Megami no Hanabira

by Krimzon Flygon

When a demon outbreak occurs at the beginning of Reo and Mai's summer vacation, they find themselves fighting for their lives in a city engulfed in chaos. They and their friends must wield the mysterious Demon Summoning Program if they wish to survive the madness and learn the truth behind its cause... Rated for violence and language. Contains non-explicit Yuri relationships.

4. Day 3: Teamwork

Day 3:

Teamwork

(A/N: Once again, big thanks to Blargel!)

---

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows..."

-The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 2

---

'Three days...I can't believe it's been three days...'

Mai brought her hands up quickly, the water striking her face with a cold jolt and cutting through her exhaustion like a knife.

'Three days of sleeping on the ground. Three days of fighting for my life. Three days ago, I would've laughed if someone told me this was gonna happen to me...to this town. This town was... normal three days ago...'

Another splash of water, another cold jolt, a little less fog covering her brain.

'There weren't any demons in this town three days ago...no hooded men protecting us from them...no Yakuza Demon Tamers trying to starve us...'

Splash. Cold. Awake now, or at least as awake as she'd probably get at this point.

'Three days...' Mai leaned forward, resting her hands on the restroom sink and sighing, watching blankly as water dripped from her face and hair into its depths. Finally, she managed to tear her eyes away from the dull, meditative sight and look up into the mirror. A dry, humorless chuckle tore itself from her throat.

Sunken, exhausted eyes, tangled, matted hair framing a pale face smeared with grime and lined with scratches and wounds...she almost didn't recognize her own reflection.

'Hah...oh man...I look like a ghoul. Three days without a shower, and all that running around in the heat...I probably smell like one, too...'

A twist of the knob got the water running again. Mai was once more cupping the icy liquid in her hands and throwing it in her face, vigorously this time and punctuated by bouts of rubbing the dirt on her face with her fingers. It worked, kind of. The dirt at least looked a bit thinner.

This was as good as she would get it. With a groan and a stretch, Mai pushed off of the sink and started towards the restroom exit.

---

"Ah, there you are, Mai-san."

"Good morning, Mai-sama."

"What took you so long?! We've been standing out here for ages!"

Mai gave a short chuckle, leaning down to the blonde glaring at her with her arms crossed and kissing her on the cheek. "Easy there, dynamo. I'm glad you're taking initiative with all this, but we can't just rush in there without a plan."

"Of COURSE I'm 'taking initiative'! It's PERSONAL, dummy!" Reo yelled, waving her arms. "I'm not about to starve out here while those jerks at the supermarket eat all my snacks!"

Mai tried to hide her giggle as a yawn, an apparently unsuccessful attempt, by the way Reo scowled. "And we won't! You'll get your snacks back, Reo. But rushing in there headlong won't help us do that."

"GAAAH!" Reo brought both her hands up, scratching her head vigorously in frustration.

"First things first, we need to find Sara-san." Yuuna said. "She said she'd be waiting for us at the medical tent. Who knows? Maybe we can think of a plan on our way over there, Reo-san."

'Urgh...FINE! What are we waiting for!" Reo snapped. "Come on!"

And with that, she turned and fled.

"Ah, Reo-sama!" Nanami took off after her. "Do you even know where the medical tent is? Reo-sama, wait!"

Yuuna shook her head as she watched her girlfriend race after Reo, starting off at a brisk walk in the same direction.

"Yuuna-san...!"

Yuuna stopped, turning to face Mai. The blonde-haired girl frowned: Mai's expression looked as serious as her voice had sounded. "I need to talk to you, Yuuna-san. Privately."

"Wh...Well, yes. Of course..." Yuuna looked up. "We'll catch up with you, Nanami!" She called. "I just need to talk to Mai-san about something!"

"Er...okay!" Nanami looked a little confused for a second, then shrugged and took off running after Reo once more.

"Now..." Yuuna said, turning back to Mai. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Mai-san?"

Mai thought about the best way to answer. In all honesty, she was still trying to wrap her mind around it herself. On one hand, she didn't want to sound too panicked. On the other, she wanted to make sure Yuuna knew beyond a shadow of a doubt the implications of what she had found. In the end, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the strange, futuristic Flock wristband, beckoning Yuuna over.

"Remember this thing?" She said as Yuuna huddled in close, effectively blocking the wristband from any who might have been watching.

"Yes..." Yuuna nodded. "That Flock member who was killed by Kaiwan was holding it, right?"

"Well, it still works. My curiosity got the better of me last night, and I took a look into it." Mai said, pressing the power button. Yuuna watched as the screen blinked to life. "And THIS is what I found."

It took Yuuna a second to realize what she was looking at. Then her eyes went wide. "Mai-san...this is...!"

"Yeah..." Mai nodded fiercely. "It's the Demon Summoning Program."

Yuuna watched as Mai's fingers danced over the wristband's touch-screen. "It has all the things we do." Mai continued, her voice tight. "The Devil Auction, the Cathedral of Shadows, the Mortician's List...explains how they find survivors...these guys are Demon Tamers..." Her finger slammed down on the Team Setup icon. "...who use angels! THIS is how they control them!"

Indeed it was so. Where an icon depicting a picture of a demon would be on Yuuna's phone, there was the familiar, red-helmed head of an angel. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as Yuuna just stared at the wristband's display, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly in a long sigh.

"So..." said Mai, hoping to break the oppressive silence. "What do you think, Yuuna-san?"

"What...what do I think?" Yuuna said slowly. It was evident she was trying to keep her voice as calm and steady as possible, unable to keep a slight quiver out of it "Well, the implications of this are rather...unnerving. Of course, it could simply be a matter of us jumping to conclusions when we don't know some key fact. One way or another..." her expression darkened as her eyes flicked down towards the screen again. "This casts a very dark shadow on the Flock."

The two of them simply stood there for a while, staring down at the screen in front of them.

"So what do we do about the others?" Mai said, causing Yuuna to look up in confusion. "Should we...?"

"Tell them about this? I would strongly advise against it." Yuuna shook her head. "If things go the way they have been, it's likely we'll be fighting in very close proximity to the Flock against the Yakuza Tamers. Probably even alongside them as direct allies. We don't need that shadow of distrust hanging over all of us in the midst of combat. I'd say in regards to Nanami, Reo-san and Sara-san we should keep this strictly need-to-know. Besides..." She hung her head as Mai powered down the wristband and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Besides?" Mai cocked her head as she pushed the straps out of sight.

"You've seen the way Nanami's eyes light up every time she sees an angel, no? She's actually quite devout: she grew up on stories of angels and saints. She even likened me to the Virgin Mary a few times..." Yuuna shook her head with a small chuckle, then turned serious again. "I'll be honest, it must have been hard for her on some level to contract with demons, even if it was to save my life. Even through all this, I think it's clear she still trusts the angels more than anything else right now. If she were to get it into her head that these...paragons of goodness may not be all they seem to be, especially at a time like this..."

Mai nodded. "Got it. Don't worry, I wouldn't do that to her."

"Wonderful." Yuuna seemed relieved. "Now then, shall we meet up with the others? The medical tent's not too far from here."

"Sure." Said Mai. "Let's not keep them waiting."

---

Nanami pushed through the flap of the medical tent, stepping out of the heavy, disinfectant-thick atmosphere and back into the fresh morning air. They were impressive structures, five of them, all identical to each other. They were high-domed and a good twenty feet long, and were made of thick canvas colored a sterile white, the doorways adorned by a bright red cross.

Nanami had no idea which one of these tents contained Sara. She had just finished exploring the third one.

"So she wasn't in there either, huh?"

Nanami shook her head. Reo threw her hands up and leaned back into the bench she was sitting on. "Real nice of her, having us wait out here. She could've had the decency to meet us out here instead of shoving us into this guessing game!"

Nanami eyed the last two tents. "She probably just got occupied talking with Kaede-sama, Reo-sama. I mean, I bet she's really worried. She's gotta be in one of these two, though..."

Reo shrugged. "Whatever. Just find her."

Nanami turned to face Reo as the blonde relaxed into the bench. "You sure you don't want to come in with me?"

"No." Reo snapped. "I don't even know Kaede Kitajima, why would I want to talk to her? You can if you want, but I'm gonna wait out here for Mai."

Nanami shook her head, turning her gaze back to the tents, walking towards one of the last two remaining ones. "Okay..." She muttered as she reached for the flap.

The pungent odor of disinfectant hit Nanami for the fourth time as she stepped into the tent, prompting her to wrinkle her nose against it. The inside looked much the same as all the other ones: Flock members bustled to and fro, cleaning and bandaging wounds, applying ice to sprained joints and splints to broken limbs. Noticing a Flock member who looked unoccupied, she approached him.

"Excuse me!" She called. "Can you understand me? I'm looking for someone!"

The Flock member looked up, cocking his head in confusion, then pulled out his cell phone and spoke into it.

"I'm sorry." the translation said. "I don't understand."

Nanami bit back her groan, bowing slightly and backing away. 'Okay...' She thought as she started off toward the back of the tent. 'Guess I'll have to look for Sara-san myself...wait...is that her?!'

Nanami would recognize the Saint Michael's uniform anywhere. The bean-jam colored fabric, backed with a green bow stood out among the white coats of the Flock doctors, and the casual outfits of most of the patients and visitors. Add to that the long brown hair and the fact she was sitting in a chair near a futon...

