfriend. That's Nagisa's girl," Karma casually replied, hands behind his head. Nagisa's angry face popped up on the right corner of the screen. "She's not my girlfriend!" Nagisa snapped, just to have Karma flick him away out of sight. Blair, all of a sudden, wrapped her arms around him, making sure her boobs were pressing against him for good measure. "Can I just stay for a little while? I'll know you'll get used to me, big boy.~" Blair cooed again, trying to charm her way in. Karma thought it over for a minute or two. On one hand, he got himself a sexy hot bitch to call his own, but on the other hand, he'd get bitched out by his parents if they were to find out. Even he had some form of standard, as odd as it sounded. Still, after a bit, Karma shrugged. "Eh, alright," Karma shrugged. Blair was happy, and suddenly Karma's head was in between Blair's boobs again. Karma thought it over for a little bit, but then he got an idea, as a devious smirk got onto his face. "Say, Blair. ... How about we have a little fun?" ~~ After that, it was business as usual for Karma. Lucky for him, it was the weekend, which means no school, so Karma had the day to himself. Normally that'd meant wandering around the city, doing what his gut tells him to do on a whim, but thanks to Blair, he decided to take a visit over to Nagisa's place. Nagisa was the only other person he knew with a supernatural roomie, after all. For Nagisa, he and Aladdin were having some breakfast, which was mainly some rice. Nagisa had healed up a bit more from the incident, his black eye now completely gone, though he was still slightly sore elsewhere. He and Aladdin ate their breakfast, when they both heard a knock at the door. Nagisa figured out who it was instantly once he opened the door. "Morning, Nagisa, Aladdin. Keeping well?" Karma said, as he came in with a handbag tossed over his shoulder. Not a typical accessory that Karma would usually have on him. "Hey, Karma," Aladdin said. Nagisa was going to say hello, but suddenly he felt a familiar shiver run through his body the second he came in with the handbag ... "What's in the bag?" Nagisa asked, a little more monotone this time. He had to ask: Karma tapped his finger on the top of the handbag, and placed it down onto the table. All Karma had to do was unzip the zipper on the bag, and suddenly an explosion of purple fog covered up the area. Next thing that popped up was Blair, witch hat on her head, but with a VERY tiny red bikini on her. Blair posed up, her hands behind her head, a cheeky smile on her face (tongue out for good measure), and a wink to her eyes. "EEEEHHHH?!?!" Nagisa and Aladdin gasped, face immediately flustered. Nagisa jumped back, tumbling over his own couch, much to Karma's delight. Aladdin was left more wide-eyed, but still surprised. Blair and Karma found it funny, and Karma added more humiliation to it by taking a picture off his IPhone of Nagisa's shocked face. "What just happened?" Nagisa asked in a daze. Blair turned back into her kitty cat self, hopping up onto the rim of the couch to check Nagisa out, and high-fiving Karma. "Karma you're right, that was priceless!" Blair laughed. Nagisa shook himself back to attention, seeing Blair sitting there. If his odd feeling had anything to do with these, then he had an idea already on what Blair was. "Karma, where'd you find her?" Nagisa asked, getting to his feet. "Hey, you got a kid Magi for a roommate, now I got a sexy kitty for a roommate. She popped up at my place last night, eating my Magikarp," Karma said, a hand patting Blair on the head. Aladdin went right up to Blair next, looking her eye to eye. "Hi little boy, you okay?" Blair asked. Aladdin looked her over time and time again, and was quick to get his conclusion. "You're a witch?" "Got that right, little boy. Born a witch, and always been one," Blair said. She turned into a human again to prove that she was all witch. Aladdin's eyes were quick to focus somewhere else though ... And he groped her boobs. Just like that. Karma and Nagisa took a step back, but rather than get angry, Blair was laughing, enjoying Aladdin playing with her fun bags. "Handsy little Magi, aren't you?" Blair giggled, taking off Aladdin's turban, and fluffing his blue hair. The Magi was glad Blair wasn't Emi Isuzu in reaction this time. "Well your friend's happy to meet her," Karma joked, taking a moment to take another picture off his IPhone. Nagisa pulled Aladdin away by his long ponytail, trying to get some answers. After a little bit, things had chilled out, and Aladdin, Blair, Karma, and Nagisa were sitting in Nagisa's living room. Aladdin and Nagisa were on the couch, Blair on the ground, and Karma standing next to her. Blair had changed up her outfit to actual clothes: a large witch hat, a black leather short dress, and long purple boots. Benefiting the witch look, to be sure. "So, this is one of those witches, Aladdin?" Nagisa started. "Yeah, that's right," Aladdin replied. "Pure witch," agreed Blair. The first question was easy, but the next one was a bit more important. "Where're you from? You said things were getting nasty where you're from." "I lived in hell." Blunt ....... "... Think you can elaborate?" Nagisa finally said. "Oh, right. I used to live in Tartarus, actually." Tartarus?! Nagisa remembered well that Aladdin said that's where these deadly creatures come from, and quick to get to his feet, and back away from her. Oddly, Aladdin was quick to correct things. "Nagisa, wait a minute, she's not the same as other demons!" Aladdin insisted. "You never met her before. And didn't you say demons come from Tartarus?" questioned Nagisa. Rather than answer Nagisa, he turned to Karma instead. "Well, did she try to kill you when she met you?" Aladdin asked. Karma glanced to the sexy kitty before answering. "Does being naked in my bed as sexual assault count?" Karma asked, Nagisa blushing on what he said. "No?" "Then she's fine," Karma concluded, Blair getting her ear scratched by Karma. She purred a little bit as he did this. "But wait. Aladdin, you're from the fleet, and Blair, you're from Tartarus. Shouldn't you two ... hate eachother?" Nagisa asked, kinda lost on the subject. Aladdin's a angel, Blair's a witch, and yet the two seemed to be peachy keen with each other. Aladdin and Blair looked over to him. "I'm a good kitty, really. Just because I'm from Tartarus, doesn't make me a bad guy. Why would I hurt such cute faces?" Blair cooed, hugging Nagisa, her boobs pressing against his chest. A blush came up, but Nagisa composed himself. However, then it was Karma who gave him a hand, and poked her on the head to get her attention. "Well, now we got you comfy with my friend here, why're you hanging around here for? Said something about things getting nasty," Karma asked. Blair moved away from Nagisa, sitting down on the couch in between Aladdin and Nagisa. "Well let's see now. I was taking a bath one day, enjoying a little bubble bath, but then some nasty demons showed up at my door. They wanted me to join them for something, but they never said what, so I refused. THEN those bitchy Devils destroyed my house! Can you believe that?" Blair griped. It was a bit rough to hear that she got her house destroyed. Considering she used to live in a literal hellhole, this wasn't sounding too far off. Blair groaned in annoyance remembering what happened. "Hence why you popped up at my house?" Karma asked. "Yep." "Sorry to hear that, Blair," Nagisa said. Blair turned back into her cat form, and laid down on the couch. This witch needed a place to stay, driven out by her own kind for whatever reason. "Well, looks like we're gonna have some more guests. Weird: we met Aladdin, Nagisa got some fancy knife, and now we got Blair with us," Karma monologued. When Karma mentioned the blade, Blair's interest peaked. "Knife? What knife? Where?" Blair asked. Nagisa knew where this was going, so he walked to his room, and came back with the Halo Blade, showing it to Blair. Blair stared at the blade for a bit. "This. It just kinda appeared one day, and it stuck around with me," Nagisa summed up. The annoyance quickly turned into glee, Blair hopping up to her feet. "Yes! YES! You can help! WOO, I'm not hopeless after all!" Blair beamed. "Wait, wait, help with what?" "Get my home back, of course! You got the blade, you got a Magi, you can help me get even with those demons!" Well that surely jumped the gun a bit. Nagisa simply looked shocked by what she had said: he can't face demons deliberately like this, not at all! "WHOA, whoa, stop! I can't face demons. I don't know jack about demons, and I especially can't fight one!" "Says the kid who killed a demon Jizo two days ago," Karma commented. "Don't push it." "Karma, you can fight some demons can't you? You're strong," Blair insisted, shifting targets. Karma seemed like the type that would go and beat down a couple of demons. However, Karma thought otherwise. "Sorry, but I'm not one to take high risks, especially with my life on the line," Karma summed up. Sure, Karma was no wimp, but he wasn't one to throw his life away for someone else either. If he were to act, it would be on his own account. Blair was disappointed, at the least. Nagisa apparently couldn't do anything, and Karma just won't do anything. "Well, I'm not going anywhere until you do!" Blair decided. "Fair enough," Karma simply said. Blair was about to make a comeback, but then Blair remembered what she wanted to come here for in the first place: to get a home away from home for a while. She said that, pretty much for nothing. ... ~~ Sometime later, Nagisa was out of the house, and over at the library. With some spare time for the weekend, and needing to study a little bit anyway, Nagisa had scheduled a visit to the library with Twilight earlier that week. It wads probably good for him that he did, because now he had more information to tell his friend about in the form of Blair. Nagisa and Twilight both were over together by one of the tables, a number of books with them for study, when Nagisa told her what had happened. "Karma has a roommate now, Nagisa?" "That's what I'm telling you. I don't know how much more of this "angel and demon" stuff we're going to end up getting ourselves into," Nagisa sighed. Twilight took a moment to think about it herself. She hadn't yet go through anything too over-the-top when it came to these sorts of demonic or holy beings, but it still got her to think over things. "Speaking of which, did that uh ... "Jizo" incident get around too much?" "I actually found it on the news after I got home," Twilight admitted. Nagisa didn't know what to do now, slumped over in his seat. Now this little stunt ended up on the news. Well, considering what kind of incident this was, it was come to expect, really. "Why couldn't that Jizo just disappear?" Nagisa groaned. "Actually ... It actually did." Nagisa lifted his head to look to Twilight, surprised. Sure, Twilight told him yesterday plenty of workers were on scene, but the kind of damage it caused couldn't had been cleared up THAT fast. Twilight went back to recalling. "I was passing by that same spot on the way over to the library, but there was nothing left. The Jizo, the workers, damage to the road. All gone, like nothing had happened." "No way. You saw how much damage was there did you?" Nagisa questioned, not buying the fact. "Yes, but look at this," Twilight took out her phone, and opened up some of her pictures to show him as evidence. Sure enough, one picture showed the whole scene while the police and construction was there, and the next ... nothing. No workers, no police, no jizo statue. Just one empty area of the four way road crossing. Nagisa went back and forth between dates, and each one was taken just one day apart from eachother, making this even more strange. Looking on the ground though, Nagisa could see one thing that wasn't there before: a sort of blurred mark on the ground. A little too blurry to exactly make out, but Nagisa knew that wasn't there before. It WAS, however, in the same spot where the Jizo creature had fallen. "Damn. Everything's back to normal ... how'd that happen?" Nagisa wondered. He was glad that this didn't leave too much of a lasting impression, but all the same, it still meant either one of two things. One: the Jizo creature was still alive and slipped away, or two: something else took it away and removed the evidence during the night. Despite this, Nagisa gave a sigh of relief. "Well, at least they don't stick around for long," Nagisa concluded, giving Twilight her phone back. "See what I mean though? There's nothing left expect for that odd symbol on the ground. I only saw it after I took the photo, but I couldn't see it after that." "You mean through your phone?" "I mean through my eyes, I couldn't see it. no one else around saw it either," Twilight corrected. Nagisa took a moment to consider this. Whatever happened to the Jizo, some sort of thing happened to leave a mark on Earth. At least no one else could see it normally. "I'll talk to Aladdin about it later. For now, let's try and get to -" It happened again ... That same feeling he felt with the Jizo statue, and with Blair, started to come back at him. Feeling a shiver, Nagisa tried looking around the library, but he didn't see any sort of demonic activity anywhere, or anything similar. Unlike the two times before, observant Twilight saw Nagisa's sudden tone shift, and started to look a little concern. "Nagisa? What's the matter?" Twilight asked. Before Nagisa could reply, suddenly, both students felt a sort of gust of wind rush by them, making them both jump in their seats. Neither student saw any exact figure, or cause of the wind, but strangely, Nagisa's feeling was quickly gone, as fast as it came to him. Nagisa just had no clue what to think, but looking down, he saw something else that came out of nowhere: a picture. The picture itself, placed neatly on the table, showed what looked like a symbol. The red symbol itself showed that of some sort of demon star, being encircled by some sort of lizard, or snake, with two small wings out at the top. Writing was also on the paper, but rather than any incantation, casting spell, or anything resembling such, it was actually a written name of what the symbol actually is, which included (much to their shock) the same picture of the street crossing, with a similar smudge that Twilight had taken earlier ... Neuhuhuhuhuhuhu~
S01Ep4: Collaboration ~コラボレーション~For both Karma and Nagisa, their lives had become a bit of a odd roller coaster of events for the few weeks to follow. Nagisa had Aladdin, and Karma had Blair - drastic change in behavior to both sides of this coin. Karma took less time to get used to Blair and her antics at his house, taking a liking to the witch rather quickly since he had better chances in his shenanigans thanks to Blair's magic and mischievous behavior. Even so, Nagisa had an easier time when it came to how he should handle his magical roommate, mainly because Nagisa had his own apartment where as Karma lived with his busy parents. Karma had the slim chance that they'd come home time to time, and when they would, Karma had to hide off Blair, until they had to go again. Nothing too troublesome for him, anyway. The fact though of having a seductive roommate meant that Karma had to put his own will to the test when Blair would play around with him. However, while Nagisa and Karma were busy with the issues in their own way, it was Twilight who sat down and tried to get some research on these odd occurrences. It had been something she tried to wrap her head around for a while now, and even more so when she and Nagisa got the unique-looking symbol during their visit at the library. It was a rather peculiar symbol, and one that Twilight wanted some more answers to. It was just before school, and Twilight was getting her own stuff ready for the day. It went on as normal for the most part, but she also had some extra information. The weeks of mixed studying for school AND studying on angelic and demonic attributes had gotten her rather busy, to put it simply, and she wanted to share what she found out to the others at school. If she could pull it off, then it will be worth the trouble. "About time I've made some breakthrough since Nagisa and I got this picture. Hope it's worth it," Twilight hoped, as she grabbed her notes and got them into her bag. Information on the symbol had been rather weak over the weeks when she took the time to look, so hopefully she had enough to get them somewhere. When she was finished packing, Twilight began to head off on her way. It was a bit cloudy, and made the walk a bit gloomy, but Twilight didn't mind that. It was strange though, especially going past one part of the Tokyo city streets, remembering how a monster was laying dead there and how much damage was done. It was good that the street was mended, even if rather suddenly, though Twilight did stop herself when she looked anyway. She took out the demon star picture, and held it over to where her own phone had taken the photo, replaying in her mind what happened. "To think that this street had a demon laying down on it a week ago. I hope we can get more answers before something like that shows up again," Twilight thought. Over the two weeks since the event, Aladdin and Blair had given them plenty of insight on how things worked, but still left many things left to question. Amongst these included the symbol, which Twilight still wasn't sure what it was. As for the monsters, well they needed to get their A-game if another one is to appear again. Nagisa was lucky to survive the first one, and Twilight was convinced that Lady Luck shined on him that day. Twilight continued her walk for a bit more, until she caught sight of the school just ahead. She was just about to head into the property when - "NYAA.~" Twilight stopped herself on the odd meow. Strange place to find a cat prowling around. She looked around for a little bit more until she looked up at the school outer wall, only to find a black cat casually perched onto it, looking down at her. The cat had a smirk on its face, which was what really caught Twilight's attention. Other students noticed the cat, but it didn't really worry much about them. Twilight was about to go off again, but the cat hopped down behind the wall, and ... *POOF* Next thing Twilight knew, she was in the company of a catgirl witch! Blair had come by the school today it seems, and as requested by a particular blue-haired kid, she summoned up a school uniform that eventuated her curves (her boobs especially). Twilight froze up when she saw Blair, and did a double check. "Oh. You must be Blair?" "And you must be Nagisa's juicy number, Yugure. See why he picked you," Blair teased. Twilight flustered up. "We're not like that," Twilight insisted. Unlike Karma, who'd leave her on a tease before leaving, Blair looked like she realized her mistake. "No kidding. And Karma keeps telling me you two are together so much," Blair stated, strutting over to the door alongside Twilight. Twilight looked around and could see that plenty of boys were looking Blair's way, some of the more perverted ones drooling at the new girl at school. Blair knew they were watching her, and made sure to add an extra bounce to her boobs, flaunting them off. Twilight was more subtle about it though, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "You do realize people are staring." "I know.~ Hey, watch this," Blair insisted. She saw two of the perverted boys, and aimed her boobs their way. She brought her fingers to the buttons on her shirt, unbuttoning them in such a sexual way. Twilight was not enjoying this, but Blair was having fun with it, seeing the excitement on the boys faces as more buttons were removed. Her breasts strained her already tight shirt, as she wanted to happen, until only three buttons remained. At that point, she puffed her chest out, blasting all three buttons off of her, hitting the oblivious kids right in the face, enough to knock them out in a daze. About five other perverts were on the ground themselves, noses bleeding. Blair couldn't help but laugh at their reaction. "You humans are so gullible," Blair joked, fixing up her shirt after that. Twilight wasn't too impressed. "Eh, yeah, sure ... but anyway, think you can get word to the others for me, Blair?" Twilight asked, getting her mind straight. she made sure the other students were far enough away so they wouldn't hear them before she asked. "Why can't you do it?" Blair questioned. "I'll be too busy today: It's almost midterms, and I don't have time to meet them myself. Just tell them to meet me after school by the E building. I got some new information about that insignia that I think they should know, think you can do that for me? By the looks of it, you're going to be hanging around here anyway," Twilight figured, judging by the outfit in question. The E building had been a rather common place to meet up for them, mainly because it was secluded, and nobody there when school was over and done. Blair would rather just mess around with the other students today, but this was a rather simple task to do, and Blair already knew who the others were no doubt. "Alright, sure. Be hanging out here anyway, can't be too hard." Without a moment's hesitation, Twilight nodded, and went straight into the school, and straight off to class. ~~ So from there, things got busy. As Twilight had said, it was almost time for midterms for the school, and as such, students were more focused on studying than some would normally be. What wasn't exactly normal was the chit-chat gossip of the Jizo statue, which had been a bit of conversation despite it occurring weeks ago. As for Blair's task in passing on the word, the midterm crunch time made that a little bit tough for the sneaky kitty to accomplish. While being a human was easier to go about in a large crowd, her cat form gave her more freedom to move around. She still needed a bit to find where the others were though, and walking around as a cat was NOT making it easy. "K, where, O where can those guys had gone off to? Wish they'd show up so I could just start messing around," Blair wondered. The little kitty cat started to wander a bit until she got over to outside, just out into the back of the building. She'd rather go catch birds around the property than this little messenger game Twilight got her stuck with. Speaking of birds, the kitty cat did see a few little Pidgys close by, pecking at the ground. Being a cat herself, Blair started to go into hunting mode, ready to pounce on the birds until ... "Oi, how about some cash, E runt!" The loud order spooked the birds before Blair could snatch up one, bugging the cat. But, as curiosity does to cats as they say, the voice did peek Blair's own interest, and she quietly moved over round the corner. Just last the corner, she found someone just outside the school, over by a vending machine. Two kids, possibly higher Class grade level, surrounded an E student. And by the sound of it, the two bullies wanted some money from this E student, who looked a little bit off for a human as far as Blair knew. Then again, she didn't hang around humans as much as others around here, so there's that. "Eh? I don't have anything for you today," the E student responded, sounding a bit bored in tone. "Bullcrap. You got some dollars left," one of the bullies accused. "I'm keeping my money today. Besides, you shouldn't mug a girl." "She's a girl?!?!" Blair thought in shock. With the black messy hair, and almost "manly" facial appearance, it was a bit quick for Blair to make that kind of assumption. "Who cares over a E drop out? Give us the money - we'd like a drink too," the same kid demanded, hand out and ready. She still didn't budge, and kept her money away. But, these two were losing patience with her fast, and one of them even had the nerve to reach out, and grab her money straight out of her hands! "Hey!" she shouted. while one student readied to pay up, the other grabbed her by the collar, and pinned her to the wall, holding her up. "Looking to get killed, Hazama?!" he growled. Blair was ready to see either a bloody beat up, or more pay money being given over by this 'Hazama' person, but then ... "Kill me huh? ... And yet it looks like you've never killed someone before ..." What the hell happened there? The two bullies were stopped cold, scared out of their wits. The girl suddenly gave them a death stare, a smirk on her face. It was like what Karma would give, but more sinister. Blair could barely grasp what happened, and the bullies backed up, dropping her money. "H-Here, take your money back, s-sorry!" one of them squeaked, before the two raced off back into the school. Without another word, she got her money, paid for a water bottle from the vending machine, and then went off on her way. Blair just sat there, eyes wide as this same student waked by. This scare student did glance at Blair, who acted like she was not remotely interested, and just continued walking. When this Hazama moved on out of sight. Well, she sure had something to tell the group later. ~~ During another moment in between classes, Nagisa headed off to his locker, and quickly got his things ready. His injuries had fully healed, thank god, and his worries had calmed down a bit, but he still had to figure things out when it came to the demons. First Jizo, then Blair, he could only wonder what's to come next. It had been going up and down for the last weeks, learning a little bit more as time went, but not enough to make anything worth while. "Ok, Nagisa, It's been two weeks since this happened, and people had been calming down. It's just one demon, maybe that's all you're going to meet. Aladdin said they don't bother humans that much, so maybe it was just a coincidence," Nagisa told himself. As much as he wanted that to be the case, it was one damn crazy coincidence for something like that to happen not too long after learning about it. As he got his things together for his next class, some other male students nearby were talking about that incident themselves, much to Nagisa's dismay. "So, any news about that damn thing they cleaned up?" one of them asked. "Not really. Whoever's in charge of that thing's got some serious shit to explain," replied the other. The other kid seemed unsure what he was talking about. "Explain? Explain to who?" "You mean you don't know? It's been ramped on the news all week! Seitenshi is getting investigators all over the subject since that crowd announcement at town hall. I give them days before they get someone ratted out. How'd you miss that, anyway?" The kid questioned. "I don't watch the news that much," the kid said embarrassed. That was the last thing Nagisa's wanted to hear. Tokyo investigators working on the subject? Sent out by Seitenshi herself?! The very thought of him being put behind bars for conspiracy made him tense, shivering slightly. It was enough to get a groan out of his strained teeth, him hitting his head on his locker door. "I'll never live this down. Why couldn't a cop, or Karma do it - they're better at this than me," Nagisa murmured to himself. Any cop would be rather easier to believe, and Karma's natural charisma can weasel him outta any situation as far as Nagisa knew. He would be eaten alive by those people in there when they find out! Eventually, the stressed boy got his mind straight, pinching the bridge of his nose, and letting out a rough sigh. Better focus on current events rather than what could happen, after all. She goes onto open up his locker, only to find ... "Nyaa." "What the?!" Next thing he knew, he saw Blair sitting inside it, rather comfortably too, looking directly at him. Nagisa didn't know how long she was in there, or how she got in there for that matter. "... How the hell did you get in my locker?" Nagisa asked, getting the obvious question out of the way. Blair licked her paw, as cats do, before answering him. "Trade secret," Blair replied with a wink. Nagisa was not amused with her. As if he didn't have enough trouble already. "What do you want?" "Yugure wants you and company to stop by the E building after school. I already got Pinkie and Karma on board. Says she's got some big news bout that demon insignia thing you found," Blair informed, also getting that out of the way and over with. She wasn't going to spend all day looking for them, and wanted to have some fun while here. Nagisa had enough on his mind, but he figured it's worth knowing either way. "Well, thanks. Now can you get out? I need to get my books," Nagisa insisted. In a little leap, Blair hopped out, but she had already turned into a human, so Nagisa's face was covered by her boobs in her playful jump. He froze up, Blair smiling cheekily. "... Not again," Nagisa groaned, his voice muffled from being stuck in her boobs. Blair got off of him, fluffing his hair, and going off on her way. Now with her job done, she can actually have some fun with this school. ~~ With the information now spread out correctly, Nagisa, Karma, and Pinkie all were ready as they could be. Whatever Twilight had for them, it probably was important, whatever it is. Soon as the school day was done, they met up over at the spot in question, straight after the school students and staff had left the E building. Twilight made sure to get her materials ready, and able to show them. Good thing for them the day was a bit better to be outside with the clear weather. The only one who wasn't there was Aladdin, leaving Nagisa, Blair, Karma, Pinkie, and Twilight. "K, Yugure, what do you got for us? Kitty bitch said you got some info on that symbol?" Karma summed up. Twilight nodded, bringing out the picture to show them. "Yes. After some investigation, I think this is a symbol of the Ouroboros: a mystical icon representing the eternal cycle of birth and death, and the perpetual circle of life. It doesn't usually consist of a this star, though," Twilight explained, Karma taking the picture and checking it out himself. "Ouroboros, huh? ... Hey Blair, know any demons that use this symbol?" Karma asked, the cat looking at the insignia. Blair scratched her head, thinking on the symbol a bit more. "Hmm ... Looks familiar, but not personally from any demon I know," Blair concluded. "Whatever it is, we REALLY should try and watch what goes on where," Nagisa suggested. "How come?" Blair asked. Karma provided the answer for her. "Seitenshi has got her personal police out checking the situation." Suddenly, Pinkie realized what that meant, looking freaked out for Nagisa's safety! "Oh no! I'LL PROTECT YOU NAGISA!" Pinkie exclaimed, hugging him as if trying to hide him. Nagisa struggled in her grip as Blair turned to Karma. "Seitenshi. She a friend of yours?" "Wish she was. That girl is Tokyo's president - in charge of the whole damn city. I bet she can do whatever she wants. Lucky son of a bitch," Karma figured. Blair never heard of Seitenshi before, but she sounded like quite the authority figure of Tokyo. Karma wished he could have such power himself, free to do whatever he pleased without trouble from the law. Nagisa suddenly fell forward, he and Pinkie tumbling and only then did the pink girl release him. A little scuffed up, but fine. "Can you guys please not tell anyone it was me, PLEASE?" Nagisa hoped. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye," said Pinkie Pie, securing her promise to him. "Damn dude, like they're gonna link anything back to you. There's hundreds of people all over Tokyo they can jump on," Karma said. "Either way, we won't tell anyone," Twilight assured. Nagisa was fifty fifty on it, but he had some reassurance on the matter. Nagisa got up to his feet, Pinkie doing the same in a quick hop. They continued talking, but neither seemed to notice anything going on around them. "So, anything else aside Seitenshi and fancy insignias you guys figure out?" Karma asked. Blair then remembered something she saw earlier, quick to hop into view. "Oh, right! There is this one thing I saw earlier," Blair said, catching their attention. "Well, what's that?" "You guys told me E students were at the bottom of your school level, right? Always being pushed around, and everyone else making them their bitches or whatever?" "What about it?" Karma asked. "Well, one of those "push-overs" scared the shit outta two higher class students! Seriously, she had a scarier poker face than you do, K," Blair said. "Oh really?" Suddenly Karma gave Blair his signature evil face, the same one he spooked Nagisa with. It was enough to spook Blair, even if it was a little bit. "You mean like this?~" "... OK, so maybe yours is better," Blair concluded. "K. Anything else?" There was another thing, yes, though Nagisa and Twilight took a look to eachother, briefly remembering the odds and ends with this thing. Nagisa felt uneasy, but Twilight went on anyway. "Nagisa and I had been getting some weird encounters lately. I don't know what it is, but it keeps popping up and dropping things off to us. Nagisa and I keep missing it though," Twilight explained. These sorts of occurrences for Twilight and Nagisa had happened about seven times now, each time both sides unable to catch. "Why? It invisible?" Pinkie asked. "No, I don't think so. It just moves too fast for us to see," Nagisa said. "Too fast to see," repeated Blair, thinking hard on that fact alone. Some strange reason that sounded oddly familiar to her ... *grrrr* "Oh no, not another one. Where is it?" Nagisa thought. His feeling was starting to return to him. It wasn't as fast since Blair was there, but Nagisa began to feel a stronger sense around him. Something else was there with them. "Nagisa, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, as Nagisa jumped up right to his feet. "Is your sixth sense acting up again?" Added Blair. The group had gotten some better knowledge on this odd sense that Nagisa had after a while, and it mainly came down to Nagisa sensing demon activity, described by Aladdin as Nagisa's sixth sense. And now, he was sensing more of it nearby. Nagisa stood there, trying to look and find the source of this disturbance, but he was having a rough time getting an exact pinpoint. What he did know was that the main area was over in the mountain forest, surrounding the E building. This meant one of two things; this thing was moving very fast, or there was more than one around ... Then Nagisa saw it. It was hidden rather well, but Nagisa could just make out some sort of shape in the bushes. The figure was small, about the size of a dog, and the overall shape resembled such as well, though Nagisa could tell it was no ordinary dog. He looked around some more, and turned out there was more than one. In fact, about seven dogs were closing in on them, all waiting to pounce. Nagisa moved over to the others, moving Twilight back as well. "Demons. Over there, just beyond the yard. There's more than one hiding over there," Nagisa informed, getting the others aware and on edge. Over in the forest, the demons were still moving around, trying to get in position to cut off any escape routes available to their prey, as pack predators would normally do. During this, one of these predators moved out into view, all their attention focused on it. This demon had the look of a small canine, with a short snout, and a stubbed tail, though there were important differences; Its fur was black with a orange muzzle and orange streak on its belly. A sort of grey metal ring wrapped around each of its four paws, with some sort of skull mark on its head, accompanied by two grey "ribs" on its back. No normal dog looked like this one, no doubt. The hellhound growled viciously, crouched down and ready to attack at any moment. Nagisa could sense that more were around, but he could exactly make out where. "Aww, hey little doggy. Come here doggy -" "Pinkie, that's no normal dog, keep it away from you," Twilight advised. Karma looked at the situation, and he quickly figured out what was really going on. In a pack, none of the animals would just reveal themselves without one particular plan being played out, and Karma checked both sides of the group ... Suddenly, one was right at their left, just behind the E building wall. It quickly charged out as a surprise attack, but Karma got in the way fast, his fist slamming into the canine's head, strong enough to knock it off its feet. Another dog rushed in from the right, and Pinkie had to tackle Twilight and Nagisa to the ground to avoid the lunge. For Blair, she was quick to retreat up onto the roof of the E building, scared for her life on seeing these beasts. "H-Houndour," shivered Blair. The Houndour out in the open, presumed to be the pack leader, barked loudly to signal the rest of the pack to attack, rushing out of the bushes and racing across the yard towards them. "Hellhounds? Blair, we need help," Twilight quickly instructed. Blair would do anything so long as it wasn't here with the dogs, but she wasn't putting her fur out there, especially after two of the seven dogs barked at her. "You kidding me, Blair?" Groaned Nagisa. No matter, they had Hellhounds to deal with now, and they needed to watch out. Running away wasn't going to be an option, judging by where the dogs were, so fighting was their main hope. Outta all of there, it was Karma who was doing the best at fighting them, his punches and kicks sending good damage to the Hellhounds, but the dogs were rather persistent. Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie were caught up in the frey, though fighting was a bit harder for them to do, and the dogs knew it. For the Hellhounds, they did manage to get their teeth into them a number of times during their attack, but they didn't stay on long enough to do as bad of damage. Regardless of the case, the humans had to figure something out fast. "Blair, get Aladdin, he'll know what to do!" Twilight yelled at one point. Blair was quick to oblige, and raced off of the roof and off to find Aladdin. It was a slim chance he'll make it in time, but it was a better shot they had than what they've been doing. This short order though left her wide open for another dog attack, the Houndour sinking its teeth into her back! Twilight screamed and ran, but the dog's teeth only got through her clothes, tearing off a large enough chunk to shreds the whole thing. Next thing Twilight knew, she was on the ground ... With only a skirt and bra on. Lucky or unlucky depending on how you looked at it. "AH!" The canine threw the torn shirt away, as Twilight covered her breasts, face completely red. Everyone of course saw what happened, but for the Hellhounds, this left Twilight exposed and vulnerable. Any bite now would be straight to flesh and bone. While embarrassing to see Twilight this way, Nagisa needed to stay focused, and saw the same dog rush her! Almost blindly, Nagisa rushed in and tackled the dog down, giving Twilight the chance to get to her feet. The Houndour squirmed and struggled, and managed to free itself from Nagisa, kicking him in the face before getting some distance. "If anybody has any ideas, now would be a good time," Twilight said, avoiding another lunge of another Houndour. This was getting bad. Their efforts were good, but it still wasn't enough to beat these demon dogs ... Neuhuhhuhuhuhu.~ They all paused at the odd laughing, and suddenly something zoomed past them in a blur of dust! None of them saw what it was, or what it did - if anything - but the demon dogs quickly started to compose themselves. Karma, Nagisa, and Twilight got their eyes on the dogs, but Pinkie looked to her feet and saw something down on the ground. At her feet, there was a piece of paper, showing a picture of what looked like some sort of tree, growing off a cliff side ... "OOOHHHH. I gotcha," Pinkie suddenly commented. The pink girl was suddenly off and running, rushing straight at the Houndour pack! "Pinkie!" Twilight called. Pinkie made a good jump over the leading Houndour, and with her isolating herself, the pack gave chase. "What's she up to?" Nagisa wondered. Farther ahead, Pinkie kept on running, keeping good speed, and good distance between herself and the Houndour. While it may seem like she ditched them, she had a plan of her own to get rid of these bad dogs. Racing through the forest, she eventually made it to a much larger clearing, which lead right over to one particular area: a large, steep cliff with a lone tree growing out from the edge of it. Just like the one in the picture. Pinkie smiled on seeing it, but she failed to notice just how fast the Houndour were actually going. One of the Hellhounds finally struck her with its paw, making the pink girl stumble a bit. About four of the seven Houndour got her pinned down, and the other three looked back to find Karma, Twilight, and Nagisa catching up. "That tree. So that's what she was up to," Nagisa thought. The dogs who weren't trying to kill Pinkie went after the others, leaving only two with her. Karma, Twilight, and Nagisa took one glance over at that tree, and it seemed that they began to work out what was going on. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Karma asked. "It's our only chance. Let's do it," Twilight said. One of the Houndour charged directly at them first, forcing Karma, Nagisa, and Twilight to split. Their first objective: get Pinkie Pie. Nagisa was the one stuck with distracting most of the pack as Karma went for Pinkie (not the best position). Karma was quick to get to the remaining two hounds, forcing them off of Pinkie with one hard hit. Pinkie had a few cuts on her arms, but fine. "K, P, you ready for this?" Karma asked. Pinkie nodded fast, excited, and Karma brought his hand up, and gave a good loud whistle. The Hellhounds turned back to them, finding both running to the cliff! Twilight and Nagisa did their part, and as their backs were turned, both hid away in the brush. This way the Houndour had to focus on one side. The dogs all raced after the other two, who which went right to their destination: right onto the hanging tree! Karma and Pinkie went as far back as they could manage, some of the dogs going on the tree after them. The trick seemed rather straightforward, even if more gutsy for Karma's liking. "That's it ... just a little more ..." The Houndour slowly moved closer to them, about six of the seven hounds now on the aching tree ... "NOW!" Pinkie grabbed Karma by the arm, and both of them made one leap off the tree, back to the cliff. The force of that jump, along with the combined weight of the Hellhounds on it, made the tree start to give! Pinkie and Karma made it off, but the Hellhounds weren't so lucky. The tree finally fell off of its cliff, the Hellhounds falling with it. And that was that. They heard the tree fall, and the Houndour were all gone, but one. For the last dog, it didn't decide to stick around this group, and quickly raced away with its tail between its legs ... "Nagisa! Karma! I'm coming!" Aladdin raced down through the forest, charging out into the open, only to find the group by themselves. They were a bit bloody with the bites, but they were alright. The tree was missing, and the group stood tall. "Aladdin, there you are!" Twilight said. "What happened to them all? Blair said you were attacked by a pack of Houndour," Aladdin said, looking at them. "We took care of them. Taught them how to cliff dive," Karma said smugly. Aladdin rushed over to the cliff, looking down. It was an extremely long drop, and Aladdin could just barely make out a fallen tree right at the bottom. The dogs killed in the fall weren't seen by him, but he could take a hint anyway. "Wow ..." "Now, let's get back. That's enough excitement for me today," Nagisa figured. "Sure, but we should get these cuts checked out. They look pretty bad," Twilight suggested. "Says the girl who lost her top to a horny hound," Karma commented. Twilight saw the point, blushing red, and covering herself up again. However, before anyone could do anything, Nagisa started to check out the area, and another quick gust of wind rush by. When they looked, Twilight's shirt was completely mended, and good as new! "WHOA! Neat trick, Yugure!" Pinkie said. "I didn't do that," Twilight stated, but she was glad to have her shirt mended. Looking though, that wasn't the only thing that happened: Nagisa, Karma, Pinkie, and Twilight all had their cuts wrapped in bandages, so the cuts won't bleed out. A nice surprise, but from what? Rather than ignore it, they decided to try and figure out who was messing with them. "Ok, speedy, we know you're somewhere around here - you wouldn't be if you bandaged us up like this. So, where are ya?" Karma called, not in any particular direction. All they could really hear after that was the breeze through the trees, and nothing else. Karma then turned over to Nagisa. "Sensing anything, Nagisa?" Karma asked. However, since the Hellhounds left, Nagisa didn't get a significant sense of any demon nearby. The boy shook his head and shrugged. "No, I don't think so," Nagisa concluded. "Why would you assume it's a demon anyway? Doesn't have to be a demon to do this," Twilight said. "Eh, good point." "Well anyway, we should start heading back. Wait any longer and it'll be dark by the time we all get home," Twilight suggested. The others nodded in agreement, and they all started to head on back. ~~ Nightfall. And at the bottom of the cliff, within the forest, a hungry, black Rattata scurried out of the bushes in search for a midnight snack. Night wouldn't normally be a time for a plucky rodent like this one to be roaming about, but the scent of fresh meat was just enough to bring this little opportunist outta its hole. A cloudy night with a light rain made cover better as well for the little animal, relying on its nose to sniff out the meat of what scent remained. The Rattata sniffed around the ground for a bit until it got a better smell, leading it on through the night. During its little walk around, the Rattata scurried through some more shrubs, and soon it found the target. The target itself: the collapsed tree. Laying in a heap were the six dead dogs, killed either by the fall itself or being crushed under the tree. Blood was thick around the tree and the bodies themselves, some laying on the tree, some thrown clear away, and some trapped under it. One of the Houndour had its head completely crushed while two others had their legs dislocated, almost torn off on impact. As gruesome as this scene is, the Rattata saw nothing but a free meal in front of it. The Rattata moved out cautiously, making sure it was alone, before starting to eat at one of the hellhound carcasses. As it ate, two other black Rattata joined in on the feast in the rain. Each Rattata there still kept a sharp eye and ear open for any extra predators ready to snatch their meal away. And it didn't take much longer until something came in. One of the Rattata paused and looked away from the fallen tree, and it saw something beginning to move in on the meal - something more imposing than any Rattata. As the group came closer, the Rattata began to rush away for a quick moment, hiding off in the bushes. Only one of the three stopped and looked back at the creature. The figure looked like a human in shape, with long wispy hair, but at first the shadows made the figure hard to make out. When it stepped out into the light though, other features were made out: violet slitted eyes, pale skin, a black body suit split into a top and bottom piece, green-tined hair, and a black headband with a red triangular symbol engraved. What wasn't as ambiguous was that it was joined by some other animals, more animal-like. One of these looked a bit bigger than the others, and it stood right next to the humanoid, looking over the dead Houndour, and pulled one out. "Bunch of dumbasses, how'd they get stuck in a damn tree?" the humanoid groaned. "YOU'RE the one that should've figure that out by now," the animal growled back. "So what if I am, I can't be everywhere at once!" "Oh shut up, and help me with this." The group of animals, rather than eat any of them, began to remove the bodies from the area. The other two Rattata peeked out to watch them do their thing. By the time they were done, only two bodies remained, which were the most damaged of all the bodies. Not the best looking, but food is food, and the trio of Rattata went back to eating ... And all that was left? ... One Ouroboros insignia, on the tree ...
S01Ep5: Midterms ~中間期~"Remember everyone, midterms start straight tomorrow morning, so get yourselves prepared." That was the main sort of reminder everyone on Orora High school had been given from class to class, as each one gave them the last chance to learn up before the midterms. They may not be the biggest impacting exam for the school, but it still counted for a bigger part of their grade either way. For many students, that meant going straight home and study up for their exams, and for Nagisa and company, it wasn't much different. At his apartment, Nagisa had plenty of books to study from, curtesy of Twilight and the books provided for him from the school. In the same room, Aladdin was basically bored as ever. He'd gone through this sort of thing many times already, and by this point he'd grown used to it - waiting out some study time to actually do something with Nagisa. However, with the coming of the midterms, time had become less and less forgiving. Still, Aladdin was still there to read off questions for Nagisa to answer, which gave him some sort of practice anyway. "Ok. What's the ninja clan that originated from the Nara period?" "Iga clan." "Right. K, and the first president of Japan is ...?" "Sakuragi Kenichiro." "OK good. how about the tallest mountain in ... wait in ... Ho-K-do?" "Hokkaido. and that would be mount Asahi." Aladdin, impressed with both the facts of Japan AND Nagisa's learning, placed the paper of Q-n-A down on the table. "K, that's all of them. You sure they're all going to be on this, midterm thing?" Aladdin questioned, finding some of the questions a little bit random for a single human test to take. Nagisa though was a bit sure on it, nodding his head. "I'm sure they will be. Our school is a bit crazy when it comes to tests like these: always trying to mix things up with tests, and putting students on their toes. This year I'll be ready for it," Nagisa concluded. Previous years had him on rather rough terms with these tests, which was what resulted in his slipping grades in the first place more over, but this year he was going to try a bit harder to handle it. Or at least take a better crack at it. "You're doing pretty good at it so far," Aladdin said. "Thanks. hope the others are doing good." Nagisa continued to go through the book he had, but as he was placing a finished book aside, he accidentally nudged a rather familiar object: the Halo Blade. Looking at it was enough to remind him of what happened with the Houndour he and his friends had to contend with. They won, sure, but it was pure luck, and he knew it. As he looked, his smile disappeared behind a guilty frown. The Jizo statue was one thing, but these hellhounds had shifted Nagisa's look on things. The first time, yeah sure, it was simply a mistake on his part, but the Houndour ... they weren't a mistake. They KNEW where they were, and went straight into them ... It didn't take long until Aladdin noticed the changing mood. "Nagisa? Everything ok?" Aladdin asked. Nagisa looked over to his Magi friend, but he didn't feel up to sharing at first. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." "I know that look, Nagisa. Come on, you can tell me," Aladdin assured, not wanting Nagisa to hide his feelings from him. Nagisa just sighed, picking up the Halo blade. "Look. Tell me honestly, Aladdin ... are these demons coming around because of me?" "What?! No, not at all!" Aladdin quickly denied. "But that Jizo statue. And those hellhounds ... you sure?" "That's silly. Demons show up time to time, sure, but they don't jump on one specific person that easily. You just happen to be there when they showed up, that's all," Aladdin assured. Nagisa couldn't be blamed for coincidence, right? Even so though, Nagisa felt that this was getting a little strange for just a coincidence ... ....... While Nagisa was busy going through his own work, Karma was pretty much on the opposite of the spectrum - not worrying too much about the midterms. In fact, the kid had some fun with his parent's cash and got himself some pop and pizza. Karma wasn't too worried about the whole thing, and didn't take it much to heart, and he'd rather celebrate his victory over the hellhounds than study up for the midterms. As Karma began to enjoy his own little dinner, Blair wandered out, as her original cat form, nothing much to do on her own time. "Karma. I'm borrred!" Blair meowed. Karma took another bite of his pizza, as he turned on the TV. "You can wait until after dinner," Karma said. However, Blair was not up to just sitting around and wait for him to finish. One quick poof later, Blair was in her human form, but stripped to the point where she was one slip away from being completely naked! She jumped down on the couch, landing right next to Karma. "Come on!~ I'm bored!~ Play with me!!~" Blair whined. Next thing Karma knew, Blair had him by the head, and his face was shoved in between her boobs! As soft and nice as they felt, Karma wasn't so easily toyed with. Before he could end up getting his own thoughts out ... "Attention, may I have your attention please!" Karma and Blair both stopped on the voice, Karma glancing over to the TV, seeing that the station he had on was that of a news broadcast. At the moment, or at least showing a previous event earlier, it appeared to be in the middle of a meeting during reports for the local news, with one girl standing professionally center frame. The girl was, to sum it up, extremely beautiful, and surprisingly young in appearance, looking about her mid-teens. Her face had thin, white eyebrows and thick, superlative white eyelashes surrounding rounds eyes that encompass light irises. Her white hair, which covered her forehead, leaving only several portions visible, is kept in messy standard; moving to the center of her face. True to her supposed high status, she appeared dressed in a fancy, white dress. The upper piece designed with several objects donning, swirling circles all over. On either side of her shoulders there were two ribbons, and a thick emblem in the middle to symbolize Tokyo. The bottom of the dress, covering her thighs, displays an opening revealing partial portions of her legs, which are covered by white tights. The end piece of the dress is intricately shaped to resemble cherry blossoms, and on her head wore a white hat, with blue rims and flower-like objects on the side. "Seitenshi at another meeting I see," Karma commented, moving away from Blair. "THAT'S Seitenshi?! Damn, no wonder you want her as a friend," Blair commented back. Seeing such a girl like HER as leader of Tokyo was a unique surprise. Usually someone at least over thirty or such would have a better shot, nevermind someone as young as her. Seitenshi stood professionally, and readied to speak to the reporter's constant question. All she had to do is simply point to one of the reporters for them to speak. "Seitenshi, is the strange instance downtown have your involvement?" the reporter asked. "I can guarantee everyone that the Tokyo government had no involvement with this instance over the last weeks," Seitenshi replied. She then gestured to another, this time a middle-aged female reporter, to ask her question. "Some residents had been sighted of strange, demonic canines prowling the Tokyo districts. Any knowledge on that?" she asked. Seitenshi took a small moment before she answered. "Well, I will admit that the presence of vicious strays had been happening over the last weeks, but as of recent events, the problem is currently eradicated," Seitenshi said. Karma knew EXACTLY what she meant by that. Seitenshi gestured over to a fifty-something reporter close by next. "What is the current state of the case? Has there been any leads as of the cause?" "Investigators say they have a form of a lead, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed to share more than that." "That girl can lie around everything, and the world lets her do it. what would I give to be her boyfriend," Karma commented. He could only wonder how Nagisa would react to hearing this kind of news, especially that last part about the investigators getting a supposed lead. Still, it would be pretty sweet to be the boyfriend to Seitenshi. "Bet she can't do any magic," Blair huffed. The report on TV finished up rather soon after that, and Karma went on with the night from there. He supposed he should tell the others about this later on at school, though he could guess that this TV broadcast would've got to plenty more ears. ~~ The morning came. Orora high was ready as can ever be, and many a students were ready for theirs as well. The classes today were a bit different from normal, the biggest change being that all the students come to the main building, including those from the far off E building. Even E had the privilege of doing the exams at the main building. It honestly wasn't that much of a difference, aside from some extra bullying opportunity for the higher class. Students went straight to their own classes for the exams to begin, not wasting too much time in chattering with eachother. At the moment, the halls were fairly bare of many a student, apart from a very few. Amongst those very few, Nagisa was walking alongside Twilight and Pinkie, but Nagisa looked just a bit scuffled. His hair was messier than usual, and his expression looked just out of it. Let's just say he saw the news last night ... "Uh, did you catch the news?" Twilight asked. "I'm so dead, so very, very dead. What am I gonna do when they find out?" Nagisa shuttered. "Why would that happen?" Pinkie asked. "Because that Jizo statue and hellhound incidents are gonna hang over my head. Who knows what they'll do to me when they figure it out!" Nagisa got out, obviously troubled about the whole thing. It was rare to have Nagisa worry this much over many things, but this was a rather big deal, especially if the government was involved in all this demon stuff. Anymore demons, and it'll be found out for sure. Twilight hated to see her close friend troubled like this, and since she had her own experience with the Houndour, it was an understandable one. "Hey, Nagisa," Twilight said, nudging him. Nagisa stopped for a short moment, and Twilight began to bring a closed hand up to her chest, inhaling as she did. Nagisa, starting to get the idea, mirrored her gesture. Once he did, Twilight then exhaled, her hand out in front of her with fingers extended, and Nagisa did the same. It was one method that kept around them for a while, and one Nagisa had forgotten for the longest time. Pinkie was especially happy to see Nagisa all better. "AWW, that's so sweet," Pinkie said. Nagisa got a smile returning to his face, smiling to them both. "I needed that, thanks Yugure." "Anytime, Nagisa. Good luck on the midterms you guys," Twilight concluded. With his nerves slightly settled down, Nagisa went straight over to his classroom to complete the exam. He had the same classroom to go into, but this morning the arrangement was a bit different. He was going to be stuck in one main class throughout the exam, and he was going to be joined by a number of different kids from different levels, depending on the subject matter. For this morning, Nagisa had his morning class with a mix of C, D, and E students, some of which Nagisa knew fairly well (enough to know by name anyway). Nagisa had his usual seat, and as the tests were passed out, he took sometime to see what students would be with him this time. "Let's see now. Looks like there's a lot of E students in here this time," Nagisa noted, seeing plenty of E student signature faces within the classroom. As he got the test passed to him, he looked over what they got going for them. It seemed fine at first but as he continued to look, his nerves suddenly sky-rocketed again by what he saw. "Wait, what kind of questions are these? We never gone over any of this beforehand. How are they expecting us to complete with a good score?" Nagisa thought. He took a look at the other students, and while some of the students seemed taken aback like he was, others seemed well content with this surprise. Nagisa had to get his head around the test, and get to the test itself. Perhaps it was a true test to see who had what knowledge packed in. "Well, here it goes." With pencil at the ready, Nagisa got right down to it, alongside everyone else in class. While he knew he had to keep himself down pact for this one, Nagisa took a few times to glance back and forth to the other kids in class. Higher grading students went through alright, getting stumped here and there, but as Nagisa looked, something else seemed a little off here. He manage to catch one of the E students, but the usual troubling looks they'd get in tests like these just didn't seem with them this time. "Strange. Kirara doesn't look fazed at all with this test. In fact, she's flying through it like it's nothing! She never went through this well before ..." Nagisa's mind continued working off on the other students from E as well. "And them too? They're going through this like a walk in the park." When it came to observation, Nagisa wasn't alone. He continued his exam, and when glancing at the teacher, he showed a more visual surprise when he was seeing the "E for end" students breeze through his efforts like this. This wasn't any demon sense talking to him, but Nagisa could tell this was still off from previous years. "Maybe it's just a fluke. Just go through the other exams and you'll be fine," Nagisa thought. He had time to check them later, but for now he had his own test to work on. As he probably expected, the last bunch of questions left him pretty confused. These questions not only were of things yet to be talked about, but rather exact and strict on answer. Outta the five, Nagisa was lucky to have one of the questions down, though that was just because he was convenient enough to go over it last night. Even so, he still tried his best with the others, and after some trial and error, wrote down the answers to the best he could do. What else could he do here? When that class had ended, Nagisa turned in his paper accordingly, seeing the slight troubled expression on his teacher's face as he did so. Nagisa would have to figure this out some other time (if at all). For the next number of hours before lunch, this scenario was repeated time and again. During each class, Nagisa saw that those of E class were doing much better than in previous years. They weren't elite, by any means, but they were keeping up very well pace with the other students in class, even finishing theirs before some of the C students, including Nagisa himself. Nagisa saw a new confidence in these E students that just wasn't there before, and it showed when each one attacked these tests with straight minds and quick reflexes. Like he was one to judge someone based on their learning prowess though. At the same time, this all just seemed to come from nowhere, and surprisingly quick over just a month or two since the school year started. Usually confidence like that doesn't come until long after midterms. "Ok, Nagisa. You got one more class before lunch, just go through that and then you can figure things out. The E students couldn't improved THAT fast ... right?" Nagisa kept his thought packed away in his mind as he entered his next class. This one here he shared with Twilight as well, so he can get a second opinion on the matter at hand here. It didn't take long until he came across Twilight in class, with his seat right behind hers. "Nagisa, there you are. Good luck today," Twilight said. "Yeah, you too Twilight," Nagisa replied. It was probably good that he found her here, so he can talk to her about it before lunch. She was just as observant as he was, she must've notice something as well. However, Twilight also hadn't been around Orora high as long as he did, so maybe she might not have a straight answer. Since it was a few minutes before class officially, Nagisa decided to do a quick note pass: writing a message on a piece of paper and passing it up to her. You know, old school silent talk. Twilight was quick to get the message: Did you see anything different about E class today? After a quick write-back, Nagisa got his answer. Maybe. They're diffidently improved. "... Well I'm not the only one, at least," Nagisa thought. As expected, but at least he got a second input before lunch came around to get his hypothesis together. ~~ Time continued on, and so did the tests Nagisa and his friends went through. The amount of difficulty in the tests themselves had been rather amped up this year, and those involved were having some bit of trouble with figuring these questions out. B and A naturally went through fairly well, but those under that were on the ropes. Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma noticed at least one E student breeze by with not as much effort as those above them. Pinkie and Twilight personally had no issues with this, Pinkie being plenty supportive, but Nagisa and Karma both knew this was not normal. Since when did the E-for-end students gave the others a run for their money? As lunch came around, Nagisa and Karma were the ones who ended up together. "So, you noticed the spike in E success?" asked Karma. "In a way, yes. I found at least five E students finish up before me in history, and two in English." "Now, normally I'd say you were always slow, but then again, I found three Es beat me to the punch in math today. Funky is it?" Karma brought up. "Yeah. Where'd this even come from? They never been like this before." "Neither did a Jizo come to life, a witch and Magi being our roommates, and a pack of Hellhounds try to tear up our asses." Nagisa didn't answer. Karma knew he was right on that one, mainly that so many weird things were happening this year that didn't happen before. However, with that said, Nagisa suddenly got a particular theory in mind. Just before he could put it into words though, the intercom suddenly went off. Maybe what happened next was inevitable. "Nagisa Shiota, come to the principal's office. Nagisa Shiota, please come to the office." Nagisa had enough trouble, but this took the cake. He shivered up, and froze in place on hearing his own name being called up. Karma was a bit intrigued himself. "Well, look at that." "Wish me luck," sighed Nagisa. He knew he couldn't get out of this even if he tried. ....... The walk to the principal's office was a slow, and anxious one. Nagisa had gone through enough surprises over the last month or so, and this call to the office was NOT helping him. He got demons facing him and his friends, worries over his school, and now something triggered a call to the office on his expense. As for what might've triggered it, Nagisa thought back to some of the incidents involving some magic, and the most recent one he could think of was when Blair popped up in his locker. If that was the case, then he's got some explaining to do. If that wasn't it though, then he didn't know what it would be. The principal's office needed a bit to get to, but Nagisa eventually found himself standing right at the front doors leading straight to it. For any kid in trouble at Orora High, it was like the gates of hell. And Nagisa went right into it. The principal's office was a pretty large room, wide open, with the main front desk right at the end of it. Windows lined up right behind the desk, which from Nagisa's view had some dramatic lighting to it. He had neatly combed, brown hair and eyes a surprisingly deep shade of violet, much like Twilight. He wore a formal business suit, unique from the other staff members in Orora High, as its of brown color instead of the usual grey or black. He also wore a saw tooth leaf pin on his tie. The look on his face was enough to show who was above whom in this situation, but the question still remained: what did he do to be called here? "Shiota, there you are. Have a seat," the man offered. His voice was by no means an inviting one, if not one for a sly mob boss. Nagisa gathered his nerves, and quietly moved over to the only other chair in the room, which was right in front of him. He felt himself shiver slightly in his presence, and while he wasn't a demon, he got a similar vibe when he was sitting there in front of him. On the desk showen the principal's name. Gakuho. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Nagisa asked, meekly. "Yes. Shiota. This may be at a rather precarious time, but I believe you might know something about some ... unusual events. Is that right?" Gakuho asked. Each word he spoke was crystal clear to the student's ears, and Nagisa could only try to keep his composure. Now he was for sure what he was talking about at this point. "Unusual, sir?" Nagisa asked. The man casually moved a personal screen over so Nagisa could see, only to show himself finding and talking to Blair in his locker! "May I might ask why you happen to have a wild animal in your locker, hmm?" He asked, making sure each word he said was not missed by Nagisa's ears. How is he supposed to explain this to him without giving too much away?! He already promised Aladdin to keep this stuff quiet, but he also knew that the principal will try to fish out the truth from him one way or another, so he had to think of something he'll buy ... "I must've left it open, and it slipped in. I'll try to be more careful next time," Nagisa got out. "Yes, yes. A good alibi," Nagisa thought right after. Gakuho though took it into far less consideration than Nagisa would like. "Is that so? You seemed rather close to it for just an accident," Gakuho pointed out, referring to Nagisa actually talking to the cat before Blair slipped off camera. Nagisa gulped. "I-I've been seeing the cat around the school for a while ..." "I see ..." silence hung in the air after that, as Gakuho began to bring out some papers, placing them onto the desk. Nagisa could only wonder what Gakuho would have in mind for him, cold sweat coming down from his face. One of these slips was pushed over towards Nagisa, like one would push upon a contract of sorts. Nagisa thought it would be a detention slip, or his personal record or something, but instead the teacher showed him a school class layout. In particular, judging by the amount of Es on it, for the E building. That worried him even more. "Damn it, damn it, damn it. He's sending me straight to the end class for this!" Nagisa thought. Gakuho cleared his throat, and started speaking again. "Now then. Be it as it may, that wasn't the only reason I called you in. Do you happen to know any of these students, Shiota?" Gakuho asked, pointing to one of the desks on the paper. A rather odd question, but Nagisa still figured he was setting him up for misery. "W-Well, not too well. I've seen them a number of times today, actually," Nagisa admitted. suddenly, Gakuho got up, and moved over to Nagisa's side, looming over him as he too looked down at the paper. No, it didn't make him feel any better. "I'm sure you've recognized them from the midterm exams earlier today. ... See, I've been given some reports that the E class had been rather troublesome this year, more than most. You might know what I'm talking about, now do you?" Nagisa himself could only nod to the question. "Thought so. You are a rather observant type. someone who'd rather stay in the crowd rather than be trapped in the middle of attention. Almost like you barely even exist in the middle of everything," Gakuho analyzed. Nagisa thought he had it all down, but this was a bit strange to hear from Gakuho. Now he wasn't sure what was coming. "What are you getting at, sir? I don't think I follow," Nagisa got out, not looking at Gakuho face to face (like he could muster himself up to, anyway). Gakuho straightened up, and stood beside him, staring him down like he was his slave, with a sly and deceiving smile. "Oh, I think you do. Especially during the exams themselves. You and I are aware of the ant system at Orora high, and how E represents what not to be ... however ..." "But E is improving beyond what they should be," Nagisa finished, prompting a satisfied nod from Gakuho himself. "Correct. I'd hate to see such a successful system break apart on me. And I'm sure you'd want to avoid any trouble with this little incident here." Gakuho brought up the cat moment again, and Nagisa was quick to agree. He tried to keep out of trouble in school, and getting knocked back thanks to Blair was not going to help that. Gakuho moved back to his own seat, sitting down, and gesturing to the Class E paper. Gakuho could sense that this student was getting more anxious, so he decided to cut to the chase. "I'll agree to keep this little trouble off your record ... on one condition." "I knew it," Nagisa thought weakly. It was then that Gakuho began to pull out something else for him: a reporter's notebook, military green binoculars, and a small portable radio. It didn't take a genius to figure out what came next. "I want you to be my personal retriever for tomorrow. I'd like to know what exactly is going on at that building throughout the day. You shouldn't have any problems with that, would you?" Gakuho asked, though both sides knew that Nagisa couldn't exactly say otherwise. "Um, well, maybe. Won't I be late for my classes?" "You've been absent before. And I've seen you go towards that building time to time, so it isn't the first time you've done so ..." then came that haunting grin on his face, and only then did Nagisa had the misfortune to lock eyes with him. Such violet eyes reminded Nagisa of a normally comforting face, now turned to disbelief. "You wouldn't want some bad examples to be the inspiration of other students, do you? Or would you rather have be left at the bottom, having more E students to come in and crumble you under their feet. We both don't want that. Do we?" "He knew about that?!" Nagisa thought in shock. He didn't say it allowed though, given who he was even talking to. That, and if what Blair said was true about Kirara and her scare on the other students at the building, that seemed more plausible than he'd expected it to. Then again, he was one of those students that many would push about anyway, so ... "No, I don't," Nagisa finally said. Gakuho smiled in satisfaction, giving a single nod in Nagisa's direction. "So, tomorrow morning, what are you going to do?" "... Go to the E building." "And ...?" "Report to you what's going on over there." "Very good. Now, classes should start in a few minutes," Gakuho stated. Nagisa glanced over at the clock, shocked to find that he was right. He got right up off his seat. "Yes sir, I'll do that," Nagisa said, starting to walk away from Gakuho, and towards the door. Just before he could leave ... "Oh, and, one more thing." Nagisa paused. "We'll keep this between us two." "... Yes sir." ~~ When the day finally came to a close for the school, Nagisa was still left kinda shaken up thanks to Gakuho. He'd buy it if he got a after school detention, or something like that, but instead he was Gakuho's little spy for E tomorrow. Go figure. His materials For the moment, Nagisa was actually hoping that he would get a quiet walk home, but Karma, Twilight, and Pinkie ended up finding him anyway on the way out. "Hey, Nagisa, there you are! Everything alright?" Twilight immediately asked. "So, what did the big boss Gakuho do to ya? Looks like he gave you a free slip," added Karma. Talk about going right for the throat. then again, Nagisa had to expect that sort of question to pop up considering EVERYONE could hear the call. However, Nagisa remembered damn well that Gakuho wanted this quiet, so he had to improvise a little bit. He just sighed, and turned to the others. "Tell Blair she's not allowed to come to school anymore," Nagisa said dryly. That may only be half right, but it was still a truth nonetheless. "Damn, so he saw that huh?" "Was he scary to you?" Pinkie asked, worried. Nagisa still had that image of Gakuho's devilish face staring at him. "Very," Nagisa said, shivering a little. "Oh dear. Well, what did he do to you?" "He gave me suspension for tomorrow," Nagisa told them. THAT part wasn't true, but one that any normal principal would give. However, it was also that point where Karma got a little bit suspicious, but he didn't say anything to him. Twilight though felt very guilty here. "Sorry, Nagisa ... it's my fault: I told her to go into the school and tell you guys. I should've done it myself ..." Twilight admitted. They all knew that already, but Nagisa didn't had the heart to really blame her for it. He knew Twilight better than anyone, and these midterms had her studying far too much to give a message out to he others (far as he knew anyway). Still, they did buy the story, and Nagisa continued to walk again. "It's okay, it's just for one day. I can use the time to calm down from these midterms anyway," Nagisa said, as he went off on his way. He was grateful that none of them were able to notice the notebook and binoculars he had hidden on him, or even if they did, they didn't suspect anything. He had enough pressure with these demons already, and now he had to please Gakuho tomorrow as a his spy on top it all. Nagisa sighed, and tried to calm himself down. Only one guarantee went through his thoughts that kept him from breaking down. "Only for one day ..."
S01Ep6: Class's In Session ~クラスでのセッション~Nagisa may had survived the midterm hurdle, but now with that done and out of the way, he now faces another challenge that following morning - spying in on the E building. He had never actually did spying before, but he did had a observant kink to his personality, so maybe it wouldn't be as hard as it appeared to be. He had a rough time sleeping through last night because of these thoughts and troubles, and now with the morning sun, he was as ready as he could ever be. As he was packing away his lunch, he skipped the learning books and picked up only the notebook and binoculars as subscribed to him by Gakuho. It wasn't far off to say that Gakuho was another reason why he couldn't sleep well last night. It felt weird for him, packing only a notebook and a lunch rather than his many essentials, but on the bright side he wouldn't have to lug around a heavy load for the whole day. As he just got himself handled, Aladdin peeked around the corner of his door, seeing him readying himself. "Morning, Nagisa," Aladdin said, walking in. Nagisa got the notebook in his bag before turning to him. "Oh, hey Aladdin." "The others told me you were suspended for the day. Is that true?" Aladdin asked curiously. Nagisa nodded. "Yeah, sucks for me." "... But, then why're you still packing? Your friend Yugure told me suspension is when you don't go to school." Now Nagisa felt a bit uneasy. He didn't really tell Aladdin anymore than he told the others about what he was REALLY up to. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well ... I still have to study," Nagisa then said ... "Someone's not a good liar." ... The hell? Nagisa and Aladdin looked over to bed, only to find Blair sitting there! "What're you doing here?!" Aladdin asked. "And how'd you get in?!" added Nagisa. "The window," Blair simply said. Nagisa didn't know how she got up to his apartment, since his apartment was a few floors upward. Still, Blair went onto the point she was making. "Come on, buddy, what's the plan?" Blair asked. "What plan, I don't have a plan today," Nagisa insisted. Blair knew the exact tricks to this, and she got her hands around his head, and his face was suddenly in her boobs again. "You better spill it, or I'll smother you," Blair teased. "How am I supposed to do that - I can't breathe through your enormous ta-tas!" Nagisa yelled. Aladdin was enjoying the view with a smile on his face, drooling slightly. Blair saw this was a rather tough egg to crack, so she resorted to another tactic ... "Tell me." "No." "Tell me." "No!" "Tell me." "NO!" "Tell me!" "NO!" "Come on, Nagi! I can keep this up forever, you know. This how you wanna spend the rest of your life?" Nagisa was finally broken ... "... Let go, and I'll tell you." Soon after being released, Nagisa went on to explain the situation to them both, from the very moment Nagisa stepped into Gakuho's office. He felt rough on just saying this after promising Gakuho he wouldn't say, but it beats getting suffocated in some chick's tits. Besides, whatever's going on at that E building might be worth his while if it did had anything to do with angelic or demonic activity. Still, Aladdin (out of the three), was concern for Nagisa and his wellbeing. "Gakuho made you his spy now? Damn dude," Blair said. "Promise you won't say this to the others?" "Sure. In fact, we'll even help you check things out if you don't mind," Aladdin said, offering his service. "You will? ... I dunno ..." "Nagisa, it's alright. I kinda owe you guys for not helping with those Houndour anyway," Aladdin admitted. Since he didn't help there, he might be able to make up for it here. Nagisa easily saw the point in that argument, and maybe they can make it easier to get more notes on whatever's going on. "I'll join too. Karma's getting too boring to hang with right now," Blair said. "Wait, but didn't Karma tell you not to go to the school?" "AH, he said not at the main building! No one said anything about the E building," Blair pointed out. If Karma messed up the message or not was out of the question, as E building was a good mile away from the main building. It was impossible to say that she would get into trouble that far away from Gakuho. Regardless, Nagisa decided that it might not be the worst idea. "Alright, alright. Just keep this between us, and you can come along," Nagisa finally decided. Aladdin had a better reason to come along than Blair did, that was for sure. He got his gear all set up, and on extent, Blair and Aladdin were ready as well. There was one little problem though that presented itself. "Now, how do we get there without being seen? They'll know something's up if we just waltz past the main building," Blair wondered, scratching her head. Aladdin though had his solution already, especially when he began to hover off the ground. They got the idea, but Nagisa was NOT thrilled about it. ... "Aladdin? I-I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Nagisa said. "Don't worry," Aladdin insisted. Next came his other trick: he unraveled his turban, which grew and elongated into a large sheet, just big enough to fit he, Nagisa, and Blair on it. It hovered just off the ground, and Aladdin sat down comfortably on it. "Ok, hop on," Aladdin offered. "The things I have to do," Nagisa thought. ~~ Over at the school, classes had already gone underway, and the students already going through the motions. Since the midterm exams had been and done just yesterday, it had calmed down quite a bit. Good thing too. This downtime gave some students time to give their brains and stress some rest, before things would pick back up again. In one of the classrooms, Twilight and Pinkie both were enjoying an hour of basic study, the subject in question written out on the board, and the teacher catching up on her own work. Some students took this time to engage in some small talk, others time to study up what's written out, and Twilight was doing the latter. Pinkie, who was sitting right next to her, was using this time in her own activities: drawing pictures in her notebook. The left one showed Blair cutely eating a Magikarp fish, and the right one with Blair inside a little box. "Hey, Yugure? What do you think looks more like Blair? This, or this?" Pinkie asked, showing two different pictures of Blair as her original cat form. both pictures look a bit childish really. When Pinkie was looking though, Twilight seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts. Not something a little poke can't fix. "Huh? sorry Pinkie? I wasn't listening," Twilight said. Pinkie's response to that was the two pictures being shoved into Twilight's face. "Which one better captures Blair?" Pinkie asked again. It was hard to see the pictures exactly with them so close to her face. It took her a little bit, but a finger did bring itself to the right picture. Pinkie looked completely excited about the decision, but her look quickly turned serious when looking at the other picture Twilight didn't pick. Glaring at it, she crumbled it in her hand ... "You're unworthy," Pinkie said, equally serious. "Geesh, calm down," Twilight managed to say, stunned at the sight of the over-reacted Pinkie Pie. She'd imagine anyone else a little bit freaked out if they were paying any attention to her. After that little freak out, Twilight got back to her own mind, and looked outside the window. The view from her classroom was aimed off to the back of the school, a good view of the forest and mountains behind the main building. Looking off back there just reminded Twilight about those hellhounds she had faced some time earlier. The crazed barks, and slashing teeth still were clear in her mind, and with Nagisa not at school again, Twilight could only wonder if the kid was off getting attacked by a demon again, or something of the sort. "Well maybe Nagisa is relaxing for once. He needs it after how much he went through," Twilight thought ... ~~ Farther away, the trio of spies were nearing their directed target. The flight through the skies on Aladdin flying carpet was not only a smooth ride, but one that kept attention off of them. They didn't pass the main building, at risk of unwanted attention from Nagisa's friends, and instead flew around to E from the scenic route. Longer, but less attention was drawn to them that way. Aladdin found a good secluded spot, just close enough to the E building, but not too far away. They place base at a small clearing, at the boarders of the E building property. "Thank you for flying the Magi carpet," Aladdin said upon landing, as he, Blair, and Nagisa stepped off. Blair and Aladdin were alright, but Nagisa was just glad that he didn't fall off after all that time on a flimsy carpet. "Thank god that's over," Nagisa thought. Aladdin worked the sheet back into his signature turban, as Blair already started to inspect the area, trying to see what was around ... "One! Two! Three! Four!" "What's that?" Aladdin asked. "One way to find out," Nagisa concluded, moving quietly towards the sound. The three took a little bit to get to the source, but eventually Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin reached the very edge of the forest, and the E building property. From their location, the building was rather far away to truly get a baring going, but it wasn't normal for a human school. Outside, they saw the E class outside, all lined up side by side to make a square. They all were synchronized in some sort of activity, but it was hard to make out. Nagisa pulled out his binoculars so he could get a better grip on the situation. On closer inspection, the sight left Nagisa speechless. "Well, Nagisa? What's the deal?" Aladdin asked. "Knives. They're using knives." "What? Let me see," Blair insisted, grabbing the binoculars right from Nagisa. Sure enough, the kids were using knives in some sort of practice. Blair gave the binoculars to Nagisa. "Why are they doing that? None of our classes practice weaponry before," Nagisa commented, troubled on the sight. "Might explain Kirara's killer look earlier," Blair said, remembering the little event going through her mind. "But, wait ... What kind of weapons are those? They look familiar ..." Aladdin asked, taking a look through the binoculars again. Blair then got an idea. "I'm going in," Blair suddenly said, going straight out. "You kidding me, Blair?" "I'm a witch that can turn into a cat. Who would question a little innocent kitty like me?" Blair pointed out, racing off before the others could stop her. Nagisa and Aladdin, not having any disguise to help them out, had to stay back behind to let Blair scout ahead. Blair didn't need much time to walk right on close to the action, the E students all practicing the same sort of knife movements and techniques in an almost military fashion. Blair tried to get a view, but she couldn't see the marks too well since they were constantly moving. However, what caught her attention as well was who was overseeing them. One of these did not look human at all. For starters, he stood at nine feet tall, clearly taller than many humans were usually. Instead of regular feet, the thing had eight tentacles that kept him standing tall, two extra long tentacles ending in two odd-looking fingers almost like those of a tree frog. The skin was yellow, smooth like rubber, and a ever slight reflection of the sun off his bald head. The head, speaking of which, was rather simplified: no ears, no nose, beefy eyes, and a VERY wide smile that stretched across his face. His outfit consisted of a black, full school uniform of his own design, including a tie with a crescent moon symbolized on it, red cloth down the middle, and blue stripes on each shoulder. The little hat on his head, which looked like a mini graduation cap, had three tiny horns on it that stuck out in a triangle. Took no genius to see this was no human, and he was not hiding it for the life of him! Blair kept herself quiet, taking on every detail of this strange creature standing casually, playing with a flower in his tentacle fingers. Another person was standing right next to him, though he looked a LOT more normal. He was in the standard teacher's outfit, his hair a pitch black and spiked back, and his eyes shown a more serious expression on them. "Ah, the sound of your favorite students at such hard work on such a fine day. It's just music to my ears," commented the creature. "Listen, pal, I got this covered. There's no need for you to be here," the human teacher said. "But what am I supposed to do?!" "There's a sandbox: have a field day," responded the human, rather unchanged in tone. Suddenly the same creature was at the sandbox, already starting to build something in it, but he was not enjoying it at all with tears streaming down his face. "You don't need to be so cold-hearted. They liked me better as their teacher anyhow," he said. As for Blair, this could be useful information to slip back to Nagisa and Aladdin. Strange though: E class's teachers were made up of a human AND an entity? If demons were still hiding, this one didn't care to hide in the slightest from these students for some reason. She knew she had a little job to do, but she sat down and had to wait a bit. This was getting interesting. "No offense teach, but when it comes to exercise, you ..." started one of the students. "Set the bar kinda high. We're human beings, I think our gym coach should be too," finished another. During this small stop, Blair saw one of the tired students casually drop his blade to the ground. If Blair is to bring info back, now was her chance. She had to play her moves right though if she is to pull it off. As quietly as a cat can do, Blair began to creep over to the fallen blade, step by step, as everyone was seemingly distracted by the teacher up front. "You're all going to need to work better on your reflexes here. Any chance you have against him are slim as it is. Here you are all training, and look," said the human teacher, referring to the demon nearby. "He's had time to change clothes, make tea, AND build a sand castle of the Taj Mahal." Which all that was true: this same creature now had a green outfit on, had some basil tea with him in a cup and small pot, and a VERY accurate representation of the Taj Mahal standing right next to him! Talk about saving time. "That's it, come to mama," Blair thought, a paw finally getting a grab on the blade. This blade looked very odd, and oddly familiar as well, but she left that for Aladdin and Nagisa to study over. She snatched the blade in her teeth, and she sped away as fast as she could! No one seemed to notice her, which was what she hoped for, as she made her way straight back to the duo with the blade with her. She spat out the blade fast. "Yuck, tastes gross," Blair complained, as Aladdin picked up the blade. The blade was a sea green, rubbery, and had some kanji symbols written out on it. Nagisa brought his own halo blade to compare it to the other. The results were surprisingly similar. Too similar. "Another halo blade?!" Aladdin concluded. And indeed it was. The only difference between this blade, and Nagisa's blade was that it didn't have a specific name attached to it. "You don't think ..." Nagisa trailed off when they all looked to the demon creature standing at the sandbox, sipping his tea. It was honestly the only way this could've got there in the first place. Nagisa was quick to put this down in his notes, along with the entity as a picture amongst them. This is surely good information, but Nagisa needed a bit more than this before returning to Gakuho with the news. "So that's their teacher this year? No wonder the E class is acting so different. But ... what demon would happily teach human beings like this? ..." He'll have to figure it out as they went along. ~~ Lunch time at the high school, and the gang was at it together this time. Pinkie and Twilight were having lunch together, and Karma himself was heading their way as well. Twilight had relaxed a bit over Nagisa after a while, convinced that he was actually giving himself a break from both demons, and of school. She figured it would be best for him anyway. Pinkie didn't even consider the idea herself, a bit too distracted in her own works of art. Karma was soon heading over to them with his own lunch. "Hey babes, how's it going?" Karma asked casually. "Hey K! Say, check this out!" Pinkie beamed, showing him the picture of Blair she showed Twilight earlier that day. Rather casual, Karma picked up the picture and looked it over. "Not bad, but I can do you one better," Karma said. He too had been a little busy with his study hours, and he ended up with a drawing of his own ... which was a bikini babe Emi Isuzu! Pinkie's eyes boggled at the picture. "INCREDABLE!" Pinkie exclaimed, though Twilight wished he didn't show that. "Emi was impressed, I'll tell ya that much," Karma said. He could still, even now, sense Emi Isuzu staring daggers at him from a few tables away. Karma put his picture away, and took his seat. "Say, I wonder what Gakuho has Nagisa up to," Karma wondered aloud. "Didn't Nagisa tell us yesterday? He said he got suspended," Twilight replied, Pinkie nodding in agreement. "You two don't know Gakuho: he's too sadistic to just give out a simple suspension," Karma pointed out. Pinkie and Twilight, being students of Canterlot High before coming here, really weren't sure what he was getting at. "That sounds pretty bad to me," said Pinkie. Karma smirked. "Oh really? Well Gakuho treats his own son like nothing more than property than any human being, and I even heard a rumor that he drove three kids to gamble their lives away just for bullying a student of his." "WHA?! Gamble their lives away?" Twilight gasped, though she was thinking a different kind of gamble. Lucky, Karma corrected himself. "You know, like slot machines, and card games at casinos. He made them gamble their lives, and they lost what they have." "Oh ... that's still harsh." "Yeah, no shit," agreed Karma. If he were to say so himself, he did find that VERY clever, if not sadistic. "Then what did he give Nagisa, if not a suspension? He still didn't show up today," Twilight wondered. "Don't worry, I already know where he's at. See you guys later," Karma said. By the time he said this, his lunch was already done anyway, so he got his lunch thrown away. "OOOO! Where're you going?" Pinkie asked, curious and interested. "Checking in on our friend," Karma simply said, before walking on out of the cafeteria. This risked his school time, but Karma found it boring around the main building anyway, so if he is to do anything he might as well check in. So, he left, leaving Pinkie and Twilight to watch and wonder what Nagisa was really up to. ~~ The hours ticked by, and back with Nagisa, the spying mission had kinda slowed down. The notes he did managed to make up were a bit arbitrary in details, but he had rather limited options. Blair and her scouting added more information to the task at hand, but again, there was only so much they could get from just spying and eavesdropping. At least the day wasn't all that bad, and the weather was still fair for the task to continue. At this point, though, it seemed that everyone was gone. The students and teachers were no longer much in evidence (outside at least), and the trio hadn't seen any sort of activity from any of E class since training stopped. Nagisa still had the binoculars on and seeing the situation, as Aladdin and Blair were just relaxing nearby. "Looks like they're gone," Nagisa stated, not seeing anyone around. "THIS IS SO BORING! How about some playtime?" Blair asked, in her human form, and cradling her boobs. Nagisa tried to ignore her, but Aladdin looked ready to do some groping with a smile on his face. Just before he could though ... "Wait," Nagisa said. Nagisa was quick to grab Aladdin by the ponytail again, keeping him back, and getting his attention. The three looked out of the bushes again, seeing someone step out of the school building. Turned out, it was the yellow demon teacher, just opening the door. Nagisa watched him step out, turn back to the classroom and ... Gone. In the blink of an eye, and a puff of dust cloud, the creature had disappeared instantly! Nagisa and company tried to find out where he raced off to, but they couldn't find hide nor hair of it anywhere. "W-What the hell?!" Nagisa gasped. "Where'd he go?" Aladdin added. The only clue they had to this noise was the dust cloud by the door, but that's about it. Nagisa took this moment to write it down in his notes, concerning the creature's speed mainly. Anything that can just disappear like that is worth jotting down. "Ok. So E class is practicing knife weaponry, and they have two teachers, one of which looks like some yellow octopus. It still doesn't explain how the E class is putting themselves ahead of the main building," Nagisa monologued. All of his notes didn't have any clues on the learning process of these students just yet, which was what Gakuho sent him out to do in the first place. He'll just be put into even more trouble if he came back with half the work done. ... There was one place that got him interested though, and with the demon teacher up and away, they could actually get this done faster and with less risk. "Hey, now with Octo-teacher gone, let's get a closer look," Blair suggested. Nagisa's thoughts exactly. With the yard clear, and everyone inside, Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin moved out of their post for the first time all day. Blair had it easier compared to the other two because of her cat form, but the trio were mainly in the clear for now. They ran right across the yard, and in little time, found themselves hidden just under the E building window. Here they can actually hear what's going on inside, so long as nobody sees them. Nagisa had his notes at the ready, trying to eavesdrop. Yet, they didn't seem to hear much of anything that would help. "Blair, you scope it out," Nagisa whispered. Blair nodded, and gently peeked on just inside from the window. It was just enough so she could see, and what she did see was the various E students in the middle of study hour. Many of them chit-chatted with one another though, but she did see GIANT books in front of them on each desk. These had so many pages - which was as tall as she was - they might as well be stacks of paper rather than any dictionary. None of them really noticed her peeking in, but Blair made this scoping quick just in case. "Well, Blair?" "Looks like they got some big ass books in there. They're as big as me," informed Blair, not exaggerating on the size. Nagisa jotted it down rather quickly, but as they were, they both began to hear the back door open again! "Crud. Quick, hide," Nagisa said, hushed and rushed, as the three scrambled away. Looks like someone did spot Blair after all, and it happened to be the other teacher in question. He stood outside for a while more, examining his surroundings, and eventually he just went back inside ... "... Let's try a different spot," Aladdin quietly suggested. The three needed no argument there, and began to loop around the other way. Sure it was longer, but at least it kept out of sight from any others in class. Soon, they were over around the building, and found themselves over by the school's outside shed. "That was a close one. We need to be more careful," Nagisa noted. As he said this, Aladdin looked over at the shed, and saw that the door was slightly open ... with a halo blade sitting just inside. A quick nudge from the Magi got the others to see, and see into it. As expected, Nagisa then went on to open up the shed to investigate. Light inside was rather limited, and it looked rather worn away much like the E building itself. They saw the typical items inside for gym class; sport balls, gym outfits, and of the sort. But they were quick to find another box hidden inside: a box full of halo blades! There was no shortage of them either, as Nagisa and Blair went to investigate. "Damn! These E students are locked and loaded," Blair commented. "Yes. But how'd they get all these?" "G-Guys?" Aladdin suddenly said. His eyes were locked in a particular direction, and the group quickly saw just as well what he was seeing. Over off in the corner was another box, a bit bigger than the one of halo blades, but inside the boxes? ... "What the hell? Guns? Here?" Nagisa wondered. Yes. Not only did E have knives, but they had guns packed away as well. The types of guns varied, from small hand pistols, to large sniper rifles. As if teaching these E students knife weaponry wasn't scary enough, not they also got archery ala bullets under their belts! Nagisa was the only one who actually walked close to the weapons, actually picking up a sniper rifle. Unlike the blades, these guns didn't look very different from any normal gun. Not that that didn't freak them out anyway. Nagisa checked in and out, and at one point opened the rifle's holder. Then Nagisa found that there wasn't any actually caliber bullets in this thing, but instead these tiny, pink beeds with tiny kanji on them. They felt soft to the touch, smooth, and no resemblance to any bullet in shape. "What kind of bullets are these?" Nagisa wondered. "They're Anti-me beeds, boys and girls, customized by yours truly! Though if you're curious over what I do, and what my class learns, all you had to do is asked. There's no harm in asking for permission." Crud. Nagisa, Aladdin, and Blair turned around, and sure enough someone was right in front of them. More so, it was the demon teacher that was suddenly standing there, holding a little shopping bag from a trip to Vietnam (it seemed so by the writing on the bag). Time seemed to had stopped ... "AAAAHH!" All three of them suddenly stumbled back, going right outside, and accidentally hitting the other building, as the demon teacher faced them with the same smile. The loud thud was sure to catch someone else's attention. The teacher moved towards them, but Aladdin was ready for him, and aimed his staff at him. "Stay back, demon!" Aladdin warned. He wasn't going to slip up this time, and whatever this demon was going to do, it'll have to go through him first. However, suddenly the demon teacher had the staff in his tentacle. In his hand was his golden flute, surprising all three of them. This happened in a literal second. "Now, now, let's not be to hasty. Not like you have a chance anyway.~" he said, a sort of sing-along tune to his last statement, and his face suddenly having green stripes on his face. "That's mine, give it back!" Aladdin insisted, trying to get his staff back. Aladdin was quick to grab it out of the octopus's grip, but now they were caught and in the open of whoever else was there. "W-We gotta head back. Blair, Aladdin, time to go," Nagisa firmly ordered, grabbing Aladdin by the arm and doing the only thing logical left to do: run for it. They got the info they needed, and they had to get themselves moving. However, Nagisa barely got about five feet before he ran into the same demon, his face fully yellow this time. Nagisa turned back, not seeing the demon standing at the shed anymore. "What the? How'd you do that?!" "Just a little something called Mach-20. Come in handy in a pinch," the demon said cheekily. "Mach-20?! So that's how he got that Vietnam bag so fast," Nagisa thought ... "What's going on out here?" Another voice asked, revealing to be the other teacher. Aladdin and Blair got together with Nagisa, as he stood there, arms crossed. "Oh, Mr. Karasuma, no trouble out here. I just allowed these three to do some field notes on me, no big deal." "WHAT? You knew? Why didn't you do anything?" Aladdin asked. "Why should I stop such good observation? It isn't fun to spy if your target if they know you're watching them, right?" ... They didn't know how to respond to that. Karasuma though was quick to confront them, seeing Nagisa and his equipment especially. The witch and the Magi was odd to see, but his biggest concern was over what Nagisa had written down. Nagisa took a step back when Karasuma went to him. "I'll be taking that," Karasuma said sternly, hand out and ready. Aladdin stiff in between him and Nagisa in case of an attack. "That won't be needed, Aladdin," Nagisa quickly said, not wanting a bigger confrontation than they already got going for them. Blair though had different plans, and nudged Nagisa, winking to him. The smart kid shivered on the implication. "God damnit, Blair no, please," Nagisa thought. Blair however walked right in between Nagisa and Karasuma. Karasuma and the demon teacher weren't sure what was going to happen, but soon as that purple magic cloud poofed up, Nagisa's worries were confirmed. He and Aladdin moved further away, and when the cloud cleared, Blair was not only in human form, but she made sure her outfit showed the goods: skin tight, leather straps that just cover her private parts, and boobs, Blair herself flaunting the goods. "EEEHHHH?!?!" The demon teacher screeched, Karasuma himself stunned more than most. The demon teacher's head turned from yellow to pink, blushed up, and eyes locked on Blair's fun bags. "Come on, boys.~ No need to get in a tizzy over that little guy, right?~" Blair cooed, making sure to flaunt her body as much as she could. While it seemed to work on the demon, as for Karasuma ... "MOVE." Suddenly, Karasuma's hand gripped the side of Blair's head, and Blair was pushed aside with one strong shove. Blair wasn't hurt, but still ticked off. "HEY!" Blair snapped, jumping to her feet fast. Nagisa and Aladdin were left now, but before Karasuma could get to the notes, the demon teacher suddenly was in the way again, blocking Karasuma. "Now Karasuma, no need to stop the boy's search for knowledge," the demon teacher advised, protecting Nagisa from trouble. Karasuma crossed his arms. "You do know that you're supposed to be under wraps, right?" "We can trust these three to not blabber on about anything, right students?" This felt a bit off for Nagisa and Aladdin. This was a demon they were talking to, but he was acting very friendly and understanding to them. "Eh ... yeah, alright," Aladdin finally said. Karasuma sighed, and turned away. "Just get yourself back to class before anyone else sees you," Karasuma finished, walking back to the E building. After he was gone, the demon teacher turned to the other kids. "So, I hope your day spying on me was fun. Bet you need to head back soon, eh?" he figured. "I ... guess so. Thanks, uh ..." "The name's Korosensei: the best and fastest teacher in the human world! See you found your very own little demon-hunting knife yourself," noted the teacher, referring to Nagisa's halo blade. How he saw that was unclear, but Nagisa at least got some identification on this demon. "You're rather ... friendly, for a demon," said Aladdin, equally confused, but happy about it. Korosensei chuckled his signature laugh, which sounded oddly familiar to Nagisa. "This little demon king is trying some new things." "D-DEMON KING?!" they all gasped. They know a demon king, and they would never had guessed that this octopus would be THAT kind of demon. "Right you are. It got boring down in hell, so ol Korosensei is making tracks, and doing tricks here in your world." "... Excuse us for a moment," Nagisa said, moving he, Aladdin, and Blair away about a foot or so from Korosensei. The demon octopus was enough of a surprise, but the fact this was a demon KING made the situation even more astonishing. "Aladdin, what do you think about this? If what he says is true ..." Nagisa whispered. "I don't know. He isn't acting like a demon king to me, and he seems friendly enough," Aladdin whispered back. "And yet, he's teaching assassination to the E students. He doesn't seem so dangerous though ... Oh, what should we do? I mean, should we leave him alone, or what?" "My guess is as good at yours. However, demons can be goddamn tricky," Blair quietly pointed out. "True. But why is he teaching kids to assassinate with blessed weapons? ..." This was confusing for them. Nagisa had faced off with a demonic Jizo statue, and a pack of Hellhounds, both of which wanted his head on a silver platter. Both of those didn't have the King status like Korosensei apparently did, and if Korosensei is indeed a king level demon, then they had to figure out how to handle him before anyone could get killed by him. "You three have lots of fancy questions about me. As a teacher, I'll be more than happy to answer," Korosensei suddenly said, right behind Aladdin, leaning over him. "You will?" Nagisa asked. "As a teacher, it is my soul duty to educate and teach the younger generation whatever questions they have in mind. Go on, give it to me!" Korosensei insisted. Nagisa decided to take this opportunity, taking out his notes and readied to listen to this demon king. Whatever info Korosensei had, it's coming home with him. "Alright, I got plenty of questions. Ready?" Nagisa asked. "Give it to me, little reporter," Korosensei chimed in, confident as ever. ....... "So that's the little game Gakuho has you playing, eh Nagisa?" ~~ With time now drawing to the end of school, Nagisa, with his information in hand, started to head off to Gakuho. He just simply hoped that Gakuho would be in a better mood by the time he gets there. Any day long work would stress someone out at some level, and he just hoped it would be too bad. Still, he was glad most of his human friends weren't aware of what he was doing, even with Aladdin and Blair apart of it, and yet he still had questions about Korosensei: what was he? What was he doing? And furthermore, why is he doing this? He got a number of notes from Korosensei himself, about five pages worth, but it still was a bit arbitrary. Gakuho wanted to know what's going on at E class, and be that as it may, Nagisa got it. If Gakuho won't believe him, then he's in big trouble. During his walk to the office, Nagisa felt his nerves go astray, despite his efforts to relax. "Come on, buck up Nagisa. Just go in, give him the info, and you can go back to your normal life," Nagisa thought in assurance ... So, almost before he realized it, Nagisa found himself standing at Gakuho's door, and he gave a gentle knock onto it. It took a little bit, but eventually that same man opened the door for him, and invited him inside with a silent nod. He would never guessed he would pop back here so soon, but Gakuho was alright with it. "Shiota. What had you gathered?" Gakuho asked, more business-like in both tone and expression. Nagisa stayed quiet, as he pulled out the notebook, and gave it to Gakuho, who almost immediately began to look it over. Each second that the silence went on was torture for the student, Gakuho silently looking over each note Nagisa wrote down. He stayed at the assassination parts for a good while, taking in the information for a bit more ... "... So. This is what you indeed saw. ..." "Yes, sir," Nagisa simply said, gaze down in submission. Gakuho looked at the information about the types of weapons uncovered, and the training session saw as well. What Nagisa grew more worried over was when Gakuho began to look at the pages regarding Korosensei. Assassination lessons may be out of the ordinary, but at least they were more plausible than a demon king roaming the E building. The silence during that moment was unforgiving. ... "... I thought I made it clear that this would be between us, Shiota." "But it is, sir." "Don't lie to me," Gakuho revealed. Nagisa wondered how he figured that out, until Gakuho turned the notebook over to him. The page was actually blank, apart from one small message that was left by one particular person ... Cute spy. We should meet again sometime. K. "GOD DAMNIT," Nagisa thought. Gakuho stood up, towering over Nagisa. Gakuho felt disappointed in Nagisa, and it showed on his face. "You do understand that, for this school to be successful, that E class needs to remain where it is. We can't have them rising up this way, can we? ..." Gakuho cleared to him. The persuasive tone was enough to make the humble Nagisa Shiota nod in agreement. Gakuho kept his notes at his desk, and looked Nagisa right in the eyes. "Had anyone else so happen to notice you during your investigation?" Gakuho asked, making sure each word sank in to Nagisa without being missed. Nagisa thought back with Blair and Aladdin, not to mention Karasuma. Two of them were even helping him with the investigation, nevermind just knowing about it. He caved into Gakuho already once ... "... No. No, I don't think so," Nagisa finally said. This wasn't entirely true, but he didn't want any of his friends to take the fall with him. However, Gakuho wasn't too convinced. "... Are you quite sure about that?" Gakuho asked, leaning in a little bit. Nagisa remained calm, but tension was rough to deal with in this situation. "Yes, sir." Gakuho stayed silent for another minute, eyes locked onto Nagisa to see what sort of hint Nagisa would give off. Whenever someone would lie, there was usually ONE reaction from the liar to make that proves they're lying. However, Nagisa's usual quiet behavior made that a little harder to do ... In the end, much to Nagisa's relief, Gakuho sat down back at his desk, and placed the notes in his desk drawer. After a while, he then pulled out something else to show Nagisa, setting it down on the desk, and pushing it gently over to him. Looking, it was actually the work Nagisa had missed for the day, along with an extra slip, this giving him a sort of warning ... "I expect you to be a little more careful, next time." "Next time? ..." "Perhaps we both are a little curious about things going on over there. And perhaps -" "Hold it, chief," a voice suddenly cut in. Gakuho and Nagisa both were quick to turn around to the door, and sure enough, there stood their answer. All of a sudden, surprising Nagisa at least, Karma was actually there, leaning against the side of the door, arms crossed as well. Not the person Nagisa would expect to show up in a situation like this. "Akabane," Gakuho simply said, as Karma invited himself in. "Karma, what're you doing here?" Nagisa quickly, and quietly asked, as Karma stopped right next to him. "Deciding to place in for this spying game," Karma straight up said. Yes, he did see what Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin gotten themselves into earlier, and he decided to do a little something about it after it was over. Gakuho looked sternly at him. "So someone else did see you, Nagisa." "N-No. I mean, I didn't know sir, honestly," Nagisa insisted, only for Karma to step forward. "Yeah, he didn't see me, and neither did that Korosensei demon octopus. So why don't you have me for a while instead of this sweet face," Karma offered, patting Nagisa on the head. Gakuho was, of course, suspicious over this. "If I wanted you, I'd call you," Gakuho simply said. "Come on, we both know you've wanted me dumped into dead end E, why miss the chance?" Karma pointed out. Gakuho knew that was true. Karma may be a smart kid, but his rebellious behavior was always something for Gakuho to get ticked about, yet Karma managed to avoid it due to his high grades and good work in the school. Nagisa was surprised to see Karma even doing this. "Karma ..." "You're willing to drop your status?" "What, you'd rather have a rebel like me running around here, than about a mile away?" Gakuho was quiet, and thought it over for a while. Nagisa thought that he and Karma were going to get into trouble at this point. However, Gakuho then wrote down something on a spare attention slip, and then gave it to Karma, who smirked on seeing it. Nagisa couldn't believe it. "You'll start there next week. Now, you both can go," Gakuho finished. Karma, feeling like he won (ironic enough), went right on out alongside Nagisa. Gakuho went on back to his own work, both in the school, and looking over Nagisa's notes. It was probably for the best if Karma went there instead of Nagisa, since E saw him in the first place. Aside from that, Karma might fit in better. "Why'd you do that, Karma?" Nagisa asked, soon as they were down the hall. Karm stretched, putting his hands behind his back. "First, I've been wanting to catch a break from this damn school. And I wanna check this guy out myself. Sounds like one hell of a teacher to mess around with." "Did you really have to make that joke?" Nagisa thought. "Besides," continued Karma, "I just gotta get those test grades up and I'm back to the main building." Well, Nagisa couldn't really argue with Karma there. Regardless of the case, he was just glad that they weren't in as bad of trouble as he thought they would be. Nagisa didn't have to be the principal's spy now, and as for Karma, he'll be getting some free time during his stay at E class ... The deal was set, can't change it now.
S01Ep7: Senses ~感覚~"YUGI! YUGI, YUGI, YUUUGI!" Rather than her typical alarm clock, Twilight woke up to the sound of someone practically yelling her name just outside. Not her typical wake up call, and according to her clock and the lack of normal light outside, about an hour earlier than normal. It didn't really help that it was the weekend, and therefore, no alarm exactly needed for the day. Twilight tried to ignore it, but soon, the yells turned into stones hitting her window. A rather old-school trick, but it did it's job. "What the heck? So early?" Twilight yawned. It took her a bit to get herself out of bed, and towards the noise at her window. The stones kept being thrown at the window until Twilight finally got it open. She rubbed her eyes to get a better view of the situation, and looking down to the street, she saw who it was. Standing there, fully clothed, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, was Pinkie Pie. She had quite a number of stones on hand, some rather large, and the one she was about to throw might've broke her window. "Pinkie? What're you doing? You know what time it is?" Twilight asked, followed by another yawn. "It's three fifty. You coming out?" Pinkie called. Twilight did NOT feel up for it in the slightest. She was no early bird, and especially not as hyper as the pink-haired pal standing down there. "Pinkie, it's too early. Wait for later," Twilight groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Come on: there's big sales going on at the Tokyo shopping center today! THEY'RE SELLING PIPLUP PLUSHIES!" "LATER. Me sleep now," Twilight said, too tired to care. She closed her window, and went straight back to bed, leaving Pinkie standing outside. "OK, I'LL WAIT!" Pinkie called, though Twilight didn't respond, and went straight to sleep. ....... *beep**beep**beep**bee-*click* "Much better," Twilight yawned. It was much later now, sun now high enough for it to be considered morning. The day was bright, slightly cloudy, but still pretty good for the day as a few Pidoves flew over passed her window. She yawned, stretched her arms, and got herself out of bed. Sure, the earlier wake up call was a bit annoying, and made her a little more tired, but she was alright overall, in spite of bed head deeply evident in her hair. She got up, and began to sort through her clothes for a bit to get a more casual outfit over the school uniform, when her mother soon knocked on her door. "Morning, sweetie," her mother said, smiling. "Oh, morning mom," Twilight replied, getting her outfit together. However, Twilight's mother didn't just come up to say hello. "Say, dear, did you have any plans with one of your friends today?" "Uh, yeah why?" "Because I think one of them is waiting for you outside." ....... Wait, what? Twilight froze, and turned to her mother, her face in complete disbelief. "... She's still there?" Twilight asked meekly "Still there?" questioned her mother. Was her mother really referring to the same friend she spoke to earlier? Rather than answer straight away, Twilight quickly looked out her window, only to find ... "YUGI! YOU READY NOW?!" "She's still there." ~~ It took them a while to get going, but Pinkie and Twilight were on their way from Twilight's house, and off right away to the Tokyo shopping district. Twilight was still a bit tired and not up straight, but Pinkie Pie practically dragged Twilight behind her as they were soon at the stores. The Tokyo shopping district was THE PLACE for any sales to go crazy for, and the amount of people showed how strong it was getting. All sorts of people, many of which having either boxes or handbags, were the results of the many sales at the moment. Pinkie Pie, with purse thick with money, was ready for a good shopping spree as she skipped along the sidewalk, Twilight on the other hand wasn't all up for it, and she was just trying to keep up with her friend. "YES, they're still here!" Pinkie beamed, rushing down the street until she stopped at one of the many clothes stores, seeing that there was some pretty good sales going on there. Twilight wanted to shop same as any girl, but she just needed some time to get her act together. Her eyes sparkled when she saw a giant penguin plush in the window. "I must have that," Pinkie said, just before going straight into the store, leaving Twilight alone just outside. "I'll wait out here then," Twilight got out. As Pinkie was busy getting her 'must have' product, Twilight just waited casually outside for a bit. As she did so, Pinkie was happily going about inside, checking out the stuffed animals like a true child would. Outside, the winds were starting to pick up, blowing around the sign just above the door. Many of the people going around didn't remotely consider the sign, including Twilight who was standing nearby. ... Pinkie began to feel her hair twitch a little. "Yugure, in!" "Wait, what?" Suddenly, Pinkie shot out of the store, grabbed Twilight, and pulled her inside the store, quick as a flash. Twilight didn't even have time to react, but just seconds after Twilight was pulled away, the sign above the door suddenly snapped off, and fell to the ground, right where a Twilight was standing! It would've whacked Twilight good if Pinkie didn't do anything ... "Uh ... thank you, Pinkie," Twilight said. Pinkie nodded, and smiled to her friend. Her mind quickly changed gears though, and she was suddenly admiring a larger teddy bear being sold in the store. Twilight was now a bit more awake, and alert. She didn't think it was anything odd though, and considered it more of a coincidence. "You were quick on the draw, Pinkie," Twilight commented, as Pinkie hugged one of the stuffed Piplup toys. "Oh, it's just my Pinkie sense! Sure comes in handy," Pinkie replied. Now Twilight was a little confused. "Your what?" "My Pinkie sense. My body makes these tiny little hints, when things are gonna happen," Pinkie summed up. Twilight didn't know if this had anything similar to Nagisa's demon sense, or what, but Twilight found this intriguing. Pinkie went off to buy the Piplup, and Twilight was left to ask another question. "AND did one of these just happen?" Twilight asked. "Yeah: my hair felt a twitch. That means stuff's gonna start falling," Pinkie said, as she bought the Piplup plush. Pinkie happily went along with her toy, and left Twilight to wonder on this Pinkie sense. "... Yeah, a coincidence ..." ....... Minutes ticked by, and eventually Pinkie was walking around with a very happy smile on her face, and a Piplup plushie hanging out on her shoulder. That didn't mean it was the only thing she got however, and Twilight was kinda stuck carrying it around, namely a fair stack of boxes ... eight, fairly sized boxes. It wasn't too much of a bother, but Twilight felt like her role in this situation was being used. ... "Uh, hey, Pinkie? Don't you think this is enough -" "AAHHH!" Pinkie suddenly screamed. Twilight thought Pinkie saw something shocking, but Pinkie was just fangirling over something else, and the pink girl was quick to race off. Twilight had trouble catching up, but she found her pink haired friend standing over by a pet store. The thing she was particularly staring at, and fond over, looked like a sort of cat toy inside the window. "Be right back!" Pinkie said, going straight into the store to buy it. Twilight felt worried, barely able to see above the boxes in the first place. Add a cat toy on top of it, and she would be walking blind. Lucky for her, just nearby, she caught sight of a bench, which would be good for her to chill out a minute. So, as Pinkie was in there, Twilight moved over, and sat right on down, FINALLY getting a break from the carrying. Or at least, until Pinkie comes back outside. Twilight could guess whatever Pinkie was getting would be for Blair in some way, her being a cat and all. As she was sitting there, Twilight looked over at some of the boxes that Pinkie had bought throughout the day. On the boxes in question, Pinkie had oddly suggested them wrapped and labeled for different people, the one Twilight looking at being labeled being for Karma Akabane. "Well, I hope the others are happy with this stuff," Twilight thought. As Twilight was sitting there, her bordom was starting to catch up with her, as she began to daydream a little bit, not paying much attention to what was going on around her. ... And then ... "INCOMING!" "AH!" What happened next went a little too fast to comprehend at first. Next thing she knew, Twilight was hunkered down, Pinkie right beside her on one foot, arm stretched out right above her, seemingly catching something that would, otherwise, slam on her head. When Twilight regained herself, she saw that the object that would've whacked her looked like a book. The book looked fairly decent in size, brown hard cover as well. Pinkie gently dropped the book on Twilight's lap instead of her head, a lot less painful than it would've been. When Twilight looked at the cover, the book's front cover had golden outlines, looking very regal in pattern, design, and shape of the golden colorations. At the center showed a golden unicorn from the neck up, the eye almost shining a light sky blue, at the center of a number of colored gemstone attachments: yellow, blue, pink, purple, and red. Twilight saw some words written above the unicorn, but they were in a language she could not make out exactly. The book also came with a ribbon bookmark, colored a deep violet much like Twilight's own hair. Pinkie peeked over her shoulder, as they both looked over the book for another minute. Twilight worked her memory, and remembered what Nagisa told her before how his blade just appeared out of nowhere, and struck him, so ... "Is this ... another blessed object?" Twilight thought, astonished that she would end up with something like this. Twilight gently held the ribbon attached to it, feeling the velvet on it for a bit, until she then opened the cover, only to find her name right the attacked ribbon! "Yugure. ... YAY, you got your own book named after you!" Pinkie Pie beamed. Twilight simply froze up on seeing her own name written off for her. Suddenly, it was Twilight who got up and took off with the book, needing to get her answers from the only friends who would know. As for Pinkie, well ... "WAIT! WAIT FOR ME!" Pinkie yelled, rushing after her. But not before carrying all the gifts she bought during the shopping spree. ~~ Meanwhile, the good day gave Nagisa some time outside the apartment, alongside Karma and Aladdin (who was dressed as a student). With the bright sun, and a nice breeze, temperature was in a perfect, comfy zone for a casual walk around Tokyo. No plans, no troubles, and a good time to catch up with eachother. It was probably good, since Aladdin wasn't really in the know about what happened recently. "You're in E now, Karma?" Aladdin asked. "Yep. Starts in two days, and I'm gonna be on my own in Korosensei's class of killers," Karma replied, rather casually. "But I thought you don't like taking big risks," Aladdin pointed out, remembering his denial to help Blair when she was asking for it. "With my life, not my grades," Karma simply said. During their walk, the three stopped over at a street light, when Nagisa spoke next. "Well, it is a nice day. You guys wanna do anything?" Nagisa offered. "Actually, I was thinking on going fishing," Karma suggested. "Fishing? Sounds great, what's in season?" Nagisa asked. It was there that Karma got his devilish smile on him again. ... "During this time of year, delinquents are out in drones. Just use Nagisa as a lure, and who knows how many of the bastards we can pull!" Karma simply loved the idea, personally. Nagisa and Aladdin were a little bit disturbed by the suggestion, though Nagisa was more used to it. "I didn't realize delinquents had a season," Nagisa commented. Pretty soon, the trio was walking again, just across the street, when Aladdin looked on ahead of them to see two familiar faces. These faces were Twilight and Pinkie, and Nagisa and Karma saw them too, as they were going right up to them. "Hey, guys!" Twilight called, as she was running up to them, book in hand. "Hey Yugure, Pinkie. See you two were in the shopping district," noted Karma. Pinkie peeked out from behind the stack of gifts. "Yes indeede! And here's a little something for you, you, and you!" Pinkie said, giving Nagisa, Karma, and Aladdin, their respected gifts. This was indeed a nice surprise, and Aladdin was quickly opening his up right then and there. Upon opening it, Aladdin found a fancy little piece of sapphire jewelry, attached to a necklace. The sapphire sparkled in the midday sun, and Aladdin eagerly put it on. "Wow, thanks," Aladdin said smiling. As this happened, observant Nagisa saw the book Twilight was holding, the velvet violet ribbon catching his eye. "What's that, Yugure?" Nagisa asked, referring to the book. Twilight presented the book for the others to see. "That's what I want to ask you about. It's some sort of book, but I don't know what language it is, or where it came from," Twilight explained. That last bit was a little odd to hear. "Came from?" "It ... almost fell on my head," Twilight admitted. "It's a magic book from the sky!" Pinkie revealed. That got Aladdin interested. "Magic book from the sky? Wait, let me see that," Aladdin suddenly said. Twilight gave Aladdin the book, and the Magi began to check the pages. Each page showed a number of different spells, techniques, tricks, and plenty of other things that REALLY got Aladdin hyped. The symbol on front of the book told him right away where this came from, and the genuineness of it. The others were seeing just how surprised Aladdin was being when he was looking through it. "Well, is it another blessed object?" Twilight asked. "Blessed? This is beyond blessed. Yugure, this is a book of pure alchemy!" Aladdin revealed. "Alchemy?" "Yeah! All these spells, these techniques, there's no mistaking this book. Look, it's even written by the magic master Celestia, look!" Aladdin said in glee, seeing the author under the title of the book. Twilight wasn't sure who this Celestia is, but by the sound of it, she must be a very good spell caster at least. "So we got a halo blade, and a book of alchemy. A assassin and a Magi in the making. We're just going all out on the powers," Karma commented. "Alchemist," Aladdin corrected. "Huh?" "A Magi and a Alchemist are two different classes. She has a book of Alchemy," Aladdin said. Twilight took a bit to check out her book, seeing how special it actually was. "THAT'S SUPER!" Pinkie cheered. "Yeah, congratulations," added Nagisa. Things were starting to look up for her a bit - "HERE!" "Wait, what?" Suddenly, Twilight and Nagisa were pulled away from where they were standing, just as a random flowerpot fell down onto the sidewalk, right where they were just standing. First the sign, then the book, and now a flowerpot! Damn, Pinkie was on a roll! "What the hell happened?" Nagisa asked. "Pinkie sense, Nagisa. Pinkie sense," Pinkie said. "Pinkie sense? And that would be ...?" Karma asked. "Apparently, Pinkie gets these ... feelings, which tells her that things are going to happen," Twilight said, as Pinkie released them both. A rather interesting ability for a human to have. It was then that something crossed Karma's mind. Nagisa had his blade, Twilight had her alchemy book, and Pinkie had her "sense". "Nagisa, Yugure, Pinkie? I got an idea." ~~ "... And we're here." It took a while, but Karma got the gang altogether, and over in the forests by the E building. With clear weather, and nobody at the area, it was a perfect spot to try Karma's little plan. Here, he got Pinkie and Nagisa out in the woods, both their eyes covered by some blindfolds. Pinkie was ready to go, but Nagisa wasn't getting exactly what was going on. "So what's the point of this again?" Nagisa asked. "We're just gonna test a little thing here. All you two gotta do is get to the E building, and you'll be safe," Karma explained. It sounded basic enough up to 'you'll be safe'. Since this was Karma, Nagisa could only wonder what sort of thing he actually had in mind ... "I don't like where this is going," Nagisa commented. "Now you two just stand here," Karma said, moving both Pinkie and Nagisa into position. Their target was straight ahead of them, but it was across through the forest, and then through the E building field, so it would be a mad dash to try and get there without trouble, at best. Karma though had his own little scheme to make things a bit harder for them, much to Nagisa's dismay. "Ready, set, go!" Karma announced. On go, Pinkie and Nagisa started going off. It was hard enough for Nagisa, because he was literally running blind, having no idea where he was exactly going, or where he was gonna end up. Both were going at a decent speed, but Pinkie was having an easier time of it, while Nagisa was just hoping to not trip over something, hands out in front of him most of the time. What Karma DIDN'T tell them though was that he had a little buddy to help him out, who was hidden up in the trees "Ok, at least tell me how far away the E building is! ... Karma? ..." Too late - he was gone. "God damnit." ....... Not too far away, Karma easily got himself back to the E building, no sweat. Back at the building, Twilight, and Aladdin, were sitting right by the steps, Twilight taking some time to look at the book of alchemy. Karma got their attention just by showing up, the two slightly unsure what Karma was exactly up to either. Karma casually sat down over by Twilight. "Ok, there they go." "What exactly is this supposed to do? You didn't give us much to go on," Twilight asked, which was true. Karma took a moment to stretch, smirking, before answering them. "Well, Nagisa's got his demon sense, and Pinkie has her pinkie sense. About time we actually try to figure these tricks out in case more of those bastard demons show up. Could come in handy in a pinch," Karma explained. Karma's mind was in the right place here, and with what they faced before, these extra abilities could make a big difference in the long run. "But, to leave them in the woods? That's not the safest way to start things off," Aladdin questioned. Before either one of them could continue, they all suddenly heard a loud meow, and Nagisa screaming. "AH! GET OFF! GET OFF, BLAIR!" Nagisa's voice yelped. "Safe enough," Karma simply commented. ....... "Pinkie? Pinkie? Where'd you go?" Nagisa called. After Blair's sneak attack, Nagisa was just lost wandering the woods. He made sure to keep his hands right in front, and this saved him from otherwise bumping into some things, namely the trees. Nagisa stopped for a moment at one of these trees, another hand touching the tight blindfold. He tried to take the thing off, but Karma made it especially tight around his head, and especially tight knot to keep it together. Probably his guarantee that Nagisa won't cheat in this little game. "Damn, Karma made this tight," Nagisa thought, not able to get the thing off of him. His only hope for doing that is to get Karma to do it, and his only way to do that is to get to the E building without killing himself. Oh, what a joy. Nagisa began to walk again, steadily getting his feet working on his way, one in front of the other. He didn't know where Pinkie, Karma, Blair, or anybody else was. He was worried about Blair jumping him again, and his guard was up high this time. He only hoped Pinkie was doing this fairly easier than he was, and comparing the two, Pinkie probably had made it back by now. Around him, the forest was calm and collective at first glance, though he had no idea what was going on around him. ... Then he felt the familiar chill come back to him. "Blair?! ... No, wait. This feels a lot stronger. ..." Nagisa thought. Neuhuhuhuhuhuhu~ That confirmed it. Nagisa stopped himself completely, and rather than running away, or after him, he waited a moment to try and pinpoint where he was. His demon sense began to go to work, and while he was standing there and waiting, it began to work it out for him. He felt the being moving around somewhere, but rather fast for him to accurately get his barring. Without his eyes to catch what was happening, his demon sense was his only way here. "Come on. ... There!" Nagisa thought, finally getting a better pinpoint when the demon stopped moving as fast. Suddenly, seconds after getting the idea, the figure rushed by in a gust of wind, the blindfold suddenly removed from his face. It took Nagisa a bit to get his eyes adjusted to the light, but after that, he found that he was in another part of the forest, over by a clearing. This clearing in particular had a lounge chair, a picnic blanket, and a little snack of ice cream. Suddenly, he found that someone was right behind him, and upon turning around, low and behold, Korosensei was standing there. "Well done, Nagisa. You used your Demon Sense to find me, congratulations!" Korosensei said. Nagisa couldn't help but jump back when he saw Korosensei. The demon octopus was in a completely different get up. Instead of teacher, he looked casual, with a basic, long red T shirt with an octopus on it (Go figure). The octopus, looking at the place, was simply relaxing when he heard Nagisa roaming around. "Ol Akabane up to his usual antics, I see. Though I must say, you were very close to reaching the E field," Korosensei complimented, patting Nagisa on the head. "So you saw that, huh?" "It's hard to resist, I must admit," Korosensei chuckled. Nagisa just sighed, and looked to the blindfold. However, then something crossed his mind. "Say, Korosensei? You're a demon king, right? You wouldn't happen to know what's going on, do you?" Nagisa asked. "On with what, may I ask?" "This demon sense. It's always just showing up when you demons are around, but I don't know what's triggering it exactly. Is it with any demon? Does it only show when I'm in danger? I'm trying to understand it. ..." Suddenly, Korosensei had disappeared again. There wasn't much of anything left after the octopus rushed off, but just seconds later, Korosensei popped up back in front of him. It was enough to make Nagisa step back. In his tentacles, Korosensei was holding a little buttercup, and took a sniff of it. "So, Nagisa, did this feeling come up now?" "... I don't think it did." "Ok, then it's rather simple. What you have, my lad, is a unique case of a little something called 'psychic sensory'." "Psychic sensory?" "A little instinct some folks have. Demon entities have their own auras, you see, and those with this particular Psychic Sensory are able to pick up and pinpoint these signals to the source, no matter where they are. It's this sense that's helped you find those other demons you and your friends had been bumping into, and this same sense that helped you just now in locating me. Think of it as your personal demon radar." Well that was an eye opener. Nagisa took a moment to consider this, this new information giving a better vision about his Demon sense. However, as if on cue, this Psychic Sensory began to act up again. ... "NYAA!!" BAM, Blair was on him again! Jumping out from the tree, Nagisa was tackled to the ground, Blair gripping him, and biting him cutely as her boobs pushed against his back. "Again? Really?" "Come on, you're enjoying it," Blair teased. Korosensei, his face pink and flustered, picked up Blair off of Nagisa, getting a good view at her rack before letting her go. Nagisa shook himself off, and got to his feet. Not a good showing. "So, this Psychic Sensory is to sense danger apparently. If I do have this, then Pinkie must have a different, far higher version of this sense than I do," Nagisa thought, putting the pieces together. It seemed to fit in with what both he and Pinkie Pie share. Pinkie may not be able to sense demons, but she still sensed a LOT of things that Nagisa couldn't. "Well, thank you, Korosensei," Nagisa finally said. On the bright side, it finally gave him an excuse to stop wandering around the forest like a dumbass. ... Until Korosensei tied his blindfold back on him again. "Hey!" "Why cheat in your game? Now go on, give it your all!" Korosensei encouraged, pushing him towards the direction of the school. Nagisa almost lost his balance there, and now he was stuck at square one. ... What a joy. ~~ "What's taking him?" Back at the E building, Twilight, Aladdin, and Karma were still waiting it out for Nagisa to return. Pinkie had finished up Karma's game already, and she was chilling out by Twilight and Aladdin, Twilight still reading her book of alchemy to pass the time. "There's a lot of alchemy spells in here," Twilight noted. "Sure - alchemy may be a rather old magic, but they had tons of different types to use," Aladdin replied. Finally, after what felt like forever, the others looked on ahead, and soon found Nagisa walking out of the forest, Blair as her cat self, nomming his head. By the looks on him, he had a rather rough time, but at least he had more info to boot thanks to Korosensei. The others went right up to him, and removed the blindfold. "So, How'd it go?" Karma asked, though Nagisa didn't even need to answer that with any particular words. Blair got her mouth off his head before speaking. "Nagisa's easy to jump at. But he did find Korosensei pretty good." "Korosensei? You mean that demon octopus you guys met before?" Twilight asked. "Right, and he went on telling us about this Demon Sense thing. He calls it "Psychic Sensory"," Blair said, before hopping down. "OOOOOOO! So psyche! Can you read people's thoughts, or minds, or make things float with your mind? It would be awesome to move things with your mind - don't need to hurt your fingers," Pinkie commented. Nagisa was quiet at first until he went on again. "Uh ... no. He said it's like my own demon radar." "Eh, makes sense. Was it working with bitch kitty?" said Karma. "For a while, but not fast enough to dodge her ... I gotta work on that," Nagisa said, glancing to Blair nearby. Getting attacked, and smothered, every time she jumped him was, for a lack of a better word, aggravating. As they were standing there, suddenly. *GAAAAAAHHHH!* "Uh, OK Pinkie, what's up?" "I FORGOT, I HAVE TO GET HOME AND FIX UP MY CAKES, CUPCAKES, AND PANCAKES FOR SCHOOL, BYE-BYE!" Suddenly, Pinkie was off like a rocket. "... Did she say pancakes?" Blair asked. The others simply shrugged. But, even with this random moment, Nagisa began to figure out that it was getting late for this. It'll take a while to get back home from here, and school was just as important as this. "Pinkie's right. School's tomorrow, and it'll be a while from here, so we better get going back." "Wait, but what about your alchemy? You didn't try any one of those yet!" Aladdin said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Hold on, maybe we'll try it when I'm actually ready for it. One step at a time," Twilight cleared up, before getting to her own feet. Aladdin pouted, but he got up anyway. There's always next week. ....... Unbeknownst to them, they weren't alone here. Hidden off casually in a nearby tree, laying on one of the branches, someone was keeping an eye on the objects of interest. the human laid down on his stomach, legs swaying casually behind him, and a hand above his eyes to get a better look. "So the girly boy's friend is getting into alchemy now, eh? These humans don't even know what they're getting into," the human thought, a smirk across his face. His gaze shifted to Aladdin and Blair next. "What're they doing here? A magi and a witch? Talk about an odd couple," he commented. Despite it, it would still explain the dead Houndour he found, at least. Then he saw Karma. "Karma Akabane. Cocky son of a bitch. Funny human, but he's the first to go. One demon on him alone, and he'll be good. ..." The group was an odd one, to be sure, but he still remembered what he was told to do, and he was pretty much stuck on it, and stuck in this place under order. "Let's see where this goes. ..."
S01Ep8: E for "What again"? ~Eの"もう何"？~While many students at Orora high saw the day as normal, for Karma, this was a new day for him. He took the scenic route on his way towards the E building, where he would basically be stuck in until further notice. Not exactly orthodox for a normal student, but Karma was happy with it all the same. A break from the hustle and bustle of the main building to do his own thing sure felt rather swell for him. That, and anyone with a Mach-20 speed record, and twelve tentacles, must be one hell of a teacher. He had a lone walk to E, through the mountain trail with only his thoughts, and with some tiny notes he had with him, the notes that Nagisa wrote, and what Gakuho lend him upon Karasuma's request. These notes were small, and gave the basics on Korosensei and how to deal with him, which was something he probably needed. To bad he didn't have any personal weapon on him like Nagisa did, otherwise he'd be all set. "Well, day one of life as an E student. This should be fun," thought Karma. Pretty soon, he had reached the familiar clearing, and saw the familiar building of E class students. The main difference between his usual visits was that class was actually in session this time over just sitting around, being empty for his group's personal playground. Karma saw a few students already heading inside, so he knew he was at average time. It didn't bug him either way. "Guess it's show time," Karma commented, just before walking right up to the front door. The interior of the building was just as tacky as the exterior. The walls wooden and worn out as the floor, in the classroom itself, it mirrored that of the main building, only less modern. Desks were lined up the same way, and Windows aimed out to the open field. One thing it did have over the main building was a door leading outside right in the classroom. Karma saw that no other students were in class just yet, so the cheeky red head decided to take a seat for himself. Normally a front row seat is mainly picked, but Karma Akabane decided to try a different spot, more to the back rather than the front. He got himself comfortable in his seat, which was right in the back, as more of the students began to come in. When they saw him, since Karma was a new student anyway, curiosity was risen up rather quickly. "Karma's here now?" One of the students asked. "Why him of all kids?" Wondered another. "Gakuho must've finally got him," figured another. They've heard of Karma for a while, but they were still surprised to see the devil kid sitting comfortably in the seat. And the more kids come in to take their seats, the more looks were thrown his way. Karma didn't mind it, and kept his cool as they took their seats. Karma had his bag of tricks, but he was saving them for the big score, and he wasn't gonna jump on small fry like this. One thing Karma did see was the multiple weapons just blatantly brought in. In particular, the amount of guns. Sniper rifles and handguns were the common sight this morning, and Karma could already tell how crazy this was gonna be. "Going all out this morning, huh? They think that Mach-20 demon will stand still for them. Fat chance," Karma thought with a smirk. It clearly showed too. Many of the students, rather than sitting straight away, were actually up in arms as the big demon man himself strolled in. Korosensei took his position at the front, facing the armed students, who all aimed directly at him. Not very sneaky. "Good morning class. Now, let's see if we're all here shall we?" Korosensei chimed. ... "FIRE!" Then the hellfire started. Next thing Karma knew, the entire room was filled with the sound of gunshots, gun smoke, and anti-Korosensei beeds hitting the chalkboard. As for Korosensei, all he did was jump about side to side, at such a speed he looked like a glitch hologram! Not a single beed was touching him, and Karma was feeling glad to be sitting comfy in the back and watching the fireworks. Karma had his own little idea, but rather than bolt in, the kid just laid back and waited it out. "Nabiku Hazukashi." "Here." "Tomohito Sugino." "Here!" "Rio Nakamura." "Here!" (One roll call later ...) "Looks like everyone's here, congratulations!" AND after all that, not a single gun shot was landed on Korosensei's body. Beeds laid in heaps all over the floor, and it left many of the students angry and disappointed. After everything had calmed down, only then did Karma raised his hand. "Hey teach, you forgot someone," Karma announced, Korosensei realizing his mistake. "Wha?! Oh, so sorry, so sorry! Oh, uh, everyone, may I introduce our newest member of our E class family," Korosensei said, recovering. Karma got up, and began to casually walk to the front, one of his hands hidden in his pocket. Some of the students looked and saw that Karma looked rather confident with his approach. "Welcome, Karma Akabane." "Thanks a heap, teach. Let's make this one a exciting year, what do ya say?" Karma said, only then removing his hand out of his pocket. They thought he had a concealed weapon, but instead it was bare, and out for a handshake. Korosensei was pleased with this kid. "Oh, so formal," Korosensei said with a giggle. Karma kept his hand out, and Korosensei's tentacle made contact. And one, single touch was all it took. Korosensei's hand exploded! That's right. Not burned away, not disintegrated, but flat out exploded into a yellow gooey mess in Karma's hand. That got everyone's attention, as Korosensei bolted away to get some distance. Karma looked to his hand, and while he didn't expect the octopus to explode in reaction, it still was more progress than the gunslingers a few minutes ago. It was then that Karma revealed his surprise: cut out shreds of the same material from the halo blades in the gym shed, all placed on his hand in such a way that they could barely see it at glance. "Looks like these blades work better than I thought. Fall for a simple trick like that, and you'll be down in no time, teach," Karma advised. It was then he addressed the rest of the class. "Here's a tip for the rest of you: when trying to kill a demon, don't make it so obvious," Karma said, as he went straight back to his desk. He could feel a mix of amazement, and a bit of pissy glares thrown the cocky kid's way, as Korosensei slipped passed Karma, and back to the front. Karma sat right back down, whipping off some of the goop on his hand, and taking off the shreds. The same trick won't work twice on this demon, he could tell. Karma looked to the front, seeing Korosensei starting up the lesson, and suddenly regrowing the hand. "Today's gonna be good." ~~ Life outside of the school was also shifting its gears a bit. With the sun brightly shining down for mid day, it seemed that it was all well. Flying along through the air, a young Starly fluttered on around through the nearby forest, rushing through the trees with expertise. The tiny bird landed down up on a tree branch, cleaning out its feathers for a while. Not much to worry over, and not much other animals around to bother it at first. After another quick clean, it took off again, landing in another nearby branch, by the forest's edge. While it tweeted a little, this tree was currently in use by another figure, and it was trying to chill out under the same tree. The Starly didn't seem to notice the figure just underneath it, and the figure showed no interest either. This figure was the same humanoid that had saw the group earlier, and the one who took away the dead Houndour. It stood right by the tree, leaning against it as it looked on towards the E building. His finger tapped the tree for a while, waiting for something to apparently happen. ... "Well, only one of those bastards are here now. K, Envy, let's check in on those apes," he thought. After a bit, Envy then noticed the Starly up in the tree, and as the Starly was still cleaning its feathers, a strange, almost electrical sound spooked it away. After a short while, another, identical Starly flew out from the forest, and towards the E building. The little bird peeked into the windows as the lessons went on, none of them paying much attention to the tiny bird as it was looking through. Class had gone well underway by this point, with Korosensei going over the lessons on the board. "Now class, this question may seem vicious, but don't let its sharp fangs frighten you - I have a sure fire method for taming it. See if you get the gist, as I write it out on the board." Inside, Karma was still willing to give this assassin's practice a try. He did a decent job earlier this morning, so his own confidence was a bit high on doing him in. What other chance would he have to do such a thing anyway? To take out frustrations on the teacher ala handgun and not get sent off to jail? "His back's to the rest of the class. If E wants him dead this badly, then this shouldn't take long," Karma thought, as he reached into his coat, and slipped out a loaded firearm. With confidence high, and weapon at the ready, he stood right up, and aimed his gun directly to the back of Korosensei's head. He was just about to pull the trigger when ... "Karma. It takes an anti-me beed way too long to hit its mark." All of a sudden, the gun was out of his hand, and now dangling on Korosensei's tentacle. Once more, his fingernails were, for a lack of a better word, colored. "I had time on my hands. hope you don't mind me purifying yours," Korosensei slyly joked, as more tentacles showed a number of beauty produces, including an assortment of nail polish. Not the best showing, but he still showed a good smile. Good thing for him, he had a plan B up his sleeve in case this didn't work, as he sat back down. Not exactly a pure killer trick, but still one to mess around with him. "No worries, teach, I already finished my work. I'll just eat this gelato if that's ok," Karma said, this time pulling out a gelato ice cream he had in his other hand, which he wasn't trying to hide very well. "Not so fast! no eating in class - huh?" Korosensei instructed. However, when he looked at said gelato ... "HEY! THAT'S THE GELATO I BOUGHT FROM ITALY YESTERDAY!" Korosensei shrieked, as Karma gleefully licked what was once his gelato. Time between classes sure gave him time to look around, and when he saw the treat in the teacher's lounge, he couldn't resist. Korosensei was peeved to see his treat being eaten by this new student, and he knew as well this was just the start of things. and so did the bird outside. ....... "Uhuh, looking good everyone." Upon next hour, culinary as it turned out, everyone was busy cooking things up. Different students working on the same basic item of choice, which in this case was a simple task of cooking up ramen. Korosensei, dressed as a 5-star chef, observed everyones progress as he went through, looking each dish over with anticipation. Eventually, he got to Karma again, who made a suspiciously small dish, looking like vanilla ice cream from scratch. "Karma, is that all?" Korosensei asked. "Oh this little thing? just a personal gift to you, teach, to make up for that gelato. Go on, have a bite," Karma insisted, holding the plate to Korosensei. Nearby, a few other students stopped briefly to observe and see what'll happen, as Korosensei happily took the treat, and gobbled it in one bite. ... "Thank you, Karma, a fine -" Korosensei took a sniff in the air, smelling smoke. "Huh? Someone's dish burning? Wait." He stuck his tongue out, seeing it burning up - literally. "Oh. It's my tongue. K then. AAAAAHHHH!" Korosensei started running around in a panic for a few seconds, being Mach-20 making that looking like teleporting, until Korosensei disappeared popped up towards one of the sinks in the room, pouring cool water down his gullet, to the point when water was pouring out the sides of his mouth. Some call it gross, Karma called it hilarious. "That's it teach. Keep at it. I got a big welcome waiting for you ..." Karma thought with a smile. and boy, did he have one planned, but that was for later ... ~~ Pretty soon, it was lunch time. The buzz from Karma's games had really spiced things up for Korosensei, and the octopus wasn't anywhere to be found. Karma will have to wait for his little doozy later whenever Korosensei would come back, but for now he had his own pallet to quench. With bento on his lap, Karma found a good spot to sit just outside the E building, looking out to the field. A nice scenic view for a lunch break. The other E students were eating inside, and Karma just stayed outside for his lunch break, even if the others were talking about him (which Karma knew they were after the stunts he pulled). "Well, Karma, this future sure looks like a blast. If I knew it'd be this enjoyable, I would've transferred to E months ago," Karma thought. As he snack on the fish, rice, and dessert, his mind began to think about his other friends at the main building, and his magic buddies off at home. He hadn't seen them at all today, though he's sure they were chatting up a storm about what he might be up to. As he was sitting there, someone else started to step outside to check Karma out. Fancy enough, this student was a female. Her outfit matched school attire well, and with her blonde hair and blue eyes, had that typical purity appearance. "Oh, hey there. Nakamura, right?" Karma asked upon seeing her. "You got it. You sure went all out on teach today," she commented, though more impressed than surprised. Karma stretched, bringing his arms to the back of his head. "It's fun to make a good impression," Karma joked. Nakamura casually smiled, in a sort of smug way, as she rested her head on her hand. "Call that a good impression, I wonder what your best impression is all about." Nakamura wondered. Karma couldn't help but smirk at her comment. Only meeting her for a few hours, and he's liking her already. Still, she'll see what THAT'S all about soon enough. "You know, E class is pretty flashy this year, huh? Don't recall it being this exciting," Karma commented. "Yeah, it was boring for a while. That is, til Korosensei popped in through our door." "Oh really?" "Really. Karasuma went on and got all of us learning assassination right away. There's one person who doesn't waste any time." "Speaking of which, where is Karasuma? Haven't seen that teach all morning, and Korosensei ditched us too." "Eh, Karasuma's probably trying to plan another kill on that octopus. As for Korosensei, he mentioned something about checking out New Zealand for some lunch time surfing," Nakamura figured. Karma could imagine Korosensei hanging ten on a passing wave by that coast, and that's possibly what he's doing. As they were sitting there, Nakamura and Karma began to hear some of the other students inside chatting things up. Karma hadn't had much time to get to know, and Nakamura could be just the gal to help him out with it. He first noticed a number of students hanging out together on a sort of group, made up of three boys and one girl. "Hey, why not fill me in on some of your classmates. What're they about to start?" Karma asked, looking in through the window. Nakamura decided to answer. "Those are Terasaka, Kirara, Yoshida, and Takuya. They're the E class's gang. I don't think I call a day when they're not together unless one of them is sick," Nakamura explained. Karma looked over each one of them. They all looked rather average appearance wise; Terasaka being a bit bulky with short, spikey brown hair with blonde sides; Takuya being a basic blonde with dots for pupils; Yoshida with bands of brown hair, but that was about it; and Kirara (while a bit gothic) had simple messy black hair. Far as Karma knew, there was nothing interesting with them for the most part aside from potential joke targets. His eyes looked around a bit more, and soon his eyes sighted another girl nearby - a pink-haired girl eating quietly by herself. As if reading his mind, Nakamura gave him the info on her. "That's Nabiku. she's one of the Canterlot high students that came in this year. Not really chatty though. In fact, she didn't say a word since stepping into E class," Nakamura informed. "A bit frail to be an assassin." "She keeps trying to get out of it when she can." "I see." Karma looked to the shy girl for a bit more, before he turned back around, and sat down again. Karma Continued his meal, now with some knowledge about the other kids in the E class. There were others, but he had plenty of time to get to know them later. "Colorful class," Karma commented. "Yeah, not many of the main building sees that. Speaking of which, I have to ask: how'd Gakuho finally get you in here?" Nakamura asked, genuinely curious about it. "One of my friends over at the main building was gonna get kicked out, so I took his place instead," Karma said. "Wait, you chose to come here?" "Believe me, Gakuho couldn't dump my ass here on his own terms if he tried. Besides, it won't be long until I get myself back in there anyway," Karma said, confident he'll be back in there by the second semester of school, no problem at all. Nakamura saw his cocky confidence and, while funny to see, made him look a little naïve about it. Nakamura doubted he'd get himself back so soon, but she didn't say it aloud. "You're the first to do that, you know that right?" "I know I am. That aside, got the time?" Karma asked. Nakamura glanced inside at the clock. "You got about fifteen minutes. How come?" "Good. Let's just say you're going to see my best impression." And unbeknownst to them both, the tiny bird listened to everything they said ... ....... Eventually, lunch was over and done. Everything seemed alright and ordinary, with the students all in their desks by the time Korosensei had arrived back. Karma felt ready for that octopus to show up, having a halo blade he grabbed from the shed at the ready. After a bit, Korosensei slipped in to the room. However, when he did, the students all looked a little ... quiet. "Why the long faces? Is something -" He was stopped cold the second he turned to the front desk. On it, for everyone to see, was a dead octopus stabbed by a kitchen steak knife! And who spoke up after Korosensei saw that? ... "Oops, my bad. I stabbed it thinking it was you, so, I suppose I should get rid of it?" Karma asked, his expression unchanged from his cheeky smile. Korosensei picked up the octopus off the desk, removing the knife. "Yes, you should," Korosensei replied dryly. The demon octopus moved on towards the back of the room, Karma awaiting him to get close with his knife hidden just behind his back, waiting for the right moment. One quick strike during his humbled state, and that'll be that. The others watched the event unfold in silence, waiting to see what'll happen. Soon, Korosensei was about a foot away from the killer strike. Just a little closer. Korosensei though had other plans: his tentacle tips suddenly morphed into drill ends, and the octopus made a quick exit, returning with a large, live air missile! "Watch and learn, Karma me boy, to the ability of these tentacles, and the power of this missile courtesy of the Japanese Air Force!" Korosensei announced, fire shooting out the end of it. As rare as it sounded, Karma was actually humbled by Korosensei's act. With speed and dexterity, Korosensei chopped, cooked, and prepped the octopus into a delicious looking octopus meal, which Korosensei was happy to feed part of it to Karma. Karma was quick to spit it out though, as Korosensei spoke up again. "Perhaps there's some things I should mention. If you believe I'm going to let the new kid take my life, then there's no real reason for me to be here. And you see, Karma, I'm a giver. I take care of things: eager students, would-be assassins, troubled teens. Every act is just another moment for me to play my part, so by all means, keep at it." Is ... is this demon encouraging his killing behavior? That may be a teacher's proper move, but these are attempts to kill him! Karma tried to keep his smile, but he was feeling frustrated about the whole thing. He already killed plenty of Hellhounds so why can't he get this thing? Just outside, the peering Starly took this moment to finally flutter away, as Korosensei stood tall in front of Karma, good and proud. "If a student isn't satisfied in both body and mind by the end of the day, I have not done my job!" ~~ It had been a rather long day. Class E had gone through the motion for their daily routine, which included about eight total attempts at killing Korosensei - which failed. Karma felt the most frustrated with his endeavors. While the E class as a whole tried about three times, Karma's relentless five time attempts all ended in failure. And all because that Korosensei just couldn't stand still even once. Karma tried trick after trick to get a knife or gunshot into him, every time not even getting close to his skin. Karma wasn't wiling to give up though. Honestly, Korosensei was happy that Karma was hellbent on trying to finish the job, but he was disappointed in that it was the only thing Karma was focusing on. Each hour, and when he wasn't trying to target him, he was just chilling out and working on the paper when presented one. At least the other students tried to follow his learning skills. Karma was seemingly lucky not to fall asleep. Maybe it was Karma's way to be sure he wasn't doing his job. Soon, school for Orora High was done for the day, and the students were about ready to head off home. Korosensei was glad they had did their work, and stood with a happy face by the door as they all left. As they were, Karma tried one more slip of his blade, just missing Korosensei by inches before Mach-20 kicked in and he bolted off a good foot in a literal blink of an eye. "Karma, if you want a better shot at me, you're going to have to cooperate with your fellow E class brothers and sisters," Korosensei advised, crossing his tentacle arms. "Say what you want, teach, I'm just warming up today. I was the only one who actually got to you, remember that," Karma said. He wasn't ready to admit defeat over this cocky bitch of a demon, not even close! "Dually noted," Korosensei simply said, as Karma started to head off on his way. Karma began to work the gears in his brain as he walked. Just because he didn't kill Korosensei, doesn't mean that he hadn't been getting his act together. Much like how Nagisa did it, Karma had been taking mental notes on the demon, putting a few down on paper. The notes Nagisa had were alright, but they offered him close to nothing. It's always a good idea to study your enemy. Still, the demon teacher was just hoping the kid can get his act together on more than one blade. "That Karma. He seems so confident in himself, but he's not focusing on anything besides me. I'd have to work on him a bit more if he's to sharpen his second blade," Korosensei thought, observing the newest student as he went on. Korosensei started to work the hears in his own head, but just as he was, his gaze began to shift around the place, seeing the forest further away. ... "EEP!" Korosensei squeaked, suddenly bolting up to Karma and whatever student was within sight, bringing them all in back to the building. "What the hell, man?!" Terasaka snapped. "Quiet, quiet, quiet," Korosensei begged, his voice hushed and quick. "Let us go, you freak!" Demanded Nakamura. Korosensei kept his grip, a smaller tentacle moving out in front of the student, pointing off in a general direction, namely where they were going. Down the exit road, it was lined with plenty of vegetation, but Korosensei could tell that things aren't as they seem. The kids saw bushes, trees, some telephone poles leading to the school, and the dirt road leading out. It looked hard to make out, but there was something within the foliage, just at the edge, watching the group of humans from afar. Korosensei was nervous, shivering, mainly over the students safety. It took longer, but little by little the students began to see what Korosensei was seeing. "K, teach, let go," Karma said smugly. "My job as a teacher is to protect his students," Korosensei insisted. However, Karma still had his blade, so he managed to cut Korosensei's arm off, freeing him. Korosensei grew his arm back fast, but the students got themselves out as well, making them exposed to whatever was out there. As for what this strange figure actually was, it was a little hard to make out in the bushes, but it began to eye out at least one of the students before it started to reveal itself. Korosensei was the most worried over his students, jumping up in between them and the figure, tentacles spread out. It was here when the figure began to move, and became more visible. It looked fairly big, but not really too much compared to Korosensei, only just above three feet tall. Its skin was dark grey, looking like worn out fabric rather than normal skin. Its arms, torso, and mouth opened away to pinkish skin, the rims resembling that of a zipper. On each hand held three, large, pink claws, each as large as large kitchen knives. It was clear that this was another demon who came out to play, though this one seemed a little ballsy to show up in front of a large crowd like this, demon king included. As far as targets, the students were all in a group, and this demon plush toy was signaling out any loners. Karma needed some satisfaction after what he went through, and this newcomer could give him just that. He had the blade in hand, and seeing it done on Korosensei, this should be easy to do. With a smirk, Karma whistled to catch the demon's attention. "Ready to play? I'll put you back in hell where you belong," Karma said. The demon had found its target, but Karma was already running at it with the blade, ready to stab the demon. "Just one stab at this monster, and it's good as dead," Karma thought, his blade straight forward. The demon raised its arms, but hesitated when it saw the blade aimed for it. Karma went fast, and didn't even remotely waste any time to get the blade landing on the demon's head! ... AND it bended like rubber. "... Crud." The demon, now seeing it wasn't the same thing, whacked the blade out of Karma's hand, and Korosensei grabbed him and pulled him back before it could slice him to ribbons. Suddenly, it charged at the other students, arms and claws flailing like wheels to get one of them. The students raced aside, Nabiku and Kirara being missed by inches. "The hell is that thing?" Terasuka asked. "A Banette mega-demon, that's what!" answered Korosensei. The Banette saw another target nearby; Nabiku. She tried to dodge, but ended up isolating herself, right in the sight of the Banette. Panicked, Korosensei shoved the other students back in the school and out of danger, just enough time to jump in between Nabiku and the Banette. The launching Banette slammed its claws into Korosensei's chest, digging into the demon king's torso, tearing through fabric and skin. Korosensei cringed a bit, but grabbed the mega-demon, and threw it aside, leaving Korosensei with a hole of yellow goo. The Banette shook off the yellow stuff, Nakamura, Karma, and Terasuka's gang looked on. On one hand, it would kill their target, but on the other it would kill them if it'd finish. "K-Korosensei," Nabiku gasped, covering her mouth in horror. Despite the horrific injury, it was actually a minor one for Korosensei. The Banette was ready for its own action again, but by the time it was, its targets had already moved into the building. Korosensei made every measure to make sure that Banette couldn't get in, taking boards and barricading the doors and windows. "Phew. We should be safe now, kids," Korosensei said, tentacle whipping away sweat off his forehead. "... T-Thank you," Nabiku quietly said. Nakamura and Karma peeked outside from the boards, but they couldn't see the creature anywhere. "Where'd it go? It was just outside," Nakamura wondered. It was clear it moved, but where's it end up was what troubled them. ... "AH!" Found it! Next thing they knew, the Banette was inside the building, despite the barricade, having one of the students trapped in its grip! Panicking, Korosensei pulled him free, but the Banette and its sharp claws already did some horrid damage, to which the demon king had to fix up fast. The mega-demon saw an opportunity in this approach: the demon king busy, and two scrumptious morsels isolating themselves. Nakamura became its first try, and launched forward with mouth open, and claws spread. "Incoming!" Nakamura said. She and Karma ducked, both claws missing them both. "Ok, step aside," Karma quickly said, shoving Nakamura away. And just in time: the Banette swung both claws forward, and while they missed Nakamura, Karma was severely struck. Both claws dug into his torso, and while the cuts themselves weren't too deep, the force was strong enough to launch him through the barricaded window, and landing outside! Karma could feel blood seeping out of his three puncture wounds, as the Banette jumped outside with him. Still, Karma is a more durable kid, and got up fairly fast in time to confront the mega-demon. "K-KARMA!" Korosensei screamed, biting on his tentacle tips like one would chew their fingernails. "Hey God. I know Nagisa got his blessed weapon from that fleet of yours, but if I can get one too, that would be great," Karma thought. Those other blades just weren't working. The Banette readied itself for another try, licking the blood off its fabric claws. ... *thump* *thump* That's when something struck the roof, and flew off the building towards the Banette. The mega-demon turned around, and jumped out of the way before it could hit it, only to stop moving at Karma's feet. The item didn't looked the same as Nagisa's green halo blade. It was a bit bigger, more like a large sword than a knife. The blade had a wider tip, but still ended sharp. the color of the blade looked a dazzling silver, with streaks of yellow lines running along its length. The holder was wrapped with a orange cloth that almost glistened as much as the blade did. Karma lifted the blade off the ground, but he barely had time to actually comprehend anything, as the Banette was rushing for him again. Without another thought, Karma swung the sword, good and strong, and it sliced the mega-demon's head clean off! A mix of blood and black wool was released, as the now dead demon collapsed onto the ground. A quick, and clean kill. "Thanks," Karma said, looking up to the sky. "OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!!!" Korosensei said, amazed as ever. The other students went on outside as well, the Banette no longer a threat. Karma picked up the fabric from the Banette corpse, taking the other blade off the ground. Odd how the first green blade did nothing, and yet this sword sliced it like it was nothing. "Karma, you ok? That demon did quite a number on ya," Kirara asked. Karma looked down to the blood on his clothes, which there was a strangely small amount from the hit he took. Odder too, he didn't feel as much stinging as he did a few seconds ago. Karma felt the spot where the blood was, but he didn't feel puncture wounds, cuts, or anything. At first Karma was confused, but he was quick to connect the dots. "Well sweet; a healing sword," Karma commented. "That's correct! Class, you've all just witness the sheer power of the blessed Miracle Sword!" "Miracle Sword huh? So that's what this thing is," Karma said, looking at the sword. If this is how humans get their blessed weapons, then this Miracle Sword belongs to him. Not only that, but after a whole day of fails after fails, he finally got some proper satisfaction thanks to this victory. ~~ Time ticked on, and long after school had finished, one particular looking character was moving fast through the Japan landscape. The figure, Envy, had a long and rather uneventful time with this eavesdropping game of his, but this was something he had to report in. It was late on in the night, completely isolated from the rest of the world as far as he was. All Envy could see was the trees and the sky above him, so he should be good to go in theory. Once he could confirm it, Envy started to work out a symbol of his own into the surrounding dirt. No, it wasn't the Ouroboros symbol, but instead this symbol looked a bit more standard for a demon: a large symbol depicting a circle, with a six sided star at the center. Envy worked in some kanji writing as well, written at the center of the star. When he was done, he had a symbol just as big as he was, and the symbol began to activate as Envy was standing there, his own sort of power giving it power. As the symbol glowed a prominent purple, Envy moved off and the magic began to make out a portal-like image. This image, after fully completing, looked very dark, with another humanoid figure standing there. Since the picture was so dark, the figure was hard to make out, but Envy knew it was there, and he made a quick bow after being shown. "Envy. Your report?" The figure asked, nice and slow. "Yes, my lord. I'm starting to think these human worms are wising up," reported Envy. "Wising up? ... Explain that." "They got their grubby mitts on some blessed weapons. One has a Halo Blade, one has some alchemy book, and just today they got hold of a Miracle Sword and killed a mega-demon Banette. You ask me, I think we found our trouble makers," Envy explained. The figure was quiet and in thought. They both were aware of the deaths of demons over the last couple of months, and now that the figure heard this, he finally knew why. "indeed. ..." "Hey, can't I just go in and kill them all now? It's been too long since I heard those pathetic creatures grovel," Envy asked, devilish smirk growing on his face. However, the figure thought differently. "NO. If they did kill that Jizo, pack of Houndour, AND Banette mega-demon, then we have to change our strategy. Our existence can't be known until the time is right, do you understand?" Envy needed a sec before nodding his head. "... Now go. Don't let these humans out of your sight." And just like that, Envy left. The projection from the symbol started to fade away, and soon all that remained was the star left in the dirt. ...
S01Ep9: Witchcraft ~魔術~"Incoming, Karma!" Karma got in his stance, and Aladdin ran at him with his staff, which Karma blocked with his new sword. With a little spell check, Aladdin turned his wooden stick into a metal staff, good for basic physical combat. Even if he basically just got the thing, Karma was doing fairly decent with his new weapon. Of course, the usual company (Nagisa, Twilight, Blair, and Pinkie) was sitting nearby and watching the little session. The gang was at the E building after class, plenty of room at the field to do this with. While Karma and Aladdin were duking it out, Nagisa had some time to reflect on things. "It's been just a few months since We've learned that angels and demons actually exist in our world. Things had been going so fast for us, I just wonder what's gonna come up next. We've faced demons four times now - twice together, and twice on our own. And now three of us had our blessed items already. It's anyone's guess what'll come up next now." "Booby attack!" Nagisa snapped back to reality when Blair smothered him in her chest again. Nagisa quickly jumped back and moved to Twilight's side instead. "You gotta be more observant, Nagisa, next thing you'll know you're gonna suffocate in these," Blair teased, bouncing her boobs. Nagisa turned grey, and didn't even respond to that. When that was done, Aladdin and Karma stopped after a while, Aladdin wiping sweat off of his forehead. Karma was feeling pretty good with this sword, as he played around with the sword for a bit, swinging it around like it's nobody's business. "WOO, good job, Aladdin, Karma! You both rocked!" Pinkie said, clapping when they were done. Aladdin's eyes locked on Pinkie's boobs, and as she was busy, he tried his luck again. "Come on ... so close ..." "Eh, thanks. So, Yugure, why don't you try out some of those magic skills of yours?" AND Pinkie bolted to Twilight's side, making Aladdin fall over. Foiled again. "YEAH! Show us some magic sparkly tricks! OOOO, see if you can make cotton candy clouds, or maybe summon a dragon lord! OH, OH, try and see if you can make boobies grow!!" That last one made Aladdin, Twilight, and Nagisa fluster up on Pinkie's last suggestion. "Let's just start with the basics," Twilight insisted. "AWW. Ok." Soon, Twilight was out on the field with the Alchemy book in hand, and studying the simpler types of alchemy to use. She read over the book up and down, but hadn't thought to try any of it yet. It was probably best for her to just start small, in case something would go wrong with it. On the ground in front of her, she drew out a very small picture of a circle and star. A simple symbol to make out. "Okay, first step: draw the Alchemy symbol within one foot of the user," Twilight read off. Clearly she got that right. "Step two: focus, and place hands onto symbol for activation. ... Straightforward," Twilight figured. "Which one is this supposed to be anyway?" Nagisa wondered. "We're about to find out," Karma commented. Twilight began to work her focus on the alchemy symbol in front of her, her hand was raised up, and she slammed it down on the symbol. Some of the group braced themselves for the possible outcome. ... Not even a spark. "Maybe I didn't place my hand on right," Twilight thought. Twilight tried over and over again at different angles, but nothing seemed to happen. No spark, no glow, nothing. "I don't get it, it should've done something. What am I doing wrong here?" Twilight wondered, looking through the book again. According to instruction, it seemed to be right. "Which one are you trying to do?" Aladdin asked. "Just a fire spell, but I think something's missing." Twilight pondered a bit more, looking it over up and down. "... Anyone have any gloves?" Twilight asked. It didn't seem likely, but Pinkie Pie was more than willing. She reached between her cleavage, and soon she pulled out a pair of silk gloves, ones that reach just up to the elbow. "Here you go," Pinkie said, giving the gloves to Twilight. "I'm not even gonna ask this time," Nagisa thought. Twilight didn't ask either, and slipped the gloves on this time for the second go. Once done, she clapped her hands together. "Alright, here it goes." After that, Twilight raised both hands up high, and slammed both onto the symbol again. Unlike before, something seemed to happen this time, and the symbol began to glow! Twilight and Aladdin were especially excited, the others waiting for the actual alchemy to activate. The symbol started to glow red like fire, but rather than setting the symbol on fire ... the gloves ended up on fire. "AAHH!" Twilight shrieked, quickly removing the gloves and throwing them aside. Both gloves soon ended up completely burned up and in a heap of ash. ....... "Well ... it kinda worked," Nagisa said, trying to be supportive as they were walking home, Aladdin and Blair now in school attire over their usual. Twilight was lucky not to burn her arms off in her attempt. Bad enough the spell didn't work, but she also wrecked someone else's gloves. "Sorry Pinkie. Were those gloves important?" Twilight asked. "I can get some more shopping tomorrow. They got the cutest gloves out on sale right now! And then you can go and burn them up again when you practice," Pinkie figured, her usual big grin on her face. That last part didn't help her out, and just slumped a bit. "Don't beat yourself up, Yugure, it's only the first try. It took me at least a week before I got my first spell right," Aladdin said. "Oh really? And what's the first spell you learned?" Karma casually asked. "Very first? ... hmmmmm ..." Aladdin brought his finger to his chin as he was thinking, eyes to the sky. When they began to pass over by a stop light, Aladdin then remembered, the lightbulb going off in his head. "Oh yeah! It was that levitation trick with my turban. You can't imagine how many times I kept crashing before I could stay afloat," Aladdin said, though he wasn't wearing his turban at the moment. A rather impressive spell to learn for a first timer. Aladdin could still remember the many crashes he kept getting each time he tried getting off the ground, more often landing on his head or something. "See? So you screwed up on your first try? That's why people say 'try, try again'," Blair said. Twilight wondered a bit, and soon gave them a smile of her own. "Yeah you're right. I'll get it eventually." "That's the spirit! Now who wants to join me in a shopping hunt tomorrow?!" Pinkie beamed in excitement. "I'll pass. I got homework to do ... plus, my wallet's empty from last time," Twilight said. "It wasn't that much." Twilight answered her with a demonstration of her own: pulling her wallet out, and showing that it was simply empty by opening it and shaking it. not a coin left thanks to Pinkie's little shopping spree last time they went. Pinkie couldn't lie out of this one. "Those teddy bears were worth it! Mock me now, but they'll be useful one day!" Retorted Pinkie Pie. Twilight obviously didn't really think so, considering they were large teddy bears of all things, but Blair went up to the pink gal soon after she said that. "Hell, I'll go with ya," Blair decided. Pinkie's eyes sparkled, and her smile lit up, but the others weren't sure about that. "Why you? You don't have a any yen at all," Nagisa questioned. It was then Blair got a little smirk of her own. "Oh, any boy in that place will give me whatever I wish - nothing some seduction and boob playing can't solve, right?~" Blair explained deviously, similar to a particular red kid in their group. "She's been around Karma too much," the others thought (aside from Karma and Pinkie, of course). Still, Pinkie was happy to have a pal to join her shopping tomorrow, hugging the witch. Well, least she was happy about it anyway, and Blair had something to do tomorrow over staying around the house all day. "YAY! Shopping buddy!" Pinkie beamed. Whelp, the two had it planned out. ~~ Sunset started to come around, and everyone was off at their respected home. While the day was fair weather, that night proved a dramatic shift due to rain, which poured down hard. It just showed that the rainy season was starting for Japan, and this year it started off strong. Over at home, Twilight found the rain quite nice to listen to, as she was looking over her book of alchemy inside her living room. Her lamp lit up the room just enough for her to see what she was reading, which the exact page appeared to be a type of lightning alchemy. She wasn't willing to try any yet, for one: she didn't want her parents to see, and two: shooting lightning inside her house was a disaster waiting to happen. On her TV, which was left on for some background noise, the weather called for days of rain. Harsh enough, but it was just only one of many in this corner of the world. Still, the weather wasn't too much trouble, as Twilight had more things on her mind with these possibilities of alchemy. She looked on through some more of the Lightning alchemy when her mother's voice called her. "Sweetie, dinner's ready," she said. Just at the table, her mother had set up two meals of sushi and rice for dinner. Twilight stopped reading for a moment, placing the alchemy book aside so she could eat. "Looks delicious, mom. Itadakimasu!" Twilight said, as she began eating her meal. Her mother joined in after a bit. "So how's school today?" "It went alright. I just got my homework finished." "That's good. Hey, did you see that package yet?" That news got Twilight's attention. "Package? What package?" "It just came in while you were at school. Remember that letter you sent out sometime ago?" And that part got Twilight to jump up to her feet. "It's here?! Where is it?" "I left it right up in your room." Excited, Twilight rushed off from the table and right upstairs. Thanks to both homework and reading the alchemy book, she didn't step into her room yet. Her mother waited a minute or two until Twilight came back downstairs, managing to find the package as she said. It was rather small, but still something Twilight had been looking forward to. The signature on the package was pretty good for her to see, and it came with a letter taped to the box. Dear Twilight: Things are going well over here. Wish I could stop by again, see how you and mom and dad are doing, but you know how the military is - always have a lot to do. Hope this can hold you over until I'm able to come home. With love: Yoroi Kagayaki Twilight smiled big as she opened up the package, her mother happily watching. As for what Twilight got, the object inside looked like a small ribbon, like one worn by a Sargent. It was gold, and had the signature wings on them too. Not much, but Twilight was happy to receive it. This "Yoroi Kagayaki" did make her day. Her mom saw what Twilight had received after a bit, her daughter having a seat. "I hope Yoroi's doing alright over there," Twilight said, as she looked at the badge. "I do miss him. I'm glad your brother still remembers his family," her mother agreed. "Yeah. Maybe I should give him a call sometime," Twilight figured. Twilight and miss. Kagayaki went back to eating, Twilight now thinking about her brother rather than the alchemy. Her brother had been gone for quite a while now since he joined the military. Still, this reminder of her brother mixed in with her current predicament with her friends and these demons showing up. How is she gonna tell him, or her parents for that matter, that she's getting herself involved in a angel demon war of her own? There's no way her family could handle another person leaving them this long if that were to happen. ... Then again, she couldn't ignore the matter either. ... Still, as Twilight was eating her dinner, one particular demon, Envy as it turns out, was keeping his sharp eye out and peering into the home from the window. With the rain pouring down outside, while getting him soaked, it was good cover for the demonic spy with his post up on the roof right next door. He didn't mind this spying game, but he still was annoyed how that's ALL he was doing. "What a worm - emotional over some long distance brat. I could just kill her right now, no problem - that mom too." Envy thought. But as true as that was, it still didn't excuse the exact orders given to him from last night. Our existence can't be known until the time is right. Orders are orders, and what orders they are. He enjoyed killing humans as much as the next demon, and having to hold himself back was NOT something he wanted to keep up forever. It was a nice way to learn a thing or two, but this instigator still had his enjoyment to satisfy. Envy turned himself around, laying on the roof as he tried to think. As the rain pitter-pattered against his skin, Envy remembered something they said earlier. In particular, what Pinkie said earlier. And that's when it hit him. He snapped his finger in realization, the idea flowing through his head like the rain. "Of course, that can work. Time to have some fun," Envy decided, before he slipped away along the rooftops towards the urban Tokyo city. ... ~~ Next morning, and the weather was still not too good. It wasn't pouring like last night, but still a slight drizzle once Pinkie and Blair arrived to the shopping district. Pinkie happily provided them both with a large umbrella much like the other shoppers going around the district. A little rain was NOT going to stop this shopping day for Pinkie Pie, nor Blair. This also meant most of the shoppers spent their time in the stores rather than outside, and both gals were doing the same, staring off their shopping day with Pinkie leading Blair to the nearest pet store - the same one she got Blair's gift from last time she came here with Twilight. "You're going to love this super duper place, Blair! It's got cat toys, cat food, cat houses, all things cats! Gee, there's a lot of things for cats. Why not for mice, or birdies? They would like a cute jingle toy," Pinkie commented as they walked. "They won't know what to do with a jingle toy, trust me," Blair replied. Even if she was a cat, that stuff didn't seem to fancy her too much. Despite that, Pinkie brought Blair straight there first. It had everything like Pinkie Pie said, but Blair just didn't feel for it. She didn't have any yen to buy anything anyway, so she just walked around with Pinkie inside the store. "Doesn't this place make you wanna have a field day?" "Eh ... maybe? I'm not a person just to fiddle with kitty -" Blair stopped herself, her nose picking up a rather interesting scent. Her being a cat, the pet store had plenty of aromas, but this one in particular was something especially catching. Blair took a few sniffs, and then she found herself staring right at another product up for sale. Blair's eyes sparkled on seeing the product, mouth opened wide in a grin. Catnip, up for sale! "Humans sell this stuff?!" Blair thought, taking one of the catnip bags, the scent unmistakable to the witch. It was quick for Pinkie Pie to catch her friend admiring the catnip bag, Blair even cuddling it on her face, a curious look of her own. "What is it with cats and catnip?" Pinkie wondered. "You wouldn't understand," Blair replied, still holding the catnip close. Well, it was clear what Pinkie was buying for her here, as she took the catnip bag to pay. Blair tried to get it back, but Pinkie was very quick on the draw, and got it to the counter while she held Blair back with a foot to her stomach. Yeah, Blair liked it THAT much. The cashier didn't even bother to ask about it, and it didn't take much longer until Pinkie and Blair were outside with their purchases, Pinkie opening up her umbrella as Blair held the catnip bag. OH, she's gonna have a field day when she gets home. The weather began to pick up again, the drizzle turning into a basic shower of rain, though that didn't bother Pinkie too much, even skipping around in the puddles along the sidewalk. Blair strolled along, though kept herself under the umbrella. She didn't mind the rain (ironic for her technically being a cat), but that didn't mean she wanted to get completely soaked. While Pinkie and Blair were fine, they did have a shadow. ... Hidden up on one of the shopping district-s rooftops, Envy had positioned himself at the ready for his assault. He had considered the warning, and he figured it out: he can easily kill them both, so long as his true identity isn't figured out, and therefore, his existence is safe. The rain outside helped him out too, since not many people are going to be outside for too long to notice anything up right away. What's even better is that Nagisa, Twilight, and Karma weren't there. Meaning that, while there IS a witch, no blessed weaponry was present. PERFECT. While up there, the building he was on had a very large advertising sign, and Envy put himself right at the supports. "Bye-bye.~" Envy cooed quietly, as he began to weaken the support bars. Using his own hands, he began to crush, and weaken the bars that held the sign up. After a bit, the weakening creeks and groans from above caught Blair's attention, and Pinkie began to freak out a bit. The large sign groaned, and finally it started to give, falling over! Envy stepped back to not fall with it, a devilish grin stretching across his face as he heard the metal sign crash below. The crash caught plenty of people off guard, making them jump and look in shock at the freak accident. The only one happy was Envy, who slightly peeked over the edge of the building, expecting a couple of bodies in a bloody mess. Such enjoyment at the thought. ... AND it hit no one. "God damnit," Envy thought. Some people were just inches away from being crushed, and the two he intentionally tried to kill were too far away. To add more insult to injury, Pinkie looked like she was distracted by something in a nearby clothes shop, pulling Blair behind her. Pinkie didn't realize it, Blair seemed slightly fazed more by Pinkie's pulling, and Envy was just left ticked off in his roost. That didn't mean Blair and Pinkie didn't come back over to the sign, Envy trying to keep out of sight. "Everyone okay?" Pinkie called. "I think so. Thank god no one was in the way of that thing," one of the bystanders said, still shaken up. Still, it looked rather odd to see this suddenly collapse like this. "This ominous situation calls for ... DETECTIVE PIE!" All of a sudden, like a sort of transformation sequence, Pinkie had a Sherlock homes hat, a magnifying glass in hand, and a pipe in her mouth that blew bubbles instead of smoke. "Where'd she get that?" Blair commented, as Pinkie quickly got to her work, looking intently at one of the broken beams, inches away with her magnifying glass, and her hair "AHA, just as I suspected!" Pinkie announced. "What exactly?" "These support beams got squished. Smashed. Crumbled together like paper tossed to a trash bag! A deliberate attempt for a multi-kill," Pinkie hypothesized, sounding oddly more British, as she "smoked" her bubble pipe. As random and stupid as it is, Pinkie was right when others looked to the beams, which did looked like they were scrunched up and weakened somehow. Envy couldn't believe his ears at this random human, so ... "We all can see that. Good eye, Pinkie," Blair said. "Yes. But can you all see ... THE CULPRIT ON THE ROOF?!" ...... *tweet* *tweet* AND there's a bird. After a few little tweets, the Pidove fluttered away, Pinkie left in a dramatic pose, finger aimed directly where Envy would've been. "The bird?" "No way, hose-a. A bird can't bend metal. Duh!" "OK, ok. We'll keep this in mind," Blair decided. Pinkie quickly agreed, and went on ahead. "That was close," thought the bird. ~~ "A freak accident or a attempted mass murder? Earlier today, dozens of shoppers laid witness to the collapse of the shopping district's advertising sign. Evidence at the scene showed the beams being forced, yet no culprit has been identified." "Damn, news flies by fast," Blair commented. "They didn't include detective pie!" Pinkie complained. After their time at the shopping district, Blair and Pinkie were going off downtown with their possessions. Their day of shopping got them plenty of shopping bags, which hanged off of their arms. It was during their walk that they caught sight of a TV store, which was broadcasting a news bulletin about the incident at said shopping district. A large metal sign nearly killing shoppers on the district is going to attract some authority attention, not to mention attention from the local news crew. Details didn't go beyond what was seen by eyewitnesses, and the TV screens showed the architect being questioned by police. It was surprising how quickly they got this broadcasted, even if it was just over an hour ago. Pinkie and Blair continued walking, although the stuff Pinkie had in particular was starting to strain her. "You having trouble, pinks?" Blair asked. "A little bit," Pinkie admitted. Blair seemingly had the same amount, but she was strolling along like it was nothing. Pinkie's statement was all Blair needed to hear. Blair waved her finger near the bags of clothes. After some little words, Pinkie suddenly felt her arms grow lighter. Pinkie didn't know if her arms grew stronger, but she went to check one of the bags, and soon found the magic trick done to her stuff. Each article of clothing in each bag, had shrunk down to doll toy size. Normally someone would complain, but Pinkie was awestruck, seeing her silk gloves now slipping onto her fingers. "AAWWW, so kawaii!" Pinkie beamed, stars in her eyes as she saw the tiny glove. "Glad to help a girl out," Blair said, playfully fluffing Pinkie's hair. It's efficient, lightweight, and Blair can grow them back later on when they get home. Suddenly Pinkie had questions flow through her head. "Know any other magic tricks?" Pinkie asked. Blair saw how excited the pink girl is, but before they could continue, they began to see a commotion going on further away. Not entirely a danger, but instead a crowd admiring a Class B student beauty as she went by. Being in Orora high for a little longer than the witch, Pinkie got who was walking through right away. Blair wasn't too familiar though she still got her attention. "Who's the copycat?" Blair asked, crossing her arms. "That's Emi Isuzu - big booby and big booty boss lady at Orora High," Pinkie explained. "I can think of another B for her," commented Blair. While unprompted, Pinkie was suddenly up to Emi, her usual happy grin on her face. Emi herself did not looked very amused seeing the sudden pink girl pop up in front of her. "You again?" Emi questioned. It wasn't the first time Emi came across Pinkie Pie since the gal came to Orora High. "Yep, it's me again! How're ya doin?" Pinkie asked. "Don't know why you should care." "Because I like my friends, and friends do things with friends, and wonder how their friends are doing. And one of my friends is my twin from another tree. Huh, twin from another tree ... I just made a new thing!" "You and I are not twins, you're just a copycat from Canterlot. There's only one sexy pink in Tokyo," Emi cleared up. As they were standing side by side, Blair began to do a little comparison between Pinkie and Emi. They both had pink hair, blue eyes, and curves that caught the attention of any pervert around. "Damn, you look like her lil sis, Pinkie," Blair commented. Pinkie gasped in happiness, but Emi was NOT willing to have her as a sister. "OMG, we do!" "Can it, you freak. I'm hotter AND smarter than you two will ever be. So leave who looks like who someone who knows how," Emi suggested. Smarter maybe, but Blair drew the line at "hotter". "AND who's hotter?" Blair asked, pushing out her chest so her boobs were more prominent. Emi caught her, and moved Pinkie right out of the way to compare her boobs to Blair. Pinkie's were smaller, but Blair's were a close match to Emi. "You really think you're better than me in the boob game?" Emi mocked. "The school boys were fonding over these babies a lot more than yours, so yeah," Blair replied back, saying from her own experience. Maybe it was from her natural flirty behavior over Emi's stern one. Emi Isuzu pushed her boobs into Blair's boobs, both fighting eachother for space. "Remember who's at top, you cocky bitch," Emi stated, before actually whacking Blair's boobs in one swing. Blair cringed from the pain, and Emi casually strutted off on her way. Pinkie looked worried over Blair, as the witch rubbed her boobs where Emi hit her. Her boobs weren't damaged too bad, though still got hurt slightly. "Takes one to know one," Blair thought, looking back at Emi. Blair wanted to get even, but using magic in such a public place was kinda against the rules, so she decided against it for now. "Is your boobies ok?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, whatever. Let's go home," Blair decided. ~~ Time ticked on, and there was plenty of time left in the day once Blair and Pinkie got to their respected homes. Well, one true home, one borrowed one. Either way, Blair was dried up, back in her kitty form, and now more free to be herself. Since it was Sunday, both she and Karma had the day to themselves. Karma was still checking out his own miracle sword over downstairs, checking his reflection in the sword itself. In the same room, Blair had a heyday with her catnip. She opened it up, and just went all out: rolling in it, pawing it, rubbing it, meowing and drooling like a drunk. The catnip and its affects were kicked into overdrive for the monster cat. "How're you enjoying that catnip?" Karma asked. "Nyaaaaaaaa.~" Blair meowed, brushing her head into the plants. That was all the answer Karma needed to hear, as he checked out his sword, doing some small yet quick swings with it. Just looked at it reminded him of when he one-hit killed a mega-Banette at E class. Funny how he ended up a mega-demon slayer after day one of E class. A sense of fate, perhaps? He raised the sword up a bit, letting the reflection show in the light. He kept it up for a bit, gently tilting it, and seeing how it shined in the light. It was a rather fancy sword. Then, something showed up in the reflection. ... The reflection of the window behind him, showed the rain outside, and a demon figure spying into his house! Karma was quick to jump into action, and swung himself around to face whatever was looking in on them, sword aimed and at the ready. If he could take out a mega-demon, he can face the demon at the window. However, when he looked with his own eyes, the figure was no longer there. The only thing he saw was just the rain coming down from the rainy season. Strange... *knock**knock**knock* "KARMA.~ Door's knocking," Blair meowed, almost drunk in tone. Karma quickly put two and two together in this scenario: a odd figure in the window, and then a sudden knock at the door. How lame. Karma went up to the door, but not before placing the miracle sword just at the wall, keeping it behind the door so it wouldn't be seen. Can't have his sword just stolen from him so soon. "Sup?" "Karma? It's me, Nagisa." Nagisa? Karma took a moment to open the door, and sure enough it actually IS Nagisa standing there, the blue trap with an umbrella to keep the rain off him. Blair was too caught up in her own catnip to care about the encounter in any way. "Oh, Nagisa. What brings you by?" "It's about that Miracle Sword. Aladdin has some more information that I think you should hear," Nagisa informed. "More info? Korosensei gave me the jist already: it's a sword that heals its owner." "Aladdin thought so too, but he just found something out new with it. Come on, I'll take ya to him," Nagisa said, already starting to walk ahead a little bit. Karma could use some tid bit info on his weapon if it's worth his time. He got his own umbrella by the door, along with the Miracle Sword. "K, Blair, I'll be gone for a bit. You have fun getting high off catnip," Karma joked, Blair nodding a little bit before rolling about in the catnip again. With that word, Karma opened his umbrella, and went on his way with Nagisa. ~~ With a relaxing stride, Karma and Nagisa continued on their way down the sidewalk, as they went through the urban area of Tokyo. The rain came down pretty good, and it was just the two for the most part. Karma knew where they were going for sure, but the walk on their way was oddly quiet, even for Nagisa. The least, they have a simple conversation on the way to the spot, but Nagisa kept his mouth shut as they went. Well, even so, Karma kept his mind sharp, keeping his eyes peeled for that demon figure again. His sword stayed firm in his grip, ready to swing it whenever, and wherever. Nagisa kept himself in front of Karma, something Karma also caught, and eventually they reached the similar light. It was here that Nagisa stopped suddenly. "What's up?" Karma asked, only getting shushed by Nagisa. Karma knew the demon sense when he saw it, and Nagisa quietly pointed off down the corner, towards an alleyway. "Down there," Nagisa said. "Geez. Talk about cheesy," Karma commented. Nagisa and Karma began to move in on the alleyway, trying to close in on this demon Nagisa sensed. The figure, perhaps? Still, Karma was at the ready, confidence very high thank you. Nagisa stayed hidden away, and Karma took a peek down the alleyway, to find ... Nothing? "Where is it? Sense on the fritz, Nagisa?" Karma questioned. "No, I swear. I think it went down that way," Nagisa said, pointing down the curve in the alley. Karma looked to Nagisa for a second, just trying to be sure. They did test the demon sense sometime ago, that was for sure, and Karma wasn't too sure on the exact sense mechanics aside from what Nagisa told them. Aside from some cans of garbage, and a few puddles, Karma saw no evidence that a demon even stepped foot on the alley. Be that as it may, Karma went out to full view, but didn't step a foot into the alleyway just yet. Here they are, trying to go after a demon, alone, with Karma only having the weapon in hand. ... "Go on then." "So forward? What happened to that humble kid I know?" Karma asked. Time to test this kid. "But, I can't go after it - I left my blade at home coming to get you." "Oh yes?" "Yes, I did." "Can I ask you something first? Before I go after this thing, Nagisa?" Nagisa looked a little troubled, but nodded anyway. Karma stayed silent at first, before turning to his "friend". ....... "Since when do we chase after the demon?" Nagisa hesitated. ... Now it was out. Karma suddenly charged forward, slamming his "friend" in the head, and sending him off down the alleyway! Nagisa tried to regain himself, but Karma already skewered him right in the stomach! While blood did come out a bit, something else was also shooting out: red lightning! Not the same as natural lightning, but more like loose electrical shocks. Nagisa, shocked as shocked can be, knocked Karma back just enough to remove the sword from his abdomen. Surprisingly, the wound began to heal itself, and in no time at all, the cut and the damage was gone! Karma knew damn well Nagisa can't do that, not ever. "Gotcha," Karma said, finally. Rather than getting angry, he gave Karma a smug grin, before his whole body started to alter. It was a short change, but everything from skin to clothes transformed in a manor almost like being burned, only to reveal the true identity of the attacker. Envy! "Very good, you found me out," Envy stated, giving him a toothy grin. "You're the one that screwed up. Besides, since when does Nagisa encourage me to do anything?" Karma stated. Envy was a little upset, but masked it under his grin. "No matter. I still got you alone, and no one else knows where you are," Envy said, cracking his knuckles. "Yeah, I gotta admit, that was pretty clever," Karma complimented, his sword at the ready. Looks like there's gonna be another tussle with a hell spawn, and both sides were ready to fight. First one to charge was Envy, racing at Karma with a crazed killer look in his eyes. The swordsman was quick to retaliate in Envy's assault, and rushed past the side. Karma tried a slice as he did, but Envy dodged it just enough to avoid another cut. Karma could tell this was not just some regular brute of a demon. Envy quickly turned around, and this time the charge head butted Karma in the stomach, the same spot where Karma struck Envy in ironically. The hit was strong, but Karma stayed on his feet to avoid a kick from Envy, and actually getting a slice at Envy's calf. Small, but still enough to heal Karma of the hit. Karma tried to get some distance, but the wet ground made the pavement a little unsteady, and Karma ended up stumbling. Envy took the chance, and got Karma under his feet. "Now who screwed up?" Envy mocked, before going right for the throat. The strength in Envy's hands was beyond what Karma expected, losing breath immediately as Envy strangled him. A quick slice of the sword managed to get Envy's arm sliced off, getting Karma free. However, Envy did manage to skewer Karma's throat during the choking, reminding him just how close Envy got to killing him. As Envy paused to regenerate his arm, the slice activated the healing effects of the sword, and started to close the cuts on Karma's neck. Only then did Envy really see what was going on with Karma. "Told you this sword can heal me," Karma said. "So I noticed," replied Envy, as he rushed in again. Karma took the strike first, but Envy dodging only gave Karma a slice off of Envy's hair. Envy did manage to trip Karma up, whacking him in the leg, but instead of falling to the floor, Karma rolled around with the momentum. And just in time: Envy charged at him again, just for Karma to skewer Envy right between the eyes! The same blood and sparks flew again, Envy forcing the sword out of his head, before throwing it out of sight! Now Karma had no blessed weapon to use against Envy here, and Envy knew it. Once that was handled, the demonic shapeshifter stared daggers at his target with an evil grin. "There, takes care of that. Your turn," Envy hissed. Karma suddenly had Envy on top of him. Karma punched, kicked, and whatever he could. While they did do damage to Envy, no doubt, it was nothing compared to what the sword had done. The demon had him. Envy went all out on Karma, and managed to grab the kid from behind, his knee right into Karma's tailbone. "Damn it! Damn it! This hurts!" Karma thought, teeth grinding. Envy kept slamming into his spine, his fingers digging into Karma's arms like claws. Envy was doing tons of damage, but he still wanted to finish the job. And after a quick look around, Envy found his answer in the form of a large broken glass amongst the garbage. A good cut in Karma's skull could make for a painful death. "Let's get this wrapped up," Envy decided, a hand grabbing the broken glass off the ground. Karma barely saw what Envy snatched up, and in the position he was in, dodging it wasn't going to happen. Envy aimed the glass shard right for the back of the neck, ready to - "HAULT!" Salvation! A loud, and almost screeching whistle rang through the air, surprising both Karma and Envy. Envy thought that his attempted murder had caught a crowd, but when they looked ... well, half right. The figure standing there was Korosensei, now in a police blue uniform get up, including a police cap, black shades, and a police stun stick. Envy was relieved that it wasn't a real human cop, but all the same it was out of nowhere. "Sup, teach?" Karma asked, surprisingly nonchalantly. "Hello, citizen. Has anyone told you not to play with sharp objects, lad?" Korosensei asked, referring to Envy. Envy suddenly lost his weapon, and replaced by a violet flower. "Who the hell are you?" Envy asked, biting off the bud. "Name's Korosensei, and I believe you're trying to make ribbons out of one of my students?" The demon king presumed. Couldn't hurt to add another to his murder list, so he grabbed the glass again, and tried for a slice. Korosensei was quick to dodge it, and replacing it with a pre wrapped toy knife instead. "Allow me to demonstrate the proper method of expert gift wrapping," Korosensei said, already rolling out a roll of plastic wrap. Before Envy could do anything, the octopus began to zip around Envy, wrapping him in the plastic wrap. "Step one: make sure to wrap your present completely, and accordingly to avoid tear," Korosensei advised, as Envy was getting himself wrapped up in plastic, from the neck down to his toes. Envy squirmed about, stretching the plastic wrap, but it was hard to move at all. "There is no step two," stated Korosensei. The octopus fazed out again, popping up back with Karma's sword. "I believe this is yours, Karma." "Thanks for the save. I owe you one," Karma said. "I already told you. I'm a caregiver, I take care of things," Korosensei reminded. "Get me out of this thing!" Envy yelled, struggling more and more. All Karma did was take the sword, walk right up to him, and stab him right in the back. Lightning shot out a ton, but rather than a simple stab, Karma sliced him right through, stopping at Envy's head before Envy finally gave in. Plastic torn, and Envy was basically inches away from being split in two. "There. Done and done," Karma concluded. "And we're off!" Korosensei added. Not that he needed to ask, but Korosensei got Karma, and both flew right off and away, leaving only Envy laying there on the ground, the rain mixed with Envy's blood ... which was surprisingly low. ... "About time they left," Envy groaned. When that was done, Envy's own healing sealed him up completely, and the cut in the plastic got him to slip out no problem. He'll get his own back, but for now, it's off and away from there, as fast as he could. ~~ When it was all clear, Envy took off running completely, and rather than heading back to his targets, went off towards the outskirts of Tokyo. He was simply ticked off with himself, more than anything. Not only did he not kill anyone of his targets today - or anyone altogether - but he also ended up embarrassed thanks to some octopus police officer that popped up outta nowhere. The only bright side was that no one else from his Demonic world even saw that happen, so he got that going for him. Envy got himself out far enough to reach the forest by the mountainside, only then catching his breath. "Damnit Korosensei. He just had to jump in! Oh well. Just add another one to my little list," Envy concluded. No one said there was any time limit to this sort of hunt. Besides, as they always say: first you don't succeed, try again. Envy looked back to the city after his run, just getting his act together when. ... "What did I tell you?" The ominous voice caught Envy off his guard, the demon spinning around fast to face the source of the voice. So much for being alone. "I could've killed them," Envy said, in his defense. "But you didn't. and once more, you've shown your true form to them," the figure hissed. Envy knew that too well, and the figure moved closer to him. "Okay, I did. It was just one human, and I can easily shut him up," Envy decided, his head morphing so it matched Karma's before doing a fake slice on his throat. While Envy liked the idea, the other figure gave a low, long hiss. "... You better." The figure simply turned around, and disappeared in the shadows. ...
S01Ep10: To the Victor... ~ビクターに...~Class E, and just after class was finished up for the day. Inside the main office, Korosensei was going over the class's work from the following day, each class with the most dedication for each single student. Needless to say, Korosensei went balls out on getting these students ready to go, especially during this timeframe. Getting these Class E students to amp up in grades is what he strived for, and during this time, it was vital. According to the nearby calendar by the desk, one day was circled just a week before summer vacation would begin. That day, the final exams were close coming, and as with the mid terms, these tests matter greatly for the class as a whole. Plenty of the students were up and atom with this sort of thing, and Korosensei made sure that class E was no different here. On the whole, he was feeling pretty good about things. Karasuma, who was working in the office as well on his computer, was a little less amused about it, his mind more focused on the main problem sitting in the same room with him. He'd been trying, along with the students, to kill Korosensei but all attempts so far had proven fruitless. Any bullet or knife missed him by a mile since he showed up. "Ah, after work relaxation. I've been thinking on getting some Italian-styled smoothies. Mind having one?" Korosensei offered. "No thanks," Karasuma simply replied. Korosensei felt bummed out as he went to the door. "You need to learn to loosen up, Karasuma. The assassin's sharp mind dulls out too you know." "I didn't come here for your charity, I came on order to kill you. Just remember that." "And you just remember that you just missed out on the most delicious treats of the Europe continent." As Korosensei said this, he went on to open the door. What Karasuma saw that Korosensei didn't was another figure right by the door. Korosensei only realized that until after accidentally bumping into the man. "Oh, do excuse me." "Likewise, Korosensei," the figure said, stepping in and closing the door. Strange how he knew the name right away, and the fact Karasuma tried to keep this under wraps made that a little more odd. However, it still was interesting for Korosensei to find. "OH, Gakuho, sir. What brings you by?" "A number of things. Firstly. I heard rumor of a giant, demon doll attacking the E class building?" "Oh that, water under the bridge." Gakuho simply nodded, as he continued with Karasuma looking on. Gakuho didn't stop by just to have a simple conversation, and grew more apparent after he looked at the calendar, and the date. "Now, I'm sure you're aware of the finals coming up." "Assuredly." "... You are aware, though, of the system. Right?" Gakuho questioned. That's when Korosensei wondered a little bit. "The what?" "Pay attention. There's a specific method I do here at my school, to make sure my students remain at their league. The Ant System. The worker ants at classes D through A claim superiority over the lazy class E ants, striving hard to avoid falling into that trap. ..." This sort of method just didn't fit Korosensei, and now having a better idea of it just didn't seem to feel right. Every student deserves a proper chance, but this method doesn't offer that. Gakuho went up to Korosensei, his hand gently wrapping around Korosensei's tie. "Unfortunately, your methods jeopardize the current one. Mine had brought this school to be the best it ever is. ... I want to keep it that way. Understood?" Gakuho cleared up, gripping the tie even more firmly. A simple task, but too the point of Gakuho's problem. The octopus wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but Korosensei made sure to just nod. It was enough to at least let Gakuho let go of him. But as Gakuho was leaving. ... "One more thing." Suddenly Gakuho tossed something to him. This object looked like various key chains, or locked mechanisms as apart of a metal puzzle. "You have one minute to solve this puzzle." "GAH! You just throw this on me out of the blue?!" Korosensei snapped, struggling like crazy, and squirming on the floor in his attempts. He was fine with plenty of puzzles, but metal puzzles like these weren't his forte. So, Gakuho left him with that, and the octopus just was stuck with the puzzle. Oh what a joy. ~~ It was rather late, eight at night, and Inside his apartment Nagisa was on his own work for school and the upcoming final exams. While the midterms were a rough one to tackle for him, final exams take hold even more on his grades, AND taking everything he learned from before. If midterms were anything to go by, Gakuho will NOT hold back at all this year for any of them. But, as much as he wanted to keep trying, his focus was being rather distracted by other events going on, namely the demons and angels. Since day one, it had been on his mind, and as more demons were showing up, Nagisa felt worse and worse about this sort of thing. If he can assure himself one thing, Karma's encounter proved it wasn't entirely "his fault", but it doesn't just remove the issue. Aladdin was playing around with his golden flute, actually playing a little tune on it. Pretty soothing for Nagisa during his own studies. Normally a distraction for most, it did sooth Nagisa's nerves for the most part. On the table in front of him, Nagisa worked out note after note, just finishing up his last bit of information over some history. Upon completing his studies, Nagisa sighed in relief, and laid down on the couch, his head hung back on the backrest. Aladdin was quick to see that Nagisa was done, opening one eye to see him just before he stopped playing. "I think I'll be good tomorrow," Nagisa figured. "Is your school having midterms again?" Aladdin asked, placing the flute down on the table. "Not midterms, finals. They're a bit more important than midterms are," Nagisa stated. "Oh. Well, hope you do well," Aladdin said with a smile. Nagisa smiled back to him, but his mind began to reflect a bit on what had been going on. He basically had his answers sitting right next to him, Aladdin being the only true Magi Angel in the room. "Yeah. ... Hey, Aladdin? Mind if I ask you something?" Nagisa asked, lifting his head up to look at him. "Is it about me, or about those demons?" Aladdin asked. Whatever question asked to him by Nagisa would usually result in one or the other, as Nagisa hunched over, thinking over what things might happen. "Well, yes and no. ... I ..." Before Nagisa could finish, Aladdin decided to help Nagisa get a little more comfprtable. He placed his legs together, and patted his lap. When Nagisa saw this, he was a little bit unsure, but went along anyway. Soon, Nagisa was laying down on the couch, his head resting on Aladdin's lap. "... Well ... I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and ... I don't know." "Don't know what?" Nagisa looked away from Aladdin, and both of them saw the Halo Blade sitting on the kitchen counter. "This involvement me and my friends have. So much had happened in these past few months. I'm starting to wonder just how much more is going to happen to us. ... Will my life ever be the same again? ..." It was hard to deny that things had been different since that day Nagisa got his Halo Blade, and nothing really had been the same as last year. Nagisa was just your typical highschooler before, but now, this same kid has a magi for a roommate, killed a Jizo on his own, and a pack of Houndour with his friends. "You know, Nagisa, there's always a point where things are going to change. Sometimes big, sometimes small. To tell you the truth, I didn't think I'd end up in your world ... well, ever. But, here I am, and I even made new friends too. ... I really should thank you for that." "For letting you stay here with me?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin smiled down to Nagisa, and nodded his head. Nagisa looked back to the ceiling. "Guess it's too late to ask if I can change back then, huh?" "I think so." "... How much do you think is going to happen to everyone?" "I don't know. ... But that's part of the fun. I mean, if we knew everything, we won't have any reason to explore anything. Right?" Nagisa chuckled a little bit. "Yeah, you got a point there," Nagisa concluded. The talk did help Nagisa out a lot, even if it was just a simple conversation between two roomies. Nagisa sat up, and looked to the clock. Nagisa's deep studying made him lose track of time, and Nagisa got right up. "Getting late. Well, goodnight, Aladdin," Nagisa said, as he walked on to his room. Aladdin was very happy to help his friend out. "Goodnight. And good luck tomorrow," Aladdin replied. ....... The Orora high school, despite no student being there, was a bit busy with some overtime work for the teachers and working on the finals, writing them out off their computers left and right. During their working, Gakuho himself was watching them do their own sort of magic on these final exams. Gakuho stopped at one of them for a brief moment, leaning in from the side to see the teacher typing away like mad, an almost crazed grin on his face. "And how're you coming along?" Gakuho asked. "Oh I'm on a roll here. This monster's going to tear those students limb from limb - these questions high-grade college students are only lucky to answer," the teacher said, his tone much like if he really was making a monster. A metaphorical monster, but still one that Gakuho was hoping to see. A satisfied grin began to form on Gakuho's face upon reading through what the questions were, especially for a selected few. This was a rather threatening monster indeed. "Keep it up," Gakuho simply replied, as he began to leave them to their work, and exit the room. He didn't need to fully watch them now. It'd been a long day, and Gakuho had it all handled for the finals tomorrow. Gakuho began to head off down the halls, unaware of anything wrong. Or any figure watching him. ~~ The next morning came around a little dulled down due to the clouds, but the others were ready to go all the same. This time, Karma, Twilight, Nagisa, and Pinkie Pie were all walking to the school together, meeting up on the way. The finals were upon them, and they all were ready to get rolling. Nagisa took the walk in mind, taking the moment to reflect on what his friends had been going through. For Twilight, she had just got herself back to Tokyo after seven years, just to end up in possession of a book of true, REAL alchemy with her actually doing the types for herself. Albeit incorrectly, but working on it. Karma meanwhile had the basic time during these last few months, though being put down to E class deliberately, and taking down a Banette mega-demon, according to what he told them. Out of everyone, Pinkie Pie was the only one who didn't end up in any magical encounter on her own just yet, but she seemed to be flowing with everything coming at her. What other person would cute-talk a pack of Houndour? "Hope all of you are ready for the finals," Twilight said, as they were walking. "Yeah. If midterms mean anything, the finals are gonna be a living hell," Karma figured. Pinkie hopped up to Twilight's side. "Hey, Yugi? How's the magic goodies? Did you find any booby grow spells yet?" Pinkie asked. "Why are you worried about that? You don't need it," Twilight questioned. She couldn't help but see Pinkie's own melons in her shirt as she said that. "I mean for you," Pinkie pointed out. Pinkie didn't mean to say anything insulting, but Twilight turned away from Pinkie, looking more annoyed now. She knew her chest was flat, after all. Compared to Pinkie anyway ... "Ok." Twilight simply said. It was then that Pinkie glanced back to Nagisa, who had been observing it all. "You look happy, mr. Smiley," Pinkie said, beaming her own smile to him. Twilight and Karma turned back to Nagisa, beginning to near the school in question at this point. "I guess I'm feeling a bit better," Nagisa admitted. "About time," commented Karma. The group managed to reach the school at this point, and at proper time too. While the group got to the front door, Karma stopped himself after a bit. "Whelp, this is where we part. Catch ya later," Karma said. The others said goodbye to him, and soon they were off to their respected buildings. They'll meet up with Karma later on, but for now, it's time to get on those finals. ....... School started off soon enough, and here is when Nagisa began to head off for his class, and when the tests began to get into submission. Twilight, Pinkie, Karma, and Nagisa all were in their respected classrooms, starting their final exams. Unlike the last test, which was a test per person, this one was a bit more specified. This case, it was one classroom, half the day, working on the finals put together through the main subject test. And just as well, this test mixes the subjects into one main assignment, rather than in separate papers as before. The test itself, at least the one Nagisa had gotten, was a good seven pages long, all put together. A rather fair size for a final exam, but it's really more on what questions filled in these pages that made these things rather monstrous. Nagisa started to go through these questions, already seeing himself getting stumped more than once on just page one of the seven. A rough sign of things to come, by the looks of it. "The midterms must've put Gakuho on edge if he's assigning these kinds of questions to us," Nagisa thought, as he was going through these. Considering he was put on spying duty just AFTER midterms, why wouldn't Gakuho try to put E class in their place by slamming them with such things? The other students kept getting stumped, and even the E students, who did so well on midterms it was scary, were pausing time and time again when they got to the difficult questions. Nagisa will have to try his hardest just to get through this part with decent colors. Nagisa figured that Karma was the only one who actually had nothing to worry about. Being at the very bottom, where's there left to go? Drop out? Yeah, as if. "Wait. ... He didn't ..." Nagisa found a moment when practically almost every student had to stop and think, including him. And it was this point that got him the most shocked all day. The other questions were difficult as hell, sure, but these ... these were almost non-sensible! The way the questions were read off just didn't seem like they had any right answer to it. Nagisa saw student after student halt, dead in their tracks, Class B through E. The teacher keeping an eye on things was rather pleased in his grin, which just told Nagisa that this was completely intentional. ... "No. I'm not falling for it," Nagisa finally thought. He struggled enough. Amongst the crowd, Nagisa was the first to get back to the questions, and back to trying to complete, something some students were surprised about. Nagisa spent his time on questions with ACTUAL answers, and for those non-sensible ones he wrote in either "Trick Question" or "N/A" or something along those lines. It's not exactly proper for a student, but then again these aren't proper questions, so it comes out about even. Much to the rest of the classes surprise, Nagisa had finished up his finals first. It even surprised Nagisa that he stayed in front of everyone because of his little method to handle the trick questions. And just in time. ... "Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please report to the principal's office. Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please come to the office." "... You can't be serious," Nagisa thought. He honestly couldn't believe his own ears when hearing that, and once more, this gave him the immediate suspicion that something wasn't right. The first time was odd enough during the midterms, but now it's him and his friends, and during the finals no less! This is NOT something that should be missed, or could actually be credited and or made up for like midterms. What else, is that it was only half day today, so being called into the office was a huge risk on the students. ....... Soon, Nagisa was off out of the classroom, but before he would go to the office, he needed to find the others first. As before, the halls were a bit open, and rather quiet, feeling all too familiar to Nagisa personally. Lucky for him, He caught sight of Twilight, Karma, and Pinkie after a while just in front of the office door. Good thing they didn't arrive at the office just yet. Karma though had a large satchel hanging off of him, full of some sort of objects. "You all ready for him?" Nagisa asked. "Much as we'll ever be. And look what I got here," Karma said, saving the items in the bag until they all showed up. It turned out, it was Nagisa's Halo Blade, and Twilight's Alchemy book. He tossed both items to each respected owner, as he just managed to slip his sword out of the satchel as well, surprising them quite a bit. "OK! How'd you get these in here?" Twilight asked, surprised. "Korosensei was generous enough to pick them up," Karma casually said, putting his sword back in the satchel. If it was just Gakuho in there, they shouldn't waltz in with weapons all out. So, Nagisa hid the knife just in his belt, hidden by the shirt, and Twilight just kept the book at her side like a normal book. With nothing left to wait for, the whole group began to head through the doors towards, and readied for the office. "You wanted to see us, chief?" Karma asked, looking in with his group into the office. Looking in, the place seemed alright, desk at the end and all that. Gakuho sat down at the end, as usual, ready to see them all. "Nice of you to make it," Gakuho said. The others kept their items hidden away best they could, but as they began to venture into the room, Nagisa began to think more deeply on the situation. Here they are, in the principal's office, at such a rough time to cope as well. Gakuho did this before, that was for sure, but this ... And then the door closed behind them. Immediately, the pieces fell together, and Gakuho stood up, going around the desk, and was face to face with them. Nagisa just needed to nod to them in order to get the message across, and Karma was quick to get out his sword, ready to fight. There's a demon in this room, and there's only one other person standing here with them! "Who'd of guessed our principal would be a demon?" Karma joked, smirk on his face. It was then Karma rushed forward, sword at the ready. However, the figure simply grabbed the sword with one hand, and in a good pull, got it out of Karma's hands. Strange thing though, this sword wasn't affecting his body like it had been with the other demons so far. Not even blood! ... "Might I suggest you to not go in your murderous rampages. You wouldn't dare kill your dearest principal. ..." The figured said, the voice suddenly changing into a far more demonic one, in a sort of low-tone growl, or hiss. "You make it too easy." "Am I? ... Just so we're all clear, I'm not Gakuho Asano. ... This body isn't even my own. ... Or would you rather sent in for murder? Seitenshi and her men would love to have you." Well, the demon got them there. This demon had Gakuho's body possessed now! One strike at him, and Gakuho would die along with him. As much as they dislike Gakuho, he's still the principal, and that would diffidently go noticed by everyone in school. Not a good way to keep something quiet and between them if they kill him. As for whoever was possessing Gakuho, it knew it had them quiet now. Nagisa still kept his blade up, just in case, as this Gakuho look-alike moved in on them. The grin it had on Gakuho's face just made it even more threatening to them. And the fact it wasn't getting hurt the same way as other demons just made it a bit more troubling for them. "Then who are you?" Pinkie asked, curious more than scared. "That, I shall remain concealed. Unlike those other demons, I don't show myself to everything I meet. ... Though, I am aware that you had quite a fair experience. ..." The word stuck onto them, as it loomed around them all, eyeing them all like a hungry predator. As it was observing, it caught notice that while most of them were calm and collective, Twilight was the more humbled one here. ... "Lucky guess. Did that little mutt we released tell you?" Karma asked. At least he seemed the most talkative, even in this kind of situation. "You mean the Houndour? ... He did mention something about it to another one of my demons, but only now that I see the creature was not lying. ... May I ask how'd you come to know of us this way? To possess the weapons of God?" "Sorry, trade secret." "... You are a bold human, aren't you? ... Even when facing hell itself, you have time to make a joke." Suddenly, the figured lunged forward, and Karma was grabbed by the throat! Almost instinctively, Nagisa swung his Halo blade at him. It didn't damage him, but it did strike him close to the eyes, the surprise enough to make him drop Karma, who coughed after the vicegrip. "Leave them alone!" Nagisa managed to get out. "... I didn't take time out of my existence, just to wipe you out ... yet. ... This is your only warning. Mere humans. ... The more demons you involve in your lives. The closer you'll all come to face me. ... Or is that what you're all expected to figure out?" "It's becoming a habit for us," Karma said. "Really?" Pinkie questioned. Before they could answer, the possessed Gakuho was right in front of Nagisa. His demon sense was the wildest it's ever been, making him terrified behind his face. As if dealing with Gakuho was bad enough, now knowing there's a powerful demon controlling him just made it even more scary. Pinkie and Karma were chill, and Twilight may be humbled, but Nagisa knew more on what they were dealing with. "Well. It is clear that there is something about you that would give Heaven a reason to give you these weapons. ... How about we see if you're worthy of those weapons of yours? A sort of game, perhaps? ..." "A game?" Nagisa asked. "Ooo, What game? Tick-tack-toe, jeopardy, tag, wrestling, spin the bottle? I'm a master at party games!" Pinkie said, kinda forgetting the seriousness of the situation. Leave it to Pinkie to lighten THIS kind of mood to a more tolerable one. The figure was quiet for a minute, but then resumed talking after he picked up the sword for investigation, running his hands on the surface of the blade. "... You have your plans. I have mine. I'll continue mine. You have to keep up. Not that it would matter, but maybe you'll last long enough to see the end. ... If not? I suppose you'll all have a seat down in hell with me. ... Fair enough?" That made them all shiver. Obviously this demon wouldn't lie about this sort of thing, and it was dead serious about the risk factor. Whatever "end" it had in mind couldn't be any good for anyone of them. "... The end. ... What end? ..." Twilight finally said. "You need me to tell you?" The demon hissed. Twilight gulped on hearing that, the demon simply smiling at their fear. Karma slipped by as the demon was busy with the other three. He was just inches away from getting his sword off of the desk, but the demon slapped Karma's hand away. "Ah ah ah. Let's not end the game before it begins, Karma," the demon insisted. "We don't have much of a choice here." Twilight concluded. Everyone else has to agree on it as well. ... "Good. ... May I give you a word of advice? Hide those weapons when I take my leave. ... Gakuho won't appreciate a death threat. Oh, and one thing. ... Not a word about our little meeting. I'll cut the game short for all of you if you do." Again, like they had a choice there. Once that was all handled, suddenly Gakuho's body started to twitch, and shutter. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and soon Gakuho was left passed out on the floor, collapsed in nothing more than a weakened heap. For Nagisa and Karma (Two students who'd been in Orora high for years now), seeing such a powerful person collapsed on the ground was unnerving at the least. As the demon had warned, the principal began to stir again, groaning, and slowly getting up to his feet. Worried, Nagisa hid his blade away, and quickly grabbed the sword on the desk, giving it to Karma to hide it in the bag. Just as Karma zipped up the satchel, Gakuho came to his senses, hand to forehead as if getting a headache. After a bit, he soon saw the group of kids standing there. "What're you doing here?" Gakuho asked, slightly strained but otherwise fine. The others weren't sure if they should say or not, the demon literally JUST saying they should keep quiet about it. And who's to say if the demon was still looming nearby or not? It was clear though that Gakuho had no idea what happened, down to the call. "Nobody wants to say it. But ..." Nagisa thought, worried. Twilight was a bit quiet, but ... "You tell me, you called us here." Pinkie suddenly blabbered on. "No I didn't," Gakuho said, a hand on the side of head as he got up to his feet. "Yes you did chief. The whole school heard ya," Karma agreed. They knew about the demon, but they weren't going to say that exactly, if it meant anything. "... What did I say then?" Gakuho tested. Pinkie cleared her throat before she spoke up. "Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please report to the principal's office. Shiota, Kagayaki, Pie, Akabane, please come to the office," Pinkie recited, remembering exactly, precisely, word-for-word. Gakuho tried to recall it, but he just couldn't get a grip on the situation. When did he himself call for a student to come in? Looking outside, and from what memory he can work with, it should be the middle of finals right now! Gakuho tried to think of something to say - anything to say. It would just be embarrassing to say it was for no reason, even if he doesn't remember doing so in the first place. In the end, he finally got his own answer. It was a bit off beat, but it was the best he could come up with to fit in the situation a little. Rather than say it, he wrote it down on a piece of paper, and gave it to the others. Nagisa got it first, and it turned out it was a sort of slip. A task for them all to handle some maintenance at the E building. ... "Head there after school, and start the process. I expect good results. Now go," Gakuho simply said. Not the best idea ever, but in his state of mind, it was good enough. The kids all knew what really happened, but they decided to roll with that punch anyway. Besides, most of them still had the finals to complete, and this time was just setting them back on time. Nagisa may not have the trouble, but he still needed to head back to class either way, so with that they all began to go, leaving Gakuho alone in his office to try and contemplate. ... "What did happen last night? ..." ~~ The days had come and gone since the finals were completed. For the longest time, no matter which student there was, they were a bit antsy about what scores the finals would have for them. With the group, it was no different, but now they had another stressful time with this mystery demon possessing Gakuho. The obvious questions went through their minds: who was the one controlling Gakuho? and what exactly was it talking about? Nagisa never told his buddy Aladdin about it, in fear that his life would also be put in danger by this demon, even if Aladdin was a Magi angel. Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma didn't tell anyone about the situation either as the days went by. At the least, the days didn't give them anymore trouble with this demon, so they had that going for them. The excuse Gakuho came up with for them was easy enough to handle, and lucky for them (and possibly Gakuho), no one else was up to exactly questioning them. Aside from this, things had basically went on normally for them one way or another: Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie with their usual classes, and Karma with his mix of school and attempted murder on Korosensei. It took quite a while, but eventually the school day had come to an end. This day, it was the day the finals were given back to everyone, and Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie all met up by the front of the school. As they exited, they all walked out with their own grades in folders, each one none of them actually looked in yet. They've agreed to save that for everyone else. "Oh, I'm so excited! So, who wants to show theirs first?" Pinkie asked, very excited to see what the others can get. Nagisa wasn't too sure though. He may have got it done first out of his class, but accuracy was not a strong suite with his method. "I don't know. Yugure, you can show yours first," Nagisa offered. Twilight then got her own idea. "I know. Here, on three, ok?" "I gotcha!" Pinkie said. Soon, Nagisa, Twilight, and Pinkie were standing off in a circle, facing eachother, with their folders opened up. They didn't look just yet at their own grades, ready to present them. "One. Two. Three!" They all said, swinging their arm forward, their scores now all showing for them all to see. When they all looked, the reactions were mixed, but nothing too bad. Pinkie was smiling wide, and squealing in glee, while Twilight was very pleased with the results. Nagisa was more surprised than happy on his results. For the grades themselves: Pinkie: 69% Twilight: 87% Nagisa: 77% ... Seventy seven percent? For Nagisa, this was a unique little surprise to see. Usually his scores would just land him at about average, but this was basically in the B+ range - very good for final exams on his regard. "WOO! C plus for me!" Pinkie beamed, hopping up and down in joy. It wasn't a B or A, but it was passable and good enough for the giddy girl. Twilight smiled on her score, but was rather impressed to see Nagisa's score. "A B plus? Congratulations, Nagisa!" Twilight complimented. Nagisa began to feel pretty good with himself, though he couldn't help but sigh in relief, even with his easy method. He'd never would've guessed himself to end up on the B range of scores, and with what had happened before, this was a nice surprise. In his folder though, Nagisa then noticed a small note attached to it, with a simple message in just two words. Clever catch. "I knew it," Nagisa commented. He didn't realize he said it aloud until Pinkie popped up behind him, looking over his shoulder to see the note. "Know what, buddy?" "The trick questions. Here, look." Nagisa then went onto his exam, and showed the trick questions, which can be found easily from the answers Nagisa wrote down. Pinkie took a minute, reading through the question fast and quickly got the idea. "OOOHHHH. Okie-dokie," Pinkie said. "So they didn't have a straight answer! no wonder so many students kept stopping at those," Twilight noted, now understanding why that is. "I bet Karma went through just fine. He's a smart cookie," Pinkie added. "Speaking of which, where is Karma? Aladdin said he was going to get him when he was done," Nagisa wondered. ....... Far away, over near the E building, Karma Akabane had taken his own stop over nearby a tree with his sword leaning on the same tree at his sidde, resting his back to it as he was thinking. He had gotten the finals done, same as everyone else. In fact, he had the test gripped in his head, had taken out of his folder a long time ago since he got the thing. His original idea was to look at the test, and then brag on it once he showed the others. It turned out, though, that score was the reason why he wouldn't go to see them after all. He gripped the score paper to the point of making it almost a crumbling ball, his eyes staring off down to the ground, as a grit filled his teeth. He was a smart kid, yet his score was not one to brag about. Karma: 65% Not a good showing, and not what he expected from his efforts. He could just feel the idea of higher students laughing at him, and the sense of utter failure hit him rather roughly. Sure, sixty five wasn't the worst score given - it was about an average C grade - but Karma needed a higher one to get out of E class, and for Gakuho to take him back in. An average score was not going to do that for him. ... "Never underestimate your target. These finals were nothing to just sneeze at, you know. Many of your fellow students had done fairly well overall, the highest students tied for seventh place. I'm not surprised - they studied hard, and so did your opponents at the main building. One's only chance, was to study." "... What're you trying to say, teach?" Karma questioned. "Someone thought they could coast by on a devil-may-care attitude. And proceeded to royally screw it up." Karma blushed. His teacher was the one giving him the lecture, and he hammered in every point to the student. Bad enough he didn't do good, but Korosensei was rubbing it in rather roughly. Times like this Karma wished he killed him long ago. Karma Akabane stayed quiet, looked angry, as Korosensei moved out to his side. "Your class had to face up against an entire school in terms of grades, and while the highest ranking students put in their high grades to impress, you on the other hand have, nothing. Only fair: for that's what your non-profited, devil-care attitude has contributed towards your class, and to your cause. See where I'm going with this?" Karma was getting more upset with this demon now, but he couldn't think up what to say. Suddenly, Korosensei was poking at his face, his own head having the green stripes. "Anyone who refuses to apply themselves, and let the chips fall where they may, are destined for disappointment! So is the blade of the lazy assassin. In fact, I wouldn't dare call him an assassin at all! A bragger, maybe, but an assassin? I think not!" Karma had enough: He grabbed his sword, and tried to slice at Korosensei, but each swipe of the sword met with nothing but air, until he ended up striking the tree instead. Once he did that, he got back to his senses, but he really didn't feel any better. He got out his sword, and without another word, just stormed away. When this was done "Isn't that rather harsh?" Asked Aladdin, who watched the whole thing from nearby. "Of course. It had to be. I tore him down so he could spring back up," Korosensei began to explain, "He's enormously talented, there's no denying that. But he's a novice: He's still not learned to be worthy of that talent. When it comes to challenges, be it either on a teacher's assignment, or when facing a demon out on the battlefield, he refuses to face them unless it's on his own terms. Therefore, he's not yet learned the value of competition. For a young child, who everything comes easy, the pain of defeat can be a much needed wake-up call." Korosensei began to walk pass Aladdin, who was hooked onto every word Korosensei was saying. for a demon king, the creature was a sympathetic one towards his students. "One can argue that the concept of exams may seem arbitrary, but in the end it's not about what scores you receive, it's about rising to the occasion. It's about tasting the triumphant rapture, and disgraceful failure. Both sides go hand and hand, you see. One cannot exist without the other. Both rely on each other to have meaning. To win, one has to lose!" Korosensei stopped a bit, spreading out his arms as the breeze swept over him, gently brushing against him. Aladdin stayed quiet, and took a moment to look back to Karma, seeing the situation a bit differently. It may seem harsh, but maybe some good will come out of this after all. ... "The difference between the novice and the master, is that the master has failed more times, than the novice has tried."
S02Ep1: Start of the Trail ~トレイルの始まり~With a skip in her step, and a tune ringing up in her head and in her hum, Pinkie Pie had just finished up her shopping for the day, and was happily heading off home with her goodies in her grip. It was a good day at the shopping district, and a beautiful day for it as well. For the first time in weeks, the day was a crystal clear one, sun shining in all its glory. Pinkie was simply ecstatic about the whole thing, a good day for shopping and a good day to be outside in general. The sidewalks were crowded today, many people getting the same idea to go out for a stroll around. Today there was plenty more younger kids at this time of day. Pinkie didn't mind it at all though, in fact she just grew more comfortable around younger kids. "Happy day for you Pinkie. Aladdin's going to love this," Pinkie commented, looking into one of the bags she had on hand. Just a little trinket of a scarab beetle she picked up from the jewelers, but it was a nice gift she can happily give to him. The gal continued her happy strolled on her way, looking forward to seeing Aladdin's face light up. As she was looking though, she started to think on the gifts she actually had for the others. These trinkets were fine, but little by little, Pinkie Pie was starting to think that if this will cut the cake. "Hold up, Pie. It's the start of summer, you gotta go bigger than tiny toys! ... But, how?" hello people, your tuned in to JFN Radio. It's time, once again for our weekly prize giveaway! Pinkie bolted back to the radio playing at the store on hearing that. The radio shop had a few out, but this one got Pinkie's attention, playing just inside the shop itself. This could be what Pinkie Pie would be looking for, all depending on what the prize is. hope you all are enjoying the first days of summertime in your corner of the world. And since it is the start of summer, today's prize is going to be a different one. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today's winner will receive a family pass to London England! That's right, home of the Queen herself! First caller in and we'll get started. *ring**ring* Pinkie Pie was quick to get her portable phone to work, already ringing up a storm in her ear, stars in her eyes. This will be PERFECT! Who doesn't want a free trip to England?! It took a few rings before she got through. Ah, our first call. May we get your name? "Diana," Pinkie said. She can save her Pinkie Pie name for this one, and go with a name that's more believable for this case. She heard of these radio games before. Hello Diana. Now, you know the rules: if you can guess the answer to our question of the week, the prize is all yours. You ready? "Ready Freddy!" Pinkie beamed. A little chuckle came from the announcer before he began reading the question. Ok, Diana, the question of the week is: what are the names given to the under and over world of Greek mythology? OH, quite a tough question. Pinkie had to get her mind together as best she could. She remembered Aladdin talking about such places, and there was at least one name that was nagging at her. "Let's see, uh uh uh uh. T ... T ... Tar-uh- OH! Tartarus for the underworld!" you're half way there, Diana. Answer the name of the over world and the trip is all yours! The pressure was on, and the clock was ticking. Pinkie tried to think as best she could. However, while Aladdin did mention Tartarus, the same Magi didn't give any names for any "over world" places yet. In her panic, she just said the first thing that came to mind. "E-Elysium!" That is correct! Congratulations! the announcer responded. Thank god! Pinkie Pie was simply psyched on hearing that answer. Pinkie knew exactly what to do next to get her prize in the first place, and she was actually running off on her way, still on the phone as she was racing down the sidewalk. No time like the present to collect her free way trip to England. "Thank you, thank, you, thank you!" Pinkie beamed, as she was racing down the sidewalk to her destination, the radio finishing up the prize game. And now, back to your favorite tunes on JFN radio. ~~ "Wow, sure is a hot one today," Aladdin commented. Over at another area of Tokyo (the more secluded, urban areas in particular) Nagisa and Aladdin were out enjoying the weather as well. It had been a while since they got an actual clear day thanks to the rainy season, but now that it had past, the duo were out and about. Nagisa was taking the lead in their walk, finding it nice how the sun warmed him up. "Been too long since the sun was out. I'm glad Summer's starting up at last," Nagisa said. Aladdin went up to Nagisa's side. "Maybe your school can do more outdoor stuff now. You're always stuffed up inside all day, it would be a nice change," Aladdin figured. "Don't worry. I won't be going to Orora High for a while," Nagisa stated. It was here Aladdin got a little confused, but Nagisa knew what he was talking about here. "Huh? Why? You didn't get into trouble, did you?" Aladdin asked, a little worried about it. "No, no. Humans have this time off from school called a vacation. Around here, we get one during winter and summer. Summer vacation's just started now," Nagisa explained. That news made Aladdin feel better, and a bit happy too. "Really? How long does it go for?" "About a month." "Neat. We can do more stuff together now! It's always boring when I'm stuck home alone," Aladdin admitted. Who could blame him though for being bored at home while his roommate was off at school? Nagisa was just glad that school was over for summer vacation, and that he survived the finals as well. School had been enough of a roller coaster, and now it finally took a break for the year. Aladdin was happy that Nagisa was free from Orora high for a while, and now he and his friends can do more things together without school getting in the way. "What do humans do during this summer vacation?" Aladdin then asked. "Guess it depends on who you ask. Some people take it easy, and some go off traveling." "Well, what do you do during summer vacation?" "Me? ... Not too much. I just relax at home most of the time," Nagisa replied. For a kid like him, that was all the excitement he'd usually be good with. Nagisa didn't say it though, but he was sure that it wasn't going to be the same this year. Especially after that warning left for him a while ago. ... "NAGISA! ALADDIN!" Suddenly, Nagisa and Aladdin stopped after a bit of walking. Looking ahead, they both began to see that someone was rushing right at them, full speed, and extremely excited. Next thing they knew, both figures were grabbed in a strong hug, spinning a bit before regaining themselves. It took them a bit, but they figured out it was Pinkie Pie after a while. The happy gal had them both in her grip, arm around their heads. However, this kinda got them pushed in her breasts as well (cuz why not?) and while Nagisa didn't pay attention to it, he did see Aladdin with a sort of goofy smile, FINALLY feeling what Pinkie's boobs felt like. It's one way of doing it anyway. "Hey, Pinkie. How're ya?" Nagisa asked, before Pinkie released them both. "I got some super-duper-extra-special news! You ready? ... TA-DA!" Pinkie suddenly reached in her cleavage, and pulled out what looked like a airplane ticket, or passport. Once more, Pinkie then flipped open the others in a sort of hand-fan style, showing a total of four tickets. Pinkie was extremely happy about it anyway, but Nagisa and Aladdin weren't sure what the exact surprise is. Pinkie then gave Nagisa his ticket, which he read out the details on. What got Nagisa's attention the most was WHERE the tickets were going to. "London? How'd you get these?" Nagisa asked, astonished Pinkie Pie had enough money for these. "Won them as one of those radio prizes. Super, right? I got enough for everyone to go!" Pinkie revealed. Yes, it looked like enough for him, Pinkie, Karma, and Twilight to go, but Aladdin and Blair seemed to be left out in this. Before this could be pointed out though, Nagisa had his doubts. "Pinkie, wait a minute. This is ... kinda out of nowhere." "Of course it is! It wouldn't be a surprise if you knew about it! It'll ruin the surprise," Pinkie said. "But I don't think I'd wanna go. I mean, this is nice, but how're you so sure we'll all just go with you?" Pinkie realized he was right. She didn't consider the option just yet. She got a little too excited about going off to England with her friend to consider it. "Can you at least ... think about it?" Pinkie asked, more humbled this time. Nagisa didn't want his good to day to have Pinkie sad in it. Then again, it still was kinda random either way. "I'll ... Ok, I'll think about it," Nagisa decided. That sort of news made Pinkie Pie feel a lot better, her typical smile coming back on her face. "Okie-dokie-lokie! OH, and here you go," Pinkie said, giving Aladdin the scarab she bought earlier. She might as well give it to him now before she were to go running off again. Soon after that, Pinkie was off with the rest of the tickets, leaving Nagisa Shiota with his, and Aladdin with his little scarab. At least Pinkie wasn't going to be upset for the day. When Pinkie left, Nagisa took a moment to look at the airplane ticket in his hand. At least the date of said flight wasn't until after a day or two, so it gave him the time to figure it out. ... ....... "A trip to London, huh?" Next stop for Pinkie was Karma Akabane, who was still hanging out at his house. Pinkie Pie looked like she had run all the way there from when she saw Nagisa earlier, but Pinkie did not appear tired by the run up. "Yes-indeedie! Those radio people are very sweet to give them to me after winning. So, you in?" Pinkie asked, rather hopefully. Karma took a moment to consider it, looking at his airplane ticket, and what time the flight would actually be. "Eh, sure. Hell, my parents are running around the world, I might run into them while there," Karma decided. Karma was a bit easier to persuade, apparently, and Pinkie Pie was simply overjoyed to have a guaranteed choice on who's going off with her to England. Pinkie's big smile was all really needed to confirm her joy without words. "YES!" Pinkie beamed, barely able to contain her excitement. "By the way, the others on board? Nagisa, Yugure?" "Nagisa's gonna think about it, and Yugi I didn't ask yet. OOOOO, I hope they want to go, I've thought SO HARD to get these tickets!!" Pinkie yelped. Karma was more than used to her hyperactive nature by now, so this screaming didn't faze him much. As they were talking, a bored Blair strolled up, her normal cat self yawning as she did. "Me bored. Can we do something?" Blair asked, not having much to do all day so far. Karma counted out the tickets, including the one in his hand, and the one Nagisa was possibly left with. Before Pinkie could go off, Karma made sure to address the issue for her. "Think your a little short on tickets, pinks." Pinkie froze. "I am?" "There's six in our little group, and you only have four. Should've checked first before you snatched 'em." Pinkie Pie was shell-shocked. First she didn't figure if everyone even wanted to go, and now she didn't even count how many tickets there was for how many people! Suddenly, Pinkie was on the ground in defeat, right in front of Karma and Blair. Not a good showing. Blair though caught something that Karma had said. "Didn't you check your words? Only one missing?" "Your not a human, you don't need one. Unless you wanna pay," Karma said. Blair was not willing to pay for anything if she could help it, so she just took it in stride. Pinkie suddenly got the idea in her head from what Karma just said. "Wait. I can just pay for Aladdin! You're a genius, Karma! Well, okie-dokie-lokie, I'll see you both later," Pinkie said, rushing off before Karma and Blair could get a word in to deliver the last ticket. Well, there's one more person to give the ticket to now. ....... After another mad run, Pinkie Pie had gotten to Twilight's house, giving a good knock at the door. Pinkie was sure to keep the knock good and loud so it wouldn't be missed, no matter what she was doing. When the crazy knocking was over and done, Pinkie waited and waited a while longer in front of the door, until finally someone answered the door. However, it wasn't Twilight who answered it, but instead it was Twilight's mother. "Oh, Pinkie. Nice day, is it?" "Yes-indeede! Hey, is Yugure there? I got a little somethin for her!" Pinkie said, presenting the remaining ticket for Twilight. Her mother looked at it, as Pinkie smiled wide and waited for an answer. Her mother soon saw where the place was, and she began to feel a bit unsure. It was at this point that Twilight went downstairs, hearing the commotion of Pinkie's talking. It wasn't too long until Pinkie noticed Twilight coming down, waving to her. "Yugi!" "Hi Pinkie Pie. What's going on?" Twilight asked, walking over. It was then Miss. Kagayaki showed Twilight the airplane ticket to London England. This was a rather strange surprise, but a good one. "Got that baby from the radio prize this morning! Can you come, please, please, PLEASE?" Pinkie asked, hoping for a good answer from her friend. Nagisa was iffy on it, and Karma was all down for it. To that extent, Aladdin and Blair can be put the same thing, and it came down to Twilight to have the whole gang together. Twilight didn't need too much time to actually get her answer out. "Oh, I'm sorry Pinkie. But, I don't think I would be able to go," Twilight said. "... You sure you can't think about it?" "Pinkie, I can't go," Twilight insisted. Unlike Nagisa, Twilight's choice was more forward with her answer. She didn't want to be mean to her, but Twilight knew she couldn't run off on her parents. Pinkie felt disappointed more and more. "You sure?" Pinkie asked, one more time. Twilight sighed. It was clear Pinkie was not understanding it very fast, but Twilight knew why she had to stay home over going to London with them. "I can't go Pinkie. This is nice, but my brother is still away, I can't leave them alone," Twilight revealed. "Away? You mean ..." All Twilight did was just nod her head. Pinkie gasped, again realizing another mistake she made. This time it was bugging the wrong person to go with her. "I'm so sorry, Yugi. ... Well, if you change your mind, it won't be until a few days, so ..." "Thank you, Pinkie," Twilight simply said. Pinkie felt disappointed, but not in the same way as before. Even someone like Pinkie knew what's a good reason to not just run off, and staying home to take care of things while her brother is off in the military is that one example. Even so, Pinkie still left the airplane ticket with Twilight, just in case there's a slim chance that she would in fact change her mind. The least she could do. ... ~~ Time ticked by for the first day of summer, and soon it was shifted off to night time. Any day without a drop of rain after the rainy season was a good day for anyone. With Twilight, this surprise ticket was a bit of a mixed reaction. She got herself ready for bed, with the ticket over by her bedside lamp. However, as she laid there in bed, her mind began to go around a bit, thinking about what she said to Pinkie earlier. She got herself comfortable on bed, though thoughts about her own brother was still floating around her head. "How is he doing over there?" Twilight thought. It was kind of hard not to think about it really, and without the rain for some sort of 'white noise', Twilight just stayed awake in bed. For the young girl, the night went on rather uneventfully, and it took Twilight a long time until she was finally off to true sleep, and not just laying there and wondering what her brother was up to. She just hoped he was doing alright in the military. ... Twilight stayed quiet for a while more, not a single bit of noise being heard anywhere. Eventually, some sort of urge finally began to make her stir. The girl open her eyes, and slowly she began to take in her surroundings. She thought it was just dark in her room, but she didn't find herself in her bed. In fact, it seemed she didn't find herself anywhere in particular. She was left, almost floating, in a sort of dreamscape. The dreamscape looked rather similar to a bright starry night, stars twinkling everywhere around her. There was a ground, but this wasn't dirt, or her usual floorboards, but instead a silver surface, with very little trees spaced here and there, with rivers flowing in even, sharp turns. She looked to her own body next, and found that her body was all white. She didn't had any clothes, but her body didn't bare any embarrassing parts on her, showing just a simple white body, the only detailed parts being on the head, fingers, and toes. She didn't know where she was, or why, but she did see another someone farther away. The figure was simplified much like her own, but instead of purple hair, this figure's hair was blue, along with the eyes. The figure up front of her woke up after a little bit, and soon saw her. "Nagisa? Is that you?" "Twilight. ..." Nagisa said. Twilight and Nagisa both started to move closer to eachother, their steps light and floaty. Neither side knew where they were, or what this was about. They both looked off to the star skies, seeing the beauty of the world around them for a bit in silence. The stars sparkled much like little gems, and some of these almost seemed to move around. Not in a manor to shooting stars, but more synchronized, a sort of shape appearing in the sky. Some stayed flying together, while some moved up and down, as if mimicking wings. Twilight and Nagisa both watched the object go by, the stars encircling them a number of times, keeping Twilight and Nagisa at attention. After a bit, the figure began to slowly float down to them. The stars gathered up closer towards them, and began to shape themselves into some sort of face. Then the eyes opened, and soon both people began blinded for a moment, seeing nothing but white! Twilight and Nagisa were worried, trying to see something, but eventually things began to show in their faces: images of different locations, people, and creatures, showing up in their minds. Nagisa and Twilight got different images in their heads, many of which went by a frame a second, and while some looked familiar to them already, most of them they never saw before! ... Twilight woke up fast after that. It was still dark outside, the crescent moon high in the sky, and some slight moonlight going into her room from her window. All those images flashing through her mind before not only remained in her memory, but each one was crystal clear. She found herself in a slight sweat, but her mind was racing. First thing she did - get to her phone. The girl took a bit before she got to her phone, which was in a drawer, and once she got to it, her finger dialed down the number, and she was just about to click call when ... *ring**ring**ring* Nagisa calling in! "Nagisa," Twilight said, upon answering the phone. Clear that Nagisa was up as well. "Twilight, thank goodness. I'm sorry for calling you so late, but -" "The dream. Yeah, I had it. We were in some dreamscape, and then we both saw all those images, right?" "Y-Yeah, that's it. It's no normal dream then. ... What do you make of it?" "Me? ... Well, to tell you the truth, it could mean anything. After what happened the last few months, who knows?" "Good point. ... Twilight? You know that London trip? ... You thought about wanting to go?" Twilight was quiet at first, wondering if Nagisa actually was going or not. She had a straight answer, but now she wasn't so sure. "Well, I would if I could, but, I can't - my parents would be all alone if I just ran off to London on them. My brother's off in the military right now, remember? ... Yet ... oh, I don't know. That dream, it ... got me torn a bit. ... What about you? you sound unsure about it." "Yeah, I'm not sure either. This kinda came out of nowhere, but now ... it feels like I have to go. Like I have to do something there, but, I don't know what exactly." "Demon hunting, I bet." "Well, maybe, but most of those images, I don't think many of them were just demons. I mean, we saw people, and other places, and they didn't look like anything demonic." "... Now that you say it, yeah. That magic beam, the giant diamond creature. They didn't seem demonic overall." "What're you talking about?" "Wait. you didn't see that?" "No, I don't think so. Did you see a red stone, or a city at all?" "No. ... We'll meet tomorrow and compare notes. It might come and handy." "Good idea. How about we meet at your house for that? sound good?" "Alright, we can do that. See you tomorrow." "You too." And with their conversation ending, Twilight hung up her phone, and laid back down in her bed. Should she go, or should she stay? ... Well, she had at least a few days before figuring out her full answer to that, but for now, she needed her sleep. she and Nagisa will discuss it in the morning. ... ....... Just outside Twilight's window, the other figure unaware and fast asleep, their house had an unexpected observer. The thing, a small bat, hung upside down from a nearby tree, ears listening in to what Twilight was saying. Once it was aware that Twilight was off asleep, only then did the bat begin to take flight, and flew off as fast as it could away from the house. With the clear night, flying was made pretty easy, and the little flapper reached the more secluded area on the edge of Tokyo in little time at all before it, for some odd reason, landed on the ground of an alleyway. For any normal bat, this was flirting with death here, but this bat had a little extra trick. ... After checking the surrounding, its body almost seemed to go on fire! not in burning flames, but more like a glowing ember one would see on a burning paper without the actual fire. As this happened, the spreading 'fire' went around the whole bats body, and its fur disappeared, being replaced by human skin. And what is more, the flame began to make more of a human size, and human shape. The transformation took less than twenty seconds until it was complete, and soon it was Envy now getting up to his feet! This shapeshifter, as before, kept a eye on these humans for a while now, and by the look on his face, still was annoyed from his encounter with Karma and Korosensei. The memory was still sharp in his mind, and it just kept nagging at him. ... "Having fun, Envy?" The voice, familiar to Envy as it is out of nowhere, got the shapeshifter to turn around towards the darker part of the alleyway. A strange voice in a place like this, and one that the demon was wondering if it was the same person. Otherwise, he just transformed in front of some bitch in an alleyway. It took a bit, but eventually some figures did end up walking out, and when Envy saw who, his worries dropped. For who, there were two figures coming out. The first one looked to be a middle-aged female human, just a feet taller than Envy and a drop-dead gorgeous one. Long, wavy black hair that flowed down to the base of her back, with white, smooth, healthy skin. Her voluptuous curves just signified the sex appeal she possessed, and with her devilish eyes, and smooth lips, it's the look of a deadly diva. Her outfit was a black, curve-complimenting, one-piece dress that went down to her feet, and added with long, shoulder-length gloves, each one with a red stripe on each. Just above her rather large breasts, a similar symbol of an blood Ouroboros presented itself for all to see. This demon diva didn't come alone though, for just seconds later, another figure walked on out for Envy to see. This one was not only a male, but a LOT bigger. Not in height exactly, but more in weight with his round, stocky body with long strong arms, and small stubby legs. He had no hair on his head, his eyes no more than small white dots, and a large nose, about the size of a potato if compared to anything. His outfit was a black full body suit, no sleeves at all, and with a set of wristbands which were also black. Like the other figure, he also had the red stripe, but his extended off his clothes, and through his arms, stopping at the wristbands which ended in an arrow shape. "Lust? Gluttony? What're you two doing here?" Envy asked. He wasn't informed that these two were going to show up, nor knew they were out here in the first place. Lust gave a smile to Envy, though more of a devious one rather than friendly. "Nice to see you too, Envy. Our boss told us you were having trouble, and sent us to come up," Lust said, as gluttony was sucking on his finger all the while. Envy knew exactly who she was talking about, and knew exactly WHY - silently cursing himself for the Karma encounter. "Oh, don't beat yourself up. Besides, he's got something new for us to do for once," Lust said, as she reached in her cleavage, and pulled out a few slips of paper. These were, in fact, some airplane tickets (how she got them, they didn't bother asking), but Envy grabbed one and read it over. Surprise, surprise: these were tickets for the same trip to London England. "Go figure. what's he having us do this time?" Envy commented. "He's interested in some demonic entities over there, and wants us to give them some use for our side. This will be interesting," Lust said. "They sound delicious. Can it eat them there?" Gluttony asked, drooling slightly from the thought of it with a big smile on his face. It's clear what food he likes to eat. "We'll see when we get there, Gluttony," Lust replied. Envy though felt a bit pleased. "Well, glad it's you two and not some extra scum. OH, those humans are gonna be dead in days when we're through with them! Those pathetic worms don't know what's coming to them," Envy said, a devilish smile appearing on his face. No better payback than tearing them limb from limb with some backup by Lust and Gluttony. "Patient, Envy, we're on recruitment, not assault. ... Yet. You'll have you chance, and so will we. Who knows, maybe we'll find more of our kind over there," Lust suggested. "... Maybe." ~~ So, for the next few days, things had been fairly busy in preparations for the upcoming flight to London. Each day that had ticked by is one step closer to the deadline for the airport. For Pinkie and Karma, that meant getting their stuff together for their vacation. Karma got plenty of his stuff together, though it was a little bit hard to put in the sword so it wouldn't be found out. Security in airports are pretty tight, and he could only hope the staff won't take his. As for Pinkie Pie, she had worked like crazy to get her things together, along with a list of what to do while there. The list included tour visits, activities, and possible areas of interest they can go by (Big Ben was on there of course). While Pinkie and Karma were getting their stuff together, Nagisa and Twilight both were more in thought on the dreams they both had. They both had compared notes as they said they would, but since the others had been so busy, they kept it to themselves. In regards to these dreams, they were still in rough decisions on this London trip. Nagisa wasn't put under as much pressure as Twilight, because he lived alone. Twilight on the other hand had her parents, and she had to figure out if going on this trip would be a good idea or not. Her parents had one child already gone doing bigger things, how would they feel if Twilight left them too? She hoped she'll get her decision. ... The day was eventually upon them. The first ones amongst the group to reach the airport was Pinkie and Karma. The airport was simply packed with people by the time they arrived, and usually of people ready to get onto their next flight. Good things for them there was plenty of space, and good amount of seating. The crowds didn't bother either one of them, and they had their bags of luggage in hand. Karma had a bag, but he also had a cat carrier with him for you-know-who. Blair was obviously not enjoying this, despite being in a comfortable, fuzzy cat carrier. It wasn't what she had in mind at all. According to the time, it'll be a bit longer until their plane will be ready for them, so Pinkie and Karma went over and took a seat over near their gate, Karma placing the cat carrier in between Pinkie and himself. "There oughta be a law against this," groaned Blair, poking her head out of the carrier. "Stop complaining, you don't have to pay for a ride," Karma reminded, patting Blair's head. Blair still wasn't enjoying it all the same. "Do you think Nagisa and Yugure will come, Karma?" Pinkie asked. "If they are, they better get their asses moving. Flights in twenty five minutes," Karma replied, pointing to the closest clock. Sure enough, twenty five minutes was the time left before boarding could commence for the airline. Pinkie was just excited as ever to get rolling, and prayed that the others would show up as the minutes ticked by. The closer time came, the more antsy Pinkie was getting. Karma and Blair kept their cool about it, Blair sleeping in her carrier. If the others weren't coming along, then so be it. "EEEE!! GUYS! OVER HERE!!" Pinkie suddenly screamed, full of glee. It was enough to wake up the sleeping Blair in a startle. Sure enough, when Karma looked, there they were. Nagisa Shiota, Aladdin, and Yugure Kagayaki, were all walking their way. Nagisa and Twilight actually had their luggage with them as well, and Aladdin had his normal outfit in his own luggage, him walking in Nagisa's casual clothing. A little big, but not too much. "YAY, you decided to come after all!" Pinkie beamed. "It took a while to decide, but yeah we are. I didn't had much other plans here anyway," Nagisa admitted. "And you too Yugure?" "It was a rather ... long discussion. But, so long as I keep in contact with them," Twilight said. To her it was probably the only proper way to go and keep in touch with her family. Pinkie went ahead and hugged them both, Aladdin having a seat over by Karma. Turned out Aladdin did end up getting a ticket from Nagisa paying, but he still didn't get the idea behind the tiny paper. "Well, the gang's all here. And just in time," Karma said. ....... And indeed it was the case. The clock marked the time, and they began to get rolling. It was a bit of a gamble when it came to the weapons, and while Nagisa got his through alright, Karma just wasn't able to get through without clearance. A pity for him. When that was taken care of, it was straight onto the airplane, and it wasn't too long until they were airborne. The aircraft was a typical one for a passenger plane, and the group took a while to find their seats. The plane was six seats, three per side, open luggage case right above them - the usual stuff. As for where they ended up, Aladdin and Nagisa had their own spot, as the rest sat two rows behind them. A basic arrangement, though it did get very crowded after a minute or two as more people boarded. In this sort of boarding, they weren't alone on this flight. At about five rows behind, the trio of demons: Envy, Gluttony, and Lust, had manage to get themselves inside the plane (disguised of course). Envy of course had his disguise very easy, his own transformation making him look just like some regular average joe in his seat. Lust and Gluttony got some outfits for themselves which managed to work pass the staff and guards just enough. They all got a row of seats next to eachother, though Gluttony made comfort a little difficult for Envy thanks to his size. The flight on the plane was a relaxing one, and since it would be a while before they all get to London, they might as well enjoy the flight while going. In his seat, Aladdin took the time to check out the aircraft. "I heard about a rumor that humans found a way to fly, but I didn't think it would be like this," Aladdin commented, as he was looking around the plane. Nagisa just chilled out, looking outside the window for a bit at the passing clouds. "Well, this beats a carpet ride to London," Nagisa thought, though he didn't want to be rude in front of Aladdin. Still, it was a far safer way to fly there by plane instead of on a flimsy carpet. After a bit, Aladdin turned to Nagisa. "So what do you think we'll do when we get there?" "Apparently Pinkie Pie's got a list of things to do for us. ... Though, I think there might be something else going on," Nagisa brought up. Suddenly, Pinkie was sat up, leaning in between them. "You bet I do! We're not going to be on boredom highway this vacation, oh no!" Pinkie stated, as she showed them both the list she made, which was a rather long one. And by long, meaning covering them in paper by the time it unraveled fully. "Well, we certainly have a lot to do when we get there," Nagisa stated. "Who's 'The Queen'?" Aladdin asked, pointing to one part of the long list where he saw the name, as Pinkie Pie rolled up their list of things to do. "Why, the queen of England, my dear chap. She's only in charge of the United Kingdom," Pinkie summed up, her voice suddenly having a strong accent of British. Aladdin scratched his head. "I was told humans gave up that 'king and queen' thing ages ago," Aladdin wondered. "Depends on where you go, really," Nagisa noted. Aladdin began to get more intrigued with London now, if they were still doing that kind of thing. "Weird. When will we get there, anyway?" Aladdin asked. That was when Nagisa felt a little bit down on the subject. "Twelve hours," he said gravely. It's going to be a LONG flight. Hours ticked by. The group in the plane was relaxing it out in the comfy ride onward. Aladdin had fallen asleep in his seat, Pinkie and Karma were watching a movie, and Twilight took some time to check the alchemy book. What Blair was doing was anyone's guess. The fight began in the middle of the day, and now it was actually night time, so they had to be getting close by now. Many of the passengers were either sleeping, or in some quiet activity to not disturb the other passengers. As for Envy, Gluttony, and Lust, they still had to keep their disguises up. Gluttony was sleeping, and the other two were just chilling out. Lust was alright, but Envy wanted to cause some sort of trouble for these humans. If he wasn't supposed to be quiet on this flight, the plane would've be crashed somewhere in Mongolia by now! "We better get there soon. This flight's going to kill me from boredom before I can kill any of these humans," Envy thought. Gluttony's snoring wasn't helping him out much either, the sleeping person practically passed out right next to him. All of those airplane meals had caught up with the hungry Gluttony. Lust, who was sitting furthest away from the window, took the time to look ahead to the others. Since Pinkie and Karma had a movie going, they were easier to spot. Her eyes just caught sight of Twilight's alchemy book, Lust barely able to recognize it. "So, they're those 'special' humans boss was telling us about. So young and youthful. And by the looks of it, they're getting their minds around alchemy. Nothing like a curious wannabe Alchemist to make things a bit more interesting." Lust thought, a smirk forming on her face. An interesting fact that at least one of them was learning alchemy, of all things. In a world of high-advanced weaponry, alchemy seemed more old school. Something her kind remembered fairly well. ... *ding**ding* "Attention passengers, we're about to land at London city airport, fasten seat bents for decent." The pilot over the speakers woke up a good amount of people, and that was probably a good thing. The passengers on board followed instructions, even the demons just to follow the flow of the situation. As for the group, some of them began to look outside at where they were. Sure enough, the lights from London England were in sight. They made it.
S02Ep4: Instigation ~司法~Well, what a day that was. Nagisa and his friends hadn't stayed in London for more than two days, and here they are, saving earls from being kidnapped. Who'd of thought that would just transpire so quickly? In just one day, they spent it at the Phantomhive manor, and risked their own lives to save Ciel. After that was done, the group were back at their hotel of stay, leaving Ciel Phantomhive to recover from his capture under his own roof. While a reward would've been nice, the fact they're alive after all that, virtually unscathed was enough of a reward. Time ticked on from there, the day turning to night, and gave them a well-deserved rest. The group mainly had the beds split up amongst them. Karma and Blair shared a bed, Pinkie and Aladdin got the floor with some sheets and pillows, and Nagisa and Twilight got their own bed. The night went on smoothly without trouble, and they all were fast asleep. ... Well, all but one. The others may be sound asleep by now, Nagisa was still feeling a bit on the edge of things. Ciel and Sebastian still left their mark on him, and while he wasn't feeling as bad as before at the manor, it was enough to leave him incomplete. He was stirring, tossing and turning about, trying to get comfortable. In the end, it just was no use. His turning wasn't enough to wake the others, thank goodness, and Nagisa just sat up in his bed. "It's no good," Nagisa thought at last. He looked to the others next to him for a moment, seeing how they were all just fast asleep, even after what had happened. Nagisa didn't want to wake anyone up here. Eventually, and a rather rough decision on his part, Nagisa was soon dressed, armed, and outside, walking down the London streets. Daytime made London pretty lively, but during the night the streets were completely silent. Street lights were still on and running, but that was about it. It was just him and the moon shining down at him. The night was clear, but a bit cooler than the weather over in Japan though that wasn't much trouble. Each step left him wandering the streets further and further away from the hotel, Nagisa more thinking over what was going on. He was at least grateful that Sebastian and Ciel (for now anyway) were far enough away to be less of trouble. Nagisa Shiota and his wandering found himself over by one of London's river bridges. Nagisa kept walking until he stopped at the center of it, looking down at the river below. The reflection was faded out, but just enough for Nagisa to see himself, and the moon reflection as well. Calm and collected waters flowed down under him, and left a calming sensation on him - first time in a while. "I don't get it. I thought all of this was left behind me. That Ciel Phantomhive. There's something off with him, but what? And Sebastian too. He took down all those guards with little to no problem yesterday. If we weren't there, then he probably could've finished everyone off even faster. Strange. ..." And the shivering came back. However, Nagisa didn't have time to locate first, before the source of the disturbance landed right by him. Nagisa turned and, speak of the devil, it was the Phantomhive butler and earl! Who'd of guessed? Nagisa's sense skyrocketed the second he saw them, Sebastian holding Ciel in his arms. Ciel's outfit was different over his blue formal suit and top hat. The hat was black this time, and his clothes copied such, flare on the shoulders that go down to his hands. After a minute, Sebastian placed Ciel down, Nagisa taking a step back. "C-Ciel Phantomhive. Didn't expect to see you out here." "Likewise," Ciel simply replied, as he took a few steps forward. "A pleasure to see you again, mr. Shiota," Sebastian said in a small bow, hand on his chest. Nagisa wasn't sure why they would be out here at this hour, but he could take a possible guess. Still, he tried to keep a collected face. "You feeling better now?" "I am. It's good that I found you anyway. I've been meaning to talk to you since yesterday," Ciel revealed, soon standing side by side with Nagisa. Nagisa felt his shivering strengthen as he looked to both earl and butler. It'd been bothering him all day yesterday and tonight, and he had the two reasons that it was even bothering him in the first place. His skin crawled when Ciel came close. He had enough. "Ciel, before we do anything else, I need to know something." The message was almost automated in tone and speed, but it got across fairly well. Ciel and Sebastian were quiet for a moment, but Ciel straightened out. Nagisa didn't realize it even came out until after a few seconds of time. "And what might that be?" Nagisa had to think hard now. On one hand, it would get the answer off his chest and probably quell his paranoia depending on what it is, but on the other hand he promised Aladdin (and the demon who possessed Gakuho in extent) to keep this sort of activity quiet. His hand rested on his hidden blade, and finally ... "You're both demons, aren't you?" Now it was out. "Pardon?" Ciel questioned. Nagisa felt a little calm in his nerves on the question, and he just decided to go on with it. He started this ball, might as well keep rolling it. "Listen. I ... kinda have this sort of sense. And this gets me to sense a presence of true demons. Like an inner sonar. ... Well, since I saw you back at that market, my sense has been going wild on me. And -" Suddenly Ciel stopped him with a raise of his hand. Nagisa didn't know if he just made a believer, or made a huge mistake. All he could do was wait until Ciel could speak again. "... Seems peculiar," Ciel stated, seeing Nagisa's hand hover over his Halo Blade. "So are you, or not?" Nagisa finally asked. Ciel then looked Nagisa dead in the eyes. He knows now that Nagisa was armed. "It rather depends on your reasoning, Nagisa." Reasoning? Ciel was just asking for trouble far as Nagisa got, but when he followed Ciel's eye to his hand, he got what Ciel was getting towards. It made sense though. After all, no one wants to be stabbed. Nagisa was too deep to stop now. "Because my demon sense is constantly getting triggered when I'm by you two. Look, just tell me straight: are you, or are you not demons?" Ciel waited a moment, looking to Sebastian, and considering the options. The silence and anticipation of the awaiting answer was a killer enough. Eventually, both Ciel and Sebastian reached a silent agreement, and both turned to Nagisa Shiota. "... Your senses aren't wrong. There is a demon presence at the Phantomhive manor, but it's not from me. That honor is given to Sebastian." So it was finally revealed. Ciel may not be a demon exactly, but Sebastian is! Nagisa was frozen on hearing that answer, Sebastian appearing the least demonic outta all the demons he seen so far. But when Nagisa took a closer look at Sebastian's red eyes, and remembering what he did, how could it not be the truth? Nagisa's hand tighten on his blade, as his eyes widened and locked onto him. He FINALLY got his answer after forty eight hours of worry. "Sebastian's the demon? I knew it! No human can do what he can," Nagisa thought. "Now, I'd hate to intrude, but you don't plan on trying to kill me, now are you? It'd make quite a mess on the London streets, you know," Sebastian asked. "W-WHA?! No, no, no, no, not you! I-I just wanted to know, I can't kill you no way!" Good save. Panicky, but a good save. Taking them down would cause a ton of trouble for all of them anyway. Last thing Nagisa wanted was to cause an international incident outside his home country. Ciel sighed, a hint of relief in it but not much. "Good answer. Perhaps we can discuss matters back at the manor tomorrow morning. I'm curious as to your involvement as well," Ciel offered. "You sure? I don't want to bother you too much." "Would you rather spend the entire night out in the cold above a bridge?" "Good point. You want just me or can the others come?" "I might as well save myself the effort," Ciel sighed. It didn't work before, and they would come over with him anyway, so he should get the rest. Besides, they could be of some good information too. "Let's go Sebastian," Ciel said. With that, he and Sebastian went off back towards the manor, and after a minute, Nagisa was alone again. Nagisa felt very relieved to at least know the source of his demon sense spasms. It's working as it should, Nagisa just didn't knew that up until now. And now, he and his friends have another date with the Phantomhive estate. ~~ The next morning, the Phantomhive manor was starting up in activity. With Ciel back home, things started to get back to normal. Outside, in the Phantomhive garden, Bardroy, Mey-Rin, and Grell were out handling the garden together as best they could do. The garden itself was very well-kept for being next to the forest. Bardroy was trimming the bushes, Mey-Rin was watering the flowers, and Grell tried his best not to wreck the plants as he plucked some of the vegetables and fruits. "So, apparently our guests are coming back this afternoon. Let's show Sebastian we got what it takes today! When we're done, he won't even know what hit him," Bardroy said. "Uh, didn't you say that yesterday?" Mey-Rin asked meekly. Bardroy didn't answer, yet was still determined to do a better job. Nearby, Grell was trying to pull down some fresh Oran berries, but these fruits were a bit hard to pluck off. "Steady, Grell," Bardroy said on seeing him. However, Grell ended up stumbling back with his berry, landing on top of Bardroy, both tumbling onto the ground. "Bardroy! Oh I'm so sorry!" "Don't worry bout it," groaned Bardroy, as Mey-Rin helped Bardroy back up to his feet. Grell looked back up into the tree he was working with, and tried for another go. The berries were ripe, and he couldn't leave them alone. After all, picking fresh fruits is apart of his job. He went up, grabbed a fruit, and tried again. Grell pulled and pulled, Bardroy and Mey-Rin taking a few steps back this time in case Grell stumbled again. Grell took one more pull, but Grell finally lost his grip, and stumbled back. The hose they were using was right in the way, and Grell stumbled right over it. Mey-Rin lost grip of the hose, and suddenly Grell was soaking wet, and all tangled up in the running hose. Only Grell. "Such humiliation. This is unacceptable! No! I can't go on any longer!!" Suddenly, out of nowhere, Grell was up on a step ladder, and a noose around his neck. Unprompted, and it was enough to get Bardroy and Mey-Rin running over. "Quit trying to die all the time!" Bardroy yelled. "But I have to! It's the only way to restore my honor!" Retorted Grell. It's a wonder how he was alive for this long with this kind of mindset. Bardroy and Mey-Rin tried to get Grell to quit his suicide attempt, but Grell just needed one more step to finish himself off. ... All of a sudden, Grell felt the rope loosening, and quickly being removed from Grell's neck. Standing right there was Korosensei, his outfit now in a typical black and white butler vest with a fancy mustache, the rope in tentacle. ... Wait, what? "WHOA there! Let's not be too hasty, my chap. Really, we can't have a fine butler like you tossing life like trash, am I right or am I right?" "... AAAHHHH!" A typical reaction for this demon king just popping up outta nowhere. They knew guests were coming, but not Korosensei here. Grell completely forgotten his suicide attempt, and jumped back towards Bardroy and Mey-Rin. "W-What the hell?! Who're you?" Bardroy demanded, freaked out. Mey-Rin and Grell hid behind Bardroy as he asked, wondering what this thing was going to do. Korosensei took it in his stride, casually spinning around the rope in his hand. "The name's Korosensei: demon king of the underworld, and high school teacher extraordinaire! I was just flying by when I couldn't help but notice someone playing around with a noose down here," Korosensei summed up, his tentacles unwrapping the noose, and knotting the rope into a butterfly knot, a perfect look of a butterfly in just five seconds, wowing his little crowd. "But, my honor -" "Your honor and dignity can easily handle a simple misstep. You can't continue the game if you quit after a simple challenge like this. One must rise up to the task at hand. Try and try again," Korosensei explained, using his spare time to pluck all the Oran berries off the tree! Not even a leaf fell from his plucks, and Korosensei had a full basket of fresh, delicious Oran berries ready to go. Grell's eyes starred up in awe as Korosensei placed the basket in his hands, and gave him a little pat on the head. "How'd you do that?" Mey-Rin asked. "Just a twist in the wrist. Oran berries always have strong stems on them," Korosensei replied, starting to walk away as he gently plucked a flower from the garden with delicate ease. That wasn't exactly what Mey-Rin meant, and Korosensei knew it too. For the demon king, he had other stops to make, and looking at the manor, he knew exactly where to go. He hadn't seen his student in a while now, and he might as well check on them. ~~ Not too far away from the manor, Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, Pinkie, Aladdin and Blair were, once again, nearing the manor. In this situation, Nagisa had told them all what was really going on, and how he told Ciel about his demon sense, but what they really got on edge over was the fact Sebastian was a demon of all things. While they were curious the first time around, here they knew what they were more in for, and their nerves are more on alert during their walk. They didn't consider Sebastian a straight up enemy because of this. After all, he did save them from becoming target practice for some guards during their Ciel rescue, so Sebastian had that going for them. They still had their formal get up this time, with the exception of Blair, who decided to just chill as her normal cat self, her witch hat proudly on her head. "Who'd of guessed our host would have a demon for a butler. I have to ask how he managed when we get there," Karma commented during their stride. "I don't know. Demons won't just give up their freedom without some sort of catch. Then again, Sebastian seems happy working for mr.Phantomhive," Aladdin noted, looking back to Karma and Nagisa. "Don't demons usually ask for souls or something?" asked Nagisa. The magi scratched his head as they walked along, turning and walking backwards for a bit. Not like they were in too much of a hurry anyway. "I think they do. They usually do. ... Maybe. ... I only got the basics on demons before leaving the overworld," Aladdin admitted. Who could blame an angel for not knowing too much about demons. "What's it like up in the Overworld? Is it full of fluffy clouds and angels?" Pinkie asked. "Actually it is, yeah. It's very nice up there: clear skies for flying, lots of sunshine most of the time, cool air. We have land up there, but it's either built or just magically floating. Sometimes I wonder how come you humans never saw our world time and again by how big some of these places are," Aladdin explained, his memory flowing with the images of the Overworld. Aladdin swung himself forward again, but they were wondering more about this Overworld place. "Sounds like a neat place to live," Nagisa said. "It is, if you can fly. Humans won't do very well up there since they don't have wings or something. You need to fly to get around easier," Aladdin cleared up, even floating around in mid air for a bit to get the point across. It only made sense in a world where it's mainly skies and clouds. For Nagisa and Twilight, it did sound familiar to the dreamscape they had in their future sight dream. A world where land is barely around would match what Aladdin was talking about. The two took a moment to look up to the clouds far above them, just imagining this world Aladdin was describing. They could only wonder what other angels roam around in Aladdin's world. Pinkie joined in on the sight seeing, and as they were looking up, a flock of ducks flew by them. "You think those duckies visit your world?" Pinkie asked. "Oh sure, lots of birds visit there no problem. We even got our own flocks of birds not found in your world." "Really?! That's so cool!" "They are pretty. Then again, your birds are pretty neat too," Aladdin complimented, looking to the ducks as they flew off out of sight to the next pond. The group wondered what kind of world Aladdin truly lived in for the rest of their walk. As they kept going, this chit chat actually had time a bit quicker, and they found that the manor wasn't too far away at all. The talk about the Overworld must've cut time short. It wasn't too much to complain about, and they didn't waste more time to get right to the property grounds. Unlike before, Ciel and Sebastian had actually took the time to wait outside for their returning guests to show up, which was a surprise to see for the group. "Hey, Ciel! How's things since our little rescue?" Karma asked. "Better than most," Ciel simply responded. However, as they began to head closer, Ciel felt a very small irritation hit his nose. At first it wasn't too bad, but when Ciel and Sebastian saw little cat Blair sitting at Karma's feet, Ciel understood why. He started to feel more irritated as they walked closer, and Ciel wasn't having any more of it. "What is that doing here?" Ciel asked, pointing to Blair. "Our pet. Blair wanted us to watch her for her, so -" "K-Keep that away from me," Ciel demanded, the irritation bothering Ciel so much that he started to have a sneezing seizure. Ciel tried to keep himself under control with his sneezing, slightly slowing down after three sneezes in a row. Looked like someone had a bit of allergies to be handled. Blair was not amused by any of this at all,and none of them knew he had these allergies beforehand. "Kind of hard to do, earl." "I don't care how you do it, get rid of it!" Ciel ordered. "What, no! Here, we'll keep her outside," Karma decided, much to Blair's dismay and Ciel's relief. This wasn't what they were expecting of the earl, but it wasn't going to be for too long. Ciel relaxed after hearing that. "Fair enough. Come along, Sebastian," Ciel said, turning to his butler. When he saw him though, Sebastian wasn't really paying attention to him. Instead, his attention was on Blair, gently kneeling to the confused cat. His eyes marveled at the little kitty cat. "Those round eyes, so full of wonder. Oh my, your fur is so smooth, simply lovely. Such perfect creatures." Blair stayed quiet, this butler stroking her fur with such admiration. Ciel felt a little embarrassed about Sebastian's reaction, but Ciel knew that this only meant he had to bring the cat in, at least for a while. "Sebastian," Ciel groaned. Sebastian glanced back to his lord, Blair feeling more than admired by this butler. This hot man admiring her as a cat? What a first that is. "Anyway. I had reason to believe that you know all about Sebastian by now, right?" Ciel asked. All the others did was nod. "Good. Now, if you please follow me, you can discuss with me on whatever else you may be aware of," Ciel instructed. "Wait, what? You sure mr.Phantomhive?" Aladdin gasped. "I wouldn't have invited you to lunch if not," Ciel replied as he walked back into the manor. Well, the fact that Ciel had a demon for a butler was enough to not be as secretive with him, but Nagisa began to feel unsettled again. His demon sense may be active, but at least his anxiety didn't overload himself as before. Still, the demon senses were enough to keep him alert. "OH, can I cook up something for ya?!" Pinkie suddenly asked. A bit unprompted, surely. "Bardroy has that covered for today's lunch," Ciel said casually. However, Pinkie was pretty determined to do that. Ciel glanced back, and suddenly Pinkie was giving Ciel Phantomhive the puppy dog eyes. Needless to say, it was a strong move even to Ciel. The young lord froze up on the cutesy look in Pinkie's eyes. ... "... Oh, if you insist." And with that, Pinkie rocketed off to the kitchen (wherever that was in the manor). Ciel needed a minute to regain himself, when Nagisa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just a taste on what we deal with," Nagisa simply said. ~~ After a little while, it was right to the guest room for Nagisa and company. Ciel's guest room was about as fancy as the rest of the house and its many accessories. This room was a bit cozy, and plenty of room for them all to find a good seat. The room here consisted of double couches, a head couch for Ciel himself, and a coffee table in the middle, all furniture on top of a lovely blue carpet. Of course, Ciel Phantomhive took his seat at the master chair, and the rest sat side by side with eachother on the other two couches. Sebastian, Pinkie, and Blair weren't present at the moment, but Tanaka did stand aside with a tea cup in hand over near the door. Ciel had calmed down from his sneeze fit, though he had to clean up just a little bit before they got there. "Now we got that taken care of, we can get back to our discussion," Ciel said, no longer having any issues with his nose over any cats near him. Sebastian kept that problem well away. "Some discussion. So, you wanna know more about us?" Karma asked, reclining in his seat. Ciel simply nodded for his answer. The others took a moment to look to one another, and eventually they silently agreed. "K, earl, we'll tell ya. But this is between us and ONLY us, alright?" Karma cleared up, saying exactly what everyone else wanted to. Ciel took a moment to consider before turning to Tanaka. "Tanaka. Wait outside. Don't attempt to listen in," Ciel instructed. "As you wish, my young lord," Tanaka simply replied, before stepping outside of the room. As soon as Tanaka was out of earshot, Ciel waited for what the others had to say. With Tanaka out, they had the only person who they can safely talk this out about. They all waited a minute or two to be sure before they started their talk. Nagisa began first, and he started his own talk by pulling out his halo blade to show Ciel, the earl examining it with his own eye. Even if Ciel saw it earlier, he got a better look in the day light rather than at night. Ciel was even given the halo blade to look it over, feeling how rubbery and bendable it actually was. "So. This is what you fight demons with?" Ciel questioned. "Yeah, I do. I know it's not much," Nagisa admitted, as Ciel bent the tip of the blade, just to have it spring back straight again. And here Ciel thought earlier that Nagisa had an actual weapon for use rather than such a weak rubbery toy. "And how can this kid's toy actually harm a demon? It would annoy it at best," Ciel commented, even trying to test it by 'stabbing' his knee, only for the blade to bend up like a noodle with each jab. Kind of hard to believe that this could harm anything or anyone. "It's a blessed weapon, mr.Phantomhive. It won't be able to harm you, though maybe you might want to keep it from Sebastian," Aladdin explained, as Ciel placed the halo blade down on the table. "Blessed, you say? ... So you all are blessed in some way." "Eh, I wouldn't say that. You really see me as an angel?" Karma asked, pointing to himself. Ciel just looked to the older kid to see the point Karma tried to make. Just the expression on Karma alone was enough to convince Ciel otherwise, though why would he and Sebastian sense their holy power if Karma didn't apparently have any? "No. But I would assume there are angels amongst you?" Ciel suspected, looking over the crowd. Aside from Karma, the others in this group are some pretty likely candidates, but eventually Aladdin ended up raising his hand. He didn't know how much Nagisa legitimately told Ciel, but it's enough to just show to the kid. Ciel leaned in, now more interested, though they began to feel uneasy again by the look on Ciel's face, which was a sort of 'impish' intrigue. "You're the angel from heaven, then." "Well. ... Sorta. I'm a magi." "Magis aren't real angels?" Asked Twilight. "Not exactly: true angels have those bird wings on them. You know, to help them get around? Magis are more like holy mages of the Overworld," Aladdin cleared. That was when Ciel got doubtful again. "Didn't see you use any magic during that rescue," Ciel noted. Aladdin clammed up. "I-It slipped my mind," Aladdin admitted. Slipped his mind? He may appear to be a young kid, but kinda hard to forget your own magic in a crisis. This talk about the rescue did remind at least one of them about something. "Oh, right. Hey, earl, think you're more involved with our business than you think," Karma suddenly cut in. "What're you talking about?" "You're kidnapper's a shape shifting demon, that's what. Same demon that tried killing me back home," Karma said. There was a long pause. ... "... That's a bit blunt," Nagisa commented. "WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!" Twilight gasped. "Back in Tokyo. You know that Ouroboros symbol you kept seeing, Yugure? This demon's got that symbol on him. And also, that sneaky bitch has a knack of disguising himself. And I admit, he's damn good at it. Got Nagisa's womanly features very well." Cue the unamused look on Nagisa. "Very funny," Nagisa groaned. "Well anyway, looks like he's following us around. Why else would he pop up in London with us?" Karma brought up. However, Ciel wasn't too convinced. "Unlikely. I've heard of that man who captured me, and he's not a demon," Ciel said. "Does he leaves bloody Ouroboros symbols where he goes? Because he left a pretty big one on your desk," Karma pointed out. Karma always knew what points to bring up at what time. "... Well, I do have a theory. But there is one way to find out." Before Ciel could exactly say what that is, the door suddenly opened up to show Mey-Rin standing there, cutting the conversation short. She didn't open the door too much, but enough so she can lean in. "Pardon my intrusion, master, but -" "TA-DA! YOUR GOODIES READY TO GO!" Came a loud voice as the door swung open, freaking out Mey-Rin. Pinkie Pie had finished up her own cooking as promise, holding dishes of desserts of her own design, balanced nicely like a presentation in one hand. It wasn't lunch exactly, but the sight of the desserts was surely a colorful sight at least. Pinkie simply went all out on baking, as she presented her delicacies to everyone there. In a quick run around, Pinkie Pie got all of the desserts past about, which included an assortment of cakes, a plate of jello, some glasses of sweet tea, and even a smoothie for whoever wants it. They all basically didn't know what to say, including Ciel. This was a bit over-the-top, but that stuff sure looked good. "Uh ... Isn't this a little much?" Nagisa asked. "No, why?" Pinkie asked, slightly confused. After a bit, Bardroy then showed up, looking a bit tired and his head covered in flour. Whatever was done in that kitchen obviously left its mark on the cook. "You alright, Bardroy?" Mey-Rin asked. "Remind me to not work in the same kitchen as her," Bardroy simply said, as Pinkie sat over by Ciel, as the young earl took in what he was seeing spread out on the coffee table. Pinkie already had the others try her cooking at least once, and now she wanted an opinion from the young earl himself. "Where'd she even get all this from?" Thought Ciel. It took the earl a little bit, a little uncomfortable by Pinkie's attention, but he eventually got a slice of one of the cakes to eat. It wasn't exactly lunch, but he was going to go off anyway, so this could work out after all. Soon, Ciel got himself a bite, and had a taste. ... "... Wha? My god! This ... This is ... AMAZING!~" Ciel thought. Never before had he had a dessert that had this powerful of a taste, a power mix of strawberry filling, sugar, and frosting. Ciel's eyes shot open wide, letting the taste sink into his mouth. Pinkie grew a big smile, but when Ciel saw her, he swallowed and tried to regain himself. "Yes, well, uh ... fair job, ms. Pie," Ciel said, trying to keep more dignified. "I KNEW YOU'D LOVE IT!" Pinkie beamed. She knew a happy customer when she saw it, even if they didn't show it as much as others would. "That's our Pinkie," Twilight thought. ~~ After that was over, it was out of the manor, and over into town. The afternoon business had just gone about, and people were going about their day around them. They didn't all go off though: Ciel, Aladdin, Nagisa, and Sebastian went into town as the rest waited back at the manor for word. Probably better than just bringing the whole crowd to just go through London with. Nagisa still felt a little unsure with Sebastian, but he kept a lot better composure than before as they walked through town. "So, where're we going?" Nagisa asked. "Well, if what your friend says is true, then it could be possible that this doppelgänger wouldn't want the same person to be running around," Ciel hypothesized. "So he would've had him killed in order to keep the lie going," Sebastian figured. "Correct. If that's the case, there's only one person I know that would know exactly who we're truly dealing with." And not a moment too soon, before Nagisa and Aladdin knew it, there they were. This place was in the more secluded area of London, not too many people around the place. As for the place in particular, it was what appeared to be a run down building, and the large sign for advertisement was easily enough to signify the place. A large sign above the door, purple, with yellow lettering for all to see. Undertaker. "Undertaker?" Aladdin wondered, slightly humbled. "I believe that's a person in charge of funerals. Coffins, graves, and matters of a sort," Sebastian said. "I-I know what an Undertaker is," Aladdin cleared. "Then let's not waste any time," Ciel decided. Didn't take much longer until they went on inside. The whole place just gave off a disturbing, uncomfortable vibe. Light was barely any apart from a few candles around and the little lamp by the front desk. The room wasn't too big either, and not a single window with no natural light aside from the door. Empty coffins laid over by the right wall, as if on display for sale or apart of some Halloween decoration. A bookshelf was right behind the desk, though hard to see how much by what they could be able to see. When the door closed behind them, they knew they were in the belly of this beast, whatever it was. For Nagisa, demon sense or not, this place gave him AND Aladdin chills as they saw just how much of the undertaking business was around them. Ciel and Sebastian were fine with it all to be sure. ... "AH.~ The young earl has come back to me, has he?~" Nagisa and Aladdin stayed close, trying to find the source of the voice. The voice sounded raspy, old, almost like that of a witch. Considering where they were, that might not be too surprising to see. That didn't mean it made them feel any better, and there was more to come: one of the coffins slowly started to slide open! Like a vampire, a figure began to reveal himself from inside the coffin, his body draped in black and grey clothing, and yellow eyes peeking out. "Is it time to fit you for one of my coffins today?" The man asked. Nagisa and Aladdin were lucky to remember to even breathe, nevermind speak, upon seeing this freak step out of the coffin. Now in the light, the others got a good look at this Undertaker. He had very long, grey hair that went down his back and over his eyes somewhat, and his face showed a large, sewed up scar going across his face. His robe was predominantly black; additionally, his attire included an incredibly long top hat, and a gray scarf strapped across his chest knotted by the hips. He had on a band of prayer beads around his neck, and he wore a chain with six mourning lockets around his hip. The attire seemed typical for a Victorian England Funeral mute, but that didn't make the situation any better. "No it's not. I'm here because -" "Oh, I already know why you and your friends are here, young earl. Yes, I know about the man who captured you. I helped make him handsome again," the Undertaker replied, his black fingernails gently grazing his cheeks as he said that, apparently happy of his work. "Then you know about who killed him?" Presumed Ciel. The Undertaker gave a cheeky giggle. "Indeed, but we both know of my little fee," the Undertaker apparently reminded. Fee? What fee? "Uh, fee? I-I don't think we have much money. You take yen here?" Asked Nagisa. Suddenly the Undertaker zoomed right up to him, his hand gently caressing his face, now Nagisa noticing his emerald ring on his index finger. Nagisa froze up, but the strangest thing was that his demon sense isn't acting up as much as it should in front of this guy. "I have no need for the queen's coins or the president's yen pieces. Oh no, my fee is worth a little more effort than that.~" Undertaker replied. Nagisa couldn't even guess as what fee he really was talking about. Undertaker gently backed up, and straightened himself. "All I ask is the wonderful life joy of laughter! One good joke, and all the information is yours!" "A joke?!" Nagisa and Aladdin gasped. Was this freak really asking them for a laugh as a fee? "Where's Pinkie when you need her?" Aladdin thought. Pinkie would get him laughing to the Overworld and back if she had come along instead of staying at the manor. But, she wasn't, so they had to make do with what they had. Unfortunately, comedy wasn't something Nagisa was good with, so how can he pay a fee like this. "Ok, one joke to get him to laugh. Come on, think. What jokes can work for someone like this? ... OH!" Nagisa thought, clearing his throat. "Ok, here it goes. Why did the chicken cross the road to France? ... Because it wasn't Turkey!" Nothing. "... You see, the chicken, it's not a Turkey. Or a Turk. It's a chicken - a French hen!" ... still nothing. "Here, let me try," Aladdin insisted. "Knock yourself out." Aladdin cleared his throat for his shot, pulling out a yen coin to aid him. "K, why can't anyone understand pennies? ... Because we can't make heads or tails of them! HAHAHA! Get it? Heads? ... Tails ... on a. Coin? ..." Well, that didn't work. The Undertaker, despite his smile, didn't crack once. Undertaker then turned to Ciel. "So that only leaves you. I gave you a discount last time, but I'm not doing it again," Undertaker made clear, only frustrating the earl a bit. However, one butler was willing to try his luck against the Undertaker and his fee. "I'll take it from here, master. Nagisa, Aladdin, master, please stand outside. No matter what happens, do not attempt to listen." And so they went outside. .... "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAhahahaaaaa...!" Well, that worked out. The laugh was so strong it even knocked his sign down! (Comic relief logic maybe? Who knows.) Aladdin and Nagisa didn't have a clue how he did so, but soon Sebastian went on outside. Looking behind him showed the Undertaker laying on his desk, winded from the laughing, giggling a little bit. Whatever Sebastian did it was surely effective. "You can come back in now," Sebastian said, "I'm sure he'll be willing to tell us everything we need to know." Ciel, Aladdin, and Nagisa soon were back inside the building, the Undertaker just finishing up his own brand of laughter. A deal was a deal, and the Undertaker had just the information they need to hear. "Now, who killed him?" Ciel asked again. "Not a matter of who, but what," corrected Undertaker, as he turned and went to one of his books. Didn't take much more time until he placed the book down in front of him, and started skimming through the pages until he stopped on one in particular, this one having a record on reported sightings and murders, all listed down a ways. "Is that a demon, Undertaker?" Nagisa asked. "Not quite. The correct term is a Homunculus: an artificial human being created from a Philosopher Stone. Not exactly a demon, but from the Underworld all the same. Been a while since I got a coffin for one of their victims," Undertaker explained, a giggle at the end of it. They all took a bit to look at the page, which not only included a picture of the Philosopher Stone, but the Ouroboros as well. The Ouroboros was enough to confirm not just the murderer of Ciel's captor, but what captured Ciel in the first place. Nagisa took a good look at that Philosopher Stone, and his memory suddenly hit a Deja Vu moment. This stone was in that vision! "You know exactly who kidnapped Ciel, Undertaker?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, how could I forget such a beautifully devilish face like her?~ She didn't tell me of course, but she was persuasive enough to have me work a coffin for her. An Ouroboros right on her chest told me she was pure Homunculus, that's for sure.~ And she also had a little partner with her. He looked VERY eager." "I see. ... Now, may I ask -" "Ah ah AH, one subject for each visit. Unless you want to try and pay my fee for a second time," the Undertaker snickered. Ciel was not up for that. "Well, in that case, I believe we have enough information for us. Thank you, Undertaker. Come on, let's go," Ciel decided. With some identity on what sort of creatures they had dealing with, that was plenty good for them both to try and work things out. "I'll always be here when you're ready for your coffin, my young earl.~" With that final remark, the group left the Undertaker in his office, much to Nagisa and Aladdin's relief. They didn't have exact names, but this still can help them out in the long run. Both human and magi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank god that's over," Nagisa sighed. "He may be out of sorts, but a reliable source all the same," Ciel said, as they began to head back. ~~ "Damn, did I call it or what?" Karma commented. It took a bit, but the others eventually got back to the manor in a fair amount of time, and Nagisa and Aladdin didn't waste any time in getting the Undertaker's information to the rest of the group. They all got themselves over in the guest room again, with Blair chilling out like a princess on Sebastian's lap, being stroked time and again. Ciel was glad they were the furthest away from him in the seating arrangement. "So the thing that captured you was a Homunculus? Sounds scary," Pinkie commented. "And if it disguised himself as that mob boss, that would explain why he had so many guards so easily," Twilight added. "Indeed. The least we can say is that he won't have to use the same one again," Ciel concluded. It would be completely stupid on the Homunculus's part to repeat a disguise after the target knows the disguise is dead. And even so, no backup to gain from the disguise. Still, Nagisa wanted to tell Twilight and the others about the stone, so he got Twilight's attention first. "Yugure? Do you still have our list?" Nagisa asked. The question quickly got another obvious one to spring up. "You saw another one?" "While we were out. That Undertaker showed me that picture, that Philosopher Stone, that's it!" "What're you two going on about?" Ciel cut in, just catching their talking. Before they answered, Twilight slipped out the list she had, and opened it up. "It's rather confusing. Nagisa and I had this ... Vision. And we both made this list on what we saw, and Nagisa apparently saw another one," Twilight explained as she showed the list to Ciel, locating and pointing to the Philosopher Stone written on the list in question. "You both saw the future?" Ciel questioned. "Well they've been right so far," replied Twilight. "Yes, they've been very accurate lately haven't they? I say you should look into these more deeply." ....... Who said that? The voice was not what any of them knew. One look up by both Twilight and Ciel had them seeing who else showed up to this manor, yellow skin, big smile and all. "Hey kiddo." "AAHH!" The sight caught everyone by surprise, some jumping back while others just stared in surprise. Ciel was probably caught off guard the most, considering this uninvited guest was inside his manor: Korosensei! This cheeky octopus demon king had been waiting all day for them to show up, and now he finally can reveal himself, with a cup o tea in tentacle. "HEY, teach! Long time no see. So what's up?" Karma said. "Just checking out the neighborhood. See you're all doing fancy over here in the UK, good on you," Korosensei complimented. Ciel finally got himself together. "What in bloody hell is this thing doing in my manor?! Sebastian!!" Ciel ordered. Sebastian looked over to Korosensei, gently placing Blair down on the couch before getting up, adjusting his gloves. "I'll take care of it, my lord," Sebastian simply said. Korosensei wasn't so easily spooked, though he did know a fellow demon when he saw one. Sebastian tried to at least grab him, but Korosensei and his Mach-20 speed raced circles around him. Once he was finished, he remained unscathed, and once more, he made a outfit change into his regular teacher outfit, and even left a rose for each and every one of the people in the room. Korosensei couldn't help but chuckle. "A little too slow to catch this demon king," Korosensei boasted, his head green-striped again. "Demon king?" Sebastian questioned. "Correcto! Korosensei: fastest demon king this side of the Underworld! OH, by the way." Korosensei took a quick moment to pull out a wrapped gift from his outfit, and dropped it off to Karma. In a whip of his tentacle, the wrapping was torn away, revealing the miracle sword for all to observe, as it landed on Karma's lap. "Karma, you should really start keeping track of your belongings. A swordsman without a sword is a big no-no," Korosensei said, a purple X popping up on his face. "You gonna blame me over the security at the airport? Blame the staff for disarming me," Karma noted, raising the sword up good and high. The sword was indeed impressive to the group around him. "Can you explain to me WHY this thing's still in my manor?" Ciel questioned sternly. "Hey, he's alright. He's my teacher back in Tokyo," Karma revealed. "Your teacher?" "One hell of a teacher," Karma replied. "OH, so my little lessons got to you after all? It oughta be, you did lead your gang to save this child's freedom. Congratulations," Korosensei said, his purple X turning into a orange O for the right answer. Karma smiled, but that did cross something on one of their minds. ... "So you know about my master's capture. ... And why didn't you help?" The octopus went quiet, whistling a little bit. ... Obvious. On reaction, Sebastian went for a slap, but Korosensei dodged him again. However, this dodge wasn't as calculated as before, and the cup of tea couldn't keep up with him. Soon, Twilight ended up wet with tea on her head, and an empty cup on her lap. "WHAAA! Sorry, sorry, sorry," Korosensei whelped, down on the ground in a grovel. He really didn't mean to get Twilight messed up, but Twilight just sighed and got to her feet. No point in griping over spilt tea. "I'll just go clean up," Twilight sighed, and she placed the cup down gently on the table before beginning to go off. ~~ Well, this was embarrassing. Oh well, nothing a quick wash up couldn't fix. Twilight managed to find the Phantomhive restroom, and soon she was cleaning up the tea off her hair. The bathroom, despite the rest of the manor, wasn't entirely too impressive: a sink with counter top, decent-sized bath, large mirror, medicine cabinet next to the sink, and a window by the bath. The room itself wasn't as big as the others would, but not completely cramped either. Washing the tea out of her hair was fairly easy for her, using the bath's showerhead for a quick rinse off (she didn't even need to undress), and soon her hair was cleaned right up. "There, that should be enough," Twilight figured, as she went on to get one of the towels. She started to get herself dried off, though it did take a little bit with her long hair. ... *click* Twilight paused for the moment on the clicking noise, finishing up drying. However, she didn't really see much of anything that would make the random sort of noise when she turned around. The only thing was the slightly cracked window, but that was about it far as she could see. So, casually, she went over to close the window. Seemed simple enough, and it was handled fairly quickly. ... Too simple, as it turned out. Twilight took a step back, but when she did, she felt something sharp touch the back of her head. Her whole body froze, and she stood completely still, the object remaining where it was behind her head, just above her neck. She had no weapon to fight back, her friends were farther away, and she would get stabbed if she'd try to do anything anyway. In her position, she couldn't really see who was behind her, but the mirror next to her gave her just enough vision to get her to see her little guest. "See you're on form, my dear," a sly voice said to her. That voice was not familiar to this girl, and she wasn't sure exactly who or what it was. "A-Another demon?" "A demon hound, indeed. I'm Hellgar," the hound introduced. Gently, Twilight was slowly moved around, and soon she was face to face with Hellgar. The demon hound sat up straight, and his pointed tail was what's aimed at her neck, and keeping her from messing around with him. "So. Now we know eachother." "... What do you want?" Twilight asked meekly, trying to be careful with what she said. One small slip and she'll be skewered on the spot. "We'll get to that. ... You know, I don't like that little massacre you and your friends did to my pack back in Tokyo," Hellgar reminded. "That was your pack?" "Oh yes. Lucky they were there to save you eh?" Hellgar asked, leaning in closer to Twilight. The girl started to pluck up courage. "Yes they did, and they can do it again - ACK!" The tail suddenly wrapped around Twilight's mouth like a choker! Twilight was cut off of breathing, and was silenced immediately. "Don't give me that," Hellgar warned, tightening his grip on Twilight. "S-Shtawp! Shtawp!" Twilight gagged from the band, freaking out from the strength in this demon hound's tail, constricting her like a boa. The demon hound loosened afterwards, seeing just how scared Twilight was getting to losing her head. "Alright. ... On one condition." Twilight couldn't do anything else but agree. Hellgar moved his tail away, and looked Twilight right in the eyes. The demon hound licked his muzzle as a hint of smoke emitted from within his deep maw. "I want you to be my spy in the Phantomhive manor. Him, and your little group. For now on. I want to know every move they make. Got it?" The words Hellgar hissed seeped out like smoke, a hint of ash filling the air. Just the look in Hellgar's eyes made her feel intimidated. Considering Hellgar almost killed just a few seconds ago, Twilight knew that this demon hound was in no mood to just mess around with her. All she did was nod. "good. Well then. Til next time. Yugure." Hellgar slipped by her towards the window, but not before his tail gave a warning slice to Twilight! It was dangerously close to her, and a few strands of hair quietly fell to the floor. Once that was done, Hellgar made his exit, and disappeared. Twilight didn't have any courage to budge, and her weak knees gave way and got her down to the floor. Now what is she supposed to do?
