---> POST 461 By FBGSGDN <---

He’d found it; across many deserts, around many cities, and through many caves. Fighting Demi’s, cursed creatures, and rivals for the Item. In an underground cavern beneath the ruins of an ancient castle, in the abandoned land of Farioth, sat a small crystal ball.

He knew what it was the moment it caught his eye. Its power radiated off of it. He approached, gazing into it. Finally, finally he knew what nobody else knew. The orb, held the truth. It could not grant any wish like rumors told, it did not grant unstoppable power. It granted knowledge.
Thanos gave a crooked, weary smile.
“That’s it. Our future is per-determined... Fate and destiny exist. No control...”

Thanos could only see bits and pieces of things in the orb. It was foggy and unclear, but once message loomed over every image it showed.
‘Only the chosen one may have full knowledge of the truth. Only she with a pure heart, only she whom possesses uncontrollable, unexplained, innocent actions... She whom is granted the power of fire.’
“Who are you?” Thanos mumbled. Taking a deep breath he snatched the orb and pocketed it. He’d come this far, and now he had to figure out who could use it.

A bright light surrounded Thanos; pure white was all his eyes could see. His inner ear reacted to movement but Thanos didn’t know how he could be moving. When everything cleared and went back to normal, Thanos found himself in the woods. It wasn’t long before he noticed a girl running full force towards him. Red hair, red eyes, a sorrowful face... It was the girl from that field. The one with Shidou. But she was alone. Thanos watched her, without saying a word; he did not move out of her way.

***

Two outcasts of the world, running together in darkness. She barely knew he, he barely knew she.

Namida followed him, she followed him physically to their destination, and she followed him with her eyes, his every movement. There was still something about him she couldn’t figure out. He gave her a feeling she never felt before. A feeling of admiration, a feeling of closeness, a feeling of lust, yet she barely knew him. As they headed deep into the darkness of the city, Namida realized where they were headed. He wanted more, more Xymite. She mutually felt the same in that aspect. She always wanted more.

***

It was very blurry. Redness surrounded everything. He had blood in his eyes. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but he was in no condition to move. He had a little power left... just enough...
Teguchi’s body became surrounded in a thin layer of color. It came from his mind; a mental bandage for his body. It wouldn’t heal him; it would just prevent his current injuries from killing him. He still needed some kind of medical help. He managed to turn his head, his eye clearing enough to look around. His injuries had makeshift bandages? Teguchi blinked to see Yochi. She shook all over. It was like all her strength had been drained, leaving her venerable. He realized the cloth tied around his wounds had been made out of her shirt. He wanted to make a smart-ass comment about it but something inside him was against it. His memory flashed back to Chi. Who was she? Why was she so different from Yochi but also the same? This girl was dangerous. He hated danger, yet he was drawn to the girl. More than any girl he’d been with before. Why?

Teguchi’s psychic bandage helped him to gain movement. He slowly sat up while Yochi was looking away. He was never good with the complicated factor of women, he didn’t speak. Teguchi moved himself beside Yochi. Closing his eyes he wrapped his arms firmly around Yochi and rested his chin on her shoulder. The layer of color lengthened and surrounded Yochi as well, not because she needed it, but though pure mental and physical contact between her and Teguchi.

***

Purple hair? Naku and Katsu recognized her... Or did they?
“We’re looking for that black haired girl. Uh... Kai-something... Or whatever the name was.” Naku explained as he and Katsu entered the little house.
“We need her help.” Katsu added.
“More like... Shidou and his red haired girlfriend need help, or else they might die.” Naku continued. The two waited for the reply of the girl who stood before them.

***

When Yan awoke she realized Marishi had stopped moving; Yan had to act fast. She took off to a more populated area, a small town nearby, and caught herself a quick ride. Yan didn’t have much to offer the diver, but she played the weak, desperate girl very well. She even gave them that look of panic.

It didn’t take too long to catch up to the area around Marishi. If Yan had stayed awake all night she would’ve realized that Marishi was passing by where Yan had actually been.

Yan had come to a small town consisting of many buildings, and most importantly, a train station. That must have been why Marishi had been moving. Yan did her best to get a more exact location, which brought her to the middle of town, staring at four possible buildings; a restaurant, a house, an Inn, and a grocery store. Would Marishi likely shop? What about eat? Sleep? Did she actually have a house? Yan cleared her throat.
“HEY, YOU! COME OUT HERE!” She screamed. “YEAH, YOU! YOU WHITE HAIRED DEMON! I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU!” Yan gritted her teeth together before choosing one of the buildings, The Inn.

She slammed open the door and her tracking senses told her she was near.
“Where are you?” She said through her teeth. Yan stormed through the Inn opening any door she could, and kicking open the locked ones, until she finally found it, the room with the white haired girl, Marishi.
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---> POST 462 By Mollymay5000 <---

The birds sang songs of happiness as they jumped from tree to tree. Yasha noticed none of this. Her mind was in one place and one place only. She thought only of the one that she hoped to protect, knowing that her actions were hurting him greatly. There was nothing else that she could do; at least, that’s what she was telling herself as she ran as fast as she could. With these thoughts troubling her, she didn’t see the man, Thanos; appear out of nowhere in front of her.

With a sickening thump, the two bodies collided and tumbled to the ground in a disorganized heap. Arms and legs were sprawled in every direction. Yasha groaned. There was a large cut on her forehead where her face had connected with a rock. The wound was quickly changing color from red to yellow to purple. The world turned black.

“Mimi, have you ever been in love before?” asked the girl that looked like Yasha.
“Yes…There was a girl once that I really loved…She is gone now though,” replied the Mizu look-a-like.
“Does it hurt? Does being in love hurt?” she asked.

The man took a deep breath and looked at the girl in silence. They were sitting inside a cabin, drinking tea together. Her hair was full of flowers and her cheeks were bright and full of color.
“Being in love,” he began, “is the most glorious thing in the world. However, it is the most excruciatingly painful thing you will ever experience.”

~ ~ ~

The farther the two companions went, the darker the city became. It was the part of the city that nothing but the dirtiest people existed. When they stopped, they were at a ship dock. The only sound around them was the waves crashing against the wharf. He pulled a bottle out of his bag and took a swing of it. He replaced the cap and put it back in his bang. He rubbed in forehead and looked out over the water.
“He isn’t going to be here for a while. Would you like to dance in the water? There is nobody to see if we become our true selves here,” he said softly.

In the time since they had encountered Yochi, his personality had completely changed. It seemed softer at the edges than it had been before. The stress had disappeared and he was like a completely different person. Even so, his hands still shook and his eyes were glazed over.

~ ~ ~

A wail ripped through the air. Her hands reached subconsciously for his. Her body shook even more. Silent tears dripped from her chin. She cried out again, only this time, the cry was audibly a word, Kai. She repeated that single syllabled name over and over again. Each time the pain in her voice rising. She gripped Teguchi’s hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her body shook with the weakness that she had been trying so hard to hide; her breath coming out in short gasps.

She fell silent other than the heaving sobs that pulled at her body. The ground around them rumbled but nothing beyond that. Soon new words came from her lips. Her voice was hoarse and it shook terribly.
“Te-Teguchi…” she groaned.

She took another gasping breath before trying to speak again.
“…sorry…Chi…hurt?”

The last audible word ended on a question. She was shivering and her teeth chattered. Even still, she continued to cry. It was obvious that she was trying to pull herself together; without much success. Finally she let herself go and cried in silence, pressing herself against him, hoping for a comfort, trying not to hurt him.

~ ~ ~

Matsuko looked at them with silence and frowned. She had been trying to figure out how to save Shidou since she had met him. She hadn’t come to a conclusion. She didn’t know if what these two asked was possible. Since Shidou and Yasha had disappeared she had barely felt her presence. What she had felt had been foreign. She had lost the connection with her because Yasha had changed so much. She reminded her of Faia…
“Sit, if we are going to do anything, we are going to have to plan and it is going to take some time. Especially seeing that I have no idea where Yasha is,” she said, looking at them with honest and sad eyes.

