NOTE: Hey, I'm back! Okay so this is the long promised sequel to Fire of Winds! Hurrah! However, don't expect weekly updates or anything like that, because I don't know when I will have time to work on and update this. I'm sorry about that, but my schedule doesn't like me right now. Please, enjoy and let me know what you think!

Firestorm

Masked figures gathered around a dimly lit table, smoke from the candles giving the heavy air around them a mystic quality. Long moments of silence passed, but no one spoke. They all just sat still, and waited. Soft footfalls slowly grew louder, and the velvet darkness sliced open by a door, allowing bright lights to briefly illuminate the place. A tall figure in white briskly walked in, a small young woman with emotionless eyes at his side. His face was in shadows, but the flickering candlelight caught the gleam of the mask on his face.

"That meeting took a little longer than expected, but sorry to have kept you waiting. Now, then, gentleman, shall we begin?" He said, walking until he was at the front of the congregation. The masked figures around him shifted around, one stepping forward to speak.

"Master Bernhardt, in regards to your report on the Kannagi girl, we have reviewed the results and find them somewhat lacking." At the man's words, Bernhardt chuckled softly, still half hidden in shadows. The speaker cleared his throat and shifted a little nervously, but continued. "It is our belief that a more thorough and conclusive study of the woman hosting the Spirit King of Fire needs to be done. Her untapped potential power may just be the key we need to summon the great Belial."

Bernhardt laughed scornfully and leaned forward in his chair, allowing the flickering flame to illuminate his face. Half was hidden under a white mask, but the other half was horrible disfigured, burned so badly that some of the masked members turned away, repulsed. Smirking, the blond magic user leaned back into the shadows, slinging an arm around the still shoulders of the doll-like girl always by his side.

"Indeed, she is the key to resurrecting Belial into this world. But getting her is the problem. I failed, as you can see, and paid a price for it. She is strong, as is the one who guards her. But, there may yet be a way to get her." He said, voice dropping as his eyes gleamed maliciously. "Listen to me, my brothers, and I will tell you the only chance we have to capture that girl." He stroked his female companion's skin softly, a devilish smile stretching his ruined face.

The dark figures gathered close as an ominous aura filled the room and snuffed out the light, leaving only the sickly glow of Bernhardt's eyes behind.

"Heeeyah!" Sweat flew from my brow as I swung Enraiha, the magical sword crackling with crimson flames. Scorch marks marred the surface of the sparing room, but I didn't stop moving. I continued to go through my forms, the whole time concentrating on the flow of power through the sword. Sweeping the weapon down and out, I slowly released more spirit energy into the blade, watching the flame go from Crimson to a blue-tinged flame before finally morphing into a violet fire. Calm, Ayano, control….

My hands started shaking and my lungs burned, but I just tightened my grip and refused to allow myself to quit. I shook my head hard, sending more sweat flying and tried to even out my breathing. Only once I was perfectly centered again did I start swinging the blade once more, sending waves of devastating energy rolling out across the room without burning anything. To control that fire and not let it burn… Yes!

'You may be strong, Princess, but you'll never be stronger than me.' The mocking words echoed in my mind, breaking my control and calm. I gripped the sword tighter, my jaw clenched hard, but couldn't hold back the surge of erratic energy that accompanied my volatile grew heavy in my arms as I tried to continue my exercise, and the violet flamed flickered once, then winked out.

I growled, lowering the wooden sword. "Stupid Kazuma…" I growled, whirling and slicing the air with my sword. Letting out another curse, I spun and stabbed the space in front of me, pretending it was the source of my aggravation. "Stupid stupid STUPID!" I screamed, shooting a fireball down Enraiha and watching it sail across the room and smash into the far wall, where it went out, leaving a scorched burn on the paper.

Panting, I lowered the sword and rubbed the back of my hand against my head. How dare that arrogant prick say that I can't match him!? I'm Ayano Kannagi, and I don't allow anyone to say that they're better than me! So what if he's older? So what if he's had a billion times more experience than me and is a Contractor to boot? That doesn't matter. I'm a Kannagi, the heir, and the vessel for the Spirit King of Fire. I am NOT a pushover and I'm going to prove it to that blustering imbecile if it's the last thing I ever do!