'YES!' Nanami darted forward. "Sara-san! Kaede-sama! I finally found you-!"

Sara looked up, raising a finger to her lips. "Shh!" She hissed.

Nanami muttered a hasty apology as she peered around Sara, looking down at the occupant of the futon behind her. She couldn't help it: she gasped.

Sara hadn't been exaggerating when she said Kaede Kitajima had gotten hurt. Her hands and arms were bound up and down with a light layer of gauze. A wide facial bandage stretched around the top left quarter of her head, stopping just above the eye.. Still, she didn't look like she was in pain. Her breathing was measured and easy, and her eyes were closed lightly in sleep.

"The Flock said she's gonna be fine." Sara whispered. "I think we can thank the Harmonizer for that: the worst Jack gave her was a bit of frostbite on her arms and face. She passed out earlier 'cause she pushed herself too far fighting him, and she's sleeping off some painkillers now. If all goes well, she'll be back on her feet by tomorrow. Still..." She reached out a gentle hand, cupping Kaede's bare cheek. Even in her sleep, Kaede turned her face ever so slightly into the caress.

"I never...ever want to see her like this again. So I'm gonna get stronger." Sara said. A tremor had entered her voice. "I'm gonna get stronger for Kaede-chan, and she'll never have to hurt herself to protect me ever again."

She took a breath to steady herself, then turned back to Nanami, a smile back on her face, though her eyes were a little bit wet..

"You're all waiting on me, right?"

Nanami nodded.

"Got it." Sara nodded, turning back to her sleeping girlfriend. "Give me...give me five more minutes, alright? I'll be out, I just want to...y'know...sit here with her. Just a little longer."

"Alright." Nanami said softly, starting to back away. "I'll tell the others."

And with that, she turned and walked away.

'Seeing Sara-san of all people acting so seriously...I'm not sure I like it...' She thought, walking around a Flock member with a quick apology. 'Still, I know exactly where she's coming from...if that was Onee-sama lying there, bandaged up like a mummy and filled with painkillers, I wouldn't let anyone drag me away from her side...'

Suddenly, Nanami was on the ground, the palm of her left hand and her right elbow throbbing with pain.. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed the quartet of Flock members come bursting through the flap at roughly the same time as she tried to go through it herself. The result was her getting knocked roughly aside, letting out a cry of shock as she hit the ground hard. The Flock members didn't give her a second glance as they rushed by her, and as Nanami watched them, she knew why.

The four hooded men were carrying a stretcher between them.

Nanami got to her feet as the men set the stretcher down on a free futon, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look at its occupant. That proved to be a mistake: it was only through willpower that she managed to keep from passing out.

All across his bare torso, his arms, his face, the man was covered in red, raw, shiny burns. Caused by a demon, no doubt. In all honesty, Nanami had no idea just how the man wasn't dead already from such horrific wounds. But the man was alive, and he was screaming. Howling at the top of his lungs, a horrible, agonized sound...Nanami thought she was going to be sick.

But the Flock members, remarkably, did not look worried in the slightest. One of them had lowered his hood, bowing his head and clasping his hands in prayer. As Nanami watched, a radiant figure materialized behind him.

An angel...a kind-faced, achingly beautiful woman, with long blue hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She was clad in a blinding white dress, and held in her hands an ancient tome and a set of scales.

"Dominion..." commanded the Flock member. "Heal this poor soul! Dia!"

The angel nodded silently, looking down at the burned man with pity in her eyes. Then she held out the set of scales in her hand, closing her eyes in concentration.

Nanami stared. 'Dia? Wait, but that's...'

The man's breath caught in his throat as a warm green light enveloped him. Then he gave a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxing as his burns began to heal. In a matter of ten seconds, the wounds had vanished without a trace. Satisfied with her work, the angel faded away.

'Dia...that's...' Nanami's eyes widened. '...that's a demonic spell. Moh Shvuu knows it, and so does Reo-sama's Pixie! We used it a zillion times during that fight against Kaiwan's servants! Why would an angel...?'

The Flock member was speaking again, watching as the man pushed himself into a seated position. "How are you feeling?" He asked calmly.

"I feel..." The man had raised his hand to his eyes, turning it over and staring at it in amazement. He turned his gaze down, roving it over his freshly-healed body. "I feel great. There's no pain...it's like I was never even...it's...it's a miracle!"

The Flock member chuckled. "Indeed it was a miracle. Through the grace of God, all things are possible. Unfortunately..."

The man's huge smile faded. "Unfortunately?" The Flock member sighed as he gestured to his comrades around the tent, as they tended to the wounds of their patients.

"You see how we...plink and fumble with bandages and splints? These minor wounds would be gone with a thought..." He snapped his fingers for emphasis on the word 'thought'. "by the power of miracles. But one cannot have miracles without faith. Faith is the lifeblood of angels, the source of their power. And the angels, I am sorry to say, are running low on it. People just don't believe the way they used to. They rely on such...clumsy methods of healing over the power of the Lord." He gave a snort of derision and a disgusted shake of his head. Then he turned back to the man on the stretcher.

"It takes a great deal of faith in God for a spell like Dia to work." He continued. "We have enough to draw on for those who absolutely cannot survive without its divine power. But as for these minor wounds, painful as it may be, we cannot risk diverting power to healing them through miracles. Instead, we must use these more primitive methods."

'But...but I don't think that's true! Faith has nothing to do with it!' Nanami's mind was whirling. 'Dia doesn't depend on faith in God to work! I mean, I don't THINK it does, not as long as demons like Moh Shvuu and Pixie can use it! This guy...this Flock member is lying!'

"So what are you saying?" The man said, his tone skeptical as he pulled on a t-shirt one of the other Flock members had handed to him. "That you could heal all these people with magic if more people believed?"

"Miracles." The Flock member said coldly. "Magic is false, demonic and empty. Miracles are the grace of God, and hold true power. But you are correct in that we could heal these people if we could spare the faith. Healing these wounds would be a simple task, but between the faith the angels expend fighting the demons and the Demon Tamers, we're forced to ration the healing powers of our angels for only those who desperately need it, and rely on more primitive methods for the minor wounds. If only more people put their faith in angels...if only more people believed..."

"I'll tell them!"

The Flock member turned in surprise to the man, who had jumped off the futon, his eyes blazing. "I'll tell everyone about how the angel saved my life! I'll tell everyone that they need their help, and then you'll have all the faith you'll need!"

It was evident, almost painfully so, that this was PRECISELY what the Flock member was waiting to hear. Still, he put on what may have been an attempt at an expression of disbelieving joy. "Truly? You...you'd do that for us?"

"Of course!" The man was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I'll tell everyone! I promise! I'll never forget this kindness...thank you!"

And with that, the man tore out of the medical tent. The Flock member watched him leave with a small smirk on his face. Then he raised his hood and began to help his comrades clean up the futon.

Nanami just sat there, frozen, until Sara found her.

---

"THERE you two are!" Reo snapped, jumping off of the bench and storming towards Mai and Yuuna as the two made their way toward her. "Where were you? We've been waiting for, like, fifteen minutes!"

Mai chuckled, patting Reo on the head: the blonde swatted her hand away with a small annoyed sound. "Don't worry, Reo. We weren't about to abandon you. Yuuna and I just needed to talk about something. So, where's Sara-san? And come to think of it, where's Nanami-sa...ah, speak of the devil!"

The two girls in question had just pushed through the flap of one of the medical tents, running over to Mai, Reo and Yuuna. Mai opened her mouth, intending to inquire about Kaede's condition, but stopped as Yuuna cut her off.

"Nanami-chan, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Yuuna stepped forward, reaching out and taking Nanami's cheek delicately in her hand.

Nanami blinked. The expression on her face was a strange one, vacant, like she was deep in thought about something. It seemed to take her a second to realize Yuuna was even there, even jumping slightly at her girlfriend's touch. "O-oh, Onee-sa...Yuuna-sama...!"

Mai approached the two. Reo followed close behind; even she looked concerned. "Nanami-san, did happen in there?" Mai asked.

"Well...er..." Nanami cast a glance over to Sara.

"T-tell 'em, Nanami-chan." Sara said nervously. "You saw it; you can explain it better than I can."

"Oh...right..." Nanami nodded. Everyone leaned in as she took a deep breath, paused, and then began to speak.

---

"And the Flock Member kept talking about 'miracles', like Dia was some kind of godly power that only the angels have!" Nanami babbled. "B-but that's not true: Moh Shvuu and Pixie know it too, right? Dia is a demonic spell, I think! Anyway, the guy, the guy on the stretcher, I mean, he said that he would help people believe in God, and the angels would get stronger because of that. Then he ran out of the tent. And...and that's it. That's what I saw. I...I don't understand." She hung her head. "That Flock member...he...he lied to that man..."

"Who's to say?" Reo shrugged. "The Flock knows a heck of a lot more about demons and angels than we do. Maybe angels DO run on prayer."

"So where do demons get their power?" Sara crossed her arms. "It can't be people's faith in them, I mean, I doubt anyone worships these things anymore. I never even heard of most of them until recently. And besides, that doesn't answer the question why angels have Dia, a spell that demons use. Heck, going by what Nanami-chan said, they're insisting that it's angel-exclusive. Experienced demon hunters would know better than anyone that's not the case." She shook her head. "I hate to say it, but I smell a rat."