~ ~ ~

Marishi looked towards Yan coldly. She would have preferred to leave this town as soon as possible and if Yan was here that meant that she was going to be here much longer than she was sure any of them wanted to be. She looked at Midori and Mahiru; both looked annoyed. Inu seemed annoyed as well, despite the fact that he wasn’t supposed to have personal feelings.
“What is it that you are screaming about?” she demanded Yan coldly. “I’m busy at the moment, can’t you bug me later?”
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---> POST 463 By FBGSGDN <---

Thanos didn’t have a terribly hard landing when he hit the ground, unlike the girl. She had obtained a large cut on the head, and it was bleeding fast.
“Dammit,” Thanos mumbled sitting up. He looked down at the girl. Why was she here? Thanos reached over to her and rolled her on her back, inspecting her face injury. It didn’t look good; he’d have to help her.

Thanos didn’t know much about injuries, his always healed minutes after he got them. He grabbed some leaves of a tree and carefully places them over the cut. It was all he had. He placed a little pressure over it to help stop the bleeding as well. Thanos didn’t know what this girl was doing here. He had to get back to looking for the one who could use the orb as soon as he could. But he decided to stay long enough to know she was okay.

***

“Dance, in the water?” Was he joking or was he serious? Namida wasn’t sure how to react. Mizu seemed so different from earlier. She felt herself drawn towards him, she didn’t know why.

Namida was not usually one to get to close to people, but something about him made her want to know him better. Although, she also feared that knowing him, would just bring more pain. But right now, pain didn’t seem all that bad; together they could drown their pain within their drugs, drinks, and each other.
“Let us dance...” She whispered, now standing intimately close to him.

***

Teguchi held Yochi tightly, ignoring his own pain with difficulty. Her cries pierced his ears and heart. Hearing her cry for her friend Kai was saddening, but when she cried his name he felt something, something deep.
“I’m alright.” Teguchi lied. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m alive because of you. Thank you.” He whispered into her ear softly.

Teguchi had never seen Yochi cry before like this. There were so many different sides to Yochi, yet undiscovered.
“It’s okay now. Everything’s okay...” Teguchi shifted himself to the side of Yochi pulling her close and tight. He placed his hand on her head, stroking her hair.
“Everybody is going to be okay.” But Teguchi didn’t know this for sure. He couldn’t predict the future after all.

***

“You have no idea? Oh.” Naku replied. He and Katsu came further into the house and sat down in a couple of chairs.

“I know where they’ve been for the last little bit. It was a safe place, a place where Shidou and I grew up. Ya’know, one of those secluded places...like Canada. Anyway, they came back from there, which is dangerous for Shidou. Mako probably knocked him out the moment they left. She’s probably found them by now. Hopefully they’re still alive.” Naku explained.

Katsu didn’t have much to add. Naku knew way more about this than her.
“You don’t have any way of locating the Yasha girl? Aren’t you people... connected in some way to her?” Katsu asked confusedly.

***

“I want to join you. I know I’m unrelated to whatever it is you’re doing. But I have nothing else left. My life was ruined because of you. I think you owe me. Everything is your fault. If I’d never let you out none of this would’ve happened. So I think, you owe me a lot.” Yan didn’t think Marishi would accept this. But she had to try.

Yan had started this, and now. She was going end it. She had to put an end to Marishi before her situation became worse than Mako. Yan couldn’t do anything about Mako, but Marishi, Marishi could be stopped. Yan was confident, that even though many of her endeavors had failed, if she was worth anything, she could put an end to Marishi’s insanity.
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---> POST 464 By Mollymay5000 <---

Yasha opened her eyes and blinked. For a few moments everything appeared as a single smudge. After a few more blinks, her sight cleared Mimi’s face and the memory of the vision disappearing with it. The first thing she became aware of was the fact that she was on the ground, the second was that her vision kept blurring thanks to the blood that was trickling down her forehead.
“Damn,” she groaned to herself. “Why am I on the ground?” she continued.

Just as these words passed from her mouth she noticed the man standing above her. He was placing leaves on her face. Not only was he doing so, but from the itch that was quickly burning across her face, he was using poison ivy to attempt to fix her wounds.
“Stop that! Watch what you’re doing, use cloth from your clothes or something,” she began to yell.

In her haste, she sat up and everything became fuzzy. Her head began pounding furiously and she quickly lowered herself back to the ground.
“Looks like the idiot is going to have to get me out of these woods, I didn’t really know where I was going anyway I suppose,” she muttered to herself. “You with the poison ivy,” she said in reference to the man, “I need you to get me out of here and seeing it is your fault that I am on the ground in the first place, I thing you at least owe me that. I am a minor you know.”

~ ~ ~

Mizu leaned in close, leaving barely enough room for a sheet of paper between their two bodies. His breath was heavy with the scent of booze, his heartbeat frantic from the xymite. One hand wrapped around her wrist while the other reached up to her face. His hand explored the dimensions of her face delicately, analysing the smallest detail, from her ears to the small strand of hair across her forehead. Throughout this, his eyes stared into hers. There wasn’t love found in either set of eyes, merely the pain of a soul that had seen and felt too much. Even so, his thumb came to a stop on her soft lips.

Mizu closed his eyes and rest his forehead against hers. The only thing stopping their lips from connecting was the presence of his thumb.
“Namida,” he said softly, breathing her name for the first time. “When this is over, I have a single request from you. No matter what happens from this moment forward, if there is still air within your lungs, I want you to kill me,” he continued his eyes opening, full of sharp and sober clarity. “Don’t let my sweet girl kill me, don’t let blood stain her delicate white hands. Make sure she is safe. I don’t want to kill our baby girl again,” he whispered, desperation entering his voice.

Just as quickly as the clarity had come, it passed. He let go of her wrist and turned towards the sea.
“There was someone that I cherished once, but Marishi became jealous and spiteful and took her away from me. This is the only sorrow that still haunts me no matter how much I shoot, and no matter how much I drink. I cannot forget the face of Faia as she died.”

He turned back to her, his eyes and face emotionless, just as though nothing had happened a mere few moments past. It was obvious he wasn’t conscious in the slightest of what he had said about his own death and the protection of his sweet girl. All that was seen was the determination to forget.

He held out his hand to Namida and smiled his empty and drunken smile.
“Now shall we dance for real or shall we continue to dance with our words?”

~ ~ ~

Yochi pressed herself gently into Teguchi, relishing in the comfort she received from his touch. The relief was short lived however. In the distance sirens could be heard. The way things were now this was a really bad place for them to be. As gently as she could, Yochi pulled herself away from Teguchi. If he hadn’t been there, she would have been able to escape with ease.
“It was my fault Teguchi and I’m so sorry,” she said softly as she stood. “However, now we need to run, whether I want to drown in self-pity or not. How hurt are you? Do you have enough strength to help me get you somewhere out of site? Don’t dare lie to me either, or I’ll be pissed.”

The attitude was in her words, but the feeling was no longer there. Despite everything, Kai’s disappearance left her feeling drained. Nothing like this had ever happened before and she didn’t know what do it. It was like part of part of her body was now missing. She might as well have been missing a leg for how incomplete she felt.

She sighed and looked down again at the pitiful looking man before her. He was as physically broken as she felt inside and he could still laugh and lie and say that he was fine. Her fists clenched as tears blurred her vision once more. She knelt down so that they were eye to eye.
“You are by far stronger than me and I know that we came to know each other through complicated circumstances, and yes it is selfish of me to say what I am about to say but I will do so anyway. I hated your presence around mine but now I am really glad you are here. I’m really afraid that I am going to lose you now,” she said in a whisper.

Her hand slid forward to touch his gently and she leaned forward and let her lips brush his cheek. She pulled back and stood quickly, turning to the other direction, her face obviously the color of cherries.
“Now let’s hold everything together and get you some help, we have things to do and people to find,” she said, the strength having begun to edge back into her voice.

~ ~ ~

Matsuko sighed and rubbed her forehead.
“This is rather frustrating to admit, but since she ran away with your brother, I haven’t tried to keep track of her, and when I started to worry. She was too blurred to reach. Your brother’s aura interferes with it. The closer she is to Shidou, the harder it seems for me to get a grip on her as of late,” she said quietly, directing most of what she had said to Naku, while also responding to Katsu’s question. “For as long as we have existed, there has never been anything like this before. We go through a cycle, and that cycle revolves around the life energy of Yasha, or you could say it revolves around her fire. This is only the second time that her spirit has been born and lived even past her toddler years. Normally, she is destroyed before this point ever happens. There is only one reason that I can think of that made the cycle change so drastically. My theory is that when she was reborn she came in contact with something else out of this world, which means that she came in contact with you or your brother.”