S02Ep5: Tour Guide ~ツアーガイド~"What am I supposed to do?" Night time. And that question echoed in Twilight's head after they got back to their hotel. It almost seemed that Nagisa and Twilight had switch places when it came to the worrying game. The others were fast asleep, the new moon outside keeping it nice and dark to help them with that, but Twilight had too much on her mind to even start. She could still feel where Hellgar nearly sliced her head open as if it just happened moments ago. The feel of his tail aimed at the back of her head, the sight of Hellgar's gaze, it all haunted her. The worst part: she still was stuck as Hellgar's spy on top of it all. Being a spy to anyone was a risky business, but a spy to a demon was a life gamble as it is. Twilight stayed wide awake, quiet as a mouse as she simply stared off outside the window, the only thing she mainly was looking at being the stars above. She was lucky to even feel tired, nevermind to sleep, and her eyes just looked around to her friends who were fast asleep. for now on. I want to know every move they make. "... I can't. I just can't. ..." Twilight thought. It took a bit of maneuvering, and trying to keep quiet, but eventually she got a few objects and went into the restroom. It was the only place at the time where she could be in that wouldn't seem out of the normal. Room was limited, but it was enough for Twilight to get her bearings together. The object she brought in only consisted of three things: a pencil, a piece of paper, and her book of alchemy. It seemed clear what she had in mind next. ... After it was handled, Twilight, ever so quietly, got herself dressed in her normal clothes, and only just managed to slip away out of the room, the rest of the group not waking up in the slightest. Just as Twilight would want it. After Twilight got herself far enough away from the room, she went right off walking on her way, straight out of the hotel she was in. Stepping outside left her in London's dark town, the only main light aside from the stars were the occasional street light. In the room, the only thing that she left behind was the paper, which was left by Aladdin. The least when they wake up they won't miss the message she had left behind for them. 'You're probably wondering where I went. Don't worry; I only went out to handle some more alchemy training. The last rescue we did, I barely did anything to help. Next time we come across any demon or danger in general I want to be ready. I'll try to be back soon. Yugure Kagayaki' ....... The next morning, again as Twilight might've hoped, the whole group were quick to find that letter left behind for them, Aladdin holding it in his hands. "Alchemy training. Well, okay, looks like she's sprucing up," Aladdin concluded. "Seems a bit early though," Nagisa noted. He knew Twilight, and it seemed fifty fifty to him. Karma though had a different idea about it. "Sounds like red herring to me," Karma noted. "Red herring? ... Is that another human term, or ..." "That means a trick, basically. Let's go see what Yugure's really up to," Karma concluded, beginning to head to the door. "Karma wait a minute. Why would Yugure lie to us? Look, it says she won't be too long, let's just wait until she gets back," Aladdin figured. Twilight really wasn't one to lie to them, Aladdin was right about that. Even if she would leave so soon, there was nothing anywhere to indicate anything for them. That, and it would save a day search for their friend if it really was nothing. "Eh, alright, sure," Karma decided. "Great! Because we got a date with London market!" Pinkie revealed. Well, the idea seemed clear on what's gonna be going on today for some of them. As they got ready for that, Nagisa couldn't help but look at the letter again. Twilight wouldn't lie to them, would she? And if so, why? "... Well, we'll see when she gets back," Nagisa thought. ~~ Off on the walk again. With the day young and fairly decent apart from a few stray clouds, the group went on out for the day, doing their own things. Pinkie, and Aladdin (Aladdin in disguise again), were both out and basically checking out London again as other locals went around on their way. It did feel a little awkward without Twilight there, but that was just a minor issue all and all. In their walk around, Pinkie took the lead in where they were going, a joyful skip in her step through the London sidewalks and streets. Pinkie had a sort of brochure for the tourist hot spots around town, which included such places like the Victorian tower - somewhere Pinkie was psyched on getting to today. "Come on, slow poke! Big Ben's bout to ring, I wanna be right there when it does!" Pinkie encouraged, trying to keep Aladdin moving. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Aladdin said, trying to keep up with her. Pinkie giggled again, and moved on again when Aladdin caught up. If one were to see these two as they went towards the clock tower, it looked like a good (if not childish) relationship between brother and sister. As Pinkie and Aladdin went through, they were about in sight of the Victorian tower when they both started to slow down. The sight of the tall brick tower was all they needed, and just in time according to the time on the giant clock. Pinkie may seem a little too excited, but they weren't complaining about that. What did get Aladdin in a different mood though was when he looked off away from the tower and to some of the locals. They looked regular enough, but one of them, a younger kid with a Victorian top hat, did remind Aladdin of one other kid he got to know back at the Phantomhive manor. The magi thought it over, but barely got much time before Pinkie saw his thinking face. "Your mind working again?" "Yeah. I've been thinking lately, about Mr.Phantomhive. You know, he seems so down all the time, and -" Aladdin was cut off when Pinkie got her finger over his mouth, suddenly looking a lot more serious than normal, her gaze lowered in a dramatically stern appearance. Apparently she needed to hear no more. Aladdin shivered. "You know what this means don't you?" Pinkie asked, hushed. "... No?" "That's right. ..." ... OK then. Aladdin stayed blank-faced, about as blank as his mind was when it came to Pinkie Pie. "... PLAY DATE FOR CIEL!" Pinkie decided, a lot more cheerful this time. Aladdin needed a minute, but Pinkie was too quick for that, and soon she bolted off, dragging Aladdin behind her. Here we go again, and Aladdin and Pinkie knew exactly where to go. ....... "Pardon, Ms.Pie?" Questioned Ciel. "Yeah! A play date! Just you, me, and Aladdin, come on what do ya say?" Pinkie said, much enthusiasm in her voice as she and Aladdin stood at Ciel's front door. However, Ciel wasn't exactly too enthused by the idea. He was the master of the Phantomhive household, he didn't need to be involved in such childish games. "I'd rather not. Do I look like that kind of kid to you?" Ciel questioned. "YES. YES YOU DO," Pinkie and Aladdin said, bluntly. Ciel cringed up from that, but he quickly recovered. "Come on, Mr.Phantomhive, it'll be fun. Please?" Aladdin asked. "I said no." And cue the door shut. Both he and Pinkie waited with smiles and anticipation for a minute or two, but the door did not open up. Eventually, their smiles ended up going away as they realized that Ciel wasn't going to come back outside for them. Both of them glanced to eachother, and Aladdin was just going to go, but Pinkie wasn't ready to just give up. The pink girl got her thinking cap on, and soon a cheeky grin showed up on her face again. It may or may not work for Ciel, but it was worth a try anyway. "Okie dokie lokie. And I was going to plan a little picnic with plenty of sweets too." ... The door opened up again, Ciel standing there once more. "Well, I've been meaning to get some time away from the manor anyway." "YYYES!" ~~ Meanwhile, back in town, Nagisa, Karma, and Blair were also out on the town, enjoying the sight-seeing around the neighborhood of the UK. Blair and Karma both were doing alright with their looking about, as they went through town square. The town square in London was a bit open-spaced despite the crowds of people going about, either heading to their next destination, or just chilling out and enjoying the scenery for the day. The trio decided the latter, and took a seat over at the town square's stoop. It was purely made up of concrete, with a number of stone stairs towards the center. Along the rhim was stone fencing, with plenty of street lights too. The town square also had two large fountains side by side, and right at the center stood a tall pillar. A swordsman stood proudly on the very top, and the pillar was surrounded by lion statues. And passed that, was the staircase stoop leading straight to the town hall. Or at the least a building that resembled such. A nice little stop to be sure, and while it did admittedly feel awkward without Twilight, it was only a minor issue for them. And with Aladdin and Pinkie doing their own thing somewhere else, they had a good moment of chill time. Humanized Blair laid down comfortably next to her roomie, laying down on his lap just a bit. Nagisa and Karma just took the time to stare off into the clouds. "This is more like it, eh guys? Nothing like some chill time away from the action," Karma said. "Ditto," Nagisa simply said. Despite Twilight not being around, he couldn't help but feel completely relaxed for the first time in a while. No troubles, no demon sense shivers, just him with his friends at town square (some of them anyway). As they laid there, Blair took one look to see someone was actually selling some snacks to passerby and tourists. A good idea to try for some small snacks, and he looked fairly young too. Perfect. "And I'll be right back," Blair said, getting up to her feet. Karma and Nagisa only needed to see the man to know what she was going to do, but just sat back to watch the show. After the next customer paid for a bag, Blair was soon right at the cart, immediately showing off her assets to the young man. This didn't work before, but she had the wrong target that time. Seeing this guy's eyes lock up to her boobs meant she had him hooked. "Hello. Nice stand you have here. Mind if I have a look?" Blair asked innocently. The man, just snapping back to reality, changed his focus to her face instead. "Oh, sure, be my guest," the keeper said. Blair knew exactly what she wanted already, but she wanted to go and butter him up first. As she looked around, she made sure her boobs were on display for this man, either making them jiggle or pressing them on the counter. Either way, this man was beat red in the face, just as Blair wanted. Eventually, Blair picked out three bags of chips to go. "I'll be happy to take these. I'm afraid I only have yen pieces," Blair cooed, showing some yen to the man. "You know what, go ahead," the man decided, face red and eyes locked. Blair was more than happy to pay with her yen, and soon she gave him a wink and strolled off on her way, straight back to her friends. Karma could only smirk, and Nagisa a more humbled grin as the triumphant Blair took a seat, passing the snacks to her pals. "And another man falls for my sexual charms," Blair commented, taking a chip out and taking a bite out of it. Now they had a snack to boot for their troubles. "I'm sure he was waiting for those babies to pop out that shirt," Karma joked, though being a guy himself, that would be something that the man would think. "You couldn't help yourself, huh?" Nagisa sighed. "Hey, work with what you got. And I got the goods right here," Blair said, with a wink and a bounce of her boobs. Nagisa quickly turned away before he too would get under Blair's seduction. "Well, at least the others are enjoying themselves. Maybe we'll finally get a vacation out of this yet," Nagisa thought. ... "Howdy do kids." Perhaps he spoke too soon. Nagisa turned around, and sure enough, the trio had another visitor. Right behind them, Korosensei took the time to check them out. As expected, this octopus demon king was in his own disguise, though it was least impressive. The disguise consisted of a toupee, a fake plastic nose, some large gloves for his tentacles, and his outfit consisted of a fancy rich tuxedo, and his signature moon tie. Just enough to pass by as a 'average joe' of London, as far as Korosensei could do. "What's with the stupid get up?" Karma asked. "Stupid? My boy, this is my purely genuine, human disguise. Look at me, I fit right into the crowd," Korosensei insisted. "I don't think fitting in would be the right way to put it," Nagisa admitted. Korosensei slumped on Nagisa's comment. "But I put so much work into it," Korosensei meekly insisted. It really didn't look too much like it as far as they were concern though. Either way, it did seem to do the job, as no one around them stopped to question Korosensei just yet (amazingly enough). It was then that Korosensei looked around the town square, and he started to notice that the group was incomplete. Twilight, Pinkie, and Aladdin aren't anywhere in the square as Korosensei first thought, but Blair was quick to answer the octopus. "Yugure went off to do some alchemy business, and Pink and Aladdin both went to check out a clock tower," Blair summed up. "Oh, Big Ben. Fancy little place, I was just up there this morning. I have to say, you can get a nice view up there," Korosensei said, showing them a picture he took on top of the tower. It was mainly a selfie picture, the cheeky octopus doing a duck face at the camera as the background showed plenty of London. "Nice photo op.," Nagisa said. "Yeah. I even got an picture with the queen," he said, showing another picture. This one though was a bit more cheeky than friendly, the queen in the picture looking a bit surprised along with the guards next to her, as Korosensei gave a signature smile to the camera. "How are you not in jail yet?" Nagisa had to wonder. "By the way, had any of you checked in on Ciel yet? I saw the kid going through town with Pinkie and Aladdin while flying by," Korosensei asked. "Ciel? With Pinkie? What's he doing with her, I wonder," Blair said. "He better not be expecting any peace with her, I'll say that much for him," Karma added. ~~ Farther away, the others in question were out to the more quieter areas of London. In particular, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Ciel, found themselves over in a clear park. Rather small, and not too far from the busier side of London, but it seemed to be a better spot for some fun time. The park itself was fairly small: a few sidewalks going through, small street lamps bordering the park, a lake at the center and scattered trees. Under one of the trees, Ciel Phantomhive was taking some time to quietly observe the lake, a few Swanna resting on the water surface without a care. Next to him was Sebastian, as expected of the master, who simply stood quietly alongside Ciel. With few people in the park to begin with, it would be a rather quiet time if Pinkie and Aladdin weren't playing around nearby. Pinkie had the convenient courtesy of bringing a football over - it was really a soccer ball but just called a football - and they were passing it back and forth with eachother. It didn't bug Ciel too much, but that was until Ciel felt the ball gently hit his knee. "Why don't you come out and play, Ciel?" Aladdin called. "No thank you," Ciel sighed. Sure he was out here, but he didn't have to get all athletic over it. A simple watch over to the waterfowl was just fine with him. Aladdin grabbed the ball again. "You sure you don't want to play one round with us? All you have to do is -" "I know how it works, but I'm not the type to play in some bloody football," Ciel cleared, rather sternly as well. Aladdin and Pinkie wanted him to have a happy time, but Aladdin wasn't seeing it. He went back to playing with Pinkie, but every time they saw Ciel, he just looked more bored than anything. Each pass by eachother, and Ciel paid no mind to any of it. If only there was some way to get him out from under that tree and out onto the field with them. "Incoming!" Pinkie called, kicking the ball good and hard. Aladdin had his head turned at the moment though, and with the ball flying at him, he didn't have time to stop it. The ball beaned him, knocking him back as the ball launched away down the park. The soccer ball bounced about three more times, until someone actually grabbed it before it could hit the ground. "Can I join you?" A voice asked. Pinkie picked Aladdin off of the ground and they both turned to the voice. The person who asked looked like a young boy, about Ciel's age. His hair was short and black, his eyes yellow, and his clothes matching a typical UK kid. The boy even had a cute straw hat to boot too. He wasn't alone, as a older and more voluptuous women stood alongside him as well. The women looked rather classy, a buttoned up violet overcoat with a pearl necklace lining her neck. "Oh, hi! Come right over," Pinkie offered, happy to have another player in their game. However, Aladdin's eyes were locked on the women's boobs, his mouth hanging open in a goofy grin. His fingers curled, wanting to grope this babe's boobies, and even reached for them! ... Then came the slap. "Pervert," the women simply said, leaving a red mark on Aladdin's face. He couldn't even fondle her boobs, or touch them for that matter. The little pervert foiled again. Aladdin quickly shook off the attempt, and while they looked tempting, he left them alone and turned to Pinkie and the other kid. The commotion did catch Ciel and Sebastian's attention, along with the women. "Oh, are they yours?" The women asked Sebastian, referring to Aladdin and Pinkie. "Not presently. They're just acquaintances," Sebastian replied. The kids went out to start, but Pinkie started to count out the people out on the field. That's when it struck her. "CIEL!!" Pinkie screamed, making Ciel jump out of his skin. "Bloody hell! You planning to give me a heart attack?!" Ciel asked, ticked off and a hand over his chest. "No, I'm planning to join you in a team. There's room for one more, and we'll have teams of two-twos!" Pinkie offered. "I told you no! No go and play by yourselves," Ciel groaned, again being very stern with them. "Pleeeeeease?" Pinkie asked again, this time drawing out her dog begging eyes again. Ciel just kept his eyes shut and looking away this time. "Sebastian, go and fiddle in their game so they can shut up," Ciel instructed, turning to Sebastian. Before Sebastian could even comply, the boy was soon up by Ciel. He was giving him any puppy eyes, but he did look very hopeful in having Ciel join in their game. "Just one game? Pretty please?" He asked. Ciel groaned. It seemed they just wouldn't leave him alone. "Fine, fine. Only one game," Ciel finally decided, everyone else happy to hear that as the earl got up. "Wait here, Sebastian." "Yes, my lord," Sebastian replied. And with that, Ciel went out to the field to join the other three. He just knew he was going to regret this. Pretty soon, Ciel, Pinkie, Aladdin and their other friend were ready to go. The teams were set, with Pinkie and the other boy vs. Aladdin and Ciel. It was pretty straight forward really, and soon the women and Sebastian had a moment to themselves over by the tree. With everyone else distracted in their little game of football one way or another, the women took a good look to Sebastian, the butler simply watching his young lord trying his best to play the game. When Ciel said athletics wasn't his thing, he wasn't joking around. Most of the passes either were completely missed or bounced off of him, his head being the common sight for the ball to bounce off of him. In spite of himself, Sebastian couldn't help but smile impishly at his lord's many fails. As they were watching, the women started her advances, and nudged Sebastian. "Your lord seems rather young, isn't he?" She started. "I suppose he is. It is grateful to see him out for a while," Sebastian replied. The women began to lean into Sebastian, the demon butler getting a shiver on this women's approach. "I see. ... Do you ever think of a more ... proper role?" She questioned, referring to his butler position. Not three sentences in and she's asking him about his thoughts on his job. Sebastian began to sense what this smooth talker was going to get to, and the butler looked back to the earl. "I'm perfectly fine with my master, thank you," Sebastian made clear, only for the women to suddenly start feeling him up, her hand feeling his butt. "I mean, this physique. You really should come and work for me. I can make it worth your while.~" "No thanks. A butler is only -" "Not for being a butler, my dear. No, I think I have something much better," the women cooed, her finger slipping into her collar. Sebastian tried to get her to stop. "I'm not looking for a relationship, now of you'd kindly let go of me," Sebastian insisted. "Come on, now.~ We can be honest with eachother. ... Can't we?~" It was then that the women started to pull down on her collar, showing more of her cleavage. Sebastian knew of any sexual assault when he saw one, and he was ready to step aside, but it was then he looked to the women's chest that something intriguing caught his eye. This women may seem like some other women of England, or at most a high class aristocrat of London, but when this women slipped her collar down, it revealed to Sebastian that she wasn't what she seemed to be. It was just visible in the light, Sebastian's keen eyes knowing exactly what it was. ... A blood red Ouroboros symbol! "Homunculus," Sebastian realized. And with the womanly figure, the exact Homunculus Lust was unmistakable. "Hello, demon.~" she cooed, now 'properly' introducing herself. That comment was enough to say that Sebastian didn't need to hide his race, but he wasn't going to stick around. Sebastian was just going to talk, but this Homunculus quickly made it clear to him, bringing her hand behind his head, and something sharp gently pressing against his neck to keep him still. None of the kids really noticed anything going on, the position looking more like the Homunculus was just cuddling up to Sebastian. Forward, sure, but not dangerous. "So, you're aware of what I really am?" Sebastian said, locking eyes with her. "That's right. Just a little talk between us. Now, why do you try and keep yourself down? Does a strong, powerful demon like you disserve to be stooped down to a simple-minded butler for that thing? You can easily finish him at any time, and be on your way," Lust questioned, directing Sebastian's attention towards his young master, just in time to see his young lord eat dirt after tripping, which Aladdin quickly helped up to his feet. The smart demon knew exactly where she was going. "That thing was just kidnapped by you Homunculus." "Me? What're you thinking of? I had no involvement in that," Lust cleared up, slightly more firm that time. "Oh yes?" "Why would I lie? I promised I wouldn't lie to you. Didn't I?~" This time Lust advanced even further, and pushed her breasts into Sebastian's side, the demon butler still calm and collected despite it. Still, Lust was pushing her luck far as Sebastian was concerned. After all, he didn't become a Phantomhive butler for being easily swoon by large baps. Though, she did say she wouldn't lie to him before revealing herself, so, she might have a point there. "I'd be more cautious if I were you," Sebastian warned. "I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm here, hoping you'd come and work with us. We'd love to have you.~" Lust offered. Sebastian brought his hand up to his chin thinking. On one hand, Sebastian would get out of being a butler to the young kid, but on the other hand, his obligations stayed with him. Sebastian looked over to his lord, now getting tired and annoyed with this blasted game of soccer. However, by the looks of it, it seemed the game was starting to end, Ciel winded and his clothes covered in grass stains. Lust gently slid her hand down Sebastian's arm, before beginning to walk away. "Honey. Time to go home," Lust called. The other kid turned to Lust, and after a bit began to head off on their way. "Bye-Bye!" Pinkie said, waving to them as they left. Ciel got up to his feet after that, and inspected the damage done to his outfit. He wasn't hurt too badly, but his clothes were wrecked by his constant fails on the field. "That was pointless," Ciel groaned. "That was awesome! Wasn't it, Ciel?" Pinkie asked. Ciel rolled his eye at that comment, and turned away, starting to walk off towards Sebastian. He didn't want to come out in the first place, and this was just enough for him. "Ciel? What's wrong? Didn't you have any fun?" Aladdin asked. "NO! I'm bloody tired, bruised up, and my clothes are all wrecked! If you wanna go and act like a lunatic, then by all means, but I'm going home! And you can keep your little picnic, as well," Ciel snapped. Pinkie and Aladdin were stunned, and Ciel just started to walk away. "Come on, Sebastian," Ciel sighed. "As you wish, my lord," Sebastian simply replied, starting to walk away with his young master. It was a bit clear though that their plan didn't seem to work. If anything, all they accomplished was getting Ciel covered in grass stains. For Sebastian, he still kept the offer in mind from Lust the whole way home. ... ~~ The day was long, yet exploration around London did make it go by rather fast for each member of the group. And pretty soon, before any of them knew it, the day was up. Nagisa, Karma and Blair were the first to arrive back at the hotel, just starting to head back to their hotel room. For their day, aside from the unexpected stop from Korosensei earlier, it remained uneventful. Not that it bothered them. After all, it was nice to chill out after all the craziness that seemed to be following them around. Still, they were looking forward to seeing how Twilight was coming along in her little endeavor. "Who wants to bet the duo got back first?" Blair asked as they went down the hall towards their hotel room. "Those two're probably still running around London. I still wanna know how Twilight's doing with her alchemy," Nagisa wondered. "I bet you would," Karma smirked. "Karma, we've been friends since we were kids, that doesn't mean love," Nagisa quickly cleared up, before Karma could go any further. The red-haired teen raised both hands in submission as they continued walking. "Hey, hey, I get ya. Still, if she's not back by now, we might need to get a little investigation going," Karma said, changing his tone quick. He still seemed convinced something else was going on besides some all day alchemy training trip. They would've gotten some sort of reminder, or update or something while they were chilling out, but they didn't hear any word of her at all today, nor did they see her at all during their walk around. Either way, the trio soon got to their hotel room door. However, the trio came back to find that Pinkie Pie and Aladdin were already inside. Pinkie Pie, still bummed out from earlier, just sat down on the bed, and staring off into space in deep thought. Aladdin was sitting down with his back to Pinkie's back, also thinking about things. The two had been at this since they got back, and they apparently couldn't come up with anything. One little detail was presented though that they were quick to catch after a few seconds. Twilight Kagayaki was not there. "Hey Pinkie, Aladdin. Good day?" Nagisa asked. "Ciel's a party-pooper," Pinkie said, a little grumpy. Blunt, but ok. "... Can't you be more specific?" "We tried to give him a fun time earlier today. I don't think we did too well though," Aladdin sighed, after thinking it over. Yeah, he had to admit putting Ciel in sports probably wasn't the best idea ever. "What happened?" Suddenly, Pinkie's mood shifted quick as she jumped up to her feet, the lack of support making Aladdin fall back onto the foot of the bed. "Oh it was super duper! We stopped at Big Ben just in time for his daily ring-a-ling after we picked up mr.grumpy Phantomhive to give him a super duper fun time! We went to this fun little park with these beautiful Swanna. Funny thing Swanna, they say you are as graceful as a Swanna, but how can a Swanna be graceful besides their look? They do cute spin dances, but -" "To the point, Pinkie," Blair cut in. "Oops, sorry. Anyway, me and Aladdin invited Ciel to play football (or soccer outside the U K), and mr.grumpy won't do it until two Homunculus came and played with us. Ciel got jacked up, I think, before he went back home." ... What? "... EEHH??!!" They all gasped. Pinkie jumped back on the sudden reaction of the others, though their reaction came from Pinkie's 'Homunculus' comment. "A Homunculus was there?! When?!" Aladdin gasped. "He was playing with us silly! And his girl friend was getting jiggy with Sebastian." "Why didn't you say anything?!" "It'll ruin the surprise. It can't be a surprise if you know about it beforehand, right?" They couldn't believe what they heard, all just black-faced. Still, it was a question for later: Twilight was still not there, and they couldn't ignore that completely. Nagisa looked around the room, and there just wasn't any hint or trace of her. "Questions for later. Anyway, did Yugure come back yet?" Nagisa asked. "Didn't she see you on the way home?" Aladdin asked. "No, we thought she came back with you!" "Well we thought she met up with you!" Pinkie replied. *ahem* The group stopped and turned over to Karma. He was over at the door, his back leaning on the wall, and his arms crossed. The expression on his face wasn't the usual cheeky look, but instead one that said "I told you so". It took them a bit before Karma spoke again. "Well look at that, Yugure's gone missing. Maybe somebody should've checked in before she left, don't you think?" "Ok, you're right, we're wrong. Sorry," Aladdin sighed. Well guilty is charged. "But what happened? Nothing happened yesterday to her that would make her run away like this," Nagisa said, trying to think. Far as any of them knew, this was just out of the blue, and unprompted. "Does it matter? The point is, that Yugure had all day to hide off somewhere here in London, and we got a few weeks before our flight back home. So, who's up for a little search party tomorrow?" Karma decided. "I'm in!" said Pinkie. "Of course, we have to. Hope she's okay," added Nagisa. "I'm sure your girlfriend's ok, but we'll figure it out when we find her. Hell, maybe we can even get the Phantomhives on board." "Yeah," Nagisa said. After a little pause, Nagisa suddenly realized what Karma slipped in. "Wait, I keep telling you -" "Joking, joking," Karma said, his hands up again. Honestly he couldn't help himself. But all the same, Twilight was gone, and they wasted a whole day on it because of a simple note. This was unlike her to just run off completely. After the joke, Blair got to her regular cat body, and hopped to the window, quickly getting it open. "Where're you going?" Nagisa asked. "To make my rounds. Been too long since I did a night prowl, and besides, maybe I'll catch Yugure while I'm out. Catch ya later," Blair said, before jumping outside. Lucky for them, the jump wasn't very far down, and Blair strolled on her way, only Aladdin and Karma watching her go off. The chances of Blair finding Twilight are low, but they at least got a head start. ~~ The quiet night dragged on, and slowly London started to quiet down. Over at the Phantomhive manor, things really were no different. The slipping moonlight seeped into the manor through many of its Windows, shadows scattered around everywhere inside. Not a single sound throughout the entire manor as staff and owner were off and sleeping. Ciel himself had recovered from the game earlier, and was also sound asleep in bed, the young earl without his eyepatch and only in his white night shirt. He could've had a better day, if he were to admit, but it could've been worse too. With his curtains closed by his window, Ciel had nothing to stir him awake, or to interrupt him. A good thing for one worker of the manor: just peering in from the door, Sebastian took one more look to his sleeping master. This demon had been thinking all afternoon, and he considered his options carefully. The demon silently closed the door, as to not wake his lord up, and soon he was heading down the halls, Sebastian's only main light being a candle. Not very big, but it was sufficient enough. The quiet walk through the manor seemed to take forever as Sebastian continued, every step he made almost echoing through each hall even if the echoes were extremely quiet. The occasional window moonlight casted Sebastian's shadow every now and then, but he remained concealed for most of his stroll. The demon continued this walk for another minute before he reached another part of the manor, before quietly opening the door. This room wasn't one for his master, but not for the guests either. This one was instead for the staff, this one in particular being Bardroy's room. Bardroy himself was fast asleep as well, but rather than leaving him alone like Ciel, Sebastian walked on inside. The demon butler stopped right at Bardroy's side, Bardroy not waking up until Sebastian began to speak. "Bardroy. ... Bardroy. ... Bardroy." Upon the third time, Bardroy started to stir a bit. When he sensed someone was at his bedside though, Bardroy was suddenly up in arms. Sebastian found Bardroy awake, but suddenly aiming a pistol at the butler's head, the pistol being pulled out from under Bardroy's pillow. The sudden death draw didn't even make Sebastian flinch, and after a few seconds, Bardroy realized who it was. "Oh it's only you. Careful, man, I could've killed ya," Bardroy said, relieved to see it was a familiar face over some stranger. "Nice that you're up. Now, I want to go over the meal plans with you," Sebastian stated. All Bardroy did though was start to go back to bed. "That's nice, see ya in the -" "NO. I mean, I want to go over them now," Sebastian made clear, stopping Bardroy before he could get comfortable. One look at Sebastian's red eyes told Bardroy that this was a bit important in some way. "I'm listening. ..." ....... This same sort of thing was repeated for Mey-Rin and Grell, Sebastian stopping in their rooms with specific instructions on future plans. This wasn't an act that Sebastian would just do without reason of course, and lucky for him the other workers weren't bothered too much by the early wake up call and early instructions. Once they were all taken care of, Sebastian took some extra time to ready a few things for the manor before he slipped out the front doors. Even if he was outside, he still needed to keep himself quiet for a little bit more, just in case someone in the manor might get too curious. The demon butler waited a minute or two, just standing in the moonlight with his candle. If someone was going around, he can't bolt off yet. But, he was off free: not a sound aside from the wind in the air, and flickering of his own candle. All secure, Sebastian blew out his candle, placed it down gently on the front stoop, and silently raced away from the manor. Like a ninja, Sebastian raced through the forest with silence and speed, not even the birds waking up in their nests as he went by. The speed of this demon may not be up to some demons like Korosensei, but it still got him a good mile away from the manor in no time at all. He did stop time and time again, but only to check his surroundings and make sure of where he was going before running off away again. This kept up for a good half an hour, until ... "That could've gone better." That made Sebastian skid to a complete stop, the high speed making him skid about ten feet before fully stopping. The voice quickly got Sebastian walking over info the forest a bit more, finding himself over at the edge leading towards the main city. In this clearing, Sebastian found his opposition: Lust and Envy. Lust laid her back against one of the bordering trees, and Envy was squatting up on one of the tree branches. "Well, we just have to wait. No doubt we'll find more demons to join us," Lust said at one point. "Hellgar said this was a demon hotspot, how many bastards you think are in this city?" Envy asked, a little bored. "I'd say there's quite a few." And enter Sebastian. Lust and Envy turned around and the demon butler was soon walking right to them both, wiping himself clean of any stray leaves and such. Lust was pleased to see Sebastian arrive, a smirk on her face. Envy wasn't too much in the know, but he didn't bolt at him just yet since Lust seemed glad about it. "So you decided to take my offer?" Lust presumed. "I took the time to consider the idea. Tell me, you are being true to your offer aren't you? I could use the change in occupation, you know," Sebastian questioned, wanting to be sure that Lust was really offering to him. "Every word of it.~" "And what about that Ciel? Don't tell me you just left him lying there," Envy snickered. "The least I could do was leave a calling card," Sebastian considered. Envy couldn't help but give a toothy grin at the thought. A young boy left in a huge pool of his own blood, crimson red in the morning, all of his close friends mourning over their master, such strong emotion on sight of him. OH what a lovely scenario. "I'm liking you already," Envy said, hopping down from his perch. "In that case, we should bring you back to see the boss. Any newcomers should go through him," Lust decided. ... "Don't bother." Speak of the devil. Literally. Lust and Envy both turned away from Sebastian, finding that someone was slowly walking up from the direction of London, the city's distant lights outlining the shadow of a human figure walking right up towards them. Sebastian took a glance down behind Lust and Envy, and he too began to make out the figure walking in from the nighttime pathway. At first it was just shadows, but as he neared, the details of the body began to take shape. Sebastian took in each detail. For a start, this figure was rather tall, matching Sebastian in height. His appearance was clearly a higher class, much like his own in a way. His skin was almost white, ghostly pale, with long black hair that reached to the base of his shoulders. The black hair also extended to a set of black sideburns and a small goatee beard. Sebastian locked eyes with the figure, who's eyes were a reddish hot pink, over the typical pure red like Sebastian had. His head had a large, red diamond at the center of his forehead, and just above that he wore a silver head piece with crimson crescents alongside a black pearl gem at the center. The clothes he wore clearly matched a person of leadership, but more in a political standpoint rather than royalty, in spite of the crown. He wore a grey overcoat, black pants and black inner shirt, the shirt having red borderlines along the collar and bottom rim. Along his neck, the figure had a pure white tie, splitting into two points at the end, and wearing a set of jet black boots. "Greetings," he said, the figure too examining Sebastian. "I believe you're their 'boss', I presume?" Sebastian questioned. Both Lust and Envy stepped aside and allowed him to speak without any interruption. "Correct. So, you wish to join alongside my rankings in the Underworld?" He asked, stopping his advances when he was a foot away from the butler. "She gave me the offer, and I took it," Sebastian simply said. The figure took a moment to judge the demon butler, and took notice of one of Sebastian's hands. With Sebastian slightly not expecting it, he took hold of his hand, and slipped off his white glove, only to see the detail that only confirmed Sebastian's satanic properties: a demonic black star symbol, surrounded by a spiked ring, engraved into his skin. Envy and Lust hadn't noticed this beforehand, and seeing the symbol was a little icing on top of this demonic cake. "A contract. ... No wonder you were a bit hesitant," he confirmed. "Contract?" questioned Lust, seeing the symbol. "It's a Faustian Contract symbol. Nothing too special, but it does prove that you're indeed demonic. Only true demons can use a Faustian Contract like this," he explained, turning and locking eyes with Sebastian again. Sebastian at least was grateful that this contract of his didn't get on his bad side. "Glad you think so. So many humans keep mistaking me, I began to question it myself. It's been too long since I've met a fellow demon, sir ...?" "You first," he said. If he was going to reveal his name to Sebastian, the butler might as well say his first for proper identification. "Very well. Michaelis. Sebastian Michaelis," Sebastian said, extending his gloveless hand for a proper handshake. The leading demon took a moment before he too extended his hand, and they both shook hands. "King Sombra," the demon boss revealed. During the handshake, Sebastian looked down and saw that this was a bit more than a simple handshake: black smoke-like magic seeping out onto Sebastian's hand. Once it was pulled away, Sebastian found a sort of wrist band on him now, one that gripped onto his wrist in a near vicegrip. Sebastian could sense a demonic energy coming from it, and he looked over to Sombra. "To keep track of me, I presume?" Sebastian assumed. "You have been around, haven't you? Don't worry, we'll see how well you do, and we'll remove that once you get settled," Sombra joked, yet Sombra was still wary over the contract seal Sebastian still had despite 'changing sides' apparently. Sebastian allowed it to slide, and there's no reason to argue with a demon king like Sombra. As for the demon lord, Sombra felt more secure about the new recruit, and he turned over to Lust and Envy, turning cold again. "Homunculus. This is a start, but it's still just one demon. Keep up the recruitment," Sombra made clear, making sure his message was not missed by either Homunculus. The two were calm in the face, though both sides had to pay attention to their leader. At least Sombra wasn't upset with them. "As you wish. Come on, let's be on our way," Lust said, starting to walk away. Envy and Lust were quick to go, and leaving Sombra and Sebastian alone in their part of the forest. Sebastian didn't realize they were actually guessing, but it was a damn good guess. Once that was handled, Sombra turned towards London, and the demon king started to get his own magic to work. All it took was a simple glow of his eyes and red diamond to conjure up a gateway, which resembled the symbol on Sebastian's hand, only with some triangles spinning over the star, and within the circle. Sombra presented the portal with a hand open and allowing Sebastian to pass. The demon butler sighed, and took it in stride. With the wristband on his hand, he was basically stuck anyway, so he might as well comply. With a simple few steps, Sebastian and Sombra both were through the made portal, and soon that portal disappeared from existence. Not a trace left.
S02Ep6: Hidden Figures ~隠された人物~The search party had been commence for days. Nagisa, Karma, Blair, Pinkie, and Aladdin were all trying their best to locate Twilight, but it wasn't doing them any good. No matter how much they've been looking, trying to find one person out of an entire city like London is beyond slim. Each one did their part in some way, trying to find where she disappeared to: Nagisa and Karma going around town, Aladdin trying to get a bird's eye view from the sky, Blair slipping around place to place as a cat, Pinkie asking around town even, but all of that didn't seem to get any results. They would get Korosensei on board if he was around to ask (he usually keeps disappearing on them like this). The group tried all over the area, from the Victorian tower to the outskirts, but she just wasn't anywhere. In this mess, they had their different levels of worry, only more prominent since realizing Envy and Lust are roaming around London still. If they found her alone in London without their support, then she would be pretty much helpless, even with her low skill alchemy. No matter how many people they asked, the only one who gave them any leads was the manager of their hotel, who did see her check out late one night, but that was about all they got from him so it wasn't much help. In their search, they did eventually consult the only other person: Ciel Phantomhive. In their visits around London, Phantomhive seemed to be the only other place they've been to outside of London where they were with her. If there would be any more leads on it, it would be at that manor. Since Ciel was more aware of what they really were about, a disguise there wasn't as necessary this time. They were a bit too busy today looking around anyway. For a quicker way there, Aladdin got them right to the manor on his turban flying carpet, and just as well it didn't take long before they reached the manor. "This is a lot better than walking here," Aladdin commented. "Yeah. And looks like they're a bit busy themselves," Karma pointed out, looking down to the Phantomhive garden. Sure enough, Grell and Tanaka were tending to the garden. Grell was just fine, but it seemed interesting to see Tanaka working alongside Grell when he wasn't even a butler to the Phantomhive estate. Anyway, it really didn't take either one of them too long before they saw the flying caravan just overhead. Naturally, Grell freaked out on seeing them, though Tanaka was calmer about it. "HEY!" Aladdin called. "W-What in blazes?!" Grell gasped, lucky to not faint from the sight, as Aladdin ascended from the sky until they were just hovering a foot from the ground. "What brings you this way?" Tanaka asked, as the others got off. They didn't have time to hide this magic game since they were in a search themselves. "H-How're you doing that?!" Grell asked. "Magic," Aladdin simply said. How else can one explain it? "That aside, we have a bit of a problem: our friend Yugure has disappeared on us. Did she come this way at all?" Nagisa asked. Nagisa, outta the group, was troubled more than most over his close friend and how she was doing. The mention that someone was missing made Grell shiver up, but Tanaka just sighed on hearing it. "Don't tell me," Pinkie gasped. Tanaka just nodded. "I'm afraid Sebastian had been missing as well. The young master and his fellow staff had been trying to locate him for the past week. So far we've yet to find any clue, unfortunately," Tanaka answered. Like them, the Phantomhive had been up in arms in trying to find where he'd gone to, and just as well had come up to nothing. Pretty unfortunate for them. "Sebastian too? And I thought we're having trouble," Blair said. "How's Ciel handling that? He and Sebastian seemed pretty close," Aladdin asked, worried. His last time with Ciel didn't help him out, and now he had this to deal with on top of it all. "Im afraid I'm not supposed to say that kind of information," Tanaka said. "Well, where is he?" "Just inside, though I wish you may not -" "It's okay, Tanaka," a voice suddenly said, walking outside towards them. Ciel had seen them fly in from inside, and so he decided to come outside to check in on them as well. He hadn't seen them since Sebastian disappeared after all. And judging by the tone in his voice, Ciel wasn't feeling his best about the situation either. "Hey Ciel. We were told your butler's disappeared," Karma said. Ciel groaned, though he had to expect that. "Yes. Weren't you supposed to be keeping those magic tricks a secret?" Ciel questioned. "We're kinda in a hurry," Aladdin admitted bashfully. That was something Ciel can buy, but as he looked he saw that not everyone was present. With the situation he was going through, and the time between each, Ciel got his own hypothesis together. "Someone missing in your group as well?" "Yugure's been gone for days. We've been looking like mad, but we can't find her anywhere. We were hoping she'd come by here," Nagisa explained. "I have not seen her since the last time you all were here." "I just hope we find her in one piece when we do. It would be messy finding her piece by piece by -" "Shut up, Pinkie, you're not helping!" Nagisa quickly said, shivering at the thought. The idea of her in pieces was not helping his nerves at all! Ciel considered it either way. With the possibility of malevolent demons running amok in London, it was a possibility. One idea did end up appearing in his head, and it could benefit his current situation too. "There is one way to find out." ....... "Ah, welcome back my young lord. Is it time for a proper fitting today? Hehehehe." Quick flight later, and they were right off back to the Undertaker. A rather quick decision on Ciel's part, but if anyone would know if Twilight and Sebastian were still living, it would be Undertaker. At least they had the rest of the group now altogether (aside Twilight that is), but Aladdin and Nagisa still had the jitters from last time they saw him, Nagisa feeling troubled all over again. Both he and Aladdin stayed right at the door as the rest went at the Undertaker. "No we're not. Undertaker, we came here to ask about information regarding some missing persons. It's starting to get a bit concerning," explained Ciel. Undertaker snickered. "Here we go again, eh young earl? It appears your butler's not here this time. Might I assume he's apart of that ever-growing list of 'missing persons'?" Undertaker stated. Ciel didn't need to be reminded that, but the group were kind of taken aback by this. "Wait a minute. There's more people missing?" Nagisa asked. "Oh, in the dozens! I just took a stroll only two nights ago, and look what I stumbled across," Undertaker said, opening a cabinet in his desk, and suddenly tossing out posters of missing people. Men, women, children, elders, all sorts of about three dozen people, leaving the group a bit shaken. Considering this is coming from the Undertaker, it was no promise that they'll be seeing these people again. ... "God damn. Some kidnapper had a field day," commented Blair. "Undertaker, can you tell us the current condition?" "Oh, I suppose I could. My mind is a little blurry though. Suppose a few laughs can help me think a bit better. I'm sure you know what I'm after.~" "Damnit why can't he just say 'yes'?" Ciel thought. No matter the reason, Undertaker still had his deal stand, and he, Nagisa, and Aladdin were well aware of what that wager was. Well, if they were to figure out if Sebastian and Twilight were alive still, then they had no choice. "What's it with you and Ciel? You made a bet with him or something?" Karma asked. "Just give me the joy of laughter! One grand joke and all the information shall be yours," Undertaker said. Last time they tried, only Sebastian managed to pull it off (how is anyone's guess), but with him gone, they had a bit less of a chance now. But, even so, there was one person in their group up for the challenge, stepping up like a warrior ready for battle. "I shall accept the challenge! I am the princess of joy! The bringer of happiness! The giver of giggles! I WILL bring you the joy of laughter!" Pinkie announced. Dramatic, VERY, but Undertaker was interested to see what this pink girl will bring forward for her attempt. Suddenly though, Pinkie went around the room and moved everyone else over to the door. Not to have them leave, but to give her room to work. If anyone was going to get the Undertaker to laugh and giggle, it would be this girl. "Alright, mr.Undertaker. Prepare yourself for a wave of pure joy. Because Pinkemina Diane Pie will not hold back any punches! ENGAGE!!" All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie had an extremely quick wardrobe change, pulling the outfit up apparently out of nowhere. Her clothes were mainly the same, but colors on her outfit were a lot more wild this time with colors of blue, red, and yellow splotched on. she had white and blue clown face paint on, a signature clown nose, a peacock feather in her hair, and some funny looking spiral goggles. A pure look of a clown, and one to make anyone already ready for some sort of giggles. "Where the devil did she get that?" Quietly questioned Ciel. "You tell me," Nagisa simply replied. It was best not to question it and roll with the punches. Soon, Pinkie began to work her magic, and immediately went right to it. Since she was basically a clown here, Pinkie's main attempt at laughter were less jokes and more slapstick humor like a real clown. Pinkie was confident it would work anyway. Her first attempt to get Undertaker laughing was an old classic but with a Pinkie twist: she started her act with a funny looking dance, which was a nice start, until she pulled out a banana peel apparently from nowhere. One can argue that it was just hidden, but the random pie she had in hand was not explainable. (Seriously). Pinkie did a funny jig until her foot stepped on the banana peel. Sure enough, she slipped, landed on the floor, and the falling pie slapped her right on the head. Two classic gags mixed into one performance. Aladdin couldn't help but chuckle, but however, Undertaker didn't even give a little giggle. "Oh, a toughie are you? Time to unleash the heavy artillery!" Pinkie announced, a hand going into her cleavage. Soon, she pulled out what looked like a hand fan made out of bird feathers, colorful and flashy. There were two of these fans, each one for each hand, and they were presented in a single motion like an actress on stage. Pinkie readied the feathers, and went straight for the Undertaker, and started a fast motion dance around him. Most of the motions had the feathers graze the Undertaker's skin, the Undertaker himself keeping quiet during her attempts. Pinkie had a big smile on her face, even laughing along with her technique, as the feathers tickled up and down Undertaker's body. It was fine at first, but little by little, this Undertaker was beginning to twitch in his grin, trying to keep himself together, until ... "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" "Way da go Pinkie!" Blair said. Undertaker couldn't take it any further and was laughing up a storm. Pinkie continued to tickle Undertaker with the feathers until the Undertaker was down on the floor, giggling and guffawing in defeat to Pinkie's expert laughter technique. Much like an actress, Pinkie finished her act with a bow to the audience nearby. "You did it, Pinkie!" Aladdin cheered. It took a bit before the Undertaker pulled himself up, his skin tingling and giggling all the while. "Well done to both of you. Looks like you both paid the wager." "Wait. Both? Pinkie was doing that herself, wasn't she?" Questioned Aladdin. It did appear that Pinkie accomplished this alone, but Undertaker glanced over just behind the group. Pinkie apparently knew who was lending her a hand, and she skipped right over to him. "And I'd like to thank my assistant for helping with my shindig!" "Thank you, you're too kind." "KOROSENSEI?!" The others gasped, jumping away from the demon king. Korosensei looked the same, though in his tentacles were a number of beauty products, and an extra wardrobe. While none of them heard the demon king come in, it did explain why and how Pinkie got her things so easily. "When'd you get here, demon?" Aladdin asked. "Heard you needed a laughing fee filled in, and this clever king's more than happy to lend a tentacle," Korosensei explained. As he explained, Karma strolled over to the Undertaker. "Ok, Undertaker, we got you laughing. Mind giving us our info now?" "I don't know." The room fell silent after that. "What do you mean you don't know?!" Blair asked. "What I know is that I don't know." "How the hell does that make sense?" "Wait, wait, wait, he might be onto something," Korosensei chimed in. His large IQ got what Undertaker meant, but it didn't go by the others too fast. Undertaker went over and sat down at his desk as the others try to get what he was getting towards. "Hold on. ... 'What I know is that I don't know'. ... They're still alive!" Nagisa concluded. "How'd you get that?" Blair questioned. "Think about it: an Undertaker's job is to make coffins for the deceased right? Someone would've had to tell him if they did die around here. But if he doesn't know anything about it -" "Then Yugure and Sebastian are still alive somewhere. I get ya," Karma finished. Korosensei's faced turned orange with a red circle on it, applauding them. "Bravo kids, you got it right! That's using your knowledge," Korosensei praised. "Thanks Undertaker. Say, if you see em, give us a call will ya?" Karma asked. Undertaker couldn't help but snicker at the idea thought. "I don't think you'd want a call from me. Unless your expecting me to make them beautiful for the afterlife, to which case, I'll be sure to let you know the minute they come in," Undertaker joked, though it was more creepy than funny. What else would one expect from a man like the Undertaker anyway? With a bit of a creep factor left in them, they all left the man's place, Aladdin and Nagisa glad that the visit there was over. Either way, at least the Undertaker will tell them if he does see them. ~~ The hours ticked by, and while the group kept up their search for Twilight, and now Sebastian, the city of London continued to go on with their own lives just as well. The world didn't stop itself because the group wasn't there after all, people going about their day from the streets. Still, amongst their midst, they had a pair of figures keeping a eye on them from the tall rooftops. Up on the roof, two notable figures of Envy and Hellgar were laying on the rooftop. Hellgar met up with Envy not too long ago, and the two had basically been resting up just out of sight from the human eyes. Envy laid himself down, arms behind his head and leg swung over like he was resting in a hammock, while Hellgar laid on his stomach, his head peering over the roof's spine. "So, Homunculus. Did you and Lust manage anything over the last couple of days?" Hellgar began. "Actually yeah: we got ourselves that demon butler to join us. Sombra looked very happy when he saw him," Envy informed, not even looking at him and keeping his eyes to the clouds." "He met him already? Did you deliver him right to his feet?" Hellgar asked, intrigued. "Some reason he decided to come by personally. Hell if I know why," Envy replied. The homunculus rolled to his side to see Hellgar as he did this, the demon hound looking to him. Rather interesting that their lord would just stop by for Sebastian. "Damn. That demon butler of yours must've fancied him really good if he took the time to check him out. Tell me, is there any others you picked up?" Hellgar noted. "Nah. But I do think we got something up with that Karma and his group. They've been running around all over London all week. Apparently that Yugure has gone missing on them," Envy said. Hellgar was suddenly up to his paws, looking down to Envy and at attention. Seemed awfully convenient that Twilight would disappear on her friends. "Missing, has she? I think I can find her." "Why? You planning on eating her?" Envy asked, though that did sound inviting. Hellgar licked his muzzle on the idea, and took a glance down at the human's below, not a single soul noticing the demon hound eyeing them from above. So many morsels just below them, and it'd had been a while since Hellgar tasted any human meat. Envy peered over himself. "Well. ... Why don't you make some midnight dinner plans then?" Hellgar suggested. "Why do I have to do it?" "Because it was your idea, Homunculus. Besides, I got other things to handle here," Hellgar snorted. Before Envy could get a word in, Hellgar got up, and slipped down in between the alleyways in the building, and soon was gone. Envy groaned, and looked down to the humans again. After a bit, Envy did end up getting a grin on his face. "Oh well. It'll be worth it to see their sorry ass faces screaming when I get them together," Envy thought. With that in mind, he was just about to head off the roof and get that started when a gust of wind tossed something up towards him. Envy would've just ignored it if it didn't get him on the chest. Envy got it off and was ready to go, but the paper had a little something for him. Call it convenient, or a planned setup, but Envy took one look at some news within the paper's page, and found a little extra tidbit that could work in his favor, one way or another ... A notable article in regards to the arrival of Japan's president in the upcoming week. ~~ The book laid down on the bed, wide open, and with the creeping night just dawning, light on the open pages was just eligible for one trainee Alchemist trying her luck: Twilight. The last couple of days on the girl had been rather quiet. With her friends constantly looking for her, Twilight had to try and keep herself away from the world, at least for a while, to the point where she ended up moving herself into a different motel building in the outskirts of London. Her room was small, and more for just one single person to stay as opposed to the larger room Twilight had with her friends. With removing Hellgar's spy from the equation, the others seemed to be safe from getting their information exposed. If it meant to keep the others safe, then so be it. For Twilight, the past few days also gave her some time to actually handle some of her alchemy (what little she had anyway). With the book to the opened alchemy section, Twilight slipped on a pair of white gloves again, this time with engraved symbols on the gloves instead of on a surface like before. Her target of practice: a unlit, rather thick candle on the dresser. "Ok, Yugure. Twilight. Hope this works," Twilight thought. She clapped her hands together, locking onto the candle in front of her. Focusing herself, she cupped her hands around the candle. She waited and waited as seconds ticked by, for some sort of reaction from the candle. Unfortunately, Twilight ended up with nothing again. Not even a spark came up. "Nothing again? I don't get it, how does this even work? ... Maybe I should try a different type of alchemy," Twilight figured, as she removed and tossed the gloves aside. It did seem that this fire alchemy just wasn't going to work for her, no matter the method she tried. She only succeeded in setting her gloves on fire and nothing else. If she's going to actually help the others out, she had to figure something out with this book. She couldn't have got the book just because it was convenient, right? Twilight went to her book next, and started to look through the pages to see what alchemy would better suit her. "Come on, there has to be something in here I can wrap my head around," Twilight said, as she tried to see what alchemy can work. She looked over page by page, seeing different sorts of alchemy of all sorts of things, from basic strength, to healing alchemy. Her mind was focused, but during the page turning, a particular black paw placed down on top of Twilight's hand, halting the girl's advances. Twilight froze. ... "I thought we had an agreement. Twilight," a eerily familiar voice growled. Twilight could barely get herself to look up, a shiver running through her body as she locked eyes with the demon hound Hellgar! Hellgar was not all smiles as he was the last time Twilight had met him, instead meeting a face of stern disapproval. "We have, really we have," Twilight insisted, though the hellhound was not buying it. "Then what're you doing all the way out here? Trying to hide from me, are you?" Hellgar accused, his sharp teeth and muzzle inches away from Twilight. Twilight couldn't help but back up. She had to think fast on this one. "No not at all! I-I was just practicing my alchemy! Really, that's all!" Twilight insisted. Hellgar glanced to the open book, and the leftover gloves nearby. There was a pause that lasted a while, Hellgar looking over the gloves and seeing the symbol on them. Twilight waited with baited breath, but Hellgar simply turned to the girl. He knew this girl's scared of him. "... Why so far away then? Envy told me your friends had been looking for you for days now." "Envy?" Questioned Twilight, never hearing that name before. "Don't pretend you didn't know." "B-But I didn't!" Insisted Twilight. Hellgar began to stalk closer to the frightened human, stepping on one of the gloves as he did so. Twilight was in dire trouble: alone, no friends to backup, and Hellgar was losing patience with her. The demon hound licked his muzzle, his teeth gleaning in the dull light. "Well, you should've known, shouldn't you? ... It's your job to know. ... And then to tell me." *thud**thud**thud**thud* Hellgar was just about to sink his jaws into Twilight when the thuds echoed around them. Both didn't know who it was, or what was coming, but Hellgar wasn't going to take the chance. "Damnit. Listen and listen good. I want to know anything and everything that goes on there, you understand me?" Hellgar ordered, hushed yet deadly in tone. Twilight could only nod. The thuds grew louder until they heard it stop right out the door! "You'd better!" Hellgar finished, before bolting out the only exit that was the window. And just like that, at least for that moment, Twilight was stuck alone and frozen in fear. Thank god someone happened to come around this time, but the question remained: who did show up? ... "... H-Hello?" Twilight got out. The door opened up a bit, and soon Twilight did see that someone was standing there, peering into her room. Twilight's nerves were all jacked up right now, until. ... "M-Mistress Kagayaki? ... OH HAPPY DAYS!" The figure, overjoyed to finding her, raced in and hugged Twilight strongly, crying streams. It took a minute for Twilight to comprehend what had entered her room, and for her to get the light on, and when she did she started to relax. The person that found her, as it turned out, was Grell! Not what a Twilight expected, but at least it was someone she knew wouldn't harm her or her friends. "Grell? How'd you find me?" Twilight asked. Grell took a moment to wipe away some tears, though plenty more still came down. "My apologies madam Kagayaki, I saw that creature slip into here, and I just had to come here. Thank the lord I did, just wait til I tell the others! Oh they're going to be so pleased," Grell said, ready to go, but suddenly Twilight grabbed him by the arm. "What's wrong?" Grell stuttered. "Grell, I ... Just, don't tell them where I am. Not yet," Twilight insisted. "But ... why?" Twilight stayed quiet at that. If she told him the real reason then she'd be putting Grell in the same danger as she would be. That would be horrid on her part, and pitting poor Grell in a situation he couldn't handle. This was Grell: the same man willing to die over spilt tea for god sake! As with Hellgar, Twilight had to be careful on what she said, and she then glanced to the alchemy book. ... "I'm planning a surprise." "A surprise?" Twilight went over to the book on the ground, picking it up. "I left because I'm trying to work on some alchemy. I don't want to go back until I've at least got some proper alchemy to work with. You do understand, do you?" For Twilight this was purely half-truth, but enough of an alibi to suffice not just for Grell, but for the rest of her friends. At least she thought it worked until Hellgar said they were looking for her. Grell though just looked to the book in confusion, but he didn't forget about her friends earlier on their flying carpet. Why would he not believe this after seeing that earlier? "Well, if you insist." "Thanks Grell. ... I never had been so pleased to have an uninvited guest," Twilight replied. A bit of a mixed message, but at least Grell can say that Twilight was alive, well, and working on her alchemy even. A good time indeed. ... ~~ Quiet. Chilly. Ironically comfortable. These few things Sebastian could describe where he had left himself. Ever since Sombra took him in, things had been a bit slow for the demon butler, one way or another. The place Sombra had given him was little different from a small room one would find in a cellar. Sebastian had the basic accommodations, namely a simple bed by the back wall, a everlasting red blood candle with a purple flame flickering, and that was mainly it for Sebastian's room. His room in the manor had a little more to it (a window at least) but this was probably what comes to expect from being in such a place like this. The walls, ceiling, and floor all made up of some sort of foreign mineral, one not known from the human world. All Sebastian could get was that it was black in color, sturdy as concrete yet smooth as common tile flooring. For light, the demon butler only had the candle burning as his main piece of light, as Sebastian laid in his bed, occasionally feeling the wristband on him. Sebastian had yet to find out what happens if he tried to run off with the thing on, but it was probably best if he didn't try anything to find out. "Sebastian. Come here please," a voice whispered. Sebastian stood up upon the word, at this point well aware on who it could be. After some readjustment of his gloves and perfecting his appearance to his suit, Sebastian walked over to his door. The door wasn't the same door as any human would have, but instead this one was more of a small portal that opened up when Sebastian neared it. Think it like a magical automated sliding door. Soon as Sebastian got there, the door opened up and the demon butler stepped out only to see Hellgar standing there. "Another one of Sombra's cohorts?" "Right you are. Dinner's gonna start soon so I just came over to get you over there. I'd wait, but you might not have much food left," Hellgar explained, ready to go off. Sebastian simply nodded. "Where shall the preparations start?" "Huh? Oh no no, not you. We already got some human purgatory working on that. Just follow me." Sebastian's walk began from there through the halls. The place Sombra brought him too gave him some mixed feelings, really. The room Sombra had him in was further away, and placed over at what looked like the manor in a way, but with a number of exceptions to the rule. The light from outside was not as strong, and instead was pure twilight skies, so light was limited by the many lit torches of the halls. Hellgar kept right in front of Sebastian during the guiding until both arrived in the dining hall. For one thing, it was very huge, far larger than the Phantomhive manor dining hall. Secondly, it was a bit more crowded with demonic entities. The table was about as wide as a public swimming pool, made of wood, and with plenty of chairs to accommodate the demons present. The room had a full window view of the world outside like a window in a church alter, murals of unholy or holy creatures made up in glass window displays. As for the demons themselves, they all had many sorts of appearance to accompany them. Some looked more human like Sebastian did, while others appeared more horrifying to look at. It appeared they were already having drinks, some demons already feeling a little tipsy. The newcomer demon butler felt only a little uneasy, but he kept a straight face. "This seems familiar," Sebastian commented. Hellgar just chuckled. "Thought it would be. You just have a seat, and dinner will be ready shortly," Hellgar said, leaving Sebastian to find his own seat. Easier said than done. Plenty of demons already got their first, and while some seats were present, who he had to sit next too made it a bit troubling. Sebastian maybe a demon, but he wasn't a mindless brute. After so much time as Ciel's butler too, having his own choice here was a nice change at least. As Sebastian passed, he took note of the place and what was being served around. Food and drinks both were a bit varied, though not much for Sebastian's liking. The drinks usually consisted of two things: wine, or blood. The demon butler could probably take a guess to where the blood would come from if Hellgar's comment had anything to go by. Sebastian was also seeing human slaves scattered around the dining hall, most of them stripped down, and serving drinks to the guests like a butler would do. For side dishes, these demons had a few meaty selections of a number of items. Sebastian finally found a basic seat, and sat down easy. It was probably the most decent spot there was here (not a good spot, but decent enough). It didn't take too long until Sebastian found one of the slaves right by him, a small blade in one hand, and a wine bottle in the other. "Blood or wine?" He asked. Sebastian thought for a minute, looking to another order nearby. Seemed this demon ordered blood for his drink, since the other human actually slice open his arm to 'pour the drink'. Gross. "Eh, wine preferably," Sebastian decided. The slave gently poured the wine in Sebastian's glass, and went on his way. Sebastian could sense that he was probably relieved, though not too long. Sebastian swirled the wine in his glass, and took a sip before there was another commotion going on. When looking, Sebastian began to see Hellgar come back, jumping onto the large table with the supposed main course. Turned out, this was human meat being served tonight. About ten humans stood perfectly still, Hellgar bringing them all over to the center for all the underworld guests to see. Hellgar seemed ready as ever, his tail straightening out and lengthening. "Alright. Time for the main course, thank you for being patient. Homunculus had to gather these, you know. But anyway, hope you're all hungry. Who wants what?" Hellgar announced. Demons got their orders in left and right, and the demon hound made sure to oblige to each one. Sebastian just stayed quiet and waited to see what'll happen next. "I got about ten skull orders? Right away," Hellgar announced. Suddenly the demon's teeth started their work. Ten humans, which were separated from the rest, were suddenly grabbed and decapitated! Hellgar went through one by one, popping off each and every single head like a cork, blood painting the table red with every decapitation. Hellgar even began to juggle each added head, tossing it to each one of the ordered customer. Some started to eat right away, while others even began to applaud Hellgar for the added show to their dinner. Sebastian ended up with some scattered drops of blood on his clothes, of which he started to wipe off. Being a demon, carnage and savagery like this was a bit of a matter he'd grown used to. All the same, it was still savage to watch and the applauding didn't help. Hellgar began to go around from there with the remaining human entrees, slicing off body parts depending on the order with pure ease and lack of hesitance. It didn't take too long before the demon hound was in front of Sebastian now, with a young boy right in between him and Hellgar. "And what would you like? Noticed you've been rather quiet," Hellgar offered. The boy looked strangely calm during this whole thing, but Sebastian could see that his eyes were severely dilated, as if he was put in some sort of trance. Either way, Sebastian continued to clean the blood off of himself. "No thanks. I don't eat meat," Sebastian said. "Oh, I see. You're a soul-eater then. Well I can fix that," Hellgar said, drilling his muzzle right into the boy's chest! Sebastian thought it was going to just be a heart or a lung or something, but this demon hound instead began to pull out something else. The object looked white, spherical, and had the appearance of glowing fog, sealed away in some sort of orb. The boy didn't even flinch despite still standing, and Hellgar dropped the object down in front of Sebastian right on his plate. "You eat up, fellow demon. You eat up," Hellgar insisted, before moving down the line. Obviously Hellgar used some sort of magic to pull the soul out, though Sebastian didn't expect to have this so easily. The sounds of chewing meat and the enjoyment of the fellow guests echoed all around him. "So, this is a taste of what I've missed over the years. The demon lord has been rather generous here over the others. All the same, it could be a matter worth investigating," Sebastian thought. ....... As this was going on, Sombra himself took the time to go away from the big catering, and went off to a different part of the palace. With the guests busy eating up their feast, they got off Sombra's back to give the demon lord some time to ease himself. He strolled quietly through the halls of his castle, reaching a more opened balcony looking out to the land of the Underworld. Perfect spot. So, Sombra settled down on the ground, and he started to cross his legs, bring his hands together, and took some deep breaths. A demon who liked meditating to ease himself. As he was doing so though, his stone glowed off his head in a red hue, and it was during this that he started to feel ... well, something. Something unanticipated. Sombra.~ How delighted to see you again. "Ugh. Not you again. What do you want this time?" Sombra thought. His mind and this deity was connected, so thought talk would work just as well as face to face. The voice the deity spoke was raspy, and a bit like Envy but higher pitched. Is that how you treat a fellow demon lord? And to think those other demons allowed you to remain in your place. "You're no Demon Lord anymore." Says you, feeble Sombra. "Feeble?" You truly believe you can keep those creatures in check, my friend?~ AND handle the humans as well? You got more on your little plate than you ever know. "MY methods exceed yours ten fold, I know what I'm doing. Unlike you, I'm not locked up." And yet, you're no more free than I am.~ Sombra had enough, and stopped meditating straight away. His head gained a headache from his supposed talk with the previous Demon Lord. Not an enjoyable one. "Damn you. ..."
S02Ep7: The Royal Ball ~ロイヤルボール~If one thing could be said for each pawn in this game, it was one of pure chance. Nagisa and his group tried to enjoy their vacation, but they still kept trying to find Twilight time and time again, only to come up a bit empty. They didn't have any clue other than she was somewhere in London, and without much other aid they were just running around like chickens without heads trying to find her. Nagisa worried sick over where his childhood friend could've ran off to, especially considering the circumstances. To think, not too long after Ciel got kidnapped just to find Twilight no longer around. Ciel Phantomhive was trying his best to locate Sebastian as well, but he was just left empty. Not a singular clue was left behind for him, or his other workers for over a week now since his disappearance. Knowing that many people were also missing all over London just made the situation all the more urgent. Not only was Twilight and Sebastian were up and gone, but so many others were also missing it's terrifying! Every person who heard Undertaker's news were left with more questions: where were these missing people? Why are they disappearing, and who is behind it? At least they know that their personal missing persons were still alive and somewhere around London. Where exactly they just couldn't get it. Twilight probably had more to go on if Grell did actually say something to either Ciel or Nagisa. But, the humble servant was trying to keep promises and keep quiet until Twilight was 'ready' as she put it. Out of all the people involved in the search, Grel was actually the only one who actually found one of these persons, so it will be only a matter of time before someone somewhere would get it out of him. Just a matter of time. Anyway, today the process went on as normal for London's local population. But in the heat of the local rush through the afternoon, prominent posters still hung up all around town. These posters of missing locals were plastered up all over the place wherever one can put one: the windows of local stores, lamp posts, even right on building walls like they were wanted posters (except not as crowded together). Unfortunately not a soul around had any clue, and barely a few even paid any real attention to them at all. A strong wind gust dislodged one of the posters off a lamp post, making it toss about in the sky. It spun, tossed and tumbled in flight until one hand got a grab of it, and the figure took a look at the poster. She had been roaming around town, doing her own bit of progress on her work for the past week and a half, all of which was away from the blessed humans, and put undercover in the local crowds. While probably getting some eye candy on her appearance, she was doing wonders in fitting in with the people. Looking the most human from her friends surely helps. "More missing, huh? Seems like the numbers had been going up each time I find one of these," she commented, just tossing it into the air, and allowing the poster to fly off on its way. She easily saw a few more as she passed by a store's window, and she couldn't help but glance at each one of them. "Gluttony must've gotten hungry," Lust thought. These all were fairly new, and up to date as she read the dates of each of the missing posters put up. After checking them out, Lust strolled off on her way down the London streets, the residents giving the apparent aristocrat her space so they wouldn't be in the way of her walk. Lust found their humble nature towards her rather entertaining to see, and it was a bit more fun to toy with some of the male locals with a few good sways of the hips. Such gullible, predictable creatures. Lust continued going on her way until she took sight of another fellow aristocrat going through his day, the sexualized Homunculus going over to the man. The middle-aged man seemed to be getting a packaged tuxedo from the local tailor, Lust taking an immediate interest. The man seemed like the typical high-rich kinda guy, but Lust took a close look to the man's back pocket. It was only just visible, but Lust did manage to just catch an object of interest. It seemed small, only showing the corner, and a sort of goldish color to the paper. "Not usually up for pick pocketing, but there's a first for everything," Lust thought. Lust began to near the man, the man a bit too distracted by the outfit and getting ready to go to even notice her. As Lust got closer, the Homunculus got a better look at this object, looking more like a invitation or a ticket. All it took was a slip of her extended clawed finger to scoop out the paper, and once she did that it became fully clear. According to this, the object turned out to be an invitation to a sort of Royal Ball. A rather old term by today's standards, but it was a little intriguing anyway. Lust strolled off with the invitation in hand, and got a very interesting detail. Apparently, with the name written out at the top, the Queen herself will also be attending this fiasco - as the host. Anything involving that kind of royalty must be important. This Homunculus started to get her own mind running on this opportunity, and with the sort of chances they've been having lately, perhaps this could be a good benefit to the Underworld. "A royal ball for the Queen, is it? I suppose some important heads will suffice," Lust figured, putting the invitation away from sight before strolling on her way. Tonight will be interesting indeed. ....... Phantomhive Manor was getting its own schedule running. And for Ciel, that meant a bit of paperwork to fill out, and some further solo investigation. With Grell, Mey-Rin, Bardroy and Tanaka busy already, Ciel was stuck alone in his office to handle things. Even if he had nothing for Sebastian to do, the least it could be considered a fair companion, but Ciel didn't even have that right now. Sebastian was NOT the type to run off on his master, even if it was important. So whatever reason that demon must have, it better be a good one to tell the young master the second he comes back around. He was an excellent butler, probably the finest, and now he was up and missing. This just left Ciel with so much extra work to handle, it wasn't fair. On his desk, stacks of papers laid, enough to easily be an all day job. "Sebastian, goddamnit. You better be alright when I find you, so I can wring your neck," Ciel thought, his pen trembling in his hand. Eventually, Ciel gave a loud groan and laid down on his desk. He may be mature for his age, but in the end he was still a kid. And this was getting slightly overwhelming: missing people, the demon and angel business, and with Sebastian unable to help to top it off. ... *tap**tap* "Ugh ... Sebastian - ... Oh yeah," Ciel groaned, forgetting for a moment that Sebastian wasn't around anyway (he'd grown too use to getting his butler on these things). *tap**tap**tap**tap* "Alright, alright," Ciel said, stopping his work and turning to the noise. The tapping came from Ciel's window, and it turned out to be a sort of bird, to be exact a carrier owl. Ciel didn't know why a owl would show up, but the message on its leg was enough to say that it was sent to him. The young earl opened the window, just for the bird to fly into his office and land on his desk. It took some work on the carrier on the bird, but Ciel got the message out to look over. "An invitation to the Royal Ball. That time of year already?" Ciel commented, as the owl took its leave right out the window and flew away. It wasn't the first time the young earl had been invited to this sort of event, but seeing that there were two tickets enclosed inside to go, it was just another reminder that Ciel didn't have Sebastian to accompany him. Who else would the other ticket be for anyway? Ciel took a moment to think about it, his eye looking over to each of the papers he had to do. "Well I still got five hours before the party. Might as well make the most of it," Ciel decided, taking another paper and starting to work on that. He could get this done in an hour or two, so it should be enough time afterwards to get to this Royal ball. ....... "One, two, three, four." Back at their hotel, Nagisa and company were still going on their own days. At the moment, it was just Karma, Aladdin and Nagisa; Blair and Pinkie already out. If they can guess it was either searching or shopping, but either way they didn't have anything else to do. Karma took the time to handle some swordsmanship (without breaking anything in their room), as Nagisa and Aladdin looked on. Each swing of the miracle sword was fast and better timed, though it was just swings all the same. "You've been doing great with that, Karma," Nagisa said. "Well, it helps when you've had extra assassination practice," Karma commented, pausing his own swordsmanship for a moment. Karma had been getting slightly better at the art one way or another. "How is it at that class anyway? Did they give you a hard time, or no," Aladdin asked. It had been a while since Karma actually thought on it. "Hmm ... nah, they're cool. Korosensei's the only teacher I met who's got a literal death wish, I'll tell you that much," Karma summed up. "Huh? What do you -" Before Nagisa could even get his word in, their door suddenly swung right open. Appeared Pinkie and Blair had returned from their run around, plenty of bags full of clothes and fancy outfits, a bit more than seemed to be needed. Pinkie went all out this time: dresses, some fancy accessories, leggings, shoes, you name it, so long as it's something fancy it seemed Pinkie Pie had it in stock. Blair also carried in some bags, which were filled with an assortment of beauty products (blush, eyeliner, that sort of thing). Aladdin had to jump out of the way before he would end up getting buried under the bags. Pinkie looked excited about it anyway. "OOOOO, we're gonna make this happen!" Pinkie beamed, already digging into the bags and getting some of the stuff out, some of it being tossed onto Aladdin and Nagisa. Nagisa pulled off a legging from his head, as Aladdin tried to get a dress off of him. Karma caught a flung over top hat, and actually went on to put it on, before turning to Pinkie. "Hey Blair, what's going on?" Aladdin asked, pulling off the dress. "You're not going to believe this one, guys. Pinkie, show them," Blair said. Pinkie popped up to her feet, and suddenly she had what looked like a invitation. About five invitations total, all for the same thing. Pinkie Pie looked hyped about the event, but when the others saw this (Blair being the exception because she saw it already) the three of them were left more bewildered than anything. They've been in London for weeks, and already they're being invited to the Royal Ball, hosted by the Queen herself. Nope. Nope, they weren't buying it at all. "This is so exciting! I'm going to give them the best Royal Ball shindig hullabaloo they've ever had! My treats will lighten their taste buds to the moon!!" Pinkie went on, as she happily got out her party outfit. "Seriously? Pinkie, this is clearly a trap by those Homunculus. Why would we get a invitation to this kind of thing?" Nagisa cleared up, seeing the obvious flaws in this random invite. For one thing they never met the queen, and while they did save Ciel in a way, it wouldn't be enough for the queen to remotely notice them. Pinkie popped her head out from one of the bags, already having a monocle on her face. "Because those meanies will trash the rest of the Ball if we don't show up. They'd come in, won't find us anywhere and think 'Whatever, let's eat the rest of these fancies' and next thing you know: Feast for the freaks on the front newspaper!!" Pinkie explained, lack of logic not withstanding. Pinkie knew that this was a fake invite, but she was still up to go either way, and still was trying to get ready. "And you think we're still going?" Karma questioned. "YES! And Pinkie's already got your solution RIGHT HERE!" Pinkie announced, throwing the full outfit to Karma. Karma looked it over a little bit, but he quickly got the idea rather fast, and a smirk began to show on his face. "Disguises. K, that'll work. We can check in on those things and still keep outta sight," Karma summed up, getting the outfit out from its plastic bag, and unraveling it out completely. "But wait a minute, what about Yugure? She's still missing," Nagisa reminded. "We'll have to check that later. For now, we got a party to guard," Karma replied, as Pinkie Pie was still getting outfits out for the rest of the group. She was going a little too fast for them to really keep up, stuck with outfits just laying on top of them. Pinkie was more than giddy about the whole thing, and she suddenly went on to the next little surprise: getting out a phone and quickly dialing up a storm to get the signal through. Didn't take more than a minute to get through to her caller. "Hello?" "HeyCielHeywegottabigplanfortonightandweneedyatocomebyforsomedisguisesbecauseweneedtostayundercoverfromthemeandemonsthat'llbestoppingby-" "HOLD ON. ... How'd you even get this number?" Before Pinkie could even answer that, Karma grabbed the phone out of Pinkie's hand, and answered it himself. "Hey, young earl." "Akabane. How did you manage to get this number?" "Don't ask me, Ciel, Pinkie Pie's special like that. Anyway, did you get an invitation to that Royal Ball? "... Royal Ball ... I can assume your group had retrieved invitations as well." "Got that right. And we got to thinking that those Homuculus might show their asses there too. So unless you want to get your own ass torn up by either one of those guys, then Pinkie's got her disguises over here if you wanna pick it up." "I have the feeling that it'll have to be that way." "Then stop by whenever and we'll get you suited up. See ya in a bit." With that, Karma hung up, and it would only be a matter of time before Ciel would show up, so they had time to get ready themselves for the event. However, by the time they were done with the call, Aladdin found Nagisa already looking for something in one of the drawers by the bed, working off memory himself. It was only Aladdin who noticed him, and he was right by his side by the time Nagisa pulled out the Future Sight list (thank goodness Twilight didn't take that with her when she left). Nagisa quickly went through down, and he found the next part of this list down a ways. Didn't take too much time before the others saw him. "Future sight triggered again. Which one is it this time?" Karma asked. "This one here," Nagisa replied, showing the list to Karma. This one was a bit more specific by what Nagisa wrote for it aside from just the main concept like most of the others. "Hmm ... confront a Demon. ... President. ... Balcony. ... Picking favorites, Nagisa?" "I just remember that one a bit more clearly," Nagisa admitted, though it still seemed to trouble Nagisa more here. "No worries, my disguises will keep you safe!" Pinkie assured him. ~~ With his mind currently at ease, Sombra sat down in a larger room of his palace, currently silent as a mouse, hands clasped together and legs crisscrossed. The room actually opened up outside, the light coming in from the Underworld sky. The skies of the underworld are drastically different, and while harder during the night to tell, the daytime showed a crimson, dark yellow sky with a northern light show effect that varied around like the clouds of the Overworld and Human world. Sombra relaxed, and the light reflected off the gemstone on both his crown and his forehead. In fact, the gemstone on his head almost seemed to glow with the light going off of it. As he was sitting there, one demon showed up over at the door, opening it slowly so to not completely bother the demon lord. Sombra heard the door, clear as the crystal on his person, but the lord didn't even waver at first. "My lord? I brought your evening beverage," said a familiar voice. Sombra stayed still, hearing the sound of footsteps coming closer to him. When he heard the figure about a foot behind, Sombra opened one eye and turned his head to see who came in. Turned out his newest addition Sebastian was in there, and holding a tray with a kettle, and tea cup, all made from a gothic violet glass design. "You don't have to do this, Sebastian," Sombra sighed, though he did take the cup from Sebastian anyway, the substance looking to be blood again. Sebastian have a gentleman's bow to the demon lord. "My new role is to serve you, my lord. I thought it would be inconvenient of you to halt your meditation," Sebastian said. Sombra took a sip of the liquid red substance, as Sebastian readied to give Sombra some space. However, as one hand sipped the drink, the other hand reached out and grabbed Sebastian by the arm, making him stop altogether. Sombra didn't utter a word until he finished sipping his blood from the tea cup. And even then he stood up first so his eyes lined with the butler. "Sebastian. Don't try to fool anyone. I know your priorities are still connected to that human child the second I saw you," Sombra said, almost disappointed with Sebastian as Sombra slipped off Sebastian's glove to show the Faustian Contract. Sebastian stayed quiet and turned to face Sombra. "It wasn't my own choice, you fully understand," Sebastian made clear. "Not your own choice? How do you mean?" Sombra quizzed, ready to see what the butler had to say. Sombra knew his magic when it comes to the Underworld, and he knew damn well what this contract is mainly about. "Well, being the current king of Tartarus, I'm sure you would understand the process of the Faustian Contract." "That's not what I asked, Sebastian. Clearly your Ciel Phantomhive is alive and well, and you only told Envy and Lust that white lie to keep him that way. That, and the Faustian Contract is a mutual offer you gave to that child. So, how is this not your choice if you're the one who gave your services?" Sebastian knew Sombra had him by the neck there. Clearly this king knew everything there is to know about the process. Anyway, Sebastian had to think on what to say next, and he had to think of something to prove who's side he's on towards the demon king. It took him a little bit, but Sebastian did eventually figure something out. "Alright my lord. I admit it. My services still tie into Ciel Phantomhive, but you and I both know of the exchange after the contract is completed. Am I right?" Sombra paused for a moment, but allowed Sebastian to continue on. "I told your Homunculus about his 'death' because if the young earl were to die, then my contract will never be completed. ... I will never have his soul, you see. On completion of the contract, then the demon is rewarded with the soul of the human involved in the contract. I've put years into that, and I'd hate to have my dinner simply taken from me. ... Of course, if there's a way to get his soul faster, then I'd be more than willing to take it over this servitude Phantomhive had put me under." Sombra stayed quiet for a moment or two, letting the information sink in. Once he got it all down correctly, then Sombra simply nodded to the demon butler. "I see. Simply trying to keep your meal around until your contract is handled. And I can assume your contract has yet to be completed?" "No lord," Sebastian responded. Sombra gave Sebastian's glove back to the demon before speaking again. "I suppose I can find a quicker method to get you Ciel's soul, but it's going to take some time. When I manage that, nothing will keep you up there on the human plain anymore. Will that satisfy you?" Sombra asked, Sebastian slipping the glove back onto the hand. Sebastian was more than glad that Sombra understood it the way he wanted him to. Any different and there will be complications on Sebastian's expense. With a smile, Sebastian nodded to the demon lord, as Sombra handed him back the tea cup. "Now, pardon me saying so, but I heard that the queen of London is currently holding a Royal Ball, planning to start in the next following hour. Would it help if I attend as well?" "Why would it help for you to attend that event?" "The royals of London are to be there, and considering how those other humans had rescued Ciel Phantomhive: a fellow royal icon, chances are they will also attend. Could be a chance to gain some information about your adversaries," Sebastian suggested. Sombra had Envy already spying on them, but with the current track record, this may not be such a bad idea to try out. Sombra gave a nod to the demon butler. "You have me convinced, Sebastian. Very well, BUT, you are not to reveal anything to any of those humans. Not a word about me, not a word about Tartarus, and make sure this Ciel does NOT know what you're doing. Is that understood?" Sombra cleared up. "Of course, my lord," replied Sebastian. ... Not too far away, Sebastian and Sombra's talk was not entirely ignored. Just hidden off outside of the door, Hellgar had overheard everything about the event. Now, it would normally not be a bother to the hellhound, but this time it made him upset more than anything. "What? Why didn't I hear about this?! Where's Twilight?" Hellgar growled, before slipping away. ~~ The time drawed near now, the sun just setting down along the horizon. And for London and many of its higher class, it was nearing the time for the Royal Ball to get underway. The event was to be taken place over at the queen's palace. If she is to be the host, she might as well take it at her place rather than some other spot in London. The palace mirrored the Phantomhive house in overall structure, though more up to date and better maintained for publicity sake: a strong silver color along the walls, four stone pillars just above the front door, and a large iron bar fence and gate bordering the property. The palace bordered the road, and just ahead of it by twenty feet stood a prominent statue, colors mirroring the palace. The top stood an angel made of what appeared to be gold, the statue encircled by the road, and beyond that a well-maintained flower garden that stretched 180 degrees around. At the moment, the palace was live with activity, as various guests were starting to arrive to the Royal Ball. Many of the guests all had a similar look one way or another: the men and sons all had their finest tuxedos on, and the women and daughters all had formal dresses. They had their own looks to signify eachother thanks to accessories, but the guests still seemed to follow the main dress code. With these many guests coming in time and again, amongst them, It didn't take much trouble for Ciel, Nagisa, Pinkie, Karma, Blair, and Aladdin to arrive at the front steps to the palace. Their disguises did make them fitting to the dress code, and to the crowd of people as they began to head in from there. Starting with Karma first, the boy took the look of the adult of the group, with his red tuxedo suit. The suit was similar to the one he had on before, with a few little extras to it, which included a prominent top hat with a feather of an Unfezant bird in it, and Pinkie had the courtesy to even add some fake sideburns to show a older appearance, despite his shorter size compared to the rest of the adults. It seemed to be to pay off to the other guests coming in, anyway. Blair was next, and by the looks of it posed as Karma's wife. Blair got her own outfit together, though dress code made her have to wear the average long dress. Not the same as the dress Blair had before, not by a long shot, and it was bugging the cat witch a little bit. Her hair was dyed a black color over the purple color, and even some hair extensions to appear having hair that went down to the base of her back. Her cat eyes also were covered by eye lenses to appear as blue, normal human eyes. She also had a 'wedding ring', alongside Karma just to drive the point home. Next to come out was Aladdin, and the little lad had a full makeover to his outfit. He had on a brownish tuxedo on, a basic outfit really (brown formal pants, dark overcoat, etc.). With his long hair though, Pinkie had just managed to get it all under a grey, british flat cap. Not really London, but it'll work for the sake of the disguise. Aladdin was also given a pair of small glasses, though they were mainly for show rather than sight aid. Then came out the one responsible for the disguises herself: Pinkie. The party gal got her outfit together, and while formal like the others still had its own flair. Pinkie's outfit fitted a blue color with a pink flair at the rim of it. Pinkie's hair was put in a smoothed out ponytail, stopping at her shoulders. She dyed her hair from her usual pink color, to a more mellow brown. "K, gang, let's get this show on the road. Come on, dear," Karma said, going along with his gimmick as he takes Blair by the hand like a proper gentlemen. "We still have to wait for our lovely nieces, honey. Come on out, don't be shy," Blair said, turning back. ... Then came out Nagisa and Ciel. For Ciel, his outfit mainly consisted of a formal dress, a pale pink with two vertical lines down its length. Over the chest region showed white flairs on his arms and chest, the very center a pink fake rose. He also wore a pair of black, arm length gloves, and an extra flair around his neck, made in a similar way to his other flairs on his arms tied in a bow. Like Blair, Ciel too had a number of hair extensions to mimic a set of ponytails on each side of his head, and the main extension reaching the base of his back. On his head Pinkie had him a pink lady's hat, lined with the same fake pink roses, and cocked to the side in order to cover his signature eyepatch better along with the hair. As for Nagisa, he too gone through a bit of a change in his look. He too had on a formal, sleeveless dress, all smooth and colored silver, with the bottom half a more darker grey color. His hair was tied up in ponytails, but since he had fairly long hair already, extensions weren't needed to give a female appearance to the hair, but it was still dyed to match Ciel's hair color. Amongst his accessories given to him, he had a black ribbon tied to one of his ponytails, and a set of white gloves to match the silver theme to his outfit. Both were not amused. "This is not funny," Nagisa groaned. "Come on, sweetheart. What Homunculus would suspect you two in this disguise?" Pinkie said, petting Nagisa's head. "Why are we dressed this way, dare I even ask," Ciel asked. "Because someone's gotta pose as my two daughters. Korosensei assured me that it'll be perfect for the image and he's RIGHT: Karma and Blair are the rich couple with their little son Aladdin, joined by their fun-loving cousin (that'd be moi), with her young and beautiful twin daughters," Pinkie explained, psyched as ever. Too bad the feeling was one sided with Pinkie and the twins here. "Korosensei decided this?" "Yeah, like how he decided to get your phone number." "THAT FREAK!" Ciel thought. However, ciel quickly corrected himself. "Let's just go in and get it over with. If it means to stop these Homunculus, then so be it," Ciel made clear. Nagisa still was not as up for such things as Ciel, but at least the Homunculus might be taken off guard if they are here somewhere. ~~ And with that, the group went into the Royal Ball with identities all in check, and blending into the crowd with ease. The interior of this Royal Ball appeared to look like the layouts of some sort of catering. The large main room of the palace here was about large enough to fit in a decent sized cottage, including property as well. The exact build up here was a large area for dancing, borderline by smaller tables. A similar build possibly to a school prom or something. Decorations were simply put all out just as well, with a large rug that stretched in from the front door, and a treat table catering to the guests. Many of the guests were scattered around and enjoying the festivities one way or another, be it either small talk with eachother or enjoying a drink and/or snack at the treat table. Since there wasn't too much to truly do in particular here, the others in the group simply went around just went along with the show. With that, the group split apart and merged into the crowds. It was a good thing that the group wasn't caught during this, or at least questioned by the other guests there. Within this crowd, Ciel was probably the most uncomfortable. He may be familiar with the Royal Ball, and a common visitor during the Royal Ball as well, but he was at least accompanied by some sort of older acquaintance. Not only was this year with Ciel alone, but also in such a questionably ridiculous outfit for something only he and a few others know of. Not even the queen knows about the Homunculus, and if she catches him like this, then he's got some explaining to do. "Good lord, I feel like a complete idiot in this dress. I swear to god, this better be worth it," Ciel thought. It was a miracle that none of the other people remotely recognized Ciel in this disguise, or it'll be even worse for him. He had his parents, and after that Sebastian helped him out, but now he had neither of those things. It was himself, and only himself in this sea of patrons. Hell, maybe the Homunculus can be found straight away and this can be finished up quick. If they weren't here at all, then the rest will feel his rage. "Oh, greetings my dear.~" "Oh god no," Ciel thought. Ciel turned around and found one of the guests checking him out. Pure white outfit, snow silver hair, basically the Snow White of Prince Charming. That wouldn't be a problem if Ciel really was a girl, but nope, just some kid cross dressing. If he finds out about his true identity, who knows what'll happen?! "Oh, darling. Your eyes positively glow, like the stars in the night sky. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, already advancing on poor Ciel (rather uncomfortably might I add). To the point when the man was right in Ciel's face. Ciel shivered, but he had to keep his composure. "Endure it. Ciel, you can do this. After those horrible, horrible, horrible lessons, you can handle it," Ciel thought. A few hours of practice between his arrival to get said outfit and the actual Royal ball, let's just say, weren't the best time Ciel ever had. If one word wrong came out of this child's mouth, then he'll be a dead man! "V-Very charmed," Ciel got out, making his voice higher pitched and more feminine (his best attempt at it). That just got the man to come even closer, a arm around Ciel. "What might be your name, my sweet flower?" He asked. "... I-Izzie. Izzie Florahorn." Best he could do on short notice. Better than shoving his true identity down this man's throat. Good thing it sounded legit for a name. "A lovely name. Now, how's about we head somewhere more ... alone.~" the man offered, his hand sliding down Ciel's back down to his waist! Ciel's blood started to boil. "When this is all over, I swear I'M GONNA KILL THIS CREEP!" Ciel thought. Getting flirted with so forward like this was rough enough, but it was just even worse this way! "Excuse me, but there will be enough of that. Can't you see that the lady is not interested? Now off you go," instructed a stern voice, a hand cutting in between Ciel and the charming freak. Thank god! The man was another guest to the party, looking fairly average in attire, and fairly middle age. The charmer was easily sent off from there, though his eyes still seemed to charm up to Ciel before going off. Ciel could only breathe a sigh of relief, and he looked over to his supposed savior. He still had to keep up the act, though. "Thank you," Ciel simply said, again with his feminine voice. "Happy to oblige my dear. I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening," the man said, as he went off back to the party himself. Ciel wiped the sweat off his forehead from the close call. Still, Ciel then started to walk off away from that position to find a different spot to make his observations. "I do hope the queen doesn't find me like this," Ciel thought. "Excuse me?" It wasn't his night. Ciel froze up on the voice. O, he knew that voice. Not the queen directly, but someone just as regal and just as important as the queen of England herself. Ciel only got a glimpse of the girl before she came over, but one glimpse was all Ciel needed to know who it was. Gothic had only some description to describe this girl. For one thing, she was a bit taller than Ciel, looking a few years older as well. The girl's dress was a regal black, a dark bow around her neck, connected together by a pearl. It seemed that every part of her outfit was black in someway, from the flairs on her dress to the gloves on her hands. Still, her skin was pale and fair, her hair silverfish-white and flowed down her back in waves, and her eyes calm and a dull turquoise. She took a step closer to Ciel, but Ciel couldn't dare to face her. The girl tried to see Ciel's face, but everytime she moved one way, Ciel turned the opposite way. Again ... And again ... And again ... Suddenly, the girl grabbed Ciel by the shoulders, and Ciel found himself looking right at her. Well, Ciel had nowhere to go now, and Sebastian wasn't anywhere for help. The girl looked Ciel in the face, and seemed to give him a fair look over. Ciel kept quiet and still, hoping - "Phantomhive?" Nevermind. "N-Not so loud, if you don't mind," Ciel insisted. Well, so much for keeping his identity secret. "What in the world are you doing in such a ridiculous outfit? And during the Royal Ball no less," she asked. While hushed for Ciel's sake, the words still were hard for Ciel. What was he supposed to do? There was no other reason to be dressed up in such a embarrassing outfit for HIM to wear, and even then the reason was hard to swallow for anyone decent. Ciel got himself together after a bit. "Easy, Ciel, you can handle it. You're a Phantomhive: you should be used to talking to people like her. Victoria: the granddaughter to the queen. Yes, you can handle this ... even if dressed like a crossdressing lunatic," Ciel thought. After getting his thoughts together, Ciel looked right to Victoria, the older girl waiting for an answer. Ciel looked around, and there was no sign of the others, so he just went on with it. "Well, your highness. I have reason to believe that this year's Royal Ball is ... under threat. I'm only in disguise as undercover for the perpetrator," Ciel quietly explained. "The perpe - oh, the kidnapper. You think he'll be arriving here, don't you?" Victoria figured. Ciel slyly nodded to her. "Indeed. The disguise is so he won't try to remain hidden if he does find me. My apologies for not informing first," Ciel explained. Victoria took it into small consideration, but eventually saw the reasons behind it. "In future, try a less ... humiliating disguise for yourself, will you?" Victoria advised, a small smile showing on her face at her own remark to Ciel's disguise. Ciel could only nod, and with that Victoria went off away to the rest of the event. Ciel also walked off the opposite way. "The others better keep out of trouble." ~~ Time ticked on by in the Royal Ball. With the guests within, it all seemed fairly normal with the continuing night. Nearby one of the tables, Nagisa and Aladdin had taken a seat to observe the event, and having a pretty good spot to do that. The table was set up just at the border of the other tables lined up, by the main dance floor, so they had a decent view of the crowds that are going about the party, including Pinkie, Ciel, Karma, and Blair. Each one of them were basically doing their own thing, which mainly consisted of talking with the guests. Nagisa could see Karma chatting it up with some of the female guests, Blair flirting with some of the boys (reactions a bit mixed on them), and Pinkie somehow managing to get a batch of her own treats on a plate, and offering samples to the guests like a happy servant to the queen. Ciel seemed a bit quiet by what he could see, but that was about it. For Aladdin next to him, the Magi was chewing away at some of the party treats that were available. On his plate were quite a number of treats too, ten in fact, and all some fruit or dessert of some kind. Nagisa looked through each member of this party, but he just couldn't seem to sense much of anything. He wasn't too sure if the demon sense actually works on Homunculus or not, but so far his demon sense was oddly quiet tonight. Even if they have reason to think that they'd arrive here. Then again, a Homunculus wasn't technically a Demon in true nature, but his demon sense worked on Blair just fine and she was more of an Underworld witch than a demonic entity. "Sensing anything?" Aladdin asked at one point, swallowing a bite of cake. "No, I don't think so. I'm actually wondering if they're even coming or not," Nagisa admitted, leaning on the table as Aladdin took a bite out of another piece of the cake. "Your Future Vision said it was going to happen, right? So it has to be." "But that same vision had me with the president of Japan. What're the odds that would happen? ... And with me looking like this?" Nagisa pointed out, tugging on the fabrics of his dress. It was probably best of Seitenshi didn't come to this event anyway: she'd be in danger of the Homunculus were here, and even if not, Nagisa did NOT want his first impression on her to be a cross dresser. "You wanna bite?" Aladdin offered, a fork with a strawberry on the end floating over near Nagisa's face as a temptation. "Nah, not hungry," Nagisa simply said, as Aladdin gobbled up the strawberry. Well, at the least with this stupid disguise and the place he was in, he can stay quiet and no one would really think different of it. Some might look their way by Aladdin's taste-testing the many treats of said party, but that was really about it. Anyway, Nagisa went back to quietly observing the crowds of people going about. If he wasn't in disguise, Nagisa would probably feel extremely out of place here, being more of an average joe. The people shifted around, and some of his friends started to go away from his sight, leaving mainly Pinkie out in view serving her cupcakes to the guests. However, one guest that got served one of these treats was especially interesting. Or if not interesting, more like confusing. The figure, with her completion of perfection and blue formal outfit made this girl unmistakable. And the sight of her made Nagisa more tense than ever. His hands gripped the dress, his eyes wide open in shock, and he was left awestruck. Aladdin glanced to Nagisa and saw his shocked expression. "Nagisa, your demon sense is acting up. Where's the devil at?" Aladdin asked, frantically looking around. Actually, Nagisa's demon sense was just fine, but the odds that this girl would just pop up was enough of a shocker. Nagisa only got Aladdin in the right direction when he grabbed his head, and turned his head so it aimed the same direction. Aladdin needed a bit before seeing the same girl in the crowd, to him looking oddly familiar somehow. "President Seitenshi. Oh god, what the hell is she doing here?!" Nagisa thought in pure shock. He had doubts on his Future Vision, but now that she was here, it was turning more plausible. Nagisa suddenly found himself laying on the table by the time Aladdin figured it out. "Oh. Oh! Isn't that the Seitenshi lady from Japan?" "Yes. Yes she is. But why's she here? Japan is half way around the world, she has no reason to come all the way over here!" Nagisa said, freaked out about the situation. And to make matters worse, it seemed that Seitenshi was starting to walk near their way. Either from Nagisa laying on the table, or all the food Aladdin had, something would catch Seitenshi's attention during her walk by. No way in heaven or hell would Nagisa have his identity be exposed to the president of Japan! "Hello, mam. A nice party, is it?" Aladdin suddenly said, Nagisa shuttering. "Don't call her over!" Nagisa pleaded. But it was too late: Seitenshi was heading their way, and Nagisa couldn't do a thing to stop them. Still, Nagisa had Aladdin by the arm (Seitenshi's safety more than most from this pervert), and Seitenshi was soon right at their table. "Suppose it is. You have ... a lot of food there," Seitenshi noted, Aladdin more than happy to offer a slice to her. "Sure do. Want some?" "No thank you," Seitenshi simply replied. Aladdin didn't mind it too much, and just took a bite himself. Nagisa tried to keep quiet, and let Aladdin do the talking. However, the president was already looking over to him, Nagisa trying as much as he can just to keep it together. "Is everything alright?" Seitenshi questioned. Nagisa didn't answer. If he said even one word, his own voice would put a lot of suspicions at Seitenshi. However, the longer the silence went, the worse the situation would be. Aladdin quickly saw what was going on, and he remembered what disguise gimmick a they were supposed to be. "S-She's just shy, mam. N-Not much of a talker," Aladdin said, trying to help Nagisa out. Nagisa played along and just kept his mouth shut in front of her. "I see. Alright then," Seitenshi said. Seemed that was all it took, and she went off on her way from there. Nagisa stayed quiet until he was for sure that Seitenshi was far enough away. "Thanks, Aladdin," Nagisa said, breathing a sigh of relief. "No problem," Aladdin replied. Even if Seitenshi didn't suspect him or Aladdin, Nagisa was sure that this was a step closer to that vision coming to life on him. It was all the matter of when at this point. Seitenshi didn't go too far away from them before she stopped for a second, turning back to them both. Even if she walked off, she was sure that she heard Nagisa's voice from that girl. Being in such a crowd though she really couldn't be too sure about that. ... "Seitenshi. You made it after all," said another voice. Seitenshi turned herself away from the other two, and found Victoria walking up to her. "Ah, Victoria. I was wondering where you were. How's your grandmother?" "She's still alive. Good enough really," Victoria replied with a smile on her face. Not a typical response, but an honest one anyway. Victoria looked behind Seitenshi, just to see Aladdin and Nagisa at their table. Seitenshi followed her eyes back to them, Victoria taking interest. "Interesting people," Victoria simply stated. "Do you know them?" Seitenshi asked. "No. But I have a feeling we're going to." ~~ Time ticked on slowly, and still no one seemed to even notice much of anything. It was starting to get more and more bothersome on some of them (Ciel and Nagisa especially for obvious reasons). During the night, the group managed to meet up with eachother by the same table, as the musicians for the evening were starting to tune up. Some of the guests (couples especially) were already preparing for this part. It wasn't exactly a Royal Ball without at least one moment to dance, it just wasn't. With this cool time with eachother, it gave them time to fill in on what's going on. "So, none of you found anything even remotely demonic here?" Nagisa asked. "Nope. I gave one cupcake to every single peep here, and that proves they're all humans. I mean, who but the meanie devil would avoid such perfect gifts in a little frosted package?" Pinkie said, showing an empty plate in her hands, nothing but crumbs left on the surface. For a random guest giving out treats, that's pretty good. "Any demon can accept your treats, Pinkie - OH, I mean 'Diana'," Aladdin said, referring to Pinkie by her cover name. Pinkie quickly thought about it. "Eh, yep, you're right." "That aside, it's been oddly quiet considering somebody said demons were to show up. Note that I don't want them to be in here ... but they better be in here," Ciel warned. "You're just pissed for being the Florahorn twin for the evening," Karma joked, making Ciel and Nagisa shiver. Nagisa may seem fine with it all, but Ciel was already figured out by Victoria of all people. Well, Karma wasn't wrong about it. After a little bit, the music started to pick up from the players nearby, and it only took a minute or two before couples were starting to dance the night away. The music was lovely, slow-paced, and perfectly fitting for a romantic slow dance with the gentlemen and the ladies. Pinkie Pie, despite not having a partner, just couldn't resist and soon disappeared out on the dance floor. Karma and Blair took hands, and they too decided to just go off out. Now it was just 'the kids' sitting there. Aladdin just watched in curiosity at the slow dancers, but both Nagisa and Ciel just sat side by side, embarrassed as ever. "I can't believe I even agreed to this," groaned Ciel. "How do you think I feel? I get embarrassed enough at school dances," agreed Nagisa. Aladdin kept watching the dancers around, but suddenly it seemed the three had company coming their way. Turned out, it was the same man that tried to flirt with Ciel before, coming back for round two. This time, it was for both of them. "Ah, there you are my moon blossom.~ would you care for a evening dance?" the man cooed. Just the sight of this creep made Ciel's skin crawl. Like he really needed to run into this guy again. Ciel's face turned red, and he turned away. "No thanks," Ciel said, trying to sound feminine like before. "Well then how about you madam? Let's dance through the night, you and I.~" the man cooed, this time turning his attention towards Nagisa. That just made it clear that this pimp of a man was just trying his luck with whoever. Aladdin observed this stud constantly trying his luck with either girl, but he looked around his body for a moment or two before he made his decision. The man had quite the outfit on, but apart of the getup seemed off at the hip. The pants just barely showed some skin, but Aladdin was starting to see something within. Something red, and too prominent to be just skin. ... "I'll take you on that offer sir!" Aladdin suddenly said, rushing right in between the man and his two friends. They weren't going to dance with this stud, not if he had anything to do with it! All three of them were taken by surprise. "You? Oh I'm charmed, good sir but -" "Correction. I'm not 'sir'. I am ..." In a sort of revelation, Aladdin took off his hat, and his fingers quickly undid his ponytail as it unraveled. Aladdin even slid his fingers through his blue hair for some extra charm effect, as it fully unraveled behind him. The display and charm overwhelmed the man, and Nagisa and Ciel didn't have any clue what to really say. Though, Nagisa was a bit more surprised about it than Ciel was. Once Aladdin's long blue hair settled, the young Magi looked to the man, now with a cuter expression and smile to his face. "My word. An angel in disguise,~" the man gasped. Aladdin took the man's hand from here. "Shall we dance now?" Aladdin asked, acting all cute and smiling. It was a look and offer this man couldn't refuse, and soon the man was guiding Ciel out to the dance floor. Aladdin looked back to Nagisa and Ciel and gave them both a wink, and a thumbs up. As out of nowhere that may be, the two cross dressers were glad they didn't have to go out with that kind of man to dance. It didn't take too much time before Aladdin was slow-dancing with this man for the sake of Ciel and Nagisa. Aladdin didn't have any single clue how to slow-dance like this, but the Magi seemed to be doing a pretty good job in going with the motions. The man had Aladdin by the hand, and one gently wrapped around him, as the two gently swayed and turned with the musical strings of the orchestra. Aladdin couldn't see the others too well, though he did catch the other couples doing similar dancing. Two steps forward, one step back, keeping his eyes on him during the whole charade. Aladdin kept trying to keep an eye out during the dancing, and he kept seeing that small part on the man's skin time and again. Nagisa and Ciel both continued watching Aladdin and his dance from farther away, but Nagisa began to look a bit closer and seeing that Aladdin's eyes were a bit more focused on something else rather than the man's face. "My dear, your hair flows with such perfection. Your beauty overwhelms me," the man cooed, as they danced along. "Same to you, sir," Aladdin replied. Aladdin suddenly began to feel the man advance on him, pulling him closer. While the advance made things uncomfortable, Aladdin got a closer, more clearer look at that one part. Now, he was seeing that this red area was more detailed up close, patterns of a dragon's head lining the hip just enough for Aladdin to see. "I knew it. And I bet he wants us alone too ..." Aladdin thought, thinking as if he was the enemy for a moment. To get a target from a group, you're going to have to isolate them. So, Aladdin continued to dance with the man some more, but as they were, Aladdin suddenly felt someone touch his back. Turning around, both he and the man saw another women standing right there, and one that Aladdin vaguely recognized. "And what are you doing, dear?" She asked. "Just enjoying the night, sweetheart," the man replied, not as flirty as before though. The women looked to Aladdin, but then smiled. "That lady ... she must be ..." "You know. I did hear that the queen was getting curious about you." "Say no more!" Aladdin suddenly said. He knew what was coming, and this Magi wasn't going to waste any time with it. "Excuse me?" "Sure, I'd like to see the queen. ... You know where she is?" Both smile down to Aladdin. "Right this way," the women said, beginning to guide him along. When they both weren't looking, Aladdin just got the sight of Nagisa and Ciel sitting over farther away. Aladdin only had a short moment to give some sort of signal to the two, and the only one he got was a wave. Not very much, but it was just enough to catch Nagisa's eye, as he watched Aladdin being escorted away. Nagisa tapped Ciel on the shoulder, and he too saw what was going on. Time to get together. ~~ Going away from the main room, and main event of the palace, Aladdin followed the other two guests off through the different parts of this place. Since most of the guests (and by extension the royal family of the palace) were at the Royal Ball at the moment, much of the rest of the palace was close to silent, and rather dark at that with many lights off. The main source of light came from the various lit candles, and the light from outside in the city, but interior wise the hallways were pretty much like the dark halls at Phantomhive manor at night. Aladdin kept his pace to the middle of the line, with the lady behind, and the man in front, supposedly guiding him to meet the queen. Still, with just how many twists and turns they were making in the hallways of the palace, it was safe to say that the guests were leading him astray. The walking around finally came to an end when he and the guests stopped over near the edge of the palace, just stopping a hall away from the back exit. Pretty far away to meet the queen of all people. "Is ... this where the queen is?" Aladdin questioned, looking around the area from here. The other figures stood behind him, and quietly looked around to be sure they were alone this far into the palace. "Not at all." Aladdin's reaction was almost instinctive: turning himself around on the raspy voice, Aladdin focused just enough to activate his orb shield. And not a moment too soon, as he found a lunging Envy Homunculus now tackling his protection! Envy bounced off the shield, but quickly got onto his feet for the landing. Rather than getting upset, or pissed, Envy was chuckling maniacally at Aladdin, as Lust removed some of her disguise. "I can't believe how much of an idiot you are! Anyone tell you not to follow strangers?" Envy mocked, Aladdin keeping his shield up. "I'm the idiot? Who revealed who? The others will tear you up when they find me here!" "So the others are here after all," Lust said. Well, Aladdin screwed up. Seemed that Envy and Lust didn't know they were even there after all. While that did prove that the disguises did work, what's the point now? All Aladdin could do was get his hand over his big mouth, as Lust turned to Envy. "Do you want to deal with them, or shall I?" Lust offered. Envy smirked. "Keep the brat still for me," Envy said, before running off. Aladdin readied to run, but Lust's claws shot out her hand, and blocked his way. Any attempt to run after him, and it'll trigger Lust like a bear trap. Lust smiled to her new prey item, the fem fatale Homunculus moving in closer to him. Aladdin had only his shield for protection here: no staff for combat, no turban to fly away, and Lust had every advantage on him. "Well. It's about time I come face to face with an angelic Magi. You even have that shield working." "I have plenty more where this came from, lady!" Aladdin warned. "Go ahead then. I wanna see you do it." Damn she's good. Aladdin just stood still and that was enough to get the point across, Lust leaning on Aladdin's shield, her breasts pressing against the surface. Aladdin was ... kinda lost for a moment there, and Lust couldn't help but smirk. "Even angels lack purity, I see. Enjoying the view, little Magi?~" Lust cooed, seeing her sin's namesake gripping Aladdin's mind. The magi snapped back to reality after she finished talking, and Aladdin tried to ignore that. "S-STOP IT. What're you going to do with me anyway?" Aladdin asked. "you'll see.~" ~~ Meanwhile, the rest of the group was off and going around within the palace halls. Soon after Aladdin was gone, Nagisa, Karma, Blair, Pinkie, and Ciel were all on it and on foot to catch up. They may not have exact weapons on them at the moment, but a full group can make all the difference over just one alone. They were still in disguise as well, going through the halls. "Damn this place is like a maze. Ciel, you know where to go?" Karma asked. "Nevermind that, why're you even going through with this? None of the public is supposed to be back here!" Ciel retorted. "Well you gotta break some rules sometimes. Besides, everyone's too busy at the ball to give a crap anyway," Karma pointed out. While they may be busy at the Royal Ball, that still didn't mean they should be running around the palace like this. The hard part now was trying to figure out where the hell Aladdin was at. He could be anywhere in the palace, and with the size of the place it could be all night. "Did you catch sight of who else went with him?" Pinkie asked. "Not too well, but two did escort him away back here," Ciel said, him seeing the two with Aladdin the same time as Nagisa earlier on. Hard to forget such a weird flirt out at the Royal Ball, especially with him flirting with Ciel. "Anyway, let's try to handle this fast before we -" "Get caught?" So much for not getting caught. Nagisa couldn't help but jump at the voice, spinning around fast to see that they weren't alone in this little hunt. To make matters a bit more surprising, the one who did end up finding them was the resident of the palace, Victoria! Accompanying her was Seitenshi, who was a bit humbled by seeing the group there (and Nagisa freaking out even more). "Hello, Phantomhive," said Victoria. "Uh, V-Victoria?" Ciel said. "Hi Victoria! Neat night isn't it?" Pinkie beamed, taking it in stride more than anything, even if childish about it. "Who's that?" asked Ciel, humbly this time. Victoria turned to Seitenshi, stepping aside. "Seitenshi, the president of Japan," Victoria introduced. "Um ... My pleasure," Seitenshi said. "N-Nice to meet you. Now, if you excuse me -" either to add insult to injury or for a laugh, as Nagisa tried to pass, Victoria slipped her hand to his ponytails, and untied them both with a delicate finger. Nagisa's hair flowed down, and suddenly he was looking right to Seitenshi again. Did his first ever meeting with Seitenshi HAVE to be this way?! "Hey, we don't have time for this little introduction, so you two just head back to your party and we'll handle things here," Karma instructed. He knew who he was talking to, but with the situation, it wasn't the time for it. Ciel and Nagisa were shocked he would say that so bluntly. "This is my home, you understand." "AND this is our business. Come on, niece," Karma said, grabbing Nagisa and taking off on their way. Pinkie and Blair were ready to go, but Ciel was more troubled about what Karma did. "What business? If it's something involving me, you have to tell me," Victoria insisted calmly. "Allow me to say this as a retort," Karma said. Instead of saying, he grabbed Ciel, and they all went off away from Seitenshi and Victoria. Ciel couldn't believe he was running away from Victoria like this, and both leading ladies were left a little dumbfounded. Still, it only peaked their curiosity on the situation these people were doing in Victoria's home. "Karma, are you mad?! You can't run off on them like this," Ciel snapped as they ran. "Really? Cuz we're doing it," Karma replied. Seriously, they didn't have any time to even talk to them. They needed to find those Homunculus AND Aladdin before things get worse. ....... The group went off down the next hallway from here, leading off to another corner, and off past another arch amongst the. It was really just a matter of luck by this point, but none of them were going to risk splitting up in this maze of a house, especially with Aladdin missing somewhere and presumably by the Homunculus. They've been trying their best, but they just couldn't find much of anything in this place. "Come on, how big is this damn place?" Blair wondered. "Just keep looking, he's got to be here somewhere," Nagisa said, as they continue to go around. *MMMM! MMMmmm!!* Finally they got it. The group just managed to hear some sort of muffled voice farther away. It was just when they pass an opening archway when they found their answer. The opening lead to an opened balcony, looking out to parts of London. It wasn't right out front, but it still showed plenty of the place either way. Lined with a stone fence, it looked rather authentic. It wasn't the balcony itself though that got their attention, but moreover who was on it. There, laying on the floor in a heap, was Aladdin! He was still in disguise, but now he was bounded and gagged up, and appearing to be beaten up in a way, bruises on him from some sort of struggle. "Aladdin!" Pinkie gasped, immediately heading over to him. Nagisa and Blair joined, but Karma and Ciel kept their distance, checking the surrounding area. This clearly looked like a set up, but when they looked around, nothing was around except for Aladdin. "Damn, dude. Here, we'll get you cleaned up," Blair said, as she started to untie him and remove the gag. With the combined effort from them, it didn't take long for Aladdin to get his gags and ropes removed, but Aladdin didn't move much, or even speak for that matter. It did look like he was beaten up pretty badly, as a few groaned escaped him. "Aladdin? Aladdin, you okay?" Aladdin stayed quiet at first, getting up to his hands and knees slowly, as the others waited for some sort of response from him, anything to say that he was alright. ... "... Got you." Then it happened: one quick motion was all it seemingly took for their supposed friend to make his move on them, and not the move they remotely expected. The motion brought out a bladed arm from Aladdin, jabbing it right through Blair's stomach! It was no simple knife either, but an extension of his arm sharpened into a spike, and now stained with Blair's blood as it shot out of her body, and onto the floor. Nagisa and Pinkie stumbled back in sheer horror, Blair hanging limp off of the spike. 'Aladdin' got up, raised Blair's dead body, and threw it off the balcony like trash! "A-ALADDIN! W-What the hell?!" Nagisa stuttered, the young Magi smiled in such a sinister way to the rest of them, giggling and soon laughing, as he raised the sharpened extension of his arm for another round. They all may be shocked, but Karma got himself snapped out of it first. And just in time. The second Karma got himself together was the moment Aladdin charged him, his blade narrowly missing him. This was the side of Aladdin none of them could even guess about. Karma landed not too far away from Aladdin, the bloodthirsty Magi turning back to him. "I can't believe you fell for that so easily! What dumbasses!" Aladdin mocked, laughing at them. "So this is the real you?" Ciel asked. "You bet it is. You humans are so easy to lull I swear. All it takes is some cute faces and some fancy innocent words to get you trusting me to no end. You know that kind of trust can get you killed," Aladdin said, rather cocky by the way, and referring to Blair. Who'd of guessed that this Magi would go and murder so easily, and with such enjoyment. His targets changed over to Nagisa and Pinkie, and he went right over to them like a assassin on a mission. Nagisa got out of the way in time, but Pinkie ended up stumbling a little, and got a severe cut into her shoulder! The girl screamed in pain as Aladdin slammed Nagisa to the ground, blood gushing out of Pinkie's wound and onto the floor. Karma rushed over, but suddenly Nagisa had the blade up to his neck, inches from getting decapitated! "Aladdin. W-What happened to you? T-This can't be the real you," Pinkie wept. "You don't know me at all you pisshead. Time to go bye-bye," Aladdin cleared, starting to bend Nagisa at the back. For a Magi, he was very strong, and it didn't take long until Pinkie Pie saw the pain shooting through him. Karma grabbed Aladdin, and yanked him off Nagisa fast before he could snap Nagisa in two. Aladdin's arm altered from a blade into a whip, and whacked Karma right in the face, making him let go. The whip stings, but Karma didn't lose anything important from it except for a flawless face. Aladdin swung the whip around like mad at Ciel, Karma, and Nagisa, Pinkie staring on in horror for a while. ... "How's it feel? Tell me which feels worse: this -" Aladdin whips Ciel in the chest. "- or this?" And again, hitting Karma in the leg, knocking him over. Aladdin seemed to really enjoy himself, torturing his friends like this with his whipping madness. "Homunculusssss.~" "Huh? What Homun -" The second Aladdin saw Pinkie, everyone went quiet. This gal was pushed just a little too far. Her eyes were shadowed, and her gaze ominous like an actual demon. The girl stormed right up to Aladdin, and grabbed his whip arm, held Aladdin in place, and with all the strength she had, tore the arm clean off! Blood shot out from the arm, but then they all saw what Pinkie saw here. And the red lightning and arm regeneration proved it. "That's not him," Nagisa thought. Pinkie grabbed this fake by the neck, threw him around, and he found himself underneath Pinkie Pie and her foot, both his arms held back, and her foot pushing down on his spine! "WHERE'S ALADDIN, HOME-WRECKER?" Pinkie hissed. This fake didn't answer right away, and in his position, he couldn't get himself up so easily. Karma got Nagisa up from his injury, the blue kid lucky his back didn't snap or anything. Ciel, a red mark still on his cheek, went over to the fake at this point, staring down the killer kid. "Get off me!" he yelled. "You took the life of one of their friends, and whipped every one of us already. And you expect us to let you go?" Ciel said firmly. It may not be Sebastian, but it was someone on his side just as well for the job. "Oh, I think you'd want to.~" Time for another opponent to step up to the plate. They all turned around to the entrance of the palace, and sure enough someone else had come around to join in this brawl game. Their newest opponent: Lust. And in her hand, Lust had the reason for them all to just stop what they were doing. Hanging there by her hand like a guilty dog, it was the real Aladdin. He was tied up and gagged much like the fake was, except that he didn't look as beat up, and powerless. This brief moment of realization gave the fake enough time to yank his arms free, and with a power thrust, launched Pinkie off of him. "Aladdin! For real this time!" Pinkie said, pointing to him. "Put the child down," Karma demanded. "Just a minute. Envy, mind bringing in the rest of the catch?" Lust instructed. Envy, turning himself back after the official name reveal, only took another look inside the hall to figure out what she meant, and Envy was right on it. Soon, there was Envy with the other catch. Seitenshi and Victoria tied up! "God damnit! They brought them here too?! Oh god, how are we going to get out of this with our skins in tact?" Nagisa thought. Ciel was worried too on seeing the princess of England in Envy's grip. Envy lifted and moved both ladies with fair ease, tossing them both right over to them. With their disguises torn up, their identities weren't so concealed to the two leading minds at all. "What's the meaning of this?" Victoria demanded. "You may be a bit new to this whole thing, but, maybe you should know better than to show up inside their business unannounced. You oughta get torn up," Envy said, a foot on her head. "Get us out of here this minute, or -" Seitenshi was cut off when Lust stared her down with killer eyes. "Or what? Let's say your personal guards are on break," Lust said, extending her long claws to prove her point. It explains where she was the whole night, anyway, but it just made Seitenshi upset. "You two had been busy, haven't you?" Victoria groaned, still feeling Envy's foot on her back. Lust started to step in while bringing Aladdin, but suddenly Nagisa stood in the way. His nerves were a bit shaky still, but he wasn't going to let the president of Japan die in front of him. "Not a step closer," Nagisa said, though Lust could tell that Nagisa was still a bit nervous, not to mention powerless. Lust didn't need to step closer, as she tossed Aladdin their way, and her claws struck Nagisa. It was more of a mock hit than an actual one, and one that tore Nagisa's dress off completely, leaving nothing but threads in ribbons on the ground. A surprisingly accurate strike, only leaving a few hairs cut off and nothing else on his actual body. Nagisa stood completely still, but he didn't move away at any point. "So you'd rather die than run, huh? You humans, you throw away your lives for nothing huh? Just like back in Japan," commented Envy. "Be careful, Homunculus. You've been off lucky twice now, and you know what they say about three strikes," Karma warned. Normally Envy would get upset for his number of fails, but this time he just started walking back, away from the others alongside Lust until both Homunculus were inside the palace, everyone else out on the balcony. What they said next shook them. "... Envy?" "I thought you'd never ask." Before any of them could do anything, Envy turned around, raised his leg, and slammed his foot down with all his force. Not only did that stomp made the floor crack a bit, but this also split the entire balcony right off the building! Just enough power in Envy's focused strength to pull that off if Lust didn't weaken it before they showed up, something obvious when she showed her claws again and winking at them. Too little too late. Envy and Lust watched as they all fell down, little time to even scream as they all suddenly plummeted. They had pretty much nothing to help, and nothing to stop their plummet, with the entire balcony crumbling and breaking up once it smashed into the earth in a loud crash. Lust and Envy both watched with immense satisfaction as they heard the sudden cut off of the screaming as the entire balcony turned into nothing but a dust cloud of smashed concrete and stone. Envy felt far more satisfied than Lust, seeing his adversaries all die in the fall. Both Homunculus even heard the sound of squashed flesh, and splattered blood. Envy cherished the screams and gore they both laid witness to, and the Homunculus giggled. "OH, you were right, Lust. bunch of dumb shits," Envy giggled, a devilish grin stretching across his face. "Indeed. Let's be on our way before the guards catch up with us," Lust suggested. And with that, both Envy and Lust were off on their way, and disappeared into the night. A job well done as far as they knew. ....... And they didn't know far enough. When the dust cloud did clear, it showed the devastation of what they just did. An entire balcony of the queen's palace, now left with nothing but silver stone, and the cracked concrete underneath. Rubble laid everywhere, and smashed up floor, border fencing, and brick laid in heaps around a area about twenty feet around, or fifty if you include the smaller pieces. Red stained the ground around, underneath the rubble specifically, but this sort didn't truly match up blood. In fact, this splatter turned out to be no more than red juice from a lot of well-placed Razz berries, tomatoes, and other sorts of red fruits. As for where they've gone? ... "*cough**cough* What just happened?" groaned Nagisa, poking his head out of where fell. Rather than the ground itself, bizarrely, they all somehow ended up not only alive, but safely inside a strangely conveniently placed hay wagon. Not only was the hay wagon a bit low tech by today's standards, but WAY too far away from any typical area for it to just casually be sitting there. Others of the group pulled themselves out of the hay, straw covering their clothes, but otherwise unscathed from the fall, although still hurting from their other injuries. "We were set up, that's what happened," Ciel said, dazed but fine, as he pulled himself out of the hay wagon. Everyone else managed tog et themselves out, and Pinkie Pie had another surprise: helping Victoria and Seitenshi both out of the wagon, and out of the ropes and bindings. Looked like they were alright as well. Aladdin was helped out too by Nagisa and Karma, some taking a moment to see just how much damage was actually done. Not a single soul was harmed in the freak accident, thank god. "How unfortunate," Victoria said upon seeing it. "K, everyone alright? President, you -" Karma was cut off when Seitenshi raised her finger. She would normally be calm in these situation, and at first glance it would seem that, but she was still trying to contemplate what the hell just happened. Homunculus, kill attempts, magic, this was all a bit much to take in especially with her falling from a balcony and nearly dying altogether! "Before we can even go another minute, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? You know what's going on, and you WILL tell me," Seitenshi firmly stated. She wasn't going to go any further until she was told that at least, and considering what just happened, they owe her that much. "In a bit. One thing though: how'd we end up in a hay wagon? It's too far away for us to just fall in," Pinkie wondered. "We were nearly killed and THAT'S what she wonders about?" Seitenshi thought, not believing her ears. All the same though, how they even ended up in a hay wagon was just a little too convenient for them to really push aside. "A fine question, young miss. And as a creature with speed beating your finest jet planes, I can tell you." Whelp, there's their answer. Looking to the front of the wagon, their answer came in the form of Korosensei! The Demon King had both his arm tentacles wrapped around the wagon's hitches, like they were tied rope. As to his nature, Korosensei's outfit changed into that of what looked like an English cabbie: similar brown outfit with a England wool hat included on top of his head. They were slightly used to him popping up at this point, but only slightly. "Yeah, that makes more sense. I owe you one. Again," Karma said, as the cheeky Demon King made his signature chuckle, his face turning striped green. "Was there any doubt? Nothing can slow down this Demon King," Korosensei boasted, though really he was glad that he got there when he did, otherwise they'd all be nothing but splattered meat in clothing. "Did you do this?" Seitenshi finally asked. "Of course! Call it a little service from the fastest Demon this side of the Underworld. But, boasts aside, good thing you're all okay. That was a close shave, don't you think so?" "Not quite everyone. Unfortunately, Blair was killed before the balcony collapsed," Ciel said, though his tone wasn't filled with much sorrow over it. In fact, it was less emotional, and more like a business report than much else. Korosensei took a look over at the wreck, and suddenly he was checking the area with lightning speed. In just under five seconds, the rubble and rocks were all neatly stacked up in a sort of pyramid shape not too far off from the initial location, but nothing was left except from the splattered red juice. "Nope, that's just my berry juice decoys. Pretty groovy, eh?" "But Blair's -" "Nyaa! Hey guys, what's up?" "BLAIR?!" And just like that, Blair suddenly popped her head out of the hay wagon, same way the others did. She shook off some of the hay from her head, but her appearance alone made them all freak out. Blair didn't sound hurt, or even sore, but good as good can be. Too much of a surprise for the others to just take in. They ALL saw her get skewered and tossed off the balcony, and here she was good as new. "W-Wha?! B-B-But Blair, y-you died up there! ... Didn't you?" Aladdin asked, shaken up. "Nine lives, babe," Blair simply said. ... "She did not just say that," Nagisa thought. There will be time to explain later, they were sure. (she'd better, anyway). Then the attention went back to the damage done, Seitenshi and Victoria looking over the damage as the other consorted. This attack by a duo of magical, demonic creatures was something neither of them could ignore, especially when they both were used basically as extras to get killed. ... They need to be ready.
S02Ep9: To Be a Phantomhive ~ファントムハイヴになるために~"YOU DOLLS!" Secluded outside of London, things weren't going so well for Lust and Envy, both sides dealing with the rough beating of Hellgar the second he found them. Since they were Homunculus, the cuts, scorches and tears were easily healed up fast, but that didn't mean Hellgar was pulling back any punches in his anger. Good thing they were farther away from the city too, as the slaughtering punishment echoed all over the forest. During the rampage, Hellgar managed to grab Envy, and threw him right at one of the trees, tearing his arm off in the process. Blood splattered the ground and bark, Envy regrowing his arm afterwards. Lust wasn't doing much better, already having her legs torn off of her and waiting to regrow them as well. Again, Hellgar wasn't holding himself back here. "What does it take to keep you bastards in line?!" Hellgar roared. "H-Hey, it wasn't my idea!" Envy pleaded. "I DON'T CARE WHO IT IS! You're recruiting, I'm killing, GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!" Hellgar roared, advancing on Envy again, and sinking his teeth into his throat. He'd gone through this nine times now, and each time was excruciating, this one included. Hellgar tore his neck clean open, grabbed him by the leg, and threw him directly at Lust, toppling them both over. "HEY, we did more than you ever could," Lust said, a bit annoyed at this point. "I didn't reveal myself to the queen of London OR the president of Tokyo either, now did I?" Hellgar growled. Well, he got them there, but they still felt that they did a lot more than Hellgar did. "Sure, but we got a new recruit AND we killed all those annoying humans for the lord, what have you been doing?" Envy brought up. Looked like someone wasn't on the level with events since the Royal Ball. That just only made Hellgar even more upset with them. "They're not dead, dumbass; I just met with them last night. I don't finish jobs half-assed, Homunculus!" "Now that's enough of that." All that anger and stress subsided for just a brief moment on this other, eerily familiar voice, both Homunculus and Houndoom Hellhound trying to find the source of the voice. And honestly it didn't take long before they found their figure, who walked out of the midday shadows with a beautiful rose delicately held in his hand. The very look of him was enough to tell them who this was straight away. "Lord Sombra! What're you doing here?" Hellgar asked. Sombra walked over to Lust and Envy and actually took a moment to get them to their feet, much to Hellgar's annoyance. "Punishments, naturally. I heard what you said, and yes. Indeed, they are still alive and well. A bit frazzled, perhaps, but that's about it," Sombra confirmed. Lust felt quieter about it, but Envy was just ticked off. He was for SURE that they got them there already, but apparently it didn't work either according to them. "BULLSHIT! They toppled down from a building -" "AND were rescued by Korosensei in a hay wagon. Envy, I don't care how deeply you want to get even with those humans, but keep your mind on your work." Envy's hand slapped his forehead on the news. And he thought he was done with that demon octopus. Sombra was more disappointed than angry in his expression, though the demon lord was quick to notice Hellgar's snickering close by. Sombra was quick to turn over to him too. "Hellgar, don't act like you're off. They're right: You've barely did a thing since I let you come up here. What have you been doing these past weeks?" Sombra questioned, staring daggers at the hellhound. Hellgar though wasn't so easily intimidated as Envy was, considering the circumstances. "Following your orders. You put me up here in order to handle the humans, to separate that Yugure from them, and I did." "Did you really?" Sombra simply asked. Hellgar was going to answer, but then realized what Sombra meant by 'handling' them. Sombra shook his head. "Hound, Homunculus, look. I didn't put you all up here just to screw around with these humans. My tasks I give you, as vague and mundane as some are, are more vital than you think. I put you Homunculus up here to recruit more potential suitors, and I put you, Hellhound, to break down those blessed human group and that Phantomhive character. I gave you nearly a month to do both, and contrary to your belief Hellgar, the Homunculus actually got more done than you did, I'm sorry to say." "Now wait a minute! My involvement didn't expose us to the rulers of London and Tokyo! Now those two bastards are working on a protection agreement because some dolls got too cocky," Hellgar revealed. Sombra took this into some more attention. "Excuse me?" "That's right! They both found the Homunculus out, and now they're working to block off more advances for us demons. And guess who's fault THAT is?" Hellgar finished, glancing back to the Homunculus. Both Homunculus were about to say their complaints, but Sombra was quick to get in the way before they even could say much of anything. "It's not just the matter of them seeing us, it's the matter on how much they know about us. One encounter to the royals doesn't pick up too much." "You're ... You're not defending those dolls are you? You're here to punish them, right?" "Your multiple massacres were more than enough Hellgar," Sombra made clear, bringing his attention to all the blood splattered everywhere from his little rampage. Envy and Lust couldn't help but agree with Sombra, though mainly because they didn't want to keep getting killed. Sombra gently placed his red rose over on Lust's bosom, slipping it between her cleavage. "Now that we're caught up, I want you all to keep to your work and not to stray on it. But since it's apparently too difficult for Homunculus to keep to one task, I'll have you under Hellgar's command. Hellgar, I believe we're at that point now. ... You know what to do. And don't waste time on it." With that, Sombra turned, and disappeared behind the shadows of the forest. Hellgar, who was fuming up a minute ago, now steamed in anticipation. The hellhound turned to Envy and Lust, a evil smile on his face. ....... "Good morning, young lord." The voice was enough to get Ciel up for his usual routine, though it wasn't the typical person this time. No, rather than Sebastian, it was instead Tanaka waking him up, putting the curtains to the side as Sebastian would do, and going along the typical schedule and routines. Tanaka got Ciel dressed up: slipping on his shirt, buttoning his overcoat, slipping on his socks, the usual works. Though Tanaka was a bit slower than Sebastian, but just as well maintained. Ciel would grip about the speed, but Tanaka did this better than the others, so, Ciel simply stayed quiet. It took five minutes more than normal, but eventually Ciel was ready to go. The fact that it was Tanaka doing this just reminded him of his current situation. "Our schedule today, Tanaka?" Ciel simply asked, adjusting a few little tid bits on his person while looking in his mirror. "The queen has requested your visit in regards to the Protection Agreement, actually. Here's the message dropped off this morning," Tanaka explained, pulling out a letter from his own coat, and giving it to Ciel. The young earl opened it up fairly quickly, and read over the basic instructions of it. Seemed straightforward, though other little instructions were also listed. Turned out, the other group he was involved with was also wanted. "Alright. ... Tanaka?" "Yes, my lord?" "Any information about the disappearances?" Ciel asked. Tanaka took a moment to think before he answered him. "Not currently," Tanaka simply replied. Ciel just sighed and began to walk over out of the door. Ciel started to move through the halls of the manor, all alone and without anyone by his side. Usual walks through the manor were accompanied by Sebastian, but with him disappeared, he had basically himself and his shadow for any company in his walk. As he was going along towards the front door, his silent walk was seen by one of the workers. "Morning master. Where're you running off to?" asked Bardroy, hearing Ciel at the front door. Ciel opened the door, but eventually a thought struck him. "The queen requested my presence at her palace." "Oh, is that so?" "Yes. Bardroy, inform Mey-Rin and Grell that you're on guard duty. Make sure the manor is secure until I return," Ciel instructed. Bardroy shrugged it off, but nodded anyway. "Oh, sure. leave it to us," Bardroy promised. "You better be prepared," Ciel thought. But he didn't have any other options to pick from in the manor, so what else could he pick? Besides, with Sebastian away, they needed all the help they could get. ~~ Over at the queen's home, things had really been up and running when it came to the protection agreement. Many of London's high guards and soldiers were on high alert and high in loyalty to the queen in command. It seemed like an odd place to put a run around of military, being right at the queen's doorstep, but the queen would observe the soldiers and guards to figure out who'd go and who wouldn't. That, and some extra guards around the queen's home would be more than beneficial for the situation they were in. After all, any Homunculus making a second appearance meant that guards needed to be more numerous. Amongst the guards coming around, they were mainly observed by the queen with Victoria at her side, both women watching and seeing who was and who wasn't up for the task. As for Seitenshi, she had already sent a few of her military staff not too long after returning home, and the queen could see the differences between one to the other, down to the uniforms they wore. "Grandmother, tell me again why we can't inform Amestris. Their soldiers are more ... local," Victoria said, as she observed the soldiers from Japan interacting with their own of the UK. "I already told you, it's best to not involve a country not effected by these happenings," the queen reminded. Victoria looked back to the military men of the UK greeting the transfers to London, and therefore to their regime. Well, they seemed to get along fairly enough, though Victoria still didn't seemed very eager about this choice, but she knew better than to defy her own grandmother here. As they both looked on, eventually they took note of a car starting to come in from their front road: a similar car from the Phantomhive estate. The queen had expected such to arrive, and started to head over to greet the guests to her home. The first one to step out of the car was Tanaka, who drove them here, and he went on to open up the door, letting Ciel step out to see the queen. "A pleasure for you to make it, Phantomhive. Are the others with you as requested?" The queen asked. Before Ciel could even say. ... "HIYA!" Pinkie suddenly beamed, hopping out of the car and greeting the queen up front in her usual giddy manor. "P-Pinkie, no, we talked about this, please," said another voice, trying to hold her back and calm her down. The queen was taken aback slightly, but she felt alright overall with the friendly, if not over-excited, behavior. The others came out in their formal England attire to meet up with said queen, as requested so by Ciel. "I-I'm sorry, you highness," Twilight stuttered, moving Pinkie back before she could cause any trouble. She would never guess that she would meet the queen personally, so when their group got the word, she was basically freaking out in trying to make a good impression. "No need to apologize," the queen simply said, Twilight trying to stay calm. Karma took a step over to the queen herself. "So, your highness, what's this about?" "We'll discuss matters inside," said the queen, starting to walk on inside. It didn't take too much time, but eventually the group followed the queen inside, and to the main throne room. With many guards going about the place it felt more like going around a security base. Who could really blame the queen for beefing up security though, especially after her granddaughter nearly got killed. Once they arrived in the throne room, the queen went right to her throne, Victoria moving over to her side as the rest of the group stood at the front, over in the middle of the room. "So queen, what's the deal?" Karma asked again. "Well, I'm sure Phantomhive informed you about the current protection agreement," the queen began. The whole group nodded as she continued. "Out of any of our current allies, it's your group who is more experienced with such matters, according to what Victoria had informed me about. So for the better benefit of the agreement, some more information would suffice," explained the queen. In short, she wanted more info about what's going on. For the group, the only one who got worried was Aladdin himself, who immediately perked up on the request. "I-I don't know." "I beg your pardon?" "But it's supposed to keep under secret wraps, I can't just go on it to anyone," Aladdin made clear, hesitant but getting the point across. Victoria took some keen interest in Aladdin as the queen spoke again. "I've already agreed to keep it only amongst the forces only. It won't reach the public anytime soon, I promise on that," the queen reassured. Aladdin wasn't too sure, but Blair slid right over next to him. "Dunno why you're still keeping that little rule. For keeping it secret, you've been doing a lousy job," teased Blair. "Hey, I'm trying here!" snapped Aladdin. However, after thinking about it, Aladdin did realize that keeping this stuff quiet wasn't going so well after all. There's these kids, 3-E class in Tokyo, the Phantomhive manor, and now the leading humans behind both Tokyo and England. And now this is supposed to spread amongst the entire military?! Eventually, Aladdin turned to the queen herself. "please try to not spread this around too much? I'm really trying here to keep this silent from any normal humans," Aladdin said, both hands together on pleading terms. Victoria and the queen exchanged glances to one another. They already made it clear before they started this discussion. "Assuredly, little angel." "Okay, good now -" Aladdin suddenly stopped himself, his eyes wide. The others heard Victoria loud and clear, as Victoria smiled to him. How did she know about him being a angel?! They had only met once in their entire visit, and not a single indication (in front of her anyway) that he was anything like an angel. It surprised the others, reactions varying from one to another as Victoria kept her eyes on Aladdin. "... Angel?" "Let's not lie to eachother. I don't think it would benefit us in the long run," Victoria cleared up. "How'd she know about that?" Whispered Twilight to Nagisa. "We'll ask her later," replied Nagisa quietly. As for Aladdin, he went on and cleared himself up before he began to speak. "Anyway. Exactly what did you want to know?" "What we're dealing with. With these demons. They seemed to involve you, you have to know something about them." "Oh that. ... Well, I guess the main problem here is called Homunculus. They're not exactly humans, per say ... though you probably realized that." "Homunculus. That what they were?" asked the queen. "Right. They're full of rather nasty tricks, especially Envy. He's one of those Homunculi, and his gimmick is that he can disguise himself as basically anyone he can think of," Karma said. "anyone?" questioned the queen. "Yep. Been doing a damn good job at it too." That sort of information got the queen a bit concern. If Envy really could disguise as anyone he sees, then who's to say he wasn't standing around with them right now? A expert disguising Homunculus in their ranks was a rather unsettling thought. The queen thought this over for a bit more before she spoke again. "In that case, I'll have my advisors check the new arrivals for any signs of mimicry. Is there any weaknesses that any of you know of?" This question was easier to answer, and they got planned for such as well. In this case, it was Nagisa's signature halo blade, and Nagisa himself presented the type of unique weaponry to the queen and Victoria. He wasn't too used to talking to people such as these, so he had to get himself together to explain things. "These work pretty good. We've been getting holy weapons over the months. Other things work but -" "Why're you looking away? Look us face to face, if you don't mind," Victoria suddenly instructed. Nagisa corrected himself, but he felt uneasy once his mind processed who he was talking to. This was the queen of England AND her granddaughter standing there. At the least, he wasn't alone. "Sorry. ... A-Anyway. Apparently holy weapons work best on them. Other things can work, but not as well as these. ... At least as far as I know," Nagisa said, getting it out as fast and as sensible as he could. He knows demons get hurt, or even killed by things non-holy, with the Jizo statue encounter replaying in his head (the defeat especially). The queen could see that Nagisa was worried on talking to them, so she didn't allow him to trouble himself any further. ... "If that's the case, then perhaps you and your friends should join our watch tonight." "W-WHAT?" Nagisa gasped. "We may have strong weaponry, but if what your saying is true, and given the fact you're the only ones possessing such weapons, a personal watch in my chambers would be appreciated," the queen explained. That made sense, but only two of them have that kind of weaponry in anyway, and some hardly fight to begin with. All the same, Twilight suddenly perked up courage. "You can count on us your highness," Twilight said. The only one going with the flow was Pinkie and Ciel. "YES INDEEDIE! Team Harmony is on the case!" Pinkie said, full of glee as ever. "Team Harmony?" Ciel questioned. "We need a team name, don't we? It's got a little ring to it, and we're saving the world, one meanie at a time!" "Much improved, thank you. Victoria will guide you on what you need to do," the queen decided. Victoria walked over to the others in question, standing over by Ciel and Blair. Not much really were up for it, but what could they do? At least now things were decided. "Well, here we go," Nagisa thought. ~~ Throughout the day, London had been under some renovations in their respected areas. For the queen's palace, the adaptation of new guards with the traditional ones were set on patrol around the London palace, set around throughout the day, and including areas around London just in case of any other dangers. The group had kept their guard around the queen and Victoria, and not much else. They've been given their instructions by Victoria and soon were on their own guard to keep any potential demons well away. A fairly simple job, but one they had to keep more focus on (as much as some didn't want to). Ciel too stuck with them in the guarding game, as he had predicted would happen the second he got that message. With Bardroy, Tanaka, Grell, and Mey-Rin keeping the Phantomhive Manor in proper care and protection while away, he had that covered to handle outside work. He just wished that Sebastian was around. They found Twilight Kagayaki, so it was only a matter of if they'll find Sebastian anytime soon. And hopefully very soon. The time during their guard duty was long, but it did eventually turn into near nightfall after a while. Daytime light replaced with lights from the palace, and a few guards were still on guard in the night, including the team. It wasn't exactly the same thing over back at the manor, with many of the inhabitants already asleep by this point. Constant protection wasn't as strong there, and the night watch wasn't something many of the inhabitants weren't used to. Tanaka, being a bit older than the others, had already turned in for the evening, and as such entrusted guard duty for the night to the youthful servants of the manor. With a clear nights, and not much going on for quite a good while, Bardroy, Grell and Mey-Rin were basically getting rather exhausted with it all. "Might as well just stay in bed at this rate. Least it's quiet," Bardroy thought as he went around on his patrol route. Unfortunately for him, that time of quiet was quickly taken away the second he turned a corner. All of a sudden, a yelp was heard, and added with a gunshot! the bullet zoomed by him and bounced off the wall. It wasn't near Bardroy enough to be considered dangerous, but he wasn't sleepy anymore. Turning down the next hall showed a rather fidgety Grell on the ground, gun raised but looking very spooked and trembling. At least for a bit until he realized that it was just Bardroy. "THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME TOO, YOU IDIOT?!" Bardroy snapped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It just gets so ... unsettling this time of night," Grell trembled, as he got up to his shaky feet. Bardroy paused and looked around in the dark halls of the manor. That, added with the typical décor of the place did prove Grell's point, and all Bardroy did was sigh. "Can't blame ya there. You seen Mey-Rin?" "I-I think she's on the roof. Why?" Grell asked, trying to calm down. "Just checking. Didn't hear a word out of her for an hour now. Anyway, you need to get your act together, you might end up shooting someone you'll regret," Bardroy made clear, namely referring to himself. "Then why do you have a flamethrower on your back?! You scared me half to death!" Grell asked, freaked out still. Yes, Bardroy had one, locked and loaded up for any intruders to roast. When it came to weapons, Bardroy's main choices extended beyond the typical gun or blade, flamethrowers just being one example, and just the sight of it made Grell unnerved, even more so when Bardroy aimed the tip of it right at him! "No intruder would get past me with this baby. One blast, and I'm sure the earl will be all smiles," Bardroy said, smile on his own face. No, that didn't help Grell's nerves out any better. As if patrolling the dark and empty manor wasn't trouble enough. "J-Just. Don't. Burn down the manor when you use that," Grell said meekly. ....... Meanwhile, as Grell and Bardroy handled their own patrols inside, off outside of the manor, things were starting to go into motion for two particular Homunculus. Envy and Lust both were given under new order by Hellgar, and in this case the orders involved away from the main group, and instead at the Phantomhive estate. After all, with the strongest foes having up and left, the manor was basically a sitting duck. Envy and Lust looked out from the forest close by, envy up on one of the trees as Lust stood aside the same tree, both Homunculi looking to the target. "So this is that brat's estate, huh? Damn Hellgar, how'd we get stuck with your job?" Envy thought. "The Phantomhive manor. So Envy, you remember what to do?" Lust asked, as she brought out her own claws. Envy smirked a sharp-toothed smile to his fellow Homunculus. "Do you even have to ask? Finally an actual job," Envy responded. While he'd rather go and take on the main group, this was good enough in his book. Once that was said, Envy hopped down the tree, down to Lust's level. Both took another look to the manor and began to move to the very edge of the forest. Any further out and they'll be exposed for sure, so Lust had to stay put for this one. Something she was more comfortable with over Envy. No way was Envy going to go and mess up again, not this time. "So, what's it this time? Ciel? Sebastian? One of those angel humans?" Lust asked, a bit interested. Since Envy could change into all sorts of things, it was really a guessing game to what Envy would change into next. Envy hid off through one of the larger bushes, and made his transformation from a Homunculus, into a much smaller mouse. "They'll be out here in no time at all. Just get ready with those claws," Envy said, his voice a bit higher pitched this time around, as he began to head off. Lust just shilled out by the tree as she watched Envy head straight for the manor. She trusted envy would get them out here, if anyone. Envy sped along the ground of the front yard, his small mouse body unseen into the nighttime dimness. Even if so much smaller, Envy made it straight to the manor in little to no time at all, not a single witness to see him as he did so. With the dark shadows of the manor itself, and time of night itself, envy made sneaking up to the manor as easy as it can be. The little mouse scurried around the walls for a way in, but the entire place looked simply locked down tight. Doors locked, windows shut, it seemed a bit difficult just for a way in. He climbed up to another window at ground level, and tried to get it open. But, alas, it stayed firmly shut. This happened again and again, about five times and Envy was getting nowhere here. Every door he tried was also locked up rather tight. Envy would just break in if this wasn't a stealth task, and he was supposed to lure them outside, not alarm them all on sight. "Where, where ... FINALLY." Envy took one look above him, and finally he was getting somewhere. a upper window was actually left open, though it was a few levels high. Not a problem for this Homunculus. All he did was transform from a little mouse, to a bat, and sure enough he fluttered straight up to it, and got himself right inside. At last, he was in. Now in the manor itself, Envy got himself transformed out of his bat form, and back to regular Homunculus. He was half way there with this task, now he had to go out and find them. He had all night, and now inside, he knew where they were in. Each hallway Envy moved himself in covered him in dark, ominous shadows, just enough to keep his body well hidden even in his normal form. Each step he made had a slight echo in these halls, just reminding Envy just how large and empty it really was at this time of night. The Homunculus was basically treating himself to a self-tour of the place during his walk about, as while looking for the inhabitants, Envy began to get the layout of the manor. Dim light, a huge building with dark shadows and many turns, all of these worked in Envy's favor. Lust was waiting outside, and Envy just had to get them to her to finish things off. The only main task: finding the targets ... which was easier said than done. Do note, that Envy had never been in the manor before now, so he was learning the place as he searched, so who knew where he'll end up? Well, at least this game him sometime to reflect on things as of late. Especially concerning his run of bad luck. ... "First with Korosensei. Then with Sebastian. GOD DAMNIT, what's going on? Something's up with those holy bastards, there's no way they would be able to escape me so easily. Next time we meet, I'm cutting off their damn heads!" Envy thought. The images of these moments zoomed through his mind, starting with his initial encounter with Karma and Korosensei the first time around (official anyway). Somehow, SOME WAY, that red head managed to get out of his target zone time and again, not to mention screw with his with condiments, a memory that still made him cringe in anger. It's one thing to beat him, but to humiliate him like that was crossing the line! Envy brought his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, when ... "AAH!" *bang* "AGAIN, GRELL?" There they are. Envy snuck off to the end of the hall, peeking just enough the corner to find Bardroy and Grell. It appeared that trigger-happy Grell gave a shot to one of the creepy pictures on the wall, though Grell at least wasn't on the ground this time. Though, same thing can't be said for Bardroy, who tumbled on the floor to avoid the bullet shot. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how to make up for this. ... WAIT, I -" "Don't even think about it," Bardroy said, swiping the gun away from the suicidal servant before he could blast off his own face. Bardroy didn't need a dead friend like this. "No, give that back. I have to -" "YOU HAVE TO NOTHING!" Bardroy snapped, silencing Grell. After calming down, Bardroy looked down to him. "Grell, we can't keep watch if you keep panicking at every single thing. Sebastian wouldn't want you to do that. This may have been his task before, but he's not here. So until he comes back, we're going to have to try a little harder, okay? Okay?" Bardroy said, trying to stay firm but not enough to drive Grell to tears again. Grell was quiet at first, but eventually all the words sunk in. Sebastian wasn't there, and he had to get himself together more properly. Because Sebastian wasn't going to take his shift anytime soon, far as they knew. "... Ok," Grell finally said, getting up to his feet. Bardroy had a point, and Grell had to man up for this job. Nearby, Envy was still, for whatever reason, watching them both go through that little bit of drama. It seemed that none of them knew where Sebastian was, so that was fairly good for the demon's side. "Time for a little deception," Envy thought, finally getting to work. ... "Grell! Bardroy!" Grell and Bardroy heard her loud and clear, and soon Mey-Rin raced right up to them. She looked freaked out, and her adrenalin up, clear from the look on her face. "Mey-Rin, what's up?" "Found intruders from the front, I did. They're closing in. I tried to get them, but they moved too fast even for me!" Mey-Rin said. Bardroy and Grell both got the message right away, immediately up to arms. Or at least, Bardroy was with his flamethrower. "Ok, Grell, let's work a little harder now," Bardroy said, getting a headstart to the front door. Grell, adrenalin up as well, raced off after Bardroy. Mey-Rin was left behind in their bolt off, but soon she was following them as best she could. Well, a bit out of nowhere, but it was time for action. Bardroy, much like a soldier in the field, took to the front with Grell and Mey-Rin behind. Since Grell and Bardroy had a head start, Mey-Rin ended up a bit behind the two. Bardroy and Grell knew the manor top to bottom, so heading straight to the front yard took a bit less time. Mey-Rin trailed them for a while behind, until the trio finally got themselves out front. They saw the forest, the front entrance way, basically the full extent of the front area of the manor, but sighting of any intruders were zero to none. Did their intruders run off, or was it really that dark out there? Bardroy stayed front side, Grell and Mey-Rin standing back as the current one in charge looked around a bit more to be sure, but he wasn't seeing much of anything really. Not a hint, not a sound, not a clue. Nothing but the sound of the wind blowing against the leaves of the trees. Grell started to calm down a little bit on the realization, also not seeing much of anything, though Mey-Rin kept oddly quiet during this. "Maybe they left?" "Must have. sure you saw someone, Mey-Rin?" Bardroy questioned, he and Grell turning to Mey-Rin again. May-Rin stayed still for a moment or two, not saying a real word. ... Then the smile came, and a whistle rang in the air. "INCOMING!" Bardroy yelled. In little to no time at all, out charged Lust, claws out and at the ready! Panicking, Grell and Bardroy tried to get out of her way, but while Bardroy managed to do so by inches, by the time he turned around for Grell, he was far too late: Lust had sliced her fingers straight through Grell's torso like a spear! Blood poured down him, sliding down Lust's fingers and down to the floor. Grell stared in shock for a few more moments before going limp, and Lust allowed Grell's body to slide off her fingers, collapsing to the ground. Lust's finger claws were laced in liquid red. "GRELL!" Bardroy gasped, stuck in shock. Unfortunately, Mey-Rin suddenly was right behind him, grabbing him to keep him still! "Mey-Rin, let go of me!" Bardroy demanded, but Mey-Rin's strength was surprisingly powerful. "You killed him good, you did," said Mey-Rin to Lust, as the Homunculus was wiping off the blood from her claws. The blood shined the moonlight off her claws, a glistening red being presented to Bardroy. Bardroy tried to get his flamethrower started, but Mey-Rin had the machine and his arms in a position where he couldn't use it properly. The obvious question here was why was Mey-Rin helping Lust out?! "That's one down," Lust simply said, turning to Bardroy, her attractive diva eyes staring right into Bardroy's soul. ... *bang**bang* gunfire. Two clear shots, and both hitting their respected targets almost exactly at once. Next thing Bardroy knew, Lust and Mey-Rin toppled to the ground in pain, blood shooting out in from both of their heads. Bardroy was free, but he was more worried over Mey-Rin and Grell to put that into question. But, he didn't have time to even do that before he found the source of the gunfire, standing over at the front door with steaming twin pistols aimed in his direction. The real Mey-Rin. And once more, Mey-Rin without her glasses on, showing a set of equally attractive, hazel eyes, both aimed directly at the targets she shot down. As for the fake Mey-rin and Lust, both quickly recovered from the sudden shot, red lightning flashing as their wounds healed up after mere seconds of time. The fake Mey-rin got up, shaking off the shot, only to be face to face with the mouth of Bardroy's flamethrower. Bardroy didn't hesitate, and both figures were scorched in a huge, burning blaze of fire! They both screamed in agony on the flames scorching their skin, Bardroy keeping the flamethrower going for a full ten seconds before subsiding, as Mey-Rin stepped to his side. "Are you alright, Bardroy?" Mey-Rin asked. "Yeah, I'm good. More than could be said for Grell though," Bardroy said, though Mey-Rin was well aware of that already. Lust and the second Mey-Rin began to come back around, and heal up from the sudden blast of fire. The other Mey-Rin though soon revealed his true form, being that of Envy Homunculus before fully healing. Envy and Lust got to their feet and soon it was a stand off. Bardroy and Mey-Rin on one side, Envy and Lust on the other, and the body of Grell at the center. "Feisty humans, aren't you?" Lust commented. The servants of the manor weren't letting up, both weapons faced directly at them for the second a attack would be made. "Better keep your distance. Less you wanna get roasted again," Bardroy warned, lighting up his flamethrower as a warning. "As if we want anything personal from such barbaric apes." "You wouldn't dare say that if our master were here," Mey-Rin said, a little shaken, but not leaving at any moment. "Yes, well he isn't is he? ... And lucky for you, neither's ours," Lust threatened. Even if they just scorched them, it was gonna take more than that to keep these two away to be sure. Bardroy stayed firm, but both Homunculus could see that Mey-Rin was starting to get a little intimidated. Surely, she would be a good target. "Envy, dear. Do you want to kill them, or shall I?" "Oh sure, whenever you're ready," Envy said. But before Bardroy or Mey-Rin could fire, Envy's arms extended like tentacles, and suddenly tore both the twin pistols and flamethrower off of them, leaving them defenseless. Only then did Lust rush forward at them, claws at the ready. Bardroy was her target this time, and Mey-Rin was forced away in the lunge to avoid a slash. Instinctively, Bardroy ducked, and met Lust with a uppercut to the chin, knocking her back a bit. Lust managed a cut on Bardroy's shoulder, but it wasn't too deep. Mey-Rin rushed off to get their weapons, but Envy went in her way, slamming her square in the stomach to keep her back. No way they were getting rained on by bullets again. "Ah ah ah, no guns in a fistfight, little bitch," envy joked, before grabbing her and throwing her straight at Bardroy, strong enough to knock them both over. "Since when were you one for those kinds of jokes?" Lust noted. Envy just ignored her. Yeah, he was cruel, but he was allowed to crack a joke same as anyone else. Bardroy and Mey-Rin, sore and bleeding, got off of eachother and tried to recuperate before Lust and Envy would get back at them again. "What the hell are those guys?" Bardroy groaned, hand over his bleeding cut. As they were there, Mey-Rin took a look over to Grell's body, only to find ... ....... "...B-Bardroy. Bardroy?" Mey-Rin said, horrified. Bardroy turned to his friend, only to see her pointing over to the body. Or rather, lack there of. "Where is he? ..." A question answered almost immediately, and in the most surprising way. Envy and Lust followed their eyes away from their location, and soon found that Grell was flat out missing! Where his body once laid now only showed a small pool of blood. None of them had any moment to move Grell, knock him away, or even nudge him even with the fight knocking them around a bit. They looked around a little bit, but eventually they soon found where Grell had ended up. There he stood. Over by the door, Grell stood with his gaze downward, his whole chest and torso all bloody from the wound, his clothes stained in Crimson of blood. They all had their share of surprised expressions, as Grell looked over to them, raising his gaze to show a face covered in blood, but he didn't have a look of shock, fear, or horror. Instead, his smile was that of pure enjoyment, brought to disturbing levels due to his empty gaze, and his crazed smile, showing jaws of pointed teeth. The fact that they all thought Grell was dead a minute ago made the appearance all the more shocking. "Wait. What?" Envy wondered, dumbfounded. Grell stood there for a bit at first, and started to giggle ever so ominously. "I think it's about time to introduce you, wouldn't you say?~" Grell said. Rather than the finicky, troubled voice, this one was a flirtatious, confident tone that almost seemed the polar opposite. Grell began to remove his bloody overcoat, tossing it aside like some fashionista, and then he pulled out a sudden comb from his pocket, and slid it through his long hair. As he did, not only did he unraveled his ponytail, but his hair turned from typical brown, to a bright red. A color that matched the blood on his own body, and that flowed within him. This was the real Grell. The Grell that will be facing the Homunculus. "Let me introduce myself: the Phantom butler, Grell Sutcliff. Let's try to get along,~" Grell cooed, even blowing his little audience a kiss, followed by a wink of the eye. The disturbed factor amp up to eleven. "What. The actual. Hell?" "G-Grell? Is that you?" Mey-Rin asked. "You got it, my sweet. OH, I've been holding back for far too long, it was about time I let my true colors fly!" said Grell. Lust and Envy snapped out of it eventually as Grell faced them. "Ok, so you lived. Somehow. You're still unarmed: those bitches lost their weapons. Where's yours?" "RIGHT HERE!" Not a question to ask a reaper in a fight. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Grell got himself fully armed with his weapon: a bloody chainsaw! Yes. A chainsaw. And one that Grell got running the second it was drawn out, whirring loudly and the shiny silver blades spinning like mad. So, not only was he alive still, but he was also armed to the teeth! "You just had to ask, Envy," sighed Lust. However, both Homunculus took a look to Grell in his form here, as Bardroy and Mey-Rin both took the moment to slowly head to their weapons. Grell was a shocker, but they had to get themselves armed up first and foremost. "Wait a minute. A chainsaw from nowhere. The dagger teeth. The sight glasses. ... Is he - ...?" "So. Now that we're properly acquainted with eachother. Shall we dance?" Grell cooed, his chainsaw up and gleaning in the moonlight. Lust and Envy knew they had a fight on their hands with this guy, whatever he was, so both Homunculus drawed their weapons: Lust with her claws and Envy turning his arms into a set of swords. Bardroy and Mey-Rin both finally made a run for it, and it was Mey-Rin who got her pistols first. Both Homunculus saw the other humans, but Grell took this and bolted straight at them, chainsaw whirring good and loud, and ready to hack. Envy was easily struck in the head, and the chainsaw sliced down to cut his head in half, and his arm clean off! Envy moved back, and his body started to regenerate as Lust took Grell on herself, her claws trying to slice him again. If she could get him before, what's the difference this time? With his form changed, Grell got his skills to work and was dodging each swipe from Lust's long claws. In fact, he even went ahead and chopped down Lust's claws with his chainsaw, leaving both hands as clawless stubs. As for the other two, they found their opportunity after this, and Mey-Rin started firing away at them both, one pistol per Homunculus and pumping lead into each one of them. Envy charged at Mey-Rin with his swords, only to get his body cut in half by Grell again, blood pouring down onto Grell, and onto the ground. Even after that, Envy was still alive, as his severed legs disappeared, and reappeared on his body. Bardroy, with his flamethrower fully on, went right on to work next. Fire blasted into the air, but Lust and Envy reacted just fast enough to avoid the flames, but only leaving themselves open for Mey-Rin and Grell. Lust's lunge just had Grell's chainsaw jabbed in her side, while Envy ended up shot in the head about nine times straight. With all their effort, Envy and Lust were just making minor injuries on them, most of the power blows being made by the Phantomhive servants. Both Homunculus stopped for a moment, letting their bodies regenerate, and they both saw Grell, Mey-Rin, and Bardroy armed and ready for whatever they got for them. "DAMN YOU HUMANS! Why do you even try?!" Envy yelled, pissed off as ever. "Sorry to disappoint you," Bardroy said, coldly. "Shut it! We're Homunculus, you're humans! We're above you in every way, and I will NOT be trifled with!" Envy roared, charging forward as fast as he could, his body sparking red lightning from his wounds. Lust needed a minute, but she watched as Envy made his attempt on them. This charge was in vain though; Grell rushed in and stabbed through his torso with his chainsaw, held him up, and Bardroy had a full field day scorching the Homunculus like as if he was a marshmallow on a stick. Envy screamed in pain, strong and loud as Bardroy continued his scorching, twice as long as before. All that remained after was a burnt heal of a human body, Grell tossing him over towards Lust like trash. "Alright. Have you had enough now?" Bardroy asked. Lust looked down to what remained of Envy's body. She knew he would be back eventually, but for the time being, it would be too long before that would happen. Would she rather have them dead, yes she would but she was not stupid. She knew disadvantage when it showed itself. And with Grell's sudden change in behavior and ability, along with Mey-Rin and Bardroy's skills in their weaponry, Lust was at a high disadvantage in this fight. So, as Envy's body flickered and flashed with light to heal itself, Lust picked him up and took one more look to the Phantomhive servants. "I would like you all to remember that we're letting you go for now. This lasted long enough anyway," Lust stated, looking up to the moon. The position of said moon, which appeared to be sitting on top of the roof by now, only proved Lust's main point. "That was smashing! If only Sebastian were here to see this," Grell said, hands together and almost dreamy in expression. As Envy's body became recognizable, the standing Homunculus turned and ran away from the scene. They done their job here, and Lust will tell Envy once he comes to. The ground was stained in their blood, the world finally went quiet from the gore and violence, but the Phantomhive had won in the end. Injuries not withstanding though, as the scuffle between the Homunculus left Bardroy and Mey-Rin pretty scratched up, bloody cuts all over them and bruised up in several places. Then came clapping. And a shadow from the rooftop met the ground at their feet. "Well done, everyone. A fine performance of teamwork and ingenuity." The voice was unmistakable. The trio turned to look to the rooftop, and a human-like silhouette met the sky. This figure jumped down from the roof all the way down to the front door, fully revealing the one person missing for so long. Sebastian. "S-SEBASTIAN! YOU'RE BACK!" Mey-Rin gasped, excited as ever. "Good to be back. Nothing was too displaced while I was away, I hope," Sebastian stated. He may be calm about the situation, but it was Grell who was especially thrilled to see him. "AAAHHH! Bassie, my dear, my darling! You've returned at last. So did you enjoy the show?~" Dear? Darling? Guess Grell had his priorities a little different here over the regular staff. Sebastian wasn't as surprised as the others were on first seeing Grell. He saw the transformation from the rooftop anyway. That didn't mean the love talk and 'Bassie' nickname didn't creep him out a little. However, that's when a thought struck Bardroy. "Hang on a second. So, that clumsy, finicky butler gimmick was nothing but an act?" Bardroy asked. "Oh I was good wasn't I? Who'd of guessed that the humble butler Grell would be a true wielder in disguise - OW!" That response just got Bardroy to whack him in the head. "Hey! I saved your life and this is how you thank me?!" "That was for nearly blasting my head off! Just because your acting doesn't mean to kill your party, you idiot!" "Well I have to keep the act going somehow!" "BY SHOOTING ME?! I could've died you know!" *AHEM* Sebastian didn't need to hear them arguing like children in front of him. Talk about embarrassing. Once they both quieted down, Sebastian sighed. "Now if you excuse me, I got some information for our young lord." "Oh yeah, him! Oh he'll be so pleased when he finds out you're back. But he's gone still," Mey-Rin said. "I'm well aware of that. Though, I do say there's quite a mess here," Sebastian said, adjusting his gloves. He may have just got back, and Ciel didn't order him to do so, but he saw a rather decent job at the manor front yard. "Alright, I'll get the mops and -" "Not this time Bardroy. I'll be more than happy to handle this." So, Sebastian got started. Time was limited, so he needed a quick wash of the front yard. This demon butler came prepared this time around, and rushed off to get the proper tool. Seconds later, next thing they knew, Sebastian had a hose and cloth to work with. Lightning speed, Sebastian cleaned up the blood pools around the place with precision and grace. Mey-Rin and Grell watched with dreamy expressions as he continued his work. It only took ten minutes full, and sure enough a clean yard was presented. "Oh, it's good to have you back, Sebastian," Bardroy said with a smile. "Likewise. I'll see the rest of you tomorrow morning," Sebastian said, soon racing off to the next location. The trio presumed it to be towards Ciel, and Sebastian was off out of sight. "Time to check in on our young master."
S02Ep10: Cleaning the Slate ~スレートの清掃~Things were getting tense back at the queen's palace. While it may had been rather violent over back at the Phantomhive manor, so far the palace had been given some down time in that regard. That didn't mean that the palace had been quiet all night. Throughout the many halls, rooms, and such, guards were on high alert for the safety of those that lived there. A mixture of Seitenshi's forces, with the English royal guard, both which patrolled the area and kept a sharp eye out around the palace to be sure that any deities didn't go in, or out. Many groups kept their guard up, senses high, and eyes and ears open during their routes. As for Team Harmony, they were keeping their own routes around more close to eachother, and mainly around the throne room. Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, Pinkie, Blair, Aladdin, and Ciel had kept their own guard up in their own way as they were keeping an eye out within the throne room, some more persistent about it than others. Pinkie Pie was on the highest alert out of all of them, even more than the demon-sensing Nagisa was, as the girl was doing a constant march, back and forth, around the throne room door like an actual guard (if not a bit overly dramatic in her steps, and constant 'hup' she made with each one). Twilight and Blair were over by the throne itself, Blair actually asleep from this boring task, being the cat that she was. Ciel wasn't present at the moment, keeping his focus on other guards and their status on things. Karma and Nagisa just stood in different parts of the room, though while Karma was more casual about it, Nagisa was calm yet prepared himself for his demon sense to go off at any moment. With the luck they've had when it came to these, Nagisa grown to expect a demon to pop up here, if anywhere, and with their track record it would be surprising if they didn't try for the big score at this point. Nagisa eventually moved his gaze over to Twilight after a while, seeing how she was feeling a bit nervous about things herself, so he decided to go over to her. "You're worried about Hellgar, aren't you?" Nagisa asked quietly, walking over to her. With what she'd gone through during her time out, that would be the case. Twilight turned to him as he neared, some of the others seeing her "VERY. He forced me to be his spy. Who knows what he'll do the second he finds us again," Twilight said, shivering at the thought. She could still remember the horrid warning Hellgar gave to her about the deadly bite of Houndooms. If what he said was true, then they had an even deadlier creature to deal with than they imagined. "I promise, we'll protect you. You've gone through enough trouble with him," Nagisa promised, sitting next to her. "It's not me I'm worried about! He may have threatened me, but he also threatened all of you, and I can't live with that. I didn't want anyone else hurt because of me -" Twilight stopped when someone gripped her shoulder to get her attention. Both Nagisa and Twilight turned to see Blair standing right behind Twilight. "Come on, Yugure, those hell guys are after us anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing that hellhound again," Blair revealed. "What? Why?" Nagisa asked. "BECAUSE I WANT TO TEAR OFF HIS HORNS FOR LIGHTING MY HOUSE LIKE A FLAMBE!" Blair yelled, hands twitching in anticipation and anger. Of course, Twilight and Nagisa moved a foot away, but they could at least see the slight logic behind it. "Calm down, kitty bitch. With the luck we have, he's sure to pop up somewhere, right Nagisa?" Karma commented. "I guess. I mean, we've all seen at least one demon since this whole thing started," Nagisa admitted, though he wished they weren't so common towards them. During their chat, Ciel managed to come back around from one of the hallways, and went over to the others. "Hi, Ciel. how'd it go?" Aladdin asked, going over to him. "The guards hadn't reported anything suspicious over the last three hours. Be that as it may, you should still keep watch," Ciel advised, speaking in a tone like he would to his own servants back at the manor. "What do you mean 'you should still keep watch'? We're all watching," Blair pointed out. "I'm handling my fair share, thank you," Ciel responded, not really looking to the catgirl. Being put on watch wasn't something Ciel was used to, and seeing how tired he was just proved that, but orders are orders especially from the queen. "Getting tired there?" Aladdin asked, seeing his eyes. "No, I'm not!" Ciel quickly retorted. Aladdin jumped, but he could see in his eye that he just was one burst away from falling asleep on them. ... "GOT IT," Pinkie suddenly said. And before anyone knew it, Pinkie's hands went right to work, and suddenly started to tickle Ciel. The sudden tickle attack made Ciel jump back, almost squeaking in surprise, and quickly rushing away from the cheeky girl. "If you need anything else, just call," Pinkie said with a smile. Ciel simply gave Pinkie a glare before moving away from her. He wasn't going to risk another sudden attack by this girl. "That girl. Why does she always act so naive to everything? She can't be that much of a lunatic," Ciel thought, keeping his distance as Pinkie went straight over back to her 'hup' patrolling over by the door. Soon, Twilight went over to his side. "So, you said the guards didn't see anything?" Twilight asked him, trying to be sure. "For now, but the night's still young you know." "I know," Twilight said meekly. This was going to be a long night. ....... Ten. Twenty. Thirty minutes ticked by, and still nothing happened. This either meant the enemy was biding their time or they were having a free night, much to Twilight's relief. It still felt a little bit ominous though, being inside the palace so late. Not the same as Phantomhive Manor, but still having that similar, dark, empty feel too it, especially in larger rooms like the throne room. A few guards checked in on them once or twice, but that was about it. Victoria and the queen sleeping and safe was what they all were hoping to accomplish tonight. This time got some thinking over about the demons they're dealing with, especially now since they got their 'boss' properly labeled as Sombra. They could hardly imagine what kind of power Sombra could have to take control over what they've faced so far. "COME ON already," Karma sighed. "Why're you complaining? You should be grateful nothing's happened," Ciel pointed out, yawning afterwards. "I'm not staying up all night for nothing to happen. If those demon bitches are gonna come around, I don't want to be half-asleep. Can't clobber them like that," Karma replied. Nagisa watched them from afar with his usual observant expression. He'd been watching his friends interacting with Ciel more than actually watching out for any enemies, and by the looks of it, things seemed to go well. "Well at least they're getting along. Just like that vision said it would. ... That Future Sight is accurate after all," Nagisa thought. Yes, one of his visions showed a similar scene play out here, and Nagisa could at least say that this one wasn't as bad as some others would have it. Tonight surely seemed like a calm one. All the same, one must never assume ... AAAHHHHH!! Here it goes. That scream was just the first of a number to follow, each one getting closer to the throne room. Each one of Team Harmony suddenly became active and focused on the increasing onslaught of screams. The screams were followed by the sense continuously increasing with each one, Nagisa becoming more apparent thanks to it. The screams were accompanied by the sounds of cuts, tears, gushes, along with animalistic growls, howls, and barks. If this wasn't the enemy, who would it be? Nagisa pulled his blade out of his pocket and aimed it at the ready for wherever the danger is from, the others doing the same. The sheer amount of the onslaught unnerved Twilight, Aladdin and Pinkie, but the others tried to keep firm. As for where, the noise mainly came over from the main throne room door, to which Pinkie moved away from fairly quickly. Then came open the door. The door was suddenly bashed open, both doors slamming down to the ground, the other side of each door stained red, as three bodies were flung inside. One rolled in, and two thrown inside hard. Each body had horrid gashes and wounds, blood pouring out of each body. The third body thrown in almost landed on top of Aladdin, leaving him severely stunned and shocked. Whatever was here was in no mood to play around. After the bodies were tossed in, enter the murder responsible. Stepping into the limelight, bloody but fierce was the demonic Houndoom himself, Hellgar! As if enter with tossed bodies wasn't enough of a nerve-jerker, Hellgar walked in with the body of another soldier, holding him by the neck which bled profusely. Hellgar wasn't alone this time, as several Houndour followed him inside, also bloody and growling. Twilight kept herself back as far as possible, the others standing to protect her. Hellgar smirked and tore open the neck of his own captor before tossing the body away, eating some human meat before fully confronting them. "Pleasant night," Hellgar said, licking the blood off his stained teeth and muzzle. Hellgar moved closer, but Aladdin and Nagisa plucked up courage and moved in towards him. "Stay back! You don't belong here," warned Aladdin. "Don't give me that. I can see you're all scared witless," Hellgar noted, which was true for most of them. Ciel took note of the other demon dogs behind him. "So. You came in strength," Ciel noted, getting Hellgar's attention. This was the first time Hellgar had seen Ciel face-to-face, but he knew the Phantomhive earl when he sensed one. "Ciel Phantomhive. You too have your followers, such as they are," Hellgar replied. Nagisa got his blade out and drawer it out right in front of Hellgar's face. Hellgar didn't react until his snout bumped the blade, making him jerk back on feeling his muzzle burn. "No followers. Only friends," Ciel said. A rather interesting surprise to hear from the young earl. Still, Hellgar straightened up. "They're going to rue the day they ever met you." Hellgar then gave a quick bark, and several Houndour charged in at them, teeth barred and ready to shred. Nagisa had to react first, his halo blade already slicing at a dog's body. The wound stung and more blood met the ground, but not enough to stop it altogether. Hellgar himself sat and watched his Houndour go in and fight, giving him a front row seat to what he was sure to be another bit of carnage. Yet, Karma Akabane was giving many of the opponents a run for their money thanks to the miracle sword he kept using, whatever dog coming his way having to keep their distance each time he swung it around. Nagisa was in a similar boat, but his swings made less distance, giving the Houndour more room to get dangerously close to him. The others tried their best to fight off the dogs as well, though aside from Blair, they weren't doing as well. During the scuffle, suddenly two Houndour finally got over to Ciel from behind, and slammed him down hard. Karma turned to Ciel, just for three Houndour to knock him over as well, one grabbing him by the neck! This was the table-turner, and the others knew it. "Ciel! Karma!" Aladdin gasped, just to have one Houndour grab him by his ponytail, and swing him around like a ball on a chain. The Magi ended up landing on top of Nagisa soon after that. While the fight seemed mundane to Hellgar, he did look intrigued after seeing that display of strength. "Why don't you get in here?!" Blair yelled, angry to see their boss just sitting there. "As if I'm wasting my breath over you. You couldn't beat me then, you can't now." Well that didn't take much for Blair to get riled up. This was the same creature who made her homeless in the first place, and she wasn't going to let him walk out of here without some form of comeuppance. Blair began to get her own bag of tricks together, and started to charge up her magic energy. "Pum-Pumpkin-Pumpkin Cannon!" blair said, leaping up in the air. In her hand, her magic then formed what appeared to be a pumpkin of sorts, one lit by a magical orange fire, before shooting it straight for Hellgar! The hellhound got out of the way just in time, as her projectile slammed down the hall and exploded, the explosion being heard by everyone in the palace! Any guard, and the royals were sure to come running down. "Tough luck," Hellgar simply said, charging at Blair. Blair got herself out of the way fast, just avoiding Hellgar's deadly fangs, landing her right by Karma. "Impressive! Where've you been hiding that?" Karma commented, slicing another Houndour as it lunged. "Oh you know, bag of tricks," Blair replied, kicking another Houndour back into another dog. Aladdin and Twilight kept close to eachother, the others seemingly handling the fighting and getting the overall attention of the Houndours. Far as fighting would go, Twilight and Aladdin were probably the biggest disadvantage. Even if Twilight had practiced her magic, it wasn't enough to do full combat, and their saving grace was Aladdin's main shield. Two Houndour found them both alone, and while Aladdin summoned his Magi shield, the two demon hounds charged forward anyway. Both dogs couldn't break the shield, but they still tried to get to them anyway. While the Houndour dealt with the main adversary, Hellgar slipped along the wall shadows, and began to loom over behind them. Something only Pinkie Pie and her Pinkie Sense caught. "FLY!!" Pinkie shrieked, charging into the round shield as hard as she could. Hellgar hesitated for that split second, enough time for Pinkie to shove the shield with Twilight and Aladdin inside out of the way. Hellgar's teeth narrowly missed them all, but the sudden charge made the spherical shield suddenly roll off, rolling over about five other dogs before it disappeared, leaving five Houndour dazed and not fighting. Hellgar tried biting Pinkie, but his jaws only sank into Pinkie's hair rather than any skin, Pinkie bolting out into the throne room. As he was coughing up pink hair ... "What's going on?!" "It came from the throne room!" "Everything okay?!" "Oh, damn it," Hellgar growled, as more guards came in from the main hall too see the result. About time they got backup for this, and soon ten more guards came in, some already wounded by the Houndour already and many unnerved by their fellow guards dead on the ground. Ciel, ruffed up but still standing, turned over to Hellgar next, alongside Nagisa. Nagisa was slightly cut up, but not too bad overall. "Seems like you're at a disadvantage, hellhound," Ciel stated. "Gave me more food, you only did," Hellgar growled, charging at the other guards. Many of them had guns, so they were blasting away, Hellgar dodging most of them apart from a selected few which only grazed him. Karma and Nagisa, being in the way, grabbed him by the back legs and made him fall to the ground. As for the other Houndour, the other guards made short work of them, shooting them down mostly while a few got the privilege of getting their necks snapped on close combat. By the time Hellgar got himself up, his pack was decimated down to just two Houndour. However, in the guards, one particular figure, Victoria, also came down and noticed the situation herself. "Interesting. Did they give you too much trouble?" Victoria asked. "We're going strong over here," Karma said, swinging his sword over his shoulder. Then they all confronted Hellgar himself. Him and his Houndour on one side of the room with everyone else now together on the other side of the room. For the first time in a while, Team Harmony felt a strong advantage over their opponent thanks to the guards showing up. Hellgar only had two dogs compared to the guards and Team Harmony as a whole. "You've had your chance, and you've been beaten. Make your choice: you can leave now with what demon hounds you have left. Or stay and have your execution take place," Ciel Phantomhive said, calm and collected more than ever now. Hellgar examined the whole crowd out ahead of him, and started to snarl. But even with all the threats, he was backing up alongside his Houndour, all the guards having their weapons drawn at them for the second they charge forward. "You're all so desperate to get rid of me. Why can't any of you just submit already, and make it easy on yourselves? They did there," Hellgar growled, referring to the dead guards on the ground. "They never asked to die, and you know it!" Aladdin yelled. Hellgar snarled again. "They don't need to ask. THERE ISN'T A POWER ON HUMAN EARTH THAN CAN DEFEAT HELLGAR!" "HIT THE DECK!" Pinkie screamed, feeling a deadly Pinkie Sense about to happen. Before any could try, Hellgar began to charge up a attack of his own. Many a human went for cover on the charge, and Hellgar released the flames of hell from his muzzle in a horrifying howl, the flamethrower blasting everywhere around him! The fire was so bright, and spread so quickly that they barely reacted apart from bracing for impact. Aladdin's shield managed to save a number of them, but not all of them as the blast launched them back. Not on fire, but the force itself was strong enough already. When the light faded enough so they could see, they were all treated to a horrifying sight of the throne room on fire. The rugs, curtains, the throne itself, anything that wasn't stone was set ablaze in a display of orange flames. The only ones who weren't launched back were protected by Aladdin's shield: Ciel, Victoria, and Twilight specifically. The rest were launched out of reach, a barrier of fire in between them and those left in the makeshift hells arena. Hellgar and his Houndour were unharmed by the fiery blaze, though some guards were suffering from minor burning from the blast. It took them a little bit, but Twilight and Aladdin noticed first what happened to the rest. Ciel himself just stood there, silent and eyes wide at the carnage around him. "Oh dear. How dare you!" Victoria said, staring a disappointed gaze to Hellgar. "You brought this all on yourselves. May not be all of them ... but you'll do fine," Hellgar hissed, licking his muzzle as he and his Houndours closed in on them. No rush this time for them, but now the main task was getting away from the demon hounds. They could try to defeat them, but this fire set off was more dangerous than a single hellhound. All Aladdin could do was keep his shield up, but he could only do it for so long. The others quickly saw the deadly situation from their end, and they too thought they should get out of there. "My lord! She's trapped in there," one of the remaining guards said in panic. "T-Twilight! come on, Nagisa, think, they'll be dead if you don't think of something. Come on, come on ..." Nagisa thought, trying to remain calm. They only had the main hall to deal with, but there wasn't much around to use. Their objective was to get them out, and not a drop of water was anywhere within reach. And even if there was, it won't be enough to take out this fire. All Nagisa could see was bordering décor pillars leading to the throne room. ... Stone pillars. ... "Karma, ready your sword," Nagisa suddenly said. "What for, I can't chop heads over here." "Not there, there," Nagisa corrected, pointing to the nearest stone pillar. Clever Karma quickly got the idea fast, a smirk on his face, and he rushed right over to it with sword at the ready. The other guards watched as, with as much strength as Karma could muster, he swung his miracle sword straight towards the bottom of it. The sword was far more powerful than he thought it would, because it only took one swing to give a clean slice through the pillar, dislodging it from the floor and making it movable. "Come here and give me a hand!" Karma ordered. With the situation, there was no time to argue, and everyone outside the arena went straight over to the fallen pillar. With their combind strength, lifting the stone pillar was done quick and efficiently, and they all moved it from its fallen spot, and with one combined shove, moved it straight to the fire barrier. It didn't take long until the others inside noticed the towering pillar being toppled their way. When they saw this, all they could do was jump aside as the pillar fell forward like a mighty tree, slamming over a part of the blaze in a single collapse. The slam made cinders spread out all over the place, and once they looked, they got themselves a stone bridge over the fire, and heading to the only exit left. "Hurry over, come on, we're going!" Nagisa yelled, trying to get them moving. Hellgar was stunned for a moment from the pillar collapse, but the humans were more than willing to get off on their way. Aladdin hoped up first, helping Victoria up and over with Twilight following behind. While Aladdin and Victoria went over fine, Twilight looked back and stopped, just to find Ciel still standing there! "CIEL, COME ON!" Twilight yelled. But Ciel was not moving. Twilight rushed back to him, but Ciel Phantomhive didn't even acknowledge her yet. Ciel's eyes were still wide in horror to the scenery of fire around him, the room burning up everywhere and smoke building fast. The feel of heat, the sound of scorching settlement, all of this left Ciel in a cold sweat, and almost paralyzed in horror. Frozen in absolute fear. Twilight had never seen him like this before, and this was the most terrified she'd seen him in. "Oh no you don't," Hellgar roared, suddenly rushing straight towards the pillar. Just as Aladdin and Victoria just made it across, Hellgar rammed into the pillar hard with his set of horns, the impact powerful enough to smash up the pillar to pieces! now there was no way out. "Shit! now what?" Karma asked. "I-I'll think of something, just give me time," Nagisa replied in panic. Obviously Hellgar wasn't taking chances anymore. Twilight and Ciel were trapped. Both of them were now standing in a fiery hellhole, with three demon hounds all ready to tear them apart, one of which destroyed their only way out. "Ciel! Ciel, wake up!" Twilight pleaded, but Ciel wasn't waking up from his horrifying state. This was to the point when he was trembling, he was so scared. Twilight only had one option left: she grabbed him and ran off to the otherside of the arena as one Houndour tried to lunge at them. Once she gained some distance, she looked Ciel right in the face, seeing a terrified human child in front of her. "T-They're gone ... T-They're gone ..." Ciel repeated, voice strained and breathing heavily. "Ciel, you're going to be alright! I promise you're going to be alright!" Twilight said, trying her absolute best to bring him back around. Ciel stared right into Twilight's eyes, and tried his own to calm own. In the world of hell, Twilight ... she seemed safe. Someone he could trust. Someone who'll protect him. ... Eventually, Ciel managed to get himself back around. "Where're the others?" "It's only you and me now, they're all out," Twilight told him, happy to see him back around. And not a moment too soon. Hellgar and his remaining hellhounds were right there, and slowly closing in. ciel, now brought back, got at the ready for them thisd time, alongside Twilight. They had nowhere left to go, and all they could do was fight. There was no going back now. However, this little turn of events did present something to Hellgar that made him grin. "Poor, poor Ciel. This won't take long. I'll end your suffering," Hellgar promised, stepping closer. Ciel was a bit frazzled, but he wasn't going to leave off this time around. "There is no need for that, Hellgar. Your sly remarks don't fool me." "Is that so?" "It is. She and her friends had saved my life. And it wouldn't be fair to leave any of them now," Ciel said, taking a step forward towards Hellgar. However, the demon hounds know that words weren't going to help them here, and advanced closer. "Tough talk from a armless human pair. You have no weapon, your magic barely works, you're surrounded by hellfire, and all aid is out of reach. ... And don't expect any sympathy from me." "Talk all you want to. I'm not leaving him behind," Twilight announced. "And I'm not leaving her," Ciel added. "We're all in this together, and we're not going to take any orders from the likes of you. Not now, not ever." Hellgar just scoffed. "We'll see." ....... "A fine display of bravery, my lord. Though word of advice: I'd say my words with a loaded arm. Wouldn't you think so?" Ciel, Twilight and Hellger aimed their eyes to one of the windows of the throne room, one that was opened up over near the back, flames and smoke billowing outward from it and giving this new coming contender his proper entrance. One look from Ciel was all he needed to recognize him. Sebastian. "Stop your blabbering and get us out of here," Ciel ordered. It had been too long since Ciel had seen his butler, but he still wasn't going to take any cheeky chat from him, even after all this time. Sebastian adjusted his glove and stared down at the opposing danger. The whole room on fire, scorched bodies on the ground and demon hounds ready to kill. A decent job for a Phantomhive Butler. "Assuredly, my lord." This attack came in fast, and came in strong. Sebastian leaped into the frey with weapons he sealed away within his coat: kitchen knives. Not your typical blade, but still a weapon all the same and having multiple weaponized kitchen utensils. Hellgar had prepared himself for many a attack from Team Harmony and what not, but the second Sebastian threw those knives from the air down, Hellgar was caught off guard. The demon hound bolted off back, yet his only aid was not so lucky, both killed with a single knife through the head. Quick and painless. One kitchen knife lodged in Hellgar's horn during the rain down, and one struck him in the back leg, but injuries didn't go beyond that for him. Twilight and Ciel now had Sebastian on their side once more, and Hellgar had more than enough with it. "You traitor! How dare you turn your back on your allies?" "I'm a full blood demon. Would you expect any different?" Sebastian stated, the hellhound growling again. The demon butler turned to Twilight and Ciel, picking them both up. Hellgar got up and blasted more fire at them. Sebastian quickly made a side step to avoid it, all three of them avoiding being scorched. "Shall we go?" Sebastian asked. "Yes, let's," said Ciel. They couldn't do anything about the fire, so all they could do was rush off out of there, from the window Sebastian came in. Hellgar lunged for them, but Sebastian stood at the window sill, and pulled out one more knife to throw. In a simple, accurate throw, the knife zoomed straight for the demon hound, and skewered him right down his throat! Hellgar coughed up the knife, but with blood coming out it was obvious it struck home. Hellgar only watched as they made their escape. flames were all around him, and he was choking on his own blood. ... "Go ahead and run! Your world will suffer the wrath of the Underworld! You'll. ALL. Burn!" Hellgar charged up one more time, aiming his fire blast straight up to the heavens in a exploding inferno! He'd been tricked, backstabbed, and now left for dead. He wasn't letting any more souls get away from him, not tonight. The explosion shook the palace, fire and smoke blasting out of every opening in the room; windows, to halls, to the main hall where the rest stood. "What the hell happened?!" a guard shrieked. "No time. It's time to make our leave," Victoria advised. "But Yugure's still in there!" Nagisa gasped. "It's too late for her. You should know that by now," Victoria stated, not making Nagisa feel any better. They began to hear creaking from above, the fiery explosion weakening the room itself. They had no other choice. ~~ ....... The next morning revealed the devastation. As if the incident at the Royal Ball wasn't enough trouble, the morning revealed a horrid manslaughter. Police that had arrived that morning laid witness to bodies of human and animal alike, alongside tons of property damage leading to the scorched throne room, which now looked completely burnt up on investigation. Curtains, sheets and rugs were turned into black ash more than much else, and remains of burnt flesh laid in heaps within the room as well. The fire itself had been and gone, but the remains were left for any and all to see. It may not show much on the exterior apart from a broken window, but for those that remained, it was a traumatic experience. Out front, ambulances were well on scene to aid those that had injured during the attack, including Victoria herself for cases of slight burns and cuts. The queen herself, lucky to not be injured, stayed by her granddaughter as she was being treated. Blair, Nagisa and Karma were also being treated for cuts by the Houndour they faced. Lucky for them Hellgar didn't leave any lasting marks on any of them. However, not only was Twilight still missing since the fire, but Ciel Phantomhive as well. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Nagisa said as the last bit of bandage were wrapped around his arm. His wounds were minor, but his emotions were still stabbed since he had to watch Twilight disappear on him, AGAIN. Eventually, Karma went over to him once he was done, Karma only getting small bandages on his body. He probably suffered the least injury thanks to the miracle sword, though he still got hurt either way. "See you're better Karma," Nagisa said, as he got up. "Yeah true. I just heard over a few guards about the head count: Sounds like about fifteen to seventeen ended up kicking the bucket in that hellfire. Honestly thought there would be a lot more," Karma said, catching Nagisa up with the current status. That body count alone troubled him, but he mainly wondered who in particular actually managed and who died in there. "Damn. Any news on -" "Yugure? Nope. That's what I wanted to tell ya: Ciel and Yugure weren't found anywhere in there." At this point the others soon came around. Blair, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Victoria surprisingly, soon went over to them. Some looked more damaged than others. While Aladdin and Victoria appeared without a scratch, Pinkie did have some of her hair shortened slightly and Blair had a few cuts from the Houndour attacks. "There you are! How're you holding up?" Blair asked. "Just a few cuts, but I think I'll be alright. I did get a nasty bite on my arm though," Nagisa said, looking to his bandaged right arm as he said that. Lucky for him that was his worst injury, and they all knew it could've been a lot worse in there. Victoria looked to her home for a moment, replaying what she had witnessed in her mind. "I have to wonder. Is this something you've always had to handle?" Victoria asked, intrigued more than most. "Well, it's not as hellish, but yeah pretty much," Karma said. Victoria took note of it and then turned to some nearby guards and officers. "I decree a full-scale search for the assassin who did this. Search all of the United Kingdom if you must, but make sure you have him under arrest," Victoria instructed. They were just about to agree to the terms, but someone else was deciding to come on by to check in. "That wouldn't be needed, Princess," said a familiar, eerie voice. "Undertaker. ..." Nagisa noted. Undertaker had easily heard about this strong fire, to be sure, and the second he got it to his ears he decided to head to the situation himself. They hadn't seen him at all since visiting his coffin shop for questions, but then again why wouldn't he come around here? At least it was someone who wasn't going to hurt them any further than they were. "Undertaker? What're you doing here?" asked Aladdin. Undertaker then showed them a small list he had with him, in the form of a small note book and feather pen. "Just thought I'd stop by and see the situation. Plenty of bodies for my business, there is. Might need to work overtime,~" Undertaker said, followed by his signature snicker. Of course, it was unnerving to hear that, and so calmly no less, but it made sense for any undertaker to do, though probably not as much enjoyment as Undertaker himself was (go figure). "You said we didn't need a search, Undertaker," restated Victoria. Undertaker nodded, and went through his notes a little bit until he got to one of his pages. "Oh yes. I'll say this: it's been a long time since I've made a canine coffin," Undertaker joked. So, that was it then. The implications were easy to interpret for them to understand, as they looked to the palace again. With such a large fire and little escape routes, it was come to expect really. On the bright side, they didn't have to deal with Hellgar anymore. Regardless of that, Nagisa then got his own idea and went over to Undertaker. "Uh, Undertaker? Can I see those notes?" Nagisa asked. Undertaker, already getting why he wanted it, gave Nagisa the notes he made and he started looking through them alongside Aladdin and Victoria. The notes mainly involved a list of names and measurements of each one of the victims that had died in there, which there was a lot of by the way. Each went with the first and last name, and exact measurements of height and width right next to each one. Seeing a high body count reminded them how lucky they were to get away with what they have. Nagisa took a few more moments to look it over, and eventually it came down to one interesting conclusion. "Yugure's not in here," Nagisa concluded. "I told you they didn't find her, nor Ciel. It's still anyone's guess -" Blair was interrupted by Undertaker's snickering again. Before he spoke, he then pulled something else out from within his sleeves: a letter. "You underestimate me, little lady. I keep very good track of my work here in England. I never miss one. There's only one reason for their names to be missing. ..." Undertaker explained. That sure sounded hopeful from an Undertaker like him. Nagisa quickly opened the letter up and looked over what it had to say. It took him a short little moment to get what was going on, and a smile began to show on his face. ....... Pretty soon, it was off into the forests of England, and moving off away from the main city. The flight was made easy thanks to Aladdin's own magic turban. It was probably the quickest way they could do to get to the next location at this point, and they were more than happy to take it. What Undertaker said and what the letter told them was more than enough to convince them to get to the Phantomhive manor on the double. The whole group arrived over to the front yard in no time at all, landing comfortably on the ground. Compared to last night it appeared as if nothing happened at all, but they were more focused on other matters right now. The second they landed, they got up and went right over to the front door. It was actually Aladdin who went up to the door, and gave a knock to it, good and loud. It seemed that they were expected here, for it took less than a minute for the door to open up. The one who answered it though was Tanaka. "Ah, I see you've all made it. A pleasure to have you arrive." "Thank you Tanaka. Now, where's -" "Nagisa. You're alright." A voice he was hoping to hear. The whole group looked over to the front stairs, and saw a familiar few faces started to come down the stairs to see them. One of them was Ciel Phantomhive, and the other was Twilight herself! The whole group were more than happy to see them alright, even after the supposed suicide explosion Hellgar had made in the palace. Ciel was scratched slightly, but it didn't show too much, and Twilight didn't have any injuries at all to her. Not a cut, nor any burns, saying they got out before the explosion occurred. Nagisa rushed over to her, and hugged her tight, grateful to see her alive. "Yugure! We all thought you were dead, you alright?" Nagisa asked. "I'm fine, but what about you? You're the one hurt," Twilight said, referring to his bandaged arm. "It's not too bad, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay after that," Nagisa replied. "YAY, WE'RE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!" Pinkie beamed, arms wrapped around both Nagisa and Twilight. Well, seemed they were a bit preoccupied, so Aladdin turned his attention towards Ciel and Sebastian. Nagisa began to feel his demon sense become active, though this was a more familiar sense over before, and soon they all saw the source, Sebastian, step down from behind Ciel and Twilight. "Sebastian! Ciel, you got your friend back." "Indeed. And we're hoping to keep it that way, right?" Ciel said, the reminder being aimed at Sebastian himself. "Yes, my lord." "He actually saved our lives back in the palace. Ciel and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," Twilight said. She couldn't be more grateful to Sebastian for doing so. "So that's what happened. Well thanks, Sebastian, you're quite the miracle worker," Blair said. Sebastian just smiled. "I'm simply one hell of a butler." So from there, it was catch up time for both Team Harmony and the Phantomhive house. It was a full night of action, and the different stories were both captivating as they were action filled. On one side was the servants and their fight with Envy and Lust, and the others out in their time back at the palace with Hellgar, including what happened from both Nagisa and Twilight's point of view. It hadn't been until now that they were telling these stories to one another so they had a pretty eager crowd. They all met up over in the dining hall for this, the whole group sitting side by side as Bardroy and Mey-Rin actually sat down on the other side, Ciel sitting at the front seat as usual, and Sebastian standing and serving as before. He was servant once again and he was glad to be working for Ciel again. The only one who wasn't in the room at the moment was Grell, who was strangely absent during the story telling. Here it was Aladdin explaining their side of the story to the servants. "There we were. I just managed to get Victoria out of there when, KABOOM! The pillar smashed up into tiny pieces. We thought it was all over but - oh ... Uh. Wait. ... Yugure, tell me what happened in there," Aladdin said, passing the spotlight over to Twilight. Twilight didn't expect it right away, but she eventually regained herself. She took a glance over to Ciel, the young earl silently waiting to hear what she had to say. The trauma-triggered freeze didn't sit well with Ciel, and Twilight could read that off of him. "Oh, well Ciel and I continued fighting them as much as we could. Ciel took on Hellgar head on, and crippled him, just before Sebastian came in and helped us escape. If it wasn't for Ciel, I probably wouldn't be here right now." Ciel paused for a moment and looked to Twilight. If anything it was Twilight who did the heavy lifting during their isolated moment, even if not fighting. Twilight gave a friendly, yet secret smile and wink towards Ciel as the servants and Team Harmony were impressed with Ciel. Sebastian stayed quiet too as to not break anything. "You took on Hellgar all by yourself?!" gasped Aladdin. "WOO, epic Phantomhive!" put in Pinkie. "Didn't think you had it in you, Ciel. Good on you," Karma finished. Ciel knew it wasn't entirely true, but if they heard what really happened back there, then his pride would be dealt a pretty stinging blow. So rather than correct, Ciel just nodded. "Much appreciated," Ciel simply said. Nagisa saw the reaction they all had and was impressed with Ciel himself, though curious over Twilight a bit. He still remembered how she ran back for Ciel before the stone pillar smashed up, but Nagisa kept his comments on that for himself as they looked to the servants. "Now, Bardroy, Mey-Rin. Sebastian informed me of some mischief happening last night." "Eh, a little issue it was, my lord. Nothing too much to worry about," Mey-Rin insisted. Probably not a good idea to say how bad of trouble happened while he was away. At least it seemed to be. ... "OH, no need to be bashful!" A voice suddenly cried out as the doors swung open. Their missing guest had arrived, and Grell Sutcliff was in his full, red glory. He showed his form to servants, might as well amp it up to the rest of the crew. Ciel and Team Harmony were left a bit dumbfounded on sight of Grell, not seeing him like this before. "... And who're you?" "Oh my I introduce myself: Grell Sutcliff." "GRELL?!?!" Gasped Ciel and Team Harmony. "Wait. Grell. That suicidal clumsy dunce Grell?" Stated Aladdin. "A fun little act I know, I'm a natural! You should take up acting, little earl, it can do you good," Grell said, moving right over to him. Ciel was still trying to process this, but recovered slightly. "I assume this is the real you then." "Very much so. Anyway, about last night, we had such a lively dance with some pesky Homunculus. Made short work of them, of course." "Homunculi? That's what that hellhound meant," Karma commented. It was then that Grell turned his attention to Sebastian. "Oh Bassie.~ You had a lovely view of the dance did you not? I'd be glad to let you join if only you'd let me.~" Response: a shove away from Sebastian, pushing Grell to the floor nearby Blair and Pinkie. Grell was alright, though Sebastian needed a moment to gather himself. So that was Grell's feelings towards him, huh? "Homosexual. That's unexpected," Karma said, smirking as Grell sat up. "Nevermind him. Grell, you said Homunculus came to the manor." "Of course! They were perfect practice for Bardroy and Mey-Rin here. Let's be real, you two were smashing out there," Grell said, a arm around Bardroy and Mey-Rin. "What did they look like? Who were they?" "Oh? ... Well, let's see now. One was a women, pretty tall too and wearing a long dress. And the other one was smaller, long strands of green hair, and some two piece leather outfit." "Envy and Lust. I might've known," Nagisa thought upon hearing the details. What other Homunculus do they know of anyway? Before they could continue on this, Tanaka stepped in from the open door. "Do pardon my intrusion my lord. But there's someone here to see you." ~~ As the others were busy inside the manor, Ciel followed Tanaka over to the front door, as where any guest would show up. Though with what just happened back at the palace, it was a wonder on who it would actually be. Most of London was more focused on the queen's palace over the Phantomhive Manor anyday, so it was intriguing that he would get a guest at this point in time. It didn't take far too long until Tanaka brought him to the front, and Ciel himself went on ahead and walked up to the door. "Do you happen to know who is expecting me, Tanaka?" Ciel asked, his hand on the doorknob and ready to open. "He's requested to remain anonymous until you open the door, my lord," Tanaka informed. Ciel was unsure about it, but after last night's little fiasco, he was up for anything. Whatever was behind that door he was ready to face head on. He already faced a demon hound, what else was there? After a bit, Ciel then went ahead and opened the door. Out standing there was basically a unlikely set: the queen, and Korosensei dressed as a British guard. "Phantomhive. It's grateful that you're alright after last nights excursion," said the queen. "Hey there kiddo. Doing better I hope," added Korosensei. Needless to say Ciel was having no words to say. It was surprising enough seeing the queen of all people, but it was her and a demon king as well. A king of the underworld, and a queen of the human world right at Ciel's doorstep. Ciel needed another second before he could properly correct himself and get his nerves together. "M-My lord. How, uh ... unexpected," Ciel managed to say. "I have to agree, but It'd be better to talk to you in person rather than send another letter," said the queen. "And, I assume he brought you here?" Ciel assumed, looking over to Korosensei. "I couldn't deny such a noble women of her wishes, especially one of such loyalty!" Korosensei said, flattering the queen. Ciel wasn't feeling much easier about the situation. The queen smiled to the demon king, but turned her main focus towards the young earl. "Now. Ciel Phantomhive. I know this may seem a bit unorthodox, but I've been thinking at late about these happenings. Your current task to locate the missing persons of London is being replaced. I have a more important task for you, if you choose to accept it." The last part, honestly, was not needed. Ciel would more than willing accept whatever task the queen had for him. That was his purpose of being the queen's guard dog, after all. To follow the orders of the queen, and follow through without trouble and with pure devotion to said task. "I'll follow whatever order you give me, my lord." "Good. ... I want you to join Team Harmony. Help them however you can." "Pardon?" Ciel asked, legitimately confused. "The guards reported me this morning how ... 'straight-minded' they were about Team Harmony in general. Judging by what this demon hound had said just before his demise, I've come to believe that there's something far more world-effecting at work, far more than locals going missing. Whatever is going on. Whatever those entities have planned for our world. You are to help Team Harmony stop them however you can. Do you understand?" Ciel held onto every single word, though it was with a slight grain of salt. He had a demon butler with him, and this task involved him stopping the very thing he constantly was working with since gaining the Phantomhive Manor in the first place. All the same, demons like Sebastian, and Korosensei for that matter, weren't the problem here. It seemed the queen trusted Korosensei to bring her here, in spite of being a demon king anyway, so she had that going for her. Ciel stayed quiet to consider it, but eventually the answer came forth. "I'll do all that I can, my lord." ~~ Things were rather quiet down in the underworld, Sombra himself taking his walk through his own palace. It had been a bit of an interesting time, though Sebastian had been rather gone as of late, something Sombra was soon to notice after a little while. The afternoon light of the twilight amber sky lit into the halls during his walk about. He hadn't heard much out of Lust, Envy, or Hellgar either since last chatting with them, and the previous Tartarus demon king's words still echoed too clearly in his ears since he last encountered him in his cell. Basically speaking, a lot was on his mind, including a meeting planned out this afternoon. "Damn that Demon Lord. He doesn't know what he's thinking anymore," Sombra hissed under his breath. As the demon lord reached to the throne room, Sombra went right over to the throne itself, and had a seat, awaiting the next visitor to come along. But, before any guest could come in, another little animal popped in from the window, and flew right over to him. Usually, any aviary creature would be a bird or something, but this Underworld resident didn't resemble too well to any normal animal. Blue fur, stiff twin tails, a set of bat wings, two large ears, a big mouth, and no eyes to speak of. The bat dropped off a report note for Sombra, and quickly took off from where it came from before Sombra could do anything. Sombra looked over the letter, and read down every detail. ... "Hellgar. How unfortunate. ..." Sombra sighed, setting the letter down aside just as he began to hear the front doors open up. Soon, a single figure then began to enter the palace from the front door. The figure looked tall, and female in appearance in the silhouette of the lights. Talk about good timing. Sombra tucked the letter away, and looked to the newcomer with a smirk on his face. The light in the room revealed a slightly green figure, her eyes almost glowing in the dim light like neon green lights. "Welcome madam. Nice of you to join us." "I'll do my absolute best.~" she coos.
S03Ep1: Land of Fullmetal ~土地のフルメタル~"Well gang, we've beat down some demons, gained some Alchemy, and made friends with the queen and her guard dog. Whelp, we got a damn good story for home," Karma noted as the group went over towards the airport. Indeed, it had been a rather interesting vacation (if one would call it that anyway). Dealing with Homunculus and Demon Hounds, along with what the Phantomhives had for them was a bit to gamble with, and all of this within the course of just a month as well. With everything chilled out for the time being, it was time to head right on back over to their corner of the world, right back to Tokyo Japan. Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, Blair, Aladdin, and Karma all arrived on time to the airport, the place as busy as ever, and all of their stuff ready to go. Well, they may have gone through some rough trouble during this 'vacation' but they were all together and made it out alright all the same. "Oh yeah! You know, maybe we got enough to have them make a movie! That'd be so cool. What would it be called you think? 'Hound of Tartarus'? 'Sins of Earth'? OH, oh, oh I know. 'Holy Flame'! ... I like it." Pinkie's chit-chat was mainly met with mixed ears; some listening, some not. As Aladdin walked alongside Pinkie, he took a look inside the cat cage Pinkie Pie was holding, seeing Blair moping inside. Blair had been oddly quiet for a while, back to the door and head to the back wall of her cage. Aladdin gave the cat a poke in the tail. "What's wrong, Blair? Aren't you happy?" "Nope," Blair simply said. An odd silence hung in the air. "... Why?" "BECAUSE HELLGAR DIED BEFORE I COULD DO ANYTHING TO HIM! Life's not fair." "... O ... K ..." Aladdin decided to leave her alone. Blair was fine with Hellgar being dead, but the witch wanted to at least make her own point and satisfaction across to Hellgar, which the demon hound didn't even allowed her the chance to. The feeling was a bit mixed, to say the least. Aladdin allowed Pinkie to walk ahead, and he went by Twilight next, who was looking through more of the spells and magic Alchemy. Since finding the first one out, she'd been a bit more deep into finding out some more magical potential. "How is the magic coming along?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, it's going. I think I want to try some more of these in particular," Twilight replied, showing Aladdin one of the pages, this one showing a sort of electrical type of Alchemy. Or at least it appeared to be according to the pictures that accompany it. Aladdin's eyes sparkled on just the thought of it. "OH, Fullmetal Alchemy! How sweet. You sure you wanna give that a try? I heard it's rather tough to do for any Alchemist," Aladdin pointed out. "Of course. The least I can do is try," Twilight said, with confidence. That's all one could ask of her, wasn't it? Not too far behind them, Nagisa was observing how everyone was getting along with eachother, and he couldn't help but smile. It'd been a while since the whole group was together, and now they all were finally back in business, and back together again. As they were going along, Nagisa stopped for a moment, and turned back to London from the main entrance of the airport. Despite everything that had happened, it still looked lovely from the airport view. "Well, this has been quite a trip. ..." Nagisa thought. But as he turned to join the others. "HOLD ON A SECOND!" Nagisa paused for a moment. That voice, albeit a bit distant away, sounded familiar to him. He turned back to the city, and looked down the road just to see that someone else was trying to catch up to him. It only took one look to recognize the head of the Phantomhive house trying to catch up. Ciel was in his outdoor outfit, black clothes with top hat and all, and he kept a firm grip on his hat as he tried to run up to them before they could get on their flight. It was only Ciel though, not a sign of any other servant trying to run up to him from what Nagisa could see. By the time Ciel finally caught up, he was already a bit winded, probably from running so much to catch them. As he was, the others looked back to see him coming up too, though Nagisa was the only one who could get a guess to why he was doing this. "Ciel?" Twilight stated, as Ciel tried to catch his breath from the mad run. Not too long after catching up, another figure soon showed up not too far from him, carrying a single suitcase as any good butler would do. "Afternoon, everyone," greeted Sebastian. Ciel would make the greeting if he wasn't trying to catch his breath first. The others eventually went over back to him. "HIYO! Come to see us off?" Pinkie asked, waving to them. Ciel needed a little moment before he properly got himself relaxed and paying better attention. As he was though, the others took quick note of the suitcase Sebastian was holding for the young earl. "So, you have some travel plans," Karma concluded. "Let's just cut to the chase. Over here," Ciel said, gesturing them to follow. If they were going to discuss anything, he wasn't going to discuss it right out in the open and for peering ears to hear them. They followed him over to a more secluded spot of the place, though Ciel had to hurry up with whatever he had to say. "What's up, earl? We have a plane to catch," reminded Karma, pointed a thumb behind to the airport main checkout. If they miss their flight, who knows how long it'll be for the next one? Ciel made a little gesture, and Sebastian presented a newspaper in regards to another figure. Nagisa looked at the figure itself in the newspaper, talking about some decision he made though it wasn't too important. "Now, before you left the manor yesterday, the queen had arrived and informed me of our next task. The information in regards to this man: King Bradley. Various malicious activity had been reported within the country of Amestris, and now we have to venture there and investigate the source of these claims." "....... What?" Not the response Ciel wanted. "Were any of you listening to me?!" "You kinda jumped on us out of nowhere, how're we supposed to react?" Twilight had to admit. Ciel just sighed, and tried to regain himself, as Aladdin suddenly got a possibility in his head. "Wait. Does this mean ...?" "It means that I'm going to be accompany you from here on out," Ciel revealed. Well, this was an interesting surprise: the young earl of Phantomhive and close to the queen, now hanging out with them on this demon hunt of theirs. In surprise, Pinkie dropped the cat cage, Blair stumbling out before Pinkie threw in her own reaction. "NO. WAY. WE GOT OUR OWN FANCY PERSON!" Pinkie beamed, starry eyes and all. Ciel wasn't to amused by that, but at least the point was put across. "Joining us? Ciel? Sorry to break it to you, but we're kinda expected back home in Tokyo. We still have school to go to, and families too," Twilight said, a bit embarrassed at Ciel's expense as Pinkie was psyched in the background. "Your 'friend' Korosensei said he will handle everything for you during your time away," Ciel also revealed, though 'friend' was still a little questionable due to his antics during his stay here, but he had to take his word for that if it meant to get the others on his track. They hadn't heard much out of him in a while, so who knew what he was really up to. "Sounds good to me. Come on, everyone -" "Aladdin, we can't just run off like this! Gakuho will have us expelled for sure if we do this," Twilight said, worried over her head. "Pardon me?" Ciel questioned. "Our sadistic principal back home," Karma simply stated. Ciel wanted to ask, but he just kept it at that instead. Still, some of Team Harmony just didn't seem to see this as a good idea, two in particular. "If I may cut in, but I believe that this is more required for you than just a feeble request. As stated in that future vision of yours, perhaps?" Sebastian said. Suddenly, Sebastian pulled out another slip from his overcoat pocket, turning out to be their future vision list they made! They hadn't checked that in a while, and Sebastian presented it to the two very people who made the list in the first place. "How'd you get this?" Nagisa asked, a bit urgent. "Sebastian apparently made a side stop on the way to the queen's palace," said Ciel. Nagisa and Twilight looked over their list, and found that it had been altered a bit: a few events that previously happened being cut out in black ink pen. Either being from Nagisa's point of view, or Twilight's point of view, the events had been removed accordingly. Almost scarily accurate. "... I'm not gonna ask." both thought. It was probably for the best, anyway. The two looked over the list, and one single word ended up catching their eyes, as they looked to that and the newspaper picture. King. "Fate's sure convenient," commented Nagisa. "Really," agreed Twilight. And as with any fate, it was hard to escape from, if at all. Karma though jumped to it before they could say anything. "Alright, it's all settled: we're heading to Amestris, gang," Karma decided. Time to increase their vacation away from home. Ciel was glad to hear that they were going to cooperate on this, and they seemed ready to give it a shot anyway. "Very well then. Let's go Sebastian," Ciel said, turning to his butler. However, Sebastian was down on his knees, his eyes staring in astonishment at something else. It was as if the most beautiful thing ever had just stepped before him, and he appeared unable to react in any other way besides affection and amazement. And Blair just so happened to be right in front of him. ... "Those wide, innocent eyes blind to the filth of the world.~ That smooth, delicate noble tail.~ Those paws, so pale, pink, and perfect.~" Well, looked like Sebastian was a bit distracted, and Ciel just sighed. It'll be a while before he would get things going, but at least they all finally got some tracks to finally get things going. Time for Amestris. ....... "So soon? That team is going faster than I thought." Sombra open his eyes, and got up to his feet from his meditation position. He'd been in some tense meditation since his latest report given to him, but with that foresight shown to him, it was just enough to halt him and get him back to current time. It honestly hadn't been easy, and this news still was bothering him in his balcony. It was probably good thing for one figure that his meditation stopped here, as it ventured into the balcony to see him. "You hoo,~" cooed a voice. Sombra turned and found the new figure now within the balcony with him. A new figure soon strutted in, and Sombra got up to his feet. This female demoness seemed pleased to see him, though her eyes showed a sexual interest towards the demon king. She stood tall, taller than Sombra himself by a foot, her skin fair and smooth. In fact, much of her didn't appear much like your typical demon. Her body was voluptuous like Homunculus Lust, and her outfit showed plenty of eye candy for the demon king. Her hair, sea blue in color, stretched down her back, past her curvy hips. On top of her head was a sort of blue-green tiara, a emerald at the center of it. A cloth flowed around her shoulders, held together by another rounded green pearl jewel just above her chest, which was only covered by a black bra, each having a blue ring around it, and held by a metal ring. Her arms wore a long sleeve, only opening at the end of her hands. Her skirt reached down to her feet, which had boots reaching up to her thighs. Her outfit mainly was black, rimmed with a blue color that matched her hair. One unique feature on her was that she had a set of blue wings, the type one would find on a dragonfly. "Chrysalis. Thank your stars I was just finished," Sombra said. Chrysalis moved closer to the demon king, swaying her hips to show off her body to the stern Sombra. "Why don't you relax? I never seen a demon lord so tense," Chrysalis suggested, winking to Sombra. However, Sombra saw through her attempts, and just sighed. "I know, but you haven't met one so involved above before either, I don't have time to relax right now," Sombra made clear. With Team Harmony going around quicker than expected, he had to keep on his game as well. Chrysalis brought her arms around Sombra's shoulders, and he suddenly found himself in an embrace with her, the demoness giving him some bedroom eyes. "Sure you do. I'll be more than happy to help,~" Chrysalis reassured him. "Not happening," Sombra bluntly said, pushing her aside. Chrysalis just pouted as Sombra moved past her. "Shy much?" Chrysalis griped. "Not at all. I didn't hire you for ... that. It's your unique properties that's the reason you're here. Speaking of, have you check on those Homunculi yet?" Sombra questioned, turning back to her. Chrysalis didn't enjoy Sombra's more stern nature, but got up to her feet anyway. "They're still in the blood tombs where you left him," Chrysalis replied, though she didn't sound like she cared too much about them. "Right. That's all I need to know," sombra replied, soon walking out, but before he could go, Chrysalis suddenly went very bold, and pushed her rather big breasts into Sombra's back, hugging him from behind. Sombra shivered. "Come on, Sombra. Why can't I go out and have some fun, instead of those artificial humans? I'm sure I wouldn't screw up as much as they've been." "Don't be ridiculous, Chrysalis. I'll tell you when, but for now just stay put," Sombra instructed. After that, he went right off and left her. so much for some time with the demon lord. Sometime later, and Sombra was reaching this 'Blood Tombs', This was in a much darker location, one underground to be exact. The area looked within a dark tunnel, only main source of light coming from violet flames of the wall torches and nothing else. Right next to him appeared to be some sort of strong door, which Sombra went right over to, and opened up. Inside was another part of the Underworld, one a bit away from the regular palace. Various pools dotted the cavern, the main light source being the red crystals illuminating the area. Within each pool, each was shallow and filled up with a red velvet liquid, stagnated in the pools all around. In one of these pools, a body was laid inside, with two figures standing in patience as Sombra walked right over to them. These figures were Lust and Gluttony, both Homunculi watching their fellow Homunculus laying in the pool. "Has Envy resurrected yet?" asked Sombra, as he approached. "He's taking his time apparently. That human group in the Phantomhive estate did quite a number on him," explained Lust. Sombra looked into the pool at Envy's body. Envy appeared alright, almost appearing asleep in the velvet pool, bare naked with only his stomach, chest, hair, and face visible above the surface as the rest remained concealed. Sombra shook his head. He'd get mad at them for going after the Phantomhive estate if Hellgar didn't instruct them to do so in the first place. "So I see. ... Gluttony, did you handle that other task Hellgar told you about?" "They were so delicious, thank you very much!" Gluttony said, licking his lips greedily. Well, that answered Sombra's question. Though, seeing him drool and lick like that was more than enough to make Sombra cringe. "Stop that. Please stop that," Sombra said, his hand covering Gluttony's mouth. He didn't come in to lose his lunch. He wiped off the slobber from his hand before looking to the body of Envy again. Envy appeared to be breathing, but very slightly as his body was recovering. It looked intently at Envy for a good minute, Lust and Gluttony exchanging glances with eachother before Sombra looked to them again. "When Envy's recovered, you three head off out to Amestris. ... Make sure to get a strong ally," Sombra instructed, just before leaving them alone in the room. After that check up, Sombra was walking off again down the tunnel where he came in, his active mind rethinking over the situation at hand. "Let's see. Envy is recovering. Chrysalis is adapting fairly well. That team of humans had overcome both Homunculi and demon pack. ... This is getting troubling. One more thing I have to check." ....... Eventually, Sombra began to reach his next quarry soon after the Homunculus visit. This room was a bit different from the blood bath chambers, or the chambers within the palace. The room was quiet, only sounds of distant dripping of water the main audible sound to be heard. The place was especially cold, the ground underfoot actually frosted over slightly in patches. Sombra wasn't too bothered by the cold as his eyes scanned the area around him. The walls, ceiling, and floor all were made up of cold steel, the sound of every footstep echoing down the small hall towards Sombra's main destination, to which he stopped himself. The room widened up to a larger blocked chamber, almost like a small arena with four pillars standing at each corner, each one dormant apparently. "Hey. You still there?" Sombra asked firmly. "Sombra. My old friend." Then came the main reason he came down there. One main figure was sitting there, that wicked smile still evident on his devilish face. Despite the cold, this demon was still red and burning. As far as a demon would go, this figure would better fit the generic build of one over Sombra: red skin from head to toe, pointed ears, and a large set of horns belonging to a bull. Some details made him stand out still, one thing included his eyes were completely black with yellow irises that almost glowed. For hair, he had a rather scruffy gotee going on, and while his hair did stretch to his tailbone, the top was still shaved clean with the exception of a shaved Mohawk. The only main source of clothing on him was a pair of black shorts, but apart from that he was completely bare. His arms, legs, chest and stomach all had chains and locks that weighed him down. On him as well, a red pearl engraved the top of his ribcage, and two distinct scars showed themselves: one around his neck and one slicing over his left eye, both of which looked less like cuts and more like white stitches. This person was who Sombra wanted to check him, and admittedly, Sombra wasn't happy that this figure was actually happy to see him. "Good, you're still here. That's all I want to check in," Sombra said, as he turned to go. "Dearie me, Sombra. Is that all you have to say to me? Me: the previous ruler of Tartarus?" "No, here's another one: stop acting so cocky. I got you in chains, and down in the coldest prisonhold in the Underworld to prohibit your power. I fail to see what's worth being so cheery about." The figure got up, and started to move closer to him. Sombra made sure to stay off the arena boundary, the figure only stopped by the limit of his own chains. "You seem so confident in yourself. You think that everything will work out by playing it safe, don't you? There's a reason why we demons don't ever play fair to our opponents." "Shut up. It's because of your reckless behavior that you're locked up in here in the first place -" "You mean your reckless behavior, you mean? You are aware who I am, don't you?" the figure chuckled. Sombra cleared his throat. "Demon lord Tirek: ruler of Tartarus over the last fifty years, fullblood demon-class, also known as the inventor of torture. Yes, I know who you are, and you're reputation didn't help you get any farther." "And you think your reputation will? You can play your childish games as much as you want to, but in the end it'll be the end, I'm the true demon king that will take the surface world back. All you are is a match that'll start my hellfire." "When elephants fly! Now I only came to check in on you, and I did, now good day to you sir!" Sombra finished, walking on out, frustrated at Tirek. All Tirek did was smile and giggle slyly. "you'll see." "Oh sure I will," Sombra replied sarcastically before leaving Tirek alone. So long as he remained there, Sombra was secured. ~~ Japan. Orora High. As Team Harmony continued their own agenda with Ciel and Sebastian, Korosensei continued his many assortment of deeds for the next school agenda. A month away from the 3-E building gave the place a bit of time to get all stuffy and worn down, so Korosensei had a bit of work to handle. course, it was nothing a Mach-20 Demon King couldn't handle. When Korosensei first came back, the place was covered up in dust from lack of maintenance: desks, walls, floors, etc. having a thin layer of dust. Some books fell over on the shelves nearby, and even some boards on the roof had grown loose. The front gym yard had a number of weeds sprouting out from the ground in several places. By the time Korosensei was finished sprucing up the place - it only took about twenty to twenty five seconds - everything in and around the 3-E building looked good as new. The gym yard was trimmed, picked clean of any foreign flora around the yard down to a tee. The interior sparkled and shined with cleaned up floors, walls, and even the ceiling thanks to some handy work. Desks were wiped clean, books rearranged with precision, boards on the roof mended up. Korosensei, being the cocky Demon King he is, had extra time to get a little sweet treat of ice cream, and writing out "Welcome Back" on the front chalkboard. The Demon King swung his leg over (or in his case, his four tentacles tossed over the rest), and he happily licked his ice cream and waited for the students to come back around. Karasuma, Gakuho, each student of 3-E. He missed them all over summer vaca, and now he's willing to see all their faces again. "Ah, what would this place do without you Korosensei?" Korosensei commented. All he had to do was wait patiently for the bell to chime it's tune, and his lovely class of students would come right through that door. He's sure that they'll be more than happy to see him again. The minutes ticked by, and Korosensei waited and waited for the students to happily show their faces to him, but as Korosensei waited for that clock to chime he found not a single student coming in from anywhere. He didn't see any come in from the main path, nor coming in from the direction of the main building. He even took post up on the roof with a pair of binoculars but the only thing he saw was summer trees and the occasional Pidgy. Nothing more beyond that for the next five to ten minutes. Strange. He would see a student come out by now, considering the time. "This seems peculiar. Shouldn't they be here by now? At least one of them should be coming by," Korosensei wondered, checking the clock back inside for a brief moment. He soon started to check around the yard outside. He went around high and low, but whatever these students were doing, they were well hidden. "Okay gang, you had your fun. We have a lot of time to catch up with one another. I got some sweet gossip from my vacation that we can chat about," Korosensei offered. He considered that a great offer for any curious human, but that didn't seem to cut it. Odd indeed. "KIDS?! WHERE'RE YA?!" Korosensei called, zooming around the nearby forest. He continued flying around the forest for a bit, but as he was, something along the forest floor. It was interesting enough to make Korosensei stop cold. A pile of porno magazines dumped into a pile. The sight of these priceless gems made Korosensei's face fluster pink with a blush, his smile having an extra little curl. A clear trap, yes, but the chances to eye and gawk some big-boobed babes was too good to pass up for this demon king. "OOOO what do we have here? Is that the exclusive beach time issue?!" Korosensei wondered excitedly, already sitting down and going through the pages. Any pervert would love to get a grip on these issues. Then the cover said a extra something that especially made him psyched. "WHA?! Never-Before-Seen thong bikini set?! Oh gimme gimme gimme gimme," he said, rushing to see this supposed set in this issue fast, skimming through the pages. By the time he managed to get there though, all he got was a blank page with a silly picture drawn on it. Particular, one of his own face, winking and sticking his tongue out. Next thing he knew, the ground suddenly gave, and a fast-reacting net launched upward. Normally Korosensei would bolt out of the way, but the distraction of big boobs was his major downfall this time. He found himself stuck in a net trap, porno magazines on the ground and him stuck hanging up in a tree. Who'd of thought that first time back and he'd get up a tree about it. "Got him!" "Who'd of thought some porno would be the perfect bait." These voices Korosensei recognized, and sure enough out came the 3-E students. Each and every single one of them, and each one with a weapon in hand. Some had guns while others tied their knives on poles to stab him with. Korosensei was not in the right condition at the moment for a quick getaway, so when the first shot fired, all he could do was dodge to the best he could manage to do. As students tried, two of the leading minds watched on. Or rather, one leading mind, one pacifist. "See Nabiku? Knew that pervert wouldn't be able to resist. Sure you don't wanna take a stab at him?" "No thank you, Nakamura." Nakamura and Nabiku just stood there and observed what surely would be the ending blow to this demon. Korosensei dodged and waved around like mad against these students and their games, knife slashes and gunfire ringing out all around him, but none of them could make a hit onto him. Soon the demon king found this fun. "HAHAHA, what a start! See you all been sharpening your blades, but it won't do ya any good!" Korosensei said, getting pretty cocky about this whole thing. Nabiku did have a weapon in hand, but she was too humbled to even fire the thing. "Nabiku, here, take one shot. He's right there, just one and it's all it'll be," Nakamura said, trying to encourage her to fire. "B-But ... but ..." "It'll be fine, I promise. You don't have to do anymore today," Nakamura promised. Nabiku trembled a little, but she took her options a bit and finally made the ultimate choice: fire. Nabiku took aim at Korosensei, trying her best to find a firing point. Nakamura actually went behind Nabiku and tried to help her out. Nakamura may not have a gun but she had the right eye all the same. "Try to aim where the points meet. He may be moving around a lot, but there's one part that stays still on him," Nakamura advised, both watching the blurry dodges. Korosensei continued to constantly dodge, but Nabiku and Nakamura focused on that one point. ... Then the shot was fired. "YOW!!" It happened rather fast, but it seemed like slow motion. Korosensei broke free from the trap and bolted off to a far safer distance, but they did noted that Korosensei actually moved, ever so slightly slower. One other thing too was where the rope landed, they all saw a clump of yellow goo from Korosensei's tentacle now splattered on the ground. Nabiku's gun smoked from that one shot, Nabiku herself shocked more than anyone that a shot was even made, let alone actually hitting him at all. The hit may be minor, but it proved that they were stronger than Korosensei remembered. "WOO. Well well well, we've got some new tricks I see. Congrats to Nabiku and Nakamura for that million yen shot, but word of advice: one shot to the foot wouldn't take your opponent down for long. Though it will cripple them, naturally," Korosensei explained, his tentacle regrowing after a little bit. Korosensei then leaped up, and zoomed off out of sight. Nabiku, still trembling a little, lowered her gun. Her heart was racing like crazy, even if it was just one little shot and minor too. "Damn, look at that, you got a shot out of him. Good hit Nabiku - ... Nabiku? Nabiku, calm down," Nakamura said, trying to help Nabiku calm down. However, Nabiku was too freaked out over just shooting her weapon to relax, nevermind hitting someone with it. "I ... I-I'm fine. I-I'm fine. I-I'm fine." "You look ready to break, my god," Nakamura thought, especially when seeing her face. Nabiku will need more time yet before she can handle weapons without spacing out. Meanwhile, Korosensei flew straight back to the school, all cleaned up and looking forward to the students coming back for sure. With their attempt failing again, they don't have to wait around anymore. Regardless, this did get his own heart pumping, but in a good way. "This year's going to be fun." ~~ Travel time had been pretty good for Team Harmony. The main location in mind from the United Kingdom had to be from boat to the mainland instead of a typical flight on a plane, though mainly because Amestris didn't have a airport. Time was extended yes, but they were good off of that anyway from what could be. The boat they've managed to get themselves on was a seagoing ferry, a fine ride overseas that Ciel managed to get himself on. The boat wasn't exactly a cruise ship, but the boat was still a decent size, about as long as two buses. With good weather for the sea riding the boat made good speed to the mainland, wave sways notwithstanding though. The boat moved along steady as it goes, Team Harmony taking some time to enjoy their 'cruise'. Pinkie Pie, Nagisa, and Twilight were over by the edge of the boat, though while Pinkie was giddy about the trip and Nagisa content with the view of the passing sea, Twilight was looking more sickly, hanging off the side of the boat with a green tint to her face. The rest were nearby, and basically waiting until the ship reached port, which it didn't do until about sunset. Hours at sea just didn't suit Twilight much, though she was glad it was all over. The docks they reached were as crowded as they expected it to be, reaching the border lines of a seaside city. The city looked pretty modern, like Tokyo but smaller, yet differences stop there. The first one off the boat was actually Sebastian, lifting Ciel off the boat and jumping down to the dock. The rest went off the normal way, and met up over by the inner docks. "Oh wow! This Amestris city looks sweet. It's like a pocket-sized Tokyo," Aladdin said in astonishment, looking around like a tourist. "Well what're we waiting for? That king's gotta be around somewhere," noted Blair, strolling out in her human form. "Not here: we have to go to the Capitol if we're to meet him," Ciel corrected. Fair enough situation. Not too far behind, Nagisa brought Twilight on over, trying to help the slightly green-faced girl from riding around on the boat. She'd prefer the flying carpet anyday of the week over the boat. "What happened to you, Twilight? Your face is green," asked Aladdin, finger pressing her face. "Just. Just give me a minute," Twilight said meekly, trying to gather herself. "Oh Botha. Come on, Sebastian, we have little time to waste," Ciel instructed. He didn't have time to be toying around with Twilight, as he had to get to King Bradley according to the future vision list they had. After a minute or two, and soon they were starting their way through the city. The group fitted in pretty well overall, with many of them observing the neighborhood around them as they walked through. Cities like this are something they were more familiar with; plenty of people, modern buildings, the main works. Buildings around the city matched with Tokyo Japan, though a bit shorter naturally.The people were slightly different from the people they knew in Japan, as expected, but some of these people Twilight and Nagisa begun to note had some unique features on them that made them stand out from regulars of Japan, or England for that matter. People from different places would have some sort of natural difference, but Amestris was a bit more noticeable with some folk. Mechanical parts. That's right. Either be it a arm, or a leg (no joke), some people had mechanical parts that looked right out of some steampunk world. "Strange. They have metal arms and legs," Nagisa quietly noted, curious. "It's Automail," stated Ciel. "Excuse me?" "Oh, I've read about this: It's a common practice in Amestris to use metal parts to replace lost limbs. Usually a arm or a leg, or both," Twilight said, as she and Nagisa were seeing the examples around town. Nagisa knew of artificial limbs, but those were mainly made up of plastic, not straight metal like a machine such as this. Ciel cleared his throat and addressed the group. "See someone did their research, but we're not here to sightsee. This is a strict task from the queen of England, so if we all can cooperate -" "OOOO, what's going on there?" Pinkie said, suddenly rushing off on them! Well, so much for that. "Where the devil are you going?!" Ciel called, but Pinkie was a bit far away already. "Easy, earl, she's just having fun. Come on, let's check it out," Blair suggested, following her. Some of the others decided to go off, but Ciel just stood behind. Not even five minutes in Amestris and Team Harmony's already going off. The others were sure to just follow her and check out what she saw, as Pinkie wasn't going to go with them otherwise until she found that out at least. Nearby, Team Harmony found themselves a rather large crowd, watching and anticipating over some sort of event going on. It took a little bit for the group to get through, but once they did, they soon found what was causing so much ruckus. Around an area, two men stood tall and looking pretty proud. One of them, a regular sized human with one of those 'loud' orange shirts held a bag of coins in hand, but the person next to him not only towered over him, but both his arms were completely made of Automail. Aside from them stood a lone, sturdy table and two seats, one for each opponent. The defeated opponent just walked sadly away, holding his sore arm in defeat. Pretty easy to figure out what this was. "Down goes another contender! Come on, who's next?!" the referee called, waving the money bag above him for all to see. As one man went off to heal himself, another one with an automail arm stepped up to the challenge. "Oh, arm wrestling. Haven't done one of these in forever," Karma commented. "Is this another human game?" "Something like that. Watch," Karma told Aladdin, pointing to the event at front. They all watched the next challenger get himself situated, and both men locking arms. The referee held both hands down, and started his countdown, as any ref would do. After the traditional 'three, two, one', both men started on their game. At first, none of them wavered much, but after a bit, the champion slammed his new opponent's automail arm down hard, securing his victory yet again. The hit made Aladdin cringe up and the opponent just walked off away. Cheers abounded from the crowd over yet another secured victory for the champion. At this point was when Ciel and Sebastian caught up. "Odd game." "Come on, any real challenger ready to come up? Come on, who wants to take a crack at the champ?" shouted the referee, waving the money around. As he was looking, he caught sight of Team Harmony standing there, along with some others in the crowd. He put his hand over his eyes in a salute fashion, looking around for any other potential figures. "Oh, how could I? Asking this tiny little shrimp to take on the champ?! HAHAHA!" The ref suddenly said. The team was going to say something, but the ref wasn't referring to any of them. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP?!" Shouted a pissed off voice. Then came the next challenger. The referee got his next sucker far as he was concern, and the opponent here looked a lot smaller just as well. He looked rather short, only taller than Aladdin, but shorter than the rest of them were surprisingly. His hair was blond, tied back in a braid and parted at front with the exception of a strand of hand poking upward. The outfit of said person primarily made up of black trousers, a sleeveless black shirt with a black jacket that had silver/white lining along the edges, and a bright red, long-sleeved, hooded cloak whose tail came down to his upper calves. As he ventured forward, he took of the red cloak, and went straight over to the tall challenger. When he got there, it is revealed that he too had his own automail arm, gleaning in the light once he got into position. Everyone, including Team Harmony watched them both lock arms and the referee counted them down. "Ok. Three. Two. One ... Go!" So they went at it. At first, both sides remained still and focused in strength. Everyone held their breath for a good ten seconds. ... The he pulled back. ... And tore the champion's automail hand clean off! lightning sparked, metal torn away, and soon the newcomer was holding what remained in his hand like it was his own trophy. As was expected, the entire crowd, most of Team Harmony included, saw this wide-eyed and mouths-agape. One had to be goddamn strong in order to tear someone's automail off so easily. The newcoming opponent smirked and dropped the automail hand down in front of the champion. Or rather, once was. "I think I'll take that now," said the opponent, confidence gleaning as the referee silently gave him the bag of cash. While it was impressive, it did mark the end of the situation, and any reason to stick around. "Now that you've had your fun, may we head on our way?" Ciel asked. "Okie dokie lokie," said Pinkie, as they begin to go off. Aladdin took a moment to watch the other guy go off on his way before going to join the others. ~~ The day had been long, but eventually the school day back in Orora high had come to a close, and the students of 3-E were heading off home. For Nabiku, that meant that she had a walk home alone from her usual trip. It wasn't exactly anything new for this girl, as walking home alone was something she was more than used to ever since high school even got started for her, nevermind this year itself. All the same, it gave her time to listen to the birds chirping around her, which was always a nice thing for her to hear. Still, while it was nice, her mind still remembered over what had happened earlier, the thrill of shooting that gun at Korosensei still having an effect on her. "Why do we have to kill him? He's so nice, he doesn't deserve this. ..." That was Nabiku's main thought above all. She never found a reason to kill him, being a demon being the only actual reason there was, and even that was not enough for her. Such a charismatic, and cheerful carefree nature, what's there to provoke murder on him? sure, he looked a bit questionable, but that was purely speculation. Should she try and kill him like everyone else? Nabiku sighed. "Maybe I should leave them to do it," Nabiku concluded, though her decision came with a grain of salt. She would try to stop them if she had the nerve to. During her walk, she took a moment to stop and observe some Pidoves perched up in a nearby tree. They sang their basic tunes as usual, and one of them started to fly away. Nabiku enjoyed these cute little birds, and the Pidoves didn't seem too worried over her either. One thing that Nabiku looked forward to was seeing these cute birds around the forest on the way home. *bzzz* Then it happened. Out of nowhere, and in an almost blur, something suddenly took off from the forest, and grabbed the Pidove right out of the air! Nabiku flinched on the sight and sound of the attacker. Be it curiosity or dumb luck, Nabiku saw the fate of the poor bird just a few moments later after taking a few steps forward. Over on a tree trunk, the poor bird squawked and fluttered for a little before going limp and falling lifeless onto the ground under it. For the attacker, the creature gripped the tree with six insect legs. The overall body looked like that of a moth, but this was no ordinary moth. The purple wings themselves stretched behind it, though Nabiku could make out eye markings on them, resembling amber eyes. Fluffed antennae aimed forward with four tendrils that looked like tentacles or proboscis, but the overall size of this moth, and probably what scared her the most, was that it was as big as a deer! And seeing how it just killed the bird, probably rather aggressive too. As first, Nabiku was scared to budge, worried that any sudden movements would trigger something off this giant moth, the moth's eyes having a faint yellow glow as it sensed her standing about ten feet away. Its antennae twitched and flickered, as if sniffing for her. The remaining Pidoves flew off from there, leaving only Nabiku with this strange giant creature. "W-Wha ... W-What is that? ... W-w-w-what do I do?" Nabiku thought, trembling a little bit. Just seeing this giant kill a bird so easily, and so quickly, this thing was built to kill, and it looked plenty big enough to take her down if provoked, much like a hawk or eagle in a way. Both Nabiku and the Moth were at a stalemate with eachother, neither side moving an inch. Nabiku knew she can't stay there forever, and so Nabiku, ever so slowly, started to move along the path to home. The giant moth didn't budge at first, letting Nabiku move slowly along, step by step. The moth almost looked fake on its tree, but each twitch of the antenna just proved otherwise. "Baby steps. ... Baby steps. ... Easy does it. ..." But it wasn't easy enough. With a flick of the wing, the giant moth launched straight forward directly at Nabiku. The girl ducked fast, the Moth zooming off above her. The broad-winged Moth quickly turned itself around to find Nabiku running like mad to get away. Nabiku tried her best, but this mad moth buzzed and fluttered around her like crazy, trying to get a grip on her. Nabiku was basically running blind while trying to avoid the bug, just to end up tripping over her feet, and falling to the ground. The moth landed on her side after she fell, the weight keeping Nabiku down as she struggled. Nabiku yelped in pain as she felt the mouth of the moth sink into her shoulder, already feeling the suction of the moth starting to such her blood dry. So not only was this bug a giant, but also a bloodsucker. "Help! Help me!!" Nabiku called in horror, but there was no one around to hear her. All Nabiku could do was flail around to try and dislodge the insect. The giant moth thrashed around until it eventually released her for a moment. It had a fair amount of blood, but not enough to satisfy it. Nabiku straightened up, and the bug landed on the ground nearby. The moth readied to fly up again and tackle her. "O-Oh no. ..." ....... The bite never came. In fact, everything became quiet after the supposed launch. Nabiku straightened up, dazed and light-headed and with a bite mark on her shoulder. The mark was a minor cut, blood seeping out in little drops, but the moth suddenly found itself with its back knocked into another tree, its wings dangerously close to getting ripped. Nabiku needed a moment to get herself together, wondering what exactly happened, but eventually she found that she wasn't alone in this battle. As the moth got itself turned around, rather than attack again, it quickly got off the ground and flew away fast, leaving nothing behind apart from scattered dust. As for who apparently saved her, Nabiku's dazed condition didn't give her too much of an expression, or very much details. Someone was indeed standing there, almost on top of her as if protecting her, some sort of blur stretching out from her torso. One detail that Nabiku could make out was a surprising amount of blue, especially on the stretch parts. The figure turned its head to Nabiku for a brief moment, smile on its face, before suddenly a huge gust of wind struck her. She had to cover her face in case of any attack. Once the wind calmed down, Nabiku found herself all alone again. Whoever that was, just as quickly as it began, it was over. Nabiku managed to get to her feet, getting her senses back together. The only evidence that someone was indeed there was a set of dug-in footprints right at her feet, looking like they belonged to a pair of sneakers or something. She knew it wasn't her own by the placement, but there was no sign of any trail anywhere. "Who was that?" Nabiku wondered. ~~ As the world continued outside, Korosensei was busy with his own little bit of schedule. The days back at school were alright, but his own little agreement towards Gakuho for Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma's sake in terms of grades had given him a little bit of decent challenge to try and please. Bad enough they weren't here for one, and Korosensei had to handle the multiple grades for them too, along with the 3-E students here. It wouldn't be so bad if the group wasn't practically half way around the world right now. As he tried to handle it in his office, mainly preparing their little work sheets as homework, Karasuma came in and soon noticed the situation going on with Korosensei, the speed demon working out each study session from pure scratch and writing them down on blank papers. "They won't be back. That it?" asked Gakuho. Korosensei had confronted him in his office, standing there with the names of the students that won't really be attending as much this year, according to Korosensei's knowledge. "Thought I'd give my boss a heads up before this year starts. It's a very personal issue, you know," Korosensei replied with a wink of the eye. Still, Gakuho remained a bit unmoved by the words, and instead presented Korosensei with a attendance sheet with their names on each one, and a pen hovering over them. "Well, in that case, I might as well mark them suspended." "WHOA WHOA WHOA, l-let's not be too hasty!" Korosensei insisted, freaked out by the sudden jump. "Korosensei. My school is the best there is. Tardiness is not tolerated. And it seems by what you told me, they won't be back for quite a while. ... Unless they can return from England by tomorrow morning? ..." Korosensei was on the ropes here. He didn't tell Gakuho that information just to get them into trouble. Still, it took the demon king only a short time before getting an idea in his yellow head. "Wait a minute! Problem's the students learning, right? How about I mail them the work, and I'll come straight back with their scores. It's like they never left at all," Korosensei decided, quickly changing into a mailmen's outfit with envelopes in his tentacles. Gakuho stayed eerily quiet for a little bit, each second worrying Korosensei more and more, until Gakuho got up and moved over to the demon teacher. "Are you willing to go through all that trouble for such neglectful students?" Korosensei only nodded, shivering a little. "... How about I make you a deal. I'll let you handle this, but if one paper is left unchecked, one test not written and put into their grades, then I'm afraid we'll have four failing students to add to your "little E family". How does that sound?" "Gakuho, you're about to be played," Korosensei thought. "What're you doing now?" Karasuma asked. "Ah, Karasuma, good to see ya. Just getting some little tests ready for a few kids," Korosensei said, his tentacles blindly zooming around and writing down each question, detail, and instruction down to the wire. Karasuma raised his gun to shoot Korosensei, but the cheeky Korosensei got one tentacle to snatch the gun up during his work, just as he finished up. "AAAAND bam!" Korosensei said once he completed it. "Don't try and get too comfortable. They're all out to get you, remember that," Karasuma reminded sternly, but Korosensei only chuckled, his head showing his green stripes. "Oh, I'd love to see them all try. Maybe you can try some anti-demon grenades tomorrow morning," Korosensei suggested, just before he stepped outside, and disappeared from sight. Well, so much for a attempt at Korosensei's life again. Karasuma, with some time alone, simply sat down by the desk and opened up his laptop. Yeah, his job was to kill Korosensei, but he still had his school teacher job to handle, so he had to check that out anyway. "Damn Korosensei. Who in the right mind would encourage being killed, anyway?" Karasuma thought, though if it meant making the job easier he wouldn't object it. As he looked through some of his emails, one of these did come up that caught his attention during this point from his official: Seitenshi herself! He was military, and presidential messages meant something important one way or another, as he opened it up to see what was going on. Tadaomi Karasuma: You've been assigned to the Protection agreement transfer. You'll be sent off to London as trainer to the Queen's air military for the next upcoming month. As such, Akira Takaoka will be your replacement. He'll be arriving within the next few days, so be sure to inform him on what to do before you go. Seitenshi. Karasuma paused for a moment on this decision. This was fairly new, only given to him about 22 hours ago according to the time frame left on it. So, Karasuma went on to reply back. Understood. ~~ Out in the city, little Blair was out and about in her own time in Amestris. Hanging out with the others and doing this was fine, but strolling around as a true cat gave Blair plenty more freedom to check out the neighborhood. While the rest of the group made overnight accommodations before their move off towards Amestris for King Bradley, Blair kept her curious eyes all over the place. Many a people paid her little mind as the black cat went along, and many birds and mice that saw her kept well clear of her. Been a while since she did these kinds of walks, since she left England as a matter of fact, so some chilling walking was what she needed to explore the place. "Ok, kitty, what do we got today?" Blair wondered. Her eyes scanned around the area for some fancy snack to catch, though much of the busy sidewalks didn't make it too easy. Plenty of people for sure, lots of birds off on the rooftops that were out of reach, but some little nice scurrying along looked pretty good right about now. A few stray mice rushed down some alley steps just as Blair saw them, and being the cat that Blair was, she went right on after them. "I see you micees!" Blair noted, racing down after them. The alleyway Blair decided to run down lead down to a labyrinth of pathways around many of the buildings. Tall walls and windows along a five foot wide path, and one cleared of many a debris so the mice didn't have much to hide in. Not much people out in this part of the world, so Blair had nothing in the way in her chase with these mice. Blair was in hot pursuit by this point, but the mice were just ahead of her enough to run out of sight into a nearby drain. Blair made a dive for them, but the mice just managed to get out of her paws. All she got to get was a face full of dirt. "Damnit mice!" Blair complained, shaking the dirt off of her. So much of a mouse snack. As any cat, she regained herself quick as if nothing had even happened. As she walked off down the alleyway, she caught sight of her reflection off some stray metal, and saw just how dusty she got. "God damnit, got my fur all messed up," Blair sighed, as she started to clean herself up, using the reflection in the object as her mirror. She continued getting the dust out of her fur for the next minute before her eyes started to scope what she was actually using as her mirror. The object in question appeared to be some sort of metallic object, in particular a kind of suit. The suit consisted mainly of blueish silver armor, reaching from the shoes up to the head. A few exceptions to this appeared to be some brown leather underneath the armory, visible around the hands and straps by the shoulders. The suit appeared sturdy, thick and very tall compared to the minuscule feline. Basically a suit of armor perfect fitting a prime muscular man. This wasn't your typical knight armor, with many unique details: the shoulders hosted a trio of spikes, the waist covered in a grey cloth, the neck armor circled the neck like a thick collar, and the helmet didn't match any regular country Blair knew of. The forehead had a single horn on it, the jaw region equipped with edged top jaws to resemble sharp teeth, and the top of the head had a silvery white, hair-like addition that reached down to the armor's hips, like a very thin white ponytail. Three slits make up the openings on the helmet, one which had the eye opening while the other two were for air to flow through. An entire bodysuit of pure armor, and it so happened to be out in a secluded area like this. "Oh, neat. A full suit of body armor! The others are gonna get a kick out of this," Blair thought, walking around and looking it over. As she moved to the otherside, she also noted a red emblem of sorts on the armor's shoulder. Blair looked it over up and down, even climbing on it time to time to check it out. As Blair hopped up onto the lap of the object, it was then that this odd object began to stir a little. ... Then it started to move. "It's alive? This armor's hexed!" Blair thought, hopping off its lap as the apparently live armor began to move, and turn its head towards Blair. Blair stayed still, backing up slightly, but the armor didn't do much of anything at first. Eventually, a large arm extended towards her, Blair withdrawing a bit. Rather than any harm, the hand gently started to pet Blair's head. "Hello, little guy. Are you lost?" Blair heard a voice she never would've expected from a live armor, sounding like a young boy instead of some large man. Blair began to relax a bit, letting this thing gently rub her head. Blair then got an idea, just to see if her suspicions were correct or not. *meeooww~* The armor gasped from the display of affection, a tone like a parent seeing their child in a beautiful outfit. Blair made sure to put on a pity face to her kitty outfit. She would try to act sexy, but she can't fault what she really was to just anyone (as much as it restricted her). Still, this figure gently lifted Blair off the ground, apparently happy to find a little kitty like her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you," the figure promised. Blair gently held the kitty, getting up to his feet (which lifted Blair pretty high up off the ground. Blair thought it over shortly, and just meowed again, letting this figure bring her with him. "I'll catch up with them later," Blair thought.
S03Ep2: Elric Brothers ~エルリックブラザーズ~After what felt like hours, the team had gotten their current stay within this Amestris town. It wasn't too high-class amongst the options, but with the money they got, it was all they could manage. They were lucky to find a place that would accept Yen or the queen's coins, and the only one that they could get was a low-running motel. It was only for the night anyway, so it was the best they could do before their trip off towards the Capitol. Besides they can get a train right away once this they were done with their night here. They had to get two rooms to accommodate the group, one for girls, one for boys, both rooms equally run down. Twilight and Pinkie got their room to themselves, as the rest of their group had to handle one room. Sebastian made his post just outside the door, mainly similar to guarding back at the manor. As for those inside, there was a mixed reaction with those inside. "I can't believe I have to sleep in such accommodations," Ciel groaned, getting ready for bed himself. "Better than sleeping in an alley. Like they say: any boat'll hold in a storm," replied Aladdin, as he got comfy under the covers, putting his turban by the bed. Being the rich kid he was, Ciel's preferences did not include such a run down option, or at least not with this many guys in one room. Ciel and Karma in one bed, Aladdin and Nagisa in another. "So, how much longer til we run into our next demon bitch?" Karma wondered, stretching his arms and sitting by the foot of the bed. "I'm hoping we met our last one for a while," Nagisa said. "Come on, with our luck we'll be seeing plenty more demons on our way. Hell, we have our own demon butler standing outside right now." "He's not your butler," Ciel corrected. Nagisa sighed and laid down in bed, as Karma laid next to him. "Look, if we're going to meet any more, I'm hoping we'll actually come across some angels instead. We've been meeting demon after demon, but the only angel we've met is Aladdin," Nagisa explained, both looking over to Aladdin, who was already asleep in bed by the time they noticed him. Nagisa did have a point there, and even then Aladdin might not count since he was a Magi. Karma turned off the light and gave a yawn. "Eh, point taken. Let's chat in the morning about it," Karma said, getting comfortable in bed. With Karma, Aladdin, and Ciel sleeping, Nagisa laid himself down to sleep as well. With Sebastian outside, the girls in the room next door, and no one to talk to, Nagisa had no real reason to stay awake any longer. ... ....... "Nagisa? ... It's nice to see you, Nagisa. ..." "Huh? Who's talking to me? What's that voice?" Nagisa began to open his eyes to the sounds of the gentle, almost motherly voice. It sounded nothing like any of his friends, or anyone familiar from where he went to so far. He felt a soft freeze flow around his body, one thing he knew couldn't happen in the room he last remembered being in. That was because the room he last remembered being in was no longer there, or anywhere for that matter. Looking around, the smooth floor, isolated tree and linear rivers flowing off a dropping cliff made the area a vaguely familiar sight. However, it wasn't night time in this place as he last remembered, but instead the skies were completely clear and bright blue with a sun shining brightly onto him. "Wait. This is where me and Twilight were at before. We got our Future Sight here ... Am I dreaming again?" Nagisa told himself, trying to think. No way can his body and mind be put here while he was asleep. He saw no one else around him this time though, so this visit to this place was strictly him only. No Twilight this time to share this with, or anyone else familiar. "Indeed you are. Hello, Nagisa." There it was again. Nagisa turned around a bit, but he couldn't see anyone around to connect the voice to at first. In his small look around, he eventually noticed that he actually wasn't alone here. He stood about five feet away from Nagisa, appearing to be a young adult. He stood fairly decent, Nagisa eye level to his shoulders in height, though many details made him stand out from any normal human he knew. His outfit resembled that of a royal Prince: a silver overcoat lined in a blue line going over a snow white under shirt. His overcoat flared in the back in two 'tails', lined with blue as well. He wore deep blue pants reaching to just above his feet as well. His hair flowed behind him, reaching down to about similar length to Twilight's hair (and just as smooth), yet as blue as Aladdin and Nagisa's hair. His eyes shown pure blue like Nagisa too, giving Nagisa the impression that he was looking at a possible future self. Nagisa wasn't afraid of this sudden figure looking to him, and he began to put the numbers together. "What a coincidence: I mention about meeting more Angels, and here I am with another one," Nagisa thought. Still, he knew he was in a dream, so anything damaging here would affect him in the real world, an advantage he was grateful to have in this situation. "You're another angel," Nagisa stated. "I am. You've been running around quite a lot, haven't you? You're doing a grand job," said the figure. Being a dream, Nagisa somehow found himself with that list of visions he and Twilight had shared and marked down. Though the list now had a number of slashes in it to mark off past events in accordance. The figure moved closer to see the list alongside Nagisa. However, Nagisa moved away. "Before we continue, please tell me who you are," Nagisa stated, humbled a little bit. The figure understood the confusion and nodded. "I'm known by a number of titles. ... Though you can refer to me as Lugia." "Lugia," Nagisa quietly repeated. At least he got a name for this holy entity. Still, Nagisa took a look around and then to the entity. Time to get some answers. "Hey, Lugia. What is this place? Where are we?" "This is just an fabrication of the Overworld. Don't worry, you'll return to your world when you wake up," Lugia assured him, though Nagisa figured that much already anyway. Aladdin mentioned about the Overworld time to time, so now Nagisa got a better idea on it here. "Now. I do hope you're not put under too much pressure with the Future Sight." "That was you?!" Nagisa asked, surprised. Hard to believe, since neither he nor Twilight noticed any human during the given Future Sight. But still, Lugia stayed calm and collected. "I'm sorry I had to be secretive about it. Especially after what happened already," Lugia said, feeling slightly guilty, which Nagisa caught in his tone of voice. "Oh, no no. It's just, well, a bit surprising, that's all." "I know it can be overwhelming to humans. Wish I could've contacted all of you at once, but this was the safest I could do," Lugia admitted. "Safest?" Nagisa thought, a bit confused. What did he mean by the safest method? He can get a telepathic message, but why was it safer if it was only just him and not the rest? However, he didn't bring it up and allowed Lugia to continue. The entity walked closer to Nagisa from there. "I understand your concern over these demonic activities as of late." "Well. It's not exactly that. It's more that me and my friends had only been finding demons, and not angels. Aladdin is fine, but ..." "You wish for some reassurance?" Lugia asked. The entity got it down pact alright. Nagisa had some good allies, but this 'secret' game wasn't giving him any true assurance. He needed help from someone who knew this stuff well before he did, and not alongside him. Lugia nodded and took a step back. Nagisa then looked to Lugia again. "You might be getting help sooner than you expect. Your friends are secure for the future, I can assure you," Lugia promised. That just reminded Nagisa about the Future Sight he mentioned earlier, and another important question came up. "Lugia, listen. These Future Sights. ... Is there a way to avoid these?" Lugia knew what he meant by that, but regrettably shook his head. "That's not how Future Sight works. Those visions aren't given to avoid, they're given for preparation. ... I'm sorry, but not all the visions we both saw can be altered. I gave them to you so you can be prepared mentally for what's to come," Lugia said gravely. They both knew what some of the visions entailed, but if they can't be altered then it's a matter of when, not if. Nagisa could see that Lugia was regretting a bit, evident on his face. Nagisa looked over the list he made, taking these a bit more seriously. There was one vision in particular, simply labeled 'City', that he truly had trouble with. Now it was guaranteed to happen, and they both knew that. Nagisa stayed quiet for a bit, but eventually he looked to Lugia again. "... Lugia?" "Yes?" "... Do you know how this'll happen?" "I'm afraid I don't. These events are guaranteed to happen, yes, but events leading to the event are varying. I only had time to show you those events alone. ..." Nagisa took it in, and then let out a sigh before locking eyes with the entity. "... It's okay. We can't do everything perfectly," Nagisa just admitted. At least he had the overall idea of the events, over none at all. Besides, it's not like he could do it any better. Why argue over something that he barely knew about. "I'm glad you understand. Grateful Aladdin found you for a friend," Lugia said, though he wished he could do more. Once that was finished though, they both begun to notice that the light was starting to get brighter on them. "Oh dear. It's almost time to wake up." "I understand. It's nice to talk to you," Nagisa said. "Thank you. Oh, and Nagisa? Prepare your mind when you wake," Lugia advised, as the light began to become blinding. Nagisa could only nod, just before all he could see was white. ....... "Wakie wakie." Well, Nagisa knew that voice well enough. He was back in the real world, and back in the motel room they were staying at. However, Nagisa found himself staring into the giant magnified eye of Pinkie Pie. She not only had a magnifying glass in hand, but wearing her detective outfit as well. The pink girl was right in Nagisa's face with the magnifying glass. The typical reaction to this would be a Yelp and a tumble out of bed, but Nagisa was mentally prepared this time. "... Morning, Pinkie." "Morning, my dear Shiota," Pinkie said, hopping off of the bed. Nagisa found that he wasn't the only one waking up due to Pinkie Pie's antics. In fact, everyone else was up and about alongside him. Sebastian was in mid process to dressing Ciel for the day, Aladdin and Twilight appeared to have had a rude awakening, and Karma was simply dressed and alright overall. Nagisa yawned and woke himself up, seeing Pinkie Pie going around the room trying to find a sort of something. "Pinkie's at it again, huh?" Nagisa yawned. "Sort of. Blair hasn't come back yet, so Pinkie's trying to find clues. ... Or something like that," Twilight explained, yawning as well. Pinkie suddenly popped up behind Nagisa, looking over him to Twilight (Nagisa feeling the pink girl's boobs push on his back). "Detective Pinkie's on the case, we'll find her!" Pinkie insisted. "How ridiculous is this? Just as we're about to leave, and one of us happens to disappear," Ciel groaned, as Sebastian buttoned up his overcoat. "Quite a coincidence, my lord. It might prove problematic if we miss our train because of her, wouldn't you think so?" Sebastian agreed. Ciel nodded his head just as Sebastian finished, and he got to his feet. Nagisa overhead their conversation, as he got up himself. "Blair gone. So that's what you meant, Lugia," Nagisa thought. "Eh, she must've wandered off into town last night. Hey Sebastian, try and fetch her will you?" Karma instructed. "Hey, who're you to command my butler?" Ciel questioned. Luckily, Twilight got to him before things could get out of hand. "Ciel, wait. Maybe it would be a good idea to have Sebastian look for Blair. He can look faster than any of us could," Twilight insisted. Ciel waited a moment to consider the idea before turning to Sebastian. "Don't be late, Sebastian. Find her and get her back before that train leaves for the Capitol." "I'll do only my best, my lord. Meantime, I suggest the rest of you to arrive at the station, if such thing happens that I do end late, we can meet at the Capitol in future," Sebastian said. Without a second word, Sebastian went off on his way, far gone in a very short time as the others watched him go. If anyone could find her fast enough it would be Sebastian. ~~ Meanwhile, off in a different part of town, the cat girl in question had it pretty well for herself. Even if she was hanging out with what she would consider a silver golem, the figure still was treating her very well. Nice and cozy, sleeping away the morning by her large living suit of armor. She even got cozy inside of him by this point, and it stayed nice and dim to keep her sleeping. The figure was enjoying it too, feeling the cat's soft and warm body just made him feel all cozy himself. Things just felt nice for both figures, but it was the armor who woke up with the morning light. "Al. Hey Al, we gotta go." A voice was enough to fully wake up the armor. It started dull but it was enough to wake him up all the same, as another figure of this house opened the door. The next kid in the house, low and behold, was the exact same kid that won the arm wrestling contest just yesterday. He was fully clothed now, and ready to move. Al though felt a little unsure. "Oh, morning brother. Sorry, I overslept," Al said. However, his brother was in a better mood today, in his mechanical automail hand a bag of money proudly presented. "Don't worry about it. Just wait til we get back to central." *meow* Al froze up. The figure, who was just happy a second ago, suddenly turned suspicious over his towering brother. "Al? ... Did you just meow?" He asked him. Al tried his best to play dumb. "Uh ... No?" And not very good at it. His brother went right up to him, and before Al could do anything, his chest cavity suddenly opened up. Inside the hollow shell, Al's brother then saw Blair fast asleep inside him. Well, so much for that. The light made Blair wake up to see Al's brother there, a look of annoyance on his face. Al straightened up. "Not again. Al, this is the third time this month, you can't keep taking in every cat you see." "But Ed, this one's different: he called to me. Can't we keep him?" "No, Al! Now take it back to where you found it," Ed instructed sternly. It was clear that Ed wasn't like Al in case of scenarios like this. Still, Al just didn't want to get rid of his new kitty. ... "Alright, I'll do it," Ed decided, grabbing Blair and starting to walk out. Al immediately followed him, trying to get Blair back but Ed wasn't wavering a bit. Ed didn't have time to deal with cats right now. "Ed, pretty please?" "Al stop it! We got an appointment at central, we can't be taking care of any cats right now!" Ed snapped. Al felt broken-hearted as they reached the door. "How can you be so cold?" Al wept. Ed wasn't really going to take the time to care this cat for Al's sake. Al could beg all he wanted to, it wasn't working. Blair was getting a bit annoyed herself, being held rather roughly by Ed the whole time they were talking. Anyway, just before Ed could step outside though, Ed, Al, and Blair, all heard a knock at their door. Rather unexpected surprise. Since Ed was right at the door, he went onto open up the door, Blair trying to scratch her way out of Ed's mechanical arm grip, no avail of course. They open the door, and who do they find? A Phantomhive Butler right at their doorstep. Looked like Sebastian found his quarry. "Morning. I have reason to believe that you have something that belongs to me," said Sebastian, not wasting anytime in getting to the point. And with the only new thing over twenty four hours being Blair the cat, it wasn't difficult to figure out what this something was. That didn't mean Ed and Al weren't weirded out by Sebastian's arrival. "See Al? It's not your cat," Ed cleared up. Al wasn't so convinced though. Why would his cat be wandering the streets? Ed still handed the cat over to Sebastian anyway, the butler already fonding over the cat. "It's a pleasure to see you again my sweet feline friend. You've been around quite a bit haven't you?" Sebastian said, slight baby talk to Blair around the end of it. Blair was not amused by this handling. Ed was okay with it, but Al wasn't so sure. "W-Wait. How do we know it's his cat?" "Why else would he be here, Al?" Ed pointed out, Sebastian still fonding over Blair. As Al looked into Sebastian's eyes, it was hard to say but it almost appeared that they seemed to glow. ... Next thing they knew, Al grabbed Blair, and took off down the street! "HEY, GET BACK HERE! THINK OF THE KITTEN!" Ed called. "I KNOW! I AM!" Al called back. Sebastian didn't actually know what happened, almost dumbfounded by Al's cat-burglary. Still, the butler kept his cool and gently adjusted his glove as he usually does. He had a schedule to keep, and he didn't need this kind of tomfoolery. "Here we go," Sebastian sighed, before suddenly rushing Al. Ed didn't react very quick to the lunge, and had to run after him fast as he could. Al tried to keep running, Blair freaking out slightly. But despite the head start, Sebastian soon caught up with him. In fact, the butler even looped around and placed himself in front of Al, the armor skidding to a halt in shock of Sebastian's speed. Ed caught up, but both Al and Sebastian were in a bit of a scuffle over Blair. Sebastian tried to get Blair, but Al kept moving the cat out of his reach over and over again. "Just give him the damn cat already!" Ed demanded. "No, I won't! I don't trust him!" Al retorted. "I assure you I won't do any harm to her," Sebastian firmly stated. Eventually, Sebastian finally got a hold on Blair with one hand, leaving both him and Al at a stalemate. Blair honestly had enough with this. As fun as it was to have two men fight over her, having them do it as a cat wasn't as fun for her. Eventually, Blair pulled herself out of their grip, and landed on the ground. "Boys, boys, I'm more than enough girl for everyone,~" Blair cooed. The blank expressions on both faces was enough of a reaction. "Did that cat just talk?!" Ed yelped. Blair sat down over a few feet away, and soon, Blair smirked towards them both, and suddenly a rather familiar poof of purple fog out of nowhere, and soon there was Blair. Now, in her human form, and once more Blair gave them enough eye candy by modeling in a revealing, black microkini, with Blair showing off the best of her figure to both her admirers. Accompanied by a sly smile, and a wink of the eye, Blair revealed who she really was to Ed, Alphonse, and Sebastian, showing off her barely covered body. The reactions were ... not what she anticipated. "W-WHAAAA?!" Al and Ed gasped, quickly backing up from this sudden sexy kitty popping up. Sebastian wasn't as dramatic in reaction, but surprise was still evident on his face, wide eyed and dumbfounded. Blair looked to all of them and their odd reactions, but rather than being discouraged, decided to tease them a little more. Sebastian, who was closest to her, ended up getting wrapped by Blair, her arms wrapped around his waist and boobs pushing against him. "Aww, what's wrong?~ I thought you loved a good little kitty, right?~" Blair cooed, her cat tail whipping behind her as she said that. Sebastian honestly needed a minute to process this, and when that was done, he pushed her off of him. One hand pushing her back by her face, the other pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to contemplate. "So. Their cat, and this girl are one of the same," Sebastian thought, looking down at Blair with a more disturbed expression than before. To think that he was just fonding over her a minute ago. Al and Ed were still trying to contemplate this themselves. "Please stop that," Sebastian simply said. He even pulled out a napkin and wiped off where Blair's boobs pressed him. Blair then changed her targets, and turned her attention to the 'big hunk of man' that was Alphonse., suddenly popping up by him, and holding onto his arm, pressing her boobs against him as well. "I know you won't mind me, don't you, you handsome stud?~" Blair cooed. Al didn't know what to say, but ... "BACK OFF!" Ed snapped, suddenly clocking her in the head with his automail arm. Strong enough to give Blair a large red bump on her head. "OW! What'd you do that for?!" "BACK OFF FROM MY BROTHER, SLUT!" "Did you have to hit me with your right arm?!" "I CAN HIT YOU WITH MY LEFT IF YOU'D PREFER!" Few whacks later by Sebastian, and the argument stopped. Now Ed and Blair had a good sized lump on their heads, Al worried as ever. The rather impatient butler then grabbed Blair by the back, like one would pick up a kitten one-handedly. "My apologies, but we're both behind schedule. Blair, your friends are to leave on the Capitol train in ..." Sebastian paused, and checked his pocketwatch for a moment on the time. "... Oh. Apparently the train left already." "Wait. The capitol train?" Al asked, trying to clear it up. Ed and Al couldn't believe their ears. All this nonsense, and they all missed the train. "We missed it, GOD DAMNIT. Now how're we supposed to get there?" Ed wondered, annoyed and head still hurting from Sebastian's hit. Sebastian took a slight moment to think about this. "Well, perhaps I can be of some assistance." ....... As Sebastian expected, the train heading off towards the Capitol of Amestris was already heading down the tracks at full speed, making express time. At this point the train went through the countryside with no signs of stopping. Skies were clear as can be, and with nothing left to halt the run anytime soon. As the train went past an acre of farmland, one mudsdale stallion was happily grazing on the grass nearby the tracks, not too far away from his herd. The train chugged by, signature whistle ringing, and to the mudsdale the noise was a minor distraction. If one lived by the tracks, noises like that wouldn't faze them for long. However, as the stallion grazed, a thud close by caught the animal's attention. The object rolled over to only a foot away from the stallion, and the item turned out to be a ripe, red apple. The mudsdale glanced to the train, and then happily took the fruit as a welcomed snack. And on the train, one pink-haired girl and one little Magi smiled brightly on seeing the results just outside their window. Team Harmony was on their way in this train, and all awaiting for their next destination. "And that, my Magi, is how you feed a horse while riding a train," said Pinkie, as Aladdin was pretty happy to feed a creature from the human world. "I hope he likes his treat," Aladdin said, looking back from the window at the horse. Consider it a good deed of the day. The group was having a pretty good ride on the train here, and each one basically passed the time by watching the scenery outside go by them or just chatting with eachother. Since Ciel was apart of this, considering his status, high class riding was all in for them. They had seats facing eachother, along the same side of the car as well. Pretty classy appearance and rather homey too. The ones who got the window seats were Aladdin, Pinkie, and Ciel, as the rest sat alongside. "Who'd of thought it huh? Just earlier this year, we're average joes at school, and now we're heading to King Bradley," Karma commented. "I have to agree. But I hope we're all on our best behavior there. THAT GOES FOR YOU, Karma," Twilight cleared up. Karma raised his hands in submission, though it was more of a joke. Twilight just sighed and turned to the others, and was then she saw Ciel and Nagisa. Nagisa seemed to have his mind distracted on something, and Ciel seemed more annoyed than anything. "What's with you?" Karma asked. "Sebastian's late," Ciel groaned. "Gee, I wonder when that happened after we left on the train," Karma joked, though it didn't seem to help too much in the situation. While Ciel was getting annoyed with things, Nagisa was caught up in his deep thinking. That dream last night was caught up in his head, with his talk with Lugia and everything, but he had yet to share it with anyone (mostly because of the morning rush to get to the train anyway). This confirmation about these Future Sight visions just left him wondering what the results would be, not really the visions themselves. As he sat there, his eyes looked down towards the list he had in hand, something he held onto since leaving the station earlier. "All of these visions are true then, Lugia? The Philosopher Stones, the city, King Bradley. ... There has to be a connection with all that somehow, but what?" Nagisa thought. Those three things sounded important, and Nagisa wanted to figure out what was what before any of them would come around. But how? It was anyone's guess on how a stone, a king and this event in the city intertwine with eachother, and without even meeting the Amestris ruler to get any data, he couldn't know for sure. "So, how do you wanna guess Sebastian would catch up?" Karma asked, Nagisa coming back around on hearing Karma's voice. "Don't think he can now, we're already moving," Twilight said, pointing out the window. Reasonable logic. "He'll come. He'd better," Ciel simply stated, looking out the window. Having being without his butler for well in a month, Ciel wasn't up to having his butler disappear on him again. "Don't feel sad, Ciel, I'm sure we'll meet up at the Capitol," Pinkie assured him, even patting his head. Ciel swatted her hand away. "Who said I was sad?" Ciel questioned. As this went on, Aladdin then brought his attention to Nagisa after a while. "You've been quiet for a while, Nagisa," Aladdin said. Nagisa turned to his Magi friend. That simple sentence got the group to move their attention over to him, something he wasn't used to. Least he can say he was with his friends rather than complete strangers, so he had that going for him. "I'm just wondering what to expect at the Capitol that's all," Nagisa replied. Not too specific, but it passed enough anyway. "We're going to meet a grand ruler of Amestris while dealing with demons popping up and possibly becoming legends, what do you expect to happen?" Pinkie said. "I draw the line at that last part," Nagisa thought. They're doing plenty, but what to consider themselves legendary remained to be said. At least he wouldn't consider it that big, especially if most of it isn't known by public ears anyway. Besides, he'd rather not be bothered with that kind of attention. After that was said, Nagisa took a glance off outside, taking in the scenery passing them by. As he was looking out there, Nagisa's mind wandered for a little bit, until a familiar chill crept up on him, making him shiver. It was enough to get them to notice, as Nagisa tried to specify what exact demon was coming around this time. He could buy it if the train was idling in the station, but it was already moving fast, so whatever demon was coming at them had to move fast to catch up. ...... *BAM* The sound made them all jump, sounding like it came from the back of their car. It didn't sound like any small debris that hit, nor was there any clue in the sky to say that something would fall onto the car. Regardless, it wasn't enough to stop or stutter the train. It took a minute, but they did start to hear someone coming up to their seats after a bit, only after seeing him did they calm down. Sebastian. And what is more, he had brought Blair, Ed and Al with him. Blair, in her human form and regular outfit, was being held from the back of her collar like the cat she was, though the sight of Ed and Al there was clearly unexpected. Both of them looked freaked out, to put it lightly, as if they just came off some freaky roller coaster. "Hi, boys. Everyone having a good time?" Blair asked, Sebastian setting her down by them. Aladdin was more than happy to see her, even hugging her with his face buried in her boobs. (It was too long since he had fun). "Blair! So great to see you!" Aladdin said, his head smothered in her boobs. Not that Blair minded, of course. "Sebastian. Nice of you to catch up," Nagisa said. "My apologies for being late. I found a pair of interesting catches and acted accordingly," Sebastian explained, the catches referring to Ed and Al nearby. The brothers got themselves around and soon saw the rest of the group, though they were still frazzled from whatever method Sebastian used to get here. "Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie, pleased to meet ya," Pinkie said, first to introduce herself to them. "I-Is that man with you?" Asked Alphonse, pointing to Sebastian. "Indeed. Sebastian, what is the meaning of bringing these two?" Ciel questioned. Sebastian simply needed to simply point out that Future Sight list Nagisa had with him. He and Twilight took a glance at it to get a look over. This list already mentioned a young earl, AKA Ciel Phantomhive, but did it mention anything about these two? However, both suddenly came to a similar conclusion. "Now, as for you two -" Sebastian started to say, but Twilight decided to get in the way, the list raised like a red flag at his face. "Sebastian stop it. Look, we're sorry about this, we're just trying to get to the Capitol," Twilight said, trying to make amends to what just happened. However, that just brought their attention to this list, and to the girl in question. "Wait a minute. Have I seen you somewhere before?" Ed questioned, trying to think a little bit. "Arm wrestling! You tore that man's arm off and got lots of money," Pinkie chimed in. The startled response made Twilight drop the list by mistake, getting Al's attention as he picked it up to give it to her. As he did though, it was then he took a better look at the list in question. ... "You ... You're foresaw us?" Al questioned, sounding very confused and surprised. The list, after some looking, did have that very clue in it to further suggest this. Full metal. "I-It's kinda complicated," Nagisa said meekly, being given the list back. Well so much for that, and now they could see why Sebastian would involve them. But how was he going to explain all of this so soon? He just met them for god sake! At least with Ciel it was more gradual than this one. "Well start talking them." "What?" "That damn butler nearly killed us on those tracks, hell yeah you're gonna tell me!" Ed snapped. Ciel took a rather rough look to Sebastian, who just said nothing. "Calm down, brother," Al said. "BROTHER?!" The group gasped. They got a lot of explaining to do. ~~ Back in Japan, life there was going along more smoothly than Team Harmony's antics. School day had drawn to a close again, as with any day, and the student of Orora High were starting to head off home. Nabiku was amongst these students. While she's normally not bother with being in a crowd if she could help it, she wasn't going to risk getting attacked by a giant moth again. She could still feel the bite that thing had left on her, even if there was no mark to show (thank god). At least no one else was hurt in the little tussle she dealt with. All the same, even with the moth she still wondered on what exactly happened. More importantly, who was the one who saved her. She never saw the person before, yet it disappeared so quickly after everything. The blurry vision at the time didn't really help her much either. "Who was that? ... I should thank him for saving me," Nabiku thought. If she does come across her savior, the least she could do was thank her savior for what he did. Well, if she could figure out who saved her, that is. Nabiku went on her walk towards home, going through the forest path to the city without any incident this time. Though, with the forest moved off outta the way, now she had the troubles of the upper classes to deal with. Something that she always had some trouble with, one way or another. With the reputation and feelings of the upper classes to 3-E as a whole, Nabiku always had trouble with going through the upper class students and their domination over her. Nabiku just went passed the front gate of the school, and started to go off home. ... "Hello Fluttershy." Oh no. Nabiku knew that voice, and she regretted hearing it completely. That name didn't help her very much either, as it was just a nickname of mockery to her ears. Nabiku turned and found Emi Isuzu standing there of all people. Only she would call Nabiku by that kind of name. Emi stood tall and bold over Nabiku. "Oh. H-Hello Emi," Nabiku said meekly. Emi Isuzu placed a hand on her head, to keep her gaze down and in submission to her. "Good thing I caught you. I got a little something for someone like you to handle for me," Emi said, though her time made it more like a instruction than a request, and Nabiku knew she couldn't refuse Emi if she tried. "What's that? ..." Then Emi took out a rag from her bag, and forced it onto Nabiku. Next thing she knew, Emi Isuzu raised her foot up and rested it on Nabiku's things like a stepping block. Her shoe looked a bit dusty. It was a rather old thing by now, but Nabiku had to do it regardless of the situation. Emi really didn't need this, but she still loved to show who was on top here. Nabiku quietly got to her knees, and started to shine her shoes for a little bit, some other students watching from afar. Nabiku didn't want that much at all, her face flustered up red. Emi waited until just after she was done before she got her foot under her stuff, and suddenly swung her foot high, making Nabiku's stuff fly everywhere! "Thanks for the free service," Emi said, not even caring for Nabiku's predicament, Nabiku going in and trying to get her stuff together. She felt humiliated in front of everyone. No one really tried to help her, some higher grading students even snickering at her. Nabiku felt her weakest here. ... "Think this is yours." Nabiku paused for a moment. Looking at the ground for a bit first, she looked up and found that one of her books was being held there for her. Nabiku found herself seeing another girl standing there with her book, though her school uniform was actually the school boys attire, not the girls attire like Nabiku had on her. Nabiku could guess that the student was a girl because of her head. Her hair was slightly long, and blue (like another kid she knew earlier that year when he stopped by 3-E). And her eyes had a sort of cerise color, first one that she saw with that kind of eye color not to mention. Nabiku got up from the ground, and quietly took the book. Now standing up, Nabiku found herself a little bit taller than this other student, though only by a few inches really. "Thank you," Nabiku simply said. The student nodded in approval. "No problem. Anything wrecked in that?" She asked, pointing to the items she picked up. "Oh, don't worry about it, it's alright," Nabiku insisted, but the student checked her items anyway, just to be sure. Lucky for Nabiku, many of her items remained in tact apart from a few stray writing papers which crumbled in Emi's kick. But, that was about it. "K good, that jerk didn't wreck anything," she concluded. "Eh, yeah. Thank you, uh ..." Nabiku tried to get a name going, but she couldn't come up with anything. She didn't recognize her from any of the E-3 students, or any of the students for that matter, regardless if she was in Orora high, or Canterlot high. She might guess she'd be a Canterlot High kid transferred to Orora high like plenty of other students due to her vibrant colors, but it didn't seem to ring any bells. Still, the girl extended a hand with a smile on her. "My name's Niji," she introduced. Nabiku was a little humbled, but she shook her hand anyway. "I'm Nabiku." ~~ The train ride to the Capitol took more time than either one had anticipated to be really honest about it. The day turned to night in the ride along the tracks, and in their cart, Team Harmony was starting to doze off. Aladdin, Pinkie, and Blair had already dozed off on them, and the others were starting to get tired themselves. The lights were still on inside the rooms, the soothing sounds of the moving train cars quietly echoing outside the window, the sight of partial clouds and stars up in the night sky giving them something to observe. Twilight was probably the most awake out of the whole group, leaving only her and Sebastian awake. A whole afternoon of nothing but a train ride would get anyone drowsy at this point, including the team themselves. Sebastian sat down at another seat nearby the others, keeping his eye out on everything. He wasn't going to let anything happen to his master of he had anything to do with it. Twilight remained quiet for a while more, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Something the matter, madam?" Sebastian asked. Twilight got up. "No I'm fine. I just need to use the bathroom. Be right back," Twilight replied, beginning to head to the other end of the car. Sebastian didn't bother to ask for company, much to Twilight's relief, as she moved to the next car over. If she could say one thing for this ride, it was the most comforting one in a while. After her little break, Twilight took some short time to look around the train, and watch the world go by as she went. The stars at the moment shined a lot more here than they did earlier, so it gave her a bit more something to look at aside from clouds. "So now the king of Amestris, huh? Man, first Ciel, then the queen of England, then Seitenshi, and now King Bradley. I wonder what we'll meet next," Twilight wondered. What sort of luck could a person have to meet so many people that would normally take lifetimes to at least get acknowledge personally? It really made her feel pretty excited to meet such famous people, not to mention all the other stuff going on. All the same though, as she looked to the stars, her mind drifted back to her family at home. Her mother was alone, her brother had been and gone, and now here she was too. "Hope you're doing alright, mom. Boy, do I have a story to tell you when I get home," Twilight thought, smiling and staring off into space. If her mother would believe her or not was not sure, but considering she was basically skipping school to do this, as summer vacation had been and gone, she was sure that her mother would start wondering about her one way or another. She didn't want to worry her mother, but she couldn't get home right now either, so Twilight could wonder and only wonder. She might believe her, she might not, but Twilight couldn't hide this fact once she does get back, that's a fact. Twilight could imagine how relieved and happy her mom would be when she would step back through that door. ... "Fonding over home, are you?" That split moment wrecked the entire mood. Twilight looked down the hallway of the car, but found that she was not only with company, but company that Twilight didn't recognize as she and a companion stepped out to confront her. Lust and Gluttony! "Evening,~" Lust cooed. Twilight hadn't seen either Homunculus before before, but something told her right out that this was not company that she would want to be with, especially now when caught alone. Gluttony drooled and licked his eager maw like a starving dog, disturbing Twilight even further. The biggest clue of their danger was the Ouroboros engraved on Lust's chest, a symbol she remembered during their early days in England. "Homunculi," Twilight confirmed. "And a smart one too," Lust noted. Gluttony took a few sniffs of the air towards Twilight's direction before turning to Lust. "She smells so tender. Can I eat her?" Gluttony asked, only freaking Twilight out even more. Such a scary question and asked so bluntly and unprompted too. "Not yet, Gluttony," Lust said. Gluttony pouted on hearing that, as Lust stepped towards Twilight, drawing out her long claws. Twilight needed to get armed up, but her book was back in the other car with the others. "Why am I always the one caught like this?" Twilight thought, scared and slightly annoyed at the same time. Hellgar was bad enough, now she had these two to deal with! "But how're you here? Y-You're demons, right?" Twilight asked, not revealing Nagisa's demon sense to be sure (at least she tried not to). "We're homunculus. There's a difference between the two," Lust stated. Twilight readied to run for it, but Lust's claws didn't make that easy. Not to mention Gluttony blocking the way too. "What do you want?!" Twilight stated, rather loudly. Lust quickly drew her claws at Twilight's throat to keep her quiet. Lust saw what the rest could do from last time, she wasn't willing to meet with them twice tonight. "Keep quiet, or I'll feed you to Gluttony," Lust warned. "Can you, please?" Gluttony asked, getting hungrier the longer he waited. Twilight shivered on the idea of getting eaten alive, but she wasn't as submissive. "OH NO, not this time," Twilight said. She got tortured enough by Hellgar, she wasn't going through the same here! In a quick motion, Twilight ducked and just managed to slipped passed Lust and her dagger claws. If she could get to the others, then it'll be okay. Lust obviously wouldn't let her off so easily. Angry, she spun around and shot her claws out at her to try and stop her, but Twilight found her out just in time to dive to the ground. Just because the claws shot out, didn't mean that they didn't hit. Twilight heard the sound of skewered flesh and splattered blood, just to look up and find Gluttony had been hit. The claws were sharp and long enough to stab right through him, one in the head, two in his chest and one in his shoulder. Twilight moved passed him too, Gluttony coughing up blood as his body healed up. "I thought we're working together!" "Like I meant to hit you, now get her," Lust ordered. Gluttony turned and gave chase right away, and despite the head start, Gluttony was quick to catch up to Twilight. As before Twilight dodged Gluttony just in time, the heavy Homunculus crashing into the wall. If that skewering didn't at least wake them up, or anyone up, that smash would've got the whole train to and alert! Something Lust didn't want to happen. "Hurry up Gluttony, that'll wake them all up by now!" "OKAY!" Gluttony replied, just as Twilight managed to get through the car doors to the next car over. Unfortunately for her, she had to go through an extra car so it'll still be a bit before she'd reach the rest. Gluttony was right behind her, arms out and mouth wide open. For such a big and heavy Homunculus, he sure moved fast. Twilight had to get something figured out before Gluttony could catch her, so all she could do was hide. When Gluttony got to the next car, the Homunculus found that this car appeared to be completely empty. Not a soul anywhere, not even any lights on. Here was when Gluttony paused for a moment to check around. "I can smell you," Gluttony sneered menacingly, his nose sniffing the air. Twilight kept herself hidden just under one of the seats - only spot she could get to - and had to wait until Gluttony moved on. However Gluttony wasn't so easily tricked, and he closed his eyes to focus on his scent gathering over his eyesight. One grand advantage for him in this situation. Each step Gluttony made creeped the floor dangerously close to Twilight, trying to sniff her out like a hungry bloodhound. The closer Gluttony got to Twilight, the more nervous she was getting. It didn't help that Gluttony stopped right in front of her. Gluttony kept his nostrils up high, sniffing all around him to get a full picture and location of his environment. ... "FOUND YOU!" Gluttony suddenly exploded out, and tore off the seat Twilight was hiding under! Twilight was found out, and she was caught up in Gluttony's radar. No place to hide now. "What's going on in here?!" Shouted a new, more reassuring voice. Gluttony found Ciel, Nagisa, Pinkie, Karma and Sebastian now standing there in the same car. As probably would be expected, Twilight found that the impact did wake the group up right away, all of them now up and alert, if not only awake. Twilight saw her moment and bolted for it, shoving Gluttony back and running to the others. Gluttony tried to bite her, only to take a chunk out of another seat instead, which he tore off easily with his teeth. "Yugure, what happened?" asked Pinkie. "He's trying to eat me, that's what happened!!" Twilight yelled, still freaked out now. Gluttony chewed up the seat in his teeth as he sniffed the air, taking in the new scents. "There's new human smells everywhere in here. A Magi, and a witch too. they smell delicious.~" Gluttony started a slow approach towards them from there. "Can we ever get a break?" commented Karma. "Sebastian, handle this," Ciel ordered. Sebastian stepped in between them and Gluttony from here. At least it'll save the others some trouble for once in this demon tussle, and the others knew that. Gluttony licked his mouth in anticipation over his full course meal sitting in front of him. He was sure he could eat at least one of them before the night was over. The gluttonous Homunculus rushed forward towards them at a breakneck speed, Sebastian at the ready. Gluttony only got about a inch away from biting Sebastian's head off when Aladdin got his shield up and blocked Gluttony just in time. Gluttony stunned, and stumbled back from the shield launch. "I'm perfectly capable, thank you." "Force of habit, sorry," Aladdin said, as Gluttony got to his feet. "Why won't you let me eat?! I just want to eat you, is that too much?" Gluttony asked, shaking off the launch back. "Is this dumbass for real?" Karma thought. "He can't be serious. ... Unless ..." Nagisa thought, his mind trailing off as he tried to get Gluttony's view on the situation. It was obvious what answer that question would tell, but it almost seemed unsure for Gluttony. A more legitimate question in Gluttony's eyes. Gluttony started to move in on them again, but Sebastian wasn't going to let him have the chance. Sebastian moved forward fast, and got a good kick right to the head, knocking Gluttony to the back wall. Gluttony almost seemed confused. "What are you doing? You're a demon!" Gluttony said. "Sorry but my lord's not interested in being eaten tonight, thank you very much." "Why not?!" Then came in the next guest. Sebastian, sensing the danger, quickly rushed back as some similar dark claws launched forward into their direction. The group just got missed by inches, and as they retracted, in soon came their next adversary, one which they knew right away. "Lust!" Aladdin gasped. Sebastian readied to go for her, and rushed forward. "Too slow!" Lust said, her claws just getting into Sebastian's face. In such an enclosed space Sebastian had little room to maneuver, but the torn up seat provided just enough cover for the strike as Sebastian knocked it up into her way, and getting torn to pieces. With all that racket going on, it was only a matter of time before - "O-Oh my." There you have it. Lust, Gluttony, and practically everyone else saw another newcomer into this game: Ed and Alphonse! "What's going on?" Ed asked, troubled by the scene. "Ed! Al! Quick, go away!" Twilight warned. "Can I eat them?" Gluttony asked. "Alright, but be quick," Lust simply said. Gluttony was sure pleased, and changed his targets on a dime. Perhaps these targets would be a bit more willing to get eaten than these other humans. Ed and Al couldn't believe their ears on the demand. "Leave them alone, Lust! They're not involved in this!" pleaded Aladdin. "No matter, we can't have any witnesses. This runt will be no trouble," Lust said. ... "OH YEAH, CAN A RUNT DO THIS?!" Then the biggest surprise came around here. Ed, reacting out of strong anger, suddenly started to act on Lust and Gluttony. Both of his hands clapped together, and he grabbed the closest metallic item at hand: the walls of the train specifically. Once both hands got onto that, blue sparks started to fly like crazy. Next thing Lust knew, the walls of the train, and the floor too by extension, caved in on her and pinned her in place of metal barricades, leaving only her head visible to Ed and Al, the team on the other side of it. Lust kept some composure but she didn't expect such a sudden jump from this random newcomer, and so strong no less. Gluttony was left stunned too by this sudden attack on his fellow Homunculus. "What the? How'd you do that with such little effort?" "DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!" Ed screamed, another surge of energy taking effect on the metal. Suddenly, Lust and Gluttony both were slammed with a launch pad made from the floor, the force so strong it slammed both right through the train car wall! Lust and Gluttony flew off out, tumbling down on the ground as the train sped off without them. After all that was over, another surge of power and the metal returned to where it was supposed to be. "Uh. I don't think she was referring to you that time," Al commented. "... Well, she still pissed me off!" Ed replied, still fuming. When all of that was over and done, Alphonse looked to the others, just to find Team Harmony staring in utter surprise, unsure what to say. Al tapped his brother on the shoulder to direct his attention towards the others. Well, he didn't mean to freak them out, even if he did a damn good job at it. "Uh ... right. You ok?" Ed asked. ...... "OH MY GOD, was that full metal alchemy?! THAT'S AMAZING! That type of alchemy is so hard to use, but you got it right off the bat! AWESOME!! What other alchemy can you do? I bet it's very strong if you learned full metal alchemy," Aladdin praised, fanboying over Ed for a bit. Ed was a little perplexed at first, but he got a confident grin on his face after a bit. Well they were alright by the looks of it anyway. Though, as Ed was handling his admirer, Al looked to the others again. "Are you okay?" Al asked. "Oh, we're fine. Didn't know you can pull off alchemy like that," Karma said. "Well, it's just my brother," Alphonse admitted. "So we noticed. Thanks for the help," said Nagisa. "... So. You're not freaked out?" "Why would we? Trust me, we're far from anything normal," Blair commented, reminded Al of the incident yesterday. Al rubbed the back of his head for that response. "So we're not going to take note of the damage your brother made?" Ciel reminded, pointed to the damage done to the train. At first, they weren't sure how to handle it, but Sebastian sighed and adjusted his glove again. "Say no more, my lord, I'll take care of it," Sebastian simply said. A minor setback for saving those on this train. ~~ "Damnit. This here better be worth it. Seriously, Lust and Gluttony get the fun job and I'm stuck with this one." Miles away from the team, another job was being done this night as Envy moved along his way. As Lust and Gluttony were after Team Harmony and their quarry, Envy got the short end of the stick and still stuck in recruitment by Sombra, this time by himself. He may had been keeping out of trouble, but it wasn't doing his personal enjoyment any favors. At the least, Envy wasn't as restricted this time, and at the moment was actually up in disguise ala Amestris high guard. His patrol through the halls of the area was more than boring, to put it lightly. And this sort of choice wasn't even entirely Sombra's own either! "Here we are." Earlier that day, Envy, Lust, and Gluttony were in position over near what looked like a high ranking military field. The trio of Homunculus were hidden just enough to not be noticed by the multitude of Amestris patrol here, but they couldn't get in there without being spotted. "Look at all those tasty humans," said Gluttony. "let's not be hasty. Envy, how about you take this one?" Lust insisted. "Why me? I'd rather tear them up than -" "Just get in there. Sombra is on his last nerve with you since your last incident, and he wanted a spy in the military base anyway. Unless you want him to lose it on you." "I hate it when she gets a point," Envy thought, annoyed. All the same, orders are orders and Envy had to handle them one way or another. At least this one wasn't as complicated this time. All he had to do was get some proper information about this place for Sombra, and nothing else. Boring, but straight forward. Envy continued his 'night patrol' for a while longer, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything suspicious or anything worth while. What advantage he can find in the long run for Sombra would do them good. Far as the whole patrol getup went, not a guard remotely bothered to question him, which was probably for the best either way. Which explains how he pretty much got the job in the first place. He moved on alone, and without any assistance from the other guards as the night went on. For any normal guard, this would be the time to keep better focus on the job, but Envy was just getting more bothered. No adrenaline or joy of killing guards bummed him out more than anything. ... "Honey, when're you going to retire and enjoy your life with your family?" "Oh come on now, I'm not that old." "What's this?" Envy thought, upon hearing the voices. It was about time he got anywhere. Envy quietly began to move in on the voices, which wasn't very far off as it turned out. Envy found himself over by one of the base building, this one looking more like one for living space more or less. Just outside was a walkway, arching pillars running along to the center yard, leaving plenty of shadow cover for Envy or any other sneaking figure of the night. Envy took stationary to the corner of the building, and taking a small look around the corner to check for any guards. That was when he found his little chatting group. The appearances here revealed three different people: father, mother, and son. The make looked to be a military Amestris soldier, and very high-ranking at that with his blue uniform. He appeared to be fairly old, forties to fifties most likely. He had jet black hair, a small mustache to match, and the most prominent feature was an eyepatch over his eye. Envy could only guess that this soldier had seen a bit of hardship in his life to get here according to that. The wife of this soldier appeared more innocent than the soldier himself (obviously), and as well appeared pretty normal too, nothing unique to point out. Then there was the son. He looked very young in contrast to his parents, possibly between five to ten years old. He had the innocence from his mother in his child expressions, though physical fetuses more matched his father. He seemed fairly normal too far as Envy was concern. Honestly Envy showed little interest in them, with the exception of this soldier. It seemed Envy caught them at a reunion sort of thing, as the child looked pretty excited to see his dad again. Envy stayed stationary anyway. After all there could be something here ... "Her, Salim. Guess what your old man found out earlier today," said the soldier. "What is it?" asked Salim. "We're going to have some special guests coming to central tomorrow: Princess Victoria, and the Fullmetal Alchemist." "Whoa, really?! Can I meet the alchemist, pretty please?" Salim asked, excited to hear it. "You sure are excited to see him, huh," said the wife, Salim nodding his head. "Yeah, he sounds so cool!" Salim replied. The soldier playfully fluffed Salim's hair, smiling to him. "I'll be sure you get to meet him the minute he arrives," he promised. It was at this point that Envy slipped away a bit, letting them do their own thing. This new information sunk in him easy, as he strolled down the path. Not only will a alchemist be coming in, but Victoria as well! What kind of luck was that? Still it might be trouble in disguise. "So. An alchemist and England's princess. The alchemist should be fine, but Victoria might be a problem. I should keep my disguise on in their visit. Or at least until I get out of here, whichever comes first." Envy. Envy? Envy stopped himself on hearing the telepathic voice. "What is it?" Is Lust and Gluttony with you? "No; Lust ditched me here to go after those holy brats with Gluttony. I think I got something for you." Do you? "Apparently that Victoria from England is stopping by central. And not just her, but a "Fullmetal Alchemist". What're your thoughts on that?" ... Both her. AND the alchemist. And the status on Nagisa and his friends? "How the hell should I know?" I see. ... Did you locate King Bradley? Envy peeked around the corner once more, seeing the group walking on their way at this point. "Just some old man in an eyepatch with a brat and wife." Thats them! Envy, keep an eye on them both. "Both? Both who, him and the wife?" Him and his son. They both could be useful. "You're joking." Envy could buy some of that, but he wasn't buying how both Bradley AND Salim could be useful to them. Watch it, Envy. The others will meet you soon, but until then see what you can do. ... And don't stray this time. Or there will be hell to pay. The telepathic message ended there. Good thing Envy wasn't watched there otherwise people would think he's senile. Either way, Envy was now stuck here, and on alert in watching the king of Amestris and his son too. Hopefully it'll work. ....... "Oh Envy, what am I gonna do with you?" Sombra sighed, as he got up from his meditation stance after his telepathic chat with Envy. With the trio of Homunculus apparently split up, he could only wonder what they could be actually doing now. At least Envy stayed on his task a bit more this time unlike before.