'And then there's the wristband...' Thought Mai, glancing down at the pocket that housed it. 'The way the Flock controls their angels: through the Demon Summoning Program. The more we find out about these guys, the more suspicious they get...'

"In any case...!"

There was strange urgency in Yuuna's voice, and her eyes flicked between Mai and Nanami a couple of times. "We have no solid proof as of now. It would be prudent to keep our eyes open, but we shouldn't let these worries shadow us until we do. We have more pressing things to worry about right now anyway."

Mai got the message, nodding and crossing her arms. "Right. Getting our food back from the Yakuza is gonna be a tall order: if we're gonna get involved, we're going to need the Flock's help."

"But-!" Nanami began, then stopped as Yuuna put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find the truth, Nanami-san. But right now, we need to figure out how to help the Flock get our food back. Alright?"

Nanami didn't seem entirely on-board with it, but still, she bit her lip and nodded.

"Alright then!" Sara said, clapping her hands in enthusiasm. "Let's see if we can manage to snag some food: won't do us any good if we're trying to plan on an empty stomach, right?"

"Ergh..." Mai hung her head. "Yuuna-san and I passed the food lines on the way over here. They had a lottery going. A freaking lottery..."

"Hey!" Sara grinned broadly. "Ya never know, right? Don't go anywhere: I'll be right back!"

And with that, she ran off.

"H-hey! Sara Kitajima!" Reo took off after her, Nanami following close behind. Yuuna watched as the three of them vanished into the crowd. As soon as they had, she drove her heel into the ground.

"Dammit..!"

Mai actually did a bit of a double take: it was the first time she had ever heard Yuuna curse. Understandable, given the circumstances of what had just happened, but still, it was rather unlike her. In the end, Mai could do nothing but shake her head. "Sorry, Yuuna-san..."

"No...no, it's nothing you did." Yuuna sighed. "Here I was, asking you not to tell Nanami anything about the Flock's wristband, and she finds out something even more dubious all on her own..."

"Hey..." Mai shrugged. "It's like you said earlier, right? It could come to nothing."

"One would like to hope..."

---

Sara, Reo and Nanami were back 15 minutes later. Sara and Nanami looked deflated. Reo was on the verge of tears.

"One...bag." She managed to choke. "We got one miserable bag of chips! They expect us to share a FUN-SIZE bag of chips between the five of us!" She couldn't hold it in any longer, bursting into tears. "Those stupid Yakuza are gonna PAY!"

"Oh...Reo..." Mai gave her a hug, feeling the blonde trembling with rage and despair. "Hey, you want my share? I'm not that hungry."

Reo sniffled and nodded. Mai gave her one last squeeze, then took her by the hand. "C'mon."

The five of them made their way over to a nearby tree, sitting down beneath it. Sara pulled the bag open, peering inside. Shaking her head, she took a single chip out of it, crunching on a piece of it slowly, methodically, savoring the flavor. Finally, she swallowed, handing it over to Reo. "Here ya go."

Reo took it without so much as a thank you, rummaging around in its depths.

"It's funny." Sara said, swallowing another tiny piece of her chip. "I usually jump through hoops to avoid carbs. Times like this, when I really need them, I can't GET them. Aah..." Shaking her head, she popped the last of her chip into her mouth. "So..." She said as Reo reluctantly handed the bag to Nanami. "What's the plan?"

"Well, we won't get very far against the Yakuza if we fight them alone. If we want any chance at all, we're going to need to fight alongside the Flock." Mai leaned back against the tree, crossing her arms and bowing her head in thought. "That much is a definite. The real question is how we're gonna convince them we're on the level...we need to talk them into letting us work with them even though we're Demon Tamers..."

"Ahem..."

Mai looked up in surprise at Yuuna, who had cleared her throat for attention. "I believe I can be of assistance."

"Really?" Sara seemed a little surprised. "You think you can convince them?"

"Of course, Sara-san! Yuuna-sama can convince anyone to do anything!" Nanami said proudly.

"Well..." Yuuna shrugged a bit, a small smile on her face. "I wouldn't quite go that far. But I think I can work something out with the Flock."

"No..."

"No?" Yuuna looked up in surprise: Mai was shaking her head. "You don't think I'm capable, Mai-san?"

"No, no, it's not that." Mai waved her hand, casting her mind around for the best way to phrase her concern. "But we can't have ANY margin for error with this. If something, anything goes wrong when we're trying to convince them, they won't just let us walk away. I'm sure Yuuna-san would be able to talk them into it, but still, it's a gamble I just don't want to take: the payoffs opposed to the consequences just aren't worth it."

"Meaning?" Reo cocked her head in confusion.

"Meaning they'd most likely attack us, Reo-san." Sara crossed her arms. "That one that came after me wasn't too thrilled to see that I was a Tamer, and he wasn't listening to a word I had to say. If Kaiwan hadn't showed up, I'd probably be in some cell right now getting interrogated or something. These guys have no patience for Tamers: they find out about us, they'll either take us prisoner or chase us out of the park."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So...what do we do?" Nanami asked nervously. "If we can't convince the Flock, we're stuck."

"We'll think of something, Nanami-san." Mai waved her hand breezily, trying to sound optimistic. "Let's focus on what we know for sure for now: if we're going to be fighting the Yakuza, we're going to need to get stronger. That means we have to use every part of the Program to its fullest." Pulling out her cell phone, she turned it on. "We'd better learn how to use the Cathedral."

"The what?"

Mai paused, holding out her phone to Reo. "The...Cathedral of Shadows? It can fuse demons together."

Reo blinked in confusion. "When'd you get something like that?"

"We ALL got it yesterday, Reo-san!" Sara said incredulously. "Weren't you paying attention when Cypher sent us the email explaining it?" Reo shook her head.

"No. I was buying demons from the auction and I ignored it. Came in the middle of one of my bids, and it threw me off, too. Stupid Cypher..." She glared at the ground. "I wanted that Bilwis..."

"Well...!" Mai said brightly, scooting over to Reo. "I think you'll like the Cathedral of Shadows, Reo: it can take two demons, mix them together, and make a NEW demon that's even stronger!"

This caught Reo's attention. "Seriously?!" Mai yanked her phone out of reach as Reo practically lunged for it. "What are you waiting for, Mai? Show me how to use it!"

Mai chuckled as she pushed the icon: a heart split down the middle into a light half and dark half. "This is actually my first time using it, Reo. But if it's anything like the Auction, it should be user-friendly. At least, that's what I'm hoping..."

---

And it was, in a matter of speaking. It took a few minutes, but Reo seemed to get the idea. The methods of fusing demons together and customizing them by passing down their skills were straightforward enough, and the program even came with a search option that let her pick exactly what she wanted to make.

Mai couldn't say the results made much logical sense, though. Combining the "Avian" Itsumade with the catlike "Beast" Kabuso would give rise to Tam Lim, a knight in armor wielding a spear. Fusing Itsumade with Waira, on the other hand, would result in Makara, the strange deer-fish hybrid that she had seen Baldy summon the day before. She supposed it had something to do with the races, and in the end, decided it didn't matter.

Makara looked like it would be a good addition to her team. So she selected it, choosing the skills she wanted it to inherit. A final prompt appeared on the screen, asking her if she wanted to "end inheritance and fuse." Taking a breath, she hit the confirmation.

A pair of cards appeared on the screen, depicting Itsumade and Waira. As Mai watched, the cards began to glow, an intricate magical seal appearing behind them.

'Here we go...'

Slowly, the cards began to circle each other, moving along the outside of the seal. Faster and faster, the glow getting brighter and brighter the faster they traveled. Faster and faster, brighter and brighter, until Mai could no longer make the individual cards out. There was only a ring of light now, crackling with electric energy before collapsing in upon itself in a flash that whited out the entire screen.

And then, it was over. The light faded, revealing her new demon. "ME MAKARA THE SNAKE!" A dialogue box declared proudly under an image of the deer/fish hybrid. "ME FIGHT, BUT ME REAL JOB IS CARRY GODS."

Reo seemed pleased with the result of whatever fusion she had performed, if her unnervingly cruel chuckling was anything to go by. "Heheheh...Abraxas...those stupid Yakuza don't stand a chance!" She cackled

Yuuna was nodding in satisfaction, and Sara, after buying a few demons off of the auction first, had fused up some new teammates as well. Nanami, however, stood in stark contrast to this, looking decidedly somber.

"What's wrong, Nanami-chan?"

Nanami looked up at the sound of her girlfriend's voice, glancing around at them all and meeting their concerned expressions. "Well..." She said slowly. "It just feels...weird?"

"Weird?" Yuuna cocked her head in confusion. Nanami didn't sound like she was so sure about her choice of words herself. "What's weird, Nanami-chan?"

"Fusion, I guess." Nanami shrugged, looking down at her phone. "I mean, it's strange: I know Kobold's a demon. If it weren't for my contract with it, it'd kill me on the spot. But still...

"Seriously?" Reo said incredulously. "Seriously, Nanami Oda?! You're trying to tell me you've gotten attached to them?!"

"No! That's not...not really..." Nanami hung her head.

"Oh for...they're DEMONS!" Reo shouted. "They're monsters! You win them over by bribing them with a kind of money you get by being as bloodthirsty as they are!"

"I know, but..."

