AGAIN!

Please be aware that you should NOT take this story seriously.

~Scitah

Things were not as they should have been… Eiji was weakened and demanding a Combo from Ankh who disagreed with the idea. Date was trying his best, but Uva and Kazari plus the Yummy's they had created were too much.

"Ankh! Give me the Combo!" grunted Eiji as he attempted to block himself from taking more damage from a set of Yummy's. "Hurry!"

"No! You are too weak right now. It would be useless." Spat Ankh, dodging his own opponents. Given his state, he was sure they wouldn't make it out of this one without heavy casualties… He prayed that it was Date who fell… Or even Gotou! He never liked that human anyways.

"Gotou!" came the shout of Date as the unarmored ex-cop was struck and bleeding.

His weapon clattered to the ground as he looked down, suddenly still amongst the heavy fray of battle around him. Though all eyes were on him, he was sure no one was able to actually look. They couldn't see his hand come up to cradle the gash across his belly. Nor the blood that quickly stained both his clothing and his hand.

He was mistaken, though. It wasn't just one gash; it was three. Kazari had hit him deep enough to cause a very slow and chilling death. "I wasn't…" began Gotou, "Fast enough."

Although the fighting was perhaps the loudest thing next to being within range of burning in an explosion of a sky scraper, Gotou heard none of it. Instead, he heard his blood rushing through his ears and the painful, gut-wrenching sound of his knees hitting the ground below him. His flesh was cold, but his wound and blood seemed scalding hot.

When he finally looked up towards the calmly approaching Kazari, he knew that this was the end. He never saved the world, never found a girl, never got married, and never had children. He would never grow old and tell tales to his grandchildren who visited too little. He would never see his children's weddings, for he was sure that he would have many.

Instead, he'd be dead. Bitterly watching Eiji and Date save the world.

Kazari said something to Gotou, but the human couldn't hear it. Though, he was sure it was snotty and/or condescending. Probably something Kazari thought witty and befitting enough as final words to a weak opponent.

Those razor-sharp claws rose high over the yellow Greeed's head and swiftly came down! Faintly, Gotou heard a few desperate cries of 'No!' but they only echoed as if farther away than those people actually were. His eyes shut instinctively in a last blink. He was sure that as the seconds of seconds ticked past and yet, he felt nothing but his bones chilling!

Was this death?

Was his suffering and failure finally over?

The echo of metal striking metal of the now silenced battle hurt Gotou's ears. His eyes cracked open to take in perhaps the most curious thing he had ever seen…

Eiji gaped behind his armor. This was not what he was expecting, but he was grateful. He looked to Ankh to gauge the Greeed's reaction and found him gaping… Or was that angrily gaping? He wasn't quite sure, but he knew that Ankh did not know who that was.

Date gave a relieved sigh at the save. It would have been terrible had Gotou died… It caused him to think of his own mortality and how life can slip away too quickly…

Uva gave a snarl of displeasure at the interruption. This was not what he wanted, but if this mortal wished to die so badly, he was glad to give in to such a desire…

Kazari felt his arm struggle to push down the blade that had caught his claws. "Oh..?" he began, "Another wishing death?"

Light brown eyes looked up towards Kazari with a challenge. Dark red hair spilled over the left side in a very loose and hanging pony-tail. Pale skin seemed to contrast nicely with the dark freckles. A voice that coiled with dark promises of pain spoke out in the brief silence. "If that is what you think, then I will not dare to change your mind… But I will hurt you, Kitten."

Kazari frowned in both shock and appalled anger. "Kitten!?" He was unable to rage more as she thrust a kick into his gut, sending him into Uva. Both Greeed's toppled over one another.

One of Uva's Yummy's rushed towards the young woman who wore shining purple gauntlets and arm armor over a red tank top under a sheer purple off-the-shoulder, slit sleeves blouse. A black thick belt held the shirt to the small of her waist. All that layered over boot-cut blue jeans. A rather curious sunhat with a purple ribbon and bow covered the top of her hair. Her sword was an Italian Bastard Sword in a dark silver with a purple hilt.

With grace, the young woman spun and sliced through the Yummy, causing it to split into two piles of Cell Medals. She seemed to hum lightly before striking her sword into the concrete below her. "Let's go. I'm hungry and you're impeding my travels."

"Why, you little…" Uva spat, shoving Kazari away from him. He stood and began towards the young woman until she tossed her hat into the air. He watched it momentarily, allowing her a long enough pause to bring her hands together over the hilt and brush her bitten thumb over the black gem at the end of the hilt. Blood smeared over the gem and it flashed purple before turning red.

By the time her hat fell back into her hands, it was a purple and black helmet. She slipped it over her head with a smirk, causing the eyes to flicker on. Red.

"Another Rider?" was the question on everyone's lips. "Impossible…" Uva finished.

"Not Impossible… Just improbable." Came the newly synthesized voice of the young woman. "Enough chatter. Let's fight."

"I'm in a giving mood…" Uva growls before rushing at the Purple Rider. His attacks are ferocious and strong, but none seem to penetrate her rapid defense. After a while, she trips him up and raises her sword to dig through his chest.