S03Ep3: Reporting for Duty ~免責のための報告~Oh, what a night. Even with the damage to the train, it just managed to reach another, minor station on the way up towards the capitol to make amends and fill up on fuel, as any train would. The rather troublesome ride was not without any real notice, as a number of the riders were trying to figure things out and taking some time out of the train to take rest over last night's fiasco. The most troublesome part was that the damage wasn't as bad as any of them thought, despite the conductor of the train saying that two passengers were thrown out of the train, destroying the wall. When they looked, nothing was left except for some knocked over seats, so it wasn't as bad as they expected. If only they saw Sebastian fixing it. As for Team Harmony, they were taking time to rest too after last night, and the rest of the night without any incident. Even if they didn't do much, they really had a bit of a startled night, and they needed the rest all and all. Unlike most of the passengers, they stayed on board and relaxed a bit until Sebastian would come in, and begin his typical morning routine. "Good morning everyone. I hope you slept well," Sebastian said. Some of them started to get up with Sebastian's wakeup call, Ciel mainly, followed by Nagisa, Twilight and Pinkie. "Oooo, what a crazy dream I had last night. We were found by two monsters and one of them launched them out of the train." "That is what happened, Pinkie," said Twilight. Not all of them were so willing to get up as quickly. Aladdin was snuggling up to Blair, his head resting on Blair's breasts. Blair woke up first and soon saw her little Magi snuggling against her. "You just can't get enough can you?" Blair giggled, poking Aladdin to wake him up. Aladdin needed a little bit of provoking until he actually woke up. Aladdin yawned and stretched his arms. "What a great night. Are we there yet?" Aladdin wondered, rubbing his eye as he asked. Sebastian took a moment to look outside before he gave his answer. "One station away, I believe," Sebastian replied. After that he started his typical task of dressing his young lord in his outfit. The others took a bit more time to get themselves up, and step out of their seats to stretch their legs. As they were, Nagisa paused over after a few steps as he found himself in the same spot as last night. It was hard to believe that just last night the car had half its wall missing, but now not a bit of evidence remained with the exception of some cracks in the wall. "And just last night, there was barely a wall left. Sebastian sure did a great job," Nagisa thought. And who could blame him? Anyone who could repair an entire car wall overnight, and so precisely deserves some praise. Still, it also reminded him about Ed and Al, who which he hadn't seen since last night's escapade. "And that Ed Elric. If Aladdin's right, he really is a strong alchemist. Maybe Twilight can get some tips from him. ... I'll try and ask him when we get there," Nagisa decided. Out the window, Nagisa took and look and begun to notice the conductor trying to explain the situation (and failing), to get through to the security. It was probably for the best he failed, anyway. He also noted the multiple people boarding the train, probably going off to central too, much like they were. As he was observing the groups coming in. ... "Hello, Nagisa." It appeared that one of these riders was willing to meet up with him. And according to the demon sense adding an extra bit to his radar, Nagisa knew exactly who it was. He turned around, and there stood Korosensei. As before, the demon king was dressed as a human, though the outfit instead looking more local to Amestris instead of England as before. In one tentacle, Korosensei had a fair stack of papers for them. The others were quick to see Korosensei as well. "Oh, hi Korosensei. You have our work again?" Nagisa said. Korosensei's head confirmed the answer by turning orange, the deep orange circle correcting his assumption. Suddenly, in one second flat, Korosensei got each of the paperwork to him, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma. "It's a good thing I can get you these. There's never a bad time for a good lesson," Korosensei commented. ... "Eh, teach? Not to burst your bubble, but you left some questions half done. Trying to do this half-assed?" Karma pointed out. That wasn't the thing Korosensei wanted to hear. Sure enough, Korosensei found about seven questions kinda rushed, and half done. He quickly got a pen out and wrote them in completely quick as a flash. "I'm working my heart out here! You know how hard it is keeping up with class 3-E and going back to where you are? It's no walk in the park, you know!" Korosensei exclaimed, trying to get through to him as best he could. "Don't act like we're doing nothing, teach. We just had to deal with those Homunculus last night, and they didn't go easy." "Oh did you? The way I saw it you stood behind as the Elric brothers took care of them," Sebastian pointed out. Karma clammed up. "The who now?" Korosensei asked. "Oh, it's not too important. We'll have these done as soon as we can," Twilight promised. That was good to hear from any student of any class. Just before Korosensei could go off on his way, something else suddenly clicked on his head as a reminder. "Oh, before I forget!" Korosensei suddenly got something else out to show them. After a quick dry off on the detail, Korosensei showed them all a picture he managed to catch during his latest flight. The picture looked like an Ariel shot of a outdoor hall at night, showing a family going down the hall, and a guard at post around the corner. The picture was very high resolution, great in the details too. "Is that the interior of central?" Ciel questioned. "I took a little detour and caught little Envy sneaking around in central." "Envy?! Where?!" asked Pinkie, excitedly. All Korosensei did was point his tentacle to the guard for their answer. Considering what Envy could do, they had to take Korosensei's word for it. The implications of this was a bit disturbing at the lightest. A deadly Homunculus, roaming around central freely, and without detection whatsoever. "We need to get there, and fast," Twilight concluded. "Agreed. Heaven knows what sort of danger Envy could pose," Ciel put in. As if on cue of the horn, they all begin to hear the whistle of the train go off, good and loud. "That's my cue to vamoose. Have those papers done by tomorrow morning, and I'll see you then," Korosensei instructed, quickly going out of sight the second afterwards, just before anyone could ask too. It was probably a good thing he did, as the train was starting to move off again, heading out of this station, and to its main one. "Here we come, central." ~~ Well, back at home, the absence of Korosensei had given the class some time to actually get themselves training for assassination again. Karasuma got out all the stops this time around, and getting the students to face off against eachother with close combat assassin knives. Each student was put in pairs, and basically they were trying to 'kill' eachother. Looking to the students from his post by the 3-E building, Karasuma kept his visual, and silently studying the students and their progress over this course training as he'd been throughout these months. As expected, some students were better than others in this little task. As some like Nakamura and Kirara were doing fair, others like Nabiku weren't keeping up. All the same though, it was more improvement over the very start of it all. "Block your opponent! Predict their moves. If you all do that, you'll block off every one of his escape routes," Karasuma called during the training. A basic call off to the rest of the class as advice for the real deal. Karasuma wasn't going to take any chances anymore, especially with that report and transfer he would be going on soon. The least he could do was give these students a strong start just before he would go off. And judging by the students here, they were doing very well. "It'd been months since I've started this job. And after only that, more and more students are showing promise. If this process continues, it won't be too long before Korosensei will reach his final day here. Rio Nakamura's natural charisma and deception makes her moves unpredictable, and Kirara Hazama's merciless approach to her target gives her the willpower of any true assassin. It'll take some time before the others identify themselves." And when it came to the others, his gaze focused more on Nabiku in particular. she was probably the lowest on the training poll. For Nabiku, assassination and peace just don't mix, and her behavior here just proved that. It didn't help that she was pitted up against Sugino either, who was more up to this game of assassin's stabbing than she'll ever be. It only took a few more strikes before Nabiku got hit with a killer blow, Nabiku toppling over her own feet. Not a good showing. Nabiku sat up off the ground, feeling nothing but embarrassed over the situation. "Sorry. You okay?" Sugino asked. Nabiku just stood up. "I-I'm fine," Nabiku replied. If anything, she just felt out of place. Nabiku stopped a moment to look at the other kids, seeing how deep some actually were in this killing game. She got back to sparring with her partner, just to get "stabbed" by him again after just seven tries. Nabiku would be more than willing to work on plenty of tests rather than do this. Nabiku was soon noticed by Nakamura nearby, who just beat her opponent down. "Nabiku, what's with you?" Nakamura asked, walking over to her. Nabiku withdrew a bit. "I-I uh ... I don't like this. ..." "Come on, lighten up. You're the only one aside Karma who actually got a bit off of Korosensei, remember?" Nabiku didn't want that kind of reminder, even if it was a bit of an improvement over what the class had been doing. Besides, Korosensei wasn't even around to bother with, so why practice on eachother? "I suppose. ..." Karasuma watched this all from afar, though he didn't entirely hear the conversation. What he could get though was the expression of doubt on Nabiku's face. To him, it was a look saying that she doesn't believe she could do this. ....... "Hey, Karasuma!" Someone else took a step out of the building, and this time it wasn't Korosensei. Karasuma turned around to find another person had come by. He looked fairly middle aged, much like he was, and looked pretty heavy set too. He had short, slicked, black hair, a full gym teacher uniform with a blue overcoat, and a face that seemed overall trustworthy. The man must be that Tataoka 'replacement' Seitenshi told him about. In both arms he had a number of brightly colored bags, two paper bags being held up to his head with one arm, and he looked over to Karasuma with a smile on his face. Though, Karasuma wasn't too moved by the grin, even if it looked very innocent. "Tataoka," Karasuma simply said. It didn't take very long until the students begin to notice him come out, and soon enough he was already out in the field. Not much prompting for this guy, apparently. With a strong, single whistle, whoever hadn't noticed him yet paused and saw their new instructor coming in. "Hey everyone, hope you're all having a good time! Looking good with those knives." "And who're you?" asked one of the kids. Tataoka wasn't too put off by this. "I'll explain. But first, how about some snacks?" And "some snacks" was clearly an understatement. After five minutes, the students found themselves being treated to many, MANY sweets and desserts, much of which were pretty pricey, ranging from éclairs to cakes to who knows what else. All put out in display out on a blanket sprawled out, Tataoka sitting and smiling at the sweets as the rest of the students just looked in surprise. "Wow. You sure?" asked Takuya. "Go on, eat up. I emptied my wallet for this, so take as much as you'd like!" Tataoka offered. Some of them happily took it, mainly part of a cake or one éclair, each one high quality and the taste was delicious! "You sure know your brands, these are amazing!" commented a student. "When it comes to me and sugar: it's love," said Tataoka, a cute smile on his face. "So cute for a big guy," Nabiku thought. "So what's your deal? You look dressed up to instruct," asked Nakamura. Tataoka winked to her. "That's cuz I am. Order from headquarters says that I'll be in charge of physics ed here for Karasuma for now on. Work starts tomorrow," explained Tataoka. It felt rather unexpected to hear for some, but by the way he was behaving they didn't have too much of a problem with it. Comparing him to Karasuma, the options became easy to pick from. "You know, you're like the opposite of Karasuma: you're like a neighborhood dad," said one of the students. Tataoka took the liking for the name, and playfully hugged Nabiku and Yoshida. Nabiku couldn't help but smile at Tataoka's behavior, Tataoka clearly far more cheery and enjoyable than Karasuma ever was. Even if the subject was still assassination, maybe Tataoka will help her cope a bit better with this assassination game. However, a little further away, Kirara was probably the only one who was truly questioning this man, if not her and Karasuma. This was basically another military assassin trainer, acting like a kid. There has to be more to him aside from this 'innocent' play. ... ~~ With the whistle running along, and letting off steam, the train had finally arrived safe and sound to central station. Team Harmony, or at least Ciel was, more than grateful to finally arrive there safe and sound. With this arrival, the group went out alongside Ed and Al to the Capitol city of Amestris, which was about as crowded and advanced as they expect from any modern city. Unlike before with England, and perhaps the earlier town too, they didn't really get much time to look around. Instead, they found themselves on a more direct route, heading straight to central rather than explore the city. With knowledge of a potential Homunculus roaming around central, it was probably better to get things moving there anyway. Sooner they fish out the Homunculus, the better. That, and with Lust and Gluttony being potential targets for threats to central as well with Edward's attack on them both it was well worth their time. Here, they all were standing at central front gate. "Well, we've made it Al. Come on, let's get our report in," Ed said, Alphonse agreeing with a nod of the head. Ed and Al were the true guests here, not the others, although they followed them along in anyway. Front yard to central was wide open and without much trouble, but as they begin to near the main doors inside, some personnel managed to see them all coming in their way. Soon a pair of guards were up and heading right towards them. Ed and All got a pass and were already inside, but the rest were cut off. "Hault. You all authorized?" asked one of them. "They're all with me. I have every right to come here, sir," said Ciel, rather sternly. Of course, the guard didn't buy it. "You?" "Sir, my young master does indeed have his rights. You wouldn't want to have a negative report back to her majesty, would you?" warned Sebastian. Being a demon himself, intimidation and persuasion play off almost naturally, and it showed that effect on the guards present. The threat was more than enough to at least humble the guards. "Uh. W-Well, I guess not. Don't test your luck in there," the guard warned, both of them stepping aside and letting them pass. The guards' attempts to be intimidating wasn't going to work on this group, most of the group in question not being intimidated in the slightest as they entered. "So now what?" asked Blair. "We're going to the leader himself. King Bradley," Ciel revealed. Well, where else were they going to go off to in this place? Pretty soon they were inside central, and heading down the halls of the grand place. Being such a large building made the halls seemingly endless in turns and paths, as they tried to reach towards the main place for King Bradley himself. They needed to get there and get him informed about the situation at hand, as best they could, before Envy could cause anymore trouble. Their walk through the halls were guided easily by the set of guards from earlier, bringing them right over to their destination in question, making going around the place look easy. They worked here much longer than they had so they might as well be. After what felt like an hour of going around, the guards stopped at the main office, keeping them at the front doors and nothing over that. The group stopped there, but Ciel took a step to the front door. "Wait here," Ciel informed. The group stood aside, and so Ciel took the honor of going on in himself. Well, him and Sebastian of course. Soon as they opened the doors they found themselves in the main Amestris central office, where the highest authority figure worked his days in keeping order to the country. Places like these are familiar to Ciel and Sebastian, so the feeling was more mutual than anything. The main office had the main essentials for any office: including a main desk, a seating area for guests, and few other items to add some uniqueness to it all. One feature unique was the Amestris symbolic green flag, which hung above the guest seats in its full glory. As both expected too, this room was not empty. As sitting at his main desk was the very King himself, King Bradley! The sight of him was more than an intimidating one, especially on young Ciel Phantomhive. Bradley's one eye met up with Ciel's one eye the second he walked in, judging him almost immediately. The king didn't expect any visit from the queen's guard dog at all, and his expression was anything but inviting. "Well. I have heard rumors about the queen's guard dog, though it's the first time I laid my eye on him face to face," said Bradley. "Likewise. So you know who I am then," Ciel summed up. A bit unexpected for a first time encounter, but he might as well try and roll with it. "A pleasure to meet you in person," noted Sebastian, extending a hand. King Bradley paused, but eventually gave him a handshake as well. "The queen gave you order to come here?" Bradley asked, keeping a close eye on them both. Rather than Ciel answering, Sebastian took the word instead. "None at all, I can assure you that. All the same, we humbly wish to remain at central for a short while, if you don't mind us doing so," Sebastian asked. Ciel cringed on Sebastian's forwardness to the task at hand, something they don't usually do in any of their previous tasks. King Bradley remained quiet and thinking, seeing into both of them after that. Ciel was just hoping this little revelation wasn't going to cost them anything. Soon, King Bradley began to move off, and instead of confronting them, he went straight past them and opened the doors. Sure enough, he soon found the rest standing right outside. It didn't help that Pinkie was trying to eavesdrop as well, kneeling by the door with her ear on the frame, Aladdin right next to her too. Guess they were caught red handed. ... "Ehhhhh ..." Honestly, they couldn't think up of what to really say to Bradley here, the look on his face enough to get them a little bit trouble (Aladdin and Pinkie anyway). However, Bradley took a moment to look over those in the group, and soon brought his attention towards the two guards. "Well, who's this?" questioned Bradley. Ciel and Sebastian came out as well, not expecting Bradley to just find the others this quickly, and so unprompted. As for the pair of guards, they felt a little bit humbled by the question, and were quick to try and explain. "W-Well, sir, they arrived with the Fullmetal Alchemist earlier today, and -" "Eh? The Fullmetal Alchemist?" "We were going to tell you, but they wanted to see you first, so ..." Bradley stayed quiet, and looked over the group of kids again. His single eye looked each one of them over one by one. Seemed the longer this went on, the more tension there was between Team Harmony and king Bradley. How was he going to react to seeing a full group of kids just inside basically military central of Amestris? ... "Unexpected." "O-Okay, yeah, it is, but uh -" Twilight tried to get the right words together for King Bradley, but Karma Akabane, having the whole Homunculus thing in mind, decided to just go on with it. "We got a little something to tell ya, and it's pretty important," Karma got out, rather nonchalantly as per usual. That got King Bradley's attention right away, as Pinkie and Aladdin moved into the safety of their team, away from Bradley. The others weren't exactly ready for this jump in subjects, and neither were the guards for that matter. "Oh, do you now?" "Yep, and apparently ..." suddenly, Karma's hand suddenly ended up in between Pinkie's cleavage (again, unprompted), and sure enough as Karma expected, he pulled out the same picture Korosensei gave them earlier that morning. This left some confused, but king Bradley was a bit more interested in the photo rather than where it came from, as Karma presented it to the king right away, showing him the exact picture up front. "You got a shadow in central," Karma finished, his finger aimed to the Homunculus figure standing in the photo. Even if Envy looked like a guard, the position as if spying did look a little questionable, especially when this photo showed it in such a way. "Hey, I was gonna do that!" Pinkie snapped, rather childishly, as Bradley took this into some consideration. This surely seemed like a minor thing, as night time would be time to constantly have on guard, so probably the guard was just on duty and came across them by mistake. Then again, why was this guard watching them so intently? ... "How did you get this?" Bradley questioned. "We had a little help on that," Karma said. "Karma, isn't this a bit forward?" Aladdin quietly whispered, as Bradley considered this 'shadow' with him and his family. "It's why we're here, right? Why wouldn't we tell him?" Karma quietly replied, which made too much sense. Looked like Sebastian wasn't the only one who figured that here. Eventually, King Bradley cleared his throat and addressed them again. More precisely, to the two guards. "Try to find the guard in this photo, and have him come to my office. And if you come across the Fullmetal Alchemist, have him come and see me too," Bradley instructed. Both guards, who were glad to not be in any trouble in the first place, took the photo as a reference and went off on their way to do so. After that was handled, Bradley turned to the rest of the group. "As for you. ... Enjoy your stay here." "Wait, what?" Aladdin questioned, just getting a nudge from Karma. "Thank you for having us," said Ciel, though felt slightly strained almost. The fact that Bradley just jumped at them with little prompting on their part and now willing to let them go about the place just ... well, felt awkward to him. Especially when it just came from nowhere like that. But, regardless, it did give them more opportunity to investigate the place, as with everyone else. It was then that Bradley's eye saw Twilight standing there, as the group started to go. Bradley placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder to get her attention, making Nagisa stop as well. "Mam? Are you Yugure Kagayaki, by chance?" Bradley asked pleasantly. "Uh, yes why?" Twilight asked. Bradley smiled. "Well, let's just say I think one of our soldiers would be getting a surprise soon. That is, if you want to see him." "You mean ...?" "He's out in the main training yard right now," Bradley concluded. Nagisa only needed one look at Twilight to see that she grew very excited on hearing this news, the biggest smile on her face in quite a while. There was only one person that Bradley would be talking about, and Twilight wasn't going to wait a minute longer to see him. ....... With this time to just go around as they pleased, Aladdin took the time to check things out for himself. He was glad that Bradley was letting them go around doing their own thing at Central, as lucky as that may be. He walked around alongside Ciel for the time being, strangely with Sebastian not with him. Ciel had went off with others in the group upon Ciel's command, so it was just Ciel and Aladdin going around together. "This place is huge. Are they usually this big?" asked Aladdin, looking around the hall. "More or less, yes," Ciel simply said. That conversation was a bit short, not what Aladdin really wanted. Aladdin looked over to Ciel, the same serious expression still on his face. Ciel was more focused on trying to find that Homunculus over much of anything else, which was starting to bum out Aladdin seeing him. "So ... do you ... want to check out the soldiers?" "Just keep a close eye out for any sign of that Homunculus. That's our prime objective right now," Ciel made clear. Aladdin stayed quiet again. He knew it was important to actually find the Homunculus, but that shouldn't be the soul reason to be here, like how Ciel was making it. Aladdin suddenly moved in Ciel's way. "Ciel, come on. I know it's important, but why don't you try to, I don't know, enjoy yourself a little?" Aladdin insisted. Ciel shook his head. "Don't give me that yarn. Envy can launch his assault at any moment, and who truly knows when he'll decide to do that?" "Yeah, who does know? It could be tomorrow, or it could be months from now." "I said no," Ciel stated, about to walk past him. Far as Ciel was concern, he didn't have any time for any of this. However, before Ciel could fully move past him, Aladdin suddenly grabbed him by the arm, making him stop. "Ciel. Look at yourself. You're only thirteen years old, and you're acting like a full grown adult. You're not going to have this chance to actually enjoy yourself if you keep this up," Aladdin made clear. Aladdin had been trying, really, but Ciel wasn't going to give him much of a chance. "Being the queen's guard dog hasn't any room for childish jargon. My lord, the queen of England instructed me to help you in your endeavors," Ciel reminded. It was then that Aladdin turned to face Ciel, both his hands grasping Ciel's hand. Aladdin looked right into Ciel's eye, a look with a mix of innocence and pure honesty. A kind of look Ciel Phantomhive hadn't seen in ... well, ever. Not before he met him anyway. "Then here's what you can do. Be a true kid, have some fun, enjoy your life a bit more. You think you can you do that for me?" Aladdin asked kindly. Ciel stayed quiet on this odd request Aladdin was telling him. To enjoy his life? So many instructions he had been given in terms of tasks by anyone higher over him didn't come close to such things. Who ever truly worried about his own feelings outside the Phantomhive manor anyway? ... "Yes sir, I'll get onto it," said a voice from further down the hall. Ciel and Aladdin both took a peek down the hall corner, and found that Alphonse and Ed had just finished giving their report in. They didn't see the two since they got there in the first place. "Hey, it's that fullmetal alchemist," Aladdin noted, though when Ciel saw him, his eyes were already admiring Ed, so Ciel could only guess where they're going to go from there. Without much confrontation, nor any prompting from Aladdin, Ciel simply stepped out towards Ed and Al, Aladdin following behind him. A simple clear of Ciel's throat got their attention. "Oh, hey there. How're you enjoying Central?" asked Al. "Pretty fair, thank you. A bit dull really," Ciel admitted, considering nothing really happened yet in their investigation. Ed took a look over to Aladdin, seeing his same fonding eyes as he had back on the train. Ed felt his smile come up on him on seeing his little admirer. "Well, if it isn't Aladdin. You look like you're pretty good, huh?" "You bet I am. It's my first time going around an actual military base like this," Aladdin explained, enthusiastic about it. Ciel watched them both interact and begun to think over a little bit. "Oh, Ed? Can I see another Alchemy trick? Please?" Aladdin asked. Ed, feeling confident and with only them around at the moment, decided to show off what he can do. After a quick clap, and placing his hand on the wall, blue sparks started to fly out. Ciel looked pretty surprised and Aladdin pretty much in admiring fanboy mode as Ed summoned out a spear right out of the wall, made up of the same metal as the wall itself. Aladdin was simply psyched! "AMAZING! You can pull weapons right from the walls themselves, that's so incredible!!" Aladdin said, complete admiration all over his face and tone. Ed was easily enjoying the attention as he played around with his drawn out spear. Ciel took a glance to Alphonse, who rubbed the back of his head. "Is your brother always so easily enthused?" questioned Ciel. "It doesn't take too much to get him going," Al admitted, humbled. Ciel nodded and looked over to Ed and Aladdin. "Pardon me, Ed. But, if I may ask you something," Ciel asked. Ed turned to him, giving Aladdin the metal spear for the Magi to check out. "Oh sure, what's up?" "... It's about this alchemy of yours," Ciel started. The question, tone and all, shifted the mood fairly quickly. Ed being a Fullmetal Alchemist was fine and all, and personal objections weren't anything on Ciel's mind, but Ciel still felt one question needed to be answered, just to clear things up for not just him, but for the others as well. "How many people know about it?" A silence filled the room for just a moment or two, Ed knowing enough that he was being serious about the matter. "Ciel, I thought we just promised you would be more cheerful," Aladdin reminded. "First off, no you didn't. Secondly, wasn't you the one who insisted that something like this shouldn't be shown off so recklessly?" ... Uh oh. Aladdin froze up, realizing what Ciel was actually getting at. The shocked expression on Aladdin's face as he looked to the spear he was holding, and over to Ed. Aladdin did say that things like magic, angels, demons and such aren't supposed to be a common knowledge, yet here was Ed showing it off without a second thought right at Central. "He finally remembers," Ciel thought. "AAAHHH! You're right, what's wrong with me?! I got so caught up in his amazing alchemy I forgot to bring it up!" Aladdin said, now completely panicked about it. "You hadn't brought it up in a while, Aladdin," Ciel commented before turning back to Ed. Ed felt like he did some sort of mistake in front of the wrong person now. Seeing Aladdin freak out like that changed the mood very quickly. Ed got his answer out after getting himself together from his ego. "Aside from you? Well, not as many people as you'd think. The only ones who know for sure about it are right here in Central," Ed replied, easing Aladdin's nerves about it the second he got it around. At least that was enough at ease, Aladdin knowing enough how good keeping the truth from public is when it came to the military. "What's wrong?" Alphonse asked. Ciel raised his hand. "Nothing in particular. It's a cautionary measure for the public's sake." "Ok good. Come on Al, we gotta get going," Ed said. Al nodded and started going off with his brother. "Come on, Aladdin," Ciel instructed, but with his mind now properly thinking, started to follow Ciel at first, but suddenly something else crossed his mind. Aladdin started to remember something. ... Yeah you're right. I'll get it eventually. ....... "Hey Ed, wait," Aladdin suddenly said, going right back over to him. Ciel stopped when Aladdin did this, just in time to see Aladdin right back up with Ed and Al. "What's up now?" Ed asked. Aladdin looked right to Ed specifically. "Ed, you did an amazing job back on the train, so that can say you're good at alchemy, right?" Aladdin asked. That was honestly a question too obvious to answer. They all were they, and they all saw Ed clobber Lust and Gluttony already, sending them both flying off the train with a few alchemic tricks. "Yeah, why?" Ed questioned. Aladdin grasped Ed's hands, the same way as he grabbed Ciel's hands moments earlier. Whatever Aladdin had in mind, it seemed pretty important. "Ed. Please, be our group's alchemic teacher!" "WHAT?!" "Yeah, my friend is into this alchemy stuff too, maybe you can - OW!" Ciel made sure to whack Aladdin in the head after that sudden question. It really was a random question, and one Aladdin kinda jumped at Ed about. Ed, as expected, looked rather taken aback. Yeah, he was good at alchemy but no one had ever asked him this before, his face and expression telling them that. "My apologies for jumping at you like that. Come on, Aladdin," Ciel firmly stated, dragging Aladdin away by his ponytail. He could see what Aladdin was going for, but they shouldn't bother them that abruptly. Ed though was left stunned on hearing that come out of Aladdin. "Teacher? ..." "There you are!" Ed and Al turned to find the guards from earlier finally finding them. "What's going on?" "It's our highness King Bradley. He's requested for you two to meet up with him in his office." ~~ As the rest handled their own look around the Central area, Twilight and Nagisa went right off to the training yard of Central, as where king Bradley had said where this person would be. Sebastian joined them just in case someone would get suspicious over them just roaming around without permission. At least there was some form of adult supervision, and Sebastian already handled some guards upon arrival so the two were pretty much covered. Twilight, Sebastian, and Nagisa all soon reached the main training yard of Central, which was, to be honest, what they expected it to look like. In an opened, outdoor area of Central, a number of Amestris soldiers were practicing their combat on a number of things. Some took close combat practice while other practiced on firing grounds. Many of the soldiers, while varying in height, build and hair colors, all had similar uniforms on and while some did see them, they didn't bother them much. Though, that could probably be because of Sebastian, but that was Nagisa and Twilight's main explanation on the matter anyway. Still, Twilight was trying to find this person Bradley was talking about, and her search lead her over to the shooting gallery. A number of soldiers stood along the shooting gallery, aiming over at some set up targets placed about a good fifty feet away, each one making pretty good shots. No bull's-eyes, but pretty close anyway. It was here that Twilight eventually saw one of the soldiers amongst this group, not only a bit younger but very familiar. Aside from the main soldier uniform, he had similar skin to her, his eyes a bright cerulean blue, and his short hair a sapphire blue with light blue streaks in it. The boy got about seven pretty good shots into his target before he took a break from it, along with the others he was practicing with. It seemed that he'd been practicing for a while according to his slightly tired expression on his face, as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "Good job, Yoroi, that beats your personal record," said the instructor, proud of him. "Really? Aw yeah, that's great!" said Yoroi. "Twilight. Is that ...?" Nagisa quietly pointed out. It didn't take too long until Twilight got her conclusion on this boy, and eventually this same boy turned and found Twilight standing there herself. Of course, Yoroi stayed rather shocked at first, but eventually a smile appeared on his face. "Yugure!" shouted Yoroi. That was the cue Twilight needed, and she ran right over to her older brother, excited and grateful to finally see him after who knows how long. Nagisa and Sebastian both went over too but stayed aside to let them bond a bit. "Yoroi, it's been forever! How have you been?" Twilight asked. "Sis. This is a surprise!" Yoroi said with a smile. Looking around though, Yoroi didn't really see any of their parents anywhere. The only parental guardian he could make out was Sebastian (maybe), but he didn't see neither mother nor father anywhere, any moment, anytime. He placed his firearm down nearby and walked over to Nagisa and Sebastian. "Nagisa, how are you buddy? You've grown up a lot since last time I saw ya," Yoroi said, giving him a good handshake. Nagisa's relationship with Twilight's brother was rather vague, but Nagisa still remembered Yoroi from way back in the day. Not to mention it's the first time in a long time someone complimented him on his height. "Really? Well thank you," Nagisa said bashfully. Though Yoroi still was a bit taller than Nagisa and Twilight. Maybe an inch taller than Karma even! But anyway, Yoroi then looked over to Sebastian standing there, the only person he didn't recognize out of the three. Sebastian gave a small bow, hand over heart in a gentleman's bow. "Sebastian Michaelis. A pleasure to meet you," Sebastian introduced, hand extended as a nice gesture to Yoroi. Yoroi went and shook his hand as well. "Yoroi Kagayaki," Yoroi said. At least Twilight and Nagisa could say that Sebastian was on good terms with Yoroi. Still, Yoroi wasn't going to ignore the elephant in the room. "So, where's mom and dad? Are they around to talk to?" asked Yoroi. Twilight clammed up in embarrassment. "Eh ... well, about that -" "I'm afraid your parents aren't here, Yoroi. I'm your sister guardian for her visit here," informed Sebastian. Yoroi's behavior changed to an unsure one over his friendly behavior. Pretty unexpected to find his sister running around in a place like this without either parent to help her out. "Wait what? You mean you're alone, Yugure?!" "No! ... Well, technically no, I have my friends with me," Twilight answered, trying to calm Yoroi down. "But then, why're you here? how're you here?" Yoroi then questioned. Twilight was so excited to see her big brother, she had flat out forgot this otherwise obvious concept. How is she going to tell him about what she did to get here? Especially concerning that she almost died multiple times now?! Her brother may be a soldier for Amestris, but not even he would believe something as crazy as that! Her involving with angels and demons? He'd never believe it! "I-It's a long story," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head. Really what else could she truly say to him? "Well you can tell me later then. A representative from England is coming sometime today, and King Bradley wants me present for the exchange," Yoroi explained. How convenient to hear, and one that got them a bit intrigued. "England, Yoroi?" "Just got word yesterday, yeah. And not just any representative either, but the queen's granddaughter!" Did they hear him right? The granddaughter of England's Queen coming to Amestris's Capitol central? He couldn't mean what they think, did he? "You don't say," Twilight simply said. "I know. Wish I have more time to chat, but I have to go get ready. I promised Bradley I'd start straight after training today," Yoroi said as he started to head in. "We'll meet up later, ok?!" Twilight called to him, trailing behind. Nagisa and Sebastian had a moment to themselves here, both watching Yoroi and Twilight go in. It was nice to see brother and sister interacting with each other, though very convenient with Victoria coming over for a visit. Nagisa turned to his demon companion. "You really think it's Victoria coming?" Nagisa asked. "A surprisingly convenient story if I do say so myself. Perhaps this should be worth looking into, wouldn't you think?" Sebastian stayed. Nagisa needed little time to get what Sebastian was trying to say. Just getting a report about Homunculus roaming about central, and Victoria visiting the same place seemed just too convenient. "You better tell the others, Sebastian." "Willingly." ~~ "Is he here?!" "He'll be here, just you wait." In his office, Bradley and Salim both were waiting for the guests to come in for their talk. With Team Harmony apparently out of the way, Bradley took up more important matters with this meeting with Victoria. A bit of a rather odd meeting if it was just Victoria, and not her with the queen, but Bradley took the matter in stride anyway, despite the obvious confusion. The visit was to be taken place in the Central's main meeting room, where Bradley was patiently waiting in at the head of the round table. Like the flag in his office, the Amestris symbol also was engraved at the center of it. Bradley wasn't the only one in the room waiting though, Salim too waiting excitedly for at least one of them to show up. It wasn't just Victoria coming in after all, and Salim was more excited for the latter to show rather than Victoria herself. For the moment it was just those two, but eventually it didn't take very much longer until the doors opened up. The sight of them coming in was enough to make Salim very giddy about the situation, Bradley smiling to his son. Those coming in were a few of Bradley's guards, including Yoroi, Edward, and Alphonse. Out of all of them, it was probably Al who stood out the most, for obvious reasons, and when Salim saw him he knew immediately who could possibly be the Fullmetal Alchemist Bradley told him about. "You brought your son, sir?" asked Yoroi. Though he didn't mind it personally, it was a surprise just before a meeting like this, as Salim went straight over to Alphonse with great enthusiasm. "He wanted to meet the Fullmetal Alchemist himself for so long, I just had to. He'll be out before the meeting starts," explained Bradley. "Wow, it's so amazing to finally meet you! I heard so much about you!" Salim said, eyes sparkling as he looked up to the huge armored man. If anyone could symbolize a Fullmetal Alchemist, it would be Alphonse. Right? "Eh, ok ok, i-it's not me. I-It's my brother, there," Alphonse said, hand up in submission and shaking his head before pointing to the Fullmetal Alchemist. Salim paused for a moment in confusion and looked around at the other guards, to him none of which appeared to be the Alchemist. Ed waited and waited and waited, but Salim didn't get the hint. So, rather than say anything, Edward tapped Salim on his shoulder, and presented his automail arm to him. It honestly wasn't the first time. ... "Mr. Armor just called you brother! Does that mean your Edward Elric: the Fullmetal Alchemist?" "Yeah, that's right," Ed said, smiling. "OH COOL! You are a tiny alchemist just like everyone says!" ... And there goes his smile. "What was that? You. Brat. Say it again, once more! I'll send you flying. You hear me? Your little body will be sent out into space," Edward warned, fist clenched as his automail hand was placed on Salim's head. Salim wasn't really scared though, keeping his admiring smile, and ... "That's true too! You hate being called small just like everyone said!" "WHAAAAAAA?!" Salim could thank his lucky stars that Alphonse was standing there to grab his brother before he went ballistic, grabbing hold while his angry brother flailed and tried to reach little Salim, pissed off as ever. Ed kinda forgot the moment where he was, too angry to care really, until Bradley stepped in and placed his hand on Ed's head, just enough to snap him back. One look at Bradley's disapproving, intimidating expression was enough to quiet him down. "Eh, sorry sir, really. It won't happen again," Alphonse said, releasing his brother. It was NOT good time to get into a fight, especially when this close to the arrival. And speaking of which .... "Everyone having a good time?" Speak of the devil. Look who happened to arrive on the scene just after the outburst from Edward: Victoria. The girl had arrived not too long ago, and she only waited until after things calmed down with Ed to enter the room. At least nothing too bad had happened for Bradley's sake, otherwise the whole thing would've gone to pot. Victoria didn't seemed too fazed by the supposed yelling she heard outside. Still, Victoria went over to Bradley and Salim at this point. "Madam," said Bradley, taking a seat as the guards lined up behind him. "Ok, Salim, you can go. You can talk with the Alchemists later," Bradley instructed, Salim still admiring over Edward when he said that. After Salim left, escorted out by one of the guards, it was straight down to business. Victoria took her seat across from King Bradley, Bradley's assigned guards standing at attention over behind him. Victoria wasn't too used to heading to these meetings herself, but then again it was on her own terms this time. Even if her grandmother told her not too. "It's a pleasure to make it here, Bradley. I hope you've been keeping well," Victoria started. "Likewise. Now what's this all about?" "Before I'm to begin, let me make it clear that none of this is fabricated, nor made up. I will be telling the truth all through our discussion, alright?" Meanwhile, outside of the meeting room, one figure wasn't going to miss this. Peeking around the corner to be sure, Nagisa made sure that no one else was there at the meeting doors. Under the influence thanks to Sebastian, Nagisa had to get this for himself, just in case if this is proven correct. He was all by himself, and with the coast clear and words heard from the room out, Nagisa went right over to the main doors. He didn't dare try to open up and walk in, as this was a meeting he shouldn't be barging in on, not in his lifetime. All Nagisa did so was stay quietly right next to the door, eavesdropping on the conversation to see what he can catch. "If Envy is in there ..." Nagisa thought. Back in the room, Victoria started her statement to King Bradley by presenting an object she brought with her to him. The object was a newspaper from England, the main headline concerning the fire started in Victoria's home. Front page news, that one. "Sorry to hear that," Bradley said. "It's mended. It's not the fire itself what I want to tell you anyway, it's who, or what started it," Victoria explained, Bradley placing the paper back down on the table. "And who would that be," Bradley questioned. Victoria took a sigh before she locked eyes with Bradley. "A demon." "... Demon, Victoria?" "A hellhound to be precise, yes. Just one demon caused this much damage, and that hellhound said there's more on the way. Tokyo Japan, and London England had already complied to a protection agreement, but let's be honest, your soldiers are clearly more qualified to this task." "Are you asking to just take my men unannounced over just one pyro assault? Out of the question," Bradley made clear. He could believe Victoria about the whole demon hellhound thing or not, but he wasn't going to bend his back and give Victoria his troops. "Not exactly, it's more of an exchange, naturally." "You can call it what you wish, but I'm not just going to move my men over to London over one attack," Bradley stated. It was then that Victoria brought out her next bit of evidence to present to Bradley, this one more personalized and one she picked up before stopping by. Something a bit more varied. "Then how about multiple assaults? Kidnapping, attempted murders, and after some research some Homunculi activity. How does that grab you?" The final word made Bradley pause as he looked at what Victoria presented to him: files discussing about the conspiracy of Homunculus activity, recent reports detailing the Royal Ball incident specifically. Two accurate drawings of the Homunculus Lust and Envy were on the files too, and while Bradley had little clue on Lust, Envy's face looked ... well, vaguely familiar. "Small world: apparently a group from your country had come by to investigate the exact same thing," Bradley revealed, as the others took a look at the pictures, Ed and Al in particular. One look by Ed Elric and it was enough to surprise him. It just took a glance from Bradley and Victoria too to see that. "I'm going to have a guess and say you know those Homunculus?" "Know them? Hell, they tried to kill us while getting here. Said something about witnesses, sir," Edward revealed. So now the Fullmetal Alchemist, and Queen of England all encountered these Homunculus. "And Team Harmony is here too? How cute," Victoria giggled. What a coincidence that her Ciel would be here as well. "So that's their name." "Yes, but they're not all mine. Hence the agreement with Tokyo, you see, as only one of mine is in the team. How are those little kids doing, by the way?" Victoria asked. "I'm allowing them to stay for a while to investigate this Homunculus issue," Bradley replied, though this revelation did pose a bigger threat than expected. And that kind of danger going around Central of all places! "That is nice to know. And their little angel can surely help central out a lot." "Angel? I'm not looking for innocent peacekeepers." "That's not a metaphor, I mean a real life, heavenly Magi angel. They have this little angel, Aladdin, and he actually saved my life during the demon attack." "Aladdin? Magi? How'd she know that?!" Nagisa thought. A surprise enough that Victoria was here at all, but Aladdin didn't tell her straight up that he was from heaven, or anything like that, nor did he tell her what he exactly was. That just seemed to convince him that she must be the Homunculus! Nagisa kept his focus on the conversation more from there, more intently this time. So much so that he failed to notice that he too was being watched. And by the rest of the team no less. ... "Nagisa? What's he doing there?" Wondered Aladdin. "Eavesdropping obviously. But not even Nagisa would be this gutsy," Karma noted. It may not be the first time Nagisa listened in, but there was still limits all the same. And Nagisa was surely pushing it. Pinkie peered suspiciously towards Nagisa. "He's not fooling me. I bet that is Envy!" Pinkie concluded quietly. "Maybe, but maybe not," Twilight said. "Why would he be here, if not? Let's get him!" ...... *BANG* Well she did it. Before anyone could stop her, Pinkie and Blair suddenly charged Nagisa, and tackled him to the floor. The loud bang from the impact surely got the attention from those in the meeting room, conversation cutting to a halt. Nagisa immediately panicked from the attack, and Blair managed to pin Nagisa down, sitting on his back while holding his arms behind him. "What the hell?!" Nagisa gasped, barely comprehending what just happened. "Stay down mr. Homunculus!" Pinkie warned. "WHAT?!" Soon the doors to the meeting room opened up and Victoria and Bradley came out to see the situation, just to find Nagisa down on the ground. "And what's going on out here?" asked Bradley. "We got your Homunculus right here, chief," announced Karma. "I AM NOT!" shouted Nagisa. Apparently the others weren't buying it, and Pinkie even grabbed him by the collar. "Big liar! Now, where's OUR Nagisa?! YOU DON'T TELL ME AND I'LL SHAKE YOU UP UNTIL YOU DO!!" Pinkie screamed, shaking Nagisa just mad to get the truth out of him. "PI-I-I-I-nkie! I-I-I-I-I AM NAGISA!" Nagisa said, dazed from the shaking. Unfortunately it wasn't getting through to her, or anyone else at first. "You really going to try this again? You did this once already, it's not going to work twice," Karma said. "I'M NOT TRYING ANYTHING," Nagisa insisted. Unfortunately, King Bradley moved them out of the way, and suddenly had Nagisa by the collar, enough to lift him off the ground! This was bad, this was very bad! And the situation didn't get any better when the leading man of Amestris pulled out a sword he had with him, enough to freak out almost everyone there! Was he going to kill him right then and there?! Even if he was a Homunculus, this was a bit extreme. "Let's not be too hasty." "SAVED!" Nagisa thought. Sebastian finally stepped in, appearing after a while, and got his hand around Bradley's own sword. A bold move for anyone who knew Bradley, and Sebastian even pulled the sword out of his hand. "Got some nerve, don't you?" Bradley commented sternly, dropping Nagisa to the ground. A bit surprised, but he was thanking the lord for Sebastian to come to his own rescue. ... "Allow me, sir." "Wait, what - OW!" Well, ok, maybe. Sebastian's move happened all too fast for any to even react to, and suddenly Nagisa found that his hand had been cut by the sword! The slice was so fast and precise, one false move and Nagisa would've had a finger missing! They all weren't sure what Sebastian was trying to do, but Sebastian made sure to present the cut he made to the rest, grabbing Nagisa's arm and moving it in position. The blood flowed freely from the cut, coating his fingers in a faint crimson red, but they all then realized something after a bit. The previous encounters, whenever a Homunculus got attacked or cut, they would heal on the spot, but Nagisa wasn't healing the same way. Or rather, not at all for that matter. "There. Any real Homunculus would've healed by now, am I right?" Sebastian inquired. Now they all got what Sebastian really meant, and apparently cutting into Nagisa's hand was the first thing Sebastian thought up to do. Not the first thing Nagisa would think to do, but still resulted in the answer all the same. "Eh ... oops," Pinkie said. "Yeah he's clean. Sorry, man," added Karma. Nagisa may be cleared of that, but Bradley was still suspicious over him. "You may not be a Homunculus ... but then why were you listening in on the meeting in the first place?" questioned Bradley. Nagisa felt more unsettled again, his hand hidden away as Bradley took his sword back, the tip now stained red. Wrong word now and he might get sliced up again. Things were already a little tense as it is. "Eh, uh ... w-well ... I uh -" "Curious over me, aren't you?" Victoria suddenly said. Nagisa looked to Victoria, and immediately had to answer, his answer coming out in a quick nod. With the accusation, and what Bradley told her, she got everything all around together fairly fast. So, with a smile, she extended her hand out towards Bradley, as if trying to offer a friendly hand to him. "Bradley, if you don't mind?" Victoria suggested. Bradley found this odd, but he took her offer in fairly decently, and his sword cut her hand as well. Victoria cringed slightly, but not much reaction besides that. That didn't mean the others were left unfazed either, either cringing or shocked Victoria would do this so quickly and carefree. As with Nagisa, her cut didn't heal up so fast, and it proved that she was indeed the true Victoria. "I believe that answers your question," Victoria finished, even grabbing Nagisa's bloody hand with her own blood-filled one. Nagisa felt pretty unsettled by this display, seeing how calm Victoria was, even with her hand now seeping blood like his was. Nagisa could see in her eyes that she wasn't concern in the slightest. "Uh ... yeah." "Are you okay? Didn't that hurt?" Aladdin asked. "It did. Perhaps you should patch us up," Victoria joked. If it was considered a joke. As this was happening, Ed and Al both couldn't help but overhear what happened. Seeing this just envoked and proved the Homunculus problem even further. What was going on at Central? ~~ The late night back in Japan held some bit of hope for 3-E when it came to the new teacher Tataoka. With the night coming around, one student was actually busy with her own little bit of research in the matter, or at least in Tataoka himself: Kirara Hazama. Not getting much homework earlier that day gave Kirara plenty of time to try and get her act together on what was what. On a laptop she had in her room, she was off and at work in doing her own little bit of research. She only knew of Tataoka by the one name though, so she only had that to work with, and the fact he was apart of the military. "Tataoka. Now where have I heard of that name before? ..." Kirara wondered, as she surfed the internet to try and figure things out. With the main light being the monitor in front of her, Kirara was fully focused on this little investigation. She'd normally could care less on who was actually teaching and who wasn't, but this Tataoka just sounded bizarrely familiar to her, almost like some past call that just came back to her. In her little game of conspiracy research, Kirara finally managed to locate a information page regarding Tataoka, but rather than any simple information page, this one was instead more focused on a conspiracy site (a website talking about urben legends, conspiracies, and stuff like that) which included images of the cheerful Tataoka with a few of his previous military students. They all were shirtless, hands behind their backs, and smiles on their faces. The smile on Tataoka was as cheerful and giddy as earlier that day, and the smiles on the other, older military men were also big, while a bit unsure. A bit strange though: the picture couldn't see any of their hands, nor any part of their back. Tataoka had his arms around two of the four men, all smiles and in a similar manor to how he did it with Nabiku and Yoshida earlier. Kirara knew now that Tataoka wasn't all he seemed to be, if he was on this page. "Alright, what dirt do you have for me?" Kirara commented, just before she clicked on the conspiracy page regarding Tataoka. When she saw the top title for Tataoka, her suspicions were immediately confirmed. Tataoka: Sargent or Torturer? Straightforward, and scrolling down the page just a few times showed the same image from earlier, only here with their backs to the camera. It showed Tataoka alright, but it was the four other men that Kirara immediately took notice. Their backs were red, scratched and appeared being cruelly whipped with red stinging slashes down their backs in several places. Once more, their hands were tied up behind them, making all of them unable to use their hands for anything at all. Gakuho allowed this guy to work at their school? Intriguing, yet disturbing. ... ....... It was training time back at Orora high again. A day had past, and now training was being taken a little differently. As he had mentioned yesterday, Tataoka was now going on and was in charge of the training sessions of 3-E. Karasuma was still around and observing Tataoka, to make sure he knew what he was doing. Korosensei was nearby and observing the 3-E class, chilling out on a lawn chair and drinking up a latte. The students were all lined up along the yard, ready for Tataoka to begin the training, all a bit more cool with it than they'd usually be. With how Tataoka treated them yesterday, they were expecting a much better time with this over their time with Karasuma. Funny thing though: Kirara was absent that day, and probably the only one aside from Karma who wasn't looking forward to Tataoka's little session. The others were more than ready this time, and waited for the word to start. "Alright, gang, now as I'm in charge there's gonna be a few changes, though I know you're all looking forward to it," said Tataoka. There wasn't any complaints about that, naturally, and Tataoka readied to get the schedule out, checking over the attendants first. Karasuma and Korosensei kept watch over Tataoka during this process with some bit of suspicion, as he presented the schedule to them. ... Training time took up ninety five percent of that schedule! "What?! We don't have time to study with something like that," gasped Sugino. "Don't get freaked out, kids, you'll adapt to it I know you will. Now, if we can -" "Eh, sorry, but no. We still have school to attend to," said Nakamura. Tataoka was starting to move over towards her, his smile on his face signature as usual. Nakamura looked up to him from there, thinking he might reconsider. Instead, all that she got was her head and back severely gripped! Each hand of Tataoka grabbed Nakamura, one gripping her scalp, as the other one grabbed hold of the base of her back. The pain hurt a ton, and caught everyone by surprise! He was supposed to be this neighborhood dad, what was he doing?! Nakamura was actually lifted off the ground before being forcefully dropped, the pain still stinging. "There's one thing that needs to be clear: there's no such thing as "no" here. You do not say "no" to me," warned Tataoka. That view of the friendly neighborhood dad was gone in an instant. Karasuma and Korosensei shared their surprise too. "What're you doing crumbling my students?!" Korosensei asked, panicked over the well-being of his students. Tataoka turned to his target, his signature smile across his face. However, this smile was no longer as fun-loving or cheerful, and now it was that of pure malicious. "It's nothing but discipline, target. They need to be trained good and hard to take you down," Tataoka said. A rather light term for that. "Discipline?! That you just did is straight up assault, no teacher should ever physically harm their students so unprompted!!" Korosensei yelled, getting more angry at him. Tataoka placed both hands on Korosensei's shoulders, his gaze down at first. At first he said nothing, but then his hand pulled out his signed job slip, showing it to Korosensei. Then came a sinister grin and evil eyes. "Remember that promise? Your promise to the government states that you will not harm any figure at Orora High. No teacher, no student, no further employee. And as I'm technically a school instructor, your promise is put to me. ... I can teach how I want to teach, and you'll support my methods." Tataoka got him there, and that made him furious, his head turning red in anger. He kept that promise for months now, and now this same promise was holding him back from saving his students from this tyrant. Oh, the loopholes are the worst thing to happen at this point in time, and Korosensei didn't know what to do. Tataoka turned his attention back to the students again. "Uh ... Mr.Tataoka? Please don't make us do this. ..." Nabiku said, the kindest she could do, hands clasped together in pled. Tataoka's cruelty knew no boundaries, and all Nabiku got was a horrid clock to her head! So hard of a swing, Nabiku was knocked head over heels, landing on the ground hard! That freaked out Korosensei even more, and the rest of the class. Karasuma quickly went over to Nabiku's aid, the poor girl hurting like crazy and in tears. "Are you okay? Can you move your neck properly?" Karasuma asked urgently. Nabiku didn't get any severe damage, but the swing and hit was still a harsh one, leaving a red mark almost covering her whole left side of her face. Even if it was an open-palmed strike, it still was powerful. With both Nabiku and Nakamura injured in such a way, Tataoka looked back to his students. "Anyone willing to argue?" Tataoka questioned. After seeing the rough behavior before, they weren't so willing to complain this time around. Just what Tataoka wanted to hear from them. "Then let's begin." ....... There they all were. End of the day, and all look ready to collapse. Tataoka and his methods of training were nothing but harsh, even for the most experienced of trainees. It wasn't exactly the matter of the exact task (squats, push-ups, etc.), but it was more about how much Tataoka actually wanted them to do. Each task, each athletic exercise they were given to do was far beyond any real capability for them to handle, one way or another. When doing push-ups for example, Tataoka amped up their ante to about hundred a piece, none of them allowed to take a break until they were finished, and even then Tataoka forced them to keep pace and not slow down. The other exercises were just as cruel: sit-ups were ninety five per person, squats were about one hundred and twenty, and others were similarly harsh. Worst one came from practicing assassination itself. Tataoka took it on himself to be their practice target, but instead of typical dodging like Karasuma would do, he fought back hard! Any swipe at him lead to a kick or punch to launch them back, and no holding back either. Tataoka may have enjoyed showing up his challengers, but all the 3-E students suffered their fare share of injuries, be it bruises, red lumps, or even bloody cuts all to show his surpermecy. All cuts weren't in obvious spots, but their pain was evident on each and every one of them as they were walking home. Needless to say they looked more like they were left in a gang fight rather than any sane gym practice, some barely able to even walk straight. All of them had some sort of bandaged wound, Korosensei approved and his courtesy, but seeing these 3-E students going home like this was a bit of a disturbing sight. For Nabiku, her injuries mostly remained to just the injury on her face, though Tataoka added some bruises to her torso and right leg too, and that was when he let them off easy! It was indeed a severe dilemma, one that could actually kill them, and after what they've gone through they all knew that. "Worst. Day. Ever," groaned Nakamura, her injuries mostly on her arms which were bandaged up. "Damn Tataoka, why did they have to pick him of all people?" added in Terasaka, who probably suffered the worst of it with a broken arm in a casket. Yeah, it was THAT bad, and on the first day! "Here's a better one: how'd he get past Gakuho?!" asked Takuya. "Actually no. That false happy-go-lucky face fooled everybody," Nakamura noted. It still didn't really help the issue all too well, and Nabiku stopped for a moment, looking over her injuries. She only avoided bandages and blood because she stayed back from trying to attack Tataoka, but even then her injuries were still severe on a more minor definition. The most terrifying part was that this was just the beginning of it. ... "OI!" The group stopped on that sound and looked off ahead. Up ahead of the path someone else was coming in to see what was going on, and this figure seemed ... different, and a bit of a relief to see. "Niji," Nabiku quietly said, though it was just enough to be heard by the others. Niji went right over to them, running from the main building path towards the 3-E building, and as she came over, she stopped in front of the others just to see the injuries they all had. "Dang. What happened, Nabiku? Did you guys get in a fight or something?" Niji asked, concerned a bit. "You know her, Nabiku?" Nakamura questioned. "Well, we known eachother for a bit," Nabiku admitted. And indeed, they were knowing eachother for a little bit. But that wasn't the main issue here, Niji observing the damage done from Tataoka's training. "We got beat up, if you have to know." "What got to you?" Niji asked. "Tataoka, our new instructor. He's so ruthless, it's bullshit!" Terasuka groaned, holding his broken arm. Niji cringed on the revelation, and brought her attention over to Terasuka's arm, stuck in a makeshift cask. Whoever this Tataoka was, he didn't pull back a single punch on any of them. Poor things. "You saying one man did this to you?" "Yes. He's so cruel," Nabiku whimpered, tears coming down her face again. Niji was quick to bring a hand out and wipe some tears off of her. "Ok, ok enough with the water works. I'll help you out," Niji promised. Niji wasn't going to leave Nabiku like this, not by a long shot. It was very nice that Niji was so quick to offer her help. "You will? Well, thanks but what can you do?" "Just point me in the right direction and I'll sort it out. Trust me, I promise it'll work itself out." What have they got to lose?
S03Ep4: The Bigger They Are... ~もっと大きい彼らは...~Back at Central, things still were getting a little bit tense one way or another. Team Harmony had been given their own rooms for stay at Central after some consideration from Bradley, and in one of these rooms, the whole team was basically trying to sort things out with this Homunculus situation. In one room, all of Team Harmony were present as Pinkie, Karma, and Aladdin did their own thing elsewhere. Envy Homunculus was still on their mind in this mess, especially after their little escapade during Bradley and Victoria's meeting, the bandaged up hand of Nagisa notwithstanding. With the exception of Karma and Ciel, the rest were sitting down on the bed, Aladdin sitting on Blair's lap (one could guess why). "Not a thing. It's been days, and not a sign of Envy anywhere. Anyone else thinking that this is a lost cause?" asked Blair, who was getting tired from all this searching, and tired period. "Either that, or Envy is still hiding. May I remind you that this Homunculus is a shapeshifter, and just as well, a murderer. This shouldn't be something we should leave to absolute chance," reminded Ciel, trying to think. "Let's be real, we barely have anything aside from that picture. ... Hey, Aladdin, you -" Karma paused for a moment when the attention was brought to Aladdin, the perverted Magi having a little bit of bouncy fun with Blair's big milk jugs, making them bounce with a goofy smile on his face. Nagisa wasn't as amused though, and got Aladdin to pay attention by tugging on his ponytail again. "Huh? Wha? What's up?" Aladdin asked. "Thank you for joining us, hope you had fun in booby world," Pinkie joked, as both Blai and Aladdin turned to Ciel and Karma. "You two are entities, do any of you know any clues to figure out this Homunculus?" Karma questioned. Unfortunately, after some short time, both shook their heads at the same time. So much for a straight answer out of them. "What do you mean 'no'?" "Homunculus aren't exactly angel or demon, they're artificial and made up of Philosopher Stones. There's no exact holy or unholy thing about that," Aladdin explained. "Well, you can try to find their Oroboros symbol, but Envy can apparently disguise his, so that doesn't work for him. At least I didn't see one on him," added Blair. Karma sighed. He thought he had something there, but apparently it wasn't going to work this time. All they got was a reminder of what Undertaker told them, and that was it. "Well, damnit. Maybe we can lure him out." "Lure him out how? He's not an idiot, and he fooled us about three times now." "OH, OH OH!" suddenly Pinkie was up and psyched, hand up and wanting to share. Ciel though wasn't going to give her the chance here, despite the fact no one else had anything to go off of, or any sort of plan. "No, Pinkie." "Come on, hear me out!" Pinkie insisted. "NO. I'm sure your plan would involve some cupcake and a cardboard box, that's not going to work." "IT IS NOT! ... that's my backup plan." A notable slap was heard when Ciel's hand met his own forehead, but still Karma decided to let her go on with her little plan, his hand signaling her to go on. Of course, with Pinkie's active mind and admittedly nutty behavior, who really knew what plan she would come up with? "Envy's obviously here on a spy mission by this Sombra guy, right? He's obviously wanting to take out the little competition, and he apparently has the hates for Karma, so he can go out alone and be used as a worm in our plan's fishing hook. Soon as Envy pops up to eat him, BAM! Fished Homunculus with a bag of chips!" Pinkie finished her plan with a clap of her hands, and pointing her fingers fake-gun style, big smile on her face for approval. At first, the group was a bit quiet as they took the options into some thought. ... "... That's ... not a crazy idea, Pinkie." "YOU can say that?!" thought Ciel and Nagisa, looking at Karma like he was crazy. The plan was risky as hell, but Karma supporting the idea of being bait for a killer Homunculus wasn't fixing that at all. All the same, he still was down for it, and Pinkie was too. "You know, that did work with Twilight and Hellgar, so it can work here," agreed Blair, enthusiastic about the idea. "Yeah! Just get him alone and we'll all jump him! ONWARD!" Pinkie said, already rushing to the door. They didn't had much time to even get a word in before Pinkie was already at the door. Pinkie swung it open, and she practically bolted at full speed. She would've been a good twenty feet ahead if something huge and metallic didn't bump her back into the room straight away. It took less time to see who it was that was standing there at the door, the fullbody armor of Alphonse Elric easily recognized. "Oops. Sorry," Alphonse said, Pinkie in a slight daze. Looking again, it wasn't just Alphonse there, but Edward as well. A bit fazed by Pinkie's charge out, but they were alright overall. "Oh, if it isn't the Elric bros. How's it going since we last chat?" Blair asked, smiling. "We're doing alright, thank you. And you guys? Are you doing good, Nagisa?" Alphonse asked, referring to his hand. Nagisa had to get that bandaged up since his little test run with the blade, and Nagisa wasn't doing all that bad with it. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just a small cut," Nagisa said bashfully. "Ok good. Hey, Aladdin, is it? I've been looking for you," Edward said, looking over to Aladdin. The little magi got to his feet from Blair's lap, looking over to Ed. With that response, Aladdin's reaction started to turn hopeful, which was something only Ciel knew the reason for. "Hey, Al and I have been talking about that little thing you said sometime ago, and ... Yeah, I'll take you up on that offer," Ed decided. Aladdin got very excited on hearing that, smile nice and wide with his eyes sparkling. "YES!!! Best day ever!" Aladdin beamed. "YAY! THIS IS AWESOME! ... What is it?" Pinkie asked, excited as well. "Your little friend there asked me to be an alchemy teacher for one of you. Said one of you was getting into this sort of things and asked me to give some pointers. By the way, who is it anyway?" Ed wondered, looking around at the group. After the group got what was going on, one way or another, Twilight eventually raised her hand to get Ed's attention. "That would be me," Twilight said. As proof, she showed Ed the alchemy book she had in hand. A bit of a different book from what he would see, but it was proof enough for him. "Oh, cool, so you're already practicing a bit. That makes it easier for both of us," Ed said, the last part a little tactful on his end. "Eh, right. I'm not sure about this," Ciel said. "What, why? He's perfect!" "Isn't he a little young to be a teacher?" Ciel question, his attention more focused on Aladdin than on Ed, who found that slightly insulting. "Say's the queen's guard Chihuahua," Ed spat back. "... Valid point," Ciel groaned. He didn't enjoy his 'compliment' either. "Now now, let's not get into a tiff so early on. You've only just got acquainted you know," said Sebastian. ... Wait what? "AH! When'd you get here?" Ed asked, jumping back away from Sebastian. The demon butler wasn't really as startled about it as Ed and Al were, the demon butler up behind both brothers. "Where have you been?" Ciel asked. "Just investigating into our little matter as all. And while you've been recovering, I've managed to find out our little Homunculus," Sebastian revealed. Well, that was especially convenient of him, and once more Sebastian had managed to get a little picture too. "You tell us that now?" "I didn't want to be a bad butler by interrupting your discussion, you understand," Sebastian stated, trying to play innocent. Really, that was just a half-truth, and Ciel knew it. Anyway, he presented the picture to Edward first. The picture was a bit of a vague shot, but it indeed showed a figure walking down a hall, peering just behind his shoulder. The angle of the shot was just passed a wall, so some of the image was blocked out, but one thing that wasn't blocked out was a peek just under the worker's coat, just enough to show a sort of mark on the hip, but that was hardly any. "Yeah, that's him!" Pinkie said, once she saw it. "How do you know?" Twilight asked. "Take a closer look to the hip, right there," Sebastian said, pointing to the spot in question. It took a little peering into, but eventually something did start to make itself out, showing a very faint glimpse of a head and tail. ... "Yeah, the Oroboros symbol, that's him! Come on, let's get the plan going!" Pinkie beamed. "Already thought up of one, my dear," Sebastian said, hand raised. This made Pinkie pout a bit, but Sebastian went on to speak anyway under Ciel's approval. "And what would that be?" "Well, there's no need for everyone to remain involved on the matter. Just a selected few, if you don't mind. ..." ~~ "UGH, come on Sombra, how much longer do I need to keep spying on this human?" Envy was still continuing his own roundabouts, still in his human Amestris guard disguise. The days that went by for Envy were, for the most part, nothing but a bore. He wasn't allowed to kill anybody for one thing, Lust and Gluttony were nowhere to be found at all, Team Harmony and Victoria got the Amestris guards on high alert, and as far as Envy was concern, progress was getting nowhere. Keeping his eye on Salim and Bradley turned to less like a mission and more like a chore. A long, and agenizing one. Envy kept his watch as instructed, following king Bradley in his walk the best he could do. Even the king of Amestris had his rounds, and Envy had to be sure that he wouldn't be spotted by Bradley during his own patrol, otherwise he might suspect something. "Sure, he's the king of Amestris, but he's still just some worm of a human. Since when did Sombra wanted him for a potential ally?" Envy thought. ... "Hey." Freaked out, Envy quickly spun around and stood at attention like a guard would, just to keep his own disguise convincing. However, the figure there wasn't exactly a high guard, but the figure actually turned out to be king Bradley himself! Off guard, of course. "Evening, sir," Envy said, humbled but a bit confused. Wasn't he just ahead of him pass the corner? Bradley stayed quiet at first until he took a good look to him. "I've been meaning to have a word with you. To my office, now," Bradley instructed, already starting to go off down the hall. Envy, being the disguised guard to command, went off to follow him regardless of his own thoughts on the matter. If he tried to defy him now, he might end up getting himself caught, and in front of the king himself he had to play his cards right no matter what. The walk back to Bradley's office was a quiet one, and one that left Envy in some anticipation until they went on to walk through those doors in question. Well, what was going to happen now? Envy stood over by the door just in case, as Bradley went around to his desk. "Now. As you're aware, there has been a rumor around of a creature amongst these walls. A Homunculus, far as I get." "Yes, I've heard about that, sir. What about it?" "Actually, I was going to ask you that," Bradley replied, making Envy a little bit suspicious. "Excuse me?" "You've been on night patrols primarily as of late. Any reports as of late about it?" Bradley questioned. Envy, luckily, had a basic answer at the ready. "Not at all, sir. Sorry." A rather straightforward answer, but so long as he wasn't giving off any main response to Bradley, he should be just fine. Bradley stayed a bit quiet on the matter though, just staring at Envy with a judgmental gaze of his single eye. Envy kept his own gaze down, to make sure Bradley wouldn't read his eyes. After what felt like forever, Bradley cleared his throat. "Right. ... Now, care to explain why you've been following me tonight?" Bradley questioned. NOW Envy was unsure. "W-Well, I wanted to make sure you're alright, sir. Who knows what this Homunculus can even do?" Envy said, trying to keep his composure. How long did he know that?! King Bradley stayed quiet for a minute or two again, before he got up to his feet. Envy stayed quiet and awaited for what Bradley have to say, the man turning away from him. His hand moved over to his own face. ... "Then who'll be sure you're alright?" "... I'll be fine. Needn't you worry about me." "In that case ..." Suddenly, something was torn away and tossed right at Envy's face. At first Envy thought it was his eyepatch, but when he had a look, he found that it was actually skin! King Bradley had torn his own face off!! It all came off in a patch of skin, not a ounce of blood being shown on it anywhere as Envy threw it on the ground. When Envy had another look, the true identity of this man was revealed to him. The pale skin, the red eyes, the fairer and younger appearance matched the look of one particular demon all too well. ... "Screw you!" Sure enough, Envy quickly made his attack. His arm stretched into a blade and tried to hit the demon, but missed him by inches. The distraction was all Envy needed to get himself running, hand turning back to normal and Envy making a run for it. The demon was right behind him, and homing in on him fast. Envy tried to cut corners and get out of sight, but the demon was just too fast to give him any time to do so. "Keep running, my friend. We'll make it ahead of schedule at this rate," the demon thought, continuing his chase. Now and then, Envy tried to cut him short with an attack, but the demon was too agile to get a direct hit, leaving Envy with a little more trouble. "Damnit! I gotta get out of here. If I get caught, Sombra will kill me!" Envy thought, and NO WAY will he have that. In his run around, Envy tried to look for some sort of short cut, or escape route to take, but it easier said than done, especially with a demon hot on his heels. The halls weren't doing him any favors. The more ruckus he made, the more of a risk the guards will be onto him! The demon was getting especially close, Envy feeling him right behind him, Envy not stopping for any moment. Eventually, down another corner through the seemingly endless amount of halls, a singular window presented his only option. No other option. With one more look behind him, Envy dove right out the window with no break in speed, shattering the window as he did so. He had no time to really judge what was what, and soon he found this window about three floors up! Three floors high, and out to the front yard no less. This Homunculus didn't find that too much trouble though, and spun himself around mid air and landing on his feet, though the impact actually cracked the ground under him. Here was when he took a breather and looked back up to the window where he jumped out. It was only now that this demon figure apparently stopped chasing him, but he was not out of the woods yet: the window smashed after all, and smashing windows makes a hell of a noise to wake people up. Envy got himself moving off fast, looking back to the window once more to be sure the demon wasn't following him. ... "GOTCHA!" A crack of the ground under his feet, and next thing he knew, Envy was launched off into the air by a fullmetal blast from the ground up, sending him flying head over heels! "AAHHH! WHAT THE HELL?!" Envy yelled, flung straight off the ground and landing hard. Looking back, he followed the cracked ground back to the source, finding Ed there with both hands on the ground, blue sparks still flying. Envy got up to his feet, dazed but alright overall as his cuts were getting healed up with his own red sparks. So much for a easy and disguised getaway. "Come on already! How can you see through me?!" "You make it too easy!" called another voice. Envy turned, and suddenly, someone else was running right towards him: Twilight and Nagisa. Nagisa, with the halo blade drawn and at the ready, running right towards him. Envy found them far easier targets, and rather than running away, charged right at them instead, a bit more confident that he will end up escaping this place. Twilight and Nagisa, while a bit frazzled by Envy charging at them, kept their run straight towards him. Envy drew out his own weapon, and thrust it forward, but both kids suddenly fell to the ground in a slide, and Nagisa actually got a cut off of Envy's foot, throwing the Homunculus off balance and making him tumble. Nagisa and Twilight turned back, Twilight giving a whistle towards Ed and he got another alchemist attack send, and Envy found him under a steel barricade, pinning him down to the ground with no hope of getting out. Caught, exposed, and embarrassed yet again. Envy tried to break out, but it was really no use, and the commotion got more than just the other demon out to see him, the demon butler applauding by the way. "Excellent work, everyone. Not a single detail missed." "That went better than I thought," Nagisa thought, actually impressed with it. Then came out some other Amestris guards (much to Envy's dismay), and it was quick when they all saw what had happened there. Yoroi, being amongst the crowd, was the first to show up. "Yugure, what happened?! We heard screaming." "Nothing's wrong now. And look what we caught," Twilight revealed, presenting the Homunculus to them. Not making the situation any better for Envy. "Whoa. Is that?" "LET ME OUT, YOU WORMS!" Envy yelled, but obvious they weren't doing that. The commotion also brought out another figure to the scene, as the guards were aiming their weapons at Envy to be sure he wasn't going to attack or escape: King Bradley. For real, this time. "Oh. What do we have here?" "Your Homunculus, sir. And this time no mistakes," Sebastian made clear. It was then that Envy wanted some answers, staring right at Sebastian. "Wait a minute. How did you disguise yourself like that?" "You believe you're the only one who can play the disguise game?" Sebastian replied. Envy didn't care for the details of it, and just felt simply mocked. Too bad Bradley actually found him now, his look of disapproval spearing through his heart. Then he turned to the group and smiled. "I'll put him in custody right away. Good job, everyone, you found our culprit," Bradley congratulated, as he pulled out Envy from his trap by the head, gripping his neck in a way so he wouldn't bust out. Envy gagged and choked a little bit, he was holding so hard, but Envy wasn't getting killed by it. Envy took a look over to Nagisa as he was being dragged off, Nagisa feeling accomplished about what just happened, though a little indifferent to the rather rough drag off. All the same, at least Envy was finally handled for now. "Well then. That's that. ..." ~~ "ACK! Damnit!" Another day on the job, and Tataoka was still just as ruthless as ever. Training gave the students no time to even be in a school, nevermind study or learn anything. Tataoka marched around his group, observing each student doing their pushups, which were just as brutal as the first time. They were still sore from last time, and Tataoka couldn't give less of a crap about any of it. Terasaka, which one would think would be given a break, was stuck with an even harsher sentence on the matter, and doing one-armed pushups. His broken arm wasn't doing him any favors, and made the task all the more difficult. During the whole training, Nakamura couldn't help but glance at Terasaka. Sure, they all were beaten up some way or another, but he was probably suffering the worst of it with this training in particular. Not that Tataoka cared anyway. "Terasaka, you're falling behind. Go on, pick up!" "Sorry, it's kind of hard with one arm broken," Terasaka growled through gritted teeth. The response just got Tataoka to step on his back, the added weight making Terasaka fall onto his broken arm, pain shooting through him like a bullet. "And I'll be happy to break the other if you argue with your father," warned Tataoka. "Tataoka, enough." Tataoka turned over to his predecessor instructor Karasuma, as he moved over to them. "Karasuma, hey! Look at the progress I'm doing here. Pretty impressive is it?" "Impressive doesn't come close. At this rate, you'll train them to death," Karasuma retorted. This angered Tataoka, but he tried to lock it up, but all that came out was a huff. "They're improving faster than how you did it. They nearly got my neck four times yesterday during our fun practice, isn't that right kids?" Tataoka said, turning to the students. All they could do was nod to him as they continued their pushups. "I wonder why?" Karasuma thought sarcastically. Who wouldn't try to take down their instructor if he was this ruthless? Anyway, he turned his gaze to Terasaka, who had the foot removed but was taking a slight breather. Terasaka was more physical than the other students were, but he was still panting like a exhausted dog, staring at Tataoka with a sort of killer look. "At least give Terasaka a break. You did break his arm," Karasuma pointed out, but all that did was make Tataoka laugh. "Just a one-arm pushup. He should be thanking me for upending the odds for him," Tataoka joked. Talk about a narcissistic joke. Who the hell would thank him for breaking their arm?! Karasuma turned his back to Tataoka, and walked away, giving him nothing but a cold shoulder. Tataoka acted like it didn't bother him, but inside he was fuming. "You, who were the best of the best in the unit ... never paid attention to my strength, did you. That person of you has robbed of any chance at a promotion," Tataoka thought. His gaze turned to his 'children', who continued their pushups as they were instructed. He could only imagine what'll be of them when he was done with them, and his more sinister smile crept up on his face. "It doesn't matter if this destroys the majority of them. If I form those that remain into an elite corps, and they kill that octopus. As a hero who raised such heroes ... I'll be able to order you around!!" Tataoka thought. Oh, he could just imagine the results: those that survived being the ultimate killing machines, and the ones who stopped that Korosensei once and for all. It might be a bit over the top for him, but killing a demon king was no easy feat, and if his students could do that, then what would that make him? Far above Karasuma, that was for sure. ... "You gotta be kidding me!" "See what I mean?" Silently observing the trouble from very far away, hidden in the foliage and one observing with some binoculars, Niji and Nabiku managed to get themselves in position to observe the horrid training sessions going on. Niji had the binoculars, and couldn't believe what she was seeing being done by this man to these kids. They told her, but this was worse than she thought. Nabiku stayed behind her and worried sick over the students. Nabiku managed to get one sick day from Gakuho - she never said why - and this gave her time to help Niji in getting the information on it. Lucky for them, Tataoka did not notice, nor even cared, for Nabiku's absence, though that was probably because she barely did much effort in his training anyway. Niji was more than furious over this observation. "And you went through a day of this?" Niji asked, turning to Nabiku. Nabiku only nodded to her as they both could hear the practice from where they were. ... "I know, right?! That Tataoka got me in a loophole," said a sudden, new voice of Korosensei as he wept from his failed attempt to save the students. Niji and Nabiku, as any person would, jumped on seeing Korosensei suddenly pop up. Nabiku mentioned him to Niji, but this was her first true sighting of the octopus. Korosensei was in a different getup, but this one was all black, a mourning Victorian dress accompanied with a black flail over his face that was attached to a black sunhat. Obviously his hopes were not up on the situation at all, and with the promise he made to the government keeping him back, there wasn't much he can do. "What the?!" Niji gasped, rather loudly. Quickly, Nabiku got her hand over Niji's mouth, quickly looking back to the group. Tataoka did pause for a moment or two, but he didn't go over to their location at all, and remained put in his position observing the rest. Thank the lord for that one. After Niji calmed down, they both turned to Korosensei, who was tearing up waterfalls at this point. "You said he got you in a loophole?" Niji questioned. "Yes he did: I promise your Government to not hurt anyone or force a soul at Orora High, and damn Tataoka's got himself a job certificate with Gakuho. I can't touch him," Korosensei wept, his tentacles wiping away his tears like windshield wipers. The idea that Tataoka was actually hired by anyone at all for this type of task was horrible to Niji. She looked to the practicing, and suffering students, her eyes narrowing to an angered expression. "How could he get away with this? That brute will kill them all at this rate," Niji noted, freaking out Nabiku a bit more than she liked. With what Tataoka was doing, that wasn't too far of a possibility. "P-Please don't say that," Nabiku quietly said. However, Niji was trying to figure something out, too much to really hear Nabiku. Soon, the obvious answer came to mind, her fingers snapping. "Hey you, octopus. Try and get to that main building, maybe whoever's in charge can do something about it," Niji suggested, though the blunt 'octopus' nickname wasn't too appreciated. However, Korosensei wasn't looking too happy with the idea. "I can't do it," he replied meekly, slumping. "Why not?" "You kidding me?! These students are getting torn apart day in and day out, I have to be at the ready to patch them up at all times. Then there's having to fly back and forth between here and who-knows-where to keep up Karma Akabane, and trying to teach SOMETHING to these students here all day to make it even worth it, I -" Korosensei's rant was cut short when they all heard a yelp farther away, finding one of the students collapsed on the ground. Freaked out, Korosensei bolted right over, disappearing from sight and helping the kid. It was clear where his priorities were, and he didn't have time for anything extra. Pretty bad, and Niji and Nabiku were left to watch. Any of them to come out now and they're dead meat. Lucky Korosensei wasn't going to have that happen and kept his mouth shut about the two. "Oh dear," Nabiku simply said, as Niji got up and begun to walk away, bringing Nabiku with her. She wasn't leaving Nabiku alone here. "Ok, you better head off home before they see you. Catch you later." "What about you?" Nabiku asked. Niji paused for a moment, but eventually she sighed and looked to the worried Nabiku. Her injuries were still there, and seeing them made Niji more frustrated, but she tried to keep it down. "I'll be fine, trust me. Look, you just go home, come back tomorrow, and everything will get sorted out." ....... Nabiku had to rely on that for the rest of the day, and onto tomorrow. That, and the rest of the 3-E students as well, but with just that to go off of, there was a bit of a problem. what did Niji have in mind exactly? Hopefully nothing too hectic to the situation, though something had to be done before any students would lose more than just their dignity with Tataoka's training methods. With Korosensei not able to do anything, and Karasuma not trying too much to stop him either, Niji was basically their last bet to get this sorted out. Nabiku was especially scared to have to return to 3-E the next morning, scared to face Tataoka again. She barely could face the man over her last couple of days, what could she do here? The morning then was filled with a strong unease, and this affected practically every student one way or another on some level. They all sat outside, injuries not withstanding any of them, with Nabiku having the horrifying honor of a front row seat to face Tataoka. Korosensei and Karasuma weren't too far away, Korosensei in a doctor's outfit instead with products at the ready for what he was sure to be another time of quick first aid. It was the least he could do, and all he could do. Tataoka was standing in front of them all, seemingly pleased with the 'devotion' of his students. The feeling was mutual. She was right next to Nakamura, who had a few more injuries to her person in bruises. "So, what's going on? Did Niji figure something out, or what?" Nakamura quietly asked Nabiku, hoping for a good answer. "I don't know. She said everything will sort out tomorrow. ..." Nabiku quietly replied. Tataoka didn't notice either (thank god), and went over what his personal schedule entailed. "Ok, kids, this past week was fun as we all know. Time for us to take it up a notch. With this next schedule you'll kill that octopus in no time," Tataoka said, though his enthusiasm wasn't entirely shared. In fact, the others were shocked that Tataoka could make this any worse than it actually was. Then the schedule was presented: extra three hours after school of training! Tension was building. "This should work just fine. There's no such thing as too much practice. Everyone, line up -" "Are you insane?!" Terasaka shouted. He finally had enough. With days of getting a broken arm, constantly getting humiliated and beaten down, his fuse finally blew. Terasaka was on his feet, and face staring daggers at Tataoka. Tataoka met his gaze with his sinister smile and killer look. "You don't say no to me, remember? I'm the one calling the shots here, Terasaka." "Call this, you prick!" Terasaka snapped. Then the bold move: his free arm whacked the schedule right out of Tataoka's hand. They knew Tataoka was a dangerous character, but Terasaka didn't care anymore. His broken arm proved it. The schedule clipboard landed not too far away, and Terasaka was more than happy to stomp his foot right down on it, cracking the clipboard in two, and crumbling the paper. "All this nice work your dad does for you, and that's how you thank him?" Tataoka growled. Terasaka couldn't give less about that, nor about Tataoka and his feelings at it. "SHUT IT! You're not my dad, I'm not doing your schedule, and you can go and rot in hell for all I care!" Terasaka yelled. Tataoka just needed that bit of motivation to suddenly charge Terasaka. He tried to get out of the way, but Terasaka grabbed him by the throat before he could even run a foot away, lifting him up good and high! "Terasaka!" his gang members gasped, jumping to their feet. As Terasaka was getting choked, the two tried to help him out, but Tataoka just slammed them all aside., knocking them both to the ground with one mighty swing of his free hand. "Tataoka, put him down!" Karasuma demanded, but Tataoka's rage didn't give Karasuma any chance to get him out. "I'm the one in charge here now, Karasuma, you have no room to talk! If he doesn't want daddy's teaching so badly, then I'll send him on his way," Tataoka said, gripping Terasaka's throat even tighter. Tataoka wasn't serious, was he?! Karasuma was going to go right in and end things, but Korosensei then brought his tentacle onto his shoulder, keeping him back. Karasuma was going to say something when something suddenly zoomed by them both. ... And clocked Tataoka in the back of the head! Tataoka dropped Terasaka to the ground on the sudden impact of said object, Terasaka landing hard on the ground, but not on his broken arm again. Tataoka checked where he was hit, and then to the direction where the shot was made. As for the object, as it turned out, the object was actually a soccer ball borrowed from the 3-E storage shed. The ball rolled over backwards a bit, until a foot stepped onto it to keep it still. Tataoka was especially pissed now, and the newcomer wasn't doing him any favors. He was expecting Karasuma or Korosensei by where it was being launched from, but now someone new was there and ready to go. "Niji!" The students realized. Indeed, Niji was there, and she kicked up the soccer ball to her hands, just announcing to the class that she did slam Tataoka with it. Nearby, Korosensei was suddenly in a referee outfit, whistle blowing good and loud for her field goal. Tataoka shifted his smile to one of a more innocent look, but Niji was not buying it in the slightest. "Come out to play. And who're you?" "Don't give me that innocent game, Tataoka, you're not foolin nobody," Niji made clear, a little nonchalantly as she held her soccer ball. Terasaka got himself up, but Tataoka grabbed him firmly by the shoulder. Still, the rest of the class was more than happy to see her, hopefully she had a plan to put Tataoka in his place, or at least make their lives a bit easier. However, Niji was pretty much alone here, and not looking happy with Tataoka at all. "You're from the main building, right? I know you love to see 3-E under you from what I heard, so you want to help me in putting this kid in his place?" Tataoka offered, as if it was some sick game. Niji threw the soccer ball behind her, Karasuma catching it, as Niji gave a few stretches. ... "Tataoka. I hereby challenge you!" Niji announced. "WHAT?!" The class gasped. THAT was her plan?! To try and clobber Tataoka?! None of them could even make a proper scratch on him, what chance did Niji had against him? Niji was pretty up for getting the challenge going, but Tataoka was not taking her seriously. At least not as much as he should be. "Are you mad, Niji? You can't fight him with 3-E!" Nakamura said. "I'm not, it's one-on one. Me and you, Tataoka, come on!" "THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" While most of 3-E was a bit troubled, Tataoka just laughed at Niji. "One-on-one with me? Confident, but I'm just about to start my class up. You go off and play your soccer game -" BAM. Niji went right up to him, and her foot met right up to his face in a almost perfect air sidekick! The hit stung him a bit, and Niji landed right back on the ground. That proved she meant business, and Tataoka wasn't as cheerful anymore. To not only get hit by a soccer ball but also kicked square in the face! To Niji, she was glad Tataoka was taking her seriously. "Alright, tough shot, I'll make it simple: you win, you can stay and do what you want with 3-E. If I win, you pack your things, and get out of here. Or are you too scared?" Niji mocked, her deal making it clear in his ears. So the main plan was a duel, and whoever wins has to go away for good. Seemed straightforward enough, but the odds seemed stacked against Niji. A tomboy verses a experienced military instructor. "You want a fight, bitch? I'll give you a war." The signal for the fight to begin. Korosensei, not wanting any bystanders hurt more than how they are, quickly rushed around and got them all moved away from the arena Niji and Tataoka ended up being in. Niji on one side, Tataoka on the other, and both sides ready to fight. The new audience was placed off at a much safer distance, just as the two begin to head towards eachother. The first strike was made by Tataoka, charging in at Niji like a living freight train, fists ready to slam Niji to the dirt. However, Niji made a quick dodge, and her foot slipped under him and hooked his leg, making Tataoka tumble forward. He recovered, but Niji was already on him and bounced off of him with both feet. Both feet hit the center of Tataoka's back, and Niji landed with pure accuracy on the ground as light as a feather. It stung him, but Tataoka took his chance and rushed her again. Unlike before, Niji got grabbed by her leg, and Tataoka went to town on her: swinging her like a ragdoll and throwing her to the ground. Despite that, Niji jumped to her feet easily. "How'd she recover so fast? No one would even be standing after that," thought Nabiku, watching the fight unfold. Niji continued to impress, because not only did she recover, but as Tataoka readied to kick her, she actually dodged and high-kicked him in the jaw! "Sloppy, very sloppy," mocked Niji, infuriating Tataoka even more. It seemed that Niji was the opposite opponent to Tataoka. Tataoka may be able to smash limbs with a few strikes, but Niji and her agility won't even give him a chance most of the time. As the fight continued, the students began to get more excited and cheered Niji on. Tataoka got Niji moving off towards the building, limiting her movements he figured. Niji confronted Tataoka on the high ground, and blocked another power punch from Tataoka. Having her back to the building though left her with little room so she was stuck in a close combat range with Tataoka. "Come here!" Tataoka growled, swinging his fists away. Niji moved out away from most of the punches, leaving cracks in the wooden wall. The times they did strike Niji weren't as strong, but left some scratches still. The more he missed the more frustrated he got, and it escalated even further when Niji made Tataoka tumble again with a swing at his knees, Tataoka's face slamming into the wall. "Kick his ass!" shouted Terasaka. "Go Niji, you got it!" added Nakamura. "Shut the hell up," growled Tataoka. Nothing worse than your own students wishing you to lose. As the fight continued, Korosensei and Karasuma observed out away from the battle going on, Korosensei also cheering Niji on. "Go Niji go! Send him packing!" Korosensei cheered, waving a pair of pompon around as well. Karasuma, surprised still that Niji was doing as well as she was, didn't truly see the point in the fight. The actual deal the fight agreed to, that is. "You too?" "Come on, I don't want that jerk here either. You're just as good instructor, no, WAY better instructor!" "I don't think any of you get it. He's my replacement," Karasuma cleared up. "Yeah, and when he's gone you'll get your job back!" Korosensei said in glee. "No. I'm being transferred. This time tomorrow, he'll be all you got." "WHA?!" "I got the email from Seitenshi just before Tataoka showed up. He's cruel, but he's still the one who volunteered to take my place. The government can't leave you alone, so even if Niji wins, it won't make a difference." Unfortunately it was the main truth of the matter, one only Karasuma and now Korosensei truly understand. Niji and Tataoka were at eachother's throats at this point. Both bruised up but still having plenty of fighting spirit in between them both. Tataoka grew more and more frustrated with this new coming show off, and it didn't help that he was being made a fool of. Tataoka went in for a full charge, but Niji clocked him right in the stomach, stunning him a bit, before making him fall to the ground. It seemed like it was going to be the final strike to Tataoka, and everyone around Niji was hoping for such. Just one knockout blow will send Tataoka packing for sure. Tataoka though was not even close to giving up, pushing up from the ground. His breath was strained, his teeth grinded, and his fury at its breaking point. "Damn you. .... Damn you! ..." "Ready to give up, Tataoka?" Niji called. Tataoka wasn't taking that, not now, not ever. Tataoka took a look to Niji. She was beaten up, but she treated her injuries like it was nothing. "You bitch. You think you can beat me? COME ON THEN!" Niji needed no more motivation and rushed at him, fast as she could. However, one person in the audience finally had enough in this fight, and got in between them both. "That's enough you two!" yelled Karasuma. "What're you doing, move it!" "This is getting nowhere. Tataoka, this has gone on long enough -" "SHUT IT! I'm in charge, I'm leader, and I'LL SILENCE ANYONE WHO GETS IN MY WAY! NOW DIE YOU BASTARD!!" It all escalated so fast, and not a person could intervene any further. Tataoka rushed forward, but his hand ended up reaching for something in his pocket, drawing it out fast and ready to strike. When they saw this, they knew Tataoka was ready to kill to secure himself. An assassin knife! "MOVE!" Niji shouted, Karasuma suddenly being shoved out of the way. Then it happened. As Karasuma picked himself up off the ground, Tataoka made the move that shocked everyone. The blade met its mark alright, right in Niji's head! It all played in slow motion: A gasp from Niji as the blade stabbed right through her skull, her blood flying in the air and scattering around on the ground. Tataoka forcing the blade in as hard as he could and driving Niji into the dirt with a powerful smash, strong enough to shake the ground! There was no doubt in anyone's mind when they saw this, that Niji's life was now cut short. An eerie silence hung in the air for a little while, until Tataoka broke the silence with a victorious laugh, lifting Niji's lifeless body like a trophy for the whole world to see. "Take a good long look. Daddy doesn't like when his children disobey him. Otherwise daddy will hurt them. Just like her," Tataoka made clear, before tossing her aside, Niji landing hard on the ground in a thud. If none of his methods worked before, they did now. This was murder he just did, and Tataoka made it clear he will not be trifled with the most bluntest way possible. "N-Niji?" Nabiku said. Niji didn't move. ........ *clap*...*clap*...*clap* In the silence of the air, slow claps echoed in everyone's ears. But from who? None of the students were clapping, neither were the 3-E instructors. It took a bit to look, but eventually someone else decided to join this little sharada, and his slow clapping didn't make his introduction anything friendly. Tataoka, who was just moments ago smiling and gloating, paused for a moment and turned to the next quarry. Not a good idea to have more visitors when he just killed someone. And who was the one stepping out? "Gakuho, sir! Thank god you're here!" "Understood, Korosensei. ... Tataoka, what is the meaning of this?" Gakuho demanded, staring into Tataoka's soul. In his moment of insane glory, Tataoka took it in stride, and even walked over to Niji. "Test in loyalty. These end students were getting out of line," Tataoka simply said. Gakuho looked down to Niji as Tataoka laughed, seeing the knife still lodged through her head. Normally, a injury to an E student would be overlook, but Gakuho saw the extent on how far Tataoka had gone. And that wasn't the only thing he had remembered. .... "Gakuho, there's someone here to see you." "Send him in." In his office, Gakuho kept up his usual paperwork for his Orora High school. Being principal made work at the school anything but easy, and getting a visitor coming to his office on surprise like this didn't make his position any easier. It took only a few moments before he cleared off his desk, and a few more moments before the door to his office opened up, revealing that it was Niji entering. Gakuho paused for a moment on this girl entering unprovoked, but didn't stop her from doing so. "Hey there. Are you in charge of Orora High?" Niji started. "I am. Though I don't recall allowing you into my school." "I know, I let myself in. Now listen, I wanna talk to ya," Niji stated. Gakuho just nodded and let this person continue. Though she couldn't have anything too important far as he was concern, not being a student of his school in the first place. "It's the students over at 3-E. I'm just going to say it: what're you trying to do to them?! That new instructor Tataoka is tearing them up!" Niji said, cutting right to the quick. More time spent put more students at risk. Gakuho stayed calm in spite of the outbursts from this character. "What would it matter to you? You're not even enrolled in my classes. And anyway, he's just doing his job I gave him." "You don't get it. In just a week he broke one kid's arm, he made several kids faint from exhaustion, one isn't even GOING to school anymore because of him! You can't have that monster teaching those kids!" Niji yelled, leaning into the desk and getting into Gakuho's face about it. At that point Gakuho stood up and stared Niji down. "That has no concern to you. Like I said -" "And I say you can't allow that kind of cruelty! So what I'm not enrolled here, it's called common sympathy!" Now it was Gakuho's turn to lean in, making the angry Niji back up a step. "Pay attention. You can make your statements, but my system requires 3-E to remain where it has always been, at the bottom. I put Tataoka there to make sure of that." "WHAT?! You're letting this happen?! Those students hadn't done anything and they're getting -" "It's because they hadn't done anything is that they're set as an example to the others. Tataoka knows that, he wouldn't go too far with it I'm sure." "But ... But you ARE going to do something?!" Gakuho sat down. Rather than a straightforward answer, all he did was gesture to the door. Niji was completely furious: those kids were getting killed and Gakuho won't do a thing about it. "FINE! If you won't do anything about it, I WILL!" Niji exclaimed. With that outburst, and stormed out the door, slamming the door behind her and leaving Gakuho alone. Gakuho sighed from the stress gained in that conversation and was going to get back to his papers, but just before he could, something on the floor caught his eye. It was where Niji was just standing, and something Gakuho knew wasn't there before. A stray feather. Tataoka did go too far. Seeing Niji laying there proved Gakuho's mistake most of all. "By killing, Tataoka?" "Hey, you hired me to keep them in line, that's what I'm doing. You don't give a shit about them anyway, what's it matter to you?" Tataoka snapped. A stab of irony at his own soul. Gakuho quietly moved passed Karasuma and Korosensei, confronting Tataoka right in front. Tataoka didn't know what Gakuho was up to, but he wasn't going to let himself get trifled again. "True as that may be, there is a line between discipline and murder. A brute has no line between such things, something as we clearly see you hadn't found. ... I don't take brutes," Gakuho clearly stated. Tataoka didn't seem to be taking him seriously though, unfortunately for him. "Come on, you want that octopus dead, and so do I. You want them to remain at the bottom too, what better way than breaking them down day by day til only the strong remain?" Tataoka retorted. As this confrontation continued, some of the students were seeing a situation a bit more worriedly. Nabiku in particular saw this going on, and when Nakamura checked her shy friend, Nabiku had a look of disbelief, and utter shock with wide eyes. She almost looked pale white, she was so shocked. Sure, they were a bit spooked by Niji's death, but Nabiku took it a bit far herself. "Nabiku, what's up?" Nakamura quietly asked. All Nabiku did was turn Nakamura's head to the object in question, Nakamura getting basically the same reaction. ... "You're right, I do want stronger students. And yet, you just killed a strong-willed, and physically powerful student that could've proved useful. Quite hypocritical." "You can talk: protecting the students you could care less for! The government sent me here, they are getting impatient with that hellish teacher over there, and they want him dead! You got a long way to go before you can tell me what to -" "Are you two done wining yet? Seriously, you take forever!" The source of the voice made everyone freeze up. They knew the voice, but it couldn't be possible after what just happened. Sure enough, the sight of her standing there proved everything wrong. Niji! And not just that, but up on her feet alive and well. Sure, it would be a surprise just to see that, but Niji still had that blade jutting out of her head, Niji not even paying attention to it at all. In fact, she looked more impatient and bugged than anything, their fight taking a sudden halt thanks to Karasuma and Gakuho interrupting. Even the calm Karasuma and Gakuho were left a bit speechless by seeing this supposedly dead girl just standing there, impatiently tapping her foot and arms crossed. "W-WHAAAAA?! How're you still alive?!" Tataoka yelled. "You're crazy!" commented Korosensei. Niji took a moment to see the stunned crowd nearby, though not exactly getting why yet. "You all okay? Look ready to faint." "We're the ones that should be asking you that! You got a damn knife through your head, Niji!" Terasaka stated, pointing to the knife in question. "Eh?" Niji stopped and looked up to the blade jutting out of her head. Niji didn't appear to be making any big deal about this though, seeing that she was treating it as nothing more than a splinter or something. Tataoka, snapping back to the situation, wasn't going to take this lying down. "DAMN YOU!" Tataoka shouted, running at her again. Niji was not only alive, but pretty much just as active as before, doing a backflip right over Tataoka, and a foot whacking him right behind the head. Tataoka toppled over again, nearly landing on the students nearby, as Niji landed on her feet over by the instructors. They came back around, but they couldn't believe what they were actually seeing. No matter the experience, surviving a knife to the head like this just was impossible, nevermind getting up and dodging as easily as before. "How the hell? Even with a knife through her head, she still toppled him over. ... She's not human," though Karasuma, and indeed the idea was there. Tataoka turned himself around, but before Niji could go in, Gakuho placed a hand on her shoulder, and walking ahead. Tataoka didn't get up yet, but Gakuho had a little something extra for him. A piece of paper to reassign him from his school, which Gakuho more than happily shoved into Tataoka's mouth. "Any brute who loses to a force weaker than himself has lost all hope of persuasive power," Gakuho stated, his devilish expression piercing Tataoka's mind and soul. Tataoka gagged a little bit before spitting out the paper, reading what it said. Basically, Tataoka was fired, and with what just happened, he was not going to be accepted here, even if Karasuma was being transferred anyway as he said. With Niji basically beating him, the students hating him, and Gakuho firing him, all those combine factors finally broke him. "Shit ... SHIT ... DAMN YOU ALL!" Tataoka finally took off, running past Gakuho, past the other instructors, past the 3-E building and running off out of sight. Tataoka was not staying around any longer, especially with an apparently unkillable girl standing right there too. "YES! Ok, you all should be good now," Niji promised. "Niji, is it? ... Firstly, mind removing that blade now?" suggested Gakuho, his finger on the blade. "Oh yeah, forgot. Hold on," Niji said. With a simple tug and pull, the blade popped out of her head with ease, and she tossed it aside with no problem. Korosensei caught it before it could end up caught by someone else, and the teacher started to chew it as a midday snack. One of many odd habits of Korosensei, surely, but that wasn't the main focus here. It was then that Gakuho presented that same feather he found in his office earlier. Niji looked to the feather he was holding, not sure where he was going with this. "What's the point of this thing?" "It was exactly where you were standing back in my office. That, and after seeing that display, well ... better tell us exactly what you are, Niji," Gakuho insisted. Niji stayed quiet, arms crossed again and thinking it over. When they looked though, it seemed that Niji felt a bit in a corner about the situation. Everyone around waited for her to talk, but in the end she just looked over to the others. "Well, after seeing that, I don't think lying's possible, so I'll just say it," Niji decided. So, the rest quietly waited for her to speak, Gakuho nodding for her to make her statement. ... "I am experiment unit 701-6G. Codename "Niji". I have been sent down by president Seitenshi herself to see the true status of Orora High and its current situation." Niji paused and looked to Korosensei before continuing on saying "I kept this identity secret since my arrival, but its apparent I have no choice but to reveal after that display of mine. Problematic I'm sure, but as it may, I request you all to keep this true identity of mine a secret from here on out. And Gakuho, before you ask, yes I didn't tell you anything about this, that was just me trying to keep it secretive. My actions earlier today were to have Tataoka replaced with another, as his actions deemed too harsh and torturous as you can plainly see. Now that is disposed of, I can continue my observations from here." Quite a reveal, and one they needed a minute to take in. Still, it was at least something, and 3-E wasn't foreign to government activity here, so the feeling was a bit less shocking than anticipated. Gakuho kept quiet and looked closer to Niji for a moment or two, Niji staying as quiet as she could be with a firm and serious stare. "A experiment? ... Is that what you are, Niji?" Nabiku thought, surprised as everyone else on this revelation. Nothing on her really said anything like that, but after her display and survival it seemed more likely. Made more sense, at least. "So I see. ..." Gakuho simply said. "Good. Now, if you excuse me, I have a report to make," Niji said, walking past them all. However, Karasuma kept an especially closer eye on Niji as she left. The students got it, Korosensei got it, even Gakuho got it. But Karasuma. ... "Strange. Seitenshi never mentioned any experiment units. ..." ~~ Around the world, team a Harmony was still getting themselves all settled in, and now at pretty good terms with Central and their presence. Being in central for a good week or so, and much of the group had basically grown used to being around the military base. With Envy's main capture, this gave them all a bit more ease for the first time since hearing about the possibility, the combined efforts of Edward Elric, Sebastian, Nagisa, Blair and Twilight finally getting Envy locked up and putting the worry at ease. So long as Envy stayed locked up at central, they're all pretty much safe here. Ciel would normally call it done and head home if his task had been just that, but the group decided to stay just a little while longer, just to be sure. Those involved got their credit of course, and things were put back to normal as things went. Still, some extra time to be sure if anyone extra was hidden away couldn't hurt. It was late at night, many guards at much calmer patrol over before, now knowing that the main Homunculus was now in custody. For Team Harmony, they were in their room and already fast asleep. In the boys room, while most of the boys were fast asleep at this point, Aladdin was not only still awake, but as Nagisa was trying to stay asleep, Aladdin was actually crouched right by him, and started poking him. "Psst. Nagisa? Nagisa," Aladdin quietly said, as he continued to poke him. However, all Nagisa did was just groan slightly, not wanting to wake up. The little magi decided to change his target, and turned over to Ciel next. As he did with Nagisa, he began to poke at Ciel in the face, as before not wanting to wake up. "Ugh ... Sebastian," Ciel groaned sleepily, as he tried to ignore Aladdin. This was started to get annoying, and Aladdin pouted on his attempts. It only needed a little bit of thinking before he tried something else: brushing his ponytail in Ciel's face. He kept the end of it right at Ciel's face until the tickling irritation finally brought Ciel around. Not his typical response, but hey it works. As Ciel tried to wake up to see what was going on Aladdin did the same thing over to Nagisa, same results as well. "Aladdin? Do you know what time it is?" Nagisa asked, annoyed as he rubbed his eye to look at his friend. Ciel wasn't as enthused either, if not even more annoyed. "This is far too early for me. This better be good," Ciel said, looking over to Aladdin with one eye open. Still, Aladdin seemed pretty grateful that both of them were up and about. Or at least up at all. "You two want to see something beautiful?" asked Aladdin quietly. "Whatever it is, can't it wait until the morning?" groaned Ciel. "Nope. Come on, you'll both like it, and tonight's perfect," Aladdin said. Nagisa and Ciel both were starting to get a little curious, and more so when Aladdin brought out his turban and made his flying carpet out of it, just outside the window. It remained floating in place, and Aladdin presented it like a taxi driver of sorts. Whatever Aladdin had in mind, it wasn't going to be right here as Ciel and Nagisa had hoped it would be. Regardless, and it took a extra while to get dressed casually but they did eventually agree to follow him. Keeping their eyes closed (something Aladdin told them to do), all three of them took a ride on the flying carpet and Aladdin brought them along quietly skyward. They only knew they were moving due to the wind pushing on them, but that wasn't the point. The point was more on where they were going, knowing they've stopped once they felt the ground of one of Central's rooftops. Aladdin hopped off and turned to Nagisa and Ciel. "Okay, open your eyes and look up," Aladdin instructed, talking more casually this time. So Nagisa and Ciel did as told, and looked up. It was then they saw what Aladdin wanted them to see. Up high in the sky around them were plenty of stars, all shining high and bright and twinkling away, full moon showcasing its stars to the world below. Not often do you see a night sky like this, and with them up on a rooftop and with no clouds in the way they got a front row seat. It was too bad that Ciel would rather be sleeping. "Oh wow. ... Look at that," Nagisa said. Honestly it was all he could really say about the situation. Soon Aladdin was right in between them and fell onto his back, eyes to the sky and now casually laying down and stargazing. "I know, I didn't want to miss the chance. Lay down, let's see what we can make out in the stars," Aladdin offered. "Such a childish game. You can do what you wish," Ciel said as he started to walk away. "Ciel, Aladdin brought us up here. We might as well hang around for a little bit," Nagisa suggested. "No! I'm bloody tired, get it?" Ciel snapped. Honestly Nagisa couldn't blame him for acting like that. Still, when Ciel saw Aladdin's face, Aladdin looked sadly disappointed in him. A reminder of what Aladdin told him to do earlier when they arrived here. ... "... Well ... on second thought ... maybe it couldn't hurt for just a few minutes." That surely made the mood better, and soon all three of them were laying down and checking out the stars. It was a pretty night sky, and not one often people would see in a place like this. As time went on, they took turns in making out constellations in the night sky, a similar manor to making out pictures in the clouds. Most of the time it was Aladdin's imagination that was making out constellations in the night sky for the first five minutes. Aside from that, the only main sounds to be heard was ... well, nothing. The wind was silent, guards were quiet, and the others didn't know they were up there so they had a relaxing moment up there. At one point, Aladdin was pointing out another picture up in the night sky. "Look there. Isn't that Ursa Major?" Aladdin asked. "No, that's Ursa Minor. Ursa Major's right next to it," Nagisa said, pointing to the right constellation. "I always mix that up, how do you do it? What's the trick?" Aladdin asked, curious. Nagisa sat up and pointed over to the North Star. "You see the North Star? That is the end of the Ursa Major. Follow the constellation to that star, and it's right there," Nagisa explained, his finger following the motions as he said so. Aladdin followed his example, and sure enough, Ursa Minor was right there as he said it would. "Oh, cool. I have to remember that," Aladdin said, Nagisa smiling to him as Aladdin looked at them both. A nice moment for sure, but both of them then turned over to Ciel next, who hadn't said anything since he got here. "Ciel, what can you see? Come on," insisted Aladdin. Ciel just sighed. "Fine. If you insist," Ciel said. Then his focus went up to the stars above as he tried to make something out. At first, it was a little difficult since, apparently, he can't make anything in particular out with so many stars. Aladdin and Nagisa waited for a minute, watching Ciel work out the stars best he could. It took Ciel about five minutes of connecting dots before he managed to work something out. "I see ... a Swanna," Ciel concluded. Honestly he felt a little silly in this sort of game, but Aladdin and Nagisa looked to where Ciel had pointed. It took a bit to work it out in their own heads, but they eventually saw Ciel's Swanna. "Oh yeah, I see it now. There it is, wings spread," Nagisa said. "Yeah, good job, Ciel -" That was when Aladdin suddenly paused himself. Nagisa found that odd, and turned to his magi friend, and then followed his eyes over towards Ciel. Aladdin's eyes were starry again, this time his hands covering his mouth in amazement over something. As for this something, the object of interest was right there on Ciel's face. Something that Aladdin was especially hoping to see. ... A smile. It was small and soft, but still a smile. Ciel Phantomhive's smile. "Huh? ... What?" asked Ciel, once he noticed them looking at him. His smile disappeared after that but both still had the affect on them, Aladdin especially. Eventually Aladdin moved his hands away, showing a smile of his own. "Ciel ... this is the first time I've seen you smile," Aladdin revealed. Ciel turned away, trying to brush it off as nothing special. Technically speaking though Aladdin was right. This was really the first time they had ever seen Ciel actually smile, even if it was rather small for a smile. In the end though, Ciel just looked back up to the stars. "I suppose. ... What do you see in the stars?" asked Ciel. Aladdin was more than happy to start his little point out, showing Ciel his constellations up in the sky. Nagisa simply say there and observed. "So Ciel finally smiled. That only means that he's getting more used to being around us. ... You sure bring out the good Aladdin," Nagisa thought, remembering what Aladdin had done before this point, mainly how nice and cheery he was with him and his friends. Nagisa felt glad to have a friend like him around. ... "Is he still in his cell?" The voice was faint, but Nagisa just managed to catch earshot of it, along with Aladdin and Ciel. Far as they were concerned, they were the only ones who were outside, so hearing this was a bit of interest. The odd thing that made it interesting was that the voice sounded far too young to be an actual guard on duty. Even Edward sounded older than that, and he was the youngest in the Amestris army last they checked. It didn't sound no further than the edge of the building, and it sounded rather serious as well. Pretty peculiar if one were to ask. With a silent agreeing, the trio quietly moved over to the edge of the building, making sure not to make too much noise in their little approach just in case the person were to hear them. Curiosity surely got the best of them here, and their curiosity revealed them a pair of figures walking down on the ground level. It was actually who it was that made the situation more intriguing and curious. "Wait. Is that -" "King Bradley. He must be checking on Envy," Ciel concluded, and indeed it was. Bradley was up and about that night too, and as Ciel had hypothesized, he was moving along his walk to see the Homunculus in question. He hadn't checked in on Envy in a while, not since he himself locked him away. What made the situation strange was that Bradley was not alone. His young son, Salim, was also with him and he looked far more serious than normal. That, and seeing how Bradley just nodded his head, it appeared it was Salim who asked the question. ........ Within the makeshift cell created, Bradley and Salim opened up the only true door evident to said room, and being the main source of light aside from the small opening up on the metal wall. The small opening was the only one consistent link to the outside world, and with Salim and Bradley going on in, they got view of the only main prisoner in here, being Envy. After his capture, Envy was chained up and restricted in a straight jacket, cuffs in his feet as well along with being seated in a interrogation chair. An interrogation would be rather fitting to get some answers out of this spy. "What do you want?" Envy hissed, clearly not pleased in seeing either of them. "It seems you're still defiant, even after your defeat by those other humans. Now, you should started talking if you know what is good for you." "Why? You'll just kill me regardless of what I say. What's the point?" Envy spat, turning away from both figures. Why wouldn't the king of Amestris kill him off anyway? Bradley and Salim looked to eachother before Salim started talking. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Envy Homunculus," said Salim. Envy felt a little surprised but didn't show it in front of them. "So you know who I am." "Naturally. Then again we had known you were here ever since you stepped foot into Central. We only left you alone to see how well you actually do." "You pathetic human scum. Why didn't you say anything then?" "Being the king of Amestris, if I were to find you out straight away, suspicions would abound amongst the troops. This method allows me to talk to you more freely," explained Bradley. "Why the hell would you care, you pathetic worm?! I refuse to play putty to any human bastards like you," Envy hissed. Seemed he didn't want to talk no matter what the case may be. Strangely, it was Salim who gave the order for Bradley to step on aside, allowing Salim to confront Envy. A rather odd choice, but Salim seemed oddly confident, a sense of deception in his eyes as he looked to Envy. "Humans are such a troubling creature, I have to agree on that. Though you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. You of all Homunculus should know that fact better than anything else," Salim explained. This rather ominous talk Envy easily could catch, and what is more, it almost seemed that Salim's shadow was starting to grow and extend around from under his feet, and towards his chair. Envy was left stunned as these same shadows branched off of the floor, crawling up the chair and up his body. "What the hell? What kind of magic is this? ... Who are you?" Envy wondered, looking back at Salim. Salim smiled to him in his usual fashion, not showing a sign of malicious intent, though the shadows say otherwise. "The humans refer to me as Salim: son of the King Bradley. But that's just merely a surname to my true identity. ..." All of a sudden, the shadows all stopped, and all at once, dos end of eyes opened up around the walls and floor, all looking directly at Envy. "My real name is Pride. The first created Homunculus." Envy froze. Homunculus. This young child, this seemingly weak and admittedly humble child is a Homunculus? And not just any Homunculus, but the very first Homunculus?! It was a long time for him to even see any Homunculus, and here was the very first. Envy wasn't sure what to really say, but as it stands, Pride was pretty content with the reveal towards another. Envy took a glance over to Bradley, the apparent father of Salim. "So I guess he's your creator then?" "No not really. In fact, I consider myself in charge of him. He wouldn't trouble a Homunculus like me, won't you Bradley?" Pride said, looking to him. Bradley stayed quiet and just turned his gaze away. "Wouldn't think anything of it," Bradley simply said. Here was when Envy began to feel his own restrictions loosen on his body, and sure enough Pride's shadows were tearing off the jacket, shredding it up with sharp miniature claws. It just took no short of a minute to complete before Envy found himself free of the jacket, the only thing remaining being shredded fabric. Pride's shadows started to retreat soon after that and soon Pride appeared back to being a pretty innocent Salim again. A pretty convincing disguise he had to say, even for Envy Homunculus. Still, it felt good to be out of that jacket after everything. "Envy. As you can imagine, this is something that shouldn't be pass word on. We both would appreciate it if you kept yourself quiet," Bradley warned. Envy nodded, but this was admittedly perfect! So this was why Envy was put to this in the end. With that finished up, Envy did what practically anyone freed would do, and started to slip away. Envy shapeshifter into a small bird, and beelined it right out the only opening there was. Even if he promised to be quiet about it, this was something he HAD to get in on. He wasn't going to stick around any longer, especially after the embarrassing capture and alert of the guards. "So what're you going to tell them, Bradley?" Pride asked, though he sounded like he knew the answer to it anyway. "I executed Envy Homunculus during the night, and the threat has been disposed of." "Very good. Let's go." Without another word, they soon left themselves, and left the room quiet and with no being left inside.
S03Ep5: Pluton ~冥王星~"Lust? What is the meaning of this?" Back in Tartarus, things were starting to get just a little bit dicey for Lust. After her little escapade back in the surface world on that train ride, she had been sent straight back down to the underworld, and now she was on the ground by Sombra's own feet. As if Envy and his troubling antics weren't bad enough, now he also had her and Gluttony to deal with, although it was only Lust there alone. Things were dicey enough as it is, this fail didn't make anything better for the demon lord. As Sombra stood there and stared her down, Lust remained in her kneel in submission. She wished she had better news other than what happened for Sombra, and what she did tell him didn't help much either on her end. "I thought it was a good idea at the time," Lust admitted. again, it wasn't exactly helping much. "Damn Homunculus. I give you three just one job, and I keep finding you running around trying to kill off the quarry without my order. I give you these orders to do and all you have to do is follow them, yet you can't do that correctly." "But why can't we try and finish this early?" Lust asked. That was one question that was left a bit ambiguous throughout this task, but one Sombra had his answer for. "Because it's not the right time yet. And apparently you can't even do that anyway. Besides, no one ordered you to split your group apart." "But it works out: Envy is keeping his eye on Bradley -" "AND got captured by Amestris Central! It's reasons like these which I try to avoid, you know, I don't pick these tasks just for the hell of it. Now, you standby here until further notice, and if you can't even do that ..." Sombra finished his statement with a clenched fist, a bit of black smoke seeping out of his palm. For the female homunculus, that was more than enough of a indication on the matter at hand. These risks were getting more and more dangerous, Sombra couldn't risk this any further than it already had. "... Understood." "You better," Sombra said. With that finished, Lust stood up and started to move off out of the throne room. Sombra gave a rough sigh to this, hand over his face. It was hard to keep creatures like that in line. Sombra was just about to head out of the room himself until. ... "SOMBRA! Sombra, emergency!" Gluttony was back. Sure, Gluttony kinda messed up too, but splitting up and going after Team Harmony again wasn't his idea so Sombra allowed him to slide. All the same though, seeing gluttony charge in from the side door in a complete panic did catch Sombra's interest. The large homunculus raced in, almost stumbling over his own feet he was in such a hurry. Gluttony got himself over at Sombra's feet, winded and sweating like mad. "What is it, Gluttony? Run out of human servants?" Sombra asked, not exactly worried, but interested. "No, no, no, no, no, something worse than that!" Gluttony insisted. Sombra still wasn't too sure about this, but allowed Gluttony to continue with the motion of his hand. "Well, I was on my way to the throne room after lunch, when I started to smell something different. You know how I am with scents, so I followed this odd smell. It smelled like a mix of fire, and acid or something. Rather peculiar -" "Will you get to the point?" Sombra asked. Sure, it was important, but he didn't need the details like that. Gluttony gulped, and went on to his point. "Ok ok. I followed the smell down to that prisoner cell under the palace, and check in a cell. Sombra, there's someone missing!" Missing? Missing how? Sombra found that a bit hard to believe with the kind of prison down there. Still, Sombra kept himself calm a bit, and looked down to Gluttony. Any prisoner he knew of had never found a way out of that prisonhold, so which one would manage now? Unless ... "And which one might I ask?" Sombra questioned. Gluttony needed to get his own word together just to say it, but he was so fidgety it was a lot harder than it looked. "T-T-Tir .... Tir ..." "Tear?" "Tir. Tir. Tir." "A tear's not a person, Gluttony, spit it out." And so ... "Tirek! IT'S TIREK, HE'S ESCAPED!!" That's when the long silence came. Sombra was dead quiet and not a sound to be heard. Gluttony wasn't sure if the reveal would get him killed or not, but when that Homunculus looked to Sombra face to face, the look was enough to make Gluttony shiver. Sombra was wide eyed, simply speechless, as the demon lord configured what Gluttony just told him. Lord Tirek: the previous ruler of Tartarus and Sombra's prime prisoner, now escaped to who knows where. "... Gluttony ... You're lying. ... Please say you are. ..." Sombra said, his voice hushed and almost troubled. In his years working with him, Gluttony never saw Sombra like this, ever. "N-No, I'm not. ..." No. No, Sombra wouldn't believe it. Before Gluttony could say anything, Sombra raced off in a flash, straight down to the very cell in question in little to no time at all. That kind of report he will not buy until he sees it for himself. In his rush, Gluttony tried to follow him as best he could, but Sombra obviously moved a lot faster to see what was what. Other smaller devils and demons saw him rush by, wondering what was going on. It was then that he reached the cell in question, skidding to a stop. He hadn't been here in a while, and if what Tirek said had anything to go on, then Sombra wondered if he actually wanted to see what was in there, but he knew he had to in order to be sure. Sombra was so quick, he practically tore off the cell doors to see inside the cell. No Tirek. The only thing that remained inside there was just a black arena, a pillar torn off away, and the chains snapped off at the very tips, just enough for the cuffs to slip free. Sombra wouldn't believe what he was seeing, and the other little crowd behind him was just as shocked about it as he was, if not more so. At first, Sombra was completely quiet, examining the chains that were left behind. The chains didn't look burnt off, cut, or even snapped, but more rather manually removed from the cuffs. How could Tirek just bust out after so long of imprisonment? ... "S-Sombra?" Sombra turned back to the crowd after getting himself calmed down from the shock, seeing that the crowd was not feeling any better about the situation. "What do you know about this?" Sombra hissed, making the others a little worried. "N-Nothing, we didn't see anything!" one of the devils shivered. Sombra felt that going on would waste even more time about it, so he left it on that. "Demons, stay right here until I come back." "But what about Tirek?" "Don't bother, I know exactly where he's going," Sombra made clear, walking past them. Before Sombra could go, he stopped himself and turned over to Gluttony. "Gluttony, try and track down who would've released him. Impossible for that demon to break himself out without some help." "Yes sir," Gluttony said, going into the cell and trying to get the scent down correctly. After that, Sombra then went off on his way, assured that whoever got him out would be apprehended by the time he'll get back. First Envy ended up captured, and now this? ~~ Back in Amestris, the group was actually getting some better progress about the situation. The sun shining bright for that morning, skies clear and perfect for some basic practice, which was a common thing to see around Central base. What wasn't too common, but accepted and promised to be kept as a secret was the alchemy practice Ed and Twilight were going through. As some guards were doing the basic training practice with guns and such, Ed and Twilight had a large arena to themselves provided by King Bradley for their victory two nights prior. Twilight had a decent start, but with Ed now giving her some knowhow, she had a more proper grip on this alchemy magic. Nearby, the others took some time to watch her: Yoroi, Nagisa, Aladdin, Salim, and Alphonse respectively, with the rest off doing their own thing in Central. Salim was there on permission of Bradley (least that was what they were told) to watch the alchemists at work. They had their seats at a rather safe distance, leaving Ed and Twilight plenty of room to do their own business. "K, Yugure, you ready for this?" Ed called, feeling pretty confident in himself. "I'm ready," Twilight replied. Both her hands had gloves on them, each one with the alchemic symbol of her choice on them (not the fire alchemy like before). The first one to make a move was Ed himself, starting off with a power surge towards her, hands digging into the ground and causing the ground to shift and rush to her. Twilight countered this with a jump to her side, and she tried to focus her own energy into a similar move. Unlike Ed and his fullmetal alchemy though, Twilight didn't really summon up much of anything, at least nothing as strong as Ed's attempt. Practice at least got her just a little further in that aspect, even if the attack was hardly any. Next thing she knew ... "AAHH - ow!" Whacked down by Ed alchemy. It wasn't the first time that she was whacked from Ed's moves, nor was it the first time not doing so good in this alchemy training. Still, with what she used to be, one could actually call her a alchemist now. A minor one, but an alchemist all the same. "Win again!" Ed said, as Twilight got up off the ground. When that round was done, Salim and Aladdin were more than happy to share their enthusiasm. "That was amazing! I never seen so much awesome power before, it's more amazing than everyone said!" Salim beamed. "I know, that's so cool! So much power and with such ease, you can topple a building in ten seconds flat!" added Aladdin. Ed smiled in confidence by his little admirers, who both had admiration in their eyes. Well, they weren't complaining about anything. "I'll get you one of these days," Twilight replied, bruised but fine. "Your sister sure has been working hard on this," Al said, pointing to Twilight as he was speaking to Yoroi. "That's my sister for you: when she sets her mind on any study, she's stuck to it," Yoroi said, smiling. Admittedly though, he was surprised as anyone else that Twilight was even able to do alchemy, let alone practice with another alchemist. "Oh, by the way, Yoroi. ... You're not uh, freaked out about this, are you?" Nagisa asked, wanting to be sure a little bit. "Well actually no, don't worry. My friend's an alchemist, and he practically shows off his alchemy on a daily basis," Yoroi admitted, easing Nagisa's nerves. Guess this attempt to be Twilight's teacher was another attempt to show off on his part, if that was the case. Well, Nagisa went back to looking at the practice, seeing Twilight training her heart out in this session. He knew what Yoroi meant by that, that was for sure. That, and seeing Salim and Aladdin enjoying it too just made the moment a rather enjoyable one. Even if a bit rough on the trainer and trainee's end. Envy was in custody, Twilight was training, and it won't be very long until they actually get to go back home. What other reason was there to stay around anymore now? ... arrrrooooooooo Nagisa stopped his thoughts on the strange noise. Funny thing. A very distant, low sort of howl or rumble, or some sort of mix between the two, but Nagisa didn't find any source of it anywhere. "Must be just me," Nagisa thought. ARRRROOOOOOOOO Now it wasn't just him, and his nerves were starting to shiver on him. None of the others really seemed to notice anything, but Nagisa was sure that something was going on, but what? The rumbled howl sounded more severe in his head, feeling goosebumps and a signature chill run through him, signs of his demon sense. One problem: there was no sign of any demon anywhere. Even if there was Blair, or Sebastian coming around, neither of them howled. "Did you hear something just now?" Nagisa questioned, turning next to him. "I don't think so," replied Alphonse. arrrrooooooooo Now the howling was taking a bigger effect on him, a quick shiver running through his body, like a sense of a strong demon nearby. Nagisa rubbed some cold sweat off of his head, as his body felt goosebumps all over him. With his attention too, Al was the first to see the odd reaction, unsure what to say. "Uh, you alright? You look like you got a cold," Al asked. "I-I'm alright. I think I -" ARRROOOOOOOOO "GAK!" Nagisa cringed now. This was no ordinary demon he was sensing, but he couldn't figure out where. It was here that Nagisa got up to his feet, hand to his forehead as he did. He wasn't too worried over the demon sense itself, but rather where the source was coming from. He'd grown used to his demon sense since being around Sebastian and Blair a lot, but this was a bit bigger than normal. Where was this coming from? The sound also got Yoroi's attention alongside. "Nagisa? What's wrong?" "I-I'm fine, just give me a second," Nagisa insisted, taking a few steps away from the group. Nagisa had to think on what was even going on, but as his demon sense went on some more - arrrrooooooooo Then something new happened. Usually this sort of demon sense would be just that, mainly a sense like a radar, but this time the demon sense came with a mental image. It was mainly a silhouette, but the image was still a prominent one, and one Nagisa couldn't help but see as he closed his eyes, trying to get his mind together. The figure, for a start, looked huge, and with some sort of rounded head and it was holding some sort of weapon in one hand. This image stayed there for a little bit more, and then ... ARRRROOOOOOOOO "AHHHH!" Nagisa felt the screech pierce his brain, strong enough to finally subdue him. The scream made everyone nearby stop, and suddenly Nagisa was gripping his head, and he fell to his knees! This demon sense made him feel bad before, but this sudden attack was hellish, feeling like someone stabbed his forehead with a sword! "Nagisa! Nagisa, you alright?!" Aladdin asked, worried. "AH! I'm, dying!" Nagisa managed to say. That made most of them panic on response. "WHA?! What do we do, he says he's gonna die!" Alphonse asked, completely panicked. "No, it's just an expression!" Ed insisted, though he wasn't any calmer than his brother was. Twilight quickly went straight to him, and helped him up to his feet, Nagisa gripping his head still as he tried to calm down. That image. That giant image. There was no doubt in his mind that this was no ordinary demon, not by a long shot! And once more, an extremely powerful one to give off that like of aura to him. "There, Nagisa, breathe. Breathe," Twilight insisted, but most of his breathing came out in strained panting. Yoroi went over next, and tried to calm Nagisa down himself. "Nagisa, look. Deep breaths, like this. See? Do it like I'm doing," Yoroi said, as he demonstrated a more relaxed breathing. Nagisa, his head still pounding, tried to copy his breathing. Little by little, Nagisa did eventually calm himself down enough to think and speak a bit better. But that image was still haunting him, and that picture wasn't the only thing that he remembered during that trouble. "What the hell happened there?" Ed asked. "It ... It's coming!" "What is?" Twilight asked. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Nagisa gripped Twilight by her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "A demon! Gigantic one! I just saw it! It's coming straight here, today! Any minute now!" Nagisa revealed. With that vision in head, and what he got before, there was no doubt in his mind that was the case. "W-What?!" They all gasped. "How big are we talking here? Sebastian, Alphonse?" Aladdin asked, trembling. "Towering over THAT," Nagisa answered, pointing right over to the central building. A demon the size of central made them all tremble a little, but Ed, Yoroi, and Al weren't sure what was exactly happening here. "Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?!" Edward demanded. This was no time to be secretive, so they had to get themselves going and talk it over with. They were in Central, so perhaps this could still be kept quiet outside? "It's complicated, look. My friend, he has this sort of ability to sense these demons. It's weird, I know, but he hasn't been wrong before, and if this demon is this bad, then we're in big trouble," Twilight explained. Aladdin would say something, but it wasn't the time for that, especially with such a danger apparently coming their way. As for Ed and Al, they only needed to see the rather harshened look in Nagisa's eyes (not to mention the cold sweat and shivers) to know that Twilight wasn't making any of this up. "Please tell me this is just a joke, you guys? ... Please?" Al asked, but no one complied, just making him a little more troubled than ever. As Nagisa tried to calm himself down, Toroi took the information to heart and turned to the others. "Ed, Al, go and tell the other soldiers, They need to know this. I'll inform king Bradley," Yoroi said, his leading side starting to show up in him at the situation, no time to really think about what to say or how to react to it. His mind was more dead set this time, and he was not going to waste any time now. "Right!" said Edward, going off with his brother to get the word going and get them all on alert. Yoroi was soon off on his way as well, ready to get to king Bradley. Nagisa managed to get himself together and then looked over to Aladdin. "Aladdin. Go and tell the others, will you?" Nagisa asked, still strained in his voice. "Way ahead of you, Nagisa!" Aladdin said, already running off to tell Team Harmony. It only left him, Twilight, and Salim not too far away. Salim had honestly been quiet for most of the time, overhearing everything that just went on not too far off, and when they were being sent off, Salim quietly slipped away himself to tell Bradley. One Homunculus to another, naturally, especially with this kind of information he just gathered. Twilight and Nagisa were left alone at this stage, both worried sick. "Twilight. That vision, it - ..." "I know. But we have to try our best, otherwise who knows what'll happen? come on, let's try and think of a plan," Twilight suggested. Nagisa couldn't agree more, and both of them went off walking. ....... "Sir! Sir, you in there?" Yoroi called, from the other side of the office door. Yoroi didn't waste any time in getting there, and if Nagisa was telling the truth it was best he had to get in there as soon as possible. "Yoroi? Yes, come in," said Bradley. Good thing too. Yoroi went right ahead and opened up the doors fast. Inside his office, Yoroi quickly saw Bradley naturally, but he also saw that Salim somehow got there first, looking a little startled by the sudden entrance. How'd Salim get in here so quickly if he was just outside with them? Still, with the situation, questions like that needed to wait for some other time. Salim stood aside quietly, behind Yoroi as Yoroi went right up to king Bradley. "Sorry for barging in like this, but we got a major situation. There's going to be an attack on central," Yoroi informed, standing at attention. A rather intriguing message for Bradley, looking a little surprised. "An attack? Who from?" Bradley asked. Yoroi wasn't sure if Bradley was going to believe him or not, but Yoroi had to risk it if it meant to get him on the level. After all, Ed and Al were spreading word to the rest of the soldiers anyway. If he didn't say anything to Bradley, then what was the point? "Well ... A demon. I know it sounds crazy, but -" Bradley paused Yoroi when he raised his hand to him. At first, Bradley was a bit quiet about this sudden bit of news. Yoroi locked his gaze over to Bradley, but Bradley's eyes were a bit focused on a different person and his reaction to it. All he did was nod, and presented three fingers to him. "I see. no need to worry, Yoroi, you're not crazy. The Elric brothers were running around yelling it to the other soldiers. What is the threat level?" Bradley asked. Well, at least he believed Yoroi. "I don't know, exactly. Enough for a full scale alert," Yoroi answered. Bradley nodded. "Then treat it as such: alert the forces within, and outside the central walls, and start citizen evacuation," Bradley instructed. Yoroi wasted no time and rushed right out of the office to do so. Once he was gone though, Salim and Bradley looked to each other, now having a moment together again without any outside trouble. Pride gave Bradley a rather serious expression, to which Bradley just sighed. "It appears the underworld is going to begin their assault early." ~~ "AH. This'll do." Off away from Central, over in the countryside of Amestris, one figure took his own sweet time to take the location in around him, making sure it was indeed the right spot to do this or not. It was wide open, secluded of any human houses or settlements, with the exception of the city of Central about a way off, the highlands giving a good look to practically the whole city. With skies clear, the figure alone for the moment. It took this figure sometime to even find a proper spot, but this one with a perfect view of his prime target, was just what he wanted and needed for his assault. In his hand, a book wide open and on a unique little page involving a sort of magic, and apparently this figure was already started with a little encryptment into the dirt by his feet, the object looking like a large star, large enough to fit something the size of a car. Looking up into the sky at the rather pleasant day, he skimmed through the pages until his finger stopped on one in particular. "Sweet. Just the one I wanted." "TIREK!" Tirek halted for a brief moment on the familiar voice, and sure enough when he turned around, there stood Sombra. His little successor to the throne, as he would put it. Looking at Sombra, Tirek could tell that he looked severely stressed and ticked off on meeting up with him, something that Tirek took glee in. "Ah, Sombra. Glad you could join me," tirek said. "Shut up, Tirek. I don't know how you got out, but you're going straight back there where you belong," Sombra made clear. Tirek didn't take it as any real threat, and just begun to look over his little book. "You know, I don't get you. You want these humans dead too, right? I do this, and your little goal will be handled in one short year. You should be thanking me," Tirek said, but that didn't make Sombra feel any better. "Your nothing but a psychotic fool if you think this will end well. I'm warning you, if you dare do this, I swear, I'll kill you myself!" Sombra warned, hoping that will be enough, but unfortunately all that did was make Tirek laugh at him. "Such big threats from such a little creature. You're nothing but a coward, Sombra, and you know it! Otherwise, why would you let me live and not tear me up like a real demon lord would do?" Tirek mocked, Sombra grinding his teeth in anger. Tirek began to clap his hands together after reading over the book to be sure the circle was drawn out correctly. Sombra tried to remove the circle from the ground, but as he kept trying to wipe the circle away, all it did was reconstruct itself, telling him that Tirek must've tampered with it in some way. "WAIT! DON'T DO THIS, PLEASE!" But it was too late. Tirek slammed both hands into the ground, keeping them there for a few seconds before sparks started to fly around, Sombra jumping back on the sudden activation of the symbol. Tirek was especially pleased that this activated for him, Sombra only able to back up on the activation. The symbol Tirek had made sparked and flashed like crazy, eventually creating what appeared to be a bright, light reddish opening from the ground. It was then that something started to rise up from said opening. something downright HUGE! Sombra and Tirek both watched it rise up from the earth, easily towering over them both the minute it revealed itself. It continued rising more, and more, and more, with red sparks still flying around like crazy, threatening to strike both demons until the creature was completely risen. For one obvious start, the figure stood tall, far taller than any normal humanoid angel, demon, or otherwise would be. Standing at well over a hundred meters tall, a regular size of a kaiju. Its body didn't make up of typical skin and flesh either, or at least it didn't appear so: its body covered in sewed patches that appeared to look like a dress of sorts. Its hands were armed with some gold metal, red gloves on each hand, one of which appeared to be holding a trident. Its upper torso was armed with a ribcage and a set of pig skull heads for shoulder pads. The head also appeared sewed on together in patches, pipes connecting the head to the shoulders. The head itself was very pig-like: a long snout with large nostrils, a set of small red eyes and long sow ears up and erect on the top of its head. The gigantic creature didn't move at first, standing as still as a statue it mostly appeared to be, though both demons knew that it was alive. Tirek was sure pleased, and laughed in triumph, Sombra not believing his eyes. "YEAH! NOW WE'RE TALKING!" Tirek beamed, the giant creature not really reacting to Tirek's laughing. "A-A ... Dragon-class? He really is insane," Sombra thought. As if demon class wasn't deadly enough, now they got a dragon class monster showing up, and out of all the types that would be, it had to be this one! Tirek gave a loud whistle, good and long, just enough so the giant beast could hear him. The dragon-class monster looked down to the tiny summoner. Terrifying, sure, but Tirek treated the summoned beast like a pal of his. "Hey there, Pluton! Nice of you to come out and play! Go on, show those human bastards who's the real leader around here!" Tirek ordered, pointing towards Central. Pluton looked to the city where Tirek was talking about. "Very well," Pluton replied, his voice low toned, slow, and thundering. Pluton slowly begun to move forward, each step he made shaking the ground around him as he moved on. Sombra snapped out of his shock, and immediately lunged towards Tirek, but the demon ex-king immediately planned for this, and with a rather childish mockery (tongue out and pulling his eyelid down), Tirek opened a tiny portal under his feet, and he dropped straight in before Sombra could catch him, the portal disappearing as well before he could follow. Sombra had nothing to do now. "PLUTON, YIELD! STOP! DESIST!" Sombra called, but Pluton wasn't listening. Or if he was, he just flat out ignored him. In fact, all Sombra did get was Pluton swinging his trident dangerously close to him, making Sombra rush back before he would get hit. When he was moved out of the way, Pluton continued his march towards Central, leaving the distraught demon lord behind him. Such a beast now released, and not even he could stop him. Or if he could, not in time to avoid anyone else seeing him. "Shit. ... Tirek, if only you knew. ..." Sombra knew he couldn't do anything now, and the best he could do was move off. Can't risk of showing who he was right now. ... ....... Pluton's march onward from his summoner's location towards Central city wasn't without attention. Thanks to the efforts of the Amestris army, it didn't take too long until disaster alarms started to ring out from all over the place, the alarm horns echoing out for all within the city to hear. A rare, and rather confusing sort of alarm for the apparently clear day, but as Pluton slowly neared, the tremors of his footsteps and his growing presence coming in from the north of the city was slowly starting to become apparent. Pluton himself paid the alarms and eventual panic of the people little personal mind, almost like a human would to a group of scurrying ants. And from Pluton's perspective, that was what it looked like when he saw the first number of humans, as they all tried to move and get away from him. Pluton was still a mile off when some of the first Amestris military guards began to show up on scene, all lined up with military weaponry for Pluton's approach: tanks and jets included amongst the amounts. At full strength, Team Harmony joined in along the borders of the city, and it didn't take them much long either to see Pluton coming their way. "Well shit. You really weren't kidding, Nagisa," Karma said, as he observed the approaching giant through some borrowed binoculars. "WHY would I lie?" Nagisa made clear, still feeling the presence of Pluton taking its toll on him. Unlike Sebastian it was a lot stronger, and as such a lot harder to get used to. Even from a mile away, and it felt like Pluton was on top of him. "Anyone have any ideas how to deal with that thing? Now would be a good time!" Yoroi asked, needing an answer. "Keeping that giant away from the city would be a good start," Sebastian suggested. A obvious choice was made there, and one of the Amestris generals brought out a portable radio to inform the others. "Listen up, men, go in and take him out! We can't have him enter Central!" "Ariel squad en route," said the pilot. As if on cue, the group looked up and soon saw that the jet planes were up in the sky, and flying right towards Pluton. The giant pig demon paused for a moment as he heard the lets flying towards him, a group of about seven in fact, all aiming for him. As they flew in, each one rained down their missiles directly at the beast, aiming right at him in multiple spots. Pluton wasn't going to make it that easy though, and his trident moved in position. "Puny swine," Pluton rumbled, his trident raised up slightly, as if it were a sword or spear. The missiles moved in fast, the jets flying right past Pluton's head, as the missiles moved in. Pluton didn't make it easy, and demonstrated his strength in his own weapon with one mighty swing. In just one hit, the trident not even damaged, all of the missiles exploded before they could make a hit, leaving a large cloud of exploded smoke. It wasn't until it cleared up that they all saw how easily he blocked those missiles. Of course, the jets weren't willing to give up so easily, and made their U-turn to shoot him down again, their second set of missiles shooting at him. Pluton turned around, but instead of blocking them this time, Pluton began to inhale from his two giant nostrils, taking them all in ... and not a single explosion. At least, not until Pluton exhaled. The blast of wind from his nose was a powerful one, and one that launched the missiles out right back at them! The ground soldiers could only watch as the fleet was basically shot down, some getting killed on sight, others having to eject before their planes could explode on the ground! This demon beast will not be denied. After the jets were taken care of, Pluton marched off towards Central again, moving a little faster this time, as Pluton actually stomped one of the fallen jets, turning it into nothing but rubble under his feet, as he approached. The group back at the borders were getting more nervous now, as the tanks started to roll in and trying to stop him as well with their fire. "Oh god. Those missiles did nothing on him!" Yoroi gasped, not believing his eyes. "It has to work!" Twilight said, but Pluton didn't appear much effected by the constant fire of the tanks at his feet. In fact, Pluton didn't even flinch at all, and continued his march. He ignored it to the point where he casually stepped onto some tanks just to keep going, whoever within those tanks getting splattered instantly like bugs. Pluton continued his walk forward until he was about fifty feet away, his body only slightly dented if anything. Then Pluton started to inhale. "TAKE COVER!" Pinkie cried. It was then Pluton revealed why he's the dragon-class of demons. Once he got his full breath completely filled up, the giant demon released the strongest wind any creature could ever blow! Aladdin managed to focus his energy and summon a forcefield up around Team Harmony, Yoroi, and the Elric brothers just in time, seconds to spare before the blast. As for the blast, the wind Pluton released was so strong, anything that wasn't apart of earth itself was striped away! Buildings, vehicles, people especially all were blasted away like it was nothing! Team Harmony spun around like crazy in Aladdin's forcefield, the ball of shield energy rolling like mad until they themselves were right in the center of the city. Yes, from the very borders of the north, straight to central in one power blow! They only managed to stop once the shield struck another building, and only then did the shield give way and released them out. "What just happened?" Blair asked groggily. "We just got screwed, that's what happened!" Ed replied, also groggily and almost feeling sick. They managed to get themselves up, now miles away from the action going on along the border of the city, but seeing the dustclouds of fallen buildings already told them that Pluton was not a being to be trifled with, nor did anyone who wasn't in the shield got out of that blast unscaved, if not alive at all. "What do we do now?! That monster will destroy Central at the rate its going," Alphonse asked, scared to death over anyone else in Pluton's way. "I-I don't know, We'll think of something! ... I hope." ....... "What the hell happened?" Back at the scene, as the dust cleared from the destruction, only when it was gone did the true devastation reveal itself. The whole world within the area was stripped down to dirt and dust, buildings left in nothing but rubble, and not much signs of any bodies. Whatever body did remain was already dead on sight, and was weak and limp from Pluton's blast. It was like a scene right after an atomic bomb blast, and just as brutal to many a person. Out of the rubble though, one particular figure not only survived, but almost unharmed: Envy Homunculus. Once in disguise just before the blast, the hit made him change back to normal, but he was just as ill-prepared for Pluton's approach as any human there. Just a minute ago he was in an alleyway and keeping quiet, and now he was in the open of a wrecked building wall. He would've gotten himself out of Pluton didn't blast the place to pieces. Speaking of, Envy didn't even notice Pluton too much until after the blast, giving the Homunculus a good look at the giant monster. "What the hell? Pluton?! Sombra, what kind of damn plan is this?!" Envy thought. Here he was constantly fighting and getting in trouble by Sombra, and here was the same demon king (far as he knew) who released this giant onto the world! Ironic, and hypocritical to him. Pluton moved in, but paused for a moment as he begun to sense more activity by where he just blowed, Envy being the target. The giant colossus turned his gaze down to him. Not a good time for any creature. "Tiny creature. Get lost!" Pluton bellowed, his voice enough to make Envy cringe, as the beast raised his trident for a attack. "WAIT, I'M ONE OF YOU!" Envy yelled, but Pluton didn't care for it, and the trident slammed down into the dirt. Envy had no choice but to run for it, moving as fast as he could away from Pluton. But when you're running away from a being the size of a skyscraper, distance was extremely hard to make, and it didn't take Pluton more than a few steps to catch up to Envy. Rather than just launching him away with his breath, Pluton played golf, and used his trident like a putter, squaring Envy in one hit! The hit launched Envy miles off in one strike, making the Homunculus slam hard into one of the building ruins in a fit of dust. Red sparks flew as Envy tried to heal, Pluton moving on from the hit soon enough. Any human hit with that kind of power would be killed instantly, or any demon for that matter. Envy tried to get himself up on his feet, but ... "Hello, Envy.~" Another figure, surviving here?! Envy only needed to look up from where he had landed to see the figure in question. It wasn't any Homunculus he knew, nor any surviving human, but instead a demoness. Chrysalis! For Envy, the demoness creature was more of a savior on him more than anything. "Who're you? Another demon?" "In the flesh, yes. And you must be Sombra's little Homunculus? Nice to see you for one time only," Chrysalis cooed. "Only one time?" "Envy, Sombra was starting to get a little bit impatient with you. Your constant failures, your embarrassing defeats, and here with your capture by Amestris. Such an embarrassment, don't you agree?" Well, Envy not doubted his previous thought on a savior. Why would she bring these things up, especially now? "Look, discuss this another time. Pluton's destroying everything, and he'll kill us too!" Envy said, wanting to get moving. However, Chrysalis, oddly, gripped Envy by the arm to keep him still. In fact, Chrysalis even went ahead and swung him over, landing him onto the floor with her above him, the demoness holding him still. "He'll kill you you mean? Don't take this personally, you little dunce," Chrysalis said. Envy didn't have a clue what Chrysalis was getting at, but then the demoness went on ahead and opened her mouth. What Envy saw next was something he didn't prepare for at all. Her eyes and mouth started to glow green, an aura of magical use for her, and Envy suddenly started to feel something being pulled out of him. Next thing he knew, he found his own mouth opening up, and red dust shooting out of his mouth, and going into hers! Sparks almost immediately started to fly like crazy as Envy struggled to get himself free, his strength weakening more and more as his power was being sucked away from him, and into her. Chrysalis, all the while, had such a sweet smile of satisfaction on her face, Envy feeling weaker and weaker. Pluton farther away did see the sparks, but he paid it little to no mind, and continued moving. It only took about twenty long seconds of draining, but eventually Envy was finished, and Chrysalis dropped the weakened Envy to the ground. "W-What? ... What did you do to me? ..." Envy managed to ask, hardly even able to move, let alone fight. Chrysalis leaned in towards his face, smiling devilishly. "I'll make it simple for you: Everything that made you a Homunculus, are no longer yours. I sucked away all those fancy abilities of yours and made them my own. And now you can just sit there and wait til Pluton crushes you, or for those humans to blast you to bits, whichever comes first." ... Did she mean that? Was Envy really powerless? Envy would test this, but he was far too weak to do so anyway, either way. With that explained, Chrysalis got up and started to walk away, apparently leaving Envy to die. "... No ... no, you can't," Envy squeaked. "I can, and I did. Goodbye, fake human," Chrysalis said. Envy could only watch Chrysalis leave him, as his vision begun to fade on him. All that power, and it was now gone? Envy didn't know what to think ... All he could do was lay there, and his conscious faded off until he passed out. ~~ Back in the center of Central, the situation had become horrific. Pluton, now within the boundaries of the city, now had the entire city and all those within it at his mercy. Or rather, lack there of. Team Harmony may have gained some distance between Pluton and themselves to get an idea going, but the longer they leave Pluton alone the more of Central will be destroyed by the gigantic demon, and just as well, more people getting killed. Still, neither of them could honestly figure out what to do. They may have faced their fare share of demons and Homunculi, but none of them even came close to Pluton in sheer size and power. With this gap between them, the group managed to get themselves under cover in a partially destroyed building, still standing but had a large torn hole near the bottom made from some debris blasted by Pluton. "Come on, you're the experts, what do you mean you can't figure it out?!" Ed snapped. "We're no experts, and what can we do?! That's a dragon-class running amok out there!" snapped back Blair. As they bickered, Nagisa and Yoroi looked out from their location, just able to see Pluton marching through. He wasn't heading their way for the moment, but devastation was still seen from the distant sounds of destruction and Pluton's grunts and growls, each one making Nagisa shiver. What're they supposed to do? What could they do? Yoroi felt his heart sink each time he saw another part of Central get torn apart. "God damnit. What miracle we could use right now," Yoroi commented. As they looked, another object presented itself. As they looked on, something else flew along the air, towards Pluton. However, it wasn't exactly another jet plane launching an attack, but instead a helicopter flying in. Ciel and Aladdin peeked out and saw the same thing. "You think that'll do anything to Pluton?" Aladdin asked, thinking it was another attacking plane or something. A few more helicopters flew by, but they mainly matched military rescue choppers, not the first one, and that one was going straight for the beast as the others tried to rescue as many people as possible. "That's no attack helicopter, that's a news chopper. Blast it all," Ciel growled. "What, what's wrong with it?" "Aladdin, that kind of vehicle is supposed to broadcast events for others to hear. In short, everyone's going to know about Pluton the moment they get to him." "WHAT?! OH NO!" Aladdin shrieked. And Ciel wasn't wrong either. The news chopper made its beeline right over to the situation, keeping good and high as cameras from the helicopter capture the entire disaster for the news to see. As Pluton was distracted by the attacking jets, tanks, and whatnot, the helicopter made sure to get the entire thing on film as best they could without catching Pluton's attention. Get caught now and Pluton will blast them off into space with one breath. This is an international emergency broadcast! A gigantic monster had appeared within Central Amestris, and shows no signs of stopping its assault onto the world. This was the main message passed around on live broadcast over ... well, everywhere. This was no simple broadcast of any trouble, and words may have altered slightly over one news network to another, but it was clear that this particular broadcast was worldwide live, and whoever saw it laid witness to what a demon could truly do. Any station from all over the world caught on the story, and made sure the world knew of the danger as it unfolded. And it wasn't just in Amestris who got the broadcast either: from Japan and its millions of people to England's high guard, this broadcast was not missed by many a eye. ...... In Japan, much of the students of 3-E also laid witness to the event, wondering how their friend was actually doing, and if he'll be okay. "Karma. ..." ...... England too. Those amongst the Phantomhive Manor paused their work for the mere moment when the broadcast was brought through. Immediate worry came over their master and his closest butler, whom which hadn't returned home yet because of what the queen tasked them to. Were they going to be alright or not? ...... All this information, and now it was being fully broadcasted, nothing Team Harmony could do about that now. There were far deadlier dangers to worry about now anyway. "Damn. DAMN! What kind of miracle we could use right now," Ciel sighed, as they begin to hear Pluton turn his path and move closer towards them. Nagisa, in spite of the horrid amount of demon sense going wild on him, tried to figure something out. The longer they wait, the more of the world will be torn to bits by Pluton. "Miracle ... miracle ..." Before Nagisa could come up with anything, next thing they knew, the monster was right there! Pluton felt annoyed with these flying insects of jets, so he went all out: he placed his trident down, grabbed the same building Team Harmony were hiding under, and tore it clean off the ground, exposing them! Pluton gave a power swing at the jets, destroying about seven and shattering the building into rubble. "Shit! Come on," Karma ordered, everyone making a run for the nearest cover, but one person didn't budge. And Pluton surely saw Nagisa down there, the young boy petrified and unable to move. His eyes were wide open, and being so close to Pluton didn't help his demon sense any. "NAGISA, MOVE! COME ON!" Called Twilight, but Nagisa was too petrified to even hear her, his eyes staring up to the giant beast standing before him. Pluton gave a short snort before he grabbed his trident from the ground, and lifting up his foot with the intent to crush him! ... "BEEP BEEP!" Saved! At the very last moment, something else bolted in, grabbed Nagisa, and zoomed out of the way before Pluton could actually kill him. The other figure moved too fast for most of them to even see, and Nagisa found himself in the arms of his savior, only then snapping out of it and thinking a little more clearly. One look was all he needed, though his demon sense gave him identification already. "Neuhuhuhu, long time to nee, eh kids?" "Korosensei! Glad you could join us," Karma said, and indeed he was. Sure, the demon teacher was dressed up as an Amestris pilot, but that wasn't really an issue. After all, the demon did just save Nagisa's life right there, and Pluton needed a minute to see what happened. "You know what, I'm not gonna ask. Thanks," Ed said. He wasn't going to question this guy, especially when Pluton was still destroying everything around them. Now they got demon butler Sebastian and demon teacher Korosensei with them, giving them a better advantage if anything. "Don't mention it. The underworld's deciding to pack heat, I see," Korosensei said, looking up to Pluton. The giant aimed his trident to smash them again, but this time Korosensei got them all and bolted off to gain distance before he could do so, giving them more time to think on what to do. "Korosensei, mind giving us some proper entail?" "Sure. What we got here is a dragon-class demon: one of the strongest demon classes one could get. For this pig man, that's his supersize, and his little trick with that snout to blast away cities in one blow." "We saw," noted Al, Ed, Twilight and Ciel. "But what can we do about mr. pig man?! That meanie's wrecking everything!" Pinkie asked. "Hold on, hold on, give me a minute," Korosensei said, trying to study on the situation himself. Even the demon teacher can't figure something out without anything to work with. As he was doing that, Nagisa quietly thought up what they should do from there, something Ciel and Karma caught on after a little while. The word miracle still hung in his head, and his mind began to work its gears on the situation. Nagisa's eyes wandered from Pluton, to the others in his group, and then ... "God. Lugia. I hope this works. ..." ~~ Pluton continued his assault on Central as much as he wanted to, many of the machinery around him unable to damage him as much as they should. The armor bones on him were growing brittle, but they still held stiff against each one of their attacks, one way or another. The attacking forces of Amestris begun to slow down a little, trying to save some lives and firepower from Pluton's strikes, though so long as they stay back it was just giving them time away from it all. "God damn, that thing's not even bruised. What do we do now?" one of the tired, and remaining soldiers asked. The general tried to think of something, but before he could. ... "General! come in, General! You there!" His portable radio begun to go off, Yoroi's voice ringing out from the other end. The general quickly picked it up fast. "General here, Yoroi, what's your status?" The general asked. "Listen, gather what firepower you can, and head to the center of the city. Border Central with as much ground power as you can," Yoroi ordered. "What?! That monster will head straight to central if we do that!" "Exactly. Just do it, we got a plan. If it works, it'll finish him for good!" Yoroi assured. Pluton roared and bellowed further away, swinging his trident around and destroying another four buildings. The general had to risk it, or bust. "Copy that!" the general said. As Pluton took a short moment to rest, the giant creature took a moment to admire his work on the city, seeing nothing but dust and dirt from his aerial blasting. As he awaited for more strikes from the pathetic humans though, strangely the tanks started to apparently retreat, heading towards Central and away from him. To Pluton, this felt more victorious than confusing. "Finally give up?" Pluton rumbled, a low throaty laugh escaping him as he began to move off again. The giant beast was about ready to continue his assault, but then ... "Pi-Pi-Pumpkin cannon!" Pluton was soon struck by pumpkin projectiles, each one striking at his head and right shoulder. The hit was a strong one, just about the same level as the missiles hitting him, but a lot faster and with more impact. Looking down, Pluton tried to find the source, but the beast wasn't seeing anything. However, when he looked up, he saw that it wasn't someone's jet power that hit him, but instead Blair and Aladdin up in the air! Aladdin was on his flying carpet, and Blair stood tall on the same sheet, giving Pluton her own little bit of mockery by sticking her tongue out at him. Getting shot and mocked didn't suit Pluton and the giant beast tried to get them both, the two narrowly missing the strike. While the jets were a lot faster than Aladdin's little carpet, they were a lot smaller and more maneuverable, making them a lot harder to hit for Pluton. "DIE, INSECTS!" Pluton roared, aiming his nostril directly at the two. If he couldn't squash them, he could blast them away. However, the tiny magi and witch saw ahead, and suddenly made a nosedive straight down before Pluton blew. The released air removed some clouds, but Blair and Aladdin were still there and still airborne. "Come on, big boy!" Blair called, only ticking off Pluton even more. As Blair was keeping Pluton's attention, Aladdin glanced off towards the center of the city. After that, Pluton tried another air blast, missing them again and they both flew right off towards central. Blair made sure to do another Pi-Pi-Pimpkin Cannon on Pluton, this time Pluton blocking them with his trident. Only one of them got through though, hitting him right in his nostrils before exploding. Pluton started to move on after them, Blair and Aladdin getting a huge lead on him as they rushed towards center. Both figures flew close to the road as they went through, making sure Pluton was following them. As they went, Edward Elric and Sebastian were hidden off in position. "You're up!" Aladdin called, as they rushed past them. "Let's do this," Ed stated. Pluton continued marching forward after Blair and Aladdin, his focus stuck on them and not where he was going exactly. Ed made the strike first, clapping his hands together for an alchemic pitfall. Sebastian rushed towards Pluton to get in his position, and Edward gave his all and slammed both hands into the ground, cracking up the earth from under him in a line straight to Pluton. Pluton's next step met with a weakened spot, and his foot sunk down a good ten feet into the ground, making Pluton stumble slightly. It didn't knock him over completely, but it did stall him and brought him down to his knees. Pluton growled menacingly, and begun to inhale. "NOW!" Ed called. "With pleasure," Sebastian responded, armed and ready to go. With a thickened glove in one hand, he armed himself with a set of throwing knives, one of which was Nagisa's halo blade. All part of their plan to handle this beast. Sebastian raced up one of the smaller buildings, putting him up at the same level as Pluton. He made a huge jump and, like a set of ninja stars, launched the knives right towards him. Pluton's inhale sucked in each and every knife into his nose, and while the other knives did little damage, the halo blade was what made the power blow. Pluton groaned loudly, as his blood seeped out in a river from his snout, the halo blade doing a hell a ton of damage for such a small blade. In the blood, the blade managed to actually get washed out, Sebastian jumping in and grabbing it from the blood river pouring out. A hit that didn't kill, but it got the job done. Pluton tried to inhale correctly, but found himself sucking in his own blood, thus making his powerhouse move unusable. Or at least, not as strong as before. "That knife had some kick to it. Come on, let's meet with the others," Ed instructed, as Sebastian got out a napkin to clean the blood off the blade. The demon butler nodded, and moved off with him, just before Pluton could crushed them under his fist. Pluton brought one hand to his bleeding nose as he pulled his leg out of the pit. "Damn humans! I'll kill you all!" Pluton roared, his squeal heard over back at central. The others took position over there along with the rest of the tanks, all aimed and at the ready for the signal. Aladdin and Blair were the first to come back, landing right by the rest of the team. Each tanks was ready for the word. "Well, how'd they do?" Yoroi asked. "Let's just say the boar has a major nosebleed," Blair joked, though she was treating it a little differently with her posing, something Karma quickly fixed with a tug on her ear. It was then that Sebastian and Ed came over, Sebastian carrying Edward Elric back to the others. "Did you get him, Ed?" Alphonse asked. "Yeah, I got him. He won't be able to blow anyone away anytime soon," Ed replied. "Good job, not onto stage two: make it rain on dem demon!" Korosensei said, acting a little cocky on the matter. "Not the usual way to put it, but indeed. Go and make sure the men are in position," ordered Ciel. Korosensei saluted them, and soon the demon took off on them with his own little surprise for Pluton. As the giant moved in, Korosensei moved over to the ammo of each and every tank, and added a little something extra to each and every one. In his tentacles, as it turned out, the demonic entity actually had a lot of water in them, which he happily poured down onto each ammo hold before the soldiers got the word to load up, not a single one missed. Under order, the soldiers loaded up only after the ammo was soaked in the water, them hoping that this would work at all, or better than before. The demon teacher got straight back to the team right after that, the time only about half a minute at most. "All soaked up, and ready to go, SIR!" Korosensei said, getting into his character as a soldier. "What did you put onto the ammo? Just water?" asked Yoroi. "Holy water, my boy! The chemicals in the overworld water is like you dunking your hand in a boiling pot to a demon. It'll fry that pig for supper in no time," Korosensei assured them, confident that it'll do some damage. A rather risky move, but it was their best shot. And with tanks all ready, it was their only shot they had left. Pluton moved forward, nose streaming blood from Nagisa's blade, and he started to sense the humans gathered around the center of the city. The gigantic demon moved forward, unable to launch any of them away with his nose full of blood. Everything was quiet, Pluton moving to the very center. ... "LET EM FLY!" Karma announced through a portable radio. Then the fires were made. Pluton heard the ammo being launched, and with trident in hand, readied to block, but this time the shots were from all sides, so not all shots were blocked. And when the first one was struck, the pain felt like a sting by a bee, and with hundreds shooting at him, Pluton felt the pain right away! The holy water did its job and the ammo launches from the tanks actually burned Pluton's body before they exploded, ripping off chunk after small chunk off of his armor and soon his skin. Pluton squealed and wailed, feeling the pain strike him from all over from under his head The explosions left plenty of smoke in the air, and they could see Pluton starting to collapse to the ground, just what they wanted to see! To be sure, the tanks continued firing until no ammo was left for them for the moment. "Did that do it?" wondered Twilight. None of them could actually see what even happened, one way or another. The cloud of smoke and dust didn't help any of them really see Pluton, but as the clouds cleared, the result revealed itself to everyone there. Pluton was left torn open, and his armor destroyed, but this giant demon was still alive! "What?! How much will it take to kill this thing?!" Ed asked. That didn't mean that damage was nonexistent on him though, his body having chunks blasted off of him here, there, and everywhere, blood pouring out of him and leaving a ton on the ground under him. The fact Pluton was still alive after all that made them all lost in words, the giant beast keeping himself from falling over by his trident. His breath was strained, his nose blasted open on one side, and his ears blown off of him. At the moment, he was stuck still, but so long as he was still alive, there was still a danger. Nagisa could sense that the demon was severely weakened, but he still felt that he had damage to take them all out if he recovered from this. "No! If he survives that ..." Nagisa thought, the giant Pluton looked to all of them. "You ... miserable creatures. ... As long as I live, you'll all fall before me!" Pluton bellowed, strained, but menacing all the same. Nagisa knew more than anyone else what would happen if this stayed this way. Pluton, even with his nose bleeding, tried to exhale and blast them all away. While the wind was powerful, Aladdin's shield covered them all and they rolled off out of sight again, but not as far as earlier and this time blood covering a good football field patch of the city. Pluton didn't pursue them, and instead tried to bring himself up from his position. There was little option, if any left, and Nagisa's plan was so close. He had to do something, anything, to stop Pluton. ... "Shit. What do I do? Pluton's going to kill everyone if I don't do anything," Nagisa thought, his senses warning him that Pluton was gaining his power back! Soldiers there were trying to reload, but they weren't getting enough time to do so. Korosensei and Nagidsa took a look to eachother, as if reading eachother's minds ... ARRRROOOOOOOOO! ....... "Get out of Central." "No, Nagisa come back!" Nagisa and Korosensei were suddenly off and moving away from them, rushing towards Pluton. It's now or never. The others tried to catch up, but Korosensei made a quick appearance by Nagisa, and grabbed him, taking flight before they could get them. Whatever they had in mind, they didn't want the others to follow, and none of them had any time to even try to follow. Pluton was raising himself upward, regaining his feet with blood pouring out, Korosensei carrying Nagisa from within his coat to a suitable height. As for Nagisa, the kid had one more idea left, and this one had to work. Korosensei himself couldn't do it, and the weapon he had required him to use. The miracle sword. Held in Nagisa's grip with both hands. If a halo blade could do that much damage, a miracle sword would be more than enough. Pluton rose up to full height again, his entire body bloody and weakened, but he was clearly not willing to give into these creatures. Pluton turned his gaze up to the sky, and there was Korosensei and Nagisa up there and ready. The miracle sword was drawn out by Nagisa himself, both hands gripping hard onto it, and Korosensei started to dive towards him, holding Nagisa with his arms as Nagisa held the sword straight to him. Nagisa aimed forward in his own dive position, sword piercing through the air like the lets flying through earlier, Korosensei keeping them aerodynamic with his spare tentacles keeping anything in the air out of the way and harming them both. This was their last shot. "Fly," Nagisa finally said. Korosensei keeping it at high speed, Nagisa threw the sword right at Pluton, both of them flying high and leaving the miracle sword piercing through the air. Pluton kept his gaze up, and the sword and all its holy magic pierced straight through Pluton's head! A single stab, and the sword literally skewered through Pluton's head completely, zooming out the back and landing on the ground. The final blow did him in. The reaction from the sword did more than just a stab. The defeat made Pluton's entire body, through each chunk of his body, start to glow bright white, glowing brighter and brighter, until the demonic giant finally succumbed to his injuries. The entire body exploded into a mighty blast of light and energy, the impact spreading all around them. Nagisa and Korosensei had to brace for the impact, and both were launched back hard. At least the others down below had cover, but not them. Korosensei tried his best to keep them together, but the disorientating light and explosion itself made the task all the more difficult ... He lost his grip. The moment was purely slow-motion. Korosensei saw Nagisa's face of shock, feeling himself removed from Korosensei's safe grip. Nagisa's arm was out and trying to reach him, but it didn't do him any good, and it didn't take much longer until Nagisa disappeared in the light. Korosensei wasn't able to do anything, the forces launching him off the opposite way. Poor Korosensei launched out of the explosion cloud, slamming into one of the buildings as the world begun to quiet down. As the cloud cleared, it revealed what had occurred from Nagisa's final hit. Everyone around saw the full effect of the blast. All of them looked to where Pluton once was standing, but found that the entire body of Pluton had disappeared completely in the blast, nothing but the pool of blood underneath where he used to be. The holy magic from the miracle sword had completely obliterated Pluton, and all that remained was the blood, and the sword now sticking out of the ground. Pluton was gone for good. Much of the soldiers were cheering in victory, but it was a more bittersweet moment. Nagisa Shiota was gone. ~~ "Any news?" When all was said and done, the entire group and whoever was left alive were relocated away from the site. The location they were put over to was off in the outskirts of Central, the area least effected by Pluton's major attack. The survivors were still injured in some way, and for the moment, Twilight, Aladdin, Ed and Ciel were left there as the others were helping in finding any survivors outside. When Twilight asked, it was Karma who returned, but he didn't look like he had any good news. "All north Central looks like a atomic bomb struck the place. Not a soul anywhere," Karma answered, though he didn't feel good on saying it himself. "Not a thing, huh?" Ed asked. "Oh ... Is Nagisa anywhere?" Aladdin asked, quietly. Karma shrugged as he took a seat next to him. "Beats me. They're still looking, but I dunno if it's going to end well," Karma admitted. The news hit hard on much of the team, namely Karma, Twilight, and Aladdin. Each of them knew Nagisa for a pretty long time, longer than the others, and the idea of Nagisa actually disappearing didn't sit well with them too good. Aladdin was the first to break out into small tears, but it was Korosensei who had a more dramatic reaction, streams of tears rushing down his face. "WAAHHH! I'm so sorry, I'm a terrible creature! I shouldn't of lost my grip on him! What kind of teacher am I who let's his students die from under his nose?!" Korosensei cried, tentacles wiping away tears from his face. He was responsible for Nagisa's safety, and being a teacher in question that was his top priority to protect students, be it his or not. Having Nagisa lost like that made him feel guilty more than ever. It didn't really help the others out, and Ciel sighed. He felt the least effected by the loss of Nagisa Shiota, if he were to be honest. "We're not even sure if he's dead or not. Don't go and jump to conclusions, will you?" Ciel made clear. They honestly couldn't help it though, especially with the way he went out making survival a very slim chance. "How can you act so nonchalantly about this?" Korosensei asked, on the ground and looking up to him with tears down his face. "My work as the queen's guard dog had me exposed to these events far more than you think. I'm used to it. Anyway, crying your bloody eyes out won't help anything," Ciel made clear. That kind of behavior proved he wasn't lying about it. It was then that Ed got an idea of his own, his own little repayment for them basically saving Central from total destruction. "Well, hey, we can't stay here. How about you all come with me for a bit?" "Pardon?" asked Ciel. "Al and I thought of heading off back home until things work out over here. The least I can do for what you all just did, you know?" Ed explained. "Thank you, Ed, that will do." All the same though, the news struck down Twilight and Aladdin into their own tears, both of them unsure of Nagisa was still alive or not. The chances though were extremely unlikely to them. ... ....... "See anything yet?" Asked Blair. "No," replied Al, a bit defeated honestly. Still out in the field, Blair and Alphonse took time to continue their little look around for any survivors of the blast, but looking around where Pluton had gone through, it honestly felt like a losing battle. It felt less like walking around Central, and more like walking around a wasteland. Not even roads remained in the ground, Pluton left so little, each step leaving slight dust behind in their steps. "Damn, look at this place, nothing but dust," Blair commented, kicking up some dust off the ground. "Uh, hey, you're from the underworld, right? Are demons usually like that?" Al asked, humbled by the fact one demon could do so much damage. "Nah, Pluton's one of a kind. Demons would need weeks to even get close to him," Blair replied, easing Al's nerves a little bit. If demons were showing up like this, he didn't want another Pluton anytime soon. Either way though, the lack of any life around made Alphonse more humbled than ever. Just to think that a half an hour ago, there was a full city where they were walking, and now they were left with a wasteland with a few remaining ruins of what once was. Alphonse went on ahead up a mound of ruined buildings, but when he reached up top, Blair and Al did indeed find somebody laying off on the ground. However, who did they find? ... "Envy!" Blair gasped. Indeed it was, looking a little bit different from before but it was indeed Envy. However, Envy was still unconscious from earlier, and Alphonse and Blair went over to investigate, not sure if he was still alive or not. Their approach didn't wake him up at all, the Homunculus still passed out at their feet. Their feelings were kinda mixed, to be honest, or at least Blair was. "He does look bad," Al said. Blair kneeled down to him, and her ear was placed on his chest. Natural check to be sure if someone was still alive or not, and sure enough she still felt a heartbeat, or something flowing in him, telling her he was still alive. "I dunno ... should we leave him, or ..." "Well, it wouldn't feel right leaving him here. ... Even if he did sneak into Central. ..." .......
S03Ep6: A New Leaf ~新しいリーフ~How long had time past by since it happened? Pluton's defeat had taken its grand toll onto many of them, but one Homunculus victims wasn't even from Pluton himself. His vision was all but gone for the moment, his whole body oddly warm and surprisingly cozy. But, how? Why? Last he remembered was being left to die back in what was left of Central, out in the open of the rubble, but now he felt like he was underneath something. A piece of rubble? Well, no, it felt too soft and light for that. Then again, it was probably better than being under a building any day. But the question remained though: where was he? And for that matter, how was he there? Envy took a while to finally get his conscious fully together, groaning ever slightly as his eyes started to flicker open to see where he was. As he probably expected, he wasn't anywhere outside, though a window was open. No, rather than being under a building, he was in one. In a bedroom, to be exact. Odd thing though: it didn't appear like any real prisonhold room, nor did the bed appear to be a prison bed. The floor was wooden, the walls appearing clean, and the typical bedroom essentials were in there too (cabinet, lamp, etc.) nothing really specific to note what Envy could figure out. Envy found himself on the bed, underneath some rather comfortable covers. Envy managed to sat up and take in the room a little bit better. "Where am I now? ... Am I back in prison? ..." Envy trailed off for a minute, feeling his head going through a little bit of a rush as he tried to get himself together. Wherever he was, no matter how he got there, or why, Envy knew one thing. ... "I gotta get out of here." And get out of there he tried. Envy got himself out of bed, albeit a little clumsily, but he managed to get himself upright and start going over to the door. Each step was met with weak, stiff legs and every step just made Envy feel sore all over. His energy was just not the same as before, and with him being stuck in ... wherever this was, that wasn't going to help him. Envy tested the door, expecting it to be locked up, but a small turn was all it took for it to just turn open, and a little push to get himself out of his "cell". It surely didn't look like any prison he knew, the hallway small and only having one more door on one end of the hall, and the stairs down the other. Not a window here to slip out, so he had either the door or the stairs. ... *thump* **thump* *thump* "Shit. Better cut my loses," Envy thought, hearing footsteps downstairs. With the stairs off limits, he only had the other room. What else could he do with such a sore body for the moment? If he did try to change, the noise would catch him for sure. As quietly as he could, he made his way straight to the door, lucky to find it unlocked and good for him to use. Just before the apparent patrol could find him out, Envy went right into the other room. Envy couldn't risk anymore trouble with these humans, especially after his latest incident. "There, now -" AND he found himself in the bathroom. Well, so much for that, but maybe he could still manage somehow. Usual essentials were there of course, and lucky for him, Envy found a window right there for him. The perfect little escape. Envy gave a sigh of relief, and started to head towards the window, but his light head made him stumble slightly, having to rest on the sink for some balance. It was then he took one good look at the mirror. "W-Wha ... what? ..." Envy kept his eyes locked onto the reflection in the mirror, but what he saw just ... wasn't himself. Or at least he thought it wasn't. His clothes were the same, regular skin and hair color too from before, but Envy still found that something was different with him. Something wrong with him, to his eyes anyway. Speaking of eyes, his irises appeared bigger and more rounded than before, and his hairstyle wasn't the singular bands, and instead was sprawled out behind him, making it more like a mane than anything. Yeah, his hair was naturally long, but it wasn't as prominent as this, and it looked more brownish green rather than just dark green like before. Aside from the hair, he felt a bit smaller. In fact, looking in the mirror, it was like he lost a few years of his life, appearing a bit younger than before. Before one could say he was as old as Karma, or Yoroi, but now he looked more like Ciel or Aladdin's age. "I-Is that ... me?" Envy asked himself, his hands examining himself. His skin was softer, a little paler and with a VERY faint green tint to it, something different from before too. His hand felt his hair, which felt a bit grimy to be honest though that could be from being left in the wreck for who knows how long. Envy tried to get himself together, and to be sure this was or wasn't some sick joke, he turned on the cold water and splashed his face a good five times. The cool water woke him up faster, and got him more alert, but his face didn't change from what he was seeing in the mirror, nor did the rest of him. "What did that Chrysalis do to me? ..." *knock**knock**knock* That snapped him out of it. He had to figure it out later, but for now, he had to get out of here! Whoever was behind that door, he could honestly care less for, and as far as he was concern, the forces were onto him. Taking the chance, Envy went right over to the window, opening it up fast, and proceeded to get himself outside. He may not be in the best condition for this, but it beats getting locked up again. He found that, admittedly unsurprisingly, the bathroom was about a floor up from the ground, but nothing this Homunculus wasn't new to, so he started on out. He kept his grip on the sill as much as he could until his body practically hung from the sill, only then did he let go. The drop didn't last long, but he ended up stumbling into some bushes underneath him. Not exactly the best landing, and the weak Envy stumbled out, leaves in his hair and clothes and not able to stand much. Well, at least he was outside. ... ... right in front of someone. "Oh dear. Trying to break a leg, are you?" "COME ON," Envy growled. As if being found wasn't bad enough, he was found by Sebastian of all things! It only took a minute to bring Envy back inside, and right through the front door. Envy expected a rather embarrassing gesture (held by the collar like a pooch being one of them), but no, Sebastian held him gently, and moved on inside, cradling him in his arms. A fair gesture, but unexpected too. Once brought in, the first place Sebastian went right to was the house's living room, which connected to the kitchen by the looks of it. Envy was sore, injured, but he made out Ciel, Alphonse, and Karma in the room for the moment. Each one of them saw Envy being carried in, and oddly none of them attacked. "Seems our guest tried to check out early," Sebastian stated. "I told you he'd do that," Karma commented, Envy being laid down over next to Alphonse. Once Envy was released, he tried to get himself up, but the fall ended up injuring his leg, making him cringe up. That didn't stop him though from retaliating, stumbling off the couch and getting to his feet. "You bastards stay away from me! Or I'll slaughter all of you," Envy warned. "You better lay back down, if you know what's good for you," Ciel advised, but that just infuriated Envy more. "WHO'RE YOU TO GIVE ME ORDERS?!" Envy roared, using what energy he had to swing a fist her way. Ciel stepped aside, Envy's fist slamming into Al's armor. At his regular strength, that would tear Alphonse's armor to a pump, but his new body was far from weaker than his previous body, and not enough to make a dent into it, only hurting Envy more so. The weaker Envy fell forward, Alphonse grabbing him before he could hit the floor, and putting him back on the couch. Envy needed another minute to regain himself, laying on the couch to heal up. "Envy, please, you'll pass out if you keep this up," Al insisted, resting Envy's head on a pillow, and giving him one of the couches to lay on. "What're you all up to? what do you want with me?" "Nothing at all, Envy. Seriously, Al and Blair saved your life, the least you can do is chill out," Karma made clear. Saved your life? Was Karma serious with that? Envy didn't recall anyone rescuing him before passing out. If anything, he was left to die and nothing else. "You pathetic humans are horrible liars." "We're telling the truth, honest. Blair and I found you in that huge mess all by yourself, so ..." Envy didn't need to hear anyone proof of that. It was clear that they indeed found him, but with their past history, he found it very unlikely that they would help him. "And you're all apparently ok with that," Envy said, still thinking there was some sort of catch to this. "We've grown more flexable to the situation after a day." "A day?!" Envy said, pausing when his head started to pound on him again. "H-How long have I've been out?" "Three days. Four including today," Karma replied. "And you're all okay for having a Homunculus in here with you," Envy commented, still not believing that there was no catch to this. "Well ..." "Alright, here we are. Make yourselves at home." Just arriving at the house, Team Harmony had been going for quite a while to reach the place. Pluton's attack forced them here, but when comparing here to the condition of Central, it beats that by a mile. "Nice place, Ed. You sure it's okay for us to stay here?" Twilight asked, looking around. "Sure. Like I said, you just stopped Pluton, you need somewhere to relax," Ed assured them. "Good enough for me," said Karma. "Well, it'll have to do. It's better than what was left of Central," noted Ciel. Well, as most of them were there, it took a little bit longer for Blair and Alphonse to finally catch up to them. Alphonse, for some reason, had to move a little bit slower, and Blair stuck around as her typical cat form, riding on his shoulder like a parrot as they approached. The others soon saw him before they could actually go into the house. "Al, there you are. What took you so long?" Ed asked. "Sorry, sorry. I got caught up in something," Al said, trying to get himself together. He may be body armor, but even then he can get a little tired time to time. Blair hopped off to join them, though Ciel tried to keep his distance from the feline, covering his nose. "Keep your distance, cat," Ciel warned. "I'm a cat, I don't care. Besides, I know one hunk just adores a cite kitty like me, eh Sebastian?" Blair said, rubbing against Sebastian's leg. Normally, yes, he would be, but Sebastian took a step back so Blair could stop. Blair just ended up falling over, disappointed more than anything. "ANYWAY, shall we get ourselves accommodated?" Sebastian suggested. And so, the group was ready to head in and get themselves comfortable with the place. Alphonse was about to follow them in himself, but as they were Al stopped when he saw that Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped herself and made a U-turn, looking right at Al. "... Uh ... What is it?" Al asked, a bit unsure, as Pinkie moved over to him, rather uncomfortably close. The pink girl's antics stopped the others as well, Pinkie looking Al over for some sort of reason. She popped up behind him, along each side of him, basically looking him over head to toe. "My pinkie sense is telling me mister armor has a little guest with him," Pinkie said, sounding serious. Though, honestly, most of them didn't take her too seriously. They heard about it, but they still didn't get how it exactly worked. "Ed, get rid of whatever other cat you have in there," Ed instructed. As he moved forward, Al took a step back, confirming his suspicions right away. "No, brother wait -" before Al could stop him, Ed went right on ahead and opened up Al's chest armor, expecting some sort of extra cat to just show up inside it. One opening though, and the entire group saw Al had something a bit more than just some cat: Envy. Envy was still passed out, fast asleep inside Al's armor. He looked slightly different, but they still recognized him. ....... "WHAT THE HELL?!?!" "Brother, quiet, he's still sleeping," Al insisted, but the rest of the group wasn't as supportive of the choice. Envy Homunculus, for some reason in Al's armor?! And Al apparently knew about it the whole time. "What's Envy doing in your armor?!" Aladdin gasped. "Yeah, we have a bit on our plate to be looking after Envy, Al!" Ed added. "Guys, I couldn't leave him back in the middle of that mess. He was unconscious when I found him!" "Great! First stray cats, and now this? How many more things can you stuff into that armor, huh?! GET RID OF IT!" Ed demanded, the screaming still not waking Envy up thank goodness. "How can you be so cruel?!" Al retorted. Suddenly, Blair jumped in between Ed and Al, turning back into her human form for a moment, but not in any mood to play around this time. "Chill out will you?! Rescuing Envy was my idea, Al just happened to be there with me," Blair admitted. "Geesh, have you forgotten what he did to you back in England? He practically killed you," Karma reminded, remembering her body getting skewered and tossed over by the same Homunculus. However, Blair shrugged it off. "Whatever. It's just one time," Blair responded. A rather odd thing to say, but then again she still had her other eight lives, so she wasn't too worried about it really. "Regardless, it's too high of a risk to have - ... where'd he go?" Ciel wondered. The others looked back and soon found that Envy was suddenly gone from Al's armor! They all thought he had woken up and left, but - "AWWWW! He's so CUTE!" Pinkie suddenly said, holding Envy and cuddling him. Envy may be asleep, but this other form of he was in just was so adorable to Pinkie. Well, one of them was down for the idea. "Come on, at least for a while. Just until he gets better? Please?" Alphonse asked, pleading with them. The others took a moment to think over what Al and Blair told them, and looked over to Envy. The Homunculus did look pretty bad, and he didn't look to be healing quick from it much either. "Well, doesn't look like he's gonna do much," Karma said. "He looks a lot weaker too," Aladdin agreed, looking to Envy's body. There was some silence, but then Ciel moved over to Envy, looking him over himself. "... Alright. We'll watch over him," Ciel finally decided. The decision needed some time to make, but that was his. "Yeah, fine. Doesn't look like he'll do much, anyway," Karma agreed. "If my master trusts the situation, who am I to object?" Sebastian said. "Yes-indeedie," said Pinkie. The overall choice was made by the rest of the team, and Al felt a lot better about it. Though, there was one more person left. ... "Brother?" Al asked. Ed wasn't all up for this idea, seen easily on his face as he tired to think. "Hmmm ..." Ed placed his head on the wall. "... hmmmmm ... HMMMMM." "Hurry up," noted Pinkie. Ten minutes later ... "Fine, we'll watch him," Ed finally decided. Overall choice ruled the day, and for Envy, he got himself a sanctuary. "And since then, we've been watching you. Making sure you're alright," Al finished. Envy just sat there listening to what Al had said, still left beside himself on the overall fact that these humans would go out of their way to save him from the rubble. In the end though, Envy still didn't see much sense in it. "WHY would you make such a deadly decision. I was the one who hidden myself in Central. And you Ciel, you forgotten what happened in England so soon?" Envy hissed. Ciel felt like a skewer was stabbed through him, remembering damn well what Envy had done during the party back then, but Ciel masked his discomfort with a sigh. "Boulderdash. Envy, while you may have tried before to eradicate us, it would be unfair on you if we were to leave you to die in such a situation. You were weak, dying, and thanks to Alphonse and Blair, rescued. You mean to tell me that you would rather throw your life away like rubbish over being rescued by the likes of us?" Envy turned away, but before he could try to get a response, a thought struck him. Here he was, weaker than before, and in the company of a bunch of humans who not only evaded his killer instincts with each encounter, but outdone him one way or another. and considering Sebastian was standing right there, a retaliation now wouldn't end well with him. Envy still felt that there was some catch to it, but he didn't go on any further than that. "Breakfast!" shouted a cheery voice. And even if he could, he wasn't given the chance to. Next thing he knew, a large meal was spread out on the table of a rather large breakfast, enough to feed practically everyone, including Envy. Eggs, bacon, some fish courtesy of Blair, plenty of drinks, all of which was surely enough to feed everybody. The meals were prepared and served over by Ed, Pinkie, and Blair. It was then they soon noticed Envy sitting there. "Oh, Envy you're up! Good sleep?" asked Blair. Envy didn't really answer, but suddenly a huge plate was placed down in front of him, the amazingly delicious smells of fresh food hitting his nose the second it was put there. "You must be starving, cutie pie! Eat up!" Pinkie said. "Cutie pie?" Envy groaned. If he was going to be stuck here for a while, he needed to get himself together. Eating something might help him. Can't really be intimidating with that kind of nickname. Still, Envy took a fork and took a bite of one of his selected foods, but ... "AAHH! You're so cute, I just wanna pinch those cheeks!" Pinkie beamed, seeing Envy's surprisingly cute face when he ate, his cheeks puffed up and everything. Envy did swallow just before Pinkie hugged him again. Envy didn't have much time to react to her, and while the hug itself didn't hurt, the sudden movements did make his already sore body sting a little again. "Damnit. This is gonna take a very long time. ..." ~~ A rather long day ensued with Envy's recovery, and it pretty much left much of Team Harmony and Envy with little to do, Envy especially since he was left in recovery. With Sebastian basically on watch, he was pretty much stuck there, especially due to his weakened body Chrysalis had left him with, and his powers sucked away, thus making him unable to bolt off with the demon butler carrying him back. On the bright side for Envy, at least his accommodations wasn't as bad as it could've been. He was given a cozy bed with a window, at least. As for the others, they took the time to relax their minds from the whole Pluton incident, and took the moment to spruce up on their skills a bit, just in case some other demon or whatever would show up or when they'll have to go out again. Here, it was Karma and his swordsmanship, and Twilight with her alchemy. Though while Karma was steadily getting better with his self-taught techniques, it was Twilight who was having a little more trouble focusing a bit, mainly because of what happened with Pluton. Off outside during a rather cloudy sunset admittedly, Twilight had tried to handle her alchemy by herself, with Aladdin watching nearby. She tried to keep some focus on her skills one way or another, but as Aladdin watched her, the young magi could see that Twilight was having some bit of trouble with it all. Yes, her skills had improved since she started, but today just wasn't her day here. "Hey, Yugure?" Aladdin asked softly. Twilight stopped her purple magic for a moment, though the smart girl knew almost immediately where Aladdin was going, and all she did was walk over and sit down next to him, breathing a rather rough sigh. "Yeah, Aladdin?" Twilight asked. "Is everything okay? ..." "... No. No it's not. And you and I both know why," Twilight said, down on herself. Aladdin knew exactly what too: Nagisa Shiota. Days had past since Nagisa basically vanished, but all the same, the pain still stung like it just happened whenever it was brought up. "Oh, I wish I could've done something. Otherwise. ..." Twilight couldn't even bring herself to even say it, but Aladdin knew what Twilight was going for. "Don't worry, we'll find him. We don't know if Nagisa's dead -" "No, but it all points to it!" Twilight suddenly snapped, making Aladdin jump. Twilight didn't mean to snap at him like that. Twilight relaxed right away. "Sorry, sorry. ... It's just ... I didn't do anything ..." Twilight stayed quiet, feeling a swell of emotion starting to come up in some tears. The image of Pluton exploding, and the image of Nagisa running off towards Pluton with the intent to finish him off went through her head, and the constant reminder how she just stood there and let him go, not able to do anything before it happened. Aladdin watched her tears fall down, seeing how much it was effecting her. Not that it wasn't effecting him either, Nagisa was his close friend too, and first human friend since arriving from the Overworld. Aladdin got his mind together, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Twilight. Back in England, when you ran away, Nagisa worked the hardest to try and find you. Nagisa never gave up on you, no matter how long you were gone, and you shouldn't give up on him either. I know he's alive somewhere out there, and I don't know about you, but I'll do my best to find him. Besides, he wouldn't want you to be like this." Aladdin knew what he was talking about, and Twilight could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth. Nagisa worked so hard to try and find her when she disappeared, and it was time for Twilight to do the same. That, and Nagisa wouldn't want to see Twilight sulk so much over it if he actually was there. If Twilight wanted to see Nagisa again, then she had to take action instead of mope. Twilight wiped away her tears and a smile came up on her face. "Then I'll be right there with you. Soon as everyone is ready, then we'll try to find him," Twilight said. That surely made Aladdin better. "That's the spirit, Yugure. ... Or, wait, is Twilight okay?" Aladdin asked. Twilight giggled a little. "Twilight is perfectly fine by me," Twilight concluded. Twilight and Aladdin looked on, what sun was out painting the clouds a nice color of purple to accompany the mix of red, yellow and orange in the sky. As they were out there, Envy looked down on them from the window of his room. From the post, he had heard basically everything, though in his mind the moment didn't make much more sense than them saving him in the first place. "Nagisa? Missing? ... Pluton must've killed him already. Don't know why they're still wasting their time," Envy thought. All evidence showed that Nagisa was dead, but apparently they weren't giving up on it, for whatever reason. The writing was on the wall, and Envy was taking it as such. ....... Night time, and at this point, most of the team was off and sleeping. Well, all with the exception of Envy himself. Being asleep for days on end made him rather restless, ironically, and he didn't feel up for just falling asleep right away. He stayed quiet and laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, taking the quiet moment for some thinking. At least when it was night, the others would quit bugging him. At this point, the others took some extra measures and put his sore body with a bandage or two, primarily on his damaged leg from his previous escape attempt. As he laid there, he took a glance over outside the window, the new moon making the night awfully dark, but stars easy to see. Envy, Sombra was starting to get a little bit impatient with you. Your constant failures, your embarrassing defeats, and here with your capture by Amestris. Such an embarrassment, don't you agree? Those words just before Chrysalis drained him echoed in the Homunculus's head, Envy feeling especially dumb for the constant failures. It was painfully clear why Sombra would be impatient with him, but taking his power away was a bit extreme. The Homunculus brought his hand to his head, cursing himself. "Damn human worms. First they keep humiliating me, and now they save my life. ... Think Envy. Sombra's mad, but you can fix this. ..." If only Envy knew how. He would just attack them all if his powers were still in tact, but Chrysalis saw to it that he wouldn't be able to do anything about anything. That, and his body still wasn't at full strength yet so he'd just get himself killed if he rushed in. He was plenty smarter than that. Envy ended up sitting up in bed, trying to think on what to do with himself, and with Sombra's apparently anger towards him. ... "Having trouble sleeping, are we?" So much for his night of quiet. Sebastian soon ended up in his room to check in on him, candle in hand as he would do back at the mansion. Envy though was in no mood for any late night visitors. "None of your business. What do you want?" Envy asked, turning away as Sebastian stepped in. "Just merely doing a favor for my young lord, as all. It does seem you're recovering nicely," stated Sebastian, placing the candle over by Envy's bed. That was another thing that bugged him for a while, and that was Sebastian's devotion towards these humans, especially his 'young lord'. He knew how strong Sebastian is, why would he waste his time with them still? "OK, what's your deal? We both know you're a powerful demon but you end up stuck as this brat's butler," Envy finally asked. Sebastian didn't really feel too surprised by the sudden question. "Is there any other reason you need, Envy? As a butler, I am devoted to my master no matter the consequence. The proof is right in front of you," Sebastian said, removing his glove to show his contract symbol on his hand. Envy remembered the symbol, but it didn't explain much of anything. "What does that have to do with anything?" "My contract is paid through his soul, Envy. And this contract is a reminder to my lord of the completed contract," Sebastian revealed. Even then, Envy felt that it was rather stupid, to put it bluntly. "Then why don't you just eat his soul, and be done with it?" Envy questioned, not understanding the logic. Sebastian smiled, his eyes glowing red slightly. "I would be more than happy to just steal his soul if I could. Though it would be rather unfair, won't it?" Sebastian said, taking a seat at the foot of Envy's bed. "Unfair? Sebastian, those worms can barely protect themselves, and when they do its for nonsensical things. Throwing their lives away for nothing, like your Nagisa Shiota. Why would you want to serve something like that?" Envy questioned. While envy did have some form of a point from the demon side of the equation, Sebastian knew Envy had ill experience with humans, despite his time within their world. "Think for a moment. The Underworld. Even if there might be a overall statement on the entities that reside there, you and I both know that not every demon is truly the same. Same thing could be said with Angels in the Overworld. And yet, they too have their faults. Young Aladdin for instance is a holy Magi of the overworld, but not only is he a weak little Magi, but one who has an over fascination with one women's baps." "Oh really?" Envy said, unamused by the statement. "Indeed. You see, before I was put under servitude by Ciel Phantomhive, my thoughts on humans were a bit vague like yours. I saw humans as nothing but a food source for the souls we demonic entities devour. However, as time went by, I believe I can come down to one conclusion." "... And what's that?" "Humans are such fickle creatures. you'd think you can figure one out after some time, but then they always have some way to surprise you. ... Eh, now here I am going on, when you should be sleeping. Have a good night, Envy," Sebastian finished, getting up, taking his candle, and soon walking out of the room, leaving Envy with a bit of food for thought. It may not understand why Sebastian would still stay, yet it did give Envy something else to think about. ... ....... It seemed that time took a back seat for the group from here on in. Envy still felt himself slowly recover from his trouble, the others still stuck around for a while longer. So long as they had no exact place to really head off to, and with Envy still recovering as a whole, they pretty much were stuck there. Not that it was too much trouble, but all the same, they were keeping a killer Homunculus with them in their midst so that was still something to consider. This afternoon, weather had taken a turn for the worse and a fair rainstorm was pouring down outside, something they could hear from in there. The whole group, excluding Envy in their place too, was just inside having some dinner made by the chefs of the group (Pinkie and Blair). "Ah, delicious!" said Aladdin, basically stuffing his face with Pinkie's treats. "Had any of you heard from that Korosensei of yours lately?" asked Ciel. It had been a while since they had heard from their octopus demonic teacher, not hearing much of him since they left Central (which was a rather long time back). Some were a bit too busy eating to even listen to his question, but eventually it was Ed who gave him the answer. "Yeah, he told me yesterday he's still trying to repair Central. By the way, can I ask you one little favor about that ...?" asked Edward. "What may that be?" "Tell that creep to not sneak in through my bedroom window!!" Ed snapped. A rather freaked out moment when Korosensei popped up over by Ed's bedroom window, his tentacles gripping the sill and peering in. That was enough to freak out anybody, no matter who it is, ESPECIALLY from something like Korosensei. "So vile!" though Ciel, the thought of it giving him shivers as well. After that little bit of freak out, Karma rejoined the others, coming in from upstairs. "How's Envy looking?" asked Alphonse. "Aside ugly, he's fine. I tried to get him to come down for some grub, but all he did was shut the door on my face," Karma joked. Karma went on to take a seat over by Aladdin and Blair, both enjoying the big meals they had with them. "Oh well. I can wrap something up for him later," Pinkie decided, who was nibbling on her own meal as well with equal enthusiasm. The mention of Envy didn't suit too well for some. "OK, I'm just gonna ask it: any of you know what to do with Envy when he's healed?" Ed asked. They couldn't keep that kind of possibility ignored for too long, and with how much time they got in keeping Envy basically safe, and his healing too, the possibility of him going out and trying to kill them again was in the air. "Dunno. Has anyone notice how much he actually did anything ... Homunculi-y?" Pinkie realized, scratching her head. "Now you've come to mention it, Envy has yet to transform, alter his body, or anything of the sort since the recovery has started. Perhaps whatever happened to him maybe more severe than we think," noted Ciel. "Great, we shouldn't have a problem with him then!" "Then you wouldn't mind then that we keep him?" THAT was the option that made Ed nearly gag on his dinner, the idea coming up out of nowhere, and so casually. "Wait, WHAT?! Keep him, you outta your mind?!" "Not at all. Think of it like this: if we allow Envy to just roam around freely, even in his weakened condition, his mindset on our current location can easily be revealed to this Sombra of his. Sombra would find him, gain his information, and get the upper hand on practically everyone here. Besides, it beats having him trying to constantly kill us, wouldn't you agree?" Ciel explained. "So, what, make him our ally to keep him from causing us trouble? I gotcha: keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?" said Karma. "That's about it," concluded Ciel. "Hold on, what makes you think he'll actually consider joining you?" question Ed. "You did say he kept trying to kill you, didn't you?" added in Al. "Precisely why we should have him stay with us. If we can convince him to stay with us, he wouldn't try to kill his allies. That would be reckless, even for him," Karma noted. "Right again," said Ciel. Well, as some were open to the idea, some of them just weren't sure if that really was a good idea. ... So unfortunate too. Envy, who had finally decided to come on down, managed to overhear what they had to say. His suspicions on a catch to this were pretty much right after all, according to Ciel's logic. They were going to take him as a prisoner rather than a companion after all. ... "I knew it." Envy, without making another sound, went right off upstairs again. He'd take the front door, but then they'd hear him and go after him again. If they were to go after him, at least he would get a head start another method. Once he got back to his room, he closed the door and locked it up tight. Clearly a distraction to keep the others busy trying to get to him in his room when they do confront him about this prisoner shindig they had in mind. Envy may not be fully healed yet, but he wasn't taking any chances any further. "You think you can keep me locked away? They're not fooling me that easy," Envy thought, as he went straight for his window. He didn't care if his body wasn't ready to go, with the rainstorm outside pouring down, it would make a great cover for his escape. Plus no one would hear any extra noise with the rain beating on their rooftop, so, the time is now. Unlike before though, Envy went a little easier on his exit strategy aside from just jumping out and injuring himself again. No, this time, he took the blanket from the bed and used that as a rope for his decent. Yeah it was something old school, but it beats breaking both his legs. Anyway, in the rain, Envy got about half way down to the ground (a lot closer than before, might I add), and once he got close enough, he just dropped down. The drop wasn't as painful, and he was on the ground and running off immediately. The rain poured down onto him pretty hard, and when he got about twenty feet from the house, he took a look back while running. "Good, they're not following. Time to screw them over and get to Sombra," Envy thought, a devilish smile on his face as he ran off into the rainstorm. ....... "Envy! Envy, we got a lil proposition for you!" Pinkie called, trying to get into his room, but no luck. Pinkie was tasked with giving the Homunculus the idea, alongside Alphonse, Blair, and Aladdin, since those four seemed the most trusting and probably had the best shot in getting Aladdin to come along with them if anyone. After all, two of them did save Envy's life, and the other two were friendly as a whole, so why wouldn't they be the ones to give it a try? However, it seemed the door was locked up tight, and no matter how much Pinkie tried to get in, it didn't really work. "Can you unlock the door? We're not mad or anything, Envy," assisted Alphonse, but not a sound could be heard from inside. Pinkie started to get a little more forceful with her attempts to get in, grabbing the doorknob and pulling back hard. All that did was make her fall back and onto the floor with a loud thud. Blair placed her ear onto the door after that, trying to hear in if there even was something or someone inside, but it was bizarrely quiet in there. Something like that could've at least woke up Envy if the Homunculus was taking a nap or something, but nothing. Still, they couldn't confirm anything from over here. "Guess he doesn't wanna talk," Al concluded. "Hold in a second," Blair insisted. Being a cat, and a rather small one too, Blair got her body over near the bottom of the door. She started by testing it with her paws on the gap between the door and floor, and then she tried to slip in. A bit of a jump in steps, but Blair did actually manage to get her head through the door, and after a few pushes and shoves, got the rest of herself to go through the door with a pop. "OK. Hey, Envy, we got a -" and then Blair paused when she took a look around the room. .... The trio suddenly heard the door unlock, Blair unlocking the door. Blair may have got that taken care of, but when they all looked in the room, the problem they found was only the beginning of an even bigger trouble: Envy had took off on them! Window was partially open, no sign of the Homunculus anywhere! "WHA?! Where'd he go?" Aladdin wondered, he and Pinkie trying to find him, going from spot to spot for some sort of clue to his whereabouts. "Damnit Ciel, Envy must've overheard what he said earlier and flown off," Blair concluded. And if what Ciel said was true too, then they all knew exactly where Envy would run off to as well. "But now?! Envy's still recovering, he won't make it far out there," Al said, freaked out as well that Envy would leave in his condition. "What're we waiting for then, come on, let's get him!" decided Pinkie, taking a quick charging headstart before the trio could really react to it. ~~ Outside, as Envy hoped to, he got a huge headstart. The storm itself was still pouring down on him as the afternoon went on, and Envy continued going through the countryside of Amestris. He didn't take any of the roads or usual pathways (where else would they follow him?), and stuck to the true countryside as he tried to gain some distance. At this point, the rain had left him completely soaked, and running through the rain was actually leaving him tired. On the bright side, he was alone and away from his would-be captors. All the same though, Envy slowed down after a while to catch his breath, panting like mad, and his body tired from all that running. At least he wasn't hot, the rain cooling him down more than enough. He may be glad to get away from them for now, but Envy still was stuck wondering what even was going on with him. Still, he gained some good distance, so he had that going for him. He shook his head, and wringed out his hair trying to get his hair to not be so water-logged. "That should do it. ... Goddamnit, I'm exhausted. What'd Chrysalis do to me?" Envy wondered, feeling his pulse race. All these other feelings: weakness, exhaustion, elongated pain, all of these things he hadn't experienced before Chrysalis screwed with him, or at least not so prominently. After a little bit of the cooling rain and some rest, Envy needed to figure out how to get to Sombra, or at the very least, get to his other Homunculi. Either one will do, and a step towards getting himself back to normal one way or another. Envy looked up to the rain at that point, thinking about Lust and Gluttony. "Damnit, Gluttony won't be able to find me in this rain, and who knows how far I am from Lust. Where do I go from here? ..." Envy tried to come up with some way to get back, but so far his mind drew a blank. Gluttony's sense of smell was rather useless in the rain so that was out of the question. Up on the hill, Envy tried to find out where to go from there, making sure not to head back the way he came. Looking around as well, he was stuck out on an open plain, not many trees growing along the countryside, if any at all. As for other figures, Envy seemed to be the only one outside. Underline, seemed ... "My goodness, dear, you're going to catch a cold out here like that," said a familiar voice. Envy looked around, worried it might be the humans after him again, but he didn't find any of them coming towards him. Instead, another eerily familiar face soon appeared, and was heading towards him. Or rather, two familiar faces. No, it wasn't Lust and Gluttony as he hoped it would be, but instead two rulers had come out in the rain to see him. One of them Envy wanted to find, but the other was who got him in this trouble in the first place. Sombra and Chrysalis. Both demonic rulers out from the underworld to see him, Chrysalis holding a umbrella for herself and king Sombra. And while Chrysalis looked pleased, Sombra had more pressing matters for Envy. "lord Sombra." "Envy. I see you're still alive and well, albeit a bit ... different," Sombra started, referring to Envy's new body. Envy glared towards Chrysalis before Sombra continued. "Still. Where have you been? I heard you were captured by Central a while back." "You can see I'm not. I'm sorry for being gone, but -" before Envy could continue, Sombra raised his hand to silence him. "You would be, would you? ... Envy, better tell me what you know about Tirek," Sombra stated, staring down at him. Envy didn't answer at first, not sure where Sombra was going with this, but with Chrysalis standing not too far away, Envy wasn't sure if she was truly as innocent or what. "What about him? You locked him up, didn't you?" "That senile demon ruler escaped about a week ago, and what is more he was the one who released that monster Pluton onto Central. I had your Gluttony look around and try to find who may have helped him in his escape, and what did he find? ..." Sombra went into his pocket, and then pulled out what appeared to be a bit of leather, but looked oddly familiar to Envy's outfit. Envy though, didn't seem to make the connection. "This patch of leather by one of the chains. A little familiar?" Now, it didn't take much to Envy to realize where Sombra was going with this. "Wait a minute, How could I have done it?! I was running around and spying on king Bradley like you told me to!" Envy insisted. Sombra tossed the leather at Envy's face, Chrysalis smiling and giggling a little at Envy's little dismay. "Peculiar though: you were indeed captured, but you were released a few days prior to Tirek's escape. Enough time for you to meet with Tirek, perhaps?" "I DID NOT! Who told you that bullcrap?!" Envy yelled, trying to defend himself. "She did," Sombra simply said, looking over to Chrysalis. The queen simply stayed quiet, keeping the umbrella over Sombra's head to keep him dry. "You bitch! Why would you even try to listen to a word she tells you?! That demon slut drained my powers away and left me for dead while Pluton went on his rampage!" yelled Envy, finger aimed right at the demon queen. Chrysalis stayed calm and collected about the outbursts, as Sombra waited to think. He took a look over to Chrysalis and back to Envy. "Go on, Sombra. Call him out and leave him behind. you never needed him anyway," Chrysalis thought in anticipation, waiting for that moment to come around. However, king Sombra brought out his own little answer: punching Chrysalis in the stomach and knocking her to the ground! "What was that for? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Chrysalis groaned. "YOU left the palace after I specifically instructed every follower of mine to remain put. It's bad enough that Pluton was released in the first place, not to mention Tirek's escape, I don't want other demons dragged out with it!" Sombra sternly explained, staring down at Chrysalis with disapproval written on his face. Chrysalis stayed quiet after that, though she didn't feel too guilty over it. After that, Sombra turned over to Envy again. "And as for you. Even if you hadn't released Tirek from his cell, you've been failing time and time again, and all with the same group of humans. Korosensei, Sebastian, Central Amestris warriors, goddamn Phantomhive servants! I keep asking you to stay behind, and you instead charge right into it!" "Stop right there: I was tricked back in Central, they got me in - ACK!" Sombra quieted Envy with a strong grip on his face, his hand covering his mouth. Normally, Envy would be fine with this, but his new body strained on his grip. Chrysalis grinned devilishly on Envy's trouble. "THAT doesn't excuse your previous attempts, Envy. ..." "Envy! Envy, where're you?!" Appeared they had more company. Farther away, Sombra, Chrysalis, and Envy all saw some of Team Harmony out and trying to find Envy after he left. not all of them actually ran off though, and the group out looking were those who found out in the first place: Alphonse, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Blair. Sombra turned back to Envy, and tossed him down to the ground. "And why're they looking for you?" Sombra questioned. That was when Envy didn't really answer. Or even if he could, he didn't have time to, as the others actually spotted him and the demon lords nearby. The others would go and get him, but seeing Sombra and Chrysalis made them stand still. "Shall I handle them?" Chrysalis asked. "YOU keep him still," Sombra instructed, tossing Envy over to her. Chrysalis was more than happy to grab the homunculus, the weakened creature not able to get free. "Hey you, evildoer!" Pinkie cried, a bit dramatic in pointing at him. Sombra looked pretty skeptical towards them, and took a little look around along the raining countryside. "So. Look who also came out in the rain to join us this evening." "Silence, jerk! You harm that boy there, and momma will knock you out!" Pinkie yelled, childish, but still trying to help him. Sombra wasn't taking this dramatic Pinkie Pie very seriously. In fact, Sombra literally pushed Pinkie Pie aside to confront the rest of them. Not a good showing. "You care to explain what you want with Envy? Hmm?" Sombra questioned. "Look, we're just trying to make him feel better. We found him unconscious, and we've been trying to heal him since," Alphonse explained, humbled by Sombra, and trying to not start anything. Chrysalis felt a little troubled, but Envy was pleased. Sombra took a few steps closer, but Aladdin was starting to worry, he already lost Nagisa, he wasn't going to lose anyone else, and he put himself between his friends and Sombra. Chrysalis though decided to go in anyway. "Excuse me for butting in, but that's such a likely story. Envy could've just told them to say so to cover himself up," Chrysalis accused. "I'M. NOT. LYING!" Envy roared, Chrysalis muffling him by shoving his face into the mud. First Korosensei, then Sebastian, and now Chrysalis was humiliating him. Sombra looked back and forth between the group and to the homunculus. Aladdin looked ready to summon his shield at any moment. "N-Not at step closer," Aladdin warmed. Sombra stopped moving, and thought over the situation they were in. A long paused stood up in the rain, each side waiting for something to happen. A few of the full team had arrived, they saw Sombra in his full form, Envy was weakened, and while all those factors were current, there was one thing that Sombra had to know regardless of what the main point was. Sombra closed his eyes, and trying to think ... "HURRY UP, THE SUSPENCE IS KILLING US MORE THAN YOU ARE!" Pinkie suddenly screamed, no longer able to take it. Sombra got himself together faster than the others did, and he went closer to the group anyway. "I'm warning you. I'm not afraid to fight you!" Aladdin said, trying to sound confident, but as Sombra walked closer, his eyes staring daggers at him, Aladdin could feel himself freeze up. It wasn't long until he was just a foot away, Aladdin gulping. "You still seem scared, magi. Nothing but talk, you are," Sombra stated, cold and stern. Suddenly, Aladdin summoned his shield up, covering the whole team in that shield, blocking Sombra from coming any closer. "Alright, fine. ... Tell me the truth: How many people know about Pluton?" More silence. By the sound of his tone, Sombra was in entirely no mood to play around, each word coming out slow and steady so not a single word was missed with anyone's ears. Such a powerful demon king as well, and the wrong answer could tear them apart. Team Harmony needed a bit to figure out what to do. "You don't know?" Pinkie asked, legitimately confused. "Would I ask you if I did? Not come on, out with it!" Sombra demanded, his voice bellowing into them, enough to make most of them shiver. It took them a little bit more, but eventually Alphonse took a step forward, standing in front of everyone. "Uh, well ... Central knows, and ... I ... guess, the whole world? ..." "WHAT?!" Sombra's roar made them all jump, Aladdin's lack of focus enough to actually drop the shield and make him tumble back into Alphonse. Suddenly, Sombra was right in their faces, his eyes glowing in anger. "How many people did you tell?!" Sombra roared. "No one, no one, none of us said anything, I swear! One of those human machine things was flying around Pluton, a-and apparently it's able to 'broadcast' all over the world, o-or something like that!" Aladdin tried to explain suddenly Aladdin found himself gripped by Sombra! Sombra's hands gripped around Aladdin's neck, and lifted him up off the ground, choking him right there! Sombra wasn't going to suffocate him, but instead, grabbing him by his ponytail, he swung Aladdin like a mace, and slammed right into Alphonse, cracking a hole in his armor, and throwing both aside hard. Blair and Pinkie dodged it, as both magi and living armor landed about ten feet away. Sombra looked ready to kill, but suddenly he got his senses together from what he was doing. "No, no Sombra, calm down. You'll get yours soon enough," Sombra thought, getting himself together. Sombra turned to those remaining, and all he did was swat them to the ground with one hit. Not as violent, but still got them out of the way so he could confront Envy. Sombra moved Chrysalis off of him, and lifted Envy off the ground. "About time. Sombra, look, give me my power back and we can finish them off for good!" "DON'T GET ANY CRAZY IDEAS! ... Besides, it wouldn't of worked out between you and me, anyway," Sombra concluded, throwing Envy over to the other humans. They all were still alive, but left stunned by Sombra's menacing power. Envy picked himself up off the ground, along with the rest. "You okay, Envy?" asked Blair. "Shut up," Envy yelled. Sombra was suddenly standing right in front of Envy. "Listen, and listen good you pathetic creature. You may have been cleared of releasing Tirek from his cell, but your rebellious behavior and pathetic actions over these months are inexcusable. You were doomed from the start anyway, Envy. Chrysalis draining your power? That was for until after Pluton was defeated!" Sombra revealed, not only shocking Envy to his core, but kinda embarrassing Chrysalis a little. His punishment would come to him no matter what the situation was. "Y-You can't get rid of me ... I'm a Homunculus. ..." In front of everyone, Sombra made his bold move on Envy, and one that made it clear that Sombra no longer needed him around any longer. Aiming Envy's head to his own, Sombra brought his hand out, and his hand turned into a shadowy substance, which skewered right through Envy's mouth! Envy gagged, and choked, and he felt Sombra's arm deeper and deeper inside of him. Envy was unable to stop the demon lord, and neither could anyone else. Soon, the arm was removed from his mouth, and Envy was tossed aside, Envy coughing and hacking while down on the ground. It was after that, when Sombra revealed what he removed from Envy. Envy's Philosopher Stone! "H-He removed his stone," gasped Pinkie. "B-But how? A Homunculus is nonexistent without it," Blair said. Sombra overheard what they were saying, and placed the stone into his pocket. "Exactly." "W-Wha .... how ... how am I still alive?" Envy wondered, completely shocked. His throat was sore more than most, but considering his stone was removed from his body, that would be a death sentence for any Homunculus, but somehow Envy was still whole. Still alive and breathing, somehow. "Have you not figured it out yet?" questioned Sombra, Envy looking up to him with utter shock. "... Homunculi are artificial humans, created by Philosopher stones like these. Once a stone is removed or destroyed, the Homunculus would cease to exist ... yet, you're still alive. So what do you suppose that would mean?" A huge flash from a lightning bolt, and thunder for the oncoming storm to accompany the rain sparked what Sombra really meant. Envy couldn't believe himself, or Sombra for that matter, but as he felt some of his own blood seep out of his mouth with no signs of healing, what other explanation would there be? Leaving Envy to figure out what to do, Sombra walked away with a cold shoulder towards his former servant, and heading back to Chrysalis before a portal was made for them both to pass through. Once they both did that, it was just Envy, and what Team Harmony was left there. Envy was severely silent after that ... "... E-Envy?" Alphonse said. "Leave me alone," Envy said. Before anyone could do anything, Envy took off again. ... ....... Alone. All alone. That was Envy's main situation and feeling overall. At least running off given him time to himself, but now that Sombra basically fired him in front of his enemies, Envy just couldn't feel anything else but depression on the event. The storm started to calm down after a little bit into the night, but it didn't make Envy feel any better. He was soaking wet from the rain, dirty from Chrysalis pushing him into the mud, exhausted from running away from Team Harmony. Tired, soaked, and now he had nowhere else to go to. Envy isolated himself over by a lone tree, curled up against the trunk and keeping completely quiet, cutting off the rest of the world from his mind as he tried to take in the facts. Something he had to face: his Homunculi were far from reach, Sombra abandoned him, Chrysalis sucked his power away ... "Envy, there you are." Envy turned his head and soon saw Blair standing over by him. Rather than feel glad someone was with him, Envy just turned away. "Can't you ever listen?" Envy growled. Blair, wet herself from all the rain, took a seat over next to him. Envy didn't even try to run away. "Come on, seriously, you're going to get sick out here like this," Blair started. "I don't care. I don't need him, and I don't need you, so leave me alone," Envy instructed. However, Blair didn't bother to leave. "Now I know that's a lie, otherwise why would you be out here?" Blair asked. That just made Envy even more furious, and he jumped to his feet to run, but Blair caught him by the arm. "The hell is wrong with you, dumbass?! I've tried kill your friends three times now, and I even killed you! Why should you even care about me?! If I were you, I'd just leave me back there to die in Central!" Envy demanded. Blair was starting to get a little impatient with him now. The usual chit chat wasn't going to work on Envy apparently, and with no one else around but her, she had to get her mind together. "OK, Envy, seriously, you rarely did a thing to us to deserve to be left behind like that. You may not see it, but I didn't save you because of some back-stabbing agenda. And I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you overheard what Ciel Phantomhive said before you took off?" "Yes I did, and I KILLED YOU! How's that not a good enough reason?!" Envy insisted. Blair stretched, and brought her hands to the back of her head. "Yeah, I'm a witch cat, so what? I got eight more lives to spare," Blair said. Envy couldn't believe what he was hearing: he literally skewered her and tossed her body like garbage, and Blair STILL didn't hold anything on him? Nothing?! "What? ... but, why? I skewered you, and threw your body off the balcony at that royal ball, and you're telling me you don't hold anything to me?" Envy asked, not believing any of it. "No, I do not. Now, burning up my house and leaving me homeless, THAT is worth my grudge," Blair cleared up. It was clear on what demon dog she was referring to, but Envy didn't see it. Before Envy could talk though, Blair suddenly brought her finger up to his mouth. "Envy, listen to me. You can go on and say what you want to, but I don't follow the same rules like most of those other underworld demons. You know, I've been given a chance to follow Sombra when Hellgar came over to my door, but I didn't take it." "Why not?!" "Because if I did, then my freedom will be tossed clear out the window. I'm a free kitty cat, and I have to stay serious and stern if I get stuck with that guy. I got a voice too, and lives to spare, I'm not going to waste my time with him, or any other demon lord. Course, it cost me my house, which is bullshit, but you know what, I got some cool friends, a hot roomie to hang with, and I get to be myself while up here." "Do you hear yourself?" Envy questioned, now more confused than upset. Blair went on and on about getting kicked out of the underworld like it was a good thing. "Do you hear yourself?" Blair then asked. Envy paused from there. "Ever since we rescued you, you keep on questioning why that was a good idea, and why we should save you even after what you did. I mean, really, who does that?" "Maybe someone who hates humans. Someone who sees humans as nothing but stupid, pathetic worms. Someone who thinks that getting rescued by the same humans who he tried to kill is the dumbest thing ever!" Envy stated with a growl. That final statement seemed to do it for Blair. Blair turned to face Envy in the face, her normally cheery, happy demeanor being replaced with a more calm one, which was strange for Envy. no one really look at him that way before. "So you'd rather go back and be Sombra's little servant than be with some humans who actually gave a shit about you?" Envy would say something, but when thinking over the question, something seemed different with it. Would he rather do that, or no? Would he rather go back to being a servant? Envy stayed quiet, not sure what to say at first, but then Blair smiled to him. It wasn't the same sadistic smile Sombra would give, or any regular demon when confronting their prey or anything, but rather one of a more cheery nature. "Gotcha." "Y-You got nothing, witch, don't act like you do!" Envy insisted, but all that did was get Blair to laugh a little bit. "Oh, I totally got you now." "SHUT UP. I'm nothing like those worms, I'm a -" Envy suddenly clammed up on his statement. He'd say he was a Homunculus, but now ... well, he wasn't so sure anymore. It was then that Blair got up, walked to front, and kneeled down to Envy, smiling her typical smile. "Just stay here with us, Envy. It'll be fun to have someone like you as a friend," Blair finally offered, a hand extended to him in friendship. Envy couldn't believe his ears on what Blair was telling him. After everything so far, Blair offered her friendship to him? He tried to kill her friends time and time again, he kidnapped one of them, he even killed this very same girl for god sake. And yet, even after all that, Blair still went ahead to offer him the chance to have a better life up here than down in the Underworld. These last few days in recovery did show him how these humans were treating the situation, and treating eachother more than his typical spying tactics, but will they accept him like this? ... Suddenly, Blair found Envy jumping up to her, but instead of just taking her hand, he was hugging her tight. A simple action like that told Blair that she got through to Envy, as she hugged him back. This hug stayed for a while longer, until Envy felt something being placed on his head: Blair's witch hat. "This'll keep you dry til we get back," Blair said with a smile. Envy stayed quiet, but he didn't take the hat off of his head. After all, the rain was getting off of him this way, and Envy adjusted the hat a little bit more. So, the two started heading back, Envy only needing to say one thing. ... "... Thanks ..."
S03Ep7: Freshman ~新入生~That night was a more proper moment for many of them. Envy did indeed return, though Alphonse was now the one that needed to be mended thanks to what Sombra had done to him. Regardless if it did threaten his life or not, he can't enrirely cooperate straight with the giant hole in his side. Call it bittersweet, but they did end up getting Envy back with then thanks to Blair. It won't be for too much longer when they will head back on their way, and be that as it may, they got their work handled far as they know. That didn't mean straight back to their own lives though, since Nagisa Shiota was either dead or missing. Twilight made her promise to find him alongside Aladdin, and they're going to take it and keep it no matter the case. With nighttime cooling down, the group all got themselves ready to hit the hay. Twilight in particular was ready for bed herself, in the guest room with Pinkie and Blair for roommates much like back in Central. A rather typical arrangement, though at the moment it was only Pinkie Pie with her, Blair taking care of Envy as favor. Twilight was already in her PJs and about ready for bed, her alchemy book out on her lap. As Pinkie gleefully got herself ready for bed, she took notice of Twilight and her currently down mood. "Yugi? You're looking down on the dump again," Pinkie pointed out. Twilight didn't even notice until Pinkie pointed it out. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Twilight insisted. "Liar liar, plants for hire!" "It's pants on fire pinkie," Twilight corrected. "You wouldn't want your pants on fire, Yugure, that would be super mean!" Pinkie insisted. Twilight just sighed, but Pinkie was suddenly on the bed with Twilight, right by her side. "Tell auntie Pie your problem," Pinkie insisted, wanting to help her friend in this time of need. Twilight really didn't want to be a burden to Pinkie Pie, but both girls could guess the problem already since it started after Pluton was beaten. Her slump just hadn't gone away, and so long as Nagisa was still gone, they can't know anything for sure. Twilight laid down in bed, turning to the window. "Look, I'll tell you in the morning, ok? It's getting late," Twilight suggested. To Pinkie that answer was about good enough for her, and Pinkie hopped into her own bed. "Okie-Dokie-Lokie. Night night," Pinkie said. And sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Pinkie Pie was off and asleep, just like that. Seriously, there wasn't really much time for her to just pass out on the bed there. Still, Twilight got enough peace and quiet for the time in order to get some sleep herself. It won't be much longer until they would go off, so it wasn't a good idea for her to drain her energy on that. So, with a sigh, she got herself comfortable, and went right off to sleep. ....... Twilight? Is that you? A calming voice, one she wasn't familiar with but not threatened by, begun to speak with her. The voice was just enough to get Twilight to stir awake, and get her sitting up. However, Twilight didn't find herself back at the Elric's place, but instead at a oddly familiar location within the dreamscape, one times at sunset rather than night time. The rivers, smooth floor, and singular trees all were familiar to the girl one way or another. Her body was the same as the first time she was in this place: all white and simplified in the skin with no precise details to note out. Standing in front of her was another figure, the supposed source of the voice, and who was talking to Twilight in the first place. Though how did he even know of Twilight's special name was something she wanted to figure out first. And there was a very few people he could've picked up the name from. Twilight took a look around for a moment. "Who're you? And where'd you hear that name? ..." Twilight asked. As he took a step forward, Twilight humbly stepped back. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you, I promise. You may call me Lugia," the figure introduced. So far, he didn't seem sounding too threatening, but with Twilight's previous experience with a deity knowing her nickname, she wasn't taking chances with him, or at least not many chances. "Stay there," Twilight suddenly insisted, something Twilight almost didn't realize she said aloud. Still, Lugia complied and stopped moving, standing about ten feet away. At least this deity was willing to listen to her. Twilight got her courage together, one hypothesis coming to mind. "Lugia. I-I know this might be out of nowhere, but ..." Before Twilight could get it out, Lugia nodded his head. "I'm a friend of Nagisa," Lugia answered. Despite herself, Twilight couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Sorry, I-I thought you were more dangerous." "I understand your concern, but why would I? If anything, I really should be thanking you and your friends for what they've done back in Central. What you've done there basically saved your world from utter destruction. And for that, I'm deeply grateful," Lugia said, hand to his chest with a smile on his face. There was no doubt in Twilight's mind what Lugia was talking about when it came to what happened back in Central, Pluton immediately coming to mind. However, Twilight did feel a bit humbled, remembering what Lugia had just said earlier, and that he was a friend of Nagisa. Then came another, more troubling idea. ... "... So. You're Nagisa's friend. ... That's good to know he has someone here that he can call a friend," Twilight said, though the tone was oddly changed from relief to a more depressed one, something Lugia was a little confused about. "What happened?" "... Nagisa, he's ... he's ..." Twilight wasn't sure if she wanted to even say it, but with Lugia, a supposed holy deity mind you, that puzzle was starting to show the overall picture to her eyes. All that came out was "We couldn't find him." "Gone. ... OH, I see. I see," Lugia finished, feeling some sadness build up in him on the news as well. However, he kept his tears in and released the sadness in a sigh of his own. However, Twilight wiped away her tears. "No. No, I'm going to find him. I know he's out there somewhere," Twilight reassured, though it was mostly to herself. "I'm sorry to hear that Nagisa's gone missing. I hope you do find him," Lugia replied, walking closer to her. This time Twilight didn't tell him to stop, and allowed him to come a few feet closer. "Thank you, Lugia," Twilight said, humbly. Lugia nodded to the girl. "Yes. ... you and your friends did so much. I know this isn't much, but, here." What Lugia initially had in mind was a bit of an interesting one. Twilight just stood there, Lugia gently placing his hands on her shoulders and lining her up so they were face to face. Lugia knew what he was doing, and Twilight could sense that nothing malicious was going to come from this action this time. The deity leaned in a bit, and Lugia focused his own energy, his eyes starting to glow. It was a little bit, but Twilight's eyes started to glow too, as she was starting to see something being played out in front of her. This vision was a bit of a different one, and it only lasted a little bit, but what Lugia showed her did help her out: a figure standing off in a forest. The vision was rather blurred, and unfortunately, the vision was rather quick and when Lugia's eyes faded, so did the vision. It was that moment one other question was answered in her head. It was him who showed them. ~~ Before they knew it, morning arrived. And despite the rainstorm yesterday, weather was a bit more fairer then, as they were preparing to head off. sure, Nagisa may not be there still, but all the same they can't stay at the Elric's place forever. It took the group a bit to get ready, but they were eventually outside, Twilight first. "Thanks again for letting us stay, Ed," Twilight started. "It's no trouble at all. Happy we could help," said Alphonse. Despite his body being armor, he still was bandaged up along his torso. "Yep. Now let's be off on our grand adventure!" Pinkie beamed, more than ready to head off on her way. However, Karma managed to grab her shoulder to keep her still, the pink girl running in place for about two seconds. "Hold your horses, Pinkie. some of us still need to get out here!" Karma said, yelling at the last part to be sure someone heard him from upstairs. "I have my routine, and it will not be rushed!" shouted Ciel from inside the house. While it was taking a little bit for Ciel to get ready to go, one other person did end up ready in time and met up with them just outside. Turned out, instead of Ciel and Sebastian, it was actually Blair and Envy. Blair looked normal, but Envy was given a bit of a clean up over last night. He looked a lot better now, cleaned up from the dirt and rain, and now dressed up in some casual clothes: a white T shirt, dull green highwater pants, and a pair of brown shoes. Seriously, Envy looked less like a Homunculus, and more like just a regular kid, though the only main thing from his normal outfit he kept was the headband. Envy still felt a little uneasy around this group, but he didn't feel up for running off on them again like before, especially considering their talk by the old tree. "Morning Envy, what's up? You feeling better? Didn't catch a cold did you?" asked Aladdin. Envy didn't respond at first, turning his head away, and rubbing his arm. "I'm fine," Envy simply said. Even if he was trying it out, he was still a bit uncomfortable. sure, he was familiar with humans, but most of the time he was in a disguise and not fully exposed like this, not to mention his personal past experience with said company of humans, witch, magi, and demonic butler. Karma though couldn't help but chuckle. "What's with this 180 here? Openly mocking us and now you can't even get your words together? Didn't page you as antisocial," Karma joked. "Well, excuse me for being uncomfortable around a group of humans who saved me after I tried to kill them. It feels just a little weird," Envy spat. "There he is," Karma added, playfully fluffing Envy's hair. Guess they weren't scared of him anymore. Envy fixed up his hair, though this did push the point further off what Sebastian told him about. It still felt odd to have Karma of all people play with him life he was an old friend or something. "Right. So where're we even going?" Envy questioned. That was the only thing that he didn't get answered in his stay here. It was Aladdin who was happy to answer him. "We went over it last night: we're going to check back at Central and see how they're doing, and after that, we're going to try to find Nagisa," Twilight explained, confident in her mind that she would find him somewhere. Twilight seemed confident about it, Aladdin too. "They're still up for looking for him?" Envy wondered, scratching his head. The others seemed willing to follow Twilight's lead on it, though Envy wondered if they're going to accept the fact Nagisa died or not. He figured he was dead at least, and how would he survive Pluton's rampage anyway? ... "Oh, so much confidence. It's brings a tear to your eye ..." And one more surprise this morning made Envy jump back, away from the house. Korosensei was stopping by this morning, the demon teacher up on the roof of the Elric house. The demonic octopus was in a different get up from his teacher uniform, this time in a pair of blue overalls, and looking rather dirty from manual labor. He also had some tissues with him to wipe away some tears off of his face, moved by Twilight's determination and from Envy's decision to join the group. "Korosensei, a pleasure to see you. Albeit a little behind schedule," Sebastian said calmly. The happy moment quickly turned to a ticked off one for Korosensei, who was already in Sebastian's face. "Give me a break, I have to juggle so much on my head: there's teaching lessons at Orora High, giving you students your assignments, and now building up Central from Pluton's wreck! SERIOUSLY, MY TENTACLES ARE STUCK IN KNOTS HERE!" Korosensei pleaded, showing his blistered tentacles to him. "Speaking of Central, did you manage to rebuild it yet?" Ciel asked, ignoring the statements Korosensei was making. "No, there's still buildings about a mile in front Pluton's entrance to fix. Should have it done by say ... the end of the week," Korosensei said, making a accurate calculation at the rate he was going, trying to mend his tentacles during the time. "A week?!" Ed and Al gasped. "I could've got it done in half the time if this speed demon didn't have any other promises to make," Korosensei noted, wishing he could get this job over and done. Ed and Al couldn't believe their ears: Korosensei getting so much done in little to no time at all?! He was building back Central, and it was apparently taking just a week or two to do it. However, Korosensei felt some ego coming up seeing the Elric brothers and their shocked faces. "He has to be joking," Ed commented. "Dude, you're talking to a demon who can fly at Mach-20," Karma informed, surprising them even more. "Did you manage to rebuild the capitol of Central?" asked Ciel. "Got that done on my second day," Korosensei said, green stripes coming up on his face to show his ego. "Awesome! come on, let's get going," Aladdin said, starting to get a head start. However, Ciel grabbed the eager magi by his ponytail to keep him still, his running in place lasting a little longer than Pinkie. "Just a moment. We may be welcomed at Central, but it might be problematic if we're bringing a Homunculus over within city limits, especially considering his previous involvement," Ciel pointed out. Envy knew he was right, but then again, Envy didn't look half as threatening as he used to be. Pinkie was quick to notice that too, the girl hugging Envy all of a sudden, his face in her breasts. "He's no meanie anymore. How can you say no to this cute face?" Pinkie asked, though Envy was more surprised than cute, half his face in and half out of her cleavage, arms flailing behind him. Yeah, they're REALLY not scared of him anymore, and Envy couldn't get himself free either. Pinkie was doing a rather sad, puppy dog face to try and push her point across, but Ciel's heart wasn't affected by it too much. "Maybe we can sneak him inside Al's armor again. The kid's got plenty of room in there," Karma suggested, knocking on Al's armor to emphasize. The knocking though knock off some loose screws in Al's armor though, one which fell in full view. "... Yeah, no," Twilight said. "I'm way ahead of you, as usual, Karma!" Korosensei. "as usual?" Karma commented, as Korosensei suddenly pulled something out of his overall pocket. It was an answer that, while it did technically help them, caught Envy completely off guard. Korosensei unrolled, and revealed to everyone a personalized 3-E attendance sheet, with written names of the students for each seat. While on the surface it seemed to be out of nowhere, its what Korosensei had added to the seating that made Envy surprised. Envy saw, at the third seat on the second row, his own name! Envy, written out in kanji, was put in one of the seats within the 3-E class. That could only mean one thing ... "Ta-Da! I got you into my class!" "WHAT?!" Envy yelled. He just joined up to the group last night, why would he suddenly just jump to a school run by a demon teacher?! Isn't that a bit fast? "As a teacher, it is my duty to take care of my students in body, mind, and soul. And considering your newer form and start of a new life, I, Korosensei, am more than willing to get you on the right path!" Korosensei said. "But I'm not your student!" Envy insisted. All he got from that was Korosensei presenting the seating in his face. "Now you are," Korosensei said cheekily. Envy took a step back towards Blair, but after some quick thinking, Blair and the others got to their conclusion. "This is perfect!" Blair decided, only freaking Envy out even more. "What why?! I just got started, and you all kept me around while I was healing, I try to run away and you convince me to stay, and now you all are ditching me?!" Envy accused. Guess Envy got the wrong idea about it. "No, Envy listen. It takes time to actually get this world down pact, and let's be honest, and if you do this, you can actually better fit in with this world," Twilight explained. "That, and you'll be taking a break from all these hellish pricks for a while and chill out in school with the cleverest teacher in Orora High. Trust me, you're in some pretty good tentacles if you join his class," Karma added in. Being a student of E class himself, he knew what he was talking about better than anyone else here. Envy considered his options. On one hand: he could stay with the group and work against Sombra directly, as a bigger payback on the demon lord for ditching him. On the other hand: he could go with Korosensei, learn about the world a bit, and take a little break from his usual work. ... "... Screw it. I'll go with the teacher." That was all Korosensei needed to hear. Before Envy could react, he found himself inside Korosensei's shirt, snug as a bug, and as secure as he could be. All of a sudden he wasn't so sure about this after all if this was how he was going to get there, but at least Korosensei got his spare clothes in a convenient suitcase he somehow grabbed. From where, he didn't know. "K, Envy, have fun at school. We'll meet you again when we find Nagisa, ok?" Blair said with a smile. Envy just nodded. "K, kids, I'll be sure to catch up with you all soon. Good luck finding Nagisa, and your way to Central. Godspeed!" And with that, Korosensei jumped right up into the air, and bolted off with Envy. One going off to school, and the rest off on their way to Central. So, continues their adventure in Amestris. ~~ One side traveling, the other learning, and for the next five days it gave both sides plenty of time to get their tasks accomplished. Back in Orora high (and practically all of Japan when you think about it), a lot of buzz was going around concerning the most recent worldwide scare that was Pluton. Honestly how could they not? Something like that could NOT be ignored in the slightest, no matter how much the government tried, especially with it spread around on worldwide news. At the 3-E class, things were no different, and many of the students were chatting up about the incident. With Korosensei, and Karasuma now out and away from class, this gave them some actual time to themselves, without training tips or extra teachings. Amongst these students, Nabiku was quietly getting her own work together for whenever class would begin, the girl not able to block out this news the other students were talking a storm about. This news got her glancing over to where Karma would be sitting, only seeing an empty seat. ... "I hope Karma's ok. ... We haven't heard much out of him in weeks. And Niji, she's been gone for a while too. Was she involved there? ..." Nabiku wondered in worry, not only for Karma, but for Niji too. Karma may be able to hold his own, Niji as well, but if anything about the whole Pluton thing was true then the chances of either surviving (if they were there that is), was extremely slim. The days since then didn't give her any word about it either, and the last hearing about Niji being a sort of experiment left her wondering if she was sent off after Pluton or not. ... "Nabiku? Nabiku?" a student said, snapping her fingers in front of Nabiku's face. Nabiku got her mind back in place, and she looked to the student. This student was another one of the girls of 3-E, a bit petite in height, hair orange, short and wavy and her eyes a peridot green. "Oh, sorry, Hinano. what did you say?" "Just asking if you're okay. You've been looking a little down lately," Hinano said. "I'm uh ... I'm just worried over Karma and Niji ... that's all," Nabiku admitted, very quiet about it, just enough so Hinano could only hear her. Hinano looked over to the empty seat where Karma would be, but gave Nabiku a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Nabiku. Karma is pretty tough and strong for his age, and for Niji, well, she took a knife through the head and walked off like it was nothing. I think they'll be fine, I'm sure of it," Hinano said. Yeah, Nabiku realized Hinano's point, especially considering Niji managed to drive Tataoka off with a knife through her head, and how easily Karma won over Korosensei on day one. With Tataoka, and Karasuma gone, at least the assassination craziness was severely dropped without them to teach em, but she still wondered what was going on with Niji. "Well ..." "GOOD MORNING, 3-E class! Please take your seats, we got a big day today!" Korosensei suddenly announced. His appearance got them to their seats. Korosensei was especially excited this morning, giggling to himself as he took count over each student with his little seating list. First time in a while he could say practically everyone (Karma excluded of course) was present and accounted for. He took a look over to Kirara to be sure, and seeing her confirmed it. Kirara had been and gone since Tataoka showed up, but with him now out of the way she had no reason to keep herself back any longer. "I'm SO GLAD to see everyone is here today! And guess what everybody: we got a brand new face to our 3-E family joining us today!" Korosensei, catching their attention. "Another new kid?" Terasaka commented. "I wonder who it is this time?" wondered Sugino. "Think Niji decided to join up?" Nakamura wondered. "Could be interesting," Kirara thought. These thoughts and suggestions were passed around the classroom bit by bit, with what had just happened in Amestris and Korosensei being gone for that, they could only wonder who or what might be joining them this time. Eventually though, the door over to the hallway opened up and their newest edition took a step in. He didn't appear to be too thrilled by this at all, not looking to any of the students there either, and one extra detail many of them noticed: he wasn't in school uniform, but in his casual clothes instead. "Wha?! We've been over this, you need to be in uniform!" Korosensei said, freaked out seeing him not matching up. "I've seen kids go into school like this, there's no reason why I have to," he made clear. He was uncomfortable enough to be here, he didn't want to look like the matched set of Orora High. He walked over to the front of the class, following one little custom to Japanese school routine at least, and Korosensei went on to quickly write up his name up on the board for them to see. Envy. "Please welcome Envy, everyone!" Korosensei announced, Envy folding his arms and keeping his gaze down. Well, if he had one thing going for him it's that they never saw him before, so he had that going for him. Many of the students took a moment to look him over, the kid standing out from the crowd like a sore thumb. His long shaggy hair, casual clothes, small stature, all of these made him just stand out more than most. "Hi," Envy simply said. "K, Envy, please take a seat and we'll get started," Korosensei said. And so Envy took his seat over where Korosensei told him, and he just stayed quiet. Not because he was shy, but he just felt a little odd being in this situation. This was the same person who would rather hunt humans over taking class with them. His seat was right beside Kirara as it turned out, and Envy could feel students were watching him. "DO YOU MIND?" Envy growled, getting them to stop. For now, anyway. ....... For the next few hours of Envy's first class, he honestly couldn't remember the classes and lessons all too well, though that was mainly because Envy was dealing with the other students around him. Such a rather diverse crowd of humans far as he could see, and all of them apparently getting along rather fairly. None of them tried to insult Envy yet, anyway. When class third was done, and onto lunch, it was here that Korosensei took off to handle his own business, and leaving the others to do what they wanted for a bit. Envy just sat there, bored out of his mind, when some of the students begun to talk to him, wanting to know their new classmate. "So, what's with the name?" one of the students asked. "What about it?" Envy asked, clearly not interested. "I mean, come on, "Envy"? That's not your actual name, is it?" Envy figured it would be time for someone to question him, but he just scoffed and turned away. He hadn't been there for even a day, and people are already questioning his personal information. "There's nothing wrong with it," Envy hissed, confirming their answer. "Hey, hey, sorry, don't get so worked up," Nakamura suggested, though Envy didn't feel all too good about it. "Well don't question me and my choices. I was decided that name before I was even born, why should I try to change it now?" Envy made clear, making sure they did indeed get to not question him about this sort of thing. Well, it seemed that this kid was in no mood to talk. However, one of the kids was up and walking over to him, her hand placed on the desk as she leaned in towards Envy. "You can't expect your parents to have your best interest at heart," she said. "But I don't -" Envy quickly stopped himself when he saw who was talking to him. It was Kirara, but her face caught him rather off guard: she had Korosensei's grin mixed with the killer eyes of Sombra, and all put together with little to no effort at all on her part! "You think the a cute name like "Kirara" goes with this face? Seriously? Makes me sound like a pretty little princess," Kirara said, keeping her scary face on her. Envy didn't know what she was talking about, and he gathered his nerves quicker than the others in the group by him. He wasn't all spooked by Kirara's face, but it just came out of nowhere. All the same, he saw plenty worse faces down in the underworld. "In hell, maybe," Envy commented. "It might as well be for a girl like me: my mom lives in her own little fantasy world. One slight slip up and she goes into absolute hysterics. You have any idea what it's like to live in a house like that? I'll say this, it doesn't make living up to her cute name any easier." Awkward indeed, and much of the group were really disturbed in this rather sudden realization. Well, all except for Envy that is, who just laid back in his seat, unfazed. "Is that all?" "What do you mean 'all'?!" the kids thought (excluding Kirara of course). "Well, what's your side of childhood like?" Kirara asked, arms crossed. Envy didn't feel like sharing his own past out to a bunch of humans, if keeping the Underworld secret mattered or not. Pluton basically announced their existence already, but that didn't mean Envy had to share his personal history with this place. "Like you need to know," Envy groaned, getting up and starting to head over to the door leading to the main yard. These humans were really starting to bug him, he didn't need any of it. Nabiku quietly watched Envy taker his leave outside, worried over his well being. "Uh ... Envy?" "Shut it," Envy quickly spat out, silencing Nabiku before she could get involved, and so he went on out, closing the door behind him so he could get some air. He didn't want any help out of any of these humans. ....... "K, what the hell are you doing now?" then came the training. Yeah, it had been toned down a lot, but that didn't mean it was stopped altogether. And since they had some extra time in gym, it was time for some training, curtesy of Korosensei himself. Korosensei was in his athletic instructor uniform, and as before, he was taking the assassination class with a cheery attitude, as the other students tried their luck in taking him down. His mach-20 speed may be keeping him at bay from their knives, but the students clearly were doing a lot better here. Envy just stood there and watched the students try to take a stab at him, some faster, some stronger, but they all were doing their best to take him out. If they can say one thing, it's that this surely beats Tataoka's training methods by a long shot. "Come on, Envy, join in!" Hinano called, waving to him. "Yeah, come on sport arm up and take a stab!" Korosensei insisted, popping up in front of him. "You're letting these humans try to kill you? And I thought that Pinkie Pie was a dumbass," Envy commented, as Korosensei dropped an anti-me knife down into Envy's hands. "Say what you want, kiddo, but if you wanna chance to kill me, I'm right here! come on, don't be shy," Korosensei offered, getting a bit cocky in himself. One of the students tried a sneak attack on the demon teacher, but missed Korosensei by a good mile. Envy needed a minute to comprehend what this was. This same teacher, the one that agreed to take him here and teach him how to handle this world, and he wanted Envy to try and kill him. ... HELL YEAH! "He's mine!" Envy said, a sinister toothy smile on his face as he soon joined in the fray. FINALLY, something he was more familiar with, and something he wanted to crack at for the longest time too! With knife in hand as his weapon, Envy got right into it and tried his luck at Korosensei, but like many of the other students he wasn't able to make a connection. The idea of trying to kill Korosensei, and given permission to do so no less, made envy feel very giddy for the first time all day. However, Korosensei not standing still and actually letting him finish him off made Envy less giddy and more annoyed about it. Envy got so close to him many times, only to miss at the last literal second. "Hold still you bitch!" Envy demanded. "You have to catch me first!" Korosensei joked, getting a bit cocky again. That just brought fire in Envy's eyes as he continued trying at him. Each swing, each stab, each strike only hit air, leaving Korosensei simply laughing at him. "Damnit! DAMNIT! Why can't this bastard stand still?" Envy thought, teeth grinding as he tried his luck over and over and over again, each time making him more and more frustrated in his failures. The other students weren't doing much better than he was, yet he kept finding himself over next to them. ... "SCREW YOU!" Envy finally had enough of this game: grabbing the closest person to him by their arm (Terasaka as it turned out), and to the surprise of everyone else there, Envy mustered up all the strength he had with him, and actually managed to throw Terasaka straight at Korosensei! Normally Korosensei would dodge, but when he saw him get thrown, he had to stop and catch him before he could get hurt. However, this gave Envy enough time to finally run at him, and throw his blade right at him. Having to grab Terasaka, even Korosensei had little time to reflect the blade, and it got contact with his shoulder, dangerously close to his heart! The yellow goop splattered out, and it was a rather strong hit. not enough to kill him, but it was a strong one regardless. While Envy felt satisfaction in his game, the other students looked to Envy with mixed reactions of surprise, worry, and anger. "HA! FINALLY! Now die you piece of shit!" Envy bellowed, running towards Korosensei. Korosensei though got the blade out of him, got Terasaka down safely, and was gone and out of sight. He managed to reappear over on the rooftop of the building, tentacle over where Envy stabbed him. Nabiku and Karma may have got their hits, but Envy was especially close this time. "Get back down here, coward!" Envy demanded. All that did was make Korosensei bolt away out of sight. As satisfying as it was to actually strike the demon king, not killing him made Envy more frustrated than most. No way was Envy going to catch him, no matter how fast he could run, Homunculus strength or not. When all that was done, Envy took a breather for a minute, though the students of 3-E didn't take him very kindly. "Ahem." That sound made Envy turn around and he soon was met with a ton of disapproving, angry faces from 3-E. Envy didn't really get it though. "What?" "What do you mean 'what'? You just threw Terasaka at Korosensei!" shouted Nakamura. "So? I got further than the rest of you did," Envy pointed out nonchalantly, obviously not caring for Terasaka's safety. True as that may be, the rest of the class did not approve of that answer. Terasaka was up in his face, and suddenly had Envy by the collar, lifting him up off the ground. "Shut your face, you prick!" Terasaka demanded. Not often did Envy end up in this situation, and what's worse, Terasaka brought his fist up, and clocked him square in the face, strong enough to knock him off his feet. Envy tumbled and landed on his back, a strong red mark now in between his eyes. "Think you can use me as a projectile and get away with it, piss head?!" Terasaka yelled, as Envy got himself off the ground. His head was pounding from the punch, already deep red and pounding. Envy stared daggers at Terasaka, one hand over his newly given wound. He'd go into a fit, but that punch was a major reminder of just how weaker he got thanks to Chrysalis. A punch like that wouldn't even faze him before, but now it felt like his skull got cracked or something. It really wasn't that bad, but it still was painful for him. Envy got to his feet alright, and looked over every other face of the 3-E class. Apparently, he dun goofed. "Can someone tell me what I did wrong?! You all want him dead, don't you?" "Of course we do, but we're not going to throw our own lives away to do that. Seriously Envy, I don't know what you're life was like before coming here, but whatever it was, it's not the same here," Sugino said. Envy groaned from his headache for a minute before he turned to the building, and slammed the door behind him. "The hell's with that kid?" Nakamura wondered. ~~ It was surprisingly quicker than they expected it to, but the day was eventually up for this school. Just a minute or two before the final bell was about to ring, but after their little incident in training, Envy had taken an early leave, and he was long gone before the last minute ticked on by. The first day of school, and Envy already was off and gone. "Has anyone seen Envy?" Korosensei asked. "No, and we don't care. He took off half an hour ago," Terasaka sighed. Korosensei felt a bit worried over it. "Well, it's probably good he's not here. I wouldn't want to be his next target," commented Takuya. "Same here, man," added in Yoshida. These sorts of comments were overly agreed on by most of the class, and Korosensei could easily get a good guess as to why that would be. Before Korosensei could get his own word in edge wise, the ringing of the bell signified the end of the school day, and rather quick too. Much to the demon lord's dismay, the students already started to get themselves all ready and set up to go, but before any of them could, Korosensei suddenly jumped in the way of the door, stopping the class from leaving. "Now hold on a minute. Just a few more minutes, I got something to explain to everyone," Korosensei made clear, getting the point out before anyone could ask. "What gives, just wait until tomorrow," Yoshida said, trying to get out, but Korosensei refused to move. He had something important to say to these students, and damnit, he wasn't going to waste another moment in doing so. some of the more behaved students waited it out, and Korosensei went right over to the front to get his explanation going. "Now, I know for a fact that Envy gave you all a bit of a hard time today." "A bit? He threw me at you!" Terasaka yelled. "We're all aware of that, thank you. But understand, he's going through a bit more development and adapting than any of you will ever do. So much here is different compared to where he used to live, and since he's no longer allowed back home, he's going to need some time to get himself settled in and comfortable." "... But, why?" Nabiku asked, enough courage to even say it. Still, she wasn't the only one actually thinking it, and understandably so. Korosensei took this part with a grain of salt, as he went on to say it. "It's like this. Our new student, Envy, he's ... he's basically where I'm from," korosensei got out. He didn't detail what envy actually was, or how long he was there, but everyone in the class got the general idea right away the minute he said those words. Kirara took that into thought, remembering what Envy had said to her before when she told him about her little backstory. "Well, that explains a lot," Kirara thought. "I know he may not be willing, but please try to make him feel at home while he's here, okay? Try to show him that you humans aren't as bad as he was taught to be. It'll help him out so much more than you know," Korosensei promised, sounding more like a parent than just a teacher. At least Envy wasn't there to hear this, otherwise he'd be all over everyone, that Korosensei was a bit grateful for. Nabiku was hit a little hard with this news, remembering what he did today: snapping at students, barely making a smile, nearly killing one of them during assassination practice. It was enough to bring a lot of sorrow for Nabiku. "Envy ..." "Wait a minute, why'd you drag him out of hell with you? He looks young, but he's still a demon, right?" asked Sugino. "First of all, he's not a true demon like me, Envy's a former Homunculus. And secondly, he wasn't in the underworld when I found him. You all remember that giant demon attack broadcasted a week or two ago?" Korosensei explained. That surely got them surprised more than most, them all well aware of what happened in Amestirs. The idea that Envy had to go through all that after everything made a bit more sense to his behavior after all. "Well. Damn." "I know, right? Now come on, at least try to take it easy on him a little bit. ... That means you, Terasaka," Korosensei made clear. "Hey, he threw me, I call it even!" Terasaka reminded, Korosensei referring to his punch on Envy earlier. All the same though, some students were starting to understand Envy's behavior towards them. What regular resident from the underworld wouldn't act coldly towards a human anyway, especially after what he'd gone through? "We promise, Korosensei," Nabiku finally got out. "We'll make him feel right at home," added in Hinano. Both girls felt, especially now, that it just wasn't fair for Envy to go through all this hardship, and they wanted him to feel better here. Korosensei was especially pleased with that news. ~~ Well, it took a bit of convincing, but Envy did eventually come back towards the 3-E building. He was all alone at this point in time, his head bruised but still he was alright. It was a rather quiet walk, the sounds of Pidoves in the air and the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. At least his walks gave him time to chill out and head to the 3-E building without trouble. Eventually, Envy caught sight of the building up ahead, though the students didn't seem very evident outside. They were probably off and in already, so he didn't think too much of it. What he did think about though was Terasaka slamming him off his feet. The memory made him grit his teeth. ... "What was I thinking? I don't belong here," Envy thought. Not like he had a choice though, Sombra and Chrysalis made sure of that. How could he go back without any of his abilities without getting torn apart by his fellow demons? When he finally reached the doors, he made his decision. "Screw Sombra. When I'm done here, I'm making things right," Envy concluded. With that decision made, Envy went on ahead and opened up the door to enter, only to find ... Nobody? "Wait, what?" "Envy! Come on, let's go!" a voice called. Well, no one was in the classroom for whatever reason, not a soul in there, so the only source the sound could be coming from was off outside. However, Envy didn't really have a clue what was exactly going on this time, and there wasn't a student or teacher in the room to even tell him what was what. Envy went on outside to the yard, and soon he found that the students were all outside, but they were also starting to head into the forest, again for whatever reason. Rather than Korosensei popping up in his face, instead Hinano and Nabiku both went up to him, Nabiku holding her bag with her. "Where's everyone going?" "It's a surprise, Envy. Korosensei decided this morning to take us all on a trip for our hard work," Hinano said. Both girls were rather quick to notice Envy's large bruise, courtesy of Terasaka. Nabiku looked deeply concerned over it, despite Envy trying to cover it. "Oh my. Here, maybe I got something for you," Nabiku said, as she looked through her bag. "I'm fine, it's just a bruise," Envy said, moving away a little bit from Nabiku. However, Nabiku got out some medicine for him, some Neosporin to be exact, and got some on her finger. "Here, this'll help you. Can you let me?" Nabiku asked. She'll deny it if he didn't want it, but Envy didn't see how some little bit of goo will help the bruise on his head. Rather than grip this time, Envy just rolled his eyes and stood still. Nabiku then went ahead and smeared the medicine out on his head. Envy backed up quick from the stinging, and how cold it was, but Nabiku got on just enough to help. The goo was cold, and a bit sticky on his forehead. "And what does this do besides stick to my damn head?" "No, no keep it on. It'll help heal that bruise on your head, I promise," Hinano said, trying to reassuring him that it was a good thing, Nabiku nodding in agreement. Envy had to take their word for it when it comes to medicine in this world, but it didn't mean that he didn't enjoy it much. ....... Anyway, after that, he was off and moving with the others. The other students went on through the forest, but Korosensei was nowhere to be found. A bit odd that these students were walking through the forest with little guidance as far as Envy could see. Nabiku was walking right next to him in this group, but at least the walk didn't bug him at all. During their walk through the forest, Envy took a glance over to Terasaka, who wasn't even looking his way. Envy gave him a glare, but he wasn't sure if Terasaka even noticed him or not in their stroll. "He's being a bit quiet today. Maybe my incident yesterday finally got to him," Envy thought, rather taking that answer over any other. At least that one left him feeling on top rather than at the bottom of the argument. "Is it much further?" Yoshida asked. "The hell do I know? Korosensei just told us to go this way," Terasaka replied. That didn't really help them out too much. Luckily for them though, their next destination wasn't that far off left to go. The group of E students stepped out of the shrubbery to a clearing, and soon they all found their destination. The place was pretty secluded, and with some proper tuning, Korosensei made this once decedent mountain pond into their own personal swimming pool! The water was clear and cool, removed of much foreign plants and mud to leave only the smooth mountain rocks. Korosensei was over nearby, dressed in a lifeguard get up which included a whistle around his neck, sitting up on a lifeguard chair waiting for them. The pool was modified a bit to suit them: a wooden dock on one side, three floating borderlines for swimming practice, and a metal ladder at the dock for easy access in and out. "Welcome to your own personal pool, 3-E!" Korosensei announced. "You made our own pool?" "Correct-I-mando! And today, let's all take a little field trip and do some practice in water techniques, shall we?" Korosensei offered, giving them all a wink. They didn't need any further encouragement. "Me first!" Nakamura said. Envy suddenly found the others around him taking off their outer clothes, immediately getting his eyes covered. Lucky for him though, they already got on their swimsuits underneath, as instructed by Korosensei before he left. Nakamura got herself ready first, and she was the first to jump right in, a big splash in her wake for the first one in the pool. "Well what do you know, Korosensei actually took the time to make this for us. He's going to spoil us at this rate," Sugino joked, jumping in himself with a few other students. It didn't take too long until most of the students were busily playing around in the pool. Not often would a class like E get something like this, so they wanted to take the best of it. While most of the students were busily doing whatever in the pool (playing around, practicing, or just simple gossip), Envy and Kirara were both on the sidelines. Kirara wasn't as interested in swimming as the rest of them were, having a book in her hand and reading that instead, despite being in a school swimsuit herself. Envy just didn't see why they would suddenly do this. Just yesterday, they were trying to kill Korosensei, now they were taking a field trip to swim in some mountain pool? Speaking of, while many of the students were enjoying themselves, Korosensei was ... well ... "HEY, NO GOING UNDERWATER, how am I supposed to tell if you're swimming or drowning?! Stay away from the border edge, you might be tossed down stream! Kirara, Envy, go and enjoy the water for heaven's sake!" A little bit tense. "Well, Sebastian had one point: these humans are random. I thought I had them all down pact, but now ..." Envy thought. He'll give the demon butler that much anyway, and seeing them go about the pool. Just this past week of being separated from Sombra was surely showing him just how diverse these human beings really are. One human healed him this morning when another just clobbered him yesterday. One could be cheery and sweet while another could mimic a demon down to a tee. As Envy was staying over by a tree, he took a glance over to Kirara, who was spending her time in reading a book in the shade of the trees. Even with her nose in the book, Kirara did end up catching him looking her way. "Care to have a look?" Kirara offered, showing him a spare book she had with her. In fact, she had several novels of these books, apparently from the same series whatever it was. Envy turned away and looked back to the pool instead. "I'm fine," envy said. Seeing Korosensei waiting, Kirara just placed her book down, marking the page, and started to head over to the pool. "Suit yourself," Kirara simply said, as she went into the pool. ... "About time. I can get away now that they're all busy," Envy thought. With most of the students either distracted by swimming or judging Korosensei again, Envy found himself alone and left in the dark, just what he wanted to do. Making sure they were indeed not on his trail, Envy took this chance to slip away into the forest just enough so he wasn't noticed. ~~ It took Envy a while to get to where he wanted to be, but he kept his gaze downstream as Korosensei mentioned. Since one part of the river was indeed blocked and dammed up by the demon teacher, much of the river had turned up drier than usual, so Envy didn't have that much to worry about. He continued going downstream, following the stream down over to a far more rocky area of the river, probably why Korosensei was worried about someone going downstream in the first place. For one thing, the stream dipped into a pretty deep waterfall, twenty feet down specifically and down to what would be a deeper river if Korosensei didn't dam up the thing for their pool. At the point, there was still water sure, but only about ankle deep and full of thick and smooth rocks, much like the pool itself. "Beggars can't be choosers. This'll have to do," Envy sighed, climbing down the rocky wall and down to the shallow stream bed. Down in the revene, Envy was met with some large boulders, one in particular towering over him about as tall as the cliff it was met with. It was now or never, and Envy wasn't going to waste anymore time here. Before he did start though, he took one more look up the cliff just to be sure no one actually was there. "Good, none of them followed me. OK, Envy, let's call him," Envy told himself. He didn't have dirt to work with this time, but he had a alternative method that will work regardless of what power he had on him. The first thing he did was take a sharp rock from the river bed, and actually went onto to cut the palm of his hand, just enough to make it bleed. Yeah, it hurt, but it'll be worth it in the end if this works. Next, Envy got the blood from his hand, and started to draw out the demon star onto the boulder in front of him. It wasn't as big as he did last time, but he only made up the demon star and drew out the larger circle about as big as he was, keeping it out of the water as best he could do. As before, Envy written out the same kanji as before, and then waited for something to happen. However, nothing seemed to happen. "Come on, come on," envy said, placing his bloody hand in the center of the star, trying to give what power he had to activate it. It took some more focus than normally, but soon the star symbol finally started to glow again, finally being activated. That got a good smile on Envy's face, Envy jumping back and in his bowing position for what he surely hoped would be Sombra again. Envy kept his gaze down like a servent would do, and hopfully it'll all work for him. "Ok, just work this out. Just convince that demon lord to give your power back, and everything will be fine," Envy thought, looking forward to his power returning to him. Returning to Sombra was debatable still, but he wasn't going to wait with this body of his. Envy kept his gaze down, and he heard someone step out and into the river in front of him. "Well, well, well, look what worm called me up today. You just can't stand it, can you?" "Wait ... that's not his voice," Envy quietly noted. Then he brought his gaze up, and one look was all he needed to see who he really brought out from hell to see him. It was enough to make him jump up to his feet and jump back. "Tirek!" "That's me, don't get all screwed up over it," Tirek joked. Seeing him instead of Sombra though caught Envy more off guard than ever. Sombra mentioned that he got out, yeah, but what were the odds this method would bring him up out here with him? Tirek enjoyed seeing the shock in his face, and seeing that was enough to make him giggle a bit. "The hell? Why're you here?" "You need me to tell you? Which one of us was desperate enough to summon me?" Tirek joked. As Envy said earlier, beggars can't be choosers, and if he had to get Tirek to do it over Sombra, than so be it. Tirek watched envy kneel back down again in a submissive way. "Demon lord. Please, I had my powers sucked away from me sometime ago. I want them back. Please, I'll do whatever you ask of me, just give them back," Envy said. He wasn't normally this humble, but with the only creature who could actually do that he wasn't going to get all horrid to do so, especially with a former demon lord like Tirek. Tirek was quiet at first, but then his own ominous smile grew on his face, his black and yellow eyes staring down at him. "Get up." Tirek instructed. Envy humbly responded, and started to bring himself up, but he didn't even get half way before Tirek brought his foot up and suddenly slammed his head into the ground! A strong hit, immediately making him bleed from the head, ironically right where he was healed earlier. That, and being unable to breathe under the shallow water made Envy freak out as Tirek watched in amusement. "OH, you're so predictable, you little worm. Why would I even waste my breath with a human like you?" Tirek hissed, before lifting him up out of the water, grabbing him by the back collar like some small dog off the pavement. Envy's head was now pouring blood, dripping into the stream under them both. "Don't call me a worm. I'm a Homunculus!" "Don't lie to yourself, though that does remind me. ..." Out of nowhere, and much to Envy's shock and preexisting pain, Tirek opened up his mouth good and wide, and his hand and arm were probing down his throat! Unlike Sombra, Tirek was a lot more brutal than he was, forcing his flesh and bone down his gullet as Tirek was trying to find the thing that made him a Homunculus. At least Sombra had the courtesy to turn his hand into smoke before diving into his mouth, but Tirek couldn't give less of a shit about it. Envy's eyes rolled back, blood coming out of his mouth now, until Tirek finally pulled his blood covered arm free. "Damn that Sombra, he beat me to the punch!" Tirek growled, throwing Envy to the back wall in his frustration. With his insides messed up, and bleeding out of his mouth and forehead, Envy was down to his knees, trying to stay conscious let alone alive. If he fell asleep now, he won't wake up. "Yeah, nope. I got no use for a bag of flesh like you, Envy," Tirek stated bluntly, as Envy gagged out some more blood to breathe. "C-Can't you give me something?" "Go die in a hole. Though, I'm impressed you even stayed alive this long with yourself," Tirek hissed. "What're you talking about?" A question Envy would regret asking. Tirek gently lifted up Envy's head so he was lined up with his eyes, Envy only able to see Tirek's soulless, satanic eyes. "You make this way too easy, you know that? Of course, all Homunculi are so pathetic, it's unbelievable. These artificial human beings who can't even think for themselves. Nothing but a weak expendable servant! They're not true demons, not angels, they're not even human! HUMAN! Such weak bags of flesh and you Homunculi can't even get that right! ... And then there's you: a Homunculus who can't stand to even see Humans with their cheery little lives over your own, hell you can't even stay yourself! Let's face it: Even Humans think your kind is artificial wastes, and if you envy them, then what does that make you?" Tirek finished his statement by grabbing his neck and slamming him to the wall, making him cough up more blood before Tirek dropped him. The implication was enough of a killer on Envy's soul, if the physical injuries weren't enough of a point. "T-That ... that's not true. ..." That response just made Tirek laugh at him, the demonic laughter ringing in his ears. "A homunculus who's even jealous of human beings? HA! No wonder Sombra ditched you, your ass isn't even worth caring about. You're nothing but a nuisance, and you know it," Tirek mocked, all the while adding physical punishment in the form of slaps on his head. This was more than Envy could take: the physical abuse, the power of Tirek's words, the apparent deep truth behind everything, Envy found himself breaking out into tears after everything. When Tirek saw him crying now, he stopped his physical hits and went back to his emotional ones. With some magic, he actually got a mirror out, just to show Envy his bloody, sad face. "HAHA! Look how pathetic you look! The horrid realization, the sheer shock, the injury, the sorrow, it's all written right there: PRICELESS! Simply priceless!" Tirek announced, laughing his head off at Envy's suffering. All of this did make envy completely broken. His entire existence was exactly what he said: worthless in the eyes of the Underworld. All these injuries were nothing but reminders on just how weak and worthless he became to Tirek's eyes. Envy didn't even bother to stop his tears, simply staring at the mirror Tirek was holding. But Tirek had one thing left. ... "Just one thing to make this perfect. ..." And SMASH, the mirror was suddenly shattered into sharp pieces. Tirek made sure to grab one of the larger, sharper pieces, and gladly handed it over to the broken Homunculus, turned human. It was painfully clear what this meant, envy looking over the glass given to him for a moment or two, his breath strained from his emotions and injuries. Well, if he didn't do this, he would probably end from Tirek's assaults anyway. Tirek just stood there smiling his toothy grin as Envy slowly aimed the sharpest end of the glass directly at his throat. Just one cut will do it. ... "ENVY STOP!!!" The glass in his hand was suddenly smashed up, a few anti-Korosensei beeds making short work of the glass, leaving Envy with barely anything in his hand, the glass flowing downstream away from the situation. Tirek and Envy paused for a moment, Tirek looking first to see who shot, and sure enough it was students of 3-E, Korosensei amongst them. The smoking pistol of Nabiku showed who actually made the shot. "AWW, why'd you have to spoil our fun, it was just getting good!" Tirek complained, almost childishly even. Still, Korosensei was quick to grab Envy and pull him away before Tirek could get a hold of him. "You leave him alone, demon!" shouted Nakamura, aiming her pistol. Tirek was not even remotely intimidated, despite all guns aimed right at him. "Give me one good reason why? He did summon me after all, and he can't simply stand being with you! I'm doing him a favor!" Tirek revealed, pointing to the broken Human cradled in Korosensei's arms. "FAVOR?! You're trying to kill him! How's that doing him a favor?" Hinano asked, shocked at the sadistic behavior of this demon. "You humans obviously never of Homunculi, have you? Trust me, he wants you all dead as much as me! The only difference is that he does jackshit," Tirek said, laughing again. Envy, still conscious, felt more tears flow down his face, him trying to keep from flat out baling in front of everyone. Korosensei and Nabiku were trying to patch and heal Envy up as the students confronted Tirek, much to Envy's surprise. "Why don't you go screw off, demon!!" Terasaka yelled. "Oooo, temper temper human.~ You might end up getting your neck split," Tirek warned, waving his finger at them. "Stop it, demon! You may be strong, but we got our own demon king on our side, so keep your distance," warned back Takuya. However, that only made Tirek laugh even more. "A demon king? HIM?! He's no more king than I'm a pretty angel! You go around blabbering that lie to everyone again, Koro?" Tirek mocked, making Korosensei shiver. "I'M ONE TOO!" retorted Korosensei. Before he could get any closer, suddenly Tirek had his own plan as he went forward towards the students. Some of them started to open fire, but each shot that struck him simply bounced off. Sure, his skin got a little more red, but that was about as much as they could manage with what they had. Tirek just marched right over, and suddenly had Envy by the head, holding him back in his claws and even biting into his shoulder with his razor teeth. "Sure you are. And I suppose you think you can stop me too, right?" Tirek mocked, his teeth sinking in deeper into Terasaka's shoulder like nothing! Envy thrashed around to get free but that didn't seem to do anything. As he was biting down, the taste of human flesh and blood filled up Tirek's mouth. "Oh.~ What a delicious taste.~ So juicy and tender.~" Tirek's tongue was lapping up his blood as he sank his teeth in deeper. Terasaka swung his fist right into Tirek's eye, but even with a bleeding eye it didn't make Tirek budge from his bite. "Let him go!" demanded Terasaka. "Make me, bitch!" Tirek mocked. Envy was ready to accept his fate, but the humans weren't going to let him go so easily. Nakamura, Terasaka, Yoshida and Sugino were suddenly on top of Tirek, the demon king able to stand with them all on him. Terasaka and Nakamura did the bolder move and attack him on the front, trying to pry his jaws open, as Yoshida and Sugino tried to pull Tirek off from the back. Their combined efforts weren't doing too good, though Tirek couldn't get his teeth into Envy as easily as earlier. Nabiku made another single shot, this one aimed right at Tirek's eye. Even if it was just a beed, it still stung Tirek a little bit, giving the rest just enough time to pry his jaws open and get envy free, Hinano grabbing him and moving him away. Tirek shook them all off of him, knocking them all off their feet with ease. Tirek had tasted blood, his tongue lapping up the blood similar to their previous assassinations instructor, only more wildly. Envy couldn't believe what he was seeing: these humans were risking their lives for him, and in front of a demon lord no less. Hinano and Nabiku were right at Envy's side, Korosensei working like mad to heal Envy of his new bite wound. As if he wasn't injured enough. Tirek was getting bugged with this, and actually flipped them off. "Ah, screw this, I got bigger fish to fry," Tirek decided. Fun as it is to beat these humans up, he had his own things to keep track of, and soon the Demon turned and went right back where he came, a portal opening under him and making him disappear fast. Just like that, it was over. The class then brought their attention back to Envy. Envy could feel his stitched up wounds and patches on him, one of which almost covered his eye to cover his head injuries. The attack from Terasaka now paled in comparison to the hell he was just given. As for any words, Envy couldn't say anything, and he stayed completely silent by what he had just witnessed. However, only now did his injuries finally catch up with him, and Envy ended up falling back, lights out. ....... "Did anyone hear from him yet?" asked Hinano. "Don't think so, but damn I hope he's okay," replied Nakamura. Two days had past since the little incident occurred, and as they expected it to, Envy had to be moved out for a bit. The extent of his injuries made staying over at school pretty much out of the question, and since then none of 3-E really heard much of him. While Karma and Niji were gone longer, they knew for sure that Envy left on a rough note, and they just had to wonder if he'll end up ok in the end or not. "Yeah, me too. Korosensei sure has been busy too, huh?" Nabiku brought up, the other girls nodding in agreement as they entered the building. "He's been going back and forth between him and us, he oughta be," Nakamura commented. As they went over into the halls of the E-building, the trio of girls went right on into the classroom to begin their day, only to be met with a rather good surprise. There was a few other students already, but turned out they had nothing to worry about with Envy, for he was sitting right there! The former Homunculus was not only there, he appeared alright and once more was in his school uniform over his casual clothes like he had been doing. "Envy! You're here, you're okay!" Nabiku gasped, surprised but relieved to see him alright. "Yeah, I'm alright now. Still a little sore in my shoulder though," Envy simply said, a bit quieter now over before. They got to their seats from there, but they still wanted to talk with him. "So, that was a taste of your like in the Underworld, huh?" Kirara assumed. "You got it. And Tirek's the worst they could get," Envy said. No point in hiding now after that little event. "Shit dude. Sorry to hear that," Nakamura said. Envy sighed, got up and turned around. "Yeah, thanks, but ... I think I should say that too. ... I didn't think you humans were much, but after that ... well ... I guess I should give you a bit more credit. ... You're better than I thought. ..." Envy felt embarrassed for saying these things, but they knew he meant every word of it. It was then that Kirara got up and moved over to him. "And you're a human now too, so that makes you as good as us," Kirara stated. Envy stayed quiet, and he just nodded his head. Considering he is a species that can actually stop a demon lord from killing one of them just from a few moves made him feel pretty good about it. Kirara then reached in her bag, and pulled out another book she had with her, titled "The Count of Monte Cristo". "You want to get back at those demon lords, am I right?" Kirara asked, knowingly, as envy looked at the human-made novel, Kirara continuing to explain. "This novel oughta inspire you. Seven volumes, twenty-five hundred pages of delicious revenge. Read em, and let your soul be nourished by the darkness within. Towards the end, the hero learns to forgive, so you don't have to read that part." "Seriously?! No, way too dark!" Hinano insisted. "Oh, come on. Evil has to be nurtured properly too, you know," Kirara stated. Envy paused for a moment. "But we're trying to cheer him up, Kirara," insisted Hinano. However, before they could go any further, suddenly Envy started laughing. First time they heard him laugh since he got there, or even smile for that matter. "Oh god, you humans are such puzzles, it's so hard for me to put a label on you!" Envy laughed, but he wasn't being malicious about it at all, his playful laughing making that more apparent. With everything that had happened though, Envy could confirm one thing. "I'm going to enjoy being a human."
S03Ep8: The Far East ~極東~Traveling over the days had been more one-track than most of the time. For what remained of Team Harmony, they could confirm one thing: while they did lose one member, they did ended up getting two extra on their run around (three including Envy technically), but while Envy may have had his own problems over back at Orora High to deal with, Team Harmony went straight off back towards Central as they said they would do, hoping that Korosensei was true to his word on the progress he had made already. If even half of what he said was true, then they really didn't have too much to worry about. When it came to the train ride to Central, it was surprisingly smooth, and with little trouble at all. Funny, since they could've swore something would stall the trip there since Pluton's last visit to Central, but it seemed the ride was simply no problem, and the train reached Central's station on time and without incident. The group was more than ready to get off the train to see what was what with Central. ... "Well, color me impressed," said Karma, and indeed they were. Looking on from the station, and as they were going through towards the capitol, Korosensei's extra work clearly showed around the place. They could still remember how little was even left of Central, but now it looked like nothing even happened at all, albeit the area a little lower and more hilly, but that wasn't too much of an issue. Incredible to think then that just over a week ago, this place looked more like dunes from a desert rather than a active city. Though to be fair, population is still low, and not as active as it was before as they went towards Capitol Central. Not as many cars, people, or whatever roaming around these streets. "It's like nothing even happened here," said Alphonse, amazed by just how much was actually done. "If only that we're the truth," sighed Ciel. No matter how much was fixed, they couldn't fix someone's eyes with the whole Pluton broadcast. On that mention, Ed turned to Aladdin "You wouldn't happen to have a mind-erasing spell, would you Aladdin?" asked Ed. Unfortunately, Aladdin shook his head. "No, sorry. Even if I did, how many people did you think actually saw that?" Aladdin brought up. With billions of humans, the point was made painfully clear. Aladdin didn't feel too much better about it either: so many years of keeping it secret and all blown out the window thanks to a renegade dragon-level demon. Aladdin slumped a little bit, but then Pinkie fluffed Aladdin's hair. "Chin up, Magi, we all made it out of that mess, we still got eachother, and look around, Central's looking snazzy! Things could be worse, right?" "Yeah, and you know what? You've been holding yourself back, kid, so now there's no reason to anymore," Karma added. Well, as far as Aladdin knew, they all had their fair points but that could also be a double-edged sword: he isn't held back anymore, same thing for the Overworld, but what about the Underworld? They released him after all. ... "OI!" The whole group stopped on that voice, and looked on ahead. They weren't too far from Central now, and with only about a city block to go, one of the soldiers, Yoroi, went right over and caught up with them first. Seeing them after they left surely made him feel better just as much as Twilight being happy to see him. Both siblings could reassure eachother that they were okay, at least. Twilight and Yoroi caught up with eachother first as the rest of the group met them up. "Hey, Yoroi, you look alright," said Ed. "Yeah, I am. Nice to see you're all good too after everything," Yoroi replied back. "Yeah, speaking of which, Korosensei sure did wonders to the place eh?" Karma commented, referring to the city itself. Yoroi couldn't help but agree. "Oh, you bet. It would've taken us years just to rebuild one block, and Korosensei handled almost the entire area! Remind me to give the octopus a metal when I see him," Yoroi said, thumbs up on Korosensei's effort. Honestly who could blame him for being cheery about it? So much of the city being handled so quickly, it was unbelievable. Ciel just cleared his throat and looked to Yoroi. "Did your soldiers locate Nagisa as of yet? Unfortunately we didn't have much luck on our end," Ciel asked. It was something they had to answer eventually, and Ciel wanted that done and over with. Yoroi was actually hoping to wait on that. "Oh. Well, look, let's talk back at Central. Someone's expecting you there, anyway." "Pardon?" ....... So, off they went over towards Central. As it was with the rest of the city, Central was easily brought up and fixed as well, not a scratch left in place, inside and out. The group made their way off into Central, and over towards the main office, where king Bradley would normally wait in patience for them. Guided by Yoroi, it didn't take long for them to get there either, but when they did, the meeting room was a bit packed with a number of high soldiers and leaders. As a matter of fact, Victoria from England with some of her high guards was present, and even Seitenshi of Japan was there as well with a few of her instructors, Karasuma being one of them which a number of them recognized straight away. "Seitenshi and Victoria's here too? This must be very important," Twilight thought, feeling worried. Dealing with one big leader was enough trouble, but now her group had double to deal with. Ciel felt intrigued by this too, though mainly that was because Victoria was standing there as well. "A pleasure to see you all make it. A bit late, though," Victoria noted, not making Ciel feel any better. "Eh, yes, my apologies," Ciel said humbly, as he took his seat with Sebastian standing over by his side. "Hey, Karasuma, what brings you here? Did Korosensei give you a run for your money, or what?" Karma joked, nudging him in his side with his shoulder. Karasuma just stayed his usual serious self. "I'm here under order, now sit down," Karasuma instructed. "Heh, still can't take a joke," Karma commented, as he took a seat over by Blair. Twilight and Aladdin sat side by side, both taking in what they were seeing. High ranking members of the military, and two leaders of their countries under one roof. However, there was one little detail that stuck out like a sore thumb: King Bradley wasn't here. Not in the room, not at Central, not on their walk to here, though his wife was standing over by the door. "Wait. Where's the king? Didn't he call this meeting, or ...?" Aladdin asked, raising his hand so they could notice him. "Unfortunately, he went missing along with his son. Not a sign of him or Salim anywhere, I'm afraid," Seitenshi informed, which left a number of them at a loss for words. A lot of people had gone missing, Nagisa included, but the king of Amestris AND his son gone?! That was diffidently something to worry about. The mention of it got his wife to start grieving again, silently weeping as another soldier comforted her. Losing a husband and son would do that to any women, let alone her. "Oh, uh sorry, I didn't mean -" "It's ok. You wanted to know," the women simply said, though it still hurt her regardless of it. "That's what we're here to discuss among other things. It's painfully clear to everyone that this Underworld problem is far deadlier than we ever could anticipate, especially after that event in particular. I'm afraid we can't cover this one up no matter what we try," Seitenshi concluded, though they all could guess that already. "Eh, figured. Considering they're supposed to be hiding, they're getting a bit ballsy to sent out that thing," Karma commented. "A rather ... interesting way to put it, but yes it is," Seitenshi said, trying to think. "While we're on that subject, did you manage to locate any more since the incident occurred?" Ciel questioned. Unfortunately, they didn't look too confident about it. "Actually, no. We've tried for days since you left, but we couldn't find much of anything for anyone, nevermind Bradley and Salim," Yoroi answered, who did promise to say what was what about that before they got there anyway. This wasn't good to hear though for the group in particular, or for those amongst the other troops either. "... Are you sure?" Aladdin then asked. There had to be just one survivor in that whole mess, there just had to be! Yoroi in particular looked over the other members, and after thinking it over started to understand who they were trying to get to. So many had their losses in Pluton's attack, and Yoroi had to handle them along with the rest of the soldiers involved. Yoroi turned to the leaders, both of which just nodded. Yoroi did an extra mile and reached into his pocket, having something for them. ... "This is all we found," Yoroi finally answered. Looking at Yoroi's face, while he was more calm about it, showed a bit of regret as he handed Aladdin the item. What Yoroi gave him was a single, small, black wristband. On the surface, this small object looked pretty mundane, and pretty much out of nowhere, which Ciel and Ed took as such, but as Aladdin, Twilight, and Karma looked at it, the reality was starting to sink in just a little bit more, although two out of three wouldn't want to believe it. "It's just a wristband," said Edward, a little bit confused, but suddenly Aladdin felt a tear come down his face. "T-This ... Nagisa wore this ..." That was all Aladdin really needed to be said for the reality of the situation to get to the rest of the group. Aladdin held it close, Yoroi placing a hand on Aladdin to try and comfort him. If they had to give him this without Nagisa there, then there was no doubt left in their mind's what had happened to the poor human. "... So that's it then," Ciel finally said. "I'm terribly sorry," Yoroi replied. Twilight was especially quiet with this, her and Aladdin both specifically, and both went into tears. In a way they all were pretty miserable about the whole thing, and while Pinkie Pie was baling a storm with her tears, others were keeping their sorrow inside about it. Ciel and Sebastian were the least distraught about the news, but they knew very well that they would need a minute or two. "Why don't you two wait outside until we're done here?" Sebastian suggested, going over to Twilight and Aladdin. Without another word out of them, Twilight walked out as Aladdin just stayed there and tried to keep himself together. He could at least wait until this was done. "But, how did such a monster even come out? It just appeared from nowhere," Seitenshi wondered. Guess here was one thing they should inform on. "Actually, there is one culprit that I think would be the target of interest," Ciel stated. "Oh? Who might that be?" Victoria asked. "King Sombra." It was something that Ciel felt that they should inform the leaders about, the mention of the name reminding them of the main problem, and who was sending demons to the surface in the first place according to one of their demon encounters with one particular demon dog. Far as they were aware, it was the best culprit they actually had, Sebastian intrigued that they'd go this route at all since they never met him face to face like he did. "Sombra. ... A demon I presume?" "Ruler of Tartarus, apparently. He is held responsible for our previous demon attacks. My lord, you remember the incident back in England?" Ciel reminded. Clearly he was talking about Victoria's involvement with the demons, in particular the attacks by the Homunculi during the royal ball, and Hellgar's assault on the castle itself. It would diffidently explain their appearances. "Hellgar. Yes," Victoria said. "So that's who. In that case, we can't hold back any longer: first Japan, then England, and now Amestris. Time we put a stop to this Sombra, before he puts a stop to all of us," Seitenshi finally decided. That was something they all could go and agree on one way or another, especially with how much damage his demons had done so far. Sebastian and Ciel felt slightly uneasy, but Ciel went to speak anyway. "Well, we need to make more drastic measures. We can't take the risk any further," Ciel concluded, both leaders agreeing on that. The question remained though: what to do? It was a bit of a rough guess for the most part, but Victoria got up and smiled towards the group. "We already have our answer, Phantomhive," Victoria revealed, though according to the surprise on the other faces, only Victoria knew that. "You do?" asked Seitenshi. Victoria was actually intrigued to see they hadn't figured it out, so she got up and walked right over to her 'answer'. Turned out, she stopped right next to Aladdin, looking down to him knowingly, though her smile wasn't there anymore. "Aladdin, sweetie? Out of everyone here, you're the only true angel with the most recent contact with the Overworld, if I'm not mistaken. Care to share with us who would help?" Victoria asked. ... What could he say?! Aladdin was put on the spot now, and everyone there was waiting for him to answer. This was a question that Aladdin wasn't sure if he should answer or not: the demons revealed themselves, but not the angels! The poor magi felt the weight of the situation push him down. "Wait, how do you know if I'm even a - AH!" Aladdin tried to get an alibi going, but suddenly he found Victoria ready to strike him with a hidden knife! How'd that get in here, they didn't know, and it just came out of nowhere! Instinctively, Aladdin just had to get his shield out to avoid injury, just for Victoria to toss the knife to an empty area at the wall. "You were saying, my little angel?" Victoria said. "That sneaky bitch," Karma thought, smirking. "Er ... uh ..." Well, Aladdin couldn't think of anything, and removed the shield immediately. "I-I don't know if the fleet would, uh ... like it, if I tell you," Aladdin said meekly, playing with his fingers, and not even daring to look up at the princess of England. "Why not?" Seitenshi asked firmly, also walking over to him, only making the situation even more troublesome. Aladdin kept his eyes shut and with the pressure, finally broke. Bad enough he found out Nagisa's fate, but this extra pressure wasn't helping his nerves either. "B-Because it's the top law of deities: to keep their worlds secret from human mortals! Even the demon lords follow the rule as much as they could! I've done a terrible job keeping this quiet already, but then other demons, Hellgar, the Homunculi, and now Pluton, It's getting out of control! They'll have my head if I go on and say anything further, I'm very sorry!" Aladdin revealed. The room fell quiet when Aladdin finished his revelation, which was rather quick and full of plead in tone. Aladdin felt especially silly now that he actually brought up his lack of keeping this law in tact. Victoria and Seitenshi glanced over to one another as Aladdin tried to not look at them both. "When did keeping it secret end up that important? Just spill it," Karma commented. "I'm trying to keep it quiet, okay?! B-Besides, I'm pretty good, aren't I? I'm a magi: a being of pure magic! I-Isn't that good?" Aladdin brought up, being the only Magi there to begin with. However, Victoria was determined to get it out of him one way or another. "Not at all. If I recall correctly, as the broadcast of the attack was made, I fail to see you do much of anything," Victoria pointed out, freaking Aladdin out even more. "Wait. Now that you say it ... Aladdin, why didn't you do anything? You could've sent that demon off back down to hell no problem, what gives?" asked Edward. Aladdin stayed very quiet this time, but that only confirmed Victoria's suspicions, the England princess smiling devilishly. "You can barely do magic at all, can you?" That did it. Aladdin stood there in shock and defeat for a moment or two, and next thing they knew, Aladdin huddled up in a corner of the room, slumped in gloomy shame. "You can't be serious," said Edward. "That explains a lot," added in Ciel. None of their comments really helped him out. "I'm a terrible angel," Aladdin groaned. "No, no, they didn't say that at all, please get off the floor," Alphonse insisted, trying to help him out. Seitenshi got over to Aladdin, tapping him on his shoulder. "Aladdin, you're all aware of how much damage just one of the demons had caused onto our world. You may have your law, but sometimes there has to be an exception to such things, and this is one of those times. If you don't tell us anything, then it'll put the whole world in jeopardy," Seitenshi explained, though mainly it was to get Aladdin to cooperate too, only more humbly. Still, Aladdin was a bit troubled anyway, looking up to Seitenshi. "Well what do you want me to do?! I can't ask them to just break the most important law ever!" Aladdin cried. Alphonse intervened again, and got him up to his feet. "OK, ok, Aladdin calm down. You don't have to, really," Alphonse insisted. "He'll have to eventually," said Victoria. "W-Well, can't you -" "OKAY, we're getting nowhere here," Karma suddenly said, stopping the nonsense, and getting everyone's attention. "How's this sound: Korosensei. He's been going up and down Central and fixing things up since that demon tore it up, and that teacher clearly knows plenty of things about Overworld, Underworld and whatever, so why not ask him a thing or two about it?" Karma finally brought up. Whatever this meeting was going to go for, it clearly wasn't getting anywhere by berating Aladdin about it up and down. "You think he'll really talk, Karma?" Edward asked. "Don't discount it, maybe he's onto something. He is a demon himself, and one that likes humans no less. If anyone would know about how to handle these demonic threats freely, it would be a demon itself," Seitenshi concluded. With Aladdin not wanting to talk about the Overworld at all, they only had this option for now. "Right then. Sebastian, deliver that demon teacher a message," Ciel ordered. Sebastian nodded, and went off to do just that. The sooner Korosensei got the message, the better. "Thank you, sweet pet. I'm sure he'll be willing to listen," said Victoria, though the dog comment was not really needed, especially for Ciel. Seitenshi wasn't appreciating her childish behavior either. "Victoria, do you mind holding your childish comments to yourself?" Seitenshi asked. This was no time for some child games, something Victoria was getting a little too much into. ....... The meeting itself went on for a little more, but as it was going on, Twilight was off outside again, trying to keep herself together with her tears falling down. How much more evidence did she needed now? Nagisa hadn't been seen ever since the Pluton attack, not a sign of him anywhere except for this one wristband he wore on him. That, and with just how much he had done ... well, what more could she say? The writing was up on the wall, but then her mind started conflicting itself with that one dream she was given before coming here. Lugia, the being who gave her and Nagisa the future visions in the first place, left her with another vision of something she wasn't sure would actually happen, or not. Either way, this news left her heart torn up, and all she could do was sit there and wait until the others were over to figure out what to do. ... Well, at least it seemed that way for her. This time did give her a bit to think on what to do. ... "Twilight?" Aladdin. She knew that voice well enough, and turning around, there was the little Magi coming over to her, albeit without the others behind him. He felt just as bad about it as Twilight was, still holding the wristband in one hand as he took a seat over next to her. "Is that meeting over yet?" Twilight asked. "No it's not, I just came out to check on you," Aladdin replied. "Oh ..." There was some silence as they both looked to the wristband that Aladdin was holding. That small accessory was the only thing they currently had left of Nagisa Shiota. Both were left with that, and memories as well, both thinking over their time with Nagisa. Funny how someone could just disappear so quickly, and with barely a trace behind of him. Twilight may feel bad about it, but Aladdin took it more roughly, this fact added with the revelation on how weak he really was. ... "... I don't know what to do. ... Twilight, I - ... I'm so sorry," Aladdin said humbly. Twilight didn't answer at first, but as she was going through her memories about it, she took one more look at the wristband, feeling tears coming down her face again at the fact they kept trying to put in her head. All evidence they managed to gather kept pointing to it, but. ... "NO." "huh?" "Nagisa's not dead. I won't believe it," Twilight concluded, getting up to her feet and walking forward a little bit, looking out to the horizon. This girl was determined, and she wasn't going to give up on Nagisa here. She stayed quiet for a minute or two, before she started to walk off again. "Where're you going?" "I'm going to find him. He never gave up on me, so I'm not going to give up on him. The others can do what they want, but I'm not going to go back until I know for sure," Twilight made clear. That reminded Aladdin pretty much what he said before back at the Elric house. However, be that as it may, the evidence was making him doubt as well ... and it made him go up to her. "Aladdin, look, you might think he's gone, but -" "Hop on," Aladdin suddenly said. Twilight turned around, and sure enough there was Aladdin standing there, with his carpet opened up and ready to fly. Aladdin stood there smiling, and waited for Twilight to take her seat. "I'm not giving up on him either," Aladdin simply said. Twilight didn't need any more convincing to take her seat on the carpet. Aladdin was just glad to see her ready to go. "K, wait here, I'll grab the others," Aladdin said, starting to head back in. Twilight was happy that he was willing to help her out, but as Aladdin was starting to head off to get the rest, he suddenly felt Twilight grab his ponytail to make him stop. Aladdin did stop after a bit, looking back to Twilight. "Maybe they should just go home. I know it doesn't sound right, but I don't want to put our friends at risk anymore," Twilight concluded. Considering what had happened already, Aladdin saw the logic behind it, but he still didn't feel too right in just leaving them like this, especially without them really knowing about it. "If you're sure," Aladdin said. All Twilight did was nod for her answer. Nagisa was already gone from their group, she wasn't going to chance it with the rest, not if she had anything to do with it. Aladdin needed a little bit, but he saw what she was getting to and took a seat himself. And soon enough, they were off and flying. If they really were going to go off and try to find him, it was now or never. ....... "It appears we have a change in schedule." ~~ So, there they were. It surely felt pretty odd with just the two of them going around, but Twilight and Aladdin made their promise to look for Nagisa, and goddamnit they were going to do it no matter what. Thanks to Aladdin's flying carpet, the duo didn't take too long in their flight to get from Central over to the outskirts of the capitol. Not many people around under them meant it was safer flying around without much notice (not that it would matter anyway, like they said). With how much Korosensei had fixed up the city though, it was a bit of a backstab in their search, and that they had to take a bit longer looking since so many buildings obscure their little view over the city. So far though, whoever they did come across, they were lucky to find someone who had even heard of him, let alone recently seen him. Both Twilight and Aladdin tried all sorts of places throughout the day, yet so far they just weren't having too much luck in anything. Looking around the capitol surely took time to do, and before they even realized it, the day was soon over and done, and they were literally on the city's edge. Not a soul around for seemingly miles, and for Twilight and Aladdin, both were getting tired and a little bit hungry. Yeah, they didn't have too much time to really prepare themselves before just taking off like that. With some time to rest, both Twilight and Aladdin took a minute to stop and sit down over right at the road leading out of the city, literally the borderline between city and country, both looking out to the latter. "MAN, all day, and nothing. You'd think someone would've heard of him at least," Aladdin sighed with a yawn passing his lips. He was still willing, but his body had limits same as anyone, Twilight too. "Yeah, but I'm not thinking on giving up yet. Maybe he left Central," Twilight figured. With what was left, if Nagisa was alive, why would he stay around Central with it being a wasteland as far as he knew? Aladdin found her point, and both just looked on out to Amestris. Twilight still had to wonder how Nagisa was doing, if he indeed was alive or not. If he was around, it was anyone's guess as to what trouble he might be getting himself into, especially with the demonic activity at its peak and them with an open window now more or less. Aladdin couldn't help but wonder that too, but as he was thinking on him, one other little thought did pass his mind. ... "Hey, Twilight? How did you and he meet anyway?" Aladdin asked. "Excuse me?" "You care about him a lot, so you and him had to know eachother a long time, so ..." It was a rather honest question, and one Twilight figured he would end up asking at some point, especially with what they were doing. Twilight knew how Aladdin had met Nagisa, so she didn't have to ask Aladdin about that. Twilight took a moment to remember at first, until she looked out to the open country again. "Well. ... It was a long time ago. My mom enrolled me into a girls-only academy for a while when I was younger ..." --(9 years ago)-- The bell sounded off, and many of the girls started to head on home. Among the group, Twilight ventured off outside, ready to get home herself. However, before she could truly go, she noticed someone sitting by herself, her head in her knees, looking miserable. Twilight wondered what had happened to her, and began walking over. "Excuse me, are you okay?" Twilight asked. The kid looked up to Twilight, her eyes pure blue like her hair, as it turned out. "Huh? I-I'm fine, go away," she said, her voice oddly tomboyish. Seemed clear she wasn't having a good time at all, whatever it is, so Twilight sat down next to her. "Are you sure? You look like you're going to cry." "I'm fine!" She protested, though suddenly tears started going down her face. Twilight didn't take the yelling too well, and turned away in a huff. That didn't help the other person out too much though, and Twilight saw that in her face. "I'm sorry... I don't want to be here, no one bothers with me, I wanna go home," she said, the tears still down her face. Hey, hey, it'll be ok, we're all friends here," Twilight assured, trying her best to calm her down. Eventually, Twilight scooted over to her, as the girl actually leaned into her, still crying. Twilight did have one idea, and rubbed her head while the girl began to speak. "But ... no one likes me here. Who would want to be my friend? "You know what? ... Why not me?" Twilight offered. Pretty sudden, but the girl looked surprised at the offer. "You mean it?" the girl asked. It looked like she had never been offered that before, and Twilight didn't want to leave the girl crying like this, so Twilight assured her with a nod of her head. The girl took a short moment to wipe away some tears, trying to calm herself. "Thank you. ... What's your name?" "I'm Yugure. What's yours?" "I'm Nagisa." "That's very sweet of you, Twilight," said Aladdin. Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He and I kicked it off for a good while, but ... well, then he and I had to move away from eachother when my parents had me enrolled in Canterlot High. We still kept in touch though time to time," Twilight explained. To Aladdin, they surely did feel like they were very close, a friendship near and far distance, so it was no wonder then that she wanted to try and find him so much. Twilight remembered well how alone she felt when in Canterlot high for the first while, and how happy she was to be back with him after the seven years gone. "Don't worry, Twilight, I'll be sure to help you find him and secure your friendship," Aladdin promised, now determined himself. After all, Nagisa was his close pal too, his first human friend arriving onto the Human world. He wasn't going to give that up so quickly, same as her, and both secured the promise with a hand shake. "You know, I have thought of something else too," Aladdin added in, thinking about it a bit more, getting up to his own feet. Twilight turned and gave him her full attention. "I got something to tell you ... I, uh ..." "What is it?" Aladdin sighed. "I ... don't have too much power. I don't know too many spells at all," Aladdin admitted meekly. Twilight though kinda rubbed the back of her head on that revel. "Well, I kinda figured that after a while," Twilight admitted. Aladdin didn't feel better about that, but his meekness changed to one of reassurance. "Anyway, I've been thinking. I want us to practice our magic, you and me, give it our all. I want to be ready if any other demon would pop up. This magi from heaven isn't going to take anymore risks," Aladdin said, confident in doing so. As the others roughly put it for him, he didn't do much of anything, and he wanted to make up for it one way or another. Twilight smiled to her friend. "Well then, neither am I. We'll head on our way and practice on our next spot," Twilight promised. So it was official for them: both wanted to toughen up for their next demonic encounter, and they'll do so as much as they can while looking for Nagisa. "Awesome! ... Speaking of our next spot, where do we go from here?" Aladdin asked, feeling meek again for asking. As pre-mentioned, they left with little plan other than find Nagisa, so direction and to be considered. Twilight took some time to think, but then she remembered her dream she had before Envy left them off back to Japan. "That way, east. Something tells me we'll have better luck that way," Twilight answered, pointing off to the direction they were looking to. Her instinct and visions both pointed that way, so that's where they were going. "Eastward it is then. Hop on," Aladdin said. It didn't take too much longer until she and Aladdin were up and off again, flying off to the countryside and away from the Amestris capitol. As both flew off, Aladdin and Twilight looked back over to the city, their group still there and secure with the Amestris soldiers. As long as they were there, they both could say that they were safe there, or if they headed back home, even better. Twilight looked to the wristband they had. "Don't worry, Nagisa. I know you're there somewhere, and we'll find you. I'm not giving up on you," Twilight thought. ~~ Day in, day out, and Twilight and Aladdin continued on their way eastward, Twilight being sure that he would be over here somewhere. They can assure themselves at least that they had a carpet flying around to use instead of walking on the ground, saving them plenty of time going around the place. Even so though, they were stuck with little help from whoever they did try to ask, many of them not seeing him in recent day. With their search, practice in magic and alchemy was also done time to time whenever they could, and at this point it was that time. The area they went to was drastically different from Amestris, changing from countryside and farmland, and actually into more forest with northern trees. The area was cooler as well, though that could be autumn now taking more effect on the place here over Amestris and Central. Still, this new change of place did help out Twilight a lot more, the forest becoming more familiar to her in some way. Just like the vision Lugia managed to leave her with before her dream ended. They were getting closer, she could feel it. On this stop, both found a good spot in the forest to do this with, nearby a flowing river and a bit later at night when they did stop, a small fire being made nearby too. Twilight and Aladdin decided to get some alchemy practice from the same book, and while Twilight was more in tune with hers, Aladdin still had a thing or two to learn. "Okay, it says here to be by a body of water, so this will be perfect to try," Aladdin said, as he looked to some water alchemy in the book. What better chance to try a water spell than by a flowing river? Aladdin started to make up a symbol for the spell over nearby the water, just to be sure it'll work, borrowing some gloves from Twilight to do so. Twilight was right next to the bank, and Aladdin readied his focus on it. He clapped his hands, focused hard, and slammed them into the water. ... "Eh ... maybe I didn't draw the symbol right?" Aladdin wondered. Only for the water to suddenly, and rather abruptly, blast right into his face and knock him back. The water blast didn't last too long, but it did leave Aladdin dizzy, and waterlogged from the water blasted in his mouth. "You okay, Aladdin?" Twilight asked, helping the magi up to his feet. "Eh ... yeah," Aladdin said, dazed a little bit. It may not be the first time this happened to him since they left, but hey, at least they were getting better at it. Twilight got the book, and brought it over to the fire, where Aladdin was ringing out his hair from the water. "Hey, you managed to activate one of the spells, so that's good," Twilight assured him. "Yeah I know! ... boy, I feel full," Aladdin said, a hand on his bloated stomach. "Don't worry about it, you think I got it on my first try? Trust me, it's harder than you think," Twilight said, remembering her own experience with this alchemy stuff, especially when practicing with Edward Elric. She could still remember the bruises she got from the pummeling with Ed, and Aladdin couldn't help but remember that too. At least he was let off easy with his practicing. "Yeah, you're right. You got a lot more practice than I did though," Aladdin pointed out. Twilight summoned up a purple star light in her hand, which at this point was fairly easy for her. "Come on, you saw how much trouble I gone through when I started: I burned Pinkie's gloves my first try remember?" Twilight brought up. Aladdin couldn't help but remember that either, but he supposed he just had to find his spell trick for this to work. He needed something over just flying and a shield. "Yeah, I just need to find my Alchemy," Aladdin figured, laying down over by the fire. It'd been a long day of looking around, and practicing, so both of them needed this more than ever. Aladdin was already asleep, letting his hair flow out to let it dry, and Twilight laid down over by the fire herself. It's not the best bed ever, but it was the best they got on hand so make do with what you got. It didn't very long later though, and soon they both were off asleep. "Goodnight, everyone," Twilight sighed, just before she too went off to sleep. ....... *drip**drip**drip* "Someone close the window ..." Aladdin murmured in his sleep. Hours went on by and so far it was without trouble, but now something was dripping down on Aladdin's head. It didn't bother him too much at first, but when Aladdin suddenly felt a warm brush of air be pushed onto him, only then did he begin to stir. Aladdin opened his eyes, and felt that drool was dripping onto him, and when he looked up to see what was there. ... "AHHH!" Gluttony! Quick scream later, and Aladdin launched him back with a shield summon, the scream enough to wake up Twilight too. As for who he launched away, Gluttony got back up to his feet and looked back to the duo. He looked a bit tired himself from some supposed traveling, and according to the drool dripping from his jaws, pretty hungry. Not a good thing with them being the target of Gluttony's sight. The Homunculus's tongue stuck out and licked his lips eagerly, as his nose sniffed the air. Pretty clear how he tracked them down, surely. "Can I eat you, please?" Gluttony asked. "No way! How'd you even find us?" Twilight asked, freaked out. "I can smell you, and you both smell delicious!" Gluttony said, his nose taking a good sniff into the air. Gluttony couldn't help himself, and rushed towards them, the shield holding up just long enough to avoid Gluttony's killer jaws, but not only did it launch them back into more trees, but Gluttony actually somehow knocked up some dirt and put out their fire, AKA their only source of light in the forest! Aladdin and Twilight were knocked farther into the forest, the shield disappearing after a bit, Aladdin getting winded from trying to keep it up. Twilight and Aladdin got to their feet, but now they were stuck in the middle of the forest, and they couldn't see where gluttony is anywhere. "Oh god, where is he?" Twilight wondered, worried. Twilight brought out her purple star light to help them see, but her light didn't help them that much in this dark forest. ... "GOTCHA!" "Duck!" Gluttony was on them again! with a quick reaction from Twilight, both she and Aladdin ducked down as Gluttony torpedoed out of the gloom of the forest, jaws open wide and ready to bite them. Instead of them though, his jaws met with the base of the tree. Twilight and Aladdin were okay, but Gluttony easily tore off the bark of the tree with ease, tearing a good sized hole into it. The hungry Homunculus chewed on the thick bark, not enjoying that taste over actual meat. Like a rapid dog, Gluttony shook up the bark and left nothing but splinters on the ground. "I'm starving, why won't you let me eat?! All I want to do is eat, but you won't let me! SO I'LL JUST HAVE TO EAT EVERYTHING!!" Gluttony yelled, getting angry with them. He snarled at both of them, both magi and alchemist keeping their distance from this creature. During Gluttony's shouting, something else started to happen to the Homunculus, something starting to split on his stomach, reaching up to his lower jaw. To their horror, Gluttony suddenly split himself open, revealing a dark void, and a huge lower jaw filled with gigantic, tusk-like teeth. His tongue stuck to the upper jaw and hung down to show the Oroborous symbol, as a singular eye revealed itself from within the void of Gluttony's empty caldron of a stomach. Aladdin and Twilight were left frozen by the sight of this transformation. Twilight had to think of something to do. "Oh god, oh god. Come on, think think," Twilight thought in panic, Gluttony taking his steps towards them. Aladdin summoned his shield to protect them, but it won't last them too long with this Homunculus. All they got to work with was the trees around them ... "Aladdin, come on," Twilight said, grabbing him and pulling him away. and just in time: Gluttony's sharp dagger teeth suddenly launched forward like spears, missing them and crumbling the ground under where they were. Twilight and Aladdin got a head start from Gluttony, but the scent-following Homunculus had no such problem figuring out where they went off to. Twilight and Aladdin were running blind in the dark, Twilight managing to find a good enough tree to do this attempt with. Fast as she could, she started to make out a symbol within one of the trees, and one she was more familiar with from her early days of alchemy, Gluttony rushing in towards them. Twilight clapped her hands, and placed them on the tree. Soon, the tree ended up igniting in seconds, becoming a spire of fire in little to no time at all. Aladdin and Twilight jumped out of the way, letting Gluttony strike the burning tree, and as such burning him too. His screams of agony echoed for a bit, the fire spreading onto him easily as the tree collapsed onto him. They thought they had him there. ... Only for Gluttony to eat the burning tree. *urp* "H-He ... swallowed it?" Twilight said. "Uh-oh," said Aladdin. Gluttony, after his snack of the tree, turned to the two morsels standing nearby. It grew dark again when the tree was gone, so Twilight and Aladdin couldn't see Gluttony as well. "W-Wait, wait, can we work something out!" Twilight said, trying to keep herself together as much as she could. Gluttony was starving, yes, but then his nose started to sniff a little more closely. Something was in the air, and it wasn't just the smoke from the fire. ... "... Envy? ... Envy! WHERE IS HE?!" Gluttony asked, sounding more shocked than angry at them. How his scent stayed on them, they could never figure out. "Envy?" Aladdin repeated. "I smell his lingering scent on you! Where is he?" Gluttony asked again, not sounding as barbaric as he was a second ago, even sounding more humbled. The humans he'd been after and they had the scent of his fellow Homunculus, one he hadn't seen nor heard of since Pluton attacked. Twilight and Aladdin were a little too frightened to even think of what to say to him, considering he was basically on their side now. Still, they didn't even had time for that to answer, as Gluttony was getting another scent in the air. "That smell ..." Out of nowhere, and too fast for any of them to see, something rushed down from out of nowhere, and Gluttony found his body getting sliced to pieces! His shoulders, extra teeth, head and legs all were sliced up with lightning speed, making Gluttony stumble back and giving Twilight and Aladdin time to back up and gain some distance. "I KNOW THAT SMELL!" Gluttony roared, only getting himself sliced up again. His body tried to heal up, but whatever was attacking him moved fast and dealt more damage than he could heal, enough to make him fall back, and in pain as blood poured onto the ground everywhere. Morbid as it may be, both Twilight and Aladdin tried to find who was helping them out, but they couldn't find much of anyone. Gluttony got up to his feet, no longer having his huge mouth open and back to his normal self, but he couldn't see any better than the others could in the dark. It was at this point when Aladdin finally caught sight of someone standing up in the trees, not too big, and too little of light to actually see who it was. Gluttony just managed to look the figure's way, only for another one to jump in from the dark and slice his face in two. He had to hold his face together for it to heal there. "That hurt!" Gluttony yelled. The Homunculus tried to fight back against these threats, but not only could he not connect with them, but they would hitting him left and right. Gluttony knew they were there by scent, to be sure, but he just couldn't get them with his own power. "How do you know where I am? You can't see me!" Gluttony said, the response just getting his nose sliced off along with his arm in two motions by one of the two figures. Gluttony tried to get it, but he felt the figure actually knock him off his feet, and onto his back, and Gluttony soon found himself underneath one of the figures. Gluttony looked up to his adversary, and while most of the figure was hard to see, one thing he could see was the soul-piercing eyes. A look of desensitization edged the eyes, and no evidence of any pupils were in them either, looking like eyes of someone who never had a soul to begin with. Considering this same figure was tearing gluttony apart, this Homunculus had just about enough of it. Gluttony knocked the figure off of him and took off running to gain some distance from whoever this was. Getting a meal isn't worth dying for, no matter who you are. Everything finally calmed down when that was over, both figures meeting up with eachother when everything was finished. Twilight and Aladdin, now feeling safer with the Homunculus running off, started to walk over to the figures standing there. They didn't need to say anything for the figures to turn to them both, the green soulless eyes staring them down. One of the figures turned to the other, who only made a small shake of his head. Suddenly both figures leaped up into the trees, and started to race off in the trees. "Hey! Wait! Thank you for what you did!" called Twilight, going after them a little bit with Aladdin. Both of these figures raced through the trees with relative ease, and pretty fast too. Both of them didn't talk, and they kept going as if the two weren't even there. As they kept going, one of them actually looked back for a split second as something fell down at them. Aladdin ended up hit with the object, and that little distraction made both figures lose them. They couldn't see what exactly was thrown down at them, but when they looked back up, both figures had disappeared completely. "WAIT, YOU DROPPED SOMETHING!" called Aladdin, but it seemed they were far gone to even hear them. "What did he drop?" wondered Twilight. Aladdin and Twilight glanced to eachother before Twilight brought out her purple magical light so they could see what was dropped. Another wristband. ~~ "Do you really think ...?" "You know how big this is, Aladdin? Come on, they have to be somewhere around here." The next morning was started very quickly, and without another incident as both flew around in the sky trying to relocate the two figures they saw last night. They had be somewhere close by if the commotion got them over to their location last night, and with another wristband with them, that was the best clue they got in days. With so many others not giving them the proper direction, where else could they go? So far though, even with daylight helping, all they could find so far was trees and the occasional clearing with either a pond, or stream, or whatever the heck. "Hold on, I'm going to gain some height?" Aladdin said, as he made the carpet fly higher up in the air. When he did that, they got a bird's eye view of the whole forest, yet they couldn't exactly see much besides that at first. A expanse of pine trees for miles around, some hillsides too but nothing special. They continued looking, but eventually something else started to come up: a flock of Murkrow flying up from one part of the forest, disturbed by something looming. "What's going on there?" they wondered. And naturally, but warily, they started to float over to the location of the birds. Seemed this flock of Murkrow were startled by some sort of commotion, and with them looking for their targets, it could be proven useful. They made sure to steer clear of the flying flock, looking into the spot where they were, but it seemed that nothing was down there. Well, nothing alive anyway. Looking in, the two did notice that one Murkrow was killed and laying lifeless on the forest floor, and appearing a rather quick death too. Just moments after they saw it, a blur swooped in from the forest, grabbed the Murkrow, and raced off towards the hills nearby. The figure moved fast, but looked similar to what they saw last night. Obvious what they did next. As the figure raced through the forest, the two flew on and followed it for quite a way. Since the figure stayed under the tree line, tracking it down was easier said than done, especially with one that moved so fast. At least the figure didn't look like it rally noticed them in its dash, and after a few minutes of following and tracking, it was then they begin to see it. Off ahead of them, something else besides trees started to come into view, and something they honestly were hoping to find: a house. Well, more like a large shrine than a house to be honest. A singular-floored home made up of wood and tile with a straw covered roof. From where Aladdin and Twilight were they got a good view of not only that, but an interior pond and a stone wall lining the property boundary. The figure they tracked quickly went off inside, leaving them in the dust. They settled down over nearby the fence, and Twilight started heading over. "So this is his place," said Aladdin, looking around from where they were. "This has to be. Come on, Aladdin, let's go in," Twilight decided. Aladdin couldn't agree more. If Nagisa was in there, then they just had to get in there. Good thing for them, finding the front entrance wasn't too hard, and both figures were up and over to the front gate, which they got open pretty easily. Not a soul appeared to be anywhere in the premise, or any real life for that matter apart from some bugs flying by the pond. "Hello?! Anyone here?!" Twilight called, but all the response they were met with was just silence and the wind. "We saw you go in the house, we know you're home!" added in Aladdin, but still nothing. It surely felt like they were alone for the moment, even if they knew that someone was actually there and inside the place. After so many days of searching though, both of them weren't willing to just go off and on their way just yet. Gathering courage, Twilight decided to head over to the front door of the house, Aladdin following her close behind to make sure. As they neared, they could see literally no one around, but with the knowledge that whoever it was was indeed in there, it surely felt like an ambush waiting to happen. All the same, Nagisa was still there, and they come to get him back. As they continued nearing the door, at first nothing seemed to go wrong. "Okay, Twilight. Just go in, see if he's here, and then go. It'll be fine." O, if only it were that simple. "AH!" Caught! And caught in the most surprising way too. As they took another step towards the house, the ground underneath them started to suddenly shift and alter, but not in the same way as, say, a pit trap, but instead the sand under their feet shot up out of nowhere! Twilight and Aladdin barely had time to even react to it, nbot even for Aladdin to get his shield up. Twilight and Aladdin weren't hurt, but the two ended up trapped in a sort of tomb grip, the sand hardening itself into a sort of sandstone, leaving only their heads exposed. Both tried to get free, but obviously it wasn't budging. "Trespassing, are you," said a voice. There he was. Not Nagisa, surely, but both Twilight and Aladdin found their adversary they were chasing around. The person who walked out to see them appeared decently tall, fair skinned, and short, red, spiky hair. The outfit he wore consisted of a black body suit with an open neck, t-shirt-like sleeves, and almost full-length leggings. With this, he had a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips. He had a wide leather band from his left shoulder to his right hip with which he carried a sort of sand gourd. At least it appeared to be made up of sand, though they weren't too sure. On his forehead, and a particular detail too, was a sort of Japanese kanji symbol made of red, the kanji meaning "Love" of Twilight remembered right, his hair parted to be sure people would see it. The feture that unnerved them the most though was his eyes: no eyebrows or pupils to speak of, making him look rather threatening with his green-eyed, soulless expression. It was painfully clear THIS kid was not happy to see them come up on his front step. "Eh. Hi, sorry to bother you but -" before Twilight could even finish, the newcoming kid moved right up to them, and as he did both soon noticed that he had a assassin's blade in his hand, which he was more than willing to bring up to them, blade aimed to Aladdin's head first. Aladdin was left shocked and speechless. As for the kid, his eyes locked right into Aladdin's own, as if judging him by his reaction. Just seeing his eyes made him feel unnerved. All he did was just give a small huff, and slowly move the blade back, only to nearly slice off Twilight's head! Lucky for her, he only got a little bit of her hair, but it still scared her witless. The same look of judgement passed on to her as well, the kid glaring to her eyes and seeing her reaction. "What do you want?" he then asked. "Eh ... we're looking for our friend. That's all we're doing, we swear!" Aladdin made clear, trying to make amends. Unfortunately, he didn't look so willing to believe that. "Liar." "We're not lying, seriously! Did you see him? He has long blue hair, goes by the name of Nagisa?" Twilight asked. The kid stayed quiet, hand to chin and thinking for just a moment or two. He took a glance back to the house for a moment, but rather than answer them, he started to shift the sand, and both Twilight and Aladdin were suddenly launched off, farther off from the property, and into the forest. Stuck in the sand tombs, they couldn't protect themselves much from the impact. They ended up landing about several yards away, leaving both of them covered in sand and sore from the fall. It took them a bit to get themselves out of the sand. "He didn't believe us," groaned Aladdin. "No, he just doesn't want to talk. I've gone too far to give up now," Twilight concluded. They both saw his eyes, and they were unmistakable from the ones they saw last night. He was there, the clues added together, they just needed him to tell them. ....... After getting themselves cleaned up of sand, both of them started to head off back over towards the house again. He launched them off pretty far away, so traveling back to the house wasn't as easy as it sounded. On the bright side, no extra surprises going back to it. Both were now back at the front gate, but unlike before, the owner of the house didn't wait this time, and instead was standing up on the porch overhang. He looked ready to attack them, but both of them raised their hands in submission. "Hold on a minute, we're safe, we don't want to fight you! Can you just answer our question please?" Twilight asked. "Give me one good reason why," he groaned, arms crossed. "Then we'll leave you alone. Just tell us if you've seen Nagisa. He's been missing for weeks, and we've been trying to find him," Aladdin promised. The boy simply stood there at first, but then he jumped down, and landed right in front of them. "So you'll leave me alone if I answer," he made sure. Both of them simply nodded for their answer. "We promise," Twilight confirmed. He remained quiet once again, eyes closed and thinking about it, working his memory. Aladdin and Twilight waited in anticipation for what he had to say. Just one answer, and they will be away from him for good. ... "... I saw him. But I drove him off." What?! Why - ACK!" The shout caused the kid to reach out and grab Twilight by the neck, single handedly gripping her throat! "You wanted your answer, and I gave it to you. Now get out before I kill you." With that death threat, he threw Twilight out of the gate, leaving Twilight coughing a little bit. considering he was just threatening them with a blade, Twilight was extremely close to meeting her last breath. As Aladdin helped her up, the kid started going back into the house. "What was that for?!" Aladdin yelled. However, the teen didn't really answer, nor did he really care about Twilight's well-being. "Can you tell us where he went, at least?" "I said go," he said, his final warning to them as his blade gleaned in the light. Aladdin couldn't believe how cruel this human was being towards them. Sure, humans have their downfalls time to time, but this kid was especially cold-hearted to him and Twilight. As Twilight said, they've gone too far to back off now. Aladdin suddenly went right over to the teen, floating a bit in the air as well and soon was facing him, blocking his way between him and his house. "Now listen, I don't know how much it matters to you, but me and Twilight had been traveling for days on end trying to find our friend. The least you can do is point us in the right direction if you know!" Aladdin said, trying to get him to speak. "Get out of my way." "It can't hurt to tell us where he went, can it?" Aladdin insisted. Now Aladdin was testing the teen's patience, and now it had just run out. The teen brought his blade up and tried to stab Aladdin, only for the magi to summon his shield and push him back. He stayed on his feet, but the mix of seeing him with a shield and floating mid air told him Aladdin was a lot stronger than he appeared to be, at least as he was concerned. Soon, the teen drawed out more sand and actually made them into a series of blades, which he launched right at him, but they just exploded into sand and didn't hurt him at all. That just made him more angry. ....... Then a shadow appeared on the top of the house, one that caught Twilight and the teen's attention up there. Aladdin didn't notice it at first, and moved so he could see as well, shield down. "They're okay, Gaara." "I thought I told you to get lost," Gaara warned. The newcoming figure went off the roof in a few jumps, not as agile as Gaara, but still pretty good for a regular human. He jumped off the top of the roof, off the overhang, and then onto the ground in front of them. His outfit looked more battle-ready than casual: black gloves and black boots over his hands and feet, a pure blue army coat buttoned to the top of the collar, with short sleeves and several pockets, and blue pants with kneepads. his hair was tied back into a set of ponytails as well. He stood up straight, and gave a soft smile. "You did. ... But I'm not leaving my friends behind." "Na ... na ... NAGISA!!" Yes, there he was. Nagisa Shiota in the flesh. Twilight and Aladdin couldn't be happier to see him, and they both almost immediately went right over to him, Aladdin hugging him tightly. Tears of joy were quick to show up on their faces, and Nagisa was glad to see them as well, a soft smile on his face as he reunited with his old friends. Gaara wasn't so easily joyed by this, and in fact looked ready to strike again with his blade. Though, he didn't bring himself to do I, even if this was just a minor distraction to him. "Nagisa! We missed you so much! I'm so glad you're alive!" cried Twilight. "Oh lord, thank you! Just wait til the others see you again!" added in Aladdin, equally pleased. "Great to see you guys again," said Nagisa. As the two were crying in joy, Nagisa looked over to Gaara for a moment, the kid still looking rather threatening towards them. Gaara reminded them of his presence with a loud ahem. "Anytime you want to leave before I slice you open," Gaara stated, knife at the ready to do just that. Aladdin and Twilight were unnerved, but Nagisa was surprisingly calm with it. "Calm down guys. Thanks for keeping them around until I got back, Gaara," Nagisa noted. None of them knew exactly what he meant, but Gaara didn't give him an answer aside from a grunt, turning his gaze away. "Be lucky you came at all, or they'd be dead," Gaara simply said. "Yeah, sure," said Nagisa. "Where've you been, Nagisa, you've been missing for weeks!" asked Aladdin. "How about you two rest a bit first? Looks like Gaara gave you a rough time," Nagisa said, Gaara pretending not to listen to him. The trio then turned their gaze towards Gaara in question, the teen sand magi knowing what they were about to ask. "... One night." "Thanks. Come on, Aladdin, let's get you cleaned up," Nagisa suggested. Considering he was still a bit sandy, that would be a good idea As they were starting to head in (much to Gaara's annoyance), Twilight simply smiled and wiped off a tear from her cheek. All their hard work had paid off. "We finally found him."