Muttering insults under my breath, I held the sword up and bowed towards the center of the room. Once I straightened, I clapped my hands together and watched the spirit sword vanish into my flames. I haven't spoken to that idiot in almost three days, ever since he told me I wasn't as strong as him. After I'd gotten done burning his butt and trashing his apartment, I'd run home and not left the compound. Since he doesn't like to come here, that's left me with time to do nothing but practice… and think.

"Why won't Kazuma recognize my strength?" I wondered aloud as I walked to where my towel and water bottle were waiting. I wiped off my face and neck as I thought. The answer still hasn't come to me, despite hurting my brain over it for hours. Kazuma has never said that I can't do something before, or insulted my powers and abilities. In fact, he's made it a point to always be honest about how much he admires my strength, and that he considers me a partner in every way. Of course, that jerk's never had a problem telling me that my way of doing things is a little barbaric, but he has always supported me, recognized that I'm strong.

Recently, however, he hasn't been as willingly to let me fight my own battle when we go out on missions together. He wraps me in a wind barrier or destroys our targets from far away, before I can do anything. No matter how much I yell and scream, he refuses to tell me why or change his ways. It's like he's gone into super overprotective man mode or something. My hands stilled. I've seen this type of crazy behavior before from him. Right before I was captured by Bernhardt, he'd been all uneasy and wacko about me doing my job. Eventually Kazuma told me it was because he'd had a nightmare about me being hurt back then. However, there is no reason for him to act like that now, is there?

I tried to think. Let's lay out the fact you know, Ayano. One, Kazuma can sense things that aren't always clear to me, like changes in the spiritual energy which can come about because something big is about to go down. Two, he's an arrogant bastard who thinks he has to take everything on by himself instead of asking for help. And three, he likes to make me angry. So this means that maybe he's aware of something bad building up? I shook my head, sending my fire hair flying. He hasn't been acting like he's felt anything nasty. Logically, then, something has changed from before the Bernhardt incident is making him act this way. The only difference between us is… My face flamed. Oh… right, that.

"He isn't acting like a crazy overprotective idiot because we're…. doing that, is he?" I whispered, face flaming at the thought. Just last month, Kazuma and I had finally taken our relationship beyond flirting and fighting to actual physical intimacy. I still can't think about it too much, not without a severe increase in temperature, but I guess this means were are d-d-dating. And I've seen boyfriends go into alpha male mode on their girlfriends before at school.

Now that I think about it, though, Kazuma's weird behavior did start after we were at his apartment on my eighteenth birthday. Do all men become stupid like this once they have women? I need to talk to someone, but who can I trust not to a.) blab to Kazuma or b.) embarrass me halfway to death and back? Nanase and Yukari are out of the picture, then. So that leaves…

Catherine? I shook my head. She's still in love with Kazuma so I wouldn't put it past her to try and intentionally confuse me so I make Kazuma angry. Not that I need any help getting under the wind mage's skin; I'm pretty good at that all on my own. A natural talent of mine, thank you! Detective Tachibana would be helpful and willing to talk to me, but I'm still awkward around her so I'm just gonna scratch her off my list.

That just leaves one person, then. Mind made up, I tossed my towel over my shoulder and trotted out of the training hall, water bottle in hand. Instantly, the heat of summer washed over me, the sticky air making my already damp training clothes cling to me. I love this weather, when there isn't a breath of wind in the air and the heat just presses in on you… It's a fire magic users best friend.

"Ayano!" I turned at my name a being called and smiled and the blonde haired boy running towards me from across the compound. He skidded to a halt next to me, blowing his bangs back so he could meet my gaze. It still shocks me how much he's grown in just a year.

"Ren, seriously, stop growing, okay? You're tall as me now." I said, getting him in a head lock and rubbing my knuckles against his scalp. He yelped out a laugh and managed to twist free, unusual emerald eyes sparkling. Seeing him so happy is a balm to my aching head and I grinned back at him. "So, what did you need?"