"But NOTHING!" Reo snapped, turning back to her phone and hammering in commands. "Getting attached to demons...you're an idiot, Nanami Oda, a Grade-A moron! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some demons to fuse! There!" She said triumphantly. "Fusion number TWO! I just turned Kikimora and the Waira I bought yesterday on the auction into a Heqet, and I don't feel bad about it at all! So there!"

Nanami cringed, the heat rushing to her face. "Ugh..."

"Don't take it personally, Nanami-san." Mai shrugged. "Reo doesn't have much patience for anyone in general."

"HMPH!"

"To be honest, Nanami-san, I kinda feel the same way." Mai continued, ignoring Reo. "It's to be expected, I guess: I mean Kabuso protected us through a couple of fights, and I've gotten kind of attached to him. It's kind of stupid of me, I know, but what can you do. Hey, I have an idea!" She said brightly. "Fuse fresh off the auction! It'll help you not feel as attached to them!"

Nanami looked away. 'But that's not the problem...still...whether I like it or not, this is the situation I'm in. Complaining and hiding my head in the sand isn't going to change anything.'

And with that, she entered the auction.

---

"Alright!" Mai snapped her phone shut and got to her feet. "That oughta do it. Everyone else done?"

"Uh huh..." Nanami gave her phone one last look before turning it off and standing up. "Can't say I'm completely on board with fusion and all. It still seems kind of...I don't know, I just don't like it. Still..." She allowed herself a little smile. "My new Nekomata's kind of cute..."

"I'll say it a million times, Sara Kitajima!" Reo was shouting. "My new Abraxas is better than

your stupid Gag-whatever! A million times better!"

"And you'll be wrong every time, Reo-san." Sara crossed her arms, grinning smugly down at the seething blonde girl. "And I can prove it through sheer logic: Gagyson has Elec Dance, and Abraxas is weak to electricity."

"And Abraxas knows Force Dance, dummy!" Reo screamed. "Gaga-whatsis is weak to it! So there!"

"Yeah, well, even so, Gagyson's still better." Sara shrugged. "Because he's a pink pterodactyl, and Abraxas is a rooster-man. Really, I don't know why we're still having this conversation."

"I oughtta...!"

"Whoa!" Mai jumped forward, putting herself between Sara and Reo. "What's going on here?" Reo was in her face in a flash.

"Mai, tell Sara Kitajima that Abraxas is better than Gagzilch!" She snapped, pointing at Sara. Mai blinked in confusion.

"Who's...better than...what?"

"TELL HER!" Reo shouted.

"Um...okay." Mai shrugged, turning to Sara. "Abraxas is better than Gagzilch."

"THERE!" Reo planted her hands on her hips, facing Sara with a huge, smug smile. "Mai agrees with me!"

"Oh yeah!" Reo's smile faltered as Sara's grew. "Abraxas is WAY better than Gagzilch. But Gagyson blows them both out of the water. Glad I fused one up."

It took Reo a full five seconds for it to click. Then her face turned the color of a ripe tomato as she swelled like a bullfrog.

"Hey, hey!" Mai guided Reo away with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Both of your demons are awesome, and I bet they'll help us a lot against the Yakuza. But let's save it for them, alright?"

Reo shot a glare and a growl at Sara, before relenting with a shake of her head. Mai turned to Yuuna. "What about you, Yuuna-san? Get anything to...you know..."

"Replace Ogun?" Much to Mai's surprise, Yuuna smiled. "Funny you should mention it. As it would turn out, our demons don't die when they're defeated. It takes a little while, but they recover on their own."

"Really? Ogun's alive? That's awesome, Yuuna-san!"

"Yes." Yuuna nodded. "And I bought myself a Knocker on the auction, and made myself a few new demons in the Cathedral: Sarasvati and Tenong Cut. Overall, I think I've been productive..."

"Cool. Got myself a Makara...well, now comes the hard part." Mai beckoned the others over. "It's time to talk to the Flock."

"I'm telling you, you don't worry about anything, Mai-san." Yuuna said, closing her eyes with a self-assured smile. "I'm sure that I can come to some arrangement with them."

"I'm sure you can, Yuuna-san." Mai shook her head. "But we're not ABSOLUTELY sure. This isn't something we can just hinge on charisma and hope for the best, not after the first Tamers people saw blew up their food. We need solid evidence that we're on the Flock's side. We need proof..."

Yuuna thought for a moment, then nodded. "Ah...there's an idea..."

"What's an idea, Yuuna-sama?" Nanami watched as Yuuna pulled out her phone, the blonde's fingers dancing across the screen.

"If the Flock's going to be fighting the Yakuza, it stands to reason there'll be casualties. So if we use the Mortician's List to find a high number of casualties in a certain area at a certain time..."

"That'll be a battle! We can get there first, fight alongside the Flock, and prove we want to help them!" Nanami's face split into a huge grin. "Yuuna-sama, you're a genius!"

"Help them out of a jam..." Mai nodded. "We run up, offer to help: they couldn't very well turn on us if it means going up against us AND the Yakuza. Then Yuuna-san could explain the situation. And if it fails we could just run back to the park. It'd be hard to find us in a crowd. Yeah...yeah, I think it'll work! So..." she walked over to Yuuna. "you know where a fight's gonna happen?"

Yuuna nodded. "Yes. I see a number of foreign names right here on 6-2: these are Flock members, most likely. And look, it's right near the supermarket: I can only assume that they are going to be ambushed on their attempt to take it back. How fortuitous: perhaps this whole debacle will be over faster than I thought. If this group is the one meant to take back the market, they'll need all the help they can get."

"Sweet!" Sara pumped her fists enthusiastically. "What time does it happen, Yuuna-sama?"

Yuuna checked again. "3:30."

"We got a couple of hours...that's perfect." Mai nodded, Yuuna looked up in surprise.

"What do you mean, Mai-san?" She asked.

"We actually have some stuff we need to get done first." Mai explained. "I think we'll have enough time: I was thinking we should take a run to the clothing store first."

"The clothing store?" Reo shot her girlfriend an incredulous look. "You're seriously thinking about shopping at a time like this, Mai?!"

"No..." Mai shook her head, a condescending smile on her face. "I was just thinking we could grab ourselves some better outfits. I mean, we're all pretty much dressed to take a leisurely walk around the town, not running around fighting demons. I was thinking of maybe grabbing us some t-shirts, shorts or a skirt, tennis shoes, just something easier to move in. Maybe some hair bands for you, Sara-san and Yuuna-san too. I mean, you'll need to keep your hair out of your eyes..."

"You make a good point, Mai-san." Sara twisted her head around to look down her back. "This bow's just one more thing for a demon to grab, ya know? And the uniform itself is pretty heavy... yeah, I could go for a lighter outfit."

"I see no reason not to." Yuuna said calmly as Nanami nodded.

"Awesome. If we hurry, we'll get to the shop, have some time to find what we need, and then get to 6-2 in time for the action. C'mon, let's go! I declare Operation: Win the Flock Over underway!"

---

Unfortunately, things would prove to be more complex: as Mai and her friends moved in a tight-knit group along a path leading out of the park, the Flock members guarding it noticed them. Their batons were raised in a second, and the group of girls skidded to a halt.

"Urgh..." groaned Mai. "Go...go back. Go back."

It took good while for the Flock to lower their weapons. Watching them through the crowd, the hooded men surveyed their surroundings intently for a full ten seconds after the girls were out of sight before collapsing their batons and placing them back on their belts. Even then, there was a noticeable tenseness in their posture as they kept their hands close to their batons, and their left hands in tight fists..

"What's with them?" Sara raised an eyebrow as she jabbed a finger over her shoulder at the Flock. "Yesterday they just let me through!"

"Ah...but that was before they knew Demon Tamers exist. No sane person would willingly go out into that hellhole unless they had some way to protect themselves..." Yuuna rubbed her chin. "This complicates things..."

"So we're...no. No!" Reo was shaking her head. "No way! There's no way I'm anyone's prisoner, especially not people as sketchy as the Flock! You have a plan, right Mai?" She rounded on her girlfriend. "Come on, how do we get out of here?!"

Mai thought for a moment, glancing around the park, mumbling under her breath and doodling strange images in the air with her hands. Finally, she gave her fingers a snap of affirmation.

"Follow me."

Mai took off running, beckoning her friends. The others gave chase, following Sara all the way to the high metal and stone fence surrounding the park. Reo's expression turned into one of confusion.

"Wha...over the wall?" She said incredulously. "You're crazy, Mai, you'll never make it! The Flock'll be all over us before you can get halfway up!"

"And I'm not sure I can climb it at all." Nanami said morosely, looking down at herself. "Even if I were dressed in better clothes for it, I'm not all that athletic..."

Mai didn't seem shaken by these complaints, however. "Just follow my lead and get ready to run." She said, pulling out her cellphone.

Reo realized instantly what Mai was planning to do, and her eyes went wide. "Wait, wha-no, Mai, DON'T!"

But it was too late. Mai opened her cell phone.

"Makara!"

The demonic fish/deer appeared in a flash of light. Mai's friends watched in amazement as she jumped onto its back, pointing to the wall.

"Makara, jump over the wall!" She shouted, then pressed herself to the demon, hanging onto its neck for dear life. Makara wound up its hooved hind legs, then sprang clean over the fence. As soon as it was on the ground, Mai jumped off its back, returning it to her phone and running off as fast as she could.

A huge grin spread over Sara's face as she pulled her phone out, holding it up high.