S03Ep9: The Student and his Master ~学生とマスター~The very night after their big find, and Twilight, Aladdin, and now Nagisa were all resting their tired minds and muscles all together. Twilight and Aladdin couldn't be more accomplished since finding their old friend, and considering many thought he was dead it was surely amazing to reunite with him once again. Nagisa, being gone for a long time himself, was happy to see his old friends again just as well, though he didn't really burst out into tears like they did. Guess it made sense though since the last time they saw him was being blasted away by Pluton's defeat and not seeing him afterwards anywhere. The trio were given permission to stay the night at Gaara's house, though despite that they were only allowed in the front room right by the front door and nowhere else, Gaara not allowing them that. All three of them were sitting off just outside the house on the front porch, the clear night very pleasant for them to see, full moon shining down on them and giving them its own natural light. They'd go to sleep, but they all spent enough time away from eachother, and now all three of them wanted to catch up with eachother. "Wait, the others aren't with you?" Nagisa asked. "Well, they're much safer back in Central than they are here. I mean, after what happened to you, I didn't want anyone else getting hurt," Twilight admitted. "You could've at least told them instead of just taking off though," Nagisa pointed out. That was one little detail she felt more embarrassed about. Then again, they would end up after her if she told them that anyway. "Eh ... yeah," Twilight sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well what about you? Seriously, you basically disappeared for weeks, we couldn't find you for the longest time," said Aladdin, really wanting to know that from his lost friend. "It's a long story," Nagisa started. "We got a lot of time, don't worry. I'm just glad you're didn't die as all," Aladdin noted. Nagisa gave a quick sigh. "Actually, I did." ... The blank expression on their faces pretty much said it all, their eyes locked onto Nagisa the second he said that with shock. Did he really admit that to them, or were they hearing things? "What? Wait ... what?! B-But you're here ... you are, are you?" Twilight asked, holding him by the arm to be sure, but indeed he was there. "I-It's kinda complicated," Nagisa said, trying to calm them down from this sudden news. Not only was his story long, but a bit of a complicated one on top of it, though this just made Aladdin and Twilight even more curious on what happened to their friend. "Don't suspend us, what happened? We missed you, pal," Aladdin said, sitting down next to him, putting Nagisa in between him and Twilight. Nagisa looked back and forth between the two, and eventually he got up to his feet and took a step or two out to the open, ready to explain his story as he took a look up to the full moon. "Guess I'll start after Pluton. You know, it all happened so fast, so suddenly, I didn't feel a thing. One moment I threw the sword at Pluton, and the next ... nothing. ... Everything just stopped. ..." As Nagisa said, everything did feel at a standstill moments after the sudden blast. Nagisa was left in some bit of silence, in the dark, not able to feel too much of anything in his state. He felt still, as if he was sleeping on his back, arms out spread and at ease. Any previous pain, fatigue, or worry had escaped him at this point, the last moment he could remember being blasted to oblivion seconds after Korosensei lost his grip on him. He would be worried over him, but at the moment, his only main thought was what happened in it all. As he looked onto basically nothing but empty black space, light did eventually begin to reach him, leaving him in a light that almost seemed to blind him of anything else. Then came along a soft, comfortable breeze that grazed his body. It didn't sting, or for that matter wasn't filled with the dust and debris Nagisa was sure it would've been filled of. Nothing but wind, and the scent of the forest for some reason. A forest? It was then that Nagisa managed to open his eyes. You'd think he'd end up in another part of Central's complete heap of debris from Pluton's rampage, but instead the area he found himself in a green, clean forest. Healthy, tall trees grew around him, and a flowing river moved steadily on its way just a foot away from him. Quite a big change over the apocalyptic state of Central Nagisa was just in. The bright light of the sun made Nagisa stir, and finally make him sit up to look around. First thing he noticed was just how little he actually hurt. If anything, he felt pretty content, which was strange to him. As he looked too, turned out he wasn't alone. ... *chirp-chirp* A little peek by the river showed a flock of about seven birds close by, one of which was looking at him curiously. One look though, and Nagisa could tell that these were no ordinary birds: three feet tall, blue feathered along the head and neck, and the rest of the body covered with what looked like white fluff, resembling a cloud as apart of the wings. No bird on Earth, far as he knew, looked like this flock. "Where am I? ... I didn't -" Rustling from across the river. Nagisa turned to look across the river, and sure enough, a familiar deity started to walk out towards him. Nagisa got up to his feet, which felt lighter might he add, and looked to whoever was coming. As for the deity, she didn't stop coming over until she was at the opposite bank. She appeared to fairly young, teenager long him, and in a simple medical outfit as well, nurse hat included. Her hair was short and purple, and her eyes a bright green (a bit of a contrast too), but what stuck out to Nagisa the most though was that the figure had a set of frilly wings, light lavender in color. The figure didn't say much of anything, and looked as curious on Nagisa as he was of her. "Can you tell me where I am?" Nagisa asked. However, the figure didn't really answer though, unsure of what to really do with him. She looked to him in a similar manor to how the birds were, which the birds flew across the river over towards her after she whistled for them. That would explain why she was here, but it didn't help Nagisa much on his situation. "Where am I?" Nagisa asked again. She looked to him once more, but instead of answering, she started to herd the flock of birds away from the river, and out of sight. What was he supposed to do now? The only person he saw so far and she wasn't willing to talk to him at all. All he could do was try to follow her. "Wait up," Nagisa called again. He walked back for a bit, and took his chances to go across the river. A bit ungraceful, and wet, but he did manage to get across the otherside and he started to follow where she went. Nagisa tried his best to keep up with the girl and flock, but eventually they all suddenly started flying away. Nagisa ran as fast as he could to catch up with her, but when he reached the clearing, Nagisa skidded to a stop by what he saw next. While he thought he was in a forest, he found himself in a completely different area entirely: a world completely up in the sky. The blue sky and clouds were far below him, and far above him, and whatever land he did see were in floating pockets, each big enough to hold a small town. some had trees and dirt, like the one he was on, while others appeared to be man-made (though man-made may not be the right word). Some of these land masses were connected by bridges and pathways as well, though not the one Nagisa was on by what he could see. Unfortunately, he couldn't find that other girl either, nor the flock she escorted out of the area. Despite that, it was painfully clear that Nagisa wasn't back home at all, or even in his world for that matter. Nagisa was quiet, taking in what he was seeing around him and the realization that came with it. "Is this ... the Overworld? ..." That question floated around in Nagisa's mind for a while, his eyes taking in everything. As he was looking, some other similar figures to the girl were also flying around, different in their own way, but none of them really noticed him. Nagisa tried to wave his arms to get their attention, but it didn't seem to be working. ... "I was worried about you." Lugia - a more familiar voice, and one Nagisa was more acquainted with. Looking behind him, Lugia walked out of the same forest, and was soon standing over right next to him. "Lugia." "I've been trying to find you for a while. I'm glad to see your soul is still together, especially after what happened," said Lugia said, sounding very relieved to see him, though Nagisa felt uneasy about it. "I don't think I am though. Lugia, I'm old enough to take it. Am I ..." Even if he was mature enough, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He could probably guess though on what the answer would be judging by where he was, even if he wasn't sure on where it was exactly. Lugia though looked to him with a soft grin. "... It depends. What item did you use? To defeat Pluton, I mean," Lugia asked, thinking a little bit. "What item? ... I had to use Karma's sword to finish Pluton off," Nagisa answered, remembering the last moments he had just before the explosion. That gave Lugia a sigh of relief. "Then you'll be alright." "Really? But last I remembered ..." "The Miracle Sword can heal the user during an attack, remember? And as you were the one to use it. ..." Lugia didn't need to explain the rest for Nagisa to understand. Admittedly, that detail slipped his mind in the moment, but it gave him more relief than ever, Nagisa falling down to his knees, and soon sitting on the edge of their floating island. However, the concept of where he was got another question in mind. "Thank god. ... But wait, why am I here then? I-If I'm not truly dead, then I shouldn't be in heaven right now ... right?" "I didn't say you're not dead at all, Nagisa. Your body needs to heal, and your soul had to be put here for a bit. Don't worry, you'll be back in your world before you know it," Lugia assured him, though the concept of him being dead at all still shook him a bit. The least he could say is that he chose the right weapon for an otherwise suicidal attack and defeat on Pluton. "Sorry, t-this is a bit to take in." "It is overwhelming for any deity new to this. You'll be safe here." "By the way, where is here? I guess we're not on Earth, huh?" Nagisa asked, bringing out the second obvious question as he pointed to the islands ahead of them. "Synapse: one of the Overworld kingdoms. As you have your countries, the Overworld has many kingdoms, same with the Underworld. Your soul just happened to pick this one to stay in, though I can't say you haven't been here before," Lugia explained. Thinking a little harder, and looking at the more inorganic islands of Synapse, Nagisa started to see and remember the areas where he and Twilight had seen in their dreams, matching these almost exactly. Lugia took a seat next to Nagisa, both of them looking out to Synapse at the flying angels and local birds. It surely looked like a dreamscape even with the daylight. "... So ... how long am I going to be here?" Nagisa asked once more. "Only for a little while. ... Eh, speaking of which, you might be away from your friends for a while," Lugia revealed, confusing Nagisa. "Huh? Why?" "I'm sorry to say, but there was more to Pluton's explosion than just injury. I'm afraid you've been ... well ... moved," Lugia said, sounding a little bad for saying this to him. With what had happened, and what they were dealing with, Nagisa honestly had come to expect this. "There's always a catch, huh?" "The rules of magic aren't always consistent, I'm afraid. Still, you do realize that this means things are going to be different. The demons are given the greenlight now, so all of you must be ready for anything now. ... If it eases your mind, I should probably lend you another one," Lugia suggested, turning to Nagisa. Nagisa thought about it for a little bit, but eventually he stood up. "Me and my friends had been running around all over the world: We've been to England and met Phantomhive and made friends with the queen. We went to Central and basically became apart of the Amestris army, not to mention the many different demons we fought along the way. I'm ready for whatever the future has for me now," Nagisa decided. Lugia's future visions cannot be altered as he remembered, and if whatever he had in mind really will happen, Nagisa won't hold back from it any longer. Lugia was quiet at first, but he too got up and then smiled to him. "You have such an open mind, Nagisa. They're lucky to have a friend like you. ..." Lugia then moved over to him, and gently placed a hand over his forehead, giving him another Future Vision. This one was clearer, and a number of visions appeared through his mind, one of which show him where what seemed to be a sort of fight, him against one figure as another looked on. ... It was at this point though something else started to happen to Nagisa, when the boy took a look to his hand. It was rather sudden, but subtle as well. His hand was starting to fade. "Looks like I'm heading back now. See you later," Nagisa said, smiling to Lugia. While to Lugia Nagisa was just fading, Nagisa saw the whole place fade away for him, but he wasn't as scared as much here. "Farewell, Nagisa Shiota." ~~ With his eyes shooting open, Nagisa was back on the human plain, but as Lugia said he wasn't exactly in the same place he once was. Sure, he found himself in a forest again as before, though it wasn't the same forest as before. That, and it was clear Central was nowhere in slight. Broad pine trees were all around him, and at first Nagisa thought he was still up in Synapse, but that quickly changed when he looked up to one of the trees to see a more familiar bird: Murkrow. A pair of Murkrow, both of which apparently observing him for a while now. He managed to sit back up, and turned out not only was his body healed up, but clothed as well (avoiding embarrassment, thank goodness for him). "Yeah, I'm back home now. Well, let's see where I am now," Nagisa thought, getting up to his feet and starting to walk on his way. Unlike back in Synapse, the weather this time was a bit more cloudy, very slight rain as a matter of fact, but compared to what he just been through, he didn't mind that too much. Looking around, he didn't see much sign of any settlement, road, or pathway, nothing but nature in this part of the world. So there I was, back from Synapse and, I guess from the dead. Yeah, even now I'm still unsure how it happened, but it's still good. I was left alone with my thoughts though: where am I? How were they back in Central? And where do I even go? To be honest, at the time, I felt simply lost. ... And then I heard it. *KAW* Nagisa stopped on the dime on the pain-filled squawk, only to see a bird fall from the air and land not too far away. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, it was then he saw something come out from the tree line, and snatched up the catch. A worrying sight for anyone, but Nagisa felt a red flag go up, his demon sense triggered again. And according to it, this demon was a pretty high level too. And worse: it soon saw him standing nearby, and was heading his way! Not even a minute back from the dead, and he's already meeting other demons. Nagisa tried to reach for some sort of weapon, but he didn't have anything on him. He was without a weapon, and he had to face this demon alone. Pretty soon, the figure was right up to him, only a few feet away and Nagisa was left with a cold shiver from the figure's green eyes. All his senses didn't make Nagisa be fooled by the human-like appearance. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked sternly, his eyes staring daggers at Nagisa. Something Nagisa wished he had on hand just in case he would start to attack him. "N-Nothing, sorry. Can you tell me where I am?" Nagisa asked, not wanting to fight with him. He stayed silent and observed Nagisa, judging him, and slowly moving in closer to him, keeping a keen eye on his reactions towards him. "... Who wants to know?" he questioned. Nagisa had to back up to get some sort of distance between himself and his adversary. So long as he showed him he wasn't there to fight, he should be okay. However, Nagisa just didn't want to fight, so rather than push it, he just turned away. "Eh, nevermind, I'll just figure it out," Nagisa decided, starting to walk away from him. A fight now, and Nagisa would never figure anything out from it. Nagisa kept walking, but it didn't take long until he glanced back, just in time to see him walk in the opposite direction, a dead Murkrow in one hand. That, and a notable assassin's blade in his pocket. Thank god I didn't push it, Gaara probably would've killed me if I did that. Anyway, for the rest of the day it was just me, and trying to find out where I was. Unfortunately for me, the weather just wasn't letting up for my sake. Sunset, and the rain was really starting to come down. At least Nagisa had trees to block off the rain, but even so he was still left soaked, cold, and not sure where he was even going. Any animal now was hidden out of the rain, something Nagisa wished he could do right now. "Damnit, where do I go?" Nagisa wondered, arm trying to block off some of the rain from hitting his eyes as he continued walking along. There had to be somewhere to go for Nagisa to rest, somewhere in this place. Cold and tired, he took a moment to rest over by one of the trees, trying to dry his hair a little bit. "I sure hope the others are doing better than I am. ... Where can I stay for the night? ..." Nagisa thought. Though, he could only wonder if they were even still alive. Nagisa looked around the forest some more, trying to find some sort of shelter from the heavy rain going on around him. Eventually, and indeed it was eventually, Nagisa took sight of something else that might just be what he could be looking for: a lone house in the forest. "This is so cheesy, but, beggars can't be choosers," Nagisa thought. And so, off he went to it. It took him a little while to get around the main boundary wall, but he did get to the front entrance, and got himself right over to the front porch with little to no trouble. As suspicious as this may be, at least he was dry from the rainstorm. Taking the moment, he went on to dry his hair and get himself rested just inside. The main room appeared pretty much empty, wooden floors and walls making up the main room. nothing too fancy, but it'll have to do just until the rain stops outside. For Nagisa, he didn't need to take more than five steps for his demon sense to start going off again, making him shiver. ... One leap saved his life: Gaara was not only right behind him, but he jumped down from the roof beams directly at him, knife drawn out and trying to slice him. Nagisa landed over further into the house, but Gaara was soon on top of him, his knife aimed directly at his throat. Nagisa got a hold of Gaara's hand before he could slice open his neck, but Gaara would rather kill him than talk. "You again." "Yes, sorry. Again. ... I guess this is your place?" Nagisa asked, not letting go of Gaara's hand for any moment. "Does it matter? Now let go," Gaara growled, trying to make Nagisa release him. Both tried their best, but eventually Gaara pulled free and tried again to kill Nagisa, him rushing out of the way just in time to avoid fatal injury. That didn't mean Gaara didn't hit him though, finding a cut on his shoulder from Gaara's knife. Gaara rushed him with his blade again, but Nagisa reacted almost instinctively, and gave Gaara a whack to the side of the head, the hit just enough to leave Gaara a little stunned. Nagisa got himself outside, despite just drying off, as Gaara stood just under the overhang, his knife stained in Nagisa's blood. Nagisa didn't want to fight, but at this point he had no choice. "You had your chance to leave, kid. You couldn't leave me alone," Gaara said, cleaning off his knife in the falling rain. "He's calling me a kid?" Nagisa thought. That was the least of his problems though, still unarmed and this demon was still after him. ... What else could he do? "I didn't want to fight you, demon, but if that's what you want, then fine," Nagisa finally decided, locking his gaze to Gaara. Gaara paused for a moment, but he quickly took the offer and got his blades ready. Turned out, he had about seven throwing knives on him, and he started to throw his blades at him. Nagisa had to keep moving, but the blades were cutting him very close, cutting the fabric off his clothes and little cuts into his skin. One good thing out of this was the amount of weaponry left on the ground. Nagisa managed to grab one of the knives before Gaara rushed around and grabbed the rest. At least Nagisa was armed and he tried his luck against Gaara. The demon though gave a quick lightning fast kick to Nagisa's legs, knocking him off his feet. A perfect opportunity for Gaara to finish Nagisa off and be done with it. And he would've too, but he then ... jumped back? The moment after was very quick, and Nagisa needed a moment to figure things out. Nagisa took a look at Gaara when he did that, finding Gaara up on top of the overhang, no longer looking threatening, and instead looking more surprised, heavy breathing as if he just saw sheer horror. As for Nagisa, he then found that something did land not too far from him. Just his luck, the sure item of his halo blade was now on the ground, actually stabbing the ground where it landed, being where Gaara was standing moments earlier. It didn't take long for him to connect two and two together, Nagisa picking up his weapon and holding his shoulder from Gaara's cut. Nagisa was now properly armed to face the demonic deity. "You know when to come, don't you?" Nagisa commented, referring to the blade in question, as he looked back up to Gaara. Apparently, he shook off his shock and tried at Nagisa again, blades raining down at him. Nagisa took the moment and rushed forward, avoiding the blades, and Gaara landing down in front of him. It was rather quick, but Nagisa was having an advantage this time, Gaara finding himself unarmed and Nagisa coming at him. As Nagisa took his attack, Gaara had to dodge him and try for his blades outside, but Nagisa wasn't giving him the chance this time, and copied what Gaara did earlier: his foot hooking him by the leg and making him tumble to the ground. Nagisa went to him, blade in hand, and Gaara spun himself around and grabbed him by the arm, making him stop. Both of them simply stopped, Gaara frazzled by Nagisa's halo blade, hovering just ten inches above his head, and Nagisa breathing heavily for the energy used. for now, there was room to finally talk. "Look. I know what your thinking, but I swear I didn't come here just to fight you. I'm just trying to get out of the rain and figure out where I am. I promise, as soon as I figure that out, then I'll leave you alone for good, ok?" Nagisa explained. If there was a moment to actually talk to Gaara, it would be now, but even after that Gaara didn't really answer him. Gaara stayed quiet for a minute or two, snapping himself out of shock, and pushing him away. Nagisa saw that his eyes were more fixated on the halo blade than actually on him, though him being a demon as far as Nagisa knew made that understandable. As for Gaara, he stayed silent, and with a huff, he walked back into the house. Nagisa took a step to follow, but Gaara threw his remaining knife right at his feet, keeping him from entering. Nagisa raised both hands up and stayed outside the door, and Gaara disappeared inside the house's shadows. Compared to what could've happened, I was let off easy. ... Even if it meant I had to still sleep outside. At least I had something over my head for the night, but even with all that, I never could've guessed what was coming. ... As the night went on, Nagisa remained motionless and huddled up outside the door, rain still going down fairly hard but Nagisa was keeping himself dry at the very least. Chilled, but dry nonetheless. For the moment, Nagisa was quiet and laying with his back to the building. It was not a bed he'd ever get used to, but since Gaara wouldn't let him in, he just had to work with it unfortunately. With the clouds and rain blocking off whatever moonlight was left, he was literally in the dark and vulnerable to whatever was around. ... *thump**thump**thump**thump* Footsteps. And they sounded like they were coming towards him. Nagisa stayed sleeping for a bit more, but as his own feelings started to take over, Nagisa started to stir just a little bit. The irritation of the feelings were especially bothersome to him, as the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer. "Wakie-wakie, little hero." Such an ominous, hissing voice finally made Nagisa open his eyes to check the area around him. Despite the spine-chilling voice though, Nagisa didn't see anyone at first. Only him, the empty porch and the rain outside. Or it seemed that way, anyway. In such a dark setting, Nagisa couldn't see a figure anywhere, but as he took one look up, the voice's true owner was visible, his arms and legs gripping the overhang like a spider, his head turned completely one eighty degrees, his demonic eyes staring straight down at him. Nagisa was surely spooked, but he didn't bolt for it right away, as the figure dislodged himself from the overhang and landing with silence, his head facing the correct direction and now in front of him with a toothy grin. "King Sombra?" Nagisa asked. That answered turned the face from cheeky to annoyance. "Sombra? King som - ugh - don't you compare me to that pathetic twat! I surpass that creature ten fold. I. Am Tirek," the figure hissed, leaning in towards him. Nagisa kept his composure, his hand reaching for his halo blade. However, the figure was quick to grab it ... and eat it. Right in front of him. "You think this little toy will always work for you?" said the figure, leaving Nagisa with nothing but a small stub of chewed up blade, spat down at Nagisa's feet. Again, Nagisa didn't budge from his spot as he saw what remained of his only weapon shrivel in Tirek's saliva. Nagisa looked back to Tirek, who was now right in front of his face, eyes locked with his. "What do you want. Tirek," Nagisa questioned, at least wanting that out of the way. Tirek straightened up and started to walk around him, back and forth. "You'd know better than to ask, human. I mean, you did technically slay Pluton, as contrived as that bullshit was." "Contrived?" "You cheated: using someone else's sword and Korosensei as leverage! You call yourself a hero and you barely ever lifted a finger. Those worms barely even needed you," As Tirek said this, he grew in size, and his colors faded from red to black, drool turning into blood. Nagisa couldn't turn his gaze away from the horrifying deity, looking more and more horrifying as he spoke. "You think you can save anyone by yourself? HA! A dipshit like you's lucky to save a friend from a Chuchi moth. Ever since you killed my Jizo, all you've done was hold your ass back and let everyone else fight your battles for you. You even got FUTURE VISION for fuck sake, and you can't even get that right!" "That's not true!" Nagisa immediately stated. "Oh really? Ok, tell me one fight, just one fight when your friends didn't clobber their little beastie and only you could finish off the bastard, eh? Or one time you actually put that Future Vision to use for once and actually try to change things instead of letting it happen?" Nagisa tried to think, but the more he tried, the more he realized just how ... well, little he did. When it comes to the actual threat, his friends actually did most of the work for him, and all he did was stand behind. As he'd normally do. ... "But ... but I ..." "But what? Thank your goddamn lucky stars no one important died yet ... underline: YET. Just face it you pathetic creature. Without them ... you're nothing." ....... "AH!!" Nagisa felt a strong hit whack against the side of his head after that horrifying statement. Needless to say, Nagisa woke up with a startle, and a bump on his head. Not the best wake up call Nagisa had gotten. It was morning now: nightmare over, his blade still in tact, and as it turned out Gaara was standing there instead of Tirek. Nagisa rubbed his head, and now was fully awake, looking up to Gaara. Far as Gaara was concern, he was up and that's what mattered. "About time," Gaara simply stated, sounding a bit impatient with Nagisa more than anything. Seeing him move his foot too, it was clear who actually hit him. Nagisa managed to get himself back up, feeling sore, shaken up, but alright overall. At least better than he could've been thanks to Tirek. "You had your night. Now, there's the exit," Gaara said, pointing off to the exit for Nagisa to take. He gave a sigh and started to walk, but then a quick thought about the dream came to him and he soon stopped. That dream seemed VERY real to him one way or another. A little too real. ... "One question. ... Did you notice anything happening last night?" Nagisa asked. "What's it to you?" Gaara asked back. Well, so much for that. "Nevermind. ... Well, thanks anyway." With that, Nagisa began to go off on his wasy, Gaara watching him the whole time until he was well away from the exit. Gaara allowed him to stay one night, Nagisa wasn't up for forcing him on anything, especially since it almost cost him his life. Nagisa took one more look back, just to find Gaara no longer in sight. It was a bit of a bother for him, but Nagisa had to basically be good with what he got. A demon did decide to let him live, after all ... For the next half an hour, it had been nothing but wandering around in the forest, trying to figure out where to go. It was almost like the path to the 3-E building back at home, to be honest ... well, only then I'd known where to go. I was just stuck wondering, pondering, what could've happened to you. ... And what Tirek had said. ... "Good sleep?~" Nagisa stopped cold in his tracks, looking around the forest for the all too familiar voice, eerily familiar. The voice also set off his demon sense, his whole body shivering slightly in response to the voice. Though, he'd probably get shivers, even without the demon sense going off. This time though, unlike before, he found the figure far quicker, whom of which was up in one of the pine trees. Laying on the branch, swaying his legs behind him and arms crossed as if he was laying in bed, the demon lord Tirek was back! There was no mistaking him this time, and seeing this supposed dream beast now alive and in flesh and blood made Nagisa jump back a little. Tirek swung down from the tree, and landed right by the humbled human. "T-Tirek?!" "I know who I am, bitch," Tirek said. Clearly his behavior didn't alter from dream to real life either, but that hardly made him feel any better. Each step Nagisa took just made Tirek step closer again. Unlike before, Nagisa kept his blade hidden away (he didn't want it gobbled up). "But ... wait, how're you -" "You REALLY going to question it?" Tirek brought up, stopping Nagisa cold. Nagisa would protest, but this was a demon lord here, so what was the point? "... Yeah, good point. What do you want?" Nagisa asked, wanting that out of the way. Tirek started to circle Nagisa, who kept himself still. "Oh, just checking in, wanted to chat a little bit, see how easily I can crumble you. Oh, is that a midday snack for me?" said Tirek, yanking the knife out of Nagisa's pocket. Nagisa expected Tirek to try to eat it again, but all Tirek did was pick his teeth with it and tossed the now saliva-covered item to Nagisa, who looked in disgust. "Hands off," Nagisa demanded, wiping the knife clean of the spit. The least he could say is that Tirek wasn't hungry for that. "Damn, I expected that from Karma, not you." "So you know him too?" "I know lots of ya: Aladdin, Pinkie, Ciel, ol Bassie ... Twilight.~ hope you said your goodbyes to them before your suicide," Tirek said, though most of his tone was mischievous rather than sympathetic. His mention of Twilight, especially by her specific nickname, made Nagisa troubled more than most. Any demonlord who knew of his friends by name only meant one thing ... well, one or two. "So you did work with Sombra," Nagisa confirmed. Though, Tirek's cheery attitude immediately turned cold again. "Quit acting like I give a shit about him! I told you, I exceed that runt ten fold! He can't even kill a group of kids like you," Tirek noted, making it especially clear. Nagisa took his words in, the last part making him think hard about it. ... By the time he was finished, the boy felt a horrifying thought creep into his head on what Tirek was talking about, and seeing him smiling with his horrid sharp teeth told Nagisa Tirek knew too. "You didn't ..." "Easy pickings! And such a lovely look on my mantle: Bunch of shitheads, died on the day of Pluton." Tirek mocked, laughing his head off. Not too clever, but Nagisa felt his heart sink when he heard that come out of him. Whether Tirek really did it or not didn't change the true fact. "I don't believe you. ..." "Hoped you say that," Then, to Nagisa's horror, and Tirek's delight, the demon had the nerve to bring up a image, his fingers slicing a square in existence and showing the supposed aftermath of Pluton's explosion: all of his friends laying dead in a post apocalyptic heap of what was once Central Amestris. Just to torture him more, he made sure each one of his closer friends got more of the spotlight in each bit of imagery Tirek left to stick in Nagisa's brain. Tirek relished the look on his face, giggling all the while like the horrid devil he was. "Look at you, so shocked, it's adorable! Oh, the fun I'll have with you! Too bad for you your only little effort for being mister hero got your pals a little seat up in the afterlife. Really, you're so pathetic, it's hilariously awful!" Nagisa just stayed quiet, the last remark reminding him what Tirek had said last night. "Get used to it, kid, cus you'll ALL join them when I'm done!" Tirek announced, fully confident in the statement. As Tirek gave his maniacal laughter, the demon lord strolled off away from him and through a portal he summoned, disappearing right away. He left Nagisa staring off into space, his mind trying to accept the supposed facts. However, his mind was rather torn because of what Lugia told him before back in Synapse and to what Tirek said. They're lucky to have a friend like you Those worms barely even needed you Who was telling the truth? Lugia, or Tirek? ....... "What was that all about?" Gaara. A little odd to see him of all people suddenly show up, but Nagisa was still trying to get his mind straight. He knew what he meant, and he knew how much trouble it actually was, and more of a heartbreak to hear how his friends were basically killed because of Pluton's blast. ... "... You heard all that?" "More than enough. Saw him follow you and I wanted him out," Gaara said, Nagisa sensing the knife he cradled in his hand. Nagisa stayed quiet for a good while before turning to Gaara, a tear coming down his face. Looking to him though, Gaara could care less about the emotional turmoil. In fact, it kinda annoyed him. "Grow up, you. Your not going to do anything by crying," Gaara commented, though he wasn't treating the situation as seriously as Nagisa was. Gaara just wanted him gone more than anything, and him going into a crying fit wasn't gonna make that easier. Nagisa did feel a sting in his heart hearing such cold words being spat at him, but truth was truth, and the truth was ... "Crying won't bring them back." That final sentenced echoed in Nagisa's head for a little bit, and the words Tirek had said accompanying it. ... That was when one Future vision came in his head as well. ... Time to actually use it. Gaara turned to go, only to feel someone grab him by the arm, and hard, just to find Nagisa standing there. "Let go of me," Gaara demanded. "I need to be better than this. ... I need to be stronger. Tirek will destroy everything in this world if we let him go like this," Nagisa insisted. However, all Gaara did was kick him back. "That's your problem, not mine," Gaara simply stated, starting to walk away. ... "Does the end of the world mean anything to you? Everyone will suffer, including you." THAT was what made him stop. Something world-effecting would end up effecting him, no matter the case. Gaara stayed especially quiet, knowing Nagisa was on his feet now and staring at him. ... "... Damnit, fine. ... On one condition," Gaara made clear, turning around to Nagisa. Nagisa nodded his head, more than willing, whatever Gaara had in mind. "When I'm done with you, then you go. I don't care what business you have with hell, but I want no part in it, or it'll be your head. Get it?" "I understand," Nagisa replied. So, Gaara and I got started the next morning. Earlier for me, I had to admit, but if it meant becoming stronger to go up against whatever Tirek had planned, then so be it. At least I found out what his name was after that, but I knew for a fact he really, really didn't want me around. There he was, standing over outside the house, facing against Gaara with his halo blade in hand, while Gaara had, well, nothing. Nagisa was put in a different outfit: the training uniform to be exact. No knife in his hand, or really anything that could suggest any attack, at least not now. "Nagisa. You ready to start, or what?" Gaara asked. "Sure Gaara, but ... shouldn't you have a weapon too?" Nagisa asked. Gaara rolled his eyes on the question. "I can kill you without one. Besides, it's not me who you're fighting. ..." Before Nagisa could ask what he meant, Gaara began to get to work. Focusing his own energy with ease, the gourd began to pour out sand like a waterfall, which landed right next to him. Gaara started to manipulate the sand with a few movements of his hand, the sand suddenly rising up in front of Nagisa's eyes. When the sand stopped pouring, Gaara manipulated it off the ground, and soon enough the pile of sand turned into an almost exact replica of Gaara himself, down to the clothes, and even the eyes almost matched up. Nagisa looked less surprised, and more intrigued than anything, as he readied the blade in his hand. Gaara walked over to the door, the sand clone ready to face Nagisa as willing as Gaara himself would be. "Begin!" Gaara announced. Immediately, with blinding speed, the Gaara clone rushed for him, Nagisa not having too much time to react. Nagisa thrusted his knife forward, but the clone dodged it with ease, and not only did it kick it out of his hand, but it zoomed around, and kicked him in the back, knocking him off his feet. Nagisa tried to get up, but the clone ended up standing on his back to keep him down, just to have his halo blade landing right in front of his face. "That was quick," Gaara said, feeling satisfied to see Nagisa beaten up. The clone moved off of Nagisa after that, getting up to his feet after a bit and picking up his knife. "Damn, we just got started and he clobbered me on the spot. I have to be ready." Nagisa thought. "Begin!" Garra said again, triggering the clone to rush at him once more. Nagisa was more prepared this time, and instead of thrusting, he jumped aside to have the clone rush by him. However, reflexes were slow, and the clone caught him by the leg with a swing of its arm, knocking him off balance a bit. Nagisa stayed on his feet that time, just for the clone to slam both fists into his chest to knock him onto his back. Gaara clone two, Nagisa zero. When that was finished, as fun as it was, Gaara moved the sand clone back from Nagisa's midst, as he managed to get back up, him trying to shake off the hits the clone had made in their training. Just two rounds and Nagisa already got owned. "Can't make this easy, can you?" Gaara asked. "That's my line, demon," Nagisa groaned. Nagisa felt a pain hit him in the side, a hand onto it, as Gaara just stared at him with strong judgement, slightly annoyed too. He then pointed to Nagisa. "Look, let me make this clear to you. First off: you keep calling me a demon, but I'm not. I'm mortal, same as you. Second: I'm not going to hold myself back just because I'm training you. If this is what you want, then keep up," Gaara instructed. It was clear to Nagisa that this was just how it was going to be for a while until he was ready. However, Nagisa's demon sense was telling him that he was telling a half truth to him. "So you're an Alchemist?" Nagisa then asked. "Call me whatever you want, but don't think it'll help you," Gaara made clear, walking back to the front porch of the house, the clone in a fighting stance again. Nagisa sighed, and brings his knife up and at the ready once more. "Begin!" Day in and day out was like a military camp for me. It didn't matter to me how brutal Gaara's training was, my main focus was to get stronger, and at the time I was willing to do whatever it takes. ... Even if that meant training with a demonic entity like Gaara. Ironic, I know, but progress was going, and it was showing through each one of our sessions. I can't exactly describe it, but I'll say this: Korosensei would be crying tears of joy if he saw me during it all. ....... Another training session, three days into it, and admittedly Nagisa felt like he was doing a little bit better in his craft. Well, he wasn't getting knocked out so easily, facing Gaara's sand clone again with blade to blade. At first, Nagisa appeared to be doing fairly well. Nagisa dodged, weaved, and even made a few hits on the clone, stray sand being hit off, though it didn't slow the clone down at all. One strike. Two. Three. For the first time in a while, Nagisa felt on a roll with this! ... "Nagisa!" Gaara shouted, Nagisa looking to him for just a moment ... only to get kicked off his feet by the clone. Nagisa got up on his hands and knees, just in time to hear ... "Concentrate on what you're doing." "Seriously?" ....... The next following night, and Gaara and Nagisa were out over by the boundaries of the house, in particular over by the pond. Rather than just beating him up this time (as much as Gaara wanted to), the training this time was actually balance, Both Nagisa and Gaara up on some sandstone pillars, rather tiny too. Gaara was standing on it just fine, but Nagisa struggled to keep himself from falling over, arms outstretched, and Nagisa putting as much concentration as he could to stay still. "OK, just relax, you got this," Nagisa silently encouraged to himself. Of course, Gaara wasn't going to make this any easier for him, and he made another pillar nearby, one for each of them. Gaara made his jump, Nagisa having to follow him onto his pillar. Nagisa had plenty of difficulty just to stay on it, but he was still on after some flailing of his arms to keep him there. "Let's step it up," Gaara noted, before tossing something at Nagisa. Nagisa thought it was a knife, but it turned out to be some sort of meat, which landed on his head. ... *CAW CAW* AND a Murkrow was a little more than eager to land on Nagisa's head and started to peck at the meat. As if balancing on this little pillar wasn't hard enough, now Nagisa had a bird messing with him. And another. And another. "Get off!" Nagisa tried to say, but a simple nudge would make him fall over. Gaara simply watched I'm amusement as Nagisa struggled with the now several birds. Some perched on his arms, some even fighting over the meat on his head. Nagisa really had to balance his weight with the multiple birds, especially those on his arms which were acting like weights. He didn't want to hurt the birds, but he didn't want to fall either. He felt his body lean one way to another, Nagisa struggling to stay upright, the cawing Murkrow bickering over food right on his head. Eventually, one of the Murkrow ended up stumbling off his head, the claws of the bird's feet scratching his head near his ear, one claw close to his eye. Nagisa turned his head so he wouldn't get his eye scratched, but the movement disturbed the birds and they all flew off. The sound of screeching caws, flapping wings, and Nagisa's yelp was enough to tell Gaara that he lost his balance, and fell to the ground under them. "Good, you didn't snap your neck in that fall," Gaara commented. "Very funny," Nagisa groaned, as he got up to his feet. One of the Murkrow landed nearby him, giving a loud caw before flying at him, grabbing the neat, and flying away. ....... "You ready Nagisa?" Afternoon, and another extra session. Unlike the other previous sessions over the last week, this one was laid out a little different: a set of Gaara clones and placed in a more environmental setting, in particular over by the pond. Nagisa was calmer, more focused, though it was his first time facing multiple clones, each one armed to the teeth with sandstone blades. "Ready." "Begin!" Gaara shouted. A now typical response for whenever a session would begin, and Nagisa was more than ready. Nagisa took his attack and started swiping at the clones with his knife, blocking a few attacks here and there. Dealing with one was enough of a challenge, but two were more than enough for Nagisa. Nagisa moved fast to try and gain some distance, but both clones were not making that easy, even getting a few good hits on him as well. "Ok Nagisa, think for a minute, what do I do?" Nagisa thought, skidding to a stop once he got enough distance between him and the clones. Both clones looked ready to strike him again, though Nagisa's eyes were trying to figure out where else to work for him in this situation. Eventually, his eyes turned to the pond. ... "Got it. Now if can just ..." Nagisa thought this one out, as he aimed his Halo Blade in their direction, but instead of charging forward as Gaara would guess, Nagisa slowly started to circle them. The clones followed suite, keeping their gaze on Nagisa as they both slowly rotated around. Nagisa managed to stop at one point ... and then dropped his weapon. Even Gaara found this confusing, but he didn't protest it - making things easier to get him gone. Seeing him armless, both Gaara clones charged right for him, but Nagisa didn't move. Then the plan revealed itself: at the last second, Nagisa ducked and rushed past both Gaara clones, his arms out and tripping them both. The momentum from their own speed made both clones fall forward right into the pond, and since being made of sand dissolved almost immediately. Challenge beat. "How ... how did I do?" Nagisa panted, looking to Gaara. The fact that Nagisa dropped his only weapon to do that was, while reckless, seemed pretty good in Nagisa's mind, and he could even see some form of interest in Gaara's eyes, though not a word escaped him. "A little reckless. Watch that." It was hard to impress Gaara, even after everything I did. I couldn't blame him though: he was at least part demon, so I didn't expect him to open up so quickly. We just felt distant from eachother ... Well, up to a point. Sunset, inside Gaara's house, and about an hour after a training session with Gaara. Nagisa's body was stiff and sore, some bandages from a particularly brutal training session, but Nagisa still felt pretty good with himself (first time in a while). Gaara got a cup of water for him to drink, which Nagisa gleefully took. "Thank you," Nagisa said, taking a sip of the drink. "Yeah, yeah," Gaara simply said, taking a seat with his own drink. For the first minute or so, it was all silent stairs between him and Gaara, both just sipping the water each of them had. "It's been weeks since we've met. But, I still don't know much about him. He keeps saying he's a human, but ... should I say something to him?" Nagisa thought. Gaara took a look to Nagisa, Nagisa quickly turning his gaze away when he saw him. Nothing could hide from Gaara though. "What do you want now?" Gaara asked. Nagisa sighed. "Sorry, but. ... Well ..." "If you have something to say, spit it out," Gaara said, frustrated a little. Nagisa took a glance to his drink before he decided to just ask. If he didn't he'll just spent the rest of his time wondering what he was all about. "... What are you?" "Eh?" "Ever since you started training me, you keep telling me you're a human like me ... but ... well, I ... I don't believe you." The final statement was pretty hesitant, but Nagisa just had to figure this out. The Demon sense had been going off for a long time now, and he needed to figure this out one way or another. Gaara simply stared Nagisa down. "And why would you think that?" Gaara questioned, waiting for what he had to say. Nagisa had to think on that part. Should he tell him, or no? He did promise to try and quiet down about it, but then again not only did Pluton throw that all out the window, but Gaara proved to be more knowledged about this sort of thing with his sand-kinetics. ... "... I have a Demon Sense. It's basically how it sounds: I'm able to sense these uh ... demonic presence around me. It's been going on with me for months now and ... well, I've been sensing one since I got here. So ..." "Your other demon must be watching you," Gaara cut in. Not too far from the truth, and Nagisa found that too much sense. Gaara drank his water, placed it down and then got up, taking in mind what Nagisa just said. As for Nagisa, he simply watched Gaara starting to go, taking a glance off outside at the sunset. "Unless you want a broken back tomorrow, go to bed," Gaara said, before he started to go off into the next room. But Nagisa still wasn't getting an answer on him. "Gaara, you didn't -" before Nagisa could finish, instead of a closing door, sand enclosed the path and blocked the door, hardening into sandstone on the spot so Nagisa couldn't follow him. Whatever Gaara had in mind, he wasn't going to talk about it to him. ....... So after that, it was all silence between Nagisa and Gaara. Cutting to night time, Nagisa was left alone down near the front door. Gaara didn't say a single word to him at all ever since Nagisa questioned what he really was over what Gaara kept saying. Not much sound other than the breeze outside, and the thoughts in his head. The big thought being what Tirek had showed him. Too bad for you your little effort for being mister hero got your pals a little seat up in the afterlife. Get used to it, kid, cus you'll ALL join them when I'm done! "Tirek. ... Sombra. ... I will avenge my friends. Just you watch," Nagisa thought. And that was a promise he was going to keep too. If they had never released Pluton into the world, he wouldn't even be in this situation. These sort of thoughts couldn't get him to fall asleep, if not the sores he got from training earlier or the lingering Demon Sense. Even if he'd grown used to it by this point, with the uncertainty of it all he just couldn't rest easy (not to mention Gaara's hypothesis of a spying devil around). The moon was only half covered, so vision wasn't all too good except for the stars. ... "Speak of the devil." A new Demon Sense was starting to go off on him again, and this time it was much stronger than Gaara's preexisting one. Despite his sore body, Nagisa got up to his feet to investigate. He kept himself off out of sight just inside the house, peeking outside the door at the situation. Nagisa didn't see anything at first, but he still had his Halo Blade at the ready. He kept his eyes locked to outside, ready for the slightest provocation, and as he expected something did begin to move out from the darkness and over towards the house. It was hard to tell, but the glowing yellow irises was a little too familiar to him. Nagisa expected him to come right in and attack him, but instead the figure aimed above and jumped up onto the roof. There was only one reason for it to do so. "Tirek!" Nagisa thought. He had to get up to him before the demon could do any damage. One problem: the only way up there was trapped with Gaara's sandstone wall! "Damnit." Nagisa tried his best to get himself through, ramming into the wall time and again, but all that did was make his injuries hurt more so, the wall not budging an inch. The sound of scratching claws echoed from the roof, confirming his worries even further. Nagisa rushed off outside to see where the intruder was, only to find the figure already opening a hole in Gaara's roof. Whoever, or whatever this was, he wasn't paying any attention towards Nagisa. A decent sized hole was torn open from the roof, and the figure proceeded to slip inside. Nagisa climbed up onto the roof after him, and while he got close, he couldn't stop whoever it was to slip inside. The part the figure got himself into was, to Nagisa's horror, Gaara's own room! It only consisted of a bed and not much else, but Gaara was awake, and looking to the intruder standing in his midst. "Another intruder," Gaara stated. "If you want me to be, then I'd be happy to," said Tirek, his sinister grin piercing the dark. Gaara, already armed to the teeth with his throwing knives, launched them all right at the demon, only for them to just bounce off of him in little to no effort. In fact, Tirek grabbed one of them and took a bite out of it, the metal melting in his mouth to form a tooth casing. Basically, one bite gave him metallic teeth. He tossed the end of the knife back at Gaara, Gaara dodging it easily. "Oh, a feisty one! Not kind to strangers, are you?" "Get out. If you want Nagisa, take him, I don't want anything to do with you," Gaara demanded, but all that did was make Tirek laugh at him. "HA! You got involved the moment you saw that blue bitch, piss-head! Training that tyke of a human after a little chitchat? How gullible are you to make that call?!" That load of mockery only made Gaara attack him, this time with his sand manipulation, turning the sand he had with him into a large set of swords and blades. They did managed to cut Tirek a bit, but the demon lord walked it off like it was no more than a false cold, marching right up to Gaara and grabbing him by the throat! Gaara found himself gagging instantly, thrashing and whacking him every way he could, but Tirek was not budging enough to get Gaara loose. Next thing Gaara knew, Tirek was right behind him, one arm wrapped around his stomach while the other turned to a fist and shoved it in his mouth to shut him up. Gaara gnawed at his hand, but that didn't help either. After that was handled was when Tirek looked to Nagisa. "Oh, dearie me, look what you did now. You got this lad's life on the line, yet again, just like your other pals back in Amestris. You want history to repeat itself, don't you?~" Tirek cooed, going as far as to stick his pointed tongue out and give Gaara a long, overly sexual lick along the side of his face. Nagisa tried to come up with something to say, but was too angry to even come up with anything. The balls for him to even show up again and screw with another friend of his. "Let him go, Tirek, or I'll -" "Or you'll what? You gave no shit about him, he gave no shit about you, what's the point on protecting him anyway? He tried to kill ya, remember?" Tirek reminded, though they both knew he was just trying to get his way and nothing else. That just made Nagisa even angrier, and even jumping into the same room to confront Tirek. Despite his attempts though, he could feel himself tremble when he did that. "Come on, HERO, you did it last time you didn't hesitate!" "Just let him go," Nagisa repeated. Tirek pushed the steaks by removing his gagged hand, and dug his claws into Gaara's neck. One slash at his throat, and that will be that. "He's teaching ya isn't he? Here's a little tip from me: You can't save EVERYONE in the world." Tirek said, digging his claws in deeper. Gaara groaned in discomfort, ticked off more than ever. To think he was being used for someone else's game was more than shitty. "TIREK!" "Go on, scream your head off, all you're doing is keeping up a cute appearance for the angels up above, that's it. He's a demon, you know it, and you vowed to kill the demons so they won't cause any trouble. Which reminds me. ..." Tirek then tossed Gaara over towards Nagisa, Gaara landing at his feet, gasping for air and gripping his bleeding throat. He was so close to death. "Why don't you take him out then? You'll be doing heaven a favor." "... You're joking, right?" Nagisa suddenly said, not even trying to be intimidating now. "You're threatening to kill me, and now you're trying to make me kill him?" "I'll say this: do that, and I'll stop." "What?" "You heard me bitch boy. You take his life away, and I'll call of whatever tiny plan I have for this world of ours. All you gotta do is get a little blood on your hands," Tirek cleared up. Gaara stayed still, looking up to Nagisa with a glare, but this glare wasn't the same one he'd give to one of his targets, or to Tirek, but this one was more serious than just angry. The answer to the request should be obvious to Nagisa, him staying quiet at first ... And reaching for one of Gaara's blades. "Don't. You. Dare," Gaara growled, but Nagisa didn't listen to him. Tirek found this VERY interesting, giggling like a giddy girl as he watched Nagisa bring the blade over. It was then that Nagisa gave Gaara a smile. A particular smile, not exactly one of cheer or reassurance, but one belonging to one who was in full control. And here, Nagisa Shiota was in control of the situation. Gaara readied to attack, but Tirek was already on him, pinning him down to the floor so Nagisa could finish him off. Nagisa stopped for a brief moment when he did that, but then started walking forward again. What happened next was almost slow motion: Nagisa picked up speed, but oddly he dropped Gaara's blade to the ground. Gaara and Tirek had their focus on the blade, but Gaara saw what he was doing first and kept his head down. As for Tirek, he moved just a little too slow before seeing Nagisa move his arm, and bring out the Halo Blade he had on him. AAAAAAAHHHHH!! Then it was over. Nagisa stood above Gaara for protection, his blade aimed forward with some slight blood still on his blade. Tirek though got the hit that Nagisa was hoping to make: his eye sliced! His left eye was bleeding black, one hand holding it as the blood seeped to the floor. Tirek hissed as he looked back to Nagisa. "Now listen Tirek. I don't know how far you're going to go, but I will not stand for it. You were right about one thing: what I did back in Amestris, I barely did anything myself. Everything was basically done by everyone else. But I promise you one thing: I WILL stop Sombra, I will stop you. I already lost all my friends because of you, I will not stand by and watch everyone else die anymore. Do you hear me Tirek, I'll finish you off, just you wait. You'll all regret the day you decide to take over this world!" Silence. Even Nagisa wasn't sure what happened at the moment, nor how much danger he placed himself in. The only thing on his mind was to protect Gaara from this monstrous deity. Instead of attacking them though, a weaker grin showed on Tirek's face. "... You just dug your own grave." With that final remark, Tirek opened up another portal nearby, and before Gaara or Nagisa could get him, he slipped away and disappeared from their presence. When all of that was over, Nagisa calmed down and got back to his senses, shaking his head, before stepping back and looking to Gaara. Gaara got up to his feet, hand still over the cuts on his neck. "Gaara, you okay?" Nagisa asked, only for Gaara to summon up some more sand and aim a sandstone blade at Nagisa. Lucky for him, Gaara didn't slice him to pieces, his mind lost on something else. ... "Answer me. ... Is that what you had to deal with? ..." Gaara's question floated in the air for a bit before Nagisa answered him. "Eh ... not as disturbing, but ... yeah, pretty much," Nagisa admitted, shrugging a little. Gaara kept the sword in place before it eventually disintegrated back into nothing but sand on the floor. Gaara kept his gaze away from Nagisa for a moment, eventually moving his bloodied hand away and allowing the blood to come out a little more freely. Gaara looked to his own hand, seeing his own blood glistened in the night light, as little as there was in terms of light. Gaara turned back to Nagisa, his eyes locking with his, looking almost surprised, even a tiny bit. "And why didn't you kill me? ..." Gaara then questioned. "Because It's not right. What would killing you even do to stop Tirek anyway? He's just going to kill everyone else afterwards. ... Besides, I shouldn't be thank you by slicing your neck open," Nagisa explained. Gaara turned around completely to face Nagisa, just to see him actually start to remove some of his own bandages, and proceeding to wrap them around Gaara's wounds. "Here, you need this more than me," Nagisa said once he finished. Gaara placed a hand on his now bandaged neck, thinking over what had just happened. Then Gaara sat back down in his bed, again looking to Nagisa, eye-to-eye. "Nagisa. ... It's time you and I talk. What happened, the whole story." "So, what'd he say?" asked Twilight. It took Nagisa a good while to explain everything to them, the moon higher up into the sky. Aladdin and Twilight were pretty deep into this story, and Nagisa was glad to know that. in spite the question though, Nagisa shook his head. "Sorry, I promised Gaara not to tell you. He'd rather say it himself when he's ready," Nagisa answered, glancing back at the house. Nagisa took a look over to Aladdin, who was psyched on what Nagisa had gone through the most. "I ... WOW, Nagisa, all that's amazing. You took on Tirek and won?!" "Well, it was luck, but I'm sure he'll be back. Anyway, Gaara continued training me for the days after, a lot more determined too. As then, out of nowhere, we heard trees falling from your fight," Nagisa continued. "I knew that was you two! All that training is really showing off," Twilight said. "Yeah, thanks for saving us back there," added Aladdin. When they both took a look though, it was Nagisa's turn to shed a few tears, which Nagisa allowed to fall freely from his face. "... I'm so glad Tirek's a liar about your death. ... But he was right about one thing. ... I didn't contribute anything." How could he not say that to them, to be honest? "No, no, you know better than to believe him. The princess of England would've never escaped without your quick thinking," Twilight pointed out. "Yeah, and you're the won who made the plan to stop Pluton, didn't you?" added Aladdin. Normally, Nagisa would take their word for it, but this time he shook his head. "Guys. Those are fine and good, but let's face it: when push comes to shove, I just kept standing back and letting you guys all fight for me. It's not like I was any good anyway: you two, and Blair have magic, Karma and Pinkie has their fighting skills, Ciel Phantomhive has Sebastian ... all I have is a puny knife and few fancy ideas. I'm sorry I wasn't doing much, but things are changing. And so will I." and Twilight and Aladdin couldn't agree more. Nagisa sat down in between them, Aladdin giving him a hug, and the trio were left to look up at the stars for the rest of the time. Tomorrow, they'll be off. Together.
S03Ep10: The Yin and the Yang ~陰と陽~"I know they're here somewhere ..." Out in the forest, Gluttony was still maintaining his own little search. Even with his little, and embarrassing defeat before, he still felt he had to find Twilight and Aladdin again. As far as he knew they were the only people who knew where Envy was, and being a fellow Homunculus as, not to mention everything that had happened, he just had to find him! It didn't help Gaara and Nagisa attacked him (something he was also curious about), thus cutting his time a little short until he was sure he would be safe enough to find them again. "They know where he is. Envy. They have to tell me, and maybe then I can eat them!" Gluttony thought, licking his lips on the thought. As hungry as he was, finding out where Envy ended up was a bit more important (shocking as that may be). Following what scent remained of them, Gluttony marched on through the forest. "Hello?! You here?! I promise I won't eat you until later!" Gluttony called, but no response from anyone. Or anything for that matter. All the sound was left was some distant birds, but that was about it. He could smells birds, pine sap from the trees, the faint scent of the humans, though according to that faintness they had been and gone for a while. That surely didn't deter him though, and he continued his scent tracking ... Then he fell over a tree. "Oof! Where'd that come from?" Gluttony wondered, looking back at the tree, only to see a particular bite mark on it. ... "Oh." Well, after getting himself back up, he went back to sniffing and tracking, his nose immediately getting to work. back on the trail. He kept his eyes shut as he tracked down the smells, but as he walked on forward, he ended up walking into something else, making him step back and opening his eyes, just to find ... "Look where your going, buddy." "T-TIREK!" Gluttony gasped, falling back in shock. Tirek was hanging up in another tree, but rather hanging by a noose around his neck and right hand. Seeing a demon basically fail at suicide surely had some mixed feelings. Tirek cut the rope holding him up, and landed with grace right on top of Gluttony. The Homunculus was now on the ground, eyes facing up to his dominator, Tirek standing on his stomach. "Still looking for Envy are you?" asked Tirek. "Uh ... Yes?" Gluttony replied. Tirek took a step off of him, letting Gluttony sit up. "And you're pretty hell-bent too. Sombra forced your ass down, yet you still snuck off to find Envy. And here I thought I'm ballsy enough to just go for it." "B-But no one's seen Envy since Pluton attacked! ... you haven't seen him, have you?" Gluttony insisted, feeling worried sick over him. Tirek though smiled to him on hearing that. "Interesting. I could tell him about Envy ... oh, but what fun is that?" Tirek thought, his grin widening. Seeing Gluttony vulnerable in this situation made it all the sweeter. "Might have. ... or rather what's left, anyway." That was a full lie, but Gluttony felt humbled on his answer. Considering what kind of being Tirek was to begin with, that was a bit of a problem. Gluttony looked up to Tirek. "Where is he? where's Envy?" he asked, more humbled this time, Tirek walking over to him. "There, there. I'll show you where he is ... just one little favor. ..." Next thing Gluttony knew, Tirek had his hand shoved into his mouth! Rather than digging in for a stone, Gluttony's tongue was pulled out, Tirek's thumb on the Oroboros symbol. In this situation, Gluttony couldn't move, at risk of pulling his own stone out. As for Tirek, he focused onto the symbol itself. As he did, the symbol started to glow blood red, some sparks starting to fly off of it for a good bit. Just what Tirek wanted to see. Gluttony stayed completely still at first, but little by little, his body started to feel a sort of pressure around him, head to toe. He started to tremble and twitch, a dull growing pain beginning to take over him. sparks started to fly from all over him, his whole body started to alter in front of him. "Wha- WHAT DID YOU DO? AAHHH!" Gluttony screamed, loosing more and more sanity every second from his pain. "Doing me a favor.~" ~~ "Any sign of them yet, Sebastian?" asked Yoroi. Back at Central, things seemed to be a little tense since Twilight and Aladdin had gone off on them. Sure it had been settled down for the most part, but the rest of Team Harmony weren't thinking on just ditching Twilight and Aladdin to their search. Yoroi felt more troubled about it himself (Twilight was his sister, after all). Sebastian was standing on the roof of the Central building, but on the word he jumped right back down, landing right in front of Yoroi. Yoroi wasn't alone though: Karasuma, Edward, and Alphonse were outside too. "They've grown rather elusive, I must say. disappointing, really," Sebastian answered. This was a bit concerning. "I know: first the king goes missing, and now our only true angel flown off. What a time to be gone," Karasuma groaned, not enjoying the trouble anymore than the others are. The only one who could call heaven for help, and he happened to be the one to fly off. "So I assume you hadn't found him either." "No; he and Salim hadn't been seen since the attack. I'm starting to think they might've not made it," Karasuma informed. And with what they've gone through, that's not too far off. ... "They have to be! No one can replace him, who knows what'll happen if he's dead," Yoroi said, worried for the king. "Chaos, and perhaps a major chance for the demons to takeover, whichever comes first." figured Sebastian. Though, that didn't really help them. "Thank you, Sebastian," groaned Ed. It was then Alphonse turned to Sebastian. "Eh, Sebastian? Is that demon something regular where you're from?" Alphonse asked, Yoroi, Karasuma, and Edward turning to Sebastian, as he went on thinking a little bit. They knew about his demonic identity after a while, though Sebastian still didn't say too much on what he once was, or anything about the Underworld. "I'll need to consort with my master first, but I'll say this: ... your kind will need more preparation for even the lowest of demons." The response, accompanied by the red glow in Sebastian's eyes was enough to give them a few shivers, excluding Karasuma that is. With that remark, Sebastian started to walk back inside, leaving Yoroi, Edward, and Alphonse a bit shaken up. If Pluton alone could do that much, how much could an actual group do? The very thought was a bit scary. However, Karasuma then took a step over to Sebastian. "If I were you, I'd talk. If you're planning anything against us, we can all take you down," Karasuma warned. Though, Sebastian didn't feel very intimidated, but not wanting to fight, all he did was nod and walk away. It was gonna be a while before they'd get him to say anything. ... "HEEEYYY!" Good timing: calling up from above, the group below looked up to see the very people in question flying in ala magic carpet: Aladdin, and Twilight at first. Aladdin had a big smile on his face, waving down to them to get their attention. From where they were, Aladdin and Twilight were the only one's visible, but seeing them was still something good to see. "There they are!" Alphonse shouted, happy to see that they were alright. As he looked up though, one particular pink girl was suddenly on top of his shoulders, looking up as well. Surprising to Al, but Pinkie Pie was especially pleased. "HORRAY! THEY'RE BACK EVERYBODY!" Pinkie yelled in joy, waving up to them herself. Al found his balance after a bit though, and Pinkie wasn't alone either. The other members of Team Harmony, hearing her, came outside themselves along with Sebastian just to find them landing in front of them all. Then they saw it wasn't just Twilight and Aladdin with them. Nagisa was back. "Hey everyone," Nagisa said, hand raised. Reactions were very quick: It didn't take too long until Pinkie jumped down from Al's shoulders, and tackle Nagisa with a tight hug. "YOU'RE ALIVE!! I THOUGHT WE LOST YOU FOREVER!" Pinkie wailed, fountains of tears out of her eyes. "This has been a while," Nagisa thought, feeling her chest push down on him. Some things never change apparently. Still, Nagisa actually managed to get up to his feet, lifting Pinkie up a little bit to see the others. "You crazy son of a bitch, you saved our world and then go off hiding, don't do that," Blair said, though she was just as happy to see him as the rest were. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I got a lot of explaining to do," Nagisa said, rubbing the back of his head, as Karma got Pinkie to let go of him. Many of them were around Nagisa, but Ciel then cleared his throat. "Pardon me for interrupting this little moment ... but who is this?" Ciel finally asked, not sounding too enthused by the subject matter. It wasn't exactly Nagisa though he was talking about: Twilight, Aladdin, and Nagisa had an extra passenger brought back with them. Standing there, Gaara had come along as well, and he'd been rather quiet and observing up to this point. He was not very thrilled about the crowd himself, arms crossed and eyeing them all down. Nagisa went over to him. "Oh right. Everyone, this is Gaara. He's going to be joining us for a while," Nagisa introduced, though any sort of friendly introduction was not in Gaara's motives. "Oh, a new recruit! Awesome! Welcome abroad friend!" Pinkie said, popping up in front of him and ready to hug him. Gaara though easily dodged her with a simple lean and step, making Pinkie tumble forward onto the ground. Gaara cleared his throat and stared daggers at the others. "Let me make this clear: I'm only with you so I can get even with Tirek. No more, no less. Understand?" Gaara made clear. He wasn't there to make friends, that was for sure. "... Who?" "I'm the only one who saw him, Gaara," Nagisa whispered. That just made Gaara a little frustrated, a rough sigh escaping his lips. "Well, perhaps we should take some time to bring everyone up to speed before we discuss our next course of action," suggested Ciel. ~~ In little time, Nagisa and company were all back together again, good as they were before, maybe even better with the new recruit. The whole group got together within the lobby of Central, and Nagisa wasted no time in catching up with his friends on what he had gone through, going into the same amount of detail as he did with Twilight and Aladdin. The two already heard the story, but it was just as engaging as the first time, and the rest took their moment to explain what had happened. Twilight and Aladdin also added in their own bits on what happened to fill them all in from their end as well, including their encounter with Gluttony. much of the group kept keen ears with each word they put in, getting the overall picture on the situation. A pretty good story Nagisa and Twilight were crafting for them to be sure. "A rather intriguing story, I must say," Ciel commented, taking a sip of his tea, courtesy of Sebastian. "You're telling me. Gluttony probably would've eaten us if it wasn't for Gaara and Nagisa," Twilight said. "Yeah, by the way, why don't you show us some moves, Nagisa? Show us what you got," Karma suggested, interested in Nagisa's training and exactly how far he'd gone since they last met. Nagisa took a look over to Gaara, who was silently standing over by the wall, and all he did was give a little gesture for him to do so. "Can I see that cup, Ciel?" Nagisa asked. Ciel paused, and simply gave Nagisa the now empty cup of tea. Pulling out his Halo Blade, he placed the cup up on Karma's head, the redhead seeing where this was going. Nagisa took a few steps back, got himself ready, and soon a green blur went through the air, and the tea cup disappeared off his head, a notable stabbing sound heard on the wall behind him. Karma placed a hand on his head. "That it?" "Turn around," Nagisa simply stated. So he did. Funny though how none of them heard a bit of breaking glass, but that wasn't Nagisa's intention. What REALLY colored them impressed was what the end result was: the tea cup was not only in tact, but hanging off the blade! The Halo Blade managed to slip right through the handle, and caught it on the holder, hanging there like it was nothing with a few little sways. "Well shit," commented Blair. "Quite useful too," added Ciel. "Great job with him, Gaara. Can you teach me next, pretty please?" Pinkie then asked, but Gaara just gave her the cold shoulder in response. "... Please?" "Don't expect any of my charity," Gaara hissed. This did bum Pinkie Pie out a little bit. "You do want to help us, don't you?" "I want to get even with Tirek. I could care less about the rest of you." "Ok, Pinkie, leave him alone. If we can handle Envy, I'm sure we can handle him," Karma commented. Pinkie reluctantly understood, but that little tid bit of dialogue caught Nagisa's attention. Twilight and Aladdin didn't tell him about that yet, and it left Nagisa especially confused. One look at Nagisa's face got the message across to them soon enough. "Oh, right you don't know what happened," Alphonse said. "What're you talking about?" Nagisa asked, more intrigued this time around. "Um. ... You know Envy, Nagisa?" "Yeah what about him? Did you take him down?" Nagisa asked. Karma gave the wrong idea in Nagisa's head, but luckily the others were quick to correct him. It would be good as far as Nagisa knew for envy to be out of the picture, but he wasn't prepared for what they had to say. "He's our buddy now!" Pinkie revealed. ....... "... What? Envy. The Homunculus? You sure?" "It's a long story, but the short version is: Al and I found him powerless and passed out after Pluton's run around, so we took him in and healed him up, and now he's basically with us," Blair answered. for Envy's sake, she left out the final main detail of him being a human now, for Envy might as well tell him himself if it made things easier. Nagisa needed a moment to take this in, but after thinking, it did sound a lot better. "So ... where is he?" "Korosensei put him in his class back home. He figured he should teach Envy a thing or two about our world if he's gonna stick around," said Karma. So not only was Envy with them, but he was now back in Japan as Kotrosensei's extra student for 3-E. Sure, Twilight and Aladdin gave him a bit of a low down, but this extra thing with Envy was a bit to take. Especially considering how much Envy tried to slaughter them since all this started, it was surely a surprise for Nagisa to hear. He just sighed. "Guess if anyone's gonna handle him, it might as well be Korosensei," thought Nagisa. It was then that Ciel Phantomhive spoke up again. "Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way, we've yet to figure out our next step. Have any of you any ideas?" Ciel questioned, bringing up the main subject matter. Yeah, catching up with everyone was pretty good, but the future was just as important as the past, and they needed to plan ahead. Nagisa took a seat down in between Edward and Twilight. "What'd you guys do so far?" "We've been stuck searching and recovering for days," said Ed. "I think you're the only one we actually found," added in Al. Not the best news Nagisa had heard all day. "It doesn't help that the king and his son is missing as well. If we don't find him soon, it could mean disaster for Amestris," Ciel said. A hard truth that they all pretty much had to face, though Gaara could care less about it. Nagisa thought about what he'd gone through, trying to think of some sort of clue to his disappearance, but then something came up in mind. I'm afraid you've been ... well ... teleported. "He may not be dead," Nagisa realized. "What was that?" Karasuma asked. "After Pluton, I ended up teleported away to that forest. You think something like that could've happened to King Bradley and Salim?" Nagisa wondered. "It is a possibility," Sebastian stated, thinking about it. However, as they thought of it more, Twilight then got another thought in her head. "Wait ... did he even show up during the attack? I don't remember seeing him," Twilight brought up. Many of those involved in the fight didn't really had time to think about that. "Wait, where was he? He could've helped us during that fight!" Edward said again, realizing the absence. Not any point in Pluton's attack did Bradley even remotely show up and try to help them out. His whole city under siege and Bradley just left it apparently, him with his son. "Maybe he's trying to save his family?" Aladdin wondered, but Blair shook her head. "Nah; why would he leave his own wife behind?" Blair reminded, still remembering how distraught his own wife was shortly after the whole Pluton event occurred in the first place. She wouldn't be crying her eyes out if Bradley was with her (maybe). "Does it matter why he wasn't out there? The point is that he's missing, and we need to find him before the public start wondering where he'd gone to," Karasuma confirmed. "But where do we even look? Our troops had covered practically all of the capitol already," Yoroi asked, which was true. Karasuma wished he had some sort of answer, but he just came up empty. Aladdin, Blair, and Sebastian didn't have too much of an answer either. As they were trying to think, Blair's eyes saw Gaara again. "Hey, Gaara, you've been quiet. Got anything to say?" Blair asked. Gaara stayed quiet and stared daggers at Blair again. "This isn't my problem," Gaara coldly stated. "Well can't you at least try to help us?" Ed asked. "Why should I bother over something so small?" "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SMALL - MMMPH!" Luckily Al quickly covered up Edward's mouth before anything could occur. "Brother, don't, please calm down," Alphonse insisted, trying to keep his brother from blowing a gasket. Then Yoroi tried his luck. "This is not small, Gaara, this is nationwide! We need Bradley back, and if you know something -" Suddenly the tension was stacked up high when Gaara aimed a throwing knife right at Yoroi's head. The tension rose up high, even more so when Karasuma readied a pistol, though Gaara wasn't so intimidated by either of them. "I'm only here to take down Tirek. And I have no problem taking down anyone else along the way." that was all Gaara needed to say to keep Yoroi quiet, Twilight pulling her big brother back so he wasn't inches from the blade. Karasuma then spoke, pistol still raised. "You better watch it, kid, or -" "Or what? You'll kill me?" Karasuma felt humbled by that remark, especially how casually he said that, but he still kept his pistol raised just in case Gaara would try something even more threatening. However, it was Ciel who stepped in between Gaara and Karasuma. "Ballsy, aren't you?" Gaara remarked. "Gaara, listen to me. We're not going to force you into our group by any means, yet if you do wish to defeat Tirek, then cooperation with Team Harmony is a must for you. You may be strong on your own, there's no denying that, but -" "Stop right there. I'm perfectly capable of killing the bastard myself. I'm only with you because for some reason he's after your heads. Following you will make it easier," Gaara made clear, blade aimed at Ciel instead. Ciel didn't feel too intimidated himself, and kept himself calm with a sigh, even if the others looked ready to jump in. "So that's it. ... To be honest, I'm pleased that someone else had actually met Tirek apart from myself. He took everything away from me, you see: my mother, my father, my aunt, all burned in flames back at my home. Now I can say that I'm not alone in achieving that goal." Well that was interesting, something it seemed that no one else there even knew about. Gaara was quiet at first, but got back to his own senses. "Why should I care about that? ..." "... Because you and I aren't too far apart. We may be different, but our interests are aimed the same way. If you do help, I promise, we'll all help you. I want only what's best for you in that regard, Gaara," Ciel finished. Gaara stayed silent after all of that, looking to this stranger with uncertainty. It took him a little bit, and a lot of reluctance, but he eventually backed down. "Fine. ..." "Thank you, Gaara." ~~ After some more time in discussion, Ciel took a step off outside with Sebastian, Nagisa, and Edward for some alone time on the situation. Weather was clear, and while Ciel felt successful about the situation, it was Sebastian who seemed a little bit confused about what just happened there. And, since no one else was around to really ask him, he decided to get the answer from him. "You didn't tell us you met Tirek before. So he's the bastard who burnt your house down?" Edward questioned. However, the answer caught them off guard. "Never met him in life." "Wait, what?" "If I knew he'd made me suffer like that, he'd be dead by now." "Then what was with that story to Gaara?" Nagisa questioned. "It's far better to have him on good terms than him trying to kill us. And his current status in the art of ninjutsu and sand manipulation could be quite handy someday. In the very same vain as Envy, wouldn't you think so?" Ciel explained, giving Sebastian a smirk near the end of it. "That was quite a lie you told him," Sebastian sighed. Ciel just smiled deviously and looked on ahead. "I find that if you keep up a lie long enough, it becomes the truth. ... And if things do go to hell, I'll have you to clean things up for me." Nagisa felt uneasy. It wouldn't be too long until Gaara would figure anything out from Ciel's end, if his experience was anything to go by. However, Sebastian gave a smile to Ciel, fully understanding his master. "Yes, you do with that. ..." "How'd you and your company deal with him, he's starting to get devious again," Ed whispered to Nagisa. "Yeah, he's like that," Nagisa quietly replied. Even if Ciel heard them both, he'd probably not bother with them too much. ....... *clap**clap**clap**clap* A slow, audible clapping. Nagisa's skin began to crawl the very second that sound emitted and echoed around the empty area. Up above the Central door where they exited, a little visitor was there to see em. He sat comfortably on the door top rim, his smile and eyes the first thing they caught. Tirek. "Well, well, well, Phantomhive.~ You're adorable if you really think that'll work," Tirek cooed, jumping down from the building top and landing on the ground. "Tirek I presume," Sebastian noted. Tirek went over to him first, his eyes taking in the dashing butler. "None better. And you must be sweet Sebastian. Sombra mentioned in his grumbles about you. Oh, you do look lovely.~" Tirek cooed. Even for a demon, Sebastian found it unsettling, giving him a little shiver. "Flattery will get you nowhere," Ciel warned. Tirek leaned in dangerously close to Ciel, enough to make Ciel back up. "And lying will? ... Oh, what am I saying, you've made it worked wonders, haven't you? How can someone say no to this little face," Tirek said, pinching Ciel's cheek. Nagisa had enough, and brought out his Halo Blade, bringing it up to his throat to get him to back up and back away. "Nagisa Shiota. Our last few encounters were fun, haven't they?" "You better back off if you know what's good for you," Nagisa warned, but Tirek could sense that he was still trembling. The demon stuck out his tongue, and gave Nagisa a good lick on the face, making him step back and get the saliva off. Tirek shivered. "MMMMMMM, very well done! Tangy, with a touch of spice," Tirek cooed, licking manically at the very taste of him. "Get out of here!" Edward demanded. If the stories were anything to go by, then Ed wasn't taking chances with Tirek here. "Awwww, widdle bitch needs his milk? You could use some to gain a foot or two, you cute pipsqueak," Tirek mocked. NOW it was getting personal, Edward feeling a stab at his anger being dealt with those words. "Don't call me pipsqueak," Edward warned. "Then how do you want me to call you? A pipsqueak?" That did it: with a clap and a hit to the ground, metal pillars started to launch at Tirek, narrowly missing the others, and missing Tirek. The loud blast of metal launched got the attention of other staff from inside, but none of them noticed just yet. This included Team Harmony too. "What's going on?!" shouted Yoroi. "Well damn it. That must be Tirek," thought Blair when she saw him. "Easy, pipsqueak, you might kill someone. You really want a fight with me?" Tirek mocked. "Well, it's a fight you started!" Edward snapped, readying for another attack on him. Tirek thought it over a tiny bit, but then he remembered something. His hand hit the side of his head. Before Edward could go in though, Nagisa suddenly moved in between him and Tirek. "Don't start with them. It's me you're after," Nagisa stated. That simply amused him more than anything. "Oh, well look who decided to jump in? Cus that worked so well before Pluton blown you to bits." "Shut it. I'm not going to standby and watch this happen!" "HAHA! you mean like you've done SO MANY TIMES before?! Like I said, you're nothing without your pathetic lap dogs to fight your fights for you! by the way, were you crying when you told them your little story, or did you hold back that too?" "QUIT RUNNING YOUR MOUTH," Nagisa demanded. just to humor him, Tirek stayed quiet to let him talk, the boy aiming his Halo Blade at him with pure determination on his face. Yet, Edward was still stuck back on Tirek's earlier comment. "Pluton? ... Wait, THAT WAS YOU?!" "Guilty," Tirek cooed, apparently proud over what he did. That just made them all even more angry at Tirek: not only was he screwing with them, he started this deadly problem in the first place! Eventually though, Nagisa sighed. "... You're right about that, Tirek. I have kept myself back. All I did was just allow them to make the calls whenever hell decides to come up at us. But as I said, I'm not standing by anymore. ... Fight me. Just you and me. ..." Almost as if on cue, something else then came up in Tirek's head. "And to think I forgot your parting gift." "Parting gift?" Their answer came in fairly quickly, as Tirek them brought up a portal behind everyone, the farthest off away from them. Soon, something huge started to pull itself out into view of everyone present. A gigantic, hellish abomination staggered out from the portal; pale, colorless skin, a set of gigantic arms and hands and two sets of extremely tiny feet attached to a grotesque lardy body, a human-like head, and three fleshy tails dragged behind it. Each step shook the ground, and the tiny head sniffed around for its latest meal, finding them all standing in front of it. The sight of this abomination made many of them shiver, but Tirek was surely pleased. When the creature sniffed them out, it grew a very large, and creepy-looking smile, its mouth full of human-like, giant, blunt teeth for crushing. "That's disgusting!" shouted Blair. As true as that was, the details on the creature's face was what unnerved Nagisa the most. ... "W-Wait ... is that ... Gluttony?!" Nagisa thought. The resemblance between the face and Gluttony's head was all too close for him not to be Gluttony himself. "Like him? I gave him a little enhancement before showing up. OH DAMN, did he want to see you so badly. 'Where is he? Where's Envy?' The bitch boy!" Tirek mocked. Gluttony didn't understand what he was saying for the moment, which was probably a good thing for Tirek's sake, but now the rest had this monstrosity to deal with. Nagisa was unnerved, but he didn't run. "And just to make things interesting, coward, I'll let you pick your fighter: Me, or him? Think carefully now, whoever you don't pick will charge after your friends. Nothing different for you, isn't it?" Tirek then laughed good and loud, again stabbing him where it hurts. Nagisa said he wouldn't standby anymore, but regardless now, his friends would end up fighting another fight again. ... But then, a thought came to him. "Then I'll take on both of you." "What?!" Twilight gasped. Tirek laughed himself silly. "You're joking, you pisshead! You think some fancy ninja moves can take on both of us?! WOW, you're just desperate to prove me wrong, are you?!" "You mean you'd rather fight fairly?" Nagisa quickly pointed out. Tirek saw the point, cracking his knuckles and readying for a two-on-one rumble. "You crazy?!" Edward said. "Sebastian," Ciel then instructed. Nagisa thought he was gonna fight, but instead, Sebastian actually grabbed Ed and pulled him back. After a bit, everyone stayed back. Aladdin was ready to go out and try to stop him, but Gaara stepped in the way to keep him back. Now he was all alone. him, with a monster and a demon lord. Tirek knew he'd crumble him over the weeks, but this was simply stupid of Nagisa to do far as Tirek was concerned. "What did that Gaara teach you to act so stupid? K, BOY, LET'S SICK EM!" With a mighty roar from the Homunculus, the fight began. Nagisa was ready for anything and everything Tirek had for him. The first one to make the charge at him was gluttony, rushing directly for him with jaws wide open. Nagisa ran forward, and gave a jump, using Gluttony's own head as a launching platform. As Nagisa ran over gluttony, he sliced his blade through his back, red sparks flying everywhere as Gluttony groaned in pain. Tirek did a similar strategy, and met Nagisa half way, Nagisa barely dodging the first kick. However, Tirek made a connection with a second back kick to knock Nagisa off, Nagisa spinning mid air and landing nearby. The kick stung him, but he was not out by any means. "Those brutes will kill him. Come on!" Twilight said, the others ready to run in, but Gaara wasn't having it: using his own sand, he quickly forced them all back and actually crated a cage-like barrier to keep them in there. "Gaara!" shouted Aladdin. "It's time he fended for himself for once. No wonder he was so weak when I found him," Gaara remarked coldly, no sense of tact nor anything to lighten the blow of his words. They were angry, sure, but Nagisa wanted to fight him himself and Gaara wasn't gonna make it easy for them to stop him. As for Nagisa, Gluttony swung his tails at him, but Nagisa jumped just out of the way, and actually slicing one of the three tail tips off of him. He spun around and met with Tirek, the demon creature blocking the blade's sizzling heat with his own chains as a sort of armor. Nagisa and Tirek then went at it face to face, the training Gaara giving Nagisa surely showing with how fast and quick he was attacking Tirek. Tirek dodged many of them, the only main damage was a finger being cut off, but that was about the best of it. However, Gluttony gave a charge at him, Tirek jumping aside, and launched Nagisa with a whack of his head, sending him flying! The hit launched Nagisa at the sandstone cage wall, crumbling a small part of it before landing down on the ground. "Damnit. I'm not going to last much longer this way," Nagisa thought, and everyone else was thinking the same thing. "Gaara let us out! He's going to die if this keeps up!" Alphonse pleaded, but Gaara wasn't listening. If anything, he mended the cage wall where Nagisa smashed up pieces to be sure they stayed put. Nagisa got up to his feet, tired and hurting all over, blood seeping from his mouth. Gluttony had fully healed up at this point, giving another roar at him, as Tirek readied to charge again. Nagisa rushed aside as best he could to avoid their charges, but he can't keep dodging them all the time to stop them. "Come on, wimp! To think the gods picked you as their little fighter!" Tirek laughed, Gluttony charging forward again. Nagisa rushed underneath Gluttony this time, his Halo Blade slicing at his large stomach. The blood gushed out onto him as Nagisa raced out, just for Tirek to kick him in his side. Nagisa tumbled head over heels, but he eventually got back onto his feet, just in time to see Tirek standing a foot away. "You've been a wimp your whole life, Nagisa, you think one tiny training session with that half-demon's going to save you from that?! YOU'RE TOO LATE TO SAVE ANYONE!" Tirek bellowed, grabbing Nagisa and holding him up high. He meant for this to torture the others, but gluttony rushed towards him and tried again to eat Nagisa. Nagisa had to act fast: his blade finally made a strong hit on Tirek and sliced his hand in two, but gluttony finally took a bite into him by his own arm, thrashing him around in the air before tossing him over his shoulder. The bite was deep, blood seeping out from his shoulder too. The landing wasn't as graceful, but he still was on his feet after that. "OK, that's it," Karma decided, drawing out his sword, and slicing the barrier down. He, Edward, and Alphonse tried rushing out to help Nagisa, but that only gave Tirek the greenlight to attack them instead. Alphonse jumped in the way, and punched Tirek in the face to send him flying off a good ten feet towards Gluttony, catching his attention. "No, stay back!" Nagisa yelled, but it was too late: Gluttony roared at them and was ready to go after them, but this distraction did give Nagisa a moment to jump at gluttony. He ran up from behind, and with a jump, sank his Halo Blade right into Gluttony's head! The beast roared and bellowed, bucking like crazy to get Nagisa off of him, as Tirek gleefully went over to them. "Ah, more little snacks." "WHY YOU!!" Ed roared, sending his alchemy to work and making the ground tremor. Tirek jumped aside from their attack, but at this point, Gaara actually used his sand to conceal them in sand barricades to keep them still. Tirek would try to kill them, but Gluttony's thrashing ended up whacking him back instead, sending Tirek off a good twenty feet. After that, Nagisa jumped off as Gluttony dealt with the blade in his head. Tirek got up to his own feet, and Gluttony managed to shake off the blade, the bloody item landing on the ground. "Gaara!" Alphonse shouted. But Gaara didn't answer. "Come on, give up! You got miles to go before you can kill me!" Tirek mocked, laughing like a maniac towards Nagisa. However, Nagisa did see Gluttony hit Tirek like that. And that gave him an idea. ... "You don't stand a chance. Not even close!" Nagisa shouted. The first thing Nagisa did was rush over towards Gluttony and grabbed his Halo Blade again. Gluttony roared to Nagisa, yet missed his bite again. Gluttony had tasted human blood, and he wasn't going to letup on him. it was then that Tirek became Nagisa's prime target, the boy running right towards him. Tirek readied to dodge him, side-stepping aside, but Nagisa followed him. however, instead of attacking him, Nagisa actually ran past him, literally back to back with tirek. Tirek tried to get to him, but Nagisa kept in his step, and stayed behind him. "The hell're you doing, bitch?!" Tirek demanded, getting frustrated a little bit, but Nagisa didn't answer him, as gluttony charged at him again. The giant beast moved fast this time in his charge, but seconds before Nagisa could get grabbed, he jumped aside, and Tirek ended up clamped in Gluttony's jaws! Tirek felt his body get crushed in Gluttony's teeth before Gluttony threw Tirek aside and reappointed his targets. Tirek felt shaken up, but the wounds, despite looking horrendous, was minor on him. Next, Nagisa jumped back up onto Gluttony's back, sinking the blade into Gluttony's back again. Tirek, now angry, jumped up onto Gluttony for a final blow, but Nagisa planned ahead and actually jumped on Tirek's head, pushing Tirek's sharp horns into the Homunculus far deeper than his blade did. "Damnit! My horns are stuck," Tirek thought, trying to pull his horns out, but with little luck,. This left Tirek a sitting duck, and Nagisa took his opportunity, the Halo Blade now in Tirek's back! Tirek roared in anger, forcefully ripping his horns out of Gluttony's back, taking out a good chunk of Gluttony with him. Nagisa's moves left Gluttony hurting, but this was the move Gluttony couldn't stand. Weak, hurting, Gluttony collapsed to the ground in defeat, falling unconscious. The momentum flung Tirek forward, the stinging blade wound making him less graceful this time. Now on the ground and in pain, Nagisa rushed over for him, and finally pinned him down with his Halo Blade aimed directly at his head. It just. Stopped. The fight came to a halt at that moment. Nagisa breathed heavily, tired, determined, and feeling ... triumphant over Tirek. Tirek stayed quiet and looked over what just happened. ... Only one more message was left for Tirek to place, as he smiled towards him. "... So. ... Now what? You're going to kill me? I'm sure heaven would love a killer to join them when this is over. ... funny thing: to have a place in heaven you have to go through your entire life without any wrong-doing. and yet look at you now. Your fate is purely sealed now. ..." "... Fine then," Nagisa simply said. Nagisa kept his eyes closed, and with one more motion, pushed his blade into Tirek's neck. A fine, clean cute that went right through his neck. Nagisa made sure to keep his eyes closed the whole time, hearing Tirek gagged and twitch on feeling the blade finish him off for good. Everyone else watched Tirek's body started to wither away, leaving nothing behind but the chains that kept him locked away for so long. ... "I ... I won ..." When the fight was finally over, only then did Gaara lower the blockade, and allowed everyone else to finally move around to the arena. First thing the Team did was went right over to Nagisa, Pinkie, Aladdin, and Twilight hugging him on a job well done. "You were incredible, Nagisa, you did it!" congratulated Twilight. Nagisa smiled, but he still felt his injuries creep in on him. "Ow, ow, ow, hurting," Nagisa said, the others letting him go as Nagisa examined the injuries he got in his fight. He knew for sure he might've broken a bone or two, at the very least, but things could've gone a lot worse than that. Especially considering what he had just fought against. "Well, color me impressed. You took on both Homunculus and Demon freak by yourself, and somehow made it work. Props to you, Nagisa," Karma said, playfully fluffing his hair. Nagisa was surprised he did that himself, but seems he had what it takes now. ....... "Color me impressed, indeed," groaned a voice as he observed the entire event. It wasn't just Team Harmony going through some crazy times: Sombra too kept a closer eye on the situation from his Underworld palace, his own magic giving him a view from Gluttony's eyes. There was a reason why he left Gluttony to roam around by himself, but after seeing this happen it was a bit of a misstep. it was convenient that Gluttony's currently unconscious eyes were aimed at Nagisa and Tirek, seeing Tirek's last breath play out in front of him. After seeing that, Sombra removed his spy spell and left to his thoughts again. "Well ... On one hand, they've handled Tirek for me. Makes my situation easier from now on. ... But, on the other, now the world knows we exist. Damnit, Tirek, you had to be so reckless." Sombra's thoughts showed with his hands clenching on his knees. Still, he can't change what had been done. If anything, it would make the secrecy situation even worse. He then got up and moved over to the balcony. His frustration was interrupted when a little bat flew over to him, the same blue twin-tailed one who reported about Hellgar's demise before. The news this messager left this time didn't make Sombra feel any better, and all he did was crumble it up. "Oh, you Zubat, tell me something I'm not aware of, will you?" Sombra groaned. Luckily for this Zubat, it had another extra message at the ready and dropped it in front of him. Sombra wasn't in the mood for reading though, thinking more about the situation more than any extra message. Sombra gave the message a lookover for a little bit, but it wasn't exactly a message, but rather a info sheet. A identification report, and only then did the Zubat fly away. However, Sombra didn't have time to look it over for now, so instead of checking it, he folded it up and left it by the balcony. As he did, Chrysalis strolled on in. "Ah, there you are.~ Stressed over everything, again?" "Not now, I've got enough trouble," Sombra said sternly. But Chrysalis moved on over to him, her nimble hands gently massaging Sombra's tense shoulders. "Come on, Sombra, why don't you take a rest for a while? A grand leader needs a rest once in a while, and I'll be happy to help you in anyway I can,~" Chrysalis cooed, taking the moment to push her bust into Sombra's back. Normally Sombra would be upset, but he was too stressed over everything else to really bother her much. "You never let up, do you?" Sombra sighed. "Even you need to rest, Sombra. And I've just heard Tirek was killed recently? Less stress on you." "First good news I've heard in weeks, yes. But now thanks to that bastard, our very existence is known to the human world. You may not think it's a big deal, but in the long run it may prove -" "Ssshhh,~" Chrysalis said, massaging him again. "There you go again, troubling over the future again. Look, why don't you and I go off and have some fun for a while, take some time off," Chrysalis suggested. Sombra took a moment of silence to think about what she was suggesting, and after some consideration, the demon lord sighed and turned to Chrysalis. "Well, I've been meaning to go around the country for a little bit. If you want to come, then fine. We'll go tomorrow," Sombra finally decided. Chrysalis was satisfied with that response and strolled off to get herself ready. However, sombra still had some business to take care of. "... Credit where credit's due. ..." ~~ "Well, it's time to go." It took a few more days of recovery, but eventually the whole group agreed to go off. Nagisa healed up fairly well, still a little sore though regardless which was surprising for a few. They were outside, Nagisa, Pinkie, Aladdin, Karma, Twilight and Blair all on Aladdin's carpet, and with Ciel, Sebastian, Edward, Yoroi, Alphonse, and Gaara standing nearby. "You're sure then you want us staying behind?" questioned Ciel. "It's okay, Ciel, you got your stuff to do here and back in England. You helped us a whole lot already, thank you for that," said Twilight. "That and if we do need any of ya, we can just get Korosensei to fetch ya," added in Blair. "Sounds fair. couldn't hurt to check in on the manor, anyway," sighed Ciel. Oh, the very thought on memory of the manor, and the staff he was probably sure would make things sloppy when he would come back home. "I'll be sure to make amends when we return home my lord," Sebastian made clear. Meanwhile, Yoroii hugged his little sister. "Take care, sis," Yoroi said. "You too Yoroi. Try to come by home soon, will you?" Twilight asked. Yoroi smiled. "Count on it," Yoroi promised, Twilight sitting down on the flying carpet. Before they could go though, Nagisa had one more thing to present to those staying behind. "Wait, there's one more thing. Here." Pulling out from his pocket, he gave Edward and Ciel a little something for the road: a slip of paper with some detailed writing for each. "What's this?" asked Ed. Nagisa smiled. "I've picked up on a few things while I was away. I figured if we're gonna be away from eachother, I might as well give you both a heads up for the future. It's the least I can do," Nagisa answered. Ciel looked to the list first, and it listed off some basic instructions for a number of things for the future as Nagisa had said, some details rather intriguing to the young earl, though most of these seemed pretty confusing, not to mention unlikely in normal circumstances. The same thing could be said with Ed's list of future highlights. Nagisa had one more, and he went on over to Gaara. Gaara was over by the wall, just standing there and acting like he wasn't interested. "Here, Gaara, this is for you too," Nagisa said, presenting a piece of paper to him as well. Gaara didn't feel very charitable. "Go bother someone else. You already took my kill from me," Gaara said. However, Nagisa took his hand, and gently placed the paper into it. "Just take it," Nagisa simply stated, smiling to him. Gaara didn't answer, but he just took it so he could go. After that, Nagisa felt ready to go, and took his seat on the flying carpet. With some heads-up towards the future, it could give them all the advantage they needed for what could be up ahead. Even with that, just before they could go, Nagisa paused and felt another shiver go through him. Rather than worry though, he started to check around him. "There you are," said a voice. And one none of them would recognized, but Nagisa felt a familiar aura come up from not too far away. As for whatever was coming, the whole group looked off to the building, just to find an unknown figure walk out to confront them. It didn't look to out of the ordinary, mainly an armored humanoid in red, though seeing it as well, Nagisa moved up to it before it could try to hurt the others. "Don't bother, I'm not here to fight any of you," the figure said, sounding grumpy really. "And who're you?" questioned Twilight. "King Sombra we presume?" Ciel guessed. "I'm a friend of Sombras'," said the knight. From the sound of it, it didn't want to really be here, though Karma took initiative and drew out his sword. "What do you want?" asked Ed. "Nothing much. Sombra, for some reason, sent me up here with a message for you. you all want to hear it, or no?" A message? A bit of an odd time to be getting a message from Sombra, but in the end, they nodded to him. On that, the knight cleared his throat and began to relay the message. "Very pleasant, Team Harmony. Nagisa Shiota, word of Tirek's defeat had gone around pretty quickly down here in the Underworld. Normally, I'd try to hunt you down, but considering Tirek was a criminal and prisoner of mine, you actually saved me some trouble. A bit ironic, I'm know. As for the rest of you, I've decided to allow you all a bit of a break. You did defeat a demon lord and a dragon-class by the skins of your teeth, so even I have to give credit where it's due. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to halt my own plans, so don't get too comfortable. Our little game is still going, the rules have just changed as all. Course, you'd probably guessed that by now, and you'd probably know why as well. Until next time, let's see what the future holds. Sombra." After the message was properly relayed, the knight turned and started to walk away, slowly disappearing. A break surely sounded nice for them after everything, though Nagisa figured that Sombra would find out eventually. "Ok, Aladdin, let's fly home." "Got it," Aladdin said. Soon, the flying carpet flew up in the air, and with a wave goodbye, they all started off towards home. With all they did in both England and Amestris, perhaps it would be time to head back to familiar territory at last. Time to go home.
S04Ep1: Welcome Back ~お帰りなさい~Well, how much did Team Harmony do outside of their home over the past couple of months? Visiting England and Central, fighting off the Homunculus here and there, being pals with royals, defeating Pluton and Tirek. All these things that would've taken years to handle, and they've managed over just months time. Pretty good for them, though as they were flying along towards Tokyo, they all couldn't help but wonder what kind of greeting they would have once they get back home. If pluton's attack did go worldwide, and if it did reach Japan, then there was no doubt in their minds that they were seen fighting, and defeating the beast. It was anyone's guess really. By the time they did return to more familiar territory, it was getting rather late, nightfall as a matter of fact. It took them awhile to get themselves around Tokyo, dropping off Blair, Karma, and Pinkie Pie to their respected homes, Nagisa, Aladdin and Twilight landing down closer to Twilight's house at this point. Normally the house would be asleep right now, but the lights were all on, saying that the resident was still inside and awake. Aladdin landed down right over in Twilight's front yard, silently and carefully. Twilight got up and looked to her home alongside Nagisa and Aladdin. "It's been a long time since I've last seen this house," Twilight sighed, as she went over to the front door. Well, no time like the present. So, in no time at all, she went on and knocked on the door. Twilight took a step back and waited for only a few seconds before the door then opened up. The trio soon saw Twilight's mother then answer the door, and at first, she honestly didn't know what to say. Her eyes went wide in surprise, and she even needed a double take before she realized it wasn't a dream. "I'm home, mom," Twilight simply said with a smile. "Y-Yugure. You're alright!" Her mother said, tears of joy falling from her eyes as she hugged Twilight tightly. Twilight happily hugged back, great to be home. Nagisa and Aladdin simply watched on with smiles on their faces too. "Oh, Twilight, I was so worried about you! You were still gone, and I've heard about Central, and I ... I ... Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you're alright," Twilight's mother cried, hugging her daughter tightly again. "I missed you too mom. And Yoroi's doing okay too," Twilight said, making her mom feel much better on that as well. It was then she looked to Nagisa and Aladdin. "Thanks for bringing her home," the mother said. "It's okay, Ms. Kagayaki. So, we'll see you tomorrow, ok Yugure?" Aladdin asked, Twilight nodding. "Of course. Have a good night, guys," Twilight answered. ....... So, with the final person dropped off, Aladdin and Nagisa both went right off back home together to Nagisa's apartment. It had been too long since either had even been home to be sure, and when Nagisa and Aladdin went through that apartment door to his home, a good nostalgia sense went over to them the moment the light turned on in the apartment for the first time in months. Not a single thing was moved or bothered, everything left as it should be. Aside from it being a bit dusty, everything was pretty good as it was. The first thing Nagisa did almost right away was crash down on the couch, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Aladdin would join him, but he went off towards Nagisa's room first. "Oh couch, I missed you," Nagisa sighed, feeling very comfortable on the couch. As he enjoyed his couch, Aladdin then came back with a big grin on his face. "Yes, it's still here!" "What is?" "My Vessel! I forgot to bring it along that whole time. We got some catching up to do," Aladdin said, taking a seat over by Nagisa, and doing a few practice notes with it, like a clarinet, the noise sounding more like a flute. Aladdin didn't exactly play any particular song, more rather just testing a few notes, but it was still a good callback to when they first started this crazy adventure in the first place. Nagisa smiled, laying on his side and watching him play. "You know something, Aladdin? It is fun to travel around the world, but it's always nice to go back to where it started. Feels like you gone full circle, you know?" Nagisa commented. Aladdin got the vessel around his neck as he used to, happy to have it back, and nodded his head. "Yeah, I know what you mean. And what a story we'll be telling the others at that Orora high too," Aladdin said. Nagisa then realized what he meant by that. "Oh yeah, we didn't see Orora high yet, they don't know we're back. Boy, I wonder how they're going to react when we go over there," Nagisa wondered, legitimately curious. He hadn't been back at school in months, and sure he'd been keeping pace thanks to Korosensei and the occasional assignment, but still he didn't see a single face back at that building in a long time. It surely gave him some food for thought, that was for sure. As he was thinking, he took a look over to Aladdin. "Hey, can you come with me? I got a feeling that you might be needed," Nagisa asked. "Of course I will! I haven't seen Orora High on months," Aladdin said. "Thanks pal," Nagisa simply replied. ~~ For Team Harmony, morning came quicker than some would like, and for Nagisa and Aladdin, it was a walk off to school and one that they found pretty calming and collected. Seeing these streets was a nice sight for Nagisa Shiota to see, especially after everything he and company had gone off through. Surprisingly, not too many were out that day, but Nagisa figured that would change one way or another once he and Aladdin would arrive off at school. Eventually, he and Aladdin arrived at the all too familiar stoplight, and both took a breather as they had to wait for the light. And that was probably a good thing too, and before they could go, they soon caught sight of the others coming their way. The light turned green when they got together so they all could head off to school together. Blair was a cat this time over her human form she had been stuck in most of the time, and was hitching a ride on Karma's head. "Morning guys. Sleep well?" asked Nagisa. "First good sleep I had in weeks, yeah. Wanted to get an extra five minutes, but I want to see what's going on at Orora high," Karma stated, hands casually behind his head. "Well that's a first," Nagisa joked, the group chuckling. "Yeah, but seriously though, what do you think will happen when we get there? I mean, it's been months, and I don't know about you, but I'm sure that Pluton attack would've gone around by now," Twilight brought up. Pinkie then popped up in between Twilight and Karma. "I know what they'll do: they'll throw a big welcome home super duper party for us! Balloons, cake, korosensei hunting game, all the fun!" Pinkie beamed. "Oh no, no, no, not for me. I just want a casual, regular, calm day at school. I've gone through enough excitement, thank you," Nagisa admitted. "AWWW. Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie decided, a bit bummed out but she saw his point. Some relaxation could do them all pretty good after everything, anyway. "Come on Pinkie, did you forget how much we've done already? We fought a Hellhound in England, a giant pig demon in Central, not to mention the mini devils and Homunculus we keep running into," Twilight reminded. While that is true, suddenly Blair shot up to her feet on another memory from before, the witch cat jumping down off of Karma's head and onto the ground in front of them, spinning around. "Oh yeah, Envy! Think you guys wanna check in on him, we haven't heard a word out of him in weeks," Blair reminded, excited. Nagisa was the only one who didn't really see this happen, but he was as surprised as everyone else when they got the reminder of their new friend here at the school. "Oh right. I almost forgot about him. Wonder how Korosensei's dealing with that fella," Pinkie wondered, scratching her head. "I'll give you guys a heads-up when I find him. He's probably a 3-E student if that demon king took him in for some pointers," Karma said. Being a 3-E student himself, he would probably be the first one to see Envy and how he was doing after being apart of the human world for weeks on end. Nagisa was probably the most curious about Envy over the others. "Right, they did say Envy decided to stay with us over working for Sombra. With what he used to do to us, something big really must've happened to make him change his mind. I'll need to find that out if I see him," Nagisa thought. Their walk remained with basic chitchat for a while more until they reached the main building. A sight for sore eyes, this place, and it had been a pretty long time since any of them really ventured inside the place. It was a bit late, so the group had no one outside, but being only a minute in, it really wasn't that big of an issue, nor too farfetched to say that many students were still roaming about the school's main lobby. As Karma and Blair went off to the 3-E building, the others had the honor (or rather the test), of standing at the front doors. Nagisa was at front, his hands on the doors and ready to push them open. He took a look to the others behind him, and gave a sigh with a smile. "Well, here goes nothing," sighed Nagisa, finally opening the doors. ....... Ten seconds. That was about as quick as it took for the students to take notice of their arrival. As they expected, quite a number of them were still down at front, and when they saw Nagisa and company arrive, well let's just say, they got a taste as to what it was like to be celebrities with a crowd of paparazzi. In short ... they were surrounded by excited students. "Oh my god, you all made it!" shouted one student. "How'd you fight off such a giant monster like that?!" shouted another. "Did the king of Amestris award you after that?" asked yet another. ... Yeah, none of them were used to such attention, especially Nagisa who was more used to being 'invisible' in a crowd. "Oh god, help me," thought Nagisa, not sure what to even do with such a wave of questions. It was obvious that they all did see the report when it happened, and surely they saw what they had done more or less, though they would never guessed the reaction would be something like this. They tried to gain some distance, but it honestly wasn't too easy. They got some distance, but only about a foot. However, one figure got in the way of the students, arms spread out to his side. Turned out the figure was Gakuho Asano himself, looking peeved to see this distraction. "Alright everyone, get to class," he instructed. And that was really all it took for the crowds to get moving and move off. The others sighed, but then Gakuho turned his attention to them. All he did was give them a smile. "Welcome back," Gakuho simply said. Course that was all he really needed to say to them, before he went off back towards his office. ....... So for most of the morning it was like that. It remained fairly normal enough, but when it came to the attention they were receiving, they basically were at the center of it all. No matter which class Nagisa, Pinkie, or Twilight went off to attend to, there was at least a couple of students who'd wanted to ask them plenty of questions about what they actually gone through while they were away. They couldn't blame them for really thinking that, but it surely left a bit of a different impression than what they were used to. Pinkie may be okay with it, being the social butterfly she was, but the rest were a bit new to it all. They turned from basic bystanders in the crowd to the talk of the town. At the least, they avoid getting a full group crowding them, and they didn't really try to bother Aladdin all too much, since he looked like a normal kid after his wardrobe change anyway. All the same, it surely beats constant fighting with demons like they've been doing. Eventually though, lunchtime came around and it was a bit of a different story over the typical, actually given time to tell their little tale to everyone for once. And Pinkie Pie was more than willing to tell her story to the other students, a crowd gathered around and giving them space as if they were on a stage. Nagisa, Twilight and Aladdin sat down nearby as they too listened to Pinkie's version of the story. "It was GIGANTUAN! That giant beast could stomp down onto any of us with one teeny tiny step, and the blows it emitted from those giant nostrils can blast away an entire field in less than ten seconds! So many soldiers stood strong at Central, almost the entire army. RATATATATATA went on their weapons, but they barely made a dent onto it. We were on our last nerves, but then Nagisa here got the great Miracle Sword out and BAM! In goes through its head. And then KABOOM, one giant monster destroyed," Pinkie continued, clearly telling the main story in question about Pluton, detailing personal experience from the fight in general, which got plenty of the crowd pretty interested. "Well, something like that," Twilight simply said. "Wow. It was crazy enough on TV, but damn, that's insane!" said one of the other teens in the crowd. "Especially you Nagisa, I didn't know you had it in you," said another, towards Nagisa in particular. "Eh, well, I don't think I should take all the credit for that," Nagisa admitted bashfully. Sure he did the world a big favor, but he still didn't feel like he should be given all the credit for the fight to the beast. Pinkie gave them all a pretty good yarn with her story of Pluton, and things did start to calm down and relax a bit once she was finished up with the details of it. "You sure know how to make a story exciting, Pinkie," said Aladdin. "How else can I make our heroine adventure interesting? I can't go Mr. Bland on them," Pinkie pointed out, which was true for the most part. As they were having their lunch then, someone else took a moment to stop by the main building to check in on the others. "Everyone having a good time?" "Oh, hey Karma. How's the morning going for you?" asked Nagisa. "Peachy: the others really wanted to hear my story so I took the time to get that handled. Even Korosensei was fondin over me when I was done. But then again, I added a few little details after our last little encounter, so that got him interested," Karma explained, feeling confident about everything. He could feel eyes looking to him with intrigue from not too far away, which made him feel pretty high above them too. "Details? What'd you tell him?" "Your training with Gaara," Karma answered, giving Nagisa a wink. Well, they didn't plan on sharing that story, but at least Karma kept the crowd at 3-E and who was more familiar with these things rather than sharing with the whole school. He didn't expect Karma to tell something Nagisa did though. However, even with that, Karma wasn't finished just yet. "Hey, by the by, 3-E really wants to check you all out when school's over, so wanna stop by?" Karma asked. "Oh, sure. Sounds like fun," Pinkie said, the others nodding in response. Then, as if on cue, the sound of a vibration started to ring out ... from Pinkie's boobs. To say it was weird was the basic sum up. Pinkie was cool with it, and pulled out her phone from her cleavage (that's one way to sneak in a phone). The others were more than used to these sort of antics, so it didn't come across as too odd to them. "Hello? ... Okie dokie. Nagisa, it's for you." "Me?" Nagisa questioned. A bit of an odd thing to get from someone else's phone, but he might as well go on and answer it. "Hello?" "Nagisa, good. I assume you got home alright then." "Wait ... Ciel?" Well that was something interesting, especially when the others heard that name come up. Nagisa knew that voice from anywhere, so it was unmistakable when that same voice came over the phone. On the other end, Ciel Phantomhive was back in his manor, good as new, and taking the call over his own phone. Pretty content to be back home after everything, he had to say. "I guess you're home." "Korosensei was generous enough to give me and Sebastian a lift on our return," Ciel explained. Yeah, that made sense for that demon king to do. "Oh. But, how'd you get this number?" "Pinkie Pie and I had a discussion while you were recovering. I find it more beneficial to keep in contact with you this way, given our distance between one another." "Yeah, guess you're right. By the way, how'd the manor handle you and Sebastian returning home? I'd imagine they missed you, huh?" Nagisa asked. "... Well ..." So, there they were: Sebastian and Ciel at the doors of their home. It was about at sunset, and Ciel was willing to get a good night's rest without anymore trouble. He and Sebastian wasted no time in walking off inside. "Sure feels refreshing to return to familiar grounds, isn't it my lord?" Sebastian noted. "Indeed it is. Though, I do wonder where -" "M-MASTER?!" Nevermind. Looking over, Ciel and Sebastian took sight of the other servants nearby: Grell, Mey-Rin, Tanaka, and Bardroy. All four of the servants were extremely shocked to see Ciel and Sebastian returning after their escapade over in Amestris. Ciel stayed formal though, giving his tophat to Sebastian. "Ah, there you are. I see you've kept this place from going to pot. I assume you're all -" Ciel stopped when he looked, only to find Bardroy, Mey-Rin, and Grell midair, and moving to him. "... Oh." BAM! Next thing Ciel knew, all three servants were on top of him, crying their eyes out and extremely grateful to see him. "I thought I lost another comrade, how could you do that to me?!" shouted Bardroy. "Master! You came back!!" added Mey-Rin. "Everyone, collect yourselves, please!" Ciel insisted. Sebastian couldn't help but snicker at the reactions of the servants, and the reaction of Ciel trying to get them to calm down. "They were more or less overwhelmed," Ciel concluded. "Really? Well I'd thought you would plan ahead for that. I wrote it down for you, remember?" Nagisa reminded. Ciel took a look at the paper Nagisa gave him before he left as Nagisa bought it up. Ciel smiled. "Indeed you did. Speaking of, I should thank you for this, it has proven valuable. The queen decided to send a few Amestris soldiers over to Japan after hearing what happened, and I arrived early enough to suggest a few soldiers to arrive," explained Ciel. "You did? Who?" "You'll know when they get there." "Well, glad it's helping you out. Now, I gotta go, see you later." "Til next time." With that, Nagisa hung up and returned the phone to Pinkie Pie. Nagisa was glad that his future Vision list he left was actually working out for Ciel at least, and by the sound of it he was using it to full advantage too. Good thing the phonecall stopped there: the bell just started to ring. ~~ For the rest of the school day, aside from the regained attention many of them ended up getting, much of the team had gone through the day with little trouble. Yeah, it was something to try and get used to, but in the end they went through the school day with flying colors. Once the school day had ended, it was a walk right from the main building and over to 3-E. Pretty nice to say that a walk over back to 3-E was went without incident either. With the walk itself taking it's time, it did take them a little while before they took sight of the 3-E building. Speaking of the 3-E class, things had calmed down for them as well. Since their last encounter with Tirek, the 3-E students had gone through day by day with only the basics of learning and occasional assassin lesson by the demon himself. By the time the group arrived, much of 3-E was actually still there, anticipating for Team Harmony to come back around. Still, that didn't really mean they weren't doing anything: Korosensei had placed up some targets for some of the students to practice on. Terasaka, Nakamura, and Envy were all taking some practices with knives on their targets. Particularly knife throwing, though only Nakamura seemed to do any good. Terasaka and Envy got their knives on the targets, but Nakamura was the only one of the three who got a bull's-eye. Nabiku and Hinano were sitting off aside and watching them have their fun alongside the other students. "BRAVO, Nakamura!" Korosensei said, giving a good applause to her for scoring the best points. When it was done, Hinano went over to Envy. "Good job, Envy, you've been doing great." "Yeah, this training's doing me good. I think I'll be as strong as I used to be by next week," Envy replied, flexing an arm. It did take a while but envy was feeling confident in himself for a good while, especially with this training they've been doing. "I'm looking forward to it," Hinano said, her warm smile making Envy smile too. It was hard not to feel happy around Hinano when she was cheery. As she was sitting there, Nabiku took a look over to the side, and sure enough there was Team Harmony standing there. While not as vociferous about it, she was just as glad to see them as anyone else would be. Soon she got up and got Korosensei's attention to the group coming in. "Hey everybody!" called Pinkie, waving to them. That got their attention quickly, though only a few of them went right over to them, Envy staying back. Even if he was though, Nagisa still spotted him standing there, surprised to see him. Envy looked even more shocked on seeing Nagisa, all things considered, though he tried to not show it. "Hey gang, told ya I'd bring the rest back," Karma said. "That you did. Seriously, things were such a bore when you left," Nakamura admitted. As the class was chatting with them, Nagisa slipped by and took his focus on Envy. Nagisa stopped about a foot away from him, taking a moment to see who this was. The last time they could recall, things were a bit deadly with eachother, but now it was a bit hard to say. Should he be wary of Envy now, or no? Though, Nagisa wasn't even sure if this even was Envy, he looked so different. He acted pretty different too as he observed him earlier. ... "So, uh ... hey, Envy," Nagisa began. "Hi, uh, Nagisa. Karma told us you survived, but ..." "Yeah, it's a long story," Nagisa admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Envy and Nagisa found the first moment a bit awkward (how could it not?). "Well, congratulations on Pluton, Nagisa. Karma was telling us how you, well, saved everyone," Envy began, rubbing his head bashfully. Nagisa grew firm and decided to just get his thoughts out. guess that would explain why Karma got that out, but he might as well say his truth. "Don't thank me, Envy, I barely did very much to help out. If you're going to thank anybody, thank them. I couldn't have even done that without them," Nagisa made clear, looking over to Korosensei and Karma. Envy looked over there as well. It took a little bit, but eventually Nagisa and Envy took a seat over by the 3-E building and started to relax. Sure it was odd for Nagisa to have a pleasant conversation with someone like envy, but with envy once thinking Nagisa died, the feeling was shared between the two. Well, at least both weren't planning on fighting eachother, and while everyone delt with the others, Nagisa and Envy had a moment to themselves. "So ... how is it being a human? You doing ok, or ... ?" Nagisa asked. "Eh, it's okay I guess. I'm not as strong as before, but hey it could be worse. Besides, I'm coming back," Envy answered, looking up to the sky for a moment and thinking it over. "We saw," Nagisa simply said. "So how is it ... well, dying?" Envy asked, not exactly sugarcoating it. "Well ... strange. I didn't feel anything, it just happened so fast. ... It didn't hurt, but I felt light. Empty. You know, like you're not all there. ..." "That's how I felt when Sombra changed me," Envy said, looking to his hand. "A Homunculus's life-force is its Philosopher Stone. when he pulled that out of me, I thought that would be it for me. ... but I guess Sombra figured that me being a human would be worse than just killing me. ..." Envy could still feel his Philosopher Stone being pulled out of him on that day like it just happened. Nagisa stayed quiet, but he could sense that Envy felt ... indifferent about it. Not sad (not anymore), but still a little uneasy. "Sounds like it didn't work as he wanted," Nagisa concluded. Envy turned to him and smirked. "For once you're right, worm. Homunculus are artificial humans, but now I'm an actual human. Yeah, my powers aren't on me, but you humans are so full of surprises. And now I'm one of them," Envy concluded, remembering his own experience with 3-E. "Yeah, we humans are very diverse. I'm just glad you're enjoying yourself," Nagisa said. That was when Envy snickered. "OH I will be. I look forward to the waking moment when I watch the eyes of my enemy fade away with my hands," Envy firmly stated, turning very dark and dramatic for that one moment. Normally, Nagisa would be concerned, but ... "Wasn't that a quote from The Count of Monte Cristo?" Envy flinched, the drama immediately broken. "... Well, you killed the mood." "Kirara read it aloud one time, and she was especially strong in that phrase. Kinda hard to forget," Nagisa admitted, remembering back during his earlier years in the school. Kinda hard to forget such a dark representation from someone like Kirara. "Well, you get the point: when I find those demon lords, they're gonna be begging for mercy! Tirek, Sombra, I swear you're gonna pay." "Wait. Tirek? you said Sombra took your stone away." "And Tirek tried to talk me into killing myself - for real that time! To think he treated me like shit and get away with it -" "Trust me, Envy, he didn't," Nagisa stated, smirking his own smirk. Envy stopped and turned to him. "How'd you know, you never met Tirek." "Actually I have. Many times actually. When Gaara was training me, he kept on berating me on how useless I was to my friends, and how little I actually had done ... turned out ... he was right. Though, it did inspire me to actually get trained by Gaara, so I could be stronger for my friends. Eventually when I got back he came by again, and ..." Nagisa ended his statement when he showed Envy his Halo Blade. It took no rocket scientist to put two and two together, and Envy's eyes widened. "... You got to be joking." "Not at all. He'd been causing so much trouble for everyone, he released Pluton onto the world, tortured me and you, when I stabbed him through the throat, it felt ... almost satisfying. ... It sounds weird, huh?" "You know who you're talking to? I know how satisfying it is to get even with someone like that, trust me on that," Envy said. Nagisa had to agree on him there, but one thing they both could be thankful for was that Tirek was out of the picture for good. Still, remembering the fight, Nagisa should say something else. "Sorry Envy, but -" "Hell if I care, I'm just glad he's dead." "Not that. When Tirek found me at Central, he wasn't alone. Apparently he found Gluttony and brought him along ... though, he kind of altered him a bit." Envy immediately jumped to his feet. "What happened to him?!" Envy demanded. Nagisa recollected himself, and sighed. "I don't know exactly what Tirek did, but I can say this: he didn't look like a human at all. This huge, pale, mutated looking monster. He was so animalistic too, he couldn't even talk anymore," Nagisa explained, as best he could. Envy sat back down. "... His true form." "What?" "His true form. Some Homunculi are able to be altered in their pure form of what they represent, and I guess Tirek forced Gluttony to become pure. ... And you had to fight him, right?" Envy asked. Nagisa quickly got himself correct. "Well, yes, but I can assure you he's not dead. ... At least, I don't think so. He fell unconscious, and when the soldiers tried to get him, he disappeared," Nagisa explained, or at least that was what he was told. Envy wasn't sure if he should be mad at Nagisa or not for beating up his fellow Homunculus, but then again Gluttony didn't know any better in his pure form. "Sombra must've found him. He would find Gluttony and try to fix him," Envy figured. That's when a thought struck Nagisa's head. "Oh, Sombra, I almost forgot." "Forgot what? Did he show up too?" "I ... think he did? I dunno exactly, but one of his knights showed up with a message for us. Basically he's giving us a break for a while after everything," Nagisa said. "That's sounds like Sombra alright," Envy agreed. With his fight with Pluton AND Tirek, and winning both of them, Sombra would let something like that a little pass before continuing their game. How long though, they had no idea, but Nagisa was more than glad they were getting one at all from this demon lord. "So, you two enjoying your pep talk?" Karma suddenly chimed in, coming up in between them both. "Wha?! how long were you listening?" Envy asked. "Since you asked about him being a human," said Hinano. Well, guess they forgot about the others after a while. All the same, both sides felt pretty good about things at the end of it. ~~ The rest of the day felt pretty good. With demonic activity giving a break, none of them had to worry about any deadly monsters popping up this time, so the rest of the day was a breeze. For Nagisa, finding out this side of Envy was especially interesting to see. He never would've guessed that Envy, a Homunculus that was trying so hard after their heads, would one day finally join up with them and turn out so different too. It wasn't a complaint, naturally, but still very interesting to have happened while he was away. All the same, they were all just glad to be home. Soon, day eventually turned into night, and both Aladdin and Nagisa got back home with little trouble at all, getting ready to head for bed. Getting to sleep in his own bed was something Nagisa had missed for a long time, and Aladdin decided to join him in the same bed, something Nagisa didn't mind at all. "Well, we had quite an adventure, did we?" Nagisa asked. "Oh yeah, you bet. I knew my time in the human world would be interesting, but in the end, that was amazing," Aladdin agreed. Both Magi and Human took some time to reminisce about how much they've done, and while indeed they've gone through a lot, Nagisa then started to think about something else important. "Yeah. I never thought my life would be that exciting. ... Well, I'm glad things are getting back to normal. Well, goodnight, Aladdin, see you in the morning." "Goodnight, Nagisa," Aladdin yawned, going off to sleep. Nagisa rested his head on his pillow, and took a look off outside his window. There was one final surprise for that day for him. "Huh. The first snow. Envy and Aladdin are going to have a little gift in the morning," Nagisa thought, just before going off to sleep. ....... "Your highness. You wanted me?" "Yes, thank you dear. Those humans down on Earth, they're starting to become more wary of the Underworld. ... I believe its time for us to reveal as well. Starting with you." "Me?" "You're the brightest mind of my kingdom. I know I can count on you to help them better become aware and prepare for the future. I'd hate to find a world become wiped away due to ignorance. So go down and try to help them out anyway you can, you think you can do that for me?" "... If that's what you want, then I shall not protest. I'll head there at once." "Thank you."
S04Ep2: It's Time for a Lesson ~それはレッスンの時間です~"Nagisa. Nagisa! Nagisa, wake up." Aladdin anticipation was what woke up Nagisa Shiota this time. He didn't mind an early wake up call, but most of the time it would be from his alarm clock. Being woken up by Aladdin was a little bit different, but with what he saw last night he had a guess to what Aladdin was getting giddy about. Nagisa gave a yawn and rubbed his eyes as Aladdin was on his feet and over by the door. "Morning, Aladdin, what's up?" "Look outside," Aladdin insisted. It took Nagisa a bit, but he did follow Aladdin off towards the window in the main room, and sure enough he could see what Aladdin was getting excited about. As Nagisa thought, the first snow of the season had left its mark on Tokyo, and a good line of snow left on Nagisa's window sill. When looking out further, a thin line of snow laid down on the sidewalks, not to mention added a little white to other windows on the other building too. Opening the window and looking more, both of them saw that a thin cover of white color was basically on a number of things down below. Temperature had dropped too, making that morning a bit more chilly than when they arrived. A little chill went over both of them, though Aladdin was pretty intrigued with it. "I'm going to take a guess and say the Overworld doesn't have snow?" Nagisa inquired. Aladdin shook his head. "No not really. I heard of this snow, but I didn't realize how quickly it spreads around," Aladdin said, his hand pressing into what show was there and leaving a handprint on the sill. Nagisa took it all in stride and started getting a whole new outfit together for the cool morning. "Well if you wanna come along, you better dress up. It's pretty chilly outside this time of year," Nagisa suggested, putting on a winter coat as he did so. He wasn't in the mood of catching a cold this early in the morning. If it meant going with him to check this snow out, Aladdin might as well. So, in little time at all, Aladdin and Nagisa were dressed up for the winter morning and outside walking down the sidewalk. Cooler weather meant a different outfit for Nagisa Shiota: a large, three-button blue coat with sleeves reaching to his hands, a white undershirt buckled to his orange pants, and his tennis shoes replaced with small boots, like those he wore during Gaara's training. Going to school like this would normally be trouble, but winter conditions gave a few exceptions to the rule, and with winter starting off like this, adding a few things wasn't too bad of an issue, especially when many other students did the same thing. Aladdin's winter outfit was mainly the same thing, since Aladdin had to borrow some winter clothes from Nagisa anyway, though like the school uniform he had to roll up the sleeves of his coat to accompany his smaller size. It only made sense really. Walking through Tokyo, the winter weather effected other people around them too, many of them in coats and trying to keep warm for the new weather. Aladdin was the most surprised by just how much different everything looked thanks to the snow. The usual colors of Tokyo were added by a blanket of white snow, mainly on things not swept up by passing cars: benches, store overhangs, even traffic lights had at least some color of white on them. Sure, the snow itself was thin, but it shined off easily compared to everything else. Aladdin was astounded with it all, as if he was in a completely different town. "Enjoying the snow?" "It's like the clouds are sleeping on earth," Aladdin said, feeling giddy like a little kid as he stepped around in the snow. Aladdin was mature for his age, but he was still a little kid and Nagisa could only smile seeing him like this. Soon, Nagisa and Aladdin started to near the school, and it took them less time to see Pinkie and Karma there. Guess they weren't the only ones who got an early start that morning, and just like them, they too were bundled up for the winter over their school uniforms. Karma Akabane had the typical school uniform like Nagisa, but his overcoat was a leathery black, accompanied by a fur-lined hoodie. Yeah, his outfit wasn't too different aside from that. As for Pinkie, she added a more child-like look with her winter adjustment, and she had a blue wool cap on her head, with a scarf around her neck and a light coat. It was a more childish choice, but she was childish by nature so it was no surprise there. "You two are up early," Karma commented with a grin. "Aladdin really wanted to check out the snow, what's your excuse?" Nagisa simply answered, in a joking tone. Karma just chuckled. "Give him a minute," Karma simply said. Nagisa and Aladdin looked a little confused, but eventually another set of footsteps started to come up from down the sidewalk. Well, their answer came at a pretty neat little surprise when the rest showed up: Kirara and Envy. Hinano Kurahashi had a similar outfit to Pinkie Pie in terms of school uniform with winter add-ons to it. For her, the outfit was a orange coat with a fur-trim on her too, and she even had a silver wool cap on her head too. Like Aladdin, Envy was still new to this whole winter thing, at least winter being a human, so Hinano helped him out with getting his outfit together. In his case, the outfit was actually a more casual look with Edward Elric's borrowed clothes, accompanied by a pair of winter boots, a red wool scarf around his neck, and a blue-green coat with a fur-lined hoodie, similar to Karma. Envy didn't need anything like this for a long time, so he was still a bit uncomfortable in it. "Morning everyone, having a good time?" Kirara asked, her usual expression on her face accompanied by a small grin. "Hinano, good to hear from ya. How's it with Envy? He giving you any trouble or do we have to discipline him a little?" Karma teased, fluffing Envy's hair. No, he did not enjoy any of that. However, when Pinkie saw him ... "AAHH! SO CUTE!" Pinkie beamed, unable to control herself as she hugged Envy tight. "Hey, let go of me!" Envy demanded, flailing about and trying to get her to let go. It'll be a while before Envy would ever get used to Pinkie and her shenanigans, and the others just sighed on the reaction. "Some things never change," Nagisa sighed. Twilight and Karma couldn't agree more. Eventually Envy finally got Pinkie to let go. "The hell was that for?! And don't call me cute, EVER," Envy snapped. "I'm sorry, you just looked so adorable in that outfit, I just can't help myself," Pinkie admitted, her eyes still sparkling. Envy wasn't sure how to react to that. He'd been called plenty of things: scary, probating, but cute? "Told you she's a wild card," commented Karma with a cheeky grin. Envy groaned. "Well at least 3-E isn't as crazy," Envy thought in reassurance. Pinkie was just a little too much for Envy to deal with, and 3-E and its students at least were less over-the-top. Well either way, it did seem Team Harmony was present and accounted for at this point. A slight breeze went over them and Envy shivered. "So anyway, you and Envy doing good with eachother?" asked Nagisa, Hinano nodding and smiling. "We're doing great at home. It was different at first, but now we're doing peachy," Hinano admitted. Envy would complain but he couldn't think of what to say to her sweet smile. An effect it had on plenty of people as he figured out while staying. As the implications implied, Envy needed a place to stay and Hinano was willing to let him do so. Aside from Blair, Envy found Hinano probably the best option to let him stay. Envy didn't answer. "I don't know who "Peachy" is, but whatever," Envy murmured. "Nice seeing you guys. come on, Envy, let's get to a headstart at 3-E," Hinano suggested. Things seemed pretty normal for now, more students coming up and catching up, but as they were chatting, little Aladdin was still gazing around at the scenery. It was very nice to see, but eventually the little Magi took a glance up into the sky at the clouds. Nice blue sky, white fluffy clouds floating along. ... Something was flying through those clouds. Aladdin narrowed his eyes to study the thing a little more closely, and to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but indeed the thing was there, and he started to see what it actually was. He thought of getting their attention, but before he could, Pinkie started to get a particular shiver in her hair, immediately making her look up. "MOVE!" And not a moment too soon. Before anyone could do anything, Pinkie got her own source of logic to work and got everyone moving off out of the way with a power push, moving them off behind the border wall of the school. And just in time as something landed right where they were standing! "What in the world? ..." That's when they saw it. The group Pinkie was with, and the other students arriving, looking in shock and amazement at the sudden arrival. The landing blew up a bit of snow due to the force, but once the snow cloud settled, they all sighted the creature that decided to land in their presence. This creature, for a start, stood taller than a horse, dwarfing many a human around it, despite the overall body resembling a pidgey in shape and color: orange feathers running along its length with a pale underbelly, stout curved beak, and black marks under its eyes that end in a point. However there were many unique features to distinguish apart from the smaller bird: a magnificent head crest of yellow and red feathers lined its forehead, a VERY long red tail-like feather running along behind it. Its tail also had bright red feathers. The tips of the wing feathers and tail feathers were tinted blue as well. The size and details were surprising enough, and the giant bird seemed to not remotely waver at the sight of the students, as if it knew they were no threat to it. After landing, the giant bird settled down to allow someone else to step off of it. For such a giant bird, the one who rode on it was a human, or at least he looked human enough. He looked pretty small though, Nagisa a few inches taller than him by the looks of things. In fact, Ciel Phantomhive might be just about the same height. He looked less like a student and more like an instructor, or teacher. Though if he were a new teacher, he'd share the same uniform with them but oddly his outfit mirrored Korosensei's outfit surprisingly well. A black cap with white lining and tassel hung off his head, and glasses over his eyes. The newcomer's red hair and amber eyes matched those of Karma Akabane surprisingly well too. Regardless if anyone knew about the Overworld or Underworld or not, seeing him surely turned some heads. As for the bird, with a nod of the figure's head, the huge bird opened up its wings again and then flew off away. A rather odd individual indeed, and he began to walk on towards the main building, his eyes wandering around at the sight of the other students, many taller than him. Without a single word to them, he went right on inside. "... K, so that happened," Karma commented. "Who was that? Hey Aladdin, do you - Aladdin? where'd you go?" Nagisa tried finding him, only to find him hiding away out of sight further away from the school. Eventually, Aladdin poked his head out from the border wall. "Is he gone?" Aladdin whispered. "Uh ... yeah?" Envy commented, obviously confused. Aladdin peeked over the wall to be sure before he moved out of hiding. "Why're you so freaked out?" asked Envy, unimpressed. Aladdin tried to think of something "W-Well, I got caught off guard! Yeah, I didn't want us to be caught by a demon again!" Aladdin insisted. Nagisa wasn't sure about that one though, looking back to where the person was just at with the giant bird. He didn't seem to look like any demon they've met yet, nor did his demon sense go off when he showed up. "He didn't look like a demon ... did he?" Hinano asked. "I never saw him before," Envy answered, shrugging. "Whelp, looks like we're gonna find out. I'll check in, see you guys -" "I'll do it, Karma," Nagisa suddenly volunteered, going in front of him. "You, Nagisa?" "Gakuho's office isn't too far from my first class, I can see what's going on. I'll tell you guys what I figure out later," Nagisa decided. Not the typical option, but hey, he was just as curious about this guy as anyone else. He would've done so anyway. The others watched him go, Aladdin feeling very uneasy ... ~~ In his office, as the school day was beginning to come around, Gakuho Asano was taking the time to reminiscence on what had been going on. His school may be in tact in terms of function (despite Korosensei), but the return of Team Harmony did prove relieving to see. At least one would think so, but Gakuho had the 3-E class student lineup paper on his desk, looking at the one name in particular: Karma Akabane. "That kid helped in saving this world from that giant demon. If word gets around how Ill he's being treated as a student. ..." Before Gakuho could figure out an answer, one of the staff members knocked on his door. He got the paper hidden away before the staff member stepped in. "Uh, sir, there's someone here to see you. He mentioned something about a teaching position," she said. Gakuho found it a little early for visitors, plus a little suspicious. "I don't recall giving any positions out in my school," Gakuho stated firmly. The staff member felt humbled. "Eh ... w-well -" "I'll take it from here, mam, thank you." Interesting to Gakuho how calmly he stepped in, even without the proper word. For the person stepping in, it was the same person who arrived on the giant bird. The figure locked eyes with Gakuho as he stepped in, him holding a black briefcase at his side. "Greetings. You must be Gakuho Asano, am I correct?" he asked. "Indeed. And who might you be?" Gakuho questioned. The figure adjusted his glasses before answering. "I am Heine Wittgenstein: Overworld teacher appointed by the queen. I've arrived in hopes to enroll myself into your school, sir." "Overworld teacher appointed by the queen. ... He must be referring to Seitenshi, if anyone. A rather weird way of putting it," Gakuho thought. Gakuho stayed quiet at first and studied Heine over. For a supposed teacher, he sure didn't look very old for one as far as appearances go, and once more he seemed to be jumping the gun on the subject. All the same, finding a teacher willingly ask him up front for a learning position did struck him as a bit amusing at best. Heine quietly waited for Gakuho to respond, but before he did speak, Gakuho silently signaled the staff member to go so they had a moment alone. "Have a seat, Wittgenstein," Gakuho insisted. Heine nodded and took a seat in the chair, setting down his briefcase he brought in next to him. "Lets get this out of the way: you seem ... a little young, to be in this position aren't you?" Gakuho asked calmly. Heine felt insulted. "Maybe, but I can assure you I'm a full grown adult," Heine made clear. The tone of voice sounded pretty convincing in spite of things, so Gakuho didn't push it any further. He had his own scenario for this in the past, so he knew what to do. "Alright. Understand too that I don't just take any teacher just because they requested it, as flattering as it may be. That said, I wish to test you," Gakuho said, staring Heine down with his own gaze. Heine kept his composure fairly easily, not so easily intimidated as any student would be, or normal teacher for that matter. He was a brave tyke, he'll give him that much for now anyway. "What did you have in mind?" Heine asked. "Oh, nothing special, just a test I usually put for any new employee. Being the best school in Tokyo in terms of succession, you can imagine I don't take teachers with little experience, if you know what I mean. Depending on how well you do will define where you'll be placed," Gakuho explained as he began to get the test out in question. Heine looked down and saw it was mainly an exam test, a test to see how much knowledge he actually had on him. Basic stuff really. "Very well," Heine stated, taking the test and, almost immediately working it over. Gakuho found it amusing and didn't bother him, until ... "Done. Here you go." In little time at all, Heine was finished. Total time: two minutes tops. Gakuho took the test and looked it over from first question to last. Unexpected, but Gakuho seemed intrigued. "Hmm ... all these answers seemed correct. Maybe he does have more to offer after all," Gakuho thought, placing the test on his desk before looking to Heine again. Still, he never saw someone finish up something like this so quickly before ... well, expect Korosensei of course, but still. "Well, Wittgenstein, that was adequate. Usually it would take half an hour to just go through a number of these questions. You do seem to have a proper amount of intellect." "I take plenty of time to study, sir," Heine simply stated. Gakuho went on and got another paper out to show Heine. Rather than a test though, it instead showed a bit of instructions instead. "What's this?" "Our guidelines. If you wish to join us, then I do have a position available, though I'll give you time today to understand how things work here before you begin. You'll start tomorrow," Gakuho stated, a grin on his face. However, Heine could tell that his grin wasn't exactly a compassionate one, something to note of for later. "Well that was disturbingly easy," Heine thought, before getting up. He was just about to go, but Gakuho was already up and met him half way. Heine stopped when Gakuho placed his hand on his head, much to his annoyance for the height difference. "Not soo fast. Keep in mind, my friend, that the written test was the easy part. One instructor passed by the written test with fair colors, but unfortunately his behavior was ... let's just say, problematic," Gakuho explained, an ominous feel washing over Heine as he explained. Clearly, Gakuho was referring to Tataoka: fairly intelligent but his violent behavior had him fired soon as Gakuho found out. Gakuho wasn't going to take another chance with Heine, even if Heine appeared completely different from Tataoka. "So you wish to see my experience, is that right?" "Correct. If you prove to be just as bothersome, I suggest you leave this post at once," Gakuho said, his voice sending shivers through Heine. Heine though felt alright in the end, and all the same, he gave a nod of reassurance. After being secured with that, Gakuho stepped back and allowed Heine to go. Just before he left though, Heine got a thought in his head and turned back to the principal. "By the by, may I ask for a guide?" Heine requested. Gakuho saw no harm in that, so he just nodded his head. So, after all that was done, Heine left the main office. When the door closed behind him, Heine paused and took a look down the hallway for just a brief moment before going off on his way. Good thing he didn't think too deeply into it at the time: Nagisa Shiota kept just out of sight. And he had heard everything. ....... "About time we got an Overworld teacher," commented Karma. As he promised, Nagisa got the word right over to the others (Team Harmony + Envy) when lunch time came on around. Though, they could chat about it a bit more freely, since many students were talking about the new teacher anyway, considering his arrival earlier on his giant bird. "So Gakuho took him in as another teacher now?" Twilight asked. "Apparently, but he wanted to see what he was doing first. Apparently he didn't want the same thing as Tataoka to happen," Nagisa said. "Tataoka, who's Tataoka?" Pinkie asked, scratching her head in confusion. Karma had that answer though. "I heard about him: he was supposed to be 3-E new assassin instructor, but that violent brute tried to kill one of the kids. She kicked his ass, and he got fired soon after that," Karma explained, him and Envy getting the story after catching up with the other students at 3-E once he returned. It was the only big thing they got aside from Envy's introduction to the class. "That would get anyone fired," Twilight commented, which was true. "Heine didn't sound very dangerous. If anything, he sounded like Ciel would be, so ... maybe, he should be okay," Nagisa shrugged. Speak of the devil (metaphorically of course), just as soon after that, Heine then entered the lunchroom. It didn't take very long until students started glancing his way. Though, it was only those who saw him land earlier, that didn't mean everyone saw him do so. With that in mind though, Heine was seen as some fancy kid more than anything. As Heine was going through, he took a look at the guidelines as he was walking around, checking them over time to time. In particular, one phrase seemed to give him the most confusion: ANT. "Given how many of these students were here longer than I, they should give me some insight on this "ANT" system," Heine thought, looking around to the other students. Those at Nagisa's table kept a curious eye on him as well. As Heine was looking around for somebody to ask, apparently some students were willing to mess with him as well. Their hello: whacking the cap off his head. And soon Heine was confronted by some of the higher-ranking students, one being Emi Isuzu (a rather old face to Team Harmony really). "Well, we got another new runt," Emi noted. Annoyed, but he kept quiet and picked up his cap from the ground. "Yes I am, actually. And who're you?" "Who am I? You can't be serious," Emi spat, unamused. Heine didn't feel very amused himself. "I'm. Sure I am," Heine stated. "Emi Isuzu: B class student," Emi simply said, crossing her arms. "Good then. I'm a little curious over this, so if you can tell me that'll be great," Heine stated firmly, showing the kids the guidelines he had received. Emi yanked the paper out of Heine's hand, and looked it over for a quick moment. Suddenly though, the kids started laughing at him. "You, a teacher?! You dumbass, what fool do you take me for? Go and talk to your mom in your highchair," Emi laughed, a few other students laughing at him too. He wasn't taking kindly too it. "Why must I suffer such indignity?" Heine thought in a huff. Seemed Emi would rather mock him than actually help him out. Envy was watching this go on from further away, growing angry himself. "What the hell are they doing?" Envy growled. "That's Emi Isuzu. She's usually like this, berating every kid under her," sighed Twilight. That just seemed to make Envy more upset seeing Heine in this predicament. Karma took a look to Envy, figuring what he was going to do. Next thing they knew, Envy was walking right over to them. Envy found this too familiar to his berating with Tirek. Not as violent of course, but Envy didn't want to see this happen anymore than the others would. Didn't take very long until he ended up right by the bullies, and took less time for Emi to see them. "How about you back off?" Envy warned. "Back off shrimp, mind your own business," Emi said, pushing Envy back with a shove. Not a good idea: Envy immediately went back in action, grabbed her by the hair and yanked down hard so she was bent backwards, and under his level, with Envy staring her down. If Heine didn't attract the attention, this act surely did. "Looking to get your neck cracked, bitch?" Envy growled, his old side coming out of him as he did this. Long time since he did something like this, and Emi was starting to especially get upset, and slapped Envy right across the face, the stinging making him let go of her. "Call me a bitch, you jackass! You're nothing but E-class dirt far as I care, so get lost!" Emi demanded, checking her hair just to find a little bit actually pulled off of her, angering her even more! Envy got up, just for Emi to actually kick him to the ground. Things were starting to escalate. Heine wasn't getting anywhere, but then he saw the others nearby, who were across from them. Heine just sighed and started walking, right in between Emi and Envy. "Now then, can you explain what this ANT system is to me?" Heine asked, this time over to Twilight instead. The fact he walked pass them like no big deal left a bit of an odd notion to Emi and Envy both. ... "Wait! We're you even listening to me?!" Emi asked. Heine turned to her again. "Yes I did. In short, the overall attitude you and your group have towards me is: "screw you, you stupid insect, shut up and die"." ... Blunt, but ok. "I didn't take it that far," Emi admitted. Nagisa and Twilight helped Envy up to his feet, Envy battered and still fuming, ticked off at Emi Isuzu more than most. Obviously things were getting out of hand, but ... "More trouble, I see?" Gakuho arrived, and at a good time too. The second Emi saw him, she quickly recollected herself, and knew the immediate blame. "It was that little runt, he grabbed me by the hair and threatened to snap my neck!" Emi insisted, only making Envy even angrier. It might be true, but she didn't add in what she did either. Rather than deal with Envy though, he turned his attention to Heine. "Did you bother our new instructor, Isuzu?" Gakuho questioned, pointing over to Heine. Emi froze up and looked to Heine a few times to let it sink in. Heine was telling the truth after all. Moments later, Emi was a lot more humble towards Heine. "N-No! Very sorry, uh ..." "Heine Wittgenstein," Heine simply said, though when he looked to her it was a lot more stern. Emi didn't do anything that time (especially in front of Gakuho), and went back to her table with her gang. Gakuho took a look to Heine for a bit before turning and leaving. After all that was over, he sighed and looked to the team again. "You alright?" Heine asked Envy. ... "Physically yes. But that witch has some nerve to strike me down like that. I swear she'll fall before me in defeat when I'm through with her!" "... I could've swore I heard that somewhere," commented Heine, pondering a little. "He's been reading the Count of Monte Cristo," Nagisa said. "I see. Now, before we get any more interruptions, can any of you explain to me this system, please?" Heine asked once more, showing the guidelines to the school, preferably the "ANT" system. Nagisa was the one who took it and did some explaining. Technically this would be the first time he was meeting Heine face to face, so he had to collect himself a little. "Well it's a grading system: all the other classes D through A all try to avoid becoming E class. It's setting an example of what not to be," Nagisa summed up. "So discrimination. Interesting. ... Would any of you mind if I see the E-class?" Heine requested. "Hell I'll do it. Hope you're up for a walk though." "Eh?" ~~ It took them a while, but following Envy and Karma, Heine did eventually reach the E building. A little winded from their walk, but alright all the same. As with the rest of the forest, winter took its grip on the E building as well, snow adding a bit of white to the rooftops. He, Karma, and Envy went right on him, Heine keeping a look around the place. One thing he did notice was how cold it was compared. "So ... this is E class?" Heine questioned. "Yeah, it's not the best place in the world," Envy said. Heine though found it a little bit confusing, if not concerning. He took a breath and he still could see it in the brisk air. "And this is fine to you?" "Well we don't have a heater or AC here, so what can you do? Least we can still keep these on," said Karma, referring to his coat. Heine felt a bit troubled on that fact though, and seeing Envy sulking a little over the main building's accommodations told Heine he'd rather have that over this. As they continued going down the hall ... Nehehehehehe~ *ratatatatatatata* "What's going on?" Heine said urgently. The sound of gunfire action surely got him on guard, and before Envy or Karma could explain, Heine quickly rushed forward to see the situation from the next room. Karma and Envy followed behind, and sure enough, E class tried a surprise attack on Korosensei, but as with every other try it only ended in failure. Korosensei was even in a sort of ballerina pose when they were done, the back wall covered in pellet holes. Heine noted the winter clothes still on the students when he looked in. "Nice surprise, kiddies, but do try to be a little less obvious with your approach, eh?" Korosensei bragged, his head green-striped again. "We were so close that time," sighed Yoshida. "Don't sweat it, we're just gotta keep at it." "Mind filling me in?" Heine blankly asked. "The government's idea: they want us to kill him. He's Korosensei by the way," Karma summed up. Heine immediately recognized the name, if not the appearance of the demon. Heine stayed blank-faced. "Why does that not surprise me?" he thought. Korosensei relaxed, though still prideful of himself, when Heine cleared his throat and made himself known. "Hey gang, doing an assassination without us?" Karma asked jokingly as he and Envy took their seats. "Envy? Who's that?" Nabiku asked, as Envy sat down. "That's Heine. He wanted to check out the E class for a bit, so we brought him here," Envy explained. A reasonable answer, though he did look a little young for what he was dressed up as. When Korosensei saw him though, he found it unexpected, but a bit flattering. "Oh, hi. A little fan of Korosensei, I see, well that's cute," Korosensei said. Heine collected himself. "These were mine to begin with. I'm Heine Wittgenstein," Heine introduced. The normally cheery demon king suddenly stopped and stood still at the revelation. The rest of the class stayed quiet for a moment as Korosensei looked down to Heine. "... Heine Wittgenstein: One of the top Overworld instructors, the one who taught Celestia herself, and who's intellect is the highest in Synapse? THAT Heine Wittgenstein? ..." ....... "I WORSHIP YOU!" Korosensei wailed, suddenly down on his knees and gripping Heine by his feet, weeping tears of joy in being in his presence. Heine felt a little perplexed, if not weirded out. "He worships him?" wondered the class. "A strange kind of attachment," Heine thought. "Worship? and here I thought you only had eyes for yourself, Korosensei," Karma commented. "How could I not be?! Sure, no one in the Underworld's more clever than I, there's no denying that, but in the eyes of the Overworld lords, Heine Wittgenstein is more than worthy of being called master!" Korosensei said, speaking in complete admiration towards Heine in question. This was a pretty big jump for Korosensei to have towards another teacher, nevermind just Heine. "Master? Eh, no, just Heine Wittgenstein will be fine, thank you," Heine made clear, hand raised. "So humble ... Oh, yes, you're right, "master"'s far too generic. Hmm, let's see now," Korosensei tried to think of something, quickly getting the idea. "I got the perfect one: Heine-sama!" "... Heine is fine, Korosensei." "But Heine-sama signifies the true master of his craft, being just called Heine is not giving you any respect in the slightest." "I didn't arrive here for respect, I arrive to spread knowledge and trust to the other students. As for the moment, I'm merely an observer, so please go through your day as if I'm not here ... and don't call me Heine-sama," Heine explained. Sucha humble teacher, but rather than admire Heine any further, he took his advice. "Y-Yes of course, I'll keep from calling you Heine-sama from here on out." "Somehow I doubt that," Heine thought. ~~ So, the rest of the day for Heine was off at the E building with Karma and Envy. Rather interesting for the E class students to see over their previous newcoming teacher, so that was a plus. Still, seeing the class already gave Heine the overall idea after just an hour of time there during the classes. In comparison to the main building, as much as he could figure, things were in the main building's favor WAY more than the E building here. Bigger, more well-kept, and with winter here, a lot warmer too. Heine even noted some of the kids keeping on their winter clothes during classes, since the E building didn't exactly have a heater in it, leaving Heine a little concerned. E was supposed to be an example of what not to be, he got that, but keeping them out in such a way was a bit hard to deal with. Eventually, The school day was over and finished, and Heine was left walking off alone on his way back to the main building. Since he started late, many of the other students were already off and gone, so it was just him going through the winter snow forest trail. And with this time to himself, he easily had time to think on the situation for himself, considering what Gakuho's behavior was during their interaction, and this supposed ant system everyone's going through. As he went along, he opened up a folder full of notes, notes of which he took throughout the day during his observation. Most of these notes he made himself, and summed up how Orora High operated, along with some extra notes left for him as information by his 'queen'. "It seems Gakuho's idea of keeping the E class as the lowest ranking is a lot more hazardous than I thought. A winter in that kind of condition could be disastrous on their health. And judging by the building, I assume they're not going to help them warm up anytime soon. ..." Heine paused and looked through some more of his notes. Some side notes he especially took into consideration: extra rooms, locations of particular places in the building, some notable students (Emi Isuzu being one of them), and other things. Looking at these started working the gears in his head. Eventually, Heine stopped altogether, and sat down under one of the frost-bitten trees. He took out some blank notes and started writing in them again, which didn't take too long to finish up. Once that was handled, he got up and he started to whistle. Though it wasn't a simple whistle, and sounded more like a bird call. Which happened to bring him a much smaller bird. Rather than the giant bird he rode in, this one was a lot smaller, blue in all color, and cloud-like wings. Mainly it was the same type of bird Nagisa saw in Synapse, and the bird itself rested down gently nearby Heine. Once it did that, Heine proceeded to wrap the message around the bird's neck, gently but firmly keeping the note in place. "Have this delivered to the address, if you please," Heine instructed. The smart bird nodded, and took off shortly afterward with message in wing. After that, Heine started walking again, his mind back to Orora high. "If this is going to be the case, then it's time to make a few changes. ... Starting at the Orora high main building." ....... The next morning went on as normal for many of the students as they arrived to the main building for their usual day of school. Sure, word was still chatty about Heine Wittgenstein, but nothing too crazy aside from that as of yet. Team Harmony was just arriving at the front of the building by this point. "That Heine did fine. he sure did make a lot of notes though," added in Karma as they went. "I wonder what position Gakuho is going to give him?" wondered Twilight. "Too high for us, I bet. Not too bad though, I'm fine with Korosensei any day," Karma answered with a chuckle. "You would say that," Nagisa noted. "Yeah, well, see you guys -" "Ah, there you are," said a voice, coming their way. The group looked on to the building and there stood Heine himself. He looked slightly tired, but other than that he looked pretty good and ready for the day to begin himself. To him, it's a good thing Heine found Karma, him being an E student himself. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Wittgenstein. Did you get your job, sir?" asked Nagisa. Heine nodded his head. "Fear not, my friends, I'm here to stay. Gakuho gave me the agreement earlier this morning," Heine revealed. Pretty good news for him, and perhaps to them as well. The only other Overworld figure they've met overall was Aladdin, so Heine was something new and without too much trouble for them. "Hurray for you, Heine," said Pinkie. Heine just nodded, and adjusted his glasses, but as Karma was going to go, Heine got in his way. "What's up? I got the E building to get to." "No need to worry about that, Karma. Let me show you something." ....... "Whoa, what?!" Heine's surprise for the E class was basic, but for the class itself it was pretty nice of him to do, even if Heine didn't think of it as too much. What he showed the E class was a classroom. A classroom about as modern as the rest of the school: lined up metal desks, windows for a good view out the back and to the mountains and forest, a good sized chalkboard at the front along with a front desk, and even a rack over by the door for coats (weather orientated of course). Yeah, when it came to the exact building itself and the room, it shared all the basic things as every other classroom in Orora high, but one little sign outside the door made it clear that this was something different. Something special for the case of this school. Class 3-E. "H-How'd you get us a class here?" asked Nabiku, shocked and surprised as she looked to Heine. "Judging on your current conditions, a classroom at the main building itself would be much better for you. As a teacher, it is my job to make sure you're all well," Heine explained. And he was sure right on that, and many of the E students were more than happy to have a room at the main building instead of off at the E building. "Who would've guess we'd be in the main building for our classes? It's sure nice of Heine to do this for us," Sugino said. While many were cheery about it, Envy wasn't seeing the big deal of it too much. "Why's it such a big thing? You've had a class here before," Envy asked. "Once you're in E class, that's it. Besides, this sure beats that cold shack of a building," Karma replied, and Envy honestly had to agree since it was cold over there compared to here. Heine waited patiently for all of E class to be seated, standing over by the door. "Thank you, Mr. Wittgenstein," said Nabiku and Hinano. Heine simply nodded. "Now now, it's nothing too much. Now, if we can begin -" "HEINE?" Gakuho Asano, and just in time too. By the sound of his voice, although calm, it was pretty stern too. If he could admit, Heine was expecting Gakuho to show up at this point, so he didn't get freaked out over it. What he did find off guard though was how rough he was to Heine according to his face. Some of the E students couldn't help but hear in on their conversation, after Gakuho and Heine moved a foot away. "What. Is. This?" Gakuho questioned, pointing to the E-class sign above their door. "I've taken the time to move the E class from your previous building to over here. It was a rather exhausting night, might I add," Heine explained. That didn't sit well for Gakuho though, the principal eyeing him down. "And who gave you permission to do that? When I agreed to hire you, I never ask you to alter anything like this," Gakuho firmly stated. "True, but when comparing accommodations, it had to be done, Gakuho. I'm only doing what's best for the students attending here," Heine replied. That response made Gakuho step forward, trying to intimidate Heine into submission. "It's not your place to question my authority," Gakuho stated. It was clear Gakuho wasn't taking any risks, but Heine planned for this. "You mean you want your example away from the others? If you really want the E class as an example, it's hard to make your point when your example is so far away, and out of the minds of everyone else," Heine explained. Gakuho was ready to protest, but the more he thought about that, the more of a point Heine actually had. Yeah, he didn't want anything better for the E class, but how could new students learn the ant system properly if the E class wasn't there to see? New students had been coming around as of late after all. Gakuho took a glance to the E class room not too far away, and eventually sighed. "... Next time, Wittgenstein. If you do wish to bring anymore surprises, go through me first. Understand?" "Of course," Heine simply said. Looked like he won the argument for the second time. Gakuho was starting to become a little suspicious over Heine now, taking a glance off behind him as he walked on, seeing Heine going back to the classroom. "That Heine is starting to be a bother. ... I need to keep an eye on him."
S04Ep3: With Friends Like These ... ~これらのような友達と...~With one world already going through some changes, Sombra's world was stuck at a standstill with him on his little break with Chrysalis. It had been a bit quiet over this last week, and Sombra did feel a lot less pressured than he was before. At the moment, he and Chrysalis were side by side, and observing the night time sky as the Underworld magic lights flickered and danced. For the Underworld, it sure was a pretty thing to see. Chrysalis was pleased to see the king of Tartarus more content now than before, or at least willing to let her work with him when it came to her advances. "A good view, isn't it?~" Chrysalis cooed. "Actually ... yeah," Sombra sighed. Chrysalis snuggled up to him. Sombra didn't protest, much to Chrysalis's glee, and he just watched the colors. The normally stagnant yellowish colors of the sky now gleaned with multiple colors dancing around. Sombra felt calm and collected, but as the colors danced, some of them were reminding him, yet again, of Team Harmony: Pink, purple, blue, red, yellow, many of these colors were just another reminder of at least one member of Team Harmony, and only reminded him of the team at least one way or another. Chrysalis was quick to note this, and advanced on him to get his mind off of them. "You're thinking about them again," Chrysalis said, sounding annoyed herself. "Sorry, but I can't help it. I know it'll all be over eventually, but ... I'm starting to get concerned." "Over a bunch of spineless human worms, Sombra?" "Those 'spineless human worms' had defeated Hellgar, Pluton of all things, and even took down Tirek. not to mention all the more minor demons that ended up showing up there," Sombra reminded firmly. Chrysalis quietly thought it over, and then she got an idea. "I know: how about you go back by yourself and get some allies? I'm sure at least one human would be more than happy to help you after your special convincing," Chrysalis said, clearly buttering up Sombra on that last part. As much as he knew that, he didn't feel very good about it. "No: the Homunculi were supposed to do that, it didn't go very well. Speaking of, I do wonder if Gluttony's recovered yet. I could surely use his tracking by now," Sombra sighed. Chrysalis cringed on his attachment to the remaining two Homunculus, but she didn't say anything about it. "Well, he's useful for one thing I guess, but what about Lust? Surely I can fill in for her as well as Envy, right?~" Chrysalis cooed, playfully bouncing her boobs as a point. Sombra paused for a moment but didn't take it very lightly. "Chrysalis, stop it. Yes, Homunculus aren't very high on ranking as you and me, but they're not just tools, and I need all the help I can get. Stop treating them as such expendable things," Sombra stated. Chrysalis felt a little surprised at this considering what he did to Envy, but she knew Sombra was being truthful even if it was towards just some servants. Chrysalis huffed, but she agreed anyway. "... You know, I do have one suggestion," Chrysalis stated. "If it's sending more of my demons to the human world, then forget it," Sombra stated firmly. Chrysalis shook her head. "No, not exactly. Come here," Chrysalis said, her finger inviting him closer. Sombra decided to please her and leaned in with an open ear. Chrysalis when whispered her idea to Sombra, and after a bit he got to thinking about it. Sombra took a moment and closed his eyes and focused a bit. Same amount as he would with meditation, and since Tirek's dead, he had little to worry about in that regard. "... You know, that could prove interesting. If you wish to, see if you can handle it. I'll see what I can do on my end," Sombra decided. "Oh, do we have to right now? We had so much fun so far." "The sooner we start, the better. ... And ..." "And?" "... Thanks for the break. I needed that." Chrysalis smiled and gave Sombra some bedroom eyes. "Don't be too long. I'll be waiting for you.~" With that final statement, Chrysalis went off on her way for her suggestion. Sombra smiled, but it was removed as he went to thinking again on his options. This break he gave to Team Harmony could be more useful than he originally thought. ~~ Back in Tokyo, Orora high was doing pretty good with itself. Class E and its new accommodations was a nice thing for them to do with, and Heine taking the role himself as their new instructor after some talk earlier that day. It took a bit for the adjustment, but it beats the E building by a good mile. Still, Heine had his assistance from Korosensei during the classes too, which was a bit of a plus for him even if he didn't ask for it. "All present and accounted for, Heine-sama!" Korosensei said, beaming with stars and flying colors. It was a bit buggy, but Heine just sighed. At least everyone was there, and that's what mattered to him. Korosensei stood at attention over by the door as Heine looked on to the class. "Very good. It's nice to see everyone gathered," Heine stated. "It's the least we can do after what you did, Heine," said Sugino. "Yeah, not every teacher would have the balls to bends the rules for his students," Kirara added. Heine wouldn't consider it bending the rules, or say it that way, but as long as they weren't going to cause trouble, it was fine by him. "Right. ... Well, first order of business, we're going to have three more students attending our class. Korosensei, the door," Heine instructed. Korosensei gave a salute and happily opened the door for any of the new students to come inside. Though, at first, no one really seemed to come in. They gave them a few more seconds before Heine cleared his throat and took a step over to the door to check in on them. "Are we having trouble out here?" Heine asked. "No we don't, now come on you," said a new voice. Though, hearing that voice, Envy and Karma found it oddly familiar. It took the two new students a little bit, but eventually they did go inside after a bit, though one wasn't as thrilled to be here. "No way," thought Envy and Karma. but sure enough, it was. After a little bit, the two students were standing at front and at attention, seeing the rest of the class. Both of them were dressed up in school uniform, but again, one of them wasn't so thrilled about it. It only took a second for the class to become very intrigued and curious about the two coming in, some leaning in astonished to see just how unique they looked. Even some of Terasaka's gang took notice too. After they got in, Heine went on to introduce. "You two, kindly introduce yourselves, first name first," Heine instructed. They both understood and so began their intro. "Name's Edward Elric, nice to meet ya." "And I'm Ciel Phantomhive. Very pleasant." Yes, they heard them right: Edward Elric and Ciel Phantomhive were going to join up with them in school now, shocking as it may be. It was especially shocking that one lived in England and another in Amestris, yet both managed to get here in little time at all, with Ciel chatting with them over phone back at his mansion only a day or two earlier. However, Heine noted only two of the three. "Edward, where's your brother?" Heine asked. "Alphonse too?!" Envy and Karma thought. Edward though wasn't too sure. "Eh, you sure it'll be okay?" "I wouldn't ask him to come if it wasn't," Heine stated. "Uh. Ok, I'm coming." Surely enough, though a little difficult due to his size, then came in Alphonse Elric. Well, to put it one way, if the class wasn't surprised before, they sure were now, and BOY did it show on their shocked faces. Alphonse wasn't meaning to freak everyone out, but it was inevitable. Al heard the instructions from outside, and stood over by Ed. "Uh, Alphonse Elric. It's nice to meet you all," Al said, giving a little bow. Talk it ironic to many of the students to hear such a childlike voice coming from such a intimidating body of armor. Still, the trio of students were here, and Heine was fair enough with that sort of regard onto them. "Whoa, is that really his brother?" wondered one student. "He's so huge, like a tank," commented another. Alphonse could feel the eyes on him, and he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Though the looks were more of fascination rather than any worry or fear. "Now, everyone, don't bother them too much, you'll have all day to learn about them. But for now, let's start our lesson. Ciel, Aphonse, Edward, you may please take your seats," Heine instructed. Edward and Ciel went to their seats just fine, but Alphonse wasn't too sure. Compared to his body, the seats were exceptionally small. What was a giant armor to do? "Uh ..." "You can sit in the back if it makes you feel better," Heine commented, not even looking at Alphonse. He kinda figured as much considering his size, so Alphonse took a seat, crisscrossing his legs and sitting down. Ciel Phantomhive had his seat by the window, and over nearby Karma "So, welcome to Japan Ciel. Did Korosensei talk you into coming here, or what?" Karma asked, leaning in over to Ed. "I preferred our previous communication over this alternative," Ciel admitted, tugging at the collar. However, even with the lesson underway, much of the class was still a bit distracted when they were checking out Alphonse. To say the least, the amount of attention was not something Alphonse was really used to. "So hey, Alphonse is it, so was that you who did that crazy magic on that demon before?" asked Yoshida. "Eh, no it's not me. That would be my brother, Ed," Alphonse said meekly, pointing to Edward Elric. "That little guy did that?" Terasaka asked. Wrong answer. "WHO YOU CALLING LITTLE, YOU PUNK?!" Ed snapped. He was new, but his anger knew no loyalty to anyone, especially when height was brought up. In fact, Ed was right in Terasaka's face with anger fuming. "Who're you calling a punk?!" Terasaka snapped back, getting angry himself. *bam**whack* Moments later, Heine was right there with a pointer in hand, one which he just used to slap them in the head to keep em quiet. It was hard enough to give them a good bump on the head. It was NOT a good start to give that kind of impression on them, especially if it was triggered so easily. "Edward, you just got here, now's not the time to get into trouble so quickly. That goes for you too Terasaka," Heine made clear. A bit violent and forward, but they got the message right away. "Hey, what'd I do?!" Terasaka yelled, but Heine didn't answer and walked back to the front. He knew the pain of being called little, so it was a more personal jab on him than anything. Even if it left some of the students stunned. "We're sorry, Edward, w-we didn't mean to get you angry," Nabiku said. Ed groaned and calmed down before he went off back to his seat. "Yeah, just don't call me ... you know what." "Short?" Nabiku quietly asked. That just angered Ed even more, and Nabiku quickly tried to correct herself. "Sorry, sorry." "Elric?" Heine stated. Not wanting to get hit for a second time, Edward went straight to his seat, and the lesson went on back to normal. Though seeing this on the first day did give the idea that it wasn't going to be as simple as they would thought. Ciel sighed. "Oh bother. ..." ....... Seeing through the monitors, Gakuho saw the three new students coming in, and seeing Heine pull this one on him made him feel a bit more tense. "First he decides to get a new room for 3-E. Now he decides to bring in more students to the course. ... Well, at the least he did notify me this time," Gakuho thought, looking to the three distinctive attendance slips left on his desk by Heine himself. He looked over the details of the students, and while Edward and Alphonse he might by for being E students, Ciel Phantomhive was a rather interesting specimen. ... "A simple fix." ~~ So throughout the day, attention of the three new students Heine had put in were more or less hipped up and spread around the school like crazy. It didn't take very long at all when Team Harmony got the news of their involvement with the school now, and while it was interesting for Heine to do, it would indeed make things a bit more interesting with Ed, Ciel, and Al apart of Orora high. Sure, they've helped them out but who'd of guessed they would end up at the same school as they were, considering not only how far away they were but also their age. Much of the kids there were at least over sixteen, and Ed and Ciel were thirteen to fifteen. Since the 3-E class was now moved to the main building, the 3-E building because a easier place to chill out, and somewhere they no longer had to worry about with the other students (if that still mattered anymore that is). Team Harmony had ended up at the E building, though Aladdin was still not around oddly enough. Ed and Al were still there, but Ciel Phantomhive wasn't anywhere, so the idea they would just be school-time friends was pretty evident. With some extra time on their hands, Alphonse and Nagisa both decided to try some practice with eachother. Normally Nagisa would stand back during training, but with his skills now more suited against opponents like him, the two took time to get started: Nagisa especially. Nagisa was fine with his Halo Blade since it couldn't cut any non-demon entities with it, and even if he could, Alphonse was practically a suit of armor anyway so it was okay regardless. "Look at them go," commented Twilight. "GO NAGISA! GO ALPHONSE!" Pinkie cheered. During their fight, it was clear just how improved Nagisa was in his agility, jumping around, light on his feet with each strike Alphonse tried to make on him. Alphonse wasn't really hurt (they doubt he could feel much pain anyway), but this tank didn't make the fight any easier since Nagisa insisted such. Many a kick, punch, or stab Nagisa made on Alphonse was not hurting him, and in fact Al was having some fun with it for a while. This kept up for another minute, and probably could continue going, but then another bystander gave a good hearty blow of a coach whistle. The whistle belonged to Korosensei, and while assassination may not be top priority, he still had fun training the students either way. Much like anyone else, his outfit was suited for winter along with his job, a big beanie on his head instead of the usual teacher's cap. "K you two, take five," said Korosensei. On the word both Al and Nagisa stopped. "That was fun. I didn't beat you up too much, did I?" Al asked. Nagisa smiled. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks for being my sparring partner," Nagisa said, feeling pretty good with himself, but just as glad to take a break. Training's fine and all, but there was still such a thing as too much of it. Anyway, as Nagisa and Al took a seat by the others, it was Karma and Ed's turn. It was something they all worked out before they got here. "Dang Nagisa, you've been hitting like lightning," Blair commented, as Korosensei gave Nagisa some hot tea and a pat on the back. "Yeah, training in ninjutsu will do that," Nagisa replied, taking a sip. "Well either way, glad to have ya back and better than ever," said Pinkie, fluffing his hair. Nagisa chuckled, and by that time, Karma Akabane and Edward Elric were in position. Karma kept his blade in a holder in the fight, something Korosensei especially insisted on to avoid getting his sparring partner stabbed. "Ready to get beat, Karma?" Edward asked, confident and a bit cocky. "We'll see about that, though you got some balls to enter a sword match without a blade," Karma noted with a smirk. For a moment, Edward gave a cheery laugh, his hands coming together as sparks started to fly. Karma thought he was going to sent a attack on him, but instead Edward altered his metal arm and it soon turned from a hand into a VERY menacing looking blade. Talk about a convenient weapon on hand. Karma looked impressed, and removed the holder from his sword, letting it shine in the light. Ed and Karma met up half way and both weapons clanked against eachother. Korosensei started to freak out a little bit on the use of true weapons on the field. "What're they doing?! this is a sparring match not a death duel!" Korosensei said, freaked out on seeing them try to slash at eachother. Even with it being just a sparring match, both were really going at it with eachother, though Karma had one disadvantage in the fact that Edward's blade was attached to his arm rather than being held like Karma's sword. Nagisa kept quiet and watched them go at it. "Damn. Even if Karma's not had a actual teacher with this, he surely has been improving. Then again, he always had that knack for quick learning on skills that get his attention. I could only wonder how good he'll be with an actual swordsman," Nagisa thought as he observed Karma and Edward go at it with their weapons. Without alchemy being worked with by Ed, both seemed to be pretty even in terms of fighting skill. With each slash of their weapons, they also took a point of some kicks and whacks of their fists as close combat practice as well, which they also did pretty well in. As they were doing that, someone else took the time to come over and see what was going on. "Heine-sama, you're here," Korosensei said upon seeing him. "You're calling me it again," Heine sighed, Korosensei correcting himself right away, but still bowing in his presence. Guess regardless of the case Korosensei was still going to keep that up for a good while more. "What brings you think way, Heine?" asked Twilight. "I noticed that many of you were heading in the wrong direction so I decided to look into it. Training, I presume?" Heine asked, seeing Ed and Karma practicing not too far away. "Yeah, you got it. It's better practicing here over the main building," Nagisa answered. "You make a decent point," Heine noted. He took a moment to watch the training continue on for a while more, until the worrying Korosensei called the practice short with his whistle. "Come on, we were just getting started," Karma groaned. "No way! I'm not standing here and watch someone get sliced up! This is just a starring practice match, not a slaughtering death duel," Korosensei made clear, putting the cover back on Karma's sword for good measure. After they were done, Ed went over to Twilight. "K, so, Yugure, it's your turn," Blair "I would, but, actually I was hoping Aladdin and I could practice together," Twilight admitted. It wasn't that Ed wasn't a good alchemist, but Aladdin needed practice too, and she wanted to continue that for both of them. However, while many of them were understandable, Heine had a look of surprise on his face. "Who did you say? Aladdin?" Heine asked, moving over to her. Nagisa got up. "Oh, yeah, he's another friend of ours, a magi actually. But, since you got here, he's been kinda distant ... do you know him, Heine?" Nagisa asked. He didn't really figure out what Aladdin's connection was to Aladdin, but considering both were from the Overworld, perhaps they did know eachother once upon a time. Heine stayed quiet at first, but then adjusted his glasses in determination. "... Where is he?" ~~ After their long day at school, Hinano, Nabiku, and Envy were off back at Hinano's house. As far as where Envy lived since he arrived to Tokyo as a human, Hinano's house was mainly an average one: a basic two-story house within the suburban area of Tokyo, though the house itself was along the borderline between the suburban and "true city" of Tokyo, as such leaving Hinano and Envy one house away from a 4-way intersection. It wasn't that bad of a problem for Envy, at least he had somewhere to live thanks to generous Hinano and her family. Still, Envy was glad that his life didn't have to be forced into anything, and for the moment it was just him chilling out in Hinano's room. Hinano's room was pretty basic: it had a bed, a book shelf, a window looking to the street, the usual things. Though Hinano's room also had a number of animal-themed items, including some animal figures lined up on her dresser by her bedside lamp, and a safari cap hanging off one of her bed's legs. Nabiku was over for a visit, and Envy just stayed there quiet as Hinano and Nabiku were going through some studying together, along with some side gossip as one would do with nothing else to do. "I heard you and your family went on a trip to Hokkaido a while ago," Nabiku said during their studies. "Oh yeah, it was amazing. Hokkaido always looks so beautiful during that time of year: so many beautiful colors," Hinano said, remembering her trip. "Did you get a picture or something?" Nabiku asked. Hinano then remembered something and went to her shelf, pulling out a picture in question of her, her mother, and a beautiful fall background with them on an ancient Japanese bridge with a river flowing underneath. Clearly a picture worthy of a postcard. Nabiku admired the picture, and envy took a glance over to it himself, seeing the pretty scenery with less admiration and more bewilderment. "Is Hokkaido like that all the time?" Envy asked, pointing to the picture. "Oh, no, only in fall. After only a month or two it all turns to snow and doesn't look too good for pictures," Hinano explained. Envy sighed and looked out the window again at the scenery. Hinano and Nabiku knew envy enough to read him, and he had a face of longing on him. "Is it like this where you come from, Envy?" asked Nabiku. "As if. You're lucky to find a tree without thorns on it." "Come on, Envy, there's got to be something good. You keep telling us how bad the Underworld is, you sure there isn't one thing good about it?" Hinano asked. Nabiku nodded in agreement. Envy took a minute to think about it: was there anything? He never really considered anything in the Underworld beautiful unless it was intending to be, and even then it was probably a succubus trying to woe or something. These thoughts got him laying back on the bed, trying to think of something. "Hmm ... well, the nights aren't too bad I guess." "Really? How so?" Nabiku asked, starting to get a little interested. "Eh, well, Underworld skies aren't the same as yours here. We don't get the clouds, or .... what do you call them again? Those tiny lights at night?" "Stars," said Hinano. "Right. Some reason the Underworld skies put on some lightshow at night: colors flickering and dancing around in some crazy way, like a fire but more colorful." "Aurora Borealis." "Come again?" "The Northern Lights. We get something like what you said, but we can only see it during winter, and even then it's further north than Japan. Is it like that in the Underworld too?" Hinano explained. "Nah, they come and go as much as your clouds do. It does get boring after a while, but it beats this blank blue or black in your sky," Envy said, looking outside at the sky. It was a more purple and orange now since it was getting later in the day, but they weren't as vibrant or active as the Underworld sky. Guess there was one thing Envy could say the Underworld had better, though he never considered that until now. Looking outside now, the only main active light was the sun in the sky, and the occasional car or street light. Not too impressive for natural lights. As Envy was looking out, he saw a few other buildings, a few Pidgeys up on the rooftop huddled together, and at least one person walking along the sidewalk. Usually it would be nothing new, but Envy's eyes went off over to the figure walking, and eventually stopping. "... Wait ... is that? ..." Envy thought. He could've sworn he recognized her, but when he looked more closely, his suspicions were confirmed. ... "I'll be right back," Envy said, getting up to his feet. "Ok, see you in a bit." Envy then went right out of the room. He had to act quickly here, and he went straight to the bathroom. His hands were quick and accurate as he pulled out a bit of gel from Hinano's medicine cabinet. A few quick squirts and a some handling of his hair, and soon enough he had his original Homunculus hairstyle. "Good enough," Envy thought, before racing out of the room and heading right off to the front door. If this indeed was who he thought it was, she had to recognize him as well. So, with a sigh and a more serious look on his face, he then went on to open the door. Time for a moment with the old Envy. "Envy. I've been wondering where you've been." "Lust. You're alive!" Envy said. Least the regular hair worked out well enough. And yes, this figure was indeed Lust, and Lust without a hint of any winter clothing on her so she was still a Homunculus. If he could pull this off until she leaves, then maybe he could work out what to do. However, Lust only needed a basic look to see Envy was not the same as before: smaller, and looking younger too. "It's nice you're still here, but ... what happened to you? You look a little different," Lust asked in disbelief. Envy shrugged, and walked out to the sidewalk where Lust was standing. "Well, things happen, Lust. That damn Pluton tore me apart and I ended up damaging my stone so I'm stuck like this," Envy said, not sounding happy at all about it. Lust felt a bit troubled, but didn't really show it to Envy. "Damnit. Maybe leaving you in Amestris wasn't the best idea after all." "Yeah no shit," Envy spat. Looked like his acting was top notch so far, Lust not suspecting anything. "Alright, you're not dead. come on, let's get back to the Underworld," Lust suggested, starting to walk away. Envy now had a dilemma: if he did go back to the Underworld, Sombra would have his head on a steak, but if he told Lust why that would who knows what she'll do to him? Luckily, his experience with deception and acting gave him some quick thoughts to use. "I can't," Envy stated, making Lust stop. "Why not? Gluttony's been looking for days, I'm sure when he's recovered he'll be crying rivers seeing you," Lust remarked. At least Envy was sure that Gluttony was still alive now. "Sombra's got me on spying again, that's what. What else is new?" Envy remarked, rolling his eyes. "... Then what were you doing in that house?" "Oh, just handling some witnesses. I was gonna kill them when you showed up," Envy answered. Lust looked to the upper window, actually seeing Nabiku and Hinano looking from the window, the two curious when they heard the front door. "Oh. Well then I'll handle them for you, you've done plenty," Lust decided, her finger claws lashing out and ready to slice. Envy was freaking out on the inside, but he kept his composure. "Don't waste your claws on them, Lust, I can handle a couple of worms like them. How about you go tell Gluttony what I'm doing," Envy suggested. Lust felt slightly unsure, but she took his word for it. They did look a bit weak anyway, and there was no point wasting a few slashes if they could help it, so she retracted her claws, and patted Envy's head. "Alright, if you want. I'll see you later," Lust simply said, and with that she started walking away to do her own thing. Envy stayed chilling out until Lust was out of sight, and only then did he go back in the house and shake his hair back to what it was already. Never before was he so glad to fool a friend like that, but he knew damn straight that it won't be the last time he would be doing this. "Envy, you ok?" called Nabiku. "I'm coming." ~~ After a walk through his other portal, Sombra had found himself back in the human world again, this time off in a eerily familiar wooded forest. As Chrysalis was getting some allies together from her end, Sombra had another little idea come around in his own head when it came to this location. Even if he was here on business, Sombra did have time to reflect on what to do during his walk. "Well then. Not only did Nagisa survive Pluton, but he killed Tirek as well. ... If this is all going to be where I think it would, perhaps I need to spruce up my own skills. I haven't done that in a while ..." Sombra suddenly felt a motion nearby, and took a quick sidestep, just to find a blade zoom by him and indented itself into a nearby tree. Judging from where it came from and where it ended up, it would've jutted itself through Sombra's head. Sombra looked up into another tree, seeing the one who threw the weapon perched up there with a killer stare. Normally someone would be freaked out, but Sombra was actually hoping he'd come out. Gaara. "Another one," Gaara growled. "Now, Gaara, calm down, I'm not here to kill you." however, Gaara didn't want to hear him, and jumped down at him from the tree, Sombra jumping aside before he could stab him. Gaara did that more as a test to see how Sombra would react, seeing a calm and collected soul in the face of death. "So you know who I am. ... You know you're trespassing," Gaara warned. "I know you would be on edge to strangers, Gaara, but if you would just hear me out, then maybe we can come to some sort of term?" Sombra offered, hands behind his back in a formal stance. Gaara stood up, but he did not let his guard down and kept his blades ready to strike him. "Sombra. Choose your next words ... Very. Carefully. ..." Sombra didn't realize Gaara actually knew his name already, but he kept his mind focused. He cleared his throat before he started talking. "Gaara. You're a strong, independent child, aren't you? Looking out for yourself, wanting to keep only himself alive and well and taking the means to keep it that way." "Flattery will get you nowhere." "I'm aware of that, now look. You wanted to kill Tirek, but Nagisa took it away from you. If you'd let me, we can give you a little revenge taste. What do you say?" "And what's in it for me, demon?" Gaara demanded, crossing his arms and waiting for an answer. Sombra kept calm and tried for broke. "... Shukaku." Almost immediately, Gaara rushed forward, and suddenly Sombra had two knives right at his throat, so close in fact that his throat started to bleed! Despite his calmness, even Sombra felt a tiny bit startled from Gaara's willingness to kill him at any moment. Gaara's eyes locked with him in a almost psychotic anger. "Where did you hear that name?" "That's besides the point, Gaara. ... I can sense him inside you. Locked away. Trapped in there and causing you so much torment," Sombra said, a finger gently placed on Gaara's chest. Gaara didn't waver, if anything, he was more upset that Sombra dodged the question. "... Now. You can take this how you want, but keep in mind it'll make your life much easier. ... I can take him out for you." Everything was silent for a moment, the realization setting in Gaara's head. It was actually enough to move the blades back from his throat. There were some slight cuts on the throat, but that was about all the damage Sombra had gotten from it. "... How?" "Nevermind the details, Gaara, but I can assure you I'm able to remove that demon out of you. ... That is, if you're willing to help me in something of my own." "You know damn well I don't like being conned." "Me neither. If you do this one favor for me, then I promise to you I'll remove Shukaku myself. No strings attached, no inside debt, no stabbing of the back. ... Just allow me to aid you," Sombra said, even offering his hand out to him in a gentle gesture. Gaara paused and considered his options. He kept his eyes right on Sombra's own, and he could tell that this demon wasn't here to lie to his face. Gaara thought for a good while ... "... What do you want me to do?" ~~ Back at the apartment, Aladdin was quiet and alone, left with only his thoughts. It had been that way for a good while since Heine showed up, and in fact that was what he had in mind for the most part. He'd go to the others when he was alone after school, but the idea that he might run into Heine was enough to keep him away. "What am I gonna do now? The others are going to end up meeting him by now, but what's he going to do with them? Should I meet him again? ... oh, I can't relax," Aladdin thought, unable to keep himself still because of these thoughts, until eventually he got up to his feet. What was he supposed to do? Aladdin hadn't felt this stressed in a while, and at this point, there was one thing he could do. After a little thought, he went over to the window, and opened it up good and wide, the cold air coming in. It did chill him a little bit, but it wasn't enough to deter him. Quietly, he got out his magic carpet and it levitated in mid air just outside the window, giving him his little ride. sometime flying around outside could give him something to calm him down and get him to think a little more clearly. Meanwhile, outside, the others of the group had just arrived to the main apartment building. They didn't get in yet, but they did just arrive over at the door. "He's in here?" Heine asked. "He's been living with me, so he should be," Nagisa said. "So you know eachother back in the Overworld Heine?" asked Alphonse. Heine nodded. "For a good two years. I do hope he's doing well since we last met," Heine replied. "Aside from being paranoid, he's pretty good," Karma said. The group was about ready to go in, but then Pinkie Pie took a look up into the sky, and up to Nagisa's apartment window, she then noticed something: a flying carpet in mid air, and Aladdin getting on it. Rather than telling anyone first, Pinkie then gave a sudden loud whistle, startling the others but seeing Aladdin as well. "HEY, ALADDIN, CAN YOU COME HERE?! YOU HAVE A GUEST!" Pinkie called. Aladdin heard her loud and clear, and while he was glad to see the others, then he saw Heine looking up to him, slightly surprised to see him ready to take off. Though, Aladdin was more worried over Heine than Heine was of him. Rather than come down, Aladdin started to fly away. "Aladdin, wait! Where're you going?!" Nagisa called, but Aladdin didn't stop flying, and didn't take long until he was too far to hear them. A bit of a problem for them. Nagisa knew Aladdin better than the others, and he knew he wouldn't just go off like that on them. Nagisa then turned to Heine, the only new person with them. "Heine, what's going on between you two? Something had to happen if it's making Aladdin hide like this," Nagisa asked. If it was anything too malicious, he wasn't going to stand for it. Heine gave a soft sigh, adjusting his glasses and started walking forward. "I'm afraid I know exactly why. ... Nagisa, you're the fastest, see if you can catch up with him," Heine requested. Not that Nagisa wasn't going to do that anyway though. "I'll be quick," Nagisa said, before racing off to go get him. He was right, compared to the rest, Nagisa was the fastest and would keep up with Aladdin's flying carpet. "Well, don't leave us hanging," Blair said. "I'll explain on the way. come on, let's try to catch up." ....... Farther ahead, Aladdin still got a good headstart compared to his friends, thanks to a flying carpet to avoid plenty of the ground level obstacles. As if knowing he was around wasn't bad enough, now Heine was straight up after him! Aladdin felt very humbled with what he was doing, if not freaked out over it all. The least he could figure was that he got a decent headstart against - "Aladdin! Aladdin, wait!" Aladdin turned back in his flight to a nearby building, just to find Nagisa running down on the ground after him, keeping up with him just enough to not be left behind. Aladdin looked back and saw it was only him who actually kept up with him, so instead of continuing his flight, he took his landing over in a short alley, just out of common sight from the main street. Nagisa was quick to catch up with him, Aladdin facing away from the street. "I ... I uh ..." "Aladdin, come on it's me. Now, what's going on? You never acted this way with anyone else before, so, what's the problem?" Nagisa asked, firm and quick to be sure it got to him before he could go off again. Luckily he didn't fly off, but he didn't turn to him just yet. Aladdin tried to think of some sort of excuse, but he can't think of one that would get by Nagisa, so, all he did was give in. "Eh, listen ... you remember when we met? ... And I said why I ended up in your place? ..." Aladdin asked. Nagisa stayed quiet and tried to work his memory. This was something from a pretty long time ago, and not really brought up too much since they first said it, but eventually he did get it back to memory. "Yeah, you said you're here to fight of the demons with the other angels, why?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin started to feel very humbled and embarrassed, playing with his fingers. "Eh, well ..." ....... "That's not really it?" Nagisa concluded. Aladdin winched from the answer, but he nodded his head. Nagisa was surprised. "Wait, this whole time you weren't supposed to come down to our world? Then why're you here?" Nagisa asked, surprised more than most. Aladdin took a deep breath, and ... "It's my fault, Heine's after me!" Aladdin burst out. Nagisa took a step back, but allowed Aladdin to continue, something Aladdin knew Nagisa wanted to know. The magi still didn't turn around but went on anyway. "What? ... Why? Aladdin, you're a great kid, and a good Magi, why would he be after you?" Nagisa asked, obviously confused about such an idea. Unless Heine turned out to be a demon in disguise, there was little reason for Heine to be going after him, in the way Aladdin was making it out to be anyway. Aladdin then just sat there and decided to explain himself. "Look. Back in the Overworld, he and I had known eachother for a while: if I did something wrong, he'd be the one to get mad at me and coldly lecture me about it. It was fine at first, but I ... I did something bad ..." Aladdin then showed Nagisa the gold whistle he had on him, turning and holding it in front of Nagisa. "Was this Heine's?" Nagisa asked. "... Yeah, it is." "You mean you stole Heine's flute?!" Nagisa gasped. "It's gonna make sense, listen to me, please!" Aladdin quickly pleaded. He knew taking the vessel was a bad idea and he wasn't going to deny it, but he had his reasons for it, and Nagisa allowed him to say it. "It's not just a flute. ... It's called a vessel, because there's Djinn that're held in them. They're very strong spirits that stay in these things so they can stay safe. They're very rare, and vessels are hard to come by ... but one day I found it, and I ... I, kinda, accidentally ... released it. ..." Nagisa could just imagine the whole scenario going on: Aladdin finding the vessel and the Djinn coming out and leaving him. If he was that scared of Heine, Nagisa could barely imagine the worry Aladdin must've got just afterward. Still, it was odd that this was never brought up before. "So let me see: the real reason you've been in the Human world, and with us, this whole time, was to find this Djinn, and return it to its vessel so Heine wouldn't find out and be mad at you?" Aladdin just nodded slowly. "But hold on, when we left for England you left it behind, how were you going to put the Djinn back in there?" "I ... I figured out a spell that would send a Djinn back to it's respected vessel no matter how far away it is. And this vessel was the only one in the Human world, so ..." "Aladdin, why didn't you ever say anything?" "I-I don't know," Aladdin groaned in shame. That question made him feel completely stupid: why didn't he say anything about it? Having too much fun with them? Too distracted to say? Aladdin couldn't even get an answer right, but Nagisa wasn't mad at him for trying to fix a mistake. Still, running off with the vessel to find it wasn't exactly a good move either, nor keeping this to himself until it would be fixed. for all his maturity and magic, he's still just a kid. "Well, lying and hiding didn't help. If Heine's going to be mad, it's going to happen no matter how long you're gone for. The best thing you can do is face Heine." A bit of an odd role-reversal in Aladdin's eyes. Normally he'd give the bigger message when it counted, but now Nagisa was giving one to him. He was right, but Aladdin was still worried. "I know I shouldn't have taken his vessel, but what's he going to do when he finds out?" ....... "So you did make it after all." Suddenly, a third visitor was right there, and this one wasn't there to help them: Lust! She'd seen Aladdin fly in the alley, and chilled out until he was done explaining himself. Lust got out her claws and looked ready to slice them up. Rather than mock them any further, she took the moment and rushed in towards them. "Aladdin, shield!" Nagisa quickly said. Freaked out, Aladdin managed to gather enough focus to get a Magi shield up, but this one was a little slower than before, and Lust got dangerously close. The shield did save them, but not before the claws ended up sliced in two, making Lust back up. "Having a little trouble, are we? And here I thought -" "DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW?" Nagisa suddenly yelled. Of ALL the times Lust would show up, it was after a chase with Aladdin and the big revelation. They didn't need this, REALLY. "Since when were you so hot-headed, Nagisa? Pluton give you a rough time?" "Just shut up, and go away, we don't need this," Nagisa made clear. If anything, he was more irritated by this rather than scared. Lust trued a few more times, but the shield didn't waver to her strikes. Guess fighting was out of the question for them. "It'll all be easier if you can just cooperate. You REALLY have been too much trouble," Lust sighed, both set of claws sharpened and ready to attack, the cut off claws regrown quickly. This was starting to become trouble, and while normally Nagisa would have the shield kept up, they can't keep it forever, and who knows how long it'll be before the others would get there. "Aladdin, put the shield down," Nagisa instructed. Scared, but Aladdin was already tired so he did so, as Nagisa got his Halo Blade out and at the ready. "So forward. It's hard to find men like that." "I'm not letting you beat us up, Lust. That, and I've already beaten Tirek and Gluttony, so I'm sure you'll be no problem," Nagisa said, ready to battle her. Lust's eyes widened when he said that. She was told gluttony was beaten, but not Tirek. "Tirek? So he's the one who killed that old bat," Lust thought. Still, she wasn't willing to let them go that easily. Pretty soon, the fight was quick to start, and with Lust taking attack first, and launching her claws at Nagisa. however, the fleet-footed kid dodged them fairly easily with a few motions, and it didn't take too long until he got close to her, and make a sort of false swipe at her. He wasn't gonna kill her on sight, but he proved to be a bigger challenge than before, making Lust stumble back out into the street. Lust was shocked, to say the most of it. "So fast," she thought, trying to regain her footing on the cold ground, but Nagisa wasn't going to give her the chance and rushed past her, his arm whacking her leg and making her fall over onto her back. How was she so easily knocked over by him? She could hear Nagisa coming back, and she quickly extended her claws like aimed spears. Nagisa skidded to a halt and moved back before he could get skewered, giving Lust time to get up. "I see someone's practiced," Lust said. "I had some time on my hands," Nagisa replied, readying his blade again. Lust launched her claws at him again, Nagisa dodging each and every single one, Lust getting a bit bothered by this. Nagisa even managed to slice a few claws with his Halo Blade, before Nagisa got close again. Their lengthy fight turned into close combat, Nagisa making more and more hits at Lust. Lust tried to keep herself up with the speedy kid. Finally though, Lust have had it with him and gave a strong sideways swing of her leg. Nagisa dodged the first one with ease, thinking that move made her vulnerable, but instead she spun around like a ballerina, and her leg whacked him behind the head again, almost as if the first one didn't even happen at all. Now she had the advantage. "Gotcha,~" Lust cooed, before giving Nagisa a powerful whack of her claws. Aladdin freaked out and thought she just killed him, but when Nagisa fell onto the sidewalk and in the snow, he saw that he wasn't even cut, and his clothes cut up. Nagisa looked just as startled about it. "You didn't cut me." "Look at your hand," Lust said smirking. What Lust did they thought was not possible to do. Nagisa looked to his one hand, the one that held the Halo blade, only to find nothing but an empty holder and his hand bloody! Shocked, Nagisa dropped it and saw the remains of his blade left in multiple cut pieces, his hand given a smaller cut to it in the palm. The wound itself was minor, but with his strongest weapon now in shambles, he didn't have a true efficient way to fight her. "You've been tough with that blade before, but these claws can cut through any weapon: steel, titanium, obsidian, you name it. We're not so cocky anymore, are we?~" Lust said, walking over towards him with her claws at the ready. For the longest time, his Halo Blade was the weapon he had to use for any of his demonic situations, Lust included, but now with it sliced to bits he had nothing to use. Nagisa got up quick, and tried to use his physical strength to fight her. He dodged the claws pretty good, but when he got close, his kicks and punches didn't do as well as before. sure, they were tough, but against a Homunculus it wasn't doing too good. All his skills, but he was still human. His strongest hit was a double kick to her head, just enough to knock her over, but the effort to get there was tiring on him. "Damnit, I can't keep this up," Nagisa thought. Lust found this her victory. ... "BACK OFF!" With some blue sparks and a shift in the ground, Lust was suddenly launched across the street, over Aladdin's head and to the alley by a triggered Launchpad. Good timing for the moment, and both Aladdin and Nagisa saw the rest coming over, Ed getting up from his alchemic attack. "Well, look who decided to join us," Lust groaned, getting up to her feet from the hit. Ed turned to Nagisa. "Late for the party, Nagisa?" "A little bit, but you're fine," Nagisa replied. Now wasn't the time to celebrate though, Lust preparing to launch another attack on them with her claws extending forward straight for Ed! Nagisa and Ed jumped aside before either could get hit, but this strike was exceptionally fast, Ed missing only by inches. A close call but seemingly unscathed. "Well, Elric, it's been a while." "Yeah it has. Now COME ON!" Ed called. *pop* Then Lust found out what damage she did, and all of a sudden Edward's mechanical arm went limp. It didn't completely snap off, but he couldn't operate it or move it, as if something got loose. There was a silence for a moment. "Technical difficulties?" asked Lust. "AAAHHH!" What a time to get a downgrade. Lust saw her chance and her claws darted right for him, but Alphonse wasn't having any of it and got in the way. The claws skewered Al's arm, but being a suit of armor, it was just a minor wound. Karma stepped forward next. He had his sword still with him from training and he was armed up as ever. "Wow, talk about embarrassing," Karma commented, just before rushing forward. "SHUT UP!" shouted Ed. Karma rushed forward with his sword towards Lust, and with the claws indented in Alphonse, Lust couldn't dodge Karma's attack, the kid using the sword to slice off her arms. They soon grew back, sure, but the time to do that open it up for Karma and Nagisa to come back at her. Lust had just enough time to redraw her claws, but not before Karma and Nagisa both tackled her down. Lust sprung around and shook them off, but when she got back to her feet she quickly found the odds against her in this fight. "Damnit, not again. ... Oh well, I still killed someone," Lust thought as she glanced at Nagisa's Halo Blade remains. With the odds against her, Lust turned and rushed away. This fight was over as fast as it started, and admittedly that was a good thing. Nagisa quietly picked up what remained of his blade as the others checked on Ed. "Ed, what happened? She break something in there?" Blair asked, looking at his limp arm. "Yeah, but I don't know what. She had to slice something in it," Ed said, trying to check his arm as best he could, but he couldn't truly figure out what she messed with. It was something they had to look into, but then something else soon came up: Heine and Aladdin. The fight itself was uncalled for, but it also got Aladdin in Heine's sight, and both not too far away from eachother either. With what just happened, Aladdin felt too frazzled to think on what to do, especially with the timing of the fight and what Aladdin had said to Nagisa. He had the flute on him, and he couldn't hide it from Heine, though he was still humbled by him. "... H-Heine. ..." "Aladdin, wait please," Heine noted, looking to the vessel around his neck. There was no point in hiding now, and when Nagisa nodded to him, Aladdin quietly walked over to him. He dropped the vessel at his feet, and he quickly got into a sort of bow, on his knees and bowing to Heine at his feet. Best to start off humble. "I-I'm so sorry," Aladdin started, getting that out of the way. Heine stayed firm. "What for?" Heine asked. "Nagisa, what's the deal with him and Heine?" Twilight whispered to Nagisa. however, Nagisa decided that it would be better for Aladdin and Heine to tell them themselves rather than him ratting out. As for Heine, he kneeled down to Aladdin. "It's my fault: I released the Djinn from your vessel by mistake, so I tried to fix it and find it down here without telling you! Please don't be mad at me, I-I'm trying to find it, I promise I'll find it, I -" Aladdin's moment of pleading was stopped when Heine placed a gentle hand on his head. Aladdin froze up, and Heine brought his other hand out and he looked ready to slap him ... just for him to flick him in the forehead. It barely hurt, but Aladdin remained surprised. "... Aladdin, when I found you were missing from Synapse, my biggest concern was for your safety and wellbeing. You were far from ready to come down here, though I had been rather harsh on you in past lessons. Those lectures lacked the encouragement for you to keep going. So in the way this was more my fault than it was yours." Aladdin stayed very quiet, and looked up to Heine. "A teacher's job is to nurture hope, not harm the heart. In some ways, you disappearing helped me realize that. I can't say what you did wasn't reckless and dangerous, especially for a Magi your age ... yet, I can say you did recognize your flaws, and attempted to go out of your way to resolve them. Not many angels would rush into the Overworld the way you did. Not even I." Looking to Aladdin's face, the young Magi seemingly saw this as the first time Heine spoke to him in such a way. However Heine treated him before wasn't too good apparently, but Heine did learn from that it seemed. Aladdin stayed silent at what Heine had told him, which remained for a good minute until he got back up, picking up the vessel and giving it back to Heine Wittgenstein. It was nice to see resolution and closure being played out as well as this. Once they were done, Karma cleared his throat. "So, Aladdin? Aren't you going to properly introduce?" Karma asked smiling. Aladdin looked to Heine, and sighed with a smile. "Everyone. Meet my Overworld instructor: Heine Wittgenstein."
S04Ep4: Field Day ~運動会の日~Lunch time back at Orora high. It was still as busy as it could ever be, nothing too out of place (well, aside from some of Team Harmony's members that is), and many of them acted as if nothing had even happened at all. However, with what did happen last night to those involved, it surely showed on Edward Elric's limp metal arm. He'd yet to get it fixed, and with him in Tokyo instead of Central, a quick fix or ANY fix was out of the question. None of them really knew how to mend such a complex piece of machinery, and even if they could who knew how long it'll be? Aside from Edward though, the others seemed alright and once more Aladdin decided to visit the school again for the first time in days, no longer worried about Heine. Blair was there too along with Envy and Ciel, them all deciding to have lunch together. "You need some help, Ed?" asked Twilight, looking over to him. Working with just one arm was not anything easy for him, being used to his mechanical arm operational more than most. "Nah, I'm fine. It isn't the first time this damn arm stopped working ..." though he wished he could say it didn't last for more than a day. All morning he had to put up with his mechanical arm dangling to his side like a limp noodle, and it being just as useful as one. He couldn't block with it, work with it, or anything. "We'll try to get it fixed soon, brother," Alphonse promised. "Yeah, I know," Ed sighed, taking a bite out of his lunch. "Cheer up, buddy, it could be worse: Lust could've ripped it off and smashed it into teeny tiny pieces," Pinkie said, though it didn't make Ed feel any better. It was there, but what was it good for if it didn't even work? He just had to wait until someone could mend it, whenever what would be. At least he had his other arm on him to work with. As they were talking about that, Blair then glanced over to Envy, who was looking a bit dull himself as he pecked at his meal in front of him. He was in a bit of a bind himself because of Lust, even if it wasn't for the same reason: if they were roaming around here, it would only be a matter of time until he would be found out, and if so what then? But even with that, the exact problem currently didn't have anything to do with that. "What's up with you now?" Blair asked, turning to him. Envy took a look to the witch. "Oh, nothing much. ..." Then he brought her attention to Ciel. Not only was Ciel having a VERY fancy meal of freshly cooked Unfezant with some mashed potatoes and a slice of cake (personal request), but he also had Sebastian standing right by him ready to handle whatever Ciel Phantomhive had in mind next. "But why does he get such a fancy meal?! AND WHY'S SEBASTIAN HERE?!" Envy yelled, pointing a finger at Sebastian. It'd be just a personal issue if no other student was looking towards him, but a number of students felt a similar jealousy over Ciel, and all Envy was doing was saying it. Ciel just ignored him, and allowed Sebastian to answer him. "I have to be there for my lord. what kind of butler would I be if I can't aid in my lord in whatever he pleases?" Sebastian questioned. Though, it didn't exactly make Envy feel any better. All Envy did was sulk and his head rested on the table. He was fine with his food before, but all of a sudden he didn't fancy it anymore. At least not with a far better meal right next to him that wasn't his own. "Don't forget, Ciel's the queen's guard dog. As much as we don't want it, he's going to get some better stuff over us," Nagisa admitted, Envy just sighing and taking a bite out of what food he had. "That aside, how's your hand?" asked Envy. It took little time for Envy to figure out what had happened with them and Lust, and while he was a bit bugged by them fighting her at all, he honestly didn't feel too surprised it happened to begin with due to his encounter with her earlier. Nagisa paused and looked to his hand. Aside from a dull, sideways cut on his palm, it looked in perfect shape. "It's fine. Still feel a little stiff, but I'm alright." "You don't know how lucky you are, Nagisa. Lust's claws can cut through your hand like it's nothing." "We know, she told me after she cut me," Nagisa sighed. "While it is grateful you're still with us, your broken knife would prove trouble for you if they decide to return again," Ciel brought up, following the conversation. Negative, but true, all Nagisa brought with him that day was a small bit of the blade tip. He couldn't bring himself to bring the whole thing with him, mainly because he couldn't use it anyway. "Yeah, you're right. I didn't think she could even do that." "May I remind you that Lust is a Homunculus, not a demon. The rules applied to one thing aren't consistent with another." "Hey, that reminds me, any way to fix his blade, Aladdin? Nagisa's good at his agility, but we need to be at our best," Twilight asked, the magi pausing his own little feast. He took a good swallow before looking to Twilight and Nagisa. "Sorry, but I don't know. I never saw one of those break before. Maybe someone from the Overworld can give you another one?" Aladdin shrugged. "How would we all even get there? ... Besides the obvious option," Ciel questioned. The others felt a cold shiver when Ciel asked that question, but Aladdin was quick to talk. "First of all, you don't have to die to end up there, and secondly ... I have no idea. Not for you anyway Ciel, for ... well, you know." "Yes. Indeed," sighed Ciel, looking to Sebastian. A demonic butler in the Overworld was a bit of a problem indeed, at least to Ciel himself. The others could get there probably. "Don't sweat it, Nagisa, Korosensei's got a ton of those blades with him. I'll just have him give you one when I ask," Ed suggested. "Don't try; already tried those things on a demon, they work for crap. Those are Korosensei-killable only apparently," Karma brought up, remembering his own experience back with the Mega-Banette just before he got his Miracle Sword. "Well, thanks anyway guys. Maybe Heine would know what to do," Nagisa figured. Heine was an instructor of the Overworld after all, he would know how to fix his blade if anyone. All the same, it was a slim chance, but it was the best he got. And speaking of, the teacher in question overheard what they all were talking about. After hearing that, he took the moment to go off and slip away. ....... "Ah, Heine Wittgenstein. I've been meaning to talk to you." Didn't take very long until Heine and Gakuho met up back in his office later on. With what he had just figured out, and what the circumstances were off of Lust's encounter, things need to be considered, yet he still promised to go over them with Gakuho and he was still keeping that when he arrived there. "Is it concerning the new students might I ask?" figured Heine. Gakuho winched slightly, and presented his answer with the profiles of Edward, Alphonse, and Ciel. "We made an agreement on running everything through me first, and yet here I find these three students arriving after the fact." "My apologies, Asano. I thought presenting their profiles would be enough to satisfy you." "It's not entirely you bringing them to my attention, it's more the fact that you believe you can decide where they go. I solely make that choice," Gakuho made clear, his eyes like knives stabbing into Heine's soul. Heine stayed calm and nodded his head. "Understood." "I hope you do. Now, class will be starting in just a few minutes, so I shouldn't keep you -" "If I may, Gakuho? I didn't come here just because of that little issue," Heine cut in. Gakuho stopped and leaned in, slightly interested in what he had in mind. "... Go on." "Does this school still resort to field trips, Gakuho?" "Field trips?" Gakuho questioned. Heine nodded his head again. "I understand a number of schools do take part in these assorted trips, and I ask if I'm able to plan one in near future, say after seven days? I took the time to look over the schedule and it seems the following week could be the better option," Heine asked. Gakuho paused and thought the situation over. Yes, field trips are a thing at Orora High, though they were few and far between, not to mention it was him who plans these field trips, and not the other staff members. At least then he could say where they were going and figure out how long it would be. When he heard that last part though, it made him feel a bit better and he smiled to Heine. "And where may I ask are you taking your class?" Gakuho questioned. "I'll have to consort with my official before I can say. If she says no, I'll remain that in secrecy," Heine made clear. "Oh yes. Your "Overworld Queen"," Gakuho remarked. Heine felt slightly bugged, but he nodded yes anyway. Clearly Gakuho wasn't buying the Overworld thing, even if the Underworld showed itself already. Eventually, Gakuho stood up and smiled. "Very well, if you do wish to do so, then I'll allow you. Keep in mind there's still protocol you have to follow in regards to this field trip of yours," Gakuho instructed. Heine bowed slightly. "I understand perfectly," Heine said. He knew well what to do about the field trip preparations, and he had a lot to do to prepare for it. As Heine walked off, he took a small glance behind him to Gakuho again. ~~ With the decision now given the greenlight, Heine got busy. According to the timespan as it turned out, a week's time was perfect to plan for a field trip, and Heine made sure to work every moment for it into his favor, and his class: permission slips, working out scheduling, where the class can and cannot go, and of course Overworld permission by the queen. With each day moving closer towards the deadline Heine took it upon himself to work out the details to the field trip and figure out who would actually be going on this little trip. The E class and principal after the first three days, ended up probably the only ones who actually knew where they were actually going, as the rest of the school just simply got "we're going on a field trip" and nothing else. A surprise, but without knowing where E class was exactly going they couldn't really feel too jealous of them beyond them avoiding class for a day. Speaking of the class, once they got the news about going to the Overworld, the main response to it was surprising. However, Pinkie, Twilight, and Nagisa faced a little problem with the field trip, being the three of Team Harmony not in E class as the rest got the greenlight for it. For Nagisa, this was pretty good news to hear. Since his currently wrecked Halo Blade was actually from there, perhaps someone could give him a brand new one. ... Or, they would if he was allowed to go, that is. Though, maybe they could mend up Ed's broken Automail arm. Before anyone realized it, the day had arrived. Deadline only a short bit away from reaching, and Heine instructed whoever willing to go to meet up at the original 3-E building rather than over out front of the school on a bus (it would be less attention), and for the moment, it was just Heine and Korosensei there and waiting for whoever was allowed to go to, well, arrive. As both teachers waited for them, Heine took a glance over at his pocket watch to check the time. "Only five minutes until the deadline," he thought. "OOOO, this is so exciting, it's been WAY too long since I've last seen the Overworld, wonder how much has changed," Korosensei wondered. "Why would you even be allowed up there?" Heine questioned, unamused. "I'm not like those hellish demons, they love me up there! Shouldn't you know?" "They only allowed you there because no one could catch you," Heine sighed. Korosensei sulked slightly. "So cold," Korosensei said. Heine didn't give him too much of his mind, and took another look off to the main field. "OI!" Heine and Korosensei looked up, and soon they saw a familiar Magi flying on in with the rest of Team Harmony who wanted a ride. They started to see the other students begin to arrive, turning out to be quite a few. In the end, those who did arrive to go from E class include: Karma Akabane, Edward and Alphonse Elric, Nabiku Hazukashi, Nakamura Rio, and Hinano Kurahashi. Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian had also arrived not too long afterward, though if Ciel was actually going or not was a bit up for debate, but Heine was glad most of them were at least willing to go. Heine looked over the number of permission slips that were given to him over the week, and made sure everyone was present and accounted for. "Nice for many of you to arrive, and with just a minute to spare." "Thanks, Heine. I can't believe we're actually going to see the Overworld," Hinano said in excitement. "Yeah. We get to see where you grew up, Aladdin," Karma agreed, glancing over to Aladdin. Aladdin felt a bit flattered, rubbing the back of his head and smiling. However, Heine then realized a detail after looking through the permission slips, and then he began to pull out some pieces of paper before turning to the others amongst the Team. "Nagisa, Yugure, Ciel, Pinkie, this is for you," Heine said, passing out a paper to each of them. One look at them and it was all it took to figure it out: their own permission slips, all completed and ready to go. "Wait, why're we getting these? We're just here to see them off," Nagisa said. "I took the time to excuse you three for the day, you needn't worry about that. That, and the queen has been meaning to speak to all of you for a while now, though she wanted you all to be familiar with the Overworld first before officially meeting you," Heine explained, though not too worried about the other E students not too far away. With just how much they've been doing so far, it was expected eventually. While Pinkie was especially excited to go, Ciel was the polar opposite and actually returned the slip to Heine. "I don't have the time," Ciel simply said. "Excuse me?" "I said I'm not going," Ciel repeated. He wasn't going to go on about Sebastian and what happened with him and the Underworld. Heine stayed quiet and took a look between him and Sebastian. No one said they were forced to come along, so Heine just took the slip back and nodded his head. "You will need to see her in future, you understand," Heine made clear, but Ciel didn't seem to think so, not even giving him an answer for that. However, this was something he had to handle later, as he looked through the remaining permission slips. "Well, we're all here now. So we should be off on our trip then," Heine decided. "Head off how? There's no bus, car, or anything," wondered Nakamura. Heine didn't give them a straight answer, but instead he went on to show it. He looked up to the cloud-covered sky for a moment. After a good deep breath, he brought his fingers up to his mouth and gave off a huge, single-noted whistle. The whistle echoed all around the forested wilderness, and hung in the air for a good seven seconds. Eventually the sound of flapping wings and a echoing bird call rang in the air before the same gigantic bird flew over just above the tree line. The same magnificent bird who dropped Heine off already, and this time it wasn't just the bird that time. Instead, the powerful bird was actually pulling something behind it. The object appeared to be a Japanese carriage, only this one was WAY bigger than a regular two-to-four carriage one would see. In fact, it looked about as big as a bus would be: lined with some chiming bells up to the front, colored a fine autumn red and orange. "... And nevermind." "Wow," gasped Nabiku, staring in absolute amazement, as Heine pulled out some steps for them to enter. "Talk about showing up in style," commented Karma. "This is one of the queen's personal carriage. She allowed me to take it for our field trip today, so if you all enter single file we'll be off on our way," Heine instructed. "FIRST DIBS!" Pinkie beamed, zooming right on inside past Nabiku and Heine. No way was she going to miss out on this sort of thing, no matter who says what. Nagisa paused and looked back once more before he stepped on inside alongside Aladdin. When they looked in, along with a few others, what they got to see was simply impressive: seats aligned side by side more like a wagon that a carriage, with comfortable wood aligning the seats and floors. Curtains of amber velvet lined the inside walls, and a front window wide open to see the front driver. It wasn't anything too extravagant, but it still beats the average look of any bus. Pinkie Pie already took her seat over by the front of the carriage, eager as ever to be on her way. They took a moment to look around as they took their seats. "So this is the royal carriage," Nagisa commented. "Not bad," added Twilight. "It's like those carriages from our legends. It's so nice of his queen for letting us use it," Nabiku said. Hinano heartedly agreed as both took their seats. Nakamura took a seat next to Nabiku, and looked over to Aladdin. "Well, we're getting the royal treatment. Hey, Aladdin is it? Mind giving us some low-down on what the Overworld's like?" asked Nakamura, her arm resting behind Aladdin as if he was her little bro. Aladdin needed a bit before answering, remembering a bit. "It's been a while since I last been there. Well, it's very high up in the clouds, so, maybe you should be careful where you step. Many beings up there fly, so walking paths are ... not many." "Gotcha," Nakamura replied. Suddenly whoever was in there heard a loud creak, making them startle a bit just to find Alphonse taking his seat. His size was something he couldn't help with his armored body. Nagisa took his seat over by Pinkie, catching the pink girl's attention. "Isn't this peachy, Nagisa? now we get to check out Overworld and all its angely stuff, and you can get your blade fixed up good as new, isn't that sweet?" Pinkie asked with a big smile on her face. Nagisa sighed. "I guess it would be ... if I had it with me," Nagisa sighed. "You called?~" Just his luck, Korosensei peeked through the curtains and suddenly had the remains of his Halo Blade in his tentacle, which Korosensei had covered in rubber so it wouldn't hurt him. "Thank you, nevermind," Nagisa remarked with a smile. Korosensei: always a step ahead when called to it. After another minute, all of them were now inside the carriage, Heine being the last standing there. He got up onto the driver's seat. When he got there, he took another look towards Ciel, Sebastian, and Korosensei there to see 'em off. Heine took a glance to Ciel specifically. "If I let my guard down because he's a child, he may very well pull the rug out from under my feet. ... Ciel Phantomhive is not to be taken lightly," Heine thought. Pinkie poked her head out from the carriage to see Heine, throwing open the curtains so the others could see him too. "So, first time going to Synapse. Want to give us some pointers for the ride up?" Blair asked. "What's wrong with mine?" Aladdin questioned. "We're not going to Synapse. Our destination for this field trip is going to be Elysium." Elysium? Aladdin's eyes opened wide on hearing that, being the only one who knew where that actually was, but the others really didn't have too much of a clue. Heine turned to the giant bird, but rather than pull some reigns or anything, all Heine did was flick one of the bells on the carriage. Hearing the chiming, the bird opened its wings good and wide, and then gave a good running start, much like one would do in an airplane. It took a few flaps of its wings, but eventually the giant bird eventually started to take flight, along with the carriage. Pretty soon, they were off on their way. Next stop, Elysium. ....... Not too long after they left, Korosensei got right to his learning job back in the 3-E room. With Heine and much of the students up and leaving, the classroom was left a bit quiet and less exciting: Terasaka's gang, Envy, Sugino, and Ciel, which left only about seven students there for actual class and not the field trip. Aside from the lack of students, it was mainly regular class-time for the 3-E class (as normal as it would get). Ciel stayed calm and collected, though as he was sitting there, Envy was a little bit impatient over something with his finger tapping the desk. "Can you stop that?" Yoshida asked. Envy did stop, but he still felt a little anxious. "Sorry but some of us are trying to keep schedule." "What schedule?" Yoshida asked. "With that bitch Emi Isuzu. Soon as this school's done, I'm getting my sweet, sweet revenge on that bitch. No one whacks me like that and gets away with it," Envy said, his fingers gripping the sides of his desk. He'd been scheming since it happened, and he'd honestly been waiting for this day to come. "Wait, that'd happened over a week ago, you're still pissed off about it? Seriously dude, she's probably forgotten about it by now," Yoshida said. "You mean me pulling her hair off? Bullcrap." "Yoshida, Envy, pay attention please, we're just about to get to the good stuff," Korosensei said. They did so, but after that, Korosensei then pulled out a set of papers, one for each person in the room. It took less than a second to get them all passed out, but sure enough this turned out to be some form of test. A pretty odd thing to actually get on this day. Ciel examined the paper a bit more closely, and realized that this was no ordinary test, rather than a example of a term test, much like the midterm tests in some aspects. ....... And in his office, Gakuho saw through the monitors the result of this tests, and how much of the class had actually gone when compared to the other classes. Seeing this was enough to bring a smirk on his face. Seeing the lack of students in 3-E was something he was actually counting on. "With most of the class now gone, it's only a matter of time until they come back to my school with failing grades on their tests. ... They will remain the End Class." ~~ Meanwhile, the rest of the class on their field trip were still going along fairly fast through the air. Despite the supposed weight of the combined class, the bird had no difficulty in flying along its route, nor did the carriage get weighed down because of it. In fact, the carriage felt like it was without any weight to begin with. As for those inside, they were more than excited to get there, being their first time up in the Overworld. Even some of Team Harmony's calmest members were getting anxious to get there and have a look around, and those who weren't so calm were having a hard time keeping still. And rightfully so, they felt like they were the first humans to ever set foot in such a place, especially if given a carriage from the queen to use, which to them meant some special accommodations. Heine kept the bird steady in the flight, and eventually the whole group from inside the carriage felt themselves descend a little bit, and eventually land on solid ground. None of them moved until after Heine opened the curtains and bringing out the steps for them. "Welcome everyone, watch your step," Heine instructed, as the students started to exit. It took little time for them all to exit, and soon they all got sight of where they ended up. "Wow ..." Wow indeed. Heine promised they would get to Elysium, and sure enough they found themselves right on one of Elysium's landing platforms, which itself was made of wood and well-crafted stone. If Synapse was considered a countryside town, then Elysium was the urban city, a city up in the clouds! Buildings stood tall on huge areas, many of these looking similar to those found back in London, and it would almost appear that the buildings were floating on their own power, though not in the same way as a helicopter or plane in ways of propellers, but more like the floating islands back in Synapse. For a place home to angels, it had plenty of walking paths to take, a number of bridges connecting many of the floating masses of buildings. There was even a few flag ropes sprawled along in between some flying gaps, colored flags waving in the breeze above their heads. To sum it all up in one sentence up, it all looked impressive at the least. Even Aladdin, a Magi born in the Overworld was ecstatic to be here, almost as excited as Pinkie Pie was. "O-Oh my goodness," Nabiku managed to say. "And here I always thought Elysium was a paradise field of hills and green grass," Nakamura wondered. "Elysium is the Overworlds' most modern kingdom. Though you could probably guess that already," Heine said. Pinkie could no longer hold herself. "OH MY GOD, WE'RE IN A FLYING CITY! COME ON EVERYONE! WOOOO!" Pinkie beamed, racing off to check out Elysium herself. "Pinkie, wait a minute!" called Twilight in vain. "Leave her be. Let's be real; we're up in a city flying above our heads, why wouldn't she be excited?" Nakamura suggested. "Yes, I agree: I imagine Elysium would be an overwhelming sight for most humans," Heine agreed. "Considering it defies all logic as we know it, yeah. So, where do we start?" asked Nagisa. Honestly, he was just as excited to be here as anyone else would be. Heine only needed a little bit of thought before he got his answer, going into his briefcase and pulling out some papers. "Well, considering you and Edwards' specific issues, I suggest we start off towards the plaza. Not only does it give a overview of Elysium, but it also could aid you in your current situation," Heine said. Edward looking to his limp arm, and Nagisa to his Halo Blade, it was clear on what he was talking about. It would also explain why Heine specifically wanted them to be here in the first place. "Well, what're we waiting for then? Lead the way," said Ed. The sooner they could get this all handled the better. And so they went off towards the Elysium plaza. Every minute passed as they went on through the city gave them all a bit more and more of what there was to see in a home for angels. Since so many of them had a very different idea of what the Overworld was like, seeing the Overworld as a Victorian-like city up in the clouds was a bit of a change. Not a bad one, mind you, but still a change nonetheless. As would be expected too, the group were soon seeing the local angels going about their day, some angels flying around on wings while others just walked from place to place. Some of these angels were seeing them go by but seeing Heine and Alphonse with them didn't make them question their presence too much, which was probably a good thing for much of them. It took a few more minutes, but eventually they arrived over in the Elysium plaza: wide open and the central hub of the city with a number of angels around the place. At the very center of the plaza appeared to be a statue of an angel within a fountain pool, wings spread open in glory and the whole statue made up of what seemed to be a mix of silver and sapphire. Normally a plaza like this would be crowded with cars or at least other carriages, but since many locals could fly, most of the activity went on over their heads rather than on the ground. Like any tourist visiting a beautiful place, the group couldn't help but marvel at just how much this place was, appearance and uniqueness of it all. "Are all Overworld settlements like this?" asked Nagisa. "Not truly. As you could well imagine, it's difficult enough to keep such structures in the air with all the power," Heine explained. "Oh, let me tell this!" Aladdin said, moving over and hopping up onto the rim of the center fountain, making it his stage for his turn. Heine stayed quiet and allowed his little student to talk about the Overworld. "The Overworld settlements all remain afloat by a self-reliant, self-sufficient magical energy. The more of the energy present in an area the most elaborate structures are able to be made. Many other places in the Overworld can mainly do villages and countrysides, but what we're in is the hotspot of magical activity, and Elysium is the biggest settlement in the Overworld kingdom because of that." "Well done, Aladdin," said Heine, giving him a small applause. He'd go into more detail, but Aladdin's summed-up version worked just as well. Nagisa thought back to his time in Synapse and considered what Aladdin had just said. "So that would explain Synapse," he thought. "HAHA!" *BAM* The sound of a pounded fist caught their attention, and as Heine probably would've expected, it was what he was counting on. Nearby, some of the angels were doing their own thing, but one of the locals stood out far more than the others did. While the others looked no bigger than they were, one figure towered over them pretty well, about as big as Alphonse, maybe even taller. A sturdy, muscular man in his prime, one helping out a few other angels with some logs they got. One punch from this man literally sliced up one piece into lucky seven log cuts! The man had an outfit similar to that of an Amestris soldier, blue color and everything, though at the moment he had no shirt on and it showed the power this man had just in appearance alone. One word to describe him would be muscular: biceps, arms, chest, all of it were ripped and match a bodybuilder's best example of perfection. Any male would be jealous of such a figure in muscle - a pure mans man. This same mad had a yellow mustache on him, and his head was purely bald with the exception of a tuff of yellow hair up front. With one more log to go, the man gave one more power punch, and it was then they noticed his fist spark blue alchemic light, Aladdin psyched to see that himself. Nearby him were two other lieutenants in similar outfits, standing at attention nearby, and passing wood over to the other man until it was all gone. "Thanks for the help, major," said one of the angels just before they flew away with the wood. the classmates stared on in awe. "Whoa, that man's ripped," Ed gasped. "He's an alchemist!" gasped Aladdin in admiration. "Just who I'm hoping to find," Heine commented. Soon, he gave a quick whistle towards him, and the man stopped to see who it was. The class simply felt small compared to him, Alphonse included in that statement. The man put back on his shirt, which also matched the Amestris military code, before walking over to them and seeing the group. "Heine Wittgenstein, how long has it been?" said the man, hearty in his tone, but happy to see him. "Indeed. You've grown stronger since I've last seen you." "Stronger?!" the class thought in shocked. The man gave a hearty laugh and playfully fluffed Heine's hair (much to Heine's annoyance). It was then his attention drew to the others standing nearby. "And who're they? They don't look like angels," he asked. "They're not: the queen is allowing them to visit from the human world. That and my student Edward Elric could use some assistance." "I can mend this myself, thank you!" Ed snapped. "You haven't touched the thing in over a week," Twilight commented. All of a sudden though, the man was towering over Ed. If he didn't feel small before, he surely felt microscopic now, making the normally hot-headed kid feel rather humble. Some of the other students backed up from the intimidating major. "Now you listen to me, Edward Elric," said the major. Edward gulped as he reached out for him. Nagisa was worried that this angel would try to hurt him, and was just about ready to go in, but instead he picked him up and tested his automail, feeling how limp it was in one hand while easily holding him up with the other like he was a feather. "Your automail appears to be broken. No, this won't do, not at all," he figured. He then gently placed Ed back down on the ground and then added "There's no time to waste, allow me to escort you for repairs." "Oh, hey major, what's up?" Ed asked meekly. "Eh, sorry about that, he's got a kind heart, but sometimes he can be a little overbearing," whispered the female lieutenant to Hinano. "That's a little?" Hinano questioned. Nagisa then remembered what Heine said earlier, and then walked over to him. "Uh, excuse me major," Nagisa said, though like Edward, he too got a little humbled when this major turned to him. Nagisa collected himself though, and presented his sliced Halo Blade to him. the major took one look and saw the situation off the bat. "Where on earth did you manage to get this?" he asked in surprise. "Eh, it's a long story. Do you think you can fix this?" Nagisa asked. However, rather than answer, the major started to think a little bit about the connection. "Wait a minute. ... That must mean ..." ....... "NAGISA SHIOTA! IT WAS YOU WHO STOPPED PLUTON'S ULTIMATE RAMPAGE! The great mind power you put forth to collaborate the great plan of attack, the bravery you all shown in confronting such high odds against the dragon-class monster, the sacrifice you made in the final blow to defeat Pluton, just to be sure your friends survived! COME NAGISA, LET ME WELCOME YOU PROPERLY IN THIS EMBRACE!" Not only did the dramatic manly speech catch them all off guard, but the major threw off his shirt again to show his muscular body as he moved in for the embrace! Freaking out, Nagisa bolted off behind the biggest person there, moving so fast he only left a dust cloud at the feet. He got praise for it already, even if he was convinced he shouldn't deserve as much credit, but this was more than enough for him to make. "Whoa, how'd you know that, muscle man?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Pluton's defeat was a world-changing event. It's hard for it not to be notice, notably up here in the Overworld," Heine explained. It was then Heine turned to the major. "Now, how long will the repairs be, might I ask?" "This'll take no time at all. Come, Edward, the sooner we get you back into shape, the better," the major decided, practically dragging the humbled boy away along with taking the remains of Nagisa's Halo Blade. He'd go into a fit if he wasn't so humbled already by the major. His two lieutenants felt a little embarrassed, but they knew he meant well. "K, so that happened. Is he usually like this?" asked Nakamura. "Eh, yeah. He is," said the male lieutenant. "I like him," said Pinkie. Then again, she liked many people. Heine cleared his throat to get their attention. Once he did that, he went into his briefcase and pulled out a few papers for them. Rather unexpected. "Now while that is taking cared of, the rest of you are to take these. Since we have all day to do so, this shouldn't be an issue for many of you -" "Wait, a test? We're here to avoid work, not get it," Karma commented, just for Heine to give him the paper anyway, passing it along to the other students. Bringing them all here and suddenly dropping this on them was just uncalled for, but Heine knew what he was doing. "Your president Gakuho insisted it, if I'm to bring any of you here. Once we're done, then you all can explore Elysium to your leisure." "I'm fine with that," said Twilight. "Yeah, it'll be great! I can show you the best spots in Elysium when you've finished. You might even run into the queen herself while we're around," Aladdin said with a wink. Heine did say something about that, so they might as well roll with it by this point. It would beat a failing grade at the end of the day too, and none of them wanted that despite being E class, and if it meant seeing the queen eventually then fine. As the others went off on their way, Nagisa stepped over to Heine. "Thanks for bringing the tests, Heine. I'm glad you believed me," Nagisa said quietly. "I wouldn't think for a minute to leave any student behind," replied Heine. Another future vision advantage taken. ~~ Back down in the Human world, the others on E class had been and done with their tests for the day, and soon it was break time between classes. Without much of Team Harmony down on their level, Ciel mainly had to work out the details himself. He got done with the test moreover, but with the spare time he took the chance to see the principal, the only person he would guess be responsible for passing these out anyway. "Now then, he should be this way," Ciel thought, going through the halls around him. Taller students came and went around him, but Ciel didn't really care what kind of looks they gave him, even with his eyepatch on his face for all to see. Didn't help that Sebastian followed him either, but again, Ciel didn't care too much. Being the queen's guard dog made him above everyone here anyway, so what was the point in throwing a tiff over a few stares? "Shall I deal with them, my lord?" asked Sebastian. "Don't bother. Let's focus on the task at hand," Ciel instructed. Sebastian understood, but still kept an eye out just in case. It took them a little bit more, but eventually Ciel and Sebastian arrived to the main office, and Ciel did the honor and knocked a good knock, to make sure Gakuho heard them loud and clear. Sebastian and Ciel waited a minute until they heard a voice from the other side of the door. "Can I help you?" asked an assistant. "I'd like to speak with the principal, if you wouldn't mind," Ciel stated. It took a little bit, but eventually Ciel got the thumbs up, and soon he went on inside. Gakuho was at his desk looking over test papers when he came in, so it wasn't the bets time for any student to enter. Gakuho was going to protest until he saw who it actually was. "Ah. Ciel Phantomhive," Gakuho said, Ciel wasting no time in walking up to him and presenting his completed test. Gakuho felt rather flattered actually. "Giving me your test personally? Well, thank you -" "Why did you give these out?" Ciel suddenly questioned, rather coldly too. The flattered behavior was gone almost right away, the same serious expression back on Gakuho's face. "Excuse me?" "You knew the E class wasn't going to be here in order to take these. In fact, if I recall correctly, our teacher never even mentioned any test when he told us about what's to come," Ciel questioned, though he could probably guess as to why if given the time to look. Gakuho stayed quiet at first. "Would I really be so cruel to leave the 3-E class without notification? I told your teacher about it, but he instead insisted on this trip of his. It's his own fault. Anyway, it's a good thing you happened by, Phantomhive, for I wish to inform you of a transfer," Gakuho explained. Ciel examined his eyes closely, trying to read his mind in a way. Was he telling the truth or was he lying? Ciel would be able to figure it out with some sort of clue, but Gakuho didn't make that any easier with his calm, collected, and serious expression on his face. Not a hint of any lie or misguidance was evident on him by what Ciel could make out. Eventually Gakuho then got out a paper and showed it to Ciel, showing that he had been moved up a few. "Given your intellect, 3-E doesn't seem to suite someone such as yourself. So, in accordance to the test you gave me, I've decided to move you up a few classes. I imagine it would fit you a lot better, wouldn't you agree?" Gakuho asked. Ciel took one look at the paper, seeing he'd been moved up to 3-B, rather than 3-E. ... And he suddenly tore it up! "A fine gesture, but not efficient for me. I seen how they behaved, and admittedly it would prove to be more problematic for myself if I'm to be put in that class. Besides, a student can't be moved up that high after just one test, you understand." "E ... Efficient?" Gakuho couldn't believe his ears. Did this smart transfer student deny his system? He allowed him a chance to leave the worst class in school, and Ciel actually preferred 3-E over anything else! Apart of him felt enraged, but he easily kept that inside, even if Ciel could see it in his eyes a bit easier than before. for Ciel, it was more about the demonic involvement rather than his grading factor (he couldn't care less about school grades, being the queen's guard dog and all). Ciel stayed quiet, but eventually Ciel turned around and started walking away. However, as he went, a smirked showed on his face and he glanced back to him, his good eye visible just before leaving. ... "We'll see how well your plot works, won't we?" Gakuho didn't answer. ~~ It was about just an hour into their trip, and eventually they were all finished up with their own tests given to them, and as Heine had promised, he allowed them all to go around and explore the place so long as they return to him by the end of the day. with the freedom to roam, they basically went off in groups to check out the different places around Elysium, but even if they all could go basically wherever they wanted, they mainly kept together just in case there was some trouble and they needed the others. Heine may be the one bringing them here, but now it was Aladdin's turn to play smart and lead the group along. That, and Heine wasn't around anyway for the moment. "The angels all helped contribute to building and crafting the city to be the finest Overworld settlement there is. Hundreds of years ago this was barely anything more than just a small little town, until the queen of Elysium decided to work its way up, into what you all see today," Aladdin explained as they went along. The others looked around as he was talking, putting all of that in mind. It was nice to have a good tour of the place by their close friend. "So did you grow up here, Aladdin? You know a whole ton about this place," asked Nabiku. "Well, actually no, but Heine had me study on Elysium's history," Aladdin admitted, but he still knew the details like the back of his hand. As they went along, Twilight paused when she noticed one building in particular close by, something Nagisa and Hinano soon noticed as well. "So they do have a library. Hey, Aladdin, mind if we check that out?" asked Twilight. A bookworm by heart, she wasn't going to miss out on this kind of opportunity. Aladdin gave a nod to them, and soon, Twilight, and Nagisa, went off to check out the library. The others followed, though they chilled outside rather than in the library with them. The library's interior looked simply magnificent: a double-floored library with tons of books on many of the library's shelves, similar to what the Tokyo library was like in a way. Though, it was the potential of it that got Twilight and Nagisa interested. They were in the Overworld after all, and some knowledge about its history from here would be very useful. "Look at this place. Just imagine how much work was put into making all these books," Twilight said, almost dreamily. Nagisa took a bit to look around, working off his own memory and trying to think about it. Then something struck him. "Wait ... yes. Yes, Lugia showed me this place! This has got to be important," Nagisa thought in excitement. The vision he remembered was more outside rather than inside, but he made a good call in deciding to come in here rather than wait outside with the rest. He soon turned to Twilight with a new idea in his head. "Hey, let's see if we can find something useful against our demon problem while we're here. If there's anywhere that could help, it's here," Nagisa added in. Twilight couldn't agree more about that, and with Sombra giving them a break in the first place, they should take the moment and do the best with it. "Pardon me." AND they both stopped cold. Nagisa didn't predict that familiar voice coming out, especially in a place like this. Next thing they knew though, the librarian passed them by with a cart of books, ready to be put back on the shelves. On the surface it didn't sound too odd, but when Twilight, and Nagisa looked, it was who the librarian was that shocked them. The grey hair, toothy grin, and black mourner outfit made him far too distinctive to miss. "Undertaker?!" both kids gasped. And yes indeed it was, the same old Undertaker they had come across back in England. He didn't look as ominous as he was back in his coffin shop, but seeing someone like him in a place like this was more than surprising enough. Ciel would be surprised too if he were there. "Been a while, hasn't it?" Undertaker said with a few of his signature giggles. "Wait, but why're you here? how're you here?" Nagisa asked. Undertaker chuckled again. He got the idea; a reaper involved with death in such a holy place like this. "Death is not one-sided, my friend. We reapers are allowed in the Overworld as well as the Underworld. Besides that, I have a part-time job as the Elysium librarian. quite a page turner, these books, wouldn't you agree?" Undertaker explained. not only was the Undertaker a reaper apparently, but his disturbing nature had not gone away. Still, the facts there made enough sense for it to be passable for both kids. "Eh, yeah. Hey, Undertaker, you wouldn't happen to know where anything involving the Underworld up here, is there?" Twilight asked. The Undertaker got a few books on the shelf before turning back to them again. "I might have.~" "Oh no. ..." both thought thought, but instead the Undertaker laughed. "I'm only joking, my laughing toll is only for my Underworld job. There's a section of books concerning the Underworld on the second floor, the fifth row to your left," Undertaker said, pointing them to the second floor. Twilight and Nagisa gave a sigh of relief on that answer (they didn't plan a laughing gag anyway), so the two went straight to where he instructed. Sure enough, they soon found the section concerning the Underworld, just what they were hoping for. Many of these books were indeed page turners: some talking about rankings while others talking in Underworld history. A bit ironic that the Overworld would have this, but this library was also ran by an Undertaker, so each to its own really. "So, where do we start? There's a lot here," Twilight asked. "Hang on, maybe we don't have to go through them all," Nagisa said, looking through the books as best he could do. He was trying to get a particular bit of information out of this section, though while many of these do have plenty of information Nagisa was trying to get a particular idea. Eventually, one book did catch his eye: a book of entities. "Perfect!" Nagisa was quick to pull the book out of the shelf. The book felt a bit heavy, and was pretty big so there should be plenty of tips and tricks on how one should handle specific demons. They've been doing good so far, but they need to be better prepared for what specific kinds of demons would be coming their way. With Pluton destroying so much, they had to avoid that in case another demon decided to cause more trouble. Twilight and Nagisa sat down and started going through the book on the different demon types: Succubi, hellhounds, and plenty others placed in ranks and what they could do. Eventually while looking, there was one particular demon type that both caught. An Umbrum. "An Umbrum: a species of shadow demon. High magical power, demon-class threat level though some had known to exceed to dragon-level threat. Little is known about these demons, as they're a rare species. B class holy items and higher are the only weapons suited against an Umbrum. "That does sound like it would fit Sombra," Nagisa said. Twilight agreed and continued looking, but that was about as much as they got. If Sombra was indeed an Umbrum, then they're going to have to work out what'll be considered a B class + weapon. "A shadow demon, huh? ..." *thump* Nagisa looked off and peeked past the shelves. It wasn't anything too special, just some accessory that got itself dislodged from the shelf wall. He and Twilight looked over as the Undertaker took the time to go up and place it back on its hanging, back on display. The object looked like a shield, and this shield seemed to have a symbol engraved on it, one of which the colors looked eerily familiar. Nagisa went on over towards Undertaker and looking at the shield. "Ah, Nagisa. Finding everything you need?" Undertaker asked, but Nagisa was more interested in the shield more than anything. "Yeah, but ... can you tell me about that symbol there?" Nagisa asked, pointing to the symbol on the shield. Undertaker took a look at the shield. "Oh, that would be the Lugia dragon," Undertaker simply said. Nagisa knew that name all too well along with Twilight, though he decided to humor the Undertaker a little bit. "Lugia? What's that?" "Your friends didn't tell you yet? My goodness, they've been getting a bit behind. Lugia was one of the grand rulers of the Overworld. However, one day he disappeared from the Overworld, and practically all of the angels though him dead. ... Though, I'm not to say much, but tempted to say this: he's never appeared in any of my records.~" with a little giggle, Undertaker went off back to his work, leaving Nagisa to look to the shield with that information. Lugia had came to him time to time, but he had never said anything about him being an Overworld ruler. ... ~~ Meanwhile, off in another part of Elysium, Edward, Alphonse, the Major had finally reached their little business spot to handle Ed's broken automail. With so many of the Victorian-ex buildings, the place they stopped at was pretty mundane, single-floored and with a basic sign hung up above the door. This building actually was its own floating island, connected to it by a small bridge. Not too bad really, but what was he supposed to expect in a flying city like this? The major brought them right to the door. The Major got the door, showing Ed and Al inside. It actually wasn't too bad, but nothing too crazy inside: looking like a garage more than anything. A number of tools were up on the wall, though many of these didn't look too much like regular human tools. A wall-long seating over by the door, looking like seats in a train station, gave them both somewhere to wait. "Looks like a regular garage," said Al. "You two have a seat, and I'll go and get the mechanic. She'll make your automail the best it can be!" The Major stated strongly. "Oh, uh well thank you, Major," Alphonse said. "Of course! With how much you've accomplished down on earth, you and your friends DISERVE THE UPMOST RESPECT!" the Major stated, suddenly shirtless and flexing again. That made Ed cringe a little, as the Major went off to the back to fetch their mechanic. "... Is that gonna be a regular thing with him?" Ed asked. "Maybe? But hey, if it means getting your automail fixed, then it'll be great," Alphonse said. "Eh true. ... Wait a minute. did he say she'll make my automail the best?" Ed wondered. Suddenly both brothers had a rather similar, and disturbing thought of the Major with an equally manly 'women' standing next to him. As if one Major wasn't enough man, the idea that two of them would end up in the same room will be more than overwhelming for them, making them shutter and tremble. "I don't think I'm ready," Al trembled. "Me too," Ed added in. "Winry, you in there?! This is the major! You got two new customers wanting to see you!" "Thanks, dad, I'm going." "DAD?!" They both thought. That only confirmed in their minds the horror they're gonna meet. Edward gulped, and they both began to hear the footsteps echoing from the other room heading to the main garage. When the door opened up, the Major walked out with the mechanic, both Ed and Al expecting another towering being of muscle to walk out. Who they actually saw though ... well, they were still as surprised seeing her in real life over the fantasy idea. The girl looked to be in her teens for a start, probably in Nagisa's age range by the looks of it, and she looked damn beautiful! She had blue pure eyes, and long blonde hair that's lighter than Ed's hair. She had on a mechanic's garb, and donning a beige worker's jumpsuit with the top half open, and tied around her waist to reveal her black tube top, and her belly button. Ed and Al ... needed a minute to process. "Oh," they both simply said. "Morning, how can I help you?" she asked. "Wait. ... Dad. There," Ed said, pointing to the major in utter shock. "Eh, yeah? Is that a problem?" she asked, feeling a little less cheerful. Al didn't want to get into a fight right away, so he got Ed reminded of his automail arm. "Eh, nevermind, listen. Your 'dad' told us that you can mend this thing for me?" Ed asked, rolling up his sleeve to present his automail arm to her. The moment she saw that automail arm made her eyes sparkle in amazement, suddenly grabbing his arm and pulling it to her for closer examination. "Amazing! All those gears, those wires, the mechanical power of it all! This has to be an Amestris brand, it's been so long since I got a chance to study these," she beamed. The Major chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm, but Ed wasn't enjoying his arm being pulled around like this. "Yeah, it is fancy, can you fix it?" Ed asked again. "Oh, yes, of course I can! So what's the problem with it? It doesn't look too damaged," she asked. "We're not sure. We got in a fight a week ago, and it just popped loose or something," Alphonse admitted, as Winry continued to study the thing carefully. "Sounds like a few wires just got loose. And the metal looks out of date too, and ... boy, how long has it been since you had this mended?" Winry questioned. "Hey, I'm a soldier, I hardly had time to check it," Ed snapped. "Glad you're having fun, Winry, you go at it," the Major said, as he took his leave. Winry nodded, and the Major left her to her leisure. Almost on the spot, Winry got out a screwdriver and immediately started to crack open Ed's arm to see the workings inside, much to his surprise. "Whoa, slow your role, you!" Ed demanded, but Winry didn't reply and gave his arm a good look over on the inside with deep admiration. "Not everyday you find Automail like this. But yeah, just leave it up to me and I'll fix it up in no time. There's just so many gears and wires in here," Winry said, fonding over the last part. First good news Ed heard since getting there. "You sure are a big fan of mechanics, huh?" asked Alphonse. "IT'S JUST SO LOVELY! The smell of oil, the hum of the ball bearings! The rugged yet amazingly beautiful form created through anatomical engineering! OH how wonderful you are, grand Automail!~" ....... "Crazy gearhead," commented Ed. "I see the family resemblance now," added Al. ~~ "What is this creature?" Hinano asked in amazement. After some exploration, Aladdin got a number of the students over to Elysium's more opened areas, and they soon were taking in sights of the local fauna during their lunch. The area here was wide open with a number of resting spots for the local birds to rest where they need to. It wasn't apart of the tour exactly, but the opened area on the beaten path still showed some of the birds. These birds were the ones Nagisa saw in Synapse, and Hinano and Nabiku couldn't help but admire the beautiful creatures. "That's an altaria. They're a pretty common bird to be found flying around here," Aladdin explained. "An altaria? But I never heard of such a thing in any of the books I've read, is it a new species?" "Well no, they just don't come down to the Human world that's all," Aladdin shrugged. To him, an altaria was a common enough sight as a Pidgy would be down on ground level. "They're so adorable," Nabiku said, actually cuddling the bird. The altaria, not scared of something like Nabiku, happily cooed and cuddled against her. The others watching nearby smiled, though Nagisa and Twilight had their minds wrapped around their own thing with what books they were given from Undertaker's library, the main one being the demon guide they picked up. A pretty good source of information right at their fingertips, and Nagisa and Twilight were both taking in whatever they could get with this book. Pinkie took a peek over their shoulders and saw the book in question they were reading. "OOOO, you got a meanie book. What nasty things did you two find out in it?" Pinkie asked. "It's demons, Pinkie," Twilight corrected. "That's what I said," Pinkie said. She might as well stop trying at this point, trying to figure her out anyway. Nagisa then brought the book over to the pink girl, letting her look through the pages with lightning speed. "We thought it'd be a good idea to get ourselves more acquainted with these demons if they're gonna keep coming at us," Nagisa said, letting Pinkie go through many of the documentaries and details of Underworld beings. "We got a plus! Hey guys, check this out," Pinkie said, bringing it over to the others in their group to check out. Twilight was about to go over to the others too, but with a moment by themselves, Nagisa actually got up and got Twilight's attention with a tap on her shoulder. He didn't say much of anything but a simple gesture for her to follow was just enough to get her to follow him. The two got about twenty feet away, not too far from the group but just out of earshot. "Ok, this has to be important, so what is it?" Twilight asked. Nagisa took a breath before talking. "Twilight. Now, I've had this brainstorm ever since we left the library. Something big to do that can not only help us, but the Overworld too, but I can't do it alone," Nagisa began. With what they've done so far, this had to be something big as Twilight figured, so she gave him her full attention. "Nagisa, you know I'm here for you, me and the rest of us. Now what's the brainstorm?" Twilight asked. "In a nutshell?" Nagisa asked. Twilight nodded to reassure Nagisa, and Nagisa took to her with determination in his eyes. He worked out his reasoning for his plan, and with everyone together, it was now or never. "We're going to find Lugia." "What?" Twilight gasped. "Twilight, Undertaker told me more than enough of a reason to find him: he was once an Overworld ruler here, and many of the angels think he's dead now. If we can find him, maybe it can work better in the world's favor. Besides, I think he might be having trouble himself," Nagisa said. Twilight thought about it and she knew he was right. Twilight and Nagisa were the only ones who met Lugia directly so far, and they both knew that his future Vision had helped them out a bit already. "How do you mean?" "I didn't bother with it much at first, but when I first met him, he mentioned contacting just one of us is the 'safest' way. not the easiest, but safest. With demons now given the greenlight thanks to Pluton, and how much demonic activity had happened beforehand, that means ..." "Something's keeping him back! Now that you say that, he sounded guilty when he talked to me too before he showed me my future Vision," Twilight concluded. "Exactly. Look, you and I both had met him so far, no one else knows yet, but before we can tell the rest, we have to figure out where he might be first. At least then we can head right off on our way the moment we find him," Nagisa concluded. "That and it'll keep Lugia safer until then too. Yeah, let's do it," Twilight said, both shaking hands to make it official. ~~ For the rest of the day, everything seemed to go on pretty smoothly: the tour was done, everyone was enjoying it, and even Ed got his arm mended up after just an hour of work thanks to Winry. It's all good. With the field trip all finished, Heine got back to the others and pretty soon, they were right off back home to Tokyo in no time at all. A simple ride in the carriage was as good as it could be. For some overall benefit, and since everyone already saw the bird, he actually went and landed over by the main building instead of the E building, parking behind the building itself to keep it secure. The students started to head off on their way, and after some thanks, it was soon just Heine by his lonesome. He called the bird away and that was soon gone as well. ... "You came back, Heine. I see your "field trip" went fairly well." That was until Gakuho came back out. Something Heine Wittgenstein had come to expect honestly, turning around with his items in hand. Gakuho didn't see the carriage, so he was blind to what really happened. "With all due respect, Wittgenstein, while you have had some fun on your ride out, I'm afraid your little antics had cost you. You see, students need to stay in working order, and in your trip you neglected to take account of your students' -" "Here you go," Heine grumbled, pushing the stack of completed papers into his chest. Gakuho paused and looked over the papers, just to find them all being the completed tests! Gakuho looked over each and every single one with a pause for thought, seeing each and every student who went off on the trip not only completing the test, but completing it with fairly decent results. There was only one thought that went through his mind, as the principal gritted his teeth. "Damnit. Lost again." ~~ "There she is." In another part of Tokyo, the revenge-hungry Envy, armed with a small camera, had put his own work into action against his target Emi Isuzu. He'd been scheming for some proper revenge against the girl for sometime, and it took him more than long enough to finally relocate Emi Isuzu at the right time. At the point in question, he found Emi Isuzu leaving the shopping district after some shopping, though Emi appeared to be a little on edge lately herself. She may not be as deep into revenge as Envy, but she still didn't take kindly to him pulling out a chunk of her hair - something she was keeping an eye out for. At least that was Envy's presumed conclusion. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. All by her lonesome, distracted, this'll be a synch," Envy thought. Homunculus or Human, some things just don't go away, and Envy's desire to get even was surly one of them, especially if it was as easy as this. Emi started checking out her stuff and heading off into her apartment. As with many of the bigger-class teens, Emi had an basic suburban home a bit a ways from the main city, and Envy had been keeping that in track for a good while. How was he supposed to get proper revenge without knowing a thing or two about his target? When Emi entered, envy got out and started to sneak around to the side of Emi's house, keeping just out of sight from the house windows just in case Emi was anywhere in sight. Without his usual hiding tricks and transformations, this was a little more difficult to do. Envy peeked inside and just saw Emi going off upstairs to her room. Luckily for him, she didn't see him, making his luck all the better. "Ok, upstairs. Now, where, where ... aha!" Emi had a border fence lining her house, and seeing that compared to the second floor window, it made the perfect little platform. Envy climbed up on the top of the fence, balancing as best he could, and focused to the sill of the second window. If he could just get a peek inside, then maybe he could find out something to use. A little thing called "rumor" can wreck anyone, and if this kid could find something juicy, then it'll work out. Like a cat, Envy positioned himself for the jump, and in one leap he actually got a grip on it. Keeping the grip though was not as easy. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," envy thought, his legs flailing to keep himself there, until he found a foothold on the wall. He just managed to pull himself up just enough to keep from falling, and to take a peek inside. Jackpot for him: this room was none other than Emi's bedroom! Perfect! "SWEET! Now what do we got in here?" Envy thought in excitement. ... There he saw someone inside. He wanted Emi Isuzu to be in there, but this person couldn't be her. Same hair? Yes. Same skin? Yes. Clothes? Well, in a bath robe by the looks of it. Same body? NOT BY A MILE. Just earlier, Envy saw Emi with a toned body, curves in all the right places and a regular model body over all: big breasts with a slim stomach, and such. While the big boobs still applied on this girl, she was far from anything slim. She looked simply HUGE: easily two hundred pounds plus with such a large, fat body! Apparently the stuff brought home turned out to be food, and this women was already eating up her fair share of snacks, Envy watching it all from the perch, the women not noticing him at all. Envy wasn't sure if this was the same girl, but if it was, she REALLY let herself go. Emi looked pretty content in there, thinking she was all by herself, and enjoying the sweets at her own leisure. "This is the life," she sighed happily. God, even the voice matched Emi Isuzu! It took this girl a good half an hour until the snacks were all finished up. Envy kept as quiet as a mouse, as the big girl managed to get up to her feet, her huge body bouncing and jiggling about when she did so. she gave a stretch, now full and content from her meal, and took an extra look around. Emi didn't see Envy looking in still, and Envy actually got himself ready with the camera. This was MORE than perfect! *snap* "What the?" Emi froze when she heard the noise, and her eyes shot over to the window. Right in front of him again, Emi's body suddenly morphed and changed back into her thin body and she went to the window, only to find Envy with a toothy grin and the camera in hand. "Gotcha bitch." "GIVE ME THAT!" Emi demanded, but Envy wasn't gonna give her the chance, dropping off the sill with said camera and bolting for it. Oh, the fun he was going to have with this.
S04Ep5: Fuhrer's Rise ~フーラーの上昇~In the clear cold afternoon, the government over at Japan's highest building had been under a bit of tense stress as of late. Ever since they got word about Pluton, it had gone pretty high up in security. The world around may be a bit fine overall, but Seitenshi had to really buckle down and try to figure out what to do. This protection operation they've been going through had been alright, but if demons like Pluton are going to keep reappearing, then Seitenshi had to get some stronger ideas going in terms of protection. Without any word of any angel yet, they were on their own with what they had. And what they had, so it seemed, wasn't enough in the case of Pluton. In the training grounds, Seitenshi and visiting England princess Victoria took the time to observe the training going on in the main yard. From what they could see, it appeared to be going fairly well with both close combat, and far-distance target practice. In fact, both Seitenshi and Victoria took seats nearby to watch the show, Victoria insisting such. "You sure put your pawns to quite some work," Victoria commented as she observed. "They're just training, Victoria. But yeah, they need to be ready for whenever another demon attack would come again," Seitenshi said. However, Victoria found it a bit more amusing than concerning. "Getting a bit paranoid, are we?" "You heard what that monster did at Central Amestris, who knows when such a beast would try and attack again? This is nothing to sneeze at, Victoria," Seitenshi made clear. Victoria looked humbled slightly. "Dearie me, did I hit a nerve? What happened to that cheerful, easy-going girl I've got to know?" Victoria asked. Seitenshi just sighed. "Victoria, I just don't want a bigger loss to happen, that's all. Hundreds were either killed or gone missing, if something like that appears here ..." Seitenshi couldn't even bring herself to actually say it, or even think about it for very long. The only physical stress she had on her was her hands curling up, tugging her dress slightly. Victoria just smiled. "You don't have to worry about anything, Seitenshi. Team Harmony has it all handled, I'm sure." "One group of teenagers isn't going to stop every attack." "They killed it, didn't they? And they saved you back at the Royal Ball," Victoria reminded. Like Seitenshi needed anymore reminders about that particular party. "You're such a poor planner," Seitenshi commented. "And you're quite a worrywart," Victoria said, suddenly having one of her flowers in her hand. Seitenshi quickly grabbed it and put it back on her hat. Seitenshi flustered and Victoria just giggled at Seitenshi's serious attitude. "Can you blame me if I'm a little on edge about what they might try next?" Seitenshi remarked. "Probably. ... That's why I asked him to come by. He'll sort this out." "Him? Him who?" Seitenshi asked firmly. "Keep your shirt on, you'll know when he gets here. I had him check on the Elrics first, and I know they'll be more than eager to see him." Victoria could only imagine the kind of reaction they'll have when he does meet up with them. ~~ Back at the 3-E building, and with Heine coming by for a little visit, things appeared to be going along as normal. With Edward's automail arm now mended, training with him could now commence again, and boy did Ed feel more empowered since his amends. It was training with Twilight this time, and both kids surely showed how much both sides improved in their craft. For Twilight, her alchemy of purple magical diamond energy shined brighter against Ed's fullmetal alchemy. What began as a simple light for a candle now she could actually use as a projectile in some small beams of magic. A decent move, but a big upgrade nonetheless. While Twilight may be doing good, it was Ed who was fonding over his own enhancements. "Wow, it's so light! Incredible, amazing, it's like they're not even there!" Edward beamed, zooming around back and forth while avoiding some of Twilight's alchemic beams. "I gotta say, whatever Winry did to your automail works wonders. Don't think I've seen you move this fast before," Twilight stated, dodging a few more of Ed's punches. Only in this group can a simple conversation be played out during heated practice. And it wasn't just Ed's arm that was mended up; Winry ended up advancing Ed's leg too, and both arm and leg were now strong and light as feathers. Twilight and Edward continued training a bit more, each side showing how much better they've gotten as the rest watched on. "Damn, look at her go. That girl's got some upgrades," said Blair. "All that practicing's paying off," Ciel remarked. And clearly it was; Twilight decided to up her game and try out something a little more challenging. Focusing as much as she could, she aimed her hands forward, and clapped them together, purple aura forming in her hands. Edward, still psyched with himself, charged forward strong, but suddenly he felt the ground under him change and lift him upward. Next thing he knew, a force field gripped his good leg and lifted him upside down! "HEY! Put me down!" Ed demanded, his arms and free leg flailing to get loose. However, his weight along with the flailing made her release him, Ed falling on his head. It'll be a while yet before Twilight could get that off the ground (literally and metaphorically) The bump was a bit minor, but he didn't get too bothered by it. "WOO! Look at you, Yugure," Karma smirked. "Yeah, congratulations!" Al said. "A rather interesting display of Alchemy by both of you. It seems Winry's work paid off for you especially, Elric," Heine noted. Edward continued fonding over his new automail. "This new Elysium automail is magnificent!" Edward said, doing a few kicks and punches with his automail arm and leg. It surely did feel very good on him compared to his old automail enhancements. It could be said this was as good as things would be. Once both of them were finished up, both kids went off and took a break by the others, Twilight having a seat over by Nagisa. "Great job out there. Guess all that training's doing wonders for you too," Nagisa congratulated. "Thanks. To be honest, it's about time I actually got a decent grip on my alchemy. All that extra training with Aladdin was just what I needed." "Yeah. Hey, by the way, anyone seen him? He told me he was gonna be out today," Nagisa asked. Heine took the privilege of answering him there. "I had him searching for his Djinn, actually. I gave him the assignment yesterday, not long after we got back. It would seem he's been focused on it," Heine explained. "I still find tit ludicrous that he'd forget about something like that. Honestly, he barely made an effort about this task of his when he was with us," Ciel noted. "Don't be so mean, he's just a kid. All of our stuff must've side-tracked him, that's all," Alphonse said, but Ciel just brushed it off. "Correct. Perhaps he'll be more focused now that he has the main goal in sight," Heine agreed. "GUYS! HEY!" Spoke too soon. Looking up in the sky, they both soon spotted Aladdin on his flying carpet. The magi flew in so quickly, he didn't have much time to land, and he ended up tumbling off of his carpet, and landing on Alphonse like one would hit a wall. Not the most comfortable ride, but still a landing. He also looked a little frantic himself. "Aladdin, there you are. Good timing, we were just wondering where you were," said Ciel. "Landing needs some work," Heine added in. Aladdin fell off of Alphonse, dazed, but he felt worse before. He sat back up quick and shook off the hit before looking to the others, seemingly looking urgent. "Nevermind my landing, Al you're here, but Ed, where's Ed?!" Aladdin asked, frantic and not seeing him just yet. "Right here, Aladdin," Edward said, walking out from aside Alphonse. Aladdin hopped up to his feet. "What's up with you? You're not the type to go in a panic," Karma questioned. "B-But there's something BIG, HUGE! Ed, Al, it's -" "It's good to see you again. Hope I'm not interrupting anything." It seemed that everything stopped when they saw who the voice belonged to. The figure took a walk out from the 3-E building, cutting through the actual building rather than walk around. In his hand looked like some sort of basket, a melon inside it. Not really much, but it still a nice gesture. ... If any of them weren't so shocked about the person, they'd thank him for that. Almost immediately, Ed and Al were on their feet and saluting to the new coming person. "F-Fuhrer Bradley!!" "Calm down, gentlemen. This is just an informal visit," insisted Bradley, a smile on his face and his hand raised. Fuhrer. King. Bradly. The idea he was still alive was good enough of a shock, and seeing him arrive to their corner of the world after everything built up on it more than most. Even the usually calm characters of this group (Ciel Phantomhive, and Karma Akabane respectively) had some level of shock in them seeing Bradley just show up like this. Bradley took a look to Ed, who looked slightly bruised up with the training. "Looks like you're injured. Here, I know it's not much but I thought it might cheer you up," said Bradley, giving Ed the melon basket. "I guess ... AH - THANK YOU SIR!" Ed corrected. The only one out of the know here was Heine. "Uh, if any of you wouldn't mind ..." "Oh, right. During the Pluton attack, King Bradley and Salim had gone missing for weeks, longer than Nagisa in fact. The Amestris army's been trying so long to find them," Twilight quietly explained. Heine took another look towards Bradley as she was explaining, and then nodded his head. "So, king, you've been gone for a while. You mind filling us in, that'd be swell," said Karma with a grin. "Salim and I had been gone, yes. During the attack by that beast, Salim and I got caught up. One thing lead to another, and we ended up miles outside my own capitol. It's was grateful he and I survived, of course. Oh, and by the way, may I take this moment to congratulate you all on your assault against that beast." "Pardon? You knew about that?" Ciel questioned. "Something like that gets around far faster than you think, my boy," Bradley said. "And what about Salim?" asked Blair. "Yeah, where is he anyway?" Nagisa added. "No need to worry about him: with some help from Victoria, I got him back home safe and sound." "Home, oh yeah, your wife! Last time we saw her she was crying her eyes out!" Blair said, remembering. "And when I saw her, she never looked so happy in her life. Such a sweet smiling face. You know, it does make you appreciate what you have, doesn't it? You never know when you're either going to leave one place in what way, or what chances you might miss," Bradley noted, referring to his wife in particular. He hadn't seen his wife for a long time, and seeing her so happy when seeing her again just made him feel good inside. "I agree: One must consider all options when the opportunity does arise to be truly successful." Heine agreed. However, it did get Nagisa some time to think about what he just said. "What chances you might miss. ..." he thought. "Fuhrer Bradley! Where're you?!" "Well, time to go. Damn bodyguard thinks he's my shadow," Bradley sighed, starting to walk away from the crowd. All of the others watched him go off on his way, thinking about what he said. "I broke away to get a few minutes of privacy. ... Well, farewell for now." and with that, King Bradley then started walking back and leaving the entire group quiet. ... AND only then did a pink-haired girl finally come back out to join the others. "I'm back! I got all the best snacks in town for - ... what's going on?" "Oh nothing. Just a tornado passing by," Ed managed to say, feeling completely lost still. "WHA?! OH NO, SOMETHING EXTREMELY PLOT-RELATED HAPPENED AND I MISSED IT! I gotta step up my game to keep up with everything!" Pinkie said, freaked out that she missed something so important. "Don't worry, Pinkie, we'll catch you up later," said Alphonse. Nearby, some of the others were still thinking a little bit about Bradley's comment before, and they took a look over towards Twilight for just a little moment. ... "... What chances you might miss, huh?" ~~ It took him a while longer to actually get there, but eventually king Bradley had finally arrived over at the capitol of Japan, where Seitenshi and Victoria would be. Since his meeting with Ed and Al were done, as Victoria had wanted, Bradley had no further distractions for the moment in going from there to the base. At the moment of his arrival, Victoria and Seitenshi were waiting over at the front to see him, Victoria glad to see him, but Seitenshi feeling more than surprised seeing the currently thought deceased king arriving at their doorstep. "Hello, Bradley. Keeping well, I hope," Victoria asked with a grin. "Well aside from disappearing for a while, I feel just fine. Me and Salim. And you two?" asked Bradley. "I'm fairing, but can't say the same for Seitenshi. She's been such a worrywart about the little demon attack on Central." "Victoria, please," Seitenshi warned. She didn't need Victoria to make her sound so unprofessional, especially in front of the king of Amestris. "Sounds like a poor leader to me," Bradley said sternly. His behavior to her made Seitenshi feel a little uncomfortable. ... Just for Bradley to laugh. "I'm only kidding! There's no need for you to be so uptight," Bradley reassured them, a shoulder on Seitenshi's shoulder. Seitenshi tried to keep her pride together and clear her throat. "Mended. Yes, thank you," Seitenshi simply said. "It's been such a long time Bradley. Why don't you show us some of your skills?" "Now, now, there's no need for that," Bradley insisted, but cheek Victoria thought otherwise. "What's this? Has the great, ultimate Fuhrer King Bradley started to get sloppy on us? Oh dear, now that is a problem, we might have to look for a new Fuhrer. Of course I could be mistaken, but what am I to know after such a long time without a presentation?" ....... Next thing he knew, he was out in the training field, his outfit consisting only his white undershirt and pants, the usual formal attire of the Fuhrer removed off of him so he wouldn't be held back, and in each hand there was a sword at the ready to fight. Victoria and Seitenshi were off aside and watching the show, Seitenshi feeling troubled about it. Basically Victoria mocked Bradley into doing this, so that wasn't something that sat with her well. Bradley could see Seitenshi sulking in embarrassment as Victoria gleefully waited for him to begin. "Kids," he simply thought with a groan. He took a look at what situation they had in mind before him: several gunmen, all armed up to the teeth and aiming at Bradley. Bradley could sense that, without a doubt, that those men were wary of him. Not because of how strong he was, but the fact they're ordered to attack the king that had been missing for weeks on end. Any huge hit on him and it would be on their heads. Bradley wasn't really worried about them though, nor about the odds stacked against him. "You may fire when ready gentlemen," called Victoria. The other guards felt uneasy aiming their weapons at Bradley, but suddenly Bradley started running at them. Freaked out, one of them actually opened fire and shot at him! several bullets shot right at him, but king Bradley was not only unfazed, but he actually reflected them off and away with a few steady movements of his blades, not a single one missed. for a man with only one eye, accuracy was the ultimate advantage for him against his foes. When king Bradley got close, he blades got to work and he began to slice and dice the men, each cut inches from their faces and leaving them stunned. It only took him just a singular minute to finish up his assault, and one finished he kneeled down in a sort of actor's bow, swords moving with his arms, just before all the guns suddenly split apart into diced up metal! The biggest injury he left on any of them was a tiny cut on the end of three soldiers' fingers. This man didn't lose his skill, and wasn't going to anytime soon. Both Victoria and Seitenshi gave him some applause. "There you go, I'm sure that's enough to convince you," Bradley said, putting his swords away as Victoria and Seitenshi walked over to him. "Now that is especially impressive. I'm more than convinced now, Fuhrer Bradley," Victoria said with a smile, even giving a little bow. ... "You and me both." Karma?! Seeing Karma Akabane suddenly show up and nonchalantly walk over to them, hands behind his head no less, surely showed his boldness on the situation. Just as well, he brought his Miracle Sword with him, which he casually held behind his back, not trying to hide it. "What're you doing here, this is government property," Seitenshi asked sternly. All Karma did was point a thumb behind him, and they all saw Korosensei standing not too far away, dressed up as an army officer. Not the best reason ever. "He's government property, and he let me in here. Anyway, Fuhrer, I've been thinking about what you said. something about taking chances when they come, right?" Karma began, getting Bradley's attention. After that first sentence, Karma presented the sword to him, it gleaning in the winter sun. "Well, I may be badass with this sword, but I think it's time to be a little more professional. In short -" Karma then aimed his sword directly at Bradley with a smirk on his face and finishing with "Make me your student, chief." "Hmm ... well, I am getting a bit busy to taking on students like this," said Bradley. Luckily Karma planned for this. "Really? Wow, just one kid learning a few skills is too much for you? Damn, and here I thought the king -" Seitenshi quickly went over to him and gave a quick slap to the face. It was rough enough with Victoria, she didn't need more of it from Karma. "Knock it off! He already got enough trouble from Victoria, he doesn't need it from you," Seitenshi stated. Karma paused for a moment, hand where she slapped him, and both he and Victoria looked to eachother, Karma putting two and two together. ....... "I'm liking you more and more," Karma said smirking, thumbs up. "Likewise," Victoria said with a smile. "Not helping," Seitenshi said. However, Bradley took it to consideration a bit more and eventually he walked up to Karma, swords drawn out and at the ready. All of a sudden, he rushed past Seitenshi and Victoria, and Karma was suddenly eye to eye with the end of his sword! The move was extremely fast, but not intended to kill him, even if it was a literal inch away from skewering his skull. Karma took a slight step back, but he didn't rush off much to Bradley's glee. "You got nerves of steel, young man. ... I'll be staying here for a little while, so alright. I can give you some pointers, but when I have to go back then that'll be it," Bradley decided. Karma felt a little disappointed, but with who he was talking to, that was all he was going to get from him. "Oh, the others are gonna flip when they hear this," Karma thought. ~~ Off in another part of Tokyo, another group was off and out doing their own thing. Team Harmony may be busy with their own agenda, but Terasaka and his group were off and chilling out at "Matsuraiken" ramen shop: Terasaka, Yoshida, Kirara, and Envy being some customers with Takuya being the one cooking up their ramen. Envy may have had Hinano and Nabiku, but in this gang was when he could feel more like his old self, despite limitations. Envy hadn't exactly tried the ramen from the human world yet, so he took it with a grain of salt really. "So what do you think? Gross, right? I keep telling my old man, but he wouldn't change the recipe," Takuya said, as Envy was trying it out. "Pretty stale if you ask me. Ramen usually this bland here?" Envy admitted. It wasn't exactly an awful thing, but he didn't fancy it too well. "Don't tell me you've never had Ramen before," Yoshida said. "Of course I've had Ramen before, the chefs down there just use different recipes that's all. Besides, you don't need to eat as a Homunculus, so I only ate out of leisure," Envy said, taking another taste of the Ramen in the bowl. Kirara smirked as she was reading one of her books. "Let me guess: human flambé with a side of blood tea, right?" Kirara asked. "That and probably some soul cake for a dessert," Envy added. It did sound chilling to some of the group, but Kirara, being used to the idea, was a bit more enthused if anything. Why wouldn't Demons eat humans anyway, there's enough stories about them doing so. "Hey, let's hit up my place next," said Yoshida. "What I got is the bomb, totally modern. This fossil ain't even remotely in the same league." "Dude!" snapped Takuya. "Eh, sure, but there's one thing I wanna do first," Envy said, hopping down from the chair and starting to head to the door. The gang wasn't entirely sure what, as envy kept this as his little surprise. Envy took a step outside and then he brought his hand up, finger placed in his mouth followed by a good whistle. The gang looked on outside for a moment or two until someone else then went right up to him, even bowing quickly. She looked fairly normal (you know, if they were back in London): a long dress down to her feet, regular dull lavender color, hair draped down and yellow in color, and by the appearance she looked pretty withdrawn. "Who's the chick?" asked Terasaka. Envy, with a cocky grin on his face went on to lean against her, elbow on her shoulder. "Korosensei felt a little sad for me so he decided to upend my keep and give me my own maid. Sweet, huh?" Envy asked. The maid kept a good smile, but inside she was fuming. ... "Your own maid? Damn, you're getting lucky," Takuya commented. "Yeah dude. So, hey, how long have you known him for?" Kirara asked the maid. However, the maid didn't even bother with an answer. "Don't bother. Korosensei told me she's a mute," Envy said. "Damn. ..." "Hey, you think your maid could hitch along with us?" Yoshida asked. "Oh, sure, that's why she's here," Envy said. The gang started to go off on their way, but before Envy could follow, the maid brought her hand to his shoulder and gave him a very angry look. "You little son of a bitch. You're lucky I'm in this get-up otherwise I'd kill you!" "Aww, is Emi Isuzu a little pissed off?" Envy cooed. Shocking to believe, but yes Envy got Emi in this horrid get-up, and the gang was just far enough away to not hear them both. Emi was pissed off enough at Envy, but being stuck in this sort of get up as his maid just made her blood boil. "I'm gonna break your neck!" "Shut it you, be happy I'm letting you be in disguise. Besides -" he suddenly pulled out the picture from his shirt, the one he took of fat Emi back at her house. "- you're on a leash, bitch." Emi froze up and the horrid memory got back into her head. Angry, she tried getting it back, just for Envy to quickly yank it back and hide it back into his shirt. No way was he going to lose his only source of bait for this revenge game. With a few chuckles, Envy started strolling off to get to the rest of the gang. Emi could only follow while grumbling curses to herself. ....... "Pretty badass, huh?" Soon, they were off at Yoshida motors: owned by its namesake, and as the rest of the gang and the maiden watched, Yoshida and Envy were going around on a little joy ride in Yoshida's motorized sportbike around what seemed to be a single square track. To be honest, not too bad of a thing, and Yoshida drove pretty fairly despite the speed. "You do know he doesn't have a license right?" Kirara noted. "Relax, his folks own the track," Terasaka said, seeing Yoshida and Envy cut in close as they sped along. It was Envy's first time on a motorcycle, and seeing himself move so fast surely made him feel exhilarated. "Tell me this isn't the most awesome thing ever," said Yoshida as he went along. "Sure gets your human heart pumping," Envy said. "Oh yeah? Check out my break turn!" Yoshida added, turning the motorcycle to the side. Envy had to hold on tight this time, the wheels screeching like crazy and launching up snow in a wave as the bike skidded down the road. After a good ten feet, the motorbike finally stopped, Yoshida feeling pretty good about his driving. ... just to find Envy in a nearby bush. "Crap! Dude, what the hell was that for?! Help him out of there," Terasaka yelled, heading right over to him. "Come on, dude, he's not hurt that bad," Yoshida said, helping him out of the bush. Envy was dazed, and he got leaves stuck on his face and hair, but other than that he was alright. Envy had dealt with a lot worse before, so this was a walk in the park for him. Emi couldn't help but smirk devilishly at his little crash, Envy getting back up. "There, see? He's fine," Yoshida insisted. "Yeah, I've dealt with harder hits," Envy said. "That I can believe," said Kirara. After that, Envy went on over towards Emi and with a snap of his fingers, Emi (reluctantly of course), started to wipe off the leaves and dirt from his outfit. She could feel the picture inside his shirt, making her even more ticked off at the ammo he had for her. At this point, it was either envy revealing her to be a maid or a fat chick in secret. Both of them sound humiliating, and Envy knew it too. Emi wished she could tear him apart, but anything now and she'll be exposed for sure. The rest of the gang stuck around, Yoshida putting the motorbike away. Takuya casually took a glance up into the sky, pretty cloudy for the winter day. "Hope it warms up by new years," Takuya commented. "Yeah, it'll suck if it's still freezing by then. Who knows, it's still a month or so away," Kirara added, looking up to the sky herself. At first, the sky seemed fairly mundane, but as with anything going on lately, there was always that one other surprise. "Wait, what's that?" "What's what?" "Up and over there," Takuya said, pointing over to the object up in the sky so Kirara could see it. The object was small, going through the clouds, and seeing how fast it was going, having too much trouble getting itself handled. "Incoming!" Takuya called, he and Kirara turning and getting themselves in the garage where Yoshida put the motorbike. They got Envy and Terasaka by their arms and pulled them in just before the object made a crash-landing over right in the middle of the yard. Good thing Yoshida and Envy were finished doing their driving, otherwise they'd be in the firing line of whatever landed. When they all looked, someone new was standing in the middle of the field, snow scattered all over her shoes, and in more casual clothes over the school attire she was first spotted with: A blue hoodie with a white undershirt, bluish shorts with LONG blue leggings, black shoes and biker gloves. This figure seemed like a regular human, but another detail they all saw was her set of large, blue wings of a falcon spread out open and flapping a few times to get some snow off of her. Her hair was also brightly colored: red, yellow, blue, green, and purple all lined along her hair in a rainbow. These details would normally be unrecognizable, but the moment the gang saw her cerise eyes, it all came together. "Ok, let's make this quick," she told herself, looking around for a moment and not seeing anyone. She then started to use some of her own work on herself: she began to move her hands over her hair and bit by bit, her hair completely turned blue like before, and even sooner her wings retracted and disappeared into her shirt. That just made it even more obvious. "Hey, Niji!" Yoshida called out. Niji spun around fast, seeing the gang just a few feet away. "What the - how much did you see?" Niji immediately asked, as the gang came out. Envy and Emi stood further back. "Enough to see you transform. Looks like the government gave you some upgrades," Kirara noted, mainly referring to the wings and multi-colored hair. Guess they did see that after all, but lucky they brought up the government thing otherwise she'd be at a blank. "Oh, yeah, that. They're ... kind of ticked at me for beating up Tataoka, you know, so they uh ... kept me back," Niji admitted. The gang seemed to go with it, but Envy heard the words and he felt a little bit suspicious to her. As he was looking, Niji and Envy soon met eye to eye. "Who're you?" Niji asked. She did not recognize him from her last visit to Orora high, and Envy only remotely heard about Niji from the other students chatting about her. They neglected to mention the multi-colors or the wings though. "Me? Envy, 3-E student. You guys met before?" "Briefly, yeah. Pleased to meet ya," Niji said with a smile. However, her smile was short-lived and he soon saw Emi Isuzu in incognito mode. Envy stepped aside and Niji was suddenly up in the maid's face. Even if Niji was shorter than Emi, the advancement made Emi hunker down ever so slightly, Niji above her and staring her right in the eyes. "No, no, no, don't you dare! If I'm find out now ..." Emi thought in panic. Her reputation was on the line here, if Niji were to expose her right then and now, then her name would be severely tainted., if not ruined! A rumor about her being a maid to this little twat was not going to suit her at all! She'd talk, but Envy already locked her lips shut with the "mute" excuse. "Hmm ........ Have we met somewhere before?" All Emi could do was quickly shake her head in denial. She honestly didn't know Niji all too much aside from a one-sided glance, but other than that she was running a blank, but the situation just made Emi a bit more on edge. Niji stayed silent, her eyes narrowed as she stared right into Emi's own. ... "... Eh, ok, thought you looked familiar, sorry," Niji concluded. Emi felt a wave of relief pass through her. "So what happened, Niji? You said the government kept you back," Takuya asked. "Eh, yeah. But hey, I'm back now so mind catching me up?" Niji asked. "Oh, sure. Nabiku's been missing ya for months," Kirara said, as they all started to head off on their way with Niji. Emi needed a minute to regain herself, down on her knees and getting her breath. As she was doing that, Envy was still a little suspicious over Niji in the way she was talking, especially about this 'government' thing she kept blabbering on about. "No ... The government in the human world can't be that advanced, right? Maybe Heine or Korosensei could clear this up. ..." ~~ Later on that night, Nagisa and Aladdin were off and back in the apartment, ready to go right off to bed. Aladdin was especially tired after a long day of looking, Heine tasking him up to it, and now he was just ready to go right off to sleep and nothing else. It wasn't really successful though, Aladdin groaning and tossing himself out on the couch in defeat. "This sucks," Aladdin sighed. "Still can't find that Djinn, huh?" Nagisa asked, who was walking out to see him. "NO, and I looked all over Tokyo too," Aladdin sighed. guess Aladdin had his own day of running around himself, not including finding Bradley during it all. As Aladdin laid there, Nagisa took a seat next to him. His mind had been a bit busy itself over this Lugia search he and Twilight were doing, but that honestly wasn't the only thing, and ironically it involved the exact same person. He just stayed quiet, until he decided to get it over with. "Hey, Aladdin." "Hmm?" "Look. We've been together for a long time now, right? So I guess I can tell you anything and you'll be okay with it. ..." Aladdin sat back up as Nagisa was talking to him. "Of course we are. So what's up?" "... It's about Twilight Kagayaki. I ... well I ... I like her. ... I really like her. ..." Despite the quiet response, Aladdin still heard what Nagisa had said, Nagisa clamming up and even blushing slightly. Despite everything, he couldn't just blabber on about this to anyone, but he trusted Aladdin enough to open up to him a bit more. At least he didn't berate him about what trouble he had for him. "... OOHH! So that's why you're so helpful to Twilight! Does she know?" "Of course not! ... I've liked her that way for a while, but I never got myself to tell her." "Then why don't you? If you feel that way, just say it," Aladdin insisted. Nagisa though didn't feel so good with it. "Aladdin, it's not that simple. ... But ..." Aladdin started to think a little bit more and eventually he got himself up. Guess it was time for "mature" Aladdin to come out again. "Nagisa, you love her, and I'm sure she wouldn't have any problems with it. I saw both of you work so hard to find eachother: when Twilight went missing, you ran helter skelter all over London, day by day, just to make sure she's alright, and then when you went missing, Twilight and I flew miles all over Amestris to the Far East to find you. All you have to do is say it at this point." Aladdin made that point especially clear, and after thinking about it, Nagisa realized he was right. Both sides went missing from the group at least once, and both he and Twilight tried their hardest to find eachother time and time again. Twilight went missing thanks to Hellgar, and he went missing because of Pluton, yet both sides weren't ready to give up on one another. Honestly, there was no doubt in his mind that he was just holding back. As Bradley had said earlier that day, you never know what chances you might miss. Of course, he couldn't really think of an actual answer, and looking outside it was too late to think of one right now. "I-It's getting late, Aladdin. I promise I'll think about it. Goodnight, buddy," Nagisa said, heading off to bed. Aladdin felt a little disappointed, but at least it wasn't a flat out no. Pretty soon, Nagisa was right off in bed, but he didn't go right off to sleep right away. His mind had too much for him to really go off to sleep anyway, as he stared off out his window at the slight snow fall. "Goddamnit, now what am I suppose to do? Lugia, where're you? You've been giving us your visions, but I know you want to help further," Nagisa wondered to himself. Lugia had been more than enough help with them for lending some Future Sight to them, but thinking about what Lugia might be going through on his end left him wondering if he could actually do anything. For some reason, he began to think very hard about this Future Sight game for a while. ... Future sight's not the same magic as, say, Alchemy. 1.) It's a spell you're born with, and 2.) even if you used it, it's by someone else's Future Sight used on you. "There's got to be something I can do. ... Maybe I can find him in my dreams again. Here it goes," Nagisa decided. The chances of it was a bit low though, so he had to at least try. After all, you can't expect to win or fail if you don't do anything. Soon, trying his best to think about Lugia for some mental contact, he went right off to sleep. Hopefully it'll work. ... ....... After a while, Nagisa opened his eyes again, and took a good look around. It was an immediate idea that he was in some sort of dream again: he wasn't in his room for a start, and instead on one of Synapse's floating islands, sunset according to the sky. The metal flooring and rivers were too recognizable for it not to be. "Well, that was easy. Now where is he?" Nagisa wondered, looking around for Lugia. However, he did not see him anywhere this time. Last number of times he'd been contacted this way Lugia was somewhere around, but at this point the only one there was himself, which was something he didn't want to happen. If Lugia did want to be hidden he did a good job to not show up. Nagisa moved around the platform every which way, but no matter where he tried, all he could see was the sky and a few clouds. "LUGIA! LUGIA! Where're you?! I want to help you, we want to help you, just tell me and Twilight where you are outside these dreams!" Nagisa called, but Lugia still didn't show up around him anywhere. It was as if he was just screaming at the air and nothing else, and at this point it seemed that way. It was then Nagisa got another idea, one that seemed a bit more of a risk but worth the shot. "Ok, if this is my dream, then I can control anything around me right? So maybe I can get him to me," Nagisa realized. Dreams were always known to defy logic, so it was worth a try. Nagisa walked away from the center pillar, and then started to think and focus as much as he could right in front of him. If he could pull this off, then Lugia should show up in no time at all. He had to do this now too, for who knew when the sun would come back up back in his world? One, two, three minutes ticked by quick, and yet nothing happened. No matter how strongly he tried to get Lugia here, it didn't seem to work. ... The more he tried, the darker the area became, and pretty soon he found himself stuck in a blood red mist, too thick to see beyond a foot normally. This sure wasn't good. However, as he tried to look, something suddenly ended up flashing in his face. "Future Vision. Ok, what do we got this time? ..." *BANG* Nagisa spun around on the sound, the noise giving him shivers. He thought it was someone attacking him, but instead he was met with a more horrifying sight right behind him. It was a stand still, almost slow-mo moment, but it was more than enough detail for Nagisa to figure it out: a crowd of teens keeping their distance, an adult over on one side with a crazed look on his violet eyes, and pistol in hand, and Heine Wittgenstein being shot right through the head! Blood shot out as Heine's body was blown on the ground right in front of him, giving Nagisa chills from head to toe. Like any accident, it was horrible but he couldn't look away. However, this was especially detailed for the moment, more than usual. *CAAWW!* Next vision was behind him again, but this time it was a fight going on, some sort of humanoid-like creature fighting with Karma Akabane in a swordsman match. The creature whatever it was managed to knock Karma's sword out of his hands, and in one swift move, skewered him right through the heart! Karma coughed up blood, before his body fell to the floor, his sword landing right at Nagisa's feet. "K-Karma!" Nagisa gasped, horrified, but of course Karma wasn't moving, his blood out in a large pool. Then something else started to appear from ahead, appearing like a towering figure of Fuhrer King Bradley, only this time he didn't have the signature eye patch on his face, and revealing the actual eye to him. However it was no ordinary eye, and the glowing symbol of Ouroboros shined down at him! That, and a few others: Lust, Gluttony, and Selim too were there and staring down at him, Envy trapped just behind them and struggling to escape. However, it was Selim who stepped up to him, his Homunculus self expanding and surrounding him. Nagisa couldn't move, and the monstrous form of Homunculus Pride engulfed him! ....... Nagisa opened up his eyes fast, and sure enough he was back in his room. It was still far from danger, yet he was far from okay with what visions he received. Heine and Karma dead, Bradley and Selim as Homunculus, more demons on a rampage, and worst of all Lugia regretted showing this to him so it had to be true. ... "No. Heine, Karma, Envy. ... We got to alter this before it begins." ~~ "I'm glad you're willing to cooperate, Gaara, this means more to me than you really know." In Amestris, Sombra had his own plans going forward with Gaara, both of them going along together with a walk through the Central city, and heading towards the capitol. Being so late in the night, not a single person was around too much, and with their target not too far away, both demon lord and ninja reached to one of the rooftops of Central. "As long as you keep your end of the deal," Gaara warned, blade at the ready. Sombra just sighed. "Hard for you to trust people, I see," Sombra sighed. He and Gaara took a look around, and eventually Sombra saw a lit-up part of the Amestris base, and also hearing some sort of noise too. Gaara and Sombra took notice of the window, and it was the demon lord who went in and took a closer look. With some shadow magic, he silently slipped on through the shadows and then took a peek inside. No one took a look at the window, and just as well, the other soldiers seemed to be celebrating their king's return in the form of a round of drinks. It wasn't all the soldiers of course, but still a fairly good time to act if they were gonna do anything. Sombra slipped away from the window and gave Gaara the signal to come down. "Some party in there." "King Fuhrer Bradley had recently made a return since Pluton appeared, and it's made quite the talk. This could keep them busy though. ... You remember what to do?" Sombra asked. "Let's just get this over with," Gaara sighed. That was probably the best he was going to get, so Sombra didn't push him any further. Any pushing now could set him off anyway, and Sombra didn't need that here. So as most of the soldiers were busy, Sombra and Gaara took a look around Central at what they had to deal with, and trying to find out where their target was. With many a soldier busy with celebration, that didn't mean that all of them were gone, as some soldiers were still out on patrol so they still had to be sure not to be too obvious in their little approach on Central. With looking around though, it was Gaara who actually got somewhere and soon spotted another window open, hearing a few distinct voices inside. Gaara didn't have an exact idea, but it did sound pretty good so he decided to investigate. With a few steady jumps, and keen balance, Gaara got himself just under the window sill, some sand actually helping him grip the wall so he wouldn't fall down, peering into the room. Inside the room, it appeared to be a sort of friendly guest room, with Mrs. Bradley, Selim, and Yoroi inside. "It's great to see you okay, Selim. Wants some milk?" Yoroi offered, ready to pour. "Yes please," Selim said with a smile. after pouring him a glass, Yoroi gave Selim a nice cold glass of milk, which Selim was more than happy to take. "Oh, Selim, I was so worried about you. Thank god you made it back alright, don't scare me like that again," said Mrs. Bradley. "I'm okay, mom, thanks to dad," Selim said, hugging his mom. Mrs. Bradley did so, all in the sight of the ninja just outside. There was nothing in there directly aimed at him, nor did any of them knew he was there, but something about Mrs. Bradley and Selim's behavior made Gaara's blood boil. ... So it begins: using his sand to cover it, Gaara then shattered the window right in front of them all, remains of sand and broken glass launching out into the room. Naturally, Selim, Mrs. Bradley and Yoroi jumped and rushed away, as more sand entered the room from the same window. It was surprising, unprecedented, and Gaara went right on into the room, fazing through the sand with a killer glare on his face. Gaara didn't say much, having no despire to, and he immediately locked onto his target: Mrs. Bradley! Yoroi though looked ahead, and rushed Gaara, putting his own life on the line. The sand shielded Gaara before Yoroi could attack him, launching Yoroi back, and changing Gaara'a attention towards him. Soon, the whole room had a tiny layer of sand at their feet, Selim and Mrs. Bradley stayed close and tried to keep away from their attacker. "Who the hell are you?" Yoroi demanded. "I don't have to tell you. Stay out of the way or I won't have to kill you," Gaara warned. No, it didn't make the situation any better, and Gaara wasn't even trying to make it such. Being a soldier, Yoroi was already armed with a small weapon, pistol aimed right at Gaara. However, Gaara wasn't so easily intimidated and attacked Yoroi on the spot, sand lashing at the gun and arm holding it! Yoroi forced the sand off of him, but his arm ended up covered in cuts and scratches, as if his hand was shoved into some grinder. "Stay away from them!" Yoroi ordered, but Gaara didn't listen to him. "W-what do you want?" Mrs. Bradley asked, worried over her child. "I came here for you," Gaara hissed, making the situation even more uncomfortable. Both she and Selim stepped back some more, but as they were looking, Gaara looked to the wall at their shadows, seeing that one of them was starting to morph and manifest into a more human-like and menacing. "Sombra mentioned something about a Homunculus, whatever the hell that is. Looks like the little brat's the prime target here," Gaara thought. Sombra had gone over this plan before getting here, but Gaara never truly got what a Homunculus actually was. If this wasn't a homunculus, he didn't know what one would be, Selim being the first one demonic he'd seen all night. Yoroi suddenly opened fire again, the shield coming back up and blocking each bullet blasted Gaara's way. The sand suddenly wrapped around Yoroi, suffocating him and keeping him back. Selim tried to move behind Mrs. Bradley, but Gaara only sent his sand and started to grab and cover the kid from all sides. Gaara would kill him no problem, but Sombra had other plans Gaara was stuck in so Selim ended up trapped inside the sand viel. Mrs. Bradley looked on in horror as she watched her own child get trapped, and she even tried reaching for Gaara, only to get launched back to the wall. Selim was stuck inside the sand veil, Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley hearing the cutting sounds from inside the veil. From within the veil, Selim struggled to get himself free, though trying his best to keep his identity quiet in front of the other two in the room. Gaara looked over to Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley once more, and sent more sand to slam into them, strong enough to knock them unconscious. and just in time too: Selim finally had enough and his Homunculus side broke out of the sand in an explosion of darkness, sharp teeth and large eyes. Selim looked over to Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley, just to find them unconscious nearby and cuts on them as well. "You got some nerve to challenge me," Selim said. "As fun as it would be to kill you, I'm not here to do that. And it was a waste of time dealing with those things there," Gaara said, looking to Mrs. Bradley and Yoroi knocked out nearby. At least some of the witnesses were out of the way now. "Then what are you here for?" Selim asked. "I asked him to." In enter Sombra. He came in through the same window as Gaara, though not as forcefully nor with such horrifying ferocity. "Next time don't be so furious, Gaara. No need to spill more blood than you have to," Sombra advised, referring to the two unconscious figures nearby. Gaara just ignored him and Sombra looked over to Pride. "Doing well I see. I've heard about you. Pride: the very first Homunculus, am I correct?" Sombra asked. "I am. And you must be King Sombra. Team Harmony mentioned you while they were here," Selim said. "If it's what I think it is, then I'm gonna make this clear that I did not do that. That would be the currently deceased Tirek," Sombra sighed. "You mean that monster wasn't from you?" Pride questioned. "No, it isn't. Anyway, I came here to ask your recruitment, Pride. Being the very first Homunculus created could be proven pretty useful. ... If you wouldn't mind," Sombra asked, hand extended to the Homunculus. Pride looked to Sombra like he was crazy. "Your lackie just broke in here, and tore those two apart right in front of me." "Something I'll talk to him about later. ... Now, you wish to join me?" Sombra offered once more.
