[i]Empty. Rotten. Empty. Bingo.[/i] This city was a pretty good haul; within a few hours of entering Karashima, the boy had already filled his bag with scavenged supplied. Tinned food, bottles of water, Hell even unopened packets of cigarettes; people in the city were wasteful, perhaps a symptom of the despair that hung so thick in the air. He moved on to another bin, pulling apart black sacks and rummaging through the detritus. It wasn't as though he really had to anymore and he would not find the one item he really craved there, but it was somehow comforting; a throwback to simpler, if no less painful days. Or maybe he was just a filthy bastard, who knew? Unfortunately he wasn't left alone to his dumpster diving. [b]'There is a better way to sustain your body, Souta. Why do you insist on finding material nutrition when you can just hunt for Wraiths? I thought that was why you came here.'[/b] The speaker was a small white and pink... cat... thing; even after four years of being followed by it, Souta still wasn't sure what Kyuubey was. He had heard a dozen conflicting theories, came up with a few himself; the current favorite was that Kyuubey was in fact God, come to Earth to test their souls. Or some such shyte. At any rate the furball had his uses, even if he never shut up. [b]'Go to hell, I live for this. I'd take a steaming pile of rubbish over your Wraiths any day of the week.'[/b] That said, his situation was getting desperate. As the catsquirrel said, Souta had only traveled to Karashima to hunt more powerful Wraiths; his supply of Cubes was at an all time low and pickings had been few and far between in the mountains. As much as he hated to admit it, Souta needed to go for the first Wraith he stumbled across or else he may lose his chance.

Thankfully, the big city being what it was, a Wraith was soon born amid a flash of lightning. He sighed deeply, not wanting to get involved... Other Magi would be racing to ground zero, causing contention and maybe even a fight over who got the kill. Politics he would rather avoid. Still... he needed that Cube. Summoning up his energy, Souta leaped up to the nearest rooftop and hopped from one to the next in the direction of the lightning strike. Kyuubey had done what he always did when things got dangerous, vanishing into a back alley. Not that Souta particularly cared; he was always one snarky remark away from dicing his so-called companion anyway. As he darted across the cityscape, he became aware of other sources of magic, faint but distinct; most likely other Magi converging on the prey. [i]Fantastic; maybe they'll make a battle royale out of it...[/i] He didn't like exposing himself to this many potential threats, but it could be days before the chance came again.

Interestingly enough, it was a junkyard; the sort of place Souta felt most at home. His eyes glittered behind a layer of grime as he surveyed the goods on offer, the potential for this place... [i]I might set up camp here once this is over.[/i] But in the meantime... A number of others had already arrived, more than he was comfortable with. Still, a large enough Wraith should yield enough Cubes for all, assuming the others were willing to share. Clasping his Soul Gem tightly Souta allowed the magic to flow through him, transforming into his Magi form. After taking a moment to adjust his bicorne, he leaped down from the last rooftop and landed between a few others, one sabre drawn and resting on his shoulder. [b]'I'd say hello, but formalities can wait.'[/b] One of the other boys dragged at his eye though; very effeminate, almost as if he were a real girl. Impossible of course. Probably just a crossdresser; Kyuubey contracted all sorts.