"Gagyson!"

The demon appeared: a pink humanoid bird-like demon, with a wickedly curved beak, a pointed tail, vicious-looking talons, and a pair of bat-like wings sprouting from its back..

"Sara-san this is crazy!" Nanami shrieked. Her friend paid her no heed as the pink demon gathered her up bridal-style in its arms. Sara pointed at the wall.

"Up and over, Gagyson!"

Her demon obliged, spreading its massive wings. A single beat of them got the two airborne, and Sara let out an exhilarated shriek of laughter as Gagyson soared over the wall, landing gently on the other side.

Reo spun around: somehow, mercifully, the crowd hadn't seemed to notice them fully yet. Mai had likely been fast enough to avoid being noticed, and the ones that had seen Sara's demon looked too stunned to even react, mouthing in wordless terror. The panic was moving slowly through the crowd, but it was growing in strength as it spread.

She realized suddenly it was the best chance they would get.

Nanami watched as Reo brought forth her own demon. It was a strange-looking creature: its torso was that of a human male, but its head was a greenish-feathered rooster's. In place of its legs were a pair of live snakes, moving on their own accord. In one hand was clenched a broad shield, and in its other was a leafy branch. It looked down at Reo, sizing her up.

"Take me over the wall, Abraxas!" Reo commanded.

The demon obliged, reaching out and slinging its master over its shoulder. Reo let out a shriek as Abraxas launched itself into the air. It came down hard, then set Reo down on the pavement. It took a moment for Reo to get on her feet, and she was clutching her stomach where the demon's shoulder had dug in when it landed. Then she staggered after Sara and Mai.

Yuuna looked back at the crowd: they seemed to have fully grasped what was happening by this point. Screams were going up as they backed away, eyes wide with horror. And seated in the grass about thirty feet away were two hooded members of the Flock, their hooded heads turned directly at them. Even at that distance, and even under the heavy hoods, Yuuna could see the absolutely incredulous expressions on their faces.

"Oh my...! Nanami, come on!" Yuuna shouted as she summoned Ogun and jumped onto its back: the spear-wielding demon was over the wall in a single bound.

"But...but...!" Nanami shrieked, whipping around frantically. Her breath caught painfully in her throat: the Flock members had scrambled to their feet, whipping out their batons and charging right for her. She practically snapped her cell phone in half in her frantic attempts to get it open.

"M-moh Shvuu!"

The red-robed girl erupted from her cell phone. Nanami wrapped her arms around her.

"Please be strong enough...take me over the wall-!"

Moh Shvuu did so: Nanami felt a rush of air as the demon flew high into the air, a pit opening up in her stomach as her feet left the ground. Unable to look, she tightened her grip on Moh Shvuu, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she could. Then came the part she was dreading: the sickening lurch of weightlessness. Even though Moh Shvuu wasn't descending quickly exactly, it was still enough to put Nanami's insides in her throat. Suddenly it was over: Moh Shvuu set her down gently, vanishing back into her phone. Even with the hard pavement against her feet again, it took Nanami a moment to regain enough presence of mind for the realization to hit that she was safely on the ground, and to trust herself enough to open her eyes.

"Nanami! Nanami, get up! Run!"

Yuuna's desperate shouts shook Nanami out of the last of her stupor. Looking up, she saw the familiar shapes of two armored angels soaring high into the sky. With a gasp, he took off after her girlfriend at a full run.

---

"Too...much...running...! And this heat...! I...hate...running!"

Mai slumped against a lamp post, hand at her heart and too out of breath to answer her girlfriend. Annoyed by the silence, Reo lifted her head with a herculean effort, glaring as venomously as she could at Mai.

"What...were...you...thinking?!" Reo managed to choke. "Summoning demons...right under their noses?!"

"It worked...didn't it?" Mai finally managed to gasp back. "We're out of...the park."

"YES! And I bet we're gonna have angels...swooping down on us any second now!" Reo seethed. Mai waved her off.

"Nah, I doubt it. They're not gonna send guys into the city...to hunt down a couple of high schoolers...even if we are Demon Tamers. They've got more important things to worry about. At least...I hope they do..."

"Mai...you are insane!"

"Hey...c'mon Reo-san...it wasn't all that bad...!" Even though Sara was lying sprawled on her back on the pavement, she was beaming ear-to-ear. "I mean...we got to ride demons! You gotta admit...that was awesome!"

"No I don't!" Reo snapped. "It wasn't 'awesome' at all, Sara Kitajima! Abraxas threw me over his shoulder like a sack and then jumped straight up! You know what it was like to see the ground just...zoom away and then towards you like that?! And then it landed so hard it knocked the wind out of me!"

"Ah..." Sara chuckled, closing her eyes and nodding. "The evidence for Gagyson's superiority...just keeps rollin' in."

"Wha-HUH?! You...you...! Oh forget it...too tired...ugh...you dummy..."

Mai pushed herself off the lamp post, wiping her brow with the back of her arm. "Hey..." She looked around. "I just realized...we're a couple heads short...where's Nanami-san and Yuuna-san?"

Sara pushed herself into a seated position, staring down in the general direction of the park. The seconds passed, and with no sign of either of them, Sara was beginning to look worried. "Uh oh...we must've gotten separated when we were running away! C'mon, let's go look for 'em!"

"Hang on a second, Sara-san." said Mai as Sara got up, staggering slightly. "Let's check the Mortician's List first."

"Mortician's List...ohh! Good idea, Mai-san!" Sara pulled out her phone, grinning as she flicked down the list. "If they're in danger, it'll save us the trouble of wandering around aaaaand Yuuna-sama's not listed...and neither is Nanami-chan."

"Well, at least we know they're safe...can't say I'm surprised if they're together, there's no way Yuuna-san'd let anything happen to Nanami-san." Mai hung her head in thought. "But wandering around the city looking for them isn't going to help us find them. My suggestion is get to the clothing store: it's only a few blocks down. If they're not in any danger, they should be heading there."

"Ugh, if only we could text 'em or something!" Sara groaned as she pocketed her phone. "Cypher could have at least let us keep normal phone functions..."

Mai shrugged, turning to Reo. "Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a minute!" Reo held up a hand, leaning down and resting her hands on her knees. "Still kind of out of...oh...aaaaah..."

Mai blinked, surprised by Reo's sudden change in tone. "Um...Reo?"

"You don't feel that?" The blonde had closed her eyes in bliss. "Ohhh...cool breeze...oh, that feels good."

"Yeah..." Sara looked over to Mai. "Yeah, I feel it too. Heh...it does feel kind of good after all that running."

Indeed it was: a draft had come down the street. Mai couldn't help it: she closed her eyes with a contented sigh as it swept over her sweaty body with a refreshing burst of cold.

'Cool breeze...middle of summer...high noon?!'

The moment of dawning comprehension hit.

"REO, WATCH OUT!"

Mai took a diving leap, tackling Reo just as the demon came barreling down the street: a roaring mass of muscles, fur, claws and antlers leaping into the air and bearing down on them like a freight train. It just barely missed: its huge fist buried itself deep into the pavement where Reo had been just seconds before. Mai dragged Reo to her feet as Sara regrouped with them, the three girls staring in shock as the demon extricated its fist from the road.

The creature turned to face them, snarling. It possessed the body of a gray-furred, bipedal bear, with a black, hairless chest adorned with blue war paint. A pair of glowing red eyes glared out of a black, strangely human-like face, which was crowned by a pair of spreading, deer-like antlers. Standing erect at what had to be nearly ten feet, the demon started toward them.

"Ughhh...so hot..." It growled. "So...hungry...!"

"Wendigo..." Mai read off her phone as she aimed it at the demon. "Jaki-class. Reflects Ice, weak to Fire!"

"Ice...this thing must be what's causing that cold air! HEY!" Sara shouted. "Wendigo! You mind not killing us?"

"Wha...Sara Kitajima, what are you doing?!"

"Hey, it's worth a shot, Reo-san! C'mon, Wendigo, that breeze you're bringing with you feels great, and we wanna enjoy it a little longer! Pleeeeease?" Sara put her hands together, donning her best doe-eyes as a finishing touch.

It worked about as well as one would expect.

"HUUUUNNNNGRRRRYYYYY!" Wendigo charged right for them with a bloodcurdling scream. The three girls scattered as its massive arm nearly clotheslined Sara's head off. Her phone was in her hand a second later, Jack Frost and Gagyson appearing in front of her and standing protectively between her and the massive horned demon. Reo and Mai followed suit, summoning Abraxas and Pixie, and Makara and Kabuso respectively.

"Here we go..." Mai muttered under her breath as Wendigo sized up its opponents. At length it seemed to decide Kabuso was its best target, and it dove toward the cat, swiping at it with its sharp claws.

"Too slow, ya big lug!" Kabuso jumped nimbly out of the way and held its paws out. "AGI!"

The cat's fireball shot forward, roaring through the air directly at Wendigo. The horned demon was trying to keep its balance after its clumsy attack, leaving it no way to dodge: the fireball exploded against its chest.

It didn't even make Wendigo stumble. If anything, it made the monstrous, hairy beast angrier, and it charged directly for Kabuso. The cat dodged again, and Wendigo barreled right past it, snapping a streetlight clean in two before realizing it had missed. Stumbling to a halt, it turned around to snarl again at its quarry.