Here she paused and her eyes widened. She frowned to herself and shook her head.
“I have just said something I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry that I cannot further clarify what I have just said about her. That is all I can say for now. However, I am curious to know what you think of my hypothesis and feel free to add any ideas, we don’t have much time.”

~ ~ ~

Marishi glared at Yan through narrowed eyes.
“First of all, I would like to interrupt your statement by saying that anything that has happened to you has been caused by your shallowness and self-pity. Secondly, you put that fucking necklace on me so why should I even let you near me again? Besides, it was your own stupidity that made you so easy to manipulate. Why don’t you do something useful like trying to control your crazy Mako? That is the only useful thing you could do at this point. Return to the good side and keep your mouth shut about what you have seen today. Other than that, you are useless to them and to me.”

Marishi turned away from her and began to walk away. Inu followed behind her obediently as well as Mahiru. Midori stayed behind however and looked at Yan with sympathetic eyes.
“The Lady isn’t one to forgive; she has been alive for too long to think otherwise. Her way of viewing things is old fashioned and she is unlikely to want you for anything. I suggest that you take her advice and go back to the other side. You will be of more use there and we will not have to deal with the Lady and her anger. I request this for your safety as well and for the future of everyone we care about. Yan, help Shidouryoku. I feel that you will feel the usefulness that you desire there. Farewell and we shall meet again in the future.”

With one last glance, Midori turned and ran to catch up with the others. She quickly disappeared around the corner and all her existence and that of her companions would disappear. Mahiru was very good at making people be invisible in plain sight.

---> POST 465 By FBGSGDN <---

Thanos had been holding the leaves to her wounds. He’d seen it done on survival television. Thanos may not have seemed like the kind of person to sit and stare at a television screen but he had done so for many hours in the past. As the red head slowly opened her eyes, obviously a bit disoriented until she cleared her vision, Thanos moved his hands away from her to avoid any confusion. He assumed that now she was awake, he would be able to leave and go upon his business. We she asked herself why she was on the ground Thanos said nothing. He wasn’t accustomed to helping people very often.

He was slightly startled when she yelled. He was only being friendly, something he didn’t do very often. She was quite rude for yelling at him to use his clothing. Besides his clothing was filthy and hadn’t been washed for god knows how long.

He could tell she wasn’t well by her expression when she attempted to sit up. Her face was pale and expression troubled. She had probably obtained some kind of head injury. Thanos couldn’t help much, half of his family had been talented in the arts of medical studies however he himself was on the lower side of intelligence in that sector of knowledge.

He didn’t particularly enjoy her mumbling about his idiocy. He was no idiot. She expected him to get her out of the woods. Hell to that, he didn’t like this girls attitude; it wasn’t his fault she was on the ground injured! She should’ve been watching where she was running! What the hell was she doing out here anyway?

Thanos blinked at the girl with a blank expression after hearing her call him, you with the poison ivy. It had never occurred to him what kind of leaves where in the woods. He stared down at them. What did poison ivy look like anyway? He didn’t believe her at first but after just a few moments of thought he could feel the irritation in his own hands. Damn.
“I don’t owe you anything,” He mumbled, bushing away the leaves from the girl. “It’s your fault you weren’t looking where you were going. And running quickly in the middle of the woods, I’m surprised you didn’t run into a tree first.” Thanos gave judgement to her personality. He didn’t think she was stupid, but certainly not the brightest. One thing for sure she was naïve and irritable.

“You’re underage? And how is that information going to change the situation? You don’t look that small, so take care of yourself. Underage means nothing other than the amount of years you’ve lived. All it tells me is your lack of wisdom. I’ve met younger people than you who could figure things out for themselves.” Thanos’s memory flashed to Yan, she was a special case in the matter. Not long back he would have called her a fool, called her childish, called her too dependent. But that was his fault and he could see it now. He realized just what Yan was capable of without him. He’d always wanted Yan to grow up and act for herself… And when she did, two people died. She had split up their group of companions, gone rogue.

Thanos sighed.
“Fine, I’ll get you out of here.” He huffed, before picking Yasha up off the ground. She was heavier than Yan, but had much finer features to her face. Their hair colors were both outstandingly unusual, but in different ways.
“I happen to know which way the closest town is. That where I was headed, I’ll take you there.” Thanos walked upon his way, he was tired from his journey and now he had to carry this girl out of the woods. If he had been anyone else, if he had a normal human being, he’d have died long ago.

***

Her breath was held in the moment he moved close. She could feel the warmth of his body so close to her own; her skin tingling with a sensation of nervous feelings. His breath did not bother her; it was a scent she was accustomed to. She could hear his heart, going to the beat of her own. His hands were cold, like a feeling of death. Namida hadn’t been held like that in over 30 years, for him she could tell it was longer. His touched was gentle as he explored her features as a blind man would, including her tall tipped ears that showed her difference from human kind. She was the last of her kind, humans now called ears like hers a birth defect.

His eyes showed the pain of his past and although the stories different, the empty soul was the same. He had been through a horrible past. She, witnessed and took part in the slaughter of everyone the same as herself. It was no different. They had both killed one of their own, or more.

His breath was warm, a different feeling than his chilled fingertips. A whirl was felt inside Namida, though it was merely of a bind that they sickly shared. He was no more than something to relieve sorrow and share empathy; someone who helps to remember the past, without being destroyed by it.

He had plea for death. She knew death, she’d seen it, and she’d dealt it. He didn’t know who his ‘sweet girl’ was, however the way he spoke of her gave Namida the impression it was his child. Namida remembered the small white haired Marishi girl, she could somewhat remember her from the incident in the field. In the time after, before Namida had gone on her way, Thanos had mentioned something about a red haired girl named Yasha. Namida could somewhat remember the brilliance of the hair belonging to the girl. Thanos had mentioned some of the strange occurrences and intense expressions between Shidou and Mizu. When Namida thought back to this it was all too obvious. This Yasha girl was most certainly the child of Mizu, despite their close-in-age appearance.

Namida could guess what the feeling of killing your own parent, someone you loved dearly, felt like. Namida was in the position. She knew what it felt like to end the life of her own father, and mother as well. It was a deep, sinking, regrettable, and overwhelming rush of despair, enough to drive even the most joyful of people into utter depression.

It was obvious he had also felt the traumatizing experience of killing a child of his own. Namida did not understand the technicalities of this. But she didn’t need to. When the time came, Namida would kill Mizu. She was sure of this. Even if she was past helping, this was something she could do for him.
“I understand,” She said firmly yet quietly, as the moment of forgetting had come. A grim smile tempted Namida’s face and she took the pitiful man’s hand.

“Let us dance.”

***

Yochi’s shaken up and vulnerable body was certainly tempting. But he did hurt quite a lot. Plus he could tell this wasn’t exactly a good time for his fantasies. Plus he was beginning to hear the sirens, for most a sign of help. Thinking of the state he was in he probably needed it too. He was bleeding, and quite severely injured. Teguchi shut his eyes; inside he was examining his new abilities. The dead girl had provided him with a few useful techniques. He’d already used up one of them, some sort of useless psychic weapon, he was glad he wouldn’t have to worry of using it again. He discover a few ways to use his power offensively for better use, guessing the dead girl had not even relished those ways herself he wasn’t sure if they’d work.

Teguchi had to admit he was a bit sad when Yochi moved away from him and stood. He opened his eyes to look up. Her apology was unneeded, could he stand, probably not. Although in the mixture of pain and rush, Teguchi couldn’t help but laugh when she ended by saying she was going to be pissed if he lied. It made him want to lie for the fun of it.

Teguchi hadn’t seen Yochi cry often. So it was a bit unsettling, but overall not terrible. It showed that wasn’t a complete bitch at the very least. He smirked at her words: ‘You are by far stronger than me’ he liked hearing that from her.