S04Ep6: Powering the System ~システムの電源投入~Lunchtime at the Phantomhive Manor, and Ciel was just about to get his dinner started for the evening. He had a lot less time to enjoy his time back at the manor as of late, but now with the weekend, things started to get back to normal for the young earl. At least he could go back home during these visits so there was some normality to it all. And even then it was the weekend, so he didn't have a reason to go back. For lunch, Bardroy and Mey-Rin were present this time, and Ciel was having dinner of fresh cut Krabby, a seafood dinner this evening. "Standard. Good job, Bardroy," Ciel simply stated. Compared to the usual meals Bardroy would make up, this was apretty decent. Bardroy smirked on the compliment, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing burned this time," Bardroy said. The Krabby was a little crispy but it wasn't as bad as it would normally by, Ciel eating it bite by bite. Looking around though, Ciel did note that while Mey-Rin, Tanaka, and Bardroy had been on the ball, one other servant had been missing for sometime. "Had any of you seen Grell by chance? He's been rather lacking lately," Ciel asked. With the discovery of Grell's true nature months ago, Grell had been around far less than he used to, and Mey-Rin and Bardroy both didn't know where he would go half the time so asking them wasn't gonna do them any good. "Eh, wish I could tell you, sorry master," Mey-Rin replied sheepishly. Ciel wasn't too worried about it though. "Guess that suicidal worrywart finally done himself in," Ciel thought. With how many times he risked and tried to kill himself, the idea wasn't too far off from the truth. Even with his true nature shown to him, the idea was still too deeply engraved. As he was having lunch, Tanaka took a step in. "Sorry for the intrusion young master, but I do believe you have a call," Tanaka said. "A call? Who from?" "Nagisa Shiota, actually. I told him you were eating, but he kept insisting on talking to you," Tanaka replied. He even had the phone with him right by the door, and waited for Ciel to come over. Ciel just sighed, got up, and walked over to answer it. Whatever he had in mine better be important. "Hello?" "Ciel, that you? It's Nagisa." "I'm well aware, now what is it? I'm in the middle of my meal," Ciel stated. "I know, I know, but listen. I want you to come down to the 3-E building as soon as you can, it's very important." "Can't you just explain details over the phone?" Ciel asked, not interested. "I'd rather have the whole group together than just me and you, Ciel. Please, just meet the rest of us by the 3-E building. I'll explain there, but I'll say this: my future Vision needs everyone's involvement to not happen." "To not happen?" Ciel thought. first time Nagisa was so worried about a future vision, that he wanted to forbid it happening. Whatever that future vision was, it had to be important and pretty bad too. Ciel sighed. "Very well. After lunch, I'll be present." ~~ All morning Nagisa got the group together as best he could do, Aladdin helping him out during it all, but eventually that afternoon all the people he asked arrived at the 3-E building as he instructed them to. Soon, the people in question (Karma, Twilight, Blair, Aladdin, Ed, Al, Ciel, Pinkie, and Envy) were all there, waiting to see what this was all actually about, and Nagisa stood in front of the group. "Ok, is everyone here? Where's Heine?" Nagisa started. He did get plenty of people involved, but Heine was especially one of the people he tried to find (being the prime target for the future attack anyway). "We couldn't find him anywhere. He might've went off to Elysium or something," Alphonse figured. Far as Nagisa was sure, they didn't have anymore time to wait. Best to tell everyone now before any of these things happen. "What's got you all railed up, Nagisa?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, since when were you the one to start meetings with us?" added in Blair. All jokes aside, Nagisa calmed down and then addressed everyone. "Listen. You all remember that Future Vision right? You all at least got the idea," Nagisa began. They knew of it in varying amounts, but they all nodded in the end. At least Nagisa didn't have to explain the details to any of them them. "You got another one, Nagisa?" asked Twilight. Yeah, they were right on the button with that one, but remembering the visions still gave Nagisa shivers. Still, Nagisa stayed calm and turned determined. "Yes. ... And we have to stop them," Nagisa stated. First time a future vision had to be stopped in their recorded memory, and while Ciel did get told that ahead of time, he was still intrigued on what details Nagisa had seen. Envy was probably the most vague in details to this Future Vision business. "Wait, come again? We have to stop this Future Vision now? They can't be that bad," Karma stated. "You die for one thing," Nagisa firmly stated. Karma's confidence immediately got shattered on that statement, and it unnerved some others too. "Die?! Well damn, of course we have to stop it!" concluded Ed. "Right, now here's what I saw: the first vision I got was with Heine. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: It showed him getting shot in the head. Now call me crazy, but I think it's going to happen at the main building, and in front of all the students, so we have to be on guard for that for Heine's sake." Well that seemed simple enough on the surface to do, and since many of them were in Heine's class to begin with, it seemed like a fair task to handle. "Wonder who the assailant is?" thought Twilight. "Eh, you mentioned that I ... died, Nagisa?" Karma questioned. Knowing you were going to die was a scary thought for practically anyone, even Karma. "Yeah. Hey, Yugure, did you bring that demon book I asked you for?" Nagisa asked. Twilight nodded, and soon she pulled out the demon guide, and after a quick thanks, he quickly skimmed through the pages of the book. The thing he saw in the vision looked familiar, and pretty soon one of the demons finally caught his eye. He stopped turning the pages fast, and then showed the picture of the demon to everyone there, a finger aimed directly at it so the others could see. The demon looked like a mix of a human and some sort of bird. "My second vision featured this thing in it. Karma, in my vision, you and this demon were fighting out at the military base of Tokyo as it removed your sword from your hands before the finishing blow, and it looked like a lone fight too, so even just one or two of us with you could make all the difference. Don't worry." "I'm not worried, I'm psyched. It was getting a bit dull around here," Karma stated. "Of course you'd say that, Karma," Nagisa thought. "So what's the last one?" Ciel asked. "Now, this last one's a bit tougher to work with. Ed, Al, Envy, pay attention," Nagisa said. While envy seemed up to listening, Ed and Al looked pretty spooked. "Oh no, we're gonna get killed?!" Alphonse gasped, shivering. "What, no! Listen: The Homunculus are going to be coming back, and Envy, I think they're coming for you." "Sombra would send them after me," Envy said, a bit more meek than usual. He was a homunculus himself, and they were acquaintances of his. that and none of them really have a clue what truly happened to Envy after Pluton, so this was something he had trouble dealing with. Especially with his 3-E friends on the line. "Lust already tried to kill us before, why wouldn't they come back again?" Blair blurted out. "It's more than just Lust. Gluttony was with her too, and ... Selim and Bradley." "EH?!" Talk about a surprise for plenty of the group. up to this point the only one who knew was Envy, and even then he only knew one of them was a Homunculus, but with this implication that only meant one thing. "Selim and Bradley were there. That makes them ... Homunculi?!" Al and Ed thought in unison. ... Suddenly Al and Ed were trying to hold back their laughing, down on the floor. "... Not the reaction I anticipated," Nagisa commented. "Sorry, sorry, it's just that sounds so ridiculous," Alphonse said. "Yeah, the leader of Central and the same man who visited us with a gift basket happens to be a homunculus," added Edward. Nagisa hoped that they would take it seriously, but two out of three wasn't the worst score, plus they took the other two pretty seriously enough. Nagisa sighed and placed a hand on Envy's shoulder. "Don't worry Envy, we'll be there to protect you," Nagisa reassured them. Envy just sighed. "Not that I'd freak out but ... you didn't see anyone else taken with me did you?" Envy asked, though he tried not to look too desperate for that kind of answer. He may be a human himself, but that didn't mean he wanted to look like a complete wimp. Nagisa saw right through him though. "No, you're the only one I saw there," Nagisa reassured him. Envy gave a slight sigh of relief. "So here's an important thingy: when is this stuff going to even happen?" Pinkie asked. "I'm not sure about Karma and Envy, but Heine's attack was very precise ... it's going to happen tomorrow, I'm sure of it," Nagisa concluded. It was then that Karma got up to his feet. "Well, looks like our break's over. We need to be on our A game now." The others had to agree. With that message given and now received, there was no other reason for them to stick around. As they were heading off though, Twilight took a moment to go over to Nagisa. "Nagisa, did you find anything out about Lugia yet? Now would be a good time for his help," Twilight asked, making sure it was just them two. Nagisa was actually counting on this question being brought up by just them two, Nagisa still wanting to keep this part quiet until after they sort things out. However it wasn't all too good. "Well, I couldn't find him there, all I got was his Future Sight used on me. Guess if we are going to find him, we're on our own," Nagisa said sadly. With the situation, it would probably be best to give that a break anyway. "Well, let's help them first." "My thoughts exactly." ....... "Uh, sir? Sir?" Back at the main building, even if it was the weekend, there was still some sort of tensity at the building for some of the workers and teachers amongst staff. Students weren't there of course, but as one of these staff members was gonna find out, that was the least of their problems. This staff member in particular was right in front of Gakuho's door. However, his calls went on a unanswered. That didn't mean there was no noise coming from the office though, as the staff member could hear some sound of papers being shuffled around inside. It took a bit of courage, but the staff member eventually went on to open up the door to see what was going on in there. And as it turned out, Gakuho was doing far more than she would realize. Gakuho appeared to be very deep into writing out something in front of him, and judging by the crumbled up papers nearby in a trash bin, it had been going for a while. This was a side of Gakuho that she had never seen before. This wasn't the typical Gakuho look of calm, collected, and even slight intimidation. But rather a look of a student who's desperately trying to recollect himself. Admittedly, it was even more uncomfortable than the collected Gakuho. He was so deep in this that he didn't even notice her open the door. "How ... how long has he been at this?" she thought in shock. Suddenly, she heard the pen in Gakuho's hand hit the office desk, a sign that whatever he was working on he'd finished up. "Yes. Yes, this will do nicely," Gakuho said, satisfied at last. And it wasn't until now that he looked to the door to find the assistant standing there. "Good timing. Where's Heine Wittgenstein? I have a little something for him," Gakuho asked, about five papers of questions in his hand for his ultimate test. "Uh ... W-Well, I'll go get him," she said, going off to grab him. Or at least, she would if Heine wasn't already in the hall. Seemed that Heine either sensed this would happen or it was just some form of luck. All the assistant needed to do was go over to him, tap his shoulder, and point to the office for Heine to get the idea. With a nod, Heine went right over and went right into the office to see the stressed Gakuho Asano waiting for him. Guess he got the test done just in time. "Wittgenstein, glad you could make it. I got a little something I want you to take," Gakuho made clear, pushing the papers towards him. Heine took a seat and looked at the test given to him: five papers with plenty a questions for him. "Another competence test?" Heine questioned, a bit annoyed himself. "A hundred increasingly impossible questions I took the time to make out myself, each one covering many fields of study: arithmetic, sociology, philosophy, history, and many others, not to mention it is written out in five different languages, so the best I can say is good luck ... though admittedly, I don't expect a small one like you to get close," Gakuho said, confident that his test would do him in. The last comment was just to be sure that Heine would actually do it, and Heine didn't like it at all. "Just the way I like it," Heine huffed, before beginning the test given to him. But not before he actually placed a deck of cards on the table, which was a bit of an odd gesture. "Cards, Heine?" "I was hoping you'd take some time for a game, but clearly there's more important things to consider," Heine huffed again, referring to the test in front of him. Gakuho sat back and watched Heine from there, though admittedly he was just waiting for that look of defeat to hit him. "You've bested me before, Heine, but I can reassure you, this will break you. Everything I've tried you just threw right back at me, but let's see you get past this one," Gakuho thought with a confident grin. ... "Done." Done? He couldn't be done, and that fast? Gakuho had to see for himself, and grabbed the finished test out of his hands fast and begun to scan it over closely. The sight of it made him stop cold. "W-what? ... These all look right." "And one more thing: there was a misspelled word in Vietnamese on question seventy two, and another in French on question fifty five. I marked it in red," said Heine. Gakuho rushed and checked that questions, and sure enough there was the marked words in red! Not only did Heine breeze through his supposedly impossible test, but he even corrected it for him! Gakuho looked over to Heine, and as if to just show off, he suddenly had a pyramid of cards on his desk. "Any more tests, sir?" Heine asked, one final card on his hand as he finished up his pyramid tower right there. It was too much for Gakuho: suddenly, almost automatically, Gakuho swung his hand and arm forward towards Heine. Heine quickly backed up, and all Gakuho got to hit was the pyramid, cards flying everywhere. Heine looked stunned at the sudden move, and Gakuho looked ... well, it was hard to say. Corrupt? Glitched out, maybe? Either way, Gakuho was far from okay with this, as he looked to his hand, which was actually twitching a bit from what he just did. Gakuho didn't know what to say to Heine, but Heine turned and walked away after that. He knew when he wasn't wanted, and staying around any longer would prove troublesome for both of them. Soon, Gakuho was alone with the completed test and mess of cards. Now what to do? ... ....... "So that's how you knew the E class." Niji had gotten back to her 3-E friends (Nabiku particularly) after some time, and the feeling for her return after months was a bit positive overall. Envy had the main honor of getting Niji over back to Nabiku after figuring it out, and the reunion was met with plenty of smiles from Nabiku herself. Envy also had the little honor of bringing along Emi (maid outfit disguise of course), as he, Nabiku, Hinano, and Niji took a stroll around town. As they went, the others took the time to help Niji catch up with things when it came to 3-E and its events, Envy's inclusion apart of that too. The least they could do to catch up with everyone. "Yeah, they all looked pretty beat up too. So after that it was me vs. Tataoka, turn around and BAM!" Niji said, doing some kicks as show for her fight with him. "Then what?" Envy asked. "Fought him off of course!" "Well sort of. Gakuho ended the fight, but not until after Niji got a knife through her head," said Hinano. however, Niji was quick to try and make amends. "Hey, hey, hey, don't say that, I'm trying to make it interesting!" Niji insisted. "Getting stabbed and surviving isn't interesting?" Nabiku asked. "W-Well ... Hey, Envy, who's that following us?" Niji asked. Nabiku couldn't help but giggle softly at the obvious question-dodge. "Oh, she's just my little maid Korosensei gave me. Sweet girl, huh?" Envy said, but Emi didn't feel any better about it. She'd much rather go hang out with her actual friends instead of dealing with this troll of a kid. "That demon king gave you a maid, Envy? If I were you, I'd better watch out," Niji questioned. That part got Niji a little bit concerned for him, considering a demon king was the one who gave him the maid. However, when they all heard that, they actually stopped, Niji not noticing them stopping until after five steps ahead. When she turned back though, the group looked stunned actually. "Who told you that?" Nabiku, Hinano, and Envy asked. Niji cringed on her tactless words. "Oh, uh, t-the government did. Yeah, they got word on it and they told me before sending me back out here. don't worry about it, now come on," Niji said, but the look on her face told Envy she was especially hiding something here. After all, he and Emi did see her come in with multi-hair and a set of wings to boot, which also didn't make sense. "Ok, this is getting weird: first she disappears for months after her fight with Tataoka, and now she's saying she knew about this demon king business without anyone of us telling her." "That, and she came to Yoshida's motors last night with blue falcon wings and rainbow hair," thought in Envy. "This is my thoughts, Envy," Hinano said, though still surprised about what he said beforehand. "You do know you're thinking out loud," Envy blankly pointed out. That case nevermind. All the same though, this new information Envy just got out to them did end up giving them something new to chew on, not to mention confirm their suspicions, so ... "Wait, what's that?" Niji suddenly asked, glancing back to Envy. "What's what?" Niji took a look over at Envy, and soon Nabiku and Hinano noticed that something was poking out from the bottom of his shirt, something that none of them noticed until Niji pointed it out. When Envy saw it though, he started to worry a little, and even worse when it fell out and when Niji grabbed it to see. Emi's picture! Emi froze in place on seeing that thing. "Emi? ... That's Emi Isuzu!" Nabiku realized, her voice hushed. "... I didn't know that about you." "What, no, that's not mine! Some bitch must've slipped it in my shirt by mistake!" Envy insisted. He wasn't denying it out of embarrassment, but it was the only thing keeping Emi Isuzu in his favor, but now others were already seeing the thing, and Nabiku and Hinano recognized the person almost straight away. The reaction was shocking to say the least. "Someone slipped this into your shirt, because. ..." "The hell I'm supposed to know! I-It must be Emi herself. I did pull her hair out after all, probably trying to get even," Envy said. That didn't make Emi feel any better. "But this is her in the picture, not you." Another stab. Envy had to think about it this time, and honestly Emi was trying to figure it out too. "I don't know. Nabiku, Hinano, she's known to act odd like that, right?" "You're thinking of Pinkie, not Emi," Hinano said. Again shot down! It was then that Niji took a closer look at the picture, comparing it to the supposed maid standing there. "Ok, Envy, what's going on here?" Niji questioned. "I said I don't know, really!" "Then why're you freaking out? Envy, it's us, you can tell us," Nabiku reassured him, trying to make him feel a little more comfortable. As they were talking, Niji gave the picture to Hinano for a quick moment, and went straight up to the maid, looking at her more closely. Envy having her as a maid was one thing, but having that picture as well got her a little bit suspicious over it. Eventually, Envy appeared to give in, much to Emi's mix of horror and anger. "I took the time to draw it out at one point, and I planned to use it as blackmail on Emi," Envy revealed. Well, it was only half right, and didn't truly reveal what she actually was, but it still was embarrassing to Emi that someone actually knew about the little issue. "Blackmail? What'd she do to you?" Niji asked. "She kicked me in the gut that's what she did!" Envy snapped. Niji though started to think about what he was doing exactly. "So you plan to ruin her reputation because she kicked you," Niji questioned, going off what she got so far. "Eh ... yeah," Envy said, sounding pretty fair to him even if she was still in punishment right next to him. Emi couldn't believe that her big secret was being shown to these three, even if they think it's just some drawing. Even so, it was surprisingly details for just some drawing, not to mention how good it looked to an actual photograph as well. Hell, it even had the date in digital in the corner as in any photo! "Oh yes, just what I can do to her when she figures it out. Just to keep that quiet, oh it'll be sweet! I can get her to shine your shoes, maybe give us a ride -" "Or make her be your maid," slipped in Niji. "Yeah, and make her be my -" Well, crud. Emi was found out now, more than ever, and now it was out. Envy would come up with something if he had time, but Hinano, Nabiku, and Niji now got the whole idea what was going on here. Guess his glory over it all just got to his head there, and the trio took a look at the maid. "Damnit ... DAMNIT!" Emi thought, before she finally snapped out of it and bolted off fast as she could, but not before whacking Envy in the face for that. She better get lost before anyone else figures her out. "My big mouth. ... Well, it was fun while it lasted," Envy sighed, getting himself back up. After sweeping himself off though, then came the rather ... troubled looks of the others standing right next to him. "... What?" "I know she's been a bit ... bad, to us, but isn't that a little much?" Nabiku asked, concerned. "You're kidding me? She clobbered me at Orora High remember?!" "After you pulled out her hair, and that wasn't even on you to begin with. Envy, I think you've pushed it a bit there by blackmailing her like that," Hinano said. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Nabiku, you said she kept mocking you, didn't she? With that "fluttershy" nickname or whatever the hell?" "Well ... y-yeah, but ... I'm as bad as her if I do that!" It was rare for Nabiku to yell her opinion, and that did make even Envy a little surprised. That just simply proves that this was more serious than Envy realized. Still though, with how much of a bitch Emi was anyway, he still didn't see what was wrong. "Eh, look, let's just head home," Hinano suggested. "Can someone tell me what I did wrong?!" Envy yelled. However, his question was left more unanswered. Seems it was gonna be a bit before Envy will get what was wrong here. ~~ While Karma's demon fight and Envy's capture still hung in the air, the time of Heine's supposed shooting was something especially on Team Harmony's mind, making last night a little bit restless for them. If there was some way to keep Heine alive in the end, then they have to get it before the assailant could make his move, whoever it would be. How it exactly would transpire they had no idea, but Heine didn't deserve to die, and if they can alter fate then great. No reason for the smartest mind of synapse to get shot to death. The next morning, the day of the event, Heine himself was taking his time and getting off to school as per usual. With his little incident yesterday, Heine had a suspicion that something else was going to go on today, regardless if Team Harmony told him or not. The image of Gakuho's face after his swipe at the cards was still imprinted in Heine's mind. He paused and looked up at the building, thinking a bit more about Gakuho Asano. "Perhaps it's time I discuss with him about this system of his. If I don't know, it might be dangerous to the rest of the students," Heine thought, sighing before starting to go into the building with some of the early arriving students. The walk from the front door over to the 3-E class. He thought that the class would be removed or something, but no it was still there, which was good. However, something else seemed to be going on over by the door: not many students there at the moment, but turned out that Karma was already there, leaning by the door and waiting for Heine to show up. Being so early, it was odd to see Karma so early. Pinkie was there as well, but the girl looked on edge herself, for some reason being in an Amestris guard outfit. "Heine, that you?" Karma asked. "Karma. you're early today," Heine stated, walking over to them, but when Pinkie saw him she immediately bolted right to his side, standing full and at attention like an actual soldier. "Sir, here to protect you, sir!" Pinkie Pie said. "... Dare I even ask?" Heine questioned, unamused. But Karma was tasked with telling what was what, and with Heine now here, he wasted no time in getting to it. "Listen up chief, I know this is outta nowhere, but we got reason to think you're not gonna do well today. So we're just gonna keep an eye on ya throughout the day til things are over," Karma explained. "Could he mean ..." Heine's thoughts then were reminded again of Gakuho. Well, that and one other little detail ... The day before the trip to Elysium, and Nagisa and Korosensei managed to find Heine and they met up with him over just outside of the building. This way Gakuho wouldn't keep an eye on them during lunch period. Nagisa had the exams all in hand, all of which Korosensei was more than willing to grab for them. "Here, Heine, it's probably best you get this," Nagisa said, giving the stack of papers to him, Heine looking them over for him. "Tests? Gakuho never informed me about any tests." "I know he didn't, but this is something for all classes, and it's not fair you'd be left out," said Nagisa, pointing to the tests. Heine began to wonder a little bit. "Korosensei? You didn't take these without his permission, did you?" Heine asked, unamused. "No, no, no, Heine-sama, Nagisa here just got me on the ball earlier and gave me the suggestion that's all. And what a call that was," Korosensei said, fluffing Nagisa's hair. He may not be a 3-E student, but Nagisa was glad to help them out anyway. "Understood. Thank you for getting these to me," Heine said, Korosensei pleased to get a compliment from Heine. It was starting to get a little bit late in lunch, so they went off on their way back into the building, Heine taking his own way in as Nagisa and Korosensei went the other way. As they did, Korosensei snickered his signature snicker. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say future vision, eh Nagisa?" Korosensei presumed. Normally Nagisa would be surprised, but there was no need for something like Korosensei. "Hey, it's the least I can do. Not like I'm gonna be flying off anywhere anyway," Nagisa remarked. Even if it was to themselves, Heine had just managed to hear over what they just said. "Future vision ..." Heine didn't need to think very hard to figure out why they were doing that, considering what happened with not only that, but with what happened with him and Gakuho as well. "And how long?" "For the whole day, or at least until this luck blows over whichever comes first." "Understood. ... By the by, is there a particular reason why you're dressed like that?" Heine asked Pinkie, concerning the outfit mainly. "DUH, I'm guarding you! No mean psycho's gonna shoot your cute little head off," Pinkie reassured. Heine was bugged by the "cute" and "little" remarks, but the situation shouldn't call for any griping. "Shoot? Pie?" "Eh, an extra detail to your luck today," Karma shrugged. ....... So throughout the morning, the group had been like that. They tried to keep their involvement less open, but all the same kept an eye out for this attacker of theirs. People would try and question Pinkie, but that would be a lost cause anyway so they were good there. However, with each tick of the clock, it was another minute with nothing going on, and apparently with each of those minutes it felt more like a countdown to what they were sure to happen eventually. Basically, they were on a knife edge, ready to spring into action at any moment whenever that would be. This information also had Heine himself a bit more alert than usual. If this was going to happen, then he had to be as ready for it as anyone else would be, being the target or not. One hour, two, three, and so far nothing seemed to happen much. Why it wasn't some weren't so sure, but as far as Nagisa was concerned, it had to happen in front of some big crowd, so his best guess would be around lunch time, since it was the biggest time for any crowd to show up, as crazy as that may be. Then again, crazier things had happened so it wasn't too farfetch'd, especially with how much had happened so far. Eventually, it was the break just before lunch time, and still nothing apparently happened. Twilight and Nagisa had just finished up their classes from there, and met up over by Nagisa's classroom for the walk to the cafeteria. "Anything yet?" Nagisa asked. The least they could do was figure out who was doing it, but Twilight unfortunately shook her head. "Nothing, sorry. You sure it's going to happen today?" "I'm more than sure, why would I lie? This is Heine's life we're talking about," Nagisa whispered, trying not to set off any panic too soon. "I never said you didn't foresee it, but so far nothing happened. Maybe whoever this assailant is might've smartened up," Twilight suggested. Nagisa didn't really consider that, if it was anyone who could get Heine, but then again how would it figure that out? No one could've told the attacker anything, considering no one in Team Harmony would actually know who it would be. "Maybe, but keep a look out anyway. By the way, have you seen Ciel? I haven't seen him at all this morning." "I don't think I had. My guess he's probably investigating it himself." "Yeah, he would do that," Nagisa sighed. someone like the guard dog of London would try and snoop around a little bit in something like this. Anyway, as they went on walking towards the lunch room, at first things seemed to be going on as normal, but then Nagisa then realized something which made him stop in his tracks. "Twilight? You guys checked around between classes, right? Anywhere we missed?" Nagisa asked. Twilight paused and thought over where they checked. It was something they've decided to do after figuring it out: check around the school for any potential attackers, and eventually one place did come to Twilight's mind. "We have just enough time, let's check the office." None of them would check it normally, but with little evidence anywhere else, Nagisa and Twilight then started to head off that way. spying in on Gakuho Asano of all people was a task no normal person had the balls to do, but with push comes to shove, and both Nagisa and Twilight only had that spot out of a few to check out. From Nagisa's class, it only took a minute out of their way to get to Gakuho's office, or at least to the hall leading to it. not many people were there if at all, so they were clear on going up to it. "Wait here," Nagisa quietly instructed, so as Twilight waited by the corner, Nagisa started his move towards the door. He was fairly decent in sneaking around, but with Gaara's training it was as if he wasn't even there he was so quiet. Almost before Nagisa himself even realized it, he was right up at the door. "Too bad Gakuho doesn't have a window to his door, it would make this so much easier. ... Careful," Nagisa thought, examining the door. Lucky for him, or maybe because Gakuho forgot it, the door wasn't actually closed, a very slight crack showing that it was still open. If Gakuho was in there, he had to really pull out all the shots to not be noticed here. Nagisa took a look over to Twilight, who was worried like crazy over if Nagisa would end up caught or not, and after that, Nagisa slid over to the door, and ever so carefully, opened it up just enough so he could have a look inside. One look inside was all Nagisa really needed, lasting about ten long seconds. ... "Crud, crud, crud!" Nagisa thought. Suddenly Nagisa was racing off out of there, as fast and as quiet as he could, and just as Twilight and Nagisa got out of sight, the office door swung open and showed Gakuho Asano now out the door, and checking the hall. Both teens soon saw just how troubled Gakuho actually look, irises shrunken slightly as he checked the area. And there, hidden in his hand, was all the proof they needed to find out. "Twilight, we gotta go," Nagisa whispered. Twilight couldn't agree more, and Nagisa grabbed her and raced down the halls away from Gakuho, and to the cafeteria. They found their assailant. And gun in hand too. ~~ Soon, the lunchroom was in full swing, and much of Team Harmony were keeping a good eye around from their table. Pretty crowded. Pinkie Pie was keeping her post right over by Heine like any good guard would, if he wanted it or not, not being an issue for her. Many of the students weren't aware of what was gonna happen like Team Harmony was, and as far as they were concerned it was probably best. Besides, they'll figure it out eventually when this whole thing starts anyway if it comes to that. If they could forbid the thing altogether then great. As they were waiting and trying to find this thing, Twilight and Nagisa got themselves into the lunchroom before Gakuho, and went straight over to the group. "Nagisa, Yugure, you two are in a rush," said Blair. "I know, we found him," Twilight said in a hush, just enough for the group to hear them. FINALLY they figured it out! Twilight and Nagisa weren't going to waste anytime in getting the information out, and as if hearing it too, Pinkie quickly popped up right by them too. "You did?! Come on then, who?" Edward asked. "Call me crazy, but I swear to god, it's Gakuho," Nagisa revealed. "G-Gakuho?!" gasped Pinkie, just for Nagisa to hush her up. Again, they didn't need the school in panic if they could help it. "SSHH. Yes, him, I just saw him with the gun in hand, the same weapon as in my vision. He's gonna show up any minute," Nagisa informed, hushed again to be sure. "You mean our Gakuho? The principal Gakuho Asano?" "What other Gakuho is there? Come on, maybe we can stop him before -" "Say no more, Pinkie's on the case!" Pinkie suddenly announced. "No, Pinkie, wait!" But too late, the hyperactive girl was quick to bolt right for the door. Their arrival barely turned heads, but Pinkie's rush off was even more attention-grabbing, and it was before any of the group could stop her as well. The others just got up when Pinkie Pie was already out the door into the hallway, the pink girl hyped up and ready for anything. As Nagisa said, maybe she could stop him before things could get worse. And not a moment too soon: Pinkie took a look to her right, and there was the very man in question walking her way. Gakuho Asano did pause himself when she busted out into the limelight. He wanted things handled, and he wasn't wasting time either. All Pinkie needed was that one look before she stood at attention and spread out her arms. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Pinkie bellowed, but Gakuho wasn't even remotely intimidated by this random pink girl, and he calmly walked forward. Pinkie could see in his eyes that he was ready to do some damage, but the gal didn't move, acting like a wall to block Gakuho's way. "Now, now, madam Pie, it'd be easier on everyone if you could move aside for me." Gakuho insisted, but Pinkie Pie didn't budge an inch, quickly shaking her head. "Nope, nope, nope, you're not allowed in the lunchroom! Head-shooter!" Pinkie yelled. not the worst insult spat out of her mouth, but she wasn't going to let this principal pop off any heads. Gakuho was started to get a little impatient, his hand twitching again as it hovered over the gun hidden in his pocket. "I said move." "NO NO NO NO NO, You get rid of that gun and then I'll move!" Pinkie demanded. Gakuho was not a want to take orders, especially by some pink brat. Gakuho stepped forward again, but Pinkie will not move for him. As Pinkie tried to keep him back, another one of Team Harmony caught up with her, and saw what was happening to her. As for Gakuho, he lost patience, and forcefully tried to move Pinkie aside, but before he could get her to move, the incoming helper Alphonse stepped in and managed t0o move Gakuho back. "Elric, Pie, what's the meaning of this?" Gakuho asked sternly. "Sir, I have my respect to you, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone! Please reconsider," Alphonse made clear, even if he was still a bit humbled by Gakuho. The angry man finally slipped out the gun from his pocket, and looked it over calmly, worrying them both a little more. "I know what I'm doing you two. Now move." "NO! No one deserves this, now throw that away and stop this!" "I SAID MOVE." Gakuho had been beaten too many times, and with the pistol, he started to aim it right at them! It was clear this man was too willing to keep his system together for any morality to remain. Alphonse quickly moved himself in between the pistol and Pinkie Pie, his metal body easily able to block off any bullets from that gun. *BAM* The first shot had been fired! It didn't do jack on Alphonse and his armor, but the sound of the shooting gun and bullet hitting metal made the entire room flinch and jump. Team Harmony immediately jumped up and was about to rush to the door, just to find Pinkie Pie tumbling inside with Alphonse! They both were fine, but the momentum of the fire moved them back, and fall onto the cafeteria floor. There stood Gakuho Asano, pissed off more than ever, and his gun out in the light for everyone to see. They all saw the anger in his eyes, irises shrunk down and looking simply crazed. Gakuho walked right inside, both hands on his pistol, which aimed at the ground, as many of the students quickly tried to move out of his way, not wanting to be shot. Eventually, a more clear path remained for Heine, and soon the teacher saw Gakuho aiming his gun directly at him. Heine was warned about it, and he was already on his feet facing him. "So it's come to this." "I told you how this system worked, Heine Wittgenstein. And clearly you've been put here to destroy here. I will not allow that," Gakuho warned, moving towards him with the gun aimed right at him. Before Gakuho could fire, the rest of Team Harmony rushed in the way. "Gakuho stop! You don't have to do this!" Twilight yelled. "I'm keeping things in order, kids. Now get out of my way. ... Or do I have to make you?" Gakuho questioned, gun raised again. None of them wanted to fight him, but clearly it would have to end up that way if Gakuho was so willing to kill like this. "Asano, we know you have your way to keep this Ant System in tact, but killing is taking it way too far!" Nagisa said. Gakuho almost looked amused by this. "I'm giving you all five seconds to step aside. My system has made this school -" "Screw the system," Karma suddenly said sternly, cutting Gakuho off cold. "As exciting as this is, you're just acting way too desperate. How's about you drop the gun before we take it from you?" "Five ... four ... three ..." "He's not even listening! GAKUHO! PUT THAT AWAY AND END THIS ALREADY!" Edward yelled. "Gakuho Asano, please! We know you care deeply about your system, but it's not bad if someone's just trying to give everyone a better future. Is it so wrong to teach kids fairly?" Nagisa added. "... Last chance." "GAKUHO!" but it was no use. Gakuho flat out ignored them, and aimed his pistol directly at Heine, who himself was keeping rather quiet. However, he was more worried over the state of his students rather than himself, more surprised that they would stand there and risk getting shocked despite everything. Gakuho was tired of waiting, and his finger itched to pull that trigger ... ....... *ping* Next thing he knew, the gun was dropped from his hand, as something suddenly ended up piercing Gakuho's hand. He'd dodge it but his focus was too much on killing Heine to even bother himself, but it was enough to make him drop it. When they all looked, it turned out that the object was actually a very well-aimed dart, and the dart made its mark right in Gakuho's hand. "I believe this has gone on long enough," said a rather bemused voice. Ciel Phantomhive! If he were a second later then someone would've been shot at. "Not too late, I hope." "We're just about to die and you choose now to show up?!" Ed asked. "I don't have to justify my actions. A fair effort on all of you, I'll take it from here," Ciel stated, before walking out towards Gakuho. Gakuho got the dart out of his hand, and he quickly got his pistol out again, this time aiming at Ciel Phantomhive. The boy didn't even flinch, or even looked scared for that matter by seeing a gun aimed at him. "Phantomhive. You got a bit of nerve to attack me like that." "Remarks the man pointing a gun at a twelve-year-old child. Now, there is something I'd been meaning to ask you about, and I suppose now would be a good of time as any," Ciel inquired. The others weren't sure how to react to this, but they kept over by Heine just in case Gakuho would try to kill him. They knew the outcome if they let it happen, and it wasn't Ciel that was gonna die ... though it surely was looking that way. "And what's that?" "... Why? Why go so far to keep your ant system in tact? ... You know what, no. How did this even start in the first place? Judging by your willingness to your system over your students, I'm sure something in your history must've triggered something. go on then, might as well," Ciel said. Gakuho was admittedly more impressed that this young boy was so willing to just casually walk up to him, despite him aiming a gun directly at him. Gakuho looked Ciel right in the eye, and got himself calmed down a bit. He was ready to kill, sure, but some justification would be worth the time to perhaps let it slip by. Or at least to humor Ciel Phantomhive before he finishes the job. "... Rikuto Ikeda." "Pardon me?" "Rikuto Ikeda. He was one of my students here at Orora high. That 3-E building was once the main Orora high building when he was with me. such a fun child, a sweet boy. Almost like the son I wish I had, if I'm to be honest. ... It all was fine for a while. He and I would meet up many times, he'd try to sneak out, but I always caught him, yet we had just the best time together ... But one day, he didn't arrive to school. At first, it seemed ok, but after the entire day, I tried to look for him. ... A young body, found at the bottom of the cliff just south of that 3-E building. ..." Gakuho could still remember the images in his own head of the horrid incident: a bloodied, dead body of his closest friend laying down at the end of that cliff. The sad faces his parents had to figure out soon afterward as well, it all was something he could never get out of his head. The entire cafeteria was silent, all hearing every word Gakuho had to say crystal clear. Twilight got thinking about it. "So. So then. ..." I even heard a rumor that he drove three kids to gamble their lives away just for bullying a student of his. "... Rikuto must've been that kid. That rumor is true!" Twilight thought in shock. Gakuho felt himself shiver on the memory, but then looked back to Ciel again, who appeared to be a little surprised about it. "... To this day, my mind is still poisoned by that horrid memory. It was my fault: I taught my students then to be too kind. They couldn't do anything to help themselves. ... So I thought of how to make my students stronger. One thing lead to another, and ... well, here we are. ... I worked so hard for this, and I will not let by and watch my method crumble apart. I'll do anything to keep my system running strong, and if it means this ... well ..." Gakuho finished his sentence by reloading his gun and aimed it directly at Ciel. The others were worried about what would happen, and Ed was ready to go, but Heine raised his arm to stop them from going. He and Nagisa were seeing something different here that none of them were seeing. Silence. Pure silence. ... ....... ... laughing. Ciel Phantomhive started to laugh. And not a sadistic laugh, or a nervous laugh, but a joy-filled laugh as if he heard the best joke in his life. The entire room, even Team Harmony found this odd, and looked to Ciel as if he was crazy. What in that story was so funny to him? Gakuho was stunned, not sure what to say to this apparently suicidal idiot. "I-Is that all it took to break you?! Good lord, one kid dies and you go this far to preserve this rule! You're even willing to kill for it!" Ciel said, continuing to laugh as if it was just ridiculous. It might be to him, but Gakuho never felt so angry in his life, his hands trembling, ready to pull that trigger just to shut him up. But he knew who his target really was here. "How dare you just stand there and laugh at me. Every night I suffer from that, it's not like you -" As Gakuho was talking, Ciel continued giggling, and when he stopped, his eyepatch was removed by Ciel himself, which fell down to the floor. Then everyone who saw his face got a good look at his demonic eye, and Faustian contract that glowed. Gakuho looked to the contract with an unsure expression, Ciel smiling all the while to him with a knowing grin. "A fair bit of yarn you weaved to everyone. ... Now allow me to give you mine. ..." Ciel Phantomhive: Nine years old. The son of Phantomhive estate head - Vincent Phantomhive, and his wife Rachel Phantomhive. Joined with his aunt Angelina Dalles and their single servant Tanaka. A fun-filled life it was: my twin and aunt would play with me every day, my parents loved me deeply, and did their best to care for me in spite of being the Queen's current "Guard dogs". With a life like that, what could one ask for more? "Now, there you two, it's time for bed." Late at night, and Rachel Phantomhive was putting in bed both twin Phantomhives. While they both did look identical (in fact it was a mirror image), the bands going over their faces were moved differently: Ciel's to the right as the other brother has his to the left. Either way, both brothers were feeling a bit excited all the same, despite being so late. Rachel brought them both to bed despite that. "You two are rambunctious, aren't you?" "Sorry, mother, but we're just excited for tomorrow," said Ciel, the twin nodding in agreement. "Anyone would be on their birthday, I know. now you two get some sleep and I promise you'll have the best day," Rachel promised. Rachel then gently gave them both a kiss on their cheeks, and it didn't take them very long until they were both off to sleep. A promise for such a happy day for any young child. And indeed, the next morning it sure seemed that way: a ride through town on our own carriage, a visit off to the castle to see the queen, and to our excitement, a party was waiting for us back at home. ... But when we arrived at home ... The two twins, finishing their visit to the castle, had just got themselves up and back at home. Both twins waved goodbye to the carriage, and both were now standing over at the door. "You ready?" asked twin Ciel. Ciel smiled and nodded, as both twins got to the door, and the twin gave themselves a little countdown with his fingers, counting down from three. Three. Two. One. "WE'RE HOME!" both twins called, opening the door and going right in, expecting a celebration for them for their tenth birthday. nothing. Not a sound, not a single decoration set up, nothing anywhere in the main lobby of the manor. The least they could get was a greeting from Tanaka, but he wasn't there either. No Angelina, no Rachel, no Vincent, just the two twins in a lonely house, barely a sound to greet them. The sight surely felt strange for the twins. "MOM! DAD!" called Ciel, but no response. Both twins started to walk around the manor for a bit more, trying to find out where they were hiding, but no matter where they went around, they couldn't find them anywhere. The size of the manor never bothered them, but with it only being them, it was just ... empty. Quiet. With a hint of smoke. "Wait. you smell that?" asked Ciel. both twins paused and sniffed the air, and sure enough it was smoke, and a good amount of it. Both twins wondered what was going on and,, curiosity guiding them, got them moving right over to the main office of the Phantomhive manor. When they got there, lingering smoke was seeping out from right behind the door, and both twins were worried. "Mom, dad, you okay in here?!" ... And there they were. Our little birthday present: our dog, our mother, father, and aunt. They all were there alright: my mother and aunt resting in a bloody pool right by the door, all their clothes covered in a thick shade of red, and their eyes dazed and staring into nothing. Our dog laid permanently sleeping by the door, a cut through his own brain. And as for father: his heart removed with a gaping hole of flesh and blood, hanging with a simple sway from a noose. An image I'm cursed to bare for the rest of my life. All of which illuminated by a warm fire burning apart the table and wall. ... And then everything went dark, and still. ... ........ "H-Huh? ... Wha? W-Where am I?" When Ciel woke up, he found himself nowhere near the manor. In fact, he didn't look like he was anywhere at first, the place looked very dim. He was trapped like an animal, stripped down to nothing, and inside a cage. When Ciel realized where he was, his nerves started to go haywire on him. "He's awake." said a voice. "About time. Thought he died on the way here," said another voice. Ciel looked up and he found himself surrounded by some odd figures, all in cloaks to hide their identity from young Ciel. "Where am I? What is this place?" Ciel asked, terrified. "We're gonna have fun with you, kid." Just yesterday I woke up to a heaven. And from there onward, I was trapped in hell. Every single day those monsters tore me apart, bit by bit. Every sting, every cut, every part of my innocence was being choked out of me every passing hour I was with those anarchists. I never knew what ever happened to my twin, and those sick twisted things always rubbed their victory in my face, and how they ruined my life and destroyed my own home. ... I was left to wonder if anyone was still alive back home, as I was forced to undergo their traumatizing orders. Those smiles of glee they had every time they punished me. The eagerness some had to watch the young son of the Phantomhive estate suffer with their twisted ideas. All I could was lay there and listen to their ramblings, left to my fate. ... "Is everyone ready?" asked the advisor. "It's all taken care of, sir." "Wonderful. you hear that, Phantomhive, we're gonna make you useful at last," mocked the advisor. At this point, Ciel was desensitized to everything done to him, and simply laid there and waited for it to just happen. "... Is it the last one? ..." "That depends if you somehow live or not." both the humans laughed and went off to leave him alone once again. Ciel stared up at the bars around him and the top of his cage. The only light he'd grown to looking to was a flickering torch, the fire gleefully watching him throughout every single torture he had to work with. If it could talk, what kind of stories could it tell him? Maybe it could tell him who was doing this to him. Ciel felt himself get angry, and turn away from the flames. ... "Hello, young earl." "... Is it time for me to go? ..." Ciel asked, not amused at all about it. Usually, it would involve someone opening the cage, grabbing him and do whatever, but that didn't seem to happen this time. "If you wish to. And I'll help you with that if you're so willing." "Why would I be willing to - ..." but when Ciel turned around, no one seemed to be there. No human in sight apart from a pearched bird hidden just out of the way. "Great. I'm growing insane," he told himself. "You're as sane as you always had been, my friend." "W-Who's saying that?" "I did. Up here." Ciel followed the voice closely, and soon there was the crow again, still looking down at him. Far as he was concerned though, Ciel had no one else to talk to. no brother, no mother or father, not even a servant to talk to, or at least one that would listen to him. It was then the crow flew off the post, and landed right by the cage, looking him face to face. It truly was a big crow. "... you?" "Unlikely, I understand, for such a young human like yourself. I'll be more than grateful to let you out ... that is, if you're willing to make a contract with me." Despite his age, young Ciel knew damn well that crows can't deal with something like this. "What could a crow do? In case you haven't noticed, I'm trapped in a cage, and even if you get it open how do you expect to get me out of here?" Ciel questioned. "What have you got left to lose? If you had any other option, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" Ciel was still unsure about it, and the skinny child just turned away. The crow sighed, and flew over back to the stand, grabbed something, and flew back to him. "If you change your mind, just follow this. We'll keep in touch." And there I was left with the instructions in front of me, my only lifeline to get released out of the horrid hellhole. Left with only my insanity at listening to a simple minded bird. I could only wonder if I truly had become lost in my mind for even putting words in some bird's mouth. But each day, each pain, that offer only grew ... "Be a good boy in there, you won't want to miss out." Another lonely night, and Ciel was all by himself once again. Nothing but him, the cage, and the flickering lights of the torches around him. He'd gone through a harder time now, his whole body bruised up and two cuts bleeding out at the bottom of the cage. He would normally just be quiet and go with it, but he still remembered the bird's offer to let him out. And that night, he began to work something out. With the instructions mirrored in his head, he brought his fingers to the bleeding cuts on his own body, letting his fingers get soaked in the red blood, before he started to draw something out on the cage floor. The wounds stung the whole time, and having to use his cuts like bowls of paint wasn't making it any better. Eventually, the symbol on the floor was made, resembling a spiked circle with a star at the center. It was the best he could do being so weak at the moment. It's now or never: and he waited for something to happen, focusing down all his energy in his hand, placing it on the now dry symbol. ... Nothing. "What the hell am I thinking? Of course this isn't gonna work. ..." He spoke too soon, as the symbol started to come to life on him. He didn't realize it at first, but the lights around him started to dim, the torches blown away and left with only him and the darkness, the symbol glowing faintly. Ciel, surprised, stared intently down at the symbol and waited for something to get him out. Instead, a huge flash launched out, and soon Ciel felt his body being thrown to the back of the cage. The symbol dimmed, and Ciel felt a new stinging sensation on his face, only feeling blood coming from his right eye. He laid there on the floor of the cage, on his back, and soon enough he passed out once more. ... Upon reawakening. I was no longer trapped inside that cage. It was quiet. Silent. Me suspended in the air, a red blanket keeping me warm. All I could see around was a sea of feathers. The feathers of the angels themselves, scattered everywhere around me like snow, and more slowly falling down from the empty abyss above. I felt more dead than alive. ... That's when he spoke to me. "Think carefully. Should you reject the faith, even this once, the gates of paradise will forever be out of your reach." It was him. I knew that voice all too well. The same voice that offered me freedom for the first time ever since my unfortunate capture. He stood perched on a dead branch a foot from me, that same gaze staring down at me from when we first met. Seeing this, I knew at that moment what he truly was. "Do you think. One who is among the faithful. Would ever go so far as to summon someone like you?" The crow gave a small chuckle at his remark. "... I'll ask but once more: do you wish to form a contract with me?" That one question. It was a choice that would decide if I continue to live, or fall before those who'd wrong me, and all I loved. There was only one answer that would accept. ... "I do. Now stop asking these tedious questions, and let me know if we have a deal." All the feathers then started to shift once more, moving up high and blocking the view between Ciel and the crow. The holy feathers stained black from a true devil's touch. All feathers soon turned to crow feathers, and the crow itself was no longer there, but instead a well dressed butler, one who's had extended to him upon the contract being made. ... "You're looking at a child who had lost everything in his life. Hell took that away from me. And hell was what brought me another chance at what life I had remaining. ... A cursed child named Ciel Phantomhive." Every living being in that room of Orora high couldn't believe what they were hearing about this poor child. Even Gakuho, who'd normally be so chill, found his hands trembling slightly, but not out of trigger-happy tendencies, but instead seeing what appeared to be a demon face to face. Gakuho just stared, shocked at everything he just heard like everyone else there, and looking in his eyes the entire time, Ciel meant every single word. Still looking to him, unmoving, Ciel stepped forward, and slowly started to remove the gun from Gakuho's hand, finger by finger. "You talk about going through hell, when you've never truly seen what it's like for yourself. If I had a choice, I'd more than happily take your life over mine, Gakuho. ... And you wanna know what else? A young child like me can walk away from that and move on fairly, yet a full grown adult like you can barely handle it. If you ask me, Gakuho Asano, it doesn't sound like your fault at all. ..." Eventually, a thud of the gun echoed everywhere as it landed on the floor, now removed from Gakuho's hands completely, Gakuho still just staring at him. Staring, and contemplating what 'yarn' he just weaved for everyone. Suddenly, Gakuho's story didn't sound as bad compared to the hell Ciel had gone through, and according to age, that was just a few years ago. ... Gakuho truly lost. "... Go home everyone. ... School's out for the day. ..." And with that final word, Gakuho slowly walked away from everything, and silently walked out of the cafeteria, everyone left stunned at everything they heard. Ciel sighed and walked over to get his eyepatch off the ground, proceeding to retie it to his head. "C-Ciel ..." "Oh, you're all still here. ... Well, that's one of them over. If anyone needs me, I'll be going for a walk," Ciel stated, referring to the future vision Nagisa was talking about. All Nagisa did was slowly nod his head, and they all allowed him to go. BOY do they have something to talk about from then on, or at least until something else comes around. Ciel just left them all with their thoughts, and with all that drama over, they could contemplate themselves. Ciel took a few steps out of the cafeteria when ... "Feeling better, my lord? I never took you to be that open." "And how long have you been here, Sebastian?" Ciel sighed. "Long enough. ... would you care for a ride back home?" "Yes. Thank you." ....... It had been a ... slow time for many of them. Word of the demon child Ciel Phantomhive had spread around Orora high very fast, and why wouldn't it be with not only where it happened, but who else was involved. Such a morbid backstory to how Ciel got to this point would spread around like wildfire in little time, and as far as Team Harmony themselves went, they surely had a different view on Ciel Phantomhive. They knew he was alone without his parents, but having to not only see his parents morbidly killed but get tortured right afterwards was far more than any normal human could deal with, and yet Ciel Phantomhive had to deal with the aftermath for years afterwards. Even Gakuho was a bit humbled, and everyone knew that the moment he called school off for the rest of the day. Ciel's "walk" brought him right back to London after everything, the young kid needing some time off of his mind, and as sunset came, Ciel took his cares away in a nice warm bath. Quiet, calm, and the water kept him warm as he just looked off into space. His little lecture earlier got more of an effect on him than he realized at the time, and only now did he find himself just thinking about it all. ... *tap**tap**tap* Ciel looked over, and soon he had one more little guest coming over, in the form of a letter with a gift basket by the window. Nothing else was there, so Ciel opened the window and brought in the basket, finding it was full of cupcakes! He placed the basket next to him and looked at the letter. A little something for you. Heine. Ciel just smiled. "I'm never gonna live it down, will I?"
S04Ep7: Broken Chains ~壊れた鎖~"Well, day three if Bradley training. Damn, this old man's sure hard to beat up, it's like he'd been practicing since he could walk. Sure'll be amazing when I beat his sorry ass in the future," Karma thought, as he reflected another hit from Bradley. A cloudy day over the base of Tokyo, and as Bradley had promised him, he was still giving Karma Akabane a few more pointers when it came to swordsmanship. They had their times training before in their little group, but this extra training with King Bradley was just the thing Karma needed to peek his skills. He still had his thoughts about king Bradley, and with the future vision involving him and Karma's supposed death, he tried to take the initiative and amp up his practice. He wasn't going to die before any demon, now not, not ever. "Well, my boy, you've been giving me your all lately." "You expect what else from me, grandpa?" Karma playfully mocked, trying another slice at him. Of course, Bradley dodged it easily, and with one more quick motion, Karma's miracle sword was whacked out of his hand, the weapon flying through the air and landing over nearby Edward, Alphonse, and Blair in her cat form. Guess it was another fight lost for Karma's side. "I'll get you one of these days," Karma promised. "Don't get too cocky, my boy, I'll be leaving for home tomorrow," Bradley said. Disappointment, but if Nagisa's future vision was anything to go by, then Karma had nothing to worry about (meeting Bradley again, that is). Once he was done, he grabbed his sword again and strolled back over to the others. "Lost again." "Don't worry about it, no one in Amestris could beat the king in swords before. Besides, you've been doing pretty good," Alphonse said, trying to cheer him up. "I know, I know, I'm just trying to sharpen up for that demon fight, whenever that'll be. If I'm gonna be fighting that bitch, I'm not gonna give him a chance to end me. If I could get rid of that homunculus, even better," Karma made clear. He could care less if he couldn't beat Bradley for now, so long as he is strong enough to survive that encounter then he's all set. talking about this Homunculus business though still didn't fit well with Edward and Alphonse. But then again, after seeing Gakuho come out, they weren't so sure anymore. "So. you really think King Bradley is a ..." "Well, Nagisa was right about the gun rampage at school. Doesn't sound too crazy to me," Blair replied, cleaning her face with her paws. As they were thinking that over, Seitenshi stepped out to see Bradley again. Victoria had been and gone back home so it was just Seitenshi calling charge here. And with training over, Seitenshi chose now to go out and see him. "Afternoon, Bradley. You just finished training, I see. You have a minute?" Seitenshi asked. "What for?" "I've been meaning to talk to you, Bradley, so if you can," Seitenshi asked again. Bradley took little time to consider, so he decided to take it. With a nod of the head, he began to follow Seitenshi inside, passing by the crowd as they went. Karma found this pretty interesting, and Edward soon saw the look on his face. "Okay, what'd you do?" Edward asked, suspicious. "Oh, I took the time to drop off a message at Seitenshi's office. Looks like it worked. So, Blair, ready to go?" "Way ahead of ya," Blair said, hopping down, removing her hat, and starting to slip inside after them. Ed and al weren't sure what Karma was up to, but Karma felt confident that Blair would at least figure things out for them here. If Bradley was indeed what they think, then this conversation outta confirm things. ....... As Karma, Ed, and Al were waiting it out, Blair took the initiative and quietly followed Bradley and Seitenshi through the Tokyo government halls towards the main office. Any normal person wouldn't be caught dead here without clearance, but silent little kitty Blair proved to be a good follower. That, and these two weren't aware of Blair's true form compared to her human form, so she was pretty much good so long as no one had any suspicions over cats. Seitenshi and Bradley didn't feel too suspicious over Blair either, or even noticed her for that matter which makes things all the easier for this little spy. Eventually, Seitenshi and Bradley reached the main office, Blair slipping in behind them without making a sound. It didn't look too different from a typical office, resembling Ciel's office back home pretty good with some more modern décor. It was wide open with plenty of room, and Blair took a seat over hidden just by the door, moving just fast and quiet enough to avoid detection. Seitenshi stopped over by her desk, and picked up a notification from it. It was the message that got her thinking in the first place. Might want to check "Human" Bradley. Korosensei. Yeah, Karma wasn't gonna take credit for this one, and much rather place blame on not only a smarter demon, but a wanted man as well. Anyway, with trouble from Homunculus in the past, Seitenshi wasn't gonna let this question slip her by, especially with Bradley in her country too. "Now, you've been involved in our protection agreement for a while. The leader of Amestris for years. ..." Seitenshi was not gonna waste time in this little problem of hers, and Bradley was sensing the motive in her. "... This whole protection agreement began with an attack by the Underworld. In tern, an attack by a creature called Homunculus. Now I want to ask you one question. Fuhrer King Bradley." It was then Seitenshi presented the paper to him, with the simple message for Bradley to see. Despite how blunt and short it was, it was all Bradley needed to see to understand the question. And apparently, he wasn't too surprised to see Korosensei figuring him out of all demons. Without a word, the Fuhrer then gave the message back to Seitenshi, and walked over towards the window. "... I suppose someone was going to find out sooner or later. But did it have to be someone like you, Seitenshi?" Bradley questioned, not sounding very impressed with the result. It was more a question of who, not if, and Seitenshi was not someone he wanted to at least figure him out first. Seitenshi looked rather angry at him with this confirmation, Blair being a bit intrigued herself. "Quite a show you've put on. ... What do you know about the Underworld, Bradley?" Seitenshi questioned. "Nothing at all." "Don't lie now, Bradley -" Seitenshi went quiet when Bradley suddenly drew out his sword and aimed it right at her head. Guess discrimination didn't suit too well for this man, but after a bit he moved his sword back. "Homunculus: an artificial human being created through a Philosopher's stone. ... There's nothing said about them being from the Underworld. ..." "But then how'd you ... how did this happen? And without anyone even knowing?" Seitenshi questioned. Bradley stayed quiet. "... It's not worth my breath over how I came to be this way. Besides, what good would it even do? You already have your opinions on Homunculus ever since they attacked you at the Royal Ball, and like every other human, you keep that in your mind and nothing else. But even if I try to plea mercy, as ridiculous as that sounds, your stubborn nature would simply block it out of your mind in order to keep your name fair for the world around you." Seitenshi and Blair both didn't exactly hear remorse in Bradley's voice as he was talking, but more rather saying it as hard facts that aren't worth anyone's tears over. Blair felt like she had everything she needed here, and she bolted for it as fast as she could. If Bradley saw her or not she wasn't going to figure out. ....... "N-No way!" "I heard everything, he flat out admitted he was a Homunculus, just like that. Sounded like he expected it to be found out too," Blair informed. She wasted little time in getting back to Ed, Al, and Karma, and telling them what was what about the king and president. "Well, well, looks who's right after all," Karma said smugly. "But what do we do?" Alphonse asked. "We tell the others, that's what," Edward said. A straightforward answer, and something they needed to do to get them on the level. Nagisa said Bradley and Selim were involved, but nothing about Bradley being a Homunculus exactly, so this confirmation could prove pretty good. Karma got up, but as they were starting to go off, he began to check around himself. The base, a lone fight with a demon, at that moment it all seemed to fall into place now. Not too many soldiers were outside at this point, and as Karma looked around ... "Hang on, gang, not yet," Karma called. "What, why?" Alphonse asked. "Give him a minute," Karma said. Karma counted it down in his head, and then he snapped his fingers. ... ... *CAAWWW* "Nailed it." Talk about timing. Ed, Al, and Blair all looked to the noise and over to the boundary wall, just in time to see something standing up there. Upon sight, it made a huge jump off the wall, and almost seemed to glide right down to them, landing down ten feet away. The appearance of this demon was exactly as Nagisa had predicted: It had a white shirt with tattered long sleeves, a black hakama, dried rice in the small cloth bags which it wore around its neck, and a katana holder under its arm. A rather traditional (if not typical) outfit for a Japanese samurai, with the soul exception of two large fans on its back, which appeared to work like its wings. It would be a normal samurai overall, but this creature's arms were large crow wings, a long neck ending in a raven head with many eyes staring right at them. If this wasn't a demon, then what was? "Is that the ..." Alphonse said. "Yeah he is," Blair said. "Team Harmony. Which one of you is the one wielding the Miracle Sword?" the demon asked boldly, his own sword drawn and at the ready. "Who's asking?" Ed asked. "Karasu: Follower of the Great Tengu. I've come on his order, against the one who's sword slain the mighty Pluton of the Underworld. Now who amongst you is responsible?" Karasu demanded, aiming his sword towards them. Karasu didn't see Karma's sword yet, so he still wasn't too sure who was the one who attacked Pluton. They all knew damn well what'll happen if they let him fight Karma, so both brothers came to the same conclusion. "He's not here," Alphonse said. "But if you're looking for a fight, we're right here," Ed warned, cracking his knuckle. However, Karasu didn't look too interested. "Pluton's assassin is my only opponent. Him, and him alone. You're just small distractions in my way." "Small?! Why you!" Angry by the comment, Edward rushed forward towards Karasu. However, this demon wasn't carrying the katana just for looks. Rather than charge forward though, he then reached into his sleeves and tossed something out in the light: a human skull! focusing on the skull, the Crow Tengu aimed his sword, and only then did he rush forward and made his move. One slash through the air, and Ed and the demon were passed eachother, but not without injury. In the line of sight of the skull, which was now sliced in two, a deep cut sliced through Ed's chest in a single clean cut, ending at his shoulder. "ED!" shouted Al, just before the Tengu demon started aiming at Alphonse next. Al tried to reach his wounded brother, but Karasu got his sword under Al's head, and threw it high in the sky with a single motion. A good enough distraction for the brothers to deal with as the Tengu then faced Karma and Blair. When he looked, Karasu caught sight of the miracle sword right at Karma's side. "Looking for me?" Karma asked. Seeing the kid who slain Pluton standing there was all Karasu needed, and he drew out the sword again, and aimed it towards Karma Akabane. "So you're the one who killed Pluton?" "I'll let you think that for a while," Karma said. He knew what was coming, and he actually grabbed his sword at the ready. "Karma, hold it, don't!" called Alphonse, who just got his head back on, as Edward was getting himself back up to his feet. However, Karasu didn't need much more convincing. "The Great Tengu will be most pleased. Come forward, slayer!" Karasu yelled. "Eh, Karma, you do know Nagisa said you'll die by this thing, right?" Blair reminded, as Karma started to get ready. "You bring those bands, Blair?" Karma asked. "Uh ... yeah, but dunno how it'll help, here," Blair said, getting the bands out of her witch hat and giving it to Karma. The redhead got Blair to get this stuff together for him for this exact moment, and after a minute of preparation, Karma was prepared, raising his sword with both hands. Even if this was his supposed last match, Karma was going to take this and butcher it however he could. and Karasu was more than willing to take him on in the name of revenge. While Alphonse and Edward were freaked out that he was going to do it anyway, Blair got a closer look at the way he put the bands on his hands, and actually saw what he was truly doing. "Blair, how about you go check on the Elric brothers over there. I got this." "If you say so," Blair said, running off towards the brothers. The Crow Tengu and Karma moved out to the middle of the base arena, and both swordsman were ready to face eachother. Karasu gave a loud crow caw, spinning the samurai sword before aiming it right at Karma. Karma would normally do the same, but he wasn't gonna show off this time, as it would wreck his little idea. Karma looked down to the bands in his one hand, and saw that while some did wrap around his hand, it also wrapped tightly around the handle of the sword as well, basically keeping the sword handle on his hand. He even released his hand, and the sword remained where it was rather than falling off. Karma, in my vision, you and this demon were fighting out at the military base of Tokyo as it removed your sword from your hands before the finishing blow. "He'll remove my sword and then kill me. With this my sword should be in my hands the entire fight, no way it's gonna get loose. As long as I keep my sword on me, it'll end like every other demon fight I've had," Karma thought. Not entirely a fair fight, but at least his own life would remain in tact if this would indeed work. both swordsman just stood there at first in their little arena they've made up, until it was Karma who moved forward first, sword aimed directly ahead like a spear. Karasu charged forward too, and both swords slammed together at the center, the sound echoing around them. A good signal for their swordsman duel to begin. Karasu started his assault with a number of side swipe, but each one just missed Karma, the fifth one dangerously close to his eyes before Karma took another vertical swing. The swing was met with a powerful block by Karasu, his katana not even getting scratched by Karma's Miracle Sword. As they were fighting, Blair reached Edward and Alphonse, who ended up having a front row seat to the duel. "You okay, Ed?" Blair asked. "That thing's strong with that sword. But what the hell's Karma doing out there?! He's going to die by that thing," Ed said, shocked that he'd go through with it anyway, despite Nagisa's warning. "Karma found a loop hole in Nagisa's future sight." "What do you mean a loop hole?" asked Al. "Nagisa said he'll die after that Crow Tengu removes his sword, right? If he can't remove the sword, what's going to happen to him?" both brothers saw what she meant, and both brothers could just see the bands that wrapped around the sword handle to his own hand as they were trying to slice eachother. "Well, shouldn't we help him anyway?" "This is Karma Akabane we're talking about here, let's see where this goes," Blair said. She'd fight too sure if it meant much, but she knew Karma too well to think he didn't believe this would work. during the fight though, Karasu eventually got an upper hand on Karma in a low swing of his sword. Karma had to jump to avoid it and do a roll afterward, but Karasu was already on top of him by the time he spun around. not having much time to strike, Karma could only just barely dodge the blows, about five stabs were made on him, and on the fifth one he bolted past Karasu, but getting a cut on his cheek from the attacks. "Close call," Karma thought. "for such a young child, you've been doing pretty well. Then what else do I expect from Pluton's slayer?" Karasu admitted, turning to him. "I keep in practice," replied Karma. Karasu had more than one trick up his sleeve, and he actually got another skull. Karasu readied to slice it off, but Karma got to it first and just managed to cut it in half! The attack gave Karma the upper hand again, and soon he started swinging his sword like mad at Karasu, strong enough for the Crow Tengu to actually back up. Karasu just needed to bend and angle his sword to block the attacks, but Karma did not relent on the demon samurai As Karma was laying it down on him, Karasu took a good look at the hand holding the sword ... "Coward!" Karasu called, before swinging his sword around at Karma from the side. Karma blocked the swing again, but the samurai sword slid dangerously close to his hand which made Karma back up again. He was alright, but when he looked to his hand, just to find the bands had been cut off. So much for prolonging the inevitable. "Damnit! Ok, just keep your sword on you and you'll be fine," Karma thought, as Karasu charged right at him. "Crud, he lost the bands!" Ed realized, flinching at his pain again. The seemingly minor wound was a much harsher hit than he thought. "Blair, keep him here okay?" Alphonse asked, ready to run in and help Karma. "Al, no!" Ed called, only for Blair to turn to her human form and grab hold of him to keep him still (head in between her boobs night added) "Got hold of him, now kill that bird!" Blair said, keeping Ed's head and body still. Not the best place to hold him, but it was best they could get on short notice. And not a moment too soon either: as Alphonse was rushing towards the fight, the Crow Tengu made the deciding move, and the katana was forceful enough to finally dislodge the sword from Karma's hand! The sword flew up high in the air, and the Crow Tengu finally found the moment to finish Karma off. He was doing so well against the Tengu, and now Nagisa's prediction was playing out right in front of him! He even felt the sword stab him during the moment, and he was sure that would be it. ... "STOP!" Just in time, Alphonse grabbed the Crow Tengu by the head, swung him around, and threw him right off back to the main building! The sword fell out without going in any further, and Karma found himself alive. Stabbed, but alive, and the wound wasn't in as deep as he thought it would. Alphonse quickly went over to Karma, Blair and Edward heading over themselves. "Karma, you okay?! Karma!" "Quit screaming, It's a light stab," Karma groaned, hand over the wound. Though if he had to say, that was the closest he ever got to death since this whole thing even started, and since fate said he would die at that point he should really thank his lucky stars he got a warning first. Just a stab wound and a cut on his face. After the throw though, the Crow Tengu shook it off and looked back to the fight. "You cowards!! How dare you interfere?!" Karasu roared. "We're not going to watch him die, Karasu!" Alphonse said. "This is not your fight to be had, this matter is between me and him! The Great Tengu won't allow that!" Karasu warned. Then Edward got an idea. "Then where is he?" "What?" "This "Great Tengu". If he's so incredible, then why'd he drag you out of your home instead of bringing out himself to the fight? If anyone's gonna be fighting anyone from Team Harmony, then it'll be him!" A decent alibi to get Karasu off their back, but the Crow Tengu felt deeply insulted. "How dare you insult my lord like that! The Great Tengu is deserving of all my respect, and he's capable of bringing the entire area to its knees! You should thank your stars he's deciding to hold back for now and just have me arrive instead, otherwise this whole base will be flames and poison by now," Karasu warned. "Is he now?" Guess king Bradley Homunculus had finally decided to come out, him and Seitenshi. They've been into their meeting for a while, but the fight from outside became too rough to ignore, especially since their window opened up right outside. Now Karma was guaranteed a safe time now, a smirk on his face. If training with King Bradley told him anything it's that if there was anything who could beat this sorry bird it would be him. The Crow Tengu glared at the newcomers with his many eyes. "If you and your daughter are willing for a fight, then stay back. My sword only yearns for the slayer's blood. Any other taste will not satisfy," the Crow Tengu stated firmly. "This girl isn't my daughter, demon. And also, who said you were allowed to come here?" "My lord, the Great Tengu, that's who. All you are is skeletons in the way, so unless you yearn for a death wish, then keep you and your niece back." "... Does it really look like she and I are related in any way, you idiot?" That time the Tengu ignored him, and turned to face the others again. Alphonse stepped in the way and acted like a wall in between Karasu and his brother and friends. "Stand aside! This is your only warning." "No I won't! If you want to get at them, you're gonna have to go through me first," Alphonse made clear. This samurai demon would not be denied the privilege to take down the slayer, so the bird threw out another skull from his sleeve, and tossed it towards Alphonse. Focusing again, the bird rushed forward with the blade, and skewered right through Alphonse, but the armor refused to stay down. In fact, the stab would didn't seem to do anything, and in fact it even got stuck in him! Karasu tried to pull the sword out, but some reason he couldn't pull it out so easily. Alphonse took this moment to force the sword out of his hand, and clock him square in the beak! Now without a sword, and with a hurt beak, Karasu was ready to fight anyone that got in his way - Tengu. Fallback now. "... I'm needed elsewhere." Grabbing the sword out of Alphonse, and as suddenly as he appeared, Karasu started to fly and soon enough he was gone. The event was over, and the Future Vision had a different outcome again, but this one was far too close to ending like it originally had, the stab on Karma's torso more than enough proof. "That makes two. Only one left now." ~~ "So did you see Emi Isuzu anywhere? I haven't seen her in two days." In another part of the world, Hinano and Nabiku took some time to hang out again, hanging out at Hinano's house for the day, both putting in their studies for the upcoming assignments back at school. As calm as it would be, ironically the two ended up wondering how Emi was doing after a while. Even if she had done them rather badly, seeing her go off like that was something completely foreign for her. "Nah. Honestly I dunno how to feel about it. I mean, as Envy said, she's been rather harsh on many kids at school," Hinano admitted. "But that doesn't mean being bad to her makes it any better. ... I do hope she's okay," Nabiku said. At this point, Envy came back into the room, and brought in some more of the books they've asked for. Compared to the three, Envy was feeling pretty much fine with everything, as if nothing even was going on at all. Envy still wasn't exactly seeing the problem going on, and he felt indifferent more than anything. "Okay, are these the books you want?" Envy asked, showing the books to them. "Yeah, that's right, thanks," Hinano replied. Envy gave the books to Hinano and took a seat next to Nabiku. Nabiku simply grew quiet, still thinking about the situation with Emi Isuzu, as Hinano tried to keep things a bit more comfortable for everybody. "Alright, so, here Envy, why don't you try to have a look at this one," Hinano suggested, giving envy a history book amongst the stack they got. Envy just nodded and went on to check it out, but as he was trying to focus on it, he still couldn't get a feeling off of him, whenever he took a look to the Nabiku. The girl was studying sure, but she still looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to say to him. It wasn't really anything new for Nabiku though, so Envy didn't really try to question it. ... At least, not at first. The more times he thought about it, the more something started to bag at his mind, and the more annoyed he got. Oddly, it was a similar situation to Nabiku as well. "Okay, that's another question, how're you two holding -" Hinano immediately stopped when she looked to Envy and Nabiku, seeing them both struggling to just focus on what they're doing, a sort of gloomy aura around them both. Hinano could see that the problem was not going to go away anytime soon. "... Uh, guys? ... OK, maybe we should talk this out," Hinano suggested. "Talk what out, I'm fine," Envy suggested, though looking on his face, Hinano knew he wasn't, and same thing could be said about Nabiku. "Not again, Envy, we all know what's wrong." "There's nothing wrong, seriously. You two are getting paranoid," Envy admitted roughly. "Paranoid? Envy, we haven't seen Emi Isuzu in days!" Hinano got out. Now envy was getting annoyed. "This again? Look, if she wants to cry a river about it, that's her choice. Serves her right," Envy stated coldly. "How can you say that?" "I just did." "Not literally, Envy. Look, we get the idea of getting even with her but you pushed it a bit far." "I did not! I'd be pushing it far if I got her tied up and whipping her or something," Envy said, almost jokingly, but shortly he actually started to think about it. "Don't get any ideas!" Hinano quickly stated, shivering a little. Imagining Envy there with a whip and Emi tied up was a pretty big step between revenge and flat out torture (not to mention masochistic for some). "Hey, believe me when I say there's far worse things to punish someone with, making her my maid's hardly anything compared to the Underworld's punishments." "Wait ... oh yeah, you are from the Underworld." "You gotta be kidding me," How could she forget that obvious detail? Guess it had been barely mentioned in a while. Nabiku kept hearing the bickering between Hinano and Envy, and she felt more and more inclined to get her words in. Eventually ... "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DENSE, ENVY?!" The shout caught Envy completely off guard, as Nabiku turned to face him. Nabiku was suddenly on her feet and up above Envy. "Envy, this isn't the Underworld anymore, this is the human world, we have new rules here! You humiliated Emi just because she took one hit on you, now I can probably understand if she broke your arm or leg, but she didn't even do that and you're completely fine, and she didn't even want to bother with you! It may feel good, but it doesn't last very long, and now Emi's probably depressed and hiding away somewhere because not only did you make her be a maid and force her around, but also you humiliated her with that drawn out picture! Even that main character in that book series you love reading learns to forgive in the end so why can't you?!" Envy didn't know what to say at first, this usually quiet and shy girl snapping at him in such a way as if something snapped. It kinda freaked him out to be honest, and Nabiku realized how scary she just acted. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Nabiku quickly said, worried over it herself. Envy still didn't know how to react exactly, and her saying she was sorry just made it even more confusing. In the end though, a much bigger nagging was now hitting him. "Oooohhhh ..." ....... "I can't believe I'm doing this." Next thing he knew, Envy was walking down the street, and away from Hinano's house, soon taking in sight of Emi's place. He knew what Nabiku and Hinano wanted from him, and he honestly wasn't enjoying it very much, but whatever nagging feeling was hitting him here, if he could handle it by doing this then he might as well. Besides, punishment was done, so what else could he do? Anyway, Envy got himself walking right up to the door, and started to give it a knock. Of course, no one answered. "Emi! Emi! You in there, or what?!" No answer. Course why would she answer to him? Envy waited a bit longer, but still nothing seemed to happen to the door or any word inside. Envy dealt with this scenario before, and he knew what to do here as he walked over to the fence again, and again seeing an open window. Here we go again. Envy did the same thing as he did before: climbing up on the fence, and then with a jump got a grip on the window sill. Rather than just hang there though and peek in, he pulled himself up enough to keep himself there on the sill and look inside. As he expected, there was Emi Isuzu again, back in her fat self and laying on the bed though she wasn't really eating anything this time if not just laying there. Envy found this depression a bit ridiculous personally, but he might as well get this over with. "Hey Emi, it's me again. K look, I'm sorry for pushing you around like that okay? I got upset and got a little carried away with the whole blackmail maid thing, so you can go back to being top dog now or whatever you want," Envy said. He didn't even look at her and made the message quick, tone not exactly sounding sincere either, and when he was done he waited for some sort of reaction. Emi eventually looked over to him, and she didn't look too pleased at all. "Sorry doesn't get that picture gone. They still saw me like ... this ..." Emi said. Envy rolled his eyes. "OK, what's the big deal here? So what if they saw you fat, it's not the end of the world," Envy said, not even bothering anymore. He said what he said and it apparently didn't work with her. Emi though seemed a lot more different about it than he was. "You don't get it, do you? I'm class 3-B student representative, and those 3-E students saw me in that ugly maid's outfit AND saw me in that picture! What will the others think of me when they find out?" Emi wondered, sounding angry still. Envy took a step into the room as she said that, arms crossed. He still found this much sadness a little bit silly. "Yeah, so?" "SO?! I'm known as the hottest girl in school, and the entire school either envies or respects me, when they see me like this it's all over. You probably told the entire school by now, did you?" Emi accused. Guess reputation was important for Emi, and Envy was still feeling a bit one-sided on this scenario. He could care less about what someone like her would feel about it, but this talk about keeping appearances for other people's sake did sound slightly familiar to him. The Homunculus who had to constantly hide his true face for the sake of his spying job. "You really need to get your act together, it's not as bad as you think." "What's worse than having your complete reputation ruined?!" Emi yelled. now Envy was getting upset. "Oh, let's me think: getting burned alive, torn to pieces, stuck with a overlord who could give less of a shit about you, constantly hiding your face at every waking moment. ... Yeah, someone seeing you gain some weight suddenly doesn't sound too bad does it?" "Just shut up! You still have that damn picture of me -" "It's gone." Emi then paused. "Gone?" "Yeah, a bitch took it from me and shredded it to pieces. If you're freaking out over that then you're fine now," Envy stated. Course it wasn't true exactly, but being a good liar meant it did its job. Emi could feel a wave of relief go over her on the news, and she started to relax a bit, much to Envy's annoyance as he sat down next to her. "Look, Emi, I know damn well how it feels to try and keep a face for someone else, but there's no reason to cry your eyes out if someone finds you out. If they find out, they find out, it's really not as bad as it sounds. Besides, those three girls thought it was drawn anyway, so in a way it's like no one even saw you like ... well, this," Envy made clear. "I guess not. ... But they still saw me as your maid though." "You're really freaked out about what others think of you, huh?" Envy concluded. "How could I not be? It's hard keeping this popular sexy appearance when looking like this, it's bad enough someone actually saw me, then they take a picture and have a field day with it, yeah it's kind of a problem." "By the way, how're you doing that? hiding all of this, I mean?" Envy asked, pointing to her belly. Emi just sighed and got up, standing up in front of Envy as she started to concentrate a little bit. Right in front of him, Emi's body started to alter and thin out until she was her outside self again. "Uh, showing me isn't exactly telling, I already saw you do that." "It took a lot of practice for me as I grew up, but I found this uh ... thing, that has me alter my body at will. It's kinda complicated, but everyone prefers this over that real me," Emi said, trying to put it as understandable as she could. Far as she was concerned she was talking to just some other human, so giving him details would probably make it less believable. Envy didn't feel very weirded out by Emi's answer, he saw way weirder things in his existence, and when he heard this, he just scoffed at it. "I know that's a lie." "Do you now?" Emi asked, bemused. "Yeah. I personally find this form overrated. At least your actual form's something different for my eyes to see," Envy said, rather bluntly too and not looking at her. A rather interesting thing to hear for Emi, considering so many others like her for the outside form she had, not her original. After saying that, Envy got back up and heads over to the window again. "Well, that's all I came to say," Envy sighed, before hopping out the window, and leaving Emi with that. Emi just felt less sad and more unsure than anything, seeing the points Envy had made before he left. As for Envy, he simply took a walk back towards home, and leaving Emi behind him. He still felt a little bit silly to apologize to her, but at least that nagging feeling stopped. If it worked or not didn't bug him too much. ... "Hey Envy. So you talked to her?" Niji. Envy saw Niji up nearby on a fence, xsitting down rather casually, though this time her wings and multi-colored hair were on her person as she had back in Yoshida motors. With no one else around, this form was something Niji was more comfortable showing to Envy, and apparently she had seen everything happen. "Yeah, I talked to her. She's getting over her little slump," Envy groaned. "It can be a bit hard, but hey, it's good to forgive. You feel any better about it?" Niji asked. Envy paused for a moment before walking again. "I'm alright. ..."
S04Ep8: Meeting of the Minds ~心の会~"Is Karma Akabane and Edward Elric in?" "Right this way." With news of the encounter with the Crow Tengu, Team Harmony took time to go in and visit both Karma and Edward at the Tokyo midtown medical center, somewhere Seitenshi had both of them go to not long after the attack, Karasu's hits more damaging than expected. Guided by one of the staff, it didn't take them too long until they found the room where Ed and Karma were taking note in. Each one was in their own bed, side by side, both in patient garments, and bandaged up in a number of places. Edward Elric had his chest bandaged up, along with some bit of his good arm and a white headband on his head. As for Karma, his bandages covered up his torso where he was stabbed, and a bit of his head where Karasu sliced his face. Not too big, but still there as both of them needed stitches to seal up their cuts. Alphonse was there as well, but the injuries didn't seem too bad as Karma was sitting on his bed as Ed was actually on his feet already. Whatever injuries they actually got couldn't be too bad. "Hey Karma, Ed," said Pinkie in her usual cheery way. A good little greeting from Team Harmony after everything. "Oh hey guys, what's up?" said Edward, walking over to them. "We're doing fine, and you two?" said Twilight. "Much better than we thought, but they said we're gonna be in here for a day or two. you know, just to be sure we're alright." "Considering one of you were going to die, that's pretty good. By the way, you doing alright, Karma?" asked Nagisa, looking to him. "Eh, I'm fine, considering. I'd get skewered like a marshmallow if Alphonse didn't send that Tengu Karasu flying away," Karma said, looking over to Alphonse who was sitting nearby. "I'm just glad to see you're all safe," Alphonse said. "A Tengu you say? It sounds like the Great Tengu is coming up to play after all," Sebastian noted. "What're you blabbering about now?" Ciel asked. Sebastian took little time to get to his point, and actually had Twilight's demon guide in hand and skinned through the pages to the Tengu in question, showing multiple Tengus including the Crow Tengu Karma fought "These Tengu you just fought with. Notice how it numerously mentions this "Great Tengu" amongst their beliefs?" The others took a closer look at the details, and sure enough, the overall Tengu race has this reference to the Great Tengu in a number of places, often showing this being as a lord among Tengu in some sort of way. "Hey, you're right," commented Nagisa. "Indeed. The Great Tengu's a rather isolated demon in the Underworld, but it seems your little games had coaxed it out to the human world with its group of Tengu. This Crow Tengu, Karasu, was merely a Tiger Class demon, where as the Great Tengu is rumored to be just one fight away from a Dragon Class level. ... course this is just rumor," Sebastian said, giggling at the last part. "DON'T TREAT IT LIKE A JOKE!" Nagisa, Twilight, and Aladdin insisted. "It's just rumor, calm down," Sebastian insisted calmly, hands raised. "Well anyway, I think we'll be fine. That's two futures screwed up, now there's that last one left. We're on a roll with this," Karma commented smugly. "You kidding me, you barely made it Karma," Edward advised. Karma didn't want to make it out like that, but he was still right. That, and the possibility of this "Great Tengu" was still a bit interesting to wonder about. If that Crow Tengu could nearly kill him, he could only wonder how strong this Great Tengu must be. This did remind him of what happened with Seitenshi and Bradley though. "Oh, by the way, you said Bradley and Selim were Homunculus, right? Guess what: that Fuhrer flat out admitted it to our president like it was nothing," Karma threw in, giving them all a word for thought. The others were surprised Bradley would even do that, Ciel looking more bemused than anything. "You're kidding," groaned Ciel. "Guess he's not scared to admit it," Aladdin realized, scratching his head. "You should've seen him during the meeting," Blair said, being the only one who was actually there for the meeting. "Ok, ok, so we saved Heine and Karma, but we still got Envy to deal with too. Let's try and keep an eye on him for a while," Nagisa suggested. Something they all could agree on for Envy's sake. *knock**knock* Looked like they had another guest showing up today. Pinkie had the honor of checking the door and soon their guest ended up coming in with a bouquet of roses, as out of nowhere as that was. "Greetings Elric, Akabane. When I heard you two were in the hospital, I DASHED RIGHT OVER!" The sight of the manly man gave Ed and Al shivers, especially with that manly statement, some of the others a little bit unnerved themselves. Lucky for them the room was plenty big enough for them all. The manly man saw them both and gently placed the flowers on a nearby table. "As I suspected, you're in desperate need of my assistance. ..." AND off came the shirt, and out showed the expansive and incredible muscular body. If they weren't freaked before, they sure were now. "AAHHH!" "What you need is an example of a perfect, physical specimen to inspire your recovery! You see, you love lively already!" "WILL YOU GET OUT?!" shouted Ed. God was it awkward in there. The only who hadn't met this supposed stripper was Ciel, who was unnerved to say the most of the situation. "Who in bloody hell are you?! And put your shirt back on this instant!" Ordered Ciel, obverting his eyes away from the situation. "That would be the Major. We kinda ran into him during our first trip to Elysium," Nagisa explained. Though that didn't make the situation any better, especially with Major flexing still, despite Ed and Al's attempts to make him stop. Lucky Sebastian made a quick fix and got the shirt back on the Major before this embarrassing display could go any further (and before anyone could get kicked out). "Not helping, my friend," said Sebastian. "How'd you know they were here, Major? The attack just happened yesterday," asked Twilight. "One of our comrades brought back word, and I had to come down to aid in their health!" "Stripping's not aiding!" Edward snapped, as the Major went over to the roses, got his hand in there, and actually pulled out a message from inside it. "Your current instructor Heine told me to give you this," the Major said. "shall I read it, my lord?" asked Sebastian. "Feel free," Ciel simply said. Sebastian took the letter and looked it over. Once he did, he took a moment to clear his throat and started reciting the letter. "Team Harmony. I've recently had word back in Elysium of your fight with the Tengu, and it has reached the queen. Celestia wishes to meet up with all of you at the earliest convenience. And this time, I mean ALL of you. Ciel Phantomhive, I wish to have a word with you in private beforehand in regards to your current situation." "Why does that not surprise me?" Ciel sighed, as Sebastian continued. "Sincerely Heine Wittgenstein. P.S.: speaking on behalf of one of our generals, Edward and Alphonse are to have a word with her as well." "Wait, her? Her who?" Aladdin asked. "I'm afraid he left that to be desired," Sebastian sighed, showing that there wasn't an exact name to this female general. However, considering it pointed towards Edward and Alphonse Elric, it had to involve them in some sort of way. "Funny how he pointed them out in particular for this one." "Guess so. Hey Ed, Al, you know -" when Nagisa asked, both Ed and Al looked a little bit frazzled about the news, both of them not even looking at them. "I suddenly don't feel so good," Ed said meekly. "... Well, we still have a day or two until they get better. Major, tell Celestia we'll be there as soon as we can," Nagisa instructed. At least it'll give them some time to figure things out. The Major saluted them and went off on his way. They can't go anywhere with Karma and Edward being treated in the hospital anyway. ....... "Sombra! Open up in there!" While Team Harmony may be doing successful over there, Gaara himself had been far less lucky. With his agreement to work with Sombra, things had slowed down quite a bit since their encounter with Pride. Sombra had brought Gaara back to his Underworld palace, but as it stood, he was just left doing nothing for the most part, with the occasional demon passer for company. Now though he was getting a bit impatient with this demon king, and as Sombra was trying to handle some meditation, Gaara was right outside his door and trying to get in. "And here I thought he was telling the truth," Gaara thought in anger. He continued to bang hard on his door over and over again, trying to get an answer, when another demon of the castle found him. "My, we are impatient, aren't we?" said the female demon, strutting over to him. Gaara hadn't met too many other demons yet, so seeing the green succubus was a newcomer for him. "Stay out of it. Sombra made me a promise, goddamnit," Gaara stated, before trying to open the door again. However, the succubus moved right in Gaara's way, grabbing him by his arm and moving him back before he could punch a hole in the wall. "Listen, Sombra's not a demon to forget any promise he keeps, so do yourself a favor and refrain from breaking his door, will you?" "How about I break your neck instead?" Gaara warned. "Temperament, Gaara," warned the succubus. It was then that the door ended up opening, revealing not just Sombra, but Pride as well. Pride did end up joining with them after all, and at this point he and Sombra were a bit busy. In fact it was Pride who actually answered the door, making it a bit odder for the succubus. "It's just Gaara and Chrysalis, Sombra. You want me to deal with them?" asked Pride. "No, no, let them in. Gaara would anyhow," Sombra said. so, opening the door, Pride allowed Gaara and Chrysalis to come in. For a room in the Underworld, which was supposedly a medieval time place, this place looked more like an experimental area: which included a tester table and a number of experimental items: needles, scissors, and other examples of surgical tools. Seemed he and Pride were in the middle of some sort of practice when Gaara and Chrysalis interrupted him, but luckily the practice wasn't as big or dangerous enough to put them in big trouble. The first one he took note of was Chrysalis. "Ah, Chrysalis. And the results of your recruitment?" Sombra asked. "Pretty good. I managed to get a number of candidates together after a few kind words," said Chrysalis, as she pulled out a sort of list from her cleavage, and presented it to Sombra. Sombra was more interested in the list rather than where it came from so he went on to take that instead and read it over. Gaara was getting a bit impatient with Sombra as he was doing this. "Hmm ... I'll think about them. Thank you," Sombra stated, putting the list in his pocket. Gaara reminded him of his presence with a grunt of his throat. "Yes, Gaara?" "Sombra, I've been waiting since we had our little get-together in Central, and we haven't done anything in days. If that was the last thing from me, then you fill in your end of the deal," Gaara made clear, speaking to him as if he was just some other piece of scum he'd come across. This reminder just made Sombra a little bit more frustrated with Gaara. "Gaara, I've told you before I would get Shukaku out of you, and I will, but I got more than enough to do right now," Sombra made clear. Gaara though was not having it, and actually had the balls to step in Sombra's way, which actually unnerved Chrysalis a little bit. "Now listen here, I've kept myself down because you said you're the only one who can get him out of me, and goddamnit I'm not going to wait any longer. You get him out of me, and I don't want any waiting," Gaara sternly spat. Chrysalis then intervened and grabbed Gaara. "How dare you speak to this great hunk of a demon like that? He's the king of Tartarus may I remind you," Chrysalis snapped. "And I'm reminding you to back off," Gaara warned again, forcing himself out of her grip. "How sad," Pride commented. "Right. ... OK, that's enough," Sombra stated, getting them both to stop. It was then he looked over to Gaara. "You sit down. I'll get him out right now," Sombra stated. That was all Gaara needed to hear, and he went over as Sombra had said, taking a seat nearby. Sombra sighed and sat down across from him in his meditation position, before looking Gaara dead in the eyes. As he was doing this, Sombra's body started to turn into smoke, and began to seep into Gaara from his nose and mouth, temporarily choking him before he fully entered Gaara's body. If Shukaku was anywhere it would be inside him. Eventually, Sombra opened his eyes and found himself in a rather empty area, completely dark and devoid of almost any light. Not any sign that he was anywhere in particular, nor anything around him to see or talk to. It wasn't exactly anything new for him though, as the demon king took time to look around. If Shukaku was anywhere here, it shouldn't be too hard to locate. ... And not a moment too soon either. After a little bit, something started to make its appearance after a few minutes. Something huge, far bigger than Sombra himself would be. A huge creature, who's body appeared to be made up purely of sand, large and thick as well. It had two stubby legs with huge claws, and very long arms with similar like claws on them too. Its single tail looked scaly, layering over one another like a pinecone or skink scales, and its head met with small yellow eyes and sets of sharp teeth to appear like that of a jack-o-lantern. The skin on the creature's body was colored in a similar sandy color, with multiple black streaks, stripes, and marks all over it, giving it a similar appearance to an obese, humanoid, demonic raccoon. Not too far from the truth. Sombra had found Shukaku. "Shukaku." "Sombra. ... First time in centuries did someone recognize me," said Shukaku, his voice surprisingly high-toned and almost screechy. An ironic voice for such a giant and foreboding demonic creature. "And you're aware of my name?" "I see and hear everything that husk of a boy hears and sees. Whatever that Gaara tries to keep secret can't get past me," Shukaku stated, giggling a little bit afterwards. A little familiar to another demon Sombra had to tangle with. "Note for future. ... Listen, you want out of here, don't you? I can easily let that happen," Sombra said. Bizarrely though, Shukaku started to laugh like crazy at Sombra. "You're joking! I can get out of this body anytime I want to! did you not see all that sand?" Shukaku pointed out. Sombra realized what he meant when thinking about all that sand manipulation attacks Gaara had used. "That was you then. So if you can get out of here on your own, why don't you?" "Can't you figure it out or do I have to go into a lecture?" Shukaku questioned. "Damn, he sounds as crazy as Tirek," Sombra thought. ... "Tirek? And where is that pathetic little troll of a demon at? Did he finally kill himself?" Shukaku questioned. Nothing in any book mentioned of Shukaku being telepathic at all, so hearing it make that supposed guess was a bit of an interesting surprise. "Telepathic, huh?" "No, no, you're just contacting me that way. Talk with your mouth or your brain and you'll still be talking to me." "Oh yeah. And as for Tirek, yes, he was naïve enough to think he could charge out into the human world without planning and got himself killed. ... Then again, if you could see from Gaara's eyes, you should know that by now." "Oh I saw that tiff, but with the reputation of regeneration it's always hard to tell if something's really dead." "Decent point. Back to topic, shouldn't you rather be outside rather than inside Gaara Shukaku? If all that was you, it's clear you got more than enough power on you." Shukaku laughed again. "Ironic: you get ticked off at Tirek for releasing a savage beast and here you are trying to get me out." "This is a favor to Gaara, Shukaku. We made a deal, you know that, and between you and me, Gaara's being a persistent pain about the whole thing." "Who wouldn't be? Gaara's always had a one-track mind since he was born. Hell, he could barely stay asleep without me playing with him and keeping him awake. Nothing like a few threats to make one submit to your will, eh Umbra?" "It's Sombra," Sombra corrected. "And I'm not gullible either," Shukaku joked, laughing again at Sombra's expense. Sombra wasn't really amused at all. "Very funny. Now are you coming out or not?" "To be honest I planned to. I've been biding my time until I come out, but not yet. I'm having plenty of fun with this, and it keeps me out of trouble too with Team Harmony and their antics. Besides, wouldn't it be easier to control me in this husk rather than my true form?" "Who said I'd wanted to control you, Shukaku?" Sombra questioned. Shukaku started to move closer to him, his stubby legs shaking the ground from under him as he did so. Sombra actually had to take a step back as Shukaku towered over him like a god. "You're talking to the one of a few remaining Nine-Tailed beasts, you know that. That, and I'm sure you have your reasons for recruiting Gaara in the first place? I'm the real reason he's keeping in line with you because he's so desperate to get rid of me. Why else do you think he even bothered to train Nagisa in the first place?" Sombra was going to remark about that, but he was surprised as to how right Shukaku was. If Gaara really wanted Shukaku out of him, someone with a blessed weapon like a Halo Blade would be enough to drive him out. "A surprising amount of sense. ... How long until you get out, might I ask?" "You can figure that out yourself. And just some food for thought: Gaara only has that sand manipulation because of me. You remove me from Gaara, and you're only left with another young human with a short temper. Is that what you want out of a Team Harmony potential ally?" "Damn, you're good," Sombra thought, but Shukaku still heard him. It didn't matter anyway, as these points Sombra didn't exactly consider until now. "That and he could reveal some tough information as well." "That'd be the idea. After hanging out with you for a while, I think we can work out a little deal that'll make everyone happy. Well, namely you and me." "... What did you have in mind, Shukaku?" Shukaku gave Sombra a rather sinister grin. ... Eventually, Sombra returned back to the real world, he and Gaara finished with their little session, and back in the room with Pride and Chrysalis. Gaara took one look to Sombra when he was done, not seeing really anything happening. "Well?" Gaara asked. Sombra sighed and looked a bit disappointed in the result he had. "Take this how you will, but I couldn't seem to find him in there. The task might be harder than I thought ..." "Damnit, Shukaku." "... Still, maybe you could try to handle some things with Chrysalis for me beforehand?" Sombra asked. That didn't suit well for Gaara at all, but Sombra raised his hand to keep him quiet. "Now I know what you're thinking, and I do promise that I'll eventually release Shukaku, but It's going to take some time and there's too much going on. If you and a few others could keep things out of the way or now, I could get a solution much faster that way. Please understand that being a Demon King has it's priorities, and those have to be handled before I could help you. You think you can do that for me?" Sombra asked. Gaara felt his hopes being stabbed at by the very same demon that's still stuck inside of him. Then again, Sombra was the only lifeline he had left to get Shukaku out of his body, and a guaranteed one nonetheless, so in the end Gaara had to consort with Chrysalis. "Fine. ... You better not forget why I'm here," Gaara warned, before getting up and beginning to walk away. "Chrysalis, he's gonna be working with you and your group for a bit, so be sure you tell him what to do," Sombra instructed. "Awww, do I need to?" "Do you want me to have some fun with you later?" Chrysalis needed no more convincing, and she went off on her way to catch up to Gaara. Soon it was just Sombra and Pride again. Eventually, both of them went over to the table once more, Sombra picking up a syringe nearby. "Now, where were we? ..." ~~ The next day, Edward and Karma both were released from the hospital after some recovery in their wounds, and as they've said earlier, they were more than ready to head off on their way to Elysium. Heine waited for the whole group over off at the pickup nearby the 3-E building as before, with the giant bird and carriage all present and awaiting for their arrival. A bit of a Deja Vu, but Hopefully there wouldn't be too much trouble. "Not too long now. Let's hope everyone's more willing this time," Heine thought, taking a look at the time. He didn't give a specific time to go off, but with how much longer it was taking to his liking he might be asking a bit much out of them. ... "Hold that carriage, Heine!" "There they are," Heine noted, and indeed it was. The whole group of Team Harmony had showed up now, which included Alphonse, Sebastian, and Envy. Heine had expected plenty of the group to show up, and seeing Ed and Karma well was a plus too, but he didn't expect to see Envy come around this time, though not that he really was annoyed by it. Heine was glad they all decided to go though. "Hey, Heine. We're ready to go now," said Twilight. "It would seem so. Now a word of advice for some of you though before we go: Sebastian. I highly advise you especially to keep some needed distance. You may be amongst Team Harmony, but that won't excuse your chemical reaction to the Overworld, understand?" Heine advised. Sebastian knew all too well what that would mean, and Ciel understood this too. If Sebastian was coming, he just had to be a bit more careful up there than he would be down here. "I will keep a low head, Heine," Sebastian reassured. "Very well then. In that case, may you all head on and we'll be off on our way," Heine said, as they begin to board up the carriage. It didn't really take them too long before they all were seated inside, though it was Envy's first time seeing the carriage itself, taking a moment to look around the place before sitting down over by Blair. "A royal Overworld carriage, huh?" Envy commented. "I know right? We are going to see the queen though, so why wouldn't we be here? Think this'll be the first time you've seen the Overworld Envy," Blair noted, fluffing his hair. "Yeah. Come to think of it, I don't think any other Homunculi seen the Overworld either," Envy said, now that it was brought up. Suddenly Envy started to feel a bit more special about it, being the first Homunculus to go to the Overworld. He was now a human, but still it was interesting. "OH, a bonus!" Pinkie beamed. "It would be said for me as well. I've heard many a word about the Overworld, but it'll be the first time seeing it with my own eyes," Sebastian also noted. Sure a homunculus may not be put into too much trouble, but he was a fullblood demon so that made things more complicated for him. Not just in law, but in health as well. "You just be careful there, Sebastian, and everything will be fine. Everything all set up there?" asked Nagisa, turning to the front seat to Heine, who at this point had got into the driver's seat. All Heine did was nod and rang the chime of one of the bells, and the bird flew off once again towards the Overworld Elysium. With their flight off, Ciel took a small look off back down to earth, seeing how high up they were getting after a short while, the ride giving him time to think, and remember about a particular talk he had at that same building. ... "You wanted to talk, Heine?" Heine nodded his head, finding Sebastian and Ciel over by the 3-E just the night prior, and inside the building too to avoid the night cold. "I do. Now I do want to point out that this is a required visit to Elysium this time, so I do want to point out a number of details for you and your demonic butler there, if I may," Heine explained. however, Ciel didn't find it too interesting, nor something he could make worth while. "You might as well save yuour breath. I don't intend to go up to the Overworld anytime soon, you get it." "Your trip to Elysium isn't a request, Phantomhive. Celestia wishes to meet all of you, and that's not something that can just be denied so casually," Heine said sternly. Ciel was starting to get upset, but rather than do that he removed the eyepatch and revealed the contract symbol to him again. "... Heine. You were there when I told Gakuho off with my own past. This contract confirms the fact that the gates of paradise will never be for me to venture to. Even if I wanted to go, I can't even do so. Stop pretending like it's something possible," Ciel made clear, though he didn't sound too worried or remorseful about it, much like how facts can't be altered either. Heine began to see what he actually meant, but he wasn't willing to give up and suddenly his pointer was aimed directly at him. "It's time for a lesson," he announced. Heine was seeing something else behind those eyes, and Ciel just allowed him to go on with whatever he had to say. "Before quitting something you want to do, you should always explore alternative solutions. Broadening your horizons to the options when they come forward will give you a more profitable future, where as keeping your mind narrowed will bring forward the latter. Don't try to immediately avoid these chances when they do come around. As I've said: One must consider all options when the opportunity does arise to be truly successful." "Ciel ... Ciel?" Aladdin's word got Ciel back to reality, the group already high up into the sky and closing the gap between them and Elysium. "Uh, sorry. What?" "I'm trying to tell you something about Undertaker: he actually works as a librarian up here. We might actually run into him again if you're lucky," Aladdin told him. "... I doubt that," Ciel stated, this news catching him off guard more than most. Why would the Undertaker be up in the Overworld in the first place, and as a librarian no less? ....... "We're about to land." It really took less time than Ciel, Sebastian, or Envy really expected. Envy got his head out from the side of the carriage as they flew, and sure enough they were reaching the city of Elysium, the very sight of it a big surprise for the kid. The floating buildings, many flying angels, and almost dream-like physics to the place surely had a special look to it for Envy to see. Unlike before though, which Heine parked the carriage by the main lobby, he brought the group over from the main streets and over towards a much larger building. With how much it looked like a castle, it was clear where the stop was actually going to be. Eventually Heine found a landing platform by the palace, and got it down gently. Waiting for them was some of the Elysium guards, all lined up and waiting for them over by the door, outfits similar to the Major and his troops. "Hello Elysium, we're back for round two!" announced Pinkie Pie as she hopped right out. The others followed her outside, Heine going off from the driver's seat. Many of them got out okay, Envy and Ciel included, but it was Sebastian who started to feel a little bit uneasy. not exactly sick, but feeling just a bit off when he got out. "Looks like they were expecting us," noted Nagisa, seeing the line up in front of them. Looking back, Blair noticed that Edward and Alphonse were standing ... pretty far back. "You two okay? You've been in Elysium before," Blair pointed out, but both boys felt way more uneasy than Sebastian was. A bit odd since they joined the others in getting to Elysium the first time on the field trip and even went off on their own to mend Ed's automail, so why were they freaking out now? Ed tried to chill, but Alphonse looked too worried. "I think I'm too scared brother. There's no way she's not gonna kill us," said Al, freaking out and shaking in his armor, both brothers holding hands. "Hey, don't chicken out on me now, I'm scared too okay?!" replied Ed, equally terrified. But, terrified of who? Was it this general they were talking about or what? "She, who's she?" asked Twilight. Apparently they didn't have too long to figure that out, as they heard the soldiers get in position. Once that was done, then walked out the "she" they were talking about. Each soldier stayed still as she passed them by, walking straight towards the team. She was dressed up in an Overworld general's uniform, showing her high authority to whomever was coming her way or passing her by, not to mention a sabre sword at her side. Her blonde hair reached down to her waist, covering one of her blue eyes which pierced through the team with little effort on her part. Eventually she stopped and examined them over. Of course, it didn't take very long until she saw Edward and Alphonse, her eyes narrowing "Hello, little red runt. I heard you've become one of Amestris's military dogs," she said sternly. Normally Ed would pummel her or at least tell her off for calling him a runt, but he was too freaked out to do so, which shocked most of the group. "Oh y-you heard about that?" Ed said meekly. "Uh, hi there. I guess you're one of the soldiers?" Nagisa asked, only to be met with a glare to silence him. At first she didn't say much, and looking him over again, but she eventually spoke again. "My name is Olivier Mira Armstrong. And you're to refer me as "General"," she made clear. "Armstrong, ease yourself. This happens to be Team Harmony, you know. The same group who'd been handling demons down in the human world, remember?" Heine reminded. According to Olivier though, she didn't see very much promise in this rag-tag team of humans. When her eyes saw Sebastian though, Olivier immediately grew suspicious. "Not promising." "So cold," the team thought. Heine found it annoying, but they still had a meeting to get to, so there was no time to waste. "Now, let's be on our way. You can talk to Ed and Al later, Olivier," Heine said, beginning to walk by her. Ed and Al begin to follow, just for Olivier to grab them both by the shoulder, pulling Al down to her level. The grab freaked them both out. "You two don't forget our little get-together. Because I'll find you," Olivier warned. "We won't, we won't, we promise!" They both quickly said, and only then did Olivier let them go. It was kinda hard to notice for some of the members. "What did they do to piss her off?" Nagisa thought. ~~ "Now all you remain here until everything's prepared. I'll get you all later." So, after that little venture, Heine brought them off from the landing port and started heading through the castle. That little encounter got plenty of them even more curious over what happened with Ed, Al, and Olivier, especially with how harsh she was treating them. They did get to the room Heine brought them to, but instead of the throne room straight away, it looked more like a guest room, with plenty of space for them all to wait. Heine left them to their leisure from there and while they were alright overall, Sebastian was starting to feel a bit more uncomfortable. So much Overworld energy made Sebastian feel like he was in a minefield. He felt some very slight sweat form up on his face, which he patted away with a napkin from his coat pocket. "Easy, Sebastian, the others will catch onto you if you keep freaking out," Envy commented. Any angel finding out about Sebastian's demonic identity would get them all in trouble. "My apologies. ... A bit warm, that's all," Sebastian simply said. "Way ahead of ya," Pinkie suddenly said, and all of a sudden she had a little something for him: an umbrella. How she got that here was anyone's guess, but after she opened it and gave it to him, the shade surely helped Sebastian a bit. "Much obliged," Sebastian said. "Where'd she get that from?" Envy wondered. One of many questions best not to ask about Pinkie Pie. As they were chilling though, the nagging question over Edward and Alphonse's involvement with Olivier still hung in the air, and the brothers could feel that they wanted that sort of question answered. "Hey bros, what's with you and Olivier?" Karma suddenly asked, finally getting that question out and open for the brothers. "Yeah, you two secretly Angels going incognito?" Pinkie asked, popping up between Edward and Alphonse. "Eh ... no, we're not," Alphonse said. "Then what happened with you three? that bitch nearly tore your arms off - MMPH!" Envy's comment was shut up by Alphonse, who covered his mouth. "Would you watch it?! If she hears that she'll actually do that," Alphonse said, scared. That was not something to say to someone like Olivier, if she was nearby, but luckily for them she wasn't around. "You might as well tell us. Seriously, I've never seen you two so freaked out before," Nagisa admitted. And with many of them in recorded memory that was mainly true. Edward sighed and got himself comfortable in his seat. "OOO story time," said Pinkie, as Alphonse started to think and remember a bit. "let's see ..." "NO! That's my livelihood you idiot!" A rather troubling accident: in one of Amestris's towns, one seemingly aristocratic man had just made a rather rough accident with someone's food stand. The main aftermath effected them both one way or another: the car was dented up with a broken windshield while the food stand laid down in a heap of wood with smoke bellowing out from it. "I-I'm terribly sorry sir," said the driver. "Well 'sorry' isn't gonna fix my stand," retorted the angry stand keeper. Rude, but unfortunately true, and with the extent of these damages it was indeed a troubling sight to see. Who knew how long it'll be before this was fixed. "Looks like you could use some help!" called a distant voice. Both men turned, and there stood the person that would give them their answer. The person: Edward Elric. He looked a bit younger here, slightly shorter by an inch, but he still had his mechanical parts on him. He was in a more "introductory" pose, fingers pointed forward with a wink on his face for style as his brother (still in his armor by the way) was nearby with Japanese-styled fans for cheery support. "It's a good thing I happened by. Edward Elric: State Alchemist at large!" Ed beamed. Alchemist? both men weren't exactly convinced, but before either one of them could complain, Edward Elric clapped his hands together, blue sparks flying out, and in little time all with a bit of regeneration, both the car, and the stand, were up and good as new! "Wow, that's amazing!" said the shopkeeper. "Thank you very much sir. Please, you have to let me pay you for this," said the other man. This act quickly caught attention of the locals, but Edward didn't have too much trouble with that. If anything he enjoyed it pretty nicely. "Pay? Well that's not necessary but thank you," Edward said, acting humble about it as his brother continued his support with his fans. Amongst the crowd was another person, an old women, who came up with what looked like a broken pot. "Please can you mend my broken vase? It's a priceless family heirloom," the old lady asked politely. "No problem at all mam," said Eh with a thumbs up. It didn't take very long, but eventually Edward started to fix up things all over town. Soon after the broken vase was mended it was one item after the others, each one done with equal amount of hero-enthusiasm and little time needed for each one: Edward found a old man with a snapped walking cane, and one alchemic try and it was good as new. Some construction workers saving tons of time on a support beam to an outside overhang when Edward mending the beam with a clap of his hands. Edward even took the time to help out a mother and baby by fixing up their baby carriage, the baby giddy about the light show more than anything. All this stuff finished up in no less than an hour of time, which would take hours just to get through one of them. The more things the Elrics got involved in the more attention they got, and by the time they were done Edward was up on a light post in a hero's pose, taking in the cheers and joy from many of the locals as Alphonse continued his support with his fans. "That's right, I'm your friendly neighborhood state alchemist! Don't forget, I'm Edward Elric!" Edward announced, more cheers from the crowd. It was a good day for many a people around this town, thanks to the alchemy used by Edward. ....... Soon, they got a break from it and it reached sunset. With all that help they gave, they both felt pretty good about things. With this town all handled in their main problems, both Alphonse and Edward both went off through the outskirts, and on their way down the road and away from the town. Even without too much money given to them, the two still felt pretty good for helping out the town. "K, so where to next? This town's taken care of," Edward asked. "You know, we have been doing these small towns, so why not try and go up a bit?" Alphonse suggested. Edward didn't need very much time to get where his brother was coming from, and a grin came on his face. "Of course, Central! Why didn't I think of that? If we can make miracles here, Central would surely give us a great welcome," Edward figured. He could see it himself: both him and Alphonse being greeted by the men and women of Central, all in salute to them, and cheering for them both when Edward would show off his alchemy regeneration skill. While his brother didn't worry about fame like Ed, he still thought about just how much help they could be when they would get there, imagining him and his brother as highly respected individuals because of it, seeing them both earning the generosity prize from the king himself or something like that. Regardless if it was for either fame or generosity, both brothers reached the same conclusion. "Central?" Alphonse asked. "Central," Ed simply answered. "Not just yet." Both brothers stopped when they heard the statement, as someone else walked out of one of the alleyways to meet with them, blocking their way. This women was Olivier, and she was quick to stare them down the minute she showed up. Seeing her made the two shocked more than anything. "A Amestris soldier?!" the two thought. Guess the stern look wasn't the thing that shocked them first. "I saw what you two did earlier today. Now, you and I need to talk," Olivier said sternly, and coldly. Al and Ed immediately turned and were whispering to eachother. "What're the odds an Amestris soldier would be showing up here?" Alphonse noted. "I know, this is perfect! After we're finished helping her, she'll put a great word for us at Central for sure," Edward said, excitedly. The logic seemed to be there, and since they've never been to Central yet this could very well work in their favor. The decision was made fairly quickly, and both of them turned to Olivier, Edward stretching before walking up to her. "Well, you want some help from the state alchemist? Well, you came at a great time, because I'll help in anything you need," Edward said, acting out the hero role from earlier. Unlike practically everyone else around town though, Olivier was not remotely impressed by it. If anything, it bugged her even more with the cocky nature of Ed. Her answer moments later? ... Slashing at them with her sword! The sword didn't hurt them at all, but when Ed saw some of his hair get cut off and fade to dust, that surely freaked them both out, both kids yelping and jumping back away from her, as Olivier aimed her sword right at them. "W-What was that for lady?!" gasped Alphonse. "You two think you can show off that alchemy so freely, you little bugs?" "A bug? I'm no bug, lady - WAAAHHH!" Ed was immediately silenced when Olivier skewered right above his head. A inch lower and Ed would've got killed by her in that strike, though it mainly showed that Olivier was more than worthy to beat them both up in no time at all. "You're in no place to be talking down to me. Now where'd you figure out how to do that?" Olivier demanded, her sword aimed at them and waiting for an answer. Any wrong word and they'll be nothing but cubes before she would be done with them. Ed gulped. "I-I ... I ... Look, thief!" Ed said, pointing past her. However, Olivier didn't remotely budge. "Terrorist! ... there's a sale on weapons! ... uh ... not working, huh?" "Idiot," Olivier simply stated, her sword dangerously close to his face. The sword, combined with her almost terrifying glare humbled both boys. "Had either of you ever heard of secrecy? You can not show off that kind of power like it's a new style. Maybe I should cut off what limbs you have left to teach you a lesson." Ed and Al weren't going to stay to find out any further, and both of them bolted for it. That just sparked Olivier to go right after them, much to their surprise. Olivier proved to move much faster though, and was catching up fast. Alphonse tried to avoid her, but Olivier actually went a bit far with her approach, and tackled Alphonse down. That move was forceful enough to knock off his head, which Edward caught in his arms as he turned back. Now Edward was getting angry at her. "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, LADY?!" shouted Edward. "Don't try and run away from me, coward!" Olivier yelled. "Well, let my brother go then!" Edward insisted. Olivier paused and looked at the armor, but she couldn't find anything inside at all. Nothing but air and metal walls of Alphonse's armor. Olivier did get off, but she wasn't by any means calmed down as she moved over to Edward. "That thing's your brother?" Olivier questioned. "Yes he is, and don't you think you can kill my brother because you're an Amestris soldier," Edward warned, though this was more of his anger talking rather than sense, something which Alphonse was a bit worried about. As for Olivier, she looked back at the body again, which was actually up on its feet and walking back to them as best it could. Edward took the moment to give the head back, and soon Alphonse was whole again. Eventually, Olivier aimed her sword back at Edward again. "You need to keep this more quiet, get it? And that goes for your "brother" too. Stop treating this alchemy like it's some sort of game, there's a reason why alchemy is dead here," Olivier firmly stated, making sure her words didn't miss them. The brothers didn't want a fight anymore. "Ok, ok, we promise, just put that thing away," Edward insisted. Olivier sighed roughly before withdrawing her sword, and with that said she started walking away. That was all the reassurance she needed, but she decided to give them one more message. "And one thing. If I catch either one of you playing around with this in front of anyone else again," Olivier finished her statement by slashing apart a nearby barrel, which freaked out them both. With that, she went off and out of sight, leaving the two brothers wondering what to actually do now. "That explains it," Aladdin said. "Yeah, so after that Al and I went off hiding from there. I had to keep Alphonse out of sight for the most part, and had to keep Alchemy low," Edward explained. "Hence me finding Al in an alleyway and not with you?" Blair asked. "Yep." "Sorry to hear that, Ed. I don't think she'll be too mad at you now, especially with what happened," Nagisa assured. "Well I don't know. Considering ... considering ... she's gonna kill us when she finds out what happened," Ed wept. "It would've been nice to at least have had a girlfriend before I died," Alphonse added, also worried sick. However, as surprising as it was that they met a Elysium general on their travels, Nagisa started to wonder a little bit about it. "No, that can't be right. Ed and Al are more strong than that, they couldn't have been that scared of her then, right? ... Something else must've happened between them," he thought. Before they could go any further, the doors soon opened up again, and ... well, speak of the devil. "Hello, little red runt." "Gah! ... little, red ..." Ed said, freaked out and shivering again. Just their luck she would show up after their little story. And after hearing that as well, the others had their impression on her already, and they doubt if Olivier cared about that or not. "Ah, Olivier, we were just talking about ya," Karma suddenly said, freaking out the brothers even more. "I heard you already from outside the door. Edward, Alphonse?" Olivier said, her sword drawn out again, scaring them both. That was more than enough for Team Harmony, and Envy, and Pinkie suddenly were grabbing the sword in Olivier's hand, worried she would attack them. "Back off, Olivier!" Envy demanded. "Let go of that, you brat," Olivier demanded, trying to get the sword back, but Envy and Pinkie weren't letting up. "Ed and Al are trying their best, they don't deserved to be marshmallow'd!" Pinkie cried. confusing, but Olivier managed to get her sword back after a good yank. She was more upset at Pinkie and Envy than she was at Edward and Alphonse. "Who said I was going to kill them? I'd 'marshmallow'd' them by now if I did," Olivier said. "Y-You're not mad?" "Don't push your luck," Olivier warned, worrying Al again before addressing everyone else in the group. "Now who's in charge here?" Olivier asked. In charge? None of them really considered that at all, most of the time they were just friends working together and didn't consider anyone in charge of anything in their group. In the end, Ciel Phantomhive got her attention. "May I ask your reasoning, Armstrong?" Ciel questioned. Olivier didn't like the tone given to her, but she bared it and reached for what they thought was her sword again, but instead she tossed what looked like a folded paper to him. After some unfolding, it turned out to be a set of wanted posters of a number of notable figures on it, each with their own bounty underneath. "The queen was going to blabber on about this, but I got tired of waiting. The longer those pansies continue going around, the more damage they'll cause." "So you want our group to go out and handle them for you," Ciel concluded. "with me. I'm not staying behind just because it's your group doing it," Olivier made clear. After hearing Ed and Al's story it was a bit out of nowhere. "Damn, first you try to kill these two and now you're asking for our help. Talk about a one eighty," Karma joked. Olivier just ignored his remark, Ciel nodding his head and giving it to Nagisa to look over. First time they've been actually tasked to hunt down some demons since this whole thing started. Most of the time they just found the demons where they went, so this was interesting for them. Not to mention one of them was actually the Great Tengu they were just talking about too. "We'll see what we can do," Ciel simply concluded. Olivier could tell that was the best answer Ciel was going to give her, so she then went over to Ed and Al. "And you two watch yourselves! If Pluton wasn't dead because of your involvement then there'd be a world of pain for you," Olivier warned. Ed and Al quickly got the hint, but still moved back a little bit, which Olivier found a bit silly. "Really now, I expect far more from my former students than a bunch of cowering dunces," stated Olivier. Well THAT came out of nowhere! The whole group turned to Ed and Al, both of which felt a little embarrassed. Before they could explain themselves though, Olivier had another message for them as she opened the door. "By the way, Celestia's ready for you now, so you better get moving," Olivier suggested. The others begin to get up and go, but suddenly Sebastian was stopped by Ciel. "... For the sake of the rest of us, you stay by the door," Ciel simply instructed. "Yes, my lord." ~~ After some guidance from Olivier herself, the whole group had gotten themselves from the guest room and off to the throne room. They had time later to figure the student and teacher thing out with Olivier, Ed, and Al, but for now they had a meeting with the queen to get to. It didn't take them too long, but eventually they did reached the main doors to the throne room in question. The throne room was fairly large, and pretty elegant for the queen of Elysium to have. A long red carpet reached from the door to the throne itself over clean white floors. The walls lines with pillars and window murals up to the throne itself, each side of the back wall had a banner for the Overworld symbol, resembling the sun and the moon. Pretty nice for the queen herself to have. Speaking of which, it didn't take them too long before they saw Celestia herself standing there. The two words that would describe the queen would be beautiful and regal: a women with fair skin and a skim figure, standing about as tall as Sebastian. She wore a white cream, long-sleeved dress which ended in a yellow flair at her feet, a set of yellow heeled shoes, accompanied by small gold accessories on her wrists, elbows, and running around her neck and shoulders, a purple gemstone at the center of her chest. Her hair flowed down her back in a flow of many colors, a calming rainbow almost like the aurora lights, and her violet eyes greeted them with calming demeanor and almost motherly comfort. The angel was clearly recognized as such by her creamy white wings, and a horn that came out of her head like that of a unicorn. The horn was also accompanied by a tiara, which was also gold and having a purple gemstone on it. They all could sense a sort of holy power flow from her, regardless if they had a sense for it or not, and Aladdin almost immediately bowed to her. Being a Magi of the Overworld, it would be disrespectful otherwise. Turned out as well she wasn't alone: Heine was over nearby and at attention, along with the Major. "Team Harmony. It's so nice to see you all at last," Celestia said, walking over to them. "I-It's nice to see you too, uh, your highness," said Nagisa, humbled at her presence. The others felt similarly, though Pinkie couldn't help but stare in amazement at the beautiful queen. Celestia took a moment to look them all over, and actually started to smile and giggle softly. "What's so funny?" Ciel questioned. "Oh, nothing much. I'm a bit humbled myself, actually," Celestia admitted with a smile. "Let me guess, because of how many demons we battled off of our world?" Karma figured. That would be enough to earn respect regardless. "And it was all done by a group of children too. At such a young age and look at how much you've all done already. Congratulations," Celestia said. "Oh. Uh, thank you," Twilight said. It was then Celestia looked to Aladdin, who was still bowing on the ground. Aladdin was just trying to show his respect to her, but he didn't realize that no one else was doing in. "I think you can get up now," Blair said, nudging Aladdin. "O-Oh, uh, ok," Aladdin said, red in the face and getting up to his feet. Ciel then stepped to her. "So, queen Celestia -" "Call me Princess Celestia. It makes me sound younger," Celestia joked. "Right. Princess Celestia, what's this about exactly?" "It's just a visit, Ciel. Is there anything wrong in just a informal visit?" Celestia asked. Not exactly what Ciel expected to hear, but they didn't really protest against it. However, she then took a look over at Sebastian standing over by the door, and noticed that he was feeling a bit troubled. Sebastian had been a bit troubled since arriving here, feeling pretty warm since showing up, but while the others didn't want to get into trouble, Celestia actually started going up to him, making the situation a bit more troubling. "Is everything okay?" Celestia asked. Sebastian felt himself heat up when she moved over to him, but he tried to keep himself relaxed and not act too troubled for being here. "Just under instructions, mam," Sebastian simply said, not even looking at her in the face. The others were beginning to get a little bit worried, and Celestia actually went on and gently placed her hand on Sebastian's hand, keeping it there for a moment. Sebastian tried to keep himself together. Eventually though, Celestia started to sense something with him, especially where her hand was. "Oh dear. A demon in the throne room." Crap, they were found out! The news got the Major and Olivier very on edge, and Olivier immediately drew out her sword, but Nagisa, Twilight, and Blair got in the way, Celestia backing up. "NO, NO, NO, NO, wait a minute! Yes, he's a demon but he's on our side really, he saved our lives multiple times, and yeah he can be a bit rough but he's not willing to harm anyone!" Twilight quickly stated. However, Celestia looked at them all down with disapproval. ... but then laughed. "I'm joking, I knew he was a demon since he arrived here." "Well, why didn't you say?" Olivier questioned. "You heard what they said. Sebastian is a demon, but he's done more good than harm. As long as he doesn't run into any holy water, he should be okay," Celestia said. A wave of relief washed over all of them, including Sebastian. At least Celestia had an open mind about the situation, even if it meant letting a demon run around her own castle. Celestia then turned over to the rest of the group, walking over and stopping in front of Envy. Envy had tried to keep quiet about it, but seeing the Overworld queen like this left him unsure what to say. He took a few steps back as she came close. "Ah, Envy. Heine did mention you while he was there. Are you enjoying your life as a Human?" Celestia asked. Envy recollected himself, glancing at Heine nearby. "Eh, it's okay. Took some time getting used to, but it's fine," Envy said. What else could he say? He couldn't even look up at Celestia, but Celestia brought her gentle hands under his chin and lifted his gaze up her, Envy seeing her sweet smile. After that she moved over to the front of the group again, Envy trying to calm down from that. "It is nice to meet all of you, but as this is a meeting, I do have something for you," Celestia informed, catching their attention. "Sweet, what is it?" Blair asked. Celestia then turned over towards the Major. They didn't notice when they came in, but they did find out that Winry was also with him, standing at attention. "Edward. I believe it was Winry who mended your automail, right?" Celestia asked. "Uh, yeah, why?" "Because she's going to be your new mechanic from here on out. In a way, it is her automail your wearing, so it would make sense for the mechanic of the automail to be with you. Winry Armstrong, do try to help him however you can," Celestia explained. So basically, Celestia gave Edward a mechanic. Edward glanced to Karma, who was smiling smugly at him. Edward knew the idea Karma must have in his head, but he didn't say anything. With her dad standing right there, and how strong he even was, he'd rather not get his head cracked open by Alex. "... Wait. Winry Armstrong?" Ed thought. He worked out the family tree in his head and reached the similar conclusion as the others: Winry was related to Olivier. "Hey Ed, Al, guess we'll be hanging out together for a while, eh?" Winry said with a smile. "Eh, yeah. Cool," Ed said meekly. He could only wonder what sort of traits she might've got from Olivier, and not a good idea to make any snazzy comments to both parents here. "Ah, a new member! Welcome aboard," said Pinkie with a grin. "Do try to make her feel right at home. It'll be grateful over what you three had gone through. Also, I do have something else to show you all," Celestia said, ready to grab whatever it was. However, she found that the item was ... kind of missing. Celestia looked a little confused and tried to find it. After a little bit though, Nagisa started to guess what she had in mind and then pulled out the poster Olivier gave to them earlier. "Looking for this?" "How'd you get that already?" Celestia asked. "Your general Olivier got impatient, that's how," Karma commented. Olivier felt a little bit ticked for the tattletale, but more embarrassed for it being right in front of Celestia. The queen just kept that aside and looked back to the group. "Yes. I know it might be much, but perhaps ..." "Sure," Nagisa said, a bit quick too. "We've been running into so many left and right, I'm more than sure we'll end up finding them anyway. Besides, Karma already faced one of the Great Tengu's followers, so seeing him shouldn't be for too long." Honestly, saying this won't happen to them was simply hogwash at this point, and with how many they fought before they might as well take the task at hand with more open arms. At least Nagisa was more up to the task, and in the end many of the others started to agree to (Envy being the only exception that is). Celestia smiled on this word. "How wonderful. I'm glad you're all so willing to help." "Well let's be real, it's probably gonna happen anyway, why fight it? I'm actually looking forward to meeting the Great Tengu. If his followers are gutsy to attack at a military base, I wonder how the Great Tengu will fight," Karma brought. That detail about the military base actually reminded Ciel of another detail. "Speaking of, Celestia, there's something I want to ask of you. A number of leaders down in the Human World had started a protection agreement, you see." "Protection Agreement?" Celestia asked. "Oh, that. It's an agreement for countries to protect eachother from the demons showing up. They've been pretty rough lately," Nagisa said. "Well, something like that. And we've been wishing for some more Overworld support." Celestia smiled. "I'll have Olivier and Alex arrive in Tokyo to help you then," Celestia decided. "Sounds good to me." "Nagisa, what the hell?!" Ed and Al thought. "It's all settled then. I wish you all my blessing," Celestia finished. With the meeting over, Team Harmony took their leave from the throne room, Sebastian opening the door and letting them all go off. Sebastian took one look over back towards Celestia before leaving himself, and they all begin to go off towards the carriage. A lot had been done in there: more demons to find with a bounty, a new member for their team, and now some Overworld support against the demons down in the human world. "Well, that couldn't have gone better, could it?" Ciel concluded. "Yeah, and now we have a new member to our team. It's gonna be great!" Pinkie said, referring to Winry. "I'm glad you like me here," Winry said with a smile. Blair took a look over to Envy then, and Envy actually looked very frazzled, hand over his heart as it was racing. "My god. ... Is that what goddesses truly look like?" he thought aloud. "I know, it's amazing! Celestia gave all of us her blessing, that's such an honor!" Aladdin beamed, hands together and eyes sparkling. As they went along, Nagisa started to think over what just happened. "Let's see. We still have Envy's capture to deal with soon. We got these four Demons to find and stop alongside the general and the major, and Twilight and I still have Lugia to find. We got a lot of work to do, but with the group we have, I think we'll be okay."
S04Ep9: Inner Demons ~内悪魔~Well, it had been a pretty long cool down for Japan, and for the world for that matter. The last huge demon involvement had been months ago at this point, and be that as it may it would only be a matter of time before that would exactly change. And in the case for one Homunculus, it was time to finally come out and play: Gluttony. Gluttony had been put in deep regeneration for a while, not to mention that he was no longer the mindless beast he once was by Tirek (which was what had to take more time to reverse in the first place), but now he was back in action, and the first order of business on his mind was to find out where Envy was. A major setback thanks to Tirek, but he was still sure his Homunculus friend was out there somewhere. He at least wanted to see if his Homunculus was alright. Anything left in the wake of Pluton was not something that even he could stomach. After getting released, Gluttony got himself up back out into the field over in the more suburban part of Tokyo. It was getting a bit later, but Gluttony didn't really care so long as he finds Envy. He put his great nose to good use, trying his best to figure out any similar scent, and even went in the area he was last spotted in. If Lust could find him, surely he could! "Yes, he's here somewhere. He has to be," Gluttony told himself, smelling the air around him. Scent tracking over a Homunculus lost for months was no easy task, and without anything to back him up he had only his memory to work off of. He smelled that scent off of Twilight and Aladdin, he knew he was somewhere with them for some reason, so if Envy was anywhere it had to be with Team Harmony ... as crazy as it sounded. "Thanks for the lift." Gluttony heard the voice just enough to get his attention. It sounded slightly off, but it was extremely close to who he was looking for. He crept up and peeked around a street corner, and soon he saw that someone was being dropped off at home by Korosensei. "Anytime kiddo. So, how was it with the queen? Did she give you any goodies?" Korosensei asked, eager to figure it out. "Eh, it was fine. She gave us some thanks, a mechanic, and left them with some bounties to handle," Envy stated. But in his mind, it was still racing that he actually got to see an Overworld queen without getting killed over it. "Oh god, oh god, I can't believe that even happened! She looked so beautiful," Envy thought. "Aww, it was hoping she'd give you a souvenir. Sure is nice for them to bring you along, Envy." "They said it was to keep me safe for another day, but yeah," Envy admitted, shrugging it off. He hadn't forgotten about his supposed capture by his fellow Homunculus, which was why he decided to go off in the first place, but with how much he heard them defying fate so far he grew less worried over it. Not that he wasn't at all, but he was still a bit calmer about it. "Good for them and you. Whelp, sorry I can't stop, we must keep time you know," Korosensei said, before jumping up in the air and flying off on his way, leaving Envy all alone just outside the house. Did Gluttony hear him right? Was that Envy standing there? Gluttony could feel his emotions overflow him on seeing him, and ... "ENVY!!" "What the - OOFF!" Suddenly, Gluttony charged right out, arms opened wide as he tackled Envy in a hug, which knocked them both to the ground. Envy was still in a state of shock, so he didn't know what to think at first, but Gluttony was more than happy to see him, tears pouring out of his eyes like fountains. "OH ENVY, YOU'RE ALIVE! MY FRIEND, MY BUDDY, I THOUGHT I LOST YOU FOREVER!" Gluttony cried. Envy struggled to get himself out of Gluttony's grip. His Homunculus body would take it just fine, but his human body just wasn't strong enough, and it strained at the least. However, Envy got himself back to line, and realized what was going on. A known Homunculus had found him, and he didn't have time to alter himself at all. "G-Gluttony? What the hell are you doing here?" Envy asked, Gluttony setting him down. "Looking for you! That mean Pluton tore you apart and I couldn't find you anywhere, so I searched and searched and here I am! ... Why're you dressed like that?" Gluttony then asked, only now actually giving Envy a better look. once being a Homunculus of deception, Envy already got a lie at the ready. "I'm undercover, Gluttony, not so loud," Envy warned. Gluttony covered his mouth, and quickly looked around, but then he took a small sniff. Something smelled different about Envy. Envy started to get uncomfortable when Gluttony took a few more sniffs. "You smell good. ..." "Eh ... thank you? Ok, look, just get out of here before anyone sees you, you'll blow my cover," Envy insisted, but Gluttony continued sniffing some more. Envy sure smelled good, almost delicious. ... But, why would Gluttony smell that kind of scent on him? Suddenly, Gluttony grabbed Envy and gave him a hearty lick. "Gluttony, what the hell?!" Envy snapped, pulling his arm away. The taste just made Gluttony's mouth water, him tasting something exceptionally good off of him. Normally he'd go into a feeding frenzy at this point, but considering this was a Homunculus Envy he was talking to, the revelation and clues were just shocking to him, his eyes wide and staring in horror. "... Oh no. E-Envy ..." Envy groaned. A Homunculus didn't taste or smelled like a human being, so these factors stood against him. He'd make up a lie for the smell if Gluttony didn't actually taste him first, so eventually he just looked to his Homunculus friend. "Alright, alright. Pluton did too much of a number on my stone, so I got stuck in this damn human body. A good disguise, but all my powers are down, okay?" Envy admitted, very annoyed about it and a lie he had to make up on the spot. Gluttony was shocked to hear what had happened to him. "Does anyone from Tartarus know?" "Aside from Sombra, no. But god damn it, it's bullshit without my power quick fix," Envy complained. Gluttony really wanted to help Envy out of this little slump of his. A Homunculus like him without his powers was a big problem for any Underworld or Overworld being to deal with, especially a being like Envy. Gluttony scratched his forehead, trying to think but then he got his eureka moment. A big smile then went across his face. "Too bad I don't have a clue how," Envy groaned, rolling his eyes. "I do!" Gluttony suddenly said. "... Y-You do?" "Sombra! He brought you back to life before, I'll get him to fix you and you'll be a Homunculus again!" Gluttony decided, turning and running off away. "Gluttony, hold on!" Envy called. But Gluttony didn't stop, and soon Envy was by himself again. He tried lying out of trouble, but instead he just sealed his own goddamn fate. The Homunculus are going to be coming back, and Envy, I think they're coming for you. "DAMNIT!" ~~ Nighttime, and off back in their apartment, Nagisa and Aladdin were both off and taking some rest. Honestly it wasn't anything too typical for them both, and along with the rest of the team they had a pretty good day overall. Seitenshi would surely be pleased when Olivier and Alex do end up arriving under Celestia's request. First time they got some true aid from the big angels now, and Nagisa rested more reassured then before. Nagisa still had some thoughts going through his mind, though not as many as before, the main subject being Envy and the Homunculi. Bradly flat out admitted it without too much trouble, Lust, Pride, and Gluttony were still out there, and who knew when it was actually gonna happen. Nagisa did a fair job pre-planning for Gakuho and Karasu, but this one he didn't have much clue on when. It could be any minute, it could be any week, but all the same it stuck around with him as he went to sleep. He had one idea how to find out. ....... "Good, it happened again. I'm getting better at this." Yep, back to the dream world, and back to looking for Lugia again. Lugia was the only person who would have anything more about these sorts of visions. The area was the same, with the exception of a star night sky instead of blue. Nothing new really, and at this point he was growing used to it. However that didn't make finding Lugia any easier. He looked and looked, but as before he was all alone again. No Lugia anywhere. "Lugia!" called Nagisa, but as before he didn't show up. Just him and the lone tower of Synapse. Whatever this bad thing was, it either was going on, or it must've already happened, because Lugia would've shown up by now. "Oh no. D-did something happen to him?" Nagisa thought. He really didn't want to think that, since he and Twilight were trying to help him, but if something bad had already happened, what was he supposed to do? Did Lugia knew they were looking for him? No, they didn't tell him yet, but then again Lugia knew a lot of things long before they even showed up so who's to say? Nagisa turned his eyes up to the tower this time, and then he began to see that something was actually floating down to the ground. The object was small, a piece of paper, and it gently swaying and turned in the air until it landed right in Nagisa's hand. "Lugia!" Nagisa eyes shot up back to the tower, hoping Lugia would be there, but no, nothing was there that would've dropped the paper off. This was bad, and he took a look at the paper dropped down to him. I hope this prepares you ... Then the flash happened again. ....... With the morning sun rising up after enough time, Aladdin gave a good stretch and awakened to a new day. At least last night went fairly well for him, as the first thing he did was go over to Nagisa's room to get him up. It'd been that way for a while when they had a school day: if Aladdin woke up earlier than Nagisa, he would wake him up to start the day. So, Aladdin went off to do that, and soon he opened up the door. "Morning, Nagi - ... Nagisa?" Gone. Nagisa had not only woke up before him, but apparently gone from the apartment altogether. The Magi didn't see him in there, nor in the main room either. As he looked though, Aladdin did end up seeing something up on the coffee table, something he didn't catch when he woke up. Turned out it was some more instructions Nagisa had left behind for him. "What's this?" Aladdin wondered, picking it up and reading it over. Off to get Envy. I know it's school today, but we won't have any time left to save Envy if we do that. Tell the others what's going on and where I'll be at. If they want to see me, then fine, but here's what I plan on doing ... As Aladdin read down exactly what he had in mind, which was surprisingly detailed in time and place, Aladdin grew more and more worried, his hands shaking, and nerves ranked up. When he was finished, he gripped the note, quickly summoned out his flying carpet, and rushed off right out the window! There was no time to waste! ~~ As Aladdin was flying off on his way, Nagisa was walking off on his own way towards his destination. He wouldn't usually go this way for any reason, honestly, so memory was a little bit more vague than his typical visits, but thanks to Korosensei and some direction, Nagisa got in his way over to where Envy lived, and as such towards Hinano's house. He had his own list to work out in his hand, and Nagisa took the walk some time to look it over. He already crossed off the first thing, which was leaving a note for Aladdin, but he had more to handle than that, and he even had the time limit to handle all these things before the deadline. He also had a wrist watch, and he kept time with that too, and so far he was doing pretty alright. "Alright, so Aladdin should've gotten that note by now. If they stay away then fine, if they do come I'll just have to explain myself. Hopefully Envy's more open to the plan," Nagisa thought, a yawn escaping himself. He wasn't so thrilled about it either, but he made out all the stops for this, which took him about three extra hours straight after waking from the dream (which was why he was a bit tired), and he had to do his absolute best to get all his chips gathered before handing this kind of bet. Eventually, Nagisa did find the house in question passed the next corner, and he wasted no time in getting there. He checked his time again. "Only five minutes to eight. They should still be here," Nagisa thought, and indeed they were. In fact, he caught one of the residents just in time, seeing Hinano coming out with all her stuff for school, but Envy wasn't with her. He could probably guess why though, and Hinano saw Nagisa coming straight over. "Oh, Nagisa? What're you doing here?" Hinano asked, a bit surprised to see him show up. Again, Nagisa wouldn't normally come this way, nevermind so early. "Don't worry about it, Hinano, I just want to talk with Envy. Is he still here or did he leave already?" Nagisa asked. From the tone of his voice Nagisa sounded like it was important, but Hinano still wasn't too sure about it. "Eh, well yes he's here, but I don't think it's such a good idea right now." "Why?" "Let's just say he's a bit on edge," Hinano admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "No surprise there," Nagisa thought, before looking at the time again. Nagisa turned to the house before he spoke again. "Can I go in for a minute, it won't be too long." "Well, you can try talking to him, but I don't know how well you'll do. He's just upstairs in the first room to your left," Hinano said, pointing to the stairs just inside the door. He gave his thanks and went right on inside, as Hinano started to feel a little concern. With what happened to Envy before, Hinano could only hope that it wasn't too bad. Checking his time again as he went in, Nagisa wasted little time in going from the front door, and going straight upstairs and right to the first room to his left as Hinano said. So, Nagisa went on ahead and actually opened the door. ... "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME!" "AH, Envy wait, it's me!" Apparently this edginess came with a bat in Envy's hands, which Envy nearly clocked Nagisa with. Envy was freaked out for basically setting up this fate of his and he really didn't want any chances with it. Nagisa had just a moment to dodge the bat and only then did Envy realize who he just swung at. "Oh. What's up?" Envy asked, still holding the bat but more casually as Nagisa went into the room. "Look, it's about that vision I had, you see -" "Look, don't rub it in, I know it's gonna happen! I already screwed myself, don't hammer it in," Envy admitted, feeling angry at himself for his big mouth. "What're you talking about?" "Just yesterday gluttony just so happened to show up, and now he's running around back in Tartarus trying to get Sombra out here to "fix me". Well goddamnit, I'm not going anywhere without a fight," Envy said. He knew what'll happen when he would be caught by them, even if Nagisa didn't say. He knew Sombra way more than Nagisa did, and as far as he knew, mercy was not on Sombra's mind. That only confirmed when this would exactly happen, as Nagisa looked to the list again as Envy was explaining. "No they won't," Nagisa firmly stated. "How're you so sure?" Envy spat. "I already got a plan worked out for them, and if it works, we'll all be okay. I need your help though in order for this to work, and NO, you're not going to be captured for it," Nagisa said, making that clear before Envy could bring it up, Nagisa even showed Envy the written plan out on the paper, which Envy looked up and down and reading the details. Once done, he looked to Nagisa with a rather perplexed look. "Seriously?" "Yes, I am. ... Now, you still have them somewhere, don't you?" ....... Back at Orora high, things were getting a bit more casual since the whole Gakuho affair, and at this point it was as normal as it could get to. Much of Team Harmony too were going through the motions, though none of them really had noticed Nagisa just yet, or Aladdin for that matter, and with one more future vision still up for grabs, anything could happen for them now. It was still fairly early for much of them, only about an hour into school, and at this point it was just in between classes. Twilight and Pinkie both met up near the 3-E class. "So you still didn't see Nagisa anywhere?" "Nope, and our Magi's been and gone too. I bet they're gonna be doing something big and heroic," said Pinkie, slightly annoyed that they were left out of the fun. "Big and heroic?" "We've been doing that for months, why wouldn't they be? Why did he have to do it without us though?" Pinkie added in. Twilight felt more worried than anything, but they were on their way to the 3-E class, so maybe they could figure out what was going on. It took just a minute for them to get there, but they got another little surprise while there. Turned out they weren't the only ones who decided to stop by the 3-E classroom today, and actually it was Gakuho Asano of all people! "Oh. Morning Kagayaki, Pie," Gakuho said. "Gakuho?" Twilight asked. "I'm just stopping by as all ..." Gakuho admitted. Hard thing to swallow, but the principal felt that, in his heart, an apology needed to be said to the man who he drew a gun on. That would be enough at least. Before either one of them could open the door, there stood Heine. "Ah, morning sir, Yugure, Pinkie." "Morning. ... Heine, I -" Heine knew exactly why he was there, and he actually raised his hand for Gakuho to be quiet. "If this is in regards to your "episode", I've already forgiven you for that. You at least were aware enough to recognize when to stop," Heine said. Gakuho turned away. "... Understood. ..." Gakuho could feel some slight sense of relief for that. It had been going on in his head over the last number of days, and at least Heine was understandable enough, even if it was on something as extreme as this. "Now, let's try and start over, wouldn't you agree?" Gakuho suggested, a hand extended. However, Heine merely grabbed his finger by his index and thumb. "I would want to point out how unnecessary that actually was. A teacher worries over the future of his students day in and day out, and in the end, Gakuho, that was all I was trying to do. I'm aware you care about your ant system, but you have to understand any and all students need to have a proper future, and they shouldn't be held back from doing so. You do understand, do you?" Gakuho was quiet and looked to 3-E, and to the other two girls nearby. The images of his desperation echoed in his head, and he sighed gravely. "... Yes. I understand." "If it makes you feel any better, sir, moving the students to the main building was, and will, be the biggest move I'll do. So as long as you treat the E students as every other class rank, don't expect any major changes apart from that anytime soon." "I ... I promise, Heine," Gakuho finally said. After such a long time of his discriminative nature in his ant system, the flaws in the design were finally starting to show up for him. Of course, and Heine knew this all too well, you can't give a man a seed and expect a farm overnight. Time will tell how well it'll go. ... "HEY! GUYS!" The somber moment was cut short when a freaked out voice cut the silence, all four of them turning down the hall to see Aladdin standing there, the note still in his hand from earlier that morning. He was scared, breathing heavily, and really needed to find the others. "A-Aladdin? What's going on, you okay?" asked Pinkie. "Where is everyone? Ed, Al, Ciel, Karma, they're here right?!" Aladdin asked, sounding almost panicked. Now, it was rare for anyone to look like this, so it was clear that something wasn't right now. Twilight then started to realize. ... "What's wrong? Where's Nagisa?" ~~ Back in Hinano's home, Envy awaited just outside, waiting right by the door for Nagisa to be finished. Thanks to him he knew the entire plan, and he seemed a bit unsure about it for Nagisa's sake. Eventually though, Nagisa Shiota was outside and met up with him, though it wasn't exactly the same Nagisa Shiota Envy met with that morning. It took some effort on Envy's part to help, but eventually Nagisa looked like ... well, him. Wearing Envy's old clothes, and even styling his hair to the darker black, Nagisa looked almost exactly like Envy, the only exception being the hair being a bit smaller, but it could easily be overlooked for everything else. They even got some lenses in his eyes so they appeared purple instead of blue. Nagisa felt a little embarrassed for the outfit choice, but kept that bottled up inside him, as he gave himself one more spot check. "Ok, how do I look? Think I can pull you off?" Nagisa asked, looking over his shoulder to see the back of him. "It fits you surprisingly well, I can't lie," Envy admitted, surprised himself as to how well Nagisa actually looked to mirroring him. Though he wasn't wearing it for the hell of it, there was a plan to work with, and Nagisa checked the time once again just to be sure. "There's still half an hour left, so it'll leave me enough time to get there. You just wait inside," Nagisa concluded. And with this look, he felt confident he could get it pulled off. Nagisa himself took a look at the list, which he had marked off a few more times down to the wire, and soon not much of it was left. Only a basic instruction and the deadline time. Envy did as he said, and went back inside the house, giving Nagisa one more look before closing the door. Nagisa sighed, and just got ready to go when - "NAGISA!" Even if it was still school, the others just had to catch him. Aladdin managed to get Ed, Al, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie on the level, unable to find the rest of the group in time, nor did he have enough time to even look. Nagisa sighed, and at least had the option at the ready for if they were to show up before he left. "Hey guys. So, what do you think? Look good?" "Yes, but I think you're crazy, you can't do this!" Pinkie straight up said, summing up the whole situation pretty good. Nagisa sighed. Leave it to Aladdin to get the word out quickly enough like this. Nagisa showed them the plan next. "Everything will be okay," Nagisa insisted. "How do you know? And why this of all things, cosplaying won't stop them!" Edward said. "Yeah, you look exactly like him, but why?! You don't even know what'll happen! ... Do you?" Pinkie added, her tone shifting very quickly on the last question. "As a matter of fact, I do. Look, last night I got an extremely detailed vision, down to even the time. If this plan works, it'll help everyone out, I -" "Nagisa!" Twilight suddenly shouted, "Don't do this, please, we all thought you died already, we can't bare to lose you again!" Nagisa paused and remembered that trouble, and how long he was actually gone for with that kind of thought in their heads. "If this works, you won't have to. Besides, I don't want any of you caught up in it either. Read it," Nagisa insisted, and so they did. The plan was detailed very well, whatever vision Nagisa had making it so up to a point, and they did notice one sort of detail that did come across as at least a reason. He'll want no witnesses to anything. Be sure to go alone, otherwise they'll be killed. "... Rather blunt, huh?" Pinkie said, though for once she wasn't trying to make it funny. "You mean we'll die if we show up with you?" "Why do you think I had Aladdin tell you instead of me? At least then I might've been and gone before you got to me." "Come on, we can handle it, really! Don't treat us like we can't!" Edward snapped. Nagisa sighed again, and saw his point but he really didn't want to take the chance with any of them, not even Alphonse. "Listen, I know it sounds selfish to keep you all back, especially after how much you all did, but ..." "But ...?" Twilight asked. "... But, I don't want to watch my friends be killed. If it does all work out and one of you dies, I'll never forgive myself for it. So, the best thing any of you could do is wait until it's over. Ok?" There was a silence that hung in the air after that as they all considered the plan given to them, and the one that Nagisa worked enough time into to make it fool-proof. However, with this being a future vision they were talking about, just how big of a risk was it? Ed and Al were Very unsure about it, but Twilight and Pinkie both were slowly starting to see just how sure Nagisa was. Similar to his decision to fight Tirek and Gluttony before, similar to when he ran off to finish off Pluton even. ... All Twilight did was nod her head. "Ok. ... I trust you." "I promise I'll come back." Nagisa's final statement came with him turning around and starting to go off on his way. As he went, a thought then struck him again concerning what Twilight said. He thought she was gone too at one point, and she spent enough time looking for him. "Wait. ... One more thing. You know, just in case if something happens," Nagisa said, turning around and starting to walk up to them. ... "Nagisa, I trust you enough, don't say -" Then he did it. After too long in his mind, he finally did it. He was right in front of Twilight Kagayaki. ... A kiss. Right on her lips, and Nagisa kept it there for three full seconds. The shock from Ed, Al, and Pinkie were more than enough to see just how big this was. Twilight grew flustered, eyes wide and in shock at the kiss being given to her, and she didn't know what to say. Nagisa looked Twilight in the eyes for once more before he turned away, and raced off out of sight. "Nagisa ..." ....... Pretty soon, and it took a good while, but eventually Nagisa managed to find his destination for this deadline to take place. It was secluded as expected, over off in the outskirts of Tokyo, just by a streetlight. No one seemed to be around anywhere except for himself, and with the disguise all set and just him there, Nagisa had everything figured out. He looked to his list one more time, before crumbling it in his hand and tossed it aside. The list was practically done anyway, and with silence, his mind went back to what he just did, namely kissing Twilight. "I didn't miss that chance. ... No regrets now," Nagisa thought, as he took a look once more at his time. It was just down to seconds now. "Five ... four ... three ... two ... cue Pride Homunculus." "Hello Envy. I found you." And right on time. Nagisa made sure to keep quiet just in case they would hear him. If either one did that, then the cover would be pointless. After all, he can't change his voice no matter what they did to him. As for the Homunculus, as he thought, it turned out to be Selim Bradley Pride, and he wasn't hiding his Homunculus side this time, with the physical body there and the huge Homunculus form slowly seeping out towards him. Pride grinned. "Quiet today? Very well. It was nice for Gluttony to tell us about you. And here I was thinking you've actually perished in the Pluton incident. Yet, here you are," Pride explained, as Nagisa felt his shadows creep up his body, a tiny hand actually giving a slight cut on his face, showing that they were more than just shadows. Any move now and he could be sliced to pieces. Still, he didn't say a word to him, Pride clearly buying into the disguise good enough. He could even feel himself being lifted off the ground by these same shadows. "Don't take this personal, Envy, Sombra's orders. come on then," Pride said. As Pride crept into the alleyway where he came in, Nagisa realized that there was another symbol written out on the wall, but not a demonic star or any Homunculi Ouroboros, but instead an eye inside a triangle, within a circle. All Envy needed to do was press his hand onto it for it to activate, glowing a orange color before an outlime of a door appeared, one to fit inside easily. "So that's how they're coming here," Nagisa thought. And the alchemic symbol didn't look too complicated either, so he kept that in mind. Pride first moved Nagisa through the portal, his Homunculus body flowing inside as the physical body walked in. ... "NO YOU DON'T!" "Oh great, more trouble," Pride realized, looking back behind him and seeing that Edward and Alphonse actually caught up with him. Not something Nagisa wanted to see, but lucky for him, Pride wanted to get through more than kill them right now. He got his catch, and it was time to head home, but Edward and Alphonse weren't going to give up so quickly, and they actually managed to grab hold of one part of Pride's shadow form, pulling back as hard as they could! "Let go!" Pride demanded. "No way, give him up!" Edward demanded back. Pride was a lot stronger though and charged his entire body through the portal, and Ed and Al felt themselves actually bring dragged into it! Pride was honestly having enough with them both and, using the shadow part holding Nagisa, he swung him right at them. Then it's lights out for Ed and Nagisa. ~~ ....... "Brother? Brother, you okay?" Ed needed a minute to get himself waking up again, but when he opened his eyes, his body was actually inside Al's armor. Though he couldn't entirely grasp what actually happened at first, but he wasted no time in getting himself out, pushing open the chest plate to see where they actually were. He and Al could guess that they weren't back in their world anymore, but where'd they end up was the real question. To start, they weren't back in any street, but instead appearing to have crash-landed inside some sort of castle, and Ed could see he hadn't been out for very long, since they were still in the presence of a smashed window from where they fell in. The sky outside surely looked different from the typical bright blue winter sky back home. Guess Pride dragged them down here rather than killed them. Either that or their souls ended up here. "What happened, Al? Where are we?" "I think we're in the Underworld." "WHAT?! YOU MEAN WE'RE DEAD?!" "Brother, hush. No, I think that Homunculus dragged us down here. I tried to get him, but he was too strong for me. I'm sorry," Alphonse said. Edward sighed and got himself out of Al's armor, standing up along with him. "Look, let's just fine him. He's gotta be here somewhere." *grrrr* Well, they had company. Ed and Al turned and sure enough, the local Houndoom pack had found them, all of them growling and baring their deadly teeth at them. Not even a minute here and they're already found out by the security. Ed would normally fight, but he saw what demons could do, and when he saw one of them snort out smoke, both brothers got to the same conclusion. One of them immediately jumped at them, and almost bit Ed, who jumped up onto Alphonse as he raced off for it. "Run, Al!" "I don't know where we're going!" "Better than getting killed!" ....... "Rise and shine, Envy, welcome back." Off isolated from much of the other parts of the palace, Nagisa woke himself up on the surprisingly soothing voice and he found himself in a rather rough spot. Getting knocked out wasn't part of the plan unfortunately, but it didn't feel like it was too far off from the vision itself. His body wasn't just bounded and gagged, but instead he found himself chained up and stuck on a suspended stone pillar, held up by other chains from the ceiling. The room was dimly lit up, the floor seemingly covered in some sort of metal tubes, like roots. He wasn't alone either though as he looked around: Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Chrysalis, Gaara, and even King Bradley were present, all looking up to him. A pretty decent crowd for this little execution, but he felt his heart sink when he saw Gaara sitting there of all people. Honestly he was beside himself on that one. Nagisa tested the chains, but he could barely even budge with how tight they were around his frame. "Everyone's here," Nagisa thought. "Still not a word? Did someone rip out your tongue too?" Chrysalis cooed. "I wouldn't be too surprised, but then again he would've grown it back by now. Why not just kill him and be done with it?" Gaara suggested, though he could care less about what happened to Envy, so long as it was out of the way so his own problem could be done. "We can't do that! Don't worry Envy, soon as that human body is taken care of, you'll be a Homunculus again in no time!" Gluttony promised. It did sound like good intentions, but that made Nagisa more trembling. He found the reason that they captured "Envy" anyway, and it seemed to be on Gluttony's head as the real Envy had said. "Indeed, Envy. It'll only hurt for a moment," said Lust. Apparently Envy did lose his tongue because Nagisa refused to say anything again. "Stubborn, isn't he?" Bradley commented. "He's usually like that in revenge. Guess your little game of capturing him gave him a new grudge," Lust stated. It would be something Envy would get pissed off about, but Bradley and Pride both knew that they let him out as well not long after Pride showed himself, so it wasn't too big of a deal. Chrysalis then decided to tease him a little bit, and went right up to him. "What's the matter Envy? Don't feel up for talking to anyone today? Maybe you'll be more talkative after we're done here," Chrysalis said, Nagisa still not answering. All of a sudden they heard more footsteps off further away, as one more figure moved up to the light. Nagisa's first true encounter with Sombra. "Hello Homunculus. Gaara, Chrysalis. Seemed you did get him from what I hear," said Sombra. "He practically gave himself up when I found him. Must be glad to see us," Pride said. Sombra went over and looked up to Nagisa for a moment or two, seeing what everyone thought was Envy being up there and suspended. Though he doubt that he would be happy since he put him in such a spot in the first place. "Right. ... And no one else saw you, right Pride?" "Some pathetic kids found me, but I took care of them." "Hope you did. ... don't worry Envy, this'll only be for a moment," Sombra confirmed. That was what Nagisa was afraid of, but when he heard what Pride had said, his heart sank. What else could 'took care of them' meant in terms to his friends? Just the thing he didn't want to happen. Anyway, with a signal from a snap of his fingers, something then started to show up from the floor under him. An intense heat began to bellow out from under his feet, and when he looked down, a lava floor was suddenly shown right under him, all in a huge stone bowl, big enough to put the entire pillar inside. The light from the lava shaded Nagisa's body a bit, everyone else looking on from below and waiting for "Envy" to be boiled up for the Homunculus process to start, as the pillar started to descend. "This is it. Just like it was said. Goodbye everyone ..." ... "Hold on!" Suddenly everything stopped. The pillar stopped moving, but the lava pit remained where it was underneath him. What made Sombra stop? "Hold on? Hold on what, don't you want Envy to return to normal?" Gluttony asked. "Just a minute," Sombra said. Then he ordered the pit to close shut, and the pillar dropped all the way down to the ground, at their level. Sombra went right up to him, and his eyes skewered through him during his examination. Nagisa kept his eyes onto Sombra, but he didn't feel too worried, if not a bit unsure. "Hurry up, will you?" Gaara demanded. Sombra just ignored him, his hand starting to look him over. He moved some of his hair for a bit, and looked right into his eyes. "... wait a minute ... you're not - ..." Suddenly, Sombra brought his hands right up to Nagisa's eyes, and in a quick move, the lenses were actually tossed out of his eyes and thrown back over to the others. Now Nagisa looked to Sombra with his true eyes. Exposed! Sombra actually took a step back, but quickly corrected himself as he allowed everyone else to see what was really going on. "Nagisa Shiota. Pride, I thought you said you had him," Sombra said sternly, more disappointed than upset. Pride felt himself grow upset himself, but Chrysalis found this especially interesting, and she was right next to him, her breasts right by his face. "Well look at the hero. How adorable,~" Chrysalis cooed, though Nagisa tried to ignore her, but at least he could talk now. "Well, so you're Sombra," Nagisa said. "You were to find out eventually. And you decided to play a deception game too? I have to say though, you did go all out on this one. You did fool even Gluttony here, and he would usually use his smell to figure people out," Sombra noted, glancing back at the now shocked Gluttony. Nagisa realized he was right: amongst other things, scent was something he couldn't hide either, and somehow Gluttony didn't figure him out from that. "The hell?! What're you doing here?" "I was about to ask you that, Gaara! Why're you working for him now?" Nagisa questioned. Gaara rolled his eyes. "We made a deal, that's why, and Sombra here's been a bit distracted in you know what," Gaara made clear. Nagisa felt betrayed. The more times it was brought up, the more under pressure Sombra felt about it, but that wasn't the bigger issue for the moment. "W-Where's Envy?! Please, I miss him so much, why did you have to take his place, I want my Envy back!" Gluttony pleaded. "You really going to start pleading the enemy, Gluttony?" Gaara questioned. "YES! Envy lost his body for the longest time and I want my Envy back!" Gluttony added. That's when Nagisa got an idea. "Lost his body?" Nagisa asked, sounding confused. He had to keep his courage up. "If you have to know, Envy lost his body and powers because Pluton destroyed his Homunculus body. There's barely any power in that stone left," blabbered on Chrysalis. Sombra felt a cringe come up for her open-mouthed nature, but it seemed to be fair enough. Nagisa didn't exactly see what had happened to Envy himself anyway, and whoever did wasn't even there so he didn't feel too worried about it. As far as he knew ... "Time to turn the tables," Nagisa thought. If there was a time to do something, it had to be now that everyone was there, looking up to Sombra. "We both know none of that is true," Nagisa stated firmly, but Sombra's gaze was starting to humble him a little bit. "Not true? Envy lost his body after Pluton's attack, there's no denying that," Sombra repeated. "Says the demon who tore out his Philosopher's stone and the witch who drained his power in the first place!" Nagisa yelled, making sure he was heard by those nearby. "YOU WHAT?!" Gluttony gasped. Now it was out, and Sombra felt a stab go through him when Nagisa said that. He and Chrysalis now had Lust and Gluttony angry with them, but with a simple motion of his head, Pride grew active and suddenly had them both bounded. "Ok, fine. I did remove the stone, and yes plans of removing the original power from him had been done. In fact, Chrysalis has it right here. But do understand you two, that pure Homunculi such as yourselves can easily be replaced at anytime. Envy's number simply came up, that's all. ... That, and Nagisa simply brought it up so he could get himself out of this with your help, and I know you won't do that while I'm standing here. Isn't that right, Nagisa?" "He's good," Nagisa thought, though his face basically said that as well. He didn't expect Sombra to be so calm and open about it after all. "I must admit though, I am confused. A plan like this isn't without an escape plan, or a reason. Would you care to tell us why you did this?" "What's the point on telling you?" Nagisa asked, not looking at him, just for Sombra to gently move his head so he was eye to eye with him. "Don't tell me you came into this plan without a backup," Sombra said, actually sounding a bit disappointed in him for not thinking it through. "... I didn't expect to be found out, for one thing. But when they find out I'm gone, they'll never stop until they take you down. ... My friends will make sure of that. ..." "What would the point be? To bring you back to life? Revenge has always been meaningless, and yet you humans always think that should always be something to toss your own lives away for. If any of them were smart they won't even bother," Bradley said coldly. "You think they won't?" Nagisa growled. "We can't expect everything, Nagisa, you should know that by now. All the same though, while appearing noble of you to toss yourself in like this, you put yourself in a situation where you don't have a single advantage: several powerful creatures are here, myself included, you have no weapon on you to escape, and even if you could you don't know how to get back to your world, so in a way, you're trapped anyhow. And one more thing: your friends don't know how to get here either. ... Easier on myself, of course, but I was hoping our game would last a while longer." Then the floor opened up once more. His talk was done, and he had nothing more to say to him, and Nagisa was raised up once again. Far as he knew, this was it, and for sure this time regardless if he was "B-But wait, but Envy -" "Gluttony, Lust, you'll get a new Envy in due time. It's no carbon copy, but you'll get one soon enough," Sombra said, just to try and calm them down. Chrysalis found that a bug, but Gluttony started to feel relieved. Lust was still indifferent about it though. "... No regrets ..." "SOMBRA! SOMBRA! WHERE'RE YOU!" Again, cut short. This time, it was one of Sombra's guards rushing in from the gloom. Now wasn't the time for another messenger to rush on in and halt everything. The demon skidded to a halt. "What is it now?" Sombra asked. "Sombra, my lord, we got a situation here!" "Already taking care of it." "Not that, we got invaders! They're running amok -" "Coming through!" Suddenly, blue sparks flashed up like crazy, a gate suddenly being made on the wall before one fullmetal alchemist shoved them right open, knocking the guard back and Edward and Alphonse rushed in! "You just said you took care of them, Pride." "We'll handle them right now," Pride said, his Homunculus form rushing for them both. However, being hyped up, Edward wasn't having any of it and focused his strongest Alchemic power and the entire room was effected by an alchemic ground wave! A wall of metal launched forward, and everyone was forced to move back from that. Nagisa was glad they were still alive, if not shocked they still were. Alphonse quickly saw what was happening, and he rushed right in, using his strength to ram the bowl over and pouring out the lava into the room, forcing much of them back again. "Al, give me a boost up!" Edward said. Getting in position, Edward landed in his hands, and Al launched him up high enough to get him onto the pillar and right next to Nagisa. "You two are alive? I thought Pride had finished you off," Nagisa said. "He was in a hurry, now time to get out of here," Edward said, using his alchemy again on his arm to turn it into a knife, and cutting through the chains keeping Nagisa there. Pretty soon, Nagisa was free, and both he and Ed dropped down to their level, avoiding the lava on the floor as they did so. It wasn't what Nagisa had in mind, but they didn't have much time to think about it, especially with the big guys standing right there. Bradley saw them first, and actually got himself around the lava and rushing right at them. Ed had to duck so Bradley wouldn't immediately skewer his head with the sword. If he didn't believe that he wasn't a Homunculus before, seeing his eye made all that more obvious. "B-Bradley, what're you doing?!" "Not Bradley. I am Wrath the furious, and now you two are getting to be a bother," said Bradley, or Wrath as he put it, before he rushed at them again. Ed and Al didn't come here for a fight, but Wrath charged in fast with the sword out to try and get them. Wanting to get them safe, Alphonse jumped in the way and took the brutal stab, getting him in the arm. "Al, come on!" Nagisa called. "Why're you doing this? So many people respect you back at home, why're you throwing all that away?" Alphonse asked, making sure the sword stayed and that he couldn't pull it out again for the moment. "You think it would matter too much if the leader of Amestris would end up gone? I didn't rule Amestris when it was founded, and I'm sure as hell am not going to continuing ruling forever. It's time you humans start working for yourselves," Wrath said, forcefully pulling out his sword form Alphonse's arm, ripping out a good chunk of metal from it as well, actually enough to tear his arm off! Alphonse had to grab it and rush off before Wrath could finish him off, and soon the trio raced out. "Don't just stand there, come on!" Sombra ordered, giving chase after them. Wrath, Chrysalis, Gluttony, and Pride ended up going off after them, leaving just Gaara and Lust there, left to ponder what just happened. ....... Meanwhile, Edward, Alphonse and Nagisa were racing through the halls of the castle, each one of them knowing that danger was just behind them. Slowing down now, and they'll be in more than enough trouble. Since none of them actually knew about the castle, they really weren't sure where they were going, but so long as they were out of reach from the demons chasing them they should be fine. As they went, Alphonse and Edward both saw a the window where they crashed in. "This way!" Ed said, ready to rush out. Before they could reach it though, Pride's Homunculus body managed to block off their exit. "Not so fast, you trespassers," Pride hissed, the three bolting on aside before the body could grab them. So much for the easy route. They needed to gain some distance between themselves and the crowd behind them, so Edward took the initiative, clapped his hands together, spun around, and his alchemy created a thick wall right behind them, cutting off their path. The demonic group skidded to a stop, the wall not even Pride's body could break through. "Thanks, Ed," Nagisa said. "Thank me when we get back," Edward said, the three running off. As long as they were blocked off, this gave them a head start to wherever their next exit would be. As they kept going though, the hellhounds from before could be heard ahead of them. "In here!" Nagisa quickly said. Little option, the three found another room to go into, and they quickly got right inside before the horde of hounds could see them. They also made sure to lock the door so they couldn't get in there. "There, we should be safe right now," Alphonse said. It was then the three took a look around where they actually were. The room turned out to be Sombra's study, a number of books in his personalized library with a large window at the back of the room. A rather odd place to end up, but it didn't matter much for Ed and Al in the end of it, as Ed immediately went to the window, opening it up. "Great, an exit, let's get outta here - WHOA!" ... Just to find out they were stories high. Nope, they weren't going to get out of this place anytime soon, at least not through any window. None of them could fly, nor had any method to get down safely so that was out of the question. Nagisa looked around the study room for just a moment or two, actyually rushing around the room for a bit, but couldn't find a way out. When he stopped after a short bit, he started to remember something, which included how Ed and Al got into the room to save him. "Ed, Al, I got an idea." "Well, on with it, the king's onto us!" Alphonse said. "Before I got pulled here I saw Pride making a symbol to open a portal from there to here. You're an alchemist, Ed, maybe we can do the same to get back home!" "I'm up for anything, what do we do?" Ed asked. "Ed, you need to make a blood symbol on the wall there, make a eye within a triangle and in a circle," Nagisa instructed, working off memory. There was little time to actually figure anything out, but before they could even start, a huge yell and a bang struck the door, freaking them out. "OPEN UP, ALCHEMISTS! GLUTTONY'S HUNGRY!" roared Gluttony, making them freaked out. Ed rushed off to get the symbol started, as Nagisa and Al tried to keep the door shut. Ed was already a bit cut up from Pride, so he used his own blood to do the job, working out what he had as best he could do. The longer it took though, the more forceful the door was being hit so they could get in. Alphonse and Nagisa were having more and more trouble keeping that door shut, even if the door was locked. One hit even knocked them back, and forced the lock off of the door, but both quickly pushed the door shut before any could get in. As for Ed, he had to work fast, and soon he got the symbol made up on the wall. Hearing them fall made him even more desperate to get out, and he clasped his hands together, and forced it onto the symbol. The symbol started to glow again, this time the same colors as his sparks, and the portal was starting to open up. "IT WORKED, MOVE IT!" Edward called, the others seeing the portal being made. Al shoved the door one more time and both he and Nagisa made a bolt for it. The trio just made it through the portal as the door was broken open, Gluttony charging in with mouth wide open ready to bite. The portal closed up behind them on the Tartarus end, and all Gluttony got to eat was the wall. ~~ Opening up on the other end, Edward, Alphonse, and Nagisa got themselves back to where it started, and the trio stumbled out back in the outskirts of Tokyo. Bruised up, slightly battered, but they all were alive at the end of it all. With everything that just happened, they needed a minute to recollect themselves, Ed and Nagisa breathing heavily. "Told you we could handle it," Edward finally said. "Yeah. You're right there. ..." "NAGISA! EDWARD!" Soon, the rest of their group had finally come back around, Envy included, just to find Ed, Al, and Nagisa alright. Tired, but triumphant. "Nagisa, you're alive!" Aladdin beamed. "And still pulling off Envy too," Karma added. "NAGISA!" Pinkie cried, suddenly tackling Nagisa in her signature hugs. Ed and Al were alright too, and were helped up to their feet. "Yeah. That should be the last one too, so you're safe Envy," Nagisa said, slightly strained by Pinkie's hug. Eventually Pinkie let go of him. It was then that Nagisa spotted Twilight standing there. Considering what just happened between him and her before this all happened, and he wasn't sure what to really say, but before he could think of what, Twilight was right in front of him, and hugged him tightly. "Don't scare me like that!" Twilight said, tears of joy flowing from her eyes. Nagisa returned the hug himself, but eventually the others started thinking about what he actually did. "Nagisa? I'm sure we're all thinking it at this point so I'll just ask: why did you feel you had to do it by yourself?" Ciel questioned. That was indeed a question on everyone's mind, or at least those who didn't get shown the plan. Nagisa sighed, and faced his friends. "I didn't want any of you to get killed, that's all. I was sure that any of you would be if you came with me ... though, guess that was proven wrong, right Ed?" Nagisa admitted, Edward nodding his head. "Thanks so much for saving him, Ed, you and Al are lifesavers!" said Aladdin, hugging Ed actually he was so happy. "Don't sweat it," Ed said with a grin. "All the same, Nagisa, I could understand if there was some sort of advantage to it, but from what I get, you ended up with nothing," Ciel stated, thinking it over. That was when Nagisa smirked, and his hand actually went into his shirt, and he pulled something out of it. They could say it was leading to nothing, but turned out Nagisa proved them wrong on that himself: it showed what looked like a thin book, a slip of paper sticking out of it along with a small stone. "What's this?" Ciel questioned, Nagisa giving him the objects. Ed and Al didn't see that stuff with them since they showed up, so finding them with him was a bit of an odd thing to find. "Oh, just an Underworld Atlas, a portal spell from one of Sombra's books, and a small Philosopher stone. Got those things while we were stuck in Sombra's personal study." "WHAT?! Let me see!" Blair said, quickly grabbing the atlas book from Ciel and looking it over. Turned out he was right: many pages of different parts of the Underworld, Tartarus included, and the portal spell was what Ed had just used for them to escape, now more detailed on how it works and how to use it. As for the small stone, it wasn't very big and sat in the palm of Nagisa's hand, which he gave to the one who knew best how to use it, putting it in Envy's hands. "Here you go, Envy. Maybe you can make some good use of it," Nagisa said, Envy quietly looking to the stone Nagisa managed to grab. "These maps are pretty detailed. could be very useful," Ciel noted. "That's sugarcoating it: you know how hard it is to get one of these? We got several kingdoms all mapped out in our hands now!" Blair said, excited. "That's why I got them. It won't be too long until we'll probably end up in the Underworld, so if we got something like this to get us prepared before we do, then it'll make it easier," Nagisa explained. "So let me get this right: your plan was to disguise yourself as Envy, get taken by Pride, and penetrate Sombra's castle in order to get us some big info on the Underworld?" "Well ... Yeah. Sorry for not -" "Sorry? You crazy son of a bitch, you got more balls than any of us. And look what we got, we're leagues ahead of Sombra with this stuff now. Any other stuff you've figured out while there or what?" Karma asked, sounded interested actually. "Well, he was right about Bradley; he nearly killed us while we tried getting out!" Edward said. "Not just him. Gaara's now working for him too. He looked ready to see Envy die much like the others were," Nagisa added. The same kid who helped him get strong was working for the demon he was fighting against. Then he turned to Envy. "Oh, and one thing, Envy? They know how you really turned into a human now." "What?! Why'd you have to tell them that?!" "Envy, They were planning on killing you by dumping you in a lava pit," Nagisa protested. "... Nevermind." "Yeah. Gluttony and Lust looked more than shocked after it was found out too. I don't know what that'll lead to for them, but we'll see," Nagisa admitted. The future vision didn't get that far, so it was anyone's guess. Sombra and Chrysalis kept Envy's lie so they could stay in line, so now that they know what actually happened, it could mean a number of things. But, everything was explained, and in the end, while a bit of a stumble, they all were still alive and still together. They stopped Gakuho, Karasu had been stopped, and now Nagisa saved Envy from death too. Twilight went to his side, and both of them smiled to eachother. As they started to head off back, Nagisa had one thought in mind. "There. ... Lugia. I did it."
S05Ep1: Sum of My Parts ~マイパーツの合計~"So, you're leaving Aladdin?" asked Nagisa. In his apartment, not too long after the festival, Aladdin got the news out to Nagisa Shiota the second they got back. It was some pretty big news for him, and with how much he was actually looking around for his Djinn, Aladdin was happy to get himself moving. "Yep! Heine found out where the Djinn is, and he wants to come with me to get him back," Aladdin said, getting a number of his stuff ready for the fly-off. The main things he got together were his staff and vessel. "Sounds good and all, but are you sure you don't want the rest of us to come along?" "Nagisa, I'll be okay, promise. Besides, you and the rest of the gang have those demons to catch, remember?" Aladdin reminded. "I guess you're right. That and you'll have Heine with you this time, you'll have some company," Nagisa said. When he and Twilight ended up alone, they were truly by themselves for a good while, so with Aladdin having company to join him, it wouldn't be too bad for him. He'll have help, unlike Nagisa and Twilight. So once Aladdin was ready to go, he got out his flying carpet for his own little adventure to begin. "Good luck out there, Aladdin," Nagisa said. Suddenly Aladdin actually gave Nagisa a hug. "Thanks. I'll be back soon," Aladdin promised, hopping up onto his flying carpet as he began to take flight. Nagisa walked out to the window, watching his magi friend fly off to get Heine, and to get his personal goals fixed. Nagisa sighed, and began to head off to bed as his mind was thinking over things. "This has been a very crazy year. I can only wonder what's going to be in store for us next," Nagisa thought. He began to head off for bed, and soon he was simply laying there, lights off and staring up to the ceiling. "Well, we're on a good track now. Those visions are taken care of, we actually got some layout of Underworld, we -" Nagisa suddenly stopped his thought there when one particular fact went through his mind: Lugia. He at least could get to the same spot more directly now, but when it came to Lugia himself, he just wasn't making finding him any easier. Last two times he tried he didn't find anything of him, and the detailed instructions and vision he got in the second one was by paper. "Well, third time's the charm. Here it goes ..." ....... Nagisa opened his eyes again, and as before he was back at the tower. Just where he wanted to be. He jumped up to his feet and looked around a bit again. He looked around for only a little bit this time, and sure enough ... Lugia. About time! Though, by the look, Lugia probably didn't realize Nagisa was even there, his back to him and looking off to the edge of the platform out to the open sky. "Lugia!" upon the voice, Lugia felt startled, and was about ready to walk, but Nagisa rushed over before he could leave. "N-No, don't go, I-it's just -" Nagisa paused when he saw Lugia turn to him. Tears. They were small, but they were just enough for Nagisa to see the current moment about Lugia's previous encounter with him. Lugia felt terrible about the visions. ... "Nagisa. I'm terribly sorry about Heine. And Karma. ..." Lugia said, sounding guilty of everything. "So he doesn't know what happened? ... Wait, he still thinks you can't alter the future," Nagisa thought, realizing the actual pressure Lugia must be under. If only he saw what Nagisa did already before with them both, or at least Lugia seeing them alive would make him feel better. Lugia wiped away some of his tears, Nagisa going up to his side. "Lugia, listen to me, I know you think the future can't be change but you're wrong - We've changed each one of those visions so far just by informing the group: Heine's still alive because Ciel stopped Gakuho, and thanks to Alphonse Karma's alive too. They're still alive because we changed our fate!" Nagisa answered. Lugia was quiet at first, but he just sighed. "... Look, I know you're trying to make me feel better ... but I couldn't help at all. I'm terribly sorry. ..." "Turn around, Lugia, will you?" "Nagisa, I've been in the dream world as long as anyone else. That voice is just you trying to -" when Lugia looked to Nagisa though, he found that this kid was looking more shocked than he was supposed to be. If this was in his head, he wouldn't be looking so surprised. That made Lugia a little curious and he did eventually turn around. ... Karma. Twilight. Pinkie. Ciel. Blair. Edward. They were all there?! Lugia looked a bit startled by the entire group suddenly showing up there, and without either one of them even knowing about it. Was this apart of the dream messing with them, or no? Nagisa's expression, it being his dream, made that unlikely. Seeing Karma Akabane too made it even more surprising for Lugia. "Look who's still alive," said Karma, hand raised in greeting. "Wait a minute. How'd the rest of you get here?" asked Nagisa. If it was just Twilight alone, then it would be understandable, but the others didn't even see Lugia face to face yet, but here they were. "You tell me, we just ended up here after Yugure told us," said Blair. "What? When?" "Yugure told us about it not too long after your little festival. This charade of keeping quiet had gone on more than it should," explained Ciel. Twilight felt a little embarrassed about it, but after not hearing anything from Lugia, she had to get the others involved to help him out. "Sorry, Nagisa." "No, it's fine. Guess we should tell everyone anyway." "K ... K-Karma?" Lugia moved right over to Karma next, and looked him over just to be sure he was telling the truth. There would be some sign, but he didn't see a sign anywhere on him. However, Karma then backed up. "Ok, ok, easy with the eyes buddy," Karma said. "So it was you who'd been giving Yugure and Nagisa Future Sight, am I correct?" Ciel concluded. "W-Well, yes but - ... You ... but how, I - ... but you - ... how?" "Alphonse saved him, that's how. He just needed someone there to not get killed," Edward answered, being a witness to it himself. Lugia still felt completely confused about it, especially seeing proof standing right in front of him. "See Lugia, we can change our fate," Nagisa said. "Yes-indeedie! Everybody's happy!" Pinkie agreed. "... Wait. What about Heine, where is he?" Lugia asked. "We're in dreamland, right?" "Not exactly how you say it ... but yes, why?" That was all Pinkie needed to hear: her clapping her hands together and working some of her own will into the dream realm, the environment changing and altering around them in a blur. It took them all a little bit until the setting completely changed around them, until. ... "You talk about going through hell, when you've never truly seen what it's like for yourself. If I had a choice, I'd more than happily take your life over mine, Gakuho. ... And you wanna know what else? A young child like me can walk away from that and move on fairly, yet a full grown adult like you can barely handle it. If you ask me, Gakuho Asano, it doesn't sound like your fault at all. ..." Gakuho! They all were stuck witnessing the same event play out again, all of it down in exact details. In fact, it looked rather ... realistic almost, but still anime anyway (not to mention dramatic). Seeing this, Lugia was left speechless, and yet there was Heine not too far away, still standing and still alive as they were saying. "This how you really saw it, Pinkie?" Ciel quietly questioned. "Nope, but look how neat it is," Pinkie replied. Yeah, true that, but the point was indeed made clear for Lugia. "See, Lugia? We can change our fate, nothing's set in stone," Nagisa cleared up, as the image faded away back to the original tower. "... You ... you really altered your fate? I-It shouldn't be possible." "So's killing a giant demon about the size of Tokyo tower, but that happened," Blair commented. "And with just one sword," added Karma. Lugia stayed quiet for a little bit more, realizing that Nagisa was right after all. Something as set in stone as this, and yet these kids all managed to use it and make it their own, changing the outcome entirely for the better. Lugia actually needed a minute to comprehend what this could mean. "Lugia, it's your choice if you want it to happen, not your fate. Sure it can be hard, but if you don't even bother to try to work with these Future Visions a bit, then what's the point on having them in the first place?" Twilight explained. There was a long silence. ... ... "... You do realize. You're the first to actually do so. Right?" "Well, if we're "destined" to get killed, damn straight we'll try to stop it! Why would we want our friends to die anyway?" said Ed. "That, and it's pretty wasteful to not at least consider these visions. You might as well just imagine them if that were the case," Ciel added. Lugia gathered himself, seeing all their points. He could assume Envy was fine then if this was the case, but he didn't want to push it any further so he left that part out. "Lugia, let us help you. We all know you want to help us," Nagisa then stated. "... I really want to. ... But, I can't." "Why's that?" Ed asked. That was when Lugia grew quiet again, slightly turning away from them. "Lugia, why?" Twilight asked. "I ... I'm scared ... I-I'll just make it worse." "AHA! WORSE! WORSE HOW?!" Pinkie suddenly shouted. Lugia cringed. "I'd rather not say. Listen, it's not that I don't care about what's going on. I wouldn't even give any one of you the visions if that's true, yet ... It's best if this is all I do." "SERIOUSLY?! You mean you're just gonna hide away from everyone?!" Ed yelled. "I don't enjoy it anymore than you do. Besides, you all have enough to worry about, you don't need to worry about me." "You don't have to hide either! If you want to help, just come out with us," Ed sternly stated, though he was more upset that someone like Lugia will try to keep out of the problem he clearly needed to be in. "He's right: we're all willing to help you if you'll let us, just tell us where you really are and we'll do that," Nagisa added. Not exactly what Ed said, but still as much meaning to it. Lugia had been giving them vision after vision, but still he didn't step out to see any of them physically. And now ... "Everyone, listen. I do want to help you, I really do. ... But if I go in and use what power I hold, it'll do more harm than good. ... Just focus on what you need to do for now. You've done far more, and able to handle the situation better than I ever could," Lugia said. They all could tell that Lugia was regretting this decision, but something just was holding Lugia down in chains from actually going out and helping. And Lugia, while not enjoying it, knew it was for the best of everyone. "Well have some decency to tell us why at least, quit talking in riddles!" Ed said, angry with him. Before this could go any further though, light started to come in brighter than normal, a signature sign of the dream's ending. "Oh great. The dream's ending." "What?! not yet, just tell us!" "I'm sorry. Good luck everyone." And there, the dream ended. ~~ So, new years had come and gone, and so had the festival itself. Tokyo had its fun in the sun for the brand new year to bring itself around, but even after all of that, some facts still remained. In the case for Team Harmony and company, Sombra's demons still had to be addressed in some way. Homunculi Wrath and Pride, info regarding the Underworld mainly, and still some more problems to handle all the same. And with this little dream of theirs, the group had a bit more to think about. Since Lugia just wouldn't come out to help, they had to get back to their own devices on the matter. What else could they do? So, by the next morning, it was straight out of bed for Nagisa Shiota, and deciding to get his little act together. Since Lugia won't exactly admit where he was, he had to focus on the other problems at hand with the wanted demons and such. Good thing for them they didn't have school still, otherwise it would just complicate things for what they were going to do. Their meeting place this time, while it would normally be the 3-E building for a number of these meetings, this time their get-together was actually over with Ed and Al back at Seitenshi's military base. Honestly, they might as well get life-time passes at this point with the privileges like this. Along with those in the dream, Sebastian, Al, and Winry also ended up part of the group's little meeting. "All present and accounted for, my lord," Sebastian informed. "Good job, Sebastian. Now we can get underway without any trouble," Ciel said. The room they ended up in was basically a office the others borrowed for this little talk, and Nagisa got on with the discussion. With some help from the others, he got the main posters up, each one for a different figure for them to find and face, all named, and all with a different bounty, and the threat levels mostly consist of Tiger class level. Considering what they were dealing with, they shouldn't be taken too lightly. "OK, so which one should we go after first? Do you want to go from the bottom and work up, or do you want to get the hardest over with?" Nagisa asked, everyone looking over the wanted posters at the options. Pinkie then started to a relatively regular person to the Great Tengu. "Eh, I dunno: we could try for this guy, but then again he could end up being the strongest one over Mr. Tengu over here," Pinkie pointed out. "I'm leaning more towards the slicer myself," Karma said, looking to 'the slicer' demon criminal. They had mainly three options in the grand scheme of things: a butcher, a regular, and a Tengu, though considering what they all had gone through so far it was anyone's guess on what sort of danger should they actually try to get at next. It could be the easiest challenge, or the most dangerous, who knows? "Hey, Sebastian, you got anything on these three?" asked Twilight. "How so? Just because I'm a demon doesn't truly mean I know every demon in the underworld. Jumping to conclusions are you?" Sebastian said, though he sounded less annoyed and a little more playful, which bugged Ciel a little bit. "Do you know them or not?" Ciel questioned. "Just a joke, my lord. Naturally I do," Sebastian said with a grin, as he went over and picked up the first wanted poster he found interesting. The others stepped back so they could listen to him, as he went on to pick up the first one about 'the slicer'. "First there's the Slicer: he's been a bit of a serial killer to many humans in this world and the Underworld. He was planned for death row, and on the date of his execution he ended up being transmutated. Think of him as a murderous counterpart to your friend there," Sebastian said, pointing over to Alphonse Elric. Interesting to note that another living body of armor actually exists here. "Wait. Like me?" Al asked. "Oh yes, it's just your one of the very few made here that's all," Sebastian stated. "Neat. What else?" asked Karma. Sebastian then went on to get the Tengu poster. "The Great Tengu. Many species of Tengu refer to him as their lord, and according to human legend he often trains with ice and water isolated in the mountains. Should be straightforward on his location, at the least," Sebastian explained. "If this Great Tengu's anything like Karasu, then it shouldn't be long," Karma said. "Karma, he nearly killed you, remember?" Nagisa reminded. He didn't need him to get too cocky over these demons. Karma didn't really answer him though. Sure it didn't go like he planned, but Karma still felt confident again the Great Tengu over his crow lackey. It wasn't the Great Tengu Nagisa predicted would kill him anyway. "What about him?" Twilight then asked, showing the seemingly "normal" demon on the poster. Sebastian paused and looked him over pretty carefully, his eyes examining each details drawn out onto the poster. "... Not a thing." "Excuse me?" "Well, admittedly my lord, I'm not entirely knowledgeable of all demons, but you'd think one like this would be known about in the Underworld. And yet, I've never heard mention of this face," said Sebastian, disappointed really. The other two had some sort of underworld reputation, but not this guy. "He must be a newcomer then. Or maybe he's not a demon at all," Ciel concluded. "Whatever the case, he shouldn't be too bad to deal with," Blair concluded. "Not so fast, we don't know that. So many demons looked normal, but still can kill anyone anytime, what makes you think he can't be any different?" Twilight suddenly figured. She did have a point there: Sombra didn't look too much like a danger as far as they're aware, or how Sebastian described him yet he proved to be extremely dangerous. And Sebastian too; a butler that can kill anyone with some fancy butter knives at any time. In fact, many demons and Homunculus looked fairly normal but gave them a run for their money at least once. "Point taken." "Well, we got more than enough trouble with what we got already so if we're going to tackle any of them, we can't waste any time with it. So, perhaps it would be best to take attack to the most difficult one first and then work our way down," Ciel concluded. "Or we could just split." The others all turned to Karma on that idea. "Split up, are you sure?" "Now hear me out: we got enough trouble already right? We got King Sombra already, and Aladdin already flown the coop yesterday so who knows how long it'll be until he gets back. We got three demons to deal with right now too, and about ... eight, nine, ten of us. So we'll split up in groups, pick a demon, and call it a day." "I get it: it can save us a lot of time from going from one demon to another, and this time we'll still be together fighting them when we do. Least we won't be alone this time, plus we got the Elysium soldiers on our side too," Nagisa concluded, thinking it over himself. "Can we leave them out of it?" Ed suddenly asked. "What? No, they're looking for them too Ed." "You just don't want to deal with Olivier," Ciel figured. "What's wrong with you, do you have no senses?! That general looked ready to tear my arms off!" Ed insisted. ... "Hello, little red riding runt." Speak of the metaphorical devil. Just after he said that, Olivier was suddenly standing right at the door. "Gah! ... l-little, red ..." "Are you all done in here? If you're ready to do this job, then stop wasting our time," Olivier stated, looking at the situation. Alongside her was actually Alex Armstrong, and his two cohorts, who was about ready as anybody else would be to go off and do the job. "We'll be ready in a bit, we're just figuring out which ass to beat up first," said Blair. "We thought of splitting into groups, but we didn't decide who'll go after what demon yet," Nagisa added, Alex going over to them, looking a bit intrigued with the answer. "Well look at you. Me and Olivier were actually doing that decision ourselves, and we already decided which demon to face. If that's what you're going to do, some can go with me while others can go with Olivier," Alex explained. "You two are on the ball. OK, who's going where?" Pinkie asked. "I'll be going after the Great Tengu, and my sister will be - gah!" before Alex could finish, Olivier was suddenly stepping on his foot. "Uh, sis? ... Will you be so kind as to remove your foot please?" Alex groaned. "You are to refer to me as General," Olivier said firmly, making Alex Armstrong stand up at attention. "Yes! General!" Alex said, and only then did she move her foot off of his. Embarrassing as it is painful on his foot. "I'll be going after the Slicer. Now you all have until tomorrow to make your choice," Olivier said. "Shall I deal with her?" Sebastian suggested. "Don't bother, Sebastian," Ciel replied. "Goodness, how're you ever going to find a husband with that kind of -" Not the right words, Alex: Olivier gave him a strong kick to his knee, making him stumble and kneel down as he held his knee. "That's enough of your sniffling, you pansy! Better go before I catch your cowardice," Olivier stated, before she went off, leaving the group a bit stunned by her behavior. Seriously, was she really an angel or what? ... "I'm going with her," commented Karma. "Eh?" ~~ Well, it'd been a long day for them after that, and once it was all handled and figured out, all there was left to do was to wait it out until tomorrow to leave. It was a bit of a gamble to be sure, namely for the fact of who wanted to actually go with Olivier over Alex, yet it was all worked out regardless, though some still were wondering over the "normal" guy, as Olivier and Alex didn't even consider going after him yet, so whoever wanted to go for him would have to go without the Elysium aid. Those going with Alex: Nagisa, Twilight, Ed, Winry Those going with Olivier: Karma, Pinkie, Blair Those after the normal Demon: Ciel, Sebastian, Alphonse It was a decision they had to work out for a while, especially when splitting up Ed and Al, but Olivier insisted such and both brothers had no choice but to agree (none of them wanted to defy Olivier anyway). At least they had until tomorrow to go so they had some time to get themselves ready. For Ed and Al, they got their own "home" to relax and work out the situation to their new roommate Winry as she was sprucing up Ed's metallic leg for the task ahead. "So who're you two going with?" Winry asked. "Al's going to head off with Phantomhive while I go with your dad to go after the Tengu," Ed explained. "I thought you two would go with my aunt. She was your teacher, right?" That reminder simply made the two shiver a little. They had their respect for her, naturally, but they weren't so willing to rush off with her on a mission like this, knowing too well how serious she could be. "We value our life a bit more than that, thank you." "Come on, she's not that bad. she can be big on her job, but she's nice when you get to know her," Winry reassured them, but the two weren't going to risk it. "So, Winry. Are you enjoying your stay down here with us?" Alphonse asked. "It's pretty nice here. It's lively, though not much walking space," Winry said. Considering she lived in a city with flying angels, that was understandable. "Well we humans can't always fly, you know," said Ed. "I know, I know ... and done, that should do it," Winry finished, just finishing Ed's leg. Now mended up for the task ahead. Edward tested out the leg and felt that it was good and ready to go. As Ed and Al went to eachother, Winry had another question floating around in her mind since she's been living here pretty much. "Hey Al?" "Yeah?" "Hope you don't mind me asking, but, why're you always wearing a suit of armor?" Winry asked. Now the brothers were feeling uneasy again, but not in the same way as their thoughts towards Olivier. "I-It's a hobby," they both said. "... what? That's even a hobby?" Winry thought. After that was done, Ed then began to head off to bed, but as he was going, something in Ed's pocket caught Winry's eye. "What's that?" Winry asked. Ed turned back to her, and followed her eyes to the same pocket, seeing the same item. Ed eventually pulled it out to show her, and honestly it didn't seem to be anything too special: just a silver pocket watch. "Oh this, it's just a pocket watch I've had from back in Amestris. It's nothing special, but -" "Can I see?!" Winry suddenly asked, grabbing it and admiring it with eager eyes. It wasn't too far from a reaction to some new automail or something like that. "The workmanship, the detail! This is the work of a craftsman, how does it work: do you wind it or is it self-wound, or could it be some new technique?!" "I dunno, and so long as it's working I don't care," Ed said, smiling to Winry's enthusiasm. He still was getting used to Winry's big enthusiasm over mechanics (of all things), but it wasn't really harmful so he allowed it. "Can I see how it works, Ed, please?" "You crazy? I've had that watch for years, you'll take it apart to the last screw," Ed said, taking the watch out of her hands before she could tamper with it. Winry wasn't willing to give up on it though, and tried again. "Well even if I do, I'll put it back together again, and it'll be good as new, you said I'm the best mechanic in the world right?" Winry insisted. "When did I say that? Get somebody else's," Ed simply stated. Winry felt disappointed, and then she tried something else. She turned her eyes to Alphonse, and gave him a starry-eyed, puppy eye beg. Al felt humbled, but something told him not to mess with the situation so ... "I-I'm gonna go for a walk. Yeah," Al decided, walking to outside. "... Wow, you guys are stingy, aren't you?" ~~ Well Al didn't expect to be going out for a walk, but guess some things lead to others and the next thing he knew, Al was walking down through the suburban sidewalk of Tokyo. Well, even if he didn't plan prior to the little incident, it did give Alphonse some time to figure things out and time to relax a bit. The soft snow on the sidewalk gave the area a pretty calming feel, and while it was cold it didn't bother Alphonse thanks to his armor body. The world looked nice, but the moving thoughts going through his head. One in particular ... Do try to make her feel right at home. It'll be grateful over what you three had gone through. "What did she mean by that? Sure, there's me, and there's Ed, but ... what happened with Winry?" Al wondered. Celestia didn't sound like she was referring to anything particular, but then again what did happen to Winry before? Or for that matter, why didn't it get brought up again by the others? He tried to think about it a bit longer, but little by little, he began to realize something else, but before he could actually get what - "Hello there." The voice made him stop. Not a voice he ever heard before, and given where he was, not able to be seen either. "Uh, hello? Who's there?" *clank* Then came the sound from a alleyway across the street. Al got into a fighting position, fists at the ready for whatever would come out at him, but instead, some sort of helmet simply rolled out. The object turned out to be some sort of helmet. It wasn't any normal helmet either: a composite of iron, facial bones and some kind of hair or fur. The nape and the scalp made of two distinct metal plates, with a pair of small horns just above the eye sockets, and Al could see the number "66" written on the left side, just above the cheek bone, and the white long hair protruding from the back. The bony face was formed of white facial bones of some unknown humanoid animal, having large eye sockets, a large mandible with two spiky bone going downwards and eight distinct razor-sharp fangs, four on the upper jaw and another four for the lower jaw. If it didn't scream a demon, Al didn't know what. But then walked out the owner of the helmet. This figure had a full body armor suit, with the words "hulking" and "grim" fitting it rather nicely. His upper arms and legs were comprised out of several long, silver colored iron plates, while his lower arms were made out of a pair of two plates tied together. His hands - a pair of iron gauntlets, each having a pair of four spikes in stead of knuckles and fingers made of cloth. The middle, ring and little fingers actually looked fused together, leaving his index and thumb separate. The feet are a pair of leather boots with iron guards. His chest was formed out of two large metal plates held together by an iron ring, in turn held in place by five leather belts. Around his waist and left shoulder, he sported brown tunic with fur trims, which is tied together by a black leather belt with two dangling rings of iron. The neck is an extension of the torso plates, in turn covered by an iron guard formed from a single, long iron plate that forms a circle around his sides and the back of his head. One little detail though ... No head. "Oh, why does my head always get away from me? It can be a bit of a bother, though I suppose you are wondering how this happened," said the figure. Al didn't really answer him, still trying to take in the details and keeping his guard up, yet the figure was more than happy to answer anyway. "There's a bit of a story behind that, actually. A pretty good yarn if I do say so. You probably already know it, but I'll be happy to tell you," offered the man. Al again didn't answer, but allowed him to continue. "It all started with a man by the name of Barry. ... Once upon a time, there was a butcher named Barry who loved his work. It was all a nice job, but his favorite part was cutting up the meat into little tiny pieces. But one day Barry realized that simply cutting up cows and pigs wasn't going to be enough for him. So what's a lone butcher to do? Why, take to the streets of course, and he began cutting up people instead, every single night. Of course, in time the authorities caught up with him. But not before twenty three victims stained his name, and his knife. He was sent to gallows not to long afterwards, the world being rid of such a horrid and terrifying creature. ... That's what everyone always figured. And where did you think he'd ended up, huh? Where could such a killer being himself to?" Al was a bit surprised that he would share something like this so freely, but if this was going where Al thought it was, the answer was right in front of him. Literally ... "... You ..." "YES, THAT'S RIGHT! HE'S STANDING BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES! I AM THE INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLER: BARRY THE CHOPPER! HAA!" The mighty roar was met with two weapons in his hands, one a butcher knife, the other a clever. ....... "Sorry, I've never heard of you." ... Well that killed the mood. "I'm from the countryside in Amestris, so -" "FINE! But even if you don't know who I am, shouldn't you at least be a little scared?!" Barry yelled, completely annoyed as he kept removing and reattaching his head to show what point he was making. "Shouldn't you be going "AAHHH!" or "What happened to your body?!" or something!" Then Al removed his own head. "AAHHH! What happened to your body, freak?!" Barry yelled in shock. "Hey. Now that's impolite," said Al, not really fazed at all. After that little display, he was a bit more talk than Al was expecting him to be. Al put back on his own head. "Oh, hell with it, I'll cut you down anyway! YAHH!" Barry suddenly jumped forward at Alphonse, his blades trying their best to slice him up, yet Alphonse's own armor deflected each and every single shot as he laughed manically. Al wasn't really having any ill attention towards Barry. In fact, only one punch was all it took to knock Barry off his feet, and onto his back. Yeah, Al really wasn't so spooked by Barry anymore, if he was to begin with that is. Barry tried over and over again, but Al wasn't even wavered by each attack at this point, and he punched Barry again. "Uh, sorry but, can we call it a draw? My friend's are going to worry about me if I'm gone too long," Al said. "Friends, you say? You mean that little runt following you around earlier today? Sound fun to chop up, far more fun than dealing with you!" Barry laughed. Now Alphonse was getting worried. "Wait, don't do that, I'm not gonna let you hurt my brother," Alphonse suddenly insisted. Now it was Barry's turn to be a little but curious. "Wait, hold on. "Brother". you mean that little pipsqueak is your brother?" "Yes he is, and he hates it if you call him Pipsqueak. Or anything referring to small for that matter," Al said. Barry thought it over, eventually nodding his head ... and laughing. "What is it?" "So it was your "brother" who put you in that armored shell, isn't that right?" Barry asked. "Yes, I'm sure he did. He saved me," Alphonse said, but the more he thought about it ... "OH, isn't that rich!" Barry laughed. "What's so funny?" "Oh, sorry, sorry. It's just that brotherly love is so beautiful ... even when it's a total fraud!" "A ... A fraud?" "Artificial affection!" accused Barry. Alphonse knew better than to believe Barry though. Why would love being an artificial thing, even for him being a suit of armor? He knew who Ed was, why wouldn't it be right?! "No, you're wrong, you don't know anything about us! My brother loves me for real, and I love him!" Alphonse insisted. Barry's red eyes stared right into him, as he aimed his clever at him again. "What a naïve worm! Ask yourself this: if your a fake - an imitation - how would you know the difference?!" Barry questioned. Al stopped himself on that question. "You said your so-called brother put you in that suit of armor. So how do you know you don't love him because he made it so you would? Altering your memories and personality to suit him best!" Barry accused. Al was getting upset now towards Barry, and he stepped towards him. "Stop that! My brother would not lie to me! My name is Alphonse Elric, and I'm the exact same person I was since I was a living human boy!" Alphonse insisted. That just amused Barry more than anything. "Ok, prove it! I told you my little yarn, tell me how you got into that body then. What happened so horrid, so gruesome, that your "brother" had to stuff your soul in that suit without a hint of your normal body?" Barry asked, both as mockery and a hint of legitimate intrigue. A story like that was always a nice story to hear, and Barry wanted to hear Alphonse's little transmutation story. Alphonse wanted to prove him wrong, but he tried and tried, and tried some more ... "HA, there see?! If your brother did craft that body for you, the least he could do was tell you what happened but he didn't even do that, now did he?!" "G-Give me a minute!" Alphonse insisted. But Barry knew he was just trying to fish for an answer rather than just say one. "Come on, if you knew what your little "backstory" was, then you would've said it straight up! You didn't need to think about it for a moment since your reminder's right there in front of you!" Barry brought up. The more Barry kept insisting that, the more he seemed to be right. "Okay, so I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know who I am, and who my brother is!" "But that's the trick isn't it? Your little soul, it's invisible, undetectable by any scientific tool! So what if you were designed in a way to make it impossible for you to decipher what's real, and what lies your brother has been feeding you! Tell me that!" "No. You're wrong about Ed, he wouldn't lie to me about anything." "Well then why don't you march right up to his face and ask him yourself, if you're so sure. Ask him what really got you stuck in that metallic husk, and then try to prove me wrong," Barry said, laughing himself silly again. Alphonse had to finally admit it now. He was right: Ed never truly told him exactly what happened to him, or Ed himself for that matter. Some reason his memory came up empty, and it all just stopped after a certain point. Barry might be onto something though if he did want to find out. "You know, maybe I will. But not before I do one other thing." "Oh yeah? What's that?!" Al grabbed Barry's head, pulled it off, and threw it clear out of sight. "HEY! THAT'S MY HEAD YOU'RE THROWING!! DAMNIT, DAMNIT, DAMNIT!" Barry quickly raced off to get his head back, off out of sight and out of trouble. Alphonse really didn't see what the danger was with him, and as far as he was concerned, he was just all talk. But it was his talk that got him thinking as he went on for home. ... "What did happen?" ~~~~~~ "Come on, let's go!" The next day, the whole group met up over by the 3-E building for the fly off. Team Harmony had their method of flying off on their way. Olivier and Alex both had a different way of getting to where they needed to go: Olivier had gotten a military chopper together thanks to Seitenshi, and Alex got a less dramatic method in the form of one of Celestia's carriages. It was clear who was more focused on their tasks here, or at least what situation it was going to be. At the moment, the group was split in two, one standing alongside Alex, and one over by Olivier, with Ciel and Sebastian standing way side since they picked neither to follow really. "Hey, good luck out there Nagisa," said Karma, giving Nagisa a pat on the head. "You too Karma," Nagisa replied, as he started to head into the carriage. Before he fully got in though, Karma started to nudge him. "And hey, enjoy your little time with Yugure," Karma teased, referring to Twilight again. Nagisa stayed quiet for a moment or two, as Winry and Twilight passed them by. Karma waited for a reaction, but eventually Nagisa just turned to him and actually smiled. "I'll be sure to." And with that, Nagisa went on into the carriage, and left Karma a little bit quiet. Karma wanted to have some fun with his own little "play thing" but Nagisa's reaction didn't really fancy him. Well so much for teasing two lovebirds with one stone. Anyway, he simply shrugged it off and went into the chopper with Olivier. Fun as it was to play around with Nagisa, the chance to beat up some demon was a lot more entertaining anyway. Just before Edward could go inside though, Alphonse got a hold of him. "Brother? Can I talk to you before you go?" Alphonse asked. It took him a bit by surprise, but Ed did end up turning to him. Ciel and Sebastian were getting a little curious over what was going on, as Al got Edward isolated from the others after a bit. The others allowed them to do so, though they were wondering about it themselves. After all, it did kinda come out of nowhere. Ed and Al got a good thirty feet away, by the forest of the 3-E building. Far enough to talk with Ed in private. "I need to ask you something." "Oh, sure Ed, what's up? Wondering when I'll be back?" "This is serious. Ed, I need you to be honest with me," Alphonse made clear, showing that this wasn't a simple question. "Uh ... what?" Ed asked, now confused. "... This body." Ed paused on hearing that. "I just want to be sure. You told me that you saved me to put my soul in this armor. ... Is that true?" "What're you talking about, of course it is. I lost my arm and leg because of it, why would I lie about that?" Ed questioned. "Well -" "YOU TWO, GET MOVING! Or do I have to drag you over here?!" Olivier yelled, losing patience. They had a mission to do, and they can't do that if the brothers are stalling. Al wanted to figure this out, but neither of them wanted to get their faces punched out of them by someone like Olivier. "E-Eh, you know what, nevermind. Sorry I brought it up," Alphonse admitted. "No, Al, is everything okay? what brought this up?" Edward asked. "I-It's fine. I was having doubts recently, and I just wanted to be sure, and now I'm sure. You better get going before Olivier drags you over," Alphonse suggested. It didn't matter if what Barry said was true or not, he didn't want Ed to get into trouble because of him. Eventually, Ed just sighed. "Ok, I guess. Well, good luck little bro," said Ed, just before heading off back to the others for the liftoff. Alphonse still felt a little bit uneasy with his own answer, but again, he didn't want anyone to get into trouble because of it. They all had tasks to go to, and they all needed to get going before things could get any worse. "... Good luck."
S05Ep2: Djinn ~ディン~It was a rather long flight on magic carpet, but when it would usually come down to with a ride on Aladdin's magic carpet, they were making express time. Aladdin and Heine both had been flying for a good day or two, and although a bit tired for Aladdin, they've really had been going on in record time which was what they wanted. Aladdin did wonder time to time on what his friends back at home were doing, but all the same, this mission Heine had him on couldn't be ignored like before, at least not as much. Who knew what happened to the Djinn since they've been away from it, or since it got released for that matter. Aladdin gave a yawn during the flight, showing that he was up for pretty much the entire time. He had to, of course, to keep the magic carpet from dropping them to the ground. For Heine, one side of him was glad he was taking this more seriously, but another part of him was a bit troubled by his lack of sleep, not only for the flying carpet, but also for his condition when they do get to the Djinn. Lucky for them both, the destination itself wasn't any further away. As far as landscapes went, the situation had changed rather dramatically. After so long of seeing forests and fields, the land changed into some dry grasslands, something Aladdin only saw in some of Japan's literature: long fields of dried up grass, some areas not even having grass on them and only showing either dirt or sand, though some tall trees still in a few places. While a change in area to be sure, the place they were truly aiming for looked like a medium-sized town, going along a fairly large river. Heine and Aladdin landed over nearby, just outside of town nearby a lone palm tree, and finally giving Aladdin some time to rest (AT LAST). "Good job, this spot will be fine. Now our first objective should be -" before Heine could finish, he heard a thud behind him, just to see Aladdin laying down and fast asleep. Aladdin had been going pretty long without any rest, and Heine could only smile. "I told you this would happen, Aladdin," Heine sighed, before he began to pick him up and move him over into the shade of the tree nearby. It's the least he could do after such a long flight. Heine would rather stay by his side instead of wandering off on him, so Heine too stayed with him by the palm tree. What kind of teacher would he be to just ditch his own student? It took an extra hour out of their way to have Aladdin rested up properly, before Aladdin began to stir again. He woke up to find himself next to Heine, and his own turban carpet used as a blanket for him. A good loud yawn got Heine's attention. "Sleep well?" "Are we there yet?" Aladdin yawned, not thinking properly. "Yes we are. You feeling any better?" "I'm ready, sir," said Aladdin, getting up to his feet and working the "blanket" back into a turban for his head. It was just what Heine wanted to hear, and he too got up alongside him. "Very good. Now, did you bring that map I asked you about?" Heine asked, Aladdin nodding his head and pulling something out from his blue shirt. Heine did get him on the level about a number of things, and one of them here was a map courtesy of Korosensei - who else? - which he gave to Heine right away. Heine opened it up, and he made the comparisons from the map to the town, and as he could see, it was a good match. It may be midday, as he observed the sun, but Heine and Aladdin at least needed to check around town first before just settling in for the night. "Very good. Now, let's see if anyone can give us some entail about the Djinn. If the reports are accurate, it shouldn't be too long until we can get a lead about the matter, just be sure you have your vessel ready." "Where do we even start? It looks like a big place," Aladdin pointed out. "Whoever willing. Now let's get started," Heine decided, adjusting his glasses before beginning to head off into town alongside Aladdin. ....... So their search began. The town they got themselves into was about as active as many of the other towns the two had gone to, the buildings made up of firm, sturdy sandstone, much of the town giving a tannish color, a breath of fresh air compared to Tokyo's modern cement and metal. Even the roads and sidewalks until their own feet seemed to be made of the same stuff in a few places. Not that this town had none entirely, but most of it was still new for him, and in fact Aladdin was feeling a bit relaxed here. As for the people around town, much of them actually had a similar look to Aladdin's typical Magi outfit. In fact, Heine looked more out of place than he did, which honestly was a first, so Aladdin was free to stroll around town simply as himself. "Is this a town of Magi? They all look just like me," Aladdin pointed out at one point. "Not exactly: humans and outwardly appearances vary depending on their cultures and locations. In this case, your outfit just so happens to match theirs, that's all," Heine explained. "So humans are influenced by angels," Aladdin concluded, looking around. Most of these looks appeared similar to magi, so why wouldn't he reach that conclusion. "Not what I meant," sighed Heine. Eventually, they began to see a few higher officials nearby, appearing like officers, who at the moment were resting and keeping an eye out. Aladdin figured they'd be a good start, so he went straight over to him, waving to them as Heine trailed him. "Hello, sirs, nice day isn't it?" Aladdin said. "Nothing really happened, so guess that would be a good thing," said one of the officers. "Hey, you new around here? I don't think I've seen you before," noted the second officer. Aladdin nodded, but Heine tapped him on the shoulder as a reminder on what they were doing, so Aladdin corrected himself. "Oh, right, uh can we ask you something?" "Ok, shoot," said the officer. An odd way to say it, but Aladdin went on anyway. "Haven't seen a Djinn anywhere, have you?" "A what?" questioned the first officer, a bit confused. Heine had to go in and correct Aladdin's bluntness. "We've both heard of reports coming from around here about some odd happenings. Either of you familiar with any of it?" Heine asked. Both officers looked to eachother before answering. "Eh, well yes and no. We got several calls over the months, but they weren't really anything as crazy as they said," explained the first officer. "Yeah, we always either found some simple reason, or just jot it up as tricks or something. I don't know if any "Djinn" had anything to do with it, sorry," said the other officer. While it didn't help Heine and Aladdin right away, the several people did make it a bit interesting. So maybe they could help them get some clues out of the way to find their Djinn. "Mind telling us who made those reports?" ~~ It took a bit longer, and closer to sunset, but even with the people they've met they weren't getting anywhere. Sure, some had seen their Djinn, but had no clue where it came from, or where it was hiding. Many of these reports went around seemingly at random, from those within the main town to those on the outskirts, and whoever they spoke to had something freaky happen to them: either some levitation trick, a magical spell, or some other odd trick but it would usually stop before anyone too big would show up to stop it, as such resulting in what the officers had already said. "So that's about nine people," Aladdin noted. "And none of them knowing where he is either," sighed Heine. Aladdin tried to think a little bit on some other figure. They tried officers, and those who already reported it in, where else could they try? "I know, how about we try some of the local get-togethers? There's lots of people in places like that we can talk to," Aladdin suggested. Heine saw what point Aladdin had, and practically any settlement had at least one spot where the most people would be found and would hang out at. Heine nodded, and the two were going through town again, but as they were though they began to hear some sort of commotion going on across the way. Nothing too bad, but rather more like some giggling. It didn't bother Heine, but Aladdin stopped to look. *boing**boing* Well, he found a good view, and some of the staff at one buildings were greeting some guests inside. Each of the three staff members were girls, and Aladdin's eyes were locked onto what huge boob racks they had. Heine stopped, and saw what was going on. "... Don't even think about it." "Can we try a little bit, please?" Aladdin asked, hands clasped together in plead, but Heine was in no mood for it. "Aladdin, we're here to find the Djinn, don't you forget. We don't have time to fool around right now," Heine made perfectly clear. Aladdin felt very bummed out, seeing the human version of angels walking over into the building with the newcoming customers. Aladdin HAD to get in there! "Come on, Aladdin, think," Aladdin thought, trying to come up with an idea. Eventually though, a thought struck him. "But it's a local get-together," Aladdin concluded. "Hmm?" "Look at how many people are in there, sir, maybe there's at least one person who might know where the Djinn is. We can go immediately after we find that out, I promise," Aladdin pointed out. It wasn't an entire lie for why he wanted to go in there, but it was still more of a half-truth. Heine still felt a bit unsure about this whole thing, as he just stood there, thinking hard. ....... "I hope you enjoy your stay.~" Heine would never think he'd end up in a place like this. The get-together spot turned out to be a sort of club, and while a number of other people were indeed there as Aladdin had said, most of them were mainly there to enjoy themselves: namely drinking wine or chatting with the staff women. Aladdin though was really enjoying himself, the little Magi happily meeting up with a few of the big-bosomed ladies and having his little fun with them and his greedy little hands fondling their breasts. normally he'd get pummeled by now, but none of the staff members were upset, and were giggling and having fun themselves with Aladdin's antics. "You're all so pretty ladies," said Aladdin, smiling wide and enjoying himself. "Thank you, you little cutie," said the staff member, playfully fluffing his hair. This was the most fun Aladdin had ever had, and he took a moment to see how Heine was doing, his head rubbing against her boobs as he did. "How're you doing over there, sir?" Heine didn't even answer, and he just sat over by one of the tables and drank some of the weaker wine. Last thing he wanted to do was get drunk on a mission, but it was clear he was annoyed with what they were doing. Few things would get Aladdin to remove his head from such sweet soft mountains, but he didn't want to get Heine too upset. "Heine?" "Had I'd known you'll be this reckless, I wouldn't have agreed to come in here in the first place," Heine stated, his mouth in the glass. "Come on, this place is great! Let's have some fun while we're here," Aladdin suggested. "Did you even ask anyone here, or were you too ... pre-occupied?" Heine asked. "I asked, I swear. I talked to some of those ladies there, and they didn't know either," Aladdin made clear. "Somehow I doubt that," Heine thought gravely. Before Heine could even start to give Aladdin a talk, he felt the hip of one of the ... larger women, her hip touching his. Heine didn't bring himself to look at her face, but off the corner of his eye he could still see her large rack. "Such a adorable little man.~ You fairly new around here, are you? A pleasure to make your acquaintance,~" she said. Heine kept focused. "Well if you must know, yes," Heine sighed. Then another women suddenly showed up, and leaned in from next to him, behind the seat. "Can't you smile for us? I've never seen someone so serious," she asked, sounding as flirty as she was disappointed. "I wonder why," thought Heine. He glanced over to Aladdin, who was still having fun with a few more boobs, a little too preoccupied to see what was going on. Heine cleared his throat. "Me and my friend are wondering about some of the odd reports as of late, in regards to some deity. any of you happen to know anything about that?" Heine questioned. The ladies though didn't seem to know. "Not from me. How about you just enjoy yourself, you cute little man you?~" Well, he tried. Heine was ready to get Aladdin, but next thing he knew, three different women were fawning over him, some cuddling up to him, and one who's boobs were pushing the back of his head. Heine was still feeling a little silly, but on the other hand ... "... Well, I suppose being mistaken for a child isn't too bad. What was I going to lecture Aladdin about?" ~~ "Oh that was so much fun. Hey, when we're done getting our Djinn, let's come back here okay? Promise?" Aladdin asked, after they were finished. Heine found himself feeling rather unclean, and in more ways than one, his cheek having some red lipstick still on him from the ladies who were fawning over him earlier. He could thank the lords above that none of the other angels saw him and Aladdin there, otherwise he wouldn't know what to do. Lucky he got a napkin, which he wiped off the still wet kiss off his face. That and they still weren't close to finding anything out from any of them, which was disappointing. "Let's not and say we did, Aladdin. I'm more disappointed that we still got nothing out of it," Heine groaned. "You had some fun didn't you?" Heine's response to Aladdin was a whack on his head by his teaching pointer. "Try to keep yourself a little more focused on your work instead on women, ok?" "Ok," Aladdin sighed, rubbing his head of the red mark whacked on him, it still steaming hot. On the bright side, they could at least mark another spot they wouldn't have to come back to in regards to the subject in question. Aladdin and Heine started to walk off down the road, trying to find anyone else who would help them out, but it was pretty late at this point, the sun already gone and the moon just coming up for the night. Guess they spent more time in there than they figured. "Well, thanks to our escapade it's grown far too late. We'll have to find a place to stay for the night," Heine concluded. Now Aladdin was feeling a little bit guilty for ending up wasting their time. Maybe he could find a way to make up for it eventually when they find their Djinn, but for now they had to find out where they were going to sleep. However, as they were looking around the place for any area to sleep at, they really couldn't find a free place to rest. None of them brought any money per say, so that was going to be a problem. It was still early at night, and some people were still going about the town plaza as they continued trying. Heine went over to yet another inn nearby, and tried his luck with the innkeeper. "Excuse me, but you wouldn't mind if me and my friend would rest here, would you?" Heine asked. The innkeeper went over what rooms they had. "Well we got a few rooms available. That'll be ten pounds," said the man. A cheap price for the town, though a bit iffy for Heine and Aladdin. Aladdin did have a few yen on him, but as the innkeeper tested it, he just shook his head. "Not enough, you two." "Right. Well, thank you anyway," Heine sighed, walking over to the center plaza fountain. Aladdin followed him, as Heine sat down over on the rim, not saying a word. Heine was getting a bit annoyed with it all, but he could already see that Aladdin was feeling a bit sad about things, some of their yen spent at the same club they went to earlier. "We'll find out where to stay, don't worry," Heine reassured him, but with them already trying several inns as it was, it wasn't sounding too likely. "Wish we had some pounds to pay that inn with." "Yen and pounds aren't the same amount, Aladdin. No one can blame you if you didn't know ... but it does help," Heine said. Now Aladdin tried to think on what to do, his eyes looking around at the other people in the plaza. They would ask around about the Djinn, but Aladdin was more wondering where they were going to sleep for the night over their Djinn mission. Aladdin kept looking around and he could see plenty of people having Egyptian pounds in their pockets for some late-night shopping in the plaza, though he wondered how he was going to get some. Then his eyes drifted down to the instrument vessel. ... "... Hey, sir? Do people here perform?" Aladdin asked. A rather random question, but as a teacher, Heine answered. "Human beings are known to perform for others, indeed. Some humans actually make jobs out of that," Heine explained. That was all Aladdin needed to hear, and he stood up over on the side of the fountain. "Then I need you to give me a beat. Can you clap for me?" Aladdin asked. Heine eventually got the idea. "Good luck, Aladdin," Heine simply said. Pretty soon, Heine began to clap a good enough beat for Aladdin to follow, him keeping his claps at a decent range and beat so not to mess Aladdin up. After tapping his foot and getting into the beat, Aladdin brought the vessel up and started to play a tune on it. Pretty soon, the simple foot tapping turned into a dance: him hopping on one foot and then switching to the other every two hops, each foot hop helping him keep beat to the vessel's music. It took a bit of work, but little by little, the performance was catching the eyes and ears of the locals, and they stopped to watch and listen to the show. Aladdin was pretty skillful with his instrument, and everyone was beginning to enjoy it. Aladdin was enjoying it himself, and eventually he got the beat down to heart, to the point when Heine stopped clapping and allowed him to go off on his own. Even if he didn't the crowd helped him out with that, and some were clapping to the beat as well, Aladdin getting more into it. Eventually the simple hop dance was joined by a few ballerina spins to wow the crowd, him playing the vessel as he did which impressed them even more. Eventually, some of the crowd was even tossing in some Egyptian pound coins their way, as such paying them for the performance, which was what Aladdin was hoping to happen. He was entertaining the crowd, and he was getting money to get them a good room for the night because of it. That, and it was fun to play a happy tune for the crowd altogether. Eventually his performance came to an end with a good spin, and then a bow to the crowd, who applauded him for a job well done. Needless to say, they can pay for the room now, if not gave the town something to talk about. Either way, the two then went over to the inn, and were ready to pay, but it turned out the innkeeper was already inviting them in. "Don't you want your pay?" Aladdin asked. "You kidding me? After that performance, that's payment enough for the room. You two earned it," he said. A nice little surprise. ....... So, with a room for them both now in their name, Heine and Aladdin both took the time and went off to rest. Aladdin was more than glad to finally get an actual bed for himself after such a long ride on his flying carpet. As for rooms, Heine and Aladdin got their own respected rooms just across from eachother. Heine and Aladdin just got a good look at what room they had going for Aladdin. It wasn't anything too fancy: just a simple room with a small light by the bed, over by the window. "Get some sleep, Aladdin, we have a busy day tomorrow," Heine advised. "Of course, sir! Finally I get to sleep in my own bed," Aladdin sighed, ready to hit the hay properly. Heine nodded and went off to his own room, as Aladdin started to take off his turban. It had been a very long day, and Aladdin was more than ready to get right off to sleep. Seriously, after who knows how long of flying on the carpet, this was something more than heavenly for him to take. Aladdin placed his staff and the Djinn Vessel over by his bed for the morning. With a good yawn, the young Magi crawled into bed. BOY did it feel good. "Oh, yeah, that's much better," Aladdin sighed, taking a minute to enjoy the nice bed. He first laid down on his stomach, arms and legs outstretched, but eventually he rolled over, a smile on his face. He got himself comfortable, and eventually his eyes took one look right above his bed, and ... "AAHH - MMPPH!" "If you don't calm down, I'll have to end you." The hell just happened?! One minute he was laying in bed, and the next, someone got a hold of him! It was just too dark for him to see who it actually was that grabbed him, but he could make out two things: it was a women due to the voice, and she was VERY strong! Any of his struggles could not dislodge her grip off of him, and with his mouth covered, he can't call for help! The figure moved up from the bed, carrying Aladdin with ease, and suddenly she jumped right outside! Jumping off the ground, and then up onto a taller building with a few jumps. Aladdin was a bit freaked out, but with the moonlight he got a good look at who was actually holding him. Her eyes and hair were a deep red, similar to a boy Aladdin knew back home. For outfit, it consisted of a short white dress with a rope tied around her waist, and black bands on her calves down her legs in a net fashion. One odd feature was that chains were on her wrists, which shined in the moonlight. "I'll be taking you to see him now. Don't look down," she stated, and to Aladdin's sheer shock and horror, she actually leaped up off of the roof! Without anything to help Aladdin fly, or to protect himself, he was at her mercy. "AAAHHH! HEINEEEE!" *BAM* ... "Aladdin!" Heine gasped, quickly coming into the room just after they left. Unfortunately, Heine was just not fast enough to get his student back. What's worse, as Heine tried to find out some sort of clue, he saw just a tiny bit of red hair left behind on bed. "He's in grave danger. I better find him fast." ~~ ....... "Ow. My head ..." Aladdin took a bit of time to get his consciousness regained, a red lump on his head to show that he was knocked out during the capture, but he did figure out that he ended up in a completely different spot. Instead of anywhere in town, it looked more like a chamber of sorts, all lit up by torches, and Aladdin laying down on a carpet. The only exit Aladdin could make out was WAY too high for him to reach without any magic to help him fly. And without his staff for any magic tricks, he was basically stuck in whatever this place was. It didn't look like a dungeon or anything, as he wasn't chained up exactly, but the figure who brought him here was standing right next to him, eyes closed and silent. "Oh. Where are we?" Aladdin asked. At least he thought she was a slave according to the outfit, but the girl didn't even bother to answer. Aladdin had to try and think of some way to get himself out of here. Who knew how long it'll be until Heine would figure out where he ended up, and then his friends would be worrying about him if he stuck for too long. "Hello? Can you tell me where I am?" Aladdin asked again, but yet again, she didn't even answer. If he was going to get anywhere with her, he needed some sort of response. And with her being the only person there, he might ads well try to get something out of her. Aladdin started to think as hard as he could. "Ok, Aladdin think. What would the others do if they were in this situation? ... Gain her trust, I guess?" Aladdin thought. Then his mind started to think over the pink friend Pinkie Pie, probably the most sociable of the bunch. So, Aladdin then began his approach: beginning with a few silly looking faces for some sort of reaction. However, she didn't do a thing, or even looked his way. Another, even nuttier thought struck him on what to do. "Hey, lady?" Aladdin then asked, only then the girl looking to him. Aladdin then started to work his efforts into some sort of reaction, a very cute face with puppy dog eyes, and he even started to roll on his back like a puppy would. He could just make it out, but he did see her starting to giggle slightly, only for her to cover her mouth. "Hey! You actually smiled, lady," Aladdin said, hopping up to his feet in success. "I was not laughing," she insisted, still stone faced. "Hey there, little people.~ Look who the red kitty dragged in this time." Aladdin and the girl looked up and something started to fly on inside. The strange being looked only barely human, rather simplified in features. the overall body was light purple with several pink markings. There was a v-shaped marking on its chest and bands around its wrists. Additionally, there are pink markings around its head and a growth on top resembling hair tied into a ponytail. A yellow, ring-shaped marking marked the center of its forehead, and green eyes with yellow sclera stared them down with mischief. On either side of its head is a dark gray horn that curves slightly upward. Looking too, it had three gold rings: one large one around its lower body and one hanging freely on each of its horns. Its arms weren't attached to its body and floated next to it. Each arm had a small golden spike on one end and a hand similar to a mitten on the other. There's a golden spike on each shoulder, which is similar to those on its arms too. The lower body consists only of a wispy structure similar to its ponytail. Aladdin gasped on seeing the deity float right down to them, smiling cheekily at them both. "O-Oh my ..." "Hey there, if it isn't the little Magi who busted me out of that vessel. How's it going?" The Djinn asked with a cocky grin, knowing Aladdin had no power anywhere. "D-Djinn ....... you're a lot smaller than I remember." And the Djinn, who was actually smaller than Aladdin, looked a bit peeved. "HEY, I can still beat your rear into the dirt!" The Djinn snapped. That was about right, since Aladdin had literally nothing to use against him. The Djinn's mood changed fairly quickly when he noticed the stone on Aladdin's forehead. "OOO, what do we have here?" The Djinn asked, checking the reflection it gave off. Aladdin quickly covered it up just in case the Djinn would try anything fancy with him. He already lost the vessel for the Djinn and his turban, he didn't need anything else stolen from him. The Djinn then turned to the girl. "Hey Morgiana, nice for ya to get the kid here. But maybe without knocking him out next time, ok?" The Djinn said. Morgiana felt a little silly and could only nod her head. Well, at least Aladdin got her actual name in that conversation. Anyway, the Djinn looked over Aladdin up and down, seeing if he had anything else on him for some goodies, but as far as he could see, there was basically nothing. "Where's that vessel?" The Djinn questioned, scratching his head. Aladdin didn't exactly answer him, and the Djinn just glared towards Morgiana, who stayed stone-faced. Despite that, Aladdin could slightly tell that Morgiana made a mistake according to the hidden expression on her face. The Djinn, hand to forehead, floated away from Aladdin. "Fine, I'll get it. Just keep him here, will you lackey?" The Djinn groaned, before floating up to the window and disappearing from sight. As he said, Aladdin wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. ....... "Aladdin! Aladdin!" Through the night and just minutes until dawn, Heine had checked out early from the inn and was still trying to find where Aladdin had disappeared off to. The longer he remains missing, the more risk he'll end up in, so Heine had to figure this out before Aladdin could get himself hurt, or worse. Heine gathered Aladdin's items, both vessel and turban in hand, and he tried his best to go and find his student. Heine went through the town center plaza a few times, and at this point he took a break by the fountain, trying to get his bearings. Heine took a look to the only evidence he had on hand, being the hair he found. "To think that this species would reach here. If one did end up kidnapping Aladdin, the results could prove horrendous," Heine thought, just wondering what kind of danger Aladdin could be going through. He had found Aladdin just months earlier, he didn't want him to be lost again, and so close to finding the Djinn too. ... As he sat there, the shadow from the building was joined by a humanoid figure, and one that had just showed up to see Heine Wittgenstein below. Heine sensed that someone was there the minute the shadow showed up, and he took a look upward to the top of the roof. "I'm baaaack.~" To Heine, he was fairly new to him, but his look was unmistakable to those who had seen his true face before: his long red hair flowing out in the dawn breeze, his green eyes almost seemingly glowing with the light of the dawn, and a sharp-toothy grin stretched across his face. Heine felt a bit unsure, but when he saw the red hair and compared it with the tuff of hair he had on hand. It had a slightly pinker color compared to this man, so that didn't help too much. This same man hopped down from the roof, and landed down in front of Heine Wittgenstein. Now having a full view of this man, Heine knew exactly who this kind of person was, adjusting his own glasses. "Reaper Grell Sutcliff. Who'd of guessed you'd be around here," Heine said. "Oh, you've heard of me, have you? Isn't that rather interesting. Maybe I'm becoming more popular with the boys at last," said Grell, posing like a female model to the young man. Heine felt especially uneasy with Grell on that remark, sliding back until he was at a more comfortable distance. "Please don't talk like that. It's disturbing coming from you," Heine insisted. Grell, hands on his hips, just looked down to him disappointed. "You were always so uptight, Heine. Seriously, do us all a favor, and drop dead this instant," Grell said, shooing him away as if he was some sort of dog. That did annoy Heine a little bit, but he had more worrying things to think about other than some cheeky reaper. "Some other time, Sutcliff, I got more pressing matters over you right now," Heine said, starting to walk away. Grell felt insulted, and actually turned to him before Heine got too far. "Trouble after trouble. so what's the problem this time?" "If you must know, my student Aladdin has been kidnapped just hours ago," Heine stated. The mention of the name got Grell's attention more than most. He remembered Aladdin pretty well, even if it was the longest time, and if it was the same Aladdin he was thinking, it only stood to reason the rest of the team was there too. Not to mention one hell of a butler as well. Grell got a cheeky grin on his face again, an idea coming into his mind. "I suggest you find something else to do. Unless you have something that could help me that is," Heine inquired. Golden moment. "If you must know, I did hear someone screaming like a true banshee last night, heading off south. Maybe it's our little Magi." "Our little Magi?" inquired Heine. Grell didn't really bother to answer him, which Heine had come to expect. Who could guess around this reaper anyway? That, and he didn't have much time to question him, as he was the first true lead he had since he began searching. "And don't tell me: you want to come along as well?" "Might be.~" Grell cooed, the answer making Heine shiver a little in disgust. As if dealing with a club wasn't rough enough for him, now he had a homosexual reaper to handle. "I can hardly stop you. Just watch yourself," Heine advised. "Come on, since when have I -" Heine only had to glare at Grell. "... don't answer that." "Just come on." ~~ Well, as Heine (and now Grell apparently) were heading his way, Aladdin was still seemingly stuck there to that morning. Morgiana was still standing at her post right next to him, not saying much of a word still, and her eyes closed. Aladdin had just woken up, and when he saw Morgiana, he wasn't sure if she was sleeping at her post or not. "Morning, Morgiana," yawned Aladdin, Morgiana not answering him as the magi stretched. "... You awake?" Aladdin asked. Still no response. He tried to wave his hand in front of her face for some sort of reaction, but he only got nothing and nothing else. It was annoying, sure, but with Morgiana quiet, maybe this can work in his favor. He got up and began to walk over to the wall keeping him in here, wherever here was. He didn't notice it last night, but the wall was actually slightly uneven, a number of rocks jutting out for some good stepping stones. Aladdin took one more look behind him to Morgiana, the girl not reacting still. If there was any moment to give it a try, it would be now. He brought his hand onto the wall, but then a thought struck him as he looked back to Morgiana again. "Morgiana ... I want to go back to Heine, but what about her? ..." he thought. ... He removed his hand from the wall, and then he began to move over to Morgiana. "Morgiana? ... Morgiana?" It took some effort, but eventually he finally got a reaction from Morgiana, the girl looking to him with the similar expression. "Please stay here. He would want to see you," Morgiana stated, seemingly reading his thoughts on the matter. Either that, or she did see him try to get out. "I know, I know, but ... do you want to come with me?" Aladdin offered. Morgiana looked a little unsure. "With you?" "Yeah! I can tell you don't like being the Djinn's "lackey". If you come with me, you can be a lot more free," Aladdin offered. Morgiana was quiet, but she just had to show the chains on her wrists to show her answer. "Even if I wanted to, these chains bound me to here. The Djinn bounded these onto me," she explained, though she sounded rather indifferent about it. However, Aladdin thought it over and just smiled. "Say no more!" Aladdin said, rushing off to the nearby wall. There was some debris on the ground, and Aladdin got a decent sized rock from it before rushing over back to her. Morgiana looked a little bit confused on what Aladdin was going to do here. "Let me see them," Aladdin insisted. Morgiana wasn't sure if it'll work, but she presented the chains to him anyway. With one hand holding them in place, and the rock in the other, he tried to smash them off of her wrists. However, a few hits crumbled the rock over those cuffs, which remained in tact. If only he had his staff or vessel, it would probably make this easier. "Hold on, maybe if I -" "No. Only the Djinn can remove these chains of mine, and he's not willing to do that anytime soon," Morgiana sighed. Well, it was a nice try anyway, but Aladdin felt determined, yet another thought struck him as he looked to those cuffs. ... "Aladdin!" A stroke of luck. Aladdin knew that voice outside, even if it was a bit vague and quiet. He was pleased to hear that, but Morgiana immediately responded with a jump, strong enough to reach the window with a single leap! Morgiana took a look just outside, and she could see that they had company: Heine Wittgenstein and Grell Sutcliff. both figures had ended up finding out where the hideout actually was, and Morgiana wasted little time in actually jumping down to their level to confront them. Aladdin was stuck inside again. "You're not allowed here," said Morgiana. "We just want to ask you a question," Heine stated. He didn't want to fight right away if he could help it, though Morgiana appeared willing to fight at the moment it'll provoke it. "So we're doing the simple route? We both know she's got the magi, let's just go by her and grab him already," Grell insisted, but Heine quickly got in his way. "Don't take her lightly, Grell. She's far more deadly than you think," warned Heine. However, Grell wasn't exactly seeing it with this seemingly normal girl. "Eh?" "Don't 'eh' me. She's no ordinary human: she's a Fanalis. A species of human with skin of steel, and strength and senses beyond any normal human. One individual can have enough power to topple down a tribe of demons in little time at all," Heine explained, a sort of sequence of multiple Fanalis being shown. ... "That little runt didn't look anything like in that sequence just now! How can that girl be apart of the Fanalis tribe?" quizzed Grell in disbelief. Morgiana was surprised that Heine actually knew about the tribe, let alone the details, but was quickly upset with Grell's assumptions. She started to walk forward to them, Heine and Grell looking to her again. "Listen, we're trying to find a student of mine: a young magi, with blue hair and a gem on his forehead. You haven't seen him, have you?" Heine asked. If a fight could be avoided, that would be great, but unfortunately, Morgiana would rather have them gone. However, she then noticed a vessel in Heine's hand. She did remember the Djinn mentioning something about the vessel, but with him not around, she wondered if she could keep it until he would come back. "Hello Heine!" Enter the very Djinn in question, floating in from the top of the building. "And look who we found as well." "Miss me? Yeah, as for that magi of yours, sorry but we got nothing on him in that building, so have a good day now," the Djinn said, actually chilling out and laying on Morgiana's head. Honestly, Heine was more bewildered that the Djinn would even say that. "I never said anything about that building." ....... "... Morgiana, get that vessel, and get them out of here," the Djinn quickly said, flying off at a safer distance. Morgiana then went to confront them. The Fanalis got in her fighting stance, though her hands were positioned more like claws than fists, one out front and one behind her, both hands aimed at them both. An odd stance, but a standard one for a Fanalis. Guess avoiding a fight was out of the question after all. "Well, we tried. Grell, get ready," Heine instructed. Grell already had his weapon out and at the ready, the scythe screeching in activation. Grell still wasn't convinced as to how deadly this girl actually was, and before Heine could stop him, he bolted forward right at her! "That little runt a Fanalis. Hogwash. This should take less than a few in no time," Grell thought confidently, his chainsaw ready to slice and dice Morgiana into pieces. The chainsaw was out front like a spear, but Morgiana gave him a bit of a surprise, and both her hands gripped the chainsaw scythe in a clap, both hands on each side of the blade. It was strong enough to make the blade stop spinning! And once more, she simply threw Grell back with a single back motion, throwing Grell right to the wall with ease. The impact Grell made to the wall could be felt by Aladdin inside, making him try once more on climbing out. Grell twitched a little on impact before falling to the ground, and Morgiana confronted Heine. The Fanalis still appeared ready to fight, and this time it was her who went forward first. Heine made a few jumps back, avoiding a number of swipes from her. "This is trouble. One hit from her and it'll be the end of me," Heine thought, keeping calm to the situation despite this. Morgiana kept trying to hit him, but Heine was in no mood to fight, so he moved past her to get to the Djinn, and to Aladdin. He had to keep focused. Grell got himself up again at this point, seeing Morgiana run right up to them. She was a lot faster than Heine, and pinned him down fairly quickly with a single grab. Heine winched on the strength she used on him, but it was here that Heine got a good look at the chains on her wrists. "A slave. ... He seemingly has control over you, am I correct?" Heine asked. Morgiana responded with throwing Heine aside, and away from the building, Heine landing on his feet. At this point, Aladdin had finally reached the top of the window, and into view of the fight going on. The Djinn didn't really notice him show up just yet, more interested in the fight going on underneath him. "My orders are to my master," she stated, only confirming Heine's suspicions. "There's no need to fight here. Nor you belonging to a Djinn as his slave." "These chains say otherwise," she stated, showing the chains. She didn't sound happy with it, and Heine could easily tell, looking with more disappointment than anything. "... Which ones? Those to your hands, or those to your will?" Morgiana kept quiet for the moment or two, and Grell came to at this point himself, shaking his head and getting to his feet. Grell tried to see the situation and regaining himself. Aladdin looked down to Grell Sutcliff, and he saw that the Djinn was right underneath him. "Don't try your luck, Heine, those chains I got full control over! I can get her to do whatever I say, and they can never get off of her long as I'm here!" The Djinn called cockily. Heine honestly wasn't too enthused by it, and since he had a vessel in hand ... "We'll just have to change that." Heine then brought the vessel up to his mouth, ready to play it. The Djinn thought that he was going to get him back in there, but Heine's focus was on a completely different thing, his gaze locked onto Morgiana's hands. Thinking the same as her master, Morgiana rushed forward to Heine to stop him. Heine kept his composure, and avoided the attempts to get the vessel stolen. Heine started to play it, doing surprisingly well in his situation. Morgiana got in a fighting stance again, but when she did ... *click* Off went her cuffs. In a single snap down the middle, each of her cuffs opened up on their own, and dropped down to the ground. Just like that. Morgiana stopped herself completely, looking in surprise at the cuff-less wrists she now had. The Djinn turned pale, mouth agape. and ... "HA!" "OOF!" Aladdin saw his chance, and dove right down onto the Djinn right then and there. No better moment to pounce than when someone's speechless like that. The Djinn scrambled a bit, trying to fly with the added weight, but he ended up down onto the ground. "Well done. We make a great team, don't we?" Grell said. "You didn't do anything," Heine said coldly. Grell withdrawn on the answer, as the Djinn struggled to get himself together. "You okay, Aladdin?" Heine asked. His biggest concern right now was the safety of his student, but lucky for him there wasn't too much damage apart from some bruises. He needed to keep his energy on holding down the Djinn under him. They managed to find him, and they had to fix this at least. "Time for you to return, Hoopa. Aladdin, keep him down until I'm done," Heine instructed. Aladdin agreed, but Hoopa wasn't exactly done just yet. "Come on, this isn't fair! Being stuffed in some vessel for no reason whatsoever, wouldn't that make me the victim?!" Hoopa yelled. However, Heine was not going to let the Djinn run off on them here, not now and not again. Heine just sighed, and started playing the vessel again, aimed right at Hoopa. Aladdin didn't get off until Heine started playing, and Hoopa felt himself starting to be pulled towards the Vessel. It took only a short thirty seconds, before Hoopa was completely pulled away, and sucked right into the Vessel. Now captured. "That's that." Once that was done, Aladdin, Grell, and Heine turned over to Morgiana. The girl was still in a bit of shock over what just happened. Not only did Heine basically freed her, but her master ended up sucked into the Vessel, and therefore, no longer having control over her. She stared down at her free wrists for a moment or two, trying to comprehend a little bit on what had just happened. "... How ... how did you do that?" "A common spell, really. Now you don't have to listen to him anymore," Heine simply said, giving the vessel to Aladdin. The Magi was happy that Morgiana got the cuffs off of her. "See? You're free now, Morgiana!" Aladdin said with a smile. Morgiana didn't answer them, but before he could say much more, Heine rested a hand on his shoulder. "Alright Aladdin. We got what we came for, now let's be on our way," Heine instructed. With the Djinn in their grasp, they did have everything they got, but he remembered what he offered inside as he looked to Morgiana. Heine began to get the flying carpet together, but Aladdin went over to Morgiana. "So. You want to join us now? You're call," Aladdin offered. Morgiana stayed quiet again and thought it over a bit. Heine got everything prepared, though he looked over to Morgiana and Aladdin as Grell took a seat on the carpet himself. "Well isn't that just sweet? Your student found a little friend during the night," Grell cheekily noted. Heine wasn't too sure about it though. He already was stuck with Grell Sutcliff, yet they did get done what they had to, so depending on what she has to say. "It would appear so. Aladdin!" called Heine. Aladdin turned around, and was basically reminded by the sight of them that they had to get going. They got their Djinn, no reason to stay much longer. "I ... I don't know ..." Morgiana quietly said, still unsure how to take this sudden turn of events. "Well, I'm not going to make you come with us. You can do what you want now. Bye," Aladdin gave Morgiana a smile before heading to join Grell and Heine. They got their Djinn, and got Morgiana free after that, so it was basically all finished. With some magic focus, the turban started to fly, and Morgiana simply waved goodbye as they began to fly away. Of course, Morgiana was still left with a hole. "... You're what I want. ..."
S05Ep3: Behind the Mask ~マスクの裏側~Well, heading off to the location had been a fairly easy task. Nagisa, Twilight, Edward, and Winry continued off on their way to the north, guided by Alex Armstrong in their carriage. They were joined by Alex's close lieutenants. Considering who they were going up to face, it was a bit of a precarious means of transport, but it was still a silent way to find the great Tengu, wherever he was. The four were taking their time and were chilling out inside the carriage, and they were basically bored at this point. Sure they were flying pretty fast, but just how far was the Great Tengu anyway? Still, at this point the land had changed up a bit from Tokyo City to more mountainous terrain to the north. "Hokkaido. You sure this is the right way, Armstrong?" asked Nagisa, who was looking out from the carriage at the terrain. "The reports say the Great Tengu lives in the mountains, so we have to be close. Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, get ready when we land," Alex instructed, keeping the carriage steady as they went. Nagisa sat back down inside. Those names were to the two lieutenants that went with them. "Well?" asked Ed. "I have no idea," Nagisa sighed. Edward was getting a little bit edgy about it, wanting some sort of action to start at some point. He liked relaxation as much as the next guy, but really it was taking so long just to find this one Tengu. "It can't take that much longer," said one of the lieutenants. The male lieutenant then looked over to Nagisa. "Oh, hey Nagisa? I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened to you after Pluton? We were told you disappeared after that?" Denny asked. Nagisa felt a little shiver run through him on that, but he felt good enough to at least answer him. Guess this would be the thing they will be chatting about aside from Jizo. "Eh, it's kinda confusing. One moment I was in Synapse, and the next I was in some forest. That Miracle Sword saved me," Nagisa summed up. He would go on with the full story, but they didn't have too much time for it. "You mean you teleported? I didn't think humans could do that." "Give us enough time and we can do anything. I mean, we didn't have your holy power, yet we've been taking down demons left and right, so I think we got it," Ed said, showing his mechanical arm in a flex. "Good point. I mean, you are an alchemist, you and Yugure. And Nagisa, you got a halo blade and are light on your feet. If you ask me, the Great Tengu's going to be a bit surprised when he sees you all," Maria stated. Ed felt his confidence rise on him again as he smile smugly, but Nagisa and Twilight saw her point there. Most demons don't see humans as very much, so perhaps they'll give this Great Tengu a run for its money. "By the way, how strong is the Great Tengu? Tiger Class doesn't sound as dangerous as other demons," Twilight noted. She had found this out as they were reading the demon guide and it's ranks, and Tiger class was a bit down there really when compared to other demons they've faced (Pluton and Sombra in particular) "Beats me, I never met the Tengu before," shrugged Denny. "Me neither. But let's watch out anyway," Maria suggested. "She's right. Ed, I want you to be careful out there," Winry then said, a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Winry, I'll be fine. What do you take me for?" Ed asked. however, Winry's mind wasn't exactly on him, specifically ... "Because I'm not going to be happy if you come back to me with my automail wrecked. You wouldn't do that, would you?" she then stated, sounding a lot more menacing than any of them expected. Ed moved so Nagisa was in between him and Winry. "Eh, yeah, sure thing," Ed said. "Now I can see Olivier's side to Winry," Nagisa thought. A decent mixture, he had to say, but for Ed's sake he just hoped it didn't have to come to that. Ed didn't want to know just how much of Olivier was in Winry though, so, he just left it at that. "Don't worry, Ed, it'll be fine. Who knows, maybe this Great Tengu won't be too much trouble after all," Twilight reassured him, beginning to move the curtains to look out the window again. They had nothing else to do on the way there. Twilight could see a number of snow clouds, but not too much on the land underneath them. No, it didn't really say how far they were from the spot, and who knows how much longer it'll be? However, turned out, Alex began to descend the carriage through the clouds. "We landing, Alex?" "Just about," Alex replied. That was all the news they needed to hear as they descended down from the clouds into the terrain of the region. As they kept saying, the area turned into more mountainous region. The group stayed inside the carriage as they descended down until they felt the carriage stop itself upon landing. "Ok, suit up everyone, we're here," said Denny, giving everyone some winter clothes to keep them warn on this mission, something they packed with them before they went. I mean, they would suit up to go into the mountains anyway, it only made sense. So after getting some winter coats on, they went off outside to see where they were. The exact area was higher up in the mountainous region, patches of forest here and there covered in snow. Speaking of, snow was coming down in a good flurry around them. It didn't take them too long until they all were out of the carriage. Now outside, they got a full view of the place, and it basically was isolated from many a settlement. It was probably for the best though, as this demon could cause a ton of trouble if it did end up finding other people up here. However, that didn't mean that they were completely in the wild, as when they looked up the mountain, they could just make out some sort of shrine. Bit odd for where they were, but it was just proof that something was here. They couldn't see much of it, but Nagisa felt the shiver run through him. "We're at the right spot. Ok, is everyone ready?" Nagisa asked. "We're all ready, just say the word," Twilight said. Well, time to get this started, one way or another. With the word all ready to go, the group started to head up the path leading to the shrine. Nagisa could sense the demonic presence here more with each step towards the shrine, as if it was coming from the shrine itself. "There's a lot of energy coming from up there. Whoever the Great Tengu is must be a powerful demon ... I hope we can handle him," Nagisa thought. He looked back to the others for a moment as they went, seeing Twilight and Ed first. "... No, don't start thinking like that again. We got this," Nagisa then thought. He wasn't going to try and throw himself to the beast again like before, and he needed to believe in his friends as much as himself, not to mention the angels following behind them. Eventually, they managed to get to the main area in question. This place looked similar to the area back in Tokyo, but instead the Hokkaido shrine looked simply torn apart! Clearly something ended up going wrong here. The only area that hadn't been touch was the shrine itself, but the other buildings around the area looked ripped up, with boards pulled out, walls torn to pieces, and simply looking like it had been wrecked for who knows how long. One of the buildings actually had the roof caved in. Nagisa had a bit of a mixture on this place: such a good spiritual place, and he felt such a demonic presence. "Alright, fan out the area, the Great Tengu could be anywhere -" "He's over there," Nagisa suddenly said, aiming his halo blade off a ways from the entrance. The direction was actually over by one of the wrecked buildings rather than the untouched shrine. "That didn't take long," said Danny. "He does have his demon sense," replied Twilight, Nagisa getting ready to fight whatever was in there. "Tengu, come out! This is the Elysium guard!" Alex called, just as ready to apprehend the demon whoever it was. At first, some silence was left in the air but eventually a voice did start to speak. "The Elysium guard? Well, I never would've thought I'd be that high in ranking to have you called. A stain in my feathers that name." Then the figure began to move out from the building, and out onto the porch to see them. It started out slow, until the dim light of the winter air presented itself to the demonic entity. for a start, saying this demon was human may not be the right word, looking more like some bird than a human. A set of large talons, each claw as large as their hand, scrapped the ground underneath him as he moved into the light. The first, and most prominent feature that got their attention was the face: a gigantic face, pure red, and a gigantic nose jutting forward as long as Nagisa's arm. An angry expression edged the giant face, starring them all down. A old samurai robe covered the body, and once he stopped moving, the Great Tengu spread out its mighty wings, edged with grey and green feathers. This was the mighty Great Tengu they were here to find. And by the sound of him, he was hoping they would show up. "So, you're the Great Tengu," Edward figured. "In the flesh. Though, I didn't think it was bring your child to work day. What're you thinking doing that?" The Great Tengu questioned. "Watch your mouth, demon, that Team Harmony you're talking to!" shouted Denny. The Great Tengu took another look to the others, though the face stayed angry he was actually rather intrigued about it. In a single flap of his wings, he was suddenly right in front of Nagisa, right in the face. Almost instinctively, Nagisa jumped back in a few steps, throwing his Halo Blade right at him. However, the blade not only didn't do damage, it didn't even cut! It just bounced off the face, and landed on the ground nearby. That either proved that this wasn't the actual face, or this was a far deadlier demon than he thought. "Team Harmony? You mean you little humans were the ones who defeated Pluton?" "WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!" shouted Ed, ticked off on the very word (as usual). The Lieutenants got in the way of the Great Tengu, but the demon raised a wing and readied to swat them aside, just for the wing to be held back by Twilight's magic, coated in a purple hue. "Just come quietly, we don't want any trouble," Twilight said. The Great Tengu shook his wing a bit until he got it free. "You're hopeful. But I'm not going with you that easily. But tell you what, I'll cut you a deal: if I win, whoever's left get lost. If you win, then I'll come along quietly," The Great Tengu offered, though by the sound of it, he thought that he would win fairly easily by a good mile. "Be ready to come with us then, because we're not letting off easy," Ed asked, still fuming about the comment from earlier. The Great Tengu then began to take flight, the wings kicking up snow around them. Guess they were in for a fight after all. "Be warned: I've trained year after year to get to where I am. You've all may have lady luck, but it'll take more than her to take a demon like me down," The Great Tengu said. It wasn't like they were expecting no fight though, and they all were ready as they'll ever be. "What're you waiting for then, BRING IT ON!" Ed yelled. And bring it on he did. The first move was actually given to the group, Edward using his Alchemy to turn his arm into a huge, threatening sword. The Great Tengu took off out of reach from Ed, and flapped his wings to cause the snow to fly up too, making some blinding cover for him to make his move. This didn't work on everyone though, and Nagisa flew out of the snow, grabbing the Great Tengu by the face. Nagisa tried again to get his knife in, but his blade wasn't doing any damage to the Great Tengu in the slightest, and the demon spun in circles to get Nagisa off of him. Twilight got her magic to work again, and used it to give Nagisa a softer landing. "He's tougher than he looks, this Halo Blade's not doing anything," Nagisa informed, getting worried. "He's got some nerve to challenge the Armstrong line!" Alex said, his own alchemy starting to come to life. and just in time, as The Great Tengu began to bring his own attacks to the table: icicles starting to conjure up and launching down at them. They started to move aside to avoid getting skewered, but Alex Armstrong gave a power-filled punch, blue sparks flashing as the icicle was launched off to another building, breaking down a wall. The Great Tengu flew right for Alex, more ice forming in front of it like a wall. All Alex did was slam his fist into it, but that again launched the attack to the building. "Unexpected." "What the heck are you doing?! you're making it worse!" Ed shouted. Before Alex could get another word in, the Tengu targeted Twilight out of the group and flew right for her. Nagisa was ready to rush in, but Twilight got a magical shield up to reflect his oncoming icicle attacks. Nagisa saw that he was behind the Great Tengu, and saw his chance for a good hit. He and Ed worked together on this part, and they both raced up and stabbed the Great Tengu in the back! The demon cringed on the stinging pain, blood splattering out, but he swiftly spun around and swatted them off. "Sneaky, but it won't work on This Tengu!" The Great Tengu said. He then started to focus more energy, until the Halo Blade popped out of his back, landing further away. "Yugure, you ok?" called Ed. "I'm fine," Twilight replied, but just one call was enough for the Great Tengu to dive-bomb him, the talons grabbing him by the mechanical arm, and lifting him skyward! Nagisa grabbed the leg, and gave it a good stab, but the Great Tengu wasn't giving in no matter how much his leg bled. "Damn it, let go of me!" Edward demanded. "Stop poking me with your tiny stick, human," The Great Tengu said, starting to do a tailspin to shake off Nagisa, and wreck the mechanical arm at the same time. A few good spins, mixed with the sharp talons, tore off Ed's arm with relative ease, and both Ed and Nagisa fell to the ground, shaken but not cut. "Not a good idea to bring a spoon to a blade fight, boy," the Great Tengu hissed, dropping what remained of the arm onto the ground in a heap. Edward was getting very ticked off now, but he couldn't work his alchemy correctly with one arm, and Maria and Denny tried to keep him back from the fight. Winry tried to help him stay back too, but ... "Seriously boy, you might as well take this scrapmetal and go make some fancy tin cans out of it. Whoever made that for ya doesn't know a wrench from a walnut." Now Winry looked ready to kill. Mad enough that her automail was wrecked, now he's talking crap about it. However, a magic blast was suddenly hit on the Great Tengu's wing, making him spin around and land on his side. Twilight and Nagisa were taking the chance here, and the hit did some good damage to the Great Tengu. Alex Armstrong activated his alchemy again, the ground starting to tremble under the Great Tengu's feet. He quickly took flight just before the ground could crush him. His wing may be damaged but he could still fly, and he had more tricks up his sleeve. "You wanna fight rough, do ya? Let's see how you handle this," The Great Tengu stated. Something else began to happen as the demon was up in the air. The huge face on the demon started to actually break off in one clean sweep, a completely new figure now replacing the face. Turned out that face was a shield, and the Great Tengu actually looked like a red human being underneath the body shield. He had a set of human arms, one of which was holding the shield, as the other grabbed the nose and pulled it out to show another weapon. The nose part was the holder, and the energy busted out into a light saber-like sword! The real face looked more human, but still blood red and with a fairly large nose. He dropped down, as he looked ready to fight. They all looked to the demon, and the Great Tengu started to rush in. Edward Elric was in front of the crowd, and while he had one arm missing, he was still ready to fight. A-Al, you ... you okay? He hesitated, and the Great Tengu sent him flying! One mighty hit from the Great Tengu launched him into the shrine, knocking the wind out of him immediately. "ED!" Nagisa and Twilight gasped, rushing right over to him straight away. The Great Tengu watched them rush to his aid with a sort of intrigue on his face. Nagisa may have been hit with plenty of hits, but he didn't even prepare himself for that kind of hit. "Elric, you alright? Say something," said Maria urgently. Edward didn't know what happened there, but the Great Tengu knew exactly where this was going, and began to walk away. "You all know where the exit is, don't let the door hit you on the way out." "We're not done with you!" Nagisa shouted, rushing at him. However, all it took was a few good flaps of his wings to cloud them in snow, and disappear into the distance. The Great Tengu was gone from the shrine, and now they had a knocked out Edward to deal with. ~~ Well, they thought it was going to be a fairly easier approach, but the end result was a bit disappointing. The Great Tengu basically flown the coop on them, and not only did Ed have his arm destroyed, but the hit the Great Tengu left him, seemingly, weak. The squad went back to base of the carriage (only spot of shelter from the winter storm, by the by). ... "It's not that bad, Winry," insisted Ed. "N-Not that bad? Do you see what happened to my creation? I-It's completely destroyed," Winry stated meekly, the remains of her creation in her trembling hands as she looked in dismay. Ed didn't feel too bad about that though. "Come on Winry, it's the same thing just in smaller pieces." That response just got Edward a wrench to the forehead. Winry was in no mood right now for those kinds of comments, especially if it involved her automail. "The hell was that for?!" Ed yelled. "My joke tolerance is pretty low right now, Edward Elric!" yelled Winry. "Like I meant to have my arm destroyed!" "Well you should've watched it out there, you would've still had your arm!" "At least I did something, I didn't see you do anything!" Twilight and Nagisa weren't enjoying their bickering anymore than the others were. "Eh, we're really sorry. She's really likes her automail," said Maria. "I see. Winry, Edward, will you two calm down?" Twilight asked. Both figures glared at Twilight with a death stare, making Twilight shiver. However, before they could continue the hit he took earlier started to sting again, and Edward cringed on the pain. "Damn it." "Ed, sit back down. No offense, but you took a bit of a hit back there, you shouldn't be getting all worked up," Nagisa said, helping him calm down. "I can take a wrench!" "Ed, you know that's not what he meant," Twilight corrected, reminding Edward of the trouble earlier. Edward just gave a rough sigh, but that did remind him of that little ... well, he wasn't sure exactly what it was. A vision, maybe? Well, whatever he would call it, somehow it kept in his mind and he just couldn't shake it off. "What happened back there, Ed? He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" asked Denny. A question on everyone's mind. Ed brought his good hand to his forehead. "I don't know, something just ... I dunno, clicked." "Something ... "clicked"?" Winry asked, confused. "I don't know. I need some air," Ed sighed, getting up and starting to head out of the carriage. Clearly something was on his mind and the others could see that, and it wasn't just the physical fight itself either. Ed didn't go too far from the Carriage. In fact, he just sat down over right by the side of it. The weather was still cold, but at this point the snow had calmed down, which was probably a good thing for the situation. Nagisa followed him outside, looking a bit concerned. "I told you I don't know what happened." "But it is something with the Great Tengu, right?" Nagisa asked, sitting down next to him. "Look, I don't know what exactly happened ok? He was rushing at me, something ... happened, and next thing I knew, I was on the ground in that shrine," Ed said. Troublign as it is, Nagisa was getting curious over this other something. "Something happened ... Ed, I know this sounds odd, but, did this something ... show you anything?" Nagisa asked. Ed looked a little surprised, but in the end he nodded his head. "Apparently, I saw me and my brother as kids in a wreck of some kind." "A wreck? What wreck?" "You tell me, I never saw it before," Ed replied, getting a little annoyed with him prying in. Nagisa started to think a little hard on what this could be, but he was drawing a blank here. "Clearly Edward got a vision of some kind. Is that a future vision? No, why would he be a kid again. ... Unless ..." Then a crazy idea struck him. "Seriously, what's that Tengu's deal? I never got any vision before, that's usually your department," Ed said. At this point, Nagisa got up to his feet, which caught his attention. "How about we find out?" ....... Short time later, Nagisa and Ed went off back up to the shrine. It was a bit later by the time they got there, but that wasn't exactly the main issue here. Something was up between the Great Tengu and Edward Elric, and Nagisa wanted to help Ed out with that. When they got there, the two were alone, and Nagisa kept quiet, focusing his demon sense again. It wasn't as strong as it was when they arrived, but it was indeed a presence somewhere here. "Alright, where is he?" Ed wondered. Apparently, not a thing was around, and the place still had some evidence of their last fight earlier. "He's around here somewhere. come on, let's look around," Nagisa insisted, taking a few steps in before. "HA!" A loud cry and an impact got their attention rather quick, even seeing something getting launched into the air. It wasn't another person, but instead a practice dummy. Nagisa and Ed quietly went over to the building in question, peeking out just behind the building and saw that their Great Tengu was in the tail end of some practice. The whole area looked actually roasted up, evidence of some fire attacks being used here. The snow landing on scorched ground simply proved that more than most. The demon didn't notice either one of them yet, though that was probably a good thing. He wasn't with his mask this time, and after some training there, he took a break and wiped some sweat from his forehead. "I need a drink," he said, going over and heading inside one of the buildings, in particular the one they were peeking over from. Ed and Nagisa waited until he was out of sight before slowly moving to the back door to see what he was up to. Looking in, some candles were set up for some good lighting and, it turned out, this demon was a bit of a drinker: taking a moment to chug down on some sake inside the building. "... Tengu?" The Great Tengu paused for a moment, wiping off some saliva from his lips as Nagisa and Ed actually came up to confront the demon. He licked his lips of what sake was on his lips, and looking to them. "Look who decides to come by and see the G.T. again. come for round two?" "We came to talk to you," Nagisa made clear, though the Great Tengu could see that Nagisa was trying to keep himself together. He may be more used to his demon sense, but Nagisa still got the effects from it all, and he had little clue about what this demon could do. The Great Tengu wasn't really intimidated at all, and in fact extended a hand over in front of him. "There's two spots here, why don't you two take a load off then? You got me in a good mood," said the Great Tengu, chugging some more sake. While a bit unsure about it, eventually both of them did take a seat in front of this demon. A bit of an odd situation, but if it could explain a thing or two, then fine. "So, where's the rest of those birds in that holy flock of yours? They ditch you here, or what?" "They're still down the path so don't get too comfortable," warned Ed. "Yeah yeah, sure. So, what's with you two?" The Great Tengu asked, setting the sake down by his side. "We ... we'd like to get to know you a little bit. That ok?" Nagisa asked. The Great Tengu smirked. "Wanting to know the Great Tengu, eh? Well let's see now: I've been training for years since I ended up dead in these mountains for a start, and I've been working up my ranks as a demon to get that dragon class. How's that for a start?" Honestly, Nagisa and Ed weren't sure what to say. Not that it was surprising itself, but the fact that the Great Tengu just started saying it without any trouble. Then again, that could be the sake talking. "Well, neat. Uh, a little more specific though -" "AH! Let me take a guess, you got something lingering in your head about me and your friend, am I right?" "How the hell did you know that?" Ed asked. "Oh, this demon's been wondering about a little somethin too." "What was that?" Ed growled, sensing what this "small somethin" was. If he meant to or not, it wasn't too much off of his nose. "What're you talking about?" Nagisa asked. The demon tried to get the exact memory out right, but apparently it was a vague one and it didn't come to him right away. Eventually, the Great Tengu got up to his feet. "Eh, give me a five, I need to get my mind together," The Great Tengu said, strolling away from them for a brief moment. "... This is weird," Ed quietly said. "At least he's honest ... I guess," Nagisa quietly added. Yeah, it was odd as heck, but on the bright side, the Great Tengu wasn't going to try and kill them straight away. The Great Tengu eventually got himself back, but there was something in his hand, and it was ... rather mundane, actually. "K, you nuggets, you all want to figure me out, well why don't you feast your eyes on this? Get turning those pages," The Great Tengu said, tossing the paper over to them. It was Nagisa who caught the thing, and they both took a moment to look it over. Once again, nothing too out of the ordinary with this, as it looked mainly like just some newspaper on a rather late date, years ago in fact. Both weren't sure exactly what he was getting at, but before they could actually figure anything out, the Great Tengu began walking off outside with the giant mask, opening his wings, and with a powerful flap, disappeared into the night. The launched made tons of snow splash them, and the candles blow out. Well, they were alone again, and this time they got some sort of clue to it all, and what was going on with Ed and this thing he saw. ~~ "So you tried talking to him and he gave you a newspaper," recapped Twilight. Nagisa and Edward didn't take very long to get back to carriage, and explain what had happened to them. Basically, there leaves a lot to be desired, and they weren't any closer as far as they knew. "Yeah, I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it out myself," Nagisa replied, showing the paper to the girls, Twilight in particular. On the surface, this paper just wasn't giving them too much. It showed the date being years ago, so it shouldn't be anything particularly recent. That, and most of the news on said paper was more concerning a new locomotive train more than anything. New hybrid train revolutionizes railway The main headline gave no clue to anything. "What does a train have to do with me?" Ed wondered, annoyed at the vague "clue", if this even was one. "Well, I dunno why he would be that open to you, but we have to heard back now," Denny said. "What?! Why?" Ed snapped. They just found the guy, and they had to go back home again? "For starters, you got your arm ripped off, you need that fixed. Secondly, the Great Tengu flown off, and if that's true then who knows where he'll be by now? We'll get right back on the field before you know it," Maria assured. "Come on, I'm fine! Winry, can't you mend that arm for me?" Ed said, trying to get them moving. However, Winry was left with such little to work with thanks to that Tengu. "I would if I could, these parts are too torn up for a quick fix. I got tools, but not enough that'll get this all mended in the carriage," Winry admitted, one side of her sad she couldn't do anything, and another ticked off at Ed for letting her automail get torn up anyway. "COME ON ALREADY!" Ed yelled, completely stressed. all of a sudden, Alex suddenly popped up by them, shirtless and flexing again in his manly ways. "You're acting like a spoiled brat, Edward Elric!" Alex said, flexing his muscles as he said so. That sight surely was unnerving for him, and clammed him up yet made him tumble back. "Again with the shirtless?" Nagisa thought, also humbled. "But hold up, don't you want to get him too?!" "Of course I do, but I'll never risk anyone's lives for it, especially if they belong to someone like you kids! We're setting a course back home," Alex decided. "Sir, yes sir!" said his lieutenants. As annoying as it was, looks like they had little choice. ~~ After that unfortunate decision, they were off and heading back. Too bad none of them had a clue where the Great Tengu would be, and Nagisa's demon sense was completely dormant so they couldn't use that. Much of them were off and trying to sleep as they were still flying, though that wasn't easy with the space they had to work with in the carriage. ....... "... You ready to wake up yet?" "Huh?" It took a bit, but when Nagisa woke up again, something just felt off. Now, typically in these dreams, Nagisa would be over at Synapse, or something like that, but this time he was still in the carriage. The exception to this was that no one else was there with him. No Twilight, no Ed, none of the lieutenants or angels. Just him. "That doesn't sound like Lugia. ... Who's out there?" Nagisa wondered. Well, you know what they say about curiosity, and soon Nagisa went out the back of the carriage. It looked fairly darker, but nothing exactly evil looking. Just the typical night sky with a moon overhead. When Nagisa looked ahead though, there sat a particularly unnerving figure. King Sombra. "Have a seat," Sombra simply stated, a hand gesturing to sit down at the chair in front of him. Sombra was sitting in one as well, a desk in between both. "S-Sombra," Nagisa said, hesitant to even leave the carriage at first. He wasn't expecting Sombra to show up here, but something started to pull him from the carriage, and over to the desk. Possibly it was from the dream logic playing against him this time, and soon he was sitting down in the chair. Well, on the bright side, at least he was alone, and no one else will get hurt here. Though some comfort in knowing where they were would help. "Calm your nerves, human. I can't physically harm you in your dreams even if I wanted to," Sombra made clear, which made sense, though bizarrely, his demon sense wasn't as active as it would be. "You are there, are you?" "Your demon sense? It doesn't work in here, but I can assure you I am. Now, I've been meaning to have a word with you, and I believe we both know why," Sombra began. Nagisa knew only one moment he could recall that Sombra would remotely bring up, and Nagisa started to calm down slightly. That didn't mean he got his guard down. "So you know about that." "I knew about it for a while now, after some observation of course." "Right," Nagisa simply said. Sombra leaned in, his hands under his chin as support, as he looked to his adversary in the eyes. "Let's start off with the obvious question. Your ... "plan". To throw yourself to me for Envy's sake. How did you think you'd get out of that situation the way you did? I could tell you didn't entirely think it through," Sombra questioned. Nagisa turned away from him. "... I didn't plan on surviving this long. Guess fate wants me alive even if I try not to," Nagisa said. "I see. Let me start by saying just how wrong that sounds: I can understand if you have a particular goal in mind, or some sort of strong reason where throwing yourself away was the only thing. Or at the very least have an escape plan worked out, but you never did any of that, now did you?" "Why should it matter to you of all people?" Nagisa questioned. "Because if the time comes when we face eachother, I'm not going to fight a suicidal dumbass," Sombra replied coldly. Nagisa felt like more of an idiot with all of this thrown at him, like he needed any reminders. "I know I screwed up, ok? I was completely selfish for not letting my friends help me, I just didn't want any of them killed. Though, how would you know that?" Nagisa replied. Sombra felt a slight sting at the end there, but didn't show it in the face. "You imply that I don't care for any of my demons, Nagisa?" Sombra questioned. "You threw Envy away like it didn't matter to you, so why not?" "Envy is a Homunculus, not a demon. They're far more expendable than a true demon of the underworld. That, and he was screwing up on me and acting too rebellious anyway, though you already knew that," Sombra stated. Thinking back on how willing Envy was to kill them, he honestly felt 50/50 about it. Sombra got up and began to walk around towards Nagisa. If he had his demon sense, it would go crazy by now. "As a king of Tartarus, I have to take some consideration about my demons, especially with what I'm trying to do. I do not throw in my demons so mindlessly - I have my sanity and compassion in me still, just not for your kind. Why would you think I kept Tirek locked up?" Sombra questioned. To Nagisa, the mention of that word just gave him some bad memories with his involvement with the deity. But, this revelation was a surprise. "You kept him locked up? Not being bias, but I'd thought you'd work better with him." "Tirek has a lot of power, yes, but he's too ... what's the word ... trigger-happy. You saw what happened when he released Pluton on the world, something I'd never considered if I could help it. and now thanks to him, not only does the whole world know about us, but I lost my strongest trump card." "You were planning to use him though." "... Not right away, you understand." This conversation, to Nagisa, wasn't as surprising as his encounter with the Great Tengu, but it surely was an insight on the situation here. Sombra, the man behind it all, was having a standard conversation with what he assumed was his core enemy: himself. Nagisa got up next and turned to Sombra. "Sombra? If you're worried about your demons getting hurt, why are you sending them out here at all? just have them stop coming here, and this whole thing can end." "But I don't want it to end. Not until I reach my goal, anyway. And we know what goal that is, now do we?" Nagisa didn't take much time to figure out what he meant, but only grew more determined to get through to him. "What do you have against us? We didn't do anything to you before this started." "You need me to tell you?" Sombra then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Once he did that, the landscape changed dramatically, and next thing they knew, they were in a rather sketchy part of the city, looking grimy, and polluted everywhere. Nagisa looked around for a bit before looking to Sombra in disbelief. "You serious? You're mad at humans for polluting the earth?" "No. I'm mad at you humans for destroying the Earth. The Earth, the Underworld, and the Overworld as well. Ironic, I know: a demon mad for the angel's sake." "How's the Overworld and Underworld effected, we barely knew you even existed until now!" Nagisa retorted. "I know that. You humans took the world and made it your own, and the effects from this is suffocating the foundation all of us live on. We Demons and Angels don't do that to our own world, what gives you the right to?" Sombra questioned. That only made Nagisa think more than anything. For the longest time, no human knew their actions would be effecting theses worlds, but it seems that's the case. ... effecting those worlds ... "Wait. ... Wait a minute, but. No. No, you can't blame us for that!" "Why. Not?" "Sombra, no Human knew those worlds existed, not to mention being effected by us. Humans are trying to fix this problem on our own world, how're we supposed to do that to the Underworld and Overworld if we don't even know about it?" Nagisa explained. "As far as I'm concerned, it's far too late for you to do much. Getting rid of the human race will best secure the future for everyone. ... Speaking of which, that's one thing I was wondering about too." "The future?" "Your future. ... Have you learned Future Sight, by chance?" "Like you need to know!" he quickly replied. Now it was getting dangerous: this was a rather big thing for him to have, and if Sombra found out, it could mean the end of everyone. It was the biggest advantage they got right now. "Strange. ... You know, I too have Future Sight. I use it during my meditation most of the time, and I've seen those visions myself: the Tengu. Gakuho. And Envy. somehow though, not only did you know all those things, but you even went as far as to prevent them. ... How is that?" Sombra wondered. Nagisa had to think of something. "... They came to me in a dream," Nagisa simply said. Not the full truth, but truth enough. Sombra stayed quiet for a bit, and turned to Nagisa. "... A dream. ... Well, some do say that dreams are human's true insight into the world, if they realize it or not," Sombra sighed. "I can believe that," Nagisa simply said. Sombra just went over back to his seat, hand on the side of his head. "Oh ... this plot is so predictable," Sombra groaned. Nagisa started to think about what Sombra had said, and in the end ... "You're probably right. We both probably know what the end's gonna be." "Humor me then: how do you think this will end up?" Sombra asked, mainly out of amusement more than anything. Nagisa needed a bit to think over the scenario, and through the experiences so far. The end result was a straightforward one. "Well, it'll probably end in a big fight between your world and mine, possibly with the Overworld involved that is still debatable. And at one point ... it will be a single fight between you and me." "And that fight will ultimately decide the fate of everyone. Yes, that's practically inevitable at this point. Do note, that I still have my own cards to play in our game, which at this point isn't going to last much longer. And if they don't work, well ... you know by now." Oddly, Nagisa then smiled. "I'll be ready for it. Me and my friends. I'm not willing to give up the world I live in, you know that. So when that final fight comes, I'll be ready for you," Nagisa concluded. The answer Sombra was hoping to hear. And just in time: a light began to brighten up further away, coming from the moon. "A proper note to end it on. I'll be seeing you soon, Nagisa Shiota." "Looking forward to it, Sombra."
S05Ep4: Return to Central ~中央に戻る~"Can you let me out now?" "Not a chance, Hoopa." "Can't you shut that little pest up?" groaned Grell. Well, the fly off back home wasn't as quick as the fly off to the location, as much of the group had little rush this time. Aladdin, Heine, and now Grell were taking a moment to rest within the countryside, a nice fire going over in the forested landscape after some work by Heine himself. Grell was laying on the ground by the warm fire, though his hands were covering his ears from Hoopa's pleads and complaints to be let out, all of which were unsuccessful. Aladdin was getting some berries from some nearby bushes for a little snack for the three, and Heine was keeping the Vessel in check. "Here, sir, I got the berries. These the right ones?" Aladdin asked, showing the berries to him. Heine adjusted his glasses for a moment and examined the berries before nodding his head. "Good job, Aladdin," Heine said, Aladdin sharing the berries between himself, Heine, and Grell. Grell wasn't too impressed with the meal though, but it was better than nothing. "Can I have some?" Hoopa asked from inside the Vessel. Even when locked up, they could hear him loud and clear (unfortunately). "You're a Djinn, you don't need to eat," Heine simply stated, popping a berry into his mouth. "Come on, have some decency!" "How're we supposed to even feed you in there?" Aladdin asked, not sure even how to do that with Hoopa being stuck inside the Vessel anyway. Suddenly the vessel went silent again, not coming with an exact answer to the situation. "Just ignore him, Aladdin. It's just the desperate attempts at a runaway that has been caught," Heine coldly stated. Heine had made up his mind about the situation, and Hoopa was stuck in there no matter who did what. "They were just tricks, Heine, you can't throw someone into jail for that! Come on, get me out of here, be a good sport!" Hoopa yelled again. All of a sudden, both Heine and Aladdin began to hear a familiar sound of a chainsaw. "Can I just kill the loudmouth?! I swear, he's going to drive us all mad!" "You can't get any worse then how you are now, Grell," Heine sighed. Grell felt a cold stab at his heart from that, but Heine did take the turban from Aladdin, and wrapped it around the Vessel. Hoopa tried to talk, but it was now a lot more muffled, as if someone just gagged Hoopa's mouth or something. The sound of the chainsaw dulled down to nothing, Grell finally happy to hear the Djinn shut up for the first time in their get-together. "So, Aladdin, you said you met Grell Sutcliff before?" Heine then asked, turning to his student. "We ran into him when we visited England," Aladdin answered, rubbing the back of his head. "Did you now? Guess that would explain how he knew you when I met him," Heine said, Grell finally getting some sleep by the fire. "Aladdin, let's try and get some sleep. We should be able to reach back home by tomorrow if we're on course," Heine said, starting to get some rest himself over by the fire. Aladdin agreed, and readied to get some sleep himself, but seeing the Vessel one more time before his eyes closed up. ....... *bonk* "Ah, wha, huh?" Not the best wake-up call he had ever, but Aladdin did end up waking up with a jolt when something ended up bouncing off of his head. Heine and Grell didn't wake up from Aladdin's outburst, but there was one little bit of difference that Aladdin immediately noted. The vessel had moved! That was enough to get Aladdin up and looking around, just to find the Vessel had not only unwrapped itself from the turban, but was currently hopping away from the group! Aladdin immediately jumped to his feet and raced after it. Of course, it didn't take long until Aladdin grabbed the Vessel in a dive to the ground, and Hoopa was stuck again. "Oh no you don't!" "Give me a break already, I don't like it in here! come on, kid, can't you let me out of here, please?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin got up after that. "I can't do that, Hoopa, Heine's orders." "So what if it's Heine's orders, you let me out before, you can do it again." "I didn't know what I was doing before, but now I know you're only going to cause trouble if I let you out again," Aladdin said. Hoopa was annoyed, but he started to notice something with that statement. "Oh, ok, just because I'm a Djinn immediately makes me a bad guy. Wow, cool, who's got who trapped in a vessel right now?" Hoopa said. Aladdin stopped. "Hoopa, you've had a innocent human as a slave, didn't you?" "Eh ... well, yeah, but that's a common sight in that part of the country. Besides, she's no normal human, she's a Fanalis. If I let her go, she'd tear that place apart!" Aladdin wasn't sure if Hoopa was telling the truth or just acting desperate again, but Aladdin was seeing the logic behind it somewhat. "How would you know that? Morgiana didn't look too dangerous." "She tried to kill Heine yesterday just for him showing up, remember?" "But you ordered her to, right?" Aladdin asked, though this time it was less genuine curiosity and more mundane. Hoopa groaned, his lies not getting anywhere. "Ok, look kid, so I tried to get Heine gone, you think I enjoy it in here? It's cramp, quiet, dark, and I can barely do anything unless someone summons me. I'm glad I could get away from Heine as long as I had already," Hoopa explained. Aladdin placed the Vessel down in front of him, getting a little curious over Hoopa in there, and he sat down again. "But Hoopa, haven't you been causing trouble? That's why Djinn are in those vessels, so they could keep in check." "Says who? Sure I did a few tricks, but did I harm or kill anyone? No! It's like throwing you in jail for throwing eggs at a house - that's just stupid at best!" "I ... I guess that's true. ... But I can't risk the search all over again. Heine will get mad at me if I let you out again," Aladdin admitted. Hoopa was trying to think, but then he got an idea. "W-Wait, what if I can help you? You let me out, I can help you." That got Aladdin's attention. "Help? Help how?" "For a start, I did get some interesting little information I think you'd want to know. You let me out and I can tell ya, and trust me, I think it's pretty important," Hoopa said. Aladdin felt conflicted here. "... Can you tell me first?" Aladdin asked, genuinely curious. "Kid, give me a break: you let me out, I'll tell you, it's common sense here. You can put me right back in here when we're done, and no one will know, see? So come on, can you let me out of here?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin didn't know what to do here, but if he did have some important information it could help them in the grand scheme of things. Then again, what will Heine think if he found out Hoopa's out again? "What do I do? Should I let him out? Come on, Aladdin, think. This is a Djinn who kept Morgiana as a slave. ..." Then Aladdin got an idea. It was a bit of a long shot, but hopefully it'll work. Hoopa could hear Aladdin walking away from him. "Hey, kid, wait, where're you going? You gonna let me out or not?" Hoopa called, but he didn't get an answer out of him or anyone. Hoopa thought he was at a loss, but eventually footsteps did come back to him, and Hoopa felt the Vessel move. "Ok, Hoopa. You ready?" Aladdin asked. "As I'll ever be," Hoopa replied. Aladdin held the Vessel firmly, and focused his energy into it. The method to releasing a Djinn from its Vessel wasn't too complicated, and Aladdin gently moved his head up and down it like a magic lamp. Aladdin kept his energy focused on it, and after a little bit, some form of stream started to come out of the Vessel. In little time at all, Hoopa was out. "HAHA, you gullible Magi! Thanks again for the quick escape cutie pie, now see ya!" Hoopa felt very confident after that, and readied himself to go, but as he quickly flew, suddenly both his arms were yanked down, and he got grounded. He took a look ahead, and he found that his arms were ... well ... cuffed. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Hoopa yelled. Immediately he tried to get the cuffs off of him, but no matter what he did, they were stuck on him. Not even his own magic apparently did the job, and Aladdin simply stood there, looking almost cheeky. "Thanks, Karma," Aladdin thought. "What'd you do?" "I found a middle ground: now you don't have to be in the Vessel anymore, but we can still keep watch over you with your own cuffs. At least now we can be sure you're with us, and you can have your space," Aladdin explained. Not good enough for this Djinn though, yet all he could do was pout in disappointment at the end result. Honestly, this wasn't what he had in mind. Aladdin was still waiting on his answer however. "Now, can you tell me what this important thing is?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa felt shanghaied. "No you don't, I'm still stuck with you!" "Wait a minute, you said you will tell me if I let you out, and now you're out, now please tell me." "UGH, fine," Hoopa groaned. What else could he do? At least he could still float around, and he floated to his eye level. "K, look, you heard of a Homunculus before, Aladdin?" "Sure I do: One of my best friends is a former Homunculus." "Yeah, sure. Well, heard from a little birdie that one's gonna be targeting Central, which if I'm correct, you'll fly right by at the rate you're going," the Djinn explained. Aladdin's thoughts immediately jumped to one Homunculus in particular that would go after Central again. "Wrath! He's going after Central?!" "How'd you know his name?" Hoopa asked, legitimately surprised. "I've been told about him, he's the only one I could think of that would head there. do you know when?" "Your guess is as good as mine. Could be tomorrow, it could be next year, who knows?" Hoopa shrugged. That got Aladdin thinking on it especially. "Now ... Can you happily remove these cuffs so we both could be on our way?" ~~ "For the record, this sucks." It took some explaining next morning, but eventually the group did go off and ended up on their way in their flight. Heine saw the logic, and Grell just tried to keep the complaining out of his head as they went. Well, on the bright side, at least Hoopa wasn't crammed in some flute during the flight around the countryside. "You do realize this makes things a bit more difficult," Heine sighed. "Maybe, but hey we still have him with us. Isn't that what you wanted, sir?" Aladdin asked. Heine glanced back towards Hoopa, who just crossed his arms and sat down on the turban. "Well, perhaps we can alter accommodations when we get back. Though inform me next time you try something so reckless. ... Again," Heine stated. "Yes sir," Aladdin said in a slump. He still was bummed out that they didn't return to that heavenly place with all the big boobs, but what else could he do now? Aladdin still had Hoopa's warning in mind though as they went along, especially with Wrath. The magi kept his eye out around him, but then he took notice of a distant city, which he then stopped the flight in mid air. "There it is!" Aladdin said, pointing off over to the general direction. "... That's Central Amestris," Grell pointed out. "I know. come on, let's go," Aladdin insisted, but Heine grabbed him by the shoulder. "It's out of the way, Aladdin. I told you not to listen to Hoopa, remember?" "I know, but crazier things had happened. Let's just stop by for a visit, I haven't seen Central in a while, and you can see it for yourself. Come on, please?" Aladdin asked kindly. Heine thought it over, looking back to Hoope and Grell. They did technically get their mission done, and Heine hadn't seen where the defeat of Pluton had taken place himself. "... Well. Maybe just for a little while. Just stay out of trouble," Heine advised. That was all Aladdin needed to hear, and he went right off towards Central. ....... The flight right to Central was, in itself, uneventful but that was a pretty good thing for the most part. Looking down, the city had fully recovered by now, much of the city showing little signs of what Pluton had done to the place. Pretty good to see after just how much damage had been done to it before, yet as they past the square, there was a bit of a special monument built up: it basically showed Nagisa Shiota, standing tall with a sword at his side. Aladdin sighed. "Nagisa sure left his mark in this place. Wonder how he's going to react when he finds this out," Aladdin thought, as they flew by. Aladdin's main target wasn't just the place, but rather the very capitol of Central. It had been their main place of stay, and since they had been deeply involved with the place for a while, Aladdin knew much of the soldiers wouldn't mind their little visit. Speaking of soldiers though, many of them seemed a bit more on edge than usual. They landed over by the main building, and all got off to look around. "Well, it's not exactly a fancy mansion in England, is it?" Grell commented, having a look around. Aladdin took a look around the training area, and soon he spotted a fairly familiar figure, working out some of the soldiers and checking in on them in their guard duty. "Yoroi!" Aladdin called. And indeed it was Yoroi. He knew that voice all too well, and he didn't need a second to realize who had come by for another visit, Aladdin heading right up to him. "Hey, Aladdin, long time no see," Yoroi said, though it didn't take too much time for him to notice the change in crowd. He didn't see anyone of Team Harmony there, and didn't recognize Heine, Grell, or Hoopa from any prior experience. "Who's this?" Yoroi asked. "Greetings. I am Heine Wittgenstein, nice to make your acquaintance," Heine said, hand extended. Yoroi gave his hand a good shake, Grell checking Yoroi out himself. "I see he's your ticket for today. What's with Team Harmony getting all the good looking men?" Grell commented, unamused and maybe even a little bit jealous. However, Yoroi overheard him pretty good. "That's Grell Sutcliff: he's a ... old acquaintance of mine," Heine introduced, though he felt strained on admitting it. "Is that what you think of me?" Grell said, disappointed like a stereotypical teenage daughter. "Where're the others? Karma, Nagisa, Ed, Al?" Yoroi asked Aladdin. "Eh, no, it's just me. They're all busy with their own demon-hunting missions right now, so I went to find him," Aladdin explained, looking over to Hoopa. "And who's him?" "Don't worry about that," Heine simply said. Hoopa just groaned on that answer. If only he could just go off on them right now, this would be a lot easier. "I just thought we'd stop by," Aladdin added in, though Yoroi felt a little rough on that answer. "It's nice, but now's not the best time. Unless ..." "Unless what? what happened?" "It's Selim and Bradley - they've gone missing again. I haven't heard a thing from Fuhrer Bradley since he left to Tokyo, and Selim had been and gone since a sand demon came in and attacked Central. ... Did any of you seen them on your flight? Please, we can really use some good news right now," Yoroi asked, hoping for a good answer. However, Aladdin felt a bit uneasy with that kind of statement, more than the others. It was probably best that they did come by after all. "Yeah ... about them ..." ....... "THEY'RE BOTH WHAT?" After going inside to talk, they sat down in the currently abandoned study, ironically where the attack took place, and explained the entire situation to him. Information about Bradley and Selim both being Homunculi surely hit hard on those soldiers who actually listened to what they had to say. Aladdin and Heine sat side-by-side, Grell standing over by the door, along with Mrs. Bradley. "Homunculus: a fake human being made up of a Philosopher stone. Bradley said so himself," Aladdin explained, remembering what information he got from the others after they figured it all out. "That's crazy! This is King Bradley and Selim we're talking about here: a ruler of all Amestris with his potential successor, how could they hide this fact for the longest time?!" Yoroi insisted, still in disbelief about it all. "Long enough to fool everyone in Central for years. Apparently," Heine stated. He really had some hard time taking this in, but some of the soldiers were actually seeing some sense out of this. "Wait. He never did show up when that giant monster attack Central." "Probable, considering it would be his own counterparts he would be fighting," Heine said. "Geez, why is this such a shock to everyone? That old wreck of a man got tired of you humans, it happens to everybody. You might as well go cry over a baby bird," Grell shrugged. "... May I borrow that pistol?" Heine asked. One of the soldiers gave it to him, which he proceeded to gladly shoot at the wall, inches away from Grell's head. That freaked him out in a yelp, making him fall over. Without another word, he gave the pistol back. "But ... Bradley, he never told me that. ... I-I can't believe it," Mrs. Bradley said, bewildered. "I'm very sorry mam," Aladdin said, trying to comfort her a bit. "Ok, if we're done with these water works, then how about you get your human guns ready for his comeback?" Hoopa asked. "What're you talking about?" Yoroi asked. "That Homunculus's going to come back here and get his throne back, that's what I'm talking about. And YES Heine, I know what I'm talking about!" Hoopa snapped before Heine could get anything in. "What?! when?" Yoroi asked urgently. "Hell if I know," Hoopa shrugged. That surely got their attention. Bradley never showed up in their fight with Pluton, but now he's showing up to reclaim his throne? Who knew what that would entail for them all, especially with what information they've gathered about him and his involvement with Sombra. The general in there came to a more troubling conclusion. "That case, we have to keep him back! We can't have a worker for hell ruling Central," the general stated. "Guess we can't," Yoroi said, though he was slightly unsure himself about it. Comparing the whole world to one man though, one outweighed the other by a mile. "We'll help too," Aladdin chimed in. "We will?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin took one look over to Hoopa, a pleading puppy beg on his face. "AH! Ok, ok, we will," Hoopa said. Well that didn't take much to change his mind. Heine was a bit surprised that he would so willingly help Central out, but Heine then gave a smile to him. "So that's why you brought us here, Aladdin. Well, it's hard to deny a Magi of his calling, I suppose," Heine thought. The only one who felt unsure with it still was Grell. "Grell?" "What? Well surely you can handle this problem by yourself," Grell insisted, a mix of compliment and insult rolled into one. "Please, Grell?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, come on, it's such a rough little scuffle with a swordsman who can take on any for, you really expect me to just dive in on a whim?" Grell pointed out. Aladdin had to think again, trying to figure out once more what his friends would do in this situation. Then a particular Phantomhive came to mind, though he felt a little less thrilled about it. ... "You do this, and I promise when we get back, you can have Sebastian and do whatever you want with him. How's that?" Awkward indeed, but Grell quickly found this interesting. "Hmm? Sebastian and anything I want ... AH! Even kissing?!" Grell gasped in glee, now a lot more excited than before. "Whatever you want, I'll have Ciel make it clear for it." "Can I use tongue?" Grell asked. Aladdin felt a shiver run through him on that question, but if it meant anything, then he'll have to just roll with it. "I said anything you want." That sealed the deal for him. "AAAHHH! Now that's an offer I simply can't refuse! I'm dead serious!~" Grell said, very excited for his reward. Well, not exactly the best sort of thing, but at least he was on board with helping them out. "And you're sure Ciel will be alright with this?" Heine questioned. "W-Well, I guess if it means he'll help, then ... yeah," Aladdin admitted. Guess there was some things he should've left to professionals. But no matter, they got a place to guard up before Bradley would show up, and now they got a reaper to help them. ~~ So, things got busy. The clock ticked by and the military group of Amestris quickly got themselves together, and on high alert. Grell actually got his use together and was getting the soldiers put up here, there, and everywhere, alongside the generals of Central. Heine, Aladdin, and Hoopa ended up with the schematic layout of the Capitol, which helped them in the set-up very well, especially with where Bradley would possibly come from. "So that should do it then. The soldiers are in position all over the perimeter," informed Yoroi, once getting back to them. "Understood. By the by, is Mrs. Bradley moved from the premise?" Heine asked. Yoroi nodded. "She's being escorted to her summer home right now," Yoroi said. "I hope this'll all be worth it," Hoopa said. "We have to try, Hoopa," Aladdin said. "Come on, you think that he's just going to march up front, and -" "There he is!" called a soldier. The group took a look out from the balcony of the capitol, and soon they saw who they were talking about. King Bradley. Right at the front. So many soldiers lined up to keep the assailant back, and instead of sneaking around everything, he was out there in front and ready to face them all head on! King Bradley wasn't exactly amused by this shift in loyalty, both swords in hand. "... Well, damn, there he is. Wow," Hoopa simply said, more bewildered than anything. "They really think I'd make a mockery of myself by going through the back door of my own palace?" Bradley questioned. Sure, it would be easier, but all the same this was his own place, so sneaking into his own house would make him look simply pathetic. And by no means was he going to take his home back being pathetic. Both swords were at the ready. And then he charged. "Fire!" multitude of soldiers started to open fire on Bradley, but the swordsman master not only didn't get hit, but he easily reflected each shot that would've otherwise killed on him sight! And if that wasn't scary enough, the nearby tank gave a power shot right at him, just for him to use his own sword to slice the cannon shot in two: one side knocking back a row of soldiers as the other one exploded on a nearby building! That got a few worried at the least. "Damn it. Move back!" called the general. The workers inside the tank quickly began to back up at full speed, in order to gain distance between them and Bradley. The group could hear soldiers getting skewered, sliced, and cut open at the end of Bradley's swords as he went through. "He's coming up. Heine, anymore bright ideas?" Yoroi asked, getting unnerved. "Make sure he doesn't past the gate," Heine simply instructed. It was a broad one, but what else could they do? "That can go unsaid," Grell simply said. Back with Bradley, things had taken a nasty turn: now in the path to the palace, the tank kicked into higher gear as fast as a tank could move, any soldier in the way of Bradley being sliced up. The tank was in Bradley's way, and this de-crowned king was not going to be denied by this renegade tank. The tank fired again, but as before, Bradley sliced it in two, both sides exploding behind him. Annoyed, Bradley took out some frustration on the tank's wheels, and sliced one side to disable it. The Tank swerved in the path, and actually crashed in the side, leaving some bit of smoke and debris falling down in front of it. The drivers couldn't see exactly where Bradley was, but as they tried to drive, the driver suddenly ended up skewered! "Take the control!" called the general, the secondary driver scrambling to get the controls as the general kicked open the hatch with a gun in hand. "Damn! Where is he?!" it didn't take too long until Bradley showed himself, slicing the gun in two along with his face! Bradley tossed his body away, and left one more little surprise for this tank. A pipe bomb. *BOOOOOMMMM* "What was that?!" gasped Hoopa. That explosion could be heard, and even felt, by those who were lined up at the main gates to the capitol building, some distant smoke from what happened to the tank remaining. Eventually, and to their shock, King Bradley walked right up the front steps. A little dusty from the fight, but not a single injury from his charge. One man against an army, and the man won. His swords weren't even stained with any blood, despite taking down several lives in their prime on the way up. "He took out a tank? He's not human," Heine noted. "See? What'd I tell you!" Hoopa said, humbled himself. Sure he had plenty of tricks up his sleeves, but seeing a regular human do all this even made him humbled. Bradley was undeterred by the various amounts of his own comrades going against him in such a way, and he began to move forward in an almost casual march, both swords out side by side as if they were his own arms. Desperate, a few other soldiers shot and tried their luck, just for Bradley to deflect them in such a way that they actually shot their own men! Not just a deflect, it was a U-turning reflect, and just as bad of result as it would be. Whoever was alive was crippled down so they couldn't do anything. Yoroi, scared, brought out his own weapon, but Heine slapped it down with his pointer. Another shot, and it'll set Bradley off again. "Why're you all so worried? Your king has returned. Now open the gate for me," Bradley ordered. However, none of them were willing to do so, not even giving him a reply. "I said open the gate for me, Yoroi Kagayaki," Bradley said again, this time referring to him by name. Knowing now who he was really dealing with, Yoroi wasn't going to listen to him. Just in case, Aladdin took a moment to get out his Magi shield, just to be sure that they were safe. Bradley didn't charge forward though. "What's it to you that taking over Central would bring, Bradley? I fail to see how this adds up," Heine questioned. Bradley took a look around the group, and saw the full situation. "You humans always try your hardest to get your own way for no reason at all. How much would it matter if I even told you?" Bradley scoffed, unamused by any of them there. He couldn't attack any of them stuck inside that shield, it too strong for even his swords to be used on them. "I guess "coming quietly" is out of the question. Then would a duel satisfy you?" Heine concluded. A bit quick. "Heine?" wondered Aladdin. "A futile effort. But you are an angel of the Overworld. The least I could do was allow this privilege," Bradley decided, and he even gave them the offer by throwing them a sword to use. Now the question was who was going to fight him now? And Heine was more than willing to take the sword off the ground. "An angel, Heine?" Yoroi asked. "... As this is a single man's duel, none of you are to interfere here, understand?" Heine asked. "You kidding? Heine, this is King Bradley -" Heine took a look to everyone at that point, his eyes alone silencing Yoroi from his attempt. He knew what he was doing, he knew the dangers, and he also knew the risk there was to letting Bradley through to his palace. "... Alright." Yoroi stepped back, and got Aladdin, Hoopa, and Grell moved aside, as Heine moved out into position with the sword. Bradley was as ready to fight with him as anyone else would be, sword out front, and aimed directly at Heine. Heine gave a sigh before he too aimed his sword to his challenger. "I'd like to take this moment and say how impressive it is of you to challenge me. And just as worthless of an effort," Bradley stated. "If you really believe it's not worth anything, then you wouldn't even be here, now would you?" Heine stated back. Equally tenacious in words. Bradley gave a rough humph before he focused his sword, and charged right for him. Time for their duel to begin. Of course, the first one to strike at Heine was Bradley, swords lashing at one another right away. Heine showed his skills here, and attempting his own attacks towards the king, just for Bradley to constantly reflect each and every single attack Heine attempted against him. All of the attacks Heine gave were pretty good in their own right, but none of them could compare to the skill Bradley was showing with his own sword. For the first few minutes, both sides were holding up fairly well against eachother, the group nearby waiting in anticipation for who might be winning. Heine wasn't given too many opening to attack him head on though, as Bradley was lightning quick with each attack, not giving Heine enough time to even do much other than block. Then Heine did a rather odd move: Bradley lunged forward with his sword to dislodge Heine's weapon, but Heine made a quick release from the handle, leaned back, and his foot actually kicked the sword upward, the blade narrowly missing Bradley's ear! The first cut Heine made on him, and it was just a tiny bit of skin off his ear lobe. Heine caught the sword after flipping over back onto his feet, aiming his sword at Bradley again. Bradley paused, and placed his hand on the cut. "Impressive agility, Heine. Not bad for someone your age." "I've taken note of it in case I needed to defend myself," Heine said. "But it won't be enough." Bradley went forward again, Heine managing to block the attack again. "He actually hit him?" Yoroi gasped, as the fight continued. Aladdin was starting to get very worried over Heine though, a shiver running through him. "Psst, Grell. I know he said not to, but if things do get bad -" "Say no more kid. In fact, why wait?" "Wait, Grell!" Bradley and Heine both saw Grell rushing into the Frey, and Bradley bolted back before Grell could hit him. Sure, fighting against a sword was a bit hard in a duel, but Grell was using his own chainsaw scythe as his weapon. "Grell!" Heine yelled. "Oh, come on, like I can avoid a good scuffle like this," Grell said. Heine would continue, but Bradley wasn't too troubled by a sudden two-on-one match. In fact, the distraction was just what he wanted, and he rushed forward again, this time towards Grell! The reaper had only a short moment to dodge it, getting a few red hairs cut off on the process. "It's meaningless to me how many you bring into the fight, you humans and angels are all the same. I'll face all of you at once," Bradley stated. Heine didn't had too much time to actually say much, having to dodge and block again after a minute. Grell came at him with his chainsaw, and Bradley found himself between two death callings, and he wasn't willing to answer to either one of em. Bolting back and forth between hits, Bradley was blocking off one attack after the others, one a sword, and one a chainsaw. During the fight though, it was starting to turn a little chaotic, and one hit from Heine accidentally struck Grell in the arm! "The bloody hell, Heine?!" "I didn't mean to - incoming!" Bradley took aim towards Grell here, and with the reaper's back turned. His sword slipped down from his shoulder, and got just at the reaper's handle, and with one yank, the scythe was dislodged from Grell's hand! Heine tried to get Grell aside, but Bradley moved fast, grabbed Heine, and sent them both flying at the wall! It wasn't as brutal as what Bradley could've done, but now they both had no weapon, and Bradley got both swords. "I sometimes wonder how such a species manages to survive up to this point with how many odds are put against them. Putting your lives in peril for no true reason what-so-ever. It's disappointing, if you ask me. This has been fun." ....... "Back. Away. From them." One more player: and she appeared up right above the door, staring down at them like a hawk. It took a while for them to figure out who was up there, but by the time they saw the figure, she jumped off! Bradley foresaw where she was gonna land, and jumped back, just to see the ground under her feet crack open! And down there, they saw who it was completely. "Morgiana!" gasped Aladdin. Morgiana stood up, and stared daggers at Bradley, the man who threatened their lives from what she was seeing. Bradley wasn't so easily intimidated, and went forward at her instead. "Out of the way!" Yoroi warned. But, Morgiana didn't budge. Bradley's swords were inches from her throat, but the girl raised her arms, and focused her strength in grabbing his hands. The grip stopped Bradley cold, and so strong, her nails dug into him like claws and making him bleed. Bradley cringed a little bit, and Morgiana spun him around, and threw him off aside! The king tumbled a bit, but he got to his feet, only to see Morgiana charge directly at him! Bradley only kept her back with his own sword, which did get a good cut into her. This Fanalis though found the otherwise lethal cut nothing more than a paper-cut, and she wasn't crippled in the slightest. Bradley kept attempting his slices until Morgiana grabbed both swords with one hand, and tore them in two! Now Bradley had no weapon to fight them with, and to be sure of it, Morgiana took the torn away blades and kept splitting them until they were just palm-sized metal pieces. Yes, she was that strong. "So strong," the group thought. Bradley, now getting ticked off, took a chance and tried hand to hand combat instead. Morgiana wasn't even going to give him a chance there, and she brought her foot up high, and stomped down on Bradley's foot hard. The strength immediately cracked his bones on impact, Bradley groaning in pain as he dropped to his knee, hand gripping his leg as if his whole leg was broken. He had no weapon, and now he got knocked down thanks to a sudden Fanalis newcomer. He was angry at first, but then he smirked. "You humans never give up. I'll give you that much." Suddenly, Bradley took the only option there was left, but before he could even do that, Morgiana grabbed him by the collar. Without hesitation, and without a second thought, she lifted him over her head, and literally tossed him right out of the capitol like trash! Well, the fight could've lasted longer, but Morgiana wasn't up for that today. Morgiana turned to the others, Grell and Hoopa actually cowering behind Heine from that little display of strength. Last thing they want is to be launched into orbit. "You ok?" Morgiana asked. "Uh ... yeah we are. Thanks Morgiana," Aladdin said, still a bit humbled by what he saw. At least they were safe, but he was shocked to see her here. Morgiana was glad that they were fine after that, but the question still hung in the air. "Now hold on, how'd you get all the way here, we left you all the way back in the middle east!" retorted Grell. "I followed you." "That's not creepy," Grell thought. It was then that Morgiana looked over to Aladdin, looking down to him with a softer expression. "Aladdin. ... You said now that I'm free. I can choose what I want to do with myself, right?" Morgiana asked. Aladdin nodded. "... Then this is what I choose. I want to go with you, Aladdin," Morgiana decided. Aladdin was surprised, but then he remembered his own offer he left for her back in the middle east. At first he didn't know what to say, but he eventually grew a smile on his face. "Welcome aboard!" Aladdin happily announced.