"Nothing, but one of the branch family members mentioned you were here today so I wanted to come say hello. I hardly see you anymore since you've been staying over at Kazuma's place so much." He said good-naturedly, a big smile on his face. I growled and clenched my hand so hard I broke the plastic water bottle in my grasp. The spilled liquid steamed when it touched my skin as my anger caused my temperature to rise. Ren leapt back and watched me carefully.

"Yeah, well, this is my home, Ren. I live here. So it shouldn't be weird for me to be here, right? Right?!" I asked lowly. He waved his hands at me, face paling as my anger caused the air around us to heat up even more.

"No no no, that's not what I meant. It's just this past month you've stayed over at my brother's apartment more than you've stayed here, and I never see you anymore since I don't go on missions with you, and you've been busy, and Jugo said that you're moving out –" Ren's frantic ramble got cut off by my shriek, which sent the birds chattering up into the air.

"Father said I'm WHAT? Argh, why does he always try to make decisions for me? I thought we were over this!" I turned on my heel and started marching for the main house. Father would be in the receiving hall at this time of day, and boy had he be prepared to take the fury coming his way. Ren followed along behind, head hung low.

None of the family tried to stop me as I stormed across the Kannagi Compound. Even the weakest member of the clan could feel the fire spirits dancing in response to my emotions. And everyone knew what the look on my face meant. I'm infamous for my temper and my crazy mood swings, after all. Though when I learned that young branch family members are instructed on my moods so that they know when to avoid me, I got a little testy.

Of course, according to a stupid wind mage, I'm always testy. I growled again as my once thought about him once more, and slammed open the door to the reception hall. As expected, my father was kneeling on his pillow at the front of the room. Not expected were Cousin Genma and Tachibana beside him. The female detective jumped a little at my entrance, but neither Father nor his cousin even seemed to notice me. Instead, Father calmly picked up one of the many papers placed in front of him and continued talking to the others like I wasn't even there.

"And this is all the data that your organization has compiled?" He asked Tachibana. The woman snapped her spine straight and nodded, reaching out to slide another paper towards Cousin Genma.

"Yes, and the evidence reached is conclusive and identical to what the American team discovered. It's troubling, and based on the components involved, we were asked to bring it to you." She said, frowning as Genma silently looked over his paper before passing it to Father. Clearing her throat, she lifted a hand and brushed her hair back, an action I have learned to associate with her trying to steady her nerves. A sick stone landed in my gut. What would ruffle her? The answers that came to my mind were nothing good.

"Normally, this would be a cause for concern and each clan would take independent actions to quickly settle the issue. However, based on the recent conflicts here and in other countries, all the other clan leaders have seen fit to categorize this as a spirit magic user emergency and ask that every powerful clan put aside their differences to work together on the issue." Tachibana's words had my worry notching up again, but also my fear and anger. If something was happening, a bad enough issue that the clans were asking for complete cooperation, then why was I being kept out of the loop? Something isn't right here, and I'm going to figure it out.

"Hey!" I shouted as loud as I could, stepping into the room. "I know you know I'm here, so don't just ignore me like a nuisance. If something is going on, then I deserve to know about it, don't I? Maybe I can help." Storming in, I dropped my bag by the far wall and knelt to the right of Father, still ranting. Seeing him reminded me of the main reason I'd come looking for him anyway. "And I wanted to talk to you about your bad habit again, Father."

He sighed and closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath before turning and meeting my gaze. "Ayano, this is not the time for your petulance. You are not a child any longer, so learn a little self control or you'll never be a strong leader for the Kannagi Clan." His gentle reprimand wasn't that bad, but coming after what Wind-Jerk said to me, and my own heightened anger, I kinda... lost it.

My hair rippled about me as my anger drove me to my feet, hands clenched tight at my sides. "So now you're treating me like an idiot, too? What is it about me that makes men think I can't do anything? I can understand Kazuma because, yeah, he's just a jerk, but you too, Father? Haven't I always tried to do the best that I can? Aren't I making an effort to learn and change? I'm trying as hard as I can, and I train until I bleed, but nobody but me ever seems to remember that!" I screamed, bringing my hands up to my chest as I grew more upset, throat closing and eyes burning. What is wrong with me? My emotions have always been a little on the extreme side, but now I feel like I'm going to cry. Biting my lip hard, I looked away from my relatives and stared hard at the wall, breathing deep to try and control myself.