The feeling of her lips against his cheek was—sexy. She moved away quickly the nervous little thing. But Teguchi became full of life. It could’ve been his beautiful bitch, but it was also likely that he’d done it himself. While she was talking he’d discovered one more power the dead girl had given him: Psychic healing. It had only one use to it, and his wounds closed quickly as he let it take over his body. His strength returned but he didn’t snow it on his face. He’d never again be able to use that healing power. All the abilities he got had one use and one use only to them, once used they vanish. His wounds did not close perfect, he’d probably be left with a few scars, but that was okay. Teguchi didn’t want to go his whole life without being scarred. Scars were badass! Girls loved them. But then again, maybe he wouldn’t ever need to go picking up random girls again in his life…

Teguchi gave a heavy sigh, closing his eyes, like they do in movies when having a slow drawn out death scene. He waited just long enough to have Yochi notice this and maybe even get worried before he suddenly jumped up, perfectly fine and wide awake.
“Stronger than you? Why yes, of course. I am after all, Te-Gu-Chi! Complicated circumstances? Hardly, I saw, and I grabbed. But don’t you worry about selfishness, I hate you too, you’re a bitch,” He smirked, grabbing Yochi and pulling her close.
“You’re probably going to kill me, I can’t wait,” Teguchi squeezed Yochi close to him before planting a kiss upon her lips and didn’t let up until he was good and ready to, Or at least until he was out of breath.
“Now, that, is a real kiss. Teasing is a foolish move you know. You never know how the other person will react.” He laughed, giving her another light kiss before letting her go.
“So where we headed first?”

***

Naku nodded understandingly. He knew many secrets in this world that he should nor many others ever come to know.
“You’re probably right about coming in contact with something… different. Although it’s true my brother and I are unusual, we weren’t born through normal means and we have special properties about us, I don’t think we alone would’ve caused it.” Naku replied.
“Naku shush,” Katsu whispered.
“No. She has the right to know. We-- … Shidou is cursed, by a mean… thing… that’s really old,” Naku thought about the sentence, it didn’t sound quite right.
“In order to tell you about Shidou, I first have to tell you about a man named Nakour-something. Shidou is better at the story then I am but—” Naku stopped talking when Katsu raised her hand to stop him.
“You’re terrible at this, I’ll tell it. I heard it from Nakouryota himself, awhile back, when you and Shidou we’re merged.” Katsu took a deep breath walking closer towards Matsuko.

“Nakouryota was born in the fall of 1632, cursed to suffer eternally. Why? Nobody really knows. It could have been because he had the gift many people always wanted; Eternal Beauty and eternal life.

At the age of 21 he stopped aging, and his misfortunes began. Crops failing, friends and distant family were passing away, several house fires struck suddenly.
Nakouryota married despite his unfortunate events, at his wedding the priest had a heart failure. Nakour’s first born died at the age of 1 from disease, and his wife died during the birth of his second born child. He raised his baby, a girl, to the age of 12 when she was murdered by a drunkard. After that he sold his home and became a traveling merchant. However, not long after, his merchandise was all stolen, as was his wealth.

He lived such repetitive misfortunes for 200 years before he found love again. He married, had 3 children, a wonderful house, and perfect crops. He was sure all his troubles had finally ended. He was content and happy for a few of his many years… until of course, a house fire.

Nakour had many of his previous homes burn to the ground, but this was different. His wife and 2 of his sons burned horribly. There screams heard through the entire process, Nakour could not save them. His middle son, aged 11 at the time, was traumatized but went on to live to the age of 20, before dying in war.

Nakouryota continued his life alone, he met many people but became close to none of them. For that would only end in horror. 33 years after his last sons death, the people around Nakour could see he had not aged, they suspected it for a long while. Some lusted for the power, others feared it. He had kept his secret for many years but the time of truth had come. The people ganged up on Nakour, grabbed him and shot him. But he survived, he was just fine. They tried burning him, poisoning him, drowning him, but to no avail. Nakouryota could not die. They forced him to leave, and go as far as possible. So he did.

He traveled alone, becoming disturbed in the mind and socially unstable. He was driven into madness, and developed a sort of split personality. He did not like being immortal, and one day as he had this thought, a voice in head spoke to him. ‘Seek out a being as old as time, only then will death come to you’

Nakouryota searched for many years, likely over 20, but he did not count. Once he found the creature, a woman upon first sight, he pleaded his case to her. She told him if she granted his wish, his soul must be bound to her forever. She explained she would create two men, out of his personalities, and at a certain age she would bind one of them to herself and that he must serve her undoubtedly. Nakouryota just wanted death and accepted it all, with only one request. ‘These men must not be both eternally youthful and immortal, and you must not kill the one who is bound to you. With that Nakouryota died.

Many years later, twins were born, possessing Nakouyota’s memories. They lived happily to the age of 19, before the demon woman appeared before them, choosing one to be bound by body, mind, and soul with him.

That is how Nakushita and Shidouryoku came to be. Shidou was chosen by the demon, who you may know as Mako, she lives off his life force. From Nakour they received many things. We have learned that Shidouryoku can be killed by most normal means, but not by age. Shidou likely won’t get any older than he is now; therefore dying of old age is impossible.

Nakushita, as we just learned very recently, ages and will someday die of old age. But that is the only way he can die. A large hole was shot through him recently and—”

“I became religious! ‘Cause I was all holy” Naku interrupted, before being smacked by Katsu for doing so.

“Shut up Naku I’m not finished yet. Getting back on track, Naku can’t die from anything but old age. As another reminder of Nakouryota, Naku and Shidou can merge together, into one person, during that time they become Nakour. Revealing that Nakour isn’t truly dead and Mako is a cheater.

From getting Nakour’s memories and madness, Naku and Shidou possess a power of controlling Dreams and memories. Their seemingly teleportation power, is actually just a warp through the dream world into a set area they’ve placed in the world. It cannot bring them just anywhere either.

Through the bond that Mako and Shidou have and the wish Nakouryota made, Mako cannot kill Shidou, if she does it will kill her as well. But this is a double edged sword. If Shidou were to kill Mako, he would also die.

What Yasha came in contact with was likely Mako, through Shidou. As they are bound so tightly Yasha would’ve only needed to come close to Shidou. That is Nakushita’s theory.

There now I am finished Naku.” Katsu finished her long explanation.

“Phew. Long story isn’t it? Anyway, that is probably the cause of this confusion. Shidou and I can also sense each other to an extent. He was not in a place that can be reached by travelling in this world normally; call it a safe place from Mako. But I know he’s back, and for some reason, I’m getting the feeling he is becoming separate from Yasha. So maybe you should try again to find her? It may not help us find Shidou, but Mako can’t kill Shidou so I guess there’s no worry there.” Naku rambled.

“But yeah, try again to find her!” He finished off.

***

“Ha. That bitch should be thanking me. If it weren’t for me she’d still be locked p tight in a hole in the ground.” Yan cursed. Yan’s vision was clear now. She was not good friends with Shidouryoku. She had no personal problems relating to Mako. Thanos hated her. Namida was a despicable person. It was a good riddance that those annoying twin were dead. Yan didn’t have anything to do with Naku and Katsu. This Marishi girl hated her. And it seemed none of them were worth it. It was time to show them all who was truly the leader of this corrupted world.
Not many knew it. But Yan had a special power, not even Thanos knew. It was separate from her usual copycat ability. Yan had the power to control Demi’s at her will. She was also the only person alive who had ever actually seen the biggest most horrifying one of all, the legendary demi, which many thought to be just a fairy tale.
For Yan’s new plan to come into light, some of the world leaders would have to meet there ends as well.
With just a raise of Yan right arm, and a wave of her bracelet, every demi within a 5000 foot range was under her command. Yan grinned, she could not make Demi’s commit suicide, but she could send them into dangerous situations. For a demi hunter like herself, this power was an extremely hated one. For allies of the beasts are generally low people at heart.

Mass murder would begin in short time.
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---> POST 466 By Mollymay 5000 <---

Even though she hated it, Yasha let this man pick her up and she even let him mouth off to her without commenting. Even if she had protested she suddenly felt as though all the energy had seeped from her bones making her grateful at the same time that she was pissed at this stranger. Her mind lingered on this last thought. Was he a stranger? The more she thought about it she remembered someone that looked an awful lot like this man. It had to have been during the battle in the field. That was the only time she had ever been around so many strange faces in her whole life. A lot had happened that day and it was a little fuzzy especially seeing she had just hit her head but she felt as though she knew this man after a few brief moments of contemplation.
“Do you know a man named Shidouryoku?” she blurted out suddenly. “If so I think we might have been in the same place at the same time before Ivy Man.”
If she was right and this was the same man she was seeing in her mind than maybe it was possible that the fool who had covered her face in poison ivy could help her after all. The first step of course would be getting into town and finding some of the others, even if it was her forever faithful protector. Other than to be with Shidou, this was the thing that she wanted the most. As much as she had been through, she was still a kid and she wanted to be consoled and told that everything would be alright. Despite this, she had the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that nothing would ever be okay for her and her “family” ever again. Everything was changing and nothing was going to go back to the way that it was before.