"Whoa...!" Mai gaped. "And that was supposed to be good against it! Not even Kaiwan tanked something he was bad against!"

"Urrgh...annoying...too fast..." Wendigo grumbled. "Freeze you...then EAT you!"

Sara cringed as the demon inhaled deeply. "Oh boy..."

"MOVE!" Mai yelled, she, her friends, and their demons scattering as Wendigo exhaled a wide stream of freezing air, frost forming on the ground as it narrowly missed them. The attack froze two cars, a lamppost, and two parking meters solid.

Reo wasn't about to give it a chance to launch a second one. "Abraxas!" She shouted. "Force Dance!"

Abraxas raised the branch in its hand, roiling streams of wind coalescing around it. Then it swiped out with it: once, twice, three times, each firing a blast of air. They struck Wendigo, the demon grunting in pain and bringing its arms up to protect itself as the blasts forced it back step by step.

"What are you waiting for!" Reo shouted, turning to the others as Abraxas continued its assault. "Screw fairness! Gang up on it!"

"Got it!" Mai pointed a finger at Wendigo. "Makara, Zan! Kabuso, Agi!"

Her demons obeyed, burying Wendigo under a barrage of wind and fire. The massive demon let out a groan of pain as the blasts forced it to its knees.

"You too, Gagyson!" Sara ordered. "Elec Dance!"

Gagyson obliged, electricity crackling around its clawed hands. Lashing out with them like twin whips, Gagyson's attacks joined the others, the onslaught kicking up a huge cloud of dust that hid Wendigo from sight.

"Okay...okay, good!" Mai shouted, holding up a hand. "I think that'll do it. Stay on guard, though, just in case..."

The three watched nervously as the dust cleared, tensed and ready to command their demons. To their collective relief, Wendigo looked rather worse-for-wear now: its breathing was even more ragged as it staggered slowly to its feet, and the attacks had torn huge chunks of fur from its body.

"Ugh, it's still alive!" Sara took a step back. "Just how durable is this thing?"

"Too...many..." Wendigo grumbled. "Too fast...too lively..."

Mai pointed to the demon. "Come on, let's see if it can shake off another salvo-"

She saw the blur of motion beneath her too late.

Something had erupted from the ground: Mai caught a split second look at a noodly green and orange arm topped by equally boneless fingers. Then the fingers glowed a sick shade of purple and the demon swiped them across her chest. As soon as they touched her, Mai's body went rigid. A second later, she collapsed to the pavement without a sound. Her demons spun around as this new creature lashed out again: a single punch to Kabuso's face blasted it into black smoke, and a second swipe of its purple-glowing fingers sent Makara collapsing to the ground, twitching.

"MAI!" Reo shrieked. "Abraxas, get that thing away from her!"

Abraxas opened its beak, firing a Zan directly into the demon. The creature was tossed through the air, tumbling across the ground, even rolling up like a sheet at one point before coming to a stop in a crumpled heap. Reo rushed to check on her fallen lover. "Mai, what happened?!"

To her astonishment, Reo didn't see any wounds. Not even Mai's shirt had been slashed. But she was shivering violently, teeth clenched tightly and every muscle in her body completely stiff. Her eyes were still moving, though, fearful and darting frantically in every direction. It looked like whatever the demon had done to her had left her completely paralyzed. Her demon seemed less so, but was still struggling to try to get up.

"Heheheh...friends help me...!" Wendigo growled, his tone notably smug as he sat down on the curb. "Make you lie still! You not move! Urgh...hot...tired. I sit here and watch. I rest, they weaken you, I eat you alive!"

"What the heck are those things, Sara Kitajima?" Reo shouted.

"Lessee..." Sara held her phone up, tapping her way through the menus. The demon had gotten up, and two more had appeared next to it, simply rising from the ground as if it were water. They were strange creatures, so flat they were almost two dimensional. They were green and orange in color, with complex technicolor markings covering their flat bodies from faceless head to long, boneless toe. The trio of demons started toward the three girls, their gait more like a wobbling, staggering, marionette dance than a walk. "Um...how did Mai-san...ah, there we go! They're Ghosts called Tenong Cut! They're weak to Fire and...oh no, they null Electric?! That's Gagyson's specialty!"

"I don't care!" Reo snapped, gesturing Abraxas forward. The rooster-headed demon took up position blocking Mai from the approaching ghosts. "Those things don't get anywhere NEAR Mai, understand?!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sara nodded. "I still got Jack, and Gagyson's got his claws! This'll be a snap!"

The Tenong Cuts twitched and shuddered violently for a second, then lunged forward, Abraxas intercepted one of them with Force Dance and sent it sprawling, and Jack Frost's Bufu froze another's feet to the ground, but the third managed to bend out of the way of the incoming attacks, continuing to charge at its foes. Gagyson swooped forward to meet it, slashing and swiping with both of its taloned hands. Tenong Cut dodged every one of the swipes with ease, moving more like a fluid than a solid entity.

"Fast...be careful, Gagyson...!" Sara shouted.

A foolishly-timed swing left Gagyson's back wide open, and Tenong Cut capitalized on it: stretching its arm back and shooting it forward like a snapped rubber band. The punch struck Gagyson in the back, sending it tumbling end-over-end. It managed to recover, turning itself around to face its opponent as it continued its assault: Tenong Cut wound up both of its arms, bringing them forward in a barrage of rapid-fire punches. Gagyson could do nothing but bring its arms up, covering its face as the ghost pummeled it.

Too occupied with its opponent, the Tenong Cut forgot about the other ones: an order from Sara sent Jack Frost into action. Leaping high into the air and bringing its hands forward, the snowman shot a Bufu at Tenong Cut. The ghost ceased its assault on Gagyson just in time, bringing up its noodly appendages to block the blast of frigid air. Although the Bufu generated a block of ice around Tenong Cut's arms, a few seconds of straining shattered it to pieces. Still, the attack served its purpose: Gagyson took flight, retreating back next to Jack Frost.

"Yikes, that did some damage..." Muttered Sara. "Jack Frost, use Fairy Dust!"

"You got it, hee-ho!" Jack Frost spun in place, raising its chubby arm. A cloud of shimmering white dust erupted from its body, surrounding it and Gagyson. The healing effect took hold almost instantly, Gagyson shaking off its daze and flashing its claws at Tenong Cut.

"Alright...plan 'B': Jack Frost, get in there!"

"Hee-ho!" Jack crowed, jumping forward and exhaling a blast of cold air. Tenong Cut was hit dead on by it, raising its arms to shield itself from the gusting winds and stumbling backwards as ice crystals began to coat its body. Sara's heart leapt.

"I guess these things can't dodge magic so easily...alright...I can do this...Gagyson!" She shouted. "Fall back and protect Mai-san! If Wendigo tries anything funny, zap him! Jack Frost, let's take this thing!"

Gagyson nodded, flying back to Mai's side and standing protectively over her. Tenong Cut flexed, breaking the ice covering it, then lunged forward, bearing down on Jack and raising its arms. The snow fairy jumped out of range as the arms stretched back and shot forward into the sidewalk, shooting another Bufu at the ghost. Tenong Cut reacted quickly, bringing its arm up to block it: the result was a rugged block of ice encasing it. Said block of ice was quickly weaponized as Tenong Cut wound up and swung it in a wide arc that Jack Frost just barely managed to duck.

Sara trusted herself enough to steal a glance at Reo. She was doing well: Abraxas was keeping the two Tenong Cuts attacking it at bay with Force Dance and Zan. 'Not bad for a giant chicken...' thought Sara. Then she turned her gaze to Mai.

Whatever Tenong Cut had done to her seemed to be wearing off: Mai was moving slowly, painfully, trying to get control of her muscles again and struggle to her feet.

'Awesome...as soon as she's back in the fray, taking these things down will be a snap...just gotta hold out a little longer...!'

Something behind her let out a horrible sputtering noise. Tenong Cut had managed to get ahold of Jack Frost, wrapping its arm tightly like a noose around the snowman's nonexistent neck and hoisting it off the ground. Jack Frost's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, retaining its fanged, wide-mouthed smile. If anything, this almost made it worse as it gasped for air and thrashed violently, trying to escape the strangling grasp.

"Jack!" Sara shrieked.

Jack Frost's hands came up, grabbing Tenong Cut's arm, and almost instantly ice engulfed it. Then Jack pulled with all its strength, and the ghost's arm shattered. The snowman dropped to the ground, gasping for air as Tenong Cut staggered backwards, holding the stump of its arm.

Jack Frost inhaled, then breathed a Bufu directly into Tenong Cut's face. The ghost's remaining hand came up to clutch its face as it froze solid. In three steps, Jack Frost had jumped toward it, bringing its fist back. With an empathic cry of "Hee-HO!" Jack shattered the ghost's head with a single punch. It dissolved into black smoke before it even hit the ground.

"BOOM!" Sara pumped a fist into the air. "Gotcha! How'd ya like that, noodle-man?!"

"Urrgh..."

Wendigo pushed itself to its feet, its red eyes glaring daggers at Sara and Jack. "Annoyed...angry...hungry!"

The towering demon charged with surprising speed. Jack Frost's quick reflexes saved it as Wendigo brought its massive fists down, smashing the street to fragments.

"Gagyson!" Sara ordered. The pink demon took flight, landing next to Jack Frost and watching as Wendigo stood erect, glaring down at its foes.