Cousin Genma sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "So you two argued; that's what's been wrong with my idiot son. Whatever he said, forget about it, but Jugo is correct. You need to calm down. This isn't some petty matter we're dealing with, Ayano. Clan heirs around the world are being kidnapped, and if they are recovered, all their spirit energy is gone, drained away."

My angry tears froze at that information. Spirit energy draining? I clutched at my arm as a shiver worked through my body, turning to look at their serious faces again and seeing the same memories in their eyes. That horrible incident last year, where I was captured and had my own energy drained away… I still have nightmares about it. I've woken up screaming, feeling like that deathly cold is taking hold of me again. Sometime I think I see the monster that had done it to me at the corner of my eye. But I had killed that yoma, hadn't I? My confused eyes sought out Father.

Without my having to say a word, he understood, just like he always has. He nodded his graying head and handed me the stapled papers he'd been looking at, covered in data. "It is similar to what happened to you in the past. However, none of the recovered victims have markings similar to what we documented on you while your energy was being drained. After hearing about your incident, I informed all the clan heads I know of the symptoms just in case, so that yoma has already been ruled out of the possible list of suspects. That's a list of missing heirs, and this, -" he handed me another paper with much less information on it "- is the list of those who have been recovered so far."

I bit my lip and skimmed my eyes down the missing person list. Each one had a picture and indentifying information next to the last known location. Some of the names I recognized from MagiChat. These were powerful clan heirs, not branch family members or rouge magic users. None of the kidnapped victims appeared to be under the age of fourteen, so most of them would have highly developed powers, if not completely mature. It would still be difficult to tackle such a group of people. What in the world is going on?

Detective Tachibana started talking as Ren crept into the room and sat next to me, taking the paper from my hands. I lightly put my hand on his knee and squeezed as he started looking through the names. He had friends on MagiChat too, although technically he isn't supposed to be on there since he isn't an heir. But he's part of the main family, and when he was little he didn't really have any friends because of his appearance, so I'd let him get on sometimes when I was studying in my room. I hope none of the missing or recovered heirs are ones he knows. The poor kid has had enough loss in his life already.

"All the agencies that work with spirit magic clans have compiled what we know about the cases. At first we thought it was random, some strange coincidence, but then we realized a pattern. All the heirs who are captured are from powerful families, ones well known for their spirit magic abilities. The heirs are captured while working summoned yoma eradication cases, and the scene of the kidnapping is marked by a noted absence of spirits. The most telling feature, though, is that a mirror-like object is left at every scene." Tachibana's words jerked me out of my worry about Ren.

"Wait, that's Bernhardt's shtick!" I exclaimed, sitting up. Father motioned me to continue speaking, even though I'd just interrupted someone. Raising a hand in apology to Tachibana, I continued. "He's slick, so he never directly involves himself in the dirty work, but he's also sadistic, so he likes to watch. When all those demon summoning were taking place back then, the other heirs told me that all those scenes had mirror thingies at them, too. And there was one when he caught me, as well as the one I used to contact Father and Kazuma when they came searching for me. Is this Bernhardt acting up again?" I asked, proud at actually having thought of something intelligent all by myself. Then I realized how messy things would become if I were correct and wilted back onto my heels. I don't want to look at the masked freakazoid ever again.

"That is a possibility, but we can't be too certain. He heads a powerful organization with great power in the West, so we can't brazenly go laying blame on them, even though we know of his close connection to cultist activities. For right now, we will just have to try and gather more information. All we know for certain now is that powerful clan heirs are being targeted; the rest is circumstantial." Father said, crossing his arms in thought. I blew my hair out of my face. I hate waiting, and I hate trying to figure things out even more. Just let me go burn something already.