~ ~ ~

Mizu looked at Namida with his empty eyes and gently pulled her into a very slow paced waltz. For a while he whistled a delicate tune that had been long forgotten but he soon become silent and just looked into the night sky. His mind was lost but he rubbed his thumb back and forth against her hand absentmindedly. Without warning he leaned forward and placed a firm yet delicate kiss on her jaw. He paused for the smallest of moments before continuing to add several kisses across the whole of her jaw line. His grip on her hand tightened as the fluttering kisses became more desperate and in a swift moment he let go of her and cupped her face in his hands. He looked at her for a short moment before placing a very firm kiss to her lips that screamed need.
He pulled back and looked into her face with his blank expression. For a moment he saw the flash of red hair before it disappeared once more. If he did this, there was no going back. His breathing hard he seemed to care so little.
“Unless you make me, I’m not going to stop,” he whispered hoarsely. “We’ve done everything else tonight. Why not this too huh Namida? It’s just another drug after all. Let the water clean our souls in the ecstasy,” he added, pulling them towards the water even as he started pulling at her clothes.
It was going to be a long night.

~ ~ ~

Yochi yelped when Teguchi suddenly popped up healthy as ever and kissed her directly on the mouth. Her face showed a mix of embarrassment, contentment, and rage. Finally all she did was grin and punch him really hard in the stomach.
“You are such an asshole!” she yelled. “However, that is what makes you better than every other person I have ever met. You are like Kai like that, you aren’t afraid to make me furious,” she added this last part softly, the sadness seeping into voice very obviously. “Anyway, what I think we need to do is go and get some clean stuff and I think we should probably go back and get together with the rest of my crew. I need to tell them what is up with Mizu. Without Kai here and Mizu being out of commission obviously, it is my job to make sure that everything is under control. First I need to sleep though. I can’t concentrate enough to find them and you so aren’t helping.”
With this Yochi looked at him, gauging his reactions and taking more of him in. How he had gotten through to her with his really awful personality was a mystery to her but she knew that she didn’t want this man to be hurt because of her. She would have to find a way to convince him to stop following her around, at least for now.

~ ~ ~

Mahoko merely shook her head as Katsu explained the story about the sad fate of Shidou. Deep in her heart she wished that she would be able to help him become free of Mako somehow. His fate was a sad one and it made her deeply wish that Yasha’s heart had not been completely captured by him.
After the story that Naku and Katsu had shared with her it seemed only fair that she explain at least some of their history. Just as she thought this though there was a piercing pain in the back of her head. For a few moments all she could see were red dots everywhere and when she could see clearly once more she smiled softly to herself. The story would have to wait until they could be alone once more. Maybe she would give the job of telling their story to Maeki when she stopped having her tantrum.
“There are a great deal of things I think you have earned the right to know by telling me such a gruesome tale, however I have news. Good or bad I cannot say but it appears that Yasha has left the side of Shidouryoku and is now in the company of one of your fellow Demi hunters. It seems that she is hurt but well and they are actually relatively close to here. It is only two or three towns over if you would like to accompany me,” she said softly. “However, I do not know what this means for your brother Nakushita. From what you have said, he will not die, but I am sure that he will not go unpunished by the demon Mako.”
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--> POST 467 By FBGSGDN <---

“I do know Shidou yes. I work with him, in the business of slaughtering the beasts known as Demi’s. We’re Demi-hunters, a ruthless group out for revenge against the creatures.” It was true, everyone in their group had something against Demi’s, and for Thanos it was the killing of his sister.
“You are right; we have seen one another before if my memory serves me correctly. You were in that field, with the short white haired child, and Yan…” yes it was all coming back, Thanos could remember it well. His mind drifted into the memory, as he walked he was deep in his thoughts.

~~It was just before Miko and Chuui died, just before Yan caused their death.

The white haired girl Marishi had come to the field, with a white haired boy accompanying her…
her voice was calm and collected as she addressed Yasha and Yan.
Yasha seemed frightened and shocked by Marishi, as well as unusually close to Shidou. The white hair girl Marishi knew this and laughed evilly.

Thanos could remember Shidou’s words only slimly, they went something along the lines of:
‘Marishi, we meet at last. You are in Yasha’s memories’

Just after Yan spoke up; the words she spoke were carved into Thanos’s memory:
"Leader of this game you play with you little human toys, you will answer me or you will die! You are to tell me of this 'game' of yours. If Yasha and the others are elements what are you! I want to know what this hatred between you and them is and what its cause is." She had screamed. What did she mean by it? Game? What game? And by elements what was she referring to? What was the hatred?

She never got an answer…

Thanos could remember how Shidou was angry beyond belief of Yan’s betrayal. He called her names like ‘fiend’ how could he when only a few years ago Yan fought for his and Ai’s life? When Mako decided that Shidou’s girlfriend Ai was better off dead! Yan fought against her.

Thanos could remember Namida getting involved in this argument by punching Yan in the back. Yan turned back handing Namida across the face, and of course that was when Thanos himself had gotten involved by grabbing Yan’s wrist. He had begged her to stop.

Her reply also echo through his mind continuously:
‘Shut up you asshole! All you care about is Namida! Namida Namida Namida!’ that was said right before she attempted to attack him with one of his own blades. But Thanos couldn’t be hit by those. Yan continued to rebel by using Namida’s sonic scream, which was horrid for all but Namida who put a stop to it.

Next it had been Katsu to act. Who held Yan still for only a moment before Yan escaped and ran afr through the field. Miko and Chuui chased after in pursuit before everyone fell into a world of memories and dreams.
Nobody saw Miko or Chuui alive after that.

Not long after Thanos had been distracted by Namida who fell into Xymite withdrawal. Thanos could remember Marishi because that’s who he set Namida on in her crazed rage. As for Yasha, he could remember very little other than her unusual closeness to Shidou.~~

Thanos reached the nearby town and placed Yasha down.
“Can you stand?” He asked.

***

Namida was led along in a waltz, she didn’t really know how to dance, but she didn’t need to. She could feel his thumb moved slowly across her hand, as if it was impatient. Whatever for, as only moments later, the man was in a furious kissing scene. Down her jaw, to her lips, he became more desperate. She could hear the lust in his voice, as well as the insanity. But Namida wasn’t going to stop him, as she was not in her right mind either. He may have been pulling at her clothing but she began tearing at his. She returned his kissing with some of her own, not passionate, not firm, just messy and lustful.

They waded into the water, clothing abandoned. Wrapped in one another’s arms still furiously kissing. They paused to look each other in the eyes. There was nothing there, no feeling, just numbness. The water was luke-warm, but their bodies radiated an intense heat. They took only a moment to gaze at one another before continuing where they’d left off.

They didn’t care if someone came by, they didn’t care if anyone saw them. They weren’t to be stopped. Namida gave herself to Mizu, released her control over the situation. The night was dark as they filled their minds and bodies with the ultimate bliss.

***

“Ow… Teguchi mumbled after he was punched harder than friendly hit in the stomach.
“What, make you furious? Never,” He joked sarcastically. He didn’t really know who Kai was but that was beside the point. Teguchi didn’t exactly understand what Yochi was talking about when she said ‘Without Kai here and Mizu being out of commission obviously, it is my job to make sure that everything is under control.’ He had an idea of who she was talking about visually, but had not a clue of what she meant by making sure everything was under control. Looking around at the completely destroyed city, Teguchi had a reasonable doubt in this whole ‘under control’ thing.

“Sleep? You need any help with that?” Teguchi raised an eyebrow.
“I’m really good at this whole sleeping thing. In fact I could sleep with you.” Teguchi grinned looming over Yochi playfully.
“Trust me, I am the best ‘sleeper’ you’ll ever try… er, meet. After all, I am, Te-Gu-Chi!” Teguchi struck a pose before returning to normal. Come on, there’s got to be another city or town nearby, or at least a road where cars will drive by, to hitchhike.”

Teguchi grabbed Yochi’’s wrist pulling her along, away from the coming sirens.

***

Naku gulped. He knew Shidou was going to be punished, that was a given. Mako wouldn’t kill him though, but she would destroy anything he cherishes. If Mako knew how close he and Shidou had been as kids, even Naku would be dead by now. Well, Mako had tried to kill him recently but that didn’t exactly work.
“We will come with you to find Yasha. Right now she’s in more danger than Shidou. Mako will not stop until she is dead.” Katsu replied. Naku just nodded.
“Honestly, I think we need to face Mako herself to put a stop to this...” Katsu continued but trailed off, knowing that defeating Mako would not be a simple task and they would need all the help they could get to succeed.