S05Ep5: Your Way and Mine ~あなたの道と鉱山~Team Harmony may have been busy bees when it came to their tasks, but with the whole group basically away, Orora high school continued its schedule without too much trouble. Even with that though, they still wondered what was going on with Team Harmony off on their demon hunting missions, which had gone around basically since they left. Gakuho had allowed them to go off and do this, albeit a little reluctantly, and with Heine also gone, things were looked fairly normal around his school. No Heine, no Team Harmony, almost the same as it had before this whole thing started. Underline almost. Over in the E class, the lack of any Elric or Phantomhive really dulled down the mood for many of them. As if the lack of any assassinations were dulling enough (for most of them anyway), without Karma, Ed, Al, Ciel, or Heine around, as pre-mentioned it appeared as the same as it had before the demon situation started. The only thing that remained was Envy, and he was honestly feeling a little fifty-fifty about things. Sure, his fateful meeting with Sombra didn't happen, but just as well, he nearly caused Nagisa to throw his life away, which was oddly nagging at him. That, and with Team Harmony all but gone, who knows what'll happen now that they're away? As far as he was aware, him and anyone else, Tokyo was left a bit open for any demon to hop in and cause some trouble at the least. Not that they couldn't handle it themselves, but it still was something to think about for many of them here. At the moment, it was class-time, second period, and 3-E was still going a bit slow on things. Not even Korosensei's fancy trick of his mach-20 speed, making it appear that he was in multiple places and fazing with each one, didn't exactly lift up any spirit or made things too exciting. "Alright class, let's get some special teaching treatment rolling today! You all just got back from new years break, so let's brighten up the minds and re-light those bulbs!" Korosensei said, trying to get the mood up and up. Envy just sat there, staring out to the window as Korosensei was doing this, taking little notice of what he was even doing. Korosensei's voice even jumped from one to the next, and it sounded like a crowd was giving different lectures at the same time. Hinano, in spite of the racket, saw Envy over nearby and she could easily see that something was bothering him. "I'm here, I'm fine, why do I feel like crap about it? Damnit, these emotions, I thought I got this all down already," Envy thought, his teeth gritting ever so slightly. It got to the point when the chattering was starting to get to him. The class wanted to say something about this odd move, but they didn't really get it out fast enough for Envy's liking, so ... "WILL YOU SHUT UP?! God, I can't hear myself think!" Envy roared, up on his feet now. Korosensei freaked out and stopped. "What, I thought this personal study would be better on the student. Each mind operates differently, and it's my job to help with that," Korosensei said, now appearing at the front desk. "We all can't think with that kind of teaching, one Korosensei's fine," Terasaka said, equally annoyed. At least now he can actually say something without getting overblown by all the racket. Envy sat back down, hand to forehead, and trying to calm down as some students watched on. ....... It took a bit quicker than expected, but the periods passed on from there, and eventually, Envy was out in the halls with the other students for the lunch break. Envy took the moment to chill out not inside the school, but off just outside by the forest edge. Typically, no one else would really be out here behind the school, especially during the cold winter days, yet Envy got himself in some winter clothes and was feeling pretty content with himself. That, and it wasn't just him out here, but a rather surprising guest as well: Emi Isuzu. And since she was only with Envy, she wasn't hiding her true, fat self with him either. Under any normal circumstances this would be completely alien, but with their given history with eachother, they grown at least a little more comfortable with their company. And, fitting lunch time, they both had their respected bento boxes and were snacking away. "Ah, this is the life," Emi sighed happily, laying her back against a tree. Normally she wouldn't enjoy herself like this unless she was home alone, so the extra privilege was pretty nice for her. Envy wasn't gonna judge her by physical appearance, she was guaranteed that. "Yeah, guess it is. You make that yourself?" Envy asked, looking to Emi's bento box, which admittedly was plenty bigger than his own, not to mention looking pretty good. "No, picked it up on the way to school. I managed to get the deluxe package too," Emi said, happily eating away at her meal. Envy watched Emi eat up her meal with joy, and while it was nice, it did remind Envy of someone else he knew. Flashes of him went through his mind, and he turned away from her for a moment. Emi caught him staring though. "What's with you?" Emi questioned. "Nothing, it's fine, you just got a large bento," Envy stated, which was true. Most bentos were typically smaller than what Emi had. Yet, while many of his lies did help him before, Emi started to grow a bit cheeky. she saw him staring at her, and she knew enough why someone would be. "Checking me out?" Emi teased. Envy felt a shiver. "When did I say that? I said you got a large bento!" Envy insisted. "Come on, I saw you, you little pervert. You know how many boys check me out everyday, I know damn well how this works," Emi said, winking to him and even pushing out her chest a bit, letting her boobs bounce over her belly. "You know how many times I've gone through this routine, bitch, it won't work," Envy bluntly stated. He already saw Gluttony with her, Lust was another reminder he didn't want to think over. Emi just smugly grinned. "You know Envy, we are alone.~ Perhaps you and I can have some fun?~" Emi cooed, snuggling against him. Now Envy got freaked out and bolted back ... just for Emi to laugh. "That didn't take much," Emi laughed. "Well how would you feel if a chick suddenly came onto you? Since when were you so cheeky anyway?" Envy snapped, Emi laying back against the tree. "Well, I already showed you the real me. I can relax and have some fun," Emi pointed out, smirking. Envy saw her point, though the sudden sexual advance wasn't on his mind. She did have a point though, at least she had one person she could show herself to without backlash to her reputation. Envy didn't consider her as a cheeky sort, but what was he to know about that anyway? If being a human taught him one thing, it's that they can be wild cards when they want to be. "Whatever you say," Envy simply said. And not a moment too soon either. Envy sat back down, and looked on into the forest for a moment, just ready to take another bite of his meal, when something off in the forest started to rustle a bit. It wasn't exactly something usually too weird, but when Envy looked, it appeared to be a sort of human figure. And he couldn't figure out who it was at first, though his nerves were amped up almost immediately, irises shrinking and eyes widening. "You can't be serious?! Is that -" Envy blinked only once, and the figure was suddenly gone. "Damnit, lunch's over," Emi pointed out, snapping Envy back to reality for the moment. With this figure now gone, Envy had a feeling that it wasn't going to be so simple anymore. ....... Well, school went on normally from there, and boy did Envy have more on his mind now. Lust, Gluttony, that figure he saw earlier, all of that swirled around in his head as school time ended, and as he was heading off for home. He didn't have much time to join with the usual crowd for the walk back, and he actually ended up going off walking alone. Not with the gang, not with Hinano, just him by himself with his thought. This nagging feeling he had wasn't exactly the same as the one he had with Emi Isuzu before, but it still was there and still was bothering him. "How are those two doing? Lust. Gluttony. ... Here I am enjoying a better life, and they're still stuck as Sombra's toys. Damn it. They're the only ones who actually treated me correctly, and I just ditched them. ... Damn. Does that Team Harmony have these thoughts all the time?" Envy's inner monologue was met with his hand to his forehead, seeing the possible answer for these nagging thoughts. He hadn't seen hide or hair of Lust and Gluttony ever since they captured Nagisa, but there was one thing he could confirm: they know what happened to him. And with that stunt, they know he doesn't want to go back either. Then his thoughts returned to that figure he saw earlier. "You bastard, Sombra. I know you're somewhere here. If you did anything to Lust and Gluttony, there'd be hell to pay," Envy thought, gritting his teeth. He had enough trouble going through this hurdle himself, now he had to think about what his old friends were doing off back home. Then again, they were still Homunculus, so, they could handle it far better than he could now. Eventually, Envy's walk was briefly stopped thanks to a traffic light, nearby the shopping district. Typically, the rush of people going through the district would be nothing to Envy at this point, and he took a moment to look over to the crowds. "Still as busy as ever? Don't these people have anything better to do? ... Wait a minute." Envy focused his vision to the crowd, and he could've sworn that someone in there looked ... familiar. It wasn't as ominous as the figure earlier, but it did make Envy stop and stare a little bit. And she was walking right to him too. "I really am getting homesick," Envy thought again, just as the light turned green, and he started walking on his way. Being gone from the Underworld for so long was taking a toll on him, apparently, and another nagging feeling started to follow him. Not one of guilt, but instead the feeling he was being followed. Go figure. He glanced back, and sure enough, that same person was indeed following him along. "No, no Envy. Just get it over with, you bitch," Envy decided, stopping, and turning around to face whoever it was. If it truly was who he was thinking, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He just has to lie himself out of trouble again, that's all. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway, and soon that same figure was standing in front of him. "Envy," said the all too familiar, female voice. It was a bit of a hard place to talk to her with, so Envy walked off to a more secluded location with less people to hear them. "Hey, Lust. Been a while. What're you doing here now?" Envy asked, sounding like he would normally be. The women knew her own name, and it confirmed everything else. "I want to have a word with you," Lust answered. "K, look, I know I'm going through a lot with this damn human body, tell Sombra I'm working it out," Envy said. However, Lust was a bit smarter this time around, and she wasn't buying the simple act. "Envy, we both know he left you for dead. You don't have to keep lying to me," Lust stated. Envy cringed on that. guess Nagisa told them the details after all, and what exactly happened to him. Envy groaned, but then ... "... How is it? Being human?" Lust then asked. now Envy really didn't have a clue what to tell her. This was the same Lust as back in the Underworld, right? Envy rolled his eyes, but he knew he can't keep up with this act of his. "Complicated. But hell, it beats being a servant. Why, did Sombra send you after me?" "It doesn't matter. After Nagisa's little visit, I took time to think, and ... I left that demon lord behind me," Lust admitted. Envy couldn't believe his ears. Sure, he no longer worked for Sombra, but he was banished from his group, he didn't know anyone who was willing to ditch the demon king like Lust did. "No way, she's serious. What did Nagisa say there to change her mind?" Envy thought. Lust then looked to Envy again. "If that Nagisa was willing to replace you, it's clear you'd rather be a human than a Homunculus. There has to be something about being a human that you want to keep, and I'd like to know what that is." "... Well, I'm free for one thing. Humans here aren't stuck being servants their whole lives, they can be whatever the hell they want." "You know, I still remember a time when you thought humans were nothing but worms," Lust pointed out. Envy knew exactly what she meant by that, and he knew damn well his previous thoughts on them and how they were completely dashed after his time there. Envy then noticed something else. "Where's Gluttony?" Envy asked. That was one Homunculus he would expect to come along, but unfortunately Lust slightly recoiled on that question. "I tried talking to him, but Gluttony won't come with me. Something about fresher meat with easier access," Lust said, disappointed. Envy felt his hand slap his forehead. "Really, Gluttony?" he thought, though he could feel his mouth move to the words anyway. But then again, Gluttony would be a cannibal in the eyes of the human world, so there were some mixed feelings about it anyway. What's he supposed to do for that? "So, you want to know how to be human, huh?" Envy asked once more. Lust wasn't a human by any means, but if it meant that she was away from slavery, then it would be a better idea to at least try. Lust nodded to him, and Envy then started to walk by her. "I know one teacher that will be perfect for you. Meet me by the Orora High building tomorrow morning, and we'll see what he has to say, ok?" Envy decided. Lust couldn't help but agree to it, and as such they both went their separate ways. Well, one out of two. ~~ As day turned into night, Envy managed to get on back to Hinano's house. It had been a long time since envy actually had something planned out for tomorrow morning, and as he laid there in his bed, he just had to think about how this will work. "So Lust actually ditched Sombra. I wonder how long it'll be until that demon finds out?" Envy wondered, staring up to the ceiling. As far as any demon was concerned under Sombra's rule, he would find out anything and everything that goes on in his group. It won't be too long until Lust would be found out, and who knows what'll happen then? Before he could fall asleep, Hinano actually ended up knocking on his door. Guess she had something she wanted to ask him about after all, so Envy allowed her in, and opened the door. "Hinano?" "Hey, Envy. Is everything ok?" Hinano asked. Well, getting right to the point it seemed. "Going right to the point, huh?" Envy commented. "Well, Envy, you looked a bit ... out of it today. You can tell me," Hinano said, sitting down on the bed with Envy next to her. Envy sighed, and casually stretched. "Yeah I'm fine, nothing wrong here. Did run into Lust today though," Envy said. Hinano jumped on that answer. "Lust?! Where, when?" Hinano gasped. "After school, I found her at the shopping district. I don't know what'll happen, but I'll say this: we might have another student soon. ... Again," Envy concluded. At this rate, she might as well be, considering what she did and what she wanted to do now. Hinano had a vague memory of Lust once upon a time, and Hinano felt a little uneasy about it. "Eh, Envy, I don't know. There's nothing really normal about a adult women posing as a high school student," Hinano said. "Says the student who has a octopus demon as a teacher," Envy bluntly stated. Suddenly the idea didn't sound as bad as she thought. "Good point." "Yeah." Envy stretched again, and then proceeded to lay back down on the bed, in a similar position as before. Hinano had another question fly through her mind then. "Did Lust become a human too, Envy?" "Lust? ... No." "You sure?" Envy would say the same thing, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized something. Lust did say she left Sombra, there's no denying that, but he didn't see anything that would make her a Homunculus. Her Ouroboros symbol was covered up, so he can't figure that part out, nor did Lust actually show any signs of being a Homunculus: no power activation or anything. "We were in a populated area, I don't think they would like to see a girl with claws that can cut up a tank," Envy stated. A decent point again, and one of many he can pull out of a hat. Hinano took that as her answer, and then smiled to Envy. "Well, Homunculus or not, we'll make her feel right at home, I promise," Hinano said with her sweet smile. Envy just couldn't help but smile with her too. He was lucky to have such a nice roommate. "Plan on her moving in with us too?" Envy joked. Hinano blushed a little. "No, but maybe Korosensei might be interested," Hinano admitted. Envy and Hinano laughed at that, and Envy was starting to feel a bit better. Korosensei had plenty of tricks up his sleeves, so perhaps Lust would be fine yet. Hinano got up and began to head out, and Envy got himself comfortable. Tomorrow will decide what'll happen to him, Lust, and those in 3-E. ~~ "Welcome everyone, glad you all could be here today! It's so nice to know you'll all be so willing, it warms my heart." The next morning, and in Orora high, class was just about ready to begin. Aside from Team Harmony of course, there wasn't really any sight of missing students that morning. Well, not at first anyway: Korosensei went through his attendance sheet, and after a little bit, he noticed some people actually were missing. Guess he jumped the gun there. "Eh? Anyone seen Hinano and Envy?" Korosensei asked, but none of the students really answered at first. And in the end, they didn't have to. "We're here, we're here! Sorry we're late!" Hinano and Envy had arrived, though it was Hinano who got there first, slightly winded, and lucky to make it there in the time she did. "Ah, Hinano, glad you could join us. And just in time too, we're about to go over some Underworld arithmetic this morning, I'd hate to leave you left out," Korosensei said, sounding a bit excited. "Sorry about that. Envy and I have a surprise for our class: a new student's joining us today," Hinano announced. As if a few alchemists, former Homunculus, and the queen's guard dog weren't enough. Korosensei looked confused, his face turning into an X symbol. "You know I'm the one that makes that announcement," Korosensei stated. "Not this time." "Oh, Envy, there you - WHAAAA?!" And in entered Envy with their new "student". Envy felt pretty good about it, but when everyone else saw Lust Homunculus walk in, all attention was shot right to her. It took a bit for her to get in a more comfortable, and more appropriate outfit (as hard as that was for her), and in the end she had the look of another teacher, or representative. No high school outfit was going to exactly fit her, and even if one could, decency wouldn't even exist with Lust. The boys especially saw her interested. Go figure. "WOWIE," Korosensei gasped, his face pink and steam out of his nostrils, almost in a cartoony fashion. "Wait. You mean him?" Lust asked, pointing to Korosensei. "Trust me, I questioned him too at first. Hey, Koro, here's your new student, Lust Homunculus. Thoughts?" Envy asked. Korosensei looked as willing to have her aboard as many of the other students would be. The teacher was a little too distracted to think properly. "Sure thing.~" "So forward?" Lust thought. It took a bit though for both of them to see where he was gazing at, and Lust just took it in stride. For a Homunculus who's embodiment is her namesake, what else would she expect? "How about you take a seat by young lady?" Korosensei suggested, tentacle extended to the classroom, and showing her the options. "Isn't she a bit old to be a student?" Nakamura quietly commented, though she was beginning to feel much like Envy's namesake when she was watching her go by and go into her seat. "I-It was Envy's idea. She wanted to learn how to be human," Hinano quietly explained, though she was a bit iffy about it herself. None of their students were adults, after all, and look who decided to show up. "How did she even get in here in the first place? Did you and Envy bribe Gakuho or something, or did she actually seduce him for this?" Nakamura then questioned, trying to figure it out. Hinano really didn't know how Envy pulled it off with Gakuho, or even if she did, she didn't feel up for answering that question. Envy could sense just how many eyes were focusing on his homunculi friend. "Well I'll say this: no one has a problem with her being here. ... Glad they're already used to Homunculi." ....... The day continued onward from there, and without too much incident apart from some classmates getting a minor distraction out of the bombshell in their class now. Lust just kept quiet throughout most of the classes, at attention with what Korosensei had to say, a bit more than she would normally do. Envy kept a close eye on her throughout the day, just to be sure she was comfortable with things going on here, and to be sure she was learning her skills in being a normal human being. It mainly worked as a shifting system: Korosensei would give his know-how to her during classes and Envy would actually give her some tips and tricks in between. It was a basic practice, but an efficient one in order for Lust to get the full idea down on how being a human actually worked. Lucky for Lust, the reaction by the time lunch came around wasn't really as crazy as it would be. Then again, this school had seen its fair share of the weird and wonderful, so seeing a sexy chick suddenly show up didn't make such a commotion. Or at the least, not such a commotion as the first couple of newcomers had, as a few boys did turn their gazes to her time and again, again Lust not giving them much mind. "So, Envy, I see this is what you've been used to over these months?" Lust noted, looking around the lunchroom. Envy was enjoying his own lunch as she was saying such. "Yeah, it's fine: plenty of light, cooler, and plenty of humans who're not trying to get you," Envy replied. "That last part's still debatable. I think many of the humans would want to try me," Lust said, glancing back to some of the boys nearby, who pretended like they weren't looking. Who were they trying to fool? Anyway, as they were going through lunch, there was still one demon teacher who was still keeping a proper eye on them: Korosensei. Like any peeping tom, he kept well clear of his target, peeking just around the corner of the cafeteria door, giving him just enough of a view of this fem fatale of a Homunculus. Eventually though, after giving himself a reminder with a hit of his own tentacle, Korosensei straightened up and went over to her, seemingly with something in hand. "Here you are, my dear, got the little trinkets like you asked," Korosensei said with his signature giggles, placing down Lust's meal. It wasn't really a Japanese dish, but more of something from back in England, with a fresh meal of cooked, fresh Feebas. Lust smiled. "Thank you. You're pretty sweet," Lust said, giving some bedroom eyes to Korosensei, the demon teacher swooned by her charm. Envy just smirked, and continued his own lunch. Leave it to Lust to swoon a gullible chump into her fingertips. Though, Envy got a closer look, and :Lust seemed a bit deep into swooning Korosensei. "Let me know if you need anything else, ok?" Korosensei said. "I sure will," Lust responded. Korosensei simply giggled, and went back to his post off out of the way. "Was Lust always this flirty? Guess I didn't have much time to notice," Envy figured. He was gone from her for a long time, guess some things had developed with her. It happens. "Neuhuhuhuhu~ This is interesting. Wonder when I can set things up? We'll just have to see." ~~ "Goodnight, Envy, see you in the morning." Well, the rest of the day was pretty much the same, and as Envy had probably figured, Lust was offered a place to stay once it all was done for the day. Korosensei was the one who made that preparation (naturally), and after a little bit, Envy was off and back to his own corner of the world. Throughout the day, and envy was simply wondering over Lust, and how she must be doing with all of this. One day seemingly went well, and after school went pretty smoothly too, far as they knew. And on to the night, it all went on fairly normal. ... So far, nothing really occurred throughout the night. About three hours in, and Envy was still fast asleep. Not a single noise that could actually bother him. As he stayed still, quiet and sleeping, he began to feel something actually go onto the bed with him. Envy groaned a little bit, trying to move his feet so whatever was on there would go off and stop bothering him, but it didn't work. He did eventually open his eyes though, and oddly, he found that Hinano was standing off nearby. "What now?" Envy yawned. Hinano turned her eyes downward. "I ... Well, can I ... sleep with you tonight?" Hinano asked. Envy was far too tired to think properly. "Yeah, sure," Envy answered. Hinano soon joined Envy from there. Envy expected this to go smoothly, and he was ready to go back to sleep, but all of a sudden Hinano started to move herself around a bit. Next thing Envy knew Hinano was on her hands and knees, looking sexually stressed in the face, and stripped down to her bra and panties. ... Wait what? "H-HINANO, WHAT THE HELL?!" He wasn't tired anymore. Envy quickly backed up to the head of the bed, sliding up straight so he wasn't underneath Hinano, the girl moving closer to him. What the hell happened in those three hours?! "Envy, it's me Hinano." "I know who you are, but -" suddenly, Hinano brought her finger to Envy's mouth to get him to be quiet. Envy wasn't sure if this was some twisted dream he's having, or if Hinano was showing her true colors, but regardless he didn't know how to react to this. Hinano started to move closer to him again, eye to eye with Envy, and her eyes showing a desire that Envy knew shouldn't be for Hinano. It was just foreign for her to jump to this so quickly, and so unprompted too. It was then Envy got a closer look at Hinano's eyes. "I've been holding back for so long, Envy. Please, just let me do this.~" ....... "SCREW YOU!" Envy pushed Hinano back, and before she could recover, Envy brought up both feet and slammed her square in the face! The impact sent her flying to the wall, the thud good and loud for the people in the house to hear what was going on. If that thud didn't do it, Envy's scream surely would've. "E-Envy, how could you?" "Shut it, Chrysalis! You can change your form, but not that green aura of yours," Envy scoffed. Hinano didn't react at first, but she then got up and made sure that the door was locked up. Then came the aura change, and in green embers her whole body started to change. The transformation wasn't exactly the same as Envy used to transform, but when he saw Chrysalis standing there, Envy's blood immediately began to boil. The same women who stole everything from him was back again, and nearly had her way with him no less! Chrysalis, now barely clothed and flaunting, turned to Envy with a devilish look in her eyes. "Well, you would be the one to know how your own powers work, huh?" Chrysalis snickered. "The hell do you want this time? You already took my powers away from me," Envy scolded. Chrysalis ran her fingers through her hair, her arm under her boobs as if to flaunt her breasts to him, as much of a mixed feeling that was for Envy. "I heard from a little blue bird that someone actually likes being a human being. So I thought I'd check in on him to figure it out, and looks like he's right," Chrysalis said, strutting closer to him. Envy was already freaked out, and he didn't need her to try anything fancy with him. "So what if I do? I'm not wasting my breath as your kind's play thing," Envy scoffed. Chrysalis however got onto the bed again, this time forcing Envy under her. "What's wrong with being my play thing?~" "Get off me!" Envy yelled. He still wasn't as strong as he used to be, despite all his training, and now that Chrysalis wasn't holding back, she had him stuck. "Didn't change too much, I see. I still don't know what Sombra sees in you, but it's starting to piss me off that he'll let a Homunculus live even after banishing him. ... You understand, don't you, sweetie?" Envy's thoughts were confirmed when Chrysalis then brought her hand down to his throat, wrapping around it. Envy's eyes opened wide, but before Chrysalis could start with him, they both heard the doorknob being tampered with. "Envy! Envy!" called Hinano. Chrysalis got her hand covering Envy's mouth to keep him quiet, and then cleared her throat. "Just a rough dream, Hinano, go back to sleep," Chrysalis said, her voice now sounding exactly like Envy. Envy struggled under her grip, but with Chrysalis now having only one hand on him, he got more control, and forced Chrysalis's hand off of him. But then it was Envy's turn for another surprise, him jumping right out of bed, and reaching under his pillow ... and pulling out a steel hand gun! "Taking tips from Ciel, I see," Chrysalis asked, admittedly a little off guard by the sudden power shift. "You think I'm going down that easily?" Envy asked. "Envy, who's in there with you?!" Hinano called, worried for him. It was then that Chrysalis got an idea. "I wouldn't if I were you. You don't want your human friends involved, do you?" "That's it!" Envy had enough with her now. she took all from him, and now he had the moment of revenge right in his sight! His trigger-hungry finger finally pulled, and the gunshot rang out throughout the house! Chrysalis just managed to miss the shot, but Envy wasn't going to give her the chance, and reloaded his gun for another shot. When he took a look again though - "N-Nabiku?" his hesitation screwed him over, and Chrysalis's trick left him wide open. Then it was lights out. ~~ "Envy? Envy, you still with us?" Well, that was something that happened. Envy got himself around after a while, but he wasn't back home. Or at least, not back at Hinano's house, but instead, he was off down in a street alleyway. Where exactly, he had no idea, nor did he knew how he got there, but one thing he could guarantee was that his migraine was not just from a bad night's sleep. He stayed quiet, getting his vision after a while. However, it didn't come back fast enough when he tried to attack whoever was in front of him. "Hey, calm down, chill!" the same voice said, just avoiding Envy's hits. Envy shook himself off and got his eyes straight, and found Terasaka's gang around him. That, and it was morning too, so he was out for a while. "Chill, dude, it's just us. Got in a bit of a brawl last night, or what?" Yoshida asked, seeing the injury Envy had on his head, which at this point was nastily bruised up and red. "Wait ... How could I know one of you is not Chrysalis in disguise?" Envy asked. "... Who?" Takuya asked. Much of the gang was completely confused on this statement (why wouldn't they?), and envy had to get himself straight here. "How hard did you get hit in the head?" Yoshida asked. "Ok, dumbasses, how'd I get here? Did you drag me out here to finish me off? Which one of you was here and who showed up to -" Terasaka got Envy to shut up by slapping him in the face. Unprecedented, but it got Envy to think a bit better. Envy saw none of the others did anything when he did that, plus if they were against him, they would all go in at him. Terasaka would hit harder at least. Terasaka raised his hand again. "No, no, no, no, OK, OK, accusing, over," Envy quickly said, lowering Terasaka's hand before he could get another hit. "Envy, we just found you passed out right here this morning. Sounds like this Chrysalis left you for dead after she beat you up," Kirara hypothesized. That would be something Chrysalis would do, far as Envy was concerned. But he wouldn't be out here. ... Then something hit him. "Hinano!" Suddenly, he was on his feet, and despite his injury, rushed off out of the alleyway, and down the street. "Wait, Envy!" called Terasaka. Pretty soon, Envy was in a mad dash to get himself back to Hinano's place, with Terasaka's gang following behind him. Even after his beating, Envy had plenty of energy in his mad dash, and he didn't stop for anyone . A number of people actually had to get out of his way as he ran by. He continued running down the road non-stop, until he reached the similar corner that'll lead over to the house. However, he only needed one second to see that last night was no nightmare: the police had arrived at Hinano's house, several police cars and an ambulance around the area. Hinano's parents were talking to the officers, and lucky for Envy, Hinano was sitting in the ambulance. She was still conscious, but it was clear that Chrysalis had more than just Envy she wanted to beat down, as Hinano had a brutal injury done to her right side, which was bandaged up with an ice pack to it. She was talking to some officers too, and Envy wasted no time in rishing right in. "Envy!" Hinano called. Envy stopped himself when he got closer to Hinano, much of the gang stopping earlier along the borderlines of the cars. The gang took a moment to see the details of the area they ran into. Aside from all the police reinforcements, the actual house remained a bit untouched apart from a window that had been smashed from the inside. "You know this boy?" asked one of the officers near her. "I'm her roommate, now what the hell happened?" Envy quickly asked. Hinano looked over to one of the doctors who showed up to Envy. "Your friend has a deep gash to her right side, just narrowing missing her liver. It doesn't look too fatal, but she'll need to be sewed up and remain in hospital care for a few days to be sure," the doctor explained. Envy felt a swell of rage rush through him when he saw Hinano with such a injury. The human he was closest to, and he knew damn well who did this to her too. "Chrysalis," he hissed, just loud enough for the officers to hear him. "Chrysalis. Wait, you know who did this?" "Do I know her? she tried to kill me in there! If she thinks she will get away with this, so help me." Envy didn't need to finish his sentence for everyone to get the idea. "Damnit Chrysalis! Why did you go after them? You're just trying to piss me off, aren't you?" Envy thought, the images from the night prior flashing through his head. He expected her to go after him, sure, but to go after Hinano ... now that just crossed a line. However, despite his anger, Hinano was moved inside the ambulance, with her parents ready to follow her. "You going with them?" the doctor then asked. Envy stayed quiet at first. "I'll come by later," Envy simply said. It took a bit before he saw Hinano being taken away in the ambulance. He walked over back to the gang nearby, letting the officers try and handle the situation at the house. Chrysalis wasn't there, so what could he even do? He'll have to figure it out later, but there was still another question that shot through his head. "Wait ... how did she knew where I lived?" Envy stated, growing slightly spooked for a brief moment. And this statement wasn't ignored either. "Oh, I think we can answer that. Neuhuhuhuhu~" ~~ Well, it felt lonely the next day. With Hinano in the hospital, 3-E just had a bit less of a positive lift in their classroom. The incident spread around the room in little time at all, and soon the whole class knew about what the Kurahashi family. They were troubled, sure, but oddly enough, envy seemed less sad and more ... monotone. He had been given some treatment yesterday after arriving at the hospital, leaving him with a patch on his head, which many of them noticed easily. Lust was the only one in there that wasn't exactly in the know about what had happened, nor was behaving too strongly about it. Something that Envy was taking quite a bit of note on ... "Where is that teacher?" wondered Sugino. A bit odd to note, Korosensei would've shown up by now, yet that morning he wasn't there. Could be from the incident yesterday, perhaps, but Envy knew what was going on. Nabiku quietly looked over to Envy for a moment, and Envy was actually acting a bit impatient. Sure, he didn't show as much sorrow about it, but it almost looked like he had an appointment to keep, his finger impatiently tapping on his desk, as he was waiting for Korosensei to show up. "Come on, Koro," Envy thought, trying to keep himself down until - "Good morning, class!" Bingo. It took a bit of time, but Korosensei did eventually show up to class. A bit later than normal, but he was there, and he was ready to get this ball rolling. "What kept you?" one of the students asked. "Oh, just wanted to prepare some things, fellow hunters. It's come to my attention that we've been a bit lacking in the training department, so I had a chit-chat with Gakuho this morning, and he's agreed to let us head off on a little trip." "The 3-E building?" assumed Kirara. "3-E building," Korosensei confirmed. "Seriously? No offense, teach, but we just got here," Sugino noted. "No problem: take all the time you need ladies and gentlemen. The endurance will be a sure fire method in your little training," Korosensei said, suddenly disappearing and reappearing in an instructor's outfit. It was annoying, but Lust did find this a bit interesting. "Training? So he's been teaching them how to fight, Envy?" Lust quietly asked. "It's been his hobby for a while now, and it's been working out pretty well. We can't do it here, so we handle training off at the isolated 3-E building," Envy explained. After a bit, they began to go, Lust thinking a bit more on what Envy had just told her. ....... "One! Two! Three! Four!" It took some time, but they managed to get to their old stomping grounds of the 3-E building, and out in the winter cold, it was off and training again. A bit nostalgic actually, for it had been a while since many of 3-E had been to the place. The building, they would've thought being worn out, was actually spruced up a bit for their return by you-know-who. Much of the students were off aside and training, but Lust actually got a free pass, since she had plenty of deep experience about fighting herself, not to mention the disadvantage the others would have with her. "Envy sure has been practicing. Guess that explains some of his moves," a particular someone thought. As they continued training, Envy actually paused first, stopping his training and looking back to the 3-E building itself. "Envy, come on, keep up," Nakamura said. "No need, you all can stop now," Envy stated. They did, but it was a bit confusing. Once they did though, they soon saw Korosensei and Lust sneaking off on them, heading towards the storage shed. "Ok, what're you up to?" Nakamura questioned. "Let's just say Korosensei's doing me a favor," envy said, looking devilish in his smile as he watched them go into the shed. "Wait, what, but isn't she your friend?" Nabiku asked, shocked. "Just watch." Meanwhile, inside the shed, Korosensei and Lust went on inside, and Korosensei closed the door himself so the cold wind wouldn't go in. It was just him, Lust, and plenty of the school's sports equipment and weaponry. A sight for sore eyes for Korosensei, and he went on to look around. "And here's the old storage shed. Oh, the memories I have of this place. So, what is it you want to pick from here?" Korosensei asked. Lust was quiet at first, but when Korosensei turned to face her, he soon found something that any normal man would ... well, love to see. his face turned pink, flustered, and Lust looked to him with a face of longing, as her dress was slowly starting to slide off of her! "I-I'm sorry for this. But, I've wanted to get to know you better, my sensei.~ I always had a thing for such lovely creatures like you.~" Lust cooed, moving closer to him with plenty of cleavage to show. Korosensei looked freaked out on this advance, tentacle flailing around, and his face blushing up a storm. "Am I a naughty girl, sensei?~ You think I should be punished?~ Please punish me.~" "W-Whoa, whoa, whoa, w-we've just met!" Korosensei insisted, though he actually was very flattered by this. "I just can't help myself. It drives me crazy seeing such creatures like you. ... I can't hold back.~" "Right now?!" Korosensei gasped. "This naughty girl needs to strip down out of these clothes. I won't be long, sensei.~" Lust cooed, slipping behind a nearly chalkboard. Korosensei, entrapped by the advances, simply stood there giggling like an idiot. Standing there, defense lowered, and off guard. ... Unaware of some peering eyes looming in from the darkness of the storage shed. "RAAHH!" Then it happened: out of the gloom, as Lust hid behind the chalkboard, four large, powerful demons leaped out from the darkness, each one looking more like insects than humans with dark green skin, sharp claws, and razor teeth with bug eyes, and each one leaping right onto him with their claws and teeth digging into him! Korosensei's gasp caught the attention from outside, and the other students grew concerned over his safety, but a good amount of the class didn't move in to help him. "W-What's that?" one of the students asked. "Come on!" Nabiku suddenly gasped, blindly rushing over towards the storage shed. Or at least, she would if Kirara didn't grab and stop her first. "He'll be fine," Kirara reassured. "B-But, but -" All of a sudden, the noise stopped. nothing left but the sounds of some weak groans, none of which were from Korosensei. As for what's going in inside there, Lust waited for the fight to cool down, and slipped out from behind the chalkboard, only to find ... "Nice try.~" Well, the plan didn't work. The four demonic creatures laid on the floor, cut up by, to her surprise, some needles Korosensei was holding in his tentacles. And the surprise was that, while he was cut up, he was hardly hurt and any tentacle he lost grew back with ease. Lust was quiet, but Korosensei was enjoying himself, slowly moving closer to her, as she moved back to the wall. "Oh, you're so predictable: lulling your target into some false security and try to take them down one by one. There's some things you should know about me. One: my body is highly regenerative, and some simple scratches from claws and teeth are nothing but tiny paper cuts to this body. Two: did you honestly think that a middle-aged women would even want to be in a class with high-scholars? Three: ... I've wanted to present a little technique of my own. I have a little talent in massage.~" ....... "NOO! ... No. ... no ..." ... Ok then. "W-what the?" "What's he doing?" The curiosity got the better of the students now, and after everything had calmed down, a number of students went right up to the storage shed, just as Korosensei, calm and happy, went right on outside. His face was normal again, but that was the least of their issues here. "What happened in there?" Nakamura asked. "And where is she?" asked Envy. "She's in there, and you won't have to worry about her for a while," Korosensei explained. The group was confused a bit, but eventually someone did end up slowly going outside too, though she wasn't as gleeful as Korosensei was. She looked rather weak in the knees, slowly walking out like a zombie would, her eyes in a daze, and her face red. And for some reason, dressed up in a student gym outfit, which can go without saying was a bit small on her. However, it wasn't Lust exactly who was walking out of that storage shed. It was Chrysalis. "... The hell is wrong with you?" Chrysalis managed to say, weakly. She wouldn't show her true self like this, but she was far too weak to shapeshift right now. "It would take longer for me to say what happened than the time it took for him to do it. He worked out the knots in my back. Massaged me head to toe, in every spot. A change of clothes, just because. And there was this thing with his tentacles. ..." Chrysalis then collapsed onto the ground, too weak in the knees to stay on her feet. The sexual images flying through their heads not withstanding. "What thing with his tentacles?!" the class asked, though they didn't get an answer from her. "You didn't do what I think you did," Envy noted. Korosensei's face turned white and blank, turning away. "Sometimes adults need ... special care." "That's not the face of a trusting adult," Sugino said. Well, Chrysalis was found out, and found out in such a predicament. The humiliation was horrible, and it didn't help that Envy was standing right there, looking down at her. Him and other humans she would normally kill by now. "How does it feel, Chrysalis?" Envy hissed, hammering in the point. "D-Don't you start. ... So what're you going to do? Kill me? Sombra will hunt you all down when you do," Chrysalis hissed. Once upon a time, Envy would take that as an offer, but after a little bit, and looking to the class, he had another idea in mind. "Chrysalis. You stole my power, disguised yourself as Lust, sexually assaulted me, and left me for dead. You think killing you would be good enough?" Envy asked. Chrysalis wasn't sure what they were up to, but she didn't want to stay around for it. Korosensei was quick to tie her up though, and soon, she ended up bounded down with surprisingly strong wire rope. Well, Chrysalis can assure herself that her life would stay in tact, but what could he have in mind? "She sexually assaulted you?" asked Takuya. "Disguised as Hinano, yeah. Horny bitch," Envy replied. "But ... Why did you have to do that? what did they do to you?" Nabiku asked Chrysalis. "Nothing at all; just getting rid of some dead weight. Or I would be if you bastards didn't do this to me!" chrysalis yelled, in a fit and trying to get herself out, but her energy was still too low to break out of this problem. Nabiku was simply stunned on that kind of answer. "Maybe I can suggest something?" Kirara then asked. "Sure, knock yourself out," Envy offered. Kirara went up to the Envy, and whispered her own idea into his ear. Not too long, a impish grin stretched on envy's face, mirroring Korosensei's grin. That was not reassuring. ....... "GET ME DOWN FROM HERE, YOU'RE BURNING MY BRAIN!" AND next thing they knew, Chrysalis was wrapped from head to toe, good and tight, hanging upside down in a tree, and some good amount of condiments up her nose. She was burning up like crazy, hurting, and being upside down didn't help much either. And what's worse, the condiments were tubes of salsa and hot sauce (you think mustard and wasabi was gonna do it?). "Karma would be proud," Envy said, smirking as he watched her like this. "So how long should we leave her like this, you think?" Korosensei asked. "Oh, me?" "This is your revenge object, you might as well decide the time at least," Nakamura said. Envy didn't need much time to figure out the answer. "Give her a good four days, that should do her good with the cold front coming in." "WHAT?! I'LL FREEZE TO DEATH!" roared Chrysalis. "Not with that hot sauce and salsa keeping your inside warm," Envy smugly stated. That just angered Chrysalis even more so, and they simply left her there to her punishment. As they walked back to the main building from there, some of the students were a bit skeptical on their decision. "Four days? Isn't that a bit long for a punishment? I-I'm not saying she shouldn't I mean -" asked Nabiku. "She'll be fine. Barely," envy noted. "Odds are she won't be able to smell for the next month, and have a severe dislike for hot sauce. Bitches pay prices for messing with the E class," Korosensei said, his face green-striped and cheeky again. "Now wait a minute. When did you find out she wasn't Lust?" "I had a suspicion about it, but I couldn't pin it on her until after that attack. Sorry Envy," Korosensei said. Envy felt some anger come up, but he wasn't dumb enough to jump at him. He didn't know the connection either, and a random attack might not come up at a good result anyway. However, Envy didn't give him an actual answer on their walk, so long as she was being punished. Envy sighed and just looked up to the sky for a moment. "Where are you guys?"
S05Ep6: Fear the Tanuki ~タヌキを恐れる~A good fly around through the countryside, and away from their encounter in Amestris, Aladdin's group had grown yet again, now with Morgiana. It was a bit of a surprise choice, but given the fact she did save them from Wrath's blades, Heine was willing to give her a chance to stick around their group. not like they had much choice anyway, considering she ran miles on end just to do so. For the moment, the group had just got themselves a good spot to rest up after some good flying around, and it turned out to be in another part of the eastern forest. With spare time to have, Aladdin took it to get his magi skills to better use, and got himself back into some self-training close by. It had been a while since he had done this, and his skills were starting to get a little rusty on him, so this was a must. As Aladdin was doing that, Grell, Morgiana, and Hoopa were resting over by the fire, the Fanalis keeping a close eye on her prior master. Heine wasn't around for the moment, as he was getting some food from the nearby brush. Eventually Heine came back with some sitrus berries in hand, about as many as would grow in this part of the world. "Welcome back," Morgiana simply said. Heine nodded, and took a seat, passing the berries around to the others. "More berries? I swear, I can't wait to get back to the others, I can have a proper meal," Grell griped, as he ate one of the berries. For once, Hoopa had to agree, there was only so much berries one could take before it starts to get annoying. "You're more than capable of hunting for us, you know," Heine stated coldly. "What? And waste a perfectly good scythe? This scythe's not going to spent its time cutting up bunnies and birds," Grell insisted, though that just bugged Heine more than anything. However, Morgiana was a little more compassionate. "I'll go hunting," she decided. "Very well then. Good luck," Heine said. with a nod, Morgiana went off on her way through the night. Perhaps they'll get their meat fix yet. Once she left, Hoopa couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Bout time she left," Hoopa sighed. "You would say that," Heine commented, unamused as ever. As they were taking their dinner on berries, they began to hear a good amount of magical energy off nearby, and it turned out just to be Aladdin trying to get his magic peaked again. "See someone's training." "He mentioned getting a bit rusty in his magic tricks. Not surprised," Hoopa said, shrugging. Heine took a moment to look at his student, before he got up and began to walk over to him. Aladdin was practicing some similar magic to what Twilight would use, not as strong but still evident in his staff. Heine took this into consideration, especially with how easily he got this started. "Rather talented since I last met him. ... I wonder ..." Heine decided to go on and ask. "Aladdin. May I have a word with you?" Heine asked, as he walked near. Aladdin paused his magic once he saw Heine. "Oh, hi sir! Did you see me just then?" Aladdin asked, wondering about what he thought on his magic. "Yes, I can assure you. ... Though I do have to ask just how much improvement have you've done over the last year," Heine questioned. Aladdin began to sense some other motive or lecture coming up, which dulled his mood a little bit more. "Oh no, I know that tone of voice. D-Did I do something wrong? No, no, just calm down, maybe it's not as bad as you think," Aladdin thought. He stopped his training altogether, and faced his teacher. "My improvement sir? ... Well, I've did a lot better than I used to be: I've been practicing a whole lot for months," Aladdin reassured. Heine paused for a moment. "For months you say. and did you develop anything new since we last met?" Aladdin tried to think up of something, but in exact terms, he drew a blank. "Uh ... well, I did try some water techniques, but they didn't turn out so well," Aladdin admitted, fiddling with his fingers as he said. Heine didn't say much of anything at first, leaving Aladdin a bit shaken up before he actually answered. "Aladdin. Over these few months, I've began to notice something with you. In particular, your contribution towards your team. Off of what I've been told, while you have been helpful with your magi shield and flying turban on more than one occasion, that was all you've contributed from what I understand." Aladdin felt his heart sink. "B-But I've been trying," Aladdin admitted meekly. Heine didn't want to put as much pressure on Aladdin as he used to be, so he improvised. "Now, Aladdin, don't put it all on yourself: Blair, Ciel, and Pinkie have their own contributions, yet I've understood that they don't really handle that much in the exact battle itself. Your friend Twilight's working on it, but she's still rather low," Heine noted. "Now wait, they don't have to fight to help out!" retorted Aladdin. "It's not just about fighting Aladdin, it's about protection." Aladdin grew quiet as Heine continued. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to avoid a fight. But it is a problem if you can't handle one altogether. If the others end up captured, or even crippled, then you and the others won't be able to protect yourselves ... and your fallen friends. You see where I'm going with this?" Heine explained. Aladdin took a moment to consider it and he realized that he was getting a point. The magi looked down to his feet, and what came next just came out. "But the others are so much stronger than we are." "... I see. So you hold yourself back because the others are capable of handling it without you." "W-Well, it's not exactly lying. How many times did they fight a demon and got out of it alright? Even Pinkie helped in a jam once or twice." "You make a decent point. All the same, you can't put your reliance entirely on a few of your team. We both know not every situation they can handle. Or did you forget Karasu?" Aladdin grew shocked at that statement, but Heine was correct as always. Karma barely survived his fight with Karasu, and only survived because Alphonse intervened. Karma did get a warning by Nagisa, but ... "Wait a minute, how'd you know that anyway?" "Korosensei likes to gossip, let's leave it at that," Heine simply stated. Didn't need more than two seconds to realize where the information and came from, Aladdin feeling silly not to think that sooner. His mood quickly changed though when he saw a pointer aimed at him. "Aladdin. It's time for a new lesson," Heine decided, pointer in hand, and aimed at him. "He said new. It must be important," Aladdin thought. ....... Meanwhile, off into the eastern forests, Morgiana was still going around on her own hunting task for her group. With such a clearer night, hunting shouldn't be too difficult tonight for her, but that didn't mean it was a walk in the park. Morgiana kept moving around through the forest, keeping her eyes wide open and looking back and forth, side to side, taking in the entire area she was in. Each step she made, every movement of the head, every dart of the eye, it was all in search. Eventually, her nostrils flared up, as a scent went by her. Food. Morgiana sniffed the air to pinpoint the location, and soon she began to move towards the item. It smelt fresh, and could be just the thing for the group to have. As Morgiana got closer, she started to shift from walking, to stalking, and got down onto her hands and feet to be sure she wouldn't be seen. Her senses told her something was there, and something she can hunt down. She made her post over within some foliage cover, and slowly took a look out from within a bush, expecting some prey to find there. Well, she was half right. Looking out, the object she does find was some meat in the form of a deer, yes, but it was already dead by the time she got there. There it lay, almost as if it died on the spot. Morgiana went over to investigate the creature, but no sign of any scratches, shots, or any of the sort shown on the head, yet she did notice some stray sand just around the mouth. It died gasping. Morgiana made a quick look to be sure she was alone, like any good scavenger would. Yet, something just felt off with this kill. Typically a cut in the neck, or some scratches would indicate a typical hunt, or if it was a human possibly a bullet wound somewhere. None of that was evident on this deer. She gave a few more sniffs before it confirmed her suspicions. "... He's here. Brother." ~~ "Morgiana! Morgiana, we're gonna go! Come on back!" It had been a long night for all of them, and for the next morning, it was up and search. Morgiana hadn't returned from her hunt since she last left, far as they knew, so for Aladdin, he was off and going around with the rest of his gang in order to find her. she wouldn't join their group and then just ditch them like that, would she? "Seems as though your friend's decided to leave us after all, Aladdin. Perhaps we should continue on our way without her," Heine suggested. "We can't do that, she just got to us!" "Come on, you little magi. I may be the one for death, but this is such a bothersome way to go," griped Grell, not enjoying this at all. "Stop that! Come on guys, Morgiana just saved us all from Wrath a few days ago, remember? Come on, just a little more," Aladdin reminded. As true as that was, that didn't mean they were too thrilled about it. But lucky for a number of them, the exact search around didn't last much longer. Sure enough, Morgiana had heard their calls, and got right back to them through the trees. "Aladdin." "There you are, Morgiana. You had a busy night," noted Heine. Morgiana wasn't focusing on him though, and her gaze locked onto Aladdin. "Are you ok?" Aladdin asked. "I need you." "Huh?" before the others could do anything, Morgiana grabbed Aladdin by the arm, gentle but strong to keep her grip, and next thing he knew, Aladdin was pulled away through the forest, Morgiana dragging him behind her through the trees! The world moved by pretty fast for the magi, but lucky for him Morgiana only went about a good five minutes until they stopped moving, Morgiana landing on the ground and gently placing Aladdin down. Admittedly, not the best ride ever - at least the first time Mor knocked him out first. "We're here." "Eh? Where?" Aladdin said in a daze. "Please return my student at once, you Fanalis you," Heine called. Aladdin got to his senses by the time they caught up with her, and as for where she brought them. Well, to put it bluntly, Aladdin was the only one who knew what this palce was, and considering they were in the eastern forest. ... Gaara's eastern forest shrine! It took Aladdin a minute to realize what they were looking at, and another to realize that Morgiana needed him here for whatever reason. "Oh? So what's this old shack about?" Grell asked. "It's a isolated shrine. And it looks rather well maintained too," Heine noted, adjusting his glasses and observing it a bit more closely. "And you're trespassing." Speak of the devil. The group turned around, and up in the tree in question, the very person who lived in the shrine was up in the tree, staring down daggers at everyone. Gaara only got a good view of Grell and Heine, the others slightly obscured, so he saw nothing more than some trespassing band. With little provocation, or time for the group to get ready, Gaara jumped down and rained his ninja blades on all of them! Most of the group leaped out of the way, Grell freaking out a little bit as he did, but Morgiana stood there and took it, three blades digging into her arm! She cringed, but they didn't hurt her as bad as it looked. As for Gaara, he landed not too far from his tree, and now got a better look at his quarry. "Brother. Wait, I don't want to fight you," Morgiana said. "That makes one of us. Now get out of here," Gaara warned, readying a few sand blades. Before a fight could start, Aladdin jumped in the way. "GAARA, HOLD ON! Don't hurt them!" "... Aladdin? ... What're you doing back here? Someone else get lost?" Gaara asked, but he didn't sound like he cared much for it. None of the others knew what he was talking about, but the delay did give Aladdin time to bring up his magi shield. "Explanation, Aladdin?" Heine questioned. "I-I'll tell you later, sir. Gaara, we didn't mean to bother you, we're just passing through." "I did," Morgiana suddenly said. no, that didn't make it any better, and Gaara was more willing to believe her over Aladdin. Gaara stepped forward, more sand turning into blades around him. Before Aladdin could do much, the shield was suddenly moved down when Morgiana made him lose focus in a quick grab. "Aladdin. You helped me when I needed it. You can help him," Morgiana said, just before moving Aladdin so he was right in front of Gaara. A bit forward, but at least Aladdin knew what the concept was ... sorta. "I let you off before, Aladdin. I'm not doing it again," Gaara warned. Aladdin glanced over back to the others for a moment, Morgiana seemingly in anticipation. Aladdin took a quick look around to be sure that they were alone, and none of Sombra's demons were coming in. "You are alone, are you Gaara? I-I heard Sombra found you," Aladdin began, trying not to piss him off again. Gaara straightened up to a more casual stance. The blades still aimed at them though. "I'd like to remain that way. I left Sombra," Gaara simply stated, getting it out of the way before the angels would get on his case too. Aladdin felt relieved somewhat on that answer, but that didn't mean he should keep his guard down completely. Gaara was still highly dangerous. "Well, ok. Gaara, I really don't get it, but, Is something -" Aladdin was cut off when one of the blades touched his throat. "The only thing wrong here is the fact that you won't leave me alone." "Brother, they're with us," Morgiana said. Gaara though growled a little bit. "Stop calling me that!" Gaara attacked again, and Aladdin quickly got the shield back up, Gaara's sand swords slamming into the shield time and time again. Normally that would be enough, but Gaara wasn't going to let this shield off so easily: the sand underneath the shield seeped in from under their feet! In a huge spike, the shield actually broke from the inside out, and everyone ended up scattered, some landing on their feet, others slamming into the ground. After that, Gaara focused his target on Morgiana, and charged forward at her. Pretty soon, it was a brother and sister scuffle. Morgiana though was stronger than Gaara in physical strength, and while he kept cutting into her, Morgiana threw him off of her. "STOP!" Aladdin yelled, getting in the way again. This time though, a shield wasn't brought up in time, and Aladdin was slammed with sand, him sent flying over to the shrine, and landing into the shrine's pond. For once, Gaara didn't mean to attack him. Now Morgiana was getting upset with him, and Heine rushed off to get his student. "I'm giving you all five seconds before I kill all of you," Gaara stated. "WHAT'D I DO?!" Hoopa yelled, just for a sand sword to nearly skewer him! Gaara was in no mood for any games, if there was any to begin with, and Hoopa was clear to get the message. "OK, OK, we're going, off we go!" Hoopa said, pulling out a ring, big enough to cover him, Mor, and Grell. "Wait, but Aladdin." "His funeral," Hoopa said, before the ring activated and dropped down over them. Like a stage act, the ring went down and the trio disappeared from within it, in a single scan, before the ring disappeared itself. Gaara had three out of five handled apparently, but Heine and Aladdin were still in his property. speaking of, Heine got Aladdin out of the pond, the magi a bit bruised from the launch. "You ok?" Heine asked. "Yes, I'm fine," Aladdin answered, getting up to his feet with Heine's help. "Now do you see what I mean?" Heine questioned. Aladdin found it a bad time to get reminded of Heine's lecture, but the message was painfully clear. "Yeah," Aladdin sighed. Heine took a glance over, noticing the lack of action suddenly overcoming the area. Gaara jumped over the boundary wall of the shrine to confront Heine and Aladdin. But once he did get to the right spot, he found that both of them had already been and gone, running off before Gaara could catch up to them. ....... Miles off, the teleporting ring had gotten Morgiana, Grell, and Hoopa off a good mile or two before they all were dropped off in a different part of the forest. They found themselves a bit closer to the eastern coast, just a good yard away from touching sand, but apart from that they didn't have a clue how far they went, or where they ended up exactly. Hoopa was relieved from that. "That's a close one." Hoopa said. ... Just to have Morgiana grab him by his body, and crushing him in her grip! "How dare you." "WHAT?! WHAT?! It's not my fault, I was gonna die!" Hoopa choked out, but that just made Morgiana slam him into the nearest tree. The young boy who helped her so much, and now he's at the mercy of Gaara and his sand attacks. Hoopa fell down to the ground in a daze, Grell picking him up like some loose trash. "You sure are quick to comply, aren't you?" Grell commented. "Shut it, reaper, you'd do the same thing," Hoopa groaned, arms crossed. "He's in danger," Morgiana stated. Hoopa and Grell quickly got the idea, but Hoopa was not standing for any of it. "No, no, no, no, no, no, don't you start that. Look, why don't you just relax a little bit over here, and -" Hoopa was actually pushing her along to the coast as he was talking, but before he could finish, Morgiana put her foot down, which cracked the ground under it. She turned back to Hoopa and Grell, both looking shell-shocked, and was actually puffing her cheeks a bit in her anger. "We're going back for them." "... Yes mam," Hoopa and Grell said. Why argue with a girl that can crush their bones? ~~ Day turned to night again, and now the group had split in two: Heine and Aladdin managed to get good distance from Gaara's part of the world, and just managed to make up a fire. It surely turned quiet with Hoopa, Grell, and Morgiana not with them, but at least they can say they weren't going to get hurt. With the warm fire going, Aladdin and Heine sat across from eachother, Aladdin keeping the flames going and poking the fire with a stick. "It seems the others are taking their time," Heine noted, glancing up to the sky. Wherever they were must be pretty far away wherever it was. "Where do you think they are?" Aladdin asked, feeling worried. "Hard to say. They couldn't have gone too far though," Heine figured. Aladdin wasn't sure if he should go and look around or just wait around for them to show up. Then again, if Morgiana could track them over miles on their travel, then perhaps she would make it back to them in no time at all. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind, and Heine could tell by looking at his face. "Gaara bothering you?" "Well, not him exactly. ... He never said he had a sister. I mean, Morgiana kept calling him brother -" "Not biologically speaking," Heine cut in, finger pointed upward to the idea. Aladdin paused, confused. "Huh?" "Fanalis are their own people, Aladdin. And it's common to hear them refer to eachother as brothers or sisters, more in a racial sense. Morgiana may be referring to Gaara in that kind of sense," Heine explained. Well that did explain why Gaara didn't refer to Morgiana as a sister, but that did reveal Gaara's race, which was equally as interesting. "I guess, but. Gaara doesn't want to admit he's apart of her race. ... Do you think the Fanalis drove him out, maybe?" Aladdin asked. Heine adjusted his glasses, starting to think more carefully about Gaara. Considering the idea, and rehearing Gaara's words, his denial especially. "... It is a possibility. But what reason would be the question, Fanalis won't drive their own kind out of their group to this kind of degree, nor would they even have the magical power to do so." "What do you mean?" "It's like this: you and me have a more prominent connection to the Overworld, and various humans too. That means what magic spreading off of the Overworld can be better spread to the human race underneath, even in small pockets. Nagisa with his demon sense, for example. The Underworld, however, doesn't have that similar of a spread of magic, and so those amongst the Fanalis tribe have to rely on physical strength and enhanced natural senses rather than magical abilities like us." Aladdin had to think about that one, but as usual, he saw how right Heine was. Morgiana, despite all her strength, hadn't used one single spell to help her. no healing, no enhancement or anything, just pure power. "So wait a minute. Is Gaara a Fanalis, or ..." "To tell you the truth, I'm not too sure. Speaking of which, that's something I want to ask you about: your explanation?" Aladdin got his thinking cap on, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh. That. It was kind of a short visit: Twi - er, Yugure, and I lost Nagisa after that whole Pluton attack, so she and I went out to look for him, and turned out Gaara was training him. We found him at his shrine back there, but he nearly killed us ... which is weird, since he saved us from a Homunculus the night before." Now that he thought about it, it sure did sound a bit backwards out loud. Heine quietly pondered about that, getting the pieces together for this little puzzle that was Gaara. "Understood. ..." "You're ok." Good timing: Aladdin and Heine looked away, and there was Morgiana, Grell, and Hoopa finally catching up to the group. Grell was completely winded from his dash, and Hoopa was in Morgiana's grip to be sure he didn't go away. "Morgiana! You all okay?" Aladdin asked, jumping to his feet. "Aside from a bloody marathon, I'm fine," Grell panted, hands on his knees as he tried to get his breath. Morgiana released Hoopa once she stopped, Hoopa falling to the ground in his own daze from the run around. "Just grab me and abuse me," Hoopa said in a daze, his eyes spinning. Aladdin can't help but relate to the djinn, picking him up as he shook his head. "Where'd you guys go?" Aladdin asked. "Your Hoopa teleported us off to the coast, that's what. Bloody Fanalis made us march through the forest all day!" Grell griped. As they were talking to one another about that, it was Heine who was starting to think over Gaara's situation. ... "Everyone? It's time to give Gaara another visit." ~~ Night turned to morning, and back at the shrine, Gaara was left up on his feet and going around back and forth on the upper level, feeling rather antsy with himself. As far as many of the humans would go, Gaara had a mixed feeling to it all: he got involved with both heaven and hell and both of them didn't seem to fancy him. He had his involvement with Team Harmony, and his revenge target was already taken care of, not by his hands, and as for Tartarus. ... "You sure you'll want to?" In Tartarus, Gaara and Lust had a moment to themselves not too long after Nagisa's crazy involvement, and off just outside the main palace, Gaara was about ready to head off on his way. "Don't try to stop me, homunculus. This is taking too long," Gaara firmly stated. Lust was a bit mixed about the situation too, but not to this extent. "Sombra's not the kind to lie, Gaara, and if you do this -" "What? He'll hunt me down? What difference does that make?" Gaara cut in, Lust silenced just from that. Gaara could care less at this point, and if Sombra was taking this much time, he wasn't having any of it. Without another word, he turned and began to go. *knock**knock* Gaara's thoughts were cut off when he heard that noise, it not making Gaara feel any better. As if he had enough company today. He took a moment to glance on outside to be sure, and sure enough, the same company had come back, though one of them appeared to be missing. Morgiana and Aladdin were hoping that this talk could clear things up for Gaara. Knives at the ready, he began to head down to see who was there. He kept himself in the shadows to be sure he wasn't spotted straight away, just in case, but the person was a bit of an odd one for him. Heine. "You again?" Gaara growled, both knives in hand and aiming right at him. Heine remained calm in spite of the lack of weaponry he had on him, and how willing Gaara looked ready to kill him. In fact, that seemed to confirm his suspicions. "Now, that's enough of that. I want to talk to you," Heine stated, hand raised. "Do you?" Gaara questioned. However, Gaara was not willing for any of it, and went over charging at him instead! Heine however wasn't going to make it that easy for him, and he made a quick side-step and avoided Gaara's lunge forward, and his hand actually grabbed his second blade, yanking it out of his hand. Gaara readied to swing his first blade around, but Heine ducked and avoided the hit again. "You need a lesson, Gaara. This one's going to be a little rough," Heine stated, just before he took to offense. Gaara tried to attack, but Heine took the second blade off the ground, and got it just in Gaara's palm, forcing the first blade out of his hand to disarm him, and before Gaara could even do anything, Heine shoved him back off his feet, and to the wall, pinning him to the wall. For someone so short, Heine had a good amount of muscle on him, and his hands were on Gaara's neck! Heine didn't want to go this far, but he had no choice here. "Drop me!" Gaara demanded. "Do know that I'm not here to hurt you. All you're doing is jumping to conclusions," Heine coldly stated. No, that didn't make him feel any better, and that just made Gaara kick Heine in the stomach. It was just enough to make him let go, and Gaara got his blades back after bolting past. Heine had to figure this out. "I didn't ask you to come back here." "Is that you talking? Gaara? Or is it that the demon inside you telling you what to do?" Gaara froze. "They told you." "No, you did. Just now." Heine was on point, but Gaara was more upset with himself over Heine being there. "GET OUT!" Gaara had enough of him, and so had Heine. ....... It lasted only a few more seconds. One moment, Gaara was on his feet with weapons in hand, and the next minute, he was on the ground, stunned, and on his back. Heine did make an attack on him, but it wasn't an ordinary one - much too potent. Heine just stood there with his hands together, aimed like it was a blade itself. Whatever attack Heine had done onto him left Gaara limp and stuck on the ground. Once that was done, Heine walked over to him, looking down at Gaara. "The hell? ... How the hell did you do that?" Gaara asked, now straining in his voice. "That, I've sworn to secrecy," Heine firmly stated. Gaara felt frustrated, but what could he do with his limp body? Heine sighed, and went over to him, soon standing over him and leaning in. "Gaara. I want to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me. How did you come to be here?" "Why should you care about that? I have my own problems, no one needs to be in them," Gaara growled, not looking at him. "... Is that what you tell yourself? You truly think no one in any world can help you?" Heine questioned. Gaara gritted his teeth and stared at him, showing his eyes. "Your eyes. Usually a Fanalis would have red eyes. I can assume something happened to you that involved this demon, am I correct?" "Who cares what a Fanalis is supposed to look like? I'm not a Fanalis, so stop calling me that." "How come?" Heine questioned. Gaara tried moving, but he was still sore from Heine's attack so he couldn't do anything to him. "It's Aladdin, he sent you out here didn't he? Or was it Morgiana?" Gaara asked in a glare. Heine found this interesting. "Neither of them sent me out here, I came here myself. And anyway, clearly you have a connection with her: I never did mention who she was, nor did anyone call her by name." Well that was strike two, and Gaara was getting more ticked off. In the end though, Gaara just wasn't going to get anywhere here with getting Heine lost. "Alright you caught me: I am a Fanalis, and I do know Morgiana, but why should you even care? None of them did," Gaara stated. "Pardon?" "This damn demon, Shukaku. I'm the only seal that's keeping him inside me, and my own people didn't even want me with them," Gaara said. Heine's eyes widened. "Shukaku. I assume he's one of the tailed beasts." "Smartass. Yeah, that's right." "That still doesn't explain why your own kind would have you come here," Heine noted. Gaara scoffed. "Have me come here? They drove me out, forced me away, wanted nothing to do with me! All because some bastard of the sands made me his personal vessel," Gaara growled. Heine found this a little hard to swallow, but not because it was a shocking idea itself that Shukaku would make him a vessel for him. It took Heine only a short while to figure everything out, and he gave Gaara a knowing stare. "I get it now. ... You ran away." "What? You deaf, I said they -" Heine cut him off with a raise of his hand. "I know what you said. But if that's so, why is Morgiana trying to bring you back?" Heine questioned. Gaara didn't even bother to answer. He could sense Heine staring him down. "Gaara. I see what's going on here: Shukaku possessed you. And worried for your people, you isolated yourself, and drove yourself to the surface world. you kept out of contact with everyone so Shukaku won't hurt anyone, and you plan to keep it that way by making yourself cold-hearted as a cover-up so no one would bother to come back for you." Gaara just stayed wide-eyed for a moment or two before he answered again. "... You don't know a damn thing about me." "... You've stayed alone for a long time, Gaara. But has it made your heart feel any lighter?" Gaara wasn't sure how to answer that. He never really considered anything like that in his life, or at least ever since he left the Underworld. Gaara turned to say something, but only to be met by Heine's pointer aimed at his face. "You can run a thousand miles from the world. But no matter how far, it will always follow no matter what you do. Eventually, you're going to have to turn around and face it. ... Running away is what Shukaku wants. He wants you to come here, he wants you to put yourself away from the world. ... Isn't that right, Shukaku?" oooOOOooo.~ How interesting~ All of a sudden, Gaara felt a sharp pain run through him. Gaara tried to fight back, but thanks to Heine, his body just wasn't strong enough to keep himself in. Heine stepped back a bit, and soon, somehow, Gaara was on his feet. A bit groggy, but on his feet nonetheless. One look in Gaara's eyes though, and Heine knew that this wasn't exactly Gaara who got up, the eyes black with yellow irises, which almost seemed to glow. Of course you'll be the one to figure me out. Before Heine could do anything, sand began to gathered around his feet, and next thing he knew, he felt himself launched off from the shrine, and landed outside. "Heine!" gasped Aladdin, rushing over to him as he got up off the ground. The whole group heard the thundering laughs from inside, as the being moved outside with sand all over him. "What a dumbass! You just made my job a lot easier, you know that don't you?" Gaara hissed, but his voice wasn't the best sounding, nor the exact same voice. A sort of hiss to his words, per say. Now with this mixture of appearances beginning to take hold on Gaara, the true identity of this demon was more than known at this point. Speaking of mixture, his face showed one half of a devilish smiling demon on the right, and on the left a terrified Gaara. "S-Shukaku," Morgiana murmured. "Gaara, fight him!" Aladdin yelled, trying to bring Gaara around. Gaara was surely trying, but now Shukaku wasn't going to give him much of a chance, as his full body began to overwhelm him. They could tell that Gaara was struggling, and Aladdin raced in, grabbing his free arm, and tried to pull him out of Shukaku's grip! Morgiana got in and tried to help too, each one pulling as hard as they could, but Shukaku proved just stronger, and quickly engulfed Gaara, and forcing them back. "OH ISN'T THAT JUST PEACHY! Let me give you a thank you after I push up daisies!" Hoopa yelled. "Not now, Hoopa. Move, we have to make distance between him and us," Heine said. Morgiana and Aladdin didn't want to at all, but with Shukaku forming right in front of them, they didn't have a choice. More and more sand added to Shukaku's growing body, restoring him to his original glory, and the bigger he grew, all they could do was turn and make a run for it. And it didn't take long until he had fully regained himself. The roar echoing around him made that apparent. "YOU'RE MINE, ANGELS!" The situation has turned critical. The group managed to get some cover just out of sight of Shukaku, but the giant monster was still roaming around looking for them, Gaara trapped inside. Shukaku gave another roar, as if signaling the world that he was king, and to send shiver down those who're under him. "Well, 'heroes', any more bright ideas?" Hoopa asked. Aladdin tried to keep himself a bit more focused here. "It's time to deal with the real problem. If we can separate Gaara from Shukaku, then maybe we'll get back the Gaara we all know and love," Aladdin concluded. "I DO NOT LOVE HIM!" Grell snapped. "Ok, not the point. It's all about getting Gaara out. We got to find a way in there," Aladdin said. "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!~" Shukaku bellowed. It was painfully clear that this wasn't gonna be an easy task, especially with this monstrous beast wanting their blood. His body shook the ground with each step made, and to Aladdin it was a little too familiar to his own experience. Heine and Aladdin was seeing the whole situation, and if they were going to get Gaara freed of this beast, then they had to work fast. "Hoopa, how far did you mention the coast was?" Aladdin asked. "I don't know, about a good mile east. ... Wait, you're not thinking." "Grell, feel up for a challenge?" ~~ It was now or never, and the group wasn't wasting any time here. Shukaku continued looking down onto the forest, trying to find his targets hidden somewhere in the forest. "Where're those insects? I know they're here somewhere. They wouldn't leave their poor friend behind to suffer, would they?" Shukaku thought, snickering to himself. He figured it was rather typical for the hero to try and get their own friend, and it would only be a matter of time until they will show up to meet their maker. "Hey big boy!~" About time they showed up. Shukaku turned himself around, looking up in the air, and seeing Grell and Aladdin flying up in the air, not too far above his head. "THERE YOU ARE!" And in little time at all, Shukaku was rushing at them, his long arm almost whacking them right out of the sky! Grell yelped on the attack, but it did get the creature's attention. "Fly, magi, fly!" Grell yelped. "Hang on tight!" Aladdin said, getting the flying turban moving off eastward. Shukaku watched them fly off like insects, and soon he took note of a few more: Heine and Hoopa being carried along by Morgiana at the same speed. Shukaku just laughed when he saw this, and with nothing to keep him down, he could do whatever the hell he wanted. Soon, he was charging off after them, and even with his stubby feet, he still kept up close behind them. Each step he made shook the ground, but it didn't make the others slow down. After a while, Shukaku was starting to get more furious with these speedy movers. "HOLD IT, HUSSY!" Shukaku began to force more sand to rise off in front of them. Suddenly they had a gigantic wall of sand to deal with. They couldn't slow down, not yet: and Morgiana and Aladdin knew it. "Hoopa, ring, now!" Heine ordered. Considering they were being chased by Shukaku, Hoopa was in no mood to argue, and threw the ring in front of them, which in turn made a little tunnel through the wall. Pretty straightforward, but not so much for Grell and Aladdin up in the air. With Shukaku behind them, they had little time to change course, and that was what Shukaku wanted to happen. Aladdin quickly shot upward, Grell barely able to hold on, and just managed to get over the wall. and just in time, any slower and Shukaku would've got a hold of them! "BASTARD!" Shukaku roared, slamming through his own sand wall in a mighty charge. His mighty jaws were wide open, sand blasting at them, and Shukaku even used the spreading sand to gain speed. "Hold on Gaara, we'll get you out," Aladdin thought, looking back to Shukaku rushing towards them as fast as the giant could go. After a good half an hour, Shukaku was getting tired from this crazy chase. "DIE!!!" He had enough, he wasn't leaving without one life taken! And he aimed his eyes up to the sky. His jaws opened wide in a roar, and jumped out in a mighty leap! Heine, Morgiana, and Hoopa turned back, just in time to see Shukaku go airborne, aiming right at the magi and reaper. And this time, there was no time to escape, and Shukaku's jaws slammed down over them both! "ALADDIN!" ....... Aladdin and Grell were trapped in darkness inside Shukaku, but the demon's insides weren't the same as any normal animal. No organs in here, and the only thing remaining was a black void. Aladdin kept his magi shield up as they went in, and kept it up until they hit ground, which was a complete expanse of sand. Like a twilight desert. "BLOODY HELL, SHUKAKU! YOU GOBBLE ME UP LIKE IT'S NO ONE'S BUSINESS!" Grell yelled, jumping to his feet. However, the two could say that they were still alive, but how could they get out was a different matter. They saw no walls, no ceiling, nothing but sand dunes. Aladdin took more time to look around than yell, and eventually he saw someone on top of one of the dunes. "Gaara!" Aladdin immediately made a run for him, and both he and Grell quickly saw Gaara's predicament: his entire body was wrapped up in tentacles of sand, keeping him completely still and unable to do anything anymore. "Gaara, wake up! Gaara!" Aladdin tried to bring him back around, but he looked rather weak from the takeover Shukaku did on him, but he did have enough energy to at least see who was there with him. "Aladdin? But ... but how?" "Don't worry about it, we'll get you out of here," Aladdin started to grab and try to get the sand tentacles off of him, but no matter how much he tried, the tentacles weren't budging from his strength. "Oh, you're never gonna get him out that way," Grell said. "What else can we do?" Aladdin asked, still trying to pull the things off. Grell simply pushed him aside, and soon brought out his chainsaw. "THIS IS HOW YOU SLICE AND DICE!" Grell said in glee, turning on the chainsaw. Aladdin though began to freak out. "Grell, no, you'll cut up Gaara too!" MEDDLING PARASITES! YOU'RE ALREADY TOO LATE. Grell and Aladdin suddenly found themselves surrounded: one by one, something shot out of the sand and revealed to be serpent-like tendrils, each one with Shukaku's face on it, hissing like snakes. That creature's already torn down, no way will he get back now! And who's gonna be helping you two?~ Shukaku's voice echoed throughout the room they were in, and none of the words missed any of their ears. One of the snake heads launched forward at them, only for Grell to slice the sand snake in two. It was quick, but they had a lot more of them to deal with. "Permission?" "Go ahead, I'll get Gaara free," Aladdin instructed. They didn't need much more time to agree, and Grell charged into the fight with his chainsaw roaring, and Aladdin went straight back to Gaara and continued trying to get him free. "Get out of here. Shukaku will kill you both if you stay here," Gaara said weakly, but Aladdin wasn't listening to that. "Who's going to get you out of here if we leave?" Aladdin asked, actually just getting a tendril off of Gaara with his staff. Gaara paused. "What's the point? Shukaku's free, and -" "AND we can defeat him! Gaara, you can't give up that fast, you think we're going to give up on you?" Aladdin asked. Gaara glanced behind Aladdin, seeing Grell having a ball with slicing and dicing Shukaku's tendril snakes, one of which he killed as he spun like a top, the chainsaw making mincemeat of the creature. "... Even after everything ..." *hisssss!* At this point, one snake actually slipped by Grell, and focused on the main problem, rising up right next to Aladdin and Gaara! Aladdin turned around, and only had seconds to react. What did he do: bring his staff forward, and the snake slammed down on it! The staff was just strong enough to keep the jaws from slamming shut, but the snake quickly bolted back, swinging Aladdin away from Gaara, and throwing the staff aside. It had the target in sight, but Aladdin wasn't going to stand still for it. As it lunged forward, the magi bolted aside and went straight back to Gaara. Aladdin was putting his life on the line for him ... You've stayed alone for a long time, Gaara. But has it made your heart feel any lighter? Running away was a mistake. "... Stand back." "But Gaara, you -" Gaara looked down to Aladdin, but it wasn't his usual look of cold, or anger, but instead a similar look Heine would give. Aladdin didn't have much time to react, as the snake hissed again. The sand around Gaara began to shift and alter slightly, the tendrils keeping Gaara down beginning to shiver violently. Next thing they knew, the tendrils suddenly burst open, and Gaara was out! First thing he did: destroy the snake after Aladdin with his own sand spikes. "I'm taking control, starting now!" ....... "ACK!" Outside, Shukaku suddenly began to feel himself start to cringe. Even if Aladdin and Grell had been eaten, Morgiana, Heine, and Hoopa still managed to get Shukaku closer to the coastline, yet they still weren't close enough when Shukaku actually stopped himself. Gaara, stop this shit!" Shukaku thought, though inside of him Gaara heard him loud and clear. You made me suffer enough! Shukaku focused his power to try and keep Gaara down, but something seemed to be happening inside the demonic beast that not even Shukaku could handle. The trio outside were left stunned on this, and Shukaku actually gripped his head, trying to keep himself together. Loud groans and roars escaped his mighty maw. "Eh, something tells me we should move, like, now!" Hoopa said, and without Heine or Morgiana's permission, got out of Morgiana's grip, and bolted for the bushes. Shukaku then went silent. "MOVE." Then came the ultimate realization: Heine and Morgiana looked up to Shukaku, and only needed one look at the eyes to see what had happened: The eyes had altered, from black and yellow, to white and green. Gaara was now in control. First, something began to happen on the beast's stomach, swirling like some sort of cyclone for just a little bit. Heine and Morgiana thought it was going to be some sort of attack, but instead, something was launched out of it, and out into the sky: Aladdin and Grell! In a line of sand, both figures along with the flying carpet were flung high and out of the way, Aladdin managed to straighten himself out, and get onto his carpet. Grell panicked for a bit before Aladdin caught him, saving him from a long fall. Gaara looked from one side to the others, and then looked out over to the coast, which now was easily in sight. Gaara knew exactly what they were going to do. Focusing all his energy to control the body, the gigantic tanuki began to run straight for the sea, charging through the forest, and narrowly missing the team down below. Gaara was struggling to keep Shukaku under his control as it was, but with a role reversal like this, it was extremely straining. The Shukaku side of him kept trying to stop Gaara, evidence by the roars that continued to echo out of Shukaku. In little time, the mighty beast was right at the shore. The group raced up to catch up with it, just as the monstrous sand demon made a mighty leap off land, and right over the ocean, out fifty feet in one jump. It was more than Gaara could take, and Shukaku got control back. Too little too late. Next thing Shukaku knew, he found himself submerged in water! Roars and screams echoed from him as he tried to keep himself together, let alone get back to shore, but it was no use. Like actual sand on the beach, Shukaku's body began to dissolve and misshapen, to the point when he could barely move. Even a giant demon like this couldn't get out of this, and all the water soaked into his body, and dispersed him in mere minutes. Shukaku's markings started to disappear, and this demon wasn't getting out of this alive. Watching the demon drown, There was one more important step they had to do. "Gaara!" gasped Aladdin. Aladdin got up onto his feet, and without a second of hesitation, he dove right on down! The others gasped, and the mag darted right into the water. Thanks to Shukaku's sand however, the water turned very murky, Aladdin not able to see properly as he tried to swim and find Gaara amongst the muck. A lone figure he could just make out in the sand. ....... ~~ ....... "Gaara? Gaara, can you hear me?" It took nearly the rest of the day before Gaara began to come to again. He could barely grasp what had happened to him, but he was no longer inside Shukaku, nor in the ocean. Instead, he was laying down, just twenty feet away from the beach, with the group keeping an eye on him throughout the hours. Gaara felt exhausted, but oddly, a bit lighter somehow. He sat up, and rubbed his head. "How long was I out?" Gaara asked. "For a few hours, luckily," Heine answered. Gaara took a look out over by the coast, the last bit he could remember before passing out. "... Is Shukaku gone?..." "It would seem," Heine stated. "How're you feeling Gaara? Feeling any better?" Aladdin asked. Gaara needed a minute before he answered, looking at his own hands. "I ... I'm fine. ... I think ..." "Y-You feel good?" "... No?" "You feel bad?!" "No? Can you just give me a minute?" Gaara asked, now getting annoyed a little bit. Aladdin did keep quiet as Gaara slowly got to his feet, aided by Morgiana. His knees were slightly weak, and it took a bit for him to get his balance together, but he was soon on his feet. "Well, we all nearly died to save him, I hope you're happy now. Next time, don't drag me along into it, eh?" Hoopa groaned, his heart still pounding from the crazy chase earlier. Heine gave him a whack with his pointer to keep him quiet. "Don't you start," Heine simply stated. It was not a good time for Hoopa's comments, especially after everything, but Gaara was too tired to really care much for that, negatively at least. "Answer me one thing before we do anything else," Gaara began, catching their attention. "... Heine, you're right. I did act cold, and it was to keep everyone out of the situation. I nearly killed all of you earlier today ... and you're still willing to try and save me? Even after all that? ... Especially you, Aladdin." Aladdin couldn't help but rub the back of his head. "Well, we already have a friend like that, actually, so ... you're not the first one," Aladdin admitted. Gaara paused and suddenly found his acts a little bit more sensible in a way. "I'm so glad you're okay," Morgiana then said. "Yeah, that's great, and in the end that's really all that matters," added Aladdin. "You think so?" Gaara asked. Aladdin nodded. "Gaara, it was Shukaku who made you end up doing all those things, not you you. ... That, and you didn't want anyone else hurt by him," Aladdin brought up, rather humbly. Gaara started to see a similar connection between Aladdin and Heine with that statement. Gaara took a few steps before he sat back down, the overall fact still a big shock for him. Shukaku was gone, dead, and the plan of this team was what truly did it. Sombra wasn't going to go that far, Gaara was sure of that. "And you're willing to risk it all for me," Gaara restated. Morgiana and Aladdin simply nodded, and Gaara ... didn't know what to say. I mean, sure, Nagisa did save his life only once before, but compared to his personal problem he had kept under wraps this long, his involvement with Tirek was a mere fluke - something that just so happened to involve him. Shukaku was something he'd dealt with for years, and he didn't think anyone would bother to help him with this, nor would he have wanted anyone else involved. ... Yet, here they were. "... I ... I uh -" "Now, you don't have to say anything if you can't find the words, Gaara. just be glad it's all over, and Shukaku's dead in the water. Literally," said Grell, playfully fluffing his hair. Gaara wouldn't be so fond of that, but he had a point. Shukaku was finally gone from his life, and in the end, that's all that mattered now.
S05Ep7: Campania ~カンパニア~It had been a bit of a trip since they had left Japan, but a bit of a nostalgic breath of fresh air for the two working together. The groups may have had a bit bigger of an understanding when it came to their demons, but in this case, Ciel and Sebastian had been brought over to a far more familiar playing field: straight back to England. Again, pretty nostalgic after many a trip to everywhere else. And today, they were in for a treat. A bright and simple day off over by the docks of the port. It was a fairly busy day one way or another, with usually was how it goes, with how many boats come and go with cargo and what not, but today was a bit special. Aside from a standard shipping vessel, today stopped by a rather spectacular sight in the form of a giant cruise ship. But not just any ship, a luxury passenger liner, truly a gigantic ship, biggest one they've ever seen. A black underbelly with a shining white upper floor, three huge ship funnels running along it, and plenty of luxury floors were easily evident here just by looking at the cruise liner. Ciel and Sebastian observed this from a road away, keeping a sharp eye on the situation from afar rather than up front. Speaking of which, Ciel Phantomhive had a bit of a costume change: the main change being a mirrored outfit to Sebastian, a blonde hair wig and bandages covering the eye. It wasn't the most elaborate of disguises, nor as embarrassing as a particular ball night, but it did the job anyway. So long as Ciel kept the eye hidden, he should be just fine. Sebastian himself had nothing to worry about in his appearance (obviously). Sebastian smiled and looked to "Right on schedule: The Campania's just ready for the passengers to board," Sebastian reported, though Ciel could see that for himself. After all, there was quite a lineup of aristocrats lining along the dock to the Campania ship, all of which appeared high-class like them in some sort of way, if not just there to watch to boat go off on its way. "Very well. Have you figured out a solution to our ... current predicament?" Ciel asked. "I took care of it, my lord: I've taken the liberty to acquire us both a set of line tickets, under the permission of the queen herself," Sebastian said, and to prove it, he even gave Ciel his, and he held his own. Ciel nodded. "And Alphonse?" "I've given him some unique accommodations." ....... Cut to Alphonse in the cargo hold, his head poking out of one of the cargo boxes. He really wasn't too amused by this decision, who would be? ....... "You're gonna drag us both into hell one day, I swear," Ciel groaned. But, so long as Alphonse was on the boat, what was he to say? What kind of story could he make up to have Al on the boat anyway if he did just walk up with Alphonse behind him. Too much attention, and too much of a stand out for any sort of camouflage or disguise to work right. "Let's go, Sebastian," Ciel announced. And go on over they did, joining up with the crowd. As Ciel and Sebastian had hoped, not many of the crowd took too much notice as it would've been, and they blended in quite fine. Bit by bit, the crowds started to go up onto the ship, each one showing their tickets to the boarding ticker taker as they went for their authenticity. Several pairs got by with little trouble when Ciel and Sebastian came up, presenting their tickets. There was a bit of a pause, but eventually they were given a pass, and both earl and butler went right up onto the main deck ala entrance ladder, following the others up. Once up there, Sebastian and Ciel took a moment to walk around the main side of the ship, taking note of more passengers boarding, and the eventually preparation of the ship's departure. None of the people recognized him as Ciel Phantomhive, nor recognized his butler. It took merely a half an hour of work to get the entire ship ready to set off, but eventually the lone Campania began to move off out of the dock, and out to the open sea. Many people still out on the dock gave their waves and their goodbyes to the others up on board, though Ciel knew better than to join them in that regard. Sure, it would be authentic, but this wasn't just some casual, and convenient ship cruise, this was a mission he had to handle. With Campania moving, there was no turning back now. "Sebastian, go and check in on Alphonse. Make sure none of the staff decided anything crazy with him," Ciel instructed. With a nod, Sebastian went off on his way down to the cargo hold where Alphonse Elric would've ended up. As he did that, Ciel quietly observed the ship slowly making it's voyage away from Southampton, and out into the Atlantic ocean. How this will turn out was anyone's guess, but the moment of silence for him gave him time to think about his target: a seemingly regular person far as he could see based off the picture he could remember on the wanted poster. "If this demon is as crafty as King Sombra would be, taking him lightly would not be a good idea. ... All the same, something's with him. Did I meet him somewhere before?" Ciel's thoughts continued to ponder about this man, as he tried to work his memory on him. Appearances could be deceiving when it came to demons, Ciel knowing that better than anyone else, so if he were to find this demon here, he would have to figure out the person in the wanted poster and see if he could really pin it on him. He'll just have to figure it out as he went along, but for now, word about Alphonse and how he was on the ship was probably a good idea to handle first. But still. That man ... "Master, you've made it. Didn't have too much trouble with getting aboard, did you?" "Not now, Bardroy, I'm thinking," Ciel said, as he turned to walk away, hand to forehead. ... Wait. Bardroy? Ciel stopped cold in his tracks, and turned to the man who referred to him as master, turning out to not be Sebastian. Turned out, and to his shock, there was Bardroy standing there, but not as the typical cook he knew of back in the Phantomhive Manor. To start, Bardroy wasn't dressed as such, but instead dressed as a great Britain soldier: red and white uniform with loaded rifle included in his appearance as a true soldier to the queen. Seeing Bardroy not only showing up here, but shown in such a way had Ciel completely off guard. "W-What the devil - Bardroy? What're you doing here?" Ciel asked. Bardroy brought the rifle up to his shoulder. "Well, lot had happened while you were busy: the queen gave us a letter one day and asking me to come back to the forces," Bardroy explained. "And you accepted it, I assume?" Ciel asked, now a little bit annoyed that his worker had just accepted such a thing behind his back. "It was a request by the queen, how could I not?" Bardroy stated, though that just bugged Ciel more than anything. Then again, how can he himself go against the queen? It was her wish that made him join the team in the first place. Anyway, Ciel just sighed, hand over his eyepatch. "Do keep it down, then. No one on this vessel knows who I am aside from you," Ciel advised. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, my little dog.~" "You got to be kidding me," Ciel thought. But sure enough, walking up casually to Ciel and Bardroy was madam Victoria, princess of England, and now passenger of the vessel. As if seeing Bardroy wasn't enough of a surprise, Ciel actually felt a little less surprised on seeing her coming aboard. "Of course the princess of England would join the ship's parting," Ciel thought. "It's interesting that you've joined us, Phantomhive. Yet I am disappointed. I wondered what dress you'd be fitted into this time." "Very funny," Ciel grumbled. Bardroy didn't know what Victoria was talking about, but it was a story for another time not on guard duty. Victoria brought up a more calmer face. "So, dear, given a break from your hunting trips?" "Well, no. In fact, that's why I'm here," Ciel simply stated. He waited for Victoria to follow up on his question, but instead she simply nodded her head and began to walk by him. "Well, keep up the good work, then, don't have me distract you. And have some fun while you're here, will you? Come Bardroy," Victoria advised, patting him on the shoulder as she passed him, Bardroy following her. Ciel didn't answer her straight away, but it wasn't merely a friendly gesture that pat on the shoulder did, and something was actually left on his shoulder. He got it and took a closer look at it. A small golden pin of a red bird. ....... As much of the crew and passengers were enjoying their time up on the top deck, Sebastian took his own time of lonesome, as instructed by Ciel, to head down into the ship's cargo hold. With so many up outside of the ship and on deck, he had little trouble in terms of extra passengers, or crew members, as he went down the halls, cutting corners, until he ended up finding the door into the cargo hold in question. As expected from such a large ship as the Campania, the cargo hold was especially large inside: wide open and plenty of supplies on board, many in crates as it seemed to be. The demon butler took one extra look around the place for just a bit, before slipping into the cargo hold and taking a look around. For a luxury cruise liner, there was a lot of cargo on it. Sebastian strolled around the place, looking around for where Alphonse might've ended up. Looking around here and there, eventually the sound of clanking metal got to his ears. He took a short walk to the noise, and one of the crates was starting to stir a bit, seeing Alphonse's head just outside of it. "There you are," Sebastian sighed, before walking over to him. "Thanks," Alphonse simply said. He didn't have much to say, nor wanted to. "Just doing my duty as a butler." "Ok. So ... can I come out?" Al asked, waiting for Sebastian to open the crate for him to move again. However, Sebastian simply smiled, and instead of doing that, he reached his hands out, and pulled off Al's head. "Hey, what're you doing?!" Alphonse yelled. "Now, you truly believe that a whole ship of high-class humans will not take notice of a walking, talking body of armor wandering around their presence? I find this a bit more sufficient to avoid unwanted attention, if you understand," Sebastian explained, as he began to casually walk out of the cargo hold with Alphonse's head in front of him. Well, what was Alphonse supposed to do now that his head was removed? "Oh alright, but don't forget my body in here," Alphonse said, sounding rather serious about it. "I won't even think of such." "No, Sebastian, I'm serious. We're going overseas, and the seal in my body is the only thing keeping me alive. If it gets washed away ..." Alphonse didn't need to finish his sentence for Sebastian to understand the importance of it, and nodded his head just as they reached the door back to the hallway. "Very well. I'll warn my master about it in just a bit." "Thank you." ~~ After getting Alphonse's head out of the cargo hold, it was mainly silent stairs for the day when it came to what involvement Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse had with everything. With new knowledge about not only Alphonse's body, but with Victoria and Bardroy on board as well, this could make or break the mission altogether. At least, if it weren't for their little clue that Victoria had dropped off for them, namely the pin with the bird on it. Rather small, but still rather interesting too. As dusk approached, Ciel and Sebastian met up in the dining hall of the Campania, which at the moment was quite crowded with the standard guests roaming around and engaging in small talk over a bite to eat. A rather similar idea to the Royal Ball, but unlike before, there wasn't any extra people to back them up, and it was just them three. Ciel sat down at one of the tables, and actually having a sweet snack in some sliced strawberry cake, as Alphonse was placed down at the center of the table, looking over to Ciel, and Sebastian stood alongside him like a good butler would. "Ah, so the princess has decided to join us," Sebastian stated after the information was exchanged. "Something I have mixed feelings on, I admit. On one hand, she could be a hurdle of our investigation. On the other hand ..." Ciel finished his statement by placing the pin down onto the table, which Sebastian and Alphonse looked over. "A membership badge," Sebastian concluded. "A what?" Alphonse questioned, as Sebastian picked it up to examine further. "I believe we found our culprits, my lord, Elric. It would seem that the Aurora society has boarded with us," Sebastian revealed. "What's the Aurora society?" Alphonse asked. "I've heard rumors about this society. Apparently their a kind of secret group, not dissimilar to manors of a hospital, hidden out of the eyes of even the highest of authority for many years now. Unfortunately, what this group is exactly about, or what the goals are in detail, I'm not too sure," Sebastian explained, his hand resting under his chin as he did his monologue. Ciel and Alphonse pondered for a moment about this Aurora Society, and honestly it didn't take too long to figure out what concept this society might be getting themselves into. It made too much of a coincidence that this Aurora Society would be here after the trio went off on this bounty hunt for demons. "How predictable. Are there any members here?" Ciel questioned, a little quieter this time. Sebastian went over to him, actually moving Alphonse's head so it was lined up with his young earl in terms of vision. 'Look closely at the couple over to your left there, my lord. The women in violet," Sebastian instructed. Ciel did just that, and looked around to the left at the couple in question, seeing them both starting to walk out of the dining hall. Ciel studied the two a bit more closely, and something ended up glistening in the light of the Campania that caught their attention. Sure enough, they too had at least one membership badge on them. "What do we do?" "We follow them, that's what. Come on," Ciel said, picking Alphonse up, and quietly beginning to go off after them. ....... After a short bit of silent walking, eventually the trio followed the couple off away from the main crowd, and off into a more isolated area, possibly another get-together area on Campania. Ciel peeked around the corner at the couple, who presented the membership badge to the two greeters right by the door. Only then did the couple went on inside. "That must be it. Alphonse, if you can refrain from saying anything, that'll be much appreciated," Ciel quietly concluded. Alphonse, who was being held by Ciel at the moment, had to agree, but before they could go, Sebastian grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait, my lord. There's something you should know: evidently the Aurora society has a secret greetings. Unless you know it, you won't be permitted to enter," Sebastian informed. "You didn't think of telling us til now?! ... Alright, what's this greeting then?" Ciel asked, a bit bugged than anything. "You must say ..." and Sebastian proceeded to whisper the exact greeting to Ciel Phantomhive. ... Which in turn made him back up to the wall. "No, absolutely not, you can't possibly be expecting me to do that!" Ciel insisted. Alphonse wasn't sure what this greeting was, but if it made Ciel freak out of all people, it wasn't any good. "Don't perform the greeting, and they'll turn you away immediately. You mustn't hesitate," Sebastian informed. If they were to get to the bottom of this, Ciel had no choice but to agree. As much as he didn't want to. "In that case, shall we go?" Sebastian then asked. Ciel and Al agreed. In little time, the trio went right up to the door, and the greeters, after a little bit, opened up the doors to let them in. Alphonse tried to keep quiet, but he couldn't help but feel a little surprised on what they were seeing in there. The room appeared similar to the dining hall, but had a fairly good-sized alter towards the back not dissimilar to one in a church. A whole room full of Aurora Society members, all aristocratic in some way, but that wasn't the only thing he was catching out of this crowd. And that was evident when the first man stepped forward to see them, a membership badge on his person for them to see. "Are you two new to the Aurora society?" the man asked. A rather bold question to ask straight away, but it was something they've come to expect. With a nod from Sebastian, Ciel placed Alphonse down onto the ground in front of him before looking up to the man. "The uh ... The perfect flame that burns within us." Ciel began. "May be hidden, but cannot be distinguished," added the man. "Through it all ..." Suddenly, Ciel and Sebastian got into what Alphonse would assume to be the "secret greeting": both of them got onto one leg, both arms spread up in a display as if the two had wings, and then exclaiming "We are Phoenixes!" ... Did it work? "... Phoenix! Brothers, I welcome you to the Aurora society!" the man said, going into a similar pose as they were. Guess they were in, and once more, the man then went into his pocket and pulled something else out for them: a set of membership badges. Still feeling a bit shaky, Ciel took them with a nod, but he was red in the face and steaming from that display. He felt like a complete idiot. "There. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Sebastian said with a smile. Ciel didn't even bother with an answer, as Sebastian got his badge onto him. Ciel went on to pick up Alphonse after that, and turned his head so it locked onto his eye. "You are not to say a word about this, am I clear? Unless you want your body thrown into the sea!" Ciel grumbled, quietly as to not draw anymore attention to himself. "I-I promise, I swear, wouldn't dream of it," Alphonse meekly answered. Unfortunately ... "Hehehehehehehe, oh how priceless! I'm afraid if I laugh and longer, I'll give myself an injury," said a giggling voice nearby. OH GOD NO. "U-Undertaker?!" gasped Ciel. Indeed, it was Undertaker, the giggling character also sporting a badge of the society in question. "Oh the way you said that. 'We are Phoenixes!' oh how princess that was, and you kept such a straight face too." "You bloody -" "Temper, my lord," Sebastian advised. Never a good idea to start a confrontation this quickly on. Alphonse was a bit weirded out by the man, and any name like "undertaker" wasn't making this person's image any better on him. Sebastian kept his usual calm demeanor though, and looked to the Undertaker. "I must say, this is quite unexpected. What brings you onto the Campania today?" Sebastian asked. After a few more giggles, Undertaker looked to them. "Oh, you can call it professional curiosity. A hospital has the best customers for someone of my profession, don't you know," Undertaker explained. Well, if a hospital was what this Aurora Society was about, guess it would only make sense for a man in charge of the dead to show up to a place like this. "Bloddy hell: first Bardroy, then Victoria, and now him! How many more characters from my side of the story are going to be dropping in?" Ciel thought. It was then that Undertaker took note of Alphonse sitting in Ciel's arms, just for the Undertaker to pick him up. "Oh, what do we have here then? Am I mistaken, or is this Alphonse Elric's severed head I have the pleasure of seeing?" Undertaker asked in glee, though it didn't help Al any, making him shiver. Ciel quickly snatched Alphonse back. "I-I think you're the one who's mistaken." "Oh, come now, we both know I'm not. How could I ever forget such a memorable face like his? News of sentient armor travels fast you know, especially if one's apart of the army, isn't that right?" Undertaker pointed out. Nothing would get past this guy, no matter what they tried. "O-Ok, you got me. You know eachother?" Alphonse quietly asked, trying not to talk too loud. "You can say that me and the young lord have a interesting relationship with eachother," Undertaker answered, his signature grin edged on his face. Ciel gave Alphonse to Sebastian and corrected himself. "Yes, I am curious about the Aurora Society's activities. What information can you tell us?" "Steady now, we know I won't blabber on anything without proper payment." "You just laughed for a minute straight!" retorted Ciel. "I suppose that's true ... how about another Phoenix pose for old times sake?" No, that didn't make Ciel any better, and he began to fluster up. He already embarrassed himself enough, he didn't need anymore of it. However, and supposedly lucky for Ciel and his dignity, someone else caught wind of their conversation, and. "We are Phoenixes!" Enter a new player to this Aurora game. The figure who decided to arrive to the scene appeared to be a man in his prime, and an extremely handsome one at that: blonde hair that went past his neck, violet eyes that had a sort of natural charm to them, and the outfit of a true aristocrat with a black suite accompanied by a red stone around his neck as display. He too did the Phoenix pose, but for his there was a lot more enthusiasm than what Ciel and Sebastian pulled off: one leg straight up in the air, and both hands aimed to his left side in a dazzling display, a rose in between his right fingers. "Pardon me, but I wanted to include one of my own," said the man. Admittedly, a rather interesting display to an otherwise stupid pose. The man straightened himself up, and went over to see the newcomers himself. The Undertaker went off to check out the rest of the meeting's guests. "Ah, some new members, I would presume?" he asked. "Indeed: we heard about the success of the hospital's work and decided that it would be an intriguing experience," Sebastian explained, Ciel and Alphonse keeping quiet. However, the man was a bit more interested in them over the butler, and slipped by him to see what they were about. Soon he noticed the bandages on Ciel's face, and his hand gently grazed his cheek, the man looked a bit concern. "Oh dear, how sad that such a young man's pretty face to be met with such a experience," the man noted. Ciel had to think fast. "Y-Yes that's right! I heard that the society could cure me!" Ciel quickly stated. Mainly it was just so he could get off of him, but he didn't have a clue what he himself was talking about, or if this was that kind of place to do it. The man looked startled at first, but then just smiled down at him, much to his dismay. "Is that all? Oh, the Society can do far more than a simple surgery, my little robin. I do have to ask though; you have a sort of attachment to that armor piece your holding?" he pried, referring to the Alphonse head. Boy, the hard questions are rapid fire in this place, and Ciel had to work the gears in his head on some sort of answer, yet Sebastian already had one. "Well, if you must know, that is actually a sort of puppet. He got it from his late father when he was little and found it quite hard to get rid of. You might say it's a memoir to him," Sebastian said. The man paused for a moment, and looked back to ciel. "Oh? Dabbling in ventriloquism, are you? How about you present your little puppet out? It can't hurt, could it?" "What's with this cretin?" Ciel thought, now on the spot. How did 'memoir' turn into 'ventriloquist'?! "Oh, don't bother with him, he's nothing but a silly loon!" Alphonse suddenly said, good and loud for him to hear. Ciel grew shocked. "I beg your pardon?!" "You're always leaving things behind you. You'll lose you're head too if yours wasn't attached," Alphonse said, adding a few chuckles. "Shut it you, at least I can walk around!" retorted Ciel. "And how many bananas did you slip with your steps?" Alphonse asked. Ciel was getting angry with Alphonse, but the man ended up laughing not too long after the bickering. "My, you got me in stitches," the man laughed. Ciel and Alphonse clammed up, and the man playfully fluffed his hair. "Well, back onto our little topic, I'll see if we can give you a little appointment to make you handsome again. Well, not up to my standard, of course. Though I do believe a little display is in order first." "Display?" Alphonse asked. The man found that a bit cute. "You'll see. Until then, my robin,~" and with that remark, the man strolled away, leaving both Alphonse and Ciel a bit shaken up. Boy, are things going on a rollercoaster with this boat, and to top it all off, they even heard Sebastian snicker not too far away. Now they both agreed silently to keep this to themselves - last thing they want was some kids at home asking for a ventriloquist session out of them, but the idea that a display was going to be presented was a bit interesting. "What kind of display did he have in mind, you think?" Alphonse asked. "I doubt it's a basic surgery, I'll say that much. Perhaps it can prove worth looking into," Ciel concluded. And looking into it was something they had to do, for the sake of "pinning the problem". Sebastian went on over back to them at this point. ~~ As Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse were doing that, back in the dining hall, Victoria and Bardroy were doing their own rounds as well throughout the ship, Bardroy keeping good guard over Victoria as she was enjoying herself. That didn't mean Bardroy didn't take some bit of wine himself during his stay. "Sure is nice to be out of that palace, wouldn't you agree Bardroy?" Victoria asked, as she enjoyed some of the wine offered. "to tell you the truth, I'd never imagined I would end up here," Bardroy admitted. A soldier like him in such a high-class area just made him feel out of place really, as many typical soldiers don't end up in places like this. Victoria smirked to him. "Don't be so modest. I'd invite all of you if I wanted to, but you're the only one with an actual military record. Care for more wine?" Victoria offered to pour him another glass, which he declined with a wave of his hand. One glass was good enough for him, as Victoria poured herself another glass of wine. "Try not to get too carried away, please?" Bardroy advised. But rather than just sip it, Victoria smirked and gulped it down fast. "Who're you to give me orders?" she questioned, giving him a more serious look. Bardroy shuttered a little and turned away. "Sorry. Your mother didn't want you to get too carried away, so she asked me to make sure of that before we left," Bardroy said, as Victoria got herself another glass. "She should know by now I can handle my own well-being. And anyway, we got other matters to attend to aside from a few glasses of wine," Victoria explained. Bardroy felt a little puzzled, as Victoria drank her now fourth glass. Bardroy brought his gun around and at the ready, just to be sure things will be alright for her sake. Her, and the queen too. "I think they'll start now. Come along, let's see what our friend of the Phoenix are up to," Victoria advised, beginning to walk off out of the dining hall. Bardroy began to follow her after a bit, but he began to feel a little bit unsure with this whole thing, feeling a bit suspicious about her. But he knew better than to say anything to her, and he simply followed her quietly. ~~ With time ticking on by, those amongst the Aurora society were getting a bit of anticipation, as this "display" was starting to take shape up on stage. Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse managed to find a seat amongst the tables set up within the room, along with plenty others, though most of the were standing to see what was about to happen. Pretty soon, as the trio was considering just going they were waiting so long, eventually the handsome man that met with them earlier took a step up onto the alter, getting some good applause from the crowd, and getting the attention of Ciel, Sebastian, and Alphonse again. The man relished in the applause, and both hands were raised as a smile went over his face. As a bit of an example for the presentation, something was brought out to the place, all covered up by a sheet. "Thank you, thank you everyone, it's just a pleasure to have you all here tonight. And grateful as well for a fine audience for my presentation, a toast for you all coming," he said, even raising his own glass, some returning the gesture as well. Some of the members of said society then being forth a rather peculiar device up onto the alter, none that they've seen before surely. After the gestures, the device itself was placed in position. The body of this device looked like something out of some Frankenstein movie: a set of satellite-like pieces connected to six different electrical cylinders, with the main base being a power cell of a generator. The whole machine itself was huge, about a good fifteen feet tall, and looked more like a tower than a machine of sorts. "How peculiar," noted Sebastian. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you all: the complete salvation. You may hold your applause until after you see what magnificent medical power that I'm willing to show. I like to personally introduce to you all the grateful participants for this event, may I please welcome Mrs. and Miss. Connor to the alter," he then brought a hand out to the couple that the trio had seen earlier arrive to the alter, Miss. Connor praying that this presentation will be successful, whatever it was. "Please bring her back for us. It's been only weeks, but it's been too long," Mrs. Connor insisted gravely. The man was willing to do just that. "I, Aleistor Chamber, will guarantee it. Speaking of which ..." The man, now known to the trio as Aleistor Chamber, presented another little extra assortment to the crowd, as a assistant pulled off the sheets to the object in front of the device. To their surprise, it was revealed to be a corpse! The body really did have a Frankenstein look to it: stitches in several places, her body in only a night gown, her eyes covered in a sleep mask, and wires beginning to be placed onto her torso and body. Aleistor looked to the crowd again, his glass of wine raised towards the body in presentation. "A poor, unfortunate accident has taken the life away of seventeen-year old Margaret Connor merely two weeks ago, and so many feeble minds would declare her dead. To that I say hogwash! For the grand salvation of my medical science will bring this fair maiden back from the dead!" That last part especially got their attention. Sure, medicine could save people from death, but bring one back from it? Even Sebastian found this a bit intriguing, being a demon of the underworld himself and all. "Back from the dead? He's serious?" Alphonse thought, which was the main reaction that the others shared just as well. Eventually, the workers under Aleistor gave him the thumbs up, and prepare to start the machine next to her. With a flip of a switch, and press of a button, the machine began to roar to life, blue sparks shooting out like crazy, as the device roared in glory. Electricity shot through the corpse's body, surges making the body twitch and shake from the sheer force of it, Aleistor himself relishing into it with his arms spread like the bird the society has symbolized. "Bring this girl back to us! Give her life again, like the Phoenix you are!" Aleistor declared, as the electricity continued to surge through her, everyone, including the trio, watching to see what'll happen to her. It felt like forever had flown by, but what was truly just half a minute of thousands of volts, before the machine calmed down, and the body ceased movement. The crowd waited with baited breath, waiting for what sort of sign the body would give. At first, the body remained just that: just a body. Cold, stone dead. ... Then a twitch. Then the hand moved. "S-She's moving!" and indeed she was. Much to the amazement of the crowd, Margaret, slowly, but surely, begun to rise up from her death bed, managing to sit up in her bed. Her body still felt a little twitchy, but apart from that, she wasn't falling over again. And to just prove how alive she became, her hand slowly felt the wires and plugs, and proceeded to remove them herself with simple tugs of the wrist, and curiously felt the blindfold over her eyes. Her parents were simply amazed at what they were seeing, tears of joy coming from both of them on seeing their daughter back with them. "Allow me, my blossom," Aleistor decided, gently untying the bandages over her eyes, and allowing her to see her parents for the first time in weeks. Her eyes were still a little glossy somewhat, but considering she was just dead, that was easily overlooked. Slowly, she even grew the strength to get up back onto her own feet with little help. She was back from the dead. Just as Aleistor promised. "Oh ... Oh M-Margaret!" the mother cried, embracing her daughter on her arms. Margaret didn't react too much to the gesture though, as Aleistor looked on to the crowd of amazed members with only one thing to say. "THE PHOENIX HAS RISEN AGAIN!" That response gave the entire crowd into a roar of applause to this amazing feat. Not only did he prove that his method worked, but they brought back a family member's lost relative just as well. On the surface, a very good deed, at the least, and a god's gift at most. For the first time in his missions, Ciel Phantomhive was speechless. Almost as shocked as everyone else would be. This man can bring back the dead. Or so it appeared. ....... "He actually did it." that was the main statement Ciel gave to the whole thing once they got back to their room on the Campania. It was a basic room like any other on a ship, with the basic necessities one would have. Being a luxury cruise liner, fancy was the main word for the room, and one Ciel was more used to. Speaking of, Ciel sat there on the bed after a long day, Alphonse placed over on a nearby counter by a mirror, and Sebastian at his main post as per usual. "Quite an intriguing display of engineering, wouldn't you think so? And here I thought you humans didn't have that kind of ability," Sebastian commented, giving his master some late night dessert (his sweet tooth demanded it). "This is a rather unique case: Bardroy, Victoria, and now the Undertaker joining us on the ship, and now we have a man who is actually able to revive the dead." "... He didn't do it." Ciel and Sebastian turned to Alphonse Elric, who himself had been thinking on the situation ever since they got back form the society meeting. "Pardon me, Elric? He did seem bring Margaret to life, as promised during his presentation." "The body, maybe, but not Margaret. Didn't you two see just how lifeless she looked when her mother embraced her back there? She didn't react or anything. All that machine did was restart her physical functions, if anything at all. ... He didn't bring her back to life," Alphonse concluded. A very likely, and surprisingly more plausible idea now that Al had brought it up, and Alphonse would knew more than anyone there, ironically enough, the different of being alive and being, well, just there. "Now, let's not jump to conclusions right away. All the same, we'll check in on the Connor family tomorrow morning, and we'll see just how "alive" their Margaret has gotten," Sebastian suggested. "Why wait? It's been a few hours since they did this, you go and check on them, Sebastian," Ciel decided. Sebastian just did his usual bow gesture. "As you wish, my lord." ~~ So, as Ciel and Alphonse were in their room to get some sleep, Sebastian did what his master requested, and was going about the ship by his lonesome, and heading on his way to the Connor's room to check in on their little Margaret. Being late in the night, that didn't mean that people weren't going around the place, and Sebastian was seeing multiple people still going about the late night hours. This wouldn't be a problem, normally, but some stray eyes could cause some problems if they saw him peering in on the Connor family, so he can only hope that the family wasn't out for the moment, nor was there a crowd awaiting at their door. "Is there something the matter?" Sebastian stopped himself on hearing Aleistor's voice coming from somewhere, though on the surface he wasn't anywhere around. A bit interesting though, on hearing such a voice out in the open. Sebastian took a minute to look around, and sure enough, down the next hall, there was Aleistor himself with the Connor parents. A good time as ever, and Sebastian placed himself over just by the corner, keeping a close eye on the three as best he could manage without making it obvious. The parents then invited Aleistor inside their room, Sebastian taking the opportunity to slip in closer, and stopping himself silently by the cracked door. As for Aleistor and the two parents, they were quick to point out the problem to him, and they showed Margaret inside, who at the moment was just sitting on her bed. Sebastian just managed to see her from where he was, and looking at her, he could see what Alphonse was talking about earlier. Margaret was just sitting there, emotion lacking and barely reacting to Aleistor coming in. She simply sat there, as if she was a doll that was situated for a little girl's tea party, and lacking just as much life. "She's been like this since we brought her back. We tried many of her favorite activities, but she wouldn't do anything," explained the rather worried mother, as Margaret just looked up to them with a blank expression, more like a curious dog than an actual human. Aleistor simply shrugged it off though. "Needn't you worry about that: She's been practically gone for two weeks, you know. Her mind just needs to come back to her, that's all," Aleistor reassured them. That sounded like sense to them, but seeing their daughter so quiet and withdrawn like this was still a bit of a worry. Sebastian quietly took note of this, metaphorically, and literally, as he had a small little pocket book to write down the information (a butler must be prepared for everything). "If you're sure," said Mrs. Connor. "I know I am. I'll give her ... three to four days, and you'll have your daughter back to normal," Aleistor explained, as he took his leave. Aleistor took a step out, and began heading back to his room, Sebastian just out of sight and out of his way. He had the information they needed, and he went off to take his own leave. Or at least, he would've if someone wasn't standing a foot away from him. "May I have a word with you?" ....... Sebastian then ventured into another room of the Campania, though this one was a little bit isolated from the rest of the passengers, and even a bit of the crew. It looked like a singular bedroom, nothing too fancy, but Sebastian didn't care much for that, his mind more on the person who brought him here in the first place, who meanwhile walked in behind him with a case in hand. To put it simply: first there was Bardroy and Victoria, next came Undertaker, and now ... "I do have to admit, I didn't think that a lord like you would have time to go on a cruise," Sebastian noted, as the demon lord gently walked in, closing the door behind him. Sombra. "I felt stressed as of late, and Chrysalis was getting to be a bother," Sombra stated. Sebastian smiled on the remark, but he didn't lower his guard for an instant. This was the demon lord he was speaking to, and now the first time either. "I do want to ask how you managed to get onto the ship without suspicions," Sebastian inquired. Sombra walked over to him. "Well, let's just say that you've had some proper involvement with that," Sombra said. Sebastian felt slightly confused, until something started to show on his wrist: and a similar sort of object formed from their first encounter with eachother. "It always helps to have a backup plan in a situation. Why else would I have you tagged?" "Rather clever of you," Sebastian noted. Sombra walked by him, and went over towards the mirror in the room. Sombra had more on his mind, as he began to work with "That aside, Sebastian, I didn't come out here just for a simple talk. I have something for you," Sombra stated, referring to the case he brought with him. Sebastian waited patiently, but something then began to cross his sense of smell, a few whiffs of the air telling the demon that this was something very intriguing, not to mention delicious. Sombra opened the case, and then presented a medium-sized item, looking like some sort of medical needle, only the needle was the size of a turkey baster, and had a few extra attachments to the interior of the object. Sebastian could even make out a Arabic written spell onto the object in question. "That's new." "Oh, it's not just the needle you should be new to, Sebastian. Now, I took the time to study on this Faustian Contract of yours, and then something occurred to me. Sure, you could wait for the contract to complete, but once you do that, you'll end up with a rather ... messy scene. not to mention the unwanted evidence it would leave behind. That, and I can tell you do care enough for Ciel to keep him alive for so long. So ..." Sombra then placed the item down into Sebastian's hands, letting the butler read over what was engraved into this big needle. "I've taken the time to work out this spell into this needle. It should be enough to get that soul of yours." "I've seen this spell before, Sombra, yet this wouldn't keep the human's life in tact once used," Sebastian pointed out. Sebastian could already tell that Sombra had tested this device out from the smell of souls lingering from the end of the needle. "If used on a knife or a scythe, maybe, but that's exactly why I've had it engraved in this needle," Sombra explained. "I've seen how humans used needles to extract blood from the body, and unless used extensively, it's usually harmless depending on where the item is used. So this way, you can extract that soul you've worked so hard for from that Ciel Phantomhive, and keep your earl alive and breathing like nothing happened at all." "... To tell you the truth, I'm surprised you'll still go through with this. Considering our last excursion." "Yes. Noted. Despite that, you're a demon, same as me. I may be a cruel creature to the surface world, but I'm not stupid, I won't kill my own kind if I can help it," Sombra made clear. Sebastian took the idea into deep consideration. Sombra fulfilled his promise after all, and Sebastian was so sure that it wouldn't happen, one of the few things he would be sure on. "I see. ..." "Well, that's all I came to do -" before Sombra could go though, Sebastian did a rather bold move and actually grabbed him by the arm, masking Sombra stop. "We both know that's not true. You wouldn't just stop by without any other motive, would you? I AM with Team Harmony after all," Sebastian pointed out. Sombra got his arm out of Sebastian's grip, but he just smiled. "Will you ever cease to humble me, Bassie?" Sombra said. "Yes. ... Now, there is one thing I do want to tell you as oppose to the contract as well, Sombra. Though I can assume you probably know it. ..." "And what's that?" "... My existence is as in jeopardy as him," Sebastian said. Sombra was a bit confused but allowed him to continue anyway with a motion of his hand. "You keep saying to just extract his soul and be done with it, but if I do that before the contract is complete, then as a demon, I would betray my own duties. Pure will turn to poison, as it would be." "There's always a catch, is there? So contrived," Sombra sighed. One variable that even he didn't know about. "Needn't you not worry about that. Ciel's soul would be a wonderful taste for my final breath. I'm more than willing to take that. ... Though, I too have one request to ask you. As a fellow demon." "A request, Sebastian?" "... I'll agree to lend you Phantomhive as a reward." That last part surprised him. Sebastian, a demon who had worked for Phantomhive for years, was this willing to go through with the soul extraction despite throwing his life away to do so. And here he thought Sebastian was a clever demon. Yet again, he wasn't the same species of demon as Sebastian, so perhaps it was a much bigger deal than he would know. But then again, Sebastian was promising quite a reward, and what other chance would he get for such a easy grab, and with Ciel of all people? "No catch?" "Even if there was, I wouldn't live to do it." "... I'm listening." ~~ Back in the room, Ciel and Alphonse were both simply waiting for Sebastian at this point. They would go to sleep, but Ciel was still waiting for report from Sebastian, and as for Alphonse, the quiet ride now gave Al a bit more to think about. He didn't have much time to actually think things over for himself, with getting on the ship and all, not to mention the alter, but now he had one other thing to think over. You said your so-called brother put you in that suit of armor. So how do you know you don't love him because he made it so you would? Altering your memories and personality to suit him best! "... Ciel?" "What now?" Ciel asked, feeling a bit tired himself as a yawn escaped him. "... Do you know anything about transmutation?" Well that was an odd question for the young earl. "Why do you ask?" "Well ... say you could transmutate someone. Someone you knew had just died, and you decided to transmutate them to bring them back. would you?" Ciel stopped him when he raised his hand to him. "If you're asking me to revive your body, I wouldn't hold my hopes if I were you." "N-No, not that. ... I mean, would you ... alter it?" Alter it. Ciel stayed quiet at first, and began to ponder a little bit. Far as he was concerned, it was Edward who did this to him, and it didn't take the earl too long to figure out what Alphonse was really talking about. But rather than jump on him, he decided to humor him a little. "If I could find them any use to me, then yes. I would try to remove any negative traits so they would do better at their tasks." "So ... you think anyone else would do the same?" "I don't see why not. ... But then again, I would want my true brother rather than an alteration," Ciel stated. Alphonse didn't need to hide this much anymore if Ciel could figure it out so quickly. Ciel got up, as Alphonse went to his next question. "You really think so?" "Well, if I did, I wouldn't even call him my brother, would I? ... I assume someone made you doubt?" "... You can say that," Al simply said. Although he wasn't as deadly as other underworld deities, it still was hard to forget Barry's horrifying face, not to mention the fact he too was a transmutation brought to life like Alphonse was. Ciel then smirked. "Did this other person try to gain anything out of you by telling you this?" Ciel asked. Alphonse had to rework his memory on his initial encounter, but eventually it drew blank. "I don't think so. He was more willing to chop me up, actually," Al answered. Ciel pondered again. "And was he sent by Sombra, perhaps?" "He just showed up out of nowhere, so, I don't know exactly." "I see. ... One more question: is your brother the type to be a good liar?" Alphonse paused and thought it over again, but this one came a bit quicker. "Not really. Ed doesn't really like to lie," Al answered. Ciel turned to Alphonse. "Then you're just jumping to things: sounds to me like whoever tried to assault you and plant these idiotic ideas in your head was just trying to point you the wrong way." "You think so?" "Of course. I would do that in a heartbeat if I could avoid everything turning to hell," Ciel said. Now Alphonse wasn't too sure about him on this one. "You mean ... you'll lie to me if it could help you?" "Now what do I have to gain for lying to you? And before you answer, I already have Sebastian with me. In short, I didn't need you coming with me for the most part, so lying to keep you around would mean rather little." Well, there goes Al's follow-up response. As cold as that was, that did ensure Alphonse that at least Ciel was telling him the truth. But then again, it also reminded him of what kind of person Ciel Phantomhive was: a kid with little faith, and who'll do whatever it would take to achieve the task given to him. He just hoped throwing his body overboard wasn't apart of that. "You can be very cold when you want to." "It tends to happen time to time," Ciel said. Ciel gave a stretch, and went off back to bed, but he didn't go the sleep just yet. "Where is that damn demon?" he thought. ... "My apologies for the wait, my lord." Speak of the devil, Sebastian had arrived now, looking pretty content with himself. And just before Ciel would fall asleep too. "About time. And the Connors?" "Their daughter's not doing too fair, I'm afraid. Aleistor had arrived as well and reassured them a three day extent until she's fully recovered," Sebastian informed. Of course, Alphonse wasn't buying it. Before Al could say much, Sebastian picked Alphonse up. "My lord? I believe it's time to confront our host for the evening," Sebastian said. Ciel got up to his feet. "A bit soon, if I were to say so. Let's go." ~~ And so, the plan was brought on into motion, and the trio began to head off to their target in Aleistor. At this point, later in the night, not too many were going about the ship now, which was a pretty good thing for Ciel, Alphonse, and Sebastian to get by with. Sebastian brought them off over back to the same room where the presentation took place, only this time no one else seemed to be there. With the presentation over and done, guess there was no other reason for those of the Aurora Society to even be there. "Well, where is he?" Ciel asked. "He'll come. Take Al, and set up position out of sight, just over there. I've given him a private invitation on your behalf, so he should show up any moment with the device. Do you understand what needs to be done?" "Not the type to give orders, but yes," Ciel said, and he went off out of sight with Alphonse in his arms, taking position over right behind one of the stands in the room. Not the best spot, but best considering what they got to work with. And right on cue. "AH, welcome, fellow Phoenix. The pleasure's mine." Enter Aleistor. He had a glass of wine in hand with him, and he looked as dazzling as he would be. What he also brought in was the salvation device from earlier, possibly the reason Sebastian got him into thinking for this meeting. and once more, Sebastian was seen first, and no time to think over what to do. "Aleistor Chamber. That was quite a performance you've presented earlier today. I'm pretty impressed," Sebastian stated. nothing like buttering up the target for some false security, and Aleistor was quickly enjoying the admiration. "Was there ever any doubt?" "Not for me. However, it is curious: some rumors around the ship had been in regards to Margaret, and they do wonder if you truly brought her back to life." "Oh, how ridiculous: you all saw her rise up from the ashes." "The body, maybe, but not Margaret. Didn't you see just how lifeless she looked when her mother embraced her back there? She didn't react or anything. All that machine did was restart her physical functions, if anything at all. ... You didn't bring her back to life." Alphonse was not amused. Aleistor paused for a minute, swirling the drink in his hand and considering this man's accusation. Eventually though, the man simply laughed. "Oh, come now, she just needs time to bounce back, that's all. I mean, really, you'd be a bit out of it too if you were dead." "... May I suggest you to explain your reasoning. I am especially curious as to why the Aurora Society would bring forth resurrection of all things," Sebastian stated. Aleistor found this very amusing. "What a silly question. What's your name?" "Michaelis. Sebastian Michaelis," Sebastian introduced. Aleistor thought it over, before he actually began to explain. "With the power of this device, I shall birth a brand new empire under the Aurora Society!" "Huh?" said the main reaction of those in the room. "Just imagine: a kingdom where not even death is considered something to fear. And once our progress has been made, my great Aurora Society will branch out all over the globe, and yours truly will be in charge of it all." "You got quite a goal, don't you? The authorities will be all over you, I'm sure," Sebastian noted. However, this didn't deter this man. "I can defeat you all with one glass of wine!" He declared, followed by an ego-filled laugh. OH did that get under their skin. "Would it be alright to kill him?" Ciel quietly asked. "No ... but I understand your feelings," Alphonse said. Killing him won't do much justice, not by a long shot. And Aleistor either knew that by the look on his face, or flat out didn't care about the danger he was in. Sebastian started to adjust his glove on that sort of answer, letting the lunatic laugh himself silly. "So you think you can challenge me, do you? You're as delusional as you are obnoxious," Sebastian stated. however, Aleistor then did a rather questionable move. He took the wine he had in hand, and actually ... poured it on himself. "... Now I'm just confused," Sebastian stated. Aleistor made sure that the wine drenched his head and shoulders, running his fingers through his hair and tossing it back, looking dazzling in the display but Sebastian just found that obnoxious again. "I just enjoy a little freshening up before I deal with the devil, as all." "Devil. ... so you know who I am then?" "Of course. You lot would be the only ones who would object to my fabulous work, isn't that right? Jealous that such a pretty face got the idea first, right?" Aleistor said, waving his finger to Sebastian as if he was pitying him, and giving him a wink. Sebastian had just about enough of this, and bolted forward to get at Aleistor, but the second he touched him, his hand began to sizzle! Suddenly, he had to jump back. If he held Aleistor any longer, and it would've burned him for good. Aleistor wasn't doing any metaphor here in terms of demons apparently, the ego man smirking. "I'll have you know that I took some study on black magic when in my youth. It looks like my wine mixture worked like a charm. Then again, naturally it would." "Black magic wouldn't burn me." "But holy water would. Black Magic isn't only for the Underworld, you know." Now it was getting troublesome: this man was mixing things up from both heaven and hell with mixing holy water and wine. "This man's smarter than he looks," Ciel thought. Aleistor strolled over to the nearby table where Ciel and Al were hiding behind, and actually got himself another pour of wine. Sebastian didn't think much of it, but now it was like liquid poison he was pouring in his glass. Now Sebastian can't go near him without burning himself, which posed a bit of a problem in his situation. With the holy water in him, and on him, what can he do? "Such a nice refreshment if I do say so myself," Aleistor commented with a triumphant grin. "Steady now, Aleistor," Sebastian warned. All that did was make Aleistor dip his fingers into the wine, and flick droplets of it at Sebastian, those landing on his face burning ever so slightly like a bee sting. Sebastian got a napkin and wiped it off of him. "How about you sit down for me, my pet. I'm not scared of you." "How about us then?" Then came even more. Looking over to the door to the alter, Aleistor, Sebastian, Ciel, and Alphonse found that more company had shown up to the party: Victoria, Bardroy, and Undertaker! Well, what timing for them to show up. Again though, Aleistor didn't appear too troubled. In fact, he looked pretty pleased with this. "Oh, when will my children leave me be? I can't get enough of it!" Aleistor said, highly dramatic as a hand rested on his forehead as if he was gonna faint. Not a good showing for them. "Oh, why if it isn't Aleistor Chamber. So this was your little plan, eh?" Undertaker said. "Hmm ... Ah, you lot were the ones that saw my presentation earlier, weren't you? Hope you all had a good show," Aleistor said. "He figures it out NOW?" Alphonse thought. How dunce was this man?! "Don't give us that! Now come quietly," warned Bardroy, aiming his rifle at him. That did make him a bit hesitant, but he quickly corrected himself. "Now what's all this here? I'm no lawbreaker, am I?" "I believe you do: an underground organization like this, bringing those back to life is a crime itself. Plus if you do this, I'd be out of a job," Undertaker noted. "AH, sacrifices have to be made for some progress, we know that. You all should be thanking me for keeping Grim Reaper at bay from stealing you all and dumping you six feet under," Aleistor joked, but Undertaker felt a cringe run through him, and his hand twitched on that response. Reapers can't continue without death, it just doesn't work that way, nevermind the actual job as an undertaker. "Feisty one, aren't you?" "I'd prefer the word 'bold'. A true heart of a leader," Aleistor stated, acting dramatic again. "Can I just blast this idiot?" Bardroy quietly asked. "No, no, be patient. Though I'm seeing your feelings," Victoria said, as she walked up and presented herself to Aleistor. "Don't mean to tell me you're against this as well, my lord," Aleistor said, rather puzzled really. "Not the idea itself, no: I mean, it's such a nice thought to go through life without immediate death. But this silly idea that your "kingdom" will overpower mine ... I'm afraid I can't have that," Victoria said. Aleistor chuckled. "Don't be preposterous, I wouldn't even dream of challenging your family to my army. how conclusive can you be?" "Army? What army?" asked Bardroy. "Hmm ... Well, if you so insist." Aleistor then brought his hand up to his mouth, and gave a long whistle. This one wasn't a regular one, extremely high-pitched, and while the group didn't hear much of anything of it. but that didn't mean it was ignored: the doors to their exit slammed shut, and something began to head out onto the alter: a good twenty staff members of the Aurora Society! Though, the way they moved didn't make them as normal as anyone else would be. When they got into the light though, the multitude of stitches and blank expressions presented themselves as nothing more than animated corpses. "Did he had to ask?" Ciel and Alphonse thought. "Ah, there they are. Margaret wasn't the only I've tried this on, and I have to admit, I've done wonders with them all. Now, I'll be out of the way, and I'll let you all have some fun," Aleistor said, walked past his corpses with little fear of them. They were brought to life by him, so he had no reason for it. Once he got situated well out of the way, he snapped his fingers, and the horde of corpses started to march forward to the foreign intruders. "A zombie apocalypse. Damn, not something I expected honestly," Bardroy said, loading his rifle for the horde coming at them. None of the zombies too quick, about as fast as a fast walk, but Bardroy made short work of about a good two of them before the group had to move away. The zombies started to split up after the others. Well, all but one, and his sense of smell got Ciel and Alphonse not too far away. "Uh oh." "Blasted." both of them had to move out of the way before the zombie could sink its teeth into them, knocking over the wine table as it did so. The group had plenty to deal with, but Aleistor was gleefully enjoying it all. "Oh, this is like the coliseum of corruption! And I am up watching it all, enjoying my wine like the great Emperor Nero," Aleistor declared, imagining himself as said Nero as he did so. He was having too much fun with this, and the others were getting pissed off more and more. "AGH, do we kill him?" yelled a angry Victoria. "You just told me not to earlier!" snapped Bardroy. It sure did felt like he was watching some sort of play to Aleistor: multitude of the main characters of this little story fighting against a horrid enemy, and some into more trouble than others, and the addition of Ciel and Alphonse just added to the fun. While he saw his zombies getting killed, he began to notice something, as the group killed more and more. "Odd. Could've sworn I had more staff. They starting to get lazy on me?" Aleistor thought, glancing to the back of the alter. Sebastian and Bardroy did most of the fighting, continuing to get at the zombies' weak spot, which we all know was the head. Aleistor actually took a stroll over to the back to see what was going on with them. His whistle should've gotten them here by now. One look was all Aleistor needed to see the fate of the other staff members. Or rather, what was left of them. ... "DOWN!" Sebastian called. And not a moment too soon, as one more player jumped in. Bardroy and Sebastian did a good job in killing about ten zombies, but the remaining killers were immediately sliced and decapitated by this newcomer, the killing only taking about five seconds total. Everything went quiet. ....... "Rather messy." King Sombra! The final player! his involvement in killing these zombies was a bit of a U-turn in the eyes of many of these people, with the exception of Undertaker. Sombra had very little blood splattered on him from his onslaught, taking his own napkin and wiping off some blood off of his face. "Sombra?" gasped Ciel. "Hello everyone. hope I'm not intruding too much, but I couldn't help but notice that someone trying to play creator," Sombra stated, glancing back to the now scared Aleistor. All of his staff killed so quickly, he wanted to part of it. Sombra was disappointed in him, but he had other things in mind. Then Sebastian stepped forward. "Thank you for the aid, Sombra. They've been giving us quite a trouble," Sebastian said, smiling. Sombra went over to him. "A favor's a favor. Speaking of which, may I have my end of the deal?" Sombra looked over to Ciel, who himself didn't have much clue what was going on. Sombra wasn't wasting time with this, and Sebastian smiled devilishly. "Assuredly." "Wait a bloody minute, what's going on?!" Ciel demanded. Normally Sebastian would answer, but the demon remained silent, and rather show than tell. As he went closer, he then presented the item he had hidden away: the needle Sombra gave him. Ciel was shocked, and Sebastian made Ciel drop Alphonse, lifting him up and carrying the struggling kid over. "Release me, damn it! SEBASTIAN!" Still nothing, and all he did was smile, his eyes locking onto him less like a master, and more like prey. "What the hell are you doing?!" Bardroy demanded. "Needn't it worry you. Just handling a favor." "WHY YOU -" Bardroy raised his gun, and started firing, only for Sombra to rush over, and slam Bardroy to the wall, just like that. Ciel was stunned, and the needle was held right in his view. "Don't struggle little one, it'll hurt only for a few moments. See this as a visit to the doctor's office," Sebastian said, before Ciel felt a stinging sensation hit him in the arm, the needle sinking into the skin and into his vein. Ciel couldn't believe what Sebastian was doing to him, and he tried to get himself out of it, but his struggles made it hurt even more, telling Ciel that he can't get out of this without losing his arm in the process. Sebastian waited for a minute until the writing on the needle started to glow a greenish color. Signal for activation, and signal for extraction. Ciel could only watch, as Sebastian slowly began to such out a white substance from his body, glowing slightly in a haze of smoke and energy. And then, just like that, Sebastian got his prize, and rested Ciel down onto the ground. Ciel's soul was in Sebastian's hand. "Bastard, what in hell do you think you're doing?!" Ciel yelled. "Enjoying my dinner." "WE HAD A DEAL, SEBASTIAN!" ",... Well, I'm afraid that just expired. Farewell, my young lord, it's been interesting working with you." And with a slow release, the soul began to seep out of the needle, and Sebastian began to inhale Ciel's soul right in front of him! Ciel wanted to rush in, but Undertaker oddly stopped him from continuing. "Undertaker, let go!" "Just watch, my young earl," Undertaker said, and before Ciel knew it, the entire soul was now gone, and all eaten by this satisfied demonic entity. Sebastian took a moment to relish the taste of such a soul, very pure ironically. A soft smile went over Sebastian's face, as if he achieved his life goal. "Like the fruits of Eden. ... And yet, just as deceiving. ..." Blood began to seep out of Sebastian's mouth. Sebastian simply stood there for a moment or two, and the contract on his hand began to glow a bright red. Ciel's eye began to do the same, but his lasted shorter than Sebastian's symbol. Once the glowing stopped, Sebastian closed his eyes, and fell backwards onto the floor, a single thud echoing throughout the room. ... Silence. "W-Wha ... S-Sebastian? ..." Ciel slowly walked over to the butler, the demon simply laying there on the ground, not reacting to anything going on, or the presence of Ciel looming over him. The only other sound was Sombra walking up behind Ciel, as he proceeded to grab him by the collar. "Well, my little Phantomhive. ... On that contract, you've agreed that heaven will never be in your reach. So you wouldn't mind it then, to be the first of your group to visit the Catacombs." "The ... The Catacombs?" Ciel felt something tighten on his throat, only to find a metal collar and some chain, which Sombra had a firm grip on. With a snap of his fingers, a portal opened on up right by the alter, and Ciel immediately knew what that meant. "NO YOU DON'T, DEMON!" Bardroy roared, gunfire suddenly ringing out. Each shot though either missed, or was blocked by a shield Sombra had made around himself. The plan wasn't going to get him killed, not by anyone. Instinctively, once that didn't work, Bardroy grabbed his young lord and tried to keep him from getting dragged into the Underworld. Ciel tried to get the chains broken, but it was no use out of that either. Bardroy glanced over and saw that Victoria and Undertaker weren't doing anything! "Don't just stand there, bloody help!" Bardroy yelled. But neither of them did much of anything. "It was fun, Ciel, but I'll find another dog." Victoria said. "Sombra would know better than to drag us down with him," added Undertaker. At that moment, Sombra had enough with him: and whipped Ciel right out of his hands! Ciel was launched upward, and slammed into the ceiling before hitting the ground below, much to Bardroy's shock. The soldier tried to regain himself, but by the time he did, Ciel and Sombra were already right by the portal. Bardroy didn't had time to grab Ciel again, and could only watch his master get pulled right through. And after that, the portal disappeared, and everything was quiet. Ciel was gone. And Sebastian was dead. "... Damnit. DAMNIT." Bardroy fell to his knees, facing the alter where Ciel was just standing. His efforts were in vain after all, but then a bit of anger shot through him after a bit, his eyes turning back and locking onto Victoria and Undertaker. "YOU IDIOTS, WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP?!" Bardroy roared. "Well that's simple: if we got involved, we'd be dragged down to hell as well," replied Victoria. "And you let Ciel die because of that?!" "Of course." Bardroy couldn't believe his ears. But before he could continue, they all began to hear a sort of quiet whimpering coming from Alphonse nearby. It didn't matter if they could see him or not, just seeing both Sebastian and Ciel get taken away like that, and him not doing anything, simply broke him. Bardroy locked up his anger for a bit, and went over to Alphonse. It's gonna be a long ride back home. ...
S05Ep8: Castaway ~キャスト・アウェイ~*caw* *caw* "H-Huh? ... A-A few more." *peck* "Ow!" What a ride. Aladdin's eyes were met with a bit of a blur of light hitting his face, though it didn't help that a bird was squawking in his face, the noise belonging to an island seabird, a seagull to be exact, and a quick peck got Aladdin springing upright. Once Aladdin did that, the bird hopped back, along with about three others who thought they found a meal on the beach. Speaking of which, Aladdin needed time to figure out what beach he washed up on, yet it wasn't anything he could recognize, or anything familiar at all: a smooth sandy coastline, the waters cold yet smoothed out gently grazing his feet, and the storm having passed hours ago. Aladdin's hair had also unraveled from the storm as it turned out, no longer being the long ponytail and sprawled out behind him, soaking wet and salt-logged from the sea. But, that was the least of Aladdin's issues, as he just managed to get up to his feet, a bit groggy, and taking a moment to wring out his hair of what water was still in it from the waves. "Guys! Anyone here?!" Aladdin called, as loud as he could manage, but not a sound of Heine, Morgiana, Grell, Hoopa, or Gaara was anywhere. The only sounds came from the sea and a few stray birds, who now kept a further distance from Aladdin. The young magi took time to look around the place, but that didn't really help him much either, as there was little to no clue on any civilization anywhere. Not here, not above, nowhere. "An island? ... But where is this place? Is this Japan, or no?" questions like these went through Aladdin's head, as he looked around. From where he was, it looked like a bay of sorts, the land shaped in a U, and Aladdin facing to the exit of the bay leading back out to the ocean. "How'd I even get here? ... Wait, hold on ..." "Alright, Gaara? Are you feeling better now?" "... more or less." It had been quite a while, a little longer than some would like, but eventually, along that same coast, Aladdin's little caravan was ready to make the final trek back to Japan. With their Shukaku incident though, there was a bit of a setback of course. "Oh, about time. I can't wait to see my Bassie and share my valiant story!~" Grell cooed, very excited. This would be the part for heart to pop up alongside his head as he wooed over the idea. "Who this "bassie"?! Can someone fill me in, please, I'm getting tired of Romeo bragging about Juliet over here," Hoopa griped, hands over his ears (or where they would be). "Sebastian is his name, and apparently Grell Sutcliff has a bit of an engagement with the devil. ... Though it's more one-sided," Heine answered, actually just as annoyed about it as Hoopa was (shocking, I know). Aladdin got the flying carpet all ready to go, laid out on the sand, and big enough for a full group ride. The others got on, but Morgiana and Gaara were a little slower. Morgiana was alright, but it was Gaara who was still trying to heal up from his experience. "You ready to come with us, Gaara?" "Ready as I'll ever be," Gaara replied, Morgiana staying by his side just in case he would fall again. Both Fanalis walked over to the carpet, and Gaara sat on down for their flight. The once vessel for Shukaku took a look off out to the ocean, still having vivid memories of the incident going through his mind, at least based off what the others told him. Aladdin took a glance over to Gaara. "Don't worry Gaara, you won't have to worry about him anymore," Aladdin reassured him. Gaara sighed. "I know, it's just feels so ... different. To not have him inside me ..." Gaara paused and felt his chest. "You'll get used to it, Gaara," Heine made clear, Aladdin happily agreeing. Gaara took a look over to Morgiana, who while not looking too excited, she did still had a smile on her face for her own reassurance. Gaara wasn't used to such compassion yet, but if this group could banish Shukaku out of him in such a way, then perhaps he should take their words in, and not block them out so much. "... One thing before we go? ... Heine? how did you know about Shukaku?" Gaara asked. That was one thing that wasn't explained all too well, and Heine adjusted his glasses. "I am one of the bright minds of the Overworld, Gaara. Studying on such things are essential, even if they are from the Underworld," Heine answered. Fair enough. After getting that cleared up, the flying carpet began to lift up slowly off the ground, ready to fly off on its way. Aladdin knew where to go from here, and it will be a straight shot from here right back to Tokyo in no time at all. Once they got high enough, with some focus on the carpet, they were soon heading off and flying over the ocean. "We're coming home." ....... And not a moment too soon did they leave, as someone else walked out into the open and over by the shore not even a minute after they've flown off. He could sense that Shukaku was here, looking out to where Shukaku had melted away. A bit of a sting had struck him on this revelation, and he looked up to the group flying away, none of which had notice him down on the shore. Even if they had, they wouldn't want to stop to pick him up. "How wonderful," he groaned. "The one time I'm a little late, and Shukaku's dead. ... And killed by a rag-tag team no less. ... Oh well, maybe I can still find some sort of use out of one of them yet." ~~ The day continued ticking on by, and the group was still flying over the sea, land no longer in too much sight in between the Asia mainland and the Japanese island. As far as much of the flights had been going, the flight over the japan sea was a pretty nice one, and a very calm little trip with clear skies above, and calm waters below. The group had a very relaxing ride so far, this part of traveling shouldn't be too time-consuming. "We should be getting to Tokyo by this afternoon. Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing them again," Aladdin noted. "I do wonder how they'll react to seeing our group though. Not too surprised, hopefully," Heine noted, looking back to Grell, Hoopa, Gaara, and Morgiana. "This is Team Harmony, Heine, they'll like them, I know they will," Aladdin reassured. "Who's Team Harmony?" Morgiana asked. "Oh, they're my friends: Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, Karma, Ed, Ciel, lots of people. I haven't seen them for a while now, I wonder how they're doing," Aladdin wondered. Morgiana was a little taken aback by how many friends Aladdin had waiting for him off back at home. He already had a bit of a varied crowd as it was, so Morgiana could only wonder what kind of friends Aladdin would have when they do get to Tokyo. As Aladdin looked back, another thought had struck him when he saw Hoopa. "Hey, what're we going to do with Hoopa when we get back?" Aladdin asked. Heine glanced over back to Hoopa, Who at the moment was just floating over by Grell. "We'll leave that for Celestia to work out," Heine simply stated, though Hoopa did hear over what he said and wasn't too thrilled about it. If he didn't have the cuffs still stuck on him, this wouldn't be so bad at all. Hoopa just groaned and laid down onto the flying carpet, looking downward to the water underneath them. nothing much but blue, and rippling rushing along away from them. nothing exactly too weird, but as he continued looking on, something just underneath the waves began to move in on them. Hoopa kept an eye on this thing for a good minute, and it actually got right underneath them with lightning speed, staying under the shadow of the flying carpet. Hoopa kept a eye on this mass following them, and even with how they were moving, something reached out from the water, and touched the bottom of the carpet. "... Shit." "What're you complaining about now?" Grell asked, ready to plug his ears from whatever complaints he had in mind. Hoopa though felt a bit more troubled, and floated up above Grell's head, keeping off of the carpet as best as he could do. Heine and Aladdin turned around. "Now what?" Heine sighed. "Look-bay under the carp-ae." "... What?" "Under the carpet," Hoopa said, pointing down and talking through gritted teeth. Confusing but Aladdin took a look anyway, only to find nothing but the water. ....... "Gullible." The carpet suddenly stopped, and much of the group had moved to the corners of the floating carpet, leaving room at the center for a sudden newcomer to just pop up out of nowhere, and grab Aladdin by the back the ponytail, quickly catching his attention. Looking over his shoulder ... "S-Sombra?!" Sombra stared Aladdin down for a moment, pulling him upright. Sombra also, for some reason, had a gothic parasol above his head, guessing to seal him from the sun since no other shade was anywhere out in the sea. "And where're you all going?" Sombra calmly asked. "Not your issue," Heine said. Sombra kept Aladdin at a grip, Aladdin struggling to get himself out, but suddenly Aladdin was pulled right up to Sombra's face, their eyes locking with eachother. Clearly this demon was after something, and they were starting to worry. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you this time. ... Just a simple question for you to answer for me, and I know you do. ... Where. Is. Team Harmony?" "W-Who?" Aladdin asked, a bit more confused than scared. Sombra got a little irritable on that answer, his eyes looking to Hoopa. his fingers snapped, and an open palm waited for something. "Ring, Hoopa," Sombra demanded. Hoopa readied a ring to keep his own safety in tact, but the others weren't going to let him do that so easily, and tried to keep him from giving the ring to him. Sombra snatched it though, regardless, and he wasn't going to fool around. "Lugia. You better cooperate." "L-Lugia?" Then came what almost felt like a blur: the ring was tossed out to the sea, and Aladdin felt himself suddenly being spun in the air, Sombra holding him by his ponytail before throwing him right on through the ring! "Oh yeah. ... Oh no." *BAM!* Before Aladdin could properly process this turn of events, the sound of a crash over nearby made him jump out of his skin. Who knew what it was on this island? He didn't see who, what, or where it came from at first, but he only needed to go inland a little bit to figure that out. Turned out he wasn't alone: Hoopa was on the ground, a bit shaken, and his cuffs actually glowing for a bit, fading away when Aladdin went closer to him. "Hoopa! you alright?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa didn't reply at first, a bit out of it from his supposed flight, but he did eventually shake himself off ... and grab Aladdin by the throat. "YOU DUMBASS, NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID! WE'RE BOTH STUCK HERE NOW!" Hoopa yelled. Aladdin got himself free, shaken but not broken. "Sorry, sorry. Have you seen the others?" "Hell if I know, but who cares?! Why didn't you tell that Sombra where that team was?" "Hoopa I can't rat out on my friends!" "Why not?! It's them or you!" retorted Hoopa. Aladdin stepped back on the sudden response. "But I can't!" retorted Aladdin. "Then Sombra's gonna place you on his mantle!" Hoopa huffed, turning his back to him and crossing his arms. There was a bit of silence at first, but Aladdin did speak again. "But ... I know, I'll just mislead him! It'll give the others some time to get ready!" Aladdin decided. "Didn't help you just now," Hoopa coldly spat, shooting down the idea almost immediately. Hoopa turned to face Aladdin again. "Come on, you dumbass, this isn't some dumb game we're playing, it's a demon king we're talking about!" "I know but -" "Aladdin? You know, I was actually starting to tolerate you and your little gang. But if you're gonna be so stupid, I'm not gonna stick around to see the result! I want to live. Even if you don't!" And with that final remark, Hoopa turned and began to float away, leaving Aladdin alone standing on his part of the beach. ~~ From there, it was mainly silent stairs for Hoopa and Aladdin. With nowhere else to really go, Aladdin went on inland to the island to try and get his bearings together. The island he ended up wasn't giving him anything fancy to work with: lots of short grass, a few bushes and large rocks. Wind was also a stronger issue here, since there's nothing to block the wind off the island was hit with a good amount of it. Poor Aladdin didn't have much to work with: no Vessel, no turban, no staff, nothing but his own two feet and what memory he had on him. Well, what was a young Magi to do, without knowing where to even go or how to get off the island? ... *BOOM* "What now?" Hoopa was trying to get comfortable as best he could on the island since he ditched Aladdin, but he still was just as lost as Aladdin was when it came to this island in particular. He tried to get some rest, but the sound of explosions not too far away was just enough to make him stir and wake up. Did Sombra find them after their encounter or what? Floating a bit, Hoopa eventually found the source of the racket being from Aladdin himself, who was now on the ground after a seemingly decent-sized explosion, judging by the amount of clouds. "What you doing now, pyro?" Hoopa asked, now above him and staring him down. Aladdin got himself up after a little bit. "Trying to get stronger," Aladdin replied. guess that would explain the lack of enemy. "Hold it, that was you?" Hoopa asked, Aladdin getting to his feet. Aladdin looked a little beaten up from whatever exploded, singe marks on him (comically, probably). "Heine told me I should start learning more offensive spells, but I don't think it's working," Aladdin sighed. Aladdin walked over to the spot where he was standing, and tried again, this time Hoopa watching him from a little closer. To Hoopa's surprise, Aladdin focused and his hands actually began to glow, forming what looked like a silver orb in his hands. This same orb began to look a little unstable, and Hoopa bolted for some rock cover just before it exploded on Aladdin again, launching Aladdin back. "Why isn't it working?" Aladdin groaned. "What're you even trying to do? Commit suicide? Because you're getting pretty damn close," Hoopa asked, though he was more curious than sarcastic. "I'm trying to make a magic beam, but this keeps happening. I don't think I'll ever get this right." "... You do know that a Gyro Ball you're making, right?" Hoopa asked. "Gyro Ball?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa, hand to forehead, went right up to the Magi. "Aladdin, you're not making a beam, you're making a bomb! You got the Gyro Ball perfectly, you just keep forgetting to throw it!" Hoopa made clear. Was that what that was? Hoopa didn't even need to hear Aladdin to know that the magi was a bit new to it. "Look, do it again, but throw it this time," Hoopa instructed. considering he didn't have much else to do, Aladdin did so, and after some focus, the same silver orb formed in his hands. Instead of keeping it, Aladdin grabbed it and threw it further away. The Gyro Ball floated a bit until it made contact with a nearby rock, and only then did it explode, doing some good damage to the rock itself for impact and explosion. Aladdin was blank-faced on the realization. "There, see? Though you might wanna work on making that thing a bit stable," Hoopa suggested, though that mainly was because if they do end up fighting something, he didn't want to explode. Aladdin turned to Hoopa, and actually smiled. "Thanks, Hoopa," Aladdin said. Now Hoopa was a bit confused. "Eh, for what? I barely did anything." "You told me what I was doing wrong," Aladdin answered, working another Gyro Ball some more confidence. "Eh, that's not exactly new between us, you know," Hoopa shrugged, as Aladdin launched the Gyro Ball again. However, this one was going against the strong wind, and actually made a U-Turn at them! Both Magi and Djinn ducked as the Gyro Ball zoomed by, exploding behind them and hitting another rocky outcrop, this time the speed crumbling the rock. "... Note: do not throw a Gyro Ball against strong winds," Hoopa meekly stated. "Yeah. Got it," Aladdin replied meekly. both of them got up, lucky to avoid the hit, and looked back to the damage the Gyro Ball had made. They ended up finding the rock blown up in half, one side blasted to pieces, showing just how strong a Gyro Ball could be. There was quite an explosion cloud as well, which took a bit to clear away, but once it cleared, Aladdin and Hoopa were met with another little surprise for this island: a tunnel going into the island itself. That was an interesting thing to see, considering a huge rock was covering it up. "Eh? A tunnel?" Aladdin wondered, going a little closer to investigate. This wasn't an ordinary tunnel, old, rock stairs going down into it. This was a ruin they were looking at, and Aladdin grew rather intrigued from it. Hoopa actually feeling a little similar. "... You uh ... want to check it out?" Aladdin asked. Hoopa thought for a bit, and then just shrugged. "Why not? I got literally nothing else to do," Hoopa replied. ....... So, with Aladdin taking the lead, both he and Hoopa started to go down into the tunnel, watching what steps they made as the ventured further into their little tunnel. This tunnel hadn't been used for a very long time, extremely quiet, and the air stale from the test of time. As far as light was concerned, it got very limited as they kept going down, darker and darker until they could barely see eachother. It was then that Hoopa flew a bit closer to Aladdin, just to be sure he didn't end up lost or get hit by anything in this cave. "You hadn't figure out some sort of light spell, did you?" Hoopa asked. "Eh ... no. I don't think so," Aladdin replied, though he wished he did at this point. Who really knew where this actually went to. "Well, at least this is a straight line, we won't get lost in - WHOA!" "Aladdin!" all of a sudden, Aladdin lost his footing when his foot met air, and the Magi found a drop off on about ten feet downward. Aladdin was alright, though a little bit sore from the fall, Hoopa bolting down to him from the drop-off. Aladdin found the bottom of this tunnel was less rock and more sand, so he had that going for him at least, Aladdin shaking off the drop and both Djinn and Magi looking around. They weren't sure at first if the tunnel continued or not, but soon they both actually started to notice a dimly lit light further down their little tunnel. Well, onward and forward. After getting up, Aladdin and Hoopa followed the light down the tunnel a ways, the light itself a shade of blue rather than natural light. They sure got a bit of a surprise when Hoopa and Aladdin got to the source of this light. A large, open cavern, varying lights from what appeared to be crystals scattered around. Water from the sea washed in from a few tunnels, keeping this part of the cave moist and cool with mist coming in and out from the waves outside. As for the 'ruin' aspect of it, they took note of a few platforms over at the center of the area, looking like a meditation platform. "No. Way." "What?" Aladdin looked to Hoopa, looking completely speechless (first time), and Hoopa turned Aladdin's head to focus on where he was looking. Aladdin soon ended up completely speechless in his own way, eyes wide in awe at what, or who, he was seeing. The figure was hidden off just past the platform, over by the edge of the cooling mist coming in. By the looks of it, he was actually cleaning his long silver hair in the water, not saying a word, and letting his hair soak up the mist like it was water running in a shower. Once he was done, he stood up, tossing his hair back and letting it flow down his shoulders. Then he turned around, noticing Hoopa and Aladdin standing just by the entrance. He looked a little surprised and off guard seeing them. "...Oh my. ... Y-You're ... y-you're ..." Aladdin couldn't even say it, he was so amazed. The figure just sighed. "... I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. Hello, Aladdin. Hoopa," the figure said, calm and collected. "... Lugia. ..." In the flesh. Lugia took a minute before fully turning to them, the two deities humbled at Lugia's mere presence in absolute amazement, Aladdin more so than Hoopa. Their eyes sparkled on seeing this long-lost figure. "I-It's really you! The Lugia of the Overworld! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Aladdin beamed. Hoopa quickly got them both to bow down in his presence, just in case so they wouldn't get into trouble for lack of respect, but Lugia wasn't in the mood for formality here. "... I guess Team Harmony's looking for me after all. How did you and your friends find me?" Lugia asked. Aladdin, still kneeling, looking up to Lugia. He needn't lie to the ruler. "W-Well, they didn't: I woke up on the island with Hoopa and ... kinda found the cave," Aladdin admitted. He felt so excited to finally see such a legend in front of him, no way was he going to lie to him about what happened. Lugia thought it over for a minute, and went over to the platform. "Are they with you?" "Uh ... No. ... But wait, h-how'd you know about my friends?" Aladdin asked. Lugia sat down calmly, as Hoopa and Aladdin got up to face him. "I've met with them some time ago, few times in fact. I'm grateful to see you're alright in your mission to find your Djinn, Aladdin. not to mention your involvements afterwards," Lugia said. Aladdin blushed up actually, shocked that Lugia even knew about that, and Aladdin had never met him before up to now. "He knew about that?! He really is as wise as everyone said," Aladdin thought, simply amazed. Lugia then turned to Hoopa, and noticed that he had his cuffs on him. "I see how you kept Hoopa with you, Aladdin. ... Mind if I see them?" Lugia asked. "Uh, ok," Hoopa replied, showing Lugia the cuffs he had that kept him bind down. Hoopa wondered what Lugia was going to do with him, considering he was basically a prisoner to the group when all was said and done. All Lugia did was tap the cuffs, and in that simple motion, the cuffs broke open! "W-What?" "Hoopa. I do want you to be a bit more careful with your power. You're stronger than you think. Can you promise me you'll be careful?" Lugia asked. Hoopa didn't know what to say at first. Here was an Overworld legendary deity, actually deciding to release him from his cuffs. "You're letting me go?" Lugia simply nodded. Hoopa even felt a tear come down his face, but this one was of joy that rushed through him. He floated back over to Aladdin, and they both were just amazed. Yeah, there was no other word to describe it. "Oh my god, this is incredible, we all thought you were dead! Oh, just wait until the others hear about this!" Aladdin beamed, lost for a moment in the concept itself. That was when Lugia actually got in their way before they could go out. "NO!" Lugia said urgently. "... Wait. No?" Hoopa questioned. "... Just. Just don't. It's probably better that the Overworld doesn't know where I am," Lugia stated. Now Aladdin and Hoopa were confused again, Lugia simply walking back over to the platform, and sitting down. "What?! But why?" "Now, it's not a problem you should be worried over. You should probably try to find your friends first," Lugia suggested. Aladdin and Hoopa looked to eachother for a minute or two. However, in the end, they both had to agree. "W-Well ... ok, I guess. Come on, Aladdin, let's go," Hoopa suggested, still very confused. Hoopa went on through the tunnel, but Aladdin wasn't ready to go just yet. An idea came into his head that could change the odds into their favor with the biggest problem going on at the moment. "But Lugia, the demons, they're -" "I know they are. I can't do anything about that. ... I'm sorry ..." "You can't? You are Lugia, aren't you?" Lugia didn't answer, and left it at that. The little Magi didn't know how to react to this, but he could also tell that if Lugia couldn't do anything about it, then this problem was far bigger than he thought. Aladdin felt really reluctant, but he did eventually began to turn and go. "Well, thank you anyway ..." ~~ "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, I can't believe it! Lugia's not just some legend, he's actually alive! And we're the first people to actually find him in person after who knows how long, they're gonna freak!" As Hoopa was going on about it, Aladdin was a bit more concerned with the fact that Lugia refused to return, even after being found. The two were back outside again, not too far from the tunnel. Hoopa was still lost in himself over the very idea to see the exact problem. "Why would Lugia not want to go back home?" Aladdin wondered aloud, trying to think of a possible answer. "Who knows, don't worry about it: once we tell the gang about it, Lugia'll come around." "You really think so?" Aladdin asked. "Sure! That, and who knows how much praise we'll get when we get the news back to the overworld rulers?" Hoopa wondered. Aladdin could see what intentions Hoopa had with this information, and sat up. "You're not planning on running off and causing more trouble because of that, are you?" "What, no way, weren't you listening in there! Lugia wanted me to be more careful, and that's what I'm doing. Least I can do to get out of those damn cuffs," Hoopa said, showing his free arms of the cuffs in question. A thought suddenly struck Aladdin on that fact. "Wait. Oh no, Heine's gonna kill me when he finds this out!" "Oh, who cares?" Hoopa shrugged, but Aladdin wasn't sure if Heine would believe him or not. Sure, Lugia was a big deal, but he was also missing for god knows how many years, the odds of Heine buying it are pretty low. "Hoopa, can't you think about something besides yourself for a minute?" "Hey, I've been stuck being prisoner for weeks already. Besides, I'm not going anywhere, I don't know where we are!" Hoopa replied. Aladdin then thought of something. "Wait ... how'd you find me anyway?" "Those cuffs have a sort of aura sensory on them. If I go over a mile away, those cuffs pull me straight back to whoever put them on me, and since you were teleported away by Sombra, they yanked me right to here ... wherever here is," Hoopa explained. Aladdin thought it over for a moment, and then realized something else. "Just a mile away ... then that means -" "ALADDIN! HOOPA!" Well, talk about luck (good or bad, it really depends). Both Djinn and Magi looked upward, and sure enough their guess was right. Up above them, flying Aladdin's turban still, the rest of the gang was up above their heads. Heine, Gaara, Grell and Morgiana, all looked down to the duo on the island, and they were more than quick to land down onto ground to see them. Well, looking at them all, it was clear that Sombra didn't hurt anyone else, so it was glad to see that anyway. Once they landed, Morgiana went off first, and rushed right over to Aladdin, giving him a vice-grip of a hug. Her way of showing how happy she was to see him alive, though the strength factor didn't help Aladdin much of any. "You're alright. I was worried," Morgiana said. Gaara got her to let Aladdin go, the kid dropping to the ground. "Same. You all ok? What happened?" "A bit peculiar, but Sombra soon left us after he threw you through the ring. Hoopa's cuffs began to pull him out of sight, and as such we followed him here. Speaking of." then confirmed Aladdin's worries, as Heine was quick to notice the cuffs actually missing on Hoopa's arms. "What happened to his cuffs?" "Er, well uh -" "GUYS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!" Hoopa suddenly said, in between Aladdin and Heine. It was enough to make Heine jump back seeing Hoopa so excited. "We can see your cuffs are off, Hoopa," Gaara said. "No not that! Well, ok, that's sweet, but guys ... Oh, you wanna say it or me?" Hoopa asked, turning to Aladdin. Aladdin had only that to work with for an answer to the cuffs, so he might as well go on with it. "Ok, ready? ... WE FOUND LUGIA." ... There was a long silence. ... "Who's Lugia?" Gaara asked. Morgiana shrugged, but Grell and Heine were a bit more in the know on that one. "Who's Lugia?! The legend of legends of Overworld, that's who! And get this, he's right inside that tunnel!" Hoopa added in, pointing directly down the tunnel they've traveled through. Heine paused and went over to his student, feeling his head. "You don't seem feverish. No bumps either." Not very amusing. "Sir, I mean it, we just saw him inside that tunnel, we swear!" Aladdin insisted. "Aladdin. Lugia has been missing for hundreds of years. If you did decide to just remove the cuffs from Hoopa, just say so." "That wasn't him, Lugia got them off me! Aladdin doesn't have the spunk to get em off me." "Yeah! ... Hey!" Aladdin said. Hoopa knew he was right though. As they continued talking though, Morgiana took a look down the same tunnel Aladdin was talking about, and she stayed quiet to focus down it. Gaara actually did the same thing, but it was Morgiana who had the higher advantage here. Even so, they reached a similar conclusion. Soon though, Morgiana took lead, and went right on inside, Gaara following behind. "Hey, where're you going?!" Grell called. "Wait up!" Aladdin added, running after them. Guess they got the memo before they could reach it, and Hoopa joined Aladdin in going after them. Well, it was back to the cave again. Just ahead of them, Morgiana lead the party down through the tunnel. Unlike before, this one took a bit less time to navigate through, and it honestly took them little time to even reach the same cave from earlier. With one particular difference ... ....... "Wait. Where is he? Lugia, where're you?!" Gone. It was just minutes, and Lugia had disappeared from the cave. Not a soul in there. With only one exit out of the tunnel, how the hell did that even happen? They all looked around for some sign of Lugia, but there was literally nothing there, as if it hadn't been touched for as long as those ruins remained there. The others caught up with them, and while the ruins were interesting, they weren't convinced. "Where's Lugia?" "But he was here. how'd he even get out, there was just one exit out of here," Hoopa wondered, trying to find some sort of clue to how Lugia would've gotten out. Heine was ready to confront them, but then he felt something touch against his foot: the same cuffs Hoopa had on. They still remained unlocked and open from the interaction earlier, and Heine picked one up to examine it closer. "Interesting ..." "Over here," Morgiana stated, now standing on the platform. Morgiana's senses were telling her things weren't as they seemed. She looked right down to the platform, raised her fists, and slammed them both down right onto the platform! Not even the Fanalis strength could break this platform, but it did actually give a clean split right down the middle, as if it was already there. Morgiana got her hands in between, and managed to pull apart the heavy platforms with only slight strain on her part. "... Well, that's one way of doing it," Hoopa commented. Heine went on over to the extra passage to see what it was about, but the path was completely submerged in seawater after about a foot inside. Well so much for a simple pass to find Lugia. "Well, it's clear that whoever was in here doesn't want anyone to follow," Heine noted. "Lugia ..." Aladdin thought. This was the only other way out of this chamber, and now it got blocked out of their way. "Let's be off then. It won't be for too long until we reach Japan, and then everyone can join together again," Heine instructed. Aladdin and Hoopa looked down into the water for a moment, both reaching the same conclusion that Lugia had to of used this passage to get out. Both Djinn and Magi glanced to eachother for a moment or two, Morgiana staying by their side and looking into it as well. Aladdin and Hoopa couldn't see much past it, but Morgiana closed her eyes and got to her knees. ... "Damnit! Now what do we do?" Hoopa groaned. His chance to be on better terms with Overworld were now dashed. However, Morgiana and her Fanalis senses were telling her otherwise, and it wasn't her sense of smell talking to her this time. And she dove right into it! "Morgiana, wait!" called Heine. But Morgiana didn't stop her swimming. Aladdin wanted them to see Lugia, and Morgiana was going to make that happen. The extra tunnel was a bit more manmade than the tunnel getting here, and surprisingly a bit short, only going through about a minute or so before Morgiana saw the end of it. Morgiana took her breath once she breached the surface, and found that this lead to a opening right on the edge of the island coast, opening out to the sea, and the seawater washing into the tunnel from the waves. The cave itself was simply a evidential sea cave, and nothing side from the tunnel she swam through appeared to be mad made, with land being convenient in the cave by a small path alongside. And there was Lugia. Standing with his face to the sea, a little wet from the swim still, and Morgiana sensed that this man was more than what he appeared to be. Lugia didn't notice Morgiana just yet, a bit too distracted with his own thoughts on the matter. "They've actually found me. And so soon too ... Now what am I supposed to do?" Lugia wondered, still thinking no one else was there to hear him. At least, no one at the tunnel ... "There you are." Lugia felt a shiver run through him, and after a short minute, someone else walked out from outside of the cave, and out into sight of Lugia. This was the very thing he didn't want to happen. Sombra had found him. Morgiana kept very quiet, almost completely submerged in the water with only the top of her head above water to breathe. Sombra and Lugia stood facing eachother for a minute or so, eye to eye with one another. "Sombra. It has been a while. ... I notice your plan has become active over the last year," Lugia noted. "It has, yes. And I notice your "Team Harmony" throwing my kind for a hellish loop," Sombra remarked. Lugia was well aware of that with a nod of his head as Sombra moved a bit closer to him. "I was starting to wonder if you've moved on, Lugia. Glad to see you're still with us," Sombra noted, but Lugia wasn't exactly happy to hear that. "If you could find a way around it, you would've killed me by now." "You make a decent point. Speaking of which, we both know you're just prolonging the inevitable this way. ... Though, interesting that you've been giving your vision to that Nagisa Shiota of yours." "What would you expect when I have to keep isolated like this? It's all I can do ... or could do." "Right. So there's no point in hiding anymore, is there? That, and the humans are very much aware of us by now, but you already knew that, I bet," Sombra concluded. The images of Hellgar, Pluton, and the involvement with Elysium, Lugia had to agree. "Right. Sombra, you're not still considering that, are you? ... I'm beginning to worry about you." "Lugia, my demons had been getting killed left and right by the Angels of your fleets, not to mention the humans as well. I'm too deep in to turn around now. Besides, things are looking up for me here." "Have they now?" "I'm afraid their Sebastian has killed himself ... As bothering as that is," sombra revealed, pausing to reflect on that particular incident in his head. Lugia felt humbled on that answer too. "... I guess the price of Ciel's soul was too much for him, huh?" "I suppose. And here I thought I could find another loophole in that rule this time. I was liking Sebastian." "There's unforeseeable consequences to some of these rules you simply can't avoid, Sombra," Lugia made clear, which was only frustrating the demon lord. "Tell me something I don't know," Sombra groaned. "... Well, it's a little late to ask you to stop, I suppose. But don't take this as us giving up in the other worlds." "I'm well aware of that, Team Harmony ultimately proved it. Though, this does mean you're going to have to come back out of hiding, Lugia." "Don't think that it'll come to fruition, Sombra. Team Harmony had proved that the future isn't as concrete as you might think," Lugia cleared up. Sombra pondered for a moment or two, but the shadows around Lugia began to shift and move a little bit. "Maybe. ... But we both know what's going to happen, now that I found you." "... Yes. ... I know ..." *BAM* Out of nowhere, Morgiana jumped into action, and got right in between Lugia and Sombra, both deities caught off guard by her sudden jump in. Her force was enough to crush the ground, and nearly make the cave crumble from her strength alone. Sombra almost tumbled into the sea before regaining his feet and looked in surprise to see Morgiana standing in the way. "What in the world?" Sombra asked. "You nearly killed Aladdin," Morgiana stated coldly, obviously not happy to see him, nor seeing him ready to get at Lugia. "Damnit. Sure, they saw me, but ... but how did she get here? If she's here, then -" *GASP* Then entered the others coming in, or at least one of them, as Aladdin breached the surface, Hoopa jumping out as well, quickly getting dry and seeing what was going on. Lugia was a bit surprised as well with this reveal, and Sombra couldn't get at anything now that they were here. And no way was Morgiana willing to listen to him anytime soon. After some short thinking, Sombra felt a stab at his own plan. "One detail, just one detail. Damnit! We'll finish this later." And with that remark, a frustrated Sombra went off and jumped over out of the cave, turning into shadows before going down into the water. Morgiana rushed to try and get him, but by the time she got to the edge of the cave, she was only met with the shore of the sea, and the waves of the water. Sombra had gotten away from them, but at least Lugia was alright. Aladdin and Hoopa went over to Lugia, Morgiana as well, and before Lugia could even calm down, Grell, Gaara, and Heine breached the surface of the tunnel. "I do wish you wouldn't keep running off like -" Heine was cut off the second he saw the unmistakable Lugia standing there, a little shaken, but alright all the same. "There, see?! We told you!" Hoopa insisted, reminding them why they were back in the tunnel in the first place. The whole group now found Lugia, for better or worse. Lugia straightened up and tried to calm from what he thought was the end, Heine's irises shrunken and eyes wide in absolute shock. "Oh, well who's this then?" Gaara questioned, not recognizing him at first. Heine though was down on his knees, and forced Grell and Gaara to do the same by grabbing them both and pulling them down. "Hey!" Gaara snapped. "Don't you realize who you're talking to?" Heine questioned, a bit firmer than usual. Lugia knew well, especially with Heine now there, that there was no hiding anymore. "... Hello everyone," Lugia sighed. "My lord. Lugia. I ... words can't express how wonderful this is to see you," Heine said humbly. The feeling was a bit mutual though, but Heine didn't realize that just yet. "And you thought we were making it up," Hoopa said, nudging Heine a bit in a "told-you-so" manner. Gaara though could see that Lugia was indifferent about it, and got up to his feet. "Looks like someone had a different idea in mind," Gaara noted, and Lugia just nodded to confirm it, which confused a good amount of them. "Not that I'm not happy to see you again. ... But I have to ask, how did you even find me? Aladdin and Hoopa told me his ring had something to do with it?" Lugia asked, wanting that cleared up. "Hoopa's cuffs activated and pulled him to Aladdin. All we had to do was follow the same direction. It's such a great honor to see you after so many years, my lord," Heine explained. Lugia sighed, and looked over what kind of group they had found him. A Djinn, Magi, Angel, two Fanalis, and a Reaper. Quite a mixed bag, surely. "My lord. I'm sorry to pry, but the Overworld needs your help more than ever now. The demons had been -" "Yes. The Underworld beings had been coming out and fighting against the surface world, I'm well aware of that. ... Especially with Pluton's involvement back in central." Heine wasn't gonna question how Lugia knew that incident in particular. "Right. We need you back, Lugia," Heine stated, calmer now. This time though, Lugia turned away and just looked out to the sea. "... No." "Excuse me?" "Look. Heine. You've got a whole lot of help from the Overworld, and the surface world as is. you even have some Underworld aid right now ... It'll only make things worse if I do enter into the field myself." Similar to earlier, a pause hung in the air, but this one didn't last too long. "How so?" Heine asked. Lugia wasn't sure if going into detail was a good idea or not, but Morgiana actually whispered the full situation to Aladdin, seeing what had happened herself in full. Aladdin's eyes widened on the detail she had gotten, and Gaara just managed to overhear them. "Sombra?" Aladdin quietly gasped. Morgiana nodded, and Lugia just sighed. "Let's just leave it at that, Heine. ... I'm sorry." ....... "Who's controlling you?" The group looked over to Gaara, who at this point walked right up to Lugia. This situation was by far too familiar to him, and even if it was just a few days, Gaara wasn't going to see this play out again. "Well, no one exactly." "Don't lie to me; I've literally gone through this days before ending up here. If there's anyone that can get this demon away from you, it would be them," Gaara made clear, referring to the group themselves. Them getting rid of Shukaku was more than enough proof for him, but Lugia had a different view in mind. "It's not the same. You isolated yourself to save those from a being far stronger than you are. ..." "Well then what's the problem? You saying you're strong enough to beat whatever's bugging you," Grell pointed out. Lugia took a look down to his hand. Lugia stayed quiet for a bit, but he just closed his hand and looked to the sea again. "... Too strong. ..." "What was that?" Gaara's question was met with silence, and before anyone could stop him, Lugia followed where sombra had left, and jumped right into the water! This time the others got to the water's edge, and Morgiana even jumped into the water, but as quickly as Sombra did, Lugia was already gone. Morgiana got herself out, the others a bit unsure what was going on with Lugia. Many of whatever detail they got were pretty vague after all. "Ok, so we can do one of two things: go off after Lugia, or go off after Japan. Flip of the coin here, which one is it?" Hoopa asked, waiting for some sort of answer. Heine thought it over pretty hard, and he went on out to the open ocean. "... How many of you want to go back to Tokyo?" Heine asked. Bassie's waiting for me, of course I do!" Grell insisted. Morgiana felt a little uneasy with that answer though, considering what she just heard from Sombra. "I'll go wherever Aladdin goes," Morgiana said. Gaara felt similarly to getting back to Japan, and nodded his head. Aladdin though felt a little bit torn between the options. "Well, Tokyo, but what're you thinking of sir?" "In that case. Hoopa, you care to give everyone a quicker ride home." "What, no way, I can't carry all of them!" Hoopa retorted. "I meant with your rings," Heine corrected. "Oh ... Mkay," and taking out one of the rings, he began to get ready as Heine started to explain. "All of you, go back with Hoopa to Tokyo. I'm going after Lugia." "Wait, by yourself?" Aladdin asked. "I'll be alright. Go back to Tokyo and try to get Hoopa to the Overworld for me. If they ask, tell them that Heine's on a very important task. Think you can do that for me?" Heine placed a hand on Aladdin's shoulder after explaining that. Getting back was important, but if they could get Lugia on the level, even better. "... Yes sir," Aladdin said. ....... "Oh wait, before we go, there's something I gotta get!" Hoopa realized. Tossing another ring to the ceiling, Hoopa bolted up, and came back with the other items they came in with: turban, staff, vessel and all. "Since when were you compassionate?" Grell questioned. "Hey, Lugia asked me to stop acting so cheeky, and I don't want to get into cuffs again," Hoopa said, tossing the items to Aladdin. Well, it's not a good reason, but it's a reason. Hoopa then got the same ring and got it a lot bigger, enough to make it a sort of gateway for them all to go through. Well, all there was left to do was do just that, and the group began to head on through the portal Hoopa had created. Aladdin paused and looked back one more time before he too went through as well, and soon, Heine was by himself. "... Good luck."
S05Ep9: Dueler of Transmutation ~変容の闘い~"So, Olivier, how much longer til we get to this Slicer guy anyway?" Karma, Pinkie, and Blair had been quite a bit on the move since they left the gang back in Tokyo. Going on through the place inside a military chopper was quite a bit of a change when compared to the carriage Alex had, not to mention little time to actually relax. How can one actually sleep in a military chopper anyway? The only one who actually got some true sleep was Blair, who was curled up as a cat over by some of Olivier's soldiers. Karma was just watching the world go by as they went on, and it was Pinkie who was the most excited to see this Slicer guy, much to Olivier's annoyance. "About one second closer than the last time you asked," Olivier replied, unamused by Pinkie's questions. Pinkie Pie was getting more and more impatient with each passing second to reach this Slicer, and if even half of what Sebastian told them was true, then they were in for a pretty difficult time. ... Whenever they would get there, that is. "UGH, how do they tolerate her?!" Olivier thought, her teeth grinding from having to deal with Pinkie Pie's antics for WAY longer than she would like. Karma glanced over to the front, seeing how frustrated Olivier was getting. "That's just Pinkie for you, you're just gonna have to handle it," Karma advised. no that wasn't exactly helping, but no other exact advice can make the mark at all. After that, he went on and looked back outside. Winter may be on it's later legs back in Tokyo, but the further they went, the colder the area seemed to be, and more snow covered up the ground underneath them, and some falling down from the clouds around them. Wherever they were going, it was pretty far north, and looking at the foreign trees, far away. Karma wasn't showing it as much as Pinkie Pie, but he too was getting a bit antsy over the whole thing. "K, how much longer is this gonna be? Nagisa and Ciel must've got their demons by now, last thing I want is to be late for the get-together," Karma thought, and a thought that summed up the whole thing for him. Sure, Ciel had a farther target, and Nagisa a powerful enemy as far as he knew, but the least he could do was get his before the others get back. As he sat there, Blair began to stir, and stretched on Karma's lap, giving a kitty yawn as she did. "How much further do we got, K? I'm bored," Blair said, looking out the window with Master. "Hell if I know. Olivier's not telling, and Pinkie asked about ... twenty times now." "Let's go for twenty one. Olivier, you even know where this place is?" Blair asked. Olivier cursed under her breath before turning to the others again. "I know where it is, now quit complaining," Olivier ordered. She had enough from Pinkie, she didn't need more from Blair. "Hey, it's not our fault this is taking forever." "Location in sight, prepare for landing," called in the pilot. Thank god he told them just before a fight could break out. ~~ Eventually, the helicopter made it's landing onto a flattened area of the wilderness, what little they got as it turned out. Snow covered all of the ground around them, more so than what Japan would normally get, and the helicopter blades blew a ton of it aside as it landed down. Good thing, since much of the snow was a good foot deep otherwise. The troop within the helicopter got out into the cold weather, suited up for the winter climate. Prepared as they would be, Karma, Pinkie, and Blair after turning into her human form, got suited up in their winter outfits for the walk, and went right outside, ready to fight the Slicer at any point. "Come forth sir Slicer! We're Team Harmony, and we're gonna take you out!" Pinkie called. "We're still a mile away from the compound," Olivier stated. Well that sort of ruined the spirit of the hyper Pinkie Pie, and bugged Karma a bit too. "And you didn't parked us right at this "compound" why? If we're going to fight it, saving energy would be a bit important in this weather," Karma pointed out. Olivier ignored him though, and simply gave the signal for her footmen to follow her. Karma, Blair, and Pinkie could already feel that their walk was going to be a long one. "Why do I feel this trip's not gonna be as fun?" Karma thought. Well, Pinkie Pie went off pretty quick to catch up with the group, Blair and Karma casually walking behind the group themselves. ....... For a mile long walk, the amount of what actually happened during their walk, aside from snow biting at them, was pretty small. The whole troop with Olivier was kept a bit alert, weapons drawn and at the ready for any surprise visitors or sudden attackers. A bit of a nice display, with with nothing going on, it wasn't too needed for Karma's point of view. Before any of them really knew it, the forest began to break, and open up to more plains of snow. And it wasn't just a simple plain either, but instead what appeared to be some sort of base. Fairly large, sturdy, and actually appeared abandoned to some extent, as no evidence of other soldiers or mercenaries anywhere. And out here was where they saw something they honestly didn't expect: more troops lined up and at ready, all just outside the base's perimeter. None of these soldiers appeared to be any from this base however, outfits similar to that Olivier and their group had themselves rather than what could be from this base. Some of the soldiers began to hear the troops with Olivier, recognizing her and one of them giving a salute to her. As for who this was ... "Your status, Niji?" "We got the Slicer inside the compound as of now, general. He refuses to cooperate, and won't come out," said the soldier. ... Niji. Niji from Tokyo Japan, and who saved 3-E from Tataoka. Sure, Karma, Pinkie, and Blair weren't too aware of Niji, despite Karma being from 3-E himself, but that didn't mean they knew nothing of her (3-E sure chatted it up when they got back from their Amestris trip). Seeing the winged, rainbow-haired angel was intriguing. Information also included her being an apparent "experiment" by the military, so, that gave Karma a little teasing material. "Results on causalities?" "None of us went inside yet, so we're not sure." "Well, well, well, look who we have here," noted Karma. Niji and Olivier turned and the trio was right there. "Hi Niji! You a Ms. general too?" Pinkie asked. Niji flinched slightly when she heard her own name by these supposed new recruits, and it wouldn't be so bad if Olivier actually knew about this. "Not a general, but more of a soldier. And how did you know her name?" "We heard something about it back home, how she saved a group of kids from a super-mean Tataoka!" Pinkie said. Olivier glared at Niji, who was whistling as if nothing was wrong and that she was innocent to whatever actually was. Yeah, she wasn't fooling anyone. "... What?" "I thought I made it clear to not get that involved with them," Olivier growled. "They were inches from getting killed, what am I supposed to do?!" Niji snapped. "She's still going on about that? I thought that idea's been dead months ago," Blair commented. With so many problems left and right, what really was the point anymore? Either way, Pinkie hopped in the way of Olivier and Niji before anyone could get hit or a fight could even start. "Hey, hey, stop being a jerk, Olivier. Niji did a good deed!" "A good deed by beating down a human being?" "YES! ... Wait, no. ... Eh, about 50/50. But she did save a lot of E class before they got broken up like teeny tiny little sticks," Pinkie brought up. Olivier didn't seem to care for this conclusion, but her eyes glanced over to the compound, and she knew they had more important things to worry about right now. "We'll finish this later," Olivier simply said, before going over to check on the situation. Niji needed a minute before she got back around, her attention going to the trio. "Eh ... thanks for that." "No-problema," Pinkie replied. "So. An experiment from the Japanese Military, are you?" Karma pried in. Well, that lie was blown out of the water. "It was the best I could come up with, give me a break. ... Wait, how'd you know about that?" Niji asked. Karma smirked. "Your friends sure were chatty about it. I am from class 3-E after all," Karma noted. Niji paused, and worked her own memory on the idea. It took Niji a bit, but she did end up getting it altogether. "Karma Akabane!" "You got it. 3-E told you about me?" "Yes, sorry I didn't recognize your group right away! So you guys were the ones who killed Pluton," Niji presumed, finally realizing who she was dealing with. "Why is it only Pluton we're known for?" thought Karma. "Pluton, Hellgar, and tons of other big meanie demons here, there, and everywhere," Pinkie stated. Might as well make that known if it's gonna be brought up constantly. "Really? How many did you get?" "If you all are done gossiping, we got a situation here," Olivier called. As she said, might as well finish this later. Pinkie, Niji, Karma, and Blair went over to Olivier, and took a look at the situation. They stayed crouched down behind some made barricades. Olivier tried to find where the Slicer was, but she couldn't find much of anything that suggested he was even there. The other soldiers were at the ready on the word, they just needed Olivier's greenlight for that. "He could be waiting right under our noses. OK, here's what we're gonna do: Niji, take half of your footmen, and go over to the eastern side. I'll meet up around the western side, and Karma, you take -" "Come forth sir Slicer! We're Team Harmony, and we're gonna take you out!" Pinkie called ... again. Before anyone realized it, the crazy girl was standing right out in the open, and right at the front door, in a sort of heroic battle pose, ready to fight whoever or whatever Slicer was. ... And after three to four seconds, nothing happened. "COME ON, SLICER, I'VE BEEN PRACTICING THIS, CAN'T YOU COME OUT?!" She yelled, more childishly this time. Olivier, kept slamming her fist into the ground in anger at what the idiot was doing, the others in Team Harmony ... kinda expecting it to be honest. Pinkie tried knocking on the door, and even trying to pry it open, but of course that didn't work. If Slicer was behind that door, he wasn't letting them in. "Get back here!" Olivier called, but Pinkie Pie was too preoccupied to really listen to her. Well, Karma and Blair got up and went out to her themselves, though it was mainly because nothing was there to hide from. Karma took a look up, and found that while the front door wasn't exactly open, Karma did see a taller window much higher up. Bit by bit, eventually the rest of the troops came up to investigate as well. "K, Pinkie, we're good," Blair said, getting Pinkie Pie to stop. "Hey Niji, you can fly, fly in there and see if you can find an opening," Karma suggested. Niji looked to Olivier first, and while annoyed Karma was ordering her soldiers around, she would've suggested the same thing so she simply nodded, and Niji flew up to the opening. Seemed simple enough. Niji flew on inside, and it took just a mere minute of silence before they all began to hear the doors slowly open up. Well, that problem was fixed easy. "Thanks, Niji. So, chief, ready to go in." "Yeah. Alright, head in," Olivier decided. ~~ So, after that, it was a march right inside. It hadn't been a minute, and already they were getting a good look at what an abandoned compound really felt like. This large compound itself was rather quiet, and felt like it had been deserted for many years with how quiet, dark, and isolated the place was. When the group got to the main lobby, it looked a mix of a steampunk factory and military base with the size and just how many pipes, metal bars and floors, and other mechanical parts and objects were scattered around the place. The lobby they got themselves into had a lot of room, and probably would've been a sort of bunker for military vehicles, large enough for a jet plane to be parked inside if they wanted to. A smaller, second level was also visible that went to other parts of the compound, connected by a steel elevator not too far away. The main lobby just as well, had as little of people as it did as outside. While it is unclear exactly where they went to, if the Slicer did have something to do with it, then he sure did a damn good job in clearing the place out. "Either Slicer had a field day or everyone left the place quick," Niji said, looking around the place. With how little actual head count was, possibly the latter. Either way, Olivier was about ready to come and face this killer, whoever or whatever it was. For Pinkie Pie ... well, three's the charm, as she cleared her throat. "Come forth sir Slicer! We're Team Harmony, and we're gonna take you out!" "Please work, please work, please work, please work," she thought in anticipation. ....... *clank* *clank* And then someone else stepped forth from the upper level. Out of the upper hallway, and to the upper level of the lobby came what at first looked like a very tall, very sturdy knight. The armor laying over the body looked very robust: a helmet similar to Alphonse, shoulder plates of a medieval knight but with a chest plate of a samurai. There was armor for the arms and legs, but they upper part was covered with a sort of green fabric while the bottom half had pants similar to those Aladdin wore, with the exception of steel chains binding it together like a belt. On top of the helmet was a long strand of silver hair, again mirroring Alphonse Elric. A small set of eyes glowed from within the head, looking down at the newcoming fighters. "YES, IT WORKED!" Pinkie beamed, eyes sparkling. "So. Sir Slicer, is that right?" Karma asked. "Precisely. You got my name after being assigned to me, I presume," Slicer noted. Slicer then jumped down from the lobby, the soldiers instinctively readying their weapons, but Olivier raised her arm. "Don't bother. He's a transmutation, remember? You'll only be shooting at steel doing that," Olivier instructed. "As I expected from an Elysium general," Slicer commented. The suit of sentient armor took a bit to look around the lobby, seeing just who and what he had going for him this time. It wasn't until he landed did they notice he was already armed with a sword "I'm only doing what I was instructed to do. Don't think badly of me for following orders," Slicer said, readying his sword. Guess he wasn't going to wait around either, but Karma was pretty okay with that. "Same to you. Don't take badly being beaten by a kid," Karma commented. Slicer took note of the stance and position Karma was in. "A swordsman, eh? ... Let's see how good you are." All of a sudden, Slicer was right on top of him! Karma had seconds to react, reflecting it with his Miracle Sword, giving Karma a moment to strike at Slicer. As expected though, his strike was nothing more than a tiny cut to the suit of armor, and if anything just shoved him back. Karma rushed at him again, sword aimed like a spear, just for slicer to block it, and force Karma back. Olivier saw her chance now, and all of a sudden slicer had two swordsman to deal with. Being a suit of armor though, it wasn't as bad as the concept sounded, and he continued taking it in stride for a good half a minute, until he forced them both back. It may have only took a minute, but they all could see that Slicer was no pushover. Slicer even got a small cut on Karma's shoulder, even if a minor one. "Surrender now, Slicer! you can't win," Olivier warned. "You'd like to think so. So you all know about my state." "It's nothing new," Blair said. That got Slicer a little interested. "Oh? So there is more that are in the same state as I, huh?" "Yep, one of our buddies is going through the same slump as you," Pinkie answered. Slicer found this interesting, but concerning the situation, he didn't really push it any further than that. However, instead of getting into another assault, he actually took off the cloth around the helmet, and showed a number on his face. "See this? Number 48. My death row number." "Death row?" Karma repeated. "I was to be executed a long time ago. But instead of that, I had been transmutated into this suit of armor, and made into what you could say as a guard dog," Slicer explained. not that it wasn't something they already knew about thanks to Sebastian's know-how, but Karma was still having his sword at the ready. "Guard dog, huh? So 'guard dog', that means you got some weak spot on you. something to keep you together?" "... Precisely." And in a rather odd, yet generous move, slice actually lifted the front of his face, and showed the interior of the helmet, just to reveal what looked like a alchemic mark of dried blood inside. "My seal of blood. If you destroy it, then you win," Slicer said. Even Olivier was a little bit surprised that he would show them his weakness like this. "Sounds rather stupid to share your weakness," Olivier commented. She didn't know about the others, but she would die first before showing what weakness she had to someone so freely. Slicer got his head back into place, and got the cloth back on. "I'm the type who enjoys the trills of fighting. It's only fair," Slicer made clear. "Generous enough to come quietly then?" Karma asked smugly, though he already knew that answer. "You really think a murderer would let his prey go so easily?" Figured. So, with the fight ready to start again, Slicer charged forward with his sword at the ready, Olivier taking the block instead of Karma, and faced him head on. Now knowing where the weakspot was, Olivier tried aiming her sword for the head, but Slicer wasn't making that really easy. This was not only a killer, but an experienced fighter, and each time Olivier tried for the head, Slicer would block or evade. Karma took a moment to see the situation. After a minute though, Slicer could see Karma coming back at him, coming in from the crowd of soldiers, and soon it was two on one again. This time though Slicer was a bit quicker on the draw, and knocked them back again, this time a cut getting into Olivier in the side. "A long time since I had this kind of adversary," Slicer commented. But Slicer didn't knew what kind he was truly dealing with ... "BLAIR, NOW!" Karma suddenly yelled, turning to his right. Expecting an attack, Slicer quickly turned to the same direction, his sword at the ready for anything ... expect for Blair not being there. "What the -" "PI-PI-PUMPKIN CANNON!" Blair was suddenly on the upper balcony, and after charging up some magic, she gave a mighty pumpkin cannon shot directly at Slicer! This time though there was no avoiding, and it landed him square in the chest, sending the suit of armor flying off right into the wall with a mighty explosion! Blair sure felt good. "Bull's eye!" she beamed, before hopping down to join them. When the dust cleared, Slicer was still in tact, but stuck on the ground, a bit frazzled up from the sudden blast of witchcraft. "How foul," he spat. "No rules when it comes to fighting," Karma simply stated. A decent point, but then Olivier gave a whistle, which sent her soldiers off to apprehend him. with his weapon not in reach, Slicer soon found several soldiers grabbing him and holding him down in place, Slicer struggling a bit to get himself together. Blair hopped down to Karma, feeling pretty good with the shot. "Damn, that felt good. Ready to give up yet, Slicer?!" Blair asked. Slicer, despite all the men, actually got to his feet. He took a look to his chest region, and while the shot did leave a good dent in it, it didn't break open as he was worried about. With a few strong shakes, he dislodged a good amount of the troops on him, swinging two of them towards Blair. Strong, sure, but he didn't have his weapon on him, and he tried to grab it, only for Niji to swoop in and snatch it like a thieving harpy. "Nice try!" Niji called, flying out of his reach. This surely wasn't going in his favor. Slicer was getting a bit more angry now. "This fight isn't fair at all." "You're a wanted criminal placed on death row, and now homicidal transmutation, you really think we're going to try to play fair against you?" Olivier made clear. "Decent point. In that case ..." Slicer then bolted past them, and aimed his target in a different way. Without his weapon to back him up for now, he quickly grabbed hold of Blair, and held her tight, one arm grabbing her mouth while the other wrapped around her torso, taking her hostage. Blair was simply stuck, and try as she might, she wasn't going anywhere. "Hey, no fair!" shouted Niji. "Who said there was no rules in fighting?" asked Slicer. Not even a minute after that quote, and it was already coming back to bite them. But while it was doing it's job against Karma and Pinkie, Olivier actually charged forward with all her speed. Before anyone could stop her, Olivier's sword dug straight through Blair, and into Slicer! No hesitation, and it caught even Slicer off guard, feeling the sword skewer through him as well. sure it didn't hurt him, being a suit of armor, but Blair just stared off into nothingness, feeling her blood pour down from the new wound on her stomach. This was a horrid case of Deja Vu for her, and even more so, Olivier lifted both of them head over heels, over her head, and slammed them into the ground, yanking her sword out of both Slicer and Blair. Before Slicer could get himself up, the same sword got into the helmet and yanked it out of the body. It didn't strike the weakspot, but it did make the body go limp after a bit, Blair falling off. Blair got up off the ground, feeling the cut into her body, as Pinkie and Karma got her off the ground. "Damnit," Blair coughed. "Did she take another life?" Pinkie asked, very worried over her. Blair felt the cut in her body, and where it exactly got her. "It's just a stabbing, but I could use some stitches," Blair said, though they knew it was a bit more than that if it went right through her! "Get her back to the chopper, Pinkie, will ya?" Karma asked, though his gaze was aimed down for the moment as he asked. Pinkie complied, and she began to bring Blair away from the scene, but Karma had a little something else in mind. Blair immediately got bandaged up after Pinkie Pie got some around her (Pinkie logic to how she even got the stuff), and the bleeding did begin to slow down a bit, but they didn't get out of there in time to ignore what came next. "Hey chief." "What do you want -" All of a sudden, Karma got Olivier quiet when he gave the general a good, powerful punch directly to the face! The hit knocked her back, and it actually made her nose bleed a bit. Everyone was shocked at what he just did, but Karma could care less about them. Slicer's head was tossed in the air, landing over nearby the others soldiers. "Damnit, Karma, what the hell did you - ACK!" Karma kept her quiet by pressing his foot down onto her throat. He no longer had his typical smile and cheeky demeanor on him. "You think it's a good idea killing my friend for the sake of getting Slicer? You screw with my bitch, you screw with me, got that?" Karma warned, his voice less cheeky and more legitimately dangerous. Olivier grew angry herself, and tried to get Karma off of her, only for Karma to kneel down and slap her in the face, making a number of the soldiers worry for him. "I thought it would be fun going along with the short-tempered, hardcore general. But looks like I'm just dealing with another devil." With that remark, Karma removed his foot and allowed Olivier to ponder on that, before he grabbed the head of Slicer off the ground, and began to take his leave. ....... "Owowowowow." The fly back home after that was a bit of a quieter one than they would really like, Blair dealing with her injury. Lucky for her and her current life she was dealing with, this one was saved as the stab was strictly to the skin. At least that's what some of the experienced soldiers had concluded once they got to the helicopter. She stayed in her human form as to not disturb the bandages on her, and probably make it even worse. Sure she had more lives to spare, didn't mean she wanted to waste them all up. Slicer was with them too, albeit only his head up at the seats while the rest of him was stored away and out of sight. Slicer stayed oddly quiet, although he wasn't technically dead per say spite of being without his body to move around with. Karma was a bit quiet too, and the same as they were flying to the place, again was staring out the window at the world going by. His cuts were patched up, sure, but that wasn't what was on his mind, and many of them knew what that was. "A rather unfortunate turn of events," Slicer noted. First time he spoke since his capture, most likely. "We don't need any reminders, Slicer. And you have the right to remain silent," Niji reminded, who was sitting right next to Blair. "Let him talk, Niji, he's not gonna do much," Blair suggested, surprisingly chill about it despite what happened to her. "You kidding? how're you so calm with him after he tried to hold you hostage?!" "I'm a cat witch, I still got eight lives to spare. Besides, that stab didn't hit anything important," Blair reminded. Niji had no idea about her extra lives, and was actually blank-faced on that. "Not exactly an uncommon fact, young angel. I've heard of that about her kind. That's why I used her over the others," Slicer admitted. "Why the heck didn't you say anything then, we all thought you're gonna die!" Niji brought up. "Didn't think it was needed." And THAT response came from both Slicer and Blair. Weird, but ok. At this point, her eyes went over to Karma Akabane, both she and Blair as well. "Come on, K, I'm fine. K, so I got skewered by Olivier, but I got more lives to spare, it's all cool -" "No it's not," Karma suddenly cut in. He grew quiet again after that for just a minute or so before Pinkie Pie got in. "You were all sunshine and rainbows to get Mr. Slicer before we got there. Why so down and gloomy now?" Pinkie asked. Now Karma turned to her. "You kidding me right? Celestia's so-called "angel" shoved a damn sword through Blair just to get the job done." "So? Karma, you know I got more lives," Blair said, but more thoughts and possibilities went through his head. "... Niji, is Olivier always like this?" Karma then asked. Niji paused, and took a look over to the front of the helicopter, where Olivier was sitting next to the pilot. "Eh ... maybe?" Niji said, trying to say it without setting someone off. But Karma only needed to hear that, and he just looked out the window again, seeing the warmer weather as they went on their way. "Karma, is that you? since when were you so silent and troubled?" Blair then asked, trying to actually get a rye out of him. Karma then shrugged. "Give me a break. Yeah, I'm not the nicest guy in the world, but I have to draw the line somewhere," Karma stated. He never thought he had to get a line into this when it came to just what eh can do, but then again, if they are going to win there are some things he had to consider, no matter the case. Up front, Olivier had to consider a few things too. sure she got Slicer, but what Karma did still stuck with her, her face bruised slightly from Karma's punch on her, and her nose patched up. Although she didn't look it, she had heard every word. I thought it would be fun going along with the short-tempered, hardcore general. But looks like I'm just dealing with another devil. "... A devil huh?" "Pardon, general?" asked the pilot. Guess that thought came out loud. "Nothing. Make sure they have a holding cell ready to go when we return," Olivier instructed. Just another day. ....... ~~ ....... "Ugghh ... S-Sebastian ..." He could barely, and truly make out what exactly had happened to him. He felt tired, cold, and his eye still stained of dried up blood. The brutal hit Sombra had made onto him left him with a splitting headache, but after some bit of his memory returned to him, he slowly started to realize that it was the least of his problems. It took him a while to finally come to, but where he found himself was anything but good. It was very dark for one thing, so it took even longer for his eyes to properly adjust to what kind of hell he'd been thrown into. Eventually though, little by little, he started to find himself in what looked like a cage. A old, metal, dark cage. One with a few lit torches scattered around the area. Ciel needed a bit to realize what was wrong, and once he did, his heart began to race. "No. N-No! NO!" Ciel screamed. Instinctively, Ciel tried to open his cage, trying to break himself out of this cell he had befell into, but it was no use. These bars were not going to open up anytime soon, and even if they were, it wasn't going to be by his hands. Ciel could feel cold sweat fall from his face, and his pulse in a horrid frenzy at the reality he unfortunately relived. Trauma in its finest had found him once again. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!! HELP!!!" Ciel screamed. He can't relive his torment, not again! All he could hear was distant moans from the damned, and the rattling of the chains that held his cage. Ciel felt horrified. For the first time in years, he felt horrified. And he felt sick too, a hand covering his mouth as he began to feel something try to come up. The memories, those horrid memories, they were alive again. And without Sebastian there to help him this time, all poor Ciel Phantomhive could do was slowly sit back down, and huddle in the corner. Hell had tortured him. Hell had saved him. And now Hell had betrayed him.
S05Ep10: Requiem ~レクイエム~Slicer? Check. Hoopa? Check. Great Tengu? Not check. Aleistor? Semi-check. Not exactly the best track record one could have, but hey, 50/50 was still a decent try all things considered. At least each side found their targets, and tried to get them together. Well all the same, each side began to head their way back home to Tokyo, with their main landing spot being at the capitol. (why wouldn't it be at this point?). The first group to make it back was Nagisa's group, while without their man still had some important things to take care of, and now with them back, their first priority was fixing up the parts that were wrecked during the fight, which Winry was quick to begin the minute she got her tools. Winry knew this was going to be a while to do, and she didn't want to be disturbed. ... Unfortunately, eager Edward Elric was getting a bit too antsy without his arm, and just like a curious little brother, he kept looking over Winry's shoulder at his automail just to be sure that the girl was getting the job finished. ... "Get out!" Winry snapped, grabbing Ed by the collar, and dropping him outside the door like some puppy, slamming the door behind her. Yeah, who knew how long it'll be until his arm was mended up? Then again, who could blame him? He can't exactly perform any automail tricks without it, or even fight properly for that matter. Nagisa and Twilight were with them, waiting for the others to come back just as much as they were. "Hey, what'd you do that for?!" Ed snapped. Normally he'd be more ticked off, but this was the person who'd be his mechanic, so he can't get too ticked at her. "I'll just say it: you're acting like a little pest!" "LITTLE PEST?! Come out here and say that to my face, jerk!" Ed demanded. Of course, the door stayed shut, but Nagisa grabbed him and held him back before he could break down any door. "Ok, Ed, calm down, give her a break!" Nagisa insisted. "Well how long's she gonna be? How am I supposed to do anything with only one arm?" Ed griped. "Ed, she needs time to get this. Besides ... she does have some point." "Come on, I didn't bug her that much, did I?" Ed asked. Nagisa and Twilight glanced to eachother for a brief moment. ---(just yesterday)--- " Oh, look at you, working so early in the morning," Ed said, smile on his face as he checked in on Winry. "Been up all night," Winry replied, going right back to work. And a conversation cut short. ---(few hours later)--- "Still busy as a bee I see. At this rate, you must be almost done," Ed commented, again checking in on her, same smile as before. Winry still didn't had much time for a conversation it seemed. "One more all-nighter," she simply said. again, conversation cut short. "Pretty much," both Twilight and Nagisa agreed. A cut down in his pride, surely, and Ed simply slumped on the couch nearby. At least last time his arm went out on him, it stayed in tact, but now he had literally nothing to work with. Who knew how long it'll be. "Eh ... right. I'm gonna check in on the others," Twilight said, getting up and heading off to the window. If they were going to be anywhere, they would be up above their heads. Their main place of destination was kinda hard to miss after all, and if they were to bring any criminal anywhere for now, it would be here. So far though, the skies remained pretty clear for the most part, no sign of anyone anywhere. Well, that was until a shape began to show up in the clouds, flying just into sight. Guess the secondary group had just arrived, and at a good time too. Nagisa knew immediately who this was the second he saw the square shape coming in from the sky. "Aladdin's back." So with a smile on his face, he, Twilight, and Ed went outside from the main building to see them land at the drop zone. It sure was nice to see Aladdin after their little ventures around the place, and Aladdin was just as happy to see his roommate as much as Nagisa was to see him. The minute they landed, Aladdin hopped up and went straight over to him. "Nagisa!" "Great to see you too, Aladdin," Nagisa replied, as the magi hugged him. While it was nice to see that, it was pretty quick that there was a lot more people coming by than he expected. Seeing Hoopa was one thing, but adding that with Grell, Gaara, AND Morgiana? Yeah, surprising. "You were busy," Nagisa commented. "W-Wait a minute, what the hell's he doing here?!" Ed asked, finger pointed right to Gaara. Last he remembered, Gaara was working for Sombra, so seeing him there did not make him feel any better. Morgiana stepped in between Gaara and Edward just in case. One glare from her was easily enough to make Edward back up. "No, no, no, Morgiana, he's a friend," Aladdin quickly insisted. "So that's your name?" Nagisa said, looking to her. Morgiana calmed down a little bit more, looking over Nagisa and Twilight over. "Yes," Morgiana simply replied. As they were getting to know Morgiana, Grell already began to go and look around for who he was so sure would be here. "Now hang on a second, where's the rest of that group of yours? Never known Bassie to be late for a little get-together," Grell said, looking left and right to try and find him, leaning over Nagisa as he did. Nagisa got Grell off of him. "They're not here yet. Your group's the first one to show up, Grell," Nagisa answered, pushing Grell off of him. Hoopa wasn't really too thrilled. "Geesh, give it a rest, Grell, this Bassie could give less of a shit anyway, she's probably got an engagement already," Hoopa said, mainly to just shut him up. "She?" "Yeah, Sebastian, you know. Isn't she one of your little devils?" Hoopa inquired. Nagisa and Twilight glanced to eachother unsuredly. "... Sebastian's a guy," they both said. ... "... So ... you're a homo, Grell? You really are hopeless." "Well at least I got a love interest, how many guys do you have?" Grell snapped. "I have none because I'm not a homo!" "Don't judge me." "I WILL JUDGE YOU!" "Was it like this the whole time?" Twilight asked. All Aladdin did was nod, fingers in his ears to block out the argument. Morgiana was more than glad to intervene, and swatted them both like the flies they were, right on the head. Nagisa and Twilight flinched on just how hard she whacked them, and while Grell got a good hit, Hoopa only got grazed as he bolted for Aladdin, though he was a little too slow. "Thank you," Gaara replied. Morgiana nodded and Gaara went over to the others, taking quick note of Ed's missing arm. "Don't tell me: demon got a hold of you?" Gaara asked. Ed glanced to the missing arm, more annoyed than anything. "Like you need to know," Ed simply said. "So, Aladdin, how about we head in and catch up? It'll be a little bit until the others show up," Nagisa suggested, Aladdin agreeing. ~~ So, it took a while longer, but eventually the others did finally arrive back home, and with all the group now back together more or less, they all went off from there and to the guest lobby as Slicer was put into proper custody. Since it was just his head, it honestly wasn't too hard to handle, so while the soldiers were doing that, the rest of the group, including the members who joined up with Aladdin, got together in the main lobby to talk over what they've been through on their little round about. While they had a LOT of newcomers here and there (Victoria and Bardroy joined Alphonse for the ride to Japan), the only ones that weren't there were Ciel and Sebastian, whom of which Grell was eagerly trying to locate so he could tell his part of the story. Still, it was Aladdin who was going over what he had gone through first, having the most trouble and most to talk about since he flown off from Japan. He had gone through a number of details already: first encounter with Hoopa, his involvement in Central, and freeing Gaara from Shukaku (which Gaara allowed him to talk about), and at one point ... "Lugia?!" Twilight and Nagisa asked. "I know, it's amazing!" Aladdin said, equally excited. "At least it would've been amazing if he didn't fly off on us!" complained Hoopa. "What'chu mean?" Pinkie asked. "Exactly what I said: they tried getting him to come back but he thinks it's better to run away." Hoopa was more upset that the biggest proof he had was no longer with him, but Nagisa and Twilight both were only having their thoughts more confirmed that something was indeed keeping him away. "What's with him?!" Ed groaned. "Don't know, but Heine's trying to find him right now. Apparently he was ... too strong," Gaara explained. Well that surely made things a bit confusing, and label Lugia as simply selfish at worst. "Well, good luck to him. So Nagisa, Ed, how'd that Tengu mission go?" "He got away from us. But, to tell you the truth, I think there's more to him," Nagisa revealed. Edward knew exactly where this was going, and was actually already getting out a little something he had held onto since they left the shrine. "How so?" Al asked. Funny he should be asking that out of anyone, and soon Ed pulled out that newspaper Tengu had left for them. They still couldn't figure it out very well, and the clue had the others in a bit of a loop too. "He knows something about Ed and Al. something big, but he won't tell us what. We tried talking to him directly, but he only gave us this to work with," Nagisa explained, showing the main article for the revolutionary train. Pinkie and Karma got hold of the paper for a closer look. "W-what sort of something?" Al asked. "I don't know, but that paper isn't helping. What does some new train have to do with us?" Ed replied, the same question from the trip being brought up. Karma and Pinkie looked at the picture a little more closely, and even began to look through some of the pages to the details of said train. It didn't seem like there was any clue throughout most of the information, but one of the pictures caught sight of them both. The picture in question showed a train station with a crowd going on aboard. Much of this crowd looked foreign to them both. Karma and Pinkie looked and studied the picture a bit more closely ... "Where is he?!" suddenly, a tired and annoyed Grell Sutcliff had come back around from his little look around. Grell had gone up and down, here, there any everywhere but couldn't find hide nor hair of Sebastian, or even Ciel for that matter. "What's with you?" Gaara asked. "I'm getting gipped, that's what! Aladdin, did you or did you not give me a promise for my help back in Central? Well, where's my reward, eh?!" Grell stated. Aladdin had gone through this part with him to the others already, so embarrassment over that was out of the question. Alphonse was the only one who grew a little quiet. "How desperate are you?" Hoopa bluntly asked. "They'll get here, won't they? Hey Al, when's Sebastian and Ciel going to show up?" asked Ed. Alphonse's silence managed to get their attention. "... W-Well ..." "Come on, don't keep us in suspense, spit it out," Grell insisted. If al knew something about Sebastian, he would love to know. But then Al began to look to his lap, his hands turning into fists. "... We uh ... ran into some trouble. ... Sombra found us." "Sombra?!" They all gasped. Alphonse quietly nodded. "Wait a minute, you don't mean ..." "... He took Ciel ... and Sebastian's ... dead. ..." There was a long silence. Sebastian. Their true demon and strongest in their own group. Dead. The silence was only cut short when Grell began to laugh. "Some joke that is, ha! Seriously though, where's that hunk of demon at?" Grell asked. Alphonse couldn't even look up to the reaper. "... He's dead ..." "Now, Al, stop with the same joke, where is he?" Grell asked again in a playful tone, but this one was less playful and more desperate. "He's dead, Grell, what do you want me to say?!" Al finally yelled, up to his feet and even making the reaper back up. Grell was hoping this was a joke, but clearly Al was not changing his story here, nor would he for his sake. "But how did it happen?" asked Twilight in a hushed voice. "I don't know ... Sebastian took Ciel's soul, ate it, and he just ... dropped dead ... I'm sorry, Grell," Alphonse said. Grell stayed quiet for another minute, and actually collapsed. It'll take a long time for them to take this in, and soon Karma sighed and took another look at the paper he had. "Pie, pen," Karma stated, hand open and ready. Pinkie got a pen after a tiny bit, and Karma worked with the pen onto the page for a short minute, before he rolled it up, and ... *whack**bam**bang* Clock on Ed, Winry, and Al's head. "Hey!" Winry snapped. "You really should look at this," Karma made clear, opening up the paper in front of them before she could snap at him. At first Ed wasn't too sure what Karma was going on about, but Karma made sure to mark it up on the paper with a drawn out circle ala the pen. Ed and Winry looked at the mark, and what Karma did mark made both Edward Elric and Winry Armstrong stop cold. It was them. Edward. Alphonse. And Winry. They were in that shot! They each looked a lot younger in the shot, and it didn't take much longer until some of the others saw the three in there. "So you hitched a ride on a train? Eh, a bit mundane," Blair said. Nagisa and Twilight though could sense there was a bit more to this, and there was only one way to pin it. "Wait. Ed? Winry? Do you two know anything about this?" Twilight asked. Ed and Winry didn't answer right away, looking over to the date, and seeing the authenticity of it. "W-Wait. This has to be manipulated. ... Someone know how to check this?" Ed asked, though he looked more freaked out than actually legitimate about it. None of them actually knew how to do that though, but - "Yoink!" Pinkie said, pulling it out of Ed's hands, and looking over every little teeny tiny detail on it. After a good little minute, Pinkie reached her conclusion. "Now chill out, will you? It could be just nothing: it's just you guys boarding some hybrid train, what's the big deal?" Blair asked. However, that did end up catching Hoopa's ears, eyes shooting open. "Hold up. Did you say "hybrid train"?" Hoopa asked. "Uh, yeah? It says so right on the paper." "Let me see!" Hoopa floated over quick and yanked it right out of Pinkie's hands, seeing the exact marks made, and the details they had in mind. Hoopa's eyes widened and he took a moment to work out what he was looking at, glancing back and forth between the kids on the paper, and the one's in the room. A-Al! wake up please. During this, Ed felt a mental shot hit through his head the more he thought about this hybrid train, and now that he was seeing himself, Al, and Winry for some reason on the same paper - "Have you solved it now, kids?" Everyone suddenly stopped once they heard the new voice come in, looking to the door and seeing Alex Armstrong come in with his two lieutenants, a bit more quiet than normal (and with his shirt on for once). Alex felt a bit rough on this subject, but he could feel Olivier standing just out of sight, and waiting for him to explain himself to everyone, a few in particular. The next question was inevitable. "What do you know about this?" asked Edward, standing up to confront the only man who actually knew more about this. Alex Armstrong needed to gather himself a bit more, but he knew along with Olivier that there was no turning back now, especially after the clue left for them. He had to explain before someone else does. His hand turned into a wrist, as if his own body was trying to hold back for just a brief moment. "I uh ... I have a ... confession to make. ..." "You in position, Armstrong? Over." "I'm at the station. Ready to head out, over." Not too different from how he looked now, his mustache missing from his face, but the younger Alex Armstrong was just as strong as ever, and after a talk through his communicator back to the Overworld, ready to take on the challenge prepared for him as he readied to head out to the next encounter thanks to the train. At the moment, many people were already there, and already excited for the Hybrid Train, which was at the moment in all it's glory, and about ready to head off in the next half an hour. With his Amestris soldier get-up, he blended right in when it came to Central's train station and those amongst the staff. That, and there was a few other soldiers ready to go, so there was that too. He was about ready to get into the train, but before he could, he began to hear the sounds of children not too far away. "Strange," Alex noted. Looking over, there was a set of children going about their day, both excited to have a train ride in what they thought was the newest thing since wheeled wagons and sliced bread. Alex found it pretty adorable to see, but he wasn't exactly informed of such young people boarding the train. He saw a pair of brothers, one just taller than the others, and both eager to get on the train with their parents. And it wasn't just them after looking, but he also took sight of a young girl with her mother and father just a few meters away. It was just enough to get Alex curious, and began to move a little closer to investigate a little bit. They were the youngest of the entire group being shown here, though seeing them was still something sweet for Alex Armstrong to see. Before he could continue though, one of the eager boys actually took sight of him, which made Alex stop. Still, the two were surprised to see him there, and actually insisted to go over, which their parents agreed with a nod of their head. "Oh, wow, a general!" said one of the boys, very excited to see Alex standing there. Alex cleared his throat. "Well, a pleasure to see you as well," Alex replied, a little softened up by how excited the boys were to see him. "Excuse me, but do you know when the train will be departing?" asked their mother, happy but a bit more subtle. Alex took a minute to work out his own personal clock in his head about that, but lucky for him a clock was set up at the station for him to work out. "You have about fifteen minutes before the train will go," Alex informed. At one point, one of them noticed something on Alex's hands, in particular, the symbol on the metal marks. "What's that symbol for? Is it a new Central emblem?" he asked, pointing to the mark. Alchemy wasn't exactly so popular as of yet, so just sharing that kind of information wasn't the best idea. Alex had to improvise. "No, I just got them that way. Maybe one day you boys can get some of your own," Alex said cheerfully. That surely got the two excited, just imagining getting some cool armor from Central when they get older. The parents got their attention again, and moved them back so the general could have his space. "Easy you two, what have we told you about personal space?" said the dad. "Oh, I don't mind it at all," Alex said with a smile. Before their conversation could continue, Alex began to hear the communicator in his pocket go off again. "Well, sounds like I better be going. Enjoy your trip," Alex said, even smiling and playfully fluffing one of the boys' heads. A chuckle came from him as he went off and along the way, though he still was a bit surprised about seeing them here. Walking along, he then took sight of the girl not too far off, who wasn't exactly as interested in seeing Alex go by. He could tell that the children were pretty excited about getting on this train, though the girl surely looked very hyped about it, looking over the train as if it was the best thing ever. Alex simply smiled but he still had to answer his communicator. "A change in plan, Armstrong, we need you position west of the station. The figure is on the move, over." "My apologies. ... One question though: were children supposed to be boarding the hybrid train?" "What? No, I don't think so. All of the passengers are at least young adult, why?" "You should double-check then: I saw at least three children boarding the train just a minute ago." "I wouldn't worry about them, Alex. They're probably there to see the others off, that's all. Now, try and get to your new position, over." guess that made sense in an overall statement. After all, the girl he saw earlier looked way more interested in the train itself rather than actually getting into the train cars, so perhaps it wouldn't be as bad. Alex gave a sigh before responding. "Will do. Keep an eye on the target, over." After checking in, Alex began to walk off away from the crowd, and soon was off and out of sight. He can't waste anytime now, but he can't show his alchemy or any special tricks either, so he had to make sure no one was watching him. He had to get a quick way to his next position, and fast, before the train would go off, and there was only one way to do that ... ~~ *caaaww!* After summoning the main transport which was a young Pidgeot, Alex Armstrong flew far ahead of the hybrid train, and along the tracks of said route to be sure. He had to keep a good eye out around for his target along the countryside. The plains were especially clear of many a person, so that was a fairly good thing, but Alex had a bit more of an important task to take care of. Looking down from the bird, at first, he wasn't seeing much of anything along the route, but that surely didn't last too long. "YAH!" "There he is," Alex thought. Landing off further away from the tracks. By the looks of it, Alex came at a good time, as a bit of a fight had broken out with a few more Elysium soldiers, some already on the ground by the time Alex had arrived, and the demon they were facing was doing a bit roughly himself, but going strong nonetheless. The demon in question was a particularly strong one, and one that Alex was ready to face. The Great Tengu was ready for battle. The demon still had his shield around his body, and didn't bring out his sword yet. "Where the hell were you?" The Great Tengu mocked, the face unchanging though as he flew up above their heads. Alex wasn't going to waste anytime with it though, and immediately began to try and apprehend the demon. The symbols on his hands started to glow, and his alchemy activated the ground underneath the Tengu. Since he was flying though, striking the Tengu with a ground pillar was not as easy as it sounded. The Great Tengu flew up high in the air, and started to send down icicles from the air, which the major made short work of with a alchemic barrier brought up to block. Alex could see his soldiers fall back from the attack. "Hold your ground, that demon has to be stopped!" called Alex, trying to rally up his soldiers. Once the icicles were finished raining down on them, the soldiers ran out again and fired the demon, though each shot simply bounced off of the demon's face. A swat of his wing made the bullets stop hitting him, but it did lay him open to Alex's alchemy, which made a strong hit from below. The Tengu stumbled in the air for a bit, but just narrowly missing the ground underneath his talons. Once regaining himself, the Great Tengu was off and at them again, charging forward to the group retaliating against him. Alex tried again to keep the Tengu back, launching a power-filled punch right to the demon's face. But then came the move that would change everything: the Great Tengu charged up a fire-attack, the icicles turning into fireballs. This move came pretty fast, and Alex had to make a barrier to keep the fire back. However, a few stray fireballs flew by over their heads. *CRASH!!!* ... Everything stopped. The fireballs that avoided the barrier Alex had made flew way off out of the way, and onto the same tracks in a fiery explosion. A part of Alex begged him not to look, but the remaining soldiers that did turn to look were completely shocked at what they were seeing. Or rather, the end result. ....... Calling the accident horrid was far from just sugarcoating it. As the remaining soldiers tried to get the Tengu, Alex himself went down to see the accident. There were only two cars attached to this train, and each one was completely derailed, and wrecked by stray explosions. Smoke bellowed from the train itself, which looked less like a train and more like a heap of scrap metal. Fire still seeped out from the engine, metal scattered everywhere. But, for Alex, it wasn't the train that made his heart sink, but more over how many had been in the train during the accident. The amount of people boarding the train: about a good fifty. The amount of people still there: ... about none. Alex's heart sank on seeing just how many lives were cut short during this crash, and with the demon responsible for this, he felt a wave of guilt rush him. And it was about to get even worse. "A-Al, you ... you okay?" "No. ..." A rather familiar voice, and one not too far away from the horrid group. his eyes slowly turned and sure enough, the same children he met at the station were now laying in a pool of their own blood. Alex was silent, seeing one brother, who grew horribly limp, tried to wake up his other brother, who honestly looked horribly damaged. The second brother passed out from his wounds shortly afterwards, and Alex saw that his arm and leg looked horrifically burned and limp. Alex's eyes opened wide on the sudden realization of it all, and if they were there on the train, then - "Dear oh dear. What a large amount of coffins I have to make now." Alex spun around fast, and soon he saw one particularly unexpected visitor to the accident, as he was looking over the bodies of the deceased. Alex thought it was one of the soldiers, but it was too unmistakable and distinctive to be that. "Undertaker ..." "Fine day, Alex. That accident sure gave me a lot of work,~" Undertaker said, in his usual cheeky voice. Alex got up from the ground, and moved over to the reaper. He knew there were dead amongst the wreck, but exactly who was what he wanted to figure out. "Undertaker, please tell me. Did anyone survive this? ... anyone?" Alex asked, almost pleading. Undertaker took out a little pocket book and looked it over off of what he got so far. "As nice as it would be, I don't see anyone surviving this little wreck. And as for the three children over here ..." "Three? ... Oh no, he doesn't mean - ..." Alex's thoughts were only confirmed when he saw Undertaker gently lifted out a limp body of the same girl he saw at the train station. The young girl, and the two brother, all dead and killed in the most abrupt of ways possible. Alex collapsed, his eyes wide and tears coming down on the horrid revelation. Undertaker had been taking names of these people for a good while now, but had yet to get these three just yet. "Now let me see here. ... Edward and Alphonse Elric, and ... Winry Rockbell. Been a while since I did child-sized coffins," Undertaker noted, ready to write down their names to the report. It was more than Alex could take, and he got up and placed his hand on Undertaker's hand before he could write it down. "Wait. Undertaker, please reconsider." "Reconsider? Now why would I do that?" Undertaker questioned, but he soon saw just how sad and heart-broken Alex Armstrong was to the news. "But ... But they were so young. No child deserves to have their lives cut so short ... not like this. Undertaker, give them another chance please," Alex pleaded. Undertaker paused, and closed his book for a brief moment, but it surely didn't seem like he was changed by the Elysium soldier. "Well, I don't know. Defying death is a risky business," Undertaker pointed out, as if he was playing with him. Alex though couldn't stand the idea that his reckless mission resulted in their lives getting cut down this way, all that evident in his face. "Just this once, Undertaker." "Even if I wanted to, it won't work, Alex. I mean, one of them did see you fly off on your little bird," Undertaker pointed out. That made Alex a bit more surprised about it. He thought he did well, but the girl was just curious enough to see the man go, and Undertaker knew as well as him that it won't do. Alex stopped pleading for a moment, and looked to the dead girl. Despite the explosions, she looked the least damaged apart from some blood coming out of her mouth. Undertaker could see the guilt and sorrow on Alex's face as he gently stroke her hair. ... "... Well ... I was curious on what'll happen if I do change the story," Undertaker pondered. Alex perked up on that, and turned back to the reaper. "Can you, please? They don't deserve to die so soon." "Steady now. If I do this for your sake, this could cost you plenty. That, and I do have to give a little change in their lives in order for this to work. You willing to put that in jeopardy?" Undertaker asked, as he brought out his pocket book. Alex stayed deathly quiet, and looked back to Winry, Ed, and Al on the ground. "Changes ..." "Oh, just a few little kinks to their lives. I won't alter too much, but I'll fix it up. No one likes trauma, you know," Undertaker explained, his pen floating over the pocket book and ready to write down what the state of theirs would be. Alex just turned his gaze to his feet. "... I'll take the responsibility," Alex answered. And so, Undertaker began to write. There was a long silence after Alex had finished, the major not even able to look at them in the face. For Edward, Alphonse, and Winry especially, this news took their toll on them. The group had their eyes to the three, waiting to hear what their reaction would be. It was Winry who first broke into tears for the reveal, the silent flow of just how effected the truth had on her. This man, her "father" ... can she even call him that anymore? "I'm so sorry I never told you ..." Alex stated, hoping that it would have some sort of amend to what he just did. ... But that was not going to happen. *BAM!* All of a sudden, even to Olivier's surprise, someone slammed Alex Armstrong right in the head, and with such force, it knocked him back out into the hall, slamming into the wall! They expected that from Ed, or Al, but this punch actually came from Winry Rockbell. While they were distracted by that, both she and Ed as it turned out, cut their get-together short and ran off. "Winry! Ed!" called Aladdin, trying to catch up with them, but it was no use, they were gone by the time he got to the hallway. Their attention went to Alex next, who Maria and Denny helped get up to his feet, a notable red mark on his face. A part of him said he deserved that for keeping this quiet for so long. Alex straightened up and took a look at his sister, who was rather quiet herself. "... That was the most heart-wrenching thing I've ever done. I hope you're happy now." And with that remark, Alex just walked passed her after that, feeling his own tears coming down his own face. He might as well try to get some healing for his new wound, but it would take more than that to fully heal the damage. "Come on, Aladdin. We'll be right back," Nagisa then said, before he and the magi went off to catch up with Ed and Winry. A mental jab hit her hard. Alphonse stepped out and then turned to Olivier and Alex, but he didn't say much of a word, and rather than hammer it in any further, just turned and tried to get to his brother. Or ... at least who he believes to be his brother. ~~ A very quick leave from the capitol building, surely, and both Edward and Winry got themselves both isolated away from everyone else with only their thoughts as extra company. And boy did they have a ton of thoughts going through their heads, one side wondering about his transmutation situation with his brother, and the other wondering about her actual parents. Both of them were found over by the very edge of the property, looking out to the city, and just ... well, sitting there. "I can't believe it. I thought that we could find an answer. ... I'm such a dumbass! What was our lives really like? Was I even meant to live at all?" Ed's thoughts were only cut off when he heard Winry next to him silently weeping, her tears coming down her face. Ed didn't had tears on his face, but he knew this was something very hard for her too. He placed a hand on her shoulders, but Winry didn't look up to him. "Winry. ... There, it'll be okay." "... All this time, I can't believe he never told me. I'm not an Armstrong, I'm not even an angel! ... I ... was supposed to be dead. My real parents ... our parents. ..." Winry didn't continue, but Ed knew what she meant. Winry looked to Ed and saw his dry face, no tears on him. "Why aren't you crying?" she asked through her breath. "... What good would it do? There's no point. A few tears can't change the past. ... It can't give my arm and leg back, it won't restore Al's body. ... And it won't ... it won't ..." Even as he said this, Winry saw a single tear escape from Ed's eye, which she could've swore shined in the light, before Ed wiped it away. Winry stayed quiet and didn't bring it back up, but in the end she didn't have to. Ed sighed when he saw more tears show up on Winry's face. "Winry, it'll be alright." "No ... it's not just that," she sniffed. "... Someone had to cry for you, right? ..." Ed paused again, and all he could do was looked off to the distance. "Winry! Ed!" both kids easily heard the group catching up to them, and soon it wasn't just them anymore, but the whole group. With how they left, it was bound to happen. "Oh. Hey guys," Ed said. "Guys, look, I know Alex kept this away from you, but please don't be too hard on him," Nagisa insisted. Winry wasn't too convinced. "I don't know. ... How could he lie to me for so long? ... If he could, he could've brought back everyone. ... Why'd he have to fill my head with all those lies? No ... why just me? He couldn't bring my real parents back?" Winry wondered in sorrow. Now it was more than enough for Gaara to take, the kid walking up to her. "... You idiot." Blunt, and it stung her. Winry and Ed looked to Gaara, who felt more indifferent about it more than anything. Ed was ready to snap at him, but Gaara's glare kept him quiet ... only for a brief moment. "How can you stand there and say that?" "Because it's true. ... I don't know how deep you and Alex were, but from what I heard, Alex risked a great deal of hell to let you and the brothers live. Don't start crying because it wasn't exactly how you want it," Gaara cleared up. Winry felt horrified at how cold Gaara was, and jumped up to her feet. "What the hell do you know about anything like this, Gaara?! I lost -" "Lost. what?" "My ... My family, you idiot!! Nagisa, you guys tell him!" Winry demanded. However, the answer wasn't what she had in mind. "... Actually, Winry. ... I don't think Alex could even if he wanted to," Nagisa admitted. "W-Wha?" "Alex Armstrong made Undertaker bring you, Ed, and Al back to life after that crash. And by the sound of it, that's not something you can just do without getting into a lot of trouble." "Oh, you're just sugar-coating it: defying death would give ya death if you screw it up. normally something like that would end up making some sort of exchange that would've killed him, but Undertaker didn't bother with that ... for some reason," Hoopa said. "Winry, Ed, Al. I'm sure he would've wanted you all to be your normal selves, but there's just so much one request can do. Maybe this was the best he could ever manage. He didn't want any of you to die, and he risked his own just to do that," Twilight said, trying to be nice about it. "The point being: How about you at least apologize to him. He may not be your real dad, but hey, he did a pretty good job in raising you," Karma said with a smirk. Winry looked around to Team Harmony, and began to realize what they were saying. It was a harsh reality to hit her, but she shouldn't have taken it out on Alex. He was only trying to help her and the brothers after all. The words were getting to Ed too. After a little bit, Winry wiped away her tears - *clap*...*clap*...*clap*... "Well, well, isn't this a sweet little play you all have going here. Tell me, how much for an encore? You can make some good actors.~" What a load of nerve. Looking up above their heads to the source of the voice, the very demon in question was gleefully watching them from above their heads. How could Nagisa Shiota not have sensed him there?! The Great Tengu! "you," Ed growled. now knowing his true backstory, and reasons behind his missing limbs and Al's missing body, seeing the Great Tengu above them made his blood boil. The Great Tengu, who was already in chaos mode, wasn't too threatened by the entire group, and upon being noticed, he went straight down and landed right in front of everyone. This was the last thing they needed. The group quickly drew out their weapons, but the Tengu wasn't too threatened. "The Great Tengu. Been waiting for you to show up," Karma noted. The Great Tengu walked right up to them, and with a swing of his own weapon, slammed it against Karma. Miracle Sword and the Tengu's saber sparked as they clashed, but it was mainly to get them to back up. "Back away from them!" Pinkie warned. "Easy there, cotton head, I just wanna talk. Though if you wanna fight, then by all means, blow that whistle," the Great Tengu insisted. His eyes then noticed Alphonse amongst the crowd, but the others weren't going to let him near him without a fight. "You do know the elite Elysium forces are just inside that building, don't you?" Hoopa pointed out, only to be silenced by the Great Tengu's saber aimed directly at his head. "And do you know who you're chatting with, pal?" "We would ask you the same question. You're talking to Team Harmony here, demon," Morgiana stated. The Great Tengu actually paused and observed his quarry. "Hold on ... all of you are Team Harmony? ..." ... "God damn, what's with kids getting these big roles these days? Adults not worth it anymore?" The Great Tengu said, hand actually to his forehead. They have their weapons still raised, but with how the Tengu was acting, they weren't as on guard as they should be. "Don't act so innocent! We know you're the one who made them the way they are!" Winry yelled, pointing to Ed and Al. "So you did put the puzzle together. Well, now you detectives got that fixed, how's about answering me one little question," the Tengu offered, moving a bit closer. Nagisa wasn't willing to have that, and nearly sliced him when he got too close. The cut grazed the Great Tengu's hand, and while it did sting, it wasn't too effective. And before he could end up going any further. "How dare you come here." Olivier had now showed up. Her and a number of her soldiers. She saw the Great Tengu from inside not too long ago, and was as ready to fight him as the Team was. The Great Tengu found this a bit more interesting. "Ah, cool. You're off the hook, my worms, they can answer my question and not you." "What question?" Olivier asked. The Great Tengu flapped his wings, blowing a gust of wind at Team Harmony to keep them back in case of a attack, and next thing they knew, the Great Tengu was right in front of Olivier. Instinctively, Olivier raised her sword, only to be met with his energy sabre. "... Know how to Transmutate?" the Tengu asked. ... "What?" "You heard me; you and muscle macho rejuvenated and revived those three, and you got one of them in an immortal suit! come on, don't hog your beans and spill em to me! That's something amazing!" the Great Tengu replied. The "praise" hitting an angry alchemist's ears. "What?" Ed asked. The Tengu turned away from Olivier, and started moving over to Ed. "Come on, be real! Look at him: no food, no rest, no pain! Really, you angels got him into that body, why not have me in it? Sounds like heaven to me!" The Great Tengu stated. "That's enough. Shut your damn mouth!" "Hmm?" "YAAAAHHHH!" Ed had enough. He had never felt so upset, so ticked off in his life! This Tengu cost him everything, it was all his fault, and now this! The scream surely got his attention. "Sounds great to you?! It seems perfect?! You have no idea what kind of hell he has to go through stuck with that body!! And you want to know how to transmute a soul?! YOU DESTROYED OUR LIVES AND YOU WANNA TRADE SECRETS WITH ME?! I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU, CREEP! I'LL SMASH YOU - END YOU! AND I WON'T GIVE YOU JACK!!! In other words. There won't be an exchange with you, SCUUUUUMMMMMM!!!" Silence. Even the Tengu didn't know what to say to him, still shell-shocked by Ed ultimate tantrum. Not him, or Team Harmony for that matter. ... But it did get Olivier to shed a tear. "And here I thought he'd never grow. Brings a tear to your eye doesn't it?" "SERIOUSLY?" Nagisa gasped. "YOU CHOOSE NOW TO BE EMOTIONALLY INVESTED?!" gasped Twilight. It didn't help that the Great Tengu just gave a slow clap, more impressed than anything. "... You know, you had your chance. But hell with it. Ring that bell and let me Hitmonchan ya!" And while the reference flew past most of their heads, the Great Tengu took off to the sky, and bolted down with his sabre, and they all had to scatter for his fly in. This Tengu was taking the challenge head on. The first one to attack him was Ed, bringing up his alchemic power head on and slammed them into the ground, a wave of metal shooting right to the Tengu. The Great Tengu dodged one attack, but landed right onto another and he felt someone slice his leg, making the Tengu fall back, only to see Nagisa with his blade just finished slicing through some demonic meat. Karma came in next, and tried to skewer the Tengu, just for the demon to zoom back with a flap of his wings. "Why're you wasting your time with them? How about focus on me instead?" Karma mocked. "Come on, man, it's no fun to play with one ball in this ball pit. Bring it all on, I'll beat you all right out of this ring." "I have no idea what you're saying," Karma commented. "DANCE, BOI!" And with a quick summoning, a blast of a good sized flamethrower was shot right their way. Aladdin jumped in between and summoned his shield to block off the blast. "Don't you know anything else, you little genie?" "Actually, I do," Aladdin said, beginning to focus his energy into his hands. The Tengu folded his wings back and dove down at them as Aladdin formed a good sized Gyro Ball in his hand, and got a direct hit, sending the demon flying back towards Olivier and her troops! "WHOA, when'd you learn that?" "I had some help while I was away," Aladdin replied with a smile. The Great Tengu was left stunned from both the hit and explosion, but he was not out by a mile. The demon side-rolled just in time to avoid Olivier's sabre, but getting hit by Twilight's magic beam and a second Gyro Ball to send him to the wall. "I knew I should've trained on my agility," The Great Tengu groaned, as he got himself up and flying again. "PI-PI-PUMPKIN CANNON!" "Oh shit." The Great Tengu flew as quick as he could, but he foot was caught in another blast by Blair, sending him spinning in the air for a bit. "Gaara, Morgiana!" yelled Nagisa. "Right!" they both said. When the Tengu straightened out, Gaara and Morgiana were rushing right at him, jumping straight to him for a finishing hit. But the Great Tengu wasn't going to give them the chance, and his wings beating at hummingbird speed, the gusts of wind sending them back. "What are you all, a bunch of hyper mini monkeys?!" "WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!" Ed yelled. The word mini wasn't needed, and the Great Tengu found himself dodging more alchemy from the ground. Gaara and Morgiana jumped again, this time grabbing the demon by his wings. Gaara sliced at one of them and Morgiana crushed the other, quickly grounding the Tengu fast. "THAT'S IT!" Now legitimately angry, the Great Tengu went all out and focused his energy into both hands before copying Ed's technique with slamming them into the ground, sending a wave of ice right at them all! "Aladdin, shield!" Nagisa ordered. Aladdin got it up for protection, but Morgiana actually got it covered, and her fists slammed hard into the icy wall, making the wave suddenly stop cold (metaphorically), and shattering into pieces. The Great Tengu was actually left stunned by the strength, giving Olivier the chance to jump in and pin him down. "... COME ON!" "Give up, Tengu?" Olivier asked, her blade right at the Great Tengu's throat. The demon rose up with Olivier on his back, only for a few other soldiers to rush in. The Tengu grabbed Olivier and swung her around at her soldiers, getting freed again ... "Stay down!" And BAM! with the combined hit of Nagisa, Morgiana, Karma and Gaara, the hit finally got the Tengu off his feet and on the ground. The strength made the Tengu cough up blood, and slammed him back onto the wall, this time pinned down. "Note to self: don't pick a fight with a dozen people who kick ass on a daily basis ... especially demonic ass," The Great Tengu thought, dazed and hurting as he got back up. "Can't that monster stay down?" Olivier thought. "Oh, you kids are pretty fancy for a bunch of seeds. ... I was gonna save this, but hell, it'll end this faster," The Tengu growled. In his mouth, he opened it up to show what looked like some sort of purple substance being developed in his mouth before charging forward again. Karma rushed forward, but suddenly Gaara tackled him down before the Tengu could take a bite. "The hell, get off me!" "You would've died if he bit you, don't you recognize venom when you see it?" Gaara stated. "Hold still!" The Tengu demanded, trying to bite them again, only for both of them to jump aside. Karma sliced his sword into the Tengu's side before gaining some distance. "He's got a poisonous bite now? K then. Al, he's all yours!" called Karma. The Tengu rushed at them again, but Alphonse grabbed hold of him, even with his teeth biting down into his arm. All the Great Tengu tasted was metal, and his poison wasn't doing much of anything. "You better stay down before things end up getting worse," Alphonse advised, holding him by the head. "Another reason why I want a transmutation," The Tengu said through a muffled mouth. Alphonse held the Tengu in his grip, and without his wings to fly, the Great Tengu could only struggle as he was put in a headlock. "Why don't you take a break?" And with that, Alphonse twisted the Great Tengu's head fast, the group hearing a good amount of cracks from the demon's neck. Only then did the Great Tengu drop down, now too weak to even get up properly. "YES! Now that was a good fight," Karma said, feeling pretty good about it. "At least everyone's okay. So, what do we do with him?" Twilight asked, looking to the defeated Demon. The Great Tengu was still alive, but plenty of blood going out of his mouth. Alphonse made sure to keep him down just in case. "Hmm ... you do have quite a nose there. Anyone have some hot sauce? I could go for some nostalgia," Karma asked. "What am I, an entrée?" The Great Tengu asked, the idea flying over his head. "Complain all you want, you had your shot and we've beaten. You might as well give up," Gaara stated. "I don't get it. I've trained for years on years, and here I am getting beaten up by a bunch of nuggets. what'd I do wrong here?" ....... "You picked a fight against impossible odds. If you're going to pick a fight, be sure you have the advantage. Or at the very least, some subordinates to even the odds into your favor." Down with one opponent, and then enter another. Looking to the building, their next adversary started to walk out, the metallic noise and distinctive voice telling a number of them already who this was. but that didn't mean they weren't surprised to see him. coming out of the shadows of the front door, the figure turned out to be Slicer! And once more, Slicer seemingly had some fun already judging by the blood coating his armor and sabre. "Slicer?! How'd you get out of your cell?!" "Does that truly matter, Olivier? ... and I see there truly is someone else in the same issue as I," Slicer noted, looking to Alphonse. The Great Tengu found this his only chance, and with what strength he had, he jumped up, making Alphonse stumble off. "Sweet, I got an ally in this tango. come on Slicer, let's finish em off." "... The feelings mutual, I'm afraid." "Mutual?" And then, right then and there, slicer bolted forward fast and his sword skewered straight through the Great Tengu's head! The force was so strong that it pulled the Tengu's head clean off of his currently broken neck, killing him instantly. This quickly turned the tables for everyone there. "Wait what? ... You are from the Underworld, aren't you? Why would you kill your friend there?" Blair asked, dumbfounded. "I don't have to come from the Underworld to be a murderer. The demons mean little to me. You should know that by now," Slicer stated, before swinging his sword and getting the head off of his blade. Angry, Olivier rushed him, but Slicer rushed to the side and dodged it easily, and slammed his sword at the base of her back! It didn't slice her in two, but the pain was still evident on her face. "K, gang, aim for the head, it's his weakpoint," Karma said. "Say no more," Gaara said, immediately rushing in with blinding speed. Even with that, Slicer connected and the same sword aimed right to Gaara, meeting with his throwing knife. Olivier got up, just to be grabbed by Slicer, and used as a projectile, sending her and Gaara back away from him. Pinkie Pie managed to rush in though and grab him by the strand of hair, yanking the head off quick. "Got the weakpoint! Who wants it?" Pinkie called. "... We're not done yet." "AAHHH!" Pinkie suddenly felt something sharp hit her in the back, yelping in pain, and getting her head slammed into the ground by the body! Slicer's body picked up the head, and held it so the head aimed forward to the group. Karma and Blair thought they had it, but clearly they were thrown for a loop. "W-What? But you fell flat when we yanked off your head back at the base." "One detail I forgot to mention: the homicidal Slicer ..." "Is a pair of brothers," replied the body armor! "Brothers?" gasped Alphonse. "That's about it. And we're not falling until we have our quarry," Slicer replied. "Not a chance," Karma replied, he and Ed rushing in at Slicer, one side with a Miracle Sword, the other changing his arm into a blade. The Slicer brothers weren't having that, and the killer bolted right passed them, both blades not even cutting into them, and all of a sudden, the blade of Slicer got into Alphonse's neck, and popped his head off with ease. Morgiana caught the head before Al could hit the ground. ... But the head had one more surprise in store, as the brother placed the head onto Al's body. ... "There, brother. fit well?" the brother asked. Slicer actually began to control Al's body, moving the arm and legs as if they were his own. "A good fit," Slicer replied. "You bastard, GET OUT OF MY BROTHER'S BODY!" Ed demanded, seeing this happen. "Your brother, huh? ... Well, you wouldn't want to hurt him then, now would you?" Slicer asked, making Ed's blood boil even more. But a part of him was severely torn when it came to actually fighting him, since Slicer had Alphonse's body to control. And slicer knew it. "Brother, you ready?" "Always," the brother replied, as both brothers bolted to their opponents. Ed froze, and tried to get the head only, but with such a restricted aim, Slicer found it easier to dodge, and used Al's strength to grab Edward by his metallic arm, and tear it off with a powerful yank! Ed stumbled back from the pull, only for Slicer to grab him by the metal leg and swinging him around like a ragdoll, nearly hitting Karma and Olivier multiple times as they tried to dodge. This kept up until the leg itself broke free, sending Ed flying off towards the other brother. "ED!" gasped Aladdin, trying to get him, only for the brother to jump in his way, and almost decapitating him. Most of the brother's attacks were more ground based, and Aladdin kept trying to dodge the attacks as the brother's blade kept slicing the ground. Morgiana got hold of the arm, and actually used her own strength to tear it off with ease. "DAMNIT! Brother, help!" the brother called, Slicer seeing his brother in trouble. Karma rushed in, but Slicer grabbed him mid air, and rushed towards his brother, throwing Karma hard at Morgiana before any more limbs could be torn away. Now it was getting serious for the brothers as well, and both of them got some distance away from Team Harmony. "Don't you dare harm Aladdin," Morgiana warned, staring daggers at them both. The brother readied to go in again, but oddly, Slicer raised his arm to stop him. "No brother, you did good. I'll handle it from here," Slicer said. The brother paused, but did stop going in for them, as Slicer confronted them all. "...Hand over the arm. do that, and you can have your body back, Alphonse," Slicer instructed, hand opened and ready. "Why should we believe you?" asked Olivier. "You have a higher advantage if I do that. Why are you questioning it. ... Besides, Edward, he's your brother. And I know that if there's one thing you want now is for your brother to be safe. All I ask is for my brother's arm in return," Slicer said. "You first," Ed demanded. ... And he complied. His brother, went in and lifted off Slicer's head, and got it back onto the original body. The Slicer brothers then tossed over the body of armor to them for Al to have back. ... *clap* What happened next came by too fast for most of them to even comprehend. Nagisa felt a horrid shiver run through him the minute he heard that clap, but the Slicer brothers slammed them into the ground fast, and activated what looked like a symbol, all underneath the team's feet! This portal was extremely fast to open, and only Blair, Aladdin, and Nagisa were out of the way just enough to avoid it, falling outside of the portal ring. ... The others were not as lucky. Looking back once the portal vanished. They were all gone. Team Harmony had completely disappeared in a matter of seconds, and it wasn't until too late which they found what the brother was really doing, as the streaks from his sword on the ground giving a faint glow of a pentagram. A group of ten plus cut down to just three in three seconds, too fast to save any of them. "Target. Captured," Slicer stated. It took them a minute to grasp what just happened to them. Slicer meanwhile made a much smaller pentagram under his own feet, and got that activated just before anyone could capture him. "Wha ... what ... what happened?" "We got screwed, that's what happened! Slicer's got them all in the Underworld now!" gasped Blair. Nagisa got up and tried to reactivate it, but it was no use. This portal just wasn't going to open up for him, and the reality was quick to settle in. "Nagisa? ..." Aladdin asked. For a while there was a bit of silence for a while, Nagisa completely torn at what just happened. Eventually, his look of sorrow turned to one of anger. "... We're going." "Going? What do you mean?" asked Aladdin. Nagisa turned to them with determination edging him. His choice was final. "Exactly what I said. ... We're going to the Underworld and getting them back."
S06Ep1: Welcome to Hell ~地獄へようこそ~Lunchtime at Orora high. On the surface, the lunchroom was relatively normal, and nothing really seemed out of place, but the absence of a multitude of Team Harmony was something some couldn't ignore entirely. They were aware of their mission out and about for demon hunting at this point, but for Envy, the situation had turned a little more critical. Sure, them rushing after multiple demons was quite a danger itself, but just how long could they go on for? Before envy could continue, Terasaka and his gang went on over to him for some lunch time together. "Hey, Envy," Kirara said, as she sat down next to him. Terasaka, Takuya, and Yoshida sat down across from him, ready to have their lunch. "Hey guys. Kirara, did you uh ..." "Got it right here. Here you go," Kirara said, pulling out an item from her bag, turning out to be another installment of the Count of Monte Crisco. guess some habits are hard to break. So, as Envy was reading his new addition, the rest of the gang started to handle some simple chit-chat. One subject in particular. "So, anyone else notice teach earlier?" Yoshida asked. "Yeah, not often does he get this bummed out," Kirara noted, working her memory on the demon. It was awfully quiet over in study hour off in 3-E. The students went through the hour fairly quietly, going through some basic studies, but unlike other study hours, this one was annoyingly accompanied by the sound of squishing, Korosensei slumped over by the door and his tentacle weakly punching the wall. Or rather, just bumping it into the wall. His head was a different color now, and instead of typical yellow, it was a shade of blue, which is probably what summed up the mood best. "Teach, knock it off, we're trying to study here!" one of the kids finally said. Korosensei did stop and spun around. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Korosensei insisted. "Who knows? That demon's probably worried sick over Team Harmony's antics," Takuya figured, taking a bite from his bento box. "How long have they been gone anyway? Easily two weeks, right?" Yoshida asked. "Bet they're having a ball with all of this demon hunting," Kirara figured. However, Terasaka was getting a little bit antsy himself. "Yeah, they're running off on their adventure and here we are stuck here." "Jealous much?" Yoshida teased. "I didn't say that, but come on! Here we are training for months on end, and we haven't done jackshit compared to what they did," Terasaka brought up. And he had a point there. Sure they had a few run ins here and there, but in an overall sense, they weren't really doing all that much. "I know, but they have an excuse, we don't," Kirara said. However, while that was true, Envy did begin to think about a little something else he had in mind. ... "NO WAY, they've been captured?! Oh god, oh crap, what're we gonna do now?! Sombra's gonna tear them to pieces now that they're in his world!" Over at Orora High, upon request by Nagisa, Aladdin had stopped by the school and quickly got the main bit of information to Gakuho himself, along with Korosensei. Gakuho had to be told after their last excursion, and Nagisa Shiota simply didn't had enough time to go to school and inform right now. Aladdin had his head lowered. "So your friends are still going to be absent?" Gakuho asked, as Korosensei was panicking not too far away. "I'm very sorry, sir. Nagisa promised he'll make up for how much he missed, but he really needs to save his friends. Who knows what they're going through right now?" Aladdin replied. Gakuho felt a bit sorry for Nagisa. Bad enough he had to go through all this demonic nonsense, and now this. "I'll ... excuse it. This is bigger than any grade," Gakuho decided, hand raised. Aladdin was a little surprised, but didn't try to question it for Nagisa's sake. "Thanks," Aladdin said. Aladdin then turned and went off on his way. ... And that didn't go without a shadow listening in either. "... Why don't we?" The gang paused for a minute after Envy finished his question. After eating a piece of fish from his bento box, he looked to his gang. "What, Envy?" "Look, I don't know about you guys, but I've been meaning to get back at the Underworld for screwing me over like this," Envy said. "We know, but what can we do? Team Harmony's been doing all the big work," Yoshida said, taking a drink of his soda. "About that: I've heard earlier this morning Team Harmony's been taken," Envy revealed. That revelation was enough to make Yoshida choke for a second on his drink. "W-What? Taken?" he coughed. "You don't mean captured," Kirara assumed. "Yep. It was bound to happen eventually, but apparently Aladdin and Nagisa had avoided it. So ..." Envy didn't need to finish up his sentence to figure out where this idea was going. "You want us to help em out, huh? Hell, why not?" Yoshida concluded. "They've been saving the world enough already, so we might as well return to favor," Kirara concluded. Well, that was easier than he thought, but hey, he had a gang with him, so that was pretty good for him. "Finally, some action! So, Envy, know when they're going?" Terasaka asked. Envy readied to answer, but unfortunately his mind went blank. "I ... I have no idea," Envy admitted. Well, that bummed them out a little bit. "Damnit. They could've ran off already then," Takuya groaned. "They're still here, they won't run off until after school." The group looked off away for a moment, seeing Nakamura strolling over to them. The gal overheard their conversation apparently, and she wasn't going to miss out on this chance if what Envy said was true. The blonde went over to Envy in particular. "How'd you know that?" Envy asked, as Nakamura sat down over by Envy. "Saw them heading to the E building before coming to lunch. So if we're gonna head off to hell, we better get going now," Nakamura said. "Wait, we?" asked Terasaka. "Duh! You think you're the only one's left behind in everything, no way am I missing this," Nakamura stated. "Nakamura, maybe you should just -" before Envy could finish, Nakamura smiled, and placed a hand on his head, giving envy a pat. "... You don't have a choice." Blunt, but ok. Guess Envy had another helper in this mission, whether he wanted it or not. ~~ Nakamura was right: off down towards the E building, Nagisa was taking charge and marching straight over to the building with Aladdin and Blair following in toe not too far behind. Nagisa was not going to wait around any longer for any moment now, and while normally he'd be concerned with school at this time, his thoughts were focused on his friends trapped in the Underworld. He'd seen the Underworld himself, he almost died in the Underworld, and while he never got the full taste of it, if Sombra's castle was anything to go by, it was not a place someone would want to just chill out in for too long. Aladdin, Blair, and Nagisa all had a number of items with them, carried in backpacks similar to an investigation or exploration (which this would probably end up being anyway). "Aladdin, go down the list for me: Underworld Atlas?" "Check," Aladdin said, showing the map amongst the number of items he was carrying. "Portal recreation spell?" "Right here." "Rations?" "Plenty of that," Blair answered, holding onto the rations herself. "Good, we got everything we need. I got all our weapons and extra supplies with me, so we should be ready to go," Nagisa decided. Pretty soon, almost before they realized it, the trio was over at the E building. It was clear, open, and with the main field still left alone, the perfect place to open up a portal to the Underworld without any fear of reoffending. Nagisa, Aladdin, and Blair were more than ready for this, and Nagisa got out his Halo Blade and quickly went to work on the hard ground. Blair and Aladdin stood aside and watched him quickly make out a pentagram into the dirt with his slicing, one nice and big, big enough for a quick run through. It took little time to make the symbol itself, and that was good enough for him. "There, that should do it. Aladdin, Blair, you two ready?" "Ready when you are, Nagisa," Aladdin said. Nagisa and Aladdin were down, but Blair still had a thing or two to make clear to them, being a resident of the Underworld herself. "Guys, hold up. I know you're eager, who wouldn't be, but we can't just charge in! They'll find us for sure, so if we're going back, how about somewhere outside Tartarus?" "Since when were you so worried?" "We're going in hell, damn straight I'm worried about losing more lives than I have. I already nearly lost mine because of those slicer brothers, and they're the easy ones," Blair made clear. Guess if Nagisa wasn't going to do it, someone had to be a voice of reason, even for a little bit. Nagisa felt a sting in his plan, but he knew she was right about that. He knew jack about any particular areas of the Underworld that would actually be safe for them, and considering just how many Demons were dangerous to him and his friends, it was far easier said than done. "Hey, hold up!" Before they could decide where exactly to go, the new voices of some newcoming aid caught their attention, which was odd since none of them called for some extra help prior to this. Eventually, as they ran pass the E building to catch up with them, the trio saw Terasaka's gang, Nakamura, and Envy now catching up with them, glad that they didn't go off just yet. They didn't stop running until they were only a foot away, Envy up front. "What're you guys doing here?" Aladdin asked, obviously confused. "What does it look like we're doing? We're coming along this time," Terasaka answered. "What?" "Don't what us, it's our turn for some demon hunting," Nakamura said, actually already armed with a shotgun in hand. The others had some weaponry as well naturally, but this sudden recruitment caught them rather off guard. "Now wait a minute, we're not just hunting demons here. We're going into the Underworld, I can't let you come," Nagisa stated. "Tell us something we don't know," Takuya simply said, confusing them again until Envy stepped forward. "Nagisa. You and your friends had done so much for this world, and for the people who lived on it. Hell, you're even ready to save my life after everything I did. The least we can do is help you get your friends back from those bastards. They're more than ready to face them, and so am I. I think I had a long enough break from the demonic stuff anyway," Envy explained. Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin paused for a moment, and looked them all over. They all had a weapon armed on them, knife and gun armed at the ready for anything. Eventually, Nagisa addressed everybody. "The Overworld isn't just a simple test area like what Korosensei had been giving you. If a fight starts down there, they will not hold back, and if Sombra's forces find us, they'll try to kill us on site. There's no turning back either once we're through that portal," Nagisa warned. There was a bit of resentment at first, but they were still determined either way. "Sounds like fun to me," Nakamura said with a wink, gun raised at her side. "Right. ... you all ready?" "Ready, just say the word man," Takuya said, the others nodding. Clearly he had reassurance and they weren't changing their minds either. "Open it up." There was no more needed to be said, and Blair, Aladdin, and now Envy went over to the symbol on the ground. They still had little idea on where to go, but they can't go anywhere in the Underworld if they're just standing around here. Before they did anything, Envy reached into his pocket, and actually pulled out their key: his Philosopher's Stone, which he flicked to the center of the symbol like flipping a coin. Blair and Aladdin clapped in unison, and placed their hands onto the symbol itself, the spell quickly activating, and began to open up a portal into the ground (Envy grabbing his stone first, of course after the initial sparks). This portal was fairly big, and didn't shut up as quickly as it had when Slicer had used it, probably because no one had jumped in just yet. Nagisa brought out his halo blade, armed and ready himself. "Let's go." ~~ The portal traveling itself didn't take longer than a minute, and the group, now up to nine again over the starting three, mainly had to deal with a decent-sized drop, a good twenty feet down from their surface world, and into the Underworld. Just to be safe, Aladdin made sure to bring out his turban after falling through to catch everyone on the way down, just in case. But even if he didn't, the ground wasn't really too far down from where the portal had opened up, and once they did hit ground (far gentler than they would've been), they took the time to look around the area. However, as the portal vanished soon after their passing, they found themselves in a fairly unknown area, much of it dry and with plenty of rocks, not dissimilar to a quarry or canyon. The rocks were dark, almost like coal, and the skies above their heads held a eerie yellowish color, with very faint clouds floating above them in a smoky haze. Nothing seemed to be around them, which was a saving grace, yet they had no clue where they were exactly. "Looks like we're safe for now. Envy, Blair, got any idea where we ended up?" Nagisa asked. "I do have one idea, but I can't tell from here," Envy said, trying to get some sort of clue to their whereabouts. Aladdin then looked up to a particularly high rock not too far away. "Say no more," Aladdin said, as he got his turban on and moved over to the outcrop. In what looked like a single jump, Aladdin flew right up from their level, and onto the top of the rock. They all knew exactly what he was trying to do, and met up with him below as Aladdin took a look around. "What do you see?!" called Nakamura. what Aladdin was seeing was a surprisingly vast wilderness of open spaces, and a detail that Aladdin didn't expect: scattered trees. Of course it wasn't the same forests he saw back in the Surface World, many of these lacking in leaves, growing like dead skeletons in the dry soil. Aladdin still didn't had too much to go on, hand over his eyes like a shade to better see the landscape. It wasn't a fiery hell as some would assume it to be, but not as lively around here. Eventually, Aladdin looked pretty far out, and actually noticed something else: a very faint view of smoke, and a few rooftops. Eventually, Aladdin hopped back down. "Well?" asked Envy. "I could be wrong, but I think there's a town off that a way. ... does that help?" "Aladdin, there's settlements all over the Underworld, that doesn't help us at all," Envy bluntly stated, bumming out Aladdin. "Here, let me try," Nagisa said, as he began to climb up the side of the outcrop in little time until he got to the top. However, Aladdin pretty much summed up what Nagisa was seeing, but one thing Nagisa could already tell was the high amount of demonic energy around, his demon sense giving him shiver as if it was dead winter. And up exposed on a high rock didn't help him out that much either. Still, he continued looking around a bit more, and soon caught sight of something that Aladdin seemed to missed. "I see a river off a good mile from here off that way. It looks very big too," Nagisa said, calling down from the perch. Envy and Blair tried to figure out what that could be, and eventually Blair pulled out the Underworld Atlas, skimming through the pages as Nagisa hopped back down. Envy and Blair looked over the map they got, and eventually found the details they were talking about after some skimming, which included the town and the river in the spots they've mentioned. "Got it: we're near the Styx river. Yeah, we're good out here, too far from Tartarus for Sombra to bother us right now. Unless he's desperate," Envy informed. "The Styx River? Isn't that the river separating us from the Underworld?" Kirara asked, a bit intrigued on the subject. "... Uh, no? It's just a large river, but it does separate Tartarus from a few other countries," Blair said, pointing to the other country on one side, comparing it to the other two. "So now what do we do? We're not gonna get anywhere by just standing here," Takuya said, bringing up a fairly good point. They could either start right away to Tartarus across the river, or they could try the town and figure things out from there. Nagisa had to think a bit on it, but looking around, there was one thing they had to do regardless of which side they decide to go for. "Well, either way, we're gonna have to get out of this quarry first. Aladdin," Nagisa sighed. Aladdin knew where this was going, and after a short bit, the group were flown out of the quarry, and up onto the same level. A fairly easy task all things considered, though the easiest it'll probably get. "Right. Blair, try and scout ahead for us?" Nagisa asked. "Oh, sure. Try to keep up, gang," Blair said, starting to race off ahead of them. As she did that, Nagisa took a moment and gathered himself. "Be careful guys. Stay alive." ....... Oh, if only it were that simple. The attack they've been horribly given, and the trick they've been dealt had left them all weakened just enough to sustain their capture. Unconscious for much of the trip, the first one to wake up from the initial drop was Twilight. She struggled to get herself awake, and checked over who else was with her. The only ones missing were Nagisa, Blair and Aladdin, everyone else not too far from her. Twilight tried to get up, but she wasn't going anywhere so quickly, feeling her arms pinned down by some red thorn chains. Her pulls only made the hooked thorns dig into her skin, so she didn't continue much further. She was in some sort of cage on wheels, all side draped in a cloak, and a strange insect-like Scolipede creature pulling it along its way. In the cage, Twilight found a few of her friends with her: Edward, Morgiana, and Karma in particular, though she had no idea where the others were at. "Guys, wake up!" Twilight shouted. It took a bit for them to do so, but the shout did anger the creature, who responded with a loud hissing noise. "What the hell? ... Al? Alphonse, where is he?" "No idea, but ... I think we're -" "Alright, in you go," said a low gurgling voice. All of a sudden the cage was opened up, but before any of them could get out, a large hand reached in and grabbed Karma before he could wake up. Karma just came to in time to feel himself get tossed into somewhere else, hitting the wall. A rude wake up call, and more bars closing up before he could get out. Edward and Twilight were in some bit of trouble, but Edward was even more so as he tried to get up, only to find his arm and leg were completely missing. No evidence of removal except for some end plates on his stubs, and as such not able to get up. Then they got a good look at the demon that had them: a large, yellow skinned, cloaked demonic creature, the face hidden behind what looked like a slip of paper with red paint for a symbol on its face. In this case it was just two lines horizontal of eachother. "Only three left," said another voice, turning out to be another demonic creature. This one looked similar to the first, but a bit thinner and having purple skin instead of yellow. This one took a look into the cage, seeing Morgiana first. "What do you want to do with the Fanalis?" it asked, fingers grazing her skin. The first demon paused and went over what looked like a list of sorts. Eventually, the demon shook its head. "She's not wanted. Throw her out," the demon advised. With a nod of the head, the second demon pulled Morgiana out through the bars. Twilight didn't want anyone taken away, and actually tried to pull her back, only for the first demon to grab her chains and pull back hard, the second demon tossing Morgiana over its shoulder like an old towel, before moving away. Ed tried to balance as best he could, but his remaining limbs were also chains in red thorns, digging into his hands and feet, threatening to tear them up as well. They both began to feel the cage move again, the Scolipede pulling it along to the next cell. Twilight tried to do some magic to get themselves out, but upon sensing the magical aura, the chains began to heat up quick, making Twilight stop. "Where are we?" Edward asked. "You two are in Purgatory, that's what. You try breaking out of those things, you won't have any limbs to run off in." "Did you put us in these?" Twilight questioned. "We'd put you in ice locks, but your captor suggested those instead. Just keep out of trouble, and we'll all be fine," the yellow imp advised, before the Scolipede stopped again, this time in front of what looked like a side cell. The cloak was lifted up to open the cage, this time Twilight being pulled out. Oddly the chains didn't heat up, possibly sensing the demon energy from the imp, and she was thrown into the cage herself, the bars closing up behind her just before she could get out. "Where's everyone else?" "Don't worry about them, they're already put in their cells before you woke up. Let's get you in yours now," the yellow Imp said, grabbing hold of Ed and pulling him out. the Scolipede went on its way, and it was revealed that a hanging cage was right behind it, which the Imp placed Edward into. Ed struggled to get free, but with only one arm and one leg, he was only as strong as a wriggling fish. Edward couldn't move all too well, let alone get himself out, so once he was in that cage, he couldn't get himself out. Then by some unknown force, the cage began to lift away, Ed only able to watch Twilight disappear from his sight below. Now, Twilight was alone in her cell. She tried to get the bars to break, but it seemed that her magic wasn't enough. She focused her aura on the bars, hoping some pressure could break them, but the bars actually ended up on fire! "Come on, come on!" Twilight said in hope, thinking it was the fire spell she activated. Unfortunately, the bars were just set off a warning system, and the bars turned back to normal in little time at all. Twilight just tried her strength, but the bars were very sturdy and not moving at all. She thought for a brief moment that it was all done, but then she remembered the save at the last second, and the only three members that didn't get caught. "Damn it. Damn it! I can't believe it ... Nagisa. Aladdin. Blair. Wherever you are, you'd better hurry, please." ~~ Pretty soon, they were off and on their way again. They would normally fly, though as much as they've insisted on such, if they did try to fly they were be easy targets to spot, so to keep out of sight they had to walk instead. They weren't going to become flying targets so soon, nor were any of them interested in such, so traveling on foot was their best bet. They all took a look around the spaced forest as they walked along on their way. The only other animal out there with them was an occasional bat, hanging up in the trees and watching them go by like vultures. "Hey Envy, the Underworld isn't all this barren, is it? No offense, but I was expecting a bit more action coming in," Nakamura asked, a bit bored to be honest. "Really? You should be lucky we didn't run into trouble yet!" Envy said. Sure, it was a dangerous place, but that didn't mean he wanted to start something in here! "Yeah, yeah, but you'd think that something would pop up right now aside from these dumb bats," Yoshida commented, just for one of the bats to flutter on by him, screeching for a moment before going out of sight. "Will you quit complaining, we're not here to start a bar fight, we're here to get that team back. I'm not willing to get killed right away," Terasaka said firmly. "Thank you, you beat me to it," Envy added in. "Come on, dude, we'll be fine. I mean, just what can end up -" "DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE," Envy warned. Last thing they needed right now was a jinx, and Yoshida clammed up on seeing how serious Envy was in that statement. "Geez, I'm only joking," Yoshida said, hands raised in submission. As they continued, Envy looked up to the sky. Their conversation was overheard by Nagisa, who on the idea began to worry a little bit. His demon sense was alive still, even if faint, but what kind of demons would end up roaming around here was what worried him. and indeed, it was strange that nothing came up after them just yet. He took a look over to Envy. "Damn, it's been forever since I've last been here. Has it already been nearly a year?" Blair wondered, checking out the area. It was surely a sense of nostalgia for her, but before she could continue, Nagisa tapped her shoulder. "So do you know the place, Blair?" "Eh, it's been a while since I've been in the Underworld, so it's still a bit hazy," Blair answered, hands behind her head casually. Nagisa sighed, and looked on ahead of them, wiping some sweat off his head. "Tired already? How'd you save the world if you can barely walk half a mile?" Kirara asked, just for Blair to nudge her. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just been a while since my Demon sense has been this active," Nagisa sighed, forgetting a moment that most of the group didn't even know about his senses. "So you can sense demons now?" Takuya asked, scratching his head. "It's been something I've had for a long time. ... I don't know if it'll work as well in here though with it so active over everything," Nagisa stated, just as another few bats flew by his head, making him shiver. Even the bats are demonic apparently, and they flew fairly close to them. While two bats did fly by, one bat gave a pain-filled screech right behind them, making them turn around fast. They only found one bat flying that time, a lot faster and more frantic. "Who's there?!" Terasaka demanded, gun out and ready. ... *nyaa* Nyaa? Turned out, it was only a cat, holding a now dead blue bat in its teeth. The cat looked up to them for a moment or two before it shook the bat again. The group calmed down a little bit, but Terasaka felt a little stupid. "Seriously?" Terasaka groaned, teeth gritting and hand to forehead. Freaking out over a little cat. Really. *hiss* Turning around again, and out came another cat, but this one looked a little bigger than the first cat, hair raised and barring its teeth in a threat display. Nagisa started to feel a little uneasy with the situation, considering where they were, and raised his Halo Blade their way. "Another one? ..." *rowr!* THAT made them all on edge now, this time looking up into the trees. Once there was bats, but now about several cats appeared above their heads! Each cat had black fur, and each were eyeing down to them like leopards, and probably just as much of a predator. Some were laying in the branches, some hissing at them, and some coming down from the trees to confront them. Next thing they all knew, they were surrounded by an entire clan of cats, a good fifty of them! And none of them looked very happy to see em, as they kept hissing and growling at them. It wouldn't be too bad if there wasn't so many of them. "Ok, the hell's with all these cats?" Yoshida said, feeling uneasy now as they began to come close. some of them started to back up, but this only made Takuya step on a cat's tail, making it wail and slash at him! Takuya managed to dodge the slash, and aim his knife down at the same cat, making a number of them hiss and growl at him again. Eventually though, Terasaka found one just too close to him. "Back off!" he yelled, and he actually pulled the trigger on one of them. Suddenly, ten of the cats bolted up off the ground in one jump, and landed in a nearby tree, but five of them leaped back down at him and one grabbed his gun, two which cut his face! "HEY!" Terasaka snapped. Suddenly, several other cats rushed at them, jumping at them and taking their weapons one by one. Try as they might, at least one of the clan members got them disarmed, either a gun or a knife in their teeth. Some even got them right out of their pockets just to be sure they were indeed disarmed. Nagisa was a little more difficult to disarm, being a bit quick on moving, but even he got his Halo Blade taken from him after one sneaky cat landed on his head and distracted him for that brief moment. "Damnit," Nagisa groaned. Once they were all disarmed, one other cat began to move out from the crowd, a few of the cats moving aside to let it through. As appearances go, it was nothing more than a black tom cat, golden eyes looking up at them. "... You're a bit far from home, aren't you?" the cat said. "D-Did he just talk?!" gasped Yoshida. "It's not the weirdest thing in the world," Envy commented. Nagisa tried to calm down the best he could, but his demon sense was going haywire as this seemingly small cat neared him. "We're just passing through, honestly." "A few humans just passing through the Underworld. Yeah, sure," the cat said. "HOLD IT!" Everything stopped when Blair finally spoke up, now going up to the front of the group, and kneeling down to the cat's level. None of the clan really took too much note of Blair up to this point, and the black cat stayed quiet and looked over who this was. Before they could fully confirm, Blair then turned from human and down to cat, though her witch hat did cover her body for a little bit until she lifted it off of her. ... "Hey there. I'm back." "Blair!" "Wait, what?" the rest thought, a number of the cats going over to Blair. Well, this was unexpected, but at least the cats stopped fighting them. "Where have you been?" one of the cats asked. "We thought you lost all your nine lives," said another. "Oh, out and about you know. I had to high-tail it to the Surface World, and it's there I found these cute humans," Blair explained, presenting the humans to them. Now the cats were looking them over a bit more curiously than aggressively. "An explanation, Blair?" Envy asked, dumbfounded more than anything. Blair turned to them with a cheeky smile. "We're in luck: I told you guys I came from the Underworld, and get this - this is my clan! We'll be good around here," Blair explained. ~~ Well what're the odds of this? They've been in the Underworld for at least an hour now, and already they got some friendlier company in Blair's clan. Well, friendlier in a vague sense, but they weren't trying to kill them anymore, so that was good. Once that was cleared up, the group were given their weapons back, and were actually brought back over towards the town they've seen when they arrived (go figure). For the town itself, the place looked about as run down as they've expected it to be: many of the houses old to the hands of time, though when it comes to the cats, it was home sweet home. That didn't mean each house was a complete wreck however, as some of them were well-maintained while others were left to rot away. Many of the buildings were easily accessible at least, and soon the clan brought their visitors over to the lead cat's den - it was a shrine off to the north of town - and letting them inside. The group took a load off in the shrine, with the talking black cat and Blair sitting across from them. Several other cats were around as well, peering in and seeing what was going to happen. Seemed that humans were a rare sight in this part of the Underworld, at least casual ones like this. "So you're Blair's leader?" Nagisa started. "That's right. I'm Yoruichi Shihōin. And word around the Underworld says that you've got a history against us, is that right?" the black cat asked. "Well, me yeah. ... Whether I like it or not," Nagisa admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Petty," Yoruichi said with a smirk, which probably wasn't the right word for him. "So what are you exactly? Clearly you're not normal cats," Takuya asked, looking at some of the cats nearby as they talked to one another. "Well you're not in a normal world, so there. Talking cats isn't the most surprising thing to find down here, though if you can get down here yourselves you probably knew that already," Yoruichi noted. "Eh, yeah, pretty much. Thanks for not ... well, killing us," Envy said. The least he could do, as Yoruichi moved over to him, starting to sniff him a little bit. As he sniffed him over, the cat began to notice something in his pocket, Envy trying to get him to stop, just for the cat to pull out his Philosopher's Stone. "So that's the odd scent. You a former Homunculus?" "What the - how the hell'd you know that?" Envy gasped, as Yoruichi examined the small stone he dug out. "All of your friends are either magical or armed to the teeth. Yet you only have this," Yoruichi pointed out, pawing the stone for a bit before Envy grabbed it and kept it away from the peeping cat. "Yeah, so what? I don't need knives and guns to protect myself in this place," that was a lie, but a well-made one, yet Yoruichi didn't look as convinced as anyone else would be. "Speaking of, I find it hard to believe that a bunch of cats are living fine in this hellhole," Nakamura commented. Yoruichi walked back to Blair, and sat down. "You still think that we're just normal cats?" Blair asked in disbelief. "No, but talking can't save you from getting killed." "... I get it. You want to see my true form, then?" "True form?" Nagisa asked. The black cat began to smirk, and Blair knew EXACTLY what was coming next. The cat moved off to give Yoruichi some space to handle his transformation. As the cat stood there, a mist started to form up around him, slowly but surely covering him up. It wasn't as immediate as what Blair did, nor purple clouds, but the effect was still there, and they began to suspect the true power of this cat coming to life on them. Nagisa felt a surge of demonic energy come around, and his hand gripped the blade in case of some sort of attack. Blair however, suddenly turning into her human form, grabbed the blade first and kept it there so he wouldn't jump at him. ... Then came the true form. Yoruichi Shihōin now stood at average height for any human being his age, skin darkened, and eyes still the same golden irises as the cat. His hair, black like the fur, turned waist-length, with a mixture of side bangs and a ponytail. Oh, and one detail? ... He was actually a she, slender and well-endowed women. And she smirked smugly to them, the girl completely naked. "W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Terasaka gasped, all of them shocked and off their guard at the sudden display of feminism and sex standing in front of them. Nagisa quickly slammed his eyes closed, hand covering his eyes for good measure. The shocked reactions from the group just made Yoruichi snicker to herself, her arms crossed around her boobs just as the mist cleared around them. Nakamura and Kirara, being the only girls in this group, had a bit of mixed feelings about it as the boys ... well, either look or not, there was no in between here. Blair ended up laughing herself silly. "OH, how I missed that! I forgot how hilarious that was!" Blair said, laughing all the while from the reaction. The only one not freaking out too much was Envy, but he kept his gaze lowered anyway so he wouldn't piss of the others. Yoruichi then began to strut closer to them. "Surprised are ya? You all thought I was a boy, didn't you? Can't say it's the first time, my cat form does have a male voice with it, but then again it's always fun to see how people like you react to seeing the real me like this.~ Now as for your little escapade, maybe our clan can -" "FOR GOD'S SAKE, BITCH, PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" yelled Nakamura. Sometime later, and Yoruichi did just that, looking a little disappointed all the same. The outfit she had on now was a step better than earlier: an orange overshirt with a black undershirt, white straps on her shoulders, a beige sash around her waist, and black stretch pants with brown shoes. Not a standard outfit, but hey, it saved them the trouble of anymore embarrassment. The ONLY one aside from Blair without a problem was Aladdin, but envy kept him well back by gripping his own ponytail like a leash. "Well, I can see where Blair learned that trick from," Nagisa thought. "Now, as I was saying, maybe our clan can give you somewhere for the night. It could be fun for us," Yoruichi said. Takuya and Yoshida glanced over back to some of the other cats nearby. "Eh, you're not gonna say the other cats are like you, are you?" "I won't." "They are," they thought. Blair was down for the idea, but Nagisa then got up. "It's a nice offer, but I'm afraid we can't. We're on a very tight schedule, and we have to get going," Nagisa made clear. "Come on, Nagisa, this is my hometown! What other chance can I get to show you around the neighborhood?" Blair said. "That and you won't get far anyway," added in Yoruichi. "Why not? You kitty bitch think we can't make it out on our own?" accused Nakamura. "No: it's that it's getting late. Any of you looked outside?" Yoruichi asked, pointing a slender finger off back outside. They weren't sure what she was talking about. "The hell are you talking about, it's only -" before she could finish, one look outside and it already showed that the world was getting dark! That one look outside immediately made them at a loss of words. "HOW THE HELL?!" Nakamura gasped. "How'd it get so dark so quick, we just got here an hour ago!" said Yoshida. "The Underworld doesn't have the same clock as you all do. And might I add in that you might be hunted by the Gillian if you go off at night here," Yoruichi warned. That made them feel a little bit unnerved, with the exception of Kirara, Envy, and Blair. "A Gillian? what's a Gillian? Envy, Blair?" Aladdin asked. That was something Heine didn't teach him up on yet, and where they were, it could be anything. "Oh, shit, I forgot about those things," Envy said, hand to forehead, and a little bit troubled himself again. "What? What are they?" Nagisa asked. "Eh, let me see. ... Their about as tall as a building, draped in black, have a gaping hole in their stomachs, have these pointy-nosed white masks, and roam around the Underworld at night to pick off any stray person, or even demon that's running too far from their settlements. Think of them as like a wilder version of curfew patrol." "Shouldn't you thought of telling us that before we jumped down here?!" snapped Terasaka. "It slipped my mind, okay?!" snapped back Envy. However, this new idea did make Nagisa very worried. If the possibility is that his friends were just dumped out in the open for those things to capture, who knows where they would be by now. Or for that matter, if they were still alive or not. Still, the last thing he needed was to freak out all over again. "Well, I don't care what's roaming down here. My friends are all stuck here, and I'm not going home until I find them and get them back," Nagisa made clear, determined to get his friends back. "Neither am I," said Aladdin. "So you lot are going to stay here for a bit, or no? It's the closest settlement within a hundred miles of the Styx river, and unless you all plan on staying in the river, I say you might as well get comfy." "Wait a minute, don't they go into settlements too?" Nakamura asked. "Rarely, but only those that're controlled by another deity, and even then they won't wander off into a town unless they're told to," Blair explained. Kirara scratched her head for a moment or two, but then something came up in her mind. "Gillian, Gillian ... wait, that's a Hollow, isn't it? A type of spirit trapped in limbo too long?" Kirara asked. Yoruichi looked impressed. "That's right. Ran across one before?" "Well, we have our own demon egghead named Korosensei, and he went on about demon types for a whole week straight," Kirara admitted. "Oh yeah, he did mention that, didn't he?" Takuya noted, thinking back to the many demon lessons he gave to the E class. It was still a bit foggy in details, but Hollows were indeed mentioned during Korosensei's O so many lectures and demonstrations. "Korosensei? Isn't he some yellow octopus with a school uniform?" "And judging by you, I don't see why he wouldn't meet you before," Nakamura teased, knowing his perverted side to the demon. "That aside, Yoruichi. ... What do these Gillian do with those they find?" Nagisa asked, at least wanting to get that off his mind. "You know, it depends on which one. some Gillian just slaughter their prey while others drag them back to their lairs. If they're controlled though, they would bring them to their masters, or whatever the hell else they want to do with them. So, word of advice: don't get caught alone out there," Yoruichi advised. Something that could so unsaid at this point. "You can kill these things, can't you?" "Not that I'm aware of. Believe me, I tried," Yoruichi answered. "Damnit. Well in that case, we don't have a choice. We'll wait it out for tonight, then go off tomorrow morning. Or whenever the lights comes up, whichever comes first," Nagisa decided. "Yeah, sounds good. Hey Yoruichi, any rooms for us?" Yoshida asked. "Oh, I think I can find one place. You mind, Blair?" "You need to ask? Of course I'm cool with it, they let me stay up there as things were getting testy down here." "Good to note. Follow blair, she'll take you to her home to stay." Now Blair was a bit confused, as was Nagisa, Envy, and Aladdin. "Wait. Her home? I thought it got destroyed, didn't it?" Yoruichi only smirked on that answer. ....... Pretty soon, they were brought from one part of town to another, and this time the home that was in front of them looked less like a house, and more like a ... well ... a vegetable. The entire outer building had the shape, and coloration of what one could assume to be two pumpkins stacked onto eachother, small on top, large on bottom. A few windows were along the bottom half, and those on top made it look like a face: two upside-down triangle eyes and a triangle mouth. The so-called 'stem' of the top pumpkin was the chimney. "I-It's here! MY HOME'S BACK!" Blair beamed, her eyes wide and sparkling. "Well, since you've ran off, I figured this would be a nice little surprise for when you would come back," Yoruichi said. The others took a moment to check out what kind of house this was. "This is your house? Looks more like someone's Halloween project," Takuya said, scratching his head. "Hey, how many people do you know that live in a house like this?" "None." the group replied. "Well, beggars can't be choosers. Still beats being hunted by Hollows," Kirara shrugged. Well, they might as well go in, but before Terasaka could go, Yoruichi took a look at him. "Now what?" "I noticed one of my clan members got you pretty good there," Yoruichi noted, a finger gently pointing to Terasaka's cuts. For what it is, and what it could've been, Terasaka shrugged it off. "I'll be fine, it's just a scratch," Terasaka said. "Oh? You sure you don't want to heal up?" "Heal up for what? I'm sure no one died from getting a damn cat scratch," Terasaka retorted. He tried to go but Yoruichi still had her grip on him. "But they will when a Hollow sniffs out your blood as you travel." ... Well shit. ~~ "Aaahh~ that's the stuff.~" After some time getting the others comfortable, Blair was actually away from home a little bit and off into town joining a few of her clan members for a night drink. Her drink was also joined by Yoruichi, both clan cats having a drink of milk (nothing alcoholic for this group). Blair was enjoying it pretty nicely, and was glad to be back with her old clan in the world. "Been a while since we had this time together, huh?" Yoruichi asked. "Been too long," Blair replied, gulping about bit of her milk glass. Yoruichi smiled, though she still had something she wanted to talk to Blair about. "So Blair. Have you really thought about what happens now?" "Now?" "About staying with your clan or not." Blair suddenly stopped her drinking for a moment on that question. It was nice to meet up with her clan again no doubt about it, but she didn't consider the option until now, a bit too caught up with Team Harmony's shenanigans. "Well. It is nice to see you all again, not to mention having a house again, but ..." Blair wondered how to exactly consider it and say it the right way. Yoruichi took a sip of her milk glass, the clever cat knowing exactly where this was going. "But you're worried about your group." "Eh... well, more than half of them's actually locked up right now, so, yeah." "Locked up?" "Well, we think they are. Team Harmony's been on Sombra's pay roll for nearly a year now, so why wouldn't they be," Blair explained. Yoruichi got the identity and main problem already, so Blair at least didn't had to explain it completely to her for a second time. "Ah, got it. ... Well, if you are going to go off and do that, no point in stopping you. Just try not to forget about us little kitties, will ya?" Yoruichi said, fluffing Blair's hair. Blair smiled to her leader. "Did I ever tell ya how happy I am to know ya?" Blair said. The response afterwards was a toast as they clanked their glasses and had a good time. ....... Meanwhile, Terasaka was in another part of this strange town. It was indeed getting late, just at dusk, but not officially night time yet though that was harder to tell. Terasaka still found it silly to go and heal up just from a few scratches, but if even half of what Yoruichi, Blair, and Envy said about those hollows were true, then he wasn't going to take any chances with them. After some direction given by the locals, Terasaka found himself in a more well-lit area, just on the border of the cat clan town. What was the place he found? Well, turned out it appeared to be a sort of spring. A hot spring surrounded by rocks inside the interior of a cave, lit up by magical aura. Well, a spring is a spring, and Terasaka didn't see anything too wrong with this one in particular, so after some stripping down, he went on in and got comfortable in the water. "So dark already? Damn, what kind of timezone is this place in? Ah, well at least we got ourselves some place for the night before the real hell could show up. This feels pretty good," Terasaka said. The water was nice and warm as any hot spring would be, and Terasaka splashed some water on his face. Some of the blood got off, but as he placed his hand onto it, he began to notice something. ... The cut not only healed up, but disappeared! "Whoa, this spring heals you?! How the hell did it do that?" Terasaka gasped. Sure, they always say it's therapeutic, but this was amazing! Terasaka splashed about in the water for a bit, feeling the magic of the spring healing him up. He got some of the water in his hands, taking a moment to think. This was the Underworld, a place of pain and misery, yet it has hot springs that actually heal wounds. Contradictory if he had to admit it. "Having a good time in there?" asked a voice nearby. Terasaka had his back turned to Yoruichi, so he had no real problem. ... Of course, he couldn't see what she was doing behind him either, until ... "Well, if it's that nice, I might as well join you." Oh boy. "THE HELL YOU ARE!" "What's the matter, I don't see the problem here.~" "You're taking your pants off for one thing!" "Oh, stop being so stiff. Then again, maybe that won't be too bad.~" "Will you get out of here?!" Then a cat's paw stepped into the water, and Terasaka found it was just the cat form instead. Yoruichi swam up past Terasaka, not as freaking out as he was earlier. "That's much better. Oh? You look a little disappointed. You wanted to see me naked, don't you? You little pervert." "I'm gonna drown you," Terasaka growled. His attempts for doing so were fruitless though, and Yoruichi was as safe as can be. Terasaka and Yoruichi were now in the spring, and Terasaka simply kept his mouth shut. As long as Yoruichi kept her cat form (and didn't get more curious about him), then he's fine. "You enjoying the hot spring?" Yoruichi asked. "Well, it's helping me. Since when is it that hell has the healing springs?" Terasaka questioned. "Think about this for a minute: you're in a world where it's more night than day, with even the moths that can be dangerous and want to have you for a snack. Something like this is more vital than you take it for," Yoruichi explained. In a way, she was right. If any of the demons they've come across were anything to go by, then some extra health boosts would not only vital, but required if one thinks about it. "Damn. and to think you call this home sweet home. So - AH!" AND Yoruichi was naked and human again. Terasaka stumbled back into the water, Yoruichi giggling a little. "Always the same reaction, isn't it?" "Can't you at least close your legs?" Terasaka asked, keeping his back to her. Yoruichi smiled flirtatiously, but before her teasing could continue, they both began to hear some more footsteps off a ways. Yoruichi turned around and saw Envy coming over to them. Envy didn't really care seeing Yoruichi naked, which Yoruichi noticed. "Ah, Envy. Taking a peek at me, are you, you naughty boy?" Yoruichi teased. But Envy literally stepped passed her and went straight to Terasaka. "Don't pretend I'm not here.~" "Blair showed us her naked bod half an hour ago, you're not showing me anything new," Envy bluntly stated, and he pushed Yoruichi off of him. She never thought anyone would say that to her. "You gonna be longer, Terasaka?" "Nah, I'm getting out," Terasaka replied. Envy nodded, and started to walk out as Terasaka grabbed a nearby towel. He felt he'd been healed enough anyway. ~~ "I always wondered what your home was like, Blair." As Terasaka was getting healed up for his cuts, the rest of the group took time to see what Blair's home was all about. Funny thing though, even with the odd outer look and where they were at altogether, Blair's home looked nothing different from what one would find in the houses back in Tokyo: much of the group over in the living room. Considering it was just a one-person home, the living room was fairly small, though well lit on the inside. Odd thing though, they couldn't really make out where the light was coming from, but hey, that's a minor detail. "So, now what do we do?" "Exactly what I said: we're just gonna wait it out here until tomorrow morning, then figure out where the others are from there. They could be anywhere in this world," Nagisa said, having the Underworld Atlas out in front of them. It did show a lot of the place, but they do need some idea. He looked down to the map more closely, wiping off some sweat from his head. "Well, Sombra's kingdom is Tartarus over here. So, if this Slicer is taking them in, then all we need to do is cross the Styx River and work our way from there," Envy explained, looking over the map himself. "Straight-forward," Kirara said. "No it's not: we don't know if Slicer's even working for him," Nagisa brought up. "What'chu mean?" Takuya asked. "Come on guys, not every demon we've met worked with Sombra. Tirek released Pluton onto the world and he apparently hates the guy, and I don't think the Great Tengu would be someone Sombra would even bother with," Nagisa explained. Regardless if they actually knew about Tirek or the Great Tengu, the point was still made across. "Damnit, you're right. So now what, do we find his boss around here or something?" "What else could we do?" Nagisa sighed. He hated to say that, but if they go in the wrong direction, it would just leave them in more trouble down here, and his friends would be in even more trouble as well. "Ok then, Envy, you got any idea? I mean, you lived here for most of your life, right, you know anything about this Slicer?" Yoshida asked. Envy tried to work the gears in his head. Someone like him would be a notable name in the Underworld if he was from around here. "Slicer, Slicer ... we are talking about a transmutation here, right?" "So you do know him! Come on, where'd he go?" Aladdin asked excitedly. "No idea. I barely know the guy personally, but rumors say he's actually wanted by the Underworld for onslaught." "Wait. ... Wanted. In the Underworld?" "We have rules here too, shocking I know. From what I've heard, Slicer took it too far and decided to cut up demons for some amusement instead, and that was just enough to do them in," Envy explained. This only made things more complicated: why would the Slicer brothers decide to go to the Underworld if they were outlaws of such a place? "An outlaw of the Underworld. That's new," Kirara said. "Yeah, I'd never would've guessed rules even applied down here," Nakamura added. "They're just a bit more loose, that's all," Envy replied. "But then, where'd he go? Sounds like walking into a kingdom won't be his first option," Takuya asked, trying to get some idea. Before any of them could figure out some sort of answer ... "You-hoo, everyone having a good time?~" In entered Blair in her human form. Not really too bad, but the girl was dressed in only a towel. And considering how she was showing her cleavage, this kitty was feeling playful. "So which one of you boys wants to take a bath with me? The water's nice and warm,~" Blair cooed, bringing her hands up behind her head. Soon, much to their surprise, the towel began to unravel itself! Nagisa quickly turned around before her naked body could fully be on display, and the other boys were a bit caught off guard. "COME ON, YOU TOO?!" Nagisa said. "Why not? You're in my house now," Blair joked. Aladdin, goofy smiled, waited to have fun with her fun bags, but Nagisa kept him back. Kirara glanced over to Envy, who didn't really care much at this point. "You're pretty cool with her being naked." "I lived in the Underworld Kirara, that's the least traumatizing thing one can run into." "True. Hey, Blair," Kirara said, looking over to the naked cat witch. Blair got her towel back on, giggling to herself, before looking to Kirara, who now had the atlas shown to her. "We need to know where the Slicer went off to. Got any ideas?" Kirara asked. "Aren't we trying to get to Tartarus?" "The slicer took them away, Blair, and according to our Homunculus, he's a homicidal criminal in the Underworld. Unless he plans on turning himself in, he won't just waltz right to their front door," Nakamura said. That was pretty intriguing to the witch, and actually began to realize something. I was to be executed a long time ago. But instead of that, I had been transmutated into this suit of armor, and made into what you could say as a guard dog. "So that's what he meant." "What?" Aladdin asked. "Oh, nothing. Well, if he did collect them, he could be hired by Sombra still." "So they would be in Tartarus?" "Eh ... maybe? But not near the castle. Your team's been an enemy to the underworld for nearly a year straight, so if you all were to go anywhere, I'd put my money on ..." Blair took a minute to lean forward and check the map again. she looked to where they were, and then up the atlas a bit, passed the Styx River, and then made her mark over on the most eastern point passed Tartarus and to another country. Envy shivered on her conclusion. "Y-you're not thinking there really, are you?" Envy asked. "Where else would Sombra dump them?" "And what's there? A prison?" "Well ... sort of. It's a purgatory called "Abaddon". It was once a mine that servants are put into to as punishment in case they start retaliating. But eventually Tirek had it turned into a type of purgatory, and remained that way since. Unless Sombra decided to change it that is," Envy explained. "Don't see why he would, that purgatory's the most secure one in the Great Rift, and closest to Tartarus," Blair noted. "Interesting," Kirara simply said, finding it fascinating of an idea. "Sounds like a place Sombra would put them. He wouldn't want any of them to find any secrets in his own home if any of them would break out," Nagisa said. He would think that, since Nagisa had done that already with the atlas, portal AND stone Envy had on him, and if he were Sombra, he wouldn't want to risk something like that twice, and with so many others over just one as well. "Sounds good to me. Anyone wanna tell Terasaka?" Takuya asked. "I'll do it," Envy replied, getting up and heading out. They got the place, and they got the plan. "Well it's settled then. so as we're all ready, we're heading off to Abaddon," Nagisa decided. ....... Farther off into the lands of the Underworld, the blue Imp moved out to a more opened wasteland, Morgiana still on its shoulders. It wasn't a very comfortable ride, but Morgiana knew it would be the best bet to get out of the trap they've fallen into, at least for her. Soon, the Imp stopped at a drop in the path, and like some garbage, threw Morgiana right down into the ditch. It's not the most clever way to get rid of someone, but hell, they were gone and that's what mattered. Once the Imp had moved away far enough, Morgiana sprung back to life, and got to her feet in little time at all. The Fanalis stayed quiet just in case, and brought her senses to the forefront. She didn't utter a sound, eyes closed, and hands on the ground. "I'm coming."