"You just human...you get lucky...I stronger than friends. You not beat me! I kill you! I EAT YOU!"

The demon thrust its arms forward: its fur rippled, then shot forward in two massive jets. Gagyson and Jack Frost cried out in shock as the fur wrapped tightly around them. With a roar, Wendigo spun around, tossing them over Sara's head.

Sara's stomach lurched as she instinctively spun around, watching her demons hurtle into the horizon. "Jack! Gagyson!"

"HUNGRYYYYYY!" Wendigo turned its bloodshot gaze to Sara, barreling right at her. Too close...too fast...Sara squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain...

There was a rush of air, and Wendigo let out a roar as it was blown backwards. Sara watched as it came slamming down on its back with a ground-shaking *thud*, then turned to face her savior.

"Thanks, Reo-san!"

Reo shook her head in irritation as she watched Wendigo struggle to right itself. "Just stay out of the way and let us handle this!"

Abraxas opened its beak wide, firing more Zans at the fallen Wendigo. The first one was a direct hit, but the rest were blocked by Wendigo's open palm. The huge demon pushed itself laboriously to its feet under the hail of attacks, inhaling deeply. Abraxas realized what was about to happen and dropped down, hiding as much of itself as it could behind its shield. Sara and Reo scrambled to get clear as Wendigo exhaled. Abraxas braced itself against the gale as ice crept over its shield, the wind threatening to push its defenses off and expose it in full to the freezing attack. Wendigo seemed to realize it had the advantage and pushed it, pouring more icy breath onto Abraxas with even greater force. The rooster-headed demon braced its shield with its other arm as the freezing air swirled around it, tendrils of ice beginning to creep along the ground toward it, inch by inch...

"HEE-HOOOO!"

Wendigo looked up in shock as something white shot like a missile from the sky, slamming into its chest with enough force to send the massive demon skidding backwards. The white projectile pushed off hard, disengaging from its mark, bringing a chubby hand up to fix its blue jester's cap as it landed

"JACK FROST!" Sara cheered, ecstatic. "I knew you'd be alright!"

Wendigo fell to one knee, clutching its chest and glaring at Jack Frost. "Lousy...tiny...!" It snarled, raising its massive, clawed hand. Then it screamed as its entire body lit up bright neon blue. Gagyson descended from the sky, lashing out with twin whips of electricity and pummeling Wendigo with voltage.

Reo blinked in shock. 'Wha...did...did Gagy-whatsis just THROW Jack Frost at Wendigo?!'

"Reo-san!" Sara shouted. "Let's end this: double-whammy on three!"

"Double-what?" Reo said incredulously.

"C'mon! That thing's running on fumes! One more double attack from Gagyson and Abraxas'll finish it!"

Reo watched as Wendigo struggled to stand against the surging electricity, then nodded. "Abraxas!" She shouted. Her demon shook off the ice covering its body, raising its branch above its head and generating a stream of swirling air. "Force Da-!"

"Whoa, waitaminute!" Sara crossed her arms in a time-out signal. "Not yet, Reo-san! We gotta do it on three!"

Reo looked up in confusion. "Why?" Sara shook her head wistfully.

"Because tag-attacks need to be called at the same time!" She said, in a tone that suggested 'one plus one equaled two'. "It's not nearly as cool if you just jump in there in the middle of my attack, we gotta shout it at the same time...!"

The glare this earned her could have stopped a charging rhino. Sara took a step back, amazed at how the simple expression seemed to make the blonde tower over her. "Er...on second thought...maybe this isn't the time to try to be fancy..."

Satisfied, Reo pointed at Wendigo. "Abraxas, Force Dance!"

The rooster-man let fly with a blast of air, mingling with the electricity fired by Gagyson and engulfing Wendigo in a roiling twister that crackled and sparked with lightning. Wendigo had time for one final choked scream before it disintegrated into black smoke.

"Haah...we did it!" Sara paused to catch her breath as their demons disappeared. "That was crazy...thanks for your help back there, Reo-san..."

Reo didn't hear a word of it. As soon as she saw Wendigo dissolve she had taken off running, dashing as fast as she could to Mai's side.

"Re...o..."

"Don't try to talk!" Reo knelt down beside her girlfriend, uncharacteristically concerned. "Hang on, I'll get Pixie to...!"

"Nngh...I'm fine..." Mai grunted, pushing herself into a seated position with obvious effort. "Just a little sore...whatever that thing did to me made all my muscles seize up...oww..."

"Stupid...!" Reo's voice cracked as she jumped forward, pulling Mai into a tight embrace. "I told you not to scare me, you dummy!"

"I'm alright..." It took a little effort for Mai to move her arms and return the hug: she was still kind of stiff. "Thanks to you...and Sara-san...you two did great..."

Sara beamed. Reo sniffled as Mai pulled away, bracing herself against the ground and struggling to stand. "Come on. We need get off the street-whoa!"

"M-Mai!" Reo gasped as Mai stumbled for a second. The black-haired girl shook her head, holding a hand up.

"I'm fine...just...just gimme a minute...whew..." She mumbled, stretching her back and working her joints.

"Mai-sama! Reo-sama! Sara-san!"

Sara spun around, squinting down the road. "Nanami-chan! Yuuna-sama! Over here!"

The couple made their way over to them, Nanami wiping the sweat from her brow and trying to catch her breath. "You guys...run too fast..."

"Goodness..." Yuuna stared in shock around the street, eyes taking in the huge holes in the ground and the fresh ice covering everything. "Was there a fight?"

"Yeah...some bear-thing called Wendigo attacked us, and he brought some ghosts called Tenong Cuts as backup." Sara explained.

"Wendigo, hm? And Tenong Cut..." Yuuna nodded solemnly. "I hope none of you are hurt."

"Oh no!" Mai waved her hand breezily as she made her way over to them. "We're just fi-oop!"

"Careful, Mai!" Reo shouted: Mai's leg had nearly given out from under her, and she had almost fallen dead on her face. She caught herself, though, carefully straightening up and continuing her approach.

"Tenong Cut did something to her." Sara explained. "Hit her with these glowy fingers and she just fell over."

Yuuna nodded. "Ghost Wounds, I assume." Noting Sara's confused expression, she pulled out her phone. "I have a Tenong Cut as well. Ghost Wounds is its Race Skill: it paralyzes anything it touches." She explained.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Mai muttered, working the last of her stiffness out of her body. "It's pretty much worn off by now. We should get moving: the clothing store's not too far from here."

---

"Ohh..." Nanami let out a soft whimper. "I used to love this shop...Yuuna-sama and I were here just before the outbreak, and now...!"

Mai couldn't do much besides shake her head sadly. The clothing store was a nostalgic place for her too, and really much of the Saint Michael's student body in general. It was sobering seeing the familiar place in such condition, dark and empty, its doors smashed in and glass spread out over the floor.

"Come on." Mai said quietly, beckoning the others over the threshold. "Careful, don't slip..."

Stepping gingerly over the glass with a cacophony of crunches, the five girls entered the shop. The inside wasn't quite as bad. A few things had been knocked over, but it was hardly what Mai could call a mess.

"No power." Yuuna muttered, walking over to the light switch and giving it a few flicks. "We'll need to watch where we're going."

"Alright, we have some time to browse, but we can't take too long. We still need to get to that skirmish in time to help the Flock." said Mai. "We're just looking for anything that we can run around in: shorts, tank tops, tennis shoes, things along those lines."

Yuuna chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day where I'd wear shorts outside of PE..." She muttered.

"Well, I guess you could get away with a skirt or something. Oh...but then it'd be flapping everywhere when you're running and showing off your..." Mai shrugged, then shook her head. "T-that's not the point! Just as long as it's something we can run around in without worrying about tripping or getting caught on something."

"Does this place even sell stuff like that?" Nanami sounded kind of skeptical. "It doesn't seem like the place to hold things like tennis shoes..."

"Yep!" Mai said brightly. "They don't have much, but it's a decent selection. As long as they have them in our size, we're good. They're this way if I remember right...come on."

The group moved off to a secluded wall of the store that was lined with shoeboxes. "Lessee...size...ah, here we go!" Mai pulled a box off the shelf and yanked it open. "Oh, yeah, these'll work."

She walked over to a nearby bench, sitting down and pulling off her shoes, taking a second to give them a good, thorough rub before slipping them into the tennis shoes and lacing them up.

Sara looked at them and cringed. "Yikes...green, Mai-san?"

"Doesn't really matter what color, Sara-san, just as long as I can run around in them." Mai said as she stood up, pacing in circles a few times. "Yeah, I think these'll work. Just need to break them in a bit..." She walked off. "I'll look for some tank tops or something. C'mon, Reo."

"Darn it, I don't see anything I like..." Sara mumbled, pushing box number seven back onto the shelf. "Maybe I can find an outfit first and something'll click..."

"You don't need a fancy outfit, Sara-san." Mai shook her head wistfully. "We're just looking for something easy to move in."

"Yeah, and we're gonna be talking to the Flock!" Sara said. "We need to make a good first impression!"

Mai rolled her eyes with a small grin, taking Reo by the hand and walking off. "H-hey!" Sara shouted, running after them. "Wait up!"

"Alright, we'll catch up to you! Ah, these are nice. Try these, Nanami. As for me..." Yuuna handed down a box down to her, turning back to the shelf and looking it over. Nanami opened the box and stared down into its contents.