***

Demi’s attack villages, towns and cities in the area. Yan had gotten hold of some rather powerful ones at that. Yan had a new mission. She knew what needed to be done and how this story was going to go. They all needed to meet once again, Her, Marishi, Inu, The Majo, Yochi, Kaisei, Mizu, Yasha, Shidou, Mako, Naku, Katsu, and of course Thanos. There, using the Demi’s, she would end the life of her opponents. She hated them all, and she knew just what she needed to kill them: A Legendary Demi. A beast of horror, and Yan knew just were to find one.
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---> POST 468 By Mollymay5000 <---

For a brief moment, the man before her seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, just as she was lost in her own. Before long however, he soon returned with a question. She probably could stand it was true, yet at the same time she didn’t want to tell him so. She was exhausted and the ache that was forming in her chest was only getting worse.
“Yes, I can stand, but I might need a little support here and there. Would you be willing to help me get to the closest inn? I need to find my family. After that you can leave if you want to, there is nothing keeping you here…So really I guess what I am trying to say is that if you are busy than you can leave right now after trying to point me in the right direction” she said almost shyly.

Yasha looked down at her hands. They still looked the same and she remembered her appearance in the mirror at Shidou’s and other than her hair growth, she didn’t look that much different. It was completely opposite to how she felt though. On the inside she felt like she had changed a lot in the few months that had passed since the cottage in the woods with Mizu. The main reason she felt this change had been possible was of course because of Shidou. She brushed her fingers across her lips and smiled. Whatever happened no matter what, these memories would not fade.

~ ~ ~

Yochi let Teguchi pull her along and gradually the sirens became a mere distant annoyance in the background. She didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. The two of them had just shared something and they were each dealing with it in their own way. As usual Teguchi was being an asshole and she was being silent. If Kai had been there she would have been bubbling, but Kai was gone and she didn’t know when or if she was ever going to come back. She didn’t know how this was all going to end. It would be best if she separated herself as soon as possible before she became even more attached. After a few more minutes she spoke.
“I have a house in the next town over. We can stay there and it will be safe,” she said softly. “It is a…okay I’m not going to lie, it is a huge estate, but we won’t be noticed if we go there to stay. But I don’t want to stay there long. If we find a taxi just tell them…tell them to go to Greenhaven. We are close enough that they should know what that means. If not…I guess I am going to have to speak again before we get there.”

With that, Yochi became silent once more. She didn’t want to speak. She hadn’t been to Greenhaven in a long time and she wasn’t looking forward to it. It was an unpleasant place for her. She was afraid that if she spoke again all those thoughts would come out. Broken promises and broken hearts, that was all that Greenhaven stood for to her. When they arrived and rested, then maybe she would explain, and not a moment before.

~ ~ ~

Mahoko smiled wistfully in Katsu’s direction.
“This is something that I think we need to further discuss once we find Yasha. The things that I am going to tell you are things that she does not know either. I have sheltered her as much as possible. Some things are about her and some are not. There are things about the others as well, even the Majo and our origins.”

She moved swiftly and grabbed a light black cardigan and pulled it on.
“Would one of you mind hailing a cab? I’m afraid the average person feels awkward around my presence and will not stop for me, which is rather inconvenient,” she added as an afterthought.

~ ~ ~

In a darkly lit hotel room in the city of Lochshore stood two pasty and white haired people. Marishi smirked as she looked out the window at the site before her. Mizu had fallen hard this time, only this time would be the last. He wouldn't get back up again if she had her way with him. When the two bodies became one she pulled the curtains shut aggressively. Behind her, Inu stood waiting patiently.
"Come here pet," she said softly.

He moved slowly and with the sole purpose to please his mistress. His hand caressed her body in what was their own version of painful and lonely bliss..
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---> POST 469 By FBGSGDN <---

Thanos nodded. “The Inn is just down the road,” he pointed to large building, “You can see it from here.”
He looked back at Yasha who seemed to be lost in thought. She was a thinker, just like himself. Being around her made Thanos feel strange, as though he was having constant déjà vu. This girl reminded him of Yan, although the two were absolutely nothing alike. The thought of Yan curled Thanos’s stomach once again and he tried to tell himself mentally not to think about her. He returned his attention back to Yasha who had finished her happy dreaming. He pointed his finger a second time at the Inn.
“The Inn is right there…” He mumbled, feeling stupid for repeating himself. “Are you sure you want to go alone? I am headed to the Inn anyway. I need rest, food, and a telephone,” He shrugged. “I also have money, and you don’t look like you do.”

Thanos’s mind wandered to the change in his pocket. He had money, he was just running low. One seventh of a family fortune and a few years of paychecks had all been spent in the past few months, it was rather sad. But thinking of paychecks, the government owed him, so maybe he could just flash his battered up demi-hunter badge at the owners of the inn and they’d let him stay.

Thanos caught something out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a blue blur run around the side of the Inn. It almost seemed as though whatever it was, was hiding from them. Thanos shook the feeling, he was probably just tired.

***

They would pay, all of them. The path to their deaths was clear. Yan just needed to lure them out. Would they all come if she simply asked nicely? They had done so once before and surely regretted it; it was unlikely to work again. Yan would need leverage; something they couldn’t resist. A loved one could easily work. Yasha alone could lure out most of them. In fact, it was nearly a chain reaction. The only problem was Marishi. Yan didn’t know how to lure her out; Yan could not read her thought process. The small white haired boy could provide a chance, but how would she get him there? Either way, Yan had a new goal. If she could kidnap the little princess Yasha, everyone was doomed. For this task, Yan would need a plan.

Yan strolled out of the Inn, looking up to see just the people she needed most. Was it coincidence or fate? Down the dirt road a short ways, stood that red headed fool Yasha, and with her an even bigger fool, Thanos. It was peculiar they were together but this was Yan’s chance. If she could distract Thanos and have Demi’s attack Yasha… no, Yasha was no child. Yan remembered back to the day she and Thanos had first met Yasha. Demi’s attacked a stupid little cabin and Yasha was able to push them all away with ease. Demi’s would not work. Yan would need some help; help from an old friend… one that the others couldn’t recognize. Yan smiled as she slipped behind the Inn confident that Yasha and Thanos had not seen her. Even if they had, it didn’t matter; Yan was determined to succeed this time.

***

Teguchi pulled Yochi up next to him before letting go of her hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and continued along until they reached a road not in chaos over the explosion.
“A huge estate? I underestimated you.” Teguchi chuckled. “And if we’re not going to lie, I’ll have to tell you that an estate is what I am used to so I think I’ll be fine with that.”

There were no taxis in sight so the two continued down the road exhaustively. A truck was coming up behind them, headed in their direction and Teguchi took it upon himself to turn around and hold a thumb out. They couldn’t keep walking in their tired state. Teguchi wasn’t expecting the truck to stop but surprisingly it slowed into a screeching halt. Teguchi could tell this truck needed some serious maintenance. He sighed as he led Yochi over to the window of the truck.

Teguchi was expecting a beard old farmer of some kind to be driving but was surprised to see a young woman. In the passenger seat sat a man of the same age.
“Where are you two headed?” The woman called out.
“Greenhaven,” Teguchi replied, taking a look at the truck and noting there was in fact back seats and they wouldn’t have to sit on the back of the truck.
“We’re headed just past Greenhaven, hop in and we’ll take you there.” The woman smiled. She has long blonde hair tied into a pony tail and beautiful blue eyes. Teguchi couldn’t help but also noticing she was well-endowed. Teguchi gritted his teeth and struggled to look away. He smiled wearily at Yochi and helped her into the back seat. His own body was sore all over and he limbed in after her.

The group drove in silence for a short while until the woman finally spoke up. “You two look like you escaped an explosion.” She joked peering into her rear view mirror. Teguchi could only smirk at the irony of it. He wasn’t about to say they literally had.
“We’ve been through a lot recently,” was all he could say. He didn’t really want to have a conversation with these people, but they had been kind enough to over them a ride. If Teguchi had a phone on him he would have been able to call for someone to pick them up, but he had run out of the hotel with nothing in hand.