S06Ep2: Heart of the Fanalis ~ファナリスの心~Throughout the night from there onward, the interruptions for the team was little to none, which was for the best since none of them wanted another attack so quick (sexual or otherwise). They all spent their night over in Blair's house, most of the group anticipating just what they would have to go through tomorrow. What kind of land was the Great Rift? And what kind of dangers await at Abaddon? Those two questions much of the group couldn't really answer, and the only way they could was when they'll get there. They should be thanking their lucky stars that the first encounter with the locals didn't have any of them dead after the first half an hour. While much of the group was fast asleep, the only one who had a bit of trouble sleeping was Nagisa himself, the faint nagging left in him for his Demon Sense keeping him slightly on edge a little more than usual, and honestly he had all the right to be. All things considered, he was a criminal to the Underworld, him along with the rest of his group so who knows what they'll come across next. And that's not even including the thoughts on what his friends must be going through in this world as well. Hard to think then, that the first one to actually get up during the middle of the night was actually Envy, and that was only because he turned over, and found that someone was ... well, actually missing. Opening his eyes and seeing the group sleeping around the room, most of the group was sleeping around him, but Kirara wasn't around anywhere. Envy slowly got up and looked around a bit, no sign of her anywhere. Nagisa tried to act asleep during this, but it wasn't until Envy actually got up and moved out did Nagisa finally decide to just get up. There was no point in simply sitting around if you can't even relax. "Man. I haven't been this bad in a long time. ... Maybe I need some fresh air," Nagisa decided, getting up himself and quietly heading off after Envy. Nagisa paused for a moment and checked the rest of the group, seeing them all fast asleep still. He didn't want to wake the whole group after all. Soon, after a short walk out, he was just outside Blair's house, and out in her front yard. It was something he should probably expect, but the trees around him outside gave them another little surprise, when the tips of their branches gave off a faint glow as if someone hung up Christmas lights on them, flickering like candles. It did add some special look to the forest around the town, and soon he found Envy standing off over by the boundary fence, looking up to the trees, as if looking for someone. "Hey, Envy," Nagisa said, walking up to him. "Oh, you're up too?" Envy asked. "Yeah, I can't go to sleep with my demon senses like this. Among other things," Nagisa replied, leaning against the same patch of fence. "Thought you'd have some control over it by now," Envy commented. Nagisa couldn't blame him for thinking that, him having this sensory system for a good while. "Me too ... so what's keeping you up?" ... *thump* Just beyond the fence, both Envy and Nagisa looked to one of the trees and found that something foreign had fallen down from it. Not really a leaf, but actually a small book. Envy knew damn well you don't get books falling from trees, so Envy looked up the branches of the same trees, and found the answer. Standing up in the tree, Kirara was doing what looked like some sight-seeing. Kirara kept her balance up by holding onto a higher branch above her, standing to the base of the tree, and almost looking like she was on watch for something. Blair wasn't up with her, but they were half way there either way. Envy and Nagisa walked up under the tree, picking up the book she dropped. "Hey guys, you thought to have a look around too?" Kirara asked from above their heads. "What're you doing up there, Kirara?" Nagisa asked. "Trying to see if I can find one of those Gillian Hollows from up here. What other chance would I get to actually see one myself?" Kirara explained, looking back to the area around her. Why were they so desperate to find trouble? "Stop trying to kill yourself, this isn't some game," Envy warned. "I know that, I'm not going out of town to do it. ... Besides, I think I just about found one." "Wait, what?!" they both gasped. "Don't believe me, come on up," Kirara offered, waving them up. Was there a Hollow roaming by? Nagisa was the first to take her offer, and with a few quick hops, made it up to a higher branch as Envy was pulled up by Kirara up to her level in the tree. They got a good view from where they were, and after a bit looked off in the same direction to where Kirara was looking. Nagisa tried to keep his demon sense down, but when they did look off in the same direction, Nagisa knew immediately why his senses were going off so much. A very tall figure was roaming around far off from the house. A very tall, black-cloaked figure with a white mask with a pointed nose, EXACTLY how Blair described it to them earlier. The only extra details Blair didn't place on these things was a small ring of spikes around its chest, and a set of long arms ending in white, pointed fingers. Even if the figure was a good fifty feet away, it still looked easily taller than the trees they were in. Nagisa's eyes grew wide. "There's been one this close? No wonder my demon sense has been going off, that's gotta be why," Nagisa realized. And as if reading his mind, Envy looked up to Nagisa. "I think we found out your trigger, Nagisa." "Yeah, think you're right. I hope Blair and Yoruichi weren't lying about it staying away from towns," Nagisa noted, shivering at the idea. However, even if they were in the Gillian's line of sight, and it even turning to them at one point, the tall entity didn't attempt to move in any closer from where it was. The trio could even see the eye holes and teeth in the mouth of said Gillian as it turned to them, looking to them like a curious deer. Kirara got her book back, and with a pen she brought with her, actually started to sketch out what she was seeing. This was probably the best view she would get of one that wasn't gonna try to kill them, and seeing the beast made Nagisa shiver again out of demon sensing. Much to their relief though, eventually the Gillian turned and slowly began to move away, oddly very quiet as it did so, like a looming ghost. "Thank. The lord," Nagisa sighed, before beginning to go down the tree. "Very nice. Here Envy, what do ya think?" Kirara asked, showing Envy the picture she drew once they too got down the tree. A pretty good drawing considering how far away the Hollow was. "That's actually pretty good," Envy noted, slightly impressed actually with the amount of detail she sketched out. "Well, you do know we might end up running into one of those things if we don't watch it, right?" Nagisa warned. "You heard Yoruichi, it'll go away when day breaks. And hey, maybe you'll actually get some sleep," Kirara said, walking passed them both and heading off back to Blair's house. Crisis obverted for now. And maybe Kirara had something there, at least Nagisa knew why the demon sense was going off, but that also proved one other fact. Whenever they get out, they'll HAVE to find somewhere to rest in a town before night falls. ~~ The rest of the night proved uneventful for them, and by the time dawn came around, and after some slight preparation, they were soon up and ready to go, packed up and ready for anything. It was probably for the best that they waited for daytime to go off, not willing to get caught by any nearby Hollows. If one was that close to them, who knows how many others were out there with it? The whole group gathered over to the edge of town, Yoruichi there to see them off, something by her side. "Well, thanks for letting us stay for the night," said Nagisa. "Thank you for taking care of my Blair. She's been telling me about your adventures together all night, and you all did a great job," Yoruichi said. "No problem, mam. Well, we'd better be going, who knows when it'll get dark again." "Hold on a minute, I got a little something before you go," Yoruichi made clear, walking over to them with something in hand. "Well, sweet, what is it?" Takuya asked. Removing the covering over it, it turned out to be a few cartons of milk she got together. A bit of a random thing for her to give, but it could be a long time before they would get something to eat or drink. "Wow, thanks," Aladdin said. He began to head on over, but as he was, his eyes began to wander to another milk dud in front of him, and his hands started to feel a bit antsy. Just before he grabbed the cartons, his hands passed them and - "Don't you dare, Aladdin, we're just about to leave," Nagisa stated, grabbing him by the ponytail and yanking him back before he could grope anyone. "I know," Aladdin meekly replied. Yoruichi can't help but chuckle when she saw this, and as Nakamura took the milk cartons, Yoruichi gave the young magi his wish and moved his head right between her boobs. Well, gotta send him off with something. Aladdin's face blushed red with a goofy grin on his face as the others looked on. After about five long seconds, Yoruichi moved back, Aladdin smiling and face red. "... Thank you," Aladdin said, Yoruichi just patting his head and moving him to the rest of the group. "Feel free to come by anytime," Yoruichi offered. "Count on it!" "Anyway, we'll be going. Take care," Nagisa said. Soon the group began to walk off, Aladdin having a bit of a giddy spring in his step. While the groping was a bit unexpected (or maybe expected, they weren't sure), it was a nice add-on to their rations, and some good hospitality. Perhaps this could be good for the future. ....... Unfortunately, that can't be said for the group over in the holding cells. The morning light from above just managed to seep into the place, the first one waking up being those within the hanging cages: Edward in particular. Well, regardless of the light though, he could barely sleep anyway with all the moans from his prison, the unknown locations of the rest of the group, and his brother might he add, and just how much danger they all could be in. He tried to move, forgetting for a brief moment about his arm and leg missing. Even fi he was sleeping though, something jumped onto the top of his cage, and making him wake up, turning out to be one of the Imps, another blue Imp of the patrol. "Time to eat," it said, peering in from the top of the cage and holding a little something for him, tossing it into the cage. It turned out to be some local food, made up of some dried up berries and a cup of water. Not much, but it was something. Ed simply glared at the demon on his cage. "Come on, eat up." "Will you quit it, I know you want us all dead, why don't you just kill us and be done with it?" Ed spat. "Why would we do that?" the imp asked, actually sounding legitimate in its words. That took Ed off guard a little. "What'd you do with everyone else then?" Ed demanded. A question he wanted to clear up for some time now since he was in here. The Imp spun around and was now gripping the bars of the cage like a monkey. "You're in a Purgatory: an Underworld prison, your friends are scattered around in their cages and cells right now, like you friend down there," the Imp said, pointing down to Twilight down below, who at the moment was given some breakfast by what looked like a red Imp; a bit of the standard type, slightly broader than the blue Imp on Ed's cage. "And they're still alive?" "If you're that up tight about it, I'll have you know you'll be let out around midday for an hour in the fields. you can find them and ask them then. now you better eat up." And with that advice, the blue Imp jumped off of the cage, just to open up what looked like a kite on its back, gliding down to the bottom level. An interesting piece of information to gain, even if it wasn't intended for the moment. Ed began to think it over and get a smirk on his face, as he began to eat his berries. The blue Imp met up with Twilight down there next, meeting up with the red Imp. "You feed him?" "Just did," the blue Imp replied before walking on to continue. Twilight wasn't enjoying this anymore than the next prisoner, though it was a bit interesting that these demons weren't torturing them as much as they thought they would. In fact, the place itself was doing more of that than the actual Imps going around so far. The red Imp turned to Twilight in her cage. "You gonna eat?" "Yeah, thanks. ... You know, I ... wasn't expecting this." "Expecting what? Being put in bars?" "Eh, no, I figured that. I mean, how you're treating us. It's not really as ... bad, as I thought," Twilight admitted. The red Imp took a seat over by her cage. "That's not how it works: you're put in there for jail time not for death. trust me if you're given a death sentence, you wouldn't even be here right now," the red Imp pointed out. Twilight got a image in her head of her friends getting torn to pieces, and she can't help but agree. "Good point," Twilight simply said. "Right. Your track record could've gotten you in a worse sentence, see?" "What's the normal verdict?" she asked. The red Imp scratched its chin. "Well you've been hunting down demons a whole lot, which included a dragon-class, so ... seventy to one hundreds years confinement to ... I dunno, maybe the ice caps or the fire plains. BUT you did take down a wanted criminal of demon-class former king of Tartarus, so it's been cut down to about ten to twenty in Abaddon." "Ten to twenty over a hundred?!" she thought. Talk about a time gap from what could've happened to them. "Why're you so surprised?" "Ten to twenty years? That's still a long time, too much time." "Too much? You're expecting a week in here?" the Imp groaned. "You don't understand, w-we have a world to protect up there, it's going to collapse at any time now," Twilight pleaded, but it was met with deaf ears, the Imp having a pinkie digging for some ear wax. "That's not our problem, rules are rules. Now, enjoy your meal, it'll be your only one for a while," the red Imp said, going back on its patrol. Well, so much for convincing one of the guards for something. On the bright side, at least their current situation wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. ~~ Well, as the first part of this trek was all walking, Aladdin gave them the privilege of flying as they had to cross the Styx River. With no boat, raft or anything, they had that as their only option to cross the river in little time at all. They had a decent fly by as they continued, the Styx River itself about as wide as the Nile river, and probably just as hard to pass over for any regular. Nagisa just needed to see the river flowing underneath them to see why a Gillian wouldn't follow anything across this thing, looking very long and deep even for that Hollow to take. As they flew along over the river, Nakamura, Nagisa and Blair were taking a look over the atlas. "Well, looks like a straight shot from here. just keep flying Aladdin," Nakamura said. "Will do," Aladdin replied, getting the turban to fly a little quicker, yet kept it smooth so nothing would fly off. Last thing they need was something important to fly off into the river. "So, Envy, Blair, anything you wanna tell us before we enter this "Great Rift"?" asked Terasaka. "Eh ... actually, no. You been there before, Envy?" Blair asked, just for Envy to shake his head. "Nah, Sombra wouldn't let us go over there unless it's straight to Abaddon, and even then I've never gone there personally so ... your guess is good as mine," Envy shrugged. "Damn it. Well, Aladdin, just keep off the ground will ya?" Takuya asked. "Sure thing. We're about to reach the bank, actually," Aladdin said, pointing off ahead. The whole group looked on pass Aladdin and sure enough, the little Magi was finishing up their fly over the Styx River, and soon the group found themselves from freshwater to dry land. A bit funny to think though, that while the first bit of the Underworld was a bit barren and lacking much in life for the most part, this area looked far more alive than they would've expected. They continued flying along the place, and looking down, it looked less like the Underworld, and more like prairies: long savannahs of dried grass and open spaces with a few scattered trees. The grass itself was a lot shorter than typical grass, and from what they could see, all of it looked like rough stubs of vegetation over typical green grass. As they continued, the local wildlife started to get their attention as well. This life found here was anything but normal, though there was some vague resemblances to animals back home that they had noticed on their flight, some grazing on the grass, others bolting once they saw them fly by. "Ok, I'm just gonna say it: the Overworld's got nothing on this," Nakamura stated. "What?" Aladdin asked, surprised. "Aladdin, look at it, does the Overworld have something like this?" Nakamura pointed out, pointing to the creatures underneath. Aladdin wasn't ready to say it just yet, but her point was still there. In a world up in the clouds, land was hard to come by. "You just gotta know where to look, you only been in Elysium," Aladdin retorted, also saying a decent point. As they continued to fly along, Nakamura took a look over to Nagisa, who actually wasn't as bad as they were coming into this place. "Looks like your demon sense is toning down, huh?" Nakamura said, nudging him. "Actually, yeah. ... You think there's any demons around here?" Nagisa wondered. "You tell me, you have the rader," Nakamura pointed out. So Nagisa took a minute and focused his energy in trying to sense a demon around the place. However, the further they went in on their flight, the less Nagisa actually sensed any demons around. What kind of place was this? "No. Actually, the only one I can sense right now is Blair. Are demons not allowed in here?" Nagisa realized, actually surprised on that answer himself. His demon sense was going crazy for the longest time, only to be dulled down here. As they continued going though, they eventually flew closer to one of the trees, and as they did it spooked what looked like a flock of crows. They looked like any normal crow as they flew by them, but there was a few members of the flock not flying away from them. These crows that began flying at them looked a little bigger than your average crow. This bird had a reptilian-like column tail, and three eyes instead of two, with one eye at the center of its forehead. "Carrion Crows!" gasped Blair. And there was quite a lot of them coming up at them. Soon, several birds were already on top of them, cawing and pecking at them for getting too close to their tree. Aladdin got the carpet moving to dodge the birds, the Carrion Crows chasing after them. At first it was alright, but then one of the quicker birds got its beak on the actual carpet, and started to fly back, tearing into the turban! "Hey, get off!" Terasaka yelled, swatting the bird off with a patch in its beak. It looked like a minor hit in their carpet, but with a patch torn away, the carpet actually began to weakened a bit! Aladdin tried to get it flying, but it kept dropping on them, slowing down for the other birds to catch up and try to get them down. "Can't you fly any faster?!" Nakamura asked. "I can't!" Aladdin replied. And what's worse, two of the birds were beginning to peck away at the turban again, tearing it to pieces! In no time at all, the turban got too weak, and started to fall down right to the ground below in a crash! The landing made them all tumble off and onto the ground, right in the open! "God damnit, birds!" angry, Terasaka grabbed his rifle and readied to shoot them. The sounds of the shots did spook them a bit, one bird even getting shot, but it didn't get the flock to go away. They were in their territory, and these birds weren't going to let them get away so easily. "Stand back," Aladdin said, readying and charging up a Gyro Ball. Terasaka, Yoshida, and Envy bolted aside and gave Aladdin room the shoot, Aladdin blasting the attack directly at the birds. The following explosion made four of the birds fly back, only for them to caw and fly at them! Nagisa came in next with his Halo Blade, slashing and trying to keep the birds back. This assault was more effective, and two of the birds gave up and flew off back to their tree, but there was still a lot of birds there. They were ready to fight each one of them off, and the crows were ready to do that same. At least, it seemed that way. *RAAAAHHHHH* Out of nowhere, a roar came up and shuttered the ground! All the crows freaked out like crazy, taking off and high-tailing it back to the tree. The team began to hear rustling off nearby in the grass, and they all armed up for whatever else was coming their way. ... "... I missed you. I'm so glad you're safe." "Morgiana?!" A great sight to see, and Aladdin raced right up to her. Morgiana met up with him with a hug of her own, though strength was a issue again, and she griped hard on him. Aladdin cringed on the strength, but he didn't gripe about it just yet, he was just glad someone from their team was with them. "You know her?" asked Yoshida. "That's Morgiana, one of Aladdin's friends," Nagisa answered, remembering the story Aladdin had when explaining her. "I owe myself to him," Morgiana stated, not letting go of Aladdin until after she said that. It wasn't exactly the right way of putting it, but at least they can be sure she wasn't gonna kill them. As nice as it was to see her, her presence is also a very good sign to a number of them in what they're trying to do. "Wait. If you're here ... Morgiana, are the others with you?!" Nagisa asked, hopefully. Unfortunately for them, Morgiana shook her head. "No. I'm the only one outside of the purgatory right now," Morgiana answered. "Purgatory. You don't mean Abaddon, do you?" Envy asked. "I think so." "Called it!" Blair said. What luck they would pick the right purgatory on their first try, and now with Morgiana with them, being such a strong ally according to Aladdin's story, this rescue was as good as done! It sounded like none of them had died either, so that was very good to note for their sake. "Thank god. Well there's no time to lose! Aladdin, get your carpet ready and let's get moving," Nagisa said, ready to head out. ... "... Eh. I think we're stuck walking," Aladdin replied meekly. The others soon saw that his turban was completely torn up thanks to their little encounter earlier with the Carrion Crows. Cuts, tears, and rips were evident all over the sheet thanks to the many beaks and claws used on it. In short, they weren't going to fly anytime soon. Aladdin even tried to fly with it from there in front of everybody, but all the turban could manage was a foot off the ground, and even that was after a good amount of strain. "Damn it! Well, how far is it from here?" Terasaka groaned. Morgiana thought for a little bit, and the answer she had was not a good one. "Three miles." ~~ The view on the landscape was drastically changed now. While it appeared intriguing and nice from up in the air, now that they were on the ground, the whole area became a dangerous, and troublesome place. All those creatures they've seen earlier are now on their level, and they had to really watch their backs as they went on through, weapons all drawn and at the ready for whatever could be following them within the grass and behind the next hill. They had three miles to get there, and with every step, they all knew they had a long and precarious way to go. Morgiana, Aladdin, and Nagisa took the lead as everyone else followed behind, all of them armed to the teeth like a military patrol. If they had one thing going for them it's that for most of the walk, they weren't completely stuck in thick forest, and as such could see very well for miles. However, that's a double-edged sword, as they too can be seen for miles by any predator out here. And the last thing they want is to be caught under predation now. As they kept on going, the landscape began to turn from flat-plains to a more hilly area of rocky landscape, often breaking to drops and cliffs around them. Not as many animals were around here though, but that wasn't enough of a reason to drop their guard by any means. "Well, so far so good. Everyone's so on edge right now. I sure hope we get there soon," Nagisa thought, looking back at the rest of the group as they continued along. As they went, Nagisa accidentally bumped into Morgiana, who actually stopped herself at one point, seemingly sensing something. "What's the matter?" Nagisa asked. Morgiana waited a minute, and then got to her knees, hands on the ground, and focusing hard. "... They're here." "Abaddon?" Nakamura asked. but that wasn't the case here. As they were standing there, they began to hear something begin to move around them, yet with how many times they turned and tried to figure out what was there, nothing seemed to show up. Morgiana knew damn well something was there though, and could sense them all moving around them. Yes, all of them. What was strange though was that Nagisa, despite being on edge, wasn't sensing any demon activity. So, if these weren't demons, then what were they? And then one presented itself on top of a nearby rocky outcrop, looking down to them. Some stray rocks fell down the cliff for them all to catch their attention to this new creature looking down in some aggression. A large predator, looking like a mixture of sorts between a wolf and a dragon: with a dog like snout filled with thick, jagged teeth, skin covered in red scales from the end of its snout to the end of its tail, with a thick mane of red hair running down to the middle of its back. This one in particular actually had three braids in its mane by the head. Strong claws dug into the ground, one paw visible from their level as they looked up at the red creature. And even worse, it was not alone. One by one, more of these hunters moved out into sight of the traveling band of humans, and each one was a bit different in their own right. One thing in particular was that some of these individuals had a good amount of scars, be it a simple cut on the neck or slice of the face, just to name a few things. Either way, these animals were not any pushovers, and now this pack had them surrounded. "Great. First a bunch of cats, and now a bunch of dogs," Takuya said, loading his weapon, only for Morgiana to suddenly jump at him and actually kick the weapon out of his hand. "Don't even try," Morgiana warned, giving Takuya a sort of death stare. "Why the hell not?" asked Nakamura, just as three of the jumped down from its perch, and landing down right in front of the human group. The creatures stood easily taller than them, and pretty imposing to them to say the least. At first, the large animal kept quiet, but then Morgiana went straight up to it. The animals took a bit to see Morgiana before confronting the rest. "What's our sister doing with you?" it then asked. Well, that reveal was rather blunt, and shocked most of them. "Sister? ... Wait. these are Fanalis?!" Aladdin realized. With just how different Morgiana looked compared to this tribe of feral Fanalis, the idea that they were one of the same was beyond shocking. The creature moved in closer to them, moving over to Envy as his nose picked up something interesting. Envy kept his hand on his pocket so his stone won't be taken away from him again. "... You're not all foreign. ... Who are you?" the biggest creature then asked. Envy gulped. He felt a sting of irony for this, as for the longest time things like this wouldn't even worry him, but he never had such a weaker body before, and predators like these are now a deadlier danger. "Uh, T-Team Harmony," Envy answered. Not the particular name, but still some identification. Lucky for Envy, Aladdin jumped in the way. "Wait, wait, we're friendly! W-We saved Morgiana from being captive by a Djinn back up in the Surface World," Aladdin quickly explained. The large animal then turned over to his fellow Fanalis. "This true?" "Yes. He gave me my freedom again after I was captured. I was bounded in magic chains, and if they hadn't come for me ... I wouldn't be here," Morgiana answered. As good as that was, the growl the creature made gave them some shivers. "Magic binds. Those demons always cheat with that," the creature growled, which wasn't too far from the truth really. "So none of you have magic on you?" Nakamura asked, arms crossed. "Why the hell would we?" retorted one of the female Fanalis. "True strength is not some light show," added another one. Well, Aladdin did feel a little bit worried, considering he had a lot of magic to use, but little physical promise to speak of. "You have to have some." The tribe and group then turned over to Kirara, who took a few steps forward towards the large animal. "I mean, either Morgiana was cursed to look like a human, or you have to have some sort of human form you can turn into. Unless we're talking werewolves, I'd call that some kind of magic," Kirara explained. While they weren't sure what a Werewolf was, that didn't really lift up the mood very well. "And why should we listen to you?" one of the Fanalis asked. "Ok, fine, don't. We're just going to Abaddon anyway," Terasaka made clear, reminding them on where they were going, and even starting to head off, only to be blocked by another Fanalis, this one a male and with a more serious look over a standard aggressive one. The larger animal walked up behind him. "What business would you have there?" "Leave him alone!" Nagisa suddenly demanded. He didn't want to lose anymore people if he could help it. The animal turned around, and rushed at Nagisa, the boy actually bringing out his Halo Blade, and aimed it right at him. The beast's claw met with the blade, and both of them stopped. The blade stayed sturdy, but it wasn't burning him as it would a normal demon, making Fanalis something else entirely and explained why he couldn't sense them earlier. "... Not even a flinch." "You're not the first Underworld creature I had to fight. I am apart of Team Harmony, and if you're going to kill them, I'll fight you any time," Nagisa warned, surprising a good amount of them. Not often would Nagisa warn a fight, if ever, but Nagisa had no time to cut corners, and no one's going to die if he could help it. Eventually, after a pause in both sides, the Fanalis lifted his paw off of the blade, and raised his head. "A fighter at heart. ... Well, let's see how much of a warrior you are. Masrur!" All of a sudden, the Fanalis gave a loud bark, which signaled one of the Fanalis to jump out. They all thought that it would be an onslaught, but instead, it was just one Fanalis, and actually grabbed Aladdin from behind. Aladdin barely had time to react, and was now in the jaws of one of these Fanalis. After that, the Fanalis group turned and raced off with Aladdin as their captured prey! "Aladdin! Everyone, come on!" Nagisa yelled, almost immediately rushing off after the Fanalis. There was little time to react, so they had to run after them. The tribe of Fanalis continued racing on ahead through the land, not showing any signs of slowing down in their run. With their size and speed, this made it difficult for the humans to keep up with the Fanalis. The exception to this rule was Morgiana and Nagisa, with one of the Fanalis looking back just to see them right behind. Sure they were far behind, but still were keeping up and weren't farther away. As they kept going, the land began to break open to what looked like a canyon up ahead, and the team thought that they would slow down, or turn. ....... "W-What?!" One by one, without slowing down in the slightest, the tribe began to jump across the great canyon! It was enough to make Nagisa skid to a stop, him and the rest of his group, seeing the Fanalis members make the jump following their chief. Morgiana was the only one who didn't stop, and followed the tribe across, her natural strength making it look pretty easy. Then again, none of them could crack a tree in two with a clench of their wrists like they could. "Y-you shitting me?! How'd they jump across that?!" shouted Terasaka. "Well, they are Fanalis," Envy noted. Some of them looked over the cliff, and it didn't help that they couldn't see the bottom of it either. And just for that icing on their little cake of troubles ... "Well?! Come on and jump!" called one of the members. "They won't do it!" mocked another. Well, they've tried for the longest time to get this far into this Underworld, their one chance on getting allies in this place, and with the Fanalis laughing at them, there was no chance. Such a long cliff like that no human can ever jump, and somehow the Fanalis tribe here proved they could no problem. Morgiana waited for at least one of them to try, but none of them even bothered to go, intimidated by the feat these Fanalis had easily done. "S-so now what do we do?" Envy asked. Nagisa stayed quiet for a bit more, and actually turned around, beginning to walk back. That just seemed to prove to the Fanalis Tribe that they were not up for something like this. "Nagisa? ..." Blair said. Not a word. Across the canyon, the Fanalis tribe all began to head off. Morgiana and Masrur stayed a bit quiet for a bit, looking over to the humans themselves, and eventually Masrur placed a paw on Morgiana's shoulder. a silent gesture to move on. Morgiana readied to follow her tribe onward back to their camp when - "WAIT!" The tribe stopped, and took a look back. That voice was from Nagisa again, this time facing towards the cliff face, and seemingly impossible jump. His friends were on the otherside of this cliff, according to the map they've been given. They were suffering there. "... I can. ... I CAN. ..." Then he began to run. "W-WHA, NAGISA WAIT!" called Envy. But Nagisa Shiota didn't stop. Determination edged him in his run, and as everyone watched, his feet met the very edge, and with all his power, launched right off in a mighty roar! It was a jump for his life, and for a moment, Nagisa almost felt like he was flying, arms spread to his side and body angled forward like a flying bird. Those on both sides were taken aback, Nagisa focusing only on the otherside. The winds from the canyon struck his body from below, as if it too was aiding in his goal. Landing. It was a bit rough, Nagisa had to admit, as he almost lost his footing, but sure enough he was on the otherside of the canyon! Nagisa gathered himself, and looked back. "WOO! WAY DA GO NAGISA!" called Blair, hyped up from the display. "No way, he actually made it," noted one of the Fanalis. Masrur stayed quiet and continued to observe what would happen next. Aladdin smiled on seeing that ultimate victory, and he began to sense a similar determination vibe begin to grow in the others too. "I've trained too long be shown up by these Fanalis! I'M GOING FOR IT!" Nakamura decided. "No doubt about that!" Blair added in. She then turned to Terasaka's gang. "Hey! Let's show those Fanalis what we Humans are really made of!" "RIGHT!" the boys said. Their inner fighter had come to life now, and there was no stopping them. And with the signal, Nakamura lead the charge with Blair, the group of Terasaka's gang! "H-Hold on, you're all gonna die if you try!" Envy insisted, but none of them were having any of that. And even more so - "Right behind you!" "W-WHAT?! Kirara, you can't be serious!" Envy gasped, seeing even her run too. "My gang's nothing without me, Envy, so I have to go!" Kirara said, following close behind. Next thing they knew, the group off on the otherside, and those still remaining on the one, saw the group of humans make their jump in a mighty warrior cry. Envy couldn't even bare to look, and closed his eyes tightly as they flew over like Nagisa did. Right in front of everyone, much to their surprise, they just managed to get themselves across too! Terasaka landed more roughly than Nagisa, and got on his knees from the impact, but he wasn't too hurt from the fall, and everyone else was alright overall. To say that the Fanalis were impressed was an understatement. Envy opened his eyes and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. This group of humans had actually did a feat thought only Fanalis could do! "T-They all made it?!" Envy gasped. "YEAH! We're all making it, baby!" said Takuya, fist pumped into the air for the victory. Heine straightened up, and adjusted his glasses. "Not just yet," Nagisa said. That brought their attention over back to Envy, who felt completely at a loss for words. "Come on, Envy, it's easy!" called Yoshida. "Just get a good running start, and you'll fly over in no time!" called Nakamura, equally hyped from the feat. Envy felt a twitch in his left eyebrow, eyes wide. "G-God damn it," Envy said to himself, doing as they said and slowly backing up. If he had his original Homunculus strength this wouldn't be too bad, but he still had his human strength on him. Before going, he felt the stone in his pocket, and pulled it out to look at it in his hand. Eventually, his hand gripped it into a shaking fist. "Come on, Envy. I'm not a Homunculus anymore. ... I'm a human. I'm as strong as I was before! So what if I don't have a Philosopher stone in me. I need them. And they all need me!" In a state of determination and bravery, and making a warrior cry himself, Envy finally started to run towards his team! He made it this far without his Homunculus tricks, no way was he going to give up now. They all were waiting for him, and he met with the cliff with the biggest jump he could muster. Envy launched off with all his strength, and he felt the wind lift him over much like the others had done. Envy looked like he was going to make it with such a leap across, but at the last moment, he started to slow down, and he landed right on the edge of the cliff, his foot slipping down! Envy struggled a little bit, but he did eventually pull himself up to the otherside. Safe. Envy needed a minute to realize what the hell happened, but looking back, he was alive, he was alright, and he had did something he thought couldn't be done. Him and the rest of the group. Then came the steps of Masrur coming over to them. "What now? You going to complain some more?" Blair asked. Instead, the Fanalis dropped Aladdin onto the ground, and the tribe confronted them all. Were they going to fight them now? However, Morgiana was smiling at what they did, and they didn't reach their weapons. "... You're all warriors after all," Masrur stated. That was enough of indication they needed to reassure them. This tribe now saw them as actual soldiers worth their time, not to mention they got Aladdin safe and sound. Then stepped forward the first Fanalis they saw. He at first didn't saw a word, but he actually looked a bit more guilty than anything. "... I'm terribly sorry to misjudge you all like that. Our kind doesn't like demons, and seeing him, I ... I hope you can forgive me," he said. While this was indeed humble of him, Nakamura actually found it kinda funny, even laughing much to the Fanalis's surprise. "Talk about a one eighty: first you try to kill us, and suddenly you're groveling. But hell, who can blame ya for being worried about demons down here?" Nakamura joked. The Fanalis wasn't expecting one of them to actually joke about it, but there were no hard feelings from her. "All the same, maybe if you want to prove someone's worthy, capturing friends shouldn't be the first thing you do. You alright, by the way?" Yoshida asked, turning to Aladdin. "I'm a little shaken, but I'm ok," Aladdin replied, arm holding his shoulder. Then however, the large Fanalis began to seemingly bow to them, head aimed to the ground in what looked like either respect or submission. "Ok, we accepted your apology, you don't have to be so formal about it," Kirara said. "I don't that's what they're doing," Envy said. And before they could say much else, the Fanalis in front of them began to change a bit. Turned out Kirara was right about the magic in these creatures, as a sort of light began to cover the body. It wasn't exactly the same as the transformation Blair would do, or Yoruichi, but the effect was still overall the same as the beasts began to shrink down and become more human-like, such as Morgiana. After a short bit, Team Harmony found themselves with a tribe of human Fanalis, and no longer in the company of the red beasts (not in a literal sense anyway). The first Fanalis turned into a tall and muscular man. His hair was long and went down to his back, some bands tossed in front of his shoulder. The outfit on him mirroed that of Morgiana in a sort of Romanian toga with sandals on his feet. what remained from the animal counterpart would be the red eyes, red hair, and unique eye markings which appeared like eyeshadow. For him, he had what looked like a piercing under his lower lip, which was a distinct characteristic. The other Fanalis did the same thing, and every single one of them, despite the differences, all had red hair, red eyes, and similar eye markings. Morgiana fitted right in now, and the kind's resemblances are now staggering. And once that was done, the leading Fanalis went forward, hand extended. "I am Muu Alexius," he introduced. Nagisa smiled, and shook his hand. "Nagisa Shiota." ~~ As the day continued on, those within Abaddon eventually reached their own time outside of their cells for their hour in the yard, as it were. Still, "outside" might not be the right word, as it was more of just going out in a larger part of Abaddon Purgatory. The first one to be out there was Karma Akabane, though if one saw him clearly could tell he had seen better days. Going out with a few other prisoners of Abaddon, Karma looked beaten up to a degree, bruises and a few cuts along his body. Though being a tough kid, he had little to really worry over with these injuries. The area "outside" was a large opened area, no visible way to the outside. The area stretched about football field length, the whole area lined with walls with many different types of demons going around inside. Usually the walls would be steel with occasional barbed wire, but these walls were red and lined at the top with sharp, curved teeth. Karma's first stop was actually over by one of the walls, looking it up and down as if it was some art piece. He could just make out some Imps patrolling on the otherside, one of which peered in and looked down at him. "Some architecture," Karma commented. his hand pressed onto the fleshy substance, but he began to feel it start to suck him in, Karma immediately pulling himself back. "I wouldn't!" called a green Imp. "Those are absorbent: you try climbing it, you'll just add to the structure!" "Thanks for the tip!" Karma called back, strolling away from it before the wall could eat him. And good timing too, as some more familiar prisoners began to catch sight of him. "KARMA!" Suddenly, Pinkie Pie charged out of nowhere, and hugged Karma tight, super happy that another one of her friends were alright overall. Pinkie sure didn't look very happy herself, her usually poofy hair now draped down in a smooth layer, Pinkie crying fountains out of her eyes. "Good to see you too, Pinkie," Karma replied, as Pinkie cried. "Everyone's so mean in here!" Pinkie wailed. Karma got Pinkie Pie to let go of him, just as a few more familiar faces of Team Harmony: Twilight, Gaara, Hoopa, and Winry in particular. "See you two are still with us," Gaara commented. "Hey guys. So, any of you found a way out yet?" Karma asked, getting right to the main point. Unfortunately, the group didn't look too promising with their expressions. "We all were tossed into our cages after being knocked out, how're we supposed to figure that out?" Hoopa commented dryly. "Why, Hoopa, have you any ideas to share to the class?" "I'd use my rings, but those Imps confiscated them like everyone else's weapons! ... I miss em'," Hoopa said, the last part a lot more humbled. It's just not something he was used to. Hoopa without rings is like fish without fins, it just didn't feel right. Karma looked around nearby, but for the moment, that was all of Team Harmony that came outside, the others apparently missing. "And what about the others? Olivier, Al, Ed, Ciel?" "We thought they were out here with you," said Twilight. "Someone mention me?" The group turned away, and soon found at least one of them coming out. Though, it wasn't exactly on his own power, as the large Yellow Imp was carrying him outside to join the others. Seeing his missing arm and leg easily explained why the Imp did this for him, the Imp carrying him on his back like he weighed nothing. "Didn't we say you'll see eachother out here? Here you go," the Yellow Imp said, as he placed Edward on the ground over by Winry. Edward fell on his head when he did that, but at least he was out there, Winry getting him to sit upright. "Don't tell me: you confiscated his automail too, right?" Gaara assumed. "What else did you expect? He can't use alchemy with one arm, can he," the Imp replied. Fare enough. "And what about the others? Olivier, Al, Ciel, where're they Mr. Imp?" Pinkie asked, going right up to it. The yellow Imp scratched its head, trying to remember. There were a lot of demons going around in here, and narrowing it down was a bit hard to do, but eventually it did figure it out. "Let's see. Olivier Armstrong caused some trouble, and even killed one of our Imps so she's in solitary. Alphonse Elric had to be confiscated, so he's not out here -" "My brother's not a tool!" Ed suddenly snapped, making the Imp jump back. "I-I know, protocol! ... anyway, as for Ciel Phantomhive ... well, we tried getting him out, but he wouldn't go so we left him in there. Can I ask you one question?" the Imp finished. "Ask away." "Did your friend deal with this before? We don't see someone that broken up unless they've been put into Gehenna first," the yellow Imp asked. "Don't see why we should tell you," commented Edward. "And what is Gehenna anyway? Another prison?" "Let's just say you won't be alive for a day if you're in there. Especially you, Ed," the Imp said, considering his missing limbs. It was then another thought came to mind, and Winry went over to it. "You devils didn't destroy my automail, did you?" she asked. Her scary expression caught the Imp off-guard, expecting such a look from a devil not what he assumed was an angel. Rather than answer, the Yellow Imp jumped up to the top of the flesh wall to the next platform. Only then did it answer. "Yes." "... GET DOWN HERE!!!" she screamed, trying to climb the wall, but she began to get sucked into it! Karma, given the warning earlier, pulled Winry out before she could be absorbed into it. Winry thrashed as if a demon possessed her, trying to get him to let go, some of the other Imps stopping and looking down to her from the top of the wall. "What's with her?" asked a red Imp. "She cares a lot for her automail, apparently," shrugged the yellow Imp. They were lucky though that Winry couldn't climb the wall after them. "Will you calm down, it's just some metal," Gaara said. Winry looked to Gaara with an almost demonic glare. "That "metal" is my creation." "So what? Going on a murder spree won't help, and it won't get us out of here any faster. Unless you want to join solitary with your not-aunt," Gaara pointed out, giving Winry a bit of a glare of his own. He may not have a demon in him anymore, but he still had his demonic tricks on him. As mad as she was, Winry slumped and sat down over by Ed. Ed wasn't feeling much better about it, and he knew Gaara was right. Even if he wanted to hurt them though, what could he do with one arm and one leg? The Imps went off out of sight, much to their annoyance. "Well, this is just a fine kettle of fish, is it? Sebastian dead, we're all stuck in here, and we got literally no way to get out. This is the bottom of the pit," Hoopa griped. "Tell us something we don't know," Ed sighed. "Guys, don't count it out just yet. Blair, Aladdin, and Nagisa didn't get caught, remember? They'll find us, I know they will," Twilight said. "Wait, yeah they didn't. Well, looks like we'll have to put our hopes on them," said Winry. "Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie said. "Look, I know you got a lot of faith in your boyfriend, but be real: Abaddon has the highest security in the Great Rift, how the hell are we supposed to get out? He's gonna need more than just some speed and a toy knife to do that," Hoopa explained, as narrow-minded as that was. "Hoopa, we're talking about a kid who took on Tirek and won, I think he can figure something out. Or would you rather stay stuck in here?" Karma stated. *AAUUGH!* Before their conversation could go any further, the sudden scream caught their attention. Off into the field, it looked like one of the demons was in a bit of a tiff, and he suddenly had a smaller prisoner in its mouth, shaking it around and tearing it apart! Stray blood splattered over near their feet, but this commotion did spark the Imps to suddenly jump in at them. A group of green Imps swarmed the larger demon, forcing it to drop the smaller one, and keep him back, but it seemed too late to save this one, the body laying in a pool of blood, organs and bones crushed. A pair of blue Imps joined the green Imps in seeing the incident, some of Team Harmony going over as well. "God damnit, not again," the blue Imp groaned. "Again?" asked Pinkie. The blue Imp gave a whistle, and some of the Green Imps went on over, going around the body. They thought that they were going to take him away, but instead, one of the Imps got what looked like a wooden flute. The lesser demon started to play a tune on it. ... *GASP* And after a good minute, the seemingly dead demon sprang back to life! The wounds were still bleeding, but he looked a lot better than he did earlier. This caught them off guard the most since arriving in Abaddon. "Hold on ... you revived him?" asked Twilight. The blue Imp turned to her. "It's a rule we have here: you can't go through your sentence if your dead, so we have to revive them if something like this happens. This is the seventh time in the last three months," the blue Imp explained. "Weird. Won't the reapers be pissed off at you for doing that?" Gaara asked. "Oh, you'll stay dead of you're outside Abaddon, but it's not a way out in here. so try to stay alive, please?" the Imp replied, going away with the group of green Imps once things calmed down. So not only were these Imps a bit more open, but they were actually merciful as well. ... Well, sort of. "Well, least we can say we're not gonna die in here," shrugged Karma. ~~ After this, the whole group was given a far better welcome by Muu to his tribe, and with some aid of Morgiana, the group was brought over back to the Fanalis camp. It sure was a good change from killer to kindness, and Nagisa would've forgive himself if things would've gone worse. At least they've managed to get things right, and that was the important thing. For the exact place they had in mind, the group was brought to a more opened tribal settlement, looking like a village of sorts, not too dissimilar to the place Yoruichi had made home in for her clan. The only difference though was that this was more well-kept in an overall sense, and plenty more room to roam around. The group went on through the front, and noticed other Fanalis going about their time. Some human-like, and some still as the same beasts just coming back from hunting. It didn't really mattered on what age they found them in, be it adult or kid, they all had the similar markings and red eyes and hair. They still noticed that they had scars as well, each one different in its own way. And ... well, someone had to say it. "Is anyone else feeling like Deja Vu right now?" Yoshida quietly asked. "Eh ... yeah," Envy replied. The group began to head on inside the village for a bit, following Morgiana and Masrur. Seeing the Fanalis all around them, it didn't take much time until this group of humans got the tribe's attention. Not often would humans even get out this far, let alone be invited into the camp. "Are scars an accessory to you Fanalis?" asked Nakamura. "No, but each scar a Fanalis has is a sign of how much one has gone through in life," Muu answered. "But you don't have any scars," noted Blair. Muu rubbed the back of his head with a smile. "Just because it's common doesn't mean we try to get scars. Besides, we Fanalis are a lot stronger than other humans, so getting scars is harder on us," Muu joked. Before they could continue, one of the Fanalis began to get a meal ready for the tribe to eat up, something they easily got a good smell of not too far away. A smell of meat to be sure (why wouldn't it be?), and with how long they've been going around with what rations they had now diminished from travel, it was a welcoming sight for them. "Karma would have a field day with these Fanalis if he were here," Nagisa thought. ....... So it didn't take too long until they were starting to eat up. And with the Fanalis, meals come big, and most of it was mainly animal meat from the Great Rift, most of which was a bit unrecognizable, but it was still pretty good anyway, as many of them were given a good chunk of their share. Blair, Kirara and Terasaka were given some Carrion Crow meat, all cooked up and juicy. "Talk about your ironic twists," Kirara simply stated, taking a bite of the surprisingly good meat. A bit spicy, but pretty good all the same, tasting like some spicy chicken wings. The others had their own different types of meat given to them, and the various members of the Fanalis tribe, young and old, were enjoying every bit of it, like it was a big celebration or something. Nagisa and Aladdin enjoyed their meal, though they were a bit more humbled by the Fanalis more than anything. "You not hungry, Nagisa?" asked Envy, nudging him. "Sorry. I'm just wondering how the others are doing in that Abaddon place. They could be going through anything in there," Nagisa sighed, picking at the meal he had in front of him. Here he was eating up a feast and his friends were probably getting scraps in their prison. "Eh, not everything. I mean, Abaddon's the most secure but not the most cruel." "So much better," Nagisa remarked. They may be alive, but what did that mean exactly? It didn't matter much to him how secure a place like that is, he just wanted them out. "Actually, yeah it is." "Ok, Envy, what won't they do in there now that they got Team Harmony locked up?" Nagisa asked. Envy needed little thought, and whispered the number of ideas he could come up with he knows they won't do. ... And Nagisa felt a shiver run through his spine just seconds after Envy started. Needless to say, the idea of what demons so to their prisoners was far more horrid than he thought. But, he quickly shook off his fear. "Well, anyway, I'm still not letting them stay locked up." "Oh, year, of course, damn straight we'll get them out!" Envy reassured. Yeah, Abaddon wasn't as bad as brought on to be, but they were surely getting them out regardless if it meant to keep the world in tact from Sombra's reign. "Right. Morgiana?" Morgiana paused for a minute in her eating, with what looked to be a large slab of meat in her mouth. "How much further until we reach Abaddon? do you know from here?" Morgiana took a moment to swallow her meat before she gave her answer. "We're miles away still," Morgiana simply answered. *thud* "Still not close?" Nagisa groaned, now his face meeting the table. How far did they travel through the Great Rift already? He would think that they'd be at least close, but clearly it wasn't gonna be a straight shot after all. This thud got the attention of one of the other Fanalis sitting further away from him. some of the others, Masrur included, had overheard what Nagisa's goal was, taking some interest in it. "Abaddon?" Masrur asked. "Yeah, we're going on a rescue mission. Looks like we have to wait though," Aladdin said, disappointed when he looked up to the sky. If they were still miles away, it would be well into night time when they would get there, and they weren't interested in being victims of Hollows roaming around during the night. "Who's stuck there?" asked a female Fanalis. "Quite a few actually: Pinkie, Twilight, Karma, Edward, Alphonse, Gaara, and then there's Winry, Hoopa, and Olivier I think," Blair said, going down the list in her head. And going over said names, that was quite a lot of people they would end up looking for. The amount they were trying to go for was something intriguing to say the least. "You're hopeful," Masrur stated, not believing that they're gonna be very successful. That caught the group's attention. "Hey, we're trying to save the world here before it all goes to hell by Sombra's demons, damn straight we're gonna try to get them out and save everyone," Blair suddenly blurted out. The chatter suddenly died down when they all heard this, many of the Fanalis tribe looking to her and the group in this statement. Surprised either from their big mission, or the fact Sombra was starting an attack on the Surface World. Blair and company soon grew quiet themselves. "... Say that again?" asked Muu. "What part? Sombra attacking the human world, or us fighting against them?" Blair asked. No, it didn't help the excitement and surprise much, and Nagisa felt a little bit of Deja Vu from before. It was the day he returned from his Pluton victory to school all over again. "The demons finally decide to face us humans," pondered Muu. "They've been giving us shit for about a year, yeah. And now Team Harmony's stuck in Abaddon," Envy replied. The Fanalis took this into some consideration, as Nagisa waited for that question to come up. "I know what's coming. Pluton's gonna be brought up again," he thought. Then Masrur turned to him. "... So you killed Tirek?" ... Well, he wasn't ready after all. And this time it was something he did so himself, and not broadcasted to the entire world. Admittedly, Nagisa wasn't sure how to handle this one. Well, he didn't have to explain it to his whole group, much of the new gang well aware of who that demonic creature was, Envy especially. Kinda hard to forget someone who tried to force suicide onto him. "Tirek?" "We heard about the defeat of the former king. So was it you who did that?" That got the attention of a few other Fanalis as they waited for his answer. Well, with how many times Pluton had been brought up, Nagisa had grown a bit more used to it by now. He took a look to Blair and Aladdin, both of which waited for the story themselves. "Go on," Aladdin insisted. Eventually, Nagisa smiled. "Who's up for a story?" ~~ As nighttime came, the Fanalis Tribe began to show a lot more respect to the group, Nagisa Shiota especially for his story on his fight with Tirek. It surely was a bit of a surprise for the Fanalis to hear a seemingly normal human defeat a Demon King, but it did put a better word with the rest of the group, not to mention his friends stuck in Abaddon. For the night, the group were given a place to stay within their camp, an offer they had to really take mainly to avoid the Hollows. Their main place to stay was mainly a large shared room, much of the group sleeping for the run tomorrow. However, as with the nights prior, Nagisa just couldn't go to sleep, the worry over the others back in Abaddon stuck in his head. Sure, half of what cruel things Envy said were forbidden in there, but that didn't mean that they weren't in any trouble. The world was still in danger after all, and having them all locked away wasn't the best scenario (though Sombra might think so). Though, at least his Demon Sense was calmed down while he was here. "Come on, Nagisa, get some sleep. I need all my energy for tomorrow," Nagisa thought, trying to calm down. He had his eyes closed, and all he could do was toss and turn a little bit. "Oh, it's no use. My Demon Sense isn't acting up, but ..." Don't see why he would, that purgatory's the most secure one in the Great Rift, and closest to Tartarus. Nagisa finally sat up, realizing something. "What was I thinking? Sombra would want us to just go in there, he's probably waiting for us to show up just to take us all at once. Envy and the others were nice to come along, but it won't be much against King Sombra himself. ... They'll probably kill me for thinking that," Nagisa thought, looking to his friends still sleeping. A sigh escaped him, as he continued thinking. "Well ... If he is going to expect us, then we need to try and step ahead of him. K think: your friends are in a Purgatory close to Sombra's kingdom, about a mile or two away from the -" And it suddenly struck. Throughout their travel through the Great Rift, demonic activity had been surprisingly low. Sure there was the Carrion Crow, but that was about the worst of it so far apart from the Fanalis. And then there was the clues some of the others had said on the way. Nah, Sombra wouldn't let us go over there unless it's straight to Abaddon, and even then I've never gone there personally so ... your guess is good as mine Magic binds. Those demons always cheat with that "That's it!" Nagisa realized. That last part escaped his mouth instead of keeping in his mind, but it wasn't enough to wake the others up. This could be proven as a good advantage in this demon fight in the long run, and as they were sleeping, Nagisa slowly got up and quietly walked on out. If it'll all work out, then he'll tell them in the morning. ....... "Good night, Nagisa?" Well, what timing was this? Nagisa did jump on the voice, but found it was the very person he wanted to talk to: Muu Alexius! And he was in his animal form no less, which made the encounter even more of a surprise, almost making Nagisa fall over. "M-Muu? You're up still?" Nagisa asked. "I just came back from some hunting. I didn't wake you, did I?" Muu asked, turning back into his human form. "No, you're fine ... though, it's good you're up anyway. Can I ask you something?" Nagisa asked, walking a ways from the others so to not wake them up. However, Muu himself was already starting to sense a bit of a stronger motive, and took Nagisa a bit more seriously. "... I want the tribe to join us against Sombra." Now it was out. Silence hung in the air for a bit more between Muu and Nagisa, letting the offer fully be known to the Fanalis chief. To Nagisa, this was the first time he actually made this kind of offer to anyone, but with all the clues, the Fanalis would be perfect allies against Sombra. Nagisa just had to make it work first. "To join you. ..." "I know this is kinda out of nowhere, and it just came to me now. ... But ... but Sombra has to be stopped. We need all the help we can get when he decides to try a full takeover," Nagisa explained, trying to be sincere about it. Muu though had a different look on it. "I know where you're coming from. But I can't have my people go into danger like this. We don't actively hunt demons." "... Neither did we," Nagisa admitted. This kinda took Muu by surprise. "You didn't? You mean you didn't hunt down Tirek?" "Well, no. In fact, he was more eager to find me than I am to find him. To tell you the truth, we didn't start to actively hunt demons until a few months ago. Sombra's been sending demons after me and my friends, and we have to fight him back before things can get any worse," Nagisa explained. Muu honestly was a bit taken aback, but if Tirek was just jumping up there to get at him, he saw how much pressure Nagisa was actually under. "And how long have you've been dealing with demons?" "Almost a year," Nagisa answered. "You mean you never hunted any demon until now?" "It's complicated. ... Listen, I'm not going to force you if you don't want to, but Sombra has the entire world in a time limit, and if we're not ready when it ends ..." Nagisa didn't have to finish his statement to Muu for him to understand the situation. After some bit of thinking, Muu actually nodded his head. "I'll need to talk to my tribe first. If they all want to help you, then ok," Muu decided. It was probably the best answer he was gonna get.
S06Ep3: Monster's Maw ~モンスターのモウ~If daytime wasn't harsh inside Abaddon, then nighttime was simply horrible. Many a prisoner still stuck inside, Team Harmony included, had to deal with the constant and distant screams and moans echoing throughout the Underworld Purgatory. The prisoners can wail and moan as much as they wanted, but none of the Imps were going to let them go until their sentence was up. Team Harmony wasn't enjoying any of this, now split up again and dealing with their own brand of Underworld punishment. For Ciel though, being trapped in such a place was hell enough for him. He had gone through all of this before, and this time though, Sebastian was not going to appear around to help him. A bit ironic really. Ciel remained high up in his lone cage, the only company being the sounds of the purgatory itself, none of his team anywhere near him, nor was he even aware that they were in here at all. As he laid there, one of the Imps hopped up onto the cage, turning out to be a trio of green Imps, having his last meal for the night in the form of a bit of bread. "Last meal for the night, Ciel," one of them said, tossing in the bread to him. However, Ciel was feeling a bit too sick to eat anything. "He's still not eating?" asked one of the Imps, the other shaking his head. "Eat up, Ciel!" "... What's the point? ..." "Aren't you hungry?" "Naturally. ... Though I'd rather die than continue living in a horrid place like this," Ciel said. And with how little he ate, that was what he was trying to do. One of the green Imps went over to the front side of the cage, seeing that Ciel looked rather malnourished. The green Imp got this word to the other two, and then one of them began to play a little tune to Ciel. The boy tried to ignore it, but he looked to himself and began to see that his body was regaining muscle and basically turning to normal. If Ciel wasn't gonna eat, then this was gonna have to be the case. Ciel looked to himself with some shock. "If you want to kill yourself, at least wait until after your sentence," one of the Imps said. "... Why did you do that?" Ciel asked, turning and looking to them for the first time since his capture. "It's one of our rules, that's why." "Bloody bastards," Ciel said. The Imps weren't sure what he was angry about, and with a shrug just left him in there to continue on their patrol through the night. Ciel looked off upwards from his cage, seeing that his cage actually had a view of outside, though way too far away for him to even get to, and just dropping down to the bottom was out of the question, he couldn't see the bottom of it. "Nowhere to go. ... Damn you, Sebastian. Why'd I ever agree to your hellish term?" Ciel thought through gritted teeth. He should've known a demon would backstab him after a while, he knew he should've. So many years of his power over him, the sense of authority and control were all gone the second Sebastian tasted his soul, and now he had paid the price. Years of dedication, wasted. However, as he tried to think, he began to feel the cage begin to move, but this time no Imps were on it. The chain holding him up began to move his cage downward slightly, and then moving it along through the purgatory on what he assumed would be an assembly belt. "What now?" Ciel wondered. Eventually, the cage stopped over somewhere a little closer to the ground, or some sort of ground. Ciel wasn't sure what was going on, but suddenly the bottom of the cage opened up and dropped Ciel off, Ciel landing onto the ground with a rough thud. The cage moved off out of sight into the gloom, Ciel left exposed to whatever was down there with him. The ground was cold, and little light at all helped him figure out where he was, or what could be down there with him. *thud* Ciel turned around on the noise, though while he couldn't see him, the voice made him realize that Edward had been dropped down with him. And with that thud, it wasn't anymore graceful than Ciel's fall, as he went on over towards him. Seeing his arm and leg missing surely didn't make him feel much better, as Edward spun himself around as best he could do, but he looked ... a little more out of it than usual. "Elric?" "A flea. ... A little flea. ... They called me a flea. ..." Ed murmured. not really the worst thing that could happen to somebody, but Edward's little bit of "torture" (quote on quote) still got to him. It didn't help that Edward couldn't even do a thing without his arm and leg on him. "That's their torture method. Why does that not surprise me?" Ciel sighed. "Ed? Is that you?" And not the only one. Ciel and Ed looked on towards the voices. Coming out of the darkened gloom, Ciel could make out a human-like figure, but lucky for him the figure turned out to be a familiar, more friendlier face of Winry Rockbell. Ed would respond, but he was still a bit traumatized in his own way. It took a bit, but Ciel was starting to see the rest of the team now in there with him, each one a bit beaten in their own way, for better or worse. "So he's got you all trapped in here too? How on earth did he manage that?" asked Ciel, though he was more cynical with that question, as Karma walked over to Edward. "Let's call it a shitty trick. Hey, Ed, you with us?" Karma asked, looking to Ed. "A little flea. ... Little flea. ..." "Permission?" "Oh, sure," said Twilight, and Karma went on to slap some sense into Ed. It did make him come back around, but still was not any better with his situation. Karma placed him down, and looked around. "Thanks," Ed simply said. "Well, anyone wanna take a guess as to what they're gonna do next?" Karma asked, arms crossed. He was about up for anything at this point, and so were everyone else. "My guess would be interrogation," Winry said after a little bit. "You sure that's it?" Twilight asked. "Either that or they grew tired of us," Gaara stated. It really was anyone's guess at this point. "Correction: I grew tired of you." All of a sudden, the group found themselves surrounded by conjured flames. none of them reached the group, but walls of fire stood tall and kept them all back. now with the light, they all found the best of the group with them, including Hoopa and Olivier, the only one missing being Alphonse much to Ed's worry. The minute Ciel Phantomhive saw the fire though, the already horrifying place became his trauma incarnated. Flashes of all that torture and horror flashed through his mind, his heart racing and his muscles becoming weak. "Ciel! Ciel, stay with us!" Twilight quickly said, trying to calm Ciel down. But with the light as well, they found themselves off in a pit of red flesh and teeth, as if they were inside of some monster's mouth. And looking up to the top wall, their visitors looked them down as if they were a bunch of zoo animals. Chrysalis, the Slicer brothers, and Sombra had come by now. While they did recognize the three from prior events in some way, Chrysalis did look a little bit different: a bit taller, thicker, and looking a bit stronger than before as well. "Well, would you look at that. All of Team Harmony in one little place. Doesn't that calm you down, a little bit, sweetie?~" Chrysalis cooed. Sombra took a minute to look down at the group down there. "Well, if it isn't King Sombra. No surprise there," Karma commented. "A rather convenient way to see you all, I know. and it seemed the rumors about Ciel's pyrophobia hold more than I figured," Sombra noted, looking over to Ciel, who was still freaking out like crazy, eyes wide and terrified of the fire around him. Then Pinkie and Olivier started to talk. "Keep talking, Sombra, your days are numbered!" Olivier warned. "Turn down the fire so Ciel can calm down! AND YOUR STYLE SUCKS!" Pinkie yelled. "Seriously?" Twilight thought. Sombra paused and took a look over to Ciel Phantomhive. ... and actually complied. He kept the fire on, but with some magic focused, the fire dulled down to a more decent flame, giving Ciel some time to gather himself. At this point though, Sombra took a second to count out exactly who was actually there. "... Slicer? ... Why is she here? And where are the others?" Sombra questioned, giving the slicer brothers a death stare to make a reaper cringe. "They've disappeared. I went to find them, but they're gone -" and before he could continue, Sombra gave him a good whack in the head, enough to make the head spin for a bit. "My instructions in detail were to get every single member of Team Harmony and have them in Abaddon, and you've screwed up! What made you think leaving any behind and replacing them with these canaries was a good idea?!" Sombra yelled. "Canaries?" Winry wondered. Sombra was so close to getting them all, and one slip ruined all of it. Chrysalis went over to him and tried to calm him down. "It's still a very good score, Sombra, look. We even got a elite angel captured. Would it really make much -" "YES. YES IT WILL," Sombra hissed. "We're still here!" called Pinkie. Sombra avoided beating up the hunk of armor for this mess up, and looked back down to who remained, and quickly counted out on who exactly was missing. "Hmm ... Nagisa. Aladdin. Blair. ... Of course it's him who doesn't get caught." Sombra calmed down enough to make a proper backup plan for this, his future vision starting to come to activate. After a short bit, he calmed down fully with a sigh of relief, much to the trouble of the prisoners. "Well. We know where he'll try to go. We'll improvise." "Sombra, if you think you're going to win in the end, you got another thing coming to you! We'll not stop until you're taken down!" Twilight yelled. "Don't give me that. It'll probably be better for him when he sees you're all still alive in here anyway. ... Besides. Our little game is almost over. Soon as we see what your friends will do once they get here." "You mean "if" they get here?" Pinkie asked. "No, when. I know he'll be coming here sometime soon, he won't rest a night until he knows you're all out and safe. He'll sneak in, go around for a little bit, and the minute he sees you all down here, he'll jump in and try to get you out, only to be captured himself. It's pretty straightforward at this point. You all just stand there and look good, then we can go when they're here," Sombra explained, before he began to turn and go off into one of the other halls. "What makes you say that?" asked Slicer, a little curious. "I'm a people's person," Sombra simply replied. ....... Unfortunately, Sombra was correct about one thing: Nagisa and company were indeed on their way towards the prison by the next morning light, and they've made a bit of ground when leaving the tribe off behind them. A good night's sleep to be sure, but unfortunately for Nagisa, it turned out to be just them by the looks of things. "Didn't you get that turban fixed yet, Aladdin?" Envy asked. "I'll get it fixed when we get back. If we are close, we won't need to fly," Aladdin answered, though it was a weak one for him not knowing how to sow. As they kept going, Nagisa took a moment to look back to where they walked from, barely seeing too much of the tribe camp, if at all. "Well, it was worth a shot. We just got to be more alert when we get there," Nagisa thought. If Sombra was waiting for them it would have to be the case (if only he truly knew though). "Deal with the chief didn't work, eh Nagisa?" Blair suddenly commented, making Nagisa suddenly stop. "Wait, how'd you know?" Nagisa asked. "Dude, we heard you yelp last night right next to the door, how could we not hear you?" Takuya pointed out. "Yeah, kinda hard to miss, especially with that big dog standing there. Besides, Morgiana woke us up anyway the minute you stepped out," Kirara added. "Oh. Well, sorry, I didn't want to wake you up. I was hoping we could get some extra help from the Fanalis against Sombra," Nagisa answered. "I'm still here," Morgiana said. Nagisa sighed. "I know, and thanks for coming. I thought you'd stay with the others, actually," Nagisa admitted. However, Morgiana than grabbed Aladdin by the arm. "I would, but you need me right now. I'm gonna fight with you," Morgiana firmly stated. "Good answer there," Nakamura congratulated, before looking off ahead to the terrain of the Great Rift. They could see plenty of grassland still to cross from the hill, but looking further away, Nakamura started to notice a little something out of the ordinary. It looked like a distant rock outcrop, or plateau of sorts. "Hey Envy, Blair, that the place?" Nakamura asked, as Envy and Blair went up and had a look. They took a moment, but eventually they both smiled. "That's Abaddon alright!" said Blair. "Damn it's closer than I thought. At this rate, we'll get there by this afternoon," Envy added. "Well, what're we waiting for then? Last one there's Hollow bait!" Blair said, before getting a head start on them. "Hey, wait up!" Aladdin called, running after her. The rest of the group began their run off down after Blair themselves. It won't be too long until they get to Abaddon now. Much to Sombra's delight. ~~ A rather nice run along, one can say, and as afternoon started to approach the Underworld, the Team had actually managed to get to the outskirts of Abaddon in record time. The interior may be horrific, but the exterior of said purgatory made it look much like a start of a cave. A cave with a multitude of demonic activity emanating from it, something that made Nagisa Shiota shiver once they got close to it. With a whole land lacking in demonic activity, this shiver got him more on edge now. Even from the outside, they can see patrols of Imps going around the front, lined up on guard. None of them got caught, thank goodness, and for the moment, they got themselves positioned just behind some foliage, Nagisa Shiota looking over the situation with shivers running through his body. They may be weaker demons, but there was a lot of them in there, not to mention the demon prisoners stuck inside just to add it up. "Abaddon purgatory. Well, got a point of entry? I'm guessing the front door's not the safest option," Nakamura said, looking over with Nagisa to the guards outside. The Imps looked pretty bored actually, some yawning and even snoozing, but setting off any alarm was NOT going to happen if they can help it. Nagisa turned back to the others, and sat down with Nakamura. "They got the guards lined up all over the place." "So let's just shoot them to bits. We can kill a good thirty of those devils in no time," Terasaka said, loading his gun for some action. "You idiot, don't you shoot, they'll be all over us!" Envy warned in a hiss. "You have a better idea?" Terasaka asked. "Yeah, anything but that!" "Will you two quit complaining? We just gotta find another way in, that's all," Kirara said. "Ok, like what?" "There's a tunnel." The group got quiet and turned to Morgiana, who had her hands on the ground in concentration as they were talking. "A tunnel that can lead right into Abaddon. The western side, and will lead straight inside," Morgiana informed. Well, convenient, but it'll work out just fine. The others even looked on from their position to where Morgiana described, and low and behold, there was a small opening just in the line of sight. They all stayed quiet and just looked to Morgiana for a bit. "... What?" "How the hell did you know that?" Envy asked. "A Fanalis can sense the world around them. Didn't they tell you?" Morgiana asked. "Oh yeah, forgot they can do that," Envy said. "Oh god, again?" Terasaka groaned. "Gripe later, and come on. Who knows how long it'll be before they change position," Nagisa said, starting to go off to said position as best they could without being seen. The Imps though just weren't too organized up out front, so they kept themselves a bit more busy with their naps and itches than actually noticing them go by. Good thing for them, and they got to position over by the tunnel. It was very small like Morgiana had said, and about the size of a vent, and probably used for the same thing. Nagisa could feel the demonic energy blow at him from that vent, and if his friends were inside, then they had no other main option. "Alright. You keep guard here, I'll try to be fast," Nagisa said, already beginning to go down on his hands and knees, ready to go through. However, before he could, he suddenly felt his legs being pulled back, pulling him back out. "Slow down there, buddy. I know you're eager, but how about you sit this one out?" Nakamura said. "You kidding me, my friends are in there -" "And they'll get you when you jump in there. They caught the rest of Team Harmony, why wouldn't they go for the whole set?" Nagisa paused on that thought. "Wait. She's right: they'll capture me for sure if I go in there. And if that happens ..." As bad as it sounded, and as much as he didn't want to, that just wasn't gonna work. The whole team would be found out if that was to happen, then where would they be? "I see the point. But who's going in then?" Nagisa asked. The group stayed quiet for a minute, but eventually, their eyes began to shift off to two other people amongst the crowd: Envy and Kirara. "You two suit up." "Wait, what?" Envy asked, caught off guard. "Of course: Envy, you're more familiar with this demonic stuff than any of us, so you got the know-how. And as for you Kirara, you're infamous for being the black widow of E class, you can sneak around just fine," Nakamura explained. "It really takes that one time to get infamous, huh?" Kirara shrugged. "What's she talking about?" Aladdin asked Envy. "It happened during one of our 3-E training sessions: someone found Kirara crawling around like a spider and take out five students without any of them noticing her. It stuck with her since," Yoshida explained, though it didn't matter if Kirara heard him or not. Kirara started to stretch a bit, ready to head on in. "Whatever. I might as well anyway: the others might get lost in those tunnels anyway," Kirara noted. "Watch it, I got better scores in navigation than you do!" Yoshida reminded, but Kirara ignored him even though being reminded of Yoshida's score of 3.5 compared to her score of 2. "Well, alright. But before you two go in, there's something I should give you," Nagisa said, going through the supplies they've brought with them. For one item, he gave one of them his Halo Blade just in case things go bad. Suddenly, and out of nowhere admittedly, Nagisa brought out something else: what looked like earpieces, and a communicator. ... "Korosensei?" Nakamura asked. "Korosensei. He stopped by during lunch and dropped it off as a "good luck" gift," Nagisa answered. "Just in case we ended up split," added Aladdin. Eh, fare enough. And even if they didn't say it, the notable mark of Korosensei's face on said ear pieces was proof enough. Anyway, Nagisa gave the two their ear pieces, as he went to try and turn on the communicator. Both Kirara and Envy could hear them activate loud and clear. Both of them looked to the tunnel for a moment, then to eachother, and both of them nodded. They were entering the belly of the beast. "Good luck." ~~ It took Envy and Kirara long enough thanks to some Morgiana skill navigation, but finally, and with some strain, they managed to slip into the prison hold of Abaddon. And just where they wanted to be too; there was already a cell right next to them where they landed! A cell like this one, farther away from the other cells in this underworld hellhole must mean that a high up prisoner would be in there. Envy got himself shaken off a bit, and went on over to that first cell. "Psst. Ciel? Karma? Anyone in there?" ....... "OH those names. What a rough nametag to wear ... Whah?!" That surely didn't sound like either one of those characters, and taking a few steps back, another, much larger being slipped out into the limelight. And it wasn't just any demon stuck inside there, nor any of the humans captured. The Great Tengu himself! "Envy. You got some hard balls to come around here." "Tengu? Short time, no punch, see you're still in jail," Kirara said. They may have not seen it first hand, but chit-chats through the Underworld did share that information with them. "I thought you were dead," Envy added in, again going off the stories. "And I thought you weren't a pair of mini-bitches," spat Tengu. Envy kept his anger down pact for the sake of the situation. The Tengu's unmistakable voice could be heard over Kirara's earpiece, and the group knew exactly who it was the moment the words started flying out. As annoying as some were, Nagisa got an idea. "Kirara, he came in here since the others did right? Maybe he might know something," Nagisa said. Kirara got the idea. "Let's get past the name-calling and get to business: a little birdie told me you know where our friends ended up. That true?" Envy asked. Tengu wasn't at all impressed. "Looking for Luck-tag-Team Harmony, eh? Sorry, but I'd rather see you get busted big time! GUARDS! HOLLOWS!!" Envy, in a desperate move, quickly slammed the Tengu's mouth shut before he could scream any more. Get caught now, and they won't be getting out of here, alive or dead. The group gave a sigh of relief when the Tengu did stay quiet. "You trying to get us all killed? And where's that generous cheeky nature you're so famous for? Back in Tokyo, you surely looked like the bigger man from what the others said," noted Kirara. "I am a big man. Big with the payback, and the appeal. Got that, ant? On this track, I'm in control of the beat. you're just a dancer." Now Kirara was starting to get a little angry with this trash-mouth of a demon. "Look, if you rat me out to those Imps, then I'm gonna get thrown in there with you. And it'll be hell of a cage-match," Envy warned. "Worth it to see your smug face behind the bars!" growled Tengu. "Listen "pal", we already know who'll win in a fight between us. We're not looking to start something, but you know we'll finish it," Envy warned. With so much stripped off of him, the Tengu wasn't as cocky as he was before, thinking over what situation he was stuck in. "True that, human. In the one-on-one duel between you and me in here, you'll win. ... But look around, you soft sock. It's a super-sized satanic blowout! You start a fight with me, and execution for you and your posse will be yours. You want that, jack?" Tengu warned. The earpiece went off again, this time being Terasaka in her ear talking. "Will you be careful, you two? Tengu's right: you can't start a fight in there, you won't get out of there alive, no matter how strong you are!" he warned. Both of them paused and glanced off past the cage, and down the small hall to the rest of Abaddon. Demons everywhere, and Hollows on patrol ... yeah, not gonna happen. Then again, how're they gonna find the group in here? "Damnit." she thought. Kirara thought for a moment or two, but then one ... rather nutty idea went through her head. "If those Imps kill us, who's gonna break you out of here?" Both the group on her end, and the Tengu perked up on Nakamura's offer, but the Tengu was more surprised than the group, who was very skeptical on that idea. Tengu took a bit of a long, unsure look to the two, Envy surprised that Kirara was going there. "... Can you really crack this nut?" Tengu questioned. Envy looked to the locks on the cage, and found it was actually double locked: one for a key, one a wheel. Well, if it'll get things easier, Envy might as well not try to question it at this point. "Sure: we got locks like these back at school. I can crack it, no problem," Kirara said, smugly grinning, and finding it funny that the Imps would do a lock system this mundane. As promising as it sounded though, the Great Tengu start to scoff a bit. "You might get this cell door open, but those guards will find me out, and tear me up. and then I'll get the double sentence for not only busting out, but blabbering to you. GRIEF!" Tengu fell onto his back on a more sorrowful note, and Kirara was seeing the situation on that remark when Envy spoke to her. "You mad, Nakamura? We can't bring him with us! Did you forget what he did back home?" Envy pointed out, not believing his own ears. "Do you have a better idea? If so, I'd love to hear it right now," Kirara simply replied, and right on the dime too. Envy didn't have much of an idea, but then Nagisa, reluctantly, took to the speaker and both earpieces went off. "Keep trying to get the info out of him first, at least. Try keeping it quiet if he talks, maybe that'll help." "Oh, yeah, of course, I'm not that gullible like Terasaka," Kirara said. "HEY!" After that chat, they turned back to the Great Tengu. "Here: you talk, and the secret stays between us. You know my reputation - keeping things quiet is what I do best," Envy said. "Trust a band of humans? Do I look chumpy to you?! You're so-called promises, will be cold comfort when I'm pushing up thorns while nailed to a cross!" Tengu moaned. "Try promising protection," suggested Nagisa. A good answer in their eyes. "Look, me and the others, we'll protect you. You know Team Harmony's reputation, and 3-E. you got a good amount of guards." "Sombra's a big wheel - he'll roll all over us. That demon's got a giant army, so many demons to command, too many to count. To talk is like sitting on one of your electric chairs. Sombra has eyes - eyes and ears - ears and claws! The Great Tengu will be discovered, and the class is cut!" "What the hell did Sombra do to him?" Envy wondered. He had to have done something especially harsh for the Great Tengu to think of him like this, considering how cocky he was before. Looks like it won't be that easy. Kirara then got a little idea of her own, and looked to the Tengu with a more softer expression. A knowing one, if you will. "Come on, Tengu. A demon like you can deal with what Sombra has in here. You've trained more years than anyone I know," Nakamura stated. Tengu started to perk up again. "Training? ... Y-You're right. If I can out-train him I can surely out-smart him. All is told through results, heh. ... One thing: how're we getting out of this mousetrap?" Tengu asked, not sounding as sad or scared anymore. Nakamura thought it over a little bit, and then saw the vent again. "Look, see that tunnel there? We managed to get in here that way, we both can use it to escape." "I can't fit in a vent. Look at me! I'm packing too much flesh and muscle to fit in a vent like you twigs," Tengu stated, showing his larger body to them both. Clearly that was more than correct, so vents were out of the question. She then placed took a step away, and activated her own earpiece. "Any ideas, guys?" Kirara asked. The group on the other end tried to figure something out, but Blair got a similar answer. "Try on some disguises," Blair suggested. Simple enough, but will Tengu go with it? "Look, how about I steal some uniforms for us, suit up, and then just stroll out of here?" Kirara asked. "Smart idea. Imps aren't too clever to tell who's who when they're wearing a mask," Envy agreed. "What do you think this is, some 90's comedy? They got hellhounds roaming here, they need one sniff to sniff out a soul, and alarms will ring for days, then it's back to square one again! And you're worried about me dumping us into the same garbage can." Another strike. However, that voice was overheard by Nagisa this time. "Envy, can you hear me?" "What's up?" ....... "Well, you just gonna stand there?" Tengu asked. After the plan was given to him, Envy confronted the Tengu again. "How about this: we'll get the Imps' attention, then run for it. Once they're all busy trying to get me, you can slip out no problem." The Tengu paused, and then a devil grin edged his face. "NOW that's a plan I can get behind! OK, I'll talk of the Harmony line-up, if you agree to owe the Great Tengu ... a favor. Which I'll collect in a few months of time." "A favor?" Kirara questioned. "This here's no small-time favor like: "Will you water my fish, or feed my plant?" NO WAY. This is old-school, samurai, blood-pact favor. Like gods, big time." Now the Tengu's got the table again, much to their annoyance. "Don't fall for it, Kirara!" Envy warned. He wasn't sure about her, but Envy wasn't willing to just take in any demon so easily, not to mention owing them a debt. "Isn't your freedom enough, Tengu?" Kirara questioned, arms crossed. Now feeling in control, the Great Tengu leaning against the walls of his cell, arms behind his head. "Tell you what, you give me a deal I raise you four: you agree to my deal, and on Demon's pact, I'll get your friends out of here myself," The Great Tengu declared. NOW it really was up to them. she could just get the information out of him, but then again, just how much did they really know of this place, and even if weakened, Tengu was still a lot stronger than they were. "He's saying something about a ... Demon's pact? Guys, care to elaborate?" Kirara quietly asked through the earpiece. "He really is serious: it's a sure fire promise that a demon will indeed give you said offer after you've completed your part of the task. ... Kirara, Envy, we don't have a choice: you have to accept it," Blair said. As reluctant as Envy was feeling about the idea, he gave a deep breath, and then turned back to him. "Ok, Tengu. Get our friends out of here, and we'll owe you one." "DONE! Hah, the bargain she is struck! OK, to find the key, you're going to have to find it inside the warden's main office. It's just past the main lobby down the hall, can't miss it," Tengu explained. They looked down the hall. "Ok, great." "Get me out of here, and I'll find your gang, no sweat. Just keep on the down-low, and out of sight near them Imps. They're a bad bunch of bunnies," Tengu warned. Something that can go unsaid honestly. So, after their little deal with the Great Tengu, Kirara and Envy went on down the hall as silently as they could, and soon enough, they found themselves off into the main lobby in question. And boy it didn't look anything good: each floor and wall red and dried up in blood. There was a large skylight in the main lobby, but it was lined with teeth curved inward. Envy and Kirara could see many a Imp going around and on patrol, some flying around while some simply walked along on different levels. No Imp was close enough to see them both, so for the moment they were still shadowed and safe. "I can't believe we've even agreed to his terms," Envy groaned. "It's probably better anyway," Kirara noted. "How? We're not here to break out a demon, remember?" Envy reminded. Kirara then leaned in. "Even if he doesn't he can make a damn good distraction while we gather everyone up. how about that?" Kirara whispered. "... And suddenly this sounds a lot better. Now where's that warden's office?" Envy wondered. Within such a place, that was a pretty hard thing to work out, not to mention the Imps still roaming around that could catch them at any moment. The hellhounds though were still a bit iffy, but they'll have to try and cross that bridge when they get to it - "Eh, not that I don't agree with your logic, Sombra, but you sure you know what you're doing?" Envy and Kirara ducked out of sight on the noise, and looking down from their level, they saw Sombra going on through the lobby with one of the Imps in charge of Abaddon. "He will not leave his team behind. Once he figures out where they are, it will be a matter of when, not if, he'll show up. The second one of your Imps sees them, report to me at once." "Yes sir," the Imp replied. Now this was getting a bit testy. "I think we got a situation guys: Sombra's in here with us, and by the sound of it, he's expecting you to show up, Nagisa," Envy quietly informed through his earpiece. "Drat! How far are you in there?" Nagisa asked, freaked out on such news. "We're in the main lobby, and so is he," Envy answered. Nagisa felt a horrid shiver run through him. Just the person he didn't want to be there, but what was he supposed to do? Kirara and Envy were already in there, and they had a deal to make with the Great Tengu to do now among other things. "Y-You'll just have to give him a wide berth." Nagisa reluctantly decided. "You got to be joking," Envy groaned. "If he catches you now, there's no way you'll get out of there. At least try to fulfill the Tengu's deal, then you can get out of there while he rounds everyone up. I know you're mad at him Envy, I get it, but now's not the time for it," Nagisa explained. As great as it would be to get his revenge on Sombra for everything, Envy couldn't help but agree with what Nagisa said. "Gotcha. Applying "Wide Berth"," Envy sighed. Even he had to agree that revenge will have to be put on hold at least until everyone's out of this place. The others outside didn't hear the exact deal though for them to distract the guards anyway, so if Sombra was here, he was going to find them either way. Looking closer into the warden's office, they began to actually see a lot of other things hidden off inside: a box of confiscated weaponry, and all of which were from Team Harmony. "Kill two birds with one stone," Kirara thought. Envy and Kirara stayed quiet for a moment still, watching the Imp and Sombra converse some more until Sombra started to stroll away to check out the rest of the place, as the Imp went on to the room itself. Now it was an issue all over again: how're they gonna get the key to the Tengu's cell with a Imp chilling out inside the same room? How were they going to do this? Well, Kirara only needed one look to Envy, and can already tell that he was a bit peeved on not being able to go after Sombra, even seeing his hand grip the Halo Blade a little tighter. "... Envy, how about you go on?" "Huh?" "You've been talking about revenge on Sombra ever since we met. And clearly, I know you want to go and do just that. This is your perfect chance to do this, and you got the weapon for it. I'll deal with the key and the Great Tengu," Kirara explained. Envy looked off to Sombra, who just moved off out of sight, and turned back to Kirara, who was actually smiling to him. "You've waited long enough," Kirara simply said. Envy took a moment, and gave a long sigh. He wanted this. He SO wanted this. ... And he did wait long enough for his chance. "Be careful, Kirara," Envy finally said, and with that note, the two went on to split, and Kirara watched Envy go off after Sombra himself. And what timing too, as Kirara's earpiece started to go off again as she quietly started to go to her own positon. "Did you two go off yet? No pressure, but I think the Imps are getting antsy," Yoshida asked. "We're handling it right now." ~~ As Kirara was handling the Tengu, Envy was keeping as silent and as close of a visual as he could ever do to roaming king Sombra. With the mixture or not only king Sombra but the Imp guards as well, Envy had to be especially vigilant of both parties. Any slip up at any point could end up killing him, but at least he can say that the others weren't following him here. As Envy kept to the shadows, Sombra continued on his stroll around the purgatory, finding content that many of the cells were locked up, and prisoners still locked inside each and every single one as he passed. some ignored him, some found it as a surprise, and some even growled at him, but regardless of which one, Sombra stayed quiet and continued going, seemingly unaware that someone was indeed following him. Envy could feel his pulse race a bit, the closer he got to Sombra. His hand itched to stab at Sombra's heart with that blade in hand. It only began to race even more so with where Sombra was actually going, finding him heading to a more isolated area of the purgatory. The more isolated Sombra seemingly made himself, the more antsy Envy started to feel about it. "Envy, calm down! ... Just one hit," Envy thought, now right above him, as Sombra stopped himself for a moment to figure out what was going on, looking around the purgatory for just a brief moment as if looking for someone. "... I know you're there, Envy." Envy froze, but having worked with Sombra, it was something he was expecting honestly. So, without hesitation, Envy jumped right down at him, just for Sombra to lean back, and his arm grabbing Envy by the throat before swinging him over his head and onto the floor! When Sombra took a look at him, he could already tell just how deeply he was with being human, as Envy tried to get himself out. "Envy, stop struggling. I'll make the situation easier for you," Sombra promised. "Damn it!" Envy growled. Trying to get away, Envy swiped the halo blade forward, dangerously close to the demon's face, but it was poorly planned, and Sombra whacked it out of his hand. "... Envy. You are upset over losing your status as a Homunculus. But killing me will not make up for what is done here. You brought it all on yourself." "You think I'm gonna let you live after you ruined the old me?" "I'd hardly call it ruined, Envy." And as if to show how little of a threat Sombra saw of him, he actually released him. Envy rushed for the blade, and tried again, only for his arms to be grabbed by the king. "Envy, stop that. It's embarrassing at best." "Like you'd care anyway! You've planned to get rid of me, remember?" "You've been making mistakes left and right for the desperation of a little pathetic thing called revenge. you kept rebelling against me. you kept causing far more trouble than any demon would like, and to top it all off, it was you who single-handedly exposed your kind to the world with your attempt back in England. YOU made the protection agreement happen, and nothing you say will change that." At the end of his statement, Sombra threw Envy up above his head, and slammed him against the wall a few more time, hitting some cage bars until he was good and bloody. "... I know I screwed you over. But you know what? I wasn't born to be a Homunculus. I like being human, and even before that I was jealous of them. Jealous of how better they were compared to me." "You can say that?" Sombra questioned. "Yeah. ..." Envy then gave Sombra a smirk. "And I'm not going to wait and have you ruin my new life by bringing hell up to us." "Big talk considering you're pinned down right now," Sombra noted. Envy managed to find his feet, but Sombra still had him held onto, both of them staring eye to eye for a minute before Envy tried to get himself free, hitting Sombra with his hands and feet over and over, but yielding nothing. "Will you cut it out? Envy, I got enough on my mind without you in it. Yes, I ruined your Homunculus self, but I still allowed you to live, didn't I? Is this how you thank me for letting you survive?" Sombra asked. Envy paused for a brief moment, but this only left Envy open for another throw by Sombra, sending him flying to the back wall. Envy was stunned, but still came to as Sombra walked over to him. "Don't bother using your innocence, Sombra! We both know you've wanted to kill me, but you can't do that while I was a Homunculus. But now that I'm a human, there's no rule you've made to keep yourself from doing that. I bet you wanted me to show up." "... Well, and here I thought you were too wrapped up in your revenge to work it out." "Why else would you let me go?!" Envy snapped, having his hand on the halo blade again. Sombra though shook his head. "Envy, Envy, Envy. Look. I'm a demon king: I got an entire kingdom to look after, along with trying to get my plans for those humans into fruition. I've seen my demons getting killed left and right by them, and that's not including the amount of kills you've been forced into. Yes, I did make you a human, and in a way, that meant that the rules I've established during my reign no longer imply to you, but you've jumped the gun: I've tried to get you back to normal for Gluttony and Lust's sake, yet I instead find your friend Nagisa in your place." "Oh yeah, sure, making me better by dumping me into a pot of lava, and making me as you wanted! If you think I'm letting you control my life, then you're the dumbass here, not me!" Envy made clear. Sombra just gave a sigh, and even turned his back to him to walk away. "Look, regardless if I kill you or not, you still going to have to face your fellow demons once I release them in the real world. Thanks to your stunts and this protection agreement nonsense, I've had to push my schedule to end our little game quicker than anticipated. If I don't do anything now, then we're all going to be going into Limbo for it." "You're not going to do anything!" Envy roared, rushing off at him again. Sombra sensed Envy coming, and actually turned into shadows, making Envy rush right through him and tumbling off into the open, in view of the other Imps just outside of the isolated area. "HEY! Intruder! Intruder!" one of the Imps called, raising an alarm. So much for a quiet approach, as Sombra walked out into the limelight with him after solidifying. Envy felt a stab at his confidence when that happened. "Well, that didn't take long, did it?" "You made it happen!" "You can blame me all you want to, Envy Homunculus. But in the end, you can't do anything about it. You've had little power over me even with your abilities as a Homunculus, what makes you think you have any authority over me now?" Envy jumped at Sombra once more before Sombra turned into shadows, and actually flew off out of sight to another part of the purgatory. "Get back here!" Envy called in anger, chasing after the shadowy demon. Suddenly Envy found himself in a mixture of pursuit and chase, as some of the Imps began to close in on him not too long after the alarms had gone off. Envy had to skid to a stop in order to confront the Imps, actually slicing one after another as he tried to keep up with Sombra, the demon king looking back and seeing Envy doing surprisingly well against the other Imps on his tail. "For a human, Envy's holding up fairly well," Sombra thought, even seeing Envy slice a Imp in half with the Halo Blade! As foolish as he thought Envy's revenge was, he could see just how determined revenge was to him. He was so distracted with Envy though ... "OUTTA ME BLOODY WAY!" "What the -" suddenly Sombra was slammed by a seemingly unknown force hitting his side. Sombra landed on his feet, but a little stunned on not only the hit, but who actually ran into him. The Great Tengu was out of his cage, and he had his shield back! "T-Tengu?!" "That's my name, don't waste it all in one day, dig?" "But how'd you even -" before Sombra could answer, he took a look behind him, only finding Kirara with what looked like a Imp mask on her face, and a key in her hand. "... Nevermind. Get back in your cell, Tengu." "That's Great Tengu to you, Mr. Shadow. You threw me a good bone for a while, but guess who's back at full power?" The Great Tengu asked, before sending a stream of acid right at the demon king. This was not something he had foreseen, and as he had to deal with the Tengu breakout, Kirara went on over to Envy next. "Sir! Give us a hand with this, will you? We got a runner!" "They're really falling for that?" Envy thought, finding it downright ridiculous. Kirara had the simplest of disguises, and the Imps fell for it easy. No wonder Imps were so low on the threat level. Kirara acted like she was going for Envy, only to kick the Imp off of the path, and bringing out her own weapon to shoot at the others. "Looks like you're having trouble with Sombra. Need a hand?" Kirara asked, helping Envy up. "I feel great, thanks. See you got the Tengu out too, but where're the others?" "Oh, he lied. In fact, he whacked me away the second he got out of that cage," Kirara said. Well, they figured he would do that, but as she said, this was a great distraction for the Imps and Sombra to tango with. "Envy, Kirara, what's going on in there?! We can hear the fight from outside!" Aladdin asked over the earpieces, as Envy and Kirara went off to try and find the others. "Yeah, the Great Tengu's got us covered right now. How's it looking out there?" Envy asked. Those still waiting outside of the prison looked off away, and the fight was actually sending Demons away from the front, and rushing in to get the Great Tengu before he could kill Sombra. "The guards are going inside. come back, the Tengu should -" "The Tengu's fighting Sombra, don't bother." "What?!" "What'd you expect? In fact, come on in, he's got Sombra busy and everyone and their mother's trying to deal with the Tengu right now. If you want your friends, now would be a good time to get em," Kirara informed, as Envy cut another Imp down the middle as they ran off. "In that case, try to keep alive, we're coming in," Terasaka decided. "Over and out." And Envy and Kirara sure had their own luck in accordance to this. With the Great Tengu keeping much of the guards busy, much of the paths they took were pretty well open, and clear for them to rush on through. sure, a Imp or two did come at them, but they made short work with whatever came close with either the blade or a gunshot. As they went, their first stop was straight to the warden's office, skidding to a stop once they got to the place. All of Team Harmony's weapons were inside: Karma's Miracle Sword, much of Olivier's weapons, and over tied up in the corner was Alphonse himself! "Told you I'd be back, Al," Kirara said, as she went over to him along with Envy. Alphonse however was only a head, his body tied up not too far away. "Kirara, Envy! So you got them busy right now?" "Oh yeah, they're running like mad out there. So, you remember where the others are?" Envy asked, picking Envy up, and placing it back on his body. "I think I do. One of the Imps mentioned they're over at the front lobby as bait!" "Bait?" ~~ Meanwhile, with the guards now gone up front, Nagisa and his group went on inside through the front. Thanks to the Tengu's crazy antics, the guards were hardly any, but that didn't mean they didn't had any problems, as a few stray Imps still tried to get at them as they invaded inside. It didn't take long until they took action, Takuya, Terasaka and Yoshida lighting up and shooting off some demons to keep them back. As for close range, Nagisa, Blair, and Aladdin had them covered, Aladdin working out his Gyro Ball attack on a number of demons as Blair and Nagisa handled close-range combat. Without his Halo Blade, Nagisa had to work out his agility and martial arts, though was a bit harder to work with. The group of Imps though were just a warmup for much of them, them pushing forward passed the frontal hall, and went right over to the front gate, which was shut tight. "Damnit, open up!" Terasaka yelled, trying to open the door himself, but to no luck. "Pi-Pi-Pumpkin Cannon!" shouted Blair, and with a combined hit with Aladdin's Gyro Ball as well, both witch and magi gave their projectiles a target in the gate, and both collided to the bars with a mighty explosion! "A warning next time?" Terasaka groaned. "Sorry about that," Aladdin replied, as the group started to go on inside and over to the front lobby. They thought it was going to be a harder time, but when they saw everyone else down on the bottom floor, they quickly were taken aback by this. "Right there? Damn, they're just asking for us to break in. Come on!" Terasaka ordered. "Nagisa?!" gasped Twilight. "Twilight! Come on, everyone, it's time for a rescue!" Nagisa called, rushing out to them. "Nagisa, no, stay back!" she called. But Nagisa was too determined to get to her to hear her, and by the time she finished, it was already too late. What happened next was almost slow-motion: in a split second, Nagisa started to sense a higher demon not too far away, and closing in fast right above him. A quick shiver warned him, and he quickly bolted back as a demon slammed into the ground right where he would be standing. His demon sense told him that this wasn't Sombra, but indeed someone just as dangerous: Chrysalis. "Hello there, Nagisa.~" she cooed. Seeing Chrysalis much bigger and voluptuous than before didn't help him any, Chrysalis here about as tall as Korosensei would be. Despite the thickness, Nagisa could tell she was a lot stronger in terms of muscle, her arms slender yet toned, not to mention the ground cracking under her feet. "C-Chrysalis!" gasped Aladdin. "I got her!" Blair called, ready to shoot her, but Chrysalis anticipated her attack and jumped at her instead, moving surprisingly fast, and very strong to grab Blair and pin her down right away. Of course the others tried to send Chrysalis back, shooting her, but to their shock, all the bullets did was bounce off her skin. As Blair was pinned, Chrysalis decided to waste no time with her, and her mouth began to open up. Blair struggled to get her off, but her strength outmatched most of the group, as she began to suck out the lifeforce and magic from Blair right there! "NO YOU DON'T!" Nagisa shouted, jumping on top of her, and stomping right down onto Chrysalis's head. This stunned Chrysalis, but it didn't stop her assault, and soon she finished up her draining, and only then releasing Blair, feeling content and almost an arousal sense as she felt it flow down through her. Chrysalis actually grew a little bit, adding another half a foot inches in height, and a extra few inches in her curves too (much to the boys' mixed feelings). "I've been waiting to have a taste of your kind of power.~" "The hell'd you do to me?" Blair asked, feeling very dizzy, as Chrysalis got up fully, as if showing off herself to everyone. "Try me, and you'll find out." "Alright. PI-PI-PUMPKIN CANNON!" ... nothing. Blair tried a few more times, but she didn't feel much of anything. Chrysalis smiled and then brought her hand forward, as a too familiar ability began to show itself. "Pi-Pi-Pumpkin Cannon," she said, using Blair's own attack against her! Everyone scrambled to get out of the way, just avoiding getting exploded by the demon bitch, but the evidence was clear on what happened to Blair, and how come Chrysalis looked more powerful. "I bet you all thought you'd come in here and just rush on out, right?" Chrysalis asked in a cheeky tone. "Get out of the way, Chrysalis, just let us have our friends back and we don't have to fight," Nagisa made clear. That just made Chrysalis laugh more than anything. "Feisty,~" Chrysalis said, starting to strut over towards him. The others weren't going to give her a chance though, and Takuya took a closer aim, shooting at her face, but she just brought her hand up and blocked the bullets. "Nagisa, it will be easier on all of us if you could just hand yourself over. They all did.~" "Bullshit! Come on, let's clobber this bitch!" Terasaka said, turning to everyone else. However, they didn't come forward, as much as they wanted to. Karma felt frustrated the most, but even he didn't take a step forward. "Guys?" Nagisa asked. "... If we try to attack her, she can use all our powers against us, and everyone else," Twilight answered. "And?" Chrysalis asked, wanting them to finish up what they said. Twilight cringed a little bit. "You don't mean ..." Twilight only confirmed Nagisa's suspicions with a nod of her head. And with what just happened to Blair, the pieces fell into place. Chrysalis had sucked all their power away from them: Twilight's magic, Ed's Alchemy, Gaara and Pinkie's agility, Olivier and Karma's strength. Chrysalis now had each bit of that, and left the team with nothing. That explained why they didn't attack her on the spot, they couldn't. As pissed off as they were at her for doing so. And even if she didn't, they still were unarmed with their weapons gone, so basically, they had nothing to work with. "How dare you," Nagisa hissed, turning to Chrysalis. Chrysalis laughed again, looking down on the meek little human, the demonic energy and power gained being sensed by him. Nagisa felt his body shiver, his pulse at an all time high, and his demon sense acting up like crazy! Chrysalis decided to show off her skills by blasting a magic beam of Twilight's over towards the group he was trying to save! Aladdin saw this and brought out his Magi shield to block it, though the hit was still a lot stronger than normal. Nagisa though did whack Chrysalis in her legs, just enough to make her stumble back a bit. "She has all of their powers?" wondered Takuya. "How the hell are we supposed to fight that?" Yoshida wondered. "You can't. Though it's always adorable to see such men try their luck. But then again, so many do love to try me,~" Chrysalis cooed, giving the boys a sexual wink. "Pervert! Major pervert!" the group thought. Chrysalis turned to her other target, Nagisa trying to fight her, only to have to block a quick kick by the queen. Nagisa landed on his feet, though Chrysalis then changed her target again, and this time went over for Aladdin! she already had Blair, now it was the magi's turn. Chrysalis reached to get him, just for Aladdin to rush passed her legs, feeling very stunned already from the sexualized show he was given. He had to keep his focus. Aladdin turned around, just to find Chrysalis already on top of him, pinning him down to the floor. "Get off him!" Terasaka demanded. "You just wait there and look as adorable as ever. You're next~" "HOLD IT!" Everything suddenly stopped. Nagisa had just about enough of this, and while he had no idea on how to get their abilities back, he didn't want to see anymore of his friends get completely drained of their power if he could help it. "Oh? And what's the matter with you?" "Just let them go, Chrysalis. It's me you're after, not him," Nagisa said. Chrysalis smirked towards him, but all the same, Nagisa was correct. "Nagisa, what're you doing?" Pinkie asked. "Challenging her, that's what," Nagisa answered. That surely got a surprise out of most of them, but this did intrigue Chrysalis, especially considering Nagisa had no weapon on him here to use. "With no weapon?!" "I don't need one." "Ok, Nagisa, normally I'd be impressed, but this is some grim odds here," Karma said, and if Karma didn't think it was a good idea, then it truly wasn't. Nagisa though knew what he was doing, and went out to fully confront her. "Confident, are we? You do realize who you're going up against, don't you?~" "And do you know how many bastards we had to deal with before meeting you? I've already fought against Hellgar, your Homunculus, Pluton, and even won against Tirek and Gluttony in a two-on-one fight. If I can go through all that, I'm sure I can handle you," Nagisa explained, walking up to her. Chrysalis was willing, but as she began to advance towards him, Nagisa oddly remained still. He even closed his eyes and opened out his arms. "The hell?! Nagisa, move!" called Takuya. "She's gonna kill you if you do that!" added in Terasaka. Chrysalis didn't really stop though, and Nagisa prepared for what was coming up next, as Chrysalis's mouth opened up, and began to suck away at his lifeforce, and his powers! "Nagisa!" shouted Aladdin. He tried to go up to her, but someone then grabbed him by the ponytail, only for him to turn around and see that it was Gaara grabbing hold. That block off was just what Chrysalis needed to fully suck away all of Nagisa's abilities. All of his martial arts strength and Demon sense were now hers to control, and Chrysalis grew stronger on that. "Oh you silly man.~ You're willing to die for me? How generous of you.~" It was then that Nagisa smirked. "Feeling a little antsy, Chrysalis?" Nagisa simply stood there, arms crossed, and waited for what he knew would happen to her. Chrysalis had no idea what he was talking about, but eventually a sensation suddenly started to form in her, a shiver running through her body. Chrysalis froze up, feeling the effects of the demon sense hit her. The shivering continued to go through her, Chrysalis feeling a sharp pain hit her head from so much demonic energy housed inside her. "ARGH! WHAT THE HELL?!" she screamed, hands grabbing her head, as she doubled over and collapsed. Oh, Nagisa knew how that felt, the demon queen down on the ground. The pain stuck from the demon sense was more than she could handle. Everyone else had no idea what was going on, but Nagisa simply walked up to her, and raised his foot to press down onto her head. Chrysalis looked up to him, the kid now smiling. "Looks like I win." "W-what? ... But you didn't do anything." "I didn't had to, Chrysalis. You're the one that absorbed my Demon Sense, and we all know that the Demon Sense will go off whenever demonic activity is close by. Considering you're a demon queen, that means that the Demon sense is at an all time high right now. And I'm no expert, but I'm willing to bet it won't calm down anytime soon," Nagisa explained. "To Limbo with that, how do you stop it?!" Chrysalis asked through gritted teeth, the migraine she developed making it extremely painful. Nagisa wasn't letting her off the hook that easily: the demons of hers captured his friends, so he wasn't giving her any sympathy here. "No idea. Now, all you have to do is give it back, and then it'll stop." "SCREW THAT - ACK!" Chrysalis felt a sting through her body again on another migraine headache. Nagisa knew she was hurting because of this, and knew her pain all too well, but this was an advantage that he was exploiting out of her, and he wanted to get every ounce of it. "You mean you'd rather have a horrid headache like that the rest of your life? The only other way to calm it down is to go to the Overworld and stay there." "No way, if I give you back your powers, I'll have to do it to the rest of you!" Chrysalis shouted. "Exactly," Nagisa simply said. So that was his plan to defeat her. Admittedly, they were a bit surprised, yet impressed quite a bit, but Chrysalis could feel her own problems now stack against her. However, she did give Nagisa a sly grin. "What a clever boy,~" she cooed. Nagisa stepped off of her, and allowed her to lift up off the ground. Sure, all this power was all fun and good, but it seemed she bit off more than she could chew. no amount of power in the world could end up fixing this problem, and in the end she had to comply. Unfortunately. Slowly, she got herself fully standing in spite of the headache, and her mouth opened again. Instead of draining though, it began to release the abilities she had stolen from everyone, starting with Nagisa himself. Nagisa could feel the energy coming back to him, and the similar Demon Sense starting to give him a similar shiver, albeit not as strong. One after the others, the prisoners of Team Harmony, and including Blair, all began to regain their abilities and strength, feeling better than they had in a while. By the time it had ended, Chrysalis had actually shrunk down to her normal size, and felt relief run through her as the ability stopped making her brain hurt. "How're you all feeling now?" Nagisa asked. "Like a champ," Karma replied, doing a few strong kicks and punches to prove he was all better. Twilight tested some of her magic, and found she could do that too. But for Chrysalis, she had another trump card, although rather weak from all that release she could barely stay up. "Ok, so you're all strong again, you're still powerless without your weapons!" "You mean these?!" called a voice. And at this point, Kirara and Envy caught up with them, all the weapons now with them, and Alphonse Elric arriving good as new. Well, so much for that card. "Heads up, you guys!" Kirara called, throwing all of their weapons down to them. Gaara was the first to grab his weapons, rushing in and leaping at them in a blur. Karma grabbed his next, which he grabbed the handle of right away. Hoopa even got his rings back after that, and he couldn't be anymore pleased with such a big smile on his face. "Oh, rings, how I missed you!" Hoopa said, even hugging them. Envy and Kirara went over to the others after this, being greeted by the rest of Terasaka's gang. "So, wanna finish her off?" Karma asked, ready for his sword to dig into some flesh. However, Nagisa shook his head. "She's too weak to bother anyone. Let's get out of here and get home." "But how're we doing that? My rings are good, but not big enough for this crowd," Hoopa noted. "Envy?" Nagisa said. "With pleasure," Envy said, as he began to work out the carving into the wall. Chrysalis tried to get up, but she was just too exhausted to do much to stop them, and soon enough, Envy made out the circle. With a toss of his Philosophor's stone onto the circle, the portal was quick to activate, and sure enough, it was opening right back to a familiar area of home, right where the first one was back at the 3-E building. "Ta-Da!" Envy said with a grin. "Shall we?" Nagisa said with a smile, hand extended towards Twilight. Twilight smiled. "Thanks for the rescue," Twilight replied. Well, that was that, and both groups went on through the portal. Nagisa was the last to go, and he took a look back into Abaddon purgatory. Just to see Sombra standing in the shadows, seeing the whole thing happen himself. He may be disappointed, but all the same, Nagisa could hear a slow, audible clap come from him. Nagisa smirked and even gave Sombra a bow, before he took his leave. "That Shiota. Heh. ... Maybe he's ready for my army after all." ....... ~~ ....... For one person, Ciel Phantomhive, the return to the Surface World was the biggest relief of all to him. He was finally away from that hellhole of a purgatory, but all the same, there was still one other thing he had to go off and do. While some would find this a bit ironic of him, Ciel knew down, in his heart and non-existent soul, that it at least was something that should be considered. ... The ringing of the church bells was the calling card. And after some silent, and sorrow-filled work of the Undertakers from back in London, Ciel found himself fully healed, yet quiet, as both his eyes gazed upon the Tombstone in front of him. To the memory of Sebastian Michaelis Died March 2018 May you be in heaven for an hour until the devil knows you're dead A somber moment indeed, and holding a bit of irony. Here was a demon who had double-crossed him, and here he was at his own butler's funeral to the same man. And Ciel felt ... quiet. Calm, yet knowing deep down that he was ... gone. Truly gone. He wasn't alone at this funeral: aside from the Undertaker came out Mey-Rin, Grell Sutcliff, Bardroy, and Tanaka. Some of Team Harmony had also came apart of it, Nagisa, Twilight, Pinkie, and Karma respectively. And while each one of them had their own levels of sorrow for such news to be brought to the graveyard, though the feeling of sadness went through many of them. The silence was broken though when May-Rin finally spoke. "Oh, master! He promised he would never leave you're side, how dare he go on and lie like that!" Mey-Rin cried, tears running down her face. Grell was even more heartbroken by the news, trying his best not to simply cry his eyes out, Bardroy keeping his gaze turned away, Twilight placing a hand on his back, tears coming down her eyes. Pinkie joined Mey-Rin in the crying, hugging Ciel. "Oh, Ciel, we promise we'll always be with you, we swear! I swear on all my heart, you'll never have to deal with this again!" Pinkie promised, tears running down her face. Ciel stayed calm in spite of it all, and he simply smiled. "... He and I are lucky indeed. To be so well loved by people such as you." Ciel stated. Even with what happened back on the Campania, Ciel still had to give his own credit to Sebastian. After everything he had done for him, Ciel owed him that much at least. Nagisa came up next, and as he was standing there, Nagisa knew well Sebastian was truly gone. And for this moment, his Demon Sense was quiet, as much as he was, as he gently placed down a parting gift for him: a small blue rose. A memoir to his life as a Phantomhive butler. And perhaps, would not displease him. "Come on everyone, he wouldn't want us to linger any longer," Ciel simply said. And slowly but surely, without another word, the group took their time to leave Sebastian's grave behind them. As they began to go, Ciel paused for one final time, and looked over back to the grave. He still found it a bit to take in, that his butler was indeed truly gone. But for him, when all was said and done, it was probably a way he would've expected Sebastian to go. "... Goodbye, old friend."
S06Ep4: Haven't you Heard? ~聞いたことない?~Gakuho Asano continued on with his work in his office. It had been a pretty mundane sort of time since many of the students of his had left his school for one reason or another: much of Team Harmony and even plenty of the 3-E students respectively. During a typical time of going over grades and classes, one of his assistants came in. "Uh, sir, were you expecting anyone else coming into our system?" she asked. Gakuho stayed quiet, working his memory. so far, the only one he managed to figure out so far was Heine, so he shook his head. "Who is it this time? Another Overworld teacher?" "Well ... actually no. He's not even interested in enrolling into your school." "Is that so?" Gakuho said, thinking more intently. Well, one part of him did feel at fault for that, and another part of him felt a bit annoyed. In the end, he just looked to the door. "Send him in." And the employee gave a nod, and stepped aside to the newcomer, and so the newcomer walked on inside. Gakuho took a moment to look over this man, and for a start, he looked rather ... standard. If not a bit handsome in appearance: brown eyes with glasses over them, short black hair neatly kept, a professional host suit of lavender. Gakuho examined him head to toe, and the newcoming man stepped into the office fairly not intimidated by him. The look on his face told Gakuho that whoever this was, was either rather cocky, or actually knew a thing or two. "Morning. You must be Gakuho Asano. Principal of Orora high, I believe." "Yes it is. And what brings you to my school?" Gakuho asked. The man took a seat himself, looking to Gakuho eye to eye. "I am Kyoya Ootori. And I'll just get right to the point." Kyoya paused and brought out what actually looked like a good amount of money to present to Gakuho. A closer look to the cash, and it appeared easily over a thousand dollars, made up of hundred dollar bills. Gakuho could probably guess where this was going, and got to it first. "If you're asking to buy the school from me, Ootori, you have another thing coming," Gakuho made clear his glare edging into Kyoya's soul. However, Kyoya raised his hand and smiled. "Oh, no no, not for Orora High. I was actually thinking about that 3-E building you have about a mile off from here." "You want to buy the building from me?" Gakuho asked, a little caught off guard on the request. "Indeed. It's a simple proposition, but as it stands, I'd like to make that building into something more operational. It would be better than to tear it down, wouldn't it?" Kyoya pointed out. Gakuho paused for a minute or two. He actually did consider tearing down that old building in recent, since Heine moved the E class over to the main building. Still, he might as well hear him out. "... And what did you have in mind for the E building?" Gakuho questioned, though given the luck his school have had, he could guess already. And it only became more apparent when Kyoya got out some papers in regards to some of the demonic activity going on over the years, one especially including the Tengu incident. "I trust you can figure it out for yourself," Kyoya figured, and he wasn't wrong. Gakuho looked at the Tengu paper extensively. "You want to make it a training class? That would be my first guess." "I wouldn't call it a training class, if not more of a optional after-school training course." "And this is deeply involving the E class too, is that right?" "Not exclusively, anyone from Orora High can take part if they want to. They just need a permission slip for the after school courses first." Well, it wasn't as strict or precise as Gakuho had figured, and it actually didn't sound too bad. That, and he would be getting a good amount of money off of it as well if he did agree to terms. "So is it a deal?" Kyoya asked. Gakuho took it into proper consideration, but not in a good one. "It's rather precarious. You're not the first to make this offer to me and, let's just say, it didn't turn out so well." "Ah. you must be referring to a sir Tataoka. Yes, now I can reassure you, I care far more over safety than that brute ever did. ... Oh, and in case you're wondering how I know Tataoka, let's just say that I have my sources." His last remark was met with a knowing smirk on his face, him taking a moment to adjust his glasses. Gakuho kept himself quiet for a moment or two, and his mind power started to work out what this could exactly entail for the school, or for Tokyo for that matter. "So another trainer," Gakuho thought. "So much of Team Harmony is under my school system, so any act upon them will be an effect on the school as well. ... If he is going to be starting the training course again, I can't leave anymore to chance. The slightest mistake now could lose everything." On that decision, Gakuho Asano got up, and looked down to Kyoya. "If you do wish to buy the building from me to do this training course, then so be it. ... however, I want to see what "training" you've had in mind. If it's exceeds the safety limits I have, then I suggest you take your business elsewhere, am I clear?" Kyoya stayed quiet at first, but then got up himself. "Assuredly. I'll have to set things up, so just stop by tomorrow morning and everything should be prepared for the course." "... Fair enough. So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning then," Gakuho inquired. Kyoya got up, gave him a smile, and went off on his way, leaving the payment for said building on the table for Gakuho to look over. There was some silence at first, Gakuho stuck pondering. "... That voice ... where have I heard that before? ..." ~~ Well, Nagisa felt pretty good with himself as he was heading to school. Typically his run in with Demons don't usually end up too good, but to say that Nagisa wasn't feeling too chirpy with himself after his own little escapade would really be a lie honestly. The smile he had on his face was one of confidence, a feeling someone like Nagisa Shiota really didn't had too often of, but when one goes into exactly what had happened and what he did, it really wouldn't be too surprising. Still, he wasn't really Pinkie Pie levels of giddy either: there's still Sebastian's death that happened, Ed was still crippled up from his own little experience as well, and that wasn't the overall trouble of what Sombra might try next. Sure they were things to think about, but Nagisa was still glad that his friends were not only alive, but back at home where they belong more or less, be it from the original Team Harmony or the new team that came with him. He still was pleased that none of them were killed during the rescue mission. Almost before Nagisa realized it, he found the Orora High school not too far away. A sight for sore eyes this place, and Nagisa was ready to head on back there. It did make him feel good when he saw Karma and Twilight outside waiting for him, them and Envy too as it turned out. Pretty nice to see them all here, and it was Twilight who went up to him first. "Looks like someone's in a good mood this morning," Karma joked with a smirk. Nagisa really couldn't help it. "Well, yeah. I'm just glad everyone's okay," Nagisa replied. "After all that bullshit and you're still so modest," Karma said, playfully fluffing his head. "I guess asking you if you're alright is out of the question then," Twilight assumed, Nagisa nodding his head. "I feel great, thanks. Speaking of which, anyone hear from Ed and Al yet?" Nagisa asked. Envy answered him here. "They're not here, at least Ed's not. He's still getting his new automail put in since he got his stolen. You ask me, we're not gonna see him for a while until he at least gets his leg back in," Envy replied. Nagisa could imagine just how frustrated he must be going through that kind of process, laying in bed not able to do anything as Winry was busy at work making brand new automail. "Hope he gets back together soon. And what about Ciel?" "What about Ciel?" And right on cue: Ciel Phantomhive showed up not too far away, walking on over towards them. It was a little bit different seeing Ciel without his eyepatch, and he seemed pretty monotone as well with what had happened already. "Oh, so you did show up. Feeling okay?" Envy asked. "Don't trouble yourself over it, I'm fine. ... A bit shaken perhaps," Ciel admitted. That was mainly sugar-coating it though, but none of them wanted to push it any further. He lost his butler, and had to live through trauma again, so the group began to head off inside the school from there, but were still talking as they were going to class. "Well, ok. How're things around the manor?" Nagisa then asked. "Nothing too special honesty: with Sebastian around or not it's still as bothersome as ever. Then again, Mey-Rin and Bardroy had been showing improvement since the funeral, though I guess it was them trying to make up from Sebastian's absence," Ciel explained, not acting too heart-broken over it, as per usual. "I understand. Well, hope they're not giving you too much trouble," Karma said. "Well, no, but they still have a ways to go. As you say, it's better than nothing," Ciel sighed. Envy though had been thinking about that. "I'm still shocked that Sebastian would do that. I'm no Phantomhive, but I know that won't be something he would just do." "He did it because Sombra gave him a way out, simple as that," Ciel stated. Envy couldn't help but agree, shrugging. "Yeah, Sombra's good at that. If he can find a loophole in the rules, he'll milk it for all its worth." "I thought Sombra was pretty strong with all these rules," Twilight said. "He is, but here's the thing: Sombra wouldn't attack Sebastian because he's a fellow demon. But at the same time, he's still an enemy to him since he's working with us, so if he could find a way to not kill him directly, he wouldn't violate his own rules but still would get him out of the picture. Get it?" "So you're saying Sombra convinced him to take my soul because he knew Sebastian would kill himself, and as such Sombra wouldn't be blamed for his death because it wasn't him who did it." "Pretty much it," Envy answered. Ciel still found this a bit confusing, as Sombra still would be held responsible for making him do this. "Well, regardless, Sebastian's still dead. That means we're all going to have to work a little harder now without our demonic ally, wouldn't you think so?" Ciel concluded. "And that means you're gonna have to do some training yourself, kid," Karma brought up. Ciel felt a shiver run through him, but he knew he was right. Sebastian was his major trump card, and without him to back him up, he needed to be a bit more ready than this. "I would say you're right though I'd hate to admit it," Ciel concluded. "It's not that bad," Nagisa said, remembering his own experience, "Yeah, it's hard at first, but you'll get the hang of it after a while. How'd you think I felt when I started with Gaara?" "True. While we're on that subject, had any of you seen Gaara? I haven't seen him as of late." "Now that you say that, he did kinda disappear since we got back. I'm sure he's around somewhere," Nagisa figured. Eventually, they ended up over by the 3-E class, Envy and Ciel ready to head on in for the day. Karma was about ready to go in himself, but before he could, someone else caught them there. Gakuho. "Ah, Shiota. Kagayaki, Akabane. I see you've returned," said Gakuho Asano. "Morning, sir. Yeah, we're back, sorry for being gone for so long. I promise I'll -" "No, no, let's not start with that. You've been gone, yes, but you've gone through more than enough trouble so I'm not counting any of it," Gakuho said, as surprising as it may be to hear that from him. "Oh ... Well, thank you." "Yes. In fact, I've noticed a bit of improvement in your work, and considering you weren't around for the start of the course this year, then here's your classes," Gakuho said, giving them their classes for the new semester. They've gone through this a while back while they were going through their missions in demon hunting, so no better time than now with all of them back. Twilight, Karma, and Nagisa were given theirs, and once that was done Gakuho went off on his way. Well, with class starting in just a little bit, they might as well see what they got and get moving. Twilight looked to her classes, and she ended up with 3-B. As for Karma, he actually went up in class, and from 3-E to 3-D. "Looks like I'm going up," Karma smirked. "What about you Nagisa?" Twilight asked. Well, Nagisa went on to check his classes, and ... well, he needed a minute, him simply staring at the paper for a minute or two, and eventually Karma and Twilight looked over passed his shoulders to see what Nagisa had ended up with. Class. Three. A. ... This year's gonna be a bit more interesting. ....... "What're the odds I would end up here?" That was the main thought Nagisa had when he was heading off to class 3-A. Sure, if he was going up in grades, 3-B would be next, but to be hit all the way to the top so quickly left him completely at a loss of words. He wasn't sure how to handle this: 3-A was the top of the elite, and full of students who's completely above everyone else. That wasn't him in school terms, not at all. Be that as it may, Nagisa might as well give it some chance, and soon he found himself over at the front of the 3-A door. A place he really never would've though he would end up being stuck in, but then again, he never thought he would be fighting demons and working with angels, so, why put it into question at this point? So, Nagisa went on into class, and it didn't take very long until the students of the 3-A class took notice of him. Class didn't start just yet, though with it so close, he ended up being the last to arrive, and seeing so many of them basically staring him down made a shiver run through him, and there wasn't even any demons nearby! "Seriously?! Sure I saved the world, but why the hell would I be here?" Nagisa thought. They all knew Nagisa Shiota, long before this whole demon/angel involvement even got started, but with recent events over the last year, their opinions were kinda mixed to put it lightly. Nagisa took a look to the paper Gakuho had given him, and with that, he went over to his seat. At least he could say he was over in the middle of the class rather than up front, but that didn't mean he was feeling anymore comfortable. Sure, he recognized a number of kids, but none of them he would consider a friend. Nagisa could hear the opinions being passed around him, either surprise or interest being brought around a lot, and all with him being center of conversation. Nagisa simply stayed quiet, his eyes going around the classroom and him simply waiting for that bell to ring so class could start. "Class 3-A. The highest rank of our school. And now I'm one of them. ... Well, maybe they're not as arrogant as they've been before? ..." He was hoping for too much. Of course they wouldn't bother him since he was one of the 3-A pack now. His mind began to wonder though about the others in the lower classes, 3-E especially. What's to become of them now that he was basically too high to be in contact with? He didn't have to wait very long for the bell to ring and for class to start, and to his surprise, the class almost ... turned off. They all quieted down the second they heard the bell, and looked forward to the teacher. Impressive. "At least they won't talk about me during class," he thought. It took a while for the class to get started, and Nagisa quickly realized that the class of 3-A had a lot more going for it than he thought. Not a inch of conversation was made during the work hours, and Nagisa could barely keep up with them as they went (for a change). They all were given their papers, and Nagisa ended up finishing about seventh place when it came to the time of finishing. Sure, it may not be the first time Nagisa was behind in this, but this just reminded him on what kind of quarry he would be up against now. Even with him simply going up and turning his paper in, he can sense the eyes looking over to him. It could be from his reputation as a demon killer, or it could be the basic fact he was 3-C before this, but either or, he surely felt like the center of attention. As he went back to his seat, his eyes started to drift around the place, seeing who he was up against. They didn't bother talking to him, though that was probably because it was in the middle of class. But then the next hour began, almost before Nagisa could realize it. And wouldn't you know it would be study hour? If anyone's going to talk to him, it would be now, and Nagisa waited for it. Eventually, one kid finally did perk up, and he was over by him. "So, Shiota. Looks like my dad finally got you up to the high ranks." "My dad? ... Oh, don't tell me," Nagisa thought. His eyes looked up, and sure enough there was ... well, he looked like Karma. A lot. In fact, he could probably be mistaken for his cousin or something. Of course, there was some notable differences: his hair was a strawberry blonde, and his eyes were instead matching Twilight's violet eyes. Nagisa couldn't believe who he was seeing. "Gakushu," Nagisa noted. "I'd never would've guessed someone like you would end up in the 3-A class. Did you bribe him or something?" Gakushu joked, though Nagisa could guess that he would already know. "Eh. No. I'm surprised myself," Nagisa admitted, not looking to his face. He didn't need to look up to notice that other students were heading over to him: One student seemingly looked plain in appearance, glasses over his eyes and short, dark-green hair. Another had fair skin, almond-shaped eyes, and dark brown hair that was flipped to the side in a kariage hairstyle. Another had shaggy, messy black hair with black framed glasses, squinted eyes and crooked teeth. The last one also looked fairly normal in appearance with flat, brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. They all seemed like just a few of 3-A students, but Nagisa knew immediately who these kids were, and he didn't even had to look up to know they were there. When he did finally look up, he saw his quarry, and his suspicions were correct. "Looks like they're all here," Nagisa thought. "Well look at that, a 3-C runt's managed to crawl his way up to our level," one of the kids mocked. "Hey now, don't be too hard on him. You're talking to a Team Harmony member, don't forget," Gakuhsu reminded, but that didn't seem to make it any better. The crooked toothed kid went on over to him next, just seeing him making Nagisa shiver. "Team Harmony, eh? And you think that's gonna keep you up here?" he noted. Nagisa tried to not look at him directly in the face. He preferred Korosensei's creepy smile over his any day. "W-Well, not really, actually. I-I don't know why Gakuho got me up this high," Nagisa said meekly. "You'll have to try and keep up then. Because if you do want to keep up with us, the 3-A class won't take slackers," advised one of the kids, standing on the opposite side. The kariage kid then went over to them both and got them to move away. "Alright, alright, give him some space. Apparently he's already been to hell and back, so how's about cutting him some slack?" he advised. Guess it was impossible for that to not pass word around the school. "Seriously? Yeah, he did that, but in the end, he's still a dunce," mocked another kid. However, Gakushu got him quiet with a flick to the head. "Credit where credit's due. ... But all the same, you will fall back if you can't keep up. So watch yourself, alright?" Gakushu advised to Nagisa. Something that could go unsaid really, but he nodded anyway, namely so they could go. The group of five did just that, and went off back to their seats, but Nagisa's mind began to wonder about them again. "I can't believe the Big Five would even bother with me. Out of all the students in Orora High, they're the highest ranking students of the main campus. Gakushu Asano: the student council president, and son of Gakuho Asano. Teppei Araki: head of the school's broadcasting club. Ren Sakakibara: The school's top secretary. Natsuhiko Koyama: head of the Biology club, and the sharpest memory. Tomoya Seo: the chairmen of the student assembly. All of them are infamous for being the most intelligent students in the school, and all are leaders in their own right. ... I don't know what kind of world I'm gonna be in if they're taking an interest in someone like me." Nagisa's inner monologue was accompanied by the images of each of the big five showing up in his head. As if being put in 3-A was rough enough, now he had to deal with the Big Five themselves. Just what kinds of indication would this bring up? ....... Meanwhile, as the students were dealing with their own brand of change, Gakuho Asano took the time to head from the main building and off to the 3-E building. He may have had a bit to do, but he did reassure Kyoya that he will go and check him out, to see what it was all about over at the 3-E building. "Kyoya, for your sake and mine, you better not have done anything drastic," Gakuho thought. The school had enough questionable history as is, with demons appearing by his school, the involvement of Tataoka, and especially with his breakdown thanks to Heine Wittgenstein. One more bad report, and he will lose his job, among other things. Then again, the building technically didn't belong to Orora high anymore since Kyoya bought it from him, so maybe he shouldn't be too strung up over it. At least he had a quiet walk on the way to the building. Soon, Gakuho arrived over to the building's main yard, just in time to see Kyoya starting to set up a few things off outside, which included some of the targets they've used for assassination practice. Kyoya got up the fifth target when he stopped and noticed Gakuho coming over. "And what're you doing?" Gakuho questioned. "Gakuho, glad to see you. Considering this place was a area known for practicing combat, I've decided to incorporate that," Kyoya said, setting up the next target. Gakuho was a little bit concerned over this. "I thought you said you'll have everything prepared for this morning," Gakuho reminded. Kyoya though smiled. "Well, I have to figure out what works and what doesn't. Oh, and by the way, do expect a few representatives over the next few weeks. I'm sure you wouldn't mind them being here," Kyoya stated. "What. Representatives?" Gakuho questioned. "Oh, just a few notable figures as all. I'll be sure they won't do too much damage to the students, and will keep them away from the main building if it makes you feel any better," Kyoya said, as he began to head off into the building itself. Gakuho would have to watch for this one. ~~ Well, before any of them knew it, lunch time came. At least that was one point in their little day that was the same, though perhaps even that wasn't the right word. Ed and Al weren't there of course, and Ciel was basically alone and had to deal with what the school had without Sebastian's support or his little perks. Even with the class switches, they still met up at the same table once they got the chance, though it was rather apparent that Nagisa was simply out of it ... as in laying his face on the table in stress. "3-A not suiting you, Nagisa?" Karma figured. "It's ... a lot harder than I thought," Nagisa managed to get out. "You were placed in the highest class, what did you expect?" Envy commented. "I know, but it's not the work. Everyone's been watching me since I came in that class. Doesn't help that the Big Five's taking an interest in me now," Nagisa explained. "Pardon?" Ciel asked. "Oh, the big five's 3-A's big shots. You know, the highest grades? Anyone taking their interest must be damn special," Karma summed up. Nagisa didn't find the situation any better, but Envy picked him up by the head so he was looking his way. "I wouldn't freak out if I were you, Nagisa, you got a lot more to worry about than some group of students. Besides, what's the point anyway?" "What do you mean?" Twilight questioned. "You kidding? Guys, you're Team Harmony: a group of humans who're stuck in a war with Demons and Angels for a year straight. Even if school goes bad, you think you'll actually have time to live a normal life constantly jumping at whatever's coming up? As far as I'm concerned, you all already got a future set with or without this school," Envy explained. This may be coming from someone who once was a Homunculus, but he did had a point. It would be a very hard time trying to live a normal life with how much they've been doing so far. "I don't know ... maybe ... but I don't want to drop everything just to fight the Underworld," Nagisa stated. "Says the kid who nearly killed himself by disguising as me," Envy bluntly stated, cutting Nagisa down. "W-Well, yes but that's a mistake I'm not doing twice. I acted too desperate, and I didn't trust in any of you to help me. I know you all can help, and I'm not forgetting that," Nagisa replied. Still, he didn't consider his future at all during this process, and not including the future visions. If this kind of thing was to continue on, then what was he going to do for himself? Just drop it all to become a guardian? Before he could continue this though, a shiver ran through him. "Here comes Korosensei." "GUYS!" And sure enough, Korosensei popped in right by them, his eyes streaming tears of joy. "Oh thank the heavens above, you're all alive! I was so worried about all of you, being taken by Sombra and everything, you all are okay are you? He didn't do anything permanent to any of you did he?!" And he was saying all this probably as fast as he was moving, unable to stay still in one place for more than a second he was so glad to see em. "Do stop worrying, we're fine. Far better than you apparently," Ciel stated, continuing to eat and waiting for Korosensei to chill out for a minute. Eventually the demon king did, but all the same he still wasn't too calmed down to keep himself still for long. "Well can you blame me?! The heroes all getting captured in one clean swoop and it was up to one brave soul to venture into hell and get them all back, it's a story of so much suspense!" Korosensei said, right by Nagisa with a tentacle on his head. "Hey, he wasn't alone!" Envy snapped. But perhaps it was something he shouldn't have said, as he was suddenly getting hugged himself, rather tightly might I add. "I know, and you all put yourselves in so much danger to save your friends too!" "Me and my big mouth," Envy groaned. "Ok, Korosensei, you can chill out. Mind catching us up on what we're missing?" Twilight asked. Korosensei's head turned orange with a circle on it, but this wasn't exactly a correct answer, if not a lightbulb moment, as he quickly disappeared, and popped back with a slip of paper. This paper was given to Ciel in particular, and it turned out to be a permission slip for Kyoya's after school training course. It wasn't exactly anything too special, just a standard slip, though the new addition of a training course was a bit intriguing. "Wait a minute, so this attempt to assassinate you is becoming public all of a sudden?" Envy questioned. "Nah, I thought they gave up on it months ago," Karma shrugged. "No, no, a newcomer has bought the 3-E building and is offering those from the school to go under demon courses. And he's asked yours truly to pass em out to potential candidates, and since you all have the most experience of any human, he asked me to give these to you personally," Korosensei explained. "We don't need anymore training, teach. In case you haven't noticed, we've been facing demons left and right and came out alright. Though, how about you give a seat to our aristocrat here?" Karma offered, hand on Ciel's head. Ciel was not amused at all by this. "Well, we can still check it out. If it is involving demon hunting, maybe whoever this Kyoya is would want us to come by. You know, to give a few starting pointers?" Twilight figured. "Why would he do that?" Ciel asked. "Why wouldn't he do that?" That was a blunt answer, but it was straightforward anyway. They took a look to the paper some more, and basically all came to the similar conclusion ... ....... After school was over for the day, Team Harmony got together, and began to head off to the 3-E building themselves. It wasn't their first time there by any means, but it was a long while since they've went there for a training course of any sort, not to mention having the building apart of the Orora High School again. Since they were students of the building once upon a time, and visiting so many other times, they didn't hesitate going right on inside the building. It didn't look very different from prior visits, a bit dusty perhaps from maintenance lack but that was a given really. They got to the main classroom of the building, and sure enough, they found their "instructor" for the afternoon, Kyoya just finishing up his cleanup work on the chalkboard. "Afternoon, everyone. I would presume you're all Team Harmony," Kyoya said. "Well, not everyone, but yes. And you are Kyoya Ootori?" Ciel asked. "Indeed. My pleasure," Kyoya said, shaking hands with Ciel. Immediately something was different bout him the moment he started talking. "That voice ... no, that can't be right, could it? He sounds so familiar though ..." Nagisa thought, thinking hard on the voice itself. This person looked very different to him, but the voice held a strong resemblance to him. The others were feeling a bit of a deja vu in the voice as well. "So, you're doing a training thing here?" "I thought it would be beneficial. I mean, with all the demon attacks appearing here and there, some protection would be a nice addition. I'm sure no one wants to get torn to shreds by a rogue demon, no?" "No." they all said blankly. Well, normally they'd let this go, but this just seemed far too coincidental to just happen. The first one to bring this up was Karma, going right up to Kyoya. "Ok buddy, the voice." "My voice? what about it?" "I'm just gonna say it: it's WAY too familiar. Let's start off with question one: how'd you know about demons?" "Well that's a silly question: didn't a giant demon attack Amestris last fall?" "That is a dumb question," Nagisa thought. "And what about asking us to come personally? Korosensei mentioned that while giving the slips to us. All of this is too coincidental for you to greenlight this. And just after our trip to Abaddon as well," Ciel brought up. Kyoya paused for a minute and looked over everyone else for just a moment or two. He didn't get anyone else in there yet, and he did call them in personally after all. So, Kyoya then smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Close your eyes." "Pardon me?" "Only for a moment. And do try to use some imagination," Kyoya insisted. Ciel found the request a little bit silly to do, but he decided to humor him. "Fine," Ciel said, and right there he closed his eyes. The others played along and did the same thing, and soon Kyoya was in a room with blind kids. Kyoya smiled, and decided to work his little revelation in the bluntest way possible, clearing his throat. Well, at least in his own way. "Good morning, young master. Your schedule for this afternoon's like a fresh field of virgin snow, blank as a unlined page. Today, everything will be as you wish it. My lord." A shiver ran through most of them, and Ciel had to open his eyes. and for a brief moment ... "S-SEBASTIAN, IS THAT YOU?!" ....... "Sebastian, you better have a damn good reason for that stunt you've pulled back on the Campania, or so help me." It took a while for them to calm down, but eventually it was back to conversation again. Ciel hadn't forgotten about what had happened, not by a long shot, and neither did "Kyoya". Karma stayed leaning on the wall over by the door, and Nagisa sat down on the teacher's desk, as Twilight stood next to him, Kyoya over by the center of the room, turning to them all. "I guarantee you, Phantomhive, I have an all good reason for it." "Sounds like a crazy ass one: pulling a homunculi act on us to come back from the dead like that," Twilight said. "Oh, he didn't. you can still find him in that graveyard ... well, him there AND here." "Don't start us with riddles and start explaining," Ciel demanded. Kyoya smiled, and the flashback played over the screen like an old movie black and white movie, including the footage rolling to begin and showing similar images to the audience as he explained. "During my time as Sombra's little assistant, I managed to discover some intriguing information about our king, yet he unfortunately had me in a bit of a bind. He placed what one could call a tracker on me, just to be sure that I didn't truly betray him as a backup measure, so even after I did return to you, the tracker was there to keep a further eye on us, to keep track of our progress. I'd remove it myself if it wasn't known by Sombra of course, and if I did share this information with any of you, he'd cut the game short per say. Rather bothersome for me that the only way to remove it from my person would be to remove my physical body, and I knew Sombra would dare kill his own kind if he could help it. So, I took it on myself and broke our own deal. Upon my "death", the tracker on me would finally deactivate, and as such nothing will hold me back anymore. Without Sombra knowing, at least." "That still doesn't explain this Kyoya disguise of yours," Ciel cut in. Kyoya was willing to explain though. "Well, just before you and I confronted Aleistor Chamber on the Campania, I made my own little deal with him, and lucky for me there was a body available for my own soul to be transmuted into, and make my own. I had to give him some proper instructions on soul extraction and transmutation, of course, and as you all went off out of the room, he managed to get my soul out before my body was taken away. One thing promptly lead to another, and sure enough I was back from the dead. I didn't have my identity as Sebastian anymore, and I even have some memories of Kyoya Ootori as well. So you could say that his memories and mine are linked in a way." The footage ended its rolling, and the flashback ended there, the others pondering on what Kyoya told them. "So in other words: you had Aleistor give you a new body because it didn't have the tracker on it," Twilight summed up. "It was a precarious plan. In fact, I was unsure if Aleistor could even pull it off, yet -" he paused for a moment and pulled down on his collar, the group taking a look at the transmutation symbol on the side of his neck. It wasn't an Oroboros symbol like Envy had, but more like the one Alphonse had on him. "- I'd say he did a fair job for his first try." "I didn't know you can do that with a flesh body," Envy said. "Eh, neither did I." They didn't bother to comment on that. "Well, you said you found something intriguing about Sombra? what is it?" Nagisa asked. "I've actually planned on sharing it with the president in a few days. Seitenshi, Victoria, Miss. Bradley, Celestia, they're all gonna be there. You can stop by if you want, though unless you wanna play messenger, I'd get everyone else together." "Wait, you're not gonna tell us? You just said nothing's holding you back." "There's not. I just makes this feel a lot more impacting." Since when was Sebastian this cheeky? Guess that was more Kyoya and not Sebastian, but how were they to know? "Well, when exactly then?" "This weekend give or take, if it goes without a hitch. Just head over to the Presidential building Saturday, and it'll all be explained there, alright?" "Oh, sure. Eh, one more thing," Twilight said, before giving him the slip Korosensei gave em. "Eh, these slips. They're only for a selected few, right?" "Not at all: anyone from Orora High is free to take part. No point in keeping a secret that's all out there, am I right?" "Stop acting so cheeky. Now come on, you got work to catch up on back at the manor," Ciel instructed, starting to head out. However, Kyoya didn't follow him. "I don't think so." "What? That's an order, Sebastian!" "I'm not Sebastian anymore. I am Kyoya Ootori. In other words: I don't work for you. ... In fact, you'll be working with me in future if getting stronger is what you want," Kyoya said. Ciel almost felt like he was shot by a gun, with the reality of the situation. He no longer had a demon to control, whether Sebastian was alive or not, and whether he wanted it or not. Ciel was upset, but he tried to keep it under a stern face, though Kyoya could tell that Ciel was pissed off. "... We shall see, you cheeky creature." and with that remark, the others began to leave. Sure they didn't see the initial sight of Kyoya's course, but figuring out what happened to Sebastian was a thumbs up ... sort of. As they went back home, their attention was directed right at the young earl. "Well ... I-It may not be how you want it, but look on the bright side: we know he's alive ... kinda," Twilight said, trying to cheer him up. "He's was never dead. ... He just wanted a new job," Ciel groaned. So much for that. ~~ Well, as Nagisa and company were at school, some of the others were taking this time to check in on some of their friends. At least that was what most of them were up to. Aladdin, Blair, and Morgiana were arriving at Ed's place, Edward Elric still stuck and waiting for his arm and leg to be completed. If it wasn't long enough just getting it fixed, now he had to wait for it to be done from scratch. He surely felt weak without his arm and leg, and he literally couldn't do anything for himself. "Hey Ed, how're you doing?" Aladdin asked coming in, only to find Edward sitting down nearby, looking a bit more dead than alive. "Hey guys ... dying of boredom over here," Ed said in a sigh. Aladdin went right over to him, sitting by his side. "Still not fixed yet?" Blair asked. "No, they're not. Winry's still working hard to remake them in there," Ed replied, a thumb aiming over to the door where Winry was busy herself. The three could even hear the tool whirrs and the occasional hammering Winry was doing. "Sorry about your automail, Ed. Don't worry, you'll be back to kicking butt before you know it," Blair reassured him, but that didn't make Ed feel much better. Morgiana took a look around, but notice something else as well. "Isn't Alphonse with you?" Morgiana asked. Ed checked to be sure the other door didn't open, and the work didn't stop, telling him that she didn't hear them. "Keep it down. Look, Winry doesn't know Al left, he went to get Alex and Olivier so we can talk with them," Ed whispered. "Why is it such a secret?" Aladdin whispered back. "Because A.) she wouldn't do it herself if she knew right away, and B.) she's the most effected here. She was raised by them, remember?" Ed reminded. They may have gotten some pep talk before being captured, but with that said, they never really had time to talk to Alex and Olivier face to face. "How long has he been out?" asked Blair. But before Ed could even answer, they began to hear the door open up, and sure enough, there was Alphonse Elric coming in. He tried to be as quiet as a suit of armor could be. "She still working?" Al quietly asked. They all nodded yes, and Al looked back to the hallway before going inside. As Ed had said, Olivier and Alex weren't too far behind, both looking a bit humble for being there, Olivier mainly. Olivier knew better than to start snapping at them, especially after what happened. "So ... where is she?" Alex asked. "In there," Ed answered, looking to the room. "Sounds busy," Olivier noted. "She's been working on the automail since we got back. Almost non-stop," Edward said. There was a bit of silence at first. "Look, I just wanna take this to say I'm dreadfully sorry. If I could fully revive you, I would, but -" "We get it already," Ed cut in. Alex and Olivier looked over to him, Edward looking away. "Yeah, it's not how we wanted it. But hell, you could only do so much. Besides, it's not going to get our bodies back by yelling at you two," Ed stated, looking to his missing arm and leg as he said so. Even if he was mad at them and wanted to clock em, how could he with no way to even walk, let alone fight? Olivier sat down. "So you're still trying to bring Alphonse back?" "... Damn right I am. I may not be the one to use transmutation on him, but I vowed to revive our bodies. And I'm not giving up on it, not by a long shot," Ed said. Olivier stayed quiet but then smiled to him. "Still stubborn. Like how I taught you both," Olivier noted. None of them realized it yet, but Morgiana tapped Ed on the shoulder. "What?" "Sshh. Listen," she instructed. "... What, I don't hear anything," Blair said. However, suddenly it all came to them what was actually going on. There wasn't any noise, not a word, not a sound. No noise from the other room. ... And then she opened the door. Winry stayed quiet at first, her gaze down to her feet. Alex and Olivier didn't had much time to talk to her, but it seemed that she wasn't willing as of yet. She took a long breath. "... Armstrong. ..." "W-Winry, I -" Alex didn't speak when she raised her hand. When she looked to them though, she didn't look as filled with rage, but a bit humble herself. She hadn't forgotten what the team told her about this, the words echoing in her head. "I shouldn't have left like that. I know there was just so much you could do for me, and I was too heart-broken to think clearly. I'm still mad at you, but ... I'm sorry," Winry got out. Alex and Olivier were quiet, but it was Alex who had tears come out. Before they knew it, Winry was hugging Alex Armstrong. It'll still take some time before this fact would be accepted, but it was a start. However, this talk of transmutation though did come across as a bit of a gear-turner for Morgiana, Aladdin, and Blair, and suddenly the witch got an idea. "Wait a minute. ... Yeah. Yeah, I think I got it!" "Got what?" Al asked. "A way to get your bodies back!" now THAT got their attention, Ed spinning around best he could to see her. "You do? What?" Al asked in surprise. All eyes were on the witch as she thought it over quick. "Well let's think. Alex, what exactly happened to their bodies after Undertaker altered their time? You know?" Blair asked. Alex tried to figure it out. "He had to take them away, I think. He didn't detail it. Why?" "Well this is simple then: all we gotta do is find your bodies wherever Undertaker took them, do a few transmutation magic, and bingo! you both get your bodies back to normal in no time!" Blair declared. "Transmutation doesn't work like that, you can't put a soul into a flesh body. Especially one that's just died." "Well, has anyone tried to do that before?" Ed asked. Olivier opened her mouth to say, but she tried to think, and her mind came up blank. "Hmm ... no, I don't think so." "Well then we're going to try!" Ed announced. There wasn't a way before, but now that they got the facts down pact, they finally had a lead in getting their bodies back. Ed, in the spur of the moment, jumped up to his foot ... only to fall back onto the floor. "I should really finish up that automail," Winry said. "Ow." ....... Off just outside of Tokyo, as the city was very busy with its own work, there was another who was on her own corner of the world. There was a good view of the city from the road she was on, and she parked on a parking lot overhang, taking a moment to look out to the city herself. A middle-aged women with short, navy-blue hair, looking out to the city with a sort of mission in mind. "Mom's here, honey."
S06Ep6: Sword's Single Light ~ソードのシングルライト~The days continued on towards the weekend, and during the whole time, Nagisa had kept clear of Hiromi. It was a bit of a hard fact for him to admit, but with how little he now spent at his own apartment, namely for her being there at all, Nagisa took his time more to spend with his friends, which actually wasn't anything new for him nowadays. His friends were more than willing to let him do so, with them now knowing what had happened on that night on the rooftop along with the concept in general. Even if Hiromi got to see him at home, she had a bit too much to actually think about over the last few days as she was sitting on the couch in Nagisa's apartment. Not only for the fact that Aladdin can use magic, but over everything that Nagisa Shiota had told her up on that rooftop, and the hits she had taken from said kid still felt on her face, which was now bruised up on her cheek. Those words, the actions, the attacks, none of those were from the Nagisa Shiota she remembered, and yet that same kid had defied her completely. She gave a groan and got up from the couch, getting ready to head out to town for a while longer. It was a bit hard to accept whatever Nagisa had said to her. It's no wonder dad left you so many years ago. "What does he know? He's just a child. ..." with that statement, Hiromi finished up getting her esentials together, and went on out. The mother went off alone from there, and off towards the market for the day. On her walk, her mind was simply stuck going on the little incident up on the Orora High school roof, and it didn't really help that the market had to pass by the same street, and Hiromi soon ended up seeing the school on her way. She knew Nagisa didn't want to leave, and she knew too according to Gakuho Asano that she wouldn't be sending her child off out of there anytime soon. "Damn school. What do you mean you refuse? It's not up to the child to decide his future, it's the parent. Who's he to say no, anyway?" Hiromi thought. She didn't realize it until half way that she was actually walking to the building itself. But then she noticed something else off near the school's parking lot that seemed awfully out of place. Sure she saw a few cars, but one appeared more like a official's limo. It was enough to get her attention anyway, her and a few other passersby, who were talking amongst themselves and wondering what it was doing there. Or rather, what's she doing there. "Is that Seitenshi's car?" asked one of them. "What's she doing here?" wondered another. "It have to do with that Shiota kid you think?" added yet another. That third one got Hiromi a bit more troubled. Did Seitenshi somehow saw what happened on Orora High grounds? Or, no, what did Nagisa do that even got her attention?! Hiromi was already a bit angry with how he acted prior to this, but now she could feel her blood boil. Only for a moment anyway until something else came up to mind. He mentioned he had a girlfriend ... "H-His girlfriend is her? N-No way, my little boy can't have gone that far without me could he? No, don't, that's ridiculous," Hiromi thought. The idea that her child would be in a relationship with the president of Tokyo was completely crazy, far as she was concerned anyway. Then again, seeing one of his friends seemingly a magical deity, and him living alone for so long without much of a hitch was also a bit of a clue. Still, she was in control, and no matter what the case was, she wanted to keep it that way. But looking to the building, no one seemed to be there. It was the weekend, but if not the main building, where would he go? Well, if she were him, she wouldn't want to stay at such a commonplace twice. And she knew one place isolated enough where that would work. ....... While outside seemed a bit active, inside the halls of the school the place was awfully quiet, as Gakuho took his time to see the situation himself. He wasn't outside of course, looking down from the front windows at the limo parked on just outside. You'd think she would've seen this coming, but guess some things weren't considered. Gakuho could see just how much of a commotion this was causing, seeing the crowds outside and how curious they were. So much was being put on his school as it was, and this little visit wasn't making it any easier on him. Well, at least one person gave him a warning of peculiar visitors coming by here, though Seitenshi was quite an unprecedented one. He needed to go and talk to the Kyoya again. ~~ Kyoya got the meeting together, as he pre-mentioned few days prior. The entirety of Team Harmony was present this time, Ed fully armed and fully operational thanks to the hard work Winry Rockbell had put in. They would've gone to the capitol for this, but after some "situation" (try and guess what that was), they decide to keep the meeting isolated and placed over at the 3-E building instead, working the information off inside the classroom. And it wasn't just Team Harmony either: the other figures Kyoya had mentioned were also present, alongside Korosensei, both Armstrongs, Undertaker, and - "BASSIE!~ THANK THE LORD ABOVE!" Grell Sutcliff. "Please stop that," Kyoya sighed, but Grell was a bit more psyched now than anything. His love was still alive, albeit in a different way, but that was good enough for him, tears of joy coming down his face. "Oh such a horrid change of fate. But I promise, my bassie, I will love you no matter what the case may be - *snack*" And Kyoya got him quiet with a slap to the face. While it did shut him up, it wasn't as strong as it used to be. "Do pardon him, he's just a pervert," Kyoya stated, Grell being moved aside as he spoke to the rulers. Nothing like some gushy love to make things a bit more embarrassing. "Duly noted. Now, you mentioned you had some very important information for all of us?" Seitenshi asked. Kyoya nodded, and then proceeded to write something out on the chalkboard. "Psst, hey, Nagisa. You feeling any better since ... you know what?" Aladdin whispered, just enough for him to hear. Though, keeping it at a whisper by this point was a bit pointless, they all knew what happened by now, even with his physical injuries healed up by this point "It's alright, Aladdin, really. Look, let's just focus here," Nagisa suggested. He didn't want his mind going over Hiromi right now. By the time they took focus back up front, Kyoya got the message written out in kanji, fairly basic, and fairly easy to make out. King Sombra: Umbra, Wolf Class, Tartarus king. "Now, this is the basic idea of what we know of him by now, am I correct on that?" Kyoya began. "No, but I have a feeling we're gonna be learning more," Victoria confirmed with a smirk. Kyoya couldn't help but smiled, as he started to write down another word on the chalkboard, and circling it once finished. "How many of you want to hear his backstory?" Kyoya offered with a smile on his face. Sombra's backstory? Now THAT was interesting, and got Team Harmony's attention. Something like this was just what they need to get the full situation, as they knew little on him aside from what he himself had said. "His backstory, Kyoya? You mean he actually told you?" Karma questioned. Kyoya shook his head. "No, but he really should keep track of his books and personal files. Quite a page-turner," Kyoya joked, though the idea he actually managed to read through Sombra's personal files was beyond shocking, especially for Envy who actually worked with him. The news made him almost jump out of his seat. "You what?! How the hell'd you do that, Sombra never has anyone in on his files unless he wants them dead!" Envy gasped. The only, Nagisa had notice, that wasn't as surprised on it was Celestia, though something told him that Undertaker would reveal why that is. His conversations with Sombra began to go through his head a bit more, especially with his conversation after the Great Tengu. "Here we go." Elysium. A fairly bright day, and fairly quiet too, as around the Elysium castle, while many a angel was going around the area, enjoying their own lives of sorts, there was one in particular that just wasn't really doing much enjoyment. In fact, he wasn't even flying for that matter, keeping his guard as he went around the main area. Sombra! Though, he didn't look the demon overlord he was today. In fact, quite the opposite: his outfit was pure blue and matched the outfits of an Elysium guard, something like Alex Armstrong would wear. No crown on his head here, and he looked less like a king and more like a commander of sorts. Those angels that saw him didn't pay him too much mind, though some lesser angels did watch him go by with an odd sense of admiration. As he continued, he then began to hear the sounds of metal and wings. Something he knew immediately as he stopped and saw two patrols coming his way. "Ah, morning. Your report?" Sombra asked. One of the angels gave him a salute before giving him their report. "More black clouds spotted coming up five hundred yards from the Elysium borders, sir," the angel reported. Sombra felt a groan escaping his lips before looking to the pair. "Again? Well, some of our patrols should be able to move it away. One of you get the flyers sent," Sombra instructed. One of the angels nodded and took off to do just that. Sombra just looked to the report with disapproval. "This is getting out of hand: that's the sixth times in the last three months these black clouds had appeared," Sombra groaned. Both he and his angel looked over to the clouds outside of Elysium, all of them pure white and clear, unlike these "black clouds" that kept coming in. Sombra sighed and looked to the angel. "Should I even ask if this was human involvement again?" Sombra asked, though by the sound of it he already knew what was going to come up next, as the angel saluted him. "One of our scouts had seen a human settlement releasing the black clouds on a severe level, sir," the angel answered. Sombra was starting to get a bit troubled with the situation. This wasn't the first report, and so far it was linking to human activity. And things were about to become more problematic: before Sombra could go, they began to hear the sound of wings again, but this time the activity sounded a bit more strained. When they looked, they saw a angel managing to fly in with a pair of angels alongside, but this one looked like she was injured in some way. Sombra watched her be placed down nearby, and curious over it, went right over to her. The angel looked alright overall, but her right wing looked injured in some way, some blood coming out from the wing in a small seep. how could a small injury make her struggle to fly? She looked to Sombra, feeling a bit embarrassed in herself for seeing him, and being seen in such a way. "Uh, hi sir. Sorry." "Sorry for what? What happened?" Sombra asked as a few of the angels were trying not to hurt her wing. Sombra studied it more closely, and he even extended the wing a bit. The angel cringed, Sombra trying to be gentle with it as best he could. Looking at the wound, it looked like a puncture mark at first, but he did find something inside it. He started to work with the item, trying to get it out, the angel trembling and yelping from the pain as the object was removed. A bullet. "I-I'm sorry. I was hearing these small explosions and went down to investigate. Next thing I know something struck my wing, and I crashed to the surface world." "Did anyone see you?" one of the angels asked. She shook her head. "I don't think so. I was taken away before any human could see me," she answered. Sombra meanwhile began to think hard, and started to put two and two together, looking to the bullet as he did so. "But how'd you get hit with this?" Sombra then questioned, showing the bullet to her. "That's what winged me?! That little thing? It felt a lot harder," she said, surprised herself that such a small rock did so much damage to her wing. One of the other angels answered the question for her, as she was given the bullet. "We saw her fly amongst one of the local fauna: a flying bird of sorts. A few others were shot down before we heard her land, sir," the angel answered. Sombra found that confirming his suspicions, looking annoyed more than anything. "Have her healed up, I'm going to talk to Celestia. This is getting out of hand," Sombra confirmed. "Uh, sir, I don't think they meant to hit me. It's my own fault for flying too low," the injured angel said, feeling guilty for what happened. Sombra begged to differ. "Don't blame yourself for what someone else did. Besides, whether they meant to or not doesn't matter: they can actually hurt us now. And they can do so with only that silver pebble," Sombra concluded, beginning to walk away from the situation. Bad enough humans had spears and what have you, but this was something more troubling than most. A human hurting an angel, accidental or not, can't be ignored. "I think that's the only one," one of the angels noted. "Well, have her checked anyway. It's time this is brought to a higher authority." And his eyes were set up high to the top of the hierarchy. Right to Celestia's own castle. Those angels that saw him didn't pay him too much mind, though some lesser angels did watch him go by with an odd sense of admiration. Eventually, he went up through the frontal doors of the palace, and after a bit reached Celestia's throne room, where Celestia herself was waiting. She was present with a few other guards at the time, though, on seeing him come in she didn't feel too troubled by his arrival. And who was it? "Sombra. Good to see you. Any news from outside?" Celestia asked. "We're fine. Celestia, I want to have a word with you," Sombra began, sounding troubled over a particular subject matter. Nothing Celestia wasn't used to happen however, and she got up from her throne to see him up front. "What seems to be the trouble, Sombra? You're not known to be worked up like this," Celestia noted, seeing his expression. Sombra kept his mind focused, recalling a few things that he felt needed to be addressed. "I'm sorry for that, Celestia. It's just I'm getting a bit concerned with how it's proceeding in the Surface World," Sombra began. Celestia felt a bit confused. "The Surface World. How so?" Celestia asked. Sombra took a glance off to the door he came in before he looked her eye to eye. "Celestia, I've been on patrol for the last several weeks, and I've counted several times when the human beings down below showed some questionable actions. Actions I'm sure will have an affect on the Overworld unless something changes," Sombra informed, even bringing out from his coat what looked like a patrol report on a piece of paper for Celestia to look over. Celestia looked in and took her own note on what the reports had to offer. Mainly they said of the pollution being caused by the surface world's factories, Sombra taking note specifically on the "black clouds". Celestia sighed. "Sombra, I see your concerned over this, but the rules say that we can't reveal ourselves to just anyone down there." "I'm well aware of that, but Celestia, this is just one report out of eleven. There's a lot more that those humans down there are doing that have an affect on our world as well," Sombra insisted. Celestia however shook her head, and looked to her commander with a sorrowful look. "Sombra. If they do find of our existence, then it will be a danger to everyone. It's probably best if we keep our involvement at a minimum," Celestia reassured him, but Sombra felt his hand twitch. This wasn't the answer he was hoping to hear. "Celestia, I just saw an angel get shot down by a human!" "I've heard of that before you arrived. It's only an accident, and no one else was seen or injured," Celestia responded. "But Celestia, please, we can't just -" "Sombra. ... Our influence is doing the best it can on the surface world. It's the best we can do right now. We both know that," Celestia said, trying not to sound harsh about it herself. Sombra stayed quiet for a minute or two, until he simply nodded. "Y-Yes. If you say so," Sombra sighed, before turning and beginning to head off on his way. Celestia was growing concerned herself, but more for Sombra rather than the humans. As for Sombra himself, he paused and took a look back to Celestia, before he went off on his way. Black clouds, and now an injured angel. And so far nothing was being done. After his talk with Celestia, Sombra went on over back to his patrolling route, keeping his guard around Elysium. The afternoon following left Sombra with a lot to think about in regards to the humans down in the Surface World. with no one around, his thoughts were on monologue as he continued, holding the report in his hand as a sort of reference. "As if dealing with the pollution of those black clouds wasn't bad enough. How could a human being even manage to do this kind of damage like this?" Sombra felt a bit mixed on this subject the more he thought about it. However, as he kept going along through Elysium, Sombra got to his senses. "As nice as it would be to try and handle this, I can't break the rules," Sombra concluded. Still, thinking on the situation just made him feel more bothered than most. Pollution was one things, but there was a line between that and actually getting harmed by it directly. He took a moment to stop and closed his eyes, focusing for just a bit as he thought about the situation. What would become of this, he would really want to know, somewhat anyway. ... "Sombra!" Sombra was startled by the noise, but it was only one of his patrols coming to get him at this point. And by the looks of it, he was not looking too good. Not hurt of course, but clearly something was wrong. "What now?" Sombra asked. "Sir, I-I'm sorry, but come quick, something bad's happening to our member," the angel said, freaked out. "Which one? There's hundreds of angels. ... Unless ..." ....... And unfortunately, it was. Sombra was soon brought from his patrol and over to the medical center of Elysium by the angel. The injured angel he had helped earlier that was shot was still within the place, with one wing now looking less ... well, like a wing. When Sombra came in to see, he was at a loss for words: the same spot that he got the bullet out of now was deprived of feathers, and the wound itself looked a bit worse. sure, the bullet was out, but the injury itself was deeper than he realized, as he went over to have a look. "Sir?" she asked, looking to him. "How are you feeling?" Sombra asked. "My wing ... I can't move it," she answered, even trying to move her wing to show him. She could move it, but it was rather limp for most of said wing, as if much of it had lost feeling. Sombra held the wing in his hand, trying to put it together. He looked to one of the staff of the medical field, his expression asking them for an answer, but they took a bit before they actually got an answer for him. "We're trying our best." "What happened to her? Just tell me." the staff members glanced to eachother before answering. "... Her injury's more severe than we thought. It got through her wing somehow," one of them answered. Sombra took a closer look to the injury itself. Whatever that stone did to that wing, it struck far faster and harder than any of them could know. All Sombra did was walk out. ... "He worked for you, Celestia?! Why the hell didn't you say anything?!" Ed yelled, shocked that something this important was kept quiet. Celestia knew she should've but didn't really look to him. "I'm sorry. I promised Sombra I would never bring it up to anyone. He may be a Umbra, but he's still one of my commanders. I owed him that much at least," Celestia said. Before anyone else could get a word in, Underwater got up. "May I cut in?" Undertaker said, walking up to the front board, snickering a little as per usual. Well, they weren't as freaked out now. "Well, can't say I'm surprised. You willing to share, or do we have to pay your debt first?" Victoria asked. As humorous as it would be for them to try and get him to laugh, Undertaker decided to decline. "No, no, not today. Though don't expect the same treatment in future," Undertaker said with his signature smile. A breath of relief could be heard from the crowd. The last thing they want is about an hour of laugh attempts. "Well, it would be fare for you to tell them. You've been there yourself, after all," Kyoya said, intriguing them even further. Here they go again. Night came, and off in his personal study, Sombra was on the edge of things. And surely, he didn't feel good with any of it. He simply sat there by his desk, elbows supporting himself on the surface as his hands covered his face, him trying to relax a little bit. The situation was becoming a bit more critical, more so than he could've thought or prepared for. It was more on the concept and implications that truly bothered him: an angel was basically crippled, and no one was willing to do anything about it to those responsible, even if it was an accident as Celestia had said. It still was not anything good, and with no one doing much of it, it just felt ... wrong. simply wrong. In front of him was the same report, as if it was a reminder, or even a calling card for that matter. The meeting surely didn't help him, getting to the point when he got up and started to pace back and forth. He took a moment to bring a hand to his head, and he actually managed to activate his future vision for a moment. This vision he saw wasn't too complicated though, only a single figure - *knock**knock**knock* AND it was cut short. "I don't want to be bothered right now," Sombra said, before he tried to reactivate his future vision. He didn't want to be bothered right now, but the knocking on said door rang for five seconds until it abruptly stopped, giving sombra a chance to focus again. He saw a single figure, standing over on - *knock**knock**knock* "I said I -" "Don't be like that, Sombra. Just a quick chat is all I ask." Now Sombra felt humbled. that voice. Was it him, or no? Sombra gathered himself, and reluctantly went over to the door. With a long sigh, he went on to open it, and who did he find on the other side? A lean man with silver hair. He appeared aristocratic in appearance, his suit all black from head to toe. One strand of long hair was braided, and his ears were pierced three times, with half-framed silver square glasses over his eyes, the eyes emerald green, chartreuse phosphorescent, and almost seemed to glow. Even Sombra, who normally would be calm and collected, was a little bit startled to see this man show up at his door, though then again, he didn't look ready to take anything away from him. That didn't mean he didn't back up when he entered his personal corners, and as such, personal space. "A fine evening, eh Sombra?" "R-Reaper," Sombra said. The reaper wasn't really intimidated by the commander, not by a long shot, and in fact found his humbleness amusing. "Don't get your wings in a stitch, I'm not here to take you away ... not yet,~" the reaper informed him. Sombra wasn't sure if he should be grateful, but it was probably the best thing he could hear from a reaper of any kind. Of course, seeing him did end up giving a rather horrifying idea after a short thinking. ... "So. ... Our angel, I-is she ... is she gone?" "You would think that. But no, when I saw her she got her wing clipped. she'll be a half-flyer from here on out. Your troops wouldn't tell you in the face, so they asked me to do that deed for them," the reaper said, undeterred with anything he just said. While he was glad she was alive, knowing she'll only have one full wing didn't make the situation any better. Sombra straightened up. "So she did end up crippled ... damn it." "Oh, careful there. such naughty language for a angel," the reaper joked. "Very funny," Sombra dryly replied. He was in no mood for any jokes, especially after that revelation. He took a look away from the reaper, and off outside his window to Elysium outside. not many angels were evident at this time of night, and the thing that was flying in the sky was some small stars. "What on earth did those humans even do? I-It doesn't make sense, such a small silver rock can't have -" "Bullet." "... Excuse me?" "Humans have made some fancy trinkets. Looks like one of those renegade hunters got a little to trigger-happy with their little guns of theirs. That "silver rock" is what those guns are armed with," the reaper explained casually. Sombra didn't realize that humans had such things, making this even worse. "This is worse than I thought. Human beings had already did a number on the Overworld with their pollution, but now this. ... THIS can't be just brushed off." "Is that so? Can't say I'm surprised: you did had an eye on that cute little thing for a while, have you?~" "You're mistaken. It's the concept that worries me," Sombra corrected. The reaper went up to his side, looking to him with his own signature grin as Sombra looked to his clear, flawless face and green eyes. not a scratch on his face despite his line of work. "There, Sombra, you'll live." "It's not me I'm worried about, and you know it. If those humans think hunting angels is gonna be a pastime, who knows what they'll do?" Sombra said. "Well, you got to think outside of the box, my friend. If you're so troubled, why not go out and handle it instead of moping all the time?" "What're you talking about? The rules say that Humans can't know of us, remember? It's been that way for millennium. And if we do handle something they're just going to figure us out anyway," Sombra concluded, though the reaper could tell that in his voice, there was doubt in that statement. "Who says you can't work with those humans without getting caught? Have you seen how the demons operate? angels influence them for good, and demons can get rid of any of them so long as they're not seen." "Cut it out, you're not a demon, reaper. And I'm in no mood to become one." "Says the Umbra," the reaper smirked. Sombra was starting to get upset now. "Umbras are wolves, and they don't have to follow those standards. I may be born in the Underworld, but I don't have to fall under the same influences. Now can you be quiet for a minute, I need to check this," Sombra stated firmly. Still, the reaper could tell that he had more on his mind, and many of these false statements weren't entirely him. He thought it over, and then remembered something for him. Sombra brought his hands to his head and tried his future vision one more time. He kept his focus this time, and the reaper didn't bug him here as he made his check. He saw a single figure, standing out in the open of some plain. ... And this figure summoned a mighty creature onto a densely populated area. The exact details made Sombra open his eyes, staring off in shock at such an idea. "Well? what did you see?" the reaper asked. "Not now, reaper. Oh, this is terrible, terrible: some lunatic's going to summon the dragon-class demon onto the surface world! The whole world will know for sure the second that thing arrives," Sombra said, worried over the possible outcome of said result. The reaper found it actually amusing, thinking on what that could do for the humans. "But what can you do? Apparently you can't get involved in surface world matters, right?" the reaper brought up. Sombra found his own words now skewering him. "Shut up! I have to do something before that freak of nature wrecks all three realms," Sombra said, ready to go out. however, the reaper actually stopped him from rushing out blindly. "You happen to see who you're going up against?" the reaper asked. Sombra was to answer, but he ended up drawing a blank on it actually. The figure sure didn't look like anyone he knew. "Ok, no, but I'm not going to let that happen. Why, you know?" "Easy, my boy, some description would be lovely." "Hmm ... well, he was red, long horns, yellow eyes I think. ..." Sombra couldn't get too many details, but the reaper got just enough for him to work it out, snickering to himself. "What's so funny?" "Sounds like Mr. Tirek is at it again." "Tirek? The inventor of torture? ... It's suddenly not too surprising now," Sombra figured. Still, he needed to work something out before Tirek would do this to the world. The reaper smiled. "He could handle the problem of those humans for you down there." "If I want to handle them, I'm not going to do that," Sombra snapped. "Oh? Well what are you going to do?" The reaper asked. Sombra paused and thought over the details in his head. What would be do in this kind of situation? ... He actually began to calm down. ....... It took him all night to work it all out, and when the sun rose up, it was the beginning of Sombra's ultimate choice. If he was to go and handle things, there was something he had to try to do first. The reaper had come and gone, and he was on his own again, and his first order of business: right to Celestia. His walk to the castle was a silent one, and he didn't rush himself in getting there, taking the time to finalize his own words. The time was now. And with the worlds in jeopardy, he wasn't going to waste time any longer. As with yesterday, he went right on into the throne room, and as he expected, Celestia was present, along with a number of her high-ranking guards. "Celestia." "Sombra. I'm very sorry about your troop, but -" Celestia paused when he raised his hand. "Something for later. We have a far bigger problem now. Tirek's going to release a demon onto the surface world, and we have to take action," Sombra informed urgently. "Tirek? Sombra, he couldn't be." "I know he will, and unless we take action now, then all three realms are in jeopardy," Sombra informed. However, Celestia, as troubled as she was, actually shook her head. "We can't take direct confrontation to Tirek, Sombra." "What? Did you not hear what I said?" Sombra asked in disbelief. "I know what you said, but Sombra. I know you want to involve yourself, but Tirek knows the rules of the world same as you and me. He won't try anything that drastic, I'm sure of it. ... The best we can do is stand by, and stop whatever demon he has on him." "Celestia, do you hear yourself? This is Tirek: the inventor of torture and leader of Tartarus we're talking about. He only stayed back because of Lugia, and do you see him anywhere? He's got no reason to stay back anymore, and once he finds that out -" "Sombra!" Celestia shouted, getting his attention. She went over to him and looked him eye to eye. "... He won't find out. I promise you that. so long as he's in the Underworld, he barely would know anything about up here. Please, try and stay at ease. I know you're worried. But it's the best we can do right now." Sombra couldn't believe it, his gaze looking down to the floor. A angel had been shot down, and now a demon lord was ready to release a monster that could ruin everything, and she still won't do anything about it?! Sombra didn't know what to say that wouldn't start a argument with her. ... his eyes then looked to her in disappointment. He turned away from her without another word. Celestia was quiet about the silence, and Sombra went for the door. As they say: actions speak louder than words. And sombra's next action sealed what fate had for him, and everyone there. ... His commander badge. Now on the floor. And without another word, he was gone. ... "So, wait. He's a demon ... and an angel?" Pinkie summed up. "That would about sum it up," Undertaker answered. The reaction to all of this was pretty mixed: some were intrigued while others were left speechless. This demon overlord, not only known to live in the Overworld, but also somehow made it to ranking of commander to Celestia? Considering this was a demon they were talking about here, that was about near impossible. Whatever the case maybe though, this surely gave them all some insight on Sombra's view on things. But that didn't mean that they weren't upset with him however. "So let me get this right: it was you who gave him the idea to start attacking us in the first place?" Ciel concluded, and while he was smiling, Undertaker could tell (as with the others), that he was far from happy. Undertaker playfully shrugged. "Oh, hit a nerve did I? I simply got the ball rolling, I had no part in where that ball would end up," Undertaker joked, finger on his cheek. But this was far from any joke to much of them, considering the damage this all had caused. While Ciel was mad, it was actually Gaara who got him by the collar and pulled down hard. "You have any idea what you've started? Thanks to you, so much of hell had transpired onto this world, and you're taking it as a joke?" Gaara growled, his hands on his throat. Undertaker's smile didn't go away, only angering him more, but Twilight and Pinkie got him to let him go. "Gaara, hold on, attacking him won't do anything. It's Sombra that's doing all this, not him," Twilight quickly made clear. "Correct, Ms. Kagayaki," Korosensei agreed, his face orange with a circle on it, "One mustn't blame the teacher, but more on how the student presents it. Sombra went a bit nutty with his interpretation, as all." "So what, he gets away scot-free? That bitch got Sombra out of Elysium!" Ed spat. Undertaker moved over to Ed, and smiled. "Steady boy. Remember, I was the one that kept you alive after your little train crash, you wouldn't want to throw that away do you?~" Now, normally Ed would go and attack him right then and there, but Undertaker went on to show him his eyes. Normally covered by his hair, the moment Edward Elric saw those eyes, his heart almost stopped. Undertaker had a look in those green eyes of his. A look that told him who truly was above who. Alphonse helped bring Edward away from him, them all a little humbled, before Undertaker laughed again. "Oh, that joke gets them every time," Undertaker chuckled. Hardly much of a joke. "Well, that may be a new insight, but I don't see how that can exactly help us. Sombra probably wanted us to find that out if you just ended up finding it in the open like that," Nagisa concluded. Enough encounters with Sombra would end up reading the motions, and Sombra wouldn't leave something like THAT out in the open so freely. Kyoya however, went to the front desk and had something else in his papers that got them intrigued: a bunch of papers, most of which seemed to be plans. "Then how about these? Sombra is always a planner, and I managed to write down some copies for you all to look over," Kyoya said, tossing them for them to catch. These plans all seemed to revolve much around the same thing: battle strategies, army setup, and what's more intriguing - studies on them! Nagisa was the most disturbed by this, seeing just how much detail was on his piece in particular. "H-He studied us?" Nagisa felt a shiver run through him. Pinkie though looked a bit more impressed than anything. "WOW, he's good. He even got my cup size right," Pinkie pointed out. "WHA?! That creep, why would he even do that?! HOW did he even do that?!" Korosensei gasped, seeing the details himself. Ironic, maybe, but seeing just how much work Sombra had in each one of his character studies made Korosensei feel a bit uncomfortable. Not on how detailed these are, but on the idea of how he could even get these in the first place, of not at all. "You're one to talk, Korosensei," sighed Ciel. Still, after this, Karma got up. "Well, there's nothing for it. I think it's about time we stop kicking side-asses and deal with the heart of the problem. The longer we ditch Sombra, the stronger he's getting, so what do you say we actually think on dealing with him?" Karma concluded. "Agreed, but we all know he's not going to make that easy. We can't just charge at him," Nagisa added. Though admittedly that could go unsaid. As they were trying to work that part out, Korosensei began to take note of the door for just a brief moment. It might've been noticed by the others, it might be not, but this demon was beginning to head over to said door. "Where're you going?" Seitenshi asked. "Oh, it'll just be a second. someone wanted a little peek." And before they knew it, once he opened the door, someone actually fell inside. Not a good idea to lean on a door rather than the wall. And who did they happen to see laying on the ground? "M-Mom?" gasped Nagisa. Hiromi Shiota had heard pretty much everything while standing there, and while it was still a bit vague on what her son's role in all of this was, she can now conclude that it was a bit bigger than she first figured. Nagisa felt mixed about this: on one hand, he was surprised as anyone else would be, but on the other hand, why wouldn't she try to spy on him after the stunt he pulled? "Mom? So this is the women Twilight told us about," Kyoya wondered, as Hiromi got herself up. She looked around the room at just who indeed was within the room and in this meeting. "Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be -" Kyoya was stopped when Hiromi brought her hand up and covered his mouth. A bold move. "Nagisa? Can you be a dear and tell me what's going on here?" Hiromi asked, her eyes turning to him. Nagisa knew that look all too well, and she looked ready to go off at any moment. Nagisa knew as well that he had to say it, seeing to the others around him. "Mom, look. This is something far bigger than you can imagine. I know you're here to get me to leave, but I told you, I'm not going anywhere," Nagisa stated, looking away. Wrong answer. "That's not what I asked." Before she could get near him, Karma, Pinkie, and Twilight got in the way, yet Undertaker placed a hand on her shoulder. "Steady now. you don't want to set him off again, do you?~" "YOU AGAIN?!" she snapped. "Again?" Victoria questioned. Nagisa could feel himself crumble in this awkward situation. "And here I thought she would've got the point across by now. But what else should I expect from her?" Nagisa thought. If anything off of what happened on the roof was anything to go by, they were dealing with a loose cannon, and Undertaker's involvement wasn't doing them any favors. They could already see her face turn red. Still, seeing her here did mean that they had to clear a few things up for her, and Korosensei was just the demon teacher to oblige. "Miss. Shiota, I'll have you catch up on what had happened. Nagisa, if you and your friends would come too?" Korosensei insisted. "I know where this is going. ... Oh well. At least I won't be alone this time," Nagisa thought. Hiromi was more than ready to hear them out. (One explanation later) ... If one word could say anything about Hiromi, it would probably be somewhere between speechless and horrified, her face from a hot red to an almost sickly blue, eyes wide. Korosensei and Team Harmony took their time to explain everything that her son had gone through up to that point, and that didn't include what Nagisa had already told her before on the roof. Getting good grades and a girlfriend was one thing, but fighting demons and practically saving the world from Pluton was quite another. She felt shivers run through her spine on the very idea of it. "N-No ... no way ... h-he did all of that?" Hiromi shuttered. "Oh dear, you're not gonna faint, are you?" asked Victoria, though she was more playful than concerned, Karma adding a few chuckles himself. Hiromi would snap if she wasn't so freaked out. "Victoria, not now. Ms. Shiota, your son has done more than enough to help this world. I know it's a lot to take in, but everything we said is true," Seitenshi answered. Hiromi looked to Nagisa for a moment, trying to imagine the kind of hell he had to go through. However, she snapped back, hands gripping her head as if to block it out. "You are lying! I know my son and he wouldn't do any of that." "COME ON ALREADY! He's even got his own statue of his fight with Pluton back in Amestris, how can you not believe that?!" Korosensei asked, somehow having a picture of said statue with him to show the confused mother. Nagisa could only shrug when she looked to him. "You are right though: he wouldn't do that on his own accord. But sometimes fate does kinda gives one a wild card, isn't that right?" Kyoya said. Nagisa knew what he was talking about, and his memory went WAY back to when he first discovered his Halo Blade. Hiromi had to think straight here. No. no, they wouldn't be lying to her, not after everything she had seen already: Aladdin's magic, Korosensei, and now all of this. ... "Oh, by the way, how'd you not know about Pluton? It's been broadcasted worldwide," Aladdin pointed out. Hiromi started to play with her fingers. "I ... I don't watch the news." "Seriously?" thought Nagisa. "Don't worry: if you've missed it, I've taken courtesy of recording footage for just such an situation. I'm sure this will give you more than enough proof," Kyoya said, presenting a disk in his hand. none of them were even going to ask about that (why would they at this point?). Hiromi took the disk from him, her hand actually trembling a little bit. If even half of what they said was true, it was all the proof needed to say that Nagisa truly had a bigger life than Hiromi had planned for him. "... I need to lay down for a while," she finally stated. This was all A LOT to take in, and she really needed to get her mind straight. Nagisa felt a bit of Deja Vu come up on that sentence in particular as he glanced to Aladdin. It was all to her now.
S06Ep7: Where the Dead Go To Die ~デッド・トゥ・ザ・ダイ~Both sides got busy from there onward. With Sombra working his plan of attack to finally go to motion, Team Harmony was basically, for a lack of a better term, doing the same thing. Odds are the world will be in the middle of a warzone anytime now, and with what they've gone through so far, they got to get themselves ready with as much as possible. Victoria, Seitenshi, and Celestia got their own troops under their own word, and training and planning with them was pretty much guaranteed after they got the plan down pact. As for Team Harmony, they pretty much got the same idea in mind, and kept their mind on their upcoming battle as much as they could, even more so than their actual school work for Orora high, which was understandable. Gakuho didn't bother them too much, getting word on what they were doing not too long after the meeting. What else could he do? With enough dirt on his hands already, anymore drastic action on his part to keep the system in tact was, now, out of question. for much of the team, the news on Sombra was probably the biggest thing they've got on him yet, and explained ... well, a lot. Nagisa was now fully understanding where Sombra was coming from: his anger for humans stemming from an attack on an Angel, and only growing from there as time went on by. Sure, there were still gaps missing, but that was the least of their issues here. Besides, with their luck, those gaps would be filled either way. Kyoya's training school also went on with a bit of a hit, and with plenty of students coming in (most of 3-E of course), who were truly starting off strong. With training tips from Kyoya, along with Morgiana, Gaara, and so on, improvement on the students was surely showing promise. Good thing too: they needed to be ready the minute an onslaught would start. And as far as they all were concerned, an onslaught was inevitable at this point. It was just a matter of when, not if. As weather now started to shift to far warmer weather, and spring now in full swing, outside activity became a lot more proper. for Envy, Hinano, and Nabiku, they took this time to head off to the spring swimming pool off by 3-E to hang out. Or, Hinano and Nabiku were mainly, Envy trying to get his training up a bit more on a nearby tree. Hinano and Nabiku knew the importance of training as much as the next guy, especially since both knew what Envy had just gone through, and they both could see he was doing pretty good with it all. "Go, Envy, go!" Hinano cheered. Envy was doing a pretty good job nonetheless. He ended his practice with an air spin, and kicking the tree good and hard, before hopping back to Nabiku and Hinano. Envy was feeling pretty good with himself, a smirk on his face. "You've really been showing a lot of spirit lately, Envy," Nabiku noted. Envy did some air punches as she said that, in the zone more than anything. "I'm not letting this pass by me. Sombra's on his way and he won't even know what'll hit him," Envy said with confidence. Though admittedly, regardless of if it would be him who'll face Sombra or not, he still had demons coming for them all she he had to be ready same as everyone else. "Well hopefully. But Envy, you had us both very worried when you ran off with the others." "I know, I didn't tell ya because you'd come with me no matter what," Envy concluded, which was actually true, both Hinano and Nabiku blushing in embarrassment. "By the way ... when is he coming?" "We're talking about the ruler of Tartarus here, I think we'll all know when he'll show up full power," Envy said, not bothering to sugarcoat it. Why would he at this point? "Well Envy, no matter the case, we're all going to try our best. I'm not going to let my home get destroyed, I don't know about you," Hinano proposed. Envy stopped on a dime. "Wait a minute, no you can't!" "What?" "Hinano, Nabiku, this is literally hell that's ready to come out! You know what they'll do to two innocent people like you?" Envy pointed out. "That shouldn't matter! Envy, this is our home, everyone's home," Hinano insisted. "Had any of you even faced an actual demon before?" Envy questioned. Hinano and Nabiku glanced to eachother, thinking a bit on their own experiences. However, when it came to fighting an actual demon, the two really didn't have much to go off of. "Eh ... we did meet a Mega-Banette a long time ago. And I was found by this giant moth one time. ... does Tataoka count?" Nabiku asked. "I don't know if humans count, but I guess that works. And don't forget Korosensei teaching us this whole time and he's a demon.," Hinano added. Envy was left blank. Sure, there was Korosensei, but the other few times caught him off guard. And that didn't include their encounter with Tirek either. "... Eh, nevermind." "It'll be fine, I promise. You can count on us, Envy," Hinano promised, with a smile on her face. Envy paused and simply looked to her innocent smile. Such a sweet grin, and Envy admittedly knew there was no way he could say no. Nabiku looked willing herself on the matter, and all Envy could do was nod. "Well, with our luck, you'll probably end up fighting anyway," Envy shrugged. "Do you know when he might be coming?" Nabiku asked. A question that they really weren't sure how to answer. "Who knows? It could be tomorrow, next week, or next year," Envy said. "Whenever he'll come, we'll be ready for him," Hinano said. Well, Envy could say that his friends weren't going to leave him, not on their own accord at least. "Speaking of which, I've heard that Ciel's been improving a lot in his training," Nabiku pointed out. "Eh. Well, he's not getting hit as much," Envy shrugged. Improve may or may not be the right word, but with what memory the three could get from their training sessions alongside Ciel Phantomhive, it was worth something. They just hoped that Ciel would be ready enough to fight anyone head on, as a fight with a full blown army was inevitable. Words could only do so much. "You guys wanna check on him? I heard he's getting some extra training today, maybe we can stop by and see how he's doing," Hinano suggested. "Sure, why not?" ....... "Steady your balance, Ciel. Keep your shoulders loose, and your arms at attention." "I'm more than competent in handling a gun." With the rifle in hand, and aiming at the ready, Ciel's training course shifted from physical to projectile, and Korosensei, joined by Kyoya, was getting Ciel Phantomhive to practice his marksmanship with a hunter's rifle, courtesy of the demon teacher and loaded with anti-Korosensei beads. No way was Korosensei leaving any kid with a live gun, not if he had anything to do with it ... even if it was for a kid with plenty of use of a real gun. As for his target - "Hey octo-head? I'm up for training and all, but WHY THE HELL AM I BEING SHOT AT?!" Not too enthused. Turned out, it was Hoopa who was going to be the target practice, much to his annoyance no less. "Someone has to be a target, and I've been it MORE than enough," Korosensei answered. not that he was getting tired of it, but some change would be nice. "... Can I at least use my ring?" Hoopa asked. "Oh, sure, go ahead." WAY BETTER. Korosensei and Kyoya stood wayside as Ciel focused on Hoopa. Hoopa quickly got his ring out. It wasn't any shield by any means, but with it teleporting things away, it worked just as well. All Hoopa had to do was keep his ring up and bolt like a maniac, and that was exactly what he did, giving Ciel a speedy target to shoot at. By the time Envy, Hinano, and Nabiku arrived, Ciel was shooting up the sky, Hoopa freaking out with each one of those shots. "Evening, Envy. Come for a visit?" Kyoya asked. "We're checking in on Phantomhive, that's all," Envy replied, the three seeing Ciel shooting around five to seven shots in the sir. Hoopa got them through his ring, but the ninth shot coming in slipped just passed his ring, and whacked his horn, sending him in a spin. "HIT THE RING, NOT ME!" Hoopa yelled. "No one said I had to, Hoopa," Ciel stated. Eh, true, but he wished someone did. Hoopa simply groaned. "Damn good shot," Envy commented. "Ciel's always had a talent for marksmanship, even with just one eye. All we're doing is perfecting it," Kyoya explained. Well, considering he technically was Sebastian, he would know from his years with him. Hoopa kept as much distance as he could at one point, but like a hunter after game birds, Ciel aimed his rifle high up into the sky, and with a well-aimed shot, actually shot the hoop out of Hoopa's hand ... and shot an extra bead at Hoopa for good measure. "Disarm the enemy. Then finish him off," Ciel told himself. A little lesson in battle he picked up with his tips and tricks from Kyoya and Korosensei. Hoopa landed, dazed from the hit to the head, as Ciel decided that was good enough for him. "If you need me, I'll be heading home. Korosensei, if you may," Ciel said, ready to head on back himself. ~~ It was something like this that much of the group was doing. Aside from this, the exact idea was still hard to swallow for some: Hiromi Shiota being the prime example of this. She had seen the video on said disk given to her while ago, and she was left beside herself with everything. Nighttime, and she was simply left alone with herself. Again. Seitenshi, Victoria, everyone but her believed Nagisa was capable of making his own decisions, and clearly, capable of defending himself if the footage was indeed anything to go by. She just looked outside the apartment building to the city out before her. "Nagisa ... Come on, get yourself together, Hiromi. ... I-It's probably just for a movie or something. No way would he really do any of that in real life, right? ... Yeah, maybe he did get into Hishimaru and didn't tell me yet." Still in denial unfortunately. This time though, it was still nagging her mind somewhat: would Seitenshi get involved in it or no? A movie won't explain that, or the authenticity of it all. Nor would a movie explain the working magi shield Aladdin had used on her already. Eventually ... "Mom? ..." Speak of the devil: Nagisa Shiota had finally came back home for the first time in days. Nagisa felt that, especially after the big story back at 3-E, that he had to come back to his own house sooner or later. A long day of extra training for a demonic onslaught left him a bit battered, but alright. Soon it was Hiromi and Nagisa seeing eachother eye to eye. "Oh, hi. You uh ... look a bit worn out today," Hiromi said. "I went through some training, that's all. Nothing to worry about," Nagisa replied, having a seat on the couch. Nagisa could tell she had finished up the disk by seeing it in her hands, and the blank screen on the TV. "So how was your day?" Nagisa asked, looking up to her as he laid down. "It was fine. ... And how was yours?" "Alright," Nagisa simply replied. Not much of a conversation. Hiromi placed the disk on the table, Nagisa seeing this as he looked to her, his head upside down on the rim of the couch. "Guess you saw that disk?" "Yeah, I did. I'm happy you've finally got into Hishimaru after all." Nagisa felt himself cringe on that statement. He would say something, but what would convince her now? "Yep, she's in denial. Might as well play along," Nagisa thought. No way would he ask himself this out loud, not with Hiromi standing right there. "Surprise," Nagisa sighed. When he looked again though, he could see that Hiromi was ... having trouble in believing her own statement. Sure she had a smile and all, but in her eyes there was doubts on her own statement. Nagisa didn't bother to bring it up, and simply relaxed himself, his eyes looking to the ceiling. He felt like he should say something. Something a bit calmer than how he did on the rooftop. "... Mom?" "Yes?" "... I ... I'm sorry for what happened on the rooftop. I know you're just trying to look out for me. But ... I'm not a kid anymore. I'm in my senior year now, and I've got a firm grip on my life. ... I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I'm not saying your decisions never were valuable, but I'm not ... Well. I'm not you. I am not you. I'm me. I'm Nagisa. I'm very sorry but, I can take care of myself, mom. ... You do understand, right? ..." There was a long silence that hung in the air. Nagisa tried to make this message less painful, and better to take in, but lord knows what will happen now that it was brought up again. Nagisa tried making it clear already, the others tried to, and that didn't seem to work. So if this didn't work, then it was the last time he was going to try. Hiromi didn't move an inch, thinking back on her history with her son. Hiromi turned to face her son fully, but while Nagisa waited for the beating that she would bring up, she instead placed her hand on his head. Her fingers gently went through his blue hair, but he didn't feel hurt. She didn't yank on it, tear it, or anything. "... Nagisa I ... I ..." Hiromi tried to think up what to say to her son, but she just couldn't figure it out. And even more so, Nagisa saw her eyes begin to water up. "Wow. I've never seen her like this before. Who could blame her though? She just found all of this out. If I really am apart of her playthrough, then she must not know how to continue it," Nagisa thought. It was a crossroad from here: either continue on her current playthrough, or pick the option to start her RPG over again. And Hiromi didn't know what option to choose. Hiromi's eyes just screamed a very confused and distraught state of mind, as she literally was on pause. But while she didn't have a clue how to continue, another scenario came up in Nagisa's own RPG. His Demon Sense went off again. "Nagisa?" Hiromi asked. She felt the shiver under her hand, but Nagisa didn't answer straight away, getting up to his feet. He gave mom the hand signal to keep quiet, as he went over to his window, and looked outside down to the street below. He looked up and down the street for a bit, and soon he began to see a few dark figures slip through the night, racing across the street to a different location. This wasn't good, but Nagisa was, actually, more annoyed. "Starting already? Geesh, we're not going to get a break anymore," Nagisa sighed, though this one came out loud, whether he meant to or not, as his hand met his forehead. "Break from what? What's the matter?" Hiromi asked, concerned. "Look, I need to go. I'll be back later," Nagisa said, arming himself up with his Halo Blade at his side. He wished he wouldn't have to leave her hanging like this, but with demons roaming around outside, he had to do something. They would be looking for his friends anyway, and if he could get them before they could do that then great. Hiromi didn't try to stop him this time, as she heard him go on out, and left her alone with her thoughts again. No. She had to figure this out, one way or another. ....... Being as silent as he could, Nagisa followed his demon sense as best he could do, in order to figure out where the nighttime demons were going. It was a bit bad that he had to cut off his mother for the sake of this, but duty calls, and if experience told him anything, it's that he can't let this situation just go by and expect nothing to happen. Nagisa didn't need too much time until he managed to locate his quarry: a set of demonic entities prowling through the city. Both of them were hellhounds, though these look a bit more standard: black dogs with red glowing eyes. His demon sense told him as well that these were lesser demons compared to the Houndoom they met before, but a demon's a demon. both said hellhounds didn't seem to notice Nagisa above them yet, as they scurried through the shadows towards their next destination, moving very quick. Nagisa kept good pace with them. "Where're they going?" Nagisa thought, trying to keep with them, but also keeping out of their radar. Both hounds fail to notice their own shadow up on the rooftops, and eventually he found both hounds heading to a particularly troubling sight: the capitol. This was never going anywhere good. Nagisa got himself up ahead of the hounds, and with a good jump, Nagisa just got himself into the capitol walls, leaving the hellhounds off outside. It wasn't until he looked down from the boundary line did the hellhounds see him, and growled menacingly up at them. He had these hellhounds cut off - *shiver* But not all of them. "Damnit, they're already in there?!" He was trying his hardest, but apparently he still had a ways to go. Looking into the area, focusing his demon sense on the stronger force, Nagisa managed to figure out where this other demon was, the hellhounds moving away and trying to find another way in. Before Nagisa realized it, both hellhounds got themselves in and moved passed Nagisa, just as another figure moved on out from the main building. And this demon didn't come out alone either. Chrysalis was back. And she had Ed and Winry in custody. Both kids looked passed out, but none of them had any injury to speak of, as if knocked out on the spot. The hellhounds went right up to her. What surprised Nagisa the most was how little security was actually coming out: no Al, no guards, nothing. The only one up right now that would try to stop her was Nagisa. "Oh no you don't." Nagisa took action, and it took little time before Chrysalis saw him. She would go up after him, but she was under order, and unlike some demons she didn't want to disappoint. With a quick whistle, the hellhounds charged at him, but all it took was a few quick slices for a fast defeat. He didn't had time to deal with hounds, but the hounds were actually more of a distraction, and there was a lot more than two for him to fight. One lunge after another sliced them down quick, one after the other as each hellhound tried to take him out. "Damn mutts," Chrysalis groaned, quickly working out a portal into the ground nearby. Nagisa managed to take down a good ten hounds in his slicing and dicing before he realized a portal even opened up. "Don't you dare!" Nagisa yelled. He just got them back, he wasn't going to lose them again like this. With him trying to get to the others though, four hellhounds jumped him from the back, and pinned him down. One got him by the back of the neck, another standing right on him, and the other two holding him by arms and legs to keep him down. Chrysalis smirked on seeing him down on the ground. "Much better. You just can't leave any demon alone can you, Nagisa? What, come for another taste?~" Chrysalis cooed. Nagisa found it actually ironic for her to be so cheeky after what he did already. He tried to get up, just for the hellhound on his back to bite into him. Any movements and his spine will break and he won't move at all. "Alright. Good thing you showed up anyway, I was going to get you, but looks like it'll be easy." "Don't tell me: you want to throw me back in Abaddon right? Or perhaps to Sombra's palace?" Nagisa asked, his voice strained from the weight of the hounds and the stinging pain of the biting. "Nah, I got a far better spot for you three. But first, to deal with these two," Chrysalis said, giving Nagisa a pat on the head. "Ed! Winry! Wake up!" Nagisa shouted. But for some reason both of them didn't. Were they already dead when he showed up? Chrysalis stretched and readied the portal. Nagisa tried to get the hounds off of him, struggling as much as he could as the hounds dug their teeth into him. Passed out, Ed and Winry were lifted up, and tossed down through the portal like trash. In a burst of energy, Nagisa got himself free and rushed forward, just catching Winry by the arm ... just for Chrysalis to kick him into the portal! So, Nagisa, Edward, and Winry were off out of the world again, and Chrysalis felt pretty good with herself. "Done and done. Have fun in the realm of the dead, bitches," Chrysalis chuckled. ~~ "Ugh ... what the hell? ..." It took him quite a bit to come on to, but after being tossed like trash, Edward came back around. his head was pounding, but upon waking up he found himself ... well, somewhere. Where exactly, he had no idea. And he just couldn't see anything anywhere, no matter where he looked. The sky was very dim and the brightest thing around was probably the very faint shine off his own metal. The ground was cold and dry, and he couldn't tell if it was day or night. He tried to get his memory together, but the more he tried to remember the details, the more his head started to hurt. "Damn you, Chrysalis, you cheater. Where am I now?" Ed groaned, getting to his feet. No one else seemed to be around, but who can confirm anything in a place like this? Ed needed some sort of light, somehow, but that was easier said than done as he couldn't see beyond five feet at best. Ed tried to get some sort of vantage point in this landscape, but regardless on where he was walking, it just left him wandering with little direction, if at all. If he could make out anything at all, it was the skeletal trees, but that was about it. ... "Ed! That you over there?!" A good sound to hear, and the first good sign since being dumped in this place. Ed turned around, and could just see that Winry was rushing his way. Edward was happy at first, Winry stopping about ten feet away with a make shift torch lighting up the empty space. He could guess she got it after some quick engineering from the dead trees, but another thought struck him. "Winry! ... Wait a minute." Winry looked a little puzzled as Ed pointed to her. "How could I know you're not Chrysalis in disguise?" "Come on, Ed. Do you want me to recite the exact mechanics of your automail down to the last bolt?" Winry asked. "Ok, you're Winry," Ed answered. Mainly that was to avoid a long draining talk with her though, but at least he can say this wasn't another trick from Envy 2.0. With the subject brought up though, Winry started to grow suspicious too. "And what about you, how could I know you're not Chrysalis? You runt." "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A RUNT, YOU JERK?!" Ed screamed, immediately trying tp punch her lights out, Winry moving fast enough to dodge the hits. "Ok, it's you," Winry sighed. no one can truly mimic Edward's rage, no matter how hard they try. *arrrrooooooo* That distant howl reminded them both of the situation they were in, and Ed stopped his anger rampage for a moment. Clobbering Winry wouldn't get them out of here, wherever they were. Their torches, while giving them plenty of light, didn't show them the extent of the land they've fallen under. With their light, they could only get about twenty feet of clear vision, and even then it wasn't much help as all they could see was cold ground underfoot. "Now what do we do?" "We find a way out of here, that's what. Just stay close," Ed instructed. What else could she do? With little to now knowhow on that could be lurking around here, it was not a good idea to stick around and figure that out, so Ed and Winry picked a direction and started walking. And walk the two did. With Winry's torch to add some light, both of them went on through the landscape with, admittedly, little idea on where they were going. As far as the land was concerned, they could barely make out themselves in a ravine of sorts, rocky and without any life to - *grrrr* "Already?" Ed thought. Not even five minutes and already in dire trouble: Ed and Winry both looked around. It was a bit hard to tell at first, but something did eventually begin to slowly come out of the shadows towards the two. A dog-like shape began to move out into the dim light. The body appeared belonging to a large dog, Rottweiler, but the head was demonically humanoid with glowing red eyes, and large serrated teeth that almost outgrew the jaws. And the pack numbered at a good fifteen. Both of them kept a sharp eye on these things, but Winry never seen such horrifying animals before. Her time in Abaddon didn't give her anything like this. And they ALL were locking their eye on her. ... "Winry, get back here!" Ed called, but Winry wasn't going to stay around, not with those hellhounds. Ed kept many of them at bay himself with his alchemy activating, but one of the dogs saw Winry run, and actually managed to slip by Ed, despite his alchemy. Winry kept running until she ended up on the back wall, finding herself trapped with this creature blocking her path. The snarling beast barred its human teeth. It had been so long since human flesh had entered its domain, and it wasn't going to let her go so easily. Winry had nowhere to go it would seem. *neigh!* Neigh? The dog heard the odd sound above Winry, and one look was all it really needed to give a warning howl. All the dogs stuck with Edward heard it loud and clear, and all of a sudden they all turned and ran for it, tails between their legs. Winry rushed back to Ed by that point, but they were a bit less relieved. There was only one thing that intimidates a predator. A bigger one. In the dim light of the lands, that ended up finding themselves stuck in some sort of shadow from the top of the wall, something looking down at them. They turned around just in time to see said creature jump off the balcony, and landing down a foot away from them both in a loud crash! "W-WHAT THE -" Ed could barely get his words out, stumbling back on seeing this thing. The animal, in essence, was some sort of horse, and according to the saddle on its back, a domesticated one. One look at the head however, and both Winry and Ed immediately realized this was no ordinary horse: two bulging eyes glowing a purple hue, a large nose, and overly-sized human teeth, giving it a sort of demonic, almost goblin-like face. Saved from the demon hounds by an even more demonic horse! Its mouth was foaming, as if it had rabies (probably not far from the truth), and it reared back on its hind legs, a bellow echoing from its maw. Ed and Winry could only make a run for it before it could crush either of them under its hooves. It didn't take very long though for the horse to catch up with them, whacking Edward and knocking him onto his back. Winry skidded to a stop, only to turn and see the horse standing right on top of him, frontal hooves pinning him down on both of his hands, Ed staring eye to eye with this monster. "Human." it hissed. Its long tongue then came out, and gave Edward a long, hearty lick, from his chest to his face. If this beast wanted a meal, then it got one. Ed tried to kick it off of him by its stomach, but that was about as successful as spitting at it, and it didn't even faze the creature. It opened its jaws, the rancid breath of rotting meat hitting Ed's face, as it readied to bite him down onto his head for the finishing blow. As for Winry, she was left completely shaken at this display, but seeing the saddle gave her an idea. It was a bit risky, but it was the best shot she had for saving Ed. So she went for it: she raced right up to the horse, and before the horse even realized what happened, its reigns were being pulled back hard. Winry had mounted it, and it wasn't gonna take that sitting down. It neighed good and loud, bucking like a mad man to get Winry off of it, Ed getting to his feet. "GET OFF!" it bellowed. Winry forced it to go back from her friend, but this angry bronco finally got Winry off of it in a swing of its head. "Winry, come on!" Ed called, rushing to her and helping her up as the horse got itself together. These two had to go, and they race off as fast as they could. The horse galloped at them fast, but this time Edward didn't took another chance, and with a quick activation of alchemy, sent the horse flying away from them. "That should keep it busy," Winry said. Ed looked back though, and the horse not only shook off the hit, but actually landed on its hooves. "Not for long, move!" Edward said, the two running as fast as they could. The horse saw them cut a corner down the path, though instead of running, it went in a trot. It could catch up to them easily, so it didn't need to waste any energy in a reckless race. As for Edward and Winry, the two didn't bother to look on back, knowing that the demonic horse was coming their way. Still, as they kept going, one sight ahead of them made them stop cold. As if the land of demonic monsters wasn't enough of a horror, the two found themselves facing an entire ravine of corpses. All decaying, rotting, all displaying of past victims of whatever had went through here. Even a few demons could be seen amongst the corpses, all as dead and rotten as the rest of the bodies. The ground itself was completely covered in blood, as if it had just rained blood around the place. The sight of so many horrid corpses made them both feel sick, but the whinny from the demonic horse reminded them what they were trying to get away from. "When in Rome." "Wait, wha -AAHH!" Short time later, the demonic horse caught up and found itself in the save ravine. It expected to find Winry and or Edward, but it didn't find either of em. It was familiar with this place, and went right on in, its hooves splashing through blood and walking over crushed bones and flesh as it searched for its targets. It took a few sniffs in the air, but for some reason their scents weren't picked up at all. It looked around a bit more closely, and amongst the bodies, it saw a particularly familiar one in the form of Ed! Here though, he was completely covered from head to toe in blood, sprawled out in such a way that it really looked like he was dead. Winry was doing the same thing not too far away. to the horse, both sure looked dead, and it leaned in a bit closer to Edward, sniffing him a little bit. It gave a good snort at him before it decided to just move on. It was not above scavenging, but the bodies were just too putrid to eat, even for a demon like it. With a snort, it moved on and out of sight. ... "UGH! This is so disgusting, I can't believe you talked me into doing this," Winry yelped, jumping to her feet and shaking the blood off of her. Ed did the same thing, wringing the blood out of his hair as he got it off his hands and arms. "Oh shut up, it's better than the real thing. At least that thing's gone," Ed concluded, though he didn't enjoy it either. Who would enjoy pretending to be a corpse anyway? Winry and Ed got a good amount of the blood off of them when - "Well look who's having fun." Come on, more trouble? Winry and Ed followed the voice off nearby a rocky outcrop, and there was the one who got them into this trouble in the first place, Chrysalis! She looked down to them with a sinister smirk on her face, finding some fun in seeing them act out as corpses for the minute. "Were you there the whole time?!" Winry yelled. "I don't know, what would you want to hear?" she joked, nonchalantly. "I can't believe you -" "Please show us the way out of here!" Ed suddenly shouted. Well, his tune changed quickly. "She dumped us here, and you decide to grovel?!" "If it means surviving, I'll be her best friend!" shouted back Ed. Chrysalis felt a little bit taken aback by how quickly it took for one of them to grovel, even more so with it being Ed to do so, but still entertaining for the demon queen. "Ha! You think you're going to escape from this realm with your bodies in tact? you're in the Shinigami Realm, kids." "Shinigami Realm? Wait, this isn't the Underworld?" Ed wondered. Winry was frozen in fear on that answer, though it seemingly made the hellhounds and demon horse a bit more probable now. "That's right: you humans die and think you end up in heaven or hell. Well, this is where violent deities go to die. You think you've been tough before, good luck finding a way out of here, we'll have your world by the time you do," Chrysalis mocked. No way will she blabber on where to go to these guys. "Where the hell do we even go?!" Ed asked again. Chrysalis jumped down from her post, landing just inches from Edward, grabbing him by the mechanical arm. Winry thought she would break it, but Chrysalis had other ideas. "Oh you go west, find a pit, and throw yourself into it to be eaten alive. That'll be peachy. Oh, one thing first." And then, same as before, she opened her mouth, and started to suck away at Edward's alchemy! Winry was a bit quicker about it this time around, and tried to make her stop, the demon queen only getting about half of the alchemy from Ed. Not all of it, but enough to not make him a complete powerhouse of alchemy. And Chrysalis followed up this with a mockery of laughs. Was it really going to be that simple? As for Chrysalis, she decided to leave both kids to their fate, and moved on out of sight from them both. Ed and Winry tried to find her, but passed the outcrop, and she was completely gone. With the only person actually having some information about this place now gone, Ed and Winry were truly stuck. While they didn't know where to go, they weren't going to be staying around this bed of corpses, especially with that demon horse still roaming around. One thing was clear: they had to go. ~~ Nagisa woke up with quite a startle, the fall itself knocking him out upon landing. Ed and Winry may have needed time to wake up, but his landing only lasted for a few minute before his own sense of demonic activity forced him to wake up. His view on the world was just as dark and foreboding as Ed and Winry's, but Nagisa found himself up instead on a outcrop rather than on flat ground, and once more he just couldn't really make out any sign of either Ed or Winry. A bit odd though, the demon sense going off was actually very low, more of a very slight nag than a shiver, which made where he might be even more confusing. "What's this place? ... There doesn't feel like much demon activity around here," Nagisa wondered, looking around as best he could. He closed his eyes and focused as best he could on what his demon sense had to say, his eyes no better than any other human in this kind of place. The exact placement was a little too hard to make out, very scattered. It was too bad Ed and Winry didn't have any demonic energy to work off of, otherwise finding them would be a bit easier. "Ok, keep it together. This won't be too hard: just find Ed and Winry, make a portal back, and get out of here. Ed can use his alchemy to open it, no problem. I just hope they're alright," Nagisa thought. Straightforward, but he just needed it find them first, and he didn't waste any time in starting his move. Or, he tried to, but he couldn't see how far the drop was. Instead, his rush turned to a bit of a crawl, as he scaled down the drop off, keeping a sharp eye out for whatever will be roaming around this place. A few stray stones going down the cliff echoed throughout the area. However, Nagisa listened closely, and they only stopped sounding after one second. He was closer than he thought. With a jump, more sure this time, Nagisa got to the ground level, and tried to figure out where he was. "EDWARD! WINRY!" Nagisa called. However, the only sound he heard was the silent wind and his own echo going back to him. Nagisa started to go on forward a bit, trying his best to find some sort of sign of either of them, but got nothing but empty landscape. "This is bad. This is night time down here. If even half of what they said about the Underworld is true, we're as exposed as ever. They couldn't have gone too far, I better find them before something else does," Nagisa thought. This got his walk turned into a run, as he tried to figure out where the heck they've ended up. Nagisa had no clue where to even go, or for that matter where he was going. It was during this that he began to see a light off ahead of him, the brightest thing he could see in this place so far. "Is that them?" Nagisa wondered, rushing over to see. The sight of what he saw next made him skid to a halt: Ed and Winry were indeed there, but ... "AAHHH!" "No, no, no, wait, it's us!" Ed shouted. He was glad to see him, but seeing Nagisa freak out and aim his blade right at them both. Who could blame him though seeing them head to toe in blood? "I know it's you, but what the hell happened?!" "No, calm down, it's fine - this isn't our blood. We had to ... well, improvise." "Improvise?" Nagisa questioned. "It's complicated." "Oh, nevermind. Glad to see you two are okay," Nagisa replied, calming down a little bit. It took a bit, but Nagisa began to notice a little bit of suspicion coming from their side after they got their minds at work. "Wait a minute ... Are you Nagisa? Or is this another trick?" "Guys, I swear I really am me, and I can prove it." "Ok, go. What'd we do so far?" Ed questioned. Nagisa cleared his throat. "We first met over back in Amestris, both of us on our way to central. You went with us on the same train and saved us from Lust and Gluttony before we arrived there. You even got Twilight training for a bit before Pluton showed -" "OK, I get it, you're Nagisa, gotcha," Ed said. He didn't had time for a long exposition dump, but if he could come up with this on the fly then he got it right. "And you're Ed and Winry. But wait, what even happened? I tried to get you and you both were unconscious. Did Chrysalis get you?" Nagisa asked. "That bitch disguised herself as Seitenshi and got everyone in a meeting just to knock us all out!" Ed answered. Not too detailed, but it was good enough. "Even Alphonse?" Nagisa questioned. "Wait ... did she get him? I don't think he even showed up," Winry said. The only person who couldn't be knocked unconscious and he wasn't there to help them out? What kind of sense is that? Ed didn't think about that until it was brought up, but Nagisa found them now, and the next step was a route off back home. "Don't worry you two. Come on, let's get back," Nagisa said, as he began to carve out a similar underworld portal into the ground. He only needed a minute before completing the circle at their feet. "Ok, Ed, light it up, and let's go. ... Ed?" Ed was actually a little hesitant, all things considered, but if it means getting out he had to try. So, like any other alchemic trick, he clapped his hands together, and slammed them into the ground, focusing as hard as he could muster. Unfortunately for them all, the only thing he managed to get out was a few sparks, not enough to activate the portal. A long silence ... "Uh. E-Ed?" Winry asked, feeling a shiver. "Hold on, I got it," Ed said, trying over and over again, to the point when it was just him whacking his hands into the dirt. Still nothing happened. Sure, a few sparks came out, but that was all he had to show for it at the best of it all. Nagisa could take a hint on what might've happened if Chrysalis was involved, and seeing this made him feel a bit nervous. Chrysalis and company were still on the surface somewhere, and with them in here, what's to stop them from ripping their home apart? "Please don't tell me she sucked away your powers, Ed," Nagisa said. "W-Well ... not all of it," Ed admitted, feeling defeated as he simply sat there. But she might as well, since they couldn't get out of here now with what Ed had left. Ed tried one more time, the hardest he could do with as much focus as he can, sparks coming out of the ground, but it just wasn't going to be enough for the activation. "This is bad. Ed, come on, it has to work!" Winry said, freaking out. "Winry, everything will be okay, I promise. We're in the Underworld, there has to be a way -" "No we're not," Winry shivered. "We're not? ... But then where are we?" Nagisa asked, looking around. "T-The Shinigami realm. I've heard rumors about this place: this is where the worst go after they die, deity or otherwise. Who knows what'll be lurking around here? not even the highest ranking angels or demons want to be here." That last part sealed the deal for Ed and Nagisa. Sure, Ed got the word from Chrysalis already, but the extent of such an idea made this place a lot more horrid than they imagined it to be. The demon hounds, and demon horse were just scratching the surface, far as the three were concerned. *neigh* Speak of the devil. Nagisa and Ed jumped over to Winry, and it seemed that the demonic horse from earlier had just found them after seeing the sparks of light. With the light from the torch it just made the horrifying equine even more scary, the flicking fire light reflected off its blood-covered muzzle and glistening teeth. Ed tried to work some alchemy, but it was not strong enough, and all it did was shove the animal back. and even then it was only about two feet. Nagisa could sense the demonic energy inside this creature, and got his halo blade at the ready. "Stay back, demon," Nagisa demanded, his blade aiming right at the creature's face. It didn't look very fazed by the threat at all, its nostrils flaring up and sniffing the fresh meat. It opened its jaws, ready to bite, and Nagisa went for broke, his blade stabbing the beast right in the head. It bent. "... Oh no." In a quick jump, Ed, Winry, and Nagisa made a run for it, narrowly avoiding the lunge this demonic horse did onto them. The horse was so strong the ground cracked underneath it, and all three teens made a mad dash away from the monster. "Hey! That went well!" shouted Ed. "Think you can do better, be my guest!" shouted Nagisa. The demon horse started to gallop after them, but unlike before, Nagisa grabbed Ed and Winry and with his own speed actually gave the horse a harder time catching up. Even with the added weight, Nagisa was as fast, if not faster than the galloping equine. The animal clamped its jaws down time and again, trying to bite into its prey, but It just couldn't get a proper bite out of them, despite being so close. Edward got his mechanical foot up and kicked the animal square on the snout, making it slow down, and the kick so hard it kicked off a couple of teeth! It bellowed a groan, skidding to a halt and gave them all enough time to race off out of sight. Their mad dash though, while it got away from their monster, did make Winry drop her torch, and it didn't take long until they were left in the dark. Nagisa didn't bother to slow down until the demonic energy was hardly any, and he began to slow down. "Glad that's over. You two alright?" Nagisa asked, just to see both Ed and Winry completely winded. Both were not used to running that fast, not at all. But at least they got some distance between that beast, and them. "Be with you. In a minute," said an exhausted Winry, just managing to get the words out between breaths. Well, they may be tired, but at least they got out of trouble. But the question now was where do they go from here? ....... "...WHAAAA?! NOT AGAIN!" It took a while before news of this happening got around, but since many of said witnesses were either kidnapped or unconscious, it didn't go around until the following morning, and even then they had little idea on what exactly happened. Seitenshi, Victoria, Undertaker, and Korosensei (who was freaking out again). As for Alphonse though, he surely didn't look too good. Hard to say if it was hellhounds who tore into him or Chrysalis herself, but when they did find him, he had his arm missing (again), and Alphonse did not feel well at all with the situation. "I'm sorry, everyone," Alphonse simply said. Though, what else could he say in regards to this? "It isn't your fault, Al," Seitenshi made clear, placing a hand on Alphonse's shoulder. Alphonse may be strong, but he's not invincible. "Well then again, I'm surprised at you: Chrysalis managed to put us all to sleep, but yet you still didn't do much yourself when she showed up." "Not helping Victoria," Seitenshi stated. All Victoria did was shrug on the response, but she was still right. Then again, Alphonse's quick crippling was the least of their problems right now. "Well, on the bright side, most of the hellhounds had been taken care of. Undertaker, Korosensei, you're familiar with the Underworld. Got any idea on where they might've ended up?" Seitenshi questioned. It only made sense that they would end up in the Underworld again, and if anyone knew knowledge about the Underworld it would be those two. Undertaker didn't say much, looking out the window as Korosensei thought it over. "Well the odds of them being anywhere in particular are fairly slim: an Underworld portal can open to anywhere that the caster sets their mind to, and if they have no idea it's just placed at random. Even someone like myself can't accurately pinpoint something like that," Korosensei admitted, unfortunate to say. "Oh. Undertaker, what about you?" Seitenshi questioned. Undertaker kept his gaze off outside, looking to the outer floor. From where he was, it would be the perfect spot to observe the portal opening if he was there at the time. His signature grin ended up on his face before he turned over to the others. "I have one idea where they might've ended up." "Well, what is it?" Seitenshi asked. However, Undertaker didn't answer right away, instead going up to Victoria. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, Victoria eventually smiling contently herself. "Is that so? ... Well, in that case, we should be going. It would be morning in that realm by now." "Wait, you? Where do you think you're going, you can't just jump on into the Underworld without knowing what to do -" "We're not going to the Underworld," Victoria stated. Korosensei started to calm down. "Oh, good." "We're going to the Shinigami Realm." "WHAAAAA?!" AND he's off again. ~~ With morning in one world, the Shinigami Realm also was starting to turn to morning. The Underworld gloom of the pitch black night began to fade to a far more hazy, light grey sky with a slight hint of fog everywhere. Not enough that it was completely blinding, but still evident nonetheless. For Nagisa, Ed, and Winry, it was far from a peaceful night. They didn't sleep at all since they arrived, and the whole time they didn't even stop moving. Then again, if they were to stop, odds are some monster would be on them no doubt, so rest was all but impossible. They were tired, on edge, and with Alchemy and holy weapons barely much use, as vulnerable as they could be. Sure they had their own fighting skills, but quick kills were NOT going to happen, and they can't waste any time. "Worst. Night. Ever," Ed groaned. "We're all tired, Ed. But at least we can see," Nagisa replied. Not the best view, but hell it beats pitch black like they've been doing already. "I don't know where you're going: this realm doesn't connect to the Underworld, Overworld, or Surface world. All we're doing is wandering to nowhere," Winry said, remembering what lessons she was told of back in Elysium. They were still vague, but that was what she got from it all when it was said and done. "Stop saying that, every world connects to somewhere!" Nagisa snapped. Things like that kept being brought up, and it could also be him not getting much sleep, but he was getting sick of hearing it. *aroooooo* The howls in the distance made their skin crawl, but at this point they've been hearing that for hours now. It'll be way too soon when they get out of here from those hellhounds. Nagisa's demon sense was still vague, but went up slightly with the howls heard. He covered his ears this time. "As if the Underworld wasn't bad enough. At least the Underworld I have some sort of grip on what's going on. My friends were demons, and I've got a bit of a hold on how things work. But here ... What rules even apply here?" Nagisa's inner monologue was cut short when he began to see something further ahead of him, making him stop along with Edward and Winry. With so much land of complete abandon and waste, it was a bit of a surprise that a building-like shape began to be shown amongst the fog. And a very big one at that. They weren't sure if it was a trick of the eye when they saw this place, but with hellhounds roaming everywhere, they weren't going to take the chance with it. So, the trio didn't hesitate, and went right up to the door. Upon looking in, it almost mirrored the Library off back in Elysium, with three floors full of various books containing who knows what. It wasn't exactly a perfect place, but all the same, it sure beats roaming around nowhere. Now they at least had some sort of point to work with. No one looked to be inside here, so they had the place to themselves thank god. "Finally somewhere more comfortable," Nagisa sighed. "Last thing I expect. What kind of information do you think's in here?" Winry wondered, looking around at the book shelves. Ed wasn't entirely a bookworm, but with nothing else to do, he might as well see what was what. "Well, one way to find out," Ed replied, going for one of the books. Though, it admittedly didn't seem to give them much help, as the book seemingly was all about a singular person and their life story apparently. Nothing that could help them, nor was it anyone of interest. Winry and Nagisa did the same thing, but their books were mainly about the same concept: someone's life story from birth to death. Nagisa found one of them that was eerily close: a demonic entity in particular. He never met him before, but reading through the details did make Nagisa feel a little bit uncomfortable. "There's sure a lot of details to this. Birthdate, youth, their education, and their exact time of death. Not even our best history books are this accurate ... unless ..." Nagisa felt a new idea come up as he looked at all of the books. Putting the first one back, he started to skin through the various books, seeing them in alphabetical order. He went through each letter, until he found T amongst them. And one word confirmed his suspicions ... "Tirek." "You say something, Nagisa?" Winry asked, as Nagisa pulled out the book. He quick began to skim through the pages until he got to the end of it. And to his horror, he found the exact, detailed narration of Nagisa killing Tirek in that same area of Central. Every detail of the fight, every cut gained, and a section even wrote down those last words he spoke just before Nagisa got his blade into his throat. It was a more bitter memory he was seeing in these pages, but what concerned him the most was how it got here in the first place. Ed and Winry looked over his shoulders and saw the book itself. "Whoa, Whoa, WHAT? How the hell did that get here?" Ed asked, wide eyed and shocked. "I-I think I know who this place belongs to." Before either of them could answer, they both then began to hear the front door open up. They were not ready for another fight, and quickly moved off out of sight as two newcomers began to venture on into the library's interior. The three hid off behind one of the book shelves, only hearing the voices. ... "Ah. See you've been keeping this place tidy since the last time I've visited. and here I thought you'd leave this place to pot," said one voice. A second voice snickered. "Oh, come now, I'm not that much of a slob in this kind of field, you know that. Besides, if they are going to be anywhere, it will be here. After all, it's the only settlement within miles on miles in this realm if they came in from Japan," said another voice. "Hold up, that sounds familiar," Ed whispered. Nagisa shushed him, as he gently moved some books aside to peek through. He left enough of an opening to show only one eye, but when he looked, he didn't see anyone there at front. He had little room to look, but no sign of anyone anywhere. "Wait, where'd they go?" "Knew you'd be here.~" Spinning around and yelping at the sound, the trio found their newcomers were already behind them. They first thought of a fight, but on a second look, it turned out to be Undertaker and Victoria! Creepy, sure, but at least it was someone they knew wasn't there to kill them all. "Oh, Undertaker, it's you. Victoria too." "Naturally. Of course, why wouldn't I miss the chance to show you three around my existence's work?" "Y-your work? Wait, you wrote all this?" Ed asked, pointing to the book Nagisa had. Undertaker chuckled as he plucked the book out of Nagisa's hand. "It took you until now to figure it out? I say, you humans can be so foggy in the mind sometimes. No offense to you of course, princess," Undertaker noted. Victoria ran her fingers through her hair before responding. "No, I agree: you're in the Shinigami Realm inside a Library categorizing souls and you couldn't figure out it's the reaper's doing until after being told right out. Really now," Victoria agreed, a bit more cynical this time around, her gaze more focused on the books rather than the others with her. "We've been up all night, give us a break!" Ed snapped. Victoria sighed, and moved on passed them, she and Undertaker bringing them on out into the main lobby of this library. Victoria kept her back to them as she stopped over by the door. "Convenient we would find you at the library anyway. Undertaker told me on the way that he wanted to show you three a few things, isn't that right?" Victoria noted, only then turning around to face them. Undertaker snickered, who at this point was standing behind them. "Nothing gets by you, does it?" "We don't have time for a tour, we need to get back home before Chrysalis goes and destroys everything," Nagisa made clear. "Needn't you worry about her: she came in this realm with you didn't she? Odds are she's trying to figure out where to go herself. For once, it's you who actually has the upper hand here. I only have a few items to give you anyway," Undertaker noted, though he said this uncomfortably close to Nagisa, enough to give him shivers. Though he did have a point there, though who's to really say if she already left the realm or not? With a wave of his finger, Undertaker signaled them to start following him to the upper levels of the library. Victoria kept some distance from them though, the lingering smell only now hitting her nose. "Seem you spent a bit more time in this realm with that kind of Oder." "Hey, we were trying to survive, and Ed got us rolling around in corpses!" Winry retorted. That got Ed ticked again. "Don't put all the blame on me!" Ed snapped. A whistle from Undertaker got their attention though, and he actually already got a few books with him. Since there was three of them, they figured it was one for each, but when he got down to them, he gave all the books over to Ed instead. "There you go, how about you take your time to look through these? It'll be worth your while," Undertaker promised. Ed was a bit unsure, but he just needed to see the title of said books to figure out what this was about. Looking down to the first book, it showed an all too familiar picture. A family portrait if you will: of him, Al, and both his mother and father. The Elric Family. Ed moved the first book and saw the second one was a similar look on it, but instead showing Winry with her parents. The Rockbell family. Ed gave that one to Winry to look over, but the third book they got was a bit more ambiguous. This one looked less like a history document and more like Twilight's spell book, an odd medieval incantation symbol up on the front of it. Undertaker took that one and gave it to Nagisa. "And this one's for you, my boy." "For me?" "Take your time to look through them all ... OH, and one more thing." This one came from the sleeve of his own coat, coming out as a slip of paper, folded up in a small neat square, small enough to fit in between his two fingers, giving it to Nagisa specifically. Nagisa took a look to it and then back up to Undertaker, able to see his green eyes from the angle he was in. He honestly had some mixed feelings about this, and he went on to look at the paper given to him, unfolding it quick and giving it the once over. ... "... We better get this back," Nagisa concluded.
S06Ep8: A Bad Omen ~悪い予兆~Well that could've been worse, couldn't it? Sure, Ed and Winry REALLY needed to wash up after their visit to the Shinigami Realm, but other than that, the items they've gotten a hold of were VERY interesting to put it lightly. It may not be anything big compared to the info dump Kyoya had given them, or anything really involving Sombra for that matter, but when it came to their more personal issues, they hit quite a ball on it. Well, with that taken care of, and back home, they went on through school the next day with a bit more on their minds than just some simple work. As his classes went on, Nagisa continued on with everyone else, but today he was going just a little bit slower, his eyes glancing down to the odd book given to him by Undertaker, which he kept in his school bag next to him. It was mostly out of sight, but he could still see a little bit of it, and he was actually a bit antsy in when the class would end. He got his work done and from there it was a waiting game, his finger nervously tapping his desk as he was waiting for the next bell. "Come on, bell, ring already," Nagisa thought. Why is it whenever someone's wanting something to end time ticked slower? This sort of anticipation of course didn't go unnoticed by everyone in class, as the keen-eyed Gakushu Asano started to take mental notes. He already saw the odd book since he stepped into class, though since it was said classtime he didn't try any advances on him just yet about it. Same thing could be said for the rest of the big five, though they didn't notice it as quickly as their leader did. Nagisa could feel their gazes at him again, but he tried to ignore them this time. After all, getting this information to the others was a bit more important than worrying about other students. His eyes finally took a glance back, and he only saw Koyama looking to him. "Oh god, why him of all people?!" Nagisa thought, feeling more uncomfortable. Of all the people he could've seen and it happened to be the one with the most bothersome face. Hard enough to concentrate as it is. *ring!**ring!* "About time. Now to get to the others," Nagisa thought. Lunch time was a short time span, but just enough to get this extra info in to the rest of his friends. Nagisa moved a bit quickly, being the first to exit the classroom with all his items together, though admittedly he wasn't aware of exactly how much mental notes that the Big Five had done with him. ....... "Can't say I'm surprised. He is a reaper, after all," Ciel shrugged. It didn't take much time until Nagisa got back together with the others, them already pretty deep into conversation. Their trip in the Shinigami Realm surely got them all in attention after the mere mention of the place, Ed and Nagisa lucky to be back at all apparently. They've gone over quite a bit already with Winry and Ed's read through of their family's history, thanks to Undertaker's work and detail. And while Winry wasn't there with them, Ed sure had a lot to talk about, already going over how he even got the book at all. "Wow, look at all this! Undertaker's been a busy bee," Pinkie noted, skimming through all of the pages in said book. Ed had gone through the whole thing already with Alphonse before coming here so he didn't need to look it over twice. "Yeah. A part of me is glad I can figure out what my family was like ... but another part of me is disturbed." "What would one expect from Undertaker? That man's probably giggling his head off right now," Ciel noted, which was probably not far from the truth. "Speaking of, why'd he give these to you? Maybe there's something useful in here?" Aladdin wondered, skimming through the pages to see if there was something interesting worth while, though Ed himself wasn't too sure of it. "I've read that book up and down all day, I didn't see anything that could help us with Sombra if that's what you're trying to get," Ed answered, Aladdin looking the book every which way, even upside-down at a point, but not seeing too many clues within its pages. Guess Undertaker really did want to just give him some family know-how apparently. As they were dealing with that bit, Nagisa took his own time to check out the book in hand he was given, the others seeing this as a spell book with a twist. Many of the spells and tricks in here weren't exactly alchemy or basic magical enhancements like what Magi use. "What about your book? Is that giving us anything?" asked Karma. "Well, it might. Maybe you can learn some new spells," Nagisa said, showing the spells to Twilight specifically. He wasn't exactly the magic user here, so if anyone would make better use of this it would be Twilight. "But what kind of magic is this? I never heard of half of these, and they don't look like any Alchemy or whatever I've read already," Twilight wondered. Looking through one spell after another, many of these surely didn't look familiar to either of them. The spells showed various tricks that looked less like spells and more like natural traits or abilities (flying on aura, hypnosis, that sort of thing). Nagisa didn't go through too much of the book, so he wasn't sure how much was in this exactly. "We'll see if Korosensei can work it out," Nagisa concluded. A good answer, and an easy source of information on something like this. With them all looking in these books though, there was still one small folded up paper they didn't get to just yet, and Blair was willing to comply and pick it up. "What about this?" "Oh that. Uh, Ciel, that's for you," Nagisa answered. Ciel was a little intrigued on that response, considering where this piece came from. So, he went on to pick it up and opened it up fairly quickly to see what they got. Ed and Winry may have gotten their own specific book with their own brand of history to work with, but when Ciel saw this slip of paper, he was left stunned somewhat. The paper wasn't focusing on one individual, but the exact details on this sheet were of that for some sort of Occult group. It showed about several members being held in custody, an extra picture lower on the page showing one of them in what seemed to be an electric chair. A rather old method of execution but it got the point across all the same. These men all looked ... eerily familiar to him. Ciel looked to the date of said paper, and that was what seemingly confirmed what he was looking at here. "So. Someone else did the job for me. Perhaps it's just as well," Ciel groaned, tossing the paper over to Twilight nearby. "... Wait. W-We're these men the ones who -" "Tortured me? About right. And according to the date, it was shortly after I even bothered with Sebastian. Looks like that demon wanted to milk his role for all it's worth," Ciel sighed. He admittedly had some mixed emotions on this: on one hand he did technically get his revenge on this occult with what he was reading here, but on the other he didn't even know about it until now. "But I thought he was with you to get revenge on them." "So did I. I'll talk to Kyoya after school, he's sure to have an answer," Ciel sighed, as they went back to their lunch. Ciel didn't know anymore: he got Sebastian in order to get his revenge on everything, but apparently fate had the job done for him. Was there even a point in getting Sebastian now? Either way, they all had their own answers to take care of in some way, and after school would be a better time for it. They just needed to get through the rest of the day first, only a number of them actually eating their food. As they were doing that, Nagisa went on and looked through the book some more, more interested in that than the food. Eventually though, one particular trait caught his eye: Chrysalis's spell. The spell to drain one's magic to use as one's own. This one was about similarly detailed as the others, but there was actually a small note located off inside it. None of the others noticed the note really except for him, so he kept it with him for later ... ~~ So for the rest of the day, much of the group went on through the motions one way or another, and continued on wrapping up school before heading off to the E building. Ciel would have to go there anyway for the sake of his training course, so, honestly it worked out that way if he wanted to talk with Kyoya. However, that had to wait. He, along with Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, and Blair, went on over as well, seeing him practice with some of the E students. Or at least, he tried to, as he felt a bit more off than usual. Terasaka's Gang was also present for the training today, and most of them with the exception of Takuya, were joining in on the session. "Come on, keep your focus everyone! One two, one two, you got this!" Korosensei cheered. "Can't you shut up, you octopus?" Ciel thought. Compared to the gang working with him, he was pretty behind. "Oh, don't mind him, just focus on me," Kirara said, her own practice blade at the ready for him. It was mainly a tag-team effort today, and Ciel was partnered up with Kirara for this session. Ciel went at her again, but Kirara had a bit more practice than the young earl, and he found himself being beaten a good six times in under two minutes, stabbed in the chest or leg mainly. "Damn, Ciel's a bit off today. Out of practice, much?" Blair noted. "I wouldn't say so: he's rich. Being rich made him weaker than all of us in the physical aspect," Karma assumed, though this was mainly a tease. "That is a bloody lie!" Ciel shouted, leaving him open for another stab, that time aimed at his shoulder, close to the neck. "Come on, Ciel, you got it!" Twilight encouraged. Kirara backed up let Ciel recover a bit. Tired, Ciel staggered upright again, but they could tell that something was a little bit off with him. Something Nagisa started to notice first as he looked a bit more closely. "Hold on. Ciel, you feeling okay?" Nagisa asked, getting up and starting to head over. Ciel though didn't answer at first, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "Don't give me that, Nagisa, I'm alright," Ciel insisted. "Ciel, you look exhausted already. Come on, you sure?" Ciel was ready to respond, but something just felt ... wrong. A groan escaped him, as he felt his stomach. "... You know what, yeah. A small break will work," Ciel decided. Ciel started to go back with Nagisa, albeit a bit weakly, but before any of them knew it, Ciel suddenly stopped altogether. Whatever was going on with him, it took toll off him and he couldn't even balance right. Suddenly, he was on the ground, collapsed, on his knees as the others went over to him. Nagisa caught him before he could fall to the ground completely, but clearly something was wrong now. "C-Ciel!" gasped Nagisa. "Ciel, what's wrong?" Twilight added. Ciel suddenly began to look rather sickly, looking up to the others with a sort of dazed stare, more focused on the pain rather than the questions. His face was turning red, as if he suddenly got a cold, and he looked ready to pass out. Karma got to his level and tried to keep him awake with a few pats to the cheek, but that wasn't doing good either. "The hell happened? I didn't hit him that hard," Kirara said, going over to him. "Ciel, talk to me, what's the matter?" "I don't know, get it? ... I-It just started ... hurting," Ciel groaned, helped up to his feet by Nagisa and Twilight. This was completely out of left field for most of them, but Korosensei got his IQ to work. As he thought on it, a hypothesis began to come up in his mind. "Ciel. You didn't happen to eat the school's lunch, did you?" Admittedly a rather odd question. "Do I need to say it?" Ciel groaned, his stomach churning up a storm again, making him keel over in pain. Korosensei was beginning to see the picture, but as with any hypothesis, he needed to study up and know for sure. "Hold on, I'll be right back," Korosensei said, before jumping up high into the air and bolting off out of sight. ....... "Hinano! HINANO!" While Ciel may be having his own issues, Envy was having his own bit of problems too. He himself may have not ended up eating the poisoned food, but poor Hinano was stuck in bed, sickly from her own intake. At the point Envy was trying to give her a hand with this problem, whatever it was, but he was a bit freaked when he found her sleeping in bed. Lucky for him, Hinano did wake up, albeit a bit groggily, on Envy's words. "Envy? not to loud." "Don't fall asleep on me, Hinano please. What even happened to you?" Envy asked. Hinano thought it over. "I ... I don't know. I was just fine this morning," Hinano said, her voice quieter than usual. Envy had gotten her a cool towel for her head, as she had what felt like a fever for some reason. Envy couldn't really figure it out really, he didn't notice anything different from any other day that happened to any of them. As Envy tried to work out an answer, some form of shadow started to appear by the bedroom window. Upon looking, there was Korosensei, hovering just outside of the window and letting himself in. "Hinano!" gasped Korosensei. Hinano didn't react too much, too tired and with enough of a headache already. Korosensei though was getting more worried on seeing her like this. "What do you want?" Envy asked. Korosensei was in some doctor's get-up, and checking up on Hinano, a tentacle feeling her burning forehead. It was sad to see such a happy-go-lucky person so troubled like this. "You too? No, no, no, no, this is awful." "Too? Don't tell me other people are like this," Envy said. Suddenly Korosensei had a clipboard with a list of names shown to Envy. And it was quite a list, a good ten to twenty kids in similar circumstances. "All of these kids are suffering from the same ailments: weakness, fevers, nausea, there's no doubt about it: someone had poisoned the supply of food at Orora High," Korosensei concluded. Envy paused on the idea, letting the possibility sink in. He didn't have any of their food today, but Hinano he knew had, and yet he was all fine. Out of anger, his own hands snapped the spine of the clipboard in two, making Korosensei a little nervous. "Who the hell did this to Hinano?!" Envy demanded, going right to Korosensei. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me -" Envy suddenly had Korosensei by the tie, and pulled him down to his level so they were eye-to-eye, the fury in Envy's gaze impossible to ignore. "I'm not asking your apology, I'm asking who the hell did this!" Envy yelled. He would go further, but then Envy felt a gentle yet firm hand grab his other arm. "Don't be mad at him, Envy, please. ... It's not his fault," Hinano said meekly. Envy was still furious at whoever did this, but he did comply and released Korosensei of his tie. Pulled any harder and it would've became Korosensei's noose, the demon quickly getting it loose so he could breathe. "Sorry, Hinano. You've helped me so much already, I just don't want you to die on me," Envy said. "I know. I know," Hinano simply replied. Envy calmed down and looked over to the demon again. "I'll get the culprit figured out, Envy, I promise you that. Now, excuse me." Korosensei then opened the window and was off and on his way again. ....... It took the speed demon about half a minute before he eventually came back around, in that time zooming around not only the main school, but in numerous parts of Tokyo as well. He bolted here, there, and everywhere in a mad blur, before popping up back to the E building. His yellow head turned blue with worry after landing, almost shivering. "We got a situation," he stuttered. "We can see that," Ciel groaned. "No, not just you: I got it tested and the food from Orora High had been poisoned! Everyone who ate lunch at the school's stuck in bed sick, or worse!" Korosensei revealed. Well THAT was scary. "Poisoned? But how'd it happen?" gasped Yoshida. Korosensei then whipped out what looked like a note from his sleeve as his answered, which Karma caught. "I looked up and down the school, and I found this within the kitchen," Korosensei informed. The note itself wasn't too complicated, nor was it really hard to figure out the motivations behind it. All your kids are gonna die by tomorrow night. Unless you send over that blue-haired bastard, then you'll have a gravesite at your doorstep. Send her to the warehouse outside of the city, and come alone. "Ransom. Well Nagisa, you're on the block again," Karma noted. Nagisa took a look at the letter, but while "blue-haired bastard" might match him for a demons' eyes, the fact it wanted "her" to come made it questionable. If not a bit of a callback. "Wait a minute, it's not me." "What other blue-haired bastard do you know of?" Blair retorted. Nagisa looked back to the letter once again, thinking a bit hard on what it could really be. Funny thing though, the more he looked at the letter, the more his head started to hurt. *FLASH* Nagisa brought his hand to his head after the vision flashed in his mind. Future Sight must've got triggered again. "Now what's wrong? You didn't eat any of the food too, did you?" Korosensei asked, troubled. "No, no. My Future Sight started up again," Nagisa replied. "future sight? Well out with it, what'd you see?" asked Blair. Nagisa needed a minute to get himself together. "I got two: one at the warehouse, and another ... somewhere else. A fight's going to happen at the warehouse, but I couldn't tell who it was, or who's going to be there. The second one ... well, it showed a reflection off a knife, and someone's going to get killed. I saw the killer clearly, but ..." "And who's going to die?" asked Terasaka. Nagisa needed a minute. "M-My mother, actually." "It's a murder attempt." the group around looked over to Ciel, who while still looking ready to pass out, still had enough of a mind to know what this meant. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Whoever's after you is going to send you all off to this damn warehouse, and the killer's leaving you to that while he kills madam Shiota," Ciel concluded. The group looked around to eachother, and after a bit seemingly got the same idea. Well, all except for Nagisa, who they all ended up looking to. "What?" "We need to be in two places at once. We got that cure at the warehouse, and the killer wandering Tokyo, so all we have to do is split up. Nagisa, you go and protect your mom, we'll get the cure for the rest," Twilight decided. It was a rather quick move, but the plan was straightforward enough. Nagisa was feeling a bit torn again, either the life of his mother or the lives of countless kids at his school. His mind scrambled for the right answer. "Ok, let's see. Sure, there's a lot of lives at stake, b-but Hiromi she - ... no. No, she's still my mother. Even if she didn't do much for me. ... It wouldn't be right to leave her. ..." his thoughts came to the final conclusion. "Alright. Be careful you guys," Nagisa finally decided. "It's settled then: you get off home and arm up, we're heading off to the warehouse. Let's go kick some ass," Karma said. ....... As good as things were, Hiromi was still on the edge of things. Off back at home, unaware of the problems going on with everyone just yet, she had ... well, she honestly wasn't sure anymore on anything. Very stressed she was, as she tried to handle some dishes. In such a state of mind, she was at a point when any sound or negative comment could, and would set her off again. Her face may be red, but she didn't look as scary as she would normally be. I am not you. I'm me. I'm Nagisa. I'm very sorry but, I can take care of myself, mom. "... Then what am I supposed to do?" the question escaped her mouth without her realizing it, but it didn't matter. She had it all figured out, and she wanted it to go the way she intended the minute she would find her son. But, it almost felt like her world was turned upside-down. All of this, and she still wanted to believe that she had control. She had a reason to have Nagisa go her way - to fulfill the dreams she couldn't get herself. But now ... could she ever do that? "... Nagisa ..." *BAM* Hiromi almost jumped out of her skin on the sudden noise, and Nagisa was standing there. He was breathing a bit heavily when arriving "Is that you sweetie?" "Yes. Is Aladdin home yet?" Nagisa asked, sounding urgent himself. Hiromi didn't turn to him, and she simply pointed to the bedroom. She really didn't want anything else to think about right now. Nagisa nodded, and went on back to see the magi. All Hiromi did was stand there, keeping her gaze to the sink in front of her. She hadn't heard much out of Aladdin since he got home. "Aladdin, how're you feeling?" Nagisa asked through the door. "Nagisa?" a voice groaned. Nagisa opened the door, and there was Aladdin on the bed, laying on the bed, more tired than sick really, but the red on his head did suggest that the poison got to him too. "Oh no. Well, at least he made it home, I can watch him and mom until this whole thing's over," Nagisa thought, as he walked over to him. Aladdin looked to him, his face weak and red. Nagisa placed a hand on his head, feeling a fever good and hot. "You doing okay, buddy?" "... What happened?" Aladdin groaned. "Look, I'll tell you later. Just hold tight, ok?" Nagisa said, trying to comfort him. The others should be able to get the antidote, hopefully. And all the while, this was being overheard by Hiromi. She couldn't stand it. ~~ Just before dusk, and both sides of this coin were off and ready to go. Nagisa Shiota was in his position to take care of Hiromi and Aladdin, and everyone else was heading off from the E building to this Warehouse, as pre-mentioned by the ransom. The warehouse was very far from the E building, practically across Tokyo, which explained why they had to take so long to get there at all. The group was not at full strength, and only those from the E building training (except for Ciel of course), were there and ready to get this game started. If even half of what Nagisa said was true, then they couldn't leave anything to chance. The group were just one block away from reaching this warehouse, and it took them pretty far off to the outskirts of Tokyo. "Ok, this should be the place," Twilight noted. "You really think they'll have it?" Blair asked. "I don't know, maybe? We'll have to get in there, it's the best shot we have," Twilight answered. They began to hear a few sniffs next, and they came from Korosensei. "They're there alright: the notable chemicals emitting from that antidote is right inside. This nose can sniff it out anywhere," Korosensei said smugly. "K good. ... One question: Why the hell do you look like that?" Yoshida asked, looking down to Korosensei. Korosensei didn't look the same as before, but rather than some weak disguise or some human get-up, he instead looked like a small ball, the size of a basketball, with a see-through spear surrounding his smiling head. "Hold on, no one said any rules against basic self-defense! This coat of armor is impenetrable by any substance known to man - I'm invincible!" Korosensei retorted. "But you can't do anything like that," pointed out Twilight. Korosensei clammed up. "... I can be supportive." A groan escaped much of Terasaka's gang, but Karma found this fairly interesting. "Come on guys, it'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, we can use Korosensei as a distraction while we grab the goods," Karma noted, picking Korosensei up, tossing him up and down as if he was a baseball. "Hold on, I didn't take this form to be abused!" ""Well too bad, Korosensei." "Will you all quit bickering and come on? There's people who's lives are on the line remember?" Twilight reminded. Now was not the time to go into critique. Pretty soon, they all were lined up at front. The warehouse building itself was a gigantic one, even if it looked rather old. Wherever this cure was, then they had a bit to look through. They kept their distance at first, keeping themselves lined along the walls just by the warehouse door. Takuya, Blair, and Kirara were on the left, and Twilight, Kirara, and Terasaka were on the right, Karma aiming his sword at the door. Clearly they knew who was leading this charge. With a grin on his face, Karma swung his sword in an uppercut right between the doors, them all hearing a notable slice from the lock. Good call. Karma had the honors of opening the door, and the dim light gave them what look they could manage. With the dim light and no lights on in the warehouse, vision was pretty limited to say the least. They expected a full onslaught to meet them at the door, but after making themselves known, there was no response. "Well damn it. I was hoping for a fight on our hands the second we arrived at this place. Oh well," Karma sighed. As questionable as that was, the others moved on in, looking around. "Well, let's get started. Fan out, and try to figure out where this antidote is," Twilight instructed. "What're we even supposed to be looking for?" "I don't know, some case, or canister, something that can hold this antidote in it." "Leave it to me, children," Korosensei said smugly, "this nose of mine can sniff out that antidote in no time. Just leave it to me." Well, Korosensei had a use for them after all, as he sniffed around. The smell of cardboard, steel, and dust was the main scent he was picking up, but eventually the demon got the scent locked. "Aha! I got the scent! It's in a metal case within this warehouse, over on the third floor." "You got all of that just from smell?!" Blair gasped. Korosensei giggled. "Oh, you have no idea." "Can we get moving before we're all caught. Come on," Terasaka said, going on ahead with pistol in hand. And so they began to look around. Considering it was up on the third floor according to the demon in a bubble, their first task was to find the stairs to go up with. Twilight got some light with her magic with a flick of the wrist, the task far easier than to her training, and the purple hue illuminated plenty of the place a good ten feet around them as they went through, many of them armed to the teeth for this brawl that will supposedly happen. Much of the warehouse was stocked up, but no sign of any guards or demons anywhere yet. The purple hue flickered like a candle, giving a more haunting feel to the entire warehouse, at least from what they could see. "Hey, Koro, think you can sniff out any guards with that nose?" asked Yoshida. However, Korosensei didn't have to: the main door slammed close behind them. Immediately Terasaka and Kirara shot right at the source, and they all began to hear hissing, good and loud. None of the shots sounded like it made any hits, or if it did, the creature wasn't fazed. "Slaughter them!" shouted a voice. It didn't take very long until the onslaught started. These demons were smaller, more like shadowy animals if anything, and in the dim light they were moving very fast. The group began to rain bullets practically everywhere. Twilight and Blair got a few magical spells to work and was as efficient with them as the group was with their pistols. If anyone was outside the building, flashes and gunshots could easily be heard outside. ... And just after a minute, the attack stopped. Just like that. Ringing of gunshots and magical blasts were still echoing in their heads by the time they were done, and many of the demons were down on the ground, dead. "Well, that didn't take long," Karma noted, cleaning his sword of the demonic blood. "If that's all they got then this shouldn't be long at all," Blair added. "Oh, do you think so?~" Spoke too soon. Sure much of these demons were handled, but when they heard that voice, they all got armed up again. For some, the voice was eerily familiar in tone. It didn't come in a form of a figure, but something was then tossed down to them from the darkness of the warehouse. *BOOM* In a sudden blast, the already dim room suddenly filled up with smoke. Whatever light Twilight could use was almost useless here. Ironically though, the lights in the warehouse suddenly turned on, but with so much fog and smoke from the blast it was almost blinding at first. "Damn it! Who's there?!" Terasaka demanded. It took a little bit, but eventually they began to hear something start to come out of the fog. It looked like a human at first, but when they saw the full figure it was anything but: dark skin, arms and legs having holes in them to reveal flesh, with eyes much like insects. Karma quickly went at him with his sword, only barely able to get a cut into him. The fog cleared up after a bit, and ... "Oh, screw this." Well, what was shown next was jarring to put it lightly. They saw many other figures everywhere, but they didn't match the first one at all. Terasakas, Kiraras, Yoshidas, Takuyas, Blairs, Twilights, Karmas, so many copies were all over the place! The first one they saw smirked, and suddenly it was another copy of Twilight after a quick body alteration. A perfect match, and same thing could be said for everyone else. "What the hell?!" Takuya said. "Changelings. Everyone, stay as close to eachother as you can! Don't get lost in the crowd!" Korosensei instructed. The Changelings weren't going to give them that time however, and the group of twenty were already rushing at them in a frenzy! With the light blinding them with the fading fog, keeping together was a lot harder than it sounded, and Kirara, Blair and Twilight were quickly yanked out of the crowd! "So much for that," Karma sighed. This wasn't any good. ... It took only a minute before the warehouse became a warzone of humans and Changelings. Sure, fighting off demons was no big deal, but the problem here was who was actually who. At least the warm-up fight was straightforward, much of the group now had to worry about who the hell was who, and try not to kill their friends in the process of it all. Copies of them were scattered everywhere, and it was impossible to tell on who was actually where, or who to actually attack. During the fight, Yoshida took focus on three moving in on him. Kirara seemingly had a similar issue and both backed up into eachother. Yoshida wasn't too bothered ... until Kirara turned around and hissed in his face! "Ok, this is getting weird!" Yoshida said, seeing the Changeling lash out its lizard tongue at him and attempt to bite his throat. Yoshida got pinned down as the others closed in, but this Kirara Changeling got blasted right in the face by Twilight's magic beam, along with the others closing in on him, slamming them into the metal shelves. Yoshida felt grateful but Twilight levitated him, bringing him over and ready to blast him. "You're mine!" Twilight shouted. "Hold it, wait! Real me! Real me!" Yoshida shouted, just in time before she could hit him. Twilight placed him down on the ground. Good save. Meanwhile, Blair and Takuya were having their own problems. They got to handling a few other changelings in this mix, hopefully none of them really their own. Takuya looked a bit scratched up already but still going as strong as he could manage. Blair and Takuya kept close to make sure they didn't confuse eachother. "This is balls, we keep this up the others will be dead before we even get back," Blair groaned, before kicking a Changeling in the face. "Well got any ideas to make this faster? I'm all ears," Takuya replied. During the scuffle, four other Changelings moved in on them, two Takuyas and two Blairs. "Damnit, we can't keep wasting time. ... Takuya, go with me," Blair instructed. Before Takuya could ask what, Blair was suddenly on top of him, trying to beat him to a pulp! Takuya, taken aback, tried to fight back himself, and the other changelings moved away. With such a scuffle, who could really say on who was who? Soon as they left, Blair stopped. "Warning next time, I would've killed you," Takuya said, as he got off the ground. "Don't you get it, that's what they want us to do," Blair answered. And soon as she said that, four Terasakas were suddenly there, all angry, and ready to tear them to shreds. Takuya and Blair readied to attack them, but suddenly one of them smirked, and clobbered the other three, sending them flying with a wall aimed whack of the arm in a single swing. Clear one of them was real if they were gonna do that. Terasaka got them both up and kept them with him as they went back to the onslaught. With all this going on, one of them took the opportunity to save them some time and actually tried to focus more on finding the stairs than actually fighting: Karma and Korosensei. Ironic, really, but he knew what they were up to the moment he saw them form. With him keeping himself out in isolation, he won't hurt any of his friends, and they can't hurt him either. He kept Korosensei with him, who was a bit more troubled about what Karma was about to do. "Eh, Karma, shouldn't you tell them about this? I-It's kinda risky, and you might kill everyone," Korosensei shuttered, but Karma didn't hesitate. "Quite wining. Those demons will have us running in circles by the time everyone keels over. Besides, I've always wanted to try a domino effect," Karma said with his signature smile. With the position of many of the Changelings and the shelves of materials, Karma already got his plan in action. And all he had to do was get his sword lined up with the first shelf's legs just right enough. He placed Korosensei down to give him a front row seat to the results. Not that he could do much anyway given his situation. With Korosensei placed, Karma got his sword and got to work. The plan itself was simple enough, and considering many of these items looked easily over a ton, this shouldn't take too long. Korosensei could only watch as Karma went to the first line-up, and his sword sliced the legs right at the bottom. He raced along the front as fast as he could, his sword making a clean cut all the way through. In the fight, none of them really took notice of it (Good thing for him). *creeeeek* The sound of straining metal was what got their attention. "HIT THE DECK!" shouted Terasaka. Much of the group just managed to get out of their in time, but the Changelings were just a little too slow. In screeches of shock, the Changeling horde was crushed under tons of metal and crates, and with the first part falling, it slammed into the other, and as Karma said, did a sort of domino effect. The crash rang in their ears as the dust cleared, revealing a row of about four to five metal shelves now on the ground, blood splattered on the ground under the debris. When it all cleared up, much of the group was alright ... at least Korosensei hoped it was them and not some look-alikes. "The hell man?! You could've killed all of us!" Terasaka shouted. Karma went back to Korosensei and picked him up. "Ok, Teach, think you can pick out who's who in this crowd?" "You wait until AFTER to ask that?!" Korosensei yelled. "Can't believe you didn't work it out yet. Nagisa said that only one person was going to die, if anyone, and that would be his mom. His future sight didn't say a thing about any of us except the fact we'll be in a fight, and hey look, we just finished," Karma said, finishing his statement with his other hand extended out to present the carnage left behind. Korosensei did see only one of each person left standing and out of the heap as Karma finished with "So, who do you think they are?" "... And here I thought I'm teaching you." Korosensei simply replied. Karma couldn't help but laugh it up as the others went over to him. "If you're going to nearly kill all of us, how about a warning next time?" Twilight advised. "Why? It's more fun being spontaneous. Besides, it got rid of that horde, didn't it?" "True. Come on, that cure's gotta be up there somewhere." ~~ As things were looking up for Twilight's group, Nagisa's side of the coin was a bit too meh. Not a thing happened yet, but Nagisa needed to keep himself a bit alert here. While his future sight didn't tell him any exact time this would happen, if Ciel's words were anything to go by, then it would be happening soon. A bit too soon for him though. The city streets were a bit quiet that night, and while most would be off asleep at this point, one particular person was ... looming. Waiting. Keeping just off and out of the way dangerously close to the apartment where Nagisa was living. He kept his gaze locked off to said building, though he was a bit trigger-happy on just going in and causing mayhem. Or at least try and get whatever he had to done before it could get away from him. He placed his post over on instruction, hidden off in an alleyway about a block down. His fingers gripped the wall, as if trying to dig into them and crumble it up, before he began to see sight of someone further down, just exiting the apartment in question. But it wasn't Nagisa leaving, but instead Hiromi, and she just ... well, she didn't know what to think anymore. She simply kept quiet as she left, and possibly Nagisa might've not known she had left at all considering she came out alone. Her mind was fogged up, confused, and unsure how to take any of this really. And with confusion came stress, and at this point she was pretty high up there. "Is that her? ... No. She didn't look like that. ... You better be damn right about this ..." the figure slipped off out of sight as Hiromi slowly started to move on closer and closer to his position. Step by step she went, her gaze down to her feet. And soon, she was in striking distance. And then he got her: in a grab, Hiromi was caught in his strong grip, grabbed immediately and yanked out of the street! Hiromi, in such a state of mind, didn't realize until too late what just happened, and did what any sensible person would do: scream. Especially when she took a look at this man's face. A look of a man who lost his mind, his eyes staring passed her with a sadistic-looking grin edging his face. It didn't help that what looked like claw marks edged his cheeks, almost like downward stripes. He looked simply terrifying, a horror of a man. Hiromi tried to get away from him, but this man was not letting her get away so easily. "That's it, keep screaming, she'll come to me." he thought, but Hiromi was ready to snap at this point. So much trouble and now some mugger was taking her hostage! Lucky for her, her screams did not go unheard. "Mom! Where're you?!" Nagisa! Hearing his mother, Nagisa didn't hesitate to come out and see what was going on. But oddly, the man didn't feel too worried, and in fact moved out into view. He made his presence known by throwing Hiromi aside, tossing her into the street. She did her purpose, and when this man saw Nagisa, he was sure pleased. Nagisa was slightly taken aback by this opposing human, the man towering over him and in his prime, far more than what he used to be. One look told Nagisa that this was the moment he was waiting for. "There you are," the man hissed. "So. You're the one who poisoned everyone?" Nagisa asked, trying to keep his nerves together. "Yeah, so what? It got you here, just like I wanted you to, bitch," he said, cracking his knuckles and ready for a fight. Nagisa was ready for a fight himself, his Halo Blade at the ready. This amused the man. "Say what you want, your plan isn't going to work." "It already worked! I poisoned your friends and look who's here. You're all mine Niji." ... huh? "Wait ... Niji? Who?" That got the man more upset, him moving forward fast and almost killing Nagisa on the spot! Of course Nagisa jumped back, stopping ten feet away after a few hops. "DON'T SCREW WITH ME! You clobbered me - you ruined me! I was at the top of the military defense force, and they all mocked me, humiliated me, BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID! YOU E-CLASS BASTARD!" He bellowed. Nagisa knew he wasn't the target, but this man should know the difference ... right? "E class? What's he talking about ... they did keep talking about this Tataoka instructor. Is this him?" Nagisa thought. Though even if he said it aloud, it didn't matter much since he looked simply crazed as it is. Tataoka in the flesh, and he was in no mood to screw around anymore. "I'm not letting you get away from me, and this time I'm making sure you're dead." And with that statement, Tataoka charged forward and attacked with all his strength. For such a large imposing man, he sure moved fast, and the first kick almost got to Nagisa. Nagisa jumped to the side and with no option but to fight, he whacked Tataoka in the chest. It was enough to knock him back, but only a little bit. He didn't want to fight a fellow human, but Tataoka begged to differ and rushed at him with blind rage filling his gaze. Hiromi got herself picked up, her own face red, but she felt more torn than ever when she saw Nagisa fighting. And Nagisa was holding his own surprisingly well, hitting Tataoka more than he was hitting him thanks to his agility. Hiromi managed to find her feet, and seeing Nagisa hold his own this way just hammered in the fact further. This fight was heard throughout the place, and then Hiromi began to hear someone else come out not too far away. Aladdin! Despite being sick, he can't stand by and watch this happen. "I'm coming!" Aladdin called, trying to focus as best he could do for a Gyro Ball. It was a bit harder, and he only got a attack the size of a tennis ball, and the explosion barely did much, more like a smoke bomb than anything. Nagisa looked over to Aladdin, but Tataoka saw his chance, and slammed him into the dirt. The Gyro Ball left a bit of a mark on him, but Tataoka brushed it off. "Nagisa!" Aladdin gasped. He tried getting over to him, and Tataoka grabbed Nagisa by the leg and swung him as the Magi like a mace, sending Aladdin flying off to the ground nearby Hiromi. Tataoka didn't care for him, and seeing Hiromi gave him an idea. "You! Finish him off and I'll let you live!" Tataoka demanded. Hiromi froze up in place for a minute, her breath heavy and her eyes glued down to Aladdin. She could feel her rage build inside her, and Aladdin was worried that she was going to unleash it on him, but her mind was focused on somewhere else. Nagisa Shiota, her own son and only child, pinned down and unable to move underneath Tataoka, who looked more than ready to slaughter him. Regardless if he was Niji or not. Hiromi strained in her breath, her own look ready to kill, before she turned to Tataoka. She had broke. "GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF MY KID!!!" And with that roar, she jumped right at Tataoka, her hands clamped down hard on his head, and forcing him off of her child. Hiromi had finally broke, and the break from that got Nagisa up to his own feet, just to see Hiromi pummel Tataoka in the face, one punch after the other and going all out on him. Tataoka whacked Hiromi off of him with ease, a bit stunned but now ticked off. "THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" shouted Hiromi. "I'LL DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT, BITCH, NOW MOVE!" Tataoka roared, before clocking her in the side of her head, sending her head over heels before slamming into the concrete. Nagisa felt stunned himself on seeing her do this, but he had bigger problems to worry about, as Tataoka began to run right to Aladdin! Nagisa got in the way, knife at the ready, but that didn't slow him down. "You! You're mine, Niji!" Tataoka shrieked. Before he could reach him, Hiromi was up again, and actually caught up, knocking him off balance. "Damn you, bitch," growled Tataoka. "I'M NOT WATCHING YOU KILL MY KID, BASTARD!" Hiromi shrieked, landing a fist right into Tataoka's face. The hit was so hard, and so forcefully that they heard a notable crack, Tataoka's nose getting broken, and blood coming out shortly after. Tataoka no longer cared, and kicked Hiromi off. Now he was as pissed off as Hiromi was. "I don't give a shit about your opinion, I'M IN CHARGE HERE, YOU DO AS I SAY, AND YOU'LL SEE THINGS MY WAY!!" Hiromi got grabbed in the head, and with a mighty swing, sent Hiromi flying into the air a good five feet up before slamming to the ground, stunned and bleeding from her head. The madman looked to Nagisa and Aladdin, his nose blood red and almost looking dented. but with his mad smile, he didn't care at all. "Goodnight, Niji," Tataoka hissed. He was ready to charge, just for Hiromi to jump onto his back, and grab him by the neck, gripping tight. Tataoka choked in pain, her nails digging into his skin like claws. Hiromi was bloody in the head herself, but she was not giving up, not by a longshot. "YOU BITCH, LET GO OF ME!" Tataoka choked. Tataoka tried to make her let go of him, but her legs were wrapped around him so just yanking her off wasn't going to happen. He had enough: Tataoka jumped backwards, and slammed Hiromi into the wall. It was just enough to get her off, and the hit was enough to make her cough up blood. Her grip left Tataoka gasping a little, bit he recovered first. "Mom! Aladdin, get to her, I'll handle Tataoka," Nagisa ordered. Tataoka readied to fight, but Nagisa met him first and whacked him aside with both his feet hitting his head in a single thrust, sending him to the ground. Aladdin skidded to a stop over by Hiromi, stunned and hurting. "NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU WIN AGAIN!" Tataoka roared. "My name is Nagisa Shiota, and I don't care who you think I am. No one attacks my family," Nagisa said, his foot on his throat. That seemed to be the weakpoint, and only weakpoint, and Tataoka was tired of choking. His arms gripped Nagisa by the leg, and swung him off good and hard. Nagisa though landed on his feet, in time to see the enraged man run at him again. Tataoka was fast with his own punches and swings, but Nagisa just kept himself out of his reach. Hiromi came to, and Aladdin stayed close. N-Nagisa," Hiromi managed to say. "No, stay down, it'll be fine," Aladdin said, trying not to let her go. However, when she saw Nagisa fighting Tataoka again, she spurred back to life, but not before shoving Aladdin aside. The magi jumped to get her, but Hiromi was already running at Tataoka. Nagisa noticed her first, but Tataoka suddenly found two fingers jabbed into his eyes! This was worse than getting his nose broken, and Tataoka keeled backwards. Now with no nose, and with two black eyes, Tataoka had enough of both of these humans making a fool out of him. Hiromi got grabbed in her sides, and with only one grip on his face, Tataoka pried her off of him before throwing her at Nagisa, sending them both to the ground. Tataoka, with both eyes red and bleeding, stared down to both targets. It was bad enough being shown up by Niji, and then get fired by Gakuho, but he will NOT get shown up three times. In a battle cry, Tataoka got his arm for the finishing blow. And Hiromi threw Nagisa aside. "NO!" Tataoka got his fist right into Hiromi, slamming her down into the road so hard the concrete cracked like glass! Hiromi was not going to get back up after that hit, and Hiromi simply laid there in the road, a small pool of blood now under her head. Nagisa froze on seeing his mother collapse in such a heap, and Tataoka turned to Nagisa, his fist cracking as he readied for another go. His fist was bloody from both Hiromi and his own, and this powerhouse moved right over to Nagisa. "Your turn, you bastard. I WILL NOT BE SHOWN UP." What happened next ... well, it was such a quick blur. Tataoka was above Nagisa, his arm ready to finish Nagisa off the same as his mother, and Nagisa ducked to avoid it. but after that, Tataoka saw his reflection in a silver blade that suddenly sliced in an uppercut. It was inches from his face, and any close would've got his neck cut open, so he had to step back. He felt something grab his shirt and weighed him down, making him collapse to the ground. Tataoka would react again, but something wasn't right: he didn't find his target in front of him, but the target was suddenly behind him, and he froze up. A hand got over his eyes, and another held a knife at his throat. The viper had struck. And not a moment too soon. Nagisa turned over to Aladdin. "Aladdin? I know you don't feel well, but please tell the others what happened. They're at the warehouse in the northern outskirts of Tokyo, think you can do that?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin needed a minute to get himself together, worn out already, but that objective was straightforward enough. Getting his turban into a flying carpet, he went off on his way, leaving Nagisa with Tataoka. Help will come. Hopefully in time.
S06Ep9: Make Me Fly Again ~私をもう一度飛ばす~"I guess I should be thankful it didn't get any worse than this. Tataoka had been given a life sentence behind bars now, which was probably for the best for both us and him. My friends too: they're alright after everything and got that antidote around to everyone. They should be better by now ... I hope mom's okay. Please be alright." With these thoughts in play, pacing back and forth, unable to stay still, Nagisa Shiota found himself over in the hospital, his mother in emergency care for what happened to her the night prior. He wasn't alone here, joined in waiting with Aladdin and Twilight. Aladdin still looked a little under the weather, but a lot better than what he was last night. As he continued to pace around, eventually the doctor came in to see them. "Well?" "Well ... her skull's suffering a fracture. And had torn multiple muscles. ... But I think she'll pull through. She'll need to stay in emergency care upwards of two weeks at most though, just to be sure nothing else develops," the doctor explained. Not the best news he heard, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. It may not go exactly how his future sight had brought it out to be, but that didn't mean Hiromi would go out the exact same way. "Can we see her, or no?" Aladdin asked. "Unlikely. she's been out of the operating room no more than two hours, so -" before the doctor could finish, another one went up to him and tapped his shoulder. The two did some quick talk before the first one looked to them. "... Well, in that case, follow me." It took a little bit, but Nagisa, Twilight, and Aladdin were then brought to one of the other rooms for the patients. Hiromi was laying on bed, bandaged up around her head mostly when compared to the rest of her body. Nagisa didn't want to admit it but he expected some sort of severe head injury after seeing her being slammed into the ground like that. Hiromi herself looked a lot more relaxed as she rested, something a bit rare for Nagisa to actually see. Aladdin and Twilight stood off by the wall next to the bed, as Nagisa moved over to his mother. "Nagisa ..." "Hello, mom. How're you feeling?" Nagisa asked. Hiromi sighed, her arm gently touching her head. She cringed slightly, as even if relaxed it was still a bit sensitive. "Tired. ... My head still hurts ..." "I can guess. ... Mom, I -" "Wait," Hiromi said, cutting Nagisa off. Hiromi did have something to say to him, and Nagisa waited for what she had in mind. Was she mad at him for this? It didn't look that way. "Nagisa. ... All my life I've tried to emulate what I couldn't do onto you. I thought that ... in some way, I could feel successful when seeing you succeed where I fail ... but look at you now. You're in the best schools in Japan, you're friends with Seitenshi herself, and after last night you can easily take care of yourself. Who am I kidding, you're doing far better than I ever could have you be. Maybe it is time for you to grow up on your own without me controlling it. ... I'm sorry." Hiromi waited for what Nagisa had to say, Nagisa himself quiet as he worked out what to say to her. Aladdin and Twilight glanced over to eachother, as Nagisa got himself together, smiling to Hiromi. "... I'm just glad you're alive," Nagisa said, gently holding her hand in his. Hiromi was quiet, but smiled herself. After what happened, and how much he had gone through he was still smiling. Twilight and Aladdin couldn't help but smile themselves on seeing this gesture. Sure Hiromi would need more time yet, but they were on the right track. "We're very sorry you got caught up in this. If it makes you feel better, they have Tataoka in custody," Aladdin said. Hiromi may be glad for that but this girl didn't feel to satisfied. "Oh no. If even half of that video's true, then some demon must've got into it. Maybe something with groveling involved," Hiromi said, getting a but upset over it, and how much they were trying to kill her son. Before this could continue though, all of a sudden, a gust of wind went on by. Suddenly, the hospital room was completely covered up with all sort of gift baskets, mainly one of all sorts of flowers and beautiful plants, some with banners reading "get well soon" on them. To say Hiromi was a bit confused was sugarcoating. "What the? Am I seeing things, or does this room look like a florist all of a sudden?" Hiromi wondered. Nagisa could feel his demonic sixth sense go off, and soon someone else hopped down into sight, wearing a headband reading "apology" in kanji on it. "Ms. Shiota, please accept my dearest apologies!" the figure pleaded, on his hands and knees and shaking in worry. Korosensei arrived, and apparently he heard what Hiromi had said, the women a little bit speechless on how to react to this. "Uh, I uh -" "I can't tell you how sorry I am , good madam, my kind had given you nothing but a world of trouble, I BEG YOUR FORGIVENESS!" Korosensei yelled in plea. Hiromi shuttered on this sudden jump at her, but seeing the others more calm in the face of him told her that this may not be the first time this had happened. At least something as random as this. "Um ... should I even uh ..." "Don't bother," Twilight and Nagisa replied. ....... "Where is he? ... Where is he?" Too bad it couldn't be the same thing said for Ciel. He got over his sickness same as everyone else, but this was more of a distraction for him going through. He still had questions, and he was getting answers from the one source he knew damn well would give it to him. So, with that in mind, he went right off to the E building, where he knew he would be at by this time, and Ciel wasted no time in going up to said building. He opened up the door, and looking into the room, Kyoya was there and present, cleaning up the chalkboard from his prior lessons. "Ah, Phantomhive. A bit early for class, but if you wanted some early training, I could fill in some time." "Stop your stupid blabbering," Ciel said coldly. Kyoya was taken aback by this but Ciel was not there for some small talk. When he had a goal in mind, he wasn't going to waste any time with it, and soon after he got his attention, Ciel pulled out the similar article he had received from Nagisa after their visit to the Shinigami Realm. Ciel made sure to hold it out so Kyoya could read it. "Sebastian. Or Kyoya, or whatever you want to call yourself. Mind explaining me what you know about this?" Ciel questioned. Kyoya paused and looked to the paper in question, adjusting his glasses. "I believe this cult was the Tartarus group. A rather secretive and -" "Not that," Ciel cut in. "You offered me a way out for the price of my soul to get my revenge on these men for what they did to me and my family. ... but wait, this date seems to note how they were taken into custody after you made the deal. Something you're not telling me? We know I hate being lied to." Kyoya waited a minute or so, thinking about where this conversation would be going. Regardless on what he would be calling himself now, he gave the young earl a smile, giving the paper back to him. "And who gave you this?" "Nagisa Shiota. Who in turn got it from Undertaker." "So I see. Well, someone as smart as you was bound to figure it out eventually." "Don't try and butter me up, it won't get you anywhere. Now care to explain what this deal was even about? By all the rules, you just made a deal over nothing." "Who said there was nothing to gain?" Kyoya questioned, walking passed the earl, and leaning against the frame of the door. "I would be given your soul, and you would be given my service. Fair trade, no?" "But you would've never completed the deal. That, and we all saw what happened to you when you did eat my soul without completing the contract," Ciel pointed out. Kyoya licked his lips for a brief moment. "Indeed. That aside, how does it feel living as a Soulless now? I'd imagine walking around as an empty husk would feel a little uncomfortable for you," Kyoya inquired. Ciel placed a hand over his chest, still remembering the syringe being plunged into him and his soul being sucked out in front of him. "Not much worse than what I've been through already. And anyway, I was gonna ask you the same question. Must be a bit troubling for a demon to be turned into a human," Ciel inquired. Kyoya took a moment himself, feeling the constant heartbeat now going on inside him, something Sebastian really didn't feel much of, if at all, before the Campania. "Well, it's a different experience. I've grown far weaker than Sebastian was, my heart beating constantly something to get used to, not to mention my daily requirements as a human being such as hunger, thirst, rest, things my past life never had to handle as much of. ... Except for hunger, of course." "I'd like to ask one more thing. You knew that if they were to be killed by someone else, the contract would never be completed, yet after seeing this happen, you never informed me, and allowed me to live for the next few years thinking they would still be out there, and have a reason to give my soul to you once this was supposedly over. ... Tell me then; why go through all that trouble if it was for nothing? I find it hard to believe a demon like you would go through all that trouble for nothing whatsoever." Kyoya stayed quiet at first, before he turned and looked off outside. "You think your soul's the only thing I wanted, my lord?" Ciel found the question a bit confusing, though it was the first time in some time that Kyoya referred to him as his lord, so he allowed him to continue. "As you can well imagine, living for hundreds of years can make one's life so ... monotone. It's the same process all the time: I lend a contract to some human, handle whatever they wanted me to do, have their soul, rinse and repeat. Even a demon can becomes depressed at such a rate, and I needed some ... diversity to my existence." "Oh please, that can't be the only thing. Surely even a depressed demon wouldn't have the nonsense to kill himself," Ciel groaned. He worked with him for a long time and something like that can't be it could it? "True ... if there was nothing to gain, that is." "And what could you possibly gain from dying other than an early grave? I expect that nonsense from Grell, not you." "Oh my, you didn't figure it out yet? And seeing you put two and two together right away with Nagisa's future sight worked wonders." "Answer the question and quit stalling on me," Ciel firmly demanded. He hated nothing more than a cheeky demon, or a cheeky demon turned human. "First of all, I'm no longer having to follow some poor creature as a servant, and I can decide what I can do with my existence without being under someone's debt. And secondly, many demons and angels wonder, at least once, how it would feel to become a human. And that thought came across my mind after sometime working with you," Kyoya explained, glancing back to Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive found this a little bit silly to think about. "So to sum it up: you went on as my servant, knowing damn well that the people I was after were already dead, and decided to throw your life away on the Campania just because you were curious as much as bored? Then what's the point on taking my soul away?" Kyoya smiled. "Well a demon isn't born with a soul, I needed something to use for Aleistor to work his own brand of regeneration. Besides ... I wanted one last meal before I left." Ciel was mad, but then again, what did he expect from a demon like Sebastian anyway? He knew what he was getting into when signing the contract with him when it all started, though he at least had some satisfaction from it, or he thought he did. Ciel took a moment and looked to the paper, before he crumbled it into a ball and tossing it over his shoulder, it landing on the ground by the front desk. "How about you clean that up?" Ciel asked, before he began to walk away. Kyoya didn't feel much intimidated by him, and simply did as he was instructed, picking it up and putting it in the rubbish bin. "Oh, before you leave, perhaps I should say some more news." "And what's that? Your yarn just now wasn't enough for a mitten." Kyoya couldn't help but giggle at the pun. "Oh, not much. Heine Wittgenstein just gave me a letter yesterday. He's arriving back in due time, and he's bringing a friend." "A friend?" questioned Ciel. Kyoya took his time to get his letter out, and giving it to the young earl. The notification was a bit small, and to the point. Arriving back shortly. I found him, and he's coming back with us. Meet us by the Tokyo shrine. Heine. ~~ The note may be short, but if memory served on what Aladdin had told them already, then this was a fairly big thing to consider for much of Team Harmony, not to mention the Overworld as a whole. This was a ruler, gone for who knows how long, and now Heine was finally coming on back with him. Or hopefully it was him. For Ciel, he made sure this message was brought around fairly quickly, and soon enough the team was brought on back together for the supposed meeting, all meeting up at the shrine in question. They knew one main shrine, and got there later on. It was mainly the group there and not much else, so if secrecy was what they were going for, then they got it. "Somehow I figured it would be at the shrine," Karma commented. "So did he say when exactly he'll be here?" Aladdin asked. "The letter didn't specify much of anything. The only instruction was to wait here, and not much else," Ciel replied. "Oh, hope it's soon," Aladdin then replied, hands together and looking up to the sky. If they were going to appear anywhere, it would be up in the air. Maybe. Well, they'll find out when they get there, would they? Nagisa looked up too, quiet. "Aladdin said Heine was looking for Lugia when they split up," he thought. "So if he's coming back, then ..." Much of the group admittedly got the same idea going. Lugia. Much of the group (Twilight and Nagisa as the exception of course), had only met him once, and even then the leading Overworld lord refused to tell them much of anything on where he even was. Far as they were concerned, they were lucky enough to find him at all, even if it was accidental. The anticipation was around everyone for a while. "Can anyone see him?" Alphonse asked, only able to see clouds up in the sky. Blair, as a cat, hopped up onto Al's head to get a view herself, her paw over her eyes to get the best view she could manage. At first it all just appeared like blue sky and clouds, a few pidoves flying by them as they tried to see any sign of them. "See a bunch of birds," Blair said. They took a look over up at the flock, but one of the birds looked a bit slower. And WAY farther away. "Hold on ... There they are," Ciel concluded. Took a bit for them to fully conclude, but that one "pidove" amongst the flock turned out to be the Pidgeot Heine had on him, and seeing the shrine down below was a signal for the bird to come on down. Its wings spread open and talons ready to land, the mighty bird landed down with a strong, yet gentle touch of the floor. The blowback was a bit strong thanks to the wings, but pretty fine overall. Sure a sight for sore eyes to see this bird, and for that matter Heine coming off of it. Aladdin was the first to go up to his teacher. "Heine!" Aladdin gasped, hugging his teacher with a smile on his face. Oh, it'd been too long since he last saw Heine, and the teacher smiled himself, taking note of much of Team Harmony there as well. Been a while since he had seen any of them here. "Good to see you all. Nothing bad happened I hope," Heine stated. "Eh ... we wouldn't say that," Twilight admitted. Kinda hard to ignore their Abaddon imprisonment, really. Course there was time to explain everything to him later on. And then they saw Heine's passenger ... Lugia himself. Still sitting up on the bird, and only then looking to Team Harmony. Seeing Lugia alright after everything was a good thing to see, especially for Nagisa and Twilight. It sure felt different seeing him in the flesh compared to the dreamscape, and Lugia got off the bird to properly meet the full group. Lugia didn't look too different from his dream counterpart, him standing just at Alphonse's shoulder height. Much of them felt great on seeing him, and when Winry saw him she looked extremely amazed. "L... L ... L-Lugia? The Lugia?" Winry managed to say, her hands over her mouth in pure shock on seeing him. Lugia expected such, all things considered. "Very pleasant. Good to see you all are here," Lugia stated. "Good to see you too, Lugia. sure been a while, hasn't it?" Nagisa replied with a smile of his own. With him disappearing for the longest time, it was good seeing him okay. Same thing could be said for the others amongst the group. "You met him already?" asked Winry. "We all met him once already, long before you showed up," Ciel noted. Not the nicest way of putting it, but still true in the case of Nagisa at least. The others took time to see if Lugia was truly alright, but despite looking a little bit down himself, he was alright. "Still the same as always, I see. I'm grateful to see you're still here after so much," Lugia said, calm and collected as usual. "More or less. Though, you probably know about what happened lately, don't you?" Ciel figured. Lugia glanced away gravely. "Yes. I'm sorry about Sebastian," Lugia responded. With the conversation with Kyoya earlier however, Ciel could give less about it now, though he didn't say much of it out loud. "Anyway, Lugia, now that you're here, you can now help us like you wanted to. No reason to hide anymore," Karma pointed out. "Yeah, and won't the Overworld be psyched to see you again?" added Pinkie. Lugia had to draw a line there however. "I may be here, but -" "Stop. Can't you at least show the Overworld you're not dead? Have some decency for that," Ciel suddenly cut in. He remembered their last chat with Lugia, and it really didn't go as well as they hoped, so he was not going to have any of it. Heine though found it a bit of a surprise, and got a pointer out, hitting Ciel in the head. "Show some respect," Heine said sternly. "Don't start that, if he is here -" "Everyone, please! Don't start a fight amongst eachother," Lugia cut in. He was gone for long enough, he didn't need a fight triggered right away just because he was there. "... Yes, I'll go to Elysium. I think I've worried them all for long enough with everything," Lugia concluded. Heine and Winry both were glad he agreed, but a bit perplexed with taking this kind of treatment. Then again, they have met before so maybe it was something they shouldn't question too much on. "Alrighty then, let's get going. Up up," Pinkie said, referring to the bird. "My bird can't lift everyone up at once. If we're going back, then I'll get the royal carriage for us. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to see him," Heine figured. It was something good to hear, but Nagisa looked over to the Lugia and he began to look a little concerned. And so did Lugia. ....... *knock**knock**knock* "Sweetie? You in here?" Chrysalis asked before she went on to open the door. The queen had been a bit ailing since their little experience in Abaddon, and when she did find Sombra, he was a bit ... quieter than usual. He was in his meditational balcony, but he wasn't exactly meditating this time. Instead, he was simply looking out to the world passed his palace. Chrysalis was joined by Pride and Wrath, Sombra recognizing the auras of both Homunculi. The orb he had used to spy on the group for the longest time was now thrown at the wall, not shattered but still cracked from the force. "Looks like you saw something important," Pride noted, seeing the orb. "... It's too far ..." "Huh?" Chrysalis asked. Sombra turned around to them. "Exactly what I said: I've left Team Harmony alone for too long. They're ahead now, and I'm falling behind. This is bad, very bad." "How exactly?" Wrath questioned, not too worried himself. Sombra couldn't believe they would ask such a question, and he looked Wrath right in the eyes. "What do you mean how?! Those bastards have just got hold of my personal files, my plans, they have it! Now what am I supposed to do?" Sombra said, stressed out beyond belief. Chrysalis went over to him, gently hugging him with her arms around his shoulders. "There, there honey, it'll be okay." "Stop pretending!" Sombra snapped, shoving Chrysalis away from him. "My future sight had all pointed to them all being in custody in Abaddon, and not even THAT worked. That was our last shot. ... Speaking of which, where's Slicer?" Sombra's question came with a growl. "He's gone: fled out after your outburst in Abaddon. He could be anywhere," Pride answered. Sombra didn't feel any better about it, and he actually got down to his knees, facing the balcony. This stress was really getting to him. "I don't get it anymore. I thought I had everything under control, but somehow these humans kept throwing me in for a loop. A group of fakes from Korosensei's class even outsmarted me. It's so bothersome, I don't know how they keep getting away with this -" *smack* Pride, having about enough of his hysterics, whacked him in the face with his true form's body. It was enough to get him to think a little clearer now. "Are you quite finished yet?" "... Yeah. I needed that. I'm alright now," Sombra replied, getting back to his feet and collecting himself. "Good. Now, what information did they get?" Pride asked. Sombra didn't answer right away, as he was beside himself on the whole thing either way. This was more by chance that he discovered this, after all. "Does it matter? ... Well, there's nothing for it. ... I'll be right back," Sombra instructed, walking off passed them all. Wrath went over to him next. "Where're you going now?" "Don't worry about it. I just have a message to deliver, that's all. All of you, get ready." The gloves are coming off now. ~~ And so off they went. Right off from the shrine in Tokyo, way off to the clouds of Elysium. It would be their first place to go now that Lugia was actually with them this time, and they all were ready and willing to share this news to Celestia. Many of them kept a eye on Lugia though, and he didn't really look like someone who wanted to go back. They kept conversation low when it came to him, but they could tell he was a little bit guilty in some way. After all, Lugia didn't say a single word during the whole flight, more wondering what the others will do when they get there, or how they'll react to him. Arrival in Elysium was pretty calm and straightforward, and their spot was right at the doors to the palace itself. They didn't want to waste time with any of this, so meeting Celestia up front was probably the best option here. Pidgeot found its landing spot closer to the landing platform of the main building, out of the way of the many angels off in Elysium so nothing would go awry right away. The others got out, though Heine waited alongside the entrance to the carriage until Lugia himself went out. "Want us to tell her before you show up, or does it matter?" Blair asked. "I'm sure they'll be as shocked either way. I'll go in with you for it," Lugia decided. Decent enough, and the group started to go off into the palace from there. Lugia needed to gather himself a bit before he started to follow the group inside. Such a sight for sore eyes this place, at least for Lugia himself. "Nervous?" Nagisa quietly asked him, walking alongside Lugia as they went. "You can say that. I haven't seen many of them in years, and even then ... I don't know if I should," Lugia admitted. "It'll be fine, Lugia, really ... and ..." "And what?" "Well, I'll talk to you afterwards," Nagisa replied. And just in time, as they all found themselves right by the throne room door. Nagisa did need something cleared up, but they can wait until afterwards, whatever it was. For now, it was time to meet the lords. Heine took the lead inside the throne room upon arrival, but it turned out it wasn't just Celestia there this time. Some bit was already going on in the throne room, and it wasn't simply Celestia inside: Seitenshi had come on up for a talk here, and on looking she seemed to be joined by Olivier, Alex, Gaara, and Grell as well. A bit odd seeing them here of all people. "Grell? Gaara?" "Heine. See you've come back," Celestia said. The others began to come in themselves. "Gaara! Where have you been, we haven't seen you in days," Aladdin asked, surprised to see him there. Gaara didn't expect them to show up with him, but took it more in stride. "I've been a bit busy. You're welcome," Gaara replied. "Gaara managed to give us some information in regards to Sombra's plans, and Kyoya even got the paperwork as well," Celestia explained. Sure they already got the info, but it was more for Heine to catch up on things, though what could Gaara get from Sombra that hasn't been said? "Paperwork?" Heine questioned. "Sombra's past work as a Elysium guard, and a few plans for varying scenarios all in documents," Ciel said. "Well, we got something for you too," Twilight said. "Wonderful. And what is it?" Then they began to hear footsteps. It was a signal for Lugia to come out from the hallway, and go inside to see them at last. Rumors of Lugia had gone to some of them already, though the second he showed himself, the angels were left wide-eyed and stunned. Lugia kept his gaze lowered at first, but once putting himself in front of Team Harmony, he raised his eyes to see the amazed expression of Celestia. "You actually got him back here?" Grell quietly asked Heine. "It wasn't easy to find him again after he left. But it's never good to run away from your problems," Heine replied, adjusting his glasses as usual. Lugia looked around, seeing many of the familiar faces surrounding him. Celestia needed a minute to realize who she was seeing standing there, and the others left the angels to get reacquainted, standing off nearby. "L-Lugia. ... Oh, Lugia, it's so good to see you again," Celestia said, keeping a calmer look as to not overwhelm him right away. "Likewise, Celestia. Alex, Olivier. It has been a while." "Yes. You're here at last. ... And just in time: we've never needed you more," the queen replied. Lugia probably knew where this was going, but he decided to let her speak anyway. "Pardon me?" "You see, Lugia. The worlds, since you've been away, is starting to become more troubled with appearances of demons amongst the surface world. They've been appearing everywhere, and reeking havoc. We've tried fighting them, but more and more continue to arrive." "But now you're here," said Winry. "Yes, you're here at last," Celestia agreed. Nagisa felt a pit in his stomach hearing this, for he knew in a sense just how Lugia felt on the situation far more than anyone else. Lugia felt less than willing now, his face already catching Celestia's attention. "Lugia?" "... I ... Look, I can't help you." "What?" gasped Celestia. "What for?" Alex then asked, equally surprised. That question just wasn't answered properly to anyone, and Lugia felt himself cringe on these questions. "It's complicated. The underline thing is that if I get involved ... it would only make things worse. This is not a fight I can finish." "Can't finish? You? The legendary Lugia?" Alex asked. "Legends have their limits, Alex. I'm terribly sorry for worrying all of you for so long, but there's nothing I can do here ... I'm sorry." Lugia quietly turned and began to go off, but before he could go, he felt someone grab his arm to keep him there. Looking back, there was Olivier. "The world is risk going to hell and you're going to turn your back on everything?" "I know you're upset. But trust me, it'll only make it worse if I try to do anything beyond what I've done already. ... I can't put myself into it." "What're you talking about? Who's stopping you?" "Look, that's not something -" Lugia paused for a moment when he looked to them all again. Here he was, in the middle of everyone, all wanting to know the exact same thing. Team Harmony had some idea of it, but not enough for a full answer. He had a way out before, but not anymore. The dreamscape had the sun, and the island had the sea, where was he supposed to go here? "... I can't beat Sombra." "What? Why not? Lugia, you've faced hundreds of demons before this," Celestia pointed out. "And you've got so much power to rival the dragon-class demons, don't you? How strong is Sombra?" added in Olivier. Lugia went off passed them, and sitting down at the foot of the throne. "I don't enjoy this anymore than you do. ... But Sombra, he's different. It isn't his strength that worries me ... It's mine. And how he can use it." "How he can use it?" Pinkie asked. "Team Harmony, tell me. What was your first encounter with Sombra like? Back at Orora high. Think carefully now," Lugia said. It seemed to be a rather random question, but Nagisa, Twilight, Karma, and Pinkie in particular began to reminisce a bit. It was one particular moment in such a long line of events so it was a bit hard for them to fully remember it, Pinkie Pie getting it first. "Oh, it was creepy: he had the body of Mr.Gakuho and got us started on our big little game at point one," Pinkie answered. Lugia didn't give an exact answer, but simply brought out his hands, open-palmed as if presenting the idea to them. "Oh. You think he'll end up taking you as his body armor," Karma concluded, his finger snapping. "I'm don't think he will, I know he will. My future sight showed Sombra possessing me, and using my power to destroy the world. I ran into him already and I was only saved because Morgiana was there, and before that even he didn't know where I was. If he knew already, then none of you would be alive by now ... and it would be all my fault." "Hence why you ran away and kept yourself hidden, to make sure Sombra doesn't find you and carry out his plan," confirmed Gaara. All Lugia did was nod his head. "It's the best option I could do. But now that he knows I'm here, it's only a matter of time before he'll try to take me," Lugia felt a shiver run through him on that final part. It was not the best option by any means, but the fear was enough to keep Lugia away. Anything that would do that is enough to give everyone a bit of a shiver ... well, most of them. "Well Lugia. What now?" The whole group turned over to Ciel Phantomhive on his question. "If that is true, Sombra will never rest until he has you. All you've done is prolong it up to now. So now that you're out of hiding, what next? Or is hiding all you'll do?" The angels were going to speak, but Lugia raised his hand, specifically to Olivier. "Don't be mad at him, it's no less than what I deserved. ... To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. But here's what I do know: Sombra knows I exist somewhere, and once he figures out where I am he will not hesitate any further. He will take me on the spot ... When I found one of you had got a hold of your first weapons from the Overworld, I truly thought for a moment that it would be over before it could begin. But I guess I'm asking for too much, aren't I?" Lugia actually started to cry at this point. All of this sounded so selfish and arrogant of him: hoping someone would handle a problem for him when it was all on his head. "You did what you thought was best at the time," Celestia said, trying to make him feel better. Lugia didn't answer, and silence fell over the room again. It sure felt a bit troubling all the same. After that, Lugia got up and began to head off to the door. "Well, I came here to show that I'm not dead. Needn't you worry about that anymore ... I'll be fine," Lugia said. He went and saw himself out, leaving them a bit quiet. Guess whatever this meeting was got cut short, and Nagisa actually began to go off after him. Even if he had his mind made up, Nagisa still had something to talk to him about, and he couldn't talk to anyone else about it other than him. Lugia got down the hall until he felt Nagisa stop him. "Oh, sorry Nagisa. I forgot you wanted to talk to me. So, what is it?" Lugia then asked, turning to him. Nagisa was worried over him but he needed to clear this up in some way. Nagisa took a glance off back to the door forst though. "Here, I want to talk to you alone for a minute." ....... And off they went. Lugia and Nagisa both went off and found a more secluded spot away from the others, finding an empty room amongst the palace so no one else can bother them. The room was small, and opened up to outside to a balcony to the cloud-covered space of the Overworld. "So, Nagisa, what is it?" "Well ... you can see the future, right? Is it only one option you can see?" "You know the answer to that, Nagisa. I guess you want a prediction?" Lugia figured. "Well. Kind of." Nagisa then reached into his pocket, and pulled out the letter he had gotten from that spell book. As for what this note had to say ... Take my word for it, and try learning this spell. U. "Undertaker gave you this." "Along with a spell book from his library. It was attached to one of the pages for Chrysalis's draining spell, and ... it got me thinking. ... I need to know how this encounter will go. You're the only one who can actually show me." "Wait, you're not thinking about - ..." Nagisa nodded his head for his answer. "... It's such a risk though. You sure?" "If it works it'll be worth it. Besides, it's the last resort in case he reaches you. It's gone so far, I'm not letting him destroy the world ... if you'll let me." Lugia didn't know what to say to him. It wasn't the first time he was risking his life for this, but Lugia could see in his eyes that it was the choice he was sticking to. And with how vague it even was after Sombra possesses him, it's a chance Nagisa felt had to be taken. Lugia thought it over for a bit quietly ... and his despair actually started to go away a little, as he looked on into the sky. He closed his eyes and began to focus as much as he could on his Future Sight, seeing what'll happen. ... "... Nagisa Shiota. ... Here you go. True Hero." and Lugia began to focus and sure enough, Nagisa Shiota received a grand future sight from Lugia. This one Lugia made sure was especially detailed, not a single bit missed, and he stopped with the possessed Lugia confronting Nagisa himself. It was as far as the Future sight would give him, but everything else was especially detailed, and just what Nagisa needed. Just as it finished though, that's when a particular aura began to make him shiver. This was noted by Lugia as a far too familiar vibe. "He's here." ~~ And about time he did tell them too. With so many of the guards on alert around the palace, there was no true way any demon would end up getting passed them. But then again, the demon in particular was no ordinary cut. Eventually, one guard did begin to notice what appeared to be some sort of portal opening up by the landing platform. The moment this demon stepped out would be when Nagisa's demonic sixth sense would be going off, especially with what demon decided to show up. Sombra. Why wouldn't he? The demon king and former Elysium commander ventured into his old world, a darkened umbrella keeping him out of the sunlight as he came up. He may have grown used to sunlight during his commander days, but as an Umbra, it still was too much of a bother to what he can do. That, and he didn't want to stay much longer anyway. The guards didn't look ready to let him inside, something that Sombra wasn't too surprised on seeing. "See someone's on form," Sombra commented. The demon king took a look around towards the entrance, many of the Elysium guards ready to raise the alarm when some of the others began to go out to confront Sombra. Sombra soon found himself in company of Ciel, Celestia, Seitenshi, and Nagisa. Everyone else waited on inside, just at the door ready to come out if something were to happen. "Sombra. How ... unexpected," Seitenshi said. "I doubt that. Nagisa probably sensed me the moment I showed up," Sombra figured. Nagisa felt more shivers run through him, but what did he expect at this point. "Come to end the game, have you?" Ciel figured. "As surprising has it sounds, no. ... Though the game is what I've wanted to talk to you about, if I may," Sombra said, walking over to them. The guards started to move in, but Sombra kept them back with his own brand of magic, making a barrier between him, the other four, and the guards. He wasn't there to finish things, but apparently they begged to differ. "Hold down. He won't attack us," Celestia said. "That, and I said I wouldn't. Don't blame you for being worried though after everything," Sombra agreed. "So what do you want, Sombra? Not that it matters, but we're kinda busy," Seitenshi informed him. "Oh yes? Going over my personal plans and files, I'm sure. The one time I turn my back and you take my most personal items to use against me. A part of me wants to kill you now, but another part of me knows better than to expect anything less," Sombra explained. "You are on the ball, aren't you? ... Now, the game?" "... I want to make a deal with you, actually." A deal? Coming from a demon though, and especially for Ciel's experiences, any deal with a demon should be taken with a lot of salt. Nagisa was a bit more confused though, as Sombra didn't behave completely insane like the other demons, or as barbaric. He was a puzzle in of itself. "What is it?" Nagisa asked, looking him eye to eye. Sombra took a minute before he began talking. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say this game has gone on long enough, and clearly most of my attacks on you hadn't gone well for me. In fact, Abaddon was supposed to be the final one, but clearly that didn't happen. You see where I'm going with this?" Sombra questioned. For many of them this was a little bit unsure, but some managed to get the idea. "Then we'll make this our last game. Us against you. All or nothing," Ciel decided. "And whoever wins will decide where the world will go. That about right, Sombra?" Nagisa agreed. "You took the words right out of my mouth, humans," Sombra said. He gave a sigh before looking more determined. "The game is simple: I know Lugia's alive, and odds are he's with you somewhere. All you got to do is beat me before I get to him. ... If I win, I'll destroy that human race of yours. And you are going to let me, angels. And on that, I'll also leave the Overworld untouched. And if you win ... well, I'll let you decide what to do afterwards." "And suppose you live when we end this?" Nagisa questioned. Sombra glanced to his feet. "I highly doubt that will happen ... but if by some odd chance I do, I promise you it will be the last you hear of me. I'll stop all my attempts, and you'll all have your world the way you want it. If you do end up seeing another demon it would not be from me, I'll guarantee you that." "You mean that?" Seitenshi asked. Sombra simply nodded, and then extended his hand to make it official. This was the deal that would basically decide where everything will go from there on. And Nagisa could tell that this demonic entity was NOT going to lie here. He never had lied before when he thought about it, so why would he lie here after everything? The choice didn't need words. It was their best chance they ever could have now, and only one they got. And Nagisa did the honor of shaking his hand. "Alright, it's a deal." "Good. I'm giving you two days to prepare yourselves. Be ready ... and good luck." Sombra turned and summoned a portal again to get him back home once again. He took a glance back, and while many of them didn't hear, Sombra could've sworn he heard two of the most unlikely words just before he left. "You too."