"Um…" Every looked up when Ren spoke, setting the papers down in front of him. I had almost forgotten he was in the room. Seriously, the kid is quiet sometimes. If not for his powerful purifying abilities, I would have thought him a wind mage. He blushed at being the sudden focus of everyone in the room, but straightened himself and continued. "I guess this is kind of obvious, but if powerful family heirs are being targeted, then isn't Ayano in danger, too?" He pointed at me. I blinked. Me? Well, I guess I am the Kannagi heir, but…

"I can take care of myself, you know!" I laughingly waved my hands, trying to brush his concern off. It was cute, but not needed. "I've got Enraiha and my fire magic, so no worries. Any baddies come after me and I'll just burn them to a crisp." To demonstrate, I set my hand on fire and clenched my fist, wiggling my eyebrows at Ren.

"Really? Who was the idiot princess who not only got herself captured by the enemy last year, but nearly gave them exactly what they wanted by running off without thinking?" I froze, fire quenching, as that cool gravelly voice washed over me. Slowly, I turned to look at the open door as a chokingly powerful wave of spirit energy washed into the room.

Tall and handsome, Kazuma Yagami smirked at me as he walked in, hands shoved into that jacket he wore almost everywhere he went. Those tight jeans clung to his sculpted thighs as he walked, cupping his beautiful backside as he stalked around Tachibana and headed straight for me, his power coating the entire space. I gritted my teeth, knowing he was doing it on purpose, and glared at him. Kazuma can choke down his spirits completely so that no one can sense him – which is how he had gotten to the room without being discovered in the first place – but he wasn't for two obvious reasons.

Reason one, his father was sitting in the room and the two men always have to challenge one another as soon as they meet. So by filling up the meeting hall with his vast spirit energy, Kazuma was not so subtly having a manly contest with his father. By the glare directed at him by Cousin Genma, I think the other fire mage appreciated it about as much as I do. Those cinnamon brandy colored eyes shifted over to me and a purely devilish smirk curled across his full lips. I felt a growl rumble in my throat as reason number two for his actions reared its ugly head. I'm hyper sensitive to Kazuma's wind spirits now, something he is well aware of and likes to use to his perverted advantage. I can always sense him if he isn't dampening his powers, and my body heats up at the fainted touch of his spirit.

My cheeks flushing with embarrassed heat, I spiked my own spirit magic energy, causing a faint crackle to appear in the air. The resistance between our two abilities cooled his impact on me, allowing me to draw in air again without feeling like I was being drowned in him. Still sporting that stupid grin, Kazuma reined his powers back in and stopped beside me.

Cheerfully, he shoved Ren over, taking his little brother's place at my side, albeit close enough so that when he sat, his arm casually brushed against my side. Still mad at him for his previous crime and his arrogant actions just now, I shoved him away from me. Without missing a beat, though, he just sat back down, closer than before, and slid his hand down my back to fondle my rear. I flushed red and looked away, back going ramrod straight. Darn him, perverted pixie! We are right in front of my family, and Tachibana! I pinched his fondling arm and scratched at him, but his hand just squeezed my backside all the tighter. Curse his beautiful bum… where does he get his good looks from anyway?

I slide my eyes over to him, my glare promising death but unable to stop it from softening as I gazed at him. Kazuma is truly stunning. He's got those beautiful eyes that hint at his fire magic lineage even if he doesn't have the power, and a chiseled face which screams sex fiend. I've seen him use his good looks on cases before, pumping information from unsuspecting women. Even I have a hard time denying that Kazuma's face is attractive. Not just his face, either. His body is hard and muscular, too, covered in delectable tan skin and numerous scars from his years on his own. I've traced my way across them many times now. It's not fair that he is charming and gorgeous, really! He needs to pick one or the other.

My gaze flicked over to Cousin Genma, who was still glowering at his son. They look similar, but Kazuma has a prettier edge to him than the older man, though they can both charm the socks off any female they wanted. Where Kazuma is beguiling and mysterious, his father is rugged and steadfast. But they both use these traits in exactly the same way. I've seen Cousin Genma work before, and it's eerie how similar he is to Kazuma.