Teguchi noted that the male passenger was also keeping his eye on the two of them.
“So who’re you anyway?” The woman asked. Teguchi felt as though the woman was friendly enough but he was feeling cautious after all that happened.
“My name is Lee and this is my… half-sister, Kimberly.” Teguchi felt weird about lying to innocent strangers.
“Hm, I wouldn’t have taken you two for siblings you look nothing alike.” The passenger finally spoke up. Teguchi hadn’t realized he’d gotten that good of a look at the two of them.
“The mysteries of only being half related,” Teguchi mumbled, looking out the window.
“Don’t mind him; he doesn’t know how to keep things to himself. My name is Celia by the way, and this is Johan. We live nearby Greenhaven.” Celia continued in friendly conversation.
“Telling strangers where you live isn’t always a sign of friendliness, C.” Johan slid down in his seat, using the passenger side mirror to spy on Teguchi and Yochi.

The group went quiet for a good majority of the drive before the silence was interrupted by a quiet ring. It came from a cellular phone which belonged to the passenger, Johan, who sat up straight in his seat before answering.
“What is it?” Johan lazily sighed out. Teguchi was familiar with answering a phone with such a phrase. It was something said when you knew exactly who was calling and was annoyed about receiving the call at all.
“No, I am with C and a pair of dirty hitchhikers.” Johan mumbled in reply to whoever was on the other end of the phone. Teguchi narrowed his eyes at Johan’s choice of words. He and Yochi were not dirty hitchhikers, but Teguchi chose to let it go.
“No,” Johan paused, “Yes, I remember,” He paused again. Teguchi couldn’t help himself from listening to Johan’s every word. There was something about him that just didn’t sit right.
“What do you want?” Johan slumped back down in his seat. “Who?” There was a silence after this question and Teguchi tilted his head to see if he could see Johan in the passenger side mirror. Johan’s eyes were closed and he had an irritated look on his face.
“It’s your own fault-“ Johan cut of mid-sentence as though he were interrupted. “Fine. Is that all you want?”
Teguchi sat back in his seat and looked at the rear view mirror. He could see Celia’s face, she looked worried.
“I owe you one favor, not two.” Johan continued. “Fine. I’m on my way.” Johan slammed his cell phone shut and shoved it in his pocket.
“Who was that?” Celia Questioned.
“Nobody.” Johan muttered.
“Where do you need to go?” She continued her questioning.
“The opposite direction than we are currently heading. Why?”
“Just curious. Do you want me to turn around?”
“No, you have your precious hitchhikers to take of. Just pull over, I’ll find my own way.”

Celia looked angry but pulled over as he had requested.
Johan got out of the car hastily but looked at Yochi before closing the door. He seemed as though he were analyzing her. As though, he was actually just getting a good look at her now.
“Have we met?” It sounded as though he were questioning himself. He shook his head before saying, “No, we couldn’t have.” He slammed the door and proceeded to walk back down the road.

“You’ll have to forgive him. He doesn’t have the most likeable personality. But we are almost to Greenhaven.” Celia reassured Teguchi and Yochi before continuing to drive.

Teguchi said nothing the rest of the drive.

***

Katsu nodded in agreement with Mahoko. They had to act quickly if they were going to help anyone. She headed outside and hailed a taxi for the three of them.
“Why do we need to drive? I can teleport.” Naku mumbled as they climbed inside. His comment was responded with Katsu’s elbow in his gut. “What did I do?” He complained.

As the three drove off Katsu spoke up again about Mako.
“Mako is strong. Last time we had to fight her, she killed several of our allies.” Katsu thought back to the grim day.
“It was a bloodbath. Our friends and family slaughtered in only minutes by Mako. I had family, siblings, and the strongest of my kind. They didn’t stand a chance. Namida also had family, loved ones who were mercilessly killed because they were trying to help. But the one who lost the most, who will always loose the most, was Shidou.”
Naku gave Katsu a unusual look, he had a grim look across his face.
“Truth be told,” Katsu continued, “History is just repeating itself. As it always does.”
The taxi turned a hard corner, throwing the three passengers into one another. Katsu gave the driver a harsh look before sitting herself up properly.
“My brother has a thing for young red heads.” Naku said lightly as he rubbed his shoulder which he’d hit of the door.
“What Naku means is, Shidou used to know a girl very similar to Yasha. Her name was Ai. She was younger than him and red haired just like Yasha is. I don’t know if that’s why Shidou took an interest in her but Mako won’t hesitate to kill her. The reason we fought with Mako in the past was to protect Ai and although Naku and I will help you and Shidou to stop Mako from doing so, I do not think everyone will be so willing.”

Yasha nodded more to herself than anything before she realized that she needed to respond to what Thanos had said. It was true; she didn’t have any money at her. Her clothes were disgusting and she had no idea how she was going to get back on her feet by herself. She had never been alone before. There had always been an adult presence to make sure that she had everything that she needed. A thought nagged at the back of her mind though. She didn’t even have the comforting presence of the Majo anymore. It seemed that everyone had left her alone to fend for herself. It didn’t matter though because she was going to be able to handle because she had to. It was after this that she remembered that she still hadn’t responded to her new companion.
“Oh, yeah, I don’t have any money, so it would be, uh, good if you could help me a little bit? I’ll pay you back as soon as I can!” Yasha said with hesitation in her voice.

She did feel bad that she had to rely on this man that hadn’t even intended to come across her. She knew that she would owe him a lot for this help, but she needed somewhere to collect her thoughts and push the rest of the baby her to the side. For the first time she looked at her surroundings. The place they were in was small, but not so small as to be empty. There were people around but not so many. The people that were there were giving them strange looks, or rather, her strange looks. She was momentarily annoyed until she thought about it. She did have a violent rash and bright red hair, so she probably looked out of place in such a small community. She smiled to herself. She would be okay, she knew it.

~ ~ ~

Yochi didn’t say a word throughout the whole drive to Greenhaven. While Teguchi made small talk with their drivers she looked out the window, trying to absorb what had happened to them that day. The timing of the year of was off; she had never lost control like that in the spring before. It was something that she hadn’t thought about in the moment but now that she had a moment to catch her breath and think in blissful silence she was confused. Spring was Kai’s time of year, but then again, Kai wasn’t really around. Yochi didn’t know why it had happened, but she assumed it was because Kai’s soul had faded to almost nothing; she was just physically not there. She assumed that it had thrown off the balance and was messing up their internal chemistry, but then again, everything about this cycle had been weird, so nothing really made sense anyway.

Thinking about Kai made her think about what it had felt like when she had disappeared, but she stopped this thought before it had fully begun because she did not want to cry in front of Teguchi, let alone some random strangers that they were hitching a ride with. Thinking of Teguchi made her look over to him. He seemed like he was deep in thought and when they stopped to let the man out of the truck, he seemed rather troubled. Absorbed in her own thoughts, Yochi hadn’t really caught why he was leaving, but she also didn’t really care. She was in a bad enough mood as it was and the longer she was in the truck and the closer she got to Greenhaven, the crankier she became.

After travelling for quite some time, she shifted her weight and cleared her throat. She noticed that it had become rather sore from her lack of speech yet she managed to speak strongly and clearly.
“You can drop us here, that’ll be great thanks,” she managed confidently.

She could see the confusion on the young woman’s face. Where she had asked her to stop was on the side of the road. Since leaving Lochshore they had turned off the main stretch and turned onto a small dirt road that led to Greenhaven. Greenhaven was a very small village rather out of touch with the rest of the world. Despite the bizarre location she pulled over and let them out without question. Yochi slid out of the truck and just assumed that Teguchi would get out after her, not that he needed to, she would be fine by herself. He did follow her out of the truck but did stop to thank the young woman for the drive; her name was Cecila, Yochi discovered. The two stood in silence until the truck disappeared. Yochi knew that Teguchi was probably curious, but she didn’t feel like speaking, rather than that, she felt sick to her stomach. Where they stood was as rural as it could get even though the dusty road that they were on was pretty close to the main highway that led out of Lochshore. On one side of the road was an open field of hay and on the other side was a dense forest; that was the side that they were on.

With a deep breath, Yochi jumped into the ditch and made her way into the forest. Even though she hadn’t been there in 100 years, the forest still had the same feeling to her as it always had. It chilled her to the bone and the hair on her arms stood on end. It was worsened by her impatience with the location period. The trees were extraordinarily large with thick foliage, making maneuvering through the trees nearly impossible. The sticks kept scratching her and tearing at her clothes and it was pissing her off. She remembered when the trees had danced for her when she made her way here to Kai. She was so lost in these thoughts that when they broke through the trees it took her a moment to absorb what she saw before her.