S06Ep10: Deal's a Deal ~ディールはディールです~ (PT1)It had been a very long while, but now everyone was finally back together, Lugia and all. Yet, it was hardly time to really celebrate. Team Harmony finally had everything they needed for the final push. Sombra had been doing game after game with them, demons coming up here, there, and everywhere, and now it's time to get this started. After getting back to the human world, they didn't have too much time to rest, and their next area of meeting was back in the palace after the day and a half of preparation. Probably the best place anywhere to avoid any interaction and encounter with the demonic spies Sombra would send out to find them at this point. This meeting in particular was out in the throne room, with all the big minds themselves all there and waiting: Celestia, Heine, Seitenshi, Victoria, representatives of the pre-mentioned realms: Morgiana for the Fanalis, Karasuma for the Tokyo armed forces, Yoroi for Amestris guard, and of course Team Harmony themselves. This was a big crowd, and a very important one as well for what they were all about to do. "I've checked in on Lugia. He's off hidden away, and should be just enough to keep out of sight until this is over," informed Yoroi, who actually went off to check in on him sometime earlier. It was then that Celestia presented everybody. "Everyone. We have little time now. As we're all aware by now, Sombra's plans for destroying the human world is close at hand. As such, we all must take this opportunity to stop him before he could reach this realm," Celestia began. As she was explaining, Olivier and Alex both brought up the map that of Tartarus, showing the entire territory, including the castle itself. A rough site for some of them, but they kept themselves together. "Listen up: Sombra himself has his mercenaries all lined up around the borders of the castle. His squads are placed over all around the palace itself, though he does have patrols on guard throughout the northern, and eastern borders specifically. IF these reports are accurate," Olivier stated, shifting a glare over to Kyoya. "I guarantee that they are the exact readings, my dear. I wouldn't dream of having this mission compromised, especially after such an ill treatment to my master," Kyoya said, sounding surprisingly noble in contrast to his usual sly behavior. "Good! Now, the weakest patrols are aimed over to the southern borders, lining the canyon here, yet once we're over that line, they're sure to come after us." "Let me guess: we send the soldiers to the strong borders as some troops aim at the rear, right?" Karma concluded. It sounded straightforward enough, really, but Nagisa couldn't bring himself to believe that. Sombra would never be that straightforward with his set-ups. "That would be the idea, Akabane. With the fight going on at front, there wouldn't be time for reinforcements to head south to stop the troops from infiltrating the castle itself," Alex explained. "That's what he wants us to do." The group turned over to Envy. "Why would he want that?" questioned Celestia. "Look, this is Sombra we're talking about: a demon Umbra who was once from the Overworld, AND has a future sight adaptation to boot. That demon's not a type to leave an opening THAT easily without some catch to it," Envy explained. If anyone would know him, it would be Envy himself, and they took his word for it. "Then what does that demon have planned in the south?" wondered Yoroi. Victoria smirked, and walked over to the map itself for a better look. "Quite simple: he would have a trap set for the majority of the troops. He would see the majority fly in, spring his trap, and then take out a good amount of our forces in little time at all. I would do that, no hesitation," Victoria said. "You would say that, princess, but you're not exactly a demonic entity now are you?" Olivier questioned. However, Victoria just needed to give her one of her dominant looks for the moment. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to, Olivier?" However, as far as Team Harmony was concerned, this had to come to conclusion. Nagisa stepped forward, bringing himself up onto the main platform to address everyone there. "Everyone, listen. We don't have much time to question anything right now: Sombra's taking this time to get all his energy together, and destroy everything. If we're going to act, I say we do it now - the longer we fool around just puts us at more risk," Nagisa concluded. The group all had to agree on that term, and Seitenshi smiled to him. "Like a true leader. ... So, Nagisa. It's your call now. Now what is it you need us to do?" Seitenshi asked, awaiting for Nagisa's answer. Nagisa actually felt humbled from this response, as the leaders and representatives listened and waited. "My call, huh? Well, my old life is gone now. ... Let's do it," Nagisa thought. his old self had completely come off now. With Lugia's ultimate vision, and the allies he had on his side, the time to fight back is now. Determination edged his face. "Right. Lugia had given me the vision of the final battle with Sombra. No doubt in my mind that Sombra would be expecting the exact same thing, so let's turn the tables in our favor. Karma, Morgiana, you two take charge of the Fanalis tribe." "Us?" Morgiana said in surprise. "Yes. You all follow the tribe to south of the borders: Sombra will be expecting you to charge from the frontlines, no doubt on that, and his trap is mostly set for the alchemists and magis. Your people don't have any magic, so the trap won't work on you," Nagisa explained. Karma smirked smugly. "Putting me in charge of an entire tribe. Now we're talking," Karma said, cracking his fists, though they knew he was as determined as everyone else would be. Nagisa got the first group together. "Edward, Alphonse, you're in platoon two. Take your attack to the eastern side of the border. Olivier, you and Alex Armstrong have the aerial troops fly in from the north. Sombra wouldn't be expecting so many aerial flyers, and would've set it all up with mostly ground patrol, it will give you a higher advantage there," Nagisa explained. "Got it," Edward said, even giving him a salute. Next he turned to Ciel Phantomhive. "Ciel, did you get the others together like I asked you to?" "Mey-Rin, and Bardroy had arrived yesterday, yes." "Good. Now, I need you to keep guard of Lugia himself. Go to where he is, and it'll be on you if he gets too close, you understand me?" Nagisa informed. Ciel was a little quiet but still smiled. "Think I can't hold my own there? Very well." "It's probably for the best anyway. With how much Ciel already had gone through down in Abaddon, he wouldn't want to go back," Twilight thought, which made sense considering everything that went on down there. All that torturing, all that trauma to add to what he had already gone through, Ciel wouldn't be able to continue on with them in this operation. It was then that Celestia presented everybody. "And for the assassination squad. ... Envy." That choice caught most of them by surprise, Envy the most. Him? In charge of a platoon? "Me, Nagisa? Y-you're serious?" "Yes. You know the interior of the palace more than anyone else here, you have to take us, and infiltrate the palace itself. We're all relying on you," Nagisa explained. Envy took a moment to absorb this sudden responsibility he was put in. The angels were putting the trust in him, the first time ever ... "... Y-Yes. YES! You can count on me!" Envy announced. Nagisa smiled, and turned to the rest of the group. "Blair, Pinkie, you two join Seitenshi and Victoria back in the human world. as soon as Sombra catches on, he'll head into the Surface World, so the forces have to be ready there the minute he arrives. The portal will open just outside of Orora High, over by the E building forest. If we don't get him in time, we'll give you a warning," Nagisa explained, working off of the images Lugia had given him. "Right-o, Nagisa! Those demons will be packing their bags for a home trip when we're all done!" Pinkie said, saluting him. "Yeah. and hey, maybe get some angels with us too, can't have too much defense on the up-side," Blair added. "Good, make sure the teams are set up as well. Twilight, Aladdin, Gaara, you come with me. We'll be joining Envy in infiltrating the main palace," Nagisa instructed. Both walked over to his side. The plan itself was simple, yet a plan that Nagisa was confident that wouldn't fail. Or at the very least, the best plan they could get at such short notice. Nagisa looked over to Gaara, who just gave Nagisa a smirk and a nod. They got his support in this endeavor, and they need all the help they could get. And there was no turning back now. "Let's go!" ~~ And Sombra was expecting his own trouble in all of this as well. Tartarus was all up in arms now, and Sombra began to look around the troops he had placed. His own Future Sight got him ahead with defense, and he got the troops all lined up best he could manage. As he stood there, Pride went on in to see him, standing off nearby. "Hello Pride. Are they all in place now? I see Wrath is out in position," Sombra asked, as he looked outside to Wrath out in the field. Pride's Homunculus self started to loom around Sombra. "They're all in place more or less. Apart from a few." "Excuse me? Who's missing?" Sombra asked. Pride didn't look pleased at all about it. "Lust and Gluttony left. They're not anywhere in Tartarus by now." "What? ... Damn it. And what a time to lose comrades too. Envy must've inspired them," Sombra sighed. "Trust me. I'll perfectly make sure they're punished for betraying their master." "Let them go, Pride, there's not much time for it left anyway," Sombra informed. Pride was a little bit bothered by this answer. But for Sombra, and what was going on, there would be little point for it. ....... "Here they come!" Looking on ahead of the group, Wrath took sight of the oncoming troops heading their way. however, rather than the strong magic users as he was told, the troops coming in turned out to be the Fanalis tribe, with Karma and Morgiana leading into the fight. This wasn't what Sombra informed him about, but Wrath wasn't remotely worried about it too much. "So the Fanalis are heading this way?" Wrath realized. He would have to talk to Sombra later, but for now there was a fight to be had. The Fanalis charged forward into the fight, and with a signal of his own sword, the demons with Wrath also charged on forward. Wrath himself went in himself, both blades out at his side and leading this charge. It wasn't entirely what he had in mind, nor what Sombra had instructed, but as far as he was concerned, this fight will end like every other he had faced in his life. "And that trap will activate ... NOW!" On Morgiana's prediction, the ground at their feet suddenly started to glow, a gigantic alchemic signal opening up under their feet. The demons didn't halt their charge, and they were more hyped than ever, as a Houndoom rushed in with abandon. "HA! NO MAGIC FOR YOU, DUMBASSES!" the houndoom roared, rushing in. The light grew so bright, they couldn't see beyond the alchemic activation, the circle reaching a good mile to cover the entire tribe, and then some. The demons were confident, but the houndoom was met with a nasty surprise: Karma's sword piercing through his neck! Karma tossed the body aside, a quick kill for him, and looked to the demons in front. Three other houndours rushed in, only for three Fanalis to charge in and crush them with little trouble at all! "Ain't gonna work, bitch. CHARGE!" Karma called, rushing in head on with the rest of the tribe. Wrath was disappointed in Sombra now, but he had little time to actually do much about that. The Fanalis were closing in, and his swords were itching to cut them to pieces. "We'll talk later, Sombra," Wrath groaned, before he went in himself. It didn't take much time until it was a bloodbath out in the battlefield: demons and Fanalis retaliating and fighting it out. Blood scattered everywhere from both sides in the scuffle, and Wrath could tell for a fact that this wasn't just a simple fluke on Sombra's part. He would know if the Fanalis were coming one way or the other ... "Hey, Wrath! Remember me?" Karma got up to him now, already blood stained from the fight at hand. His miracle sword was covered in the blood of those he already sliced up, and by the appearance, he didn't even look touched by teeth or claw, though a few cuts were still there. "Looking to a fight against impossible odds? You may have shown promise, but it's for the wrong side. And you'll deeply regret it." "Is that what you thought when Morgiana crushed you, Bradley?" Karma retorted. The memory flashed through Wrath's mind, as a swell of anger built in him. Of course, with his anger, it didn't take too long until he and Karma charged at one another, blades clashing against eachother, and bloods at a boil. Wrath went at him with no mercy, but Karma was faster, stronger, and whenever Wrath would leave even the slightest opening, Karma would go in and actually cut him! Wrath groaned in pain from his cuts. "You've grown a lot stronger, Akabane. Haven't had this good of a fight in a while," Wrath stated, before running in, swords a blazing, and forcing Karma back. "I learned from the best, old man," Karma mocked, only infuriating Wrath more so. Karma made his point especially clear after a bit, and actually got one sword out of Wrath's hand, sending it flying into the air! Wrath jumped back, feeling a deep cut in his own hand as well. As this fight was going on, some of the demons took notice, and actually were starting to come in. "DIE, SLAYER!" they called, catching Karma's attention away from Wrath. However, it wasn't the only attention they got, and Morgiana suddenly came in and sent them flying with a well aimed kick, cracking one demon's skull, and sending two other houndour flying into the bloodbath where they came in. She wasn't going to let him die, not if she could help it. Wrath found a two on one match again, and this was an all too familiar setting. "Not this time," Wrath thought, and with one sword in hand, he rushed forward again at them both. Karma and Morgiana focused on Wrath now, but Karma then saw something in his single eye that told him Wrath's true target. Morgiana had moments to duck to avoid a stabbing, but Wrath sent his knee right into her face, the blunt force of the hit knocking her back. She didn't have time to shake herself off before Wrath readied his sword for a head shot, only for Karma to come in and shove her aside! The hit was deep, and deadly, striking Karma right in the shoulder, and slicing down his right arm! The hardest hit Karma had yet, and his miracle sword didn't get any hits to heal him yet. "Why throw your life away?" Wrath questioned. Karma cringed, gripping his arm for a moment before answering. "Because I actually have morals, unlike you. No one told you when to quit, and look what happened to you. I still have some friends who kept me from going down the same way," Karma stated boldly. Wrath looked to Morgiana, who was in the Fanalis fighting stance to face him. "For the longest time, I saw you humans as nothing but stubborness and pride. But it seems there are some of you who can learn. Who will change. ... It infuriates me that I can't predict how you'll behave." ....... "Hmm ... Interesting set up." Out in his balcony, Sombra and Pride stood there in the balcony, as they watched the whole battle unfold down before them. A strong mixture of holy and unholy energy was all over the place, with all sorts of demons, angels, and a few othyer races and deities running around and fighting practically everywhere. "It seems the Overworld is a bit more dynamic than you've predicted, Sombra," Pride noted, though Sombra himself had already figured that out. "I don't need any reminders. It won't be long until - ... wait a minute." Sombra took a moment to have a closer look at the battlefield around him. Sure, it was chaotic, and it was easy to tell who's on what side just by looking at the fighters, but there was one particular head that he couldn't count longer he looked. His eyes widened as one question passed his mind. "W-Where's Nagisa?" ... And that's when the realization hit him like a freight train. Pride examined the crowd, but couldn't see the weight of the situation just yet. "What difference does one human make?" "Don't take this lightly. Go into the Homunculi chamber, keep guard," Sombra quickly instructed, and making sure each word did not miss Pride's ears. Pride just agreed and went off on his way, but Sombra didn't know what to do now. Not only were these angels giving him a run for his money, but Team Harmony was closing in faster than he anticipated. If they reach him now ... "What was I thinking? They got Lugia over there, of course he would give them a heads up first? Think, Sombra, think? You're so close, you can't give up now," Sombra thought, trying to get himself together. The thoughts ended up making him pace around back and forth, the sounds of war outside not making things easier. He brought his hand to his forehead, and tried to focus on getting the answer of his through his Future Sight. His stone glowed as it was activated ... and after that, he calmed down. "Ok. It's a bit soon, but ... the time is now." ~~ The assassination squadron: Nagisa, Aladdin, Gaara, Twilight, and Envy just managed to find the secret cave leading off into the palace. There was still some good patrol nearby, but none of them noticed the small group of five standing by the entrance. Nagisa looked off to the east, and there stood the another part of the platoon: Kyoya and Olivier. They nodded over to the five, and Olivier turned to the squad with her. "Onward!" she called. And the group began their attack on the demon group right then and there. It was just the cover they needed to get in. "Good luck," Nagisa thought. and with that thought, Envy taking lead, the group rushed into the tunnel. It was now or never. With their charge, it didn't take long until the tunnel darkened up, and the path less noticeable, but Envy knew these tunnels like the back of his hand. Even with the lack of any light, he had it all mapped out in his head, so there was no time to slow down. However ... "There they are!" Guarded! After five minutes of running, they all quickly were met with guards set up in the tunnel. Sombra wasn't taking chances apparently, but lucky for them there didn't seem to be too many, and with five fighters on their side, they didn't have much to worry. Nagisa and Gaara met with the demons first, the first demon knocked out right away. Twilight got her magic together, and used her magic to throw one of the demons into a crowd, slamming them into the wall. Aladdin saw one demon jump to him, but his shield launched it back no problem. It only took a minute for the group to finish off the first group, and soon they were off running again. Good timing too, as just around the corner of the tunnel was the entrance to the castle catacombs. "The homunculi chamber. Envy, where do we go from here?" asked Twilight. "Once we get out of here, it's a straight shot to the palace. Sombra's throne room should be right down the same hall. just focus on getting there," Envy said. Simple enough. "Nice of you to make it this far." Wouldn't you know it, it wouldn't be that simple? The group looked to their only exit out of the chamber, and found that someone else was waiting for them. Pride Homunculus. This homunculus already looked a bit worn out from the fight going on the surface, but he still looked as ready to fight off the main enemy as anybody else would be. Worse yet, this Homunculus was right in their way, his true form between them and the door, with his human vessel of a body standing at center. "Not again, Pride," growled Gaara. This was the last thing they needed here. "Don't act like you're surprised, Gaara. You really think lord Sombra will leave an opening like this unguarded?" Pride questioned. His true form started to shoot out at them, Aladdin using his shield to protect them from Pride's attacks. Pride was just faster though, and actually grabbed Aladdin in his grip! The shield was torn down, and the magi was pulled up out of the crowd, slamming him into the ground hard. Nagisa rushed in, his knife slicing off a number of Pride's arms, just to get entangled himself and his blade forced out of his hand! "No you don't!" Envy grabbed the blade himself, and actually threw it directly at the core body of Pride, getting his eye cut open! Nagisa and Aladdin broke free, the magi sending a few spells at Pride's true form to do so. Pride was now getting angry, a hand over his eye. "Damn you, Envy. Have you forgotten you were one of the Homunculi? Where's your honor?" Pride asked, forcing the knife out of his own head, taking part of his human face with it. "My honor? You wanted me dead, what difference would it make? Just like everyone else here!" Envy yelled. Pride straightened up. "Lord Sombra was willing to recreate you, but it seems you'd rather stay trapped in that pathetic husk of yours. You really think being a human's better than a Homunculus?" Pride asked. With his attention focused on him, Gaara took the advantage, and forced the others to move to the exit! Pride saw them go, but Envy took the moment, and threw the halo blade at him again, making him screech in pain. "BASTARD!" Pride roared, focusing all attention on Envy, and slamming him into the wall with all his strength! That immediately made Envy cough up blood, and Gaara grabbed the halo blade before Pride could catch him. "Envy!" gasped Aladdin. "Guys move, Sombra's waiting!" Gaara yelled, trying to get them to move. "But Envy, he can't face him alone!" Nagisa said. "He knows that," Gaara simply stated. Nagisa looked to Envy, his head down, and blood coming out. However, Envy looked to Nagisa, and while he appeared at his end, Envy's eyes told Nagisa a different statement. Nagisa felt a tear run down his eye before he too understood. And just in time: Pride attempted to block their path again, but the others rushed through and Gaara, for extra measure, used his sand to collapse the ceiling above the door! Rocks collapsed and tumbled down, and soon there was no entrance into the castle. It was only Pride and Envy now. "Good. You'll find him," Envy thought. But he wasn't out of the woods yet, Pride throwing Envy to the ground. Angry, Pride tried to finish him off, but Envy actually grabbed the strand, and used all his strength to keep himself still. It was a stand off between Homunculi. "How much information did those humans force you to take, Envy? You could've got everything back if you were to just listen." "Listen? Listen? I've listened to enough of Sombra's crap my entire existence. Oh wait, he nearly killed me! You're telling me I should take that kind of command without complaining?" "Why ask such a ridiculous question? It's only natural that we should obey our master, no matter the order," Pride coldly stated. "You're the one who's ridiculous, Pride: you're the first ever Homunculus, you don't even have a master, and you think it's best to have some lower demon tell you what to do? He's running you ragged, wearing you down, and he's willing to throw you away at any time when you can't do anymore." Pride was fuming. And all those facts were true. "Why should I care if Sombra doesn't? I'm still something far above a worthless worm you've turned into. I am one of the Homunculi! WHAT DO YOU KNOW HUMAN?!" That was met with Pride tossing Envy around like a ragdoll, slamming him here, there, and everywhere, breaking him apart, until he slammed him into one of the blood pools. Envy was still alive in that pool, just above the blood pool so he could breathe. "Apparently more than you do. I'm not as strong as I used to be, but at least my voice isn't dropped on deaf ears anymore. I'm no longer some byproduct of the Underworld like you are, I got far more with those "worms" than I ever could working with you." Pride started to tighten his grip, and strangle the breath out of Envy, but his neck was refusing to break, much like Envy's own desire to stay free. Pride came down to him, starting to feel his own strength starting to quiver a little bit. "This vessel won't last much longer. No matter. This body has outlived its use. Once you're gone, I'll have a new vessel. Your body belongs to me," Pride stated, ready to finish Envy off. Envy could barely think straight now. "Damn it. I can't get out of this," Envy managed to think, feeling blood come down his face from the beating he took. He felt his life begin to flash before him. In particular, his memories of his time as a human, and how much he had been given, and how much better of a life he had then. Along with a few other things ... Just stay here with us, Envy. It'll be fun to have someone like you as a friend "Friend. ... No. No. They were willing to die for eachother, to die for me. I can't fall now. I won't!" As Envy was thinking this, to Pride shock, he actually, albeit slowly, started to get to his feet. With all that strain Envy had against him, he was not falling. "They all believe in me. ... I WON'T FALL." With that thought, Envy finally broke himself out, his mouth biting into the arm around his neck, and biting so hard it broke off like coiled rope! Pride was surprised at this, Envy forcing Pride to release him with each arm torn off! "What? but how? You're nothing but a mere human now, you couldn't be able to break free!" Pride gasped. Envy straightened himself, standing in the same pool he was born in, his eyes staring Pride down. "That's one thing that about humans, Pride. You'd think you can figure one out after some time, but then they always have some way to surprise you." Pride wasn't having it: he tried to regain his grip, but this time Envy was moving a lot faster, and dodging him with some flowing movements. The closer Pride got to him, the more nervous Pride got, and it got to the point when he actually started to move back. Next thing Pride knew, and to his surprise, Envy had a hand gripped right over Pride's open wound, and as such, the main connection between his true form, and the vessel he relied on! "This is impossible! How's this human able to do this to me?! I'm the Homunculus, it shouldn't be possible!" "I got you now, Pride!" Envy yelled, getting a vice grip. Pride froze up in fear, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. Pride tried to move, but he found his vessel locked in place, Envy pulling back hard on the major connection between his true form and the vessel. It hurt. Pride tried to use his human body to fight, but Envy was not budging from his struggles, even though they were hurting Envy too. Pride wrapped his body around him, and tried to pull himself free, but the more times Pride tried, the more pain shot through him. There was only one thing to do ... And in one mighty pull, Envy severed him. It took all the strength Envy could muster, but it was enough to finally severe Pride from his human body. A horrific shriek from the Homunculus echoed throughout the Homunculi chamber, as the gigantic form of Pride started to disintegrate, and wither away, along with the physical body as well. Envy stayed completely still, watching Pride reduce himself down to another form. And one that Envy would never would've expected. He took a moment to check his hand, and turned out he was holding Pride's Philosopher Stone. As for Pride himself? ... A small child. A tiny, fetal, humanoid child. with a small circle on his forehead. "So this is who you really are," Envy simply stated, gently picked up the child, who was so small in fact he could holding it in his hands. At first, Envy wasn't sure what to do with him. He could finish him off now and try to continue on, but on the other hand, this was a child. And Envy too was a Homunculus like him, and he can say now, a Homunculus now turned human. Envy took a look around the area for a bit, and then came to one main conclusion. "Now you know how I feel, Salim. ... Let's go." Envy turned around, and tossed Pride's Philosopher Stone into one of the pools, just before he started walking out with Pride in his arms. He only stopped at one point to glance back to the entrance to the castle. He had only one thing to say before he began heading back out. "Good luck, Nagisa." ....... "Okay, just a little more, a cut here, and there ... good." In the top chamber, Sombra was getting his portal ready to go. He could hear the fight outside, everywhere there is, and who's to say on where Nagisa was at. The demon king didn't feel right in leaving the demons like this, but he knew if he stayed here, then it will be the death of him for sure, and he wasn't going down without a challenge surely. The symbol will get him to the Human world above him, but before he could even get it activated though, the sounds of footsteps rushing up to him got him under more pressure. He may not have any senses to figure out who it was, but he already had a good guess, the doors to the chamber knocked right open as the Assassination Squad arrived. Sombra jumped up his feet, turning around to see them. Gaara, Twilight, Aladdin, and Nagisa. "Just in time," Gaara noted. He didn't hesitate and rushed for Sombra, the demon king having to jump aside away from the symbol on the ground. Gaara tried multiple slashes at him, lightning fast, and Sombra actually had some trouble. In his attempt to avoid the blade, his body quickly ended up turning into shadow, the blade going right through him. "Why're you fighting me Gaara? Of all people," Sombra asked, before grabbing him by the arms and throwing him right back at the group. Twilight caught him in the fall, Sombra solidifying again. "I promised you I'd help, but then you ran off on me?" "You were never going to help me in the first place, liar," Gaara growled. Sombra didn't had time for this, and got back to the symbol, hands clapping together and ready to activate it. They weren't going to let that happen: immediately Aladdin readied a Gyro Ball and launched it right at him, Twilight following up behind with a magical beam. Sombra just got the portal started, but couldn't get into it in time before he was struck down by both magical hits. The portal was open now, and Sombra was hurt a bit but barely much. The group quickly blocked Sombra's way from the portal created. Sombra didn't had much time for this; he had a goal in mind, and damn it, he was going to do it! Without another word, he rushed forward again, his body turning into shadows, but even with this Nagisa's blade still got him, and the Umbra groaned in pain from the cut he managed to get him in. It wasn't enough though to finish him off, and before they realized it, he was through the portal! "Damnit, he went through!" Gaara growled. "We're not done yet. Time for plan B: Aladdin, get Karma and Morgiana, meet us in the Surface World, okay?" "On my way, Nagisa!" Aladdin replied, starting to rush off to do that. Twilight, Gaara, and Nagisa meanwhile took the chance with this portal themselves, and jumped right on through. They weren't out. Not yet. ~~ Karma's fight with Wrath was a slaughter all things considered. With screams of battle cries and pain-filled howls, Karma akabane was left in the fight of his life in Wrath. The Miracle Sword got his arm working after some good slashes, but in honesty, he was getting hurt quicker than getting healed, and it didn't help that Wrath had two swords over one. With many fighters going out all around him, he ended up tumbling onto the ground at a point, knocked down hard by Wrath. "Is that really all you got? I thought I taught you better," Wrath growled, Karma getting up to his feet, a bit dazed and bleeding out the mouth. Karma would remark back, but he was getting tired. Looking to him, Wrath was pretty bloody too, but walked on like nothing happened to him. Karma was not enjoying this at all, and aimed his sword right for him. "Well, excuse me for my enthusiasm," Karma said, coughing up a little blood for a moment. That just left him open again and Bradley slammed his foot into Karma's stomach, knocking him off the ground. Karma found his feet before landing, though he wasn't showing much power as when he started. Wrath was NOT letting up. Karma had to think fast, and in a desperate move, his sword dug into the ground and dirt was shot at Wrath's face. Barely a distraction as Wrath sliced up the rocks knocked up at him with a few hits of his blades. "Damn it. He may be old, but he's still got it," Karma thought. Whatever thoughts he had in mind next were cut short when Wrath moved up to him, trying to skewer his head. Karma moved fast enough to avoid the stabbing, except for the last one that got his ear. A minor wound but still stung good and strong, his free hand grabbing where he got sliced before jumping back from a deadly slice. It felt ironic really: a warrior with a sword that can heal the user was doing worse than a fighter with two swords. At this point, it was a stand off between them both, Karma still willing to fight Wrath despite the injuries. He was tired, hurting, but if he fell now he would not get back up - they wouldn't let him do that. Wrath waited for him to fully get up and actually didn't jump at him right away. "... There's something quite comforting about facing death like this, wouldn't you agree?" Wrath asked. Karma kept his guard up, and despite the war around him, he could hear every word as clear as crystal. "It doesn't matter. nothing else seems to exist, out of my pure instinct to survive. ... Rank. Personal history and birth. Race. Sex. The name given to you. ... It's all meaningless. This is the only thing that's real: to fight on behalf of my own life and nothing else." Karma could see the dead scattered around them as he was saying these words, a mixture of allies and enemies scattered amongst the same ground. This was a man only out for one thing: his life. His life and no more. "I've never felt so complete ... I guess you can say I've finally arrived." And with that, Wrath charged again, Karma this time having no choice but to jump back at him. Both swords clashed together hard, two sabers against one miracle sword. Karma gathered what he could manage, but Wrath brought his foot up and finally slammed him under him. Karma found his foot was actually metallic now, and he wasn't getting it off of him. Morgiana must've done more damage than he thought if the king of Amestris had automail to replace. Karma found himself in the worst possible situation: underneath a killer, bleeding ... Karma's eyes widened at the reality of it all. "Damn it. ... I'm ... I'm going to die ... I'm gonna die ..." Something snapped. Spurring into action, Wrath suddenly felt a sharp pain of Karma's sword jutting out and whacking his head, getting his ear cut in two. Any harder and it would've killed him on the spot, but Wrath found himself jumping back from the sword almost getting his eyes. Karma jumped up and suddenly he was all over Wrath, slashing, slicing, and whacking every which way he could do, giving Wrath not much time to get him. Karma's attacks now weren't as predictable as it was before, flowing together like it was one single attack. In one of the many spins Karma ended up doing, Wrath saw one sword get sliced at the rim, and his hand cut in the process. Karma made sure he didn't use anything on it by slicing it several more times. Karma took a moment to gather himself, but when Wrath looked, his eyes were not from the cocky, and confident boy he had met before, but this time one of pure primal aggression. "I'm not being killed that easily. Come at me, demon," Karma growled. Wrath was ready to oblige, and rushed him, now gathered up again. This sudden shift in behavior just infuriated Wrath even more: he was just talking about morals half an hour ago and now here he was as wild as the demonic fauna of the Underworld. How the hell was he supposed to read any of this? And it didn't help that when Wrath started striking swords with Karma, two hits clanged the sword, and a third strike actually got in between his teeth! Karma used the sword them to slice the sabre, keeping it in his mouth for a bit and forcing Wrath back before spitting it out. Now things were a little more shifted, Karma now having the blades and Wrath left with only fists to fight. Swordsmanship was one thing, but fisticuffs were another matter. Not saying he didn't give Karma a rough time though, but killing him was just going to take a bit more brute force instead of some clean cuts. For Karma, he continued his attacks on Wrath, and with no guard, Wrath had to dodge the slices. He couldn't do them all though, and then ... in a battle cry from Karma ... Karma's sword had skewered him. Right through the middle. And at the very tip of that sword was the Philosopher's Stone that made Wrath the Homunculus he was. Wrath froze, eyes wide and blood gushing from his mouth. When Karma had done that, feeling the blood on his face, and feeling his wounds slowly heal, he released his sword, letting Wrath fall to the ground, the sword popping out of him upon landing. If any of the Fanalis or Demons noticed this, they would be left speechless at what occurred. Karma blinked a few times, gathering himself, before seeing the fallen king. Any movement would surely kill him quicker, and Wrath simply stayed still. It took the king a bit before he looked to Karma. "Well, that's that. Anything you have left to say, Bradley?" Karma then asked. "... None. ..." "Tough life. What were you looking for, Homunculus." "... This." "Huh?" "... So disappointing, seeing so many humans ... humans who can't hold for themselves in such a crisis like this. ... What ever happened ... to human kind's power? ... Relying so much in deities you're not sure even exist, to the point when you won't do a damn thing yourself ..." Wrath paused only to spit out some blood from his mouth, though Karma could tell that he wasn't going to last much longer this way. Even in the midst of all this war, everything seemed to fall still between him and Bradley. "I get it. Bringing humans to their former glory ... you know what, Bradley. ... You did a damn good job," Karma kneeled down to Wrath. "And what else? We have grown stronger over this last year. All these demons showing up, it's giving all of us a wake-up call. I say it's time we humans evolve a little." Wrath was silent. Even almost killing him, Karma was talking to him in such a way ... well, like he would do. Wrath gave a low sigh, his eyes gazing up at the flickering auras of the Underworld sky. "Your wife's still up there, you know. Got anything to say to her? I'll make sure she gets it." "... No. ..." "Wait, you don't have -" "Don't trouble yourself. ... My wife understands. She's the one I chose to lead by my side. ... There're no words that need to pass between us now ... that's what it means to be the wife of the Führer. ..." Karma then began to see something happen to him: his hair started to turn grey, and his skin beginning to slowly peel away in paper-thin sheets, almost as if time was catching up to the man. "... Do me one favor, though. ... You may follow under god. ... But it's you who truly makes the choices. Make sure ... it is your hands that you use to decide your future. ... Not his ..." It was an odd request to make, but Karma, a well-known fighter, felt his hand clench into a fist. "I think we all can do that. Bradley." "... Good. ..." And with one final, slow breath, the former king closed his eyes, and gave his last breath. This warrior has fought his final war. Karma waited for some surprise, him to spring up on him, but nothing happened. Wrath was dead. Karma simply pulled out his sword from Wrath's body, and looked around at the battles around him. Or rather, lack there of, as some of the demons and angels stopped on this. They heard what Wrath said. Karma needed a minute before sighing, turning to the crowd he unwittingly gathered together, and surprisingly, some of the demons under Wrath's command actually began to run away! Seeing their strongest cut down meant they had little chance of fighting them off, and they weren't going to stick around. "Karma," Morgiana said, going to him. "... Well, there's no such thing as a good war. Come on, let's see if Sombra's down yet," Karma replied. This gave the team more than enough time to get everything together and finish off - "Karma! Morgiana!" Then came the sound of Aladdin, flying off as fast as he could on his flying carpet. What timing too. "What's up, Aladdin?" called Karma. Aladdin flew down close. "Karma, Morgiana, get on! Initiate plan B!" Aladdin called, flying off down as quick as he could to them both. "Plan B. Don't tell me Sombra got away." "What else does Plan B mean? Hurry, he'll be there any minute now!" Aladdin informed urgently, going off what Nagisa told him. There was no time to wait now, Karma cracking his fists, and getting his sword slicing up the ground to make the symbol, and as Aladdin was busy working with that to activate it, Karma took one more look over towards Bradley. He had fought and killed off demons, but this was the first time he actually killed a human being like himself. At least he still considered him a human being. After some magi magic, Aladdin got the portal to work. Morgiana and Aladdin went on in, and it took Karma a bit before he too entered through. He'll come back later when this is over.
S06Ep11: Deal's a Deal ~ディールはディールです~ (PT2)"Hmm ... well, what a turn of events. Slicer, Lust, Gluttony had left me, Wrath's probably dead by now. Oh, my Future sight's not helping me anymore. Odds are they've been given a heads up. How else did they plan against me that well? ... Well, they should be waiting for me when I get up there. ... Here we go, Lugia. I know you're there." The group had to work fast to get the Surface World team all prepared. There may be a war going on in the Underworld, but now with the Surface World at risk, they needed to get themselves in gear for their plan B. The Team had gotten themselves out of the Underworld and to the Surface world, and with just a headstart and pre-planning on their side, they got the ups on Sombra and where he would come out. Speaking of, off in what seemingly appeared to be the isolated corner of the Japanese forests. With the portal opening up above his head into the shade of the forest floor, King Sombra had reached up back to the Human's surface world. ... And in such places, he was not alone, the assassins hidden off out of sight either within the trees or in the foliage. "Damn, look who it is. Look like I owe you, huh?" Kirara said. "Don't count your blessings yet, we still have to get him. Now get your team in position," Nagisa ordered. Terasaka nodded and gave the signal for his group to follow as Nagisa got to his communicator. "This is Blue fang contacting Team Crimson helm. Target has appeared, is your team ready?" Nagisa asked. It was Karma who answered. "We're getting there, blue fang. Hurry up guys," Karma instructed, looking over to his troops. They were almost ready, but given their position, they still didn't give him the signal for their preparation. He stayed in his position over by the rocks, glancing off to the nearby Cliffside. Eventually though, someone did look out from her spot and gave him the signal. "Scratch that, blue fang, we're ready to go. Just say the word." Just what Nagisa wanted to hear. "Noted." Nagisa turned over to Sombra after that, peering through the tree branches like a spying predator. He kept his position hidden alongside Gaara and Blair, keeping themselves up high in the trees, just outside Sombra's radar. As Nagisa did was nod to the three and they all moved off silently through the branches. They needed to cut off his routes of escape here, and to an extent Sombra knew this too, his own eyes examining the forest. "Clever, they're not charging at me all at once. What else would I expect though? They're getting in position around me, I know they are." And Sombra's thoughts were on point, as the very faintest sound of branches were caught by his gaze. They were circling him from above his head, and Nagisa got his position over to the right. Nagisa felt his heart racing at the anticipation, making him feel very antsy. "No, I gotta calm down. One false move, and who knows when I'll get another chance? Everyone else is ready. He's expecting everything, and so am I," Nagisa thought, his hand gripping tightly on his halo blade. "Fate. I know you've been good to me and my friends. But please, hold out for a while longer." Sombra stayed completely still, his eyes taking in everything around him. He saw bushes, trees, grass of greenery everywhere, but all the same, he saw little to no one. But if his Future sight told him anything, it's that they were there. And they all wanted to take him down. This was it. This was to decide where it'll all go from here. With the world in force off elsewhere, who's to say where it'll go now? Even if he looked calm as ever, his own heart was racing. Ready to spring at the slightest sound. "Why isn't he doing anything?" Blair thought. The anticipation was enough trouble, and where he will go would defy the plan from there. Every team in every spot. Sombra's eyes looked over around him until they ended up locked upward into the trees. He gave a little bit of focus but he could just narrowly make out the blue tint of Nagisa's hair and eyes. Both eyes locked in place. THAT's when he began to get nervous, and got in a more battle-ready stance. "I see you," Sombra hissed. Nagisa though didn't budge, as if he was still out of sight. This was a bit confusing. "Come down from there, I know you're up there Shiota." Still nothing. Well, Sombra wasn't going to prolong this, and moved over to the figure. Gaara and Blair nearby started to feel more on edge, now that one of their own was caught. But the thing was, where Sombra was going wasn't where Nagisa placed himself. ... "Nagisa, I'm giving you until three to come out. You've thrown me for a loop as it was back in the Underworld I have to admit. Sending the Fanalis to my magic traps and leaving your magic users out of sight was the opposite of what I expected of you. ... Of course, you did get your help from Lugia himself with his own Future Sight. Still, we all know that there's only so much you can do. Now I'm going to count to three, and if you don't come out, I'm coming after you. ..." Still no response from Nagisa Shiota. Gaara and Blair readied to head in on the countdown. "... One. ... Two. ... Three. ..." And only then did Nagisa start to come down from the tree. He jumped down, landing down just in front of Sombra. Sombra smiled, but he kept his gaze down at first. Eventually though, he began to raise his gaze to meet with his own. One look at his eyes was all Sombra needed to see. This wasn't Nagisa, it was Niji! What happened next was almost slow motion: as if appearing from thin air, Sombra sensed a back attack, and he turned in time to see Nagisa coming in! His eyes were locked onto his target, and his blade at the ready. Sombra had seconds to react, and Nagisa's blade met its mark, scraping at Sombra's arm before he took off in a mad dash away from him. The cut stung him, but it didn't slow him down at all. Nagisa made sure Sombra kept running with several other close slices of his blade, two of which almost got Sombra's eye cut out! This wasn't a kill, but more of a trigger, something to get Sombra moving. "Blair, Gaara, after him!" Nagisa ordered. They didn't need to be told twice, and rushed off after Sombra to keep him on course. Niji went on over to Nagisa. "Thanks Niji, you saved us a lot of trouble there." "Hey, you're the one with a future call," Niji reminded, playfully punching him in the shoulder. They both looked on ahead of them, and saw Sombra keep his pace as Niji got to her communicator. "Flora, he's heading your way. Don't fire until he reaches the path. If you don't get him tell us where he's heading to," Nagisa instructed. "I see him, and he's coming fast," Nabiku instructed. Her group was placed over closer to the pool. Looking in from their end, their group could see Sombra just coming in from the foliage, Gaara and Blair following him from up in the trees. Gaara made sure to throw some knives at him to be sure he kept going the right way. Sombra had his focus in one direction, and it wasn't until he was just a few yards away did Hinano jump out with duel pistols ready to shoot! A few shots were fired at him, but they all missed, as Sombra cut corners and bolted out of firing range. "He pulled a fast one!" Hinano gasped, as Sombra kept moving. He went up through the mountainside forest and went off north instead. Just what another group was ready for. As Sombra raced through the next part of the forest, a few other students (Yoshida, Takuya, and Kirara) went on out of the forest and began their chase. Sombra looked back. "Now this is more what I expected out of you!" Sombra said, suddenly turning around. Now he had targets he can better focus on here. Or at least he thought he did. "That's it, keep those eyes on the ground." BAM! A gunshot right to the back! Sombra jumped on feeling that, and he almost got shot in the head and chest by the others. He had to keep moving, and made a quick side step out of sight, taking to the trees. In the jump, he actually saw Terasaka up there himself. Such a large sturdy human in such a small space. "Nicely done." Sombra took off in the trees next, and with that he quickly got out of sight. Terasaka felt pretty good, smirking as he got to the communicator. "This is Bronze cut calling Bird of Pray, he's heading off to the clearing. I got him wounded in the shoulder, but it's not slowing him down," Terasaka reported, as he got down the tree and moved with the others off after him. That sure was good news to hear from Aladdin's side. Aladdin's side was off in a clearing near where crimson helm was located, and hearing this news got them ready. Sombra kept his eyes behind him, seeing them following him and try to take their shot, but when Sombra looked ahead - "Oh no you don't!" Sombra suddenly jumped aside, and began to go off up hill. This was off course. And worst still, he was heading up to the Birds of Prey's position. Lucky Morgiana heard him. "Get down!" Morgiana said, quickly moving Aladdin down before Sombra jumped out of the trees and into the clearing. They planned for him to be on the lower cliff coming in, not on the upper level by them, and Sombra knew they wouldn't shoot their own team. Karma, Nakamura, and Bardroy got their weapons lighting up as Sombra, just fast enough to get him tumbling to the ground. The umbra recovered fast and had to bolt off back and forth as he ran directly towards them, rushing by them in a blur. "Nice job, you let your target slip. Don't assume your prey will follow your plan!" Sombra advised as he ran. "Damn it!" Karma groaned, as Bardroy went for the communicator as it went off. "Crimson helm, what's going on?" "Sombra juked us: he came in from the top instead of the path. He's heading to the E building. Meet us there," Bardroy instructed. This was all getting crazy: with Sombra now heading where he wanted to go, things were beginning to escalate. The troops were in on him, and he needed to make up for lost time if he was to finish this off. With the troops off behind him for the moment, he could finally make out the E building off ahead of him. No troops outside, no traps set, completely unguarded and not expected by the rest. He found his way. ... Or did he? "HIYAAAA!" "What the - ACK!" Out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie leaped out and suddenly her foot clocked him right to the face, sending the Umbra off balance. This didn't last too long though, and Sombra found there was indeed another troop here, one that his spying eye didn't catch on his own oversight of this plan. Sure he knew they'll be here, but he didn't expect her group to show. Pinkie's group was joined up by Yoroi and Hoopa, who quickly surrounded him. Sombra needed a breather here. "So what? You all going to charge at me?" Sombra asked, waiting for one of them to come forward. "We just want you to stay put," Yoroi stated. "Well tough luck for you. Can't you humans just let this happen already?" Sombra groaned. "But why do you have to make this happen?" Pinkie then asked. Sombra couldn't believe the question. "Why should I say? Kyoya surely told you everything as is, I don't need to tell you any further than what I've had," Sombra made clear. Looking back into the forest though, someone was starting to catch up to him. He had the building there, and the troops closing in. "Good job: He's stuck in the open. No matter how strong he is, Umbras can't do well in sunlight with fully exposed," Nagisa figured. Sombra was more than his magic though, and when he saw them come out of the forest, he rushed off right passed Hoopa. It was just enough time for the troops to arrive on scene, but with everyone out in the open, Sombra had a visual on everyone. Bad news was that he had no cover either, so he had to jump and dodge every which way to avoid the shots. Looking back, Nagisa, Gaara, and Morgiana were right on his tail. "Okay, it's about time I admit it: you humans are beyond a shadow of a doubt, clever. Think you can keep it up?" Sombra asked as they ran. "Gonna ask you the same question," Gaara replied, making a quick turn and jumping at him. Sombra ducked just enough to avoid the lunge. He was getting close to the E building now, few yards away, but then a thought struck him. And he jumped on the roof and over. "Wait, where's he going?" Gaara thought, the group skidding to a stop. Sombra made it over the building and glanced back, seeing that none of them were following him now. It would seem he gave them all the slip. Not a good move, and the trio rushed around the building to catch up to him. "Anymore tricks?" Sombra thought. "UP HERE, UMBRA!" Sombra looked up, and saw that indeed they did: Aladdin and Niji had managed to catch up, and this time with Mey-Rin and Nakamura on the flying carpet, armed and ready. He was not out of the woods yet. "Flight isn't working. Time to fight." Sombra stated, as his demonic energy started to build. He may have it weakened with the halt in sunlight, but he still had plenty to work with. Mey-Rin and Nakamura began their firing from there. Sombra jumped to one side, then to another, and by the third jump, he launched his own energy right at them all. Aladdin had to veer the carpet off out of range, the orb missing them just by inches. Aladdin responded with his own Gyro Ball, aimed over in front of Sombra to stop his path. The explosion was strong, and Sombra actually got struck, but he didn't slow down at all in his attempt. "Even with all of my tricks, all of these humans and angels are over-powering me. It won't be long until they do me in at this rate. Just got to reach Lugia." ....... Meanwhile, back at the main building, much of the others were keeping themselves up on lookout, just in case if Sombra were to get this far. Twilight, Kyoya, and Korosensei kept in watch the best they can, them hearing the distant gun fire and explosions going on. It won't be for much longer at this rate until they would catch up. Korosensei was the most nervous, his teeth gnawing on his tentacles like someone would chew their nails, and as rapid as ever. "He's getting close," Twilight said, feeling very nervous on noticing this. "Oh, please tell me you know what you're doing," Korosensei shuttered. "We have everything worked out. He won't win, I know he won't," Twilight reassured them all, but the more she heard those shots, the more troubled she was becoming. And not a moment too soon, as out of the foliage, Sombra rushed out with the others behind him. He looked worn out, but still determined as ever. It wasn't until he got to the building did he finally slow down a little bit, looking up to the others up on top, though he didn't completely stop until something forced him back: Twilight's force field. Her practice surely paid off, and Sombra couldn't get himself in. This final one got everyone to surround him now, guns drawn and weapons at the ready. He was tired, and now surrounded. "It's over, Sombra. We planned for everything you could've done, and will do," Nagisa made clear. Sombra didn't reply at first, catching his breath before confronting the huge crowd. He felt the force field off behind him, like a wall. "So it would seem. But I'm not giving up anymore than you are," Sombra made clear. "Sombra, look around you: All of us, we don't want our world to be destroyed anymore than you want yours to be. We're trying our hardest to keep our home alive and well, and why we're fighting down in the Underworld right now, why we're doing all of this. This has to stop, you have the power to do that." "You all tried to kill me, and you try a compromise again? Nagisa, may I remind you we know how this all will go. So I'll give you one final chance to get this correct. Will you surrender. Or no?" "... As long as I'm breathing. It's never over." "So be it." With his strength regained somewhat, he used the full potential of it all and slammed them into Twilight's shield! One hit was all it took to crack it to pieces, and immediately the group took aim and fired at him, guns blazing. Several shots struck him, but Sombra just managed to get himself inside the building before any fatal blow could be done to him. Bloody, and weak, but he finally made it. The others wasted no time in getting through the door. ... He was gone. "W-What the, where'd he go?!" Aladdin gasped. No sign of the umbra anywhere in here, but there was one particular clue that sealed their fate. A portal mark engraved into the wall. ... "No. NO! Damn it, he played us!" ~~ Lugia stayed quiet inside the E building. All that noise he had heard, all those tremors he felt from the war going on outside the room, and in the Underworld. He felt it all, every bit of it. And every time he heard a gun go off or an explosion ripple the ground, it left him with a bit of a shiver. The only one with him here was Ciel. "Sounds like it calmed down a bit, don't you think so?" Ciel asked. "Yes. ... though, to tell you the truth, I don't know if it will do much good." "Not this again, Lugia. You haven't truly met humanity, have you? We won't ever stop until we reached our goal, no matter what the cost. ... I should know." "So I've noticed. But by now, Sombra would be showing up after misleading your friends. In just a moment, he'll be here." "You do realize he just ran over the roof," Ciel pointed out. "AND do you realize he's come back?" Lugia and Ciel looked for the voice, though it didn't take too long until they did see the next oncoming problem. So much trouble as it was with demons fighting on both ends, and now the one that started it all got through a portal to his target at last. Ciel tried getting up, but his sore body just wouldn't let him, and Lugia knew what would be coming next at this point. Sombra looked beaten a bit, bloody too, but otherwise alright unfortunately. Sombra took a moment to look around, getting his breath together, and just to make sure he didn't lose his quarry, a shadow barrier blocked off every wall, ceiling, and exit they could take. No one was going anywhere. "Lugia. I believe this has been long enough, don't you?" "Yes. Though, it looks like they've been giving you the runaround." "Yes, thanks for noticing," Sombra sighed. Before Sombra could get to him, Ciel ended up getting up and standing in the way. "You're kidding." "Sombra. Before you go in and turn this world into your version of hell, an explanation would be nice." "This again? Ciel, this is ending today, and unless you want to get killed, then I suggest you step out of the way." "Aren't you going to kill us all anyway?" Ciel pointed out. Sombra was getting bothered again. Normally he'd stay calm and throw Ciel for a loop, but with all the pressure, he didn't need any of this. One step forward though, and Ciel suddenly drew out a pistol, and without hesitation shot him square in the chest! Sombra flinched at the lack of hesitation, feeling the stinging bullet in him. "Now you know better than that Ciel, demons can't be killed that easy. You of all people should know that," Sombra stated, using his magic to pull the bullet out of him. It was really a matter of when, not if, Sombra will jump at them. His prize was right there, and the more time ticked by the closer the rest of the team was coming back to him. "Have some decency, and answer already. We know there's more to it aside from some damn angel." "Excuse me? That angel did nothing to deserve getting her wing clipped, and with all the damage you've already done to your own world, you think I'm going to let you all go to our worlds and do the same thing? You humans already laid waste to hundreds of demons as is." "So all of this for one half-winged angel? How pathetic." Sombra had it with Ciel's talk: suddenly he had the child by the throat, one hand holding him up and gripping tight. "You're one to talk Ciel. You may have some authority over your own friends, but you do NOT have any over me. YOU have no power here, stop thinking you do just because of that Phantomhive name of yours." And with that statement, Ciel was tossed aside. It was then that he walked right up to Lugia, Who believed this to be the final time now. He was here, Lugia had nowhere to go, and Sombra wasn't going to let him get away this time. "Sombra ... please. You know not all human beings are the same thing. Not all of them deserve to die ..." "Don't you give me that: they all have their variants, but in the end they're all only looking out for themselves and no one else. They could give less about any angel or demon if they could help it. You saw what they've done to the Underworld already, and even to some of the angels as well. They're looking to take it all, and damn-it, I'm not having it!" ... laughing. It started out small, but then grew into joyous laughter, and all of which came from Ciel Phantomhive. "What's so funny?" "You are!" Ciel said in his laughter. "A-and here I thought you were just some clever twat of a king, but no, you actually figured us humans out!" "And you treat it as a joke?!" Sombra yelled, but Ciel didn't care. Lugia probably would've foreseen what was going to happen next, so all he did was step back and let him speak. "We humans are a breed apart, trampling eachother like insects," Ciel stated, beginning to step by Sombra and Lugia as he continued to monologue. "We're cowardly, and we're fierce! Petty and small and nasty, we're more demonic than demons are!" Sombra had no words. He KNEW what was wrong with their species. He KNEW that they were horrid. And this whole time he still was trying to save them from all this? Sombra wasn't sure if should expect this from Ciel or not. Ciel continued laughing until he eventually stopped himself, almost as if reading Sombra's mind. "... And yet ... I'm just like them, don't you see? ... I'm full of it. That same ugliness courses through my veins as well," Ciel then stated, still smiling as he looked to his hand. Soon, the smile disappeared and his hand turned into a fist. "It's just how we humans are ... SOMBRA DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, IT'S WHO WE ARE!!" Everything went still, and Sombra looked shocked. for the first time in a very long time, he was legitimately shocked by pure word alone. Who we are? What did that mean, exactly? Sombra was quiet, and Lugia and Ciel waited for some sort of response from him. ... and then his arm shot out. In a blinding second, his arm turned into shadow, and struck Lugia right in the chest, going through him and into him. "... Let's see it then." ... *BOOOM* That was it. What happened next almost went in a blur: the group outside were just about to reach the E building when they began to see a sort of light begin to come out from the windows. That light quickly turned into what they all thought was an explosion, as much of the E building turned into nothing but pieces of wood. But what shocked them even more what was came out from the building, and now in the air. With Sombra controlling him, Lugia no longer had the same control over himself, and no longer was in a human-like form. This form Lugia had now was that of a draconic-like creature: a mix between a dragon, bird, and plesiosaur. his head ended in a beak, ridged to resemble a set of sharp teeth. His arms had strengthened and lengthened into hand-like wings, and ridges ran along his back and two on the end of his lizard-like tail. his eyes had spikes jutting out of them as well. Thanks to Sombra though, he looked far more horrifying, his skin a shadowy dark violet, the spikes and ridges a dullish silver, and his eyes were glowing red, steaming a purple hue like Sombra's eyes would do. This creature had laid waste to the E building, and as for Ciel, he was thrown out right to the team, still alive, but hurting all the same from the explosion. Sombra took a moment to observe himself in both new body and soul, finding flying an ease, and the sun not as effected on him as it should be. He then gave a mighty roar down to them, and he saw that even that alone made them all step back. "Damn it, he got to him," Karma groaned, already running at him. "Karma, stop!" Nagisa yelled, but Karma wasn't going to let him get away. In a swing, Karma aimed his sword directly at the creature's face, but while this would normally be death to any demon, Sombra used his new beak to clamp down onto the sword, and in one quick bite, the sword snapped in two. All that was left was the handle, which dropped down to the kid before Sombra swung around, slamming his tail right down onto him. Karma was only saved by Pinkie's quick thinking and reflexes, and the slam cracked the ground with little effort on the creature's part. "... Well. ... You've tried your best, I'll give you that. ... Farewell." "SOMBRA!" before any of them could reach him, the creature took one flap of his wings and launched up into the air, the blowback sending many of them flying, and a number of trees falling to the ground. One flap got him up fifty feet skyward, again impressing Sombra, and soon the creature flew off on his way. Sombra had gotten his prize. "Oh god, no. Lugia ..." ... "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Too little too late: the group remaining at the site began to hear the remaining soldiers returning to the Surface World. Ed, Al, Olivier and Alex had handled their portion of the fight off down in the Underworld, and it did show with them beaten up a bit. However, it was too late for them to even do much, seeing the destruction of the E building, or rather what was left of it. "Sombra's gone, and Lugia's with him," Gaara reported. "WHAT?! Where'd they go?" Olivier demanded. A distant howl from Lugia made that answer painfully clear. "We' figure it out, now come on!" Karma ordered, starting to head off. The others wasted no time in going off towards Tokyo. It was down to the wire now, and they weren't done yet. ~~ The alarms were ringing out. Team Harmony wasted no time in rushing from the E building and to Tokyo, but whether anyone would want it or not, with Sombra finally reaching the power he needed, hell was ready to fall onto the humans. Sombra himself wasted no time in getting into Tokyo city, the large creature flying through the city with little effort, everyone everywhere seeing the monster ready to come down. Of course, possessed Lugia wasted no time in starting his rampage through Tokyo. He got his prize and he wasn't wasting another second in his assault any longer. Residents were left screaming and running from the draconic creature, each attack and move Sombra had in arsenal laying waste to the city in some way, be it the wind gusts from his wings or the strength in his own body. His roars shattered every window, and every hit of his tail or wing crumbled buildings into rubble. All of these attacks were like nothing to him now, and he used it for all its worth. By the time the group got to him, the place looked like a mess. "Welcome back, Pluton," Ciel sighed. "He's going to destroy everything at this rate. We got to find him!" Alphonse said, something they all knew of at that point. not long after he said that, a building off a block down suddenly exploded as Sombra rampaged through. "That shouldn't be too hard," Karma replied. And it didn't take much for him to see them either. Rather than engage in some conversation though, a glare of his eyes was enough to get the point to them. He had all the power, and they weren't going to stop him so easily. "SCATTER!" called Twilight, just before Lugia launched forward. Everyone rushed to the sides, ducking as his wings sliced through the buildings like butter, making short work of the place. The buildings by their heads crumbled quick, and they had to dodge the falling debris as much as Lugia. He went upward and spun around to see the effect of that one attack taking down a full street. "Well, Lugia, I can see why you wanted to keep your power down," Sombra said, though seemingly it was to himself which was not far from the truth. "Anyone have any ideas?" Ed asked urgently. "You tell me, the plan didn't go this far," yelled Niji, just before he came down again. This time he used his wings to lift up a building like the hands they resembled, actually getting it tossed ten feet away from the group, and leaving a good amount exposed again. "Screw it then. CHARGE!" Ed shouted, rushing in towards Lugia, hands clapping together and his own alchemy started up. Sombra saw this coming a mile away and quickly got airborne just before the ground cracked open with alchemic energy. Some did strike Lugia, but it barely did much, if anything at all. Sombra moved in at Ed, him ready to attack him again, just for Nagisa to suddenly tackle him to the ground. "The hell are you doing?!" "That's Lugia you're attacking! Sombra only has his body, you kill him and you kill Lugia," Nagisa made clear. "THE HELL DO WE DO THEN, LET HIM TURN THE WORLD INTO A GRAVEYARD?!" Ed yelled. Their conversation was cut short when Sombra roared again, suddenly behind them, wing ready to whack them. Nagisa acted like a shield for Ed just before they got hit, both of them sent off flying, much to the horror of the others. Both of them though suddenly were caught by a yellow blur, turning out to be Korosensei. "Gotcha," Korosensei grunted upon grabbing them. And unlike with Nagisa and Pluton, he wasn't slipping up this time and quickly made like mad to get them, and everyone else out of Sombra's line of fire. The possessed Lugia roared loud and then began to charge something up, which at first looked like a Gyro Ball. However, this was no Gyro Ball, and developed into a cyclonic blue beam, narrowing missing Korosensei by inches as he flew around like mad to get them out. Considering Korosensei was at Mach-20, that was deadly, but where the beam did hit the buildings, twenty were torn from the ground and left as pebbles in a matter of seconds. Korosensei just managed to get them off at a better distance in another part of the town already wrecked, similar in appearance to the wreckage back in Amestris. The roars and attacks from the possessed Lugia rang around everywhere. "It doesn't matter if Lugia's in there or not, if we let him go it'll be the end for all of us!" Ed made clear. "Precisely why we have to work together to take him down. Sombra can't hold onto that body forever," Ciel added in. There was little time to actually work out an exact approach though, as Sombra wasn't going to let them get away so quickly. Taking flight off into the air, the possessed Lugia soon found them on the ground, and they had to rush away from another oncoming blast of power, an Aeroblast tearing the ground. There's no doubt about it anymore. "Well, no time like the present," Kirara decided, aiming her gun right to the beast. Shots started to ring out, but each bullet literally bounced off of his wing in a block. Sombra turned to face the shooting creatures, but this distraction left him open to another hit by a sudden Blair pi-pi-pumpkin blast, hitting him square in the face. The explosion stung, but didn't do much on him other than halt him briefly. "Brave. You all willing to kill Lugia?" Sombra questioned through Lugia's voice. "Lugia would not want to kill the humans! Let him go and this can end!" shouted Alphonse. "It already ended the second I possessed Lugia. And you lost." The fight began to ring out again, Sombra charging forward and sending up gusts of wind right at them. Edward tried to block it with some quick alchemy, making the ground jut upward for the blast, but the winds proved too strong and both were knocked back quick. Korosensei got them in his grip before they could crash. Sombra readied to jump again, but then something grabbed him by the tail, turning out to be Morgiana. "You will NOT hurt them," she stated, before the Fanalis began to rush up his back and right for the throat. She jumped at his neck, and gripping it tight, and it did strain his breath, Sombra wasn't having it and flew up skyward. Aladdin and Niji were quick to follow and flew up after him, the possessed Lugia flying and shaking like a madman to get Mor to let go. Morgiana may have all the strength of a Fanalis, but even she had a limit, and this creature finally dislodged her in a corkscrew spin. Niji managed to catch her, and Aladdin got up a magi shield just in time before Sombra released another array of energy at them with roars and wing beats. The shield did its job to protect them, as the wind gusts forced them to the ground! the possessed Lugia was caught under more gunfire again, combined with the E students and the servants of the Phantomhive manor, all shots hitting his chest and stomach, but one well aimed shot from Mey-Rin got him right in the eye! THAT shot made Sombra groan in pain, like someone getting dust blown in their eyes. angry, Sombra made a dive down at them, wings and ridges folded back in a falcon dive. "NO YOU DON'T!" Korosensei came alive and tackled Sombra in the side, the Mach-20 speed just enough to send the creature off twenty feet. This actually made him grounded, not able to recover quick enough to avoid landing, and now grounded, this left Sombra open to the others. That didn't mean he was disarmed though, and another beam began to charge up and launched forward. This one was slower and more like a tidal wave, but this still was enough to make them bolt for it. "Stand aside, I'll halt him!" "He's all yours, Major!" Ed yelled as they ran passed him. The oncoming flow moved in closer to him, and Alex's metal gloves started to spark. Gathering all his strength together, Alex Armstrong slammed his fists right into the beam, making it halt for a brief moment, but this beam was not stopping, and instead was redirected to aim just high enough to avoid them, just for another building to get struck down. "Major, watch what you're doing! We don't want to destroy the city, do we?!" shouted Niji. "What do you mean?! DESTRUCTION AND CREATION ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN! YOU MUST DESTROY TO CREATE - THAT IS THE LAW OF THE UNIVERSE!" Alex bellowed, suddenly shirtless. "Did he have to strip?" groaned Olivier. Alex released another alchemic attack right onto him. Sombra flew up, but the alchemy was just fast enough to whack him off-balance in the air. His roar echoed out on the hit, He felt sore from the strike, and the group weren't done just yet with him, as a Gyro Ball and a pi-pi-pumpkin cannon were shot off at him at the same time. Even with a wing blocking the explosion, he fell to the ground again, but this time it was on his feet. Edward and Alex worked together next and their alchemy began to crack the ground around him, trying to enclose him inside. This beast was not having it, but rather than a wing beat, all he had to do was slam a foot on one of the earth sides to slam it to the ground again. He roared loud at them, and actually grabbed one of the alchemic earth pieces with his beak, and threw it at them in a powerful swing. "INCOMING!" shouted Terasaka, several members ducking down fast as the chunk of earth flew above their heads. Then his attention turned to the magic-users off nearby, and gave his thanks with his beam aimed directly to them. Aladdin and Blair had to bolt off out of the way as fest as they could, just avoiding getting killed on the spot. Sombra gave a primal word of warning for all of them to back off, wings spread wide like an angry bird of prey. He heard guns being loaded, magic being charged, and all eyes were on him. ... And suddenly, he shook his head. "The hell am I doing? I've gone too far to waste time with any of you." And before any bullet could shoot, or any beam could fire, the possessed Lugia launched up into the air, the gust sending them all off their feet. He didn't need to waste time with one group of humans when there's billions of others to deal with. "Our force isn't working. We need a new strategy and fast!" Aladdin said. "There's one final shot we have," Nagisa stated. He really was hoping that it wouldn't get this far, but if this plan would work, it'll be good for everyone. "Well lay out what you want us to do because we're working random at this point," Karma said. Nagisa looked off to the direction of the noise, walking passed the others. "All of you find cover. I'll be right back." And off he ran. "Damn it not again - NAGISA COME BACK!" ....... With the possessed Lugia continuing his rampage off through the city, Nagisa made his own run after him. With sombra controlling Lugia, tracking him wasn't too complicated, his demon sense guiding him to where Lugia was at. In such a short amount of time, Lugia got a far distance into the heart of Tokyo, continuing his rampage with Nagisa following him off behind. It was hard enough just keeping up with him, rushing along what roofs remained as Sombra flew off just out of reach. Sombra did notice Nagisa trailing him, but he didn't slow down, simply flapping his wings to send a gust back at Nagisa. It got him knocked back a bit, but Nagisa kept behind him. Eventually, Sombra turned around after gaining some distance, and suddenly rushed at him. Nagisa had to skid to a halt and jump up as high as he could, narrowly missing the possessed Lugia by inches, only his by the weak ridges on Lugia's back. "Gaara taught you well, Nagisa," the creature said, Nagisa landing on the rooftop again. Sombra stopped a moment, flying in mid air, out of reach from him. "Why are you still fighting? I've given you all the time in the world to be ready, and even then I STILL got Lugia. All predictions aimed to this conclusion, and you humans don't stand a chance any further." "What makes you so sure?! We've proved the future's never set in stone. You may got Lugia, but you ever planned on what'll happen after you did?" Nagisa called. Sombra briefly felt surprised, but he no longer needed to hear this. "I know where this'll go: the human race will fall and this world will be open once more. As I said, you humans had torn this world apart long enough, and I will not stand by longer to let you do the same to everyone else." "What makes you think we can't change?! I've changed, they've changed, everyone changed! We never knew we even were affecting you because none of us knew you even existed until now! Sombra, believe me when I say we can change the world for the better. I'm not denying that we humans haven't done anything bad to you or anyone else, but at the same time we're just as willing to fix as much as we destroy. Just give us a chance to do that, and I swear we will!" "Don't pretend you will! Human beings are a breed apart, you trample eachother like insects: petty, small, nasty, you're worse than us! And you know what's ironic about that statement: CIEL PHANTOMHIVE made that clear to me, and he laughed at me for it. You know you're rotten, and you won't do anything about it." "I'm not denying there are worse humans out there, Sombra, believe me. But Demons and Angels are just as varied as everyone else here: look at you! A Umbra demon who somehow managed to become a Elysium commander! According to that logic that would be impossible, but it happened! You really going to stay there and think that no human being can change when you already proved no one can ever truly be the same?" Sombra roared, the sheer force almost making Nagisa knocked off the roof. The words were getting to him far too much, and it was ticking him off more than any weapon could hurt him. "I've had enough of this I'll see you in true paradise, Nagisa Shiota." Then came the blow to defy everything. Sombra started to charge up his attack, the blast gaining power every second. Nagisa knew what was coming next, but he wasn't moving. He had to focus, and calm down from the fight. "Lugia ... I'm ready. God. Please. Please make this work ..." Nagisa felt a tear come down his face, hoping and praying that this final resort would finally work. He had such little time to actually get this, such pressure was on him. And if this didn't work, nothing will. Sombra continued charging, but he saw that Nagisa was not moving. He was just ... standing there. Waiting. Anticipating the blast coming at him. And to him, this was surrender. With full confidence now, and with no holding back, Sombra released the mighty power of the Aeroblast, aiming directly at Nagisa. All the power Lugia and sombra had mixed together into a force of pure magic of the world. Nagisa opened his eyes just in time to see the blast. ... And it struck him dead center. "NAGISA!!!" screeched Twilight. The whole team couldn't do anything to stop the blast from hitting, and none of them could look away as all they saw was light and magic. Everything felt like slow motion when this happened, the building under Nagisa decimating in seconds, them just out of the blasting range, and everyone feared this was the final breath of Nagisa Shiota. So much, all leading to this. Sombra felt triumphant in defeating Nagisa, and tried to stop the Aeroblast ... he tried to. "Huh? Wait, stop! I can't stop?! Why won't it -" The final resort had been activated: it took a bit of time after the blast, but the impact of the hit began to alter, much of the beam suddenly being moved back to just in front of Nagisa, and what everyone thought was the final move now worked against Sombra. there was Nagisa, still alive, and sucking all that power into him! Sombra tried to get the move to stop, but the blast was nothing more than a power-filled drain, and Sombra couldn't break out of it. Panicked, Sombra had no choice but to get out of Lugia, but not even that did him much good, the move still in affect on not just him, but on Lugia too! None of them knew what was happening, staring with baited breath at this shocking turn of events. Lugia stayed still and allowed this to happen as Sombra struggled to keep what power he had, and what power he was born with, but both weren't going to stay on him. Pretty soon, the drainage stopped, and Sombra and Lugia landed on the ground below. Lugia was still in his true form, but now the colors were that of blue and white, but while weaker, he knew what had occurred. "H-He ... He drained them? ... B-But then -" Twilight stopped cold when she saw what happened to Nagisa. The blasts of magical energy didn't go down, and a powerful aura now surrounded him. his eyes were wide open, irises shrunk as he felt the power he now had in him. A mixture of the mightiest holy and unholy energy, now fighting within his body for dominance with eachother within his being. The aura around him burned like a fierce fire, blasts of pure energy emitting from him like force of a rocket ship, and just as dangerous. However, Nagisa's own body proved too weak to even handle it, every muscle tense and stiff, twitching, and cracking under how much energy begged to come out. His body was not ready for this, no matter how much training he could've done. To everyone's shock, it was to the point when his body started bleeding out of his mouth, eyes, and even finger tips started to get cut open. "Oh god. I can't hold this any longer. L-Lugia!" Nagisa thought. He couldn't speak to anyone with how much force he had to keep it together. His eyes looked to the only creature that knew of this plan, and Lugia simply nodded slow. He knew he was hurting, and seeing him in such pain, he knew too this can't last much longer. "Go." That was all Nagisa needed to hear. He started to ready himself, each step alone enough to crack the ground underneath him, and with all the energy he had, he jumped skyward. One jump now got him a mile high, and away from everyone below him. He couldn't hold it together any further, and his gaze aimed directly to the sky. His energy holding it altogether had completely broke, and all of it was released in a mighty blast to the heavens! This wasn't an attack though, but this was a release, and he wasn't aiming for Sombra and Lugia down below. No, his sights were far higher than any of them. The magical energy spread off all over the sky as if the Aurora borealis had come to life, and every inch of it launched in all directions, aiming at the ground, the sky, and everything in between. This attack harmed no one, and in fact the magical energy was actually mending everything that possessed Lugia had destroyed, everyone below the blast was still standing in the light and magical energy. This spread off miles on time in all directions, and it was enough of a blast to break apart the barrier and disbelief for good. Slowly, the power from the release began to calm down, the light diminishing, and after a while, all the energy was released from Nagisa. All that pressure, energy, and strength, all now exiting his body in one major move. Everything fell silent. And Nagisa, far up in the sky, began to succumb to gravity and fall down to the world below. Nagisa's fall would've been his final one if Aladdin didn't fly up and catch him first. Nagisa's body landed in his turban flying carpet. Everyone rushed out to them as they landed, wanting to see if Nagisa was alright. However, he didn't look very alive laying there, completely quiet and not even breathing at a first glance. Twilight went up to him first, down on her knees right by him. He was not budging at all. "How is he?" asked Karma. Twilight tried to test some vital sign, but it wasn't looking too good. His blood left on his fingers, mouth and eyes still stained him, but no longer was any flowing out of him. She placed her head on Nagisa's chest. .......... *ba-bump* ........... *ba-bump* .......... *ba-bump* .......... Very faint. but still a sign that he's holding on. "His heart's still beating." "Well don't just stand there, find what hospital's standing and take him there," Ciel instructed. Korosensei was more than quick to oblige, and scooped him up gently. He held him in his tentacles like a mother to her child. No way was Korosensei going to harm him any further from here. In a jump, Korosensei was off and on his way to the nearest hospital. This left them with one other little problem though, and he was just getting himself scooped up off the ground. Weal, tired, and shocked beyond belief. Sombra could barely grasp what occurred right there, but ... he saw them all go over to him. Beings from all three realms had done him in. And he knew when he's defeated. "... Well ... you have me ... what're you gonna do now?" Sombra asked, and admittedly he had no clue what will happen now. "You need us to tell you?" Ciel stated. Sombra willingly brought his hands forward in defeat, as if ready to be cuffed. "In that case do what you will. I've tried everything, but clearly you've won our game. You've proven that human beings can, and ready to, face the challenges brought forward by our kind and theirs. I'll willing take whatever punishment you have for me." ... "Wait a minute. ..." Everyone turned to Twilight, as she stepped forward. "Yours and theirs, Sombra?" Twilight questioned. Sombra wasn't going to repeat himself so all he did was nod and waited for what he was sure to be the killing blow. Twilight though began to ponder a little bit about this, and including the fact Sombra was apart of Elysium before all of this ... "... OOOHHH. So that's it." "What's it?" Olivier asked. "Guys, at the very beginning, Sombra told us that he wanted to play a game with us. That's all this is: a game. He never planned on killing all of us at all, in fact ... you were preparing us, weren't you?" Twilight concluded, turning to Sombra. This realization began to come through to the other members, Ciel snapping his finger in said realization. "I see. I did wonder why you didn't kill us the last dozen times we kept seeing you if you really wanted us dead. You had us when we were in Abaddon, but you just wanted us locked away, not killed. That, and you were once a commander of Elysium, and any normal demon wouldn't ever dare to venture up there with a typical persona and hatred for humanity. And your future sight as well. ..." Sombra stayed quiet on what they were saying. But this wasn't a look of disbelief, nor a look of defeat. Sombra slowly got up to his feet. "We're right, aren't we?" Ciel said. No one attacked him right away after hearing all of that, waiting for what Sombra had to say about all of that. He turned his back to them and walked a few feet, feeling the sun on him, which didn't feel as warm as it was before. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat, as if readying himself for some speech, and bringing his hand up, one finger aimed upward. "... Kyoya told you all why I left with his own lecture about my past. I knew the day would come that this world will meet with all of ours eventually ... I know not all humans are the same. Just as not all Angels can be holy, and not all Demons sinful. ... Though, I didn't expect myself to be alive this long." "You know you've put a lot of trouble on yourself, why didn't you tell us anything?" Korosensei asked. "Funny you would ask. Look at you: a rare breed of slime from the Underworld, and a human couldn't even touch you. And you're not even classed. How could any of them even prepare for a full on merge for demons like Pluton?" "It all makes sense now. So all of this truly was a teaching method on a global scale for the human race to better adapt to the arrival of the Overworld and Underworld. You only said it would be your doing just so no one would go easy on your attempts and give it their all. The global protection program, the assassination classroom, Team Harmony itself. ... You were actually hoping they'd do that. It'll prove that the human race can adapt to this fate," Korosensei explained. Sombra just sighed. "Nothing gets by you, does it? ... Well, anyway, I'm done here. You can have my head, or whatever you wanted to do." There was some silence from the whole group, taking this all in as Sombra fell to his knees, his gaze to the ground. However, the group did go away for a brief moment to discuss amongst themselves, yet Sombra didn't go away just yet. The only one who didn't leave him was Lugia, who kneeled down to him, a hand on his shoulder. Eventually though, the group did go back to him. "Sombra? ..." eventually, Sombra felt a hand touch his chin, and lifted his gaze up to a ... comforting smile of Twilight Kagayaki. "... You still have a kingdom to look after. It wouldn't be right to take Tartarus away of their king." "... You're letting me go? ..." "That'd be the idea, Sombra." Sombra got up, but wasn't sure how to take this exactly. Were they really letting him go like this? After everything he tried to do to them? "After all that I did, you're ... you're not going to kill me?" "Well Sombra, you may be a demon, but let's face it, you got more morals than most other demons down there. Most of them would've slaughtered us on the spot, unlike you. Instead, you wanted to test us, see if we can adapt to the changing world. And you know what ... thanks." Thanks? did he hear them right? For someone who was always so prepared, that was the last thing he expected to hear. ... "... I've underestimated you all. ... I'll be going then. If any of you need me, I'll be cleaning up after our uh ... scuffle. No doubt there's plenty of bodies to clean up," Sombra sighed. He didn't open up any portal or anything here, not that the sunlight would let him. He just walked away. Sombra only paused once to look back to the party. He also looked around at Tokyo, how mended it all gotten from Nagisa's move. He only let out a sigh. "And to think I thought humans weren't ready. ... The only one that wasn't ready was me," he thought. His last thought before he went off out of sight. To the victor ... ....... ~~ ....... "... Nagisa? Guys! I-I think he's finally waking up!" "You think so?" "Guys quiet, he's coming to." All grew quiet again when Nagisa Shiota, after everything, finally came back to after his ordeal. His vision, blurry and a bit dazed, opened up to what he could only see as just a blur of white. Everything was so quiet. So peaceful. So ... bright. Nagisa needed to figure out where he was, and needed a minute, but he did eventually start to see someone's face come into view, tears down her face, and happy to see him finally awake. Nagisa knew this face anywhere. "T-Twilight. You're alive ... or we're both dead ... Are we in Synapse again?" "No, no, we're fine. Everything's fine," Twilight reassured him. Nagisa blinked a few times and soon started to look around and see what actually happened to him, or rather where they were. He wasn't in Synapse, but instead his eyes found that he was indeed in a hospital room, his body laying down on a hospital bed, soft and comfy for him. He looked in pretty bad shape: needles working good blood into him from what he had lost, a life supporter working it's own magic next to him to keep him alive. Compared to how tense and ridged he felt during the explosion of magical energy, he never felt so relaxed in his life, ever. He would get himself up, but he felt so comfy he didn't want to move. Not like he could if he wanted to, him connected and all. Naturally he was joined by his closest friends: Twilight, Aladdin, Pinkie, and Karma. The four that stuck with him since the very beginning of this crazy adventure. They also had Hiromi with them, who while still bandaged, was good enough to walk. "... Where's everyone else?" "They're just outside the door. Can't crowd you when you'd come back, right?" Karma said, thumb aiming to the door. They knew how Nagisa felt about being center of attention anyway, so that was good for him. "How're you feeling, honey?" Hiromi asked gently. Her hand gently stroked his head, and it felt ... good. No way can Hiromi ever be mad at him for doing what he did. He went through enough, anyway. "... Tired ... what even happened to me? I can take it, whatever it is." "I'll say this: kept that power in you any longer and you'd blown up like a balloon! Literally!" Pinkie said. "Probably. ... Sorry for scaring you like that. ... Again." "Don't sweat it, Nagisa, at least you're safe. Damn, just wait til you see Tokyo. Korosensei sure got it all spruced up." "Wait, how long was I out?" Nagisa asked, mildly surprised. "Two weeks. The doctors said you'll be stuck in here for a few more months at best," Twilight explained. Small price to pay for stopping the end of the world. But thinking on that just reminded him of something else. "... Speaking of which. Where's Lugia? Is he still around here?" "I'm right here, Nagisa." The others moved off aside to allow Lugia to walk forward, now in his human form, and looking down to Nagisa. Although weak, Nagisa simply smiled. "... See? ... It worked ..." "That it did, Nagisa, that it did. Everything's going to be alright." Music to his ears. There was still one other question though ... "... And Sombra? Where's he?" "Sombra surrendered not long after what you did. He straight up admitted that we humans deserved this world if they can hold their own against both him and Lugia. Too true," Karma explained. "He disappeared after that. And since then our efforts were to rebuild Tokyo from the damage he - ... we've caused. ... And ..." "And ...?" "Eh, wait, Lugia, you sure you wanna tell him? He just woke up, you know," Aladdin brought up. Whatever he had to say it must be important, so Nagisa raised his hand, only then finding that all his fingers were bandaged up. "It's fine, Aladdin. ... I can take it, whatever it is," Nagisa said. And so Lugia began talking again. "... You've changed the world, Nagisa. And that isn't a simple statement: when you released our combined magic, it spread far and wide all over the world. Even the Overworld and Underworld felt the effect from the spread, and now ... and now. All the worlds are connected. The barriers that kept the Underworld, Overworld, and your world apart had been broken. And all three realms are now apart of each other." And they were right when they saw Nagisa's reaction to it. The shock was more that it was him who did that and not just the idea itself. Far as he knew, the worlds had been connected the second he got his Halo Blade from the sky. "By the way, how'd it feel to have all that power anyway?" Karma then asked. "... Exhilarating ... but terrifying. Then again, I didn't keep it for long. My body couldn't handle it," Nagisa joked. but all that aside, what Lugia had said was enough to confirm what had changed. "Right. Well, we got all the time in the world to finally relax a bit. No more crazy demon attacks from Tartarus from here on out, if that umbra keeps to his word," Karma stated. "Oh, I think we will. We did let him live after all, and he's not the type to lie as you've noticed," Lugia pointed out. "Eh, true that," Pinkie shrugged. As they talked a bit more, Nagisa laid back down and smiled. "... You know. It would be time for our three worlds to get to know eachother a bit more. We've spent so much time apart from eachother, we barely know anything. So much of what we already know has been thrown out the window. The Angels are surely much stronger and more willing to fight than I could imagine. And the demons can actually be pretty friendly. ..." Nagisa took a moment to look outside. seeing the clear, blue sky. "... let's see where this goes now." ~~~~~~~ (Several months later ...) The word of the Lugia attack may have gone around a bit since, but if one were to look around now, little to no evidence of the carnage remained. All of Tokyo sure looked good that afternoon: the streets as busy and lively as ever. As if nothing even happened at all. Any evidence of Sombra's attack on the city was only left in memory to those who witnessed it, and ever since then, nothing as major as such had even occurred. no major attacks, no new demonic involvement, everything was as normal as it was when it all began. Fore so it appeared, anyway. Today was a special day for Orora high School, as it neared the end of the day. A typical day wouldn't offer anything special, but today was different: the yearly graduation. Many kids had come and gone over the last graduation, and this year it was going to be no different. With their heads held high, many of the students of Orora high School stood there proud in their graduation uniforms. This was the students who went above and beyond the call of duty this year. Team Harmony never looked better here: Karma Akabane, Pinkemina Diana Pie, Yugure "Twilight" Kagayaki, and Nagisa Shiota. Many of the other members were grateful for seeing them from the crowds seeing them off, Aladdin and Blair the most so. Gakuho Asano himself did the honors of giving each student their diplomas for a job well done, Nagisa looking on. We've come a long way, haven't we? To think that when I first arrived at Orora high ... well, I can't even remember what I used to be. Such a long time. Nagisa began to then see his own friends starting to come over to get their diplomas as he was thinking, and next thing he knew, it was his turn. Nagisa moved over from his position, and right over to Gakuho Asano, who smiled to him as he gave him his diploma. He took a moment to look to the crowd. We sure made a lot of new friends over this adventure. Angels and demons, royals and commoners, Japan to England. I'd never would've guessed when I first arrived to this school I would be meeting such important people ... Then his eyes began to see someone else in the crowd. Or rather, two people. Nagisa saw Hiromi amongst the crowd, sure, but she herself was with another person, another man precisely. Nagisa's father. The tears on his face proved this was a great day. Soon, the ceremony itself had reached it's closing, and soon the doors to the school opened up for the graduates to head off to their own stories of life to begin. Nagisa Shiota of course was amongst them in his walk out, and he felt pretty good with everything. His memory began to go through everything that brought him to this moment. The very start of it all, when he got his Halo Blade, he was such a different person back then. He could still remember how it clocked him in the head when it came to him, him placing a hand on his head. That was now nothing but a cakewalk compared to how much he had gone through since. *tweet**tweet* A particular noise. Nagisa stopped himself in his walk for a short moment and followed the noise until he found himself looking up to the school's tree. The same cherry blossom tree he had been seeing day by day. And despite everything that happened, it still was standing tall as it had been since planted. And up in the tree, a family of Pidoves. A mother and father with baby chicks in a nest. It was a callback to a simpler time, and Nagisa could only smile. "Nice home for those Pidoves," Nagisa simply said, as he began to walk on his way. Walking up to him, Twilight had caught up with him, along with his friends that he started this all out with. Karma, Aladdin, Blair, and Pinkie were all with him, and they were just as happy. Even after all of this, I still wonder what else might be coming our way. But I think we got this. It's a whole new world now. And we'll crossover together.
S01Ep1: Nagisa's First Day ~渚の初日~The sun beamed on down onto the city of Tokyo; the great Capital of Japan. Even if early in the morning - around about 6:50 - the city was already as active as ever, people and cars on the move from place to place. It was rare for Tokyo to not be up and about, when all was said and done. Even with all the activity, there're some that were still asleep (somehow). One of those examples, still asleep in bed soundly, was a kid by the name of Nagisa Shiota, still having his eyes closed in his bed. The sun has penetrated his room, but didn't reach his eyes just yet. However, soon as it did, the emotionless body began to stir, eventually Nagisa's eyes opening up. He sat up in his bed, stretching his arms out to get his body up along with his mind. He looked to his clock by his bed, at first, feeling relaxed and tired ... until he realized what time it was, anyway. "Uh oh, I'm gonna be late," Nagisa thought, getting out of bed. His morning after that went by rather quickly, getting many of his morning stuff done in record time: getting his hair done, lunch ready, dressed up, and ready to go. No sooner after that, he ended up running off out of his apartment building, starting to rush down the sidewalk. The streets, rough for Nagisa, had a fair good amount of people, so Nagisa had to maneuver through the crowds as he charged through. He especially needed this: being Nagisa's first day of the school year, and he didn't want to be late for it. Last thing he needed was being late on the first day. The kid continued to run through the crowd as fast as he could, trying to avoid running into anyone. Eventually he got to a red light crossing, and had to wait. Being in a hurry, he ran in place for a bit until the light changed green, him making like a rocket and took off down the sidewalk. He didn't bother to stop his little marathon run until he could catch eyesight of his high school just ahead. And not a minute late either, as he finally stopped at the entrance to catch his breath. When it came to the high school, which was known as Orora High, it basically had the same look any modern Japanese academy would look: a modern, five-story building, with the courtyard in front leading to the main doors. Nagisa was glad to finally get to the school, all things considered, as he watched other students walk about the place. Compared to the rest, he felt a bit petty (it didn't help that his body, along with his blue hair, made him look too much like a girl either). So, he began to walk towards the main entrance, taking in the students around him. "Huh. There's a lot of newcomers this year," Nagisa thought, seeing many faces he didn't recognize from the 2 years beforehand, as he continued to walk through to the school...as he was, someone just ahead at the door immediately caught his eye. Ahead of him, he noticed a young, light tanned girl, about a year older than him, and taller than him as well. She had on a similar girl school uniform, consisting of a black skirt and a sort of violet coat, one to fit more of a formal professor than a student. Her 2 - button shirt showed her black tie around her collar. Her hair laid down her back, covering her tailbone, it was so long. While most of her hair was a dark violet shade, she had one strand of purple, and one strand of hot pink hair that followed down. She had a headpiece, with a light purple star on the right side of it. Her purple eyes were looking right at Nagisa, a gentle smile on her face. While most of these students didn't look familiar, Nagisa easily recognized this face, and was very happy, rushing over to her. "Hey, Yugure!" Nagisa said with glee, close to hugging her, he was so happy to see her. But, he kept his composure, and stopped himself before going overboard. Yugure gave Nagisa a cute giggle. "Nagisa, it's great to see you again," Yugure said. "You too. How long has it been? 5 years, was it?" "Last I counted it was 7 years, but yeah, it's been a long time since we last seen each other," Yugure reminded, her index finger pointed up at the idea, as if pointing it out. "Yeah, but, I thought you moved, didn't you?" Nagisa asked. "For a while, but, mom and dad decided to move back. Just got transferred from Canterlot high." Nagisa and Yugure had been rather close friends from a very young age, and time taken away since she had moved, their friendship had died down quite a bit. But, Nagisa was deeply grateful that Yugure had moved back, being one of few he can fully share his feelings with. After sharing another smile, she began to play with her hair. "So, was there anything I missed important?" Yugure asked. Nagisa took a minute to think, hand to chin in thought. "Hm well, aside for plenty of newcomers today, there's not much from what I know. Well, Good luck on your first day, Twilight." Nagisa felt a bit embarrassed and blushed up on that last part, the "Twilight" name just slipping out. When it came to them, Nagisa had his own nickname for Yugure, which was "Twilight". Twilight though was a good sport, playfully fluffed his bright blue hair, like if Nagisa was her little brother. "You too, Nagisa," Twilight simply said. Just then, the school bell had sounded off; class starting up. "Uh oh, sorry Nagisa, we'll talk at lunch, see ya!" With that, Twilight quickly turned around and hurried on into the school. Nagisa was hoping there was more time to talk to her. "Ok ..." ....... "Oh, great. Down another class? ... Well, maybe the kids will be better here," Nagisa sighed, looking at his schedule in his hands. After the typical classroom orientation, Nagisa had been hit with some rather rough news in terms of where he was supposed to be. When it came to this system in this school, it was a basic grade system with five grade levels: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E. Lower class means lower the overall grade and respect. Unfortunately for this time, Nagisa Shiota was kinda stuck in the lower class. He was a fairly smart kid, and he was doing pretty good for the last two years (low ranking class B to be exact), but the lack of care from last year had made him now an average C student. It's not the worst thing ever, but not the best either. What he worried about now, is what kind of students he'll be with. The teaching, teachers, and grades themselves didn't bug him much, but the fellow students seemed to either go for better or worse depending on the grade level, as it went on Orora High. Too high meant ego-maniacs, and too low meant rebelliousness galore. So, maybe Nagisa might get a break. With some navigation thanks to the instructions on his schedule, Nagisa got to his classroom in decent time. The classrooms in the school weren't much different either: teacher's desk at front, and about five rows of seven desks each. No one else was there yet by the looks of it, not even the teacher, so Nagisa had time to get his act together, and figure out which seat he would be choosing. Convenient for him, he saw the seating chart over on the front desk, and a quick lookover, he found himself over right next to the windows, third desk down from the front. Not bad at all, and a nice view to outside as well. So, Nagisa got his stuff on his desk, and took a seat. No doubt in his mind that the other students will come around soon enough. As he sat there, he looked over his schedule up and down time and again, and took some time to look out the window. It gave him a nice view of the school's courtyard, which had a lovely cherry blossom tree for him to observe. Nagisa could even see some unique-looking birds perched in its branches. It was a nice sight, and Nagisa could even hear the birds chirping from inside, inspite the windows being closed. "Nice home for those Pidoves," Nagisa thought, seeing the flock of Pidoves flutter around, enjoying the day. Nagisa relaxed, and just stared on outside for a for the next few minutes ... *poke* *poke* "Huh? What is - AAHH!" Nagisa found himself turning around just to see the demon staring at him. A devilish smile full of teeth and wide eyes with small iris too. It was enough to freak out Nagisa out of his own seat, the kid tumbling onto the floor. Not a good showing. Nagisa got himself back to his feet as the student gave a chuckle, looking normal now. The kid here was a bit taller than him, and looked like the polar opposite of Nagisa. for starters, his hair was short and blood red, and his devilish eyes shined with a stunning amber. His school uniform was close to Nagisa's, but there was a few changes: the overcoat was pitch black over Nagisa's dark blue, no tie on his neck, and the overcoat was unbuttoned to show the white undershirt. "Oh. Morning, Karma," Nagisa said, meekly, as he got himself up to his feet. "Hey, kid, where've you been all vaca, eh?" Karma asked. While Yugure may be a older friend, Nagisa would consider Karma a newer companion when comparing one to the other. Nagisa sat back down, Karma leaning down, a hand on Nagisa's desk. "So, I saw you were chatting it up with a babe outside. That your old girlfriend?" Karma teased. Nagisa was flustered. "First of all: she's not my girlfriend. And second ... yes, it was," Nagisa admitted. He may not be as honest to Karma as to Twilight, but Karma was a lot more clever than him, and would catch him in a lie anyway. Karma chuckled. "Called it. You know, she's not the only Canterlot high kid here. Maybe you and I will fit in a lot better now," Karma said, thinking about it. Nagisa thought it over too, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe," Nagisa agreed. ~~~~~~ So as the day went on, it was mainly classroom first time orientation, and getting kids ready for the year ahead. Nagisa Shiota had gone through this sort of process at this school many times, so this was mainly old news for him. The blue kid may not put much focus to the subject and system speeches, he took to mind in what new kids came into his classes. Some were basic kids, some were from Canterlot High. It seemed easy to tell with which kid was colorful, and who wasn't. It wasn't really matter of skin, but color of hair. Many Canterlot students had rather flashy colors in their hair, Nagisa's blue hair and outlook not too far off. From how many he counted, there was at least four students from Canterlot that transferred over (what he counted in his classes, that is). The rest were just other kids from Tokyo's schooling system. Each class Nagisa went on through for the next three hours were mainly repeats of themselves, and the pattern from class to class was pretty much the same: introduction of new students, explaining each subject, catching up with old students, and explaining the school system. It was a boring day, but Nagisa was grateful for a smooth first day, because he knew it's just gonna get more troubling further down the road. Each class period, he simply kept quiet and just went with the motions as any norm student would do, occasionally looking out the window from time to time. Classes went well all and all, and before he knew it, it was time for lunch. A better time for him to just chill out without work being shoved at him, though student interaction was just as much of a rough game. While different classes meant different kids for different parts of the day (a few exceptions of course), lunch time is with ALL the kids together, and anything can happen easily during that time, when all is said and done. By the time Nagisa arrived, plenty of students were already in high numbers, and doing their own thing. Be it just eating lunch, or just chatting with eachother. "It been a while since I saw this scenario. Just go with the flow, and keep quiet," Nagisa thought, giving himself instruction. He just wasn't the type to just make attention to himself, and he'd rather just eat his lunch and continue his day from there. He at least got his lunch already, so going to get his lunch was outta the question. He already got his surprise today by Karma, so if he could just find him or Twilight, then he'd be all set. It wasn't easy though in this crowd. It took him a while, for sure, but he did eventually find his own spot that was outta the way, and over by the door. The blue student took his seat, and got out his lunch. It was just a Bento box really, but lunch none the less. Even if they don't show up, he didn't mind eating alone. "Ok. No Twilight, no Karma. Guess I'm alone today," Nagisa figured. He got out his utensils, and just about to take a bite into some packed snack fish. It just hovered at his open mouth when ... *boing!* Nagisa froze up, feeling something push on the back of his head. It was as if he was froze in place. The fish slipping out of his chopsticks, back into the Bento box, but Nagisa still didn't budge. Two soft breasts had placed themselves on the back of his head, and it took seconds for Nagisa to know what was going on. "Hello," said a cheeky, childish voice. Nagisa turned his head slightly, and indeed he found his head being smothered by someone's big boobs. The boobs belonged to a newcomer high school student. She had big, pink, curly hair, almost like cotton candy. Her face had a big smile on it, her blue eyes beaming into Nagisa's eyes as well. Her school outfit was a regular one, though it did curve to show her large boobs within them, and Nagisa could tell. Nagisa, in his seat, couldn't exactly move away without pushing into this girl's chest, so he was kinda stuck. "Uh. Hi. You new here?" Nagisa asked, hoping the question would get her to back up. It actually made her push into him a bit more, as she looked over his shoulder at his meal. "Yes indeede! Ooooo, is that a Bento? OH, those'er so cute, tiny little boxes full of yummy goodies. It's like a surprise in every box! It's neat how much you can put into these little boxes. Hey, can I sit with you?" Nagisa had never met someone like this before. Such a happy go lucky girl seemed almost out of place in this school. As for the question, Nagisa wasn't sure how to respond in words, so he just nodded, and the happy girl sat down right next to him. Not where he wanted, but at least her boobs were off of him. "This is a neat little school you have here. So many new friends everywhere, new things to do, it's so exciting! Say, what's your name?" "Eh ... Nagisa ... You?" "Pinkie Pie," she beamed. "... No, seriously," Nagisa stated, more dryly this time. He knew no kid anywhere in Tokyo with THAT name. Pinkie apparently saw the point and cleared her throat to try again. "Okay: Pinkemina Diane Pie." "That's even weirder," thought Nagisa. Pinkie, as if she had read his mind, began to feel a little annoyed, kinda like an actual child. "I'll prove it to you!" Pinkie declared. In a rather swift move, she unbuttoned her shirt a bit, showing plenty of cleavage (much to Nagisa's surprise), shoved her hand in between her boobs, and whipped out a piece of paper from within them. A flick of the wrist got the paper straightened out for Nagisa to read, and it turned out to be her birth certificate! Turned out, it was indeed her true name, right there in black and white. All the same Nagisa didn't know how to react ... "She had THAT in her boobs?" Nagisa thought in wonder, his face crimson red, as Pinkie Pie shoved it back in her cleavage, and buttoned back up her shirt. Being lunch time, Nagisa took a bite of his food as Pinkie readied to eat hers. "Time to eat!" Pinkie said, getting her own lunch out. Nagisa looked at what Pinkie Pie had for food, but this meal was no simple Bento. In fact, Pinkie suddenly had a big, delicious looking fruit parfait sitting in front of her! Large, beautifully decorated with all sorts of fruits, which included a set of bananas, kiwis, strawberries, and even sliced apples (amongst other fruits) topped with whipped cream and a little cherry. Nagisa was left wide-eyed, and mouth agape. "That looks so good," Nagisa commented, but it was mostly to himself, as Pinkie happily dug into her parfait. "You should eat up, your tummy will complain all day if you don't," Pinkie advised, through a full mouth. So Nagisa did, but he couldn't help but feel envious over Pinkie's fruity masterpiece. As it might be expected though, he wasn't the only one who noticed the pink girl, and Nagisa could feel many a student at least glance their way. All he could do was keep quiet for a bit, until he heard someone else walk over to them. "Well, look who it is. Sup, Nagisa?" Wouldn't you know it Karma would show up? Pinkie turned to see Karma standing there. "HI!" Pinkie beamed, a hand waving to the redhead. Karma casually walked over to the blushing Nagisa. Of anyone who'd catch him with this kind of person, and it happens to be the Kid who scared the crap out of him earlier today. Karma actually sat down over next to Nagisa. "Who's your friend?" "Oh ... well, this is Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, this is Karma." "Good karma or bad karma?" Pinkie bluntly asked. Karma was taken aback, but still laughed. "Badass karma," Karma replied. Pinkie scratched her head on the odd response. Far as Nagisa was concern though, that would basically fit Karma. "Okie dokie lokie! Are you two local here? What's it like?" Pinkie asked. Karma brought his hands casually behind his head before he took the liberty to answer her. "Eh, I'll say this. Keep your grades up or you'll get your ass kicked to end E building," Karma summed up. "End E?" Pinkie questioned, head tilted like a curious puppy. "It's how this school system works, Pinkie. A through D get to stay at the building," Nagisa said. Both Karma and Nagisa were not going overboard with anything here. The school learning system is based strictly off the grading level on who gets what. Dead end E class, as it would be for many schools throughout Japan (on Anime anyway), got the short end of the stick. In this case, class E wasn't even connected to the main building at all! At least typical schools would keep A - E levels at one place, but not Orora High. Just a fact Nagisa and Karma learned to deal with. Pinkie Pie though, had her own reaction to hearing that. "WHAAAAA?!" NOW more kids were noticing them this time. Pinkie didn't care for it, but Nagisa could feel the eyes hone in on them. Nagisa slumped down in his seat until ... *ring!**ring!* "Oh thank god," Nagisa said, quickly taking another bite of the Bento, tossing the rest, and going right off before anything else could happen. "What'd I say?" Pinkie wondered. ~~ For the rest of the day, it was business as usual. He may not had managed to find Twilight, as she said she would, but it didn't bother him too much. The remaining classes were the same as before in what was going on, and the day was basically a breeze through. Different students came and went, some Canterlot, some not, though he was lucky a freaky moment like he had with Pinkie didn't repeat itself during either one of these. That didn't mean Nagisa didn't catch some students talking about her, and by the sounds of it, he wasn't the only one whom the pink girl had visited today. Nagisa just hoped that this nutty gal would keep herself in control next time they would bump into eachother. Who he did bump into once, was Twilight, and was a bit more grateful to see her over the other two. Pretty soon, school was over for the day, and Nagisa walked on out with the crowd to head off home. Not too much trouble, nor did many of the students bugged him as he went on his way. By the time school had ended, the weather had shifted a little bit, turning into a more cloudy day then it was earlier. Not that Nagisa minded this, though. Even if he did, his mind was wrapped up in the newcomers to Orora High. "Well this has be a interesting first day. Canterlot High students now in Orora High School? Why would so many just join in though?" Nagisa wondered. It wasn't uncommon to have different students come to Orora through the years (Nagisa being Junior, so he should know) but it was odd to have so many from one place at one time. Comparing other new students to those he can recognize coming from Canterlot High, he can say that Canterlot High students beat the remaining five to one. Eventually Nagisa just sighed. "Well, who am I to judge? They wanted to come here, why worry about it? Twilight seemed to be doing well, even after being gone so long. Karma hadn't changed very much from his badass attitude, and that Pinkie Pie ..." Nagisa paused for a moment, as he remembered her soft breasts pushing his head. "Gonna need some getting used to," Nagisa concluded, as he continued off down the sidewalk. Despite being in Tokyo of all places, Nagisa had found a moment of privacy, as he found himself alone over at the afternoon streetlight. It was a nice break from the usual noise. Nagisa had to wait for the light to turn green however, before the finishing walk home. The kid awaited for the switching light for another five minutes at this point, but eventually he began to look around a bit. His eyes glanced up to the sky for one short moment, and that was all it took. *BANG* "AH!" In a flash, something struck Nagisa right on the head! It was too quick for the blue kid to actually see what was up, and whatever hit him bounced off his head and down onto the sidewalk. Nagisa quickly shook off the hit and got into a sort of karate fighting stance to confront his attacker. But there was no one there. What he did find though was what had landed on him. The item landed about five feet away, and fully exposed down on the ground. Upon closer inspection, picking it up in his hand, Nagisa found that the item appeared to be some sort of hand blade, the size of a steak knife. It didn't look like any regular knife though. The color of the blade looked like a sea green, and texture of said blade wasn't anything metal. In fact, it felt smooth, and bendable like rubber. Just as well, it couldn't even cut his own skin. Looking closer, he also saw some strange kanji markings labeled along the length of the blade. Nagisa looked it over up and down, not seeing any typical blade look like this before. "Where did this come from?" Nagisa wondered. He looked around him to try and find who had dropped the blade, but he found no one around that could've dropped it where it came from. Even if there was, it fell far too quickly to just be dropped from a roof. He couldn't find any clue on who it belonged to either, or any sort of brand name for that matter. Regardless, it probably wasn't a good idea to just stroll down the sidewalk with a weird looking blade in hand. He could do one of two things: keep it hidden off to home, or put it back where he found it. In the end, the latter option was the easier one, so all Nagisa did was gently place the blade down on the ground, and began walking away after the light turned green ... The walk back home was a bit uneventful after that, as it usually is for Nagisa. For home to the kid, despite being a high schooler, he actually got himself a apartment room. He easily maintained his apartment home, and found it good to work with for a kid his age. With the casual walk up to his home, Nagisa went on to open up the door into his home sweet home. Far as apartments go, Nagisa had it pretty decent. His apartment had the kitchen over by the door, the living room further in with a nice flatscreen TV, with the bathroom and bedroom down a short hallway. His apartment was up a couple of floors, so he got a nice view of the city of Tokyo from his windows. Typically, Nagisa would either do his homework, or just chill out, or something along those lines. At first, Nagisa didn't notice anything wrong just yet, as he closed the door, and headed off to the living room. Nagisa threw his school bag over on the couch, and he laid down on the couch himself. He looked up at the ceiling for a minute or to, until he then thought of Twilight. He hadn't seen her for years, and here he was at his own house. It would be nice to rekindle their connection after so long, though Twilight didn't say where she moved back to. He did knew where Karma was though, and he hadn't hanged out with Karma in a while. "Wonder what Karma's up to," Nagisa finally said. He turned to his side, just about to get up, but what he saw on the coffee table next made him shutter ... The same blade he found at the streetlight, now right in front of him! "What the? How'd that get here?!" Nagisa gasped, not sure how to take this. This same rubber knife that bonked him square on the head was now laid down on the table, even aimed right at him! The concept of this same blade just showing up outta nowhere was what spooked Nagisa the most. He sat up on his couch, snatching the blade up from the table. The kanji on the blade this time though looked a little different too. "This is weird. Did someone sneak in here and leave it for me? That has to be it," Nagisa thought aloud. That didn't seem to make it any better, but it was the most realistic answer he could think - *hic!* ... Odd. Nagisa froze up, and slowly turned to the source of this noise. Didn't take long to find who was in with him. This sudden newcomer was sitting in a crisscrossed position on Nagisa's kitchen counter. He had a decent figure, a foot shorter than Nagisa himself, with very long blue hair. The bangs in front stop at his eyes, but the back was put in a braid that stretched far down his back, reaching just past his hips, almost as if he had a long tail. His large eyes were blue like Nagisa as well. For the outfit, he was also wearing a turban on his head, and a ruby sat on his forehead, connected to the turban. He had a small blue open vest with bandages around his chest, long puffy white Arabian pants, and no shoes. Around his neck appeared to be a golden flute as well. He looked like he was cosplaying some sort of genie by the looks of things, and this same kid was enjoying a snack, eating up one of Nagisa's melon slices, as he was looking right at him ... What an awkward first moment this was ... "... Uh ... do I know you?" Nagisa asked. The kid hopped down off the counter, and was soon standing in front of him. Nagisa got up, waiting to see what he was planning to do. "Glad to see you're back. How was your walk?" the boy asked, kindly. Apparently the awkwardness was one-sided. "I-It was fine ... excuse me." Nagisa slipped past the odd kid, and soon got to the phone ... "Hello? Police? I'd like to report a break-in." "NO, NO, NO, NO, WAIT!" ....... After that fiasco (and some convincing to the police to not come by), it was Nagisa and this strange kid now face-to-face. Nagisa was sitting down at attention on his couch, as if he was back at school, while the kid in question was sitting down on his coffee table in a similar leg-crossed manor as to earlier. The kid seemed oblivious to the odd situation, but Nagisa still needed a few short minutes before he could get his mind straight, and his nerves relaxed. "Ok, ok. Let's get this out of the way: who are you, and how did you get here?" Nagisa asked. Before any more complicated questions, he might as well get the obvious ones out of the way before going any further. The boy was quick to answer. "I am Aladdin, and I just appeared here," he introduced, in a friendly tone. Nagisa though was a little bit skeptical. "Aladdin? The middle eastern, "guy-who-found-a-magic-lamp" Aladdin?" Nagisa questioned. He wasn't too familiar with the tale itself, but the name and the association with the magic lamp and all that was still something he caught wind of during his free time. Aladdin took a moment to think, but just looked a little confused. "There is another Aladdin on Earth?" Aladdin asked curiously. Nagisa only groaned. "Oh, nevermind. now, how'd you get in here? I had all my doors locked and everything," Nagisa then asked, which was probably more important comparing the two. "I just appeared in here. Just -" Aladdin made a *pop* noise with his mouth and opened both hands as if showing the popping noise. " - here I am." "Is he for real?" Nagisa thought. No, that didn't help Nagisa. The only thing it did help him in was to confirm that this Aladdin was probably someone from the nuthouse. Course, he didn't say it out loud, and Aladdin seemed friendly enough. Nagisa got up after a bit, walking a bit away, trying to comprehend correctly, but Aladdin then saw the blade on the table, picked it up, and gave it to him. Nagisa then began to realize what might be going on. "Ok, I get it now. sorry for taking your blade, I didn't know it was yours," Nagisa said. However, Aladdin tilted his head in confusion. "But this is your blade, right? Magi's don't have weapons like these," Aladdin stated. Now Nagisa just didn't know what to say. This same blade just popped up outta nowhere, and struck him blind outside, and now this weird cosplaying kid was saying this blade actually belonged to him in the first place. "... No. No it is not." "You sure?" "I'm pretty sure. I just found it outside," Nagisa said with an awkward chuckle. Aladdin looked over the blade a little bit more, but then smile, turning the blade to show the kanji on the knife itself. "It found you, actually. Look, there's your name right here. "Na-gi-sa" right?" "What?!" Nagisa gasped, surprising Aladdin as Nagisa snatched the blade away to see for himself. As it turned out, just to add to the freaky and somewhat scary moment, the blade itself had some more kanji writing on it. The extra writing was down on the handle rather than the blade itself where the extra kanji symbols were present. The sight of the name was indeed there, and Nagisa's eyes went wide with shrunken irises on seeing it. Rather than completely freak out, Nagisa gathered himself fast, and then turned to Aladdin again. "And ... you are supposed to be ..." "A Magi: a type of grand sage of the heavens, chosen by the magnificent gods to protect this realm of the many evils that plague it," explained Aladdin ... "... I'm going to lay down for a while," Nagisa said. It was still daylight, but Nagisa still needed time alone to actually take this all in. Without another word, Nagisa simply turned, dropped the blade in Aladdin's hands, and went off to his room, leaving Aladdin just standing there alone. "Ok, talk to you later then," Aladdin said with a smile. ~~ The rest of the day was a bit of an awkward time for Nagisa. While he did calm down from his own bit of shock, the fact that he had a new roomie completely out of nowhere was nothing short of strange. It just made it weirder that this blade - the same one that fell straight down on his head from the sky - actually belonged to him after all, even though he never had seen said blade before in his life. Nagisa himself just wondered exactly why he even ended up with this blade in the first place. If Aladdin was true to his words, then something must be up. But, why him of all people? As night came near, Nagisa had washed up and was now in bed, staring off into space, with his hair tossed out on the bed without his headbands on. He had not heard a single word from Aladdin since his encounter earlier, but he knew that he was still around, since he could hear him sleeping on the couch in the other room. "What a day. Twilight coming back after seven years, A Magi in my living room, and a blade from the sky belonging to me. Why do I get the feeling that this is just the beginning?" Nagisa felt a sigh escape his mouth, as his mind wandered on what could happen ... "Maybe it'll clear up tomorrow morning. It's the start of the school year, and I better figure out what to do there. ... Well, we'll see..." ....... While the day may be done over there, other areas of the world were going through their own sense of change as well. Miles away from civilization, one area of the world was getting their information on this turn of events well before anyone else in this world. The clear night skies over the pacific islands showed the full moon in its undeterred glory. On one of these islands, which was shaped like a crescent, the full moon beamed down strong within the bay. However, as calm as it was, one creature did start to stir from just beneath the cooling waters of the bay. It stayed silent, feeling the moonbeams reflect off the creature's smooth skin. As it laid on the seabed of the shallows, two bright, silver blue eyes opened up slightly, and looked up to the moon through the waves. "Ah. Nagisa Shiota. Grateful you've retrieved your blessed weapon ... And not a moment too soon ..." The creature closed its eyes afterwards. The image this creature saw was a simple one ... A peaceful sleeping Nagisa Shiota. "... Be safe ..."
S02Ep2: Welcome to England ~ようこそイギリスへ~The morning sun began to arose into the England landscape. Out in the nature of England, just outside of London, the landscape was drastically different over Japan, and in the summertime, the thick forests a healthy greenery. The morning light was greeted by many a birds, including a flock of Swanna gracefully flying through the summer air. Their flight towards the nearest lake passed by one particular area of this England forest, none of the birds paying it no mind, and flying right on past it. This area wasn't a simple patch of forest, or an opened grass, but instead it was what appeared to be a house. Far as a house would go, this one was exceptionally large. The expanse of land belongs to said home, and the bushes and trees were just the main outline for it. The home itself, lined by the rising morning light revealed an aristocratic, yet old manor. The manor stood stories tall, like a castle in some ways, with the exterior lined with bricks ranging from whites to greys, with a prominent, yet darkish blue rooftop lining it all together. Such a building sounded more like a spot inside London, rather than a place on the outskirts. With the rising sun, this light began to reach into the manor's windows, lighting up the inside with its natural light. Amongst these rooms, one of them was blocked off by a prominent blue curtain. A very regal one for a old building such as this, but even with the curtain up, the morning light still prompted one figure to begin his daily duty. "Good morning, young master," a calm, soothing voice beckoned, as said figured started to move the curtains out of the way to allow the morning light to fill in the room. As to be said along with the curtains, the room itself looked far more regal for where it was located. The room was one of the bedrooms in the manor, the master bedroom to be exact, with a king-sized, four-poster bed aligned with the same blue curtains with yellow trimming. Clearly, this place was not only well-kept, but one for high-ranking society. In this case for 'high-ranking society', the young master was just starting to wake up upon the calm words and welcoming light from outside. He began to wake himself up, stretching his arms and getting his senses awake. The young earl looked like a fairly average boy, looking in his teen years. His hair was black, short, and well maintained, and his eyes were as blue as the curtains that lined his bed. He was in a sleeper's nightshirt, though it was easily going to change up. He wasn't alone in his room though, as he took sight of his acquaintance. The other figure was a lot taller than him, a Divining male in his prime. His hair was also short and black, and according to his black tuxedo, his position was fairly clear as the youth's butler. Not often can a earl get a butler quite like this one, with such dazzling looks and calm demeanor. His eyes were a blood red, and skin smooth with a palish tone. Pretty soon, so began the butler and earl daily morning routine. The butler's job here is to dress the young master, and so he did. Each act was done with delicate precision: buttoning his shirt, slipping on his socks and shoes, and so on. All the master had to do was comfortably sit there and let the butler dress him up, so not too much effort on his part aside from lifting the arm or foot when needed to. The whole process, which was clocked at just under two minutes, was all done in silence. The butler didn't need to be told step by step on how to do this, and the earl was grateful to have a smart butler to serve him. Speaking of serving, the butler also had his master's morning drink, which was all set up with a tea cup, plate, and kettle matching set. When dressing was all done, the butler went over to the serving table, as the master reached for the top of his dresser for his last, signature dress piece. At least with this, the young master tied on himself. "Today, we have moon drop tea, made with only the finest ingredients," said the butler, as he gently poured the tea through a strainer into the master's cup. The young master was given the cup of tea, the sweet smell soon reaching his nose after a small sniff. "Smells nice," said the master, as he took a sip of his tea. A nice morning drink to start the day. The butler stood quietly nearby, letting the young master enjoy his tea before he have the cup and plate back. "Sebastian, what's today's schedule?" Asked the earl, referring to the butler by name. "I believe we're to visit the market today, my lord. Our chef says that were running low on ingredients and products," answered Sebastian. The young earl sighed, and got up to his feet. He took a step or two before looking at himself in the mirror, seeing his one blue eye, and the other covered by his final dress piece: a black eyepatch. "Very well. Go and get the car ready," the master order. "Yes, my lord," replied Sebastian. With a simple bow, Sebastian went off out of the room to start the car for his master, as the young lord got himself handled with an extra trinket - it was just a blue ring - added to his ring finger. It was a sapphire ring, a lovely piece of jewelry. Once that was added on, the young master turned, and left the room. Time to begin the day for the young earl. ....... "WOHOO! HELLOOOOOO LONDON!" Pinkie yelled, as she stepped out from the airport. When it came to the others, their time in London England had to wait a little bit, since their arrival was in the middle of the night. Now that they're rested up, they all were ready to check out London for themselves, and were soon walking down through the city from the airport. Nagisa would've never guessed that he and his friends would end up in London England, and yet here they were. May not be as dazzling without the light show, but daytime gave them a better view of London for what it is. Buildings here compared to Tokyo were less 'apartment complex' and more 'residential', many buildings made of bricks over the smoothed materials back in Tokyo, and many not over five stories tall like the big city apartment buildings at home would have it. It wasn't as crowded either, not by a long shot, which was a nice change of pace. It wasn't as up-to-date as Tokyo Japan though, so that would be a downside for some of the group, if they took that into account that is. "Glad I'm out of that damn cage," Blair commented, now in her human form and liking the space much better over the small cage she can up in. She was the only one who didn't have any fun on the ride up. "Just be glad you didn't have to stay in there the whole time," Aladdin said. That was the only proper thing that Blair could say about it, really. "Just don't try and shove me in that thing, ok?" Blair made clear. "Ok, ok. At least you didn't lose anything in your flight, my sword's stuck back in a Tokyo airport tray," Karma said, wondering how the hell he can get that sword back. He can't fight any surprise demons without his great sword to back him up. "Don't worry, maybe we won't find any demons while here. You'll get it back when we get back," Twilight assured. Karma hoped so. Nagisa watched them with a smile, as they continued walking along. Nice to have moments like these in between the craziness. "Either way, let's try to enjoy it while we're here. So, Pinkie, what's up first?" Nagisa asked. Pinkie was hoping they'd say that, and she pulled out the list to look it over, going right to the top. The first thing was probably more essential than fun, but still interesting to explore since they're pretty much a continent over. "First stop: food shop! Let's see what goodies they make here in jolly ol England," Pinkie said, skipping ahead. Looks like the group got their first little activity to do. However, while the others went on ahead, Twilight began to think back a little bit, and stopped Nagisa from going any further. After all, he also had a similar dream compared to her own. "Twilight, wait. ... Does this place look familiar to you?" Twilight asked. Twilight took a bit, but her memory did begin to piece together slightly. "... Now that you say that," Nagisa stated. Suddenly, Twilight went to her bag, and managed to grab a slip of paper. This was a main list of all the 'visions' Nagisa and Twilight had shared from that one dream. Such a strange dream was not to be ignored, and now with it in hand, they both took a quiet moment to check it. The list was just description and words, but it was enough to get the idea of it all. "Let's see, let's see ... there," Nagisa said, pointing to one name in the list. The word mainly was just 'airport exit', and it came from Nagisa's side of the dream vision trade. "That's one already," Twilight said. "It could be just a coincidence," Nagisa concluded. "Nagisa, Yugure, shake a leg!" Called Pinkie Pie. Nagisa and Yugure were quick to catch up, and soon they were off on their way to the market. ~~ Their walk through England gave them all a good sight of London until they eventually arrived to the market. The market here didn't look too different when comparing this one to the one at home; a main walkway the size of a street with shops side by side. It wasn't too bad, and the walk gave little Aladdin and Blair the view of the market. Aladdin and Blair both got some different disguises over their usual looks back in Japan, looking more formal and mimicking the townsfolk in a bit. When comparing this place to that of Tokyo Japan, London England was just simply smaller. "You know, humans sure are open to ideas. Didn't humans all over the world look like this at one point?" Aladdin asked. Blair took a glance over at some of the locals, some of which were checking them out. "I dunno. Then again, overworld and underworld beings had stuck to ideas for centuries. I mean, look at us," Blair pointed out. "Yeah, good point. Magis and witches are an older concept nowadays. Guess I'm one to talk," Aladdin admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Blair didn't mind it much though, and during their check out of the market, Blair stopped when she saw a part of the market selling fish. Being a cat at heart, it's an offer that she wasn't gonna pass up. The types of fish were different from Japan fish. While Japan had such fish like Magikarp and Seaking, the fish being served here appeared to be Feebas and Remoraid from the sea coast, out on display in an ice tray. Blair never tried either fish, and was in the mood for some cooked Feebas. "Ah, morning. Can I interest you in fresh fish today?" The fisherman asked, as they both got near. Aladdin had never seen such fish before, and the sight of such a fish intrigued him. Blair focused more on the fisherman rather than the fish. "Bet you can. I'd like to have one of your uh ... Feebas," Blair said, after figuring out the name. "Nice choice. You want it pre cut, or whole, madam?" "Whole. My first time trying this fish isn't going to be pre-made, thank you," Blair stated. The fisherman grabbed one of the Feebas on display (the one Aladdin was looking at) and got it wrapped up for her. Blair licked her lips, and she just couldn't wait to try it out after some home cooking. Blair held the delicacy in her hands, but the fisherman was waiting for payment. "That'll be twenty dollars," said the fisherman. Blair and Aladdin didn't have a single coin on them, and even if they did, Japan money won't work in the United Kingdom far as they know. "Oh, surely that can't be the real price.~" Blair said, starting to work her charm in. If it worked in Japan, maybe it can work here? However, the fisherman was a bit more firm than that. "More than sure it's twenty dollars, madam. Not very much, I'm sure," the fisherman corrected. Seems this wasn't gonna be so simple. So, Blair gave the large fish to Aladdin to hold, and she brought herself into the counter to step up her game. She sat down comfortably, swung her leg over the other, and gave a good pose. "Seriously, what's the real price?~" "... Nice try. Twenty dollars please." Well this wasn't working. Blair got back down, and looked to Aladdin, who was staring eye to eye with the Feebas. How was she going to have the fish if she can't pay for it? Blair got Aladdin to pay attention with a few taps to the head. "You have any money for the fisher?" Blair asked. Aladdin looked to the fisherman, and then saw how much the Feebas actually cost. Aladdin checked his person for some money, but he basically came up empty. Not a cent in his pockets or anything. Then again, it was hard to check himself when holding a large Feebas fish. He did eventually find some money, but it was yen coins. "Do you take yen here?" Aladdin asked, presenting about ten yen coins to him. The fisherman looked at the yen pieces on his counter, taking one and looking it over to make sure. He got it straight away that these two weren't from around London. ....... Blair and Aladdin were back with the others further into the market. The whole group were now looking at the fruits, Pinkie and Aladdin looking over what was available. Nagisa, Karma, Twilight, and Blair were standing aside. Blair was a bit disappointed with what money could buy. Instead of a full-sized Feebas, she was holding a bag with some chopped up Remoraid. And rather small at that. Not what she wanted to get by a mile. The others got some extra food for their stay, though it wasn't too much better than what Blair got, consisting of small bags. "Well, shopping could've been easier," Karma said. "This is a rip off," Blair groaned, looking at the Remoraid cuts. "Not really. Money's different over here, that's all. Not everywhere in the world takes yen," Twilight said. It still didn't seem too fair for the cat witch. "So I noticed." Pretty soon, Pinkie and Aladdin were finished in the fruits, coming out with a lot more stuff in her bags. Aladdin was already munching on some freshly grown tomatoes by the time they got back to the others, enjoying the taste of the red treats. Pinkie's bag had plenty of vegetables to boot so they got that going for them. "Hey guys! Having fun in our shopping day?" Pinkie asked, oblivious to the bad shopping they've gone through. "Eh maybe we should try to find a place to stay now, Pinkie. We've been shopping for an hour, I think we're good," Twilight said. Pinkie needed a sec before she got the idea, a HUGE gasp escaping her. "You're right! All these yummy goodies, and no place to goodie-out! Come on, our quest shall commence!" Pinkie announced, already going off ahead to find them all a place to stay. "There she goes," Karma commented, as the others began their casual walk. Leave it to Pinkie to run off on them like that. Twilight, Aladdin, and Karma moved onward, leaving Nagisa for just a moment in the back of the line. He needed a bit to get himself walking again. ... "I believe that's everything, master Ciel." "Very well. Let's head back." "Yes, my lord." A strange sort of voice over nearby. At first, Nagisa didn't really pay too much attention to a simple argument, but the oddly calming, soothing voice was one that seemed a bit odd to hear for him. Behind him, as it turned out, both Ciel and his butler Sebastian were shopping at the same market, and at this point, this Ciel had just finished getting the products as said earlier that morning. Not too much of a problem for Nagisa if his body wasn't shivering on him again. Both figures stepped into a car, and they began to drive up and away. Nagisa took one glance behind him as the car past him ... One look was all it seemed to take. The look was only two seconds, but his eyes only needed two seconds to see who was actually in the passing car. In the car, Nagisa saw Ciel in the car, the kid in a blue formal outfit, of a buttoned blue overcoat and a blue top hat. Ciel took a look outside as well, and his one eye also took a look at Nagisa, taking him in just as much. Both boys in blue ... and something unique about them both that both sides seemed to notice, as if sensing eachother. However, the two seconds wasn't enough to figure it out fully, and soon Ciel was gone down the road, and around the corner, leaving Nagisa Shiota stunned. ... "Nagisa, you got icebergs on your feet or something? Pinkie's a mile ahead of us!" called Karma. "Y-Yeah, coming!" Nagisa replied. ....... It was a quiet drive to get back to the manor, but Ciel and Senastian managed to get back home in decent time. Sebastian parked the car nearby the manor, and as any butler world, opened the back door for Ciel. As Ciel got out, Sebastian looked to his young master's face, and noticed that Ciel was thinking something over. "Is something troubling you, young master?" Sebastian asked. Ciel took a few more steps until he stopped at his front door. "Sebastian. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary during our visit to the market today?" Ciel asked. Sebastian closed the car door, and followed his master inside the manor as his mind went to work. "I did sense a unique sort of presence, yes," answered Sebastian, as he began to take his lord's hat and coat. Ciel began to think a little bit more, hand reaching his chin during his mind process. Sebastian got Ciel's hat and overcoat on the front coat rack. Something about that kid earlier seemed off to both Ciel and Sebastian. "What sort of presence, might I ask?" Ciel inquired. "A little unclear, my lord, though I do believe it's a sort of holy energy. A blessed sort of energy." "Blessed energy. ..." Ciel took it into consideration, but before he could put it together, Sebastian then pulled something out from his coat pocket, and gave it over to his young master. The object seemed to be a small letter, address signing to his estate. Sebastian picked it up on the way home, and only now did he give it over to his young lord. "For you, young master." "You decide now to give this to me?" the earl questioned, a little bugged as he took the letter, and began to open it. He took a quiet moment to read it over, top to bottom, and then taking his options again. Soon, Ciel turned to his loyal, trusted butler. "I'd like to ask a favor of you. Come here," Ciel instructed, as he began walking along. Sebastian began to follow his master through the manor from there. The walk itself was quiet one, but Ciel knew where he was going through the large halls of his manor. It was a bit strange with how little there was actually inside the manor halls. Plenty of possessions, sure, but when it did come to the amount of people inside the manor, there was little evidence aside from Sebastian and Ciel in these halls. As for where they were going, it took them a bit, but Ciel got both of them into his office. A bit big for a young earl, but it was all his. The large room had few things to cram it up with: a large book shelf to the right wall, large windows to the back, and the master's desk over to the center. Ciel went over to the desk, sat down, and began to work something out on a piece of paper. Sebastian, as any good butler would, stood aside and waiting as Ciel wrote a simple sort of message down. After that was done, he folded it up, and gave it to his trusted butler. "See this gets to Nagisa," Ciel simply instructed. "Yes, my lord." ~~ The group in London's populated center had eventually found a place to stay at a London hotel. It wasn't anything too fancy for what the group could get, but it seemed efficient enough. The room they got resembled that of an apartment building, so adaptation for some of them wasn't going to be too much trouble. The room consisted of two beds, and after some tricks, a kitchen to boot (how they manage was anyone's guess). As the others chilled out in their temporary home, Blair and Pinkie were cooking up some of their food, most of it being a vegetarian meal with the exception of the Remoraid fish they got. Work with what you got, really. "Dinner's ready!" Pinkie announced, happily going to the others with plates of food for each one of them. Since the meal was mainly fish, Blair and Pinkie decided to make the group some Remoraid Sashimi. A good meal that didn't require too much fish, and with some of the vegetables as a side. The others begin to eat up the Sashimi, but little by little, they begin to see that one of them wasn't really hungry: Nagisa. It wasn't that he was not hungry at all, but his mind just was focused somewhere else. "Something's on your mind, isn't it? What's going on?" Twilight finally brought up. "Nothing, I'm good. Just not hungry, that's all," Nagisa said, placing his plate aside. However, the others weren't buying it. "I know that look. Come on, spill it," Karma insisted. It took a bit before the situation sunk in, and soon Nagisa just got it over with. "... Ok, maybe I'm a little edgy," Nagisa got out, sitting up on the bed. "Edgy?" Aladdin asked, his mouth full of Remoraid meat. Nagisa placed a hand to his head. "I'm gonna take a wild stab, and say your demon sense acted up again?" Karma assumed. "I-I don't know. Something happened at the market, just as we were leaving, but I don't know what. It can't be my demon sense - no demons were around anywhere. ..." Nagisa trailed off in thought at this point. Was there a demon at the market, or not? The last number of demons (Jizo, Houndour, Korosensei, and even Blair) were a bit obvious to tell simply by what they look like. Yet, this was different. Nagisa's own demon sense acted up in, apparently, the wrong place. All he saw was another human go by him in a car, and that was it. Twilight moved over next to him, looking to him in concern. "Maybe that demon sense is just screwing around with you," Karma figured. "Nagisa, what did you see while we were there?" Twilight asked, trying to pinpoint the problem. "Nothing! all I saw aside from you guys was just another kid. He looked like one of those 'earls', or something," Nagisa explained. That word 'earl' got Twilight to think a little bit more. "What's an earl?" Aladdin asked. "It's just one of those noble bitch families who think they're above everyone else," Karma bluntly said. not very in tact, or exactly what it is, but it was too the point far as he was concern. Twilight though felt like the word sounded a little familiar to her, and not just because she knew what the word meant either. "... Earl ... wait a second." Suddenly, Twilight was up on her feet, and went over to her bag, fishing out that list she and Nagisa checked earlier. They had already confirmed the first thing Twilight had seen, and marked it off the list much like a checklist. She quickly went right back to Nagisa, the others a bit unsure what was actually going on. When she sat down, Twilight showed the list to Nagisa, and pointed to one of the things that they put in. "An earl! Nagisa, didn't you say something about that?" Twilight asked. Nagisa didn't consider it, but after Twilight brought it up, his mind began to think back. Did she mean - "Yoink!" Blair suddenly said, taking the list, and checking it herself. The others weren't told of Nagisa and Twilight's strange dream yet, and when they looked over this, the questions began to flow into their own heads on these supposedly random things. Nagisa and Twilight knew right away that they were wanting to know about this. "What's the list for?" Karma asked. Twilight was the one who decided to say. "Well, we were going to tell you on the day, but you all were kind of busy preparing, so ..." "PLEASE say already! The suspense is killing me!!" Pinkie insisted, hyped up on the dramatic build up. "Ok, ok! Me and Nagisa had this ... odd dream, a couple nights ago. That list is the things we saw in it. We thought it wasn't much, but after arriving ... maybe it's a bit more important," Twilight revealed. Blair straightened the list in her paws, reading it up and down. It really didn't explain why it sounded important a few seconds ago though, but Aladdin did have a theory on it, but he needed to know more about this dream to be sure. "What else did you two see?" Aladdin asked, a bit intrigued himself. The dream was a while ago, so both of them had to get their memories jogging for a minute. "Well, let's see ... We were both at some sort of flat island, I think: few trees, a river or two. While we were there, this thing began to fly around in the sky. This flash happened when it saw us, and ... well, there's the list there," Twilight explained. Pure silence. When the others looked, Aladdin just sat there in complete shock, eyes opened wide, and a Sashimi piece dangling from his mouth for a bit before falling back onto his plate, expression unchanged. Was as if Aladdin was frozen on hearing the details of the dream. "... Aladdin?" Nagisa asked. "EEEEEHHHH! OH MY GOSH, Twilight, Nagisa! This is incredible, you two used Future Sight!" Aladdin beamed. "WHA?!" Both of them gasped. Future sight? For real?! The name was self-explanatory on what it actually was, but the fact both of them actually had it happen to them was a mind-blowing revelation. "Future Sight? You sure about that? That's not the most common magic ever," Blair said, astonished but unsure. "What do you mean?" asked Twilight. "Future sight's not the same magic as, say, Alchemy. 1.) It's a spell you're born with, and 2.) even if you used it, it's by someone else's Future Sight used on you," Blair explained. Regardless, it was still exciting to hear it even being used on one of her friends, if not them using it themselves. "This is HUGE! REALLY HUGE! You guys have no idea how rare this is," Aladdin said, as giddy as Pinkie Pie would be about it. It was amazing to even see this at all, and according to the fairly decent-sized list of visions, this must be a pretty big one. "OOOO, Here, do it to me, do it to me! Tell me my future, oh soothsayers!" Pinkie said, head bowed and ready. However, neither side even knew how it happened, so, they didn't do anything. "... How accurate is this Future Sight, anyway?" Nagisa asked after a bit, turning to Blair and Aladdin. "I dunno. I did read somewhere that it is pretty close, but exact timing's not so great," Blair said, and even then it was just a guess on it. Such a rare ability being used at all, nevermind used on someone else, was about as rare as a blue moon according to the magi and witch. Karma took a moment to check the list too, now thinking over just how much was in store for them if this was as accurate as Blair said. "Sounds like we're in for one hell of an adventure," Karma concluded. However, Nagisa just felt a bit off about the whole thing. "So that's it then. Looks like things aren't going to be the same, huh?" Nagisa said, bummed out. "Why's that a problem? I say you EMBRACE it! Take it in! Have a lot of fun! Who knows what's coming aside from Future Sight-seers?" Pinkie insisted, catching their attention. "She's got a point. I mean, we're already neck deep in this angel and demon stuff before getting here. So, why not just go along for the ride and see what happens? Sure beats our boring ass lives back in Tokyo any day," Karma agreed. Nagisa would protest, but he couldn't really think on what to say. After all, they were in this kind of deep already, and Nagisa already talked to Aladdin about this, so ... *knock**knock* "OOO, visitor!" Pinkie beamed, going right over to their room door. It couldn't be room service over the fact they were eating Sashimi already. Upon answering it, Pinkie Pie found that it was actually one of the staff members for the hotel, holding a note in hand. It didn't take very long: the staff member gave Pinkie the note, a 'thank-you' exchange, and that was it. Pinkie Pie opened up the letter, and ... "EEEEEEEEEEE!" "Pinkie, what's up?" Karma asked, as Pinkie Pie hopped right over back to them, extremely excited. Pinkie was quick to show the letter around one person to the other, giving each one time to at least get the main idea of it. An invitation to the Phantomhive manor. "Damn, talk about timing," Blair commented. "WOOO! PARTY AT PHANTOMHIVE HOUSE!" Pinkie cheered. "I don't think it's going to be that kind of party, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Not until I walk in!" Pinkie said, still as excited. Aladdin and Pinkie both ended up excited to go, giddy about it all. Karma couldn't help but smirk, and he looked right over to Nagisa, who was still in disbelief about the whole thing. They were just talking about change, and suddenly here was an invitation to a 'Phantomhive manor', almost out of the blue. "Let's go along this ride, shall we?" Karma smirked. Nagisa took a moment to take everything in. Here they were, in London, now being invited to the Phantomhive household. They've gone through plenty of surprise back in Tokyo, made friends with a witch and a magi, and took down their fair share of demons. So many of these things happening, and it really does appear that his life was not going to be the same again. Then again, he went back to thinking on what Aladdin had told him before they left Tokyo Japan. Nagisa smiled. "Yeah. I think we will." ~~ While the world may be normal over here (as normal as it would get), one being in his own world was getting his own plans up and ready. The room he was in was dark, ancient, and empty - only him and one other being encased in the room's shadows. The only source of light came in from the dim light of the violet flames left amongst the wall's torches. The first being was standing straight, and the other figure, more animal-like, stayed laying down in front with its head aimed to its feet. "Had the Homunculus arrive in London yet?" The first figure asked. The animal nodded. "I witnessed them leave Tokyo myself. I don't know how they wouldn't be there by now." "Good. ... You go. Meet with them there. You know what to do." "With pleasure."
S02Ep3: Be My Guest ~私のゲストになる~Another morning at the Phantomhive manor. After the main morning practice of dressing, Ciel Phantomhive was about ready for the day as he'll ever be. All night, he'd been working his own investigative brain on that kid he saw at the market, and so had his close butler. His preparations for his visitors had begun to come to start after breakfast, and while Ciel was working his mind, Sebastian was busy with his own work on the visit. Ciel had given him the instructions during morning orientation, the list in his hand as he walked down the hall, but Sebastian had more than his own tasks to handle. His main objective was preparing the house itself in terms of cleaning, but other tasks were still in order: meal preparations, proper table setup, exceptional service, that sort of thing. Sebastian may be a good butler, but he wasn't going to tackle all of these himself. Not first and foremost anyway. In fact, his first task was actually re-assignment to the other persons in the manor, whom of which Sebastian was actually looking for. They should be up by now. ... "AAHH!" *crash* "There they are," Sebastian thought. He stayed calm, and began his walk down the hall to the source of the noise. His walk stopped at one of the many manor doors, and he soon found the problem the second he opened it. Looking in, the room itself was just one fancy room out of many. A nice study room with plenty of book shelves stacked high with many sorts of literary works. A few couches stood around a smaller table as well. However, there was one detail to accommodate it. One look, and Sebastian saw plenty of books that had accidentally toppled over, leaving nothing but a complete mess of a book pile on the floor. Standing nearby, another person stood in complete embarrassment nearby. This girl, with velvet hair to show, was in fact another worker at the Phantomhive manor, a maid as a matter of fact. The typical look of black and white maid attire signified her look and job placement, with a pair of large glasses over her eyes. Judging by the book still in her hand, she tried to get her book, only to have several follow with her. "Mey-Rin," said Sebastian, making his appearance known to her. Bad enough she goofed, now it had to be in front of a crowd. Mey-Rin froze up, completely red in the face. "I-I'm sorry, I tried to get a book and -" "Now, now, there's no need for that. Where're the others?" Sebastian asked. Before Mey-Rin could answer ... "AAAHHH, HELP!" No need to. Sebastian and Mey-Rin looked out from the same room, only to find another worker in his own problems. While Mey-Rin and her issue was more understandable, this one's issue was a runaway server's cart, with him stuck on it as it sped out of control down the hall! Sebastian and Mey-Rin stood just out of the way as it sped by, only to see it and the worker crash at the end of the hall! Another problem for Sebastian to sort out. As for this worker, he was a fellow butler like Sebastian, and the outfit also resembled the typical black attire, yet there was more of an overcoat in his outfit. His hair was long, dark brown and was tied back into a fairly long ponytail, tied together with some red ribbon to make a bow, and a smaller set of glasses also were on his face, though these were more formal than actual vision aid. ... Though the crash looked like he needed it. He was on the ground in a heap, broken glass, and tossed silverware around him, as a broken tea cup stayed stuck on his head. Unhurt for the most part, but still embarrassing. "I told you to watch it, you eget!" Shouted another voice down the hall. This one, another butler of the Phantomhive house, was running down the hall to catch up to the trouble. This butler was not as formal as the others were: no black overcoat on him for one thing, and a stray cigarette in his mouth. He looked a bit scruffy in the face, with a sort of 5 o'clock thing going on with his face, with short blonde hair. Far as looks go, this one didn't seem to fit too well when compared to the others. As inconvenient as the accident was, it was still convenient to find the other butlers show up for Sebastian. "How convenient you're all here." "Oh dear, oh dear, I'm so sorry! How can I even cope with such sorrow?" The broken butler sobbed, very guilty for wrecking their set. Sebastian cleared his throat. "Anyway. Everyone, we have a special guest coming this afternoon so I'm expecting you all to begin preparations," informed Sebastian, in a manor as if he too was a master amongst them. Quickly, they all got together to receive their instructions. "Mey-Rin, you are supposed to set up the dining room for our guest," Sebastian began. The look on her face told him that it actually slipped her mind. Sebastian turned to the next worker. "Grell, you and Mey-Rin are to help serve our guest during his stay. I also expect none of this kind of trouble in the meantime," Sebastian made clear, referring to the wrecked cart. Grell looked down to his feet in shame, but just nodded. "Bardroy. Shouldn't you be preparing for today's meal?" questioned Sebastian. Bardroy was a bit more casual about it compared to the others, but Sebastian was a bit more firm than that. It did seem that much of the manor was kind of behind on things. As per expected far as Sebastian was concerned. Either way, Sebastian did his part in instructing the other butlers and maid in what needed to be done. "Right. Well, our guest should be arriving soon, so get to work," Sebastian instructed, just before going off to handle his duty. Grell, Bardroy, and Meyrin waited a bit until Sebastian passed a corner in the hall. "Alright, now'a our chance," said Bardroy. Grell and Mey-Rin looked to the confident Bardroy. "Sebastian looks down on us all the time, but today'll be so perfect, he won't even know what hit him. ACK! ... YEAH, that's what he'll say!" "ACK!" gasped Grell and Mey-Rin. "That's for him to say, not you." ~~ Meanwhile, farther away from the manor, their guests were starting to near the Phantomhive estate. Nagisa and his friends had started going bright and early, though it was mainly because Pinkie Pie got them moving. The walk was an okay one, albeit a bit long, and Pinkie Pie was way in the lead of the others in her stride, excited to get to the estate for this supposed party. Any party will be met by the pink gal, no matter what! The wilderness and path they went through was a pretty nice bit of scenery during their walk. "Come on, slowpokes!" Pinkie called. "I know you're anxious about this visit ... are these outfits necessary?" Questioned Nagisa. As for the outfits, Pinkie Pie did quite a makeover on what they should be wearing. Instead of their usual outfits, or at least the casual clothes they came to London, Pinkie had the courtesy to dress them in more formal outfits for London. Nagisa, Karma, and Aladdin had colored formal suits while Twilight, Blair, and Pinkie were in formal dresses. Each one had their own flair to it: Karma Akabane had a rather radiant red suit, though as he would with his school attire, the main overcoat was unbuttoned to show the white undershirt. Nagisa Shiota, and Aladdin, had on blue suits though there were some differences between the two. For Nagisa, his suit had a dark blue color throughout, accompanied with white gloves, and Pinkie had him add a Swanna feather to his hair. Aladdin's was very close to Nagisa's but his was a lighter blue. He was allowed to keep the turban and headstone on him, though his scarab Pinkie gave him was pinned to the suit like a badge. For Twilight, she had a violet dress, with lavender flairs along the bottom trim. She also had white gloves, though hers reached up to her elbows. Blair also had a purple formal attire on her, though she altered it up so she could make it 'her own' per say - having it show more cleavage, and having it only reaching her knees, as much as she'll allow. Quite a set. "Of course, it's a party! And we're going to a fancy house, so it can work!" Pinkie cleared up. "Well, at least these outfits fit us. Come on, we gotta be close," Aladdin said, going on ahead with Pinkie Pie. Least one of them didn't mind the outfits too much. Honestly, it really didn't take too long until they began to see a building come up from the wood. From where they were, the building may seem decent, but they quickly found out that this was no simple cabin in the woods. There was no doubt that this was the Phantomhive manor, according to directions given to them from the invitation. It took them all a while before they all start to near the manor, and some of them couldn't help but be impressed with the place of Phantomhive stay. This was it, and as Karma told them, they might as well go on for the ride and see what happens now. Soon, Nagisa found himself over right at the front door. "Well, here goes nothing," he thought. They were here, and they might as well get things started whatever the case may be. Nagisa stood right at the front door, and gave a good knock onto it. Once that was done, he took a few steps back and waited for something to happen. Nothing seemed to occur at first, leaving them all just standing there at the front of the Phantomhive manor. Eventually though, someone did end up answering the door, and soon the group got their first look at one of the house residents. However, this wasn't really Grell, Bardroy, or Mey Rin who answered. Instead, this butler look a lot older than they were, elderly even with his grey hair and mustache. The appearance of said man had a clear look of a aristocrat: a sophisticated suit, white gloves on his hands, and a monocle over his eye. Clearly this man had the look that screams that he owned the place. Genetically speaking, anyway. "Ah. Nice of you to come," the man said, seeing Nagisa first. It took him a bit before noticing the rest of the crowd just behind him. "I see you brought some company on your way?" He asked. Nagisa nodded. "They're my friends, Mr. Phantomhive, uh, sir," Nagisa said. He still was a bit uneasy to how things were going, but this man seemed friendly enough. The man though felt a little bashful about the identity bit. "Phantomhive? Oh, no, that's not me. The house's steward, perhaps. I'll go inform the young earl of your arrival," the man said, and soon he walked off on his way, as the rest walked in. The entrance room itself was enough to show how big the place was, a set of stairs going upward in front and splitting off the the left and right mid way to the other floors. The walls, rimming on the stairs and second floor, the floor under their feet, and practically everything else all looked very high-class. Still, the front room gave them a whole lot of room to walk around if they so wanted to. They were a bit curious over who the exact owner of the house actually was now, if not the man who invited them in at the front. However, as they were standing there, Nagisa's eyes began to wander a bit, looking around the manor. They all waited around the front for another minute, until they began to hear more footsteps coming their way, just to find the same man, and Ciel coming in. ... That shiver began to creep back onto Nagisa once he saw him. "Hello!" Pinkie said upon seeing him. Ciel didn't say hello straight away, and soon saw Nagisa standing nearby. "So you're the earl of this place, huh? " Karma commented as Ciel walked over to them. "I am. Tanaka informed me you had company with you," Ciel said, looking to Nagisa. Nagisa tried to keep himself relaxed. "That'd be us, Mr. Phantomhive," Aladdin said. Ciel didn't look to amused though, which made Aladdin a little uneasy. Ciel looked over each one of them with his one eye, the young earl seemingly judging them straight away. Each one of them almost immediately noticed just how different this all looked. For one, Ciel was only a foot taller than Aladdin, but shorter than the rest of them were. This young kid not only had an eyepatch, but the apparent owner of this manor. Either he's really lucky, or matured a little too quickly in persona. "Well, I suppose we can adapt to the situation. Sebastian!" Ciel called. It was then that Sebastian came in from upstairs, walking down with a small pocket watch in hand. "Is lunch ready just yet?" Ciel asked, as Sebastian stepped over towards them, stopping when he was next to his master. Nagisa only needed one look at the butler to feel the shiver creep up on him again, trying to keep it together. "Not quite, but it will be shortly," informed Sebastian. Lunch did sound pretty good to a number of them, the walk from their hotel to the Phantomhive manor leaving them rather hungry. "Oh goodie," Pinkie said, licking her lips. Ciel simply nodded.. "Looks like lunch will have to wait. Nevermind, If you'll follow me. Sebastian, be sure the others are on form," instructed Ciel. "Yes, my lord," Sebastian said, starting to go off on his way to check on the rest. Officially invited now, the others started to follow Ciel, but Nagisa couldn't help but glance at Ciel and Sebastian as he went on with the others. Nagisa felt his skin crawl as he looks to both Ciel and Sebastian. Ciel may seem more physically troubling, but Sebastian ... something felt wrong. He took a few steps into the crowd, as if trying to hide from them, but Nagisa tried his absolute best to keep calm. "Let's hope the others don't cause more confusion," Ciel thought. ~~ After a short, and quiet walk through the halls of the manor, they all were soon at the Phantomhive study. Lucky for some of the workers, Sebastian had cleaned up the previous mess in the study before the guests got there, all of the books placed back onto the shelf. Many of the guests got comfortable in the study, most of them sitting on the couches with only Karma and Pinkie standing close by. "You know, you got it made here. How many kids grow up in a place like this?" Commented Twilight. Being a bit of a book worm herself, she was the most impressed with the study hall. "It does get a bit dull after a while, but yes," said Ciel, as he took a sip of his tea. A rather typical response for any aristocrat when it came to this, but it was true. Nagisa, who was sitting furthest away from the earl, was still trying to handle himself as they continued talking. "You got a good thing going here, Mr. Phantomhive. How'd you get all of this?" "The Phantomhive manor has been in my family for generations, passed down from one earl to the next," explained Ciel. "You must got your earl status rather early then. Your parents must've really trusted you." Suddenly, Ciel was quiet. He was about to take another sip of his tea when Aladdin made the comment, the cup now just being held in mid air. The silence was quickly caught by Aladdin, who felt a bit more uneasy now than before. It was as if Ciel was taking in some rough memories, by the look on his face. "... Did I say the wrong thing?" Aladdin asked meekly. "No. Both my parents had been dead for three years now. Rather unfortunate, of course. Since I was the only remaining direct bloodline to the previous master earl, naturally it was passed down to me." They all were taken aback on some level by this new information, and once more, how calm Ciel went on to just say it. It would possibly explain why he was the current earl of the Phantomhive house, and perhaps even the eyepatch now shown on Ciel's face. If this subject was a harsh one, Aladdin knew better than to continue on the details. "I-I'm so sorry," Aladdin said. "I suggest changing the subject," Ciel decided, taking a sip of his tea. He may have accepted the fact, but Ciel didn't want to continue on the matter any further. On the other hand, it was bound to be brought up sooner or later, and he was at least glad to get it out and over with. "When is that lunch going to be ready?" Ciel thought. ....... "How exactly did this happen?" And unfortunately, some things amongst the preparations weren't going so smoothly. After going to check in on the other workers, Sebastian found himself in a heap of a mess in a number of spots. The main thing in this case was a broken set of dishes on the floor in one room, a burnt-up lunch in the kitchen, AND a messed-up dining hall decor. "I-I was trying to reach for our tea set, but I tripped and the cabinet fell," Mey-Rin started, feeling rather meek about it. "I thought things would go faster, but I tried tried to tidy up the floor and everything spilt," put in Grell. "It was a lot for lunch to prepare, and it was gonna take a long time, so I used my flamethrower," finished Bardroy. Well, so much for Bardroy's idea of 'impressing Sebastian'. In fact, Sebastian almost expected such from the three: Grell and Mey-Rin in a tizzy while Bardroy just turned away. At least Tanaka wasn't as much trouble as this trio. Regardless of the case, Sebastian simply started to clean up the mess of broken glass first as he informed the others. "Well then, I suppose you can leave the rest to me and relax for a bit. But I need you to do well - very well - during lunch this afternoon." "... He said it twice," noted Bardroy. "Very serious," added Grell. Far as things would go, they'd better get their acts together. ~~ After a short, and quiet walk through the halls of the manor, they all were soon at the Phantomhive dining hall. The room was pretty large, and rather long as well to accommodate the dining room table, which itself was large enough to easily fit in all of them with plenty of spare seats. While many of the chairs were nice, the master chair at the end of the table kinda dwarfed them with the large cushion headrest. It was clear that this was for the earl and only the earl. Nagisa, Blair, and Karma sat beside eachother on the left side, and Aladdin, Twilight, and Pinkie on the right. Not too much of a problem for them, and evened out one side of the long table. Ciel, of course, took his seat at the head of the table, putting himself next to Twilight and Nagisa. For the lunch that was prepared, they each had a good plate of roasted pheasant, mash potatoes and an Oran berry side salad, and cup of tea (naturally). Around the table, Sebastian, Mey-Rin, Bardroy, Tanaka, and Grell were there as well with the servers cart in case anyone needed any refills and/or any dishes to be put away. As far as casual eats go, this was a fairly decent one. The meal of pheasant was better than the Remoraid meat meal last night. Aladdin and Pinkie were digging right into their meals, but Nagisa was less hungry and more bothered. He could even feel a little sweat going down his face at this point, using a napkin to dot away the unsightly sweat. The others didn't really notice, and even if they did, they didn't question it. "This pheasant is simply Devine!" Pinkie commented, tasting how delicious the pheasant meal was. "So, why don't you live in town? I think it might be easier for you there rather than here," asked Blair, as she took a bite of the pheasant. It wasn't fish, but it was still delicious for a cat like her. "There's no need for me to stay amongst the commoners. Besides, there's no room in the city for the manor," Ciel replied. "Can I have some more please?" Twilight asked kindly, her cup empty. Ciel just needed to look over to the others nearby, and Grell immediately began to grab the kettle for their drink. Can't have any glasses unfilled, can you? Unfortunately, Karma glanced down at Grell's feet, and noticed that they were a little unsteady. Next thing you know ... "AH! HOT, HOT, HOT!" Spilt hot tea, and right onto Mey-Rin! One simple misstep on this clumsy butler and that was all it took to mess things up. Not that it wasn't anything new for this group. Grell began to freak out on seeing Mey-Rin like this, the others watching what was going on. "Oh, I'm sorry! Uh, here, I'll wipe it off!" Grell said, reaching for a spare napkin on the table ... just for the rest of it to be pulled with it. A few plates, cups, and side dishes ended up knocked over, and some tumbling to the floor, much to Grell's dismay. The butler jumped to his feet, freaked out and failed in a simple task like this. The others in the group were kinda left a little speechless, Ciel bringing his hand to his forehead. "Master, why'd you hire such a useless idiot?" questioned Bardroy. "You're one to talk," commented Ciel. "Eh ... maybe I'll get my own tea," Twilight said meekly. Guess this was a time to not open her mouth. Grell just stayed on the floor in crippling embarrassment. However, what happened next took everyone off guard. "I'm so sorry for causing such trouble. I can't apologize enough ... Wait, that's it! The only thing I could do now is die! I SHALL ATONE WITH MY DEATH!" Suddenly Grell was on his knees, and a silver knife in his hands, the blade aimed down directly at his throat! That surely got the guests to jump, but before they could do anything, Sebastian was already on it, placing a hand on Grell's shoulder. "Now, there's no need for that," Sebastian calmly stated. Grell stopped for a moment, and turned to him. The others were grateful someone talked Grell out of it. ... "Just think of the mess you'd make. It would take hours to clean up all of the blood." "... Thank you. such kindness," said Grell, now smiling and deeply grateful ... for whatever reason. "That was kindness?" questioned Aladdin. Pinkie and Twilight shook their heads. Soon, Sebastian got himself the kettle. "Perhaps you should go and relax for a bit before you should cause anymore trouble. I'll take care of it." After that little drama shift, Sebastian was pouring tea to refill the cups, and it was during this that he caught Nagisa's attention. The way he moved from one guest to another just made it feel like he was just looming amongst them, sneaking by each and every one of them with his tea kettle and his gentle offer of tea to them as he went. Nagisa felt himself gulp, and more sweat and shivers go through him. The added information from Ciel did not make Nagisa feel any better. "You care for some more tea, Ms. Kagayaki?" Asked Sebastian. Twilight nodded, and Sebastian went on to fill her cup. Nagisa watched this from afar, and it was like watching someone calmly pour poison into her drink, that sort of feeling washed over him. What was going on here? "Nagisa ... Nagisa?" "Huh? Oh, sorry, sorry, what's the question?" Nagisa said. He ended up lost in thought, and a few demands from Blair finally got him around. "You alright? You got that look again," whispered Blair, referring to his troubled expression. Nagisa relaxed a little bit (as much as his state would let him). "I-I don't know ..." "More tea, Mr. Shiota?" And there was Sebastian right behind him! Now, his body was starting to go completely off the beam: shivers all over him, his nerves reeved up, and left completely tense. Nagisa felt cold, and he didn't have a single clue why. Nagisa looked up to Sebastian, the mere sight of him was enough to leave Nagisa humbled at the very least. ... "No thank you. Uh, excuse me, but where is, uh ..." "Take a turn to your left down the hall, sixth door to your right," said Ciel. The rattled up kid then got up, and began to go off. Twilight though saw that something else was going on inside Nagisa's head. Nagisa was too overwhelmed to stay around here any longer, and soon as he stepped out of the dining hall, his walk turned into a run. The only one who got up was Twilight, just catching him go down the hall a few more feet. As for Nagisa himself, he continued running for a while longer until he managed to find where the front door was. He wasted no time in getting that door open, and going straight outside. The poor kid's nerves didn't calm down until he got himself there, and now was when Twilight came out of hiding. "Nagisa, what happened back there? You feeling okay?" Twilight asked. Nagisa stayed quiet at first, but he knew Twilight's voice better than anyone. His close friend wasn't going to leave him hanging. "Nagisa, come on it's me. What's wrong?" Twilight asked again. Nagisa finally turned to Twilight. "I ... I don't know what happened. Twilight, listen to me. Something feels ... off about this place," Nagisa said, looking back to the manor. "Know what you mean. Such a lonely place, too." Both Twilight and Nagisa took a moment to look back at the manor. An old, yet well-maintained building placed so far away from everyone else in London. It just advertises that something was amidst. This odd feeling Nagisa kept getting in regard to this place didn't make things any better, but Twilight did have a theory in mind. "Nagisa. You don't think ..." "No, there can't be a demon in there. You see one in there, cuz I don't!" Nagisa insisted. His demons didn't look anything human, at least from his experience. Even if that was the case, why was his sense acting up still? He would've been calm and collective if that was true. Either way, Twilight didn't want to keep going with this if Nagisa was just going to be a nervous wreck the whole time here. "Here, the others are still eating. We'll finish lunch, and then we'll head back to our hotel, and then enjoy the rest of our vacation. Deal?" Twilight offered. Nagisa felt like it would be simple enough, but he needed a little bit before he looked to Twilight in the eyes. "Ok, deal. I think I can handle it until then," Nagisa decided. Seemed fair enough. ~~ Sometime later, after Nagisa and Twilight returned to the rest, lunch was over and done. Ciel had separated from the others to check in on some other business, leaving the others to themselves inside the manor with the other servants. Nothing to worry about as far as Ciel was concerned. Ciel took the time to stop into his personal office for some needed work time, and some alone time to study on his guests. Ciel was in the middle of his thoughts when Sebastian stepped in. "Sebastian?" "My lord. I believe I got some entail about your guests. They're apparently well aware about the demons in our world," Sebastian informed. Ciel remained unfazed by this news, but still listened. "Is that so? Aware how?" "Seems Nagisa Shiota had sensed this presence ever since arriving to the manor, my lord," explained Sebastian. Apparently Nagisa and Twilight had a sort of shadow during their little excursion outside. "I see. See to it that you get some more details," Ciel instructed. Sebastian simply nodded, and went back outside of the room to get the information. Well, this did seem to open a few options for this young earl, leaving the Phantomhive in more thought. This could give him some more insight, and might explain a thing or two. This was something that he needed to know more about. "He knew about demons, huh? This could use some more looking into ..." "Not on your life, codger." Ciel did not recognize that voice, but before he could even react to anything, something ended up covering his mouth and nose, appearing to be a sort of cloth. Then, it's lights out. ....... "Young master? I-I do hope you're not upset at me, but I brought you your afternoon tea." A short time later, there stood Grell with a good set of tea for his young earl. He stood at the door, wondering if the young earl was still cross with him or not. He did mess up pretty badly earlier, and while suicide may not seem like a viable option for Grell, he felt he was still at fault for this. As he was standing there though, no answer came from the door ... "Master Ciel?" Grell repeated. But still no answer. Grell, humbled, and with a hint of curiousness, gently opened the door. ... "AAAHHHH! MASTER!!" The horror-filled scream was rather easy to catch by the rest of the manor's residents, along with Nagisa's group, and it didn't take them much longer to see what had happened within the room. One obvious, yet disturbing fact was that the room was, for a lack of a better word, ransacked! Papers, books, and chairs were left toppled down onto the ground. The back window was left wide open, a slight breeze gently swaying the curtains. Looking down onto the floor as they were examining and observing, other details of scratches were left on the floor. A struggle was clearly done here, but how long was it like this before Grell found it? Much of the workers were left surprised except for Sebastian (physical-wise anyway), and the guests were also left surprised to find their host being taken away. "This is terrible. ... The fresh beverages will all be wasted now," Sebastian noted, glancing to the tea tray. "Is that all your worried about?! Your damn master's been kidnapped!" Twilight snapped, not believing her ears. Some of them started to look around for some sort of clue. However, Karma suddenly began to casually walk away. "Yeah, well, good luck with that. Think it's time for us to -" "Karma, how can you just say that?" Pinkie snapped, overly shocked. "Hey, it's not our problem," Karma shrugged. As this went on, Twilight went in to check by Ciel's desk. On his desk, claw marks stained the desk, but there was something else put down onto the desk that made Twilight shutter. The look on her face got Aladdin, Bardroy, Sebastian and Blair to investigate as well, and they too saw the same thing. On the table, stained in blood, a similar Ouroboros gleamed in the faint light. "The Ouroboros insignia," Twilight stated. "A Alchemic symbol of the everlasting cycle of life and death. Dating back to the 14th century, I believe," added Sebastian. Grell was frantically looking out the only known exit where Ciel would've been pulled out of, but he wasn't seeing much of anything. Least he can say that Ciel didn't kill himself jumping out the window, since he didn't see any body or blood in the ground and near shrubs. Karma overheard what they were saying, and tried to think up more on the exact symbol in question. "That demon's still running around, huh? Whatever," Karma thought with a sigh, remembering the fight with one particular demon single-handedly before Korosensei made things easy. That Ouroboros symbol was on him. And seeing a blood-stained Ouroboros on Ciel's desk meant only he was the one who must've taken him. "Oh dear. Grell, Mey-Rin, Bardroy, have this mess cleaned up by the time I get back," Sebastian instructed. Not his place to order, but Sebastian had Ciel Phantomhive to find, and they were on a tight schedule. After that order, Sebastian went right to the window, and started going up onto the window sill! "WHOA, hold it!" Aladdin gasped, but he couldn't catch Sebastian in time, the butler jumping right outside! However, rather than a true suicide upon landing, Sebastian was just fine upon landing. They looked to the Ouroboros, and then Karma began to think on it a bit more. He could just go off and just leave Ciel to his own issues, thus getting him and his friends out of trouble. ... "Your class had to face up against an entire school in terms of grades, and while the highest ranking students put in their high grades to impress, you on the other hand have, nothing. Only fair: for that's what your non-profited, devil-care attitude has contributed towards your class, and to your cause. See where I'm going with this? ... Anyone who refuses to apply themselves, and let the chips fall where they may, are destined for disappointment! So is the blade of the lazy assassin." He didn't consider it much at the time, too angry to think it over, but now looking at the situation, it seems like he was starting to figure things out. Here was the earl, now taken by an enemy only HE knew, and he's considering just letting these bag of chips fall where they will despite what was going on. ... "Your one hell of a teacher." Karma quietly commented. "Huh? You say something?" Questioned Bardroy. Suddenly, Karma was smirking, and cracking his knuckles. "Come on, gang. We got an earl to bring home." ~~ He couldn't remotely grasp what had happened. He was just in his office thinking about his guests, just to get knocked out by the cloth method. He managed to get himself to, but when he did, he found himself in a bit of a predicament. His hands and legs were tied up, and left him laying down in some sort of cabin. Hardwood floors, very little furniture to speak of apart of a bed, a small furnace, and a seat and table by a window. The only door was rather crudely barricaded by a plank of wood with a dresser. Ciel himself was left over on the bed, and he tried to get himself moved around, even a little bit. It wasn't too much use though, and once more, his captor was sitting casually down over by the window, legs kicked up onto the table, and hands resting behind his head. It looked like a man, mid forties by the looks of it, with pale skin, and looking like the spitting image of Sebastian, except for different colored eyes and a small set of glasses. "What do you think your doing?" Ciel demanded. "Ah, I see your awake, sir Phantomhive. I'm just having you stay here for a while," the man said. Rather than get scared like any other, Ciel simply glared. "You do realize how big of a mistake you've made," Ciel warned. "I planned on it. An Ekens adder can't slither near this building without my patrols blasting it to bits. I'd be happy to release you once ransom is paid forward." How typical. A rich child getting captured for ransom money. Honestly, it sounded VERY cliche and too textbook, but one that still seemed accurate when it comes to getting cash, and if this man was telling the truth, then it was going to be difficult for any help to get itself through to him. Still, Ciel simply laid down, and awaited for what surely will come. He was sure of it. For the man, he looked outside to the wilderness, the place of stay being pretty high elevated to see the landscape. They didn't appear to be near any sort of civilization, so help from officials was going to take a very long time. What WAS around though was what appeared to be plenty of guards on duty, roaming around the perimeter in patrols and lookout. Ciel was as good as kept by the looks of it. Just outside of the cabin, about a good mile away, there was indeed one man willing to get his master out. Hidden off by some nearby foliage, Sebastian had just managed to get himself within distance of the kidnapper's base, the patrolling guards not noticing the intruder just yet as they continued their patrolling. Sebastian wasn't all too worried, but he still wasn't going to let his master be taken hostage like this. He took a glance at his pocket watch for a moment before shutting it, the notable click making some guards stop and do a check on the surrounding area. In their eyes, they saw nothing to be put on guard over, and silence kept up for another minute before they went back to patrolling. Sebastian was just about to get moving again, but he began to sense another presence moving in towards him. "Hey, Sebastian. Found the earl yet?" Sebastian glanced back, just to find Karma, Nagisa, and the rest right there with him. The others at the manor stayed to clean up the mess, leaving the rest to go off to here. "Come to aid the humble butler, are you?" Sebastian questioned. "That's why we're out here. We can't have our host getting captured on us, right?" Karma said. Sebastian was in no mood to look after these kids while trying to save his master. "Perhaps it's best you just go back to the manor." "Sebastian, we wanna help you, please? Just let us help you get Ciel back. We won't slow you down," Aladdin said. Sebastian could see that they were willing to help, but before he could decide, the guards seeming caught sight of them! The sound of commands and footsteps closed in on them, as a number of armed guards charged in. Sebastian didn't have time to really get a choice in word wise. "Suppose there's no time for a choice." "Good man. Just keep the guards at bay as much as you can, and we'll fetch your Phantomhive," Karma instructed. As circumstance goes, Sebastian went to it. So, as the others started to go on ahead, Sebastian confronted the other guards to give them time to pass. There wasn't much time to answer such questions. All they had to do was just keep moving. They both heard guns go off, but only for about twenty seconds before abruptly cutting short, just to have Sebastian rush past them, almost in a blur. He was on form, no doubt. For the next minute, the forest was alive with guards! And this forest was filled up completely, from on the ground to even up in the treetops! Many a guard had at least one firearm locked and loaded, all aimed for these intruders. Lucky for the group, it seemed Sebastian was easily taking care of them as they went. The group stopped at one point in the forest, hidden just out of sight under some brush. "Where is he?" asked Nagisa. Far as he knew, he was the only protection they got against these guards, and bullets were scraping the trees during each shot. When they heard the bullets of these guards stop, they continued forward. Most of the group were getting a bit frazzled by some of the noises being made: gunfire, blades, and loud grunts and yells of pain time and time again. At one point, Nagisa looked over to his right, and he saw about five guards up in alarm. Sebastian came into frame, and he was suddenly (and disturbingly casually) roasting them with a portable flamethrower! The sight of this made Nagisa skid to a halt, looking on in horror. "Nagisa, move it!" Blair said, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. Nothing worse than to just stand in the middle of a firing zone. Sebastian did see them, and after his roasting, rushed over alongside them. "See you're doing well," Sebastian said as they ran. "Told you we'd stay outta trouble," Karma said, unfazed by this craziness they were in. Nagisa looked over to Sebastian during this. He was troubled, yes, but now was no time for that. They had Ciel to get, and he'll have to figure them out later. Finally, after what felt like a marathon of running, they all began to catch sight of the cabin where Ciel was being held captive, and then did they slow down. Sebastian took care of the guards, so they only had their boss to handle inside. However, twilight, Nagisa, and Blair were a bit winded from their dash. At least they didn't have to avoid getting shot at anymore. They looked out to the cabin, Sebastian looking deeply through the window. It was hard to see, and while he could see the face of the boss through the window just fine, he only just caught sight of a body on the bed still. And he knew that body better than anyone else. "That's my lord alright. And so is our one thieving rat," Sebastian noted, seeing the man look back out. "K, now how're we going to do this? Any ideas?" Nagisa asked. They took a lot of effort just to get here, and they knew this kidnapper wasn't gonna give him up just because they were there. Karma already had his idea though. "I got this. You wait here, I'll get him out," Karma decided. "What? Karma, your unarmed!" Twilight pointed out. "Tell me something I don't know. One of you just be ready to get in there while I keep the boss busy," Karma said. Before anyone could stop him, he went right on out of hiding, into sight of the boss in the cabin. Karma was not just going to mess around and one thing go along, he's gonna make this happen! So, Karma got himself in position in plain sight just outside the cabin, right in the opening. The boss in the cabin smiled deviously, and started to head for the window rather than the door. In a agile jump, the man leaped out of the window, armed and ready. Time to start this dance. "I knew someone would show up. So, where's that ransom?" "Sorry, don't have any of your queen's coins. By a knock-off at the gift shop." The man armed up, and aimed his weapons at Karma, who while a little humbled, was ready to get his legs running. "I dunno how you're got pass my guards, but this is where you stop." "So cliche." And just like that, the shots start to fire. Karma quickly started to move, trying to get the boss to run off. The boss stayed firm, but as more shots keep missing him, he started to get even more upset and began to close in. Just what the others wanted. "Sebastian, think you can go with Karma? We'll get Mr. Phantomhive out and meet with you later," Twilight asked. Sebastian took a look towards the cabin, and sensed that things were alright before he went off after Karma. The group, now free, went right for the door of the cabin. However, the door was locked up tight here, and they couldn't get the door open. "Damnit, door's locked." "Ahead of ya," Blair said, going right for the window. It was fairly easy for her to handle getting in, and she was quick to find little Ciel tied up on the bed. So, Blair got busy, and pulled the cabinet out of the way to let the others in before going for Ciel. "Come on, earl, it's time for a rescue," Blair said, as the others came in. Aladdin and Twilight begun to untie Ciel, but the young earl was looking over the rest of the crowd here, seeing that something was missing. "Isn't there supposed to be six of you?" Ciel asked, now freed from the rope. "Yeah, but Karma's handling business. He and Sebastian will pop back around," said Pinkie. ....... Farther away, Karma was still running amok with the boss on his tail. His dodgy movements made him a hard target to hit for the boss. Each bullet narrowly missed Karma, showing this guy wasn't too good of a shot. Still, Karma knew what he was doing, and he stopped when the only sound he heard was clicking of an unloaded gun. Well, so much for that. "Run out of bullets there?" Karma mocked. The man, angry, just threw the gun at Karma, just to miss. "Damnit, why can't you just stand still?!" The boss yelled. "And why can't you show your face? Come on, we both know why you really did that," Karma said. It was time to get to business. They were alone, again, and back at even stevens, with no weapon for either of them. For the man, it was no point in hiding anymore. "I Thought I killed you back in Tokyo." "You think you can kill me that easily? Ha! And looks like you ditched that fancy stick back in Japan," mocked Envy. Karma could really use that sword right about now, and Envy looked ready to rumble and finish what he started. "And look at that, you're all alone again. There's no 'Korosensei' to save you now!" Envy said, starting to close the gap between Karma and himself. No way he was going to let this one get away from him this time! As he was running - "Perhaps." AND bam, something lands right on Envy's back. Karma stood still at the sudden launch, and soon the Homunculus was on the ground, Sebastian suddenly standing tall on top of him! "DAMN IT! GET OFF!" Envy yelled, teeth grinding, and glaring at the butler. "Don't be too hasty now, only following instructions. I assume your fair, Karma?" Sebastian said. "Yeah, I'm cool. Keep him around though," Karma simply replied. Now that someone else was here, Envy got back to acting off his own character. "Ok, you got me. Go on, kill me. Least it's been -" "Nah. I'm not that kind of person. Besides, we're not done," Karma suddenly said, cutting Envy off and pulling something out of his own pockets. ... "No, I'm just getting started." "... What the hell are those supposed to be?" "Mustard and wasabi. Never know when you need them to shove up a nose." "YOU WHAT?!" ~(4 hours later)~ "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Just about sunset. After Karma's little game, Envy was once again back at square one. Out in the woods again, the homunculus was releasing his inner rage out on a tree, banging his head on it over and over again. Bad enough taking the first strike being stuck in plastic, but now Deja Vu happened on him, and he got humiliated AGAIN! Talk about a sour taste. His banging and rambling were caught by two other homunculus, who were quick to find him. "Hey, Envy. I was wondering where you'd run off to," Lust said. Envy was in no mood, his back to them, as he gripped the tree in fuming anger. Envy didn't turn around to face them right away, but Gluttony took a few sniffs in the air, smelling a different sort of scent floating in the air. "Something smells tasty," gluttony said, licking his lips in anticipation. However, it was then that Envy turned around to face them. His expression and face said it all: a red spot on his forehead from banging against the tree, but his nose showed what he had to endure as well. The left nostril showing a dry yellow substance while the right one had a dried green substance, both mixed together on the way down to his mouth. Gluttony looked to the substance, and one whiff of that stuff gave Gluttony an idea on what might've happened to him. Even if it was hours ago, both mustard and wasabi still hold a strong scent, and one that won't be going away a while yet. "Not a word about this from any of you," Envy hissed, as curious Gluttony got a tiny bit of it on his finger and tasting the mustard and wasabi mix, much to Envy's annoyance. "Come on, we're here to recruit remember? Be a little patient," Lust advised, as Envy rubbed some of the mustard and wasabi out his nose onto his arm. He knew EXACTLY where his vengeance will be get at this time. "He'll be nothing but a mutilated pile of bones when I'm through with him. You know what, no, I'll keep him as my own slave. Yeah, then he can watch all his friends die before I'm done with him! Yes," Envy growled, loving the idea. Killing him would be easy if given the right chance, but watching him die emotionally would make it even more enjoyable. "Look Envy -" "You know you can't pick your own slave, Homunculus." Gluttony, Lust, and Envy began to look around on the voice. They were the only three there last time they checked, but after a bit, a fourth started to talk a casual stroll down towards them, confident and pretty chill. They'd be aggressive, but one look was all it took for immediate identification. For a start, their visitor wasn't humanoid at all, but an animal. This creature stood on all fours, about as tall as a large dog. In fact, it looked a lot like a dog overall, but with many major details to separate it from any regular pooch. His body was covered in black fur, with an orange muzzle and underbelly. His tail, fairly long and thin, ended in a triangular shape, like the head of an arrow. Speaking of the head, he had no ears, but instead had a set of sharp, curved horns. Four bone-like ridges grew down his back, and a cuff-like silver rings were around all four paws. This demon hound was suited up in a sort of rustic brown armor, with a flank plate, helmet, and chest plate with a skull on it. Around his neck was also a gold, spiked collar. Even if he appeared just smaller than Envy if one excluded the horns, his appearance still impressed a few. "Hellgar. You again?" Envy groaned. "Yeah. Boss wanted me to come up here and take care of a few miscreants. Just as well I did come up by the looks of it," Hellgar said, glancing over to Envy and his stains just under his nostrils. Envy glared at the demon dog as Hellgar looked over to Lust. "So that's why I'm up here, what's your excuse?" Hellgar asked, as he started to scratch his head with his back leg. "The boss wants us to get some more members to our side," Lust informed. "Well, he put ya in the right place. London's a regular hotshot - a demon getaway especially in recent years. Surprised you didn't find even one candidate yet." "Oh, not like you're any better, demon hound. Where's that pack of yours, anyway? Thought they'd revive by now. Or did boss get tired of those little bitches screwing up on him?" Envy hissed, a evil grin on his face. "Takes a bitch to know a bitch," Hellgar simply said, unfazed by Envy's mockery. Envy's brief moment of joy was dashed on the spot, a glare returning again as Hellgar casually strolled past them all. "Anyway, you stick to your job, I'll stick to mine. I'll have this part of the world into hell by the end of the month," Hellgar stated, almost business-like, licking his muzzle at the idea. After a bit though, Hellgar took a glance over at Gluttony, who was sucking on his finger again. Looking at him seemed to remind the demon hound of something. "Oh, by the way Gluttony. Boss wants you to come back to the underworld for a minute. Says he's got a disposal unit for you, and they're getting rather feisty," Hellgar informed. Gluttony grew excited, much like a small child after hearing great news, his mouth immediately drooling after the mention of it, his tongue licking his lips like Hellgar did. "Can I?" Gluttony asked Lust. "Go ahead. We'll meet up later. I'm sure your nose will find us when you come back," Lust said. Gluttony grew almost giddy, and he immediately took off, leaving Hellgar, Envy, and Lust alone. "There he goes," Envy commented, as Hellgar strolled on his way. "And off we go. If I were you, I'd try the London outskirts. I be blessed if there's not at least one person who might be worth your while," Hellgar suggested. And with that, the demon hound went off on his way. He knew what he had to do, and he knew just how to do it.
S02Ep8: What They Don't Know ... ~彼らは知らないもの...~"Alright. You can do this, Yugure. Maybe this can work." Managing to isolate herself away from England for a while, Twilight was back at it with her alchemy. Methods, for the most part, had been rather slow as the days came and went, and in a way, she really was just training alone like her letter had said. Her alchemy book in hand this time for the alchemy practice, this little alchemist decided to try some other types, since fire alchemy just seemingly didn't work for her despite the much practice she had done with it. This also meant a different symbol was being used over the other fire type she'd been using. On some new gloves, she made a different alchemist mark onto it, this time looking less like the star symbol and more like a diamond symbol instead. She clapped her hands together, and took a glance at the book to be sure she was doing it correctly. Her target this time, taking it with her, was the same candle she had in her room which she placed on a rock as a stand. Some reason it became her target of practice as of late, though this time she wasn't trying to light the candle. "Here it goes," Twilight thought, taking a deep breath, and putting in her full concentration on the target. If fire wouldn't work, maybe she can try on something else. After full concentration, she brought her arms forward, took a step in front, and both hands were around the candle again. All was quiet at first, and Twilight tried her absolute best to light the candle, or something to it. This wasn't fire alchemy, so who knows what'll happen to this candle now? ... "Come on ... please ..." After about five seconds of focus, Twilight began to get excited when she started to see some sort of glow coming from the area where her hands were. Twilight moved them out of the way, and she found that something did happen to the candle this time. It was actually lit up, but not in the typical red flames. In fact, it wasn't even flames for that matter, but instead it looked more like a glowing aura. Strong, bright, and deeply colored in shades of blue and purple dancing in a hue. Not the fire Twilight was used to, but it was very interesting, and very exciting for the girl to see, as she picked the candle up. She moved her hand around the aura, and found that it wasn't even hot like fire, but functioned in a same way as candle light. "Yes. YES! Finally I got one right," Twilight said to herself, in pure glee and joy. She tried many times before to find it, and now she finally got an Alchemy correct as it was supposed to. It's a start, anyway. ....... "YUGURE?!" Not again! Twilight quickly turned herself around, her eyes suddenly looking around as much as she could. THAT voice she knew a little too well, and it gave her shivers almost instantly. "Where are you?" Twilight asked. "Everywhere." "Oh no ... I-I don't know anything! Nothing at all, I-I swear!" Twilight stated during her worrying. The girl kept her eyes scanning her surroundings. However, the thing that troubled her was that she didn't see anyone anywhere that could've spoke to her. The trees were quiet, the wind blew softly around, the book sat there unmoved, and Twilight couldn't see a source of the trouble anywhere, at any point. Was he really everywhere? That possibility made Twilight even more on edge, her eyes darting around, and she quickly got her alchemy book up from the ground just in case. Twilight continued looking around a bit more, until her ears picked up the sounds of movement just behind her. One turn around, and her nerves went into overdrive. There he was. Hellgar. Coming right up to her. "AAHH!" "I haven't asked you anything yet," Hellgar stated, calm yet threatening as he continued his advances. Twilight started to back up, trying to keep some distance away from the hellhound. Hellgar could see the fear and obvious guilt Twilight had on her face. For each one step Twilight made was two of Hellgar's, the hound getting closer and closer. "I still don't know!" Twilight insisted. "I know you don't. You didn't tell me about the Ball," Hellgar growled. Twilight was a bit more legitimate when it comes to the confusion here. "What ball?" "The Royal Ball your friends scouted for demons last night," Hellgar growled, barring his teeth, and giving them a lick so they glean in the light. Twilight knew that Hellgar wasn't going to go easy on her this time, especially after his previous warning. Twilight's heart raced as Hellgar prepared to jump her, teeth barred and smoke steaming from his jaws. Twilight knew she was on the ropes, but she literally had nothing here. In the end, she only got one solution. ... Run. "Think you can get away?!" Hellgar roared, immediately giving chase. Twilight got a head start on her running, running over back towards the town. But despite the head start, Hellgar soon caught up with her, and tackled her down to the ground easily. The tackle hit her right in the back, the blow hard and forceful enough to knock the book out of her hand, the alchemy book landing about two feet away. Hellgar snarled harshly at his spy, hot saliva dripping down onto Twilight's body, as smoke was puffed down at her in huffs, making Twilight cough a bit. "You're working on my last nerve, Yugure! I did not, repeat, DID NOT let you live so you can screw around!" Hellgar roared, his jaws inches from Twilight's ear. "I know you didn't!" "DO YOU?" "I DO, BUT -" Hellgar slammed his paw over her mouth on her outburst. Twilight couldn't even breathe at first, Hellgar's paw in her mouth and her nose sucking in his smoke. Hellgar leaned in, eyes locked to hers. "You miserable, creeping worm. ..." Bizarrely, he took a step off of the girl, and moved over to one of the trees. Twilight recovered and got up to her feet, but by the time she did, Hellgar had already managed to cut down one of the branches from the nearby tree, tossing it down in front of Twilight. Hellgar had enough with his typical threats, and decided to amp up the steaks this time around. Obviously Twilight's own life wasn't working. "I'll make this simple for you. Say this is your friends. If I come across you again, and you don't have anything for me ..." The implications by what he did next was enough to make it clear. Hellgar looked down to the large branch he grabbed, inhaled, and blasted a powerful fiery flamethrower straight at it. Twilight quickly backed up from the hellhound, the flames close to scorching her! All that was left from the hellhound's blaze was nothing but ash. Twilight got the idea very quickly, leaving her extremely terrified. "... no ... You wouldn't ..." Hellgar gave Twilight a menacing grin with his muzzle, teeth gleaning as he even went in towards her again in a fast trot. Twilight shuffled like mad to get to her feet, but Hellgar was right on top of her again. The hellhound even opened his jaws and hovered right over her face. Twilight thought for sure that the creature would tear her head off, but all that happened was excess smoke blasted at her face. Hellgar couldn't help but laugh as Twilight fanned the smoke away before she would suffocate. "Okay now, Yugure. This is your final warning. So. Meet me tonight near the Victorian Tower, and you better have something for me this time. Do I make myself clear?" "... Crystal, sir," Twilight said meekly, getting herself off the ground, and picking up her book. She had her own ways to get out of it before, but there was no escaping it this time. Hellgar now had her whole group by their necks, and it was up to her if they'll be safe or not. One more goof, and it'll be six more graves, one which was high society. Hellgar moved over to her, calmer this time, and steadily moved away, his tail gently grazing her side just before he confidently moved away, back from where he came. Twilight was alone again, and now she had a more pressured job to do. With that in mind, she went off away from the location as well, book in hand, and knowing what she had to handle. For the first time, she was regretting going to her friends. ~~ Back in the big city, things were in an uproar over the events at the Royal Ball. As if the event itself wasn't big enough, this breakdown of the palace's balcony made a bit of a surprise to those who found it during the day. Kinda hard to hide a missing balcony, even with the debris removed and cleaned up thanks to Korosensei's involvement. Try as he might, it wasn't going to be missed when the first passerby saw the wreckage, or even earlier with some curious guests seeing the crash. Whoever saw it, it spread about the place. Lucky for some people, anything supernatural was pushed out of the question in favor of some faulty structuring. In the palace, with her involvement on the matters last night, Seitenshi was more than quick to get a personal meeting with the queen to order. After all, not only was part of her home destroyed, but these Homunculus did almost kill her granddaughter, so if anyone is to be aware it's going to be her. It only made sense really. With some navigation on Seitenshi's part, who was being escorted by some England high guards, Seitenshi got herself to the Queen's more personal quarters. The room was fairly big, resembling a throne room with a large seat for the queen herself to sit. A long carpet of violet velvet stretched from the throne down to the door, which Seitenshi kept on as she approached. Large windows lined the room up to the throne, silver curtains lining each and every single one. Some guards were also present there, excluding the ones who escorted Seitenshi, all standing at attention near the queen. Nearby her, Victoria stood at attention as well, a gentle expression presenting to Seitenshi as she came in. Seitenshi presented herself in a formal fashion with a small now of the head in presentation. She may be on equal level, she Seitenshi was on their terms in their own home. The queen herself was the first to speak. "Seitenshi. A pleasure for you to make it," the queen stated. "I feel like I need to. Listen, it's about the Royal Ball last night, it -" "The destroyed balcony. Yes, and my granddaughter did mention something about some demonic hooligans," the queen said. Seitenshi was a little humbled, but continued anyway. "Yes, they were there. You also know that we need to figure out a course of action against these creatures. We can't allow these to continue being a threat to the citizens," Seitenshi made clear. A suggestion any leader would consider for his or her people in such situations like these. The queen nodded in agreement. "Considering how they managed to destroy my property with relative ease, I quite agree. But how to proceed? If the local population learn about this kind of activity. ..." The queen trailed off on that thought, but her point was clear. Local panic would be immediate if they find demons attacking the highest of elites. "We can always try to call the king of Amestris. I must say, it's been a long time," Victoria suggested. But the queen shook her head. "There's no need to bring other countries involved in this matter so soon, dear. We don't know how dangerous the matter even is yet," the queen brought up. Victoria looked slightly disappointed but had to agree with her on that. "The threat level is pretty high by what happened. They nearly killed me, Victoria, and a number of other guests last night in one attempt, not to mention destroyed apart of your house in one move," Seitenshi informed, remembering her experience. "Speaking of which, where are those 'guests'? Haven't heard much of them since our little get together last night," Victoria wondered, slightly interested in them a bit. That group seemed to know a bit more than they do, anyway. Before any of them could answer however, there was another visitor to the palace, who a guard also escorted to the throne room. It was no stranger exactly, but instead it was Ciel Phantomhive. The kid had arrived with similar intentions as Seitenshi had. "I assure you, they're alright now," Ciel started. "Phantomhive. A bit unexpected," the queen stated. "And without your butler," added Victoria. Seitenshi watched Ciel invite himself in, heading right up and standing alongside Seitenshi. The queen didn’t tell him to leave, and allowed him in. "He’s currently busy at the moment," Ciel stated just before he stopped. When Seitenshi took a closer look at Ciel’s face, she did begin to sense a bit of an odd sense of Deja Vu from him. Did she see him somewhere before? Ciel kept his formal attitude in front of the queen. "I can see both of you are alright after last night’s excursion," Ciel stated, referring to Seitenshi and Victoria personally. Victoria smiled warmly to Ciel (or it looked warmly anyway). "And I see you’re not enjoying your own crossdressing, Phantomhive." NOT something Ciel wanted to just get blabbered on about. Still, Ciel tried to keep a straight face, despite a crimson color forming on his cheeks. Seitenshi stayed quiet, but she was starting to figure out why Ciel looked familiar now. ... "I-I wouldn’t call it as such." "Then how would you consider it? Gender-swapping perhaps?" Victoria teased. "Some other time you two, we have other matters to attend," the queen said, ending their chat before it could escalate, much to Ciel’s relief. This was not the time for two kids to argue about crossdressing, especially when they both were nearly killed last night. Seitenshi cleared her throat to get their attention now. "Whatever decision is going to be made, I believe it can’t be limited to just London alone: I’ve been getting reports of activities like these back in Tokyo. I have a feeling something bigger is going on here," Seitenshi informed, remembering the reports over in Tokyo about hellhounds, Jizos, and other matters of such. If demonic activity was happening in both spots like this, then it couldn’t be just a coincidence at this point. The queen thought on this revelation, and soon started to turn over to Ciel. "Phantomhive. Anything about that task I've given you?" the queen asked. "Unfortunately no. Dozens had gone missing since I’ve started, including my own butler, but I’ve yet to figure out where they’ve gone to. ... My apologies." "Don’t be. In fact, it’s best you told me anyway. ..." The room was quiet for a moment, Ciel, Seitenshi, and Victoria waiting on the queen’s word on what should be done. They can suggest whatever they want, but it came down to the queen on final conclusions. Eventually, the queen finally got the idea hatched in her head. "Protection." "Huh?" "Seems clear that these forces are becoming more frequent, and if so, then the public is all at high risk. Seitenshi. How does a protection agreement sound to you? With combined efforts from the UK and Japanese forces, perhaps both sides can have a better chance in keeping such threats at bay. I’m sure, with some proper training and explanation, then any demons that would appear in London, Tokyo, or otherwise would have more than enough trouble when facing our forces." "I couldn’t think of anything better. But we should keep it from the public." "Oh, of course. We’ll keep this in military services, between us, and not beyond that. ... With the exception of this group of guests. As Victoria here has told me, it seems that those normal kids have a deeper involvement than either of us would anticipate," the queen hypothesized. With the Homunculus’s behavior towards those kids, she might have a point. The decision did feel a little bit mixed for Ciel. Him, being an owner of a demon butler, and being acquaintances with a witch, and Magi. Then again, it really depends on where the agreement goes from there. Either way, Seitenshi concealed the agreement in a handshake with the queen, Ciel and Victoria watching from afar. "I’ll start preparations the minute I return home. Thank you." "And thank you for your cooperation. It might take some convincing, but it sounds to me it’ll be easier back in your corner of the world." Once the decision was made, she then turned over to Ciel standing nearby. "Phantomhive, you try and inform those other guests about the matter. See what you can figure out with them." "Assuredly, my lord," Ciel replied, and started to walk off out of the room. With this protection agreement starting to come underway, it will only be a matter of time before they will see how much it will effect both countries. ~~ Three days came and went since this was decided. With the information about this protection agreement now official to both sides of the military call, things were starting to get interesting for many a soldier, guard, or otherwise involved with the situation. Seitenshi stayed with the queen for working out the details in said operation from the palace. Just because an agreement was met, doesn’t mean everything was sorted out, and that was something both London and Tokyo needed to consider one way or another. As for Ciel, the time gave him time to explain the situation back to Nagisa, and his friends (Twilight being the only exception to that). A sort of mixed reaction did come from hearing such news, in particular the fact that a set of strong rulers of the human world were aware of the demon activity now, but they did relax when Ciel said they’ll keep it quiet from public hearing which was something they REALLY wanted to avoid. With their friend missing, hysteria in the community wouldn’t make things any better. Any Demon, Homunculus, or whichever would need to watch it from here on out. Aladdin and Nagisa both took the time to go out for a while, and leave the others back at the hotel for some extra time to look around for Twilight. Nagisa honestly had been the most troubled ever since Twilight first left, and he’d been looking around more than the others had been. Since he was his closest pal since coming to the human world, Aladdin too had been looking around alongside him, for the sake of helping his friend. At the moment, the duo went farther away from the more populated areas of London, and towards the outskirts of the place. They’ve been checking up and down the more common areas already, so what other spots to even go out and check? Not as many people were out here, and just as well, this left Nagisa and Aladdin some more freedom in their search. "Aladdin? ... Do you really think we’ll ever find her?" Nagisa finally asked, after a bit of silence. "Of course we will, she couldn’t have wandered off too far," Aladdin assured, as he glanced down an alleyway in between the resident buildings, only to find no one. Nagisa was starting to wonder if Aladdin was just saying that or not. "We hadn’t seen her in weeks now. I’m starting to think something might’ve happen to her." "Didn’t that creepy Undertaker say she’s still alive?" "Who said she was dead, Aladdin? She could be lost, or even captured for all we know. She would never just run off on anyone like this. ... Never. ..." Nagisa stayed quiet after he got that out. The thought of one of his old friends captured by some horrid demon scum gave him shivers. The things they’d do if they had her in custody. Aladdin started to worry himself too on what they would do, but he tried to stay optimistic about it, resting a hand on Nagisa’s shoulder. "Nagisa Shiota. I promise, we’ll find her. She’ll be safe and sound, and we’ll bring her right back the minute we find her, okay?" Aladdin promised, trying to cheer Nagisa up. If there was one thing Aladdin was good at, is cheering up his friends with some good-hearted words. Nagisa smiled to him, and Aladdin looked on ahead. ... "Yugure. ..." "Yes, that's -" "No. Nagisa, look!" Nagisa, although a little hushed, sounded a bit excited in his tone, and Nagisa went on to look ahead. The path up ahead didn’t look much different from the rest of the sidewalk they’ve been going down, but up ahead both Nagisa and Aladdin met up in what they see. The sidewalk ahead of them lead past one of the consignment shops, and someone began to head out, coming into view. The figure looked a bit scruffy, a different outfit from the norm, but the second they saw her purple hair and eyes, there was no mistaking her. "... Twi ... Twilight?" Nagisa quietly stated. Aladdin just managed to hear Nagisa state that name, but before Aladdin could say anything, Nagisa was already heading straight for her. She looked right over to them, and sure enough, she quickly recognized them too. "Nagisa?" "Twilight! It's you!" Nagisa beamed, hugging his old friend. Nagisa couldn't thank the gods enough for finally finding her. Aladdin couldn't be happier too, seeing Nagisa happy for the first time in weeks. "Twilight, I thought I'd never see that face again. Where've you been?" Nagisa asked, overjoyed as he could ever be. However, when he saw Twilight's face, her reaction to seeing him and Aladdin were ... more mixed, to say the least. "I've been practicing alchemy. D-Didn't that note tell you?" Twilight got out, acting like it wasn't that big of a deal. Nagisa felt a little humbled that this note was ACTUALLY right after all, but he was just glad that Twilight was still okay all the same. Nagisa regained himself, and released Twilight from the hug. "Oh ... that was really what you were doing." "Uh. Yeah." "Who's Twilight? I thought we're looking for Yugure." Aladdin suddenly cut in. Only then did Nagisa realize what he called out at this point. Nagisa just stayed quiet, embarrassed that he just blabbered that nickname out like that. "Uh ... It uh ..." "It's a special nickname. I let people close to me call me that," Twilight said, humbled herself. She may have not expected them to find her, but she was glad to see some familiar faces again after such a long time. ....... "YUGURE!!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!" AND the reaction back at the hotel was a bit more overboard. Pinkie Pie cried tears of joy, hugging Twilight tightly to the point Twilight felt like her eyes would pop out. Least Twilight can say that they missed her too, and VERY good they all weren't hugging her with Pinkie. Karma and Blair were happy too. "Nice. To see. You too," Twilight choked out. Luckily Blair got Pinkie's attention, and the gal loosened her grip on Twilight, the purple girl falling backwards onto the bed, trying to regain her breath. As she did that, Aladdin sat down next to her. "It's great to see you back. Hey, you said you were practicing alchemy, right? What did you learn?" Aladdin asked, very interested. "Yeah, show us what you can do," Blair added. Nice that they decided to take on that subject right away instead of going deeper into why she left. With her book in hand, she turned the pages to the one, and at this point, only successful magic she managed to pull off. She got up, and it took her a bit to get her act together, putting on the gloves with the new diamond symbols. Since she did it on a candle though, she really didn't know how to handle it directly, but she clapped her hands anyway as she did before ... Then they started to glow. "Whoa, wait a minute, not yet," Twilight said, worried that it would wreck her gloves. Instead, when her hands separated, a violet sphere floated in between her hands. This one was more purple than her first try, but the non-heated light floating in her hands still got the others interested, Aladdin especially. It was unintended, but at least nothing got destroyed this time around. "WHOOOOA, you made a glow thingy!" Pinkie commented, eyes sparkling with stars. "It's a aura orb!" Aladdin said, equally excited about it. Twilight held it in her hands, keeping it at a steady level so nothing would go wrong with it. "Weeks of disappearing, and you only managed to make that?" "I just got this right this morning, give me a break. I've been fiddling with the others, but this was the only one I got right," Twilight explained. The others were glad Twilight finally was getting somewhere, but Karma obviously found this a bit suspicious. Weeks on end and that is what she got to show for it? Karma went right up to her, hand on her shoulder. "OK, Yugure, enough with that," Karma stated, Twilight stopping her magic show right then and there. Karma leaned in at her side, so he was eye-level with her. "So, what have you been really up to?" "Really? Up to?" "Yugure, be real: you've been gone for weeks, ISOLATING yourself, and none of us had heard a damn word out of your mouth. Not to mention it happened not too long after our little game when Ciel got himself captured like a little damsel. ..." Well, Twilight didn't know what to do now. They all waited for what she had to say, but Twilight didn't know if she should tell them straight out or not, especially after Hellgar's sickening warning. Any mess up now, and her friends were all on the chopping block ... "What really happened?" Karma repeated. Twilight looked around at every face in the room, each one waiting for Twilight to answer. She could feel the pressure around her. She'd been away for far too long for that white lie to work. ... "I WAS CONNED!" Twilight shouted, surprising everyone in the room. "Conned?" "Another demon found me after we saved Ciel. He tried to get me to spy on you, so I had to keep away from everyone! That way when he found me I wouldn't know anything and I couldn't betray anyone! It was awful. ..." Now it was out. Twilight finally got the actual situation out to the rest of the group around her. Well, that explains everything far as they were concern, Twilight going out into tears about the whole thing. Admitting the problem just reminded her of the many threats that Hellgar shoved into her head, and it began to show in the tears forming on her face. That just made the others feel a little rough themselves. "Oh, Yugure. ... Don't worry, you're safe now," Nagisa said. "We'll keep you safe from this demon," Aladdin agreed. "YES-indeedie! That meanie won't mess with you anymore!" Pinkie added in. Twilight was quiet, but a smile did show up on her face despite the tears coming down. At least she had her friends now, unlike before, even if Hellgar would show up again. ... Show up again ... "Wait, what am I thinking of? He told me to meet him at the Victorian Tower tonight. If I don't show up, we know where he'll come to look for me," Twilight brought up. Better to have them aware of the danger than to just leave it on that kind of note. The others took a moment, looking back and forth to one another. ... "Then let him come." ~~ *crash* Another sound of yet another dish being splattered on the floor back at Phantomhive manor. Things honestly hadn't gone very smoothly there since Sebastian had been up and gone, and the evidence shows time and time again. Ciel was honestly taking it rather hard. Being a young earl and all, most actions around the manor were done with pure efficiency by his butler, but with him gone things had been put a little bit slower, not to mention more troublesome. Just hearing the noises, and pleads from the other people just outside his office made Ciel stressed out more than anything. At least with Sebastian around, he could lend them a hand and clean things up, but with him absent, well, the results were unpleasing. In his office, Ciel tried to calm himself down when Tanaka stepped in, tea cup in hand as per usual and a tray of something else for Ciel. "Please tell me that wasn't another dish I just heard," Ciel groaned, at this point hoping that it really was him just hearing things. "My apologies my lord. Mey-Rin and Grell are cleaning it up as we speak," said Tanaka. The young child groaned again, his head now on the table. Tanaka took a few steps into the office, and stood by Ciel's side, similar to how Sebastian would. "I do apologize for Sebastian's absence." "Where did that pathetic butler go? This is unheard of for Sebastian," Ciel wondered allowed. Never before had Sebastian just went off on him in such a way like this. Not a single hint, clue, or whatever, just gone. "There, there my young lord. I'm more than sure Sebastian will come back around one of these days. I don't blame you for worrying over -" "I'm not worrying over him!" Ciel suddenly protested. Tanaka quickly regained himself as Ciel also regained. "Things went a lot smoother while he was here. I'm going to give him a good telling off the second he steps through that door," Ciel said, sounding angry. With how much trouble was going on, even excluding the trouble with the other servants in the manor, stress was understandable on the young lord, Tanaka seeing that easily with Ciel here. He still was a kid all the same, in spite of his maturity and all. Still, Tanaka did bring something else in for him, and presented some desserts for Ciel. "I thought some of your favorite sweets would calm your nerves, my young lord," Tanaka said. With that, he quietly walked off on his way to help the others out with their trouble, leaving Ciel to nibble on some of the cookies left for him. A nice little snack, but it didn't help the issue aside from some stress eating on Ciel's part. He only got through about five of the dozen of cookies when ... "ACK!" "Now what?" Ciel said, almost in a stressed growl. The young earl got up from his seat, and went right on outside his office, following the sounds of strained chokes over to the next room, only to find Grell. ... Well, finding Grell in a noose, that is. "What're you doing now?" Ciel asked, Mey-Rin, Tanaka, and Bardroy coming in behind him to see Grell up there. "I do believe I'm in the process of dying, master Ciel," Grell choked out. Normally this would panic anyone, but this was Grell, and Ciel had grown a little too used to this. "Get him down, somebody," Ciel instructed, the others scrambling to get him down before his neck would break. He was going through enough trouble, a suicide attempt was not going to fix anything for him. As they were busy with that, Ciel took a walk out of his manor and to the front garden. He had a lot on his plate: Sebastian missing, the protection agreement, and these involvements with Nagisa's group and the Homunculus. That alone was a bit rough, even with Sebastian for company, but with him away he was left more alone than he'd like, despite the other servants inside the manor helping him out as much as they could. These days had been rather messy, to say the least. "... Sebastian. ..." ~~ And now, it was nightfall. Things seemed awfully quiet for the hotel, not a sound to be heard anywhere in the room. The night may be cloudy, but moonlight still found its way to creep into the room. Laying on the bed, sound asleep it seemed, Twilight went on to rest her mind in one of the beds. Strange though, the rest of the room felt oddly quiet, not another soul in there. Not in the second bed, nor by her own. Just her there, with only the company of the night wind and distant sounds of London. Resting soundly, alchemy book by her side, as if she was back at the other hotel at the outskirts. Truth be told, Twilight was anticipating what would be going on, and once more she wasn't alone. "Yugure." "Here we go," Twilight thought. Twilight opened one eye to check her surroundings, but couldn't see anything anywhere. She glanced by her bed, over by the window, over by the door, but no sign anywhere. Regardless though, her nerves were up. Then came the saliva. Looking up from the bed, her midnight visitor began to reveal himself, slowly crawling out from what looked like some pocket portal in the wall. His eyes burned with a red hue, steaming saliva dripping from his sharp, serrated teeth. Hellgar had arrived, and this hellhound was NOT pleased at all. Twilight stayed still, with Hellgar moving in more and more until he was fully into the room. Even with the dim light, Hellgar wasn't by any means invisible to Twilight's eyes. The girl sat up in bed to face Hellgar again. "So, my dear, dear Twilight. I didn't see you at the Victorian Tower. ... That, and here you are, hiding." "No. No," Twilight quietly said, Hellgar leaning in. "I should warn you: a Houndoom's bite is beyond lethal. Once my species attacks hit and tear, the wounds will never heal. One bite out of you, and all that will be left of you is a pool of blood. ... That is, if you actually have anything for me this time. ..." "... Yes. Yes I do," Twilight stated. Hellgar smiled wickedly, and sat down on the bed, on Twilight's legs. "Well then? It's about time you came around. Now, what. Do. You. Have?" It all happened rather quick now: Twilight suddenly gave a good and strong whistle, one that Hellgar immediately jumped to. And he wasn't the only one either; the rest of her friends charged at him, appearing from the shadows! Hellgar didn't have time to even comprehend when they jumped him, Pinkie tackling the demon hound off the bed first. Hellgar came alive in a fit of barks, snarls, and thrashes as the others tried to keep him still. Pinkie gripped hard on his shoulders, but Karma really made a difference when he gripped Hellgar's neck to keep his head still, holding him down in a manor like a gator angler would to a crocodile. Soon enough, Karma and Pinkie both were sitting on top of the demon dog, Karma keeping his hands firm on the back of Hellgar's neck. When the lights came back on in the room they all got the better picture, Nagisa helping Twilight up. Hellgar tried to get them off, but he was just stuck under them altogether. "Damn it, damn it. Get your fat asses off of me!" Hellgar demanded. "Hey, my booty's awesome, thank you!" Pinkie snapped. "Yeah, not a chance hellhound," Karma said. After a while, Hellgar decided to reserve his energy and stop thrashing around for now. Aladdin, Nagisa, Twilight and Blair have him a good look over. "Is this him, Yugure?" Nagisa asked. "Oh yeah, you got him. Thanks guys for the help," Twilight replied. Hellgar snarled at them again, but as he looked each one of them over, his eyes then drifted over to Blair, who felt uneasy the whole time on seeing him. Could be her being a cat and him being a dog, but worth mentioning. ... "YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DESTROYED MY HOUSE!" Blair revealed, an accusing finger aimed directly at the hound in question. A rather unexpected surprise, as Hellgar snapped his jaws at Blair, but not reaching her. "Still pissed off about that, are you?" Hellgar growled. "Careful hound, we're armed up," Karma warned, though Hellgar wasn't so easily intimidated. "You pathetic slugs think you can even scratch me? I'd rather be at the manor than deal with any of you right now!" "The hell are you talking about?" Karma questioned. Hellgar tried to look back as best he could. "Like I need to tell you." "TALK, BITCH." Instead of actually complying, the hellhound finally found his feet, and with a powerful push, Karma and Pinkie both were tossed off of him, landing down onto the floor. Hellgar was more mobile now, but Aladdin got a shield up just fast enough to avoid any attack from the hellhound. It was just enough to block off Hellgar from the others, and Hellgar wasn't strong enough to take that out of the way. "You humans can't listen to anything, can you? Yugure, you just had ONE job, and I'd left you alone, and you can't even get that right!" Hellgar scolded, pressing his front paws against the surface of their shield. The hellhound was especially ticked off now, and they all can see it. "She doesn't have to listen to you! Why'd you pick her anyway?" Nagisa questioned. "Just following orders, scum. If I had the choice I'd kill you all right now!" "Who's orders?" Questioned Aladdin. Hellgar paused there, and quickly got himself together. A screw up on his part, to be sure. After a quick shake of the head, Hellgar stepped back. "I'm not telling you anything. I don't need to. But one of you better give me something to work with before I scorch you!" Hellgar roared, embers blasting out for good measure. None of them wanted to say a thing to this guy, and the shield easily deflected the embers launched at them. Basically they were captive: the second Aladdin's shield goes down, Hellgar would make them into nothing but ashes. Something like this was what Twilight wanted to avoid the most, with her friends in danger thanks to Hellgar. What to do? ... "Okie dokie, how about a trade?" Said a familiar voice. All of them, Hellgar included, turned to Pinkie Pie the second she said that. Of course Hellgar wasn't buying it for a second. "A trade?" "Yep! We got questions too: you tell us we'll tell you, deal?" "WHAA?!" The others gasped. Was Pinkie serious?! Here they were, almost getting roasted, and she was willing to tell him everything. Still, Hellgar found this interesting. "You go first. Depending on what you say, maybe I'll get mine out." Hellgar said. Before anyone could stop her ... "Okie-dokie-lokie: my friend got this fancy show in a dream and we got here to London, and we all had a super time at the Royal Ball where mean Homunculus tried to kill us, and president of Tokyo plus the queen granddaughter, and they gave a protecto agreement for any future meanies to pop up like you. Just like that." Her chat ended with a big smile on her face, most of her friends freaked out on what she just blabbered on about. Hellgar paused for a bit to take it in, especially that last part. Eventually he grew a devilish grin on his face. "See Yugure, it's not THAT hard. Now, if you excuse me -" "Nah ah ah! Your turn doggy," Pinkie cut in. Hellgar though was already over at the window. "Really? You really think I'd actually follow - AH!" And Pinkie jumped him again. This time she suddenly stepped on his tail, and pulled it hard until it was in front of his eyes. Pinkie still had her smile on her face, which made the sudden assault a little more unsettling. Hellgar tried to blast fire at her, but Pinkie quickly wrapped his own tail around his mouth like a noose. Smoke bellowed out of his nostrils and lips as he tried to get it loose. With his paw, he actually went as far as to slice his tail off! "I don't like people who lie to me. It's not nice," Pinkie said, still smile on her face. "What just happened?" Twilight whispered. "You should've seen her at the ball," commented Nagisa. "MMMMM mmmMM!" Hellgar gagged, words unable to figure out normally. Pinkie somehow understood, and loosened the tail around his muzzle. "You're damn lucky I can regrow my tail." "Now your deal, please? Pretty please?" Pinkie said, sounding innocent enough. Hellgar rolled his eyes, and just groaned. "Fine. ... My boss's name is King Sombra, current ruler of Tartarus. He's the one who tasked me here. ... Happy now, bitch?" Hellgar growled. Not too much information, but it was safe enough far as Hellgar was concern. After all, they never met him face to face far as he knew. Apparently that was enough for them, and Pinkie got the tail off of him. It made more sense than what Pinkie's own words were. But Hellgar wasn't done here. Soon as he got more freedom, he used it to tackle Pinkie, his horns ramming her right in her stomach, and slamming the girl harshly into the wall! "PINKIE!" Gasped Aladdin, as Pinkie fell to the ground. Hellgar grabbed Pinkie and threw her at the others, the girl landing on Twilight and Karma, just before bolting out the window. None of the others could catch him, the hellhound moved that fast, and by the time Nagisa and Aladdin got to the window, Hellgar was gone completely. And just in time. ... "Is everything okay in there?" called a voice from the otherside of their door, sound a little frazzled. After a quick hide-away on Blair and Aladdin's part, in came a passing room attendant of the hotel, only coming in to find Pinkie bruised, and on the floor. The others didn't know what to say to this person. "Oh my god, what happened?!" the attendant gasped, helping Pinkie up to her feet. How were they supposed to tell him what really happened in here, especially with such a cracked up mess on the wall. Lucky for them, fast-thinking Karma and planning Twilight already had a pre-plan in case the encounter ended up getting attention. "A robber got into our room from the window. We drove him off, but that bastard slammed our friend before we could," explained Karma, as Twilight helped Pinkie Pie up to her feet. The pink girl was sore, a bit dazed, but nothing too serious apart from blunt force itself to her stomach. The attendant helped Pinkie Pie as well, and Pinkie was put over onto the bed. The attendant looked over to the wall, freaked out from seeing that. What kind of thief had THAT kind of strength?! Well, as they handled Pinkie Pie, Nagisa glanced outside to the window where Hellgar had jumped out. "Sombra, huh?"
S04Ep10: New Year Bloom ~新年の花~Blair, as a cat, was taking a snooze over on Karma's couch when Karma said the news out loud. It had been a bit quiet though for her tastes, as she hadn't heard a thing out of Karma in about an hour. "Nyaa, Karma, what's keeping you?" Blair yawned, before she got up and hopped off the couch. She really wanted to do something, and Karma was the closest person in the house. So, she went right from the couch and right up to Karma's room. Maybe Karma could spice up her day. "Karma.~ I'm bored, can we - ... what the?" Well, Blair didn't expect this. Looking in just outside Karma's door, the redhead bad boy was ... looking over dresses. He had two supposed dresses on hangers, and he was actually comparing them both in a mirror, one a lighter red and the other a darker red. A bit of a favor by Pinkie Pie, who actually left him the present earlier that day, so he might as well at least try something here. His behavior here was so ... foreign to Blair, as Karma turned to her. "Oh, Blair, hey. Say, which one you think fits me more? I'm leaning towards the blood red one myself," Karma said, holding up the dresses. Blair just stared wide-eyed. "... You cross-dress?" Karma got two and two together pretty quickly. "Oh right, you never heard of the New Years festival have ya? Here, Pinkie got you one of these too," Karma said, pulling out a similar dress for Blair to wear, this one deep dark purple. Blair got covered in the thing, but as funny as it would be for Karma to be in a dress, it was still confusing. "New Years Festival? What's that about, and what does it got to do with these dresses?" Blair asked, pulling herself out from under the dress. "First off, they're kimono garments not dresses, and second, you'll figure it out this weekend. Besides, everyone in our group's gonna have one, so why fight it?" Karma explained, comparing the kimonos again until he decided on the blood red and left the lighter red one on the bed. Blair started to think about it a little bit, and then realized something. "So that means Nagisa's going to embrace his inner girl again?" Blair giggled, envisioning Nagisa in one of those Kimonos, and acting cute and pretty. Karma realized what she meant, and a cheeky smirk got on his face. "Ciel's gonna relive the glory days too," Karma stated, imagining him alongside Nagisa in a similar way, as mischievous about the thought as Blair was. "Remind me to bring my camera." ....... It had been a while since the group had actually chilled out since Lugia's Future Sight gave Nagisa the visions. It had kept them on edge for quite sometime, but now that they all were handled, it finally gave them all some time to chill out and let things calm down for now. For Nagisa, he took the time to rest up back at home, taking a nap on his couch after going through everything that had happened. His crazy run in with the Homunculus and demons during his disguise affair gave him more than enough of a reason to try and calm down. As Nagisa was doing that, Aladdin was quietly playing the vessel like the instrument it was shaped off. It didn't bother Nagisa much, and in fact helped him rest a bit, left with his inner monologues. "Nice for Aladdin to be playing that thing. Seriously it would be too quiet after everything that happened, I wouldn't be able to even relax right now. It's almost been an entire year, and so much had happened to me and my friends. Homunculus, Phantomhive, the Elric Brothers, these Tartarus Demons, the Angels of Elysium. And to think we're still not over yet. Those bounties Celestia tasked us to, Winry Armstrong joining us, Bradley and Selim being Homunculus, Lugia still being out there somewhere, not to mention Sombra would probably be pissed off when he figures out what I took. ... Wow. Is this really what being a main character feels like? So much accomplished, and yet so much left to do. ..." *beep**beep**beep* And then off went his phone. Luckily, Aladdin went off to answer it and allowed Nagisa to stay quiet and resting. "Hello? ... Yeah he's here, he's trying to chill out. ... Huh? Really? This weekend? Uh I dunno, I've never heard how that works, plus it's two days away, so - ... Oh. Well, I guess I'll ask him, are you going? ... Yeah, Pinkie would do that. she's just trying to make you happy. ... With a history like yours why wouldn't anyone?" "Who're you talking to, Aladdin?" Nagisa finally asked, turning over to see him talking on the phone. "It's Ciel. He's asking if you're going to be doing anything for the New Years Festival this weekend," Aladdin explained. Nagisa looked a little surprised, but it only reminded him just how much had been done in one year. "It's the end of the year already? Wow. Well, sure, no way I'm going to miss it. Tell him I'll be there," Nagisa said. "He says he's going to be there. ... Ok then. Alright, see you then," after chatting with Ciel, he went on and ended the call. Sometimes it was hard to really figure out someone like Ciel Phantomhive, and at least with someone like Pinkie it was less suspicious and more cute. Aladdin sat down over by Nagisa. "Sounds like a lot of fun," Aladdin said. "It's okay to do, especially when nighttime comes. You see, a New Years -" "I know what it is." "Oh, you do?" "Yeah, Heine told me about it one time when we were hearing explosions under Synapse. It sure kept us up for the night." "He's talking about the fireworks, I bet. With how much light and noise they make on New Years, I'm not surprised," Nagisa thought, just thinking about the yearly fireworks set off for the New Years celebration each year. "Anyway," Aladdin then added in, "Since this is my first new years in the human world, I can actually take part. ... Uh, is the any rules I should know about?" Aladdin's question was met with some humbleness on his part, him playing with his fingers as he was asking. Nagisa had been to the celebration more than enough times, he knew the ins and outs on how the New Years Festival works. So, he sat up and smiled to his magi friend. "I'll get you ready. We could use some fun." ~~ For the next two days up to the weekend event, things had been a bit busy for them as things would have it. Even after what had been going on with the world, something like this was something no one in Japan would even dare to pass up in anyway, and in Tokyo it was no different, as with each passing hour of the combined twenty eight hours, the New Years Festival was now up and running. The first ones to begin the New Years tradition was Aladdin and Nagisa, though they both were sure that the others weren't going to be too far behind them, considering the festival wasn't too far away from the urban Tokyo district. Both Nagisa and Aladdin got their own respected Kimono, both blue and fitting them nicely. As they flew along, one would think that the festival itself would be the first spot, but that morning Nagisa had a different idea, and they both instead landed in a more natural area of Tokyo. Eventually they both landed gently over nearby the destination. The place had little people there, despite it being the early morning of this year's last day, and the area in question appeared to be some sort of Japanese shrine. "So is this the place?" "Yeah, you got it. Come on," Nagisa said, getting up and starting to walk over towards the shrine. Aladdin followed behind, but he was a bit tired still. "I know this is a Japanese custom and all, but why do we have to do it so early?" Aladdin yawned. "I just want to show you how this works before the big crowds come, that's all," Nagisa said. A reasonable answer. It didn't take either of them very long until they reached the shrine itself. They were met by a large arch, and over nearby looked like a sort of display for ... well, something, Aladdin wasn't sure. Looking like wooden blocks to him with some words on them. It was there where they arrived to first, both he and Aladdin holing some of those with them. "Guess they got a few started already. Ok, Aladdin, did you bring your Votive Tablet?" Nagisa asked. Aladdin nodded, and showed Nagisa his tablet in hand, which he wrote down himself. Nagisa also got his own, and they both looked for a spot to hang theirs up. "Uh ... there," Nagisa said, hanging his up over at the very center. Hanging there in kanji writing: I hope the future for me, my friends, and everyone of the three worlds will be great and wonderful. A future he would surely hope to keep with what's been happening and what had been done so far. "You know, even with all that has happened, it's nice to get back to some good ol' tradition. I do hope this does come true though. Sure, the demons may be causing problems, but they're not all bad," Nagisa thought, looking at the votive tablet he just hung up. A simple message on the future, yet still one that felt like should be something to hope for. A bright, happy future for everyone. After that, he turned over to see Aladdin trying to find a spot to hang his tablet, until eventually hanging his up just underneath Nagisa's. When Nagisa read it though, he felt his face fluster a little bit. I wish for Twilight and Nagisa to live a happy life together. "You like it? You told me you kissed Twilight before, I thought this will help," Aladdin said with a smile. Nagisa couldn't get mad at someone like Aladdin, yet that statement and his Votive Tablet reminded Nagisa of that particular moment, the moment flashing through his mind. "That kiss. ... I hadn't heard much from Twilight since that happened. Did I go too far?" That thought made Nagisa shiver. He didn't want to make Twilight wary of him because of that, not at all, but without much word about her since he did that. Then again, the tablet was promising a happy future for them both, so, Nagisa just got it under wraps. He didn't want to ruin the whole day because of it, especially so early. He'll figure it out eventually, but for now, it was time for the shrine itself. "Thoughtful, thanks. Now for the shrine," Nagisa said, he and Aladdin heading over to the shrine itself. How disrespectful would it be to not lend prayers while they're visiting here. "So now what? do we put another tablet?" "No, we give our prayers and wishes. Here, watch me," Nagisa said. He turned over to the shrine, and brought his hands together, and started his prayers in silence. Little Aladdin waited to hear anything to do, but Nagisa stayed oddly silent. "He's got his hands together. Wait, is this an Alchemy trick?!" Aladdin thought, his eyes sparkling on the idea. However, there wasn't really a clue that this was actually Alchemy being used, or any sort of magic for that matter. After a little bit more, Nagisa had finished with his wish, but it left Aladdin confused still. "There, that's it." "... What's it? The Alchemy?" Aladdin asked. Nagisa glanced to his hands, and then started to chuckle. "No, no, it's not alchemy. It's just making a wish to the spirits to receive. Here, you try it," Nagisa offered. "But you didn't say anything." "You're not supposed to say your wish during the prayers, otherwise they won't hear you," Nagisa said, remembering the ritual. Aladdin seemed to get it from there. "OOOHHH, Telepathy. Ok, give me a second," Aladdin said. It wasn't telepathy exactly, but so long as Aladdin did it right, guess it didn't matter. Aladdin brought his hands together and started his own number of wishes to the shrine, and to the supposed telepathic spirits who would be listening. If Nagisa could do it, surely he could. Eagerly he went through them and thought over what wishes to do until he eventually got through one of them. ... "Hey, Aladdin, Nagisa," said Blair. Looked like they weren't the only ones who decided to come here. It wasn't everyone, but a fairly good amount: Karma, Blair, Sebastian, Ciel, and ... Twilight. They all were in their respected Kimonos, all in their respected colors as well. Nagisa smiled when he saw them, but Aladdin looked completely shocked. "Hey guys, coming before the crowds too?" Nagisa asked, rubbing the back of his head as the wide-eyed Magi glanced between the group and the shrine in absolute amazement. "Correct. A pleasure to see you as well, Nagisa," Sebastian said. "Blair, you got to try this! You pray your wish and it grants it!" Aladdin suddenly said, super psyched about it with stars in his eyes, grabbing and pulling Blair by the arm to try it out. "Whoa, whoa, really?" Blair asked, trying to not get dragged on the ground. "I just did it and it worked! I wished for you guys to come here just moments ago, and look who's here! Come on, you should try it!" Aladdin insisted. Guess those two would be busy with the shrine for a little bit, as Nagisa dealt with the rest of the group. "So is this one of the required customs, Nagisa?" "Well yeah, praying to the spirits should give us a good year, you might as well." "Not what I meant. ..." It was then Ciel looked to the kimono he was wearing, Nagisa quickly getting the idea. It was Karma though that started to get cheeky. "Come on, those dresses fit you and Nagisa like a glove. No surprise," Karma teased. Ciel got flustered, but tried to keep his pride. "You should thank your lucky stars that this is customary for this New Years Festival of yours," Ciel griped. "Now, let's not get irritated straight away, my lord. Come, let's give our respects at the shrine for the moment, shall we?" Sebastian suggested. So he, Ciel, and Karma slipped by Nagisa, and soon it was him and Twilight alone for the moment. Oh boy, he knew he was going to have to get this handled eventually, but at least it was in the morning and not too late. Twilight and Nagisa didn't know what to really say at first, considering their last main encounter involved ... well, a kiss. "... Morning. Nagisa. ... Nice kimono." "Oh, uh this old thing? ... Well, thanks. You too. ..." BOY this was awkward for them, and they both knew why as well. Nagisa tried to get it out of his mind. "So, where's the others? Ed, Al, Pinkie?" "Oh them? They're all working with the staff for the festival. Pinkie couldn't help herself," Twilight admitted. That was Pinkie for ya, and when there was a celebration to be had, she was surely going to get involved in making it work. "Yeah that's her. ... So, uh ... How're things going?" Nagisa asked. Twilight knew why he would ask, she hadn't spoke a word to him in a while since the event with the capture, and she just felt pretty shy about it. "Eh, alright. S-Sorry I've kinda stopped ... well you know." "No, no, no, I-it's fine really! ... So ... after here, you want to check on the festival?" "Oh, sure. Might as well." Since Nagisa was done with his wishes already, Twilight went by him and went on to do her own ritual with the shrine, which also included adding her own tablet to the display nearby. Guess Nagisa just had to wait, though he was sure Twilight would at least see Aladdin's tablet. Indeed, Twilight did, and her reaction was pretty much the exact same thing as Nagisa was towards it. And all the while, the two unknowingly had a little audience nearby. "Seriously? The two just kissed and they're still freaking out about the whole thing," Karma quietly noted. "With the circumstances, it's not too surprising," Ciel sympathized. "Sure, but look at them, they're an item together!" insisted Blair, and thinking it over they were indeed correct about that. So much time together, and Nagisa even admitted out that he loved Twilight, that kiss only confirming it for the eyes to see. Karma smirked a Korosensei smirk, and got an idea flowing in his head ... "It's settled then: Let's hook them up." ~~ "And BA-BAM! Look at that!" Back at the actual festival, things were already getting underway. Plenty of the locals were already up and about as morning turned to midday, and as Twilight said, Pinkie was indeed helping out and taking part in it more deeply than many others aside from the staff. In fact, she even got her own time to set up her own little stand to get some yen off her sweets she spent all night baking. Nearby, Ed and Al were lending their own hand in the event, Edward using some of his alchemy to get some stands set up, having set up about six so far, and finishing up the seventh. You have alchemy that fixes things, might as well use it to get some aid. Alphonse was lending some hand too in the interior set up of the final stand, his strength making preparations pretty easy. While Ed and Pinkie were in their kimonos, all provided by Pinkie Pie, the only exception was Alphonse. Too big. "That's the last of them," Alphonse said happily, getting out from behind the stand. A good job well done for the games all set up for the whole place. "Hey, Ed, Al, want a free sample? They're fresh," Pinkie offered, showing them some of her work. At first, they weren't too sure, Edward especially for his brothers sake, but Alphonse didn't want him to feel left out. "It's okay, brother, go ahead." "You sure, Al?" Ed asked. "It's fine, you enjoy yourself," Alphonse insisted. Ed still felt a little reluctant, but in the end he took the free sample of Pinkie Pie's cupcake. Ed took one bite and his eyes shot open. "H-How could a sweet taste this good?!" he thought. The reaction on his face all Pinkie Pie and Alphonse really needed to see to figure out how he took the sweet. Too bad Alphonse couldn't try it himself thanks to his armor body - armor body equals no mouth, and therefore no need to eat even if he wanted to. "It's my secret recipe," Pinkie whispered, Ed honestly taking in each bite, the flavors exploding in his mouth with each bite. No cooking back in Amestris even came close to this. As he was eating his own, the crowds continued going along their way, though some did stop and glance Alphonse's way. As this was going on, another group of friends were heading up and on their way past them: Envy, Nabiku, Nakamura, and Hinano. Why wouldn't they at least try to come in and check things out, and after some convincing, Envy got himself a Kimono, his a bamboo green. Ed, Al, and Pinkie didn't take long to see them. "Hi, Pinkie. Nice to see you're all set up this year," Hinano noted. However, Pinkie's eyes were focused somewhere else, leaving her almost frazzled. Her eyes were focused over with Envy and Nabiku. "You okay?" Al asked, the others a little confused. "Y-You're just the cutest stinking thing," Pinkie squeaked. "This again?" Envy thought. "So, you're checking out the festival too Envy?" Al figured. "Well, I have nothing better to do," said Envy, hands behind his head. Though admittedly he did find it interesting, even by a little bit. Suddenly his face met up with one of Pinkie's cupcakes, which she had another sample at the ready for them, one for each one of them. "Care for a free sample? Free sample for customer," Pinkie offered, the surprise making Nabiku jump. However, it was a pretty nice gesture from her. "Why, thank you Pinkie," said Nabiku, who took the cupcake with a grin on her face. Pinkie was sure pleased, as she gave the sample to Envy and Hinano as well. Nabiku and Hinano took their bite, reaction similar to that of Edward, but Envy felt a little reluctant. "Seriously dude, try it," Nakamura insisted. Envy might as well humor them, and he took a bite out of the treat. ... "W-What the hell? What flavors, I-is this some sort of magic?!" Envy thought, his taste buds never having a chance to taste such a thing before. It was enough to even give him shivers on his body, it was such a surprise for him. What kind of method was Pinkie using in her goods?! Eventually, they had one other guest soon show up from not too far away, cutting off from the earlier group so he could get the others involved with the situation. "There you are, been trying to find you guys. See you're out to play too, aren't you Envy?" "It's Hinano's idea, Karma," Envy insisted, though before Karma could tease any further, Pinkie was suddenly in front of him with a cupcake in hand. "Hey, Karma, wanna cupcake? Free for first customer?" Pinkie said. Karma then smirked. "Oh, sure. In fact, make it two, and some designer's choice by your truly can help too," Karma suggested. "Huh? It's just one," Pinkie said. Karma then gestured her to lean in closer, and he whispered the situation to the pink girl. About five seconds was all she needed to pop back in her stand, and come right back out with an extra cupcake for him, though this one having a blue heart on it. While it was a bit out of nowhere for many of them, but Nakamura found this interesting. "Well, well, well, look what we have here? So who's the lucky gal getting these, you little heartbreaker?" Nakamura teased. "Nice try, but not for me. Nagisa Shiota's got his heart out for that Yugure Kagayaki, and since he's still chicken about it, I'm giving him a little boost," Karma said. Ed, Envy, and Al already knew that, bring there when it happened, but the others did find it interesting to figure out. "So you were right, Envy," Hinano said. "Damn straight, I wouldn't lie about it," Envy said. "Hey, how's Nagisa and Yugure doing anyway? We didn't hear too much out from them," Ed asked. "Aside from being too shy to even look at eachother right, pretty okay," Karma simply stated, finishing up his own cupcake before getting himself ready to head off after Twilight and Nagisa. Nakamura still found it pretty neat herself with this little love game. "So Nagisa and Yugure are becoming an item now?" "It was a kiss: since Nagisa planted one on her mouth-to-mouth, she's been nothing but a hot mess," Karma blabbered on, surprising them even further. However, Nakamura sensed Karma's actual motive here, and a similarly cheeky grin grew on her own face. "I get it. If we could get those two together ..." "We can tease two lovebirds with one stone," confirmed Karma. Both devilish grins shown on both girl and boy. "We'll have a shiny new plaything," they both concluded. So it sounded like Karma had an ally to join him in this personal little game of his, though the others weren't entirely enthused by the reason behind it. "Should we stop them?" Hinano quietly asked. "We'll see what happens," Envy replied. ~~ Meanwhile, the festival continued going underway. Nagisa, Ciel, Aladdin, Twilight, Sebastian and Blair took time after their visit to the shrine to check out the rest of the festival, seeing what they could do during the celebration. Nagisa and Twilight were still a bit distant with eachother as they went along, which was actually starting to bug Aladdin a little bit. "Come on, what's the problem? I mean, they were doing so well before, why can't they get along now?" Aladdin wondered. "Well how would you feel if your friend suddenly gave you a kiss before trying to give himself up?" Ciel asked. "I'd be overjoyed seeing her again, that's what," Aladdin answered, though Ciel wasn't being too serious about getting a legitimate answer from him. "You don't get it at all do you? In case you haven't noticed, love is a rather complicated turn of events for anyone in their lives. You really think it can just happen after one little event like that?" Aladdin was speechless. Was Ciel being true about this? Aladdin tried to think, but so many clues fit in with how they treated each other before, there couldn't be a problem. "I'm so confused," Aladdin replied in a huff, arms crossed. Ciel groaned, hand to forehead. "You can be such a child sometimes." "Wait, but you and I share the same age, don't we?" Aladdin pointed out. "No, don't be silly! ... I turned thirteen two weeks ago," Ciel corrected. Still not too much on him, but Ciel didn't like being called a child in that kind of insulting way. Aladdin still wasn't all convinced about it, and looked back to Nagisa and Twilight again. Both of them were over by one of the stands to get some snacks for their walk around, but they both could hear their conversation more than enough. Both could only slump about it, as they both knew it wasn't going to be dropped anytime soon. Nagisa felt even more troubled about it, since he was the one who gave Twilight the kiss in the first place. "God, what have I done? Come on, you can think of something else," Nagisa thought, feeling flustered again. He can't enjoy the festival if they keep bringing this up, especially with what the subject was about. Twilight could see just how flustered Nagisa was actually being about it too, and while she was a bit uncomfortable with all the gossip, she didn't like seeing Nagisa so bothered. "Pleasant day." "Ok, thank god," Nagisa thought. They looked over, and there walking over to them was Heine, also taking some time to observe and interact with the festival, though unlike many of them he wasn't in a kimono. "Ah, Heine Wittgenstein. Been a while since we last spoke with one another," Sebastian said. "Likewise. I see you're all in the traditional kimonos as well, including you Ciel. Rather interesting tie-in to the tradition, wouldn't you say?" Heine said. "It's not like I'd wanted to, Heine, let's make that clear," Ciel corrected, which was true on his part at least. He couldn't help it though that it was a "required" thing, even if it made him feel a little silly. "Are things going better for you at school, Heine? We haven't heard much since you-know-what happened," asked Nagisa. "It has been a bit fairer; Gakuho gave me an apology after a few days of mental recovery. And I can see your mission went well too, Nagisa?" "It has gone fairly well: he's still alive, and he's even managed to get a hold of one of Sombra's personal atlases during the visit among other things," Sebastian said, giving Nagisa a breath of fresh air from coming up with anything in that regard. "A Underworld Atlas. Those are indeed difficult to come by nowadays," Heine noted. "Told you," Blair commented. "How're you enjoying the festival, sir?" Aladdin then asked, showing Heine the kimono he was wearing for the event. "It's rather interesting. I see you've been given your own kimono?" "Yes I did! guess what, there's this shrine you can visit and it grants wishes for you! I already tried it and look, all my friends are here," Aladdin said with a smile, super psyched about it. "I see." Heine nodded his head, and then began to walk past them. "By the by, I saw Karma and Nakamura earlier today looking for you. I do want to warn you: I believe they're scheming something against you and your friend, Nagisa." "Why wouldn't he?" he and Twilight thought. Why wouldn't Karma try anything malicious after that little venture? Well at least they got a warning about it, and whatever Karma had in mind couldn't be worse than what they've gone through already. After that was shared, Heine went off on his way to check out the shrine. The others were about to go, but Aladdin did find something just inside his collar of the kimono, which looked like a simple letter of sorts. Aladdin. Concerning the Djinn, meet me by the old Orora High School building. Heine. "You forgot to look for your Djinn again, didn't you?" Ciel assumed. "No I didn't, I looked around. I just got distracted by everything that's all," Aladdin insisted. Ciel just sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, you can go and see him. We'll meet up later by the docks, ok?" Twilight said. Aladdin figured it was something important if it involved the Djinn in some way, so he at least had to see Heine about that one. He gave a smile. "Okay, see you guys then. Let me know how it all works out, okay?" and with that, Aladdin ran off to catch up with Heine. They all knew exactly what he was talking about. Again. ~~ Meanwhile, off in another corner of the New Years Festival, Karma, and Nakamura were going around the docks and , to pass the time, checked out some of the extra games to do. After their encounter, they were joined up by Envy, Ed and Al, along with Nabiku and Hinano. The only one who didn't tag along was Pinkie, mainly because she had to deal with her stand. Speaking of stands, there were quite a bit of them lined up along the coast, one of which Envy and Nabiku were actually trying out, which involved some lottery tickets and a few prizes. "Geesh, where could a couple of lovebirds hide?" wondered Karma, looking around the docks. He even had the cupcake in his hands still, ready to find him and have him give it to his other half. "Look, I know you two want to get them hitched, but can you find another reason besides making them your own play thing?" Edward asked. "Yeah, it's nice to get a couple together, but just so you can tease them is a bit selfish," Hinano agreed. "Good enough for us," Nakamura and Karma said. No that didn't help them much out at all, but before they could go any further about it - "Oh MY GOD!" Sounded like Envy was having some trouble nearby. He tried over and over again on the games this stand had to offer, using whatever yen he had on hand to do it, but he just ran dry and he ended up with basically nothing. Without a piece left in his pockets to try again, it seemed this man in charge of it still wasn't doing him any favors, Nabiku trying her best to calm him down. "Get mad all you want kid, no refunds," the owner said dryly. "What's going on now?" Ed wondered, walking over to them. "Envy wanted to try this stand out, but ..." Nabiku didn't really need to finish up her sentence for them all to actually get the idea. Envy tried, failed, and he wouldn't get his money back for any of it. Soon, Nakamura and Karma did a 'rock, paper, scissors' match, and Nakamura ended up winning. "Ok Envy, three questions: how much did you pay for this, how many times you tried, and what place did you end up in?" Nakamura asked. Envy knew them too well. "... eight times? fifty yen a piece? and fifth at best?" "You are hopeless," Nakamura thought, but then the cheeky blonde slipped by them and confronted the owner of the stand. The others stayed back and watched what Nakamura was about to do. "Sounds like a ripoff to me, maybe even a scam. I suggest you smarten up and give my friend his money back." "Scam?! Your friend's just got bad luck that's all, no refunds," the owner repeated. Envy looked ticked off to high heaven, but Nakamura actually got a little notebook and pencil in hand, smirking a more cheeky grin. "Let me see here: my friend didn't score higher than fifth in any of your games. Now, given he's tried eight times in a row, the chances of anyone being fourth of higher, hold on let me give you a concrete figure." Eventually, Nakamura did her fancy math work on the subject until ... "Oh, look at that, 0.05! I don't think the prices are worth what he spent. If you don't believe my math, we can always ask a cop." "O-Ok, ok, you can have your money back, just keep quiet," the owner said, caving in to Nakamura's argument. It was shady enough these prize tickets, but if this were to go around then it'll be the end of him! So, acting quickly, Envy got his money back and they went on their way, leaving the owner in a mix of relief and disappointment. Karma and Nakamura shared a high-five moment. "Nice little trick, Nakamura. Always speak up." Been a while since they've last seen Korosensei, and the sudden appearance still caught them off guard. They could never get used to that, but at least it was someone who was glad to see em. Like many of the others, Korosensei too had a kimono on him of his own design, not to mention a number of sweets in his tentacles. No way was he going to go to the New Years festival without some sort of sweet on him. "Korosensei, where'd you come from?!" Alphonse asked. "Well I was doing a little somethin somethin when I spotted you all under me," Korosensei said. It was then he noticed the cupcake still in his hands. His head turned green-striped when he saw that. "OOOO, got a little lover K? I always saw you and Rio hooking up," Korosensei giggled. "It's not for us," Nakamura and Karma stated. BOY did that sound familiar. "Eh?" "Just thought of getting a little congratulations gift for Nagisa and Yugure on their little date together," Karma revealed. Korosensei saw exactly what he was talking about, but suddenly his face turned into the purple X, and he snatched the cupcake away. "Come now, me boy, you gotta do better than that to get those two together," Korosensei said. "Any tips then?" Karma asked. Korosensei disappeared for a brief moment, and about ten seconds later, the speedy demon returned with a little something for them: it looked like a time schedule, one of which he highlighted for the fireworks later on tonight. The demon also had himself a set of firework rockets, about five per tentacle, and in his mouth looked like plans for some sort of seaside wooden float. "I'll give you more than that, gang, I got a full plan for the perfect date night for this New Years!" Korosensei announced. And when looking at the plans, the poster, and the fireworks, they all began to figure out what Korosensei was actually getting to. ....... As plans were continuing over there, Aladdin and Heine made their randezvous at the old 3-E building. It was just Aladdin and Heine there, no one else around to get involved in this little meeting of theirs, and the mission with Aladdin's Djinn. In fact, as if class was still going on, they were inside the classroom, Aladdin sitting in one of the seats as Heine stood at the front of the room. "Well, Aladdin, I'm glad you could make it. For a start, have you been keeping in mind of your Djinn?" Heine asked, just to be sure if he indeed was or not. Aladdin answered him with a nod of his head. "I was doing my best, sir," said Aladdin. "And how well did that end up?" Heine then asked. Aladdin felt a little embarrassed, shifting in his seat. "Uh, nothing. I-I've been trying, but other things came up ..." "No need to apologize. In fact ..." Heine then took a piece of chalk, and began to draw something out on the chalkboard. It wasn't exactly writing, but instead some sort of map, and pretty detailed as well. Aladdin watched with some anticipation on what Heine was actually drawing out for them, and once Heine had finished, it turned into a locational map. Not just any spot though, but instead a spot down on earth, which Heine got his attention to with a hit of his pointer to the picture. "After some time of study, I've took the time to find a probable location for our Djinn," Heine concluded. Aladdin perked up on this sudden news, a smile on his face. "You found where it is?!" "The best known spot, according to the human reports I've managed to find," Heine stated, even placing a printed out Japanese paper in regards to the subject, this one talking about some odd sighting just outside a town. This surely made things easier for Aladdin in this little mission of his. As he read it over, Heine walked over to the door, and appeared ready to go. "The sooner we go, the better," Heine simply stated. "Wait. Now? Right now?" "You do want to retrieve your Djinn, don't you?" "Yes, of course but ... oh, it's my friends, they're waiting for me back at the festival. I can't just ditch them, so ..." Heine knew where he was going with this, and while retrieving the Djinn was important, it would be cruel to just take off on Nagisa and company. "Go on, we'll meet up after the Festival." "Yes! Thank you so much, sir!" And with a quick hug goodbye, Aladdin went right off on his way to rejoin the festival. All Heine did was watch him go with a smile on his face. ~~ Well, throughout the rest of the day from there, things had been pretty busy for a number of them. Nagisa's group just continued going along and enjoying the festival for what it's worth as Karma's group did that along with getting a stage set up for two lovebirds to get comfortable. Nagisa and Twilight both just weren't all in it still, both of them trying to ignore the main problem that everyone else could easily see. They've made the kiss, and now they're acting like odd acquaintances with eachother, which was starting to bug a number of people who support the pairing. Still, they were having a pretty good time, and no demonic attacks or dangers showed up on any of them from here, and throughout the rest of the afternoon and through sunset. With each hour ticking by was an hour closer to the big firework event everyone was looking forward to. The teens of Orora high gave those not in the know their own interpretation of the event, and if even half of it was true, it was something many of them were wanting to see. It wasn't too long now, half an hour away from the big firework show, and the skies were plenty clear for the big event to start whenever it was ready, and the groups were still going about and doing a number of the activities. Twilight and Nagisa found a moment to themselves as the others were trying out some of the games again. They were off by the docks as they said earlier, and Aladdin was already back with them, not to mention the rest of the group too. "So how much time do we have left before the fireworks show?" asked Blair. "Not too long now. Believe me, you'll know when it starts," Karma said. "To be exact, about twenty or so minutes. And if we remain around here, we'll have a rather excellent view," Sebastian stated, glancing to his pocket-watch. "Not as excellent as what those two are gonna get," Nakamura said, referring to Twilight and Nagisa nearby. "What do you mean?" Aladdin inquired. "Korosensei gave us an offer earlier today, and we thought it would be a nice surprise for those two. Wonder if he's finished yet," Hinano explained. "Look, that demon fixed up Central in just weeks, I think he'll be done with this by now," Ed said, remembering the reveal back at the time about how quick Korosensei was in repairing the entire city. If anyone could get this done in record time, it would be him. "But what is "it"?" "He said he'll show up by now, you'll find out yourself," said Envy. And Envy wasn't wrong about that either. Twilight and Nagisa could just make out what they were saying from where they were, as much as they'd rather not, but the idea that even Korosensei had something for them due to their little moment did get them a little bit curious. What exactly did a demon like him had in mind for them? It could be anything, though it couldn't be too malicious. "Three. Two. One." "Hey, kiddies, how're you doing?" AND the two couldn't have called it better if they tried. On the one, without milliseconds to spare, Korosensei was back with them, still in his kimono, and happy to see them. "Hey, Korosensei, what's up with you?" Nagisa asked. "Not as good as you two," Korosensei giggled. Geesh, there it goes again. Before they could remark about it (if they had anything to say that is), Korosensei was right between the two with his signature grin. "So, not too long now for the fireworks, eh? Yours truly lend a helping tentacle in the preparations, so I hope you all enjoy." Twilight looked a bit bemused. "You didn't put our kiss in the sky for all the world to see did you?" she asked dryly. "What?! No, no, no, I may be a demon, but really that'll just be cruel!" Korosensei insisted. Well, this demon was no good liar, so they could be sure he was telling the truth anyway, both giving a sigh of relief. It was awkward enough, they didn't need the entire city to know about it right now. However, Korosensei then got the two into his kimono, ready to fly. "But I did get a little something ready for you two," he giggled, before suddenly flying away with them! The flight was short and quick, and they found themselves off shore and out in the Tokyo bay. Rather than just dropping them in the water, Korosensei actually set up a raft out in the middle of the bay. Fairly big, smoothed out, and set up a but like a picnic, even including a soft blanket for Twilight and Nagisa to relax on. A nice little gesture by the demon. "So, our own little platform huh?" "A perfect view for the fireworks. you can have some me-time out here now, so no more awkward moments between you and your company back on shore. Now you two sit back and relax, and I'll pick you up later. See ya!" and with that, Korosensei hopped off their platform and flew back to shore to join the others. Well, neither Nagisa, nor Twilight felt up for swimming back to shore, so they might as well try to relax. At least the others were away from them for the moment so they can at least try to figure things out. So, minutes ticked by, and eventually Nagisa and Twilight were laying down side by side, and looking up to the sky. For being in a city of lights, the stars above the did shine pretty nicely, as if they were wanting to see the event unfold under them too. With this time alone, they had two options: keep quiet until after the fireworks, or actually touch on what was the main issue. In the end , Twilight chose the latter. "Uh, Nagisa ... look, I'm sorry for ... well, being quiet these last few days," Twilight said, knowing that it was what Nagisa was thinking about. While it was a part of it, Nagisa shook his head. "No, don't be. ... I uh, I should be sorry. I was the one who ... well, you know ..." Twilight looked to him next. This awkwardness had gone on long enough, and she knew that it won't help if it kept up any longer. "Okay, look. Nagisa, I want to ask you something. ... After you kissed me. Did you think you'll ... come back?" Twilight finally asked. It was an enigma that had been on her mind for a while and only Nagisa would truly know that answer. Nagisa, being alone with just her, decided to just go on with it. He closed his eyes for the moment and remembered that event play out in his mind. "No. ... At least not right away. At best, I'd get away, but still be trapped in the Underworld. So in a way, I guess I wouldn't be able to escape. ..." Nagisa could feel Twilight's shock on that sort of answer, and he turned to his child friend. "Nagisa. ..." "I-I'm very sorry to scare you like that, Twilight. ... I know we've been doing good on these Future Visions, but, Karma barely got out of his alive, so ... I just didn't want any of you getting hurt, you know? My vision stopped when I got captured so who know what would really happen after that?" Nagisa felt beside himself: he wanted them safe, but at what cost to him? And to them for that matter? Lucky for him, Twilight understood why he would do that, and could see he felt sorry for it. "Nagisa, I understand. You were scared, and so was I ... Why else did you think I had Ed and Al come to help you?" Twilight said. Normally Nagisa would be surprised, but the situation didn't need any reason to be surprised over. "It was you who asked them to come after me?" "Yeah, but let's be honest, I'm sure they would've gone after you anyway," Twilight admitted. Nagisa could see that actually, and nodded his head in agreement as they both looked back up at the sky. "By the way ... I know this is kinda jumping off subject, but, did you see Lugia again when you saw that Future Vision?" Twilight asked. Nagisa nodded. "No. But ..." "But what?" "Well ... Lugia doesn't think any of these Future Visions could be altered in anyway, and he really thinks they're just for show. Well, I have two theories on that: either he doesn't want us to get involved in his problems, or ..." "If something bad is going to happen, he doesn't want us to trigger it," Twilight concluded. To Nagisa, she was right on the ball on that one. Guess that would explain why Lugia would at least try to keep the idea out of their mind for now, at least it was prolonging the supposed inevitable. Then their thoughts returned to the kiss, and Twilight sat up. ... "Nagisa Shiota?" Nagisa sat up himself and turned to face her. "... That kiss ... well ... how long did you feel that way about me?" Twilight then asked. Nagisa sighed, and thought long back. "Well, I'll say this. You were the only one who was ever nice to me back at that girls-only academy. ... And it kinda just grew from there. ... Look, I-I'm sorry for jumping at you with that, I-if I could I would stop myself for doing that if I -" suddenly Twilight stopped him talking with a kiss of her own. It was on his cheek rather than his lips, but the effect was still strong enough to make Nagisa stop on the spot. "Nagisa, why should anyone be sorry for loving someone? I shouldn't have stayed away from you straight afterwards. I guess I gave you the wrong idea huh?" "I thought I went too far with that," Nagisa admitted. "You just didn't want to miss your chance. ... To be honest, I would've done the same thing." "Y-you would?" Nagisa asked, flustered again. Twilight, who was slightly blushing herself just smiled to him and confirmed what she said was true. So, Aladdin was right after all. And not a moment too soon, they both began to hear something go off high in the sky above them. With flashing colors and epic display, the New Years fireworks started to go off right above them. Oh, Korosensei was right: the fireworks looked amazing from where they were. Now that closure was put on what they were going to do, Twilight and Nagisa laid back down with smiles, and watched the great show above them play out. Then Twilight got an idea herself. "How does this sound to you: No one said everything has to change after one kiss. We'll take it one step at a time, day by day. No rushing it, no pressure. What do you say?" "Sounds perfect," Nagisa simply said.
S06Ep5: She's Always Watching ... ~彼女はいつも見ている...~Afternoon, a few days after the initial class switch at Orora high, and even with that time, they're still was some changes that needed to be getting used to. For Nagisa, the amount of changes was staggering: 3-A's involvement was one thing, the Big Five taking their interest in him as well, not to mention how much work school was putting on him. Kyoya's training course was a bit interesting, though Nagisa himself took more focus on his school rather than that, at least for now. For the moment, thoughts such as that were going through his mind as he sat there in his living room, going over a few questions and reading a few books as study. "Kyoya's training course sure is interesting. I should've expected it though with what happened. My team's been infamous already, but now, we're escaped convicts. Runaways from Abaddon. From here on out, we actually are truly wanted people. ... Well, Sombra, if you wanted to kick up the game, now would be your chance to do so. I may not need anymore training, but I need to keep my wits sharp. Who knows what the Underworld's going to come up with next now?" As he thought about it, he began to realize a little something in the demons he met so far. "... Wait. What do they have left? We've faced some powerful enemies already. Pluton, Tirek, Slicer, and now Chrysalis. Sombra has to be running out of demons by now, at least Demons like them, anyway. He wouldn't waste his strongest though, would he? ... No, he's too smart for that. He's probably waiting for us to put our guard down before hitting us with hells' champions. And Pluton and Tirek weren't even his fault anyway, so who knows?" Before Nagisa could ponder any further, he then began to hear someone come into his room. Nagisa looked over, and saw Aladdin coming in with his school outfit on, with a few necessities, and plenty of food from the market. "Hi, Aladdin. how's the market?" Nagisa asked with a smile. "Awesome. They actually had a sale today, check it out!" Aladdin said, going through the bags and showed Nagisa plenty of fruit. Nagisa was a bit too busy with his own studies to really take notice much of it, something Aladdin saw after a bit. "Wow, Nagisa, you sure have been busy lately." "I have to be. On top of this demon hunting business, I got my own problems keeping up my grades, and now that I'm a 3-A student, I REALLY have to buckle down and get this stuff in. 3-A tests and worksheets are not to be taken lightly," Nagisa said, going back to his homework. "Oh. You know, you should try to relax a bit. Yeah, we just got out of the Underworld and got everyone out of Abaddon, but maybe you should calm down." "Not helping," Nagisa said, shivering on mere mention of those two words. Aladdin sulked. "Eh, sorry. But hey, I got a surprise for you!" "Not another demon, I hope," Nagisa asked, a little interested. He was just hoping this surprise wasn't anything too bad compared to his other "surprises". Aladdin giggled. "No, no. Ok, you can come in, Mrs. Shiota!" Nagisa suddenly felt stone cold. All his worry he had before suddenly came up at once and a shiver ran through his body. "Mrs. Shiota. He isn't really referring to -" his thoughts were cut short when the newcomer went in. "Nagisa!" "He is." Nagisa thought. Soon, another lady then came into his room. A middle-aged women with navy-blue, shoulder-length hair. Aladdin was sure happy to have her come in, but Nagisa was more surprised than anything. He really didn't know what to say here, blank as a page in the expression on who he was seeing. Did Aladdin really bring her to him? "It's your mom! I ran into her at the market, and she was looking all over for you so I brought her here to come and visit. Lucky you, huh?" Aladdin said with a big grin. Unfortunately, the feeling was one-sided. "Eh. Yeah, lucky me," Nagisa replied meekly, as his mom went over to him. "He's such a nice boy. Oh, Nagisa, how long has it been since we've last seen eachother?" she asked. "Eh ... W-Well, I last counted ... Five? Four years, maybe?" Nagisa figured, though admittedly he lost track. His mother smiled. "And how's school? I see you've got a lot of work, sweetie. did you get yourself into Keisetsu University?" she asked, sounding a bit hopeful. Aladdin never heard of the name, but Nagisa knew that one very well. "I'm still in high school, mom. Orora high." "... Orora. High?" she questioned. "B-But I'm in the top ranking students now, class 3-A! I swear, I'm doing amazing!" Nagisa insisted. Well, it wasn't Keisetsu, but it did make her happy to hear. "Oh, well congratulations, Nagisa. Keep up the good work and you'll be noticed by the big companies in no time. You might even be apart of a big movie company like Hishimaru," she noted. Nagisa made a quick sigh of relief. This was a ... interesting conversation. "I'm getting more than enough attention, thank you," Nagisa thought, though he wouldn't say that right to her face. Guess Aladdin didn't tell her about all the attention he was getting back in school, or by the president for that matter. However, Nagisa soon noticed the confusion coming up on Aladdin's face. "Uh, mom, can you excuse us for just a second?" Nagisa asked. His mother nodded, and Nagisa got Aladdin over to his room for a moment, closing the door behind him. Aladdin though already had his questions. "Keisetsu? Hishimaru? Do you know what she's talking about?" Aladdin asked. Nagisa needed a minute before facing his roommate. "Yeah, but Aladdin ... did you tell her anything ... big, before coming here?" "Big? If you mean all this demon stuff, then no. She looked more worried on finding you, so I figured it might be too much for her," Aladdin said. "Good. ... Look, why don't you check on the others for today? I heard Kyoya's trying to train Ciel now." "Oh yeah! Wait. Aren't you coming?" "It's fine. You can tell me when I go back to school, ok?" Nagisa said. Aladdin eventually nodded and got out his flying carpet. Nagisa should thank his lucky starts his bedroom had a window, otherwise this would be even more complicated. So, getting out the turban, and hopping on, Aladdin flew off on his way. Once he was far enough out of sight, Nagisa breathed a sigh, and before heading over to the bedroom door. ....... "Bloody hell. You're having way too much fun with this, Sebastian," Ciel thought through gritted teeth. By the time Aladdin had arrived to the 3-E building, training for one aristocrat was going underway. Sure some of the other students of Orora High had come back around to try their luck in this course, namely those of 3-E since they were experienced already, but with Kyoya's smirk watching him do the basics of techniques, Ciel could tell that this little situation of role-reversal was just plain annoying at the least. Although, it wasn't Kyoya who was exactly giving the pointers at the moment, but actually it was Gaara, though with how he trained Nagisa that was to be expected. Off on the sidelines was Karma, Korosensei, Twilight, and Pinkie. Ciel found himself very lacking, especially since people like Hinano, Envy, and Nabiku were handing some bit themselves, and they were doing a better job than him. "Ciel!" Gaara suddenly yelled. Ciel looked over to him, but that mere moment gave Gaara an opening, his foot hooking one of his legs in a spin, and knocking him off balance. And what did he say afterwards? "Concentrate on what you're doing." "Screw you as well," Ciel groaned, getting himself off the ground with Nabiku's help. It was tricks like these that ticked him off more than anything. How was he supposed to concentrate when being thrown these sort of curve balls? "What's going on?" Aladdin asked. "Hi buddy. Ciel's been busy as a bee with this training stuff, but I don't think he's enjoying it very much," Pinkie replied, both of them seeing Ciel up on his feet away. Ciel look exhausted, and almost bruised up, but he was still on his feet. "So where's Nagisa? I thought he's gonna come by today," Twilight asked. "Oh, that's what I wanna tell ya. Guess what?" Aladdin questioned excitedly. "What?" Karma asked. Aladdin smiled wide. "Nagisa's mom over at his place!" Much to Aladdin's confusion though, Twilight looked less happy and more surprised. And not the good kind either. Pinkie Pie was happy for it though, a big smile on her face. "His mom's here?! I never knew he had a mom." "Me neither! Isn't that sweet? Nagisa's got to be lucky. What do you think of that guys?" Aladdin asked, but it wasn't until then that he saw just how troubled they were. Karma wasn't too troubled, but Twilight looked about as stone cold as Nagisa was when he got the news. "T-Twilight?" Aladdin said in confusion. "... You found his mom?" Twilight repeated. "Eh ... yeah? She was at the market earlier, and she was looking for Nagisa, so -" suddenly Twilight had Aladdin by the shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes with a troubled look on her face, mixed of surprise and worry. "And you actually did that?" ".. Uh ... yeah?" Twilight backed up, releasing Aladdin from her grip. However, this action caught the attention of the others, her worried expression catching them off guard. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no." "What's wrong?" Nabiku asked, walking over to them. "I brought Nagisa's mom over," Aladdin answered. "You did? He never mentioned anything about her before," Envy said, scratching his head. "Well, she's back now. That's a good thing, isn't it?" Hinano wondered. "No." The whole group looked over towards Twilight, who at this point was facing the wall of the 3-E building, sulking for some sort of reason. Clearly something wasn't right with this reaction. "What's the matter? Nagisa's been living all by himself, isn't this a good thing?" Aladdin asked very confused. "Not at all. Guys, he wouldn't want me telling you but ... there's a reason he lived by himself." Twilight paused before she turned over back to the others. She thought she never would have to tell them this, but if this was indeed true, then she felt like she had to. For his sake. "... The truth is. ... Is he ran away from home." "He WHAT?!" the others gasped in shock. Twilight felt in her heart someone else should know about this, especially now that his mother had found him. "R-Ran away? You sure?" Korosensei asked, a little bit humbled. "He told me a few years ago, before I moved back to Tokyo. He contacted me one day, and he told me that he found a new home for himself without his mother. ... He didn't explain it too detailed, but from what I got, he just couldn't take his mother's abuse anymore, so he just left her. He even got the owner to not tell his mother about him, and he even got him to pay for his room. At least until he graduates. Sounds like he was sorry for him too," Twilight explained. She could imagine it playing out in her head: Nagisa just leaving out the door and walking down the road with his mother far behind him. It was a decision that even she was still surprised about. "I always wondered how he kept a room without paying for it," Pinkie noted, but that was the least of the problems. "A-Abuse? Twilight?" Nabiku asked. "Why else would a high school student live alone in his own apartment?" "But, wait, he never said anything about this before," reminded Aladdin. "Guess he never felt like he had to. I don't think he'd want to tell us now either," Twilight admitted. She could feel that Nagisa would be upset with her for telling them all of this. Aladdin felt a wave of guilt rush through him. If even half of what she said was true, either him running away, or his mom's abusive nature, Aladdin felt that he did more harm than good. "Oh dear. ..." ....... "Look at this place. You've done pretty well keeping it all tidy. Just like how I taught you," Nagisa's mother said, as she was looking around. Nagisa was sitting down over by the couch, continuing his studies for the 3-A building. "Thanks, mom," Nagisa sighed. She went on and sat down next to her son, and she took notice of his longer hair. Nagisa just stayed quiet as she reached out and ran her fingers through it. Nagisa normally didn't mind this, but now he was feeling a bit indifferent. "Well, it's nice that you've been up so high in Orora High, honey, but let's try to face it: you deserve more than that. The sooner we get you out of that school the better." Nagisa felt a shiver run through him on that statement. Leave Orora High? But to go where? As if it was hard enough dealing with the class change, now she wanted a school change?! "I'll be scheduling an appointed with Mr. Asano very soon, and I expect you to come with -" "No, you can't!" Nagisa gasped, jumping up to his feet. "Please, you gotta let me stay there! I know you don't like it, but I'm bringing my grades up and it's a lot of fun! I'll go to wherever college you want, but for high school, I really really -" Nagisa suddenly stopped. His mother may look calm and collected with the whole thing, but Nagisa knew his mother better than that. Even with that smile, her eyes. ... Her eyes read out something far more sinister. "Oh no, what have I done? ... Here it comes," he thought. And that was all he could think before he prepared for what was coming next. ... In a rage filled breath, suddenly she jumped at him, grabbed him by the hair and she began to shake his head violently! Her face was all red, and her blood boiling. "SHUT YOUR FILTHY UNGRACEFUL MOUTH! I DID NOT RAISE MY SON TO BE A REBEL, YOU HEAR ME?! I WORK AND SLAVE THROUGH HELL TRYING TO GET YOU YOUR FUTURE, AND TRAVELED ALL OVER JAPAN TO FIND YOU AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?! HOW DO YOU THINK YOU ARE RIGHT NOW?!?!" Nagisa felt his own body try to pull away, but after such a long time being away from eachother, this brutal attack was a horrifying case of nostalgia for him. He couldn't break free, all he could do was stand there and take it, the shaking threatening to break his neck, and tear his hair right off his head. The attack lasted only half a minute, but it felt like forever until she finally stopped, her breath wheezing and strained. How long has it really been since this last happened? "... I-I'm sorry. I was being selfish," Nagisa simply replied. Then, and only then, did she let him go, allowing him to back up, his hand feeling the back of his neck to be sure it was alright as his now distraught mother tried to recollect herself. "Damnit. It's been so long, I almost forgot about how quickly she can get into one of her moods. ... At least the others aren't here to see this ..." he thought. It took a few minutes, but she did finally relax herself, and Nagisa stayed completely quiet as she went around behind him, her hands gently placed on his shoulders. These same hands that nearly pulled his head off his own shoulders, now rested gently as a mother would. "You're just a kid, you have no idea how to get through life. But don't worry, because your mom knows all the twists and turns. I have your future all planned out, trust me. Remember, our main goal is to get you to Keisetsu University, and I know that a new school will be perfect for you. I found this excellent school over in Osaka I think will fit us perfectly, so I'll go and clear this up with Gakuho tomorrow after school," she reassured him. Her reassurance wasn't really comforting however, especially after the attack that just happened. Still, Nagisa simply nodded quietly. No amount of demon fighting in the world could get him to defy his own mom, not even close. There was a difference between a family member and a demon after all. And both were equally as threatening. "I-Isn't that kind of out of nowhere?" "Trust me. It's for the best, sweetie. So if I were you, I'd be a good girl and say goodbye to your Orora high friends." "And she's gone dark again ... nothing I'll say now will ever change her mind." ~~ It sure felt a bit of trouble through the night and onto the next morning. Nagisa hadn't shown up for school just yet, and the rest of his friends were about ready to head off for class. With Twilight's information told to them yesterday, they could probably guess why, but there was only so much they could be told. Nagisa's runaway told them that something must've happened. Even after class had started, Nagisa didn't show up, and eventually this sort of absence to third period, just one minute before lunch. Twilight got to her locker, the hallways empty for the moment since class had already started, and she was getting a few items together before the lunch rush. It was a bit quiet, but before she could go much further, Pinkie Pie and Ciel came out to see her. "Oh, hi Pinkie Pie, Ciel. You feeling better since yesterday?" Twilight said, just getting her stuff out. "A bit sore perhaps," Ciel sighed. "You've seen Nagisa lately?" Pinkie asked. "No, I haven't. In fact, where were you Pinkie? Nagisa, I understand, but please tell me you've seen him," Twilight said, really worrying over his well being. Ciel shook his head, but lucky for them Pinkie Pie had some better news. "I have!" Pinkie said. "Y-You have? Where is he then?" "Hey guys," said a meek voice. And there Nagisa was, coming out from another hallway around the next corner, but ... well, they thought it was him. He looked like Nagisa, but some reason he was completely dressed up ... well, like Twilight. That included the skirt instead of his usual pants, and his blue shirt was replaced with the standard grey. He even had on leggings on, and girl shoes! To say that Twilight and Ciel were speechless was an understatement. "N-Nagisa? What the devil - why're you wearing that?" Ciel questioned. "Some imp thought it would be funny to replace my wardrobe," Nagisa replied, feeling embarrassed as ever. Crossdressing wasn't new, but he still never like it, and apparently he didn't have a choice this time. Ciel and Twilight glanced to eachother, as Nagisa made sure no one else was around. Sure he could sense Korosensei in E class, but that was about it, as it was only them in the hallway thank god. If anyone else in school saw their 3-A student dressed like this, he'll never hear the end of it. "Don't worry, Nagisa, Pinkie's got your fix right here," Pinkie answered, suddenly having Nagisa's original wardrobe in her hands, his pants in one hand and shirt in another. "I'd be concerned, but apart of me knows better," Nagisa thought, as he took his clothes Pinkie had with her. If the demons were watching him, they would be having a ball with this, though apart of him wished a imp really was who did this. Ciel though cleared his throat. "Now, Nagisa. Word says you had a visitor yesterday?" Ciel inquired. Nagisa felt a shiver go through him on that question, though considering Aladdin, he probably told them about his mom whether he wanted it or not. "Eh. Well, yes, but she's been and gone. Don't worry about it. You mind giving me a hand with this, Ciel?" Nagisa simply replied. Ciel glanced to the girls before nodding his head. "Very well." And with that, Nagisa and Ciel started to head off to the nearest restroom for the wardrobe change, Pinkie and Twilight staying quiet and watching them go. A part of them knew that she wasn't gone, not just yet. Not so quickly anyway. Even if class was still going, Twilight and Pinkie decided to go off with them for a bit. Lucky for Nagisa, the wardrobe change wasn't too long, and by the time they caught up to the two, Nagisa had already changed back to normal attire. Nagisa just couldn't believe that he would ever go to school in THAT kind of outfit to begin with. It was probably good that he changed, and just in time, because no sooner then he got done, that the bell for lunch period rang out in the school. "Don't tell anyone about this, please?" Nagisa pleaded. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us," Twilight reassured. Pinkie zipped her lips, locked them, and tossed some invisible key aside before giving him a thumbs up. Well, once that was said and done, they began to head off to lunch, but after seeing Nagisa like that, they all started to get some extent on what his own mother put him through. what kind of mother would force her boy to dress as a girl anyway? When Nagisa got to the cafeteria, the rest of the group took little time to notice him. Nagisa got his lunch together, but the others were keeping a bit of an eye on him now. Nagisa just ate his lunch, grateful that no one else saw him stuck as a girl. He could still hear his mother's voice just before he left for school. "Haven't I ever told you how badly I wanted a baby girl?" "Only a million times," Nagisa thought. This similar watch over him kept up through the rest of the school hours, and the rest of Team Harmony keeping their own eyes on him as they were going through their own day whenever they could, or whenever they did catch him go by. None of them really brought up this little fact to him just yet, as they were planning on chatting with him after school. At least then they could talk to him without anyone peering in on them. Nagisa of course had far more on his mind, and as the hours ticked by he became more invested in the 3-A class over the home troubles. Still, that didn't mean he completely forgot everything, the biggest issue of moving away to Osaka still nagging in the back of his mind. No one liked to move, surely, and this idea was jumping at him out of nowhere. And no way would Nagisa be allowed to come back here after that was done, not if his mom had anything to do with it. Eventually, and a bit longer than they would like, school was over for the day, and as they've had before, they went off nearby the 3-E building. but rather than going right to the building itself, their meeting place turned out to be the mountain pool within the forest. not the first place, but in case his mother somehow showed up, she would show up at the 3-E building before anywhere else if Orora High didn't go too well. Much of Team Harmony was there, which included Morgiana, Envy, Hinano and Kirara, who they told the situation to. Kyoya and Korosensei were present too, with Korosensei being the last to arrive, which was ironic. "Did you get him here, Korosensei?" asked Twilight. "I tried every trick I could muster, but he's not coming over. He did leave you all a little something though," Korosensei replied in dismay, his head all blue and in a slump. All he did manage though was a simple letter, which he tossed over to Pinkie. The letter wasn't too complicated, and only had one thing to say: can't come by today. Too busy. "A blunt little lie," noted Envy. "Nagisa ..." Twilight was disappointed. "Oh, poor Nagisa. If I knew she was like this ..." Aladdin trailed off in thought, feeling especially guilty about the situation. He was the one who brought her to Nagisa after all. "Don't start that, Aladdin, it isn't your fault. None of us knew what she was like," Hinano said. However, this conversation was getting Kyoya's mind working again. "I don't suppose that Nagisa's mom happens to be Hiromi Shiota, would it?" Kyoya questioned. "Uh, yeah? Nagisa Shiota," answered Twilight. Kyoya thought for a little bit, but then he and Kirara began to realize something upon that name. "That explains quite a bit about Nagisa actually. He always was a bit more level-headed when facing danger, and with someone like her ..." "The hell are you talking about now?" Ciel questioned. However, it was Kirara who actually got up to tell them. "Hiromi's actually a bit infamous. Now, this is just rumor, but one day she tried to enter in some big movie company, Hishimaru. However, they didn't accept her, and she simply lost it." "Did you learn this off of that conspiracy website you always go to?" Envy questioned, eyebrow raised. "It was correct about Tataoka, wasn't it?" Kirara brought up. "So what'd she do? You said she lost it, lost it how?" Blair asked. "All it took was one argument and suddenly she was all over him. Now, the reports vary a little bit, some say she grabbed him by the throat and tried to crack his neck, other say she pinned him and beat him to a pulp. Either way, few days later he came back from the medical care, and she was fined with 5,000 yen for attempted murder." Well talk about a record, though they were more surprised that jail time wasn't considered for her. "W-w-what? Y-You're kidding. I mean, when I found her she was totally fine. Y-You're just exaggerating," Aladdin said, freaked out more than anything despite his worried grin. "Sounds like she's blocking her true colors behind a normal face," Korosensei said. That, and with Hiromi's mention of a movie company, that made the possibility even more troubling. ... Then it suddenly connected. You might even be apart of a big movie company like Hishimaru. "Wait. Hishimaru. She mentioned that yesterday, she wanted Nagisa to try for it," Aladdin realized. There really was more truth to this than he thought. "The same movie company she assaulted?" Karma questioned. Now they all slowly began to understand the situation Nagisa was going through, and possibly what he had to go through before running away. No way would he say that aloud. "So that's it then. ... time for Plan B," Korosensei said, readying himself. "Plan B? What plan B?" "Me." ....... Meanwhile, back at the school, Nagisa and Hiromi Shiota were going through the hallways leading up to Gakuho's office. Much to Nagisa's own dismay, his mother had him go back into his girl uniform after finding him in his old clothes again, and this time there was no changing back to normal, not with her walking right next to him. He simply kept his gaze down and his mouth shut, as he wasn't in the mood to get beat up twice in one day. "I know this may be a bit much for you at first, but I promise you, it's for the best," Hiromi reassured him again. Nagisa nodded, but he still felt simply awful about things. "Yeah, ok mom," Nagisa simply responded. What else could he say? Any other words of defiance could easily set her off again. Eventually, the walk over to the office ended fairly well, and the two found themselves right at the door. Whether or not he was there, they'll just have to figure out, though Nagisa was praying inside that he was not there. not only for his mom's attempt to remove him from Orora high, but the fact he was dressed up as a girl as well. Nagisa stayed aside, out of sight of the door, as Hiromi opened it up. Nagisa stayed quiet and waited outside, him waiting it out. Well, at least he wasn't forced into the room for now, no way would he be able to survive the humiliation. He just felt quiet. "There she goes. ... It's scary how determined she is. But what am I supposed to do? This is her RPG. ... I'm just apart of her playthrough. And now that she's found me again, she won't ever let me go," Nagisa thought. ... "Come in, Nagisa," she said. Nagisa looked around once more before begrudgingly going in. It was unfortunate, but then he saw a ... bit of a surprise. Korosensei! Well, ok, he was in a human disguise, but he was surprised all the same to see him there. Well, at least Korosensei wasn't going to start laughing at him for being dressed as a girl. Gakuho and Korosensei got them both to sit down. "Looks like he told Korosensei too," Nagisa thought. "Good to see you, Ms. Shiota. How can I help you?" Gakuho began. Hiromi nodded. "Yes, now I'm sure you must be very busy so I'll get to the point: I wish to have my son transferred out of Orora High. I've reason to believe that the school I've located on Osaka would be better suited for his needs," Hiromi stated. Gakuho immediately found this suspicious, if not a little bit insulting to his system. His was the highest ranked school in Tokyo, and that was not good enough for her? Korosensei had given him some lay down off of what he heard, so Gakuho decided to test something. "Better suited, you say. ... And how does your son feel about it?" Gakuho asked. Nagisa thought this was his chance, but Hiromi wasn't going to even give him that, and with both her hands on his shoulders, he was silenced. "Let's not worry about that. It's the parents' job to decide the future of their children," Hiromi stated, Nagisa seeing the hint of her inner anger in her eyes as she tried to keep a good appearance. Though, if she was trying to do that it wasn't working, Gakuho and Korosensei both quickly seeing what this was about, and how bad it was. Gakuho took a glance over to Korosensei for just a quick moment, Nagisa apparently the only one who saw that, before he went on to speak. "The child needs to have a word in it," Gakuho simply stated. Hiromi felt conflicted: she knew what Nagisa's answer would be if she allowed it, and she wasn't going to. "W-Well, Gakuho sir, it's for the best." "Is it? I'm sorry, but no." "Excuse me? B-But you can't do that, if the parent wants to do what's best for their child, then it's not up to you to decide that." "Oh no, not again," Nagisa thought, listening carefully to the tone. Gakuho was not deterred by any of it, and in fact her increasing outburst confirmed their suspicions even further. "I think it's best you go. I'm not willing to start a fight here, thank you," Gakuho instructed. That only angered Hiromi even further. Nagisa waited for the screaming outburst to come up, his eyes closed and ready for that noise. However, this time it didn't show up, but instead Hiromi simply stormed out in a huff. She grabbed Nagisa's arm tightly on the way out, and all he could do was let her drag him along. Korosensei took note of how little he was actually fighting her. As soon as they left ... "I see what you meant now," Gakuho noted to Korosensei. "I know, it's tragic. You want me to handle it, or do you got it?" Korosensei offered. Gakuho needed little thought on the matter. "I'll take care of it. He is one of my students, after all." ~~ After their talk with Gakuho, it was straight off to home from there. No sidestops, no extra visits, just straight home and nothing else. And the whole time, Nagisa was held so he wouldn't go away, and his arm wasn't released until he got home, his arm feeling a little constricted from it all. Even after released, Nagisa still felt her grip on his arm. That vicegrip that kept him bounded to her like a chain and handcuff. For the moment, his mom went on out, and left him alone again. A good place for a moment, but he knew she wouldn't just leave him like that. His other hand held where she grabbed him, and his eyes simply stayed looking down to the ground. He was only left with his thoughts for a good while, but before he could do much, he heard Hiromi coming on back home, this time with some dinner. Guess they were doing some carryout tonight. "I've tried my hardest to keep away from her. ... Well, guess she was going to find out sooner or later. Though I was hoping until at least after graduation. At least then I could say I have some more self-reliance in myself," Nagisa thought. "Dinner time, honey," Hiromi said. Nagisa looked over and saw that she had a dinner bowl microwaved and ready to eat. It was really a type of bento box, but it was still dinner. Nagisa didn't answer, as he sat down, looking to the bento box in front of him. Hiromi was already eating her meal, seeing her son barely touching his. "Eat up, dear. You can't grow strong if you don't have your dinner," Hiromi advised. He got out his chopsticks, but he didn't eat just yet. "Look, mom, I-I'm sorry. You know, for the trouble I've been causing. ... I know it must've been hard on you," Nagisa said, though if he could say it, he wished he wouldn't have to apologize. He also knew she would clobber him if he didn't. Hiromi smiled to him. "It's alright, I'll be sure to help you from here on out. It must've been hell for you trying to live on your own like this, without knowing what to do with yourself. Mom will give you all the points you need," Hiromi promised. "Cold comfort," Nagisa thought. Clearly Hiromi didn't care much about his apology, if at all, so long as she had him under her control again. Nagisa got some of the fish, bringing it over to his mouth. Before he could bite into it, his eyes took a look over to his mother again. She was watching. Anticipating. Something didn't feel right. Nagisa closed his mouth for a moment, and placed his fish back down in the bento box. He began to feel a bit of a headache ... Then came a flash. A all too familiar flash going through his mind: showing him on the ground, his meal finished, and his mother carrying his limp body away. She didn't look very sad about it either. ... She wanted to poison him. "It's not alright ..." To Hiromi's confusion, and perhaps even frustration, Nagisa placed his utensils down, and pushed his meal away from him. Regardless of what exact details this would entail, Nagisa wasn't going to take that kind of chance, not after everything. He kept his gaze down and got up from the table, not saying a word to Hiromi as he did so. Hiromi got up too, but Nagisa was already heading off towards the door. "I'm going for a walk," Nagisa simply said. "Now honey, wait a minute -" Hiromi attempted to grab Nagisa, but he sensed that it wasn't going to end well for him if she would manage to grab him. Nagisa got the door open when she got close, and he made a break for it. He moved fast, keeping away from his mother's grasp. Now, it could be a trick of the eye, or some demon really did end up appearing in his own home, but when he glanced back, he saw his mother's red, angered, terrifying face. This mother's plans had been scuffled, and if she wanted to go with her plan she had to improvise. If she could catch him. ~~ Nagisa had a very good headstart to his mad dash, and without a home to even go to without facing Hiromi directly, he needed to get a grip. This was when his agility gave him the higher advantage, and he was far beyond his apartment building by the time Hiromi would get out to catch up. It was dead at night, the city lights filling in the otherwise dark sky. He could go along the rooftops if he wanted to, but he was more focusing on keeping as much distance as possible, so he kept to the ground. He knew Hiromi was after him, the images of her terrifying angry face stuck in his mind as he kept running. If he had one thing to say that was good, it was that he was a lot faster than he used to be, and when he looked back to check, he found that he couldn't even see her anymore, only then he began to slow down. "Well, this is sure some nostalgia. It's not the first time I've done this: and every time she always caught me. How far do I have to go until you stop chasing me?" Nagisa thought, at one point his eyes closed to shed a tear. He knew she was still behind him. Still chasing him. Still after him. He couldn't stop, he never could if it meant he could get away from her, and he was about to start going off again until he realized where he actually stopped. "Orora high. ... The only school I've gone to that I've decided for myself." And indeed it was. Orora High School. Being so late of course, there was nobody there to monitor him, and with enough chasing him here, Nagisa decided that he needed somewhere he could open his head. And somewhere Hiromi couldn't get to him as easily too. The 3-E building of course was a bit off limits, and somewhere she would catch him easily if she were to go that way. No, that just won't do. So, with one more look to be sure she wasn't right behind him, he went on inside the building. Lucky for him, or perhaps it was something planned somewhere, the doors weren't locked up, and entrance was a bit easy for him. And he made sure to lock the door before he continued on. Just in case. Soon, it was just him and the silence of the building, the lights of the city coming in from the windows. He knew each one of these hallways like the back of his hand, and he walked on through the halls as if it was just an ordinary school day. Sure was a lot quieter here without so many of the students going around the halls. None of the teachers, none of the students, transfers or otherwise, it was just the sounds of empty space, his own breath, and his footsteps. Some of the halls were especially dark, and as he started heading to the more upper levels of the school. He would normally do this to head to class, but that wasn't on his mind tonight, as he passed room after room, until he saw one particular door and set of stairs. The school's roof. Nagisa silently went up those stairs, and pushing the door open found himself at the very top of the school. Several stories up, cement underfoot, and nothing up there apart from a flat surface with some smaller rooms for said stairs to open up from. He had a great view from both the front of the school and the back. City to one side, and nature in the other. Or at the very least, as much nature as Tokyo would have it. The lights may be bright down below, but up here he had a far better view of the stars up in the sky, and the cool spring wind brushed his skin, now with little to block it. For the moment at least, Nagisa Shiota was alone, it was quiet, and he could finally relax and gather himself. "It's so peaceful up here. Never realized just how much you can see up here," he thought. Though even if he said it, no one was going to hear him. Feeling the wind brush him, he walked from the door and over to the nature side of Orora High, not stopping until he was right along the rimming of the rooftop. The wind was coming from the mountains, and Nagisa took a step on the very edge of it. With his arms out spread, and the wind carrying, he closed his eyes and smiled. It meant little to him how high he was, or just how close to the edge he was. He looked up, taking a deep breath, and seeing the stars above him. "You miserable brat! Come down here this instant!" Nagisa would tense up, but all he did was look down. That voice he knew all too well, and sure enough, his gaze saw his extremely angry mother looking up at him. She was still mad, still fuming, and she didn't care where Nagisa was or what danger he was in at that moment. He would normally be scared, but even he knew she couldn't reach him up here. Nagisa didn't move, and Hiromi was especially angry at him. While he did lock the front door, Nagisa began to hear something else go on from down there. The sound of breaking metal. ... "I always knew you were desperate with me, but this is much even for you," Nagisa stated, though he knew she wouldn't hear him from up there. It was only a matter of time until she would reach him at the rate now, but he didn't worry much anymore. This time still gave him time to think over his day. His possible future away from Tokyo. And if anything that happened today was anything to go by, a future only made in her image. As he recalled what happened so far though ... "... No. This can't happen. All my friends, everything we've done together. I can't just leave them. I won't leave them." "NAGISA!" And just in time too, the door from the stairs swinging open fast, and there was Hitomi Shiota, pissed off as ever. He'd seen her angry, sure, but now it was beyond even that. "YOU HORRID CHILD, HOW COULD YOU RUN OFF ON YOUR POOR MOTHER LIKE THAT?! YOU REALLY THINK I DON'T CARE AT ALL, WHAT KIND OF THANKS DO YOU CALL THIS AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU?!?! YOU'LL LIVE YOUR LIFE AS NOTHING BUT A FALIURE IF IT WASN'T FOR ME, HOW DARE YOU TRY TO RUN AWAY ON MY AFTER SO LONG?!?! YOU BETTER GIVE ME ONE DAMN GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T PUNISH YOU RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I'M AT MY LIMIT BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" The very force and blast of her words almost seemed to threaten Nagisa to fall off the roof, but in this crazy rage, Nagisa felt his body tense slightly, but he stayed calm this time. No more running away, and what else? she actually gave him an opening to talk for once. Here it goes. "Stop pretending like I don't have a damn voice." Nagisa turned around and got off of the rim of the roof, beginning to walk over to his enraged mother, the women breathing heavily. He wouldn't be able to even say that last time they even spoke, but that was then. And this is now. "You want me enrolled in Keisetsu University because you didn't make the cut. You want me to have a job at Hishimaru because they didn't hire you. Everything you say you're striving for my future isn't even for me. You don't care about me at all, do you? All you care about is seeing your so called "daughter" succeed in everything you failed at." OH how he waited to say that. "YOU THINK I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU?!" "No I don't! This isn't your child. And having a child doesn't mean you get to constantly mold them into whatever you want, and Goddamnit, I've had it with you." "What?" "Why else did you think I ran away? you call me a failure without you, but look: I'm in Class 3-A of the highest ranking school in Japan. If you got any sense at all, you should know that's succeeding in something! I've changed over the years, I'm far better off where I am. I've grown confidence, I'm succeeding in school, I've made so many friends, I even got a girlfriend for god sake! And all this time you haven't changed a bit. I want you out of my room, I want you of my life, and you will not have any say on the matter! After everything I've told you and you still think you can control me. You still think I'm a failure? It's no wonder dad left you all those years ago." That did it. That last statement did it. All those things Nagisa had said finally made Hiromi snap, and Nagisa suddenly had a fist slammed in his face, strong enough to send Nagisa off his feet, and landing right back to the rim, his head slamming on the concrete. Hiromi didn't care anymore, she WILL control him, and she'll do whatever she has to in order to make that happen. Once Nagisa was on the ground, Hiromi jumped him, and punched him repeatedly, over and over again. "HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE AND LECTURE ME LIKE I'M THE DUMBASS HERE?! YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD, WELL DAMNIT I'M THE MOTHER, I CONTROL YOU, I COMMAND YOU, AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!! I DON'T CARE WHAT OPINIONS YOU HAVE, MY LIFE WAS HELL AND THE ONLY CHANCE I HAD IN REGAINING WHAT I LOST YOU TOOK AWAY FROM ME!!! I WANTED A GIRL, AND YOU CAME OUT INSTEAD, HOW'D YOU THINK I FELT WHEN I SAW YOU?! I TRIED TO MAKE IT WORK, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IF THIS IS HOW YOU'RE GOING TO ACT, THEN WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?!?!" ....... "Dearie me, what ever have we got here?" All this distraction had blinded Nagisa's demon sense in this whole situation, and ironically, the voice made Hiromi stop beating her child. And who did the two see standing on the rooftop with them? Now that Nagisa could focus a little bit, his did begin to feel his demon sense go off. Someone was nearby, but he couldn't move with Hiromi right on top of him. As for Hiromi, she turned and saw the figure off nearby. The Undertaker. him and Aladdin. Not Nagisa's first guess, but a sight for sore eyes (literally). "Who the hell are you?" Hiromi questioned, her temper still fuming. Undertaker was not at all intimidated, and in fact found her kinda funny. "Steady now, Hiromi. I know you have so much fun blowing a gasket, but no need to take it out on me." "HOW THE HELL'D YOU KNOW MY NAME?" She demanded, this time getting up to her feet. Nagisa managed to get up, bruised and a bit bloody from all the punching. "Word gets about, especially with your track record. I mean, really, I almost got to make a new coffin for a top paid manager for Hishimaru Movie Studios. It's not often I'd have that kind of chance, you know," Undertaker explained. "Undertaker, what're you doing?" Nagisa thought, though he was more curious actually. What was he doing there? Was he trying to get her upset again, or was he actually trying to help him? It was always hard to tell with someone like him. Looking to Hiromi however, she looked less angry and more spooked, though her fear was well hidden in her rage state. "I-I didn't kill him!" "Ah, but you sure were close, I must say. That and you sure looked ready to kill your own son right there. Or does it not even matter?" he snickered. Now she was getting upset again. "Mis. Shiota, please don't hurt him anymore. He doesn't deserve all of this," Aladdin then said. That just got Hiromi ticked, and grabbed the Magi by the collar. "Don't you start talking to me about how to take care of my child!" Hiromi demanded, taking him and shaking him violently. Now her anger had transferred off of Nagisa and onto Aladdin. This was NOT the answer he was going to allow. "GET OFF HIM!" Nagisa demanded, and he actually whacked Hiromi right in her head, the same amount of power she used on him to knock him off his feet not sending her tumbling to the ground. Aladdin wasn't hurt too much, Nagisa giving him a gentle hand. If this was the first time Nagisa stood up to his mother, this surely was the first time he attacked her. Hiromi laid stunned from the strike, feeling blood come out of her mouth from the blow, and she looked over to her son, Aladdin worried over Nagisa's own injuries. Nagisa sure looked beat up with the bruises on his face from the punching, but Nagisa didn't look too deterred by it, something Hiromi hadn't seen in her son yet. "You okay, Aladdin?" Nagisa asked. "I'm fine," Aladdin replied. Hiromi got up off the ground, hand on her face where she got hit. Such a brutal hit from someone she never would've guessed would do such a thing to her. Nagisa turned to her, expecting to see her completely enraged at him for even thinking of such, but instead Hiromi looked more shocked than anything. Nagisa placed himself between her and the others in case she would come at them again, something he anticipated actually. As for Hiromi, she looked to Nagisa with a puzzled expression, her anger fuming. "Y-You ... you struck me." "Damn right. Mom, I know your life wasn't how you want it, but forcing me into doing it isn't going to work. I'll decide what I want to do with my life. So here I stay," Nagisa cleared up. "Ooo, steady now. You might set her off again," Undertaker snickered. Well, someone was enjoying this, but he wasn't wrong in that statement, as Hiromi jumped up and readied to attack him again, only for Nagisa to stop her mid way, his skull meeting with hers, and knocking her back. Hiromi was stunned again, and seeing Nagisa barely fazed by this hit. How was this child stronger than her? She was the parent, she was stronger, and he was the child, he was weaker. Therefore, she had control over him ... right? Hiromi rushed over again, but not wanting them hurt, Aladdin got in the way and brought out his Magi shield. Hiromi was knocked down, and this time she stayed down, stunned at what she was seeing. Her anger almost immediately jumped aside for shock at seeing what was supposed to be impossible. "W-What? WHAT?" Nagisa had to take this in stride. "Stop it! How can you be so cruel to your own son? What'd he ever do to you?!" Aladdin asked. "Aside running away you mean?" Undertaker reminded. That didn't make the statement better, but Hiromi still had to recollect herself. She was mad. She was furious. But the more she thought about it, the more she saw what point Nagisa was trying to make. The anger no longer showed on her face. "Nagisa. Home. Now," Hiromi instructed. She tried to be calmer, but the shield was not put down, and Nagisa didn't move. Hiromi waited more, and she could see that he was not going to listen to her anymore. At least he wasn't going to be forced around by her anymore. Hiromi got angry again, but all she did was storm off in a huff. No more instructions, no more fights, Hiromi didn't stay around anymore for it, and she no longer wanted any of it. "If I were you, I'd check in for some medical attention for those little bumps of yours, wouldn't you agree, Nagisa?" Undertaker asked. Nagisa rubbed off some of the blood he felt. It wasn't too bad compared to what else he'd gone through. Hiromi wouldn't leave her son, now knowing where he was, and Nagisa knew it after all this revelation that she would have A LOT to work out in her head. "Yeah. Okay."