Once again, my eyes wondered back to the man beside me. It's impossible for me to not stare when he's so close to me. He just… draws my gaze wherever he's at. I seek him out, much as it kills me to admit that. Even before we got together in a relationship, I'd been like that. Unable to stop myself from looking at him, getting breathless whenever he was close… he's always had this impact on me. I hate it, but crave it.

"Yo, I know I'm sexy, but try to focus that brain of yours on something else, Princess." Kazuma's words snapped me out of my daze. I shrieked, trying to punch him in his too pretty face. He caught my flying fist easily, like always, and used my momentum to pull me off balanced. Yelping, I ended up sprawled across him with my face in his lap. Wildly flailing, I tried to get up, but he crossed his arms around my back and held me to him, not even budging when I started pounding on his back with my fists.

"So, continuing the discussion?" Kazuma didn't sound the least bit disturbed to having my family seeing me face first in his lap. My entire body started heating up with embarrassment and I screamed, the sound muffled by Kazuma's body. I'm not a pervert, nor an exhibitionist, but apparently Kazuma is.

"I called you two hours ago, Boy. You certainly took your time getting here." Cousin Genma spoke coldly to his oldest son and I sighed, flopping listlessly in Kazuma's hold. Nearby, I heard my sigh echoed by Ren. Though we have both tried, father and son still won't get along. They are both just too stubborn and prideful to forgive and forget.

"I'm not your boy, old man, and I don't jump and scurry when you demand. I had something to take care of first. And I've been listening anyway, so it's not like I missed anything." Kazuma snapped back, his tone complete and total defiant teenager at that moment. Genma's energy flared, and Kazuma's spiked again in response, hold on my loosening.

Knowing they were about two seconds from getting into a fight, I rolled in Kazuma's arms and reached up, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him down towards me. Not expecting the move, he easily bent, eyes wide. As I pulled him closer, heat and expectation built in his gaze. I smirked at him, licked my lips and slipped one hand into his hair to pull his head down closer. Then, I smiled my sweetest smile at him and while he stared at my lips… I head butted him, hard enough for the crack to echo in the room and make my ears ring a little. Yes! Score one, Ayano.

"Ow! Dammit, Ayano, that hurts! My skull isn't nearly a thick as yours." He yelled, holding his forehead as I finally freed myself from his hold. He had tears in his eye which was open, the other squinted shut in pain. I flipped my hair at him and huffed, happy with my revenge. Ren was holding his hands to his mouth, shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh at his brother's predicament. Genma shook his head, ashamed, while Father covered his mouth with a hand and coughed softly. Tachibana was watching me with respect shimmering in her eyes. I smiled and shrugged at her. What can I say, the only way to handle Kazuma is with force.

"That's what you get for being a pervert. We don't have time to play around, you know! Father, what's the plan?" I asked, scooting back to my seat beside the whimpering wind mage. My father looked a little taken back by my attitude, but just shook his head and nodded.

"Well then, for now, I'll contact the spirit magic user clan heads I know and call up an emergency meeting. Hopefully with all of us together we will be able to decide upon a course of action all clans can take. Right now it is troubling, but we cannot act without evidence. In the mean time, Ayano." I jumped when he turned to me, having been zoning out again. All the details are boring; I just want to go beat up the yoma. Or Bernhardt. Or anybody, really.

"Yes?" I squeaked.

Father smiled and reached out, laying his hand on my shoulder. "I am well aware of how strong you are, Ayano, but these crimes seem to be directed at clan heirs. As such, I'm going to pull you out of yoma eradication until this clears up. Also, I'll temporarily take over your duties as an instructor and intermediary in business. I want you to remain here at the manor until the trouble is resolved." Father's hand slid off me as I sat stunned into silence by his words. He looked hard at Kazuma. "I trust there will be no problems with that?"

The insufferable man beside me sighed. "As long as she's here there's no way I'm gonna stick around as her bodyguard. I'll go do some investigating on my own." He said, sounding completely irritated. My mouth flopped open as Kazuma stood up and, after gently tugging his fingers through my hair, left the room. That's… that's it? Kazuma isn't going to argue about me being locked away inside my family home? My father smiled and stood, Genma joining him. Father looked over at Ren, consideration in his gaze before bonking his right fist into his palm.