When Yochi finally settled her gaze on the large home in front of them her stomach twisted and she felt the bile rise in her throat before she managed to force it down. Memories flew at her from every direction but he brushed them to the side which only made her nausea increase. She took a deep breath and sighed. It was harder than she thought to be in this place even though she knew that it was safe. In an effort to forget her rolling stomach, she continued forward to the mansion that stood before them. It was a huge three storey brick home with white trim around the windows. The front door was guarded by large white columns. The garden in front of the house was extensive with two large trees sitting comfortably within that. None of this was as apparent as it would have been later in the year though; the spring was still evident in the lack of flowers and leaves on the trees, though the birds chirped happily. It brought feelings of nostalgia.

Yochi began moving towards the house in silence, maneuvering around the various objects easily. When she reached the front door she opened it; there was no lock. The inside of the home was a grand as the exterior. The entryway had extremely high ceilings despite the evident historical age of the home. It was also very bright and for the most part, updated. The entryway was large and in front of them there was a large staircase that led to the second level. At the top of those stairs there was a magnificent oil painting. It consisted of two young women and a young man. The women had with black hair and green hair and the man with blue hair. They wore clothing from the 1800’s and all looked beautiful and youthful. The bile rose in Yochi’s throat again and this time, the vomit hit the floor.

~ ~ ~

Mahoko listened to the two quietly as the taxi brutalized them while driving but her thoughts were a little conflicted. She was paying attention to the yes, but she was also paying attention to Yasha’s presence, which was challenging without the girl knowing that she was there. She knew that Yasha was safe at the moment but she felt dark aura near her, and that was concerning. They weren’t that far, but they also weren’t that close either. She hoped that they would make it before anything bad happened to the girl but at the same time, almost thought it would be better if they left her to her own devices.
“This situation is complicated. We need to act carefully to cause the least amount of damage to the people in the surrounding areas. Anybody that doesn’t have awareness of the darkness in the world should be kept from it. Not only that, but if your companions do not desire to assist, they do not have to. It will end this year regardless of what anybody does. I am merely attempting to reduce the amount of blood that will be spilled,” she said in a gentle tone. “This is dark enough a story that the ending will not come out scotch free. There will be stains regardless of the outcome. I fear for the people that need not be involved. It is unfair that any of you were involved in the first place. I am genuinely conflicted about what would be the best source of action and appreciate any opinions you may have…However, we need to leave this taxi to do so,” she finished in a hushed tone, out of hearing reach of the driver of the taxi.

Thanos gave a lazy smile, putting his hand upon Yasha’s shoulder and turning her to walk towards the inn. They got several unwelcoming looks but only because they were strangers. Thanos had visited this town only one before and he doubted anyone would remember him.

The two misfits found their way into the Inn where they were greeted by a young, brown haired girl behind a counter. “We’re in need of a room, separate beds, and I’ll need to use your phone,” Thanos mumbled pulling out a worn, tattered government ID.
“Hunter? Well, today is an unusual day indeed. I’d never heard of people like you before today,” the young girl replied happily after gazing at the ID for only a moment. “We don’t see many new faces around here apart from the occasional lost traveller. But you two are not the first new faces I’ve seen today,” the girl explained digging under the desk for a key and handing it to Thanos.
“Your phone?” Thanos reminded her. The girl smiled and pointed out a phone on the wall. Thanos walked to the phone and before picking it up he looked at the girl again. “And if you could tell my friend there where the nearest restaurant is…” He trailed off as he picked up the phone and turned his attention to dialing a number.
“There’s a family dinner next door,” the girl leaned forward on the counter, her attention on Yasha. “Allergic to something? Or did you roll around in a patch of poisonous ivy?” The girl giggled thinking she’d made a clever joke. “Bright hair also seems to be a common thing here today. Is the red natural? I’ve always considered dying my hair red but I don’t think it would ever be that bright.”

Thanos had dialed and gotten no answer several times before finally getting an answer from someone.

***

“I’m sure it would be much easier to decide what the next action should be if we knew where it was we were supposed to be,” Katsu mumbled also wanting to be free of the Taxi.
“I can get us around pretty quick if we know where to go. I am pretty good at mentally tracking people unless they’re being hidden by something. If my brother and Yasha have returned there is a slight chance I could find them, but it may be take a while,” Naku added, knowing his tracking skills would never be as good as many others but that he had the best bet in trying to find his own flesh and blood.

A quiet vibration could be heard in the Taxi but was ignored at first. It could have been easily mistaken as a sound the Taxi itself could have made. After a short while Katsu realized that it was coming from her pocket. She had nearly forgotten she owned a cell phone and couldn’t believe it still had the power to take a call. As she took it out its silver glare from the sun projected in Naku’s eyes before he was able to cover them.

“Hello?” Katsu question carefully. After a moment of listening she switched the phone to speaker so Naku and Mahoko could both hear the other side.
“It’s Thanos.” They heard and Naku sat back, disappointed it wasn’t someone more important. “I’m here with Yasha, the red headed one. We’re alright but I was hoping to get your opinion on something I found,” Thanos said casually not realizing the group had been looking for Yasha themselves.
“You’re with Yasha?” Naku sat straight up and leaned closer to the phone. “Is she okay? Where’s Shidou? Is he okay?”
Thanos was quiet for a moment as he realized they were more curious about the girl than anything he had to tell them.
“She’s fine. A little itchy perhaps, but otherwise healthy,” Thanos mumbled in reference to her irritated skin.
“Itchy? Where’s Shidou?” Naku continued to question anxiously.
“Shidou’s not with us. I don’t know where he is. But that’s not why I’m calling.” Thanos tried to turn the conversation around to what he felt was more important.
“Where are you? We need to talk to Yasha,” Katsu interrupted, not listening to what Thanos was trying to tell them.
“It looks like that small town we passed through a few years back, Greenhaven. It should be not far from Lochshore if I remember correctly,” Thanos replied before attempting again to change the topic. “But there is something important I need to tell you.”
“I don’t have a jump spot in that town. Can you send a picture?” Naku requested, still not listening to Thanos. Thanos pulled the phone away from his ear for only a moment observing the fact it was not a cell phone and that he becoming frustrated with Naku and Katsu alike.
“No, I cannot send a picture. Try the internet. Now, Katsu, listen to me. I finally found—” Thanos was cut off suddenly by the sound of beeping from the other side. Naku had grabbed the phone and was pressing buttons at random.
“I don’t think this phone has access to the internet,” Naku complained. “What is the nearest location to that town that I might be able to jump to instead? We need to see Yasha as soon as we can.”

Thanos let out a long sigh, pulling the phone away from his ear and staring at it as though he were imagining it as Naku’s face. He could hear Naku continuing to talk on the other end but after some deep consideration, hung up the phone. They would likely find their way eventually.

***

Teguchi followed Yochi through the woods, unsure of where they were headed. He trusted that she knew what she was doing but he was still feeling very weak himself and disliked the treacherous hike. When they reached the large, extravagant house, Teguchi was reminded of his own home. Except this one was very old, likely built in the 1800’s, and the grass around it was heavily grown over. It had not been up kept at all and Teguchi assumed it would look just as old inside.

Inside was very large, but with a thick layer of dust and grime. It needed serious care as well as pest control. Teguchi could tell that at one time this house must have been quite grand. Someone very wealthy and posh must have lived there.
Teguchi quickly spotted the portrait atop the stairs and gave an analyzing gaze as he took in exactly what it was he was seeing.
“Either your family genetics are incredible, or you are your own ancestor,” He joked pointing out the green haired girl, unsure of what to think.

It was only moments later that Yochi vomited, causing Teguchi to take a few steps back before sighing. He was unaware that she was feeling sick and he wasn’t exactly sure how to react.
Without saying a word he moved around the mess and placed his hand on her wrist, moving her hand away from her mouth. He held back her hair with his other hand and waited a moment to make sure she wasn’t going to throw up again.
“Careful, you wouldn’t want to ruin the historical factor of the floor,” he tried to joke before guiding her away from the mess and back outside where he’d spotted a well.
Luckily the well hadn’t dried up and Teguchi used that to his advantage to wash up Yochi a bit.
“You okay?” He question quietly looking into her eyes. “Mind letting me in on what we are doing here?”