Hi! I've been thinking about this fic for a while so I hope it turns out okay. I'm trying to be a little different… At the moment there are no pairings in this fic and in advance I apologize to any Mahiru/ Mitsuru fans. Sorry people, it ain't gonna happen.

This fic begins after Volume Four BUT:

-The demons are not attempting to collect the Teardrop of the Moon yet

-Mahiru never heard the whole 'We can't trust the princess' spiel

-Mitsuru and Akira did not 'run away'

Without further ado…

Mahiru dropped exhausted into a chair. It had been a busy night at the Moonshine and she was ready to go to sleep. But still she sat. Nozomu and Akira joined her, followed by Misoka. Earlier that day, Misoka had discovered that Dawn's Venus had managed to get their hands on a teardrop. They were just waiting for Mitsuru…

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Mitsuru flew quickly through the cold rain, knowing that if he wasn't there soon, Misoka would be annoyed…Not that I care, he thought quickly. Still, he begged the winds around him to move a little bit faster. He swung left, sailing over the bad side of town, knowing the best route to the Moonshine. A sudden flash stopped him. He ceased his momentum, staring downwards. There it was again! This time he was sure. It's lightning, he thought, but these are no thunderclouds. And I could swear that it originated at some point on the ground… Forgetting the others for a moment, he sank curiously closer to the disturbance…

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Ralina wheeled, ducking the arrow that flew at her.

"No Mutsura! Aim you fool! You-"

Hokuto's last words were cut off by Mutsura's cry of alarm as another electricity attack roared toward them. Hokuto leaped out of the way just in time and eyed the tengu warily. She was strong, he conceded, but she was weakening. She couldn't keep this up forever. His fingers seemed to stroke the air as he tried to resurrect the pentagram she had destroyed. That was all the distraction Mutsura needed. Though he had run out of 'power word' arrows, she wasn't fast enough and a silver –plated arrow lodged itself in her left arm. With a roar of pain she threw yet another ball of lightning at the duo. It missed them by a centimeter. And that's the end, Hokuto thought victoriously, relishing the desperation in the doomed creature's eyes. A small thud behind him caused him to turn and stiffen. Another tengu stood just behind him but this one was fresh and looked ready to have a nice Hokutoburger with some Mutsura fries on the side. Electricity crackled between the thing's fists. Before he had time to think twice, Hokuto grabbed Mutsura's arm and rocketed out of there as fast as possible.

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As soon as he sensed that Dawn's Venus had left, Mitsuru returned to his human form to approach the girl, who had also changed back. She was doubled over on her knees with her back to him, her long dark hair obscuring the rest of her from view. He was wary, but he knew that Misoka would be interested to hear about this girl and despite himself, he was curious.

"Are you okay?" he asked, because it was all he could think of.

"I'm fine," her voice was cold and toneless, giving away nothing. She got to her feet, turning sharply to face him. Had he been anyone but himself, Mitsuru would have decided that she was rather pretty, with small delicate features that hardly seemed to fit with the personality she had displayed so far. Her eyes were a deep green, not common in Japan, and they seemed emotionless. She turned again to go, but not before he noticed the blood on her arm.

"Hey!" he called, closing the distance between them, "You can't just walk off with your arm like that. Let me help you." He grabbed her uninjured arm.

"Thank you but no," she said, cold as ever. Then she paused, "What did you say your name was?" she asked, out of the blue.

He glared. "Why should I tell you?"

She met his gaze. "Name for name."

He scowled. Well…maybe she would let him help her. Hey wait a damn second! , he thought angrily, why do I give a damn! What am I thinking! What the hell! "Mitsuru," his mouth replied, without asking for permission.

"Ralina," was all she said, before dashing off into a labyrinth of streets that Mitsuru didn't think he wanted to know. He was furious with himself as he flung himself into the air toward the Moonshine. Angrily he spun the winds faster, finally landing on the doorstep of the place he grudgingly called home. Slamming through the door, he removed his soaked jacket and stomped into the room where he knew that the others would be waiting. Before Misoka could say a word, he began.

"There's a female tengu hanging around who is a target for Dawn's Venus. Some twit named Ralina."

So what do you think? Hokuto and Mitsuru are definitely a little OOC. I'd really like this story to go somewhere but I'm not to sure. Review? Please?

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pendragoness