"Well then. Ren, I'll have you take over some of Ayano's instructing duties. You know the basics well enough to teach the young branch family children. Come with me, a class starts in five minutes." The blond jumped to his feet and started to follow my Father out of the room. I shook myself hard and got on my knees.

"Whoa, wait a minute! Don't I get a say in this!" They ignored me and kept walking.

"Hey! I don't want to be excluded." No response, though Ren did look back and give me a pitying look.

"Father! Come on, Father, don't treat me like a helpless damsel. Faaaaather!" My call did not even get a response as the men left the room. I whimpered and wilted to the floor. NO freaking way…

If I'm not allowed to go eradiate yoma, or teach the younger children, or even handle small business details, then what in the world am I supposed to be doing? I hate sitting around without acting. It's boring and boring and BORING! Tachibana rustled about gathered all the papers she'd brought over and stood a well, sending me a pitying glance. I adopted my most pitiful look, tears pooling in my eyes as I stared up at her. She sighed and knelt beside me.

"Listen, Ayano, I know you're not the type of woman to enjoy sitting back on the sidelines, but this time, you have to listen to us. You're in real danger and they all just want to protect you. I know that as soon as the culprit is found, you'll be called in to go after him. Until then, be patient and wait. Okay?" That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but... If they think I'm going to just sit around and do nothing, then they don't know me very well. However, I wouldn't put it past Father to ask Tachibana to have me locked up inside a spirit barrier if he got wind of my idea, so I just slumped forward more and nodded.

"Everyone is just concerned about me, I guess, but it still doesn't take away the fact that it sucks." I muttered under my breath. Tachibana sighed and left the room, closing the door behind her. I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. I'm not staying in here, that much is for certain. Although… I chewed my lower lip.

Kazuma would expect me to do something. That man knows me better than I know myself some times. Maybe that is why he's agreed to Father's request so easily; so that he could stop me the moment I tried to act on my own. Despite what I say, I know that I'm not stronger than Kazuma with just my base powers. If I call upon the Spirit King then maybe, but…

"Ah! That's it, that's it!" I exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. An evil smile stretched across my face and I clapped my hands excitedly. "If I ask him for help then not even Kazuma Jerk-Face Yagami will be able to stop me."

Giggling, I rolled to my feet and trotted to the door. Stealthily sliding it open, I stuck my head out and quickly glanced around. I didn't see Kazuma anywhere, but that doesn't mean anything. Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath and calmed my mind. Only once I was centered did I open them, searching out with my spirit for any hint of Kazuma's wind energy. I'm not an expert at sensing energy like a wind magic user, but I can do it a little. And, like I said, I'm sensitive to Kazuma's power. So I can usually tell if he's nearby or hovering.

There was a slight taste of him in the air, but that is probably just because he'd recently flown off from here. Satisfied that he was truly gone, at least for now, I slipped out of the meeting hall and ran for my room. With what I was planning, it was best to not be where someone might see me. If this didn't work, I want to be the only witness.

Humming happily, I turned the lock on my door and kicked my hastily tossed aside clothes towards the bathroom. Clear a space on the floor, I sat and drew in a deep breath to try and stifle the giggled that were threatening to break free of my chest.

'Seriously, Ayano, this is your best idea ever. Not only will you get out of the house, but you can also get an answer to your question about Kazuma's behavior.' Pressing my lips together tightly to stifle another bubble of happiness, I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of everything. It is easier said than done. My mind is constantly jumping from topic to topic, and just when I think I've settled into a meditative state, my stomach will rumble and think or cake, or my cheek will itch, or Kazuma's face will pop up in my head. But, eventually, after much effort, I finally felt my body relax into mush and my mind become a calm, steadily burning flame, no flickers to disturb it.

I have no idea if this will even work, but it should. He's always listening, or that's what he'd told me at our last meeting. Besides, I have the Spirit King of Fire inside me. There's no way he'd ignore her. Opening my mouth, I spoke.

"Spirit King of Wind, I'd like to request a favor from you." I called in a strong voice. Please let him hear me and answer. Please.