Rolling, Uva dodges just quick enough to avoid a fatal wound. As he stands, though, his back to her, her hand strikes through his chest! As he looks down, he sees in her palm, two of his Medals and a few Cell Medals. "What…" he begins.

Her hand clenches into a fist and he feels her retract from his body. He begins to stumble backwards, but she kicks him to the ground ahead of him. He rolls in time to watch her feed the Medals to her sword, whose gem changes with electrical sparks. The sparks seem to travel up her arm, causing her armor to take on minute green details and designs.

She looks at her arm a moment, "Lovely… My favorite colors…" she mocks. "I wonder how my armor will change when I have all of your Medals?"

"You dare to mock me?" Uva grinds out, pushing himself to stand only to catch himself at a sudden loss of balance.

"Don't think you're something special, hun…" she mocks again.

Kazari begins to trudge away, deciding it would be best to observe the fight. Before he makes it a few feet away, he is shocked by electricity jittering throughout his body. "AHH!" He turns and finds the woman's hand pointed towards him.

"Lovely…" she hums mostly to herself before pointing towards one of Kazari's Yummy's and zapping it until it became a pile of Cell Medals.

"Attack her!" Uva exclaims with fury. The Yummy's quickly head for her and it is instant how she drops into action. As she handles the Yummy's with skill, Uva and Kazari take their escape. Date moves towards Gotou and begins to apply pressure to the wounds to slow the bleeding. By the time she destroys the last Yummy, Gotou is unconscious.

With a cursory glance around, the woman removes her helmet which becomes her hat as her armor disappears and her sword turns into a bracelet on her left wrist. She wanders over towards Date and Gotou and couches. "Do you think he'll live?" she asks Date who phases out of his armor.

Eiji does the same and rushes to crouch beside the woman. "Gotou!" he calls desperately, gasping at the amount of blood.

"I'm not sure." Date states seriously, glancing up towards her.

Ankh moves over and roughly hauls the red head to her feet, "Just who are you?" he hisses.

"The name is Lia." She states, shoving his gripping hand away. "I don't think now is the time to be an ass."

"You humans… All the same." Ankh spits.

Lia quickly grips his jacket with tight fists and pulls him close, "Give me a reason, Greeed… Casualties happen all the time… Don't make me turn you into a casualty."

"Is that a threat?" He states with a frown.

"I don't make threats, fool… I make promises." She then roughly releases him as Eiji begins to stand to separate them. She returns to Gotou and presses her fingers to his throat. "He surprisingly still has a pulse…" she states.

"He needs a hospital." Date says, silently agreeing with her.

"If I change with the Cheetah Medal, I can get Gotou to the hospital!" Eiji exclaims excitedly.

Lia gives Eiji a curious look as he looks expectantly towards Ankh. The light haired Greeed rolls his eyes before handing over three Medals to Eiji. "This is a waste." He mutters.

Eiji ignores him as he stands a bit away from everyone and changes. He wobbles slightly before quickly hefting up Gotou and darting off.

Lia stands and hums, "Interesting."

Her statement draws looks from the two remaining men. Date turns towards her and offers his hand for her to shake, "I am Date. Did I catch your name as Leeva?"

Lia looks at Date, "Lia." She corrects, hovering her hand beside his.

"Lia. What a pretty name." Date states. He is rewarded when her hand engulfs his and they shake. "Were you hired by Kougami as well?"

"Who?" she asks faintly. "No. I was just traveling a while…"

"Ah! You are a wanderer like myself and Eiji, eh?" Date grins.

Lia offers a shrug, "I suppose." She pulls her hand from his to make him stop gripping her hand. "Well, I need food. I heard of a cute place called Cous Coussier…"

"Oh! I know it! Eiji and Ankh live there!" Date's grin seemingly grows larger.

Lia gives a small nod. "I see." She looks towards Ankh then back towards Date. During her glance, she notices the armor of Ankh's right arm. "Oh…" she says as if finding something she'd lost. A small smirk covers her face as she turns.

Date casts a curious glance towards Ankh, then Ankh's arm, then back at Lia. "What do you mean, 'Oh'?" Ankh asks, marching after her. He begins to reach towards her to turn her, but stops himself.

Glancing back, Lia chuckles, "Nothing. Lead the way, Little Bird."

Ankh grimaces, "Little Bird?!"

Her left brow rises humorously. "That is what I called you." He clenches his right fist as his left hand grasps her shirts tightly. "Are you going to strike me, then? Might I remind you what happened to the other Greeeds who dared me?"

"You didn't kill them, though." Ankh hisses.

"Remember, Little Bird… I make promises, not threats. Their time will come." She then pulls his hand from her shirts, "As I'm sure that if you continue like this with me, your time will come just as swiftly."

There is a tense moment as Date watches Lia stare with amusement at Ankh who glares right back to her. After a while, Ankh turns his head, "Tch!" and maneuvers around her to lead the way back to Cous Coussier.

Forewarning, it's just gonna get crazier from here.

~Scitah