"I have to admit..." Yuuna pulled a box from the shelf, sitting down on the bench and untying her shoe laces. "This is all rather surreal in its own way. We're in the middle of a full-blown demonic incursion, we're about to help a group of angel-wielding cultists fight the Yakuza...and we're shopping for clothes." She let out a small giggle. "We are incorrigible, aren't we? I suppose some things stay the same no matter the circumstances..."

Nanami sighed, taking a seat next to her girlfriend and pulling the shoes from the box. She didn't try to put them on, though. She just stared at them, through them almost. Yuuna frowned. She had hoped her little joke would lighten the mood a bit, but if anything, Nanami seemed even more somber. Finally, she sighed, then spoke in a small voice. "Onee-sama...?"

"Hm?"

"You think...you think we can go back after all of this?" Nanami whispered. "Can things actually go back to normal after everything that's happened?" Her gaze roved around the dark, dead store, and out the window to the wounded city beyond. She felt Yuuna's hand gently slip into her own.

"Of course it will, Nanami." Yuuna tried to sound as convincing as she could. By Nanami's expression, however, it wasn't working.

"Really? Can I go back to being a student after fighting demons? Are any of my other friends dead, or my Sensei? Will I ever be able to just go shopping with you normally, in a city that hasn't been torn apart? Can it even be rebuilt? It's been just three days...and I barely recognize the city I grew up in...it's all...fallen apart..."

She brought her arm up as her voice cracked, wiping away some tears. Yuuna frowned for a second, then smiled impishly. With a deft motion, she swept Nanami up in her arms.

"G-gah! Onee-sammMURPH?!"

Nanami's protests were silenced as Yuuna fell on top of her. This kiss was one of Yuuna's better ones; long, deep, passionate, and with liberal use of tongue. The warmth from it seemed to permeate every cell in Nanami's body, relaxing her completely and destroying the grim thoughts that had been running through her mind. Finally, Yuuna pulled back, smiling down at her girlfriend. Nanami could do nothing but sit there and gasp for air, her face rapidly approaching the color of her hair. The corners of her mouth turned up in a tipsy smile, and her hand came up to dazedly stroke her own flushed cheek.

"I guess...s-some things don't change...!"

Yuuna giggled. So did Nanami, and before they knew it the two of them had collapsed into a feedback loop of borderline-crazed chuckling. Finally, Nanami managed to compose herself. She gave a contented sigh as she embraced Yuuna, nuzzling into her chest as Yuuna stroked her hair soothingly.

"Don't change, Onee-sama. Please, don't ever change..."

---

The two of them stayed in each other's arms for a long while, silently, until they heard Mai, Sara and Reo approaching. They reluctantly released each other as the three girls returned wearing their new clothes. Mai had chosen a plain green t-shirt and cutoff jeans. Reo was wearing a similar outfit to Mai's: a plain white tee and jean shorts. Sara, on the other hand, had opted for something a little more fancy: a pinstriped, double-breasted tee, and the shorts she had picked were adorned with floral patterns. Nanami had to be impressed: for Mai's talk about how they should just grab the first things they saw, the three of them actually wore them rather well.

"So...how do we look?" Sara said, twirling in place for all to see.

"Really good!" Nanami nodded. Sara grinned.

"Aww, thanks, Nanami-chan! I'm actually kind of surprised." She looked down at herself thoughtfully. "I was kind of ambivalent about wearing shorts, but they're actually pretty comfy and easy to wear."

"We got about forty-five minutes before the skirmish on 6-2. It'll be about a half-hour walk from here, so that leaves us fifteen minutes before we have to get moving." Said Mai. Nanami and Yuuna got to their feet.

"We'd better hurry, then. Come on, Nanami-san."

"Yes, Yuuna-sama!" Nanami called, hurrying after her girlfriend to the sportswear section. Mai watched them vanish into the darkness, then hung her head.

"Hmm..."

"Something on your mind, Mai-san?" Sara asked.

"What happened back there was a real wake-up call." Said Mai. "Kabuso's Agi didn't do anything to that Wendigo, even though it was Wendigo's weakness. And then Tenong Cut took Kabuso out with one punch."

"Wait..." muttered Sara. "Are you saying our demons aren't getting any stronger?"

"Looks like it. Or if they are, it's not by much. And if the types of demons getting into the world are getting stronger, and ours aren't, sooner or later the ones we have will be left behind..."

"Aww...you mean I'm gonna have to get rid of Frosty at some point?" Sara pouted. Mai raised an eyebrow..

"Frosty? Oh, Jack Frost...yeah, if the trend continues, sooner or later he's gonna become ineffective, except maybe for fusion material. Besides that, I doubt those Yakuza have any compunctions about fusing demons. If we want to put up an effective fight against them, we'll need to do the same. Keeping demons that can't measure up around for nostalgic value's just not gonna be realistic. Besides, I think we're approaching this in all the wrong ways." She shrugged, crossing her arms. "We shouldn't be getting attached to the demons. If anything, we need to find out a way to get rid of them all! I mean, they're what's causing all this in the first place, right?"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Reo shook her head. "We're about to risk our lives fighting mobsters, and now you're talking about getting rid of all the demons in the city?! Geez, Mai, one thing at a time!"

"Yeah, you're right." Mai waved her hand. "Sorry, Reo, I was just thinking out loud..."

"We're ba-ack!"

Yuuna strode into view with a sing-song call, Nanami close on her heels. The pink-haired girl looked a little uncomfortable, restlessly shifting to and fro. "I thought you said these things are comfortable, Sara-san..." She looked down at her new pair of shorts with an irritated expression. "They're kind of restrictive..."

Mai looked at her. Prospects chased each other around in her mind as she weighed her options. Tell, or don't tell...she couldn't be sure how Nanami would react. Did she need to say it yet? It could be a blow to her morale. They were going into battle, they needed every advantage. But if Nanami used Kobold and it didn't measure up against their opponents, that could lead to...

'Just say it, Mai. Say it how it is. She'll need to find out eventually. Okay, here goes...'

"Nanami-san, I need to talk to you about something." Said Mai. Nanami looked up from her attempts to make her pants more comfortable.

"Yes, Mai-sama?"

"...Okay, listen." Mai shook her head. "Back when I was fighting Wendigo, I tried using Kabuso against it. Its attacks just bounced off, and they were supposed to be effective. Then Tenong Cut wiped it out with a single punch. The demons out there are getting stronger. Ours...I don't think they are."

The conclusion was starting to form in Nanami's mind. "Mai-sama, are you...?"

"Yes." Mai said sadly. "Sooner or later...you're going to have to get rid of Kobold."

Nanami seemed at a loss for words. Mai sighed as the pink-haired girl averted her eyes. "That goes for the rest of us. If we're serious about all this, we need to approach demons as a temporary means to an end. We can't get attached to them: an ideal conclusion to this whole debacle will involve getting rid of them, after all."

"Getting attached to them isn't the problem!"

All eyes were on Nanami, stunned by her uncharacteristic outburst. She herself seemed a little nervous by the surprised gazes on her, but she gathered herself and pressed on.

"I'm not getting attached to my demons! That's ridiculous! They're demons! Bloodthirsty monsters! Without our contracts they'd kill us on the spot! They're not our friends! The sooner they're gone, the sooner things can go back to normal, I haven't forgotten that! But..." She hung her head. "But...but they're still living creatures. The idea of taking living creatures and forcefully merging them together to make myself stronger is...! I mean, that's something they'd do!"

She shook her head. "It's not a matter of attachment, Mai-sama...it's just...the idea of me doing that makes me...! I'm scared of what I'll..."

Mai chuckled. "You have a good heart, Nanami-san."

Nanami paused. "H-huh?"

"Hold onto it. Keep those reservations, those doubts about your actions, that human empathy. You'll need them for when things go back to normal. Besides, I don't really see it."

"See it?" Nanami queried.

"Yeah, I don't see you as the kind of person to be changed by power. No, I think you're a good enough person to keep a grasp on your morals, even at times like these."

"R-really?" Nanami blushed a bit.

"I can testify." Yuuna smiled. "You wouldn't be on the Environmental Committee if you were one to abuse your power."

'Bit of a broken statement there, Onee-sama...like you're one to talk about abusing power...' Thought Nanami. Still, the strange reassurance had succeeded in making her feel a little better. She felt a smile come to her face.

"You're not gonna fall from grace, Nanami-san." said Mai. "If you come close, we'll pull you back."

"Promise?" Said Nanami.

"Of course. Friends look out for each other, right?"

"Friends...mmhm!" Nanami nodded. Mai grinned.

"Alright, we've got a few minutes. I think we have time for a couple of fusions before we have to get moving. So...let's get to work."

---

"Gah! Power, NO!"

Brother Ethan, loyal member of the Flock, could only watch as his angel crashed to the ground, vanishing in a flash of light and feathers. He let out a growl, glaring daggers at his opponent. "Tch...damn you!"

The Yakuza member laughed venomously. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Altar Boy! You're a bigger challenge than the average doof Tamer: least you got an idea what the hell you're doing! Gotta say, this actually pretty fun!"

Ethan took a quick glance around the battlefield. Surrounded, outnumbered. They had taken casualties: their numbers had dwindled from fifteen to eight over the course of the battle while the Yakuza had lost only five, dropping to eleven. But his brothers and sisters, locked in combat with the Yakuza, were at the very least holding their own. A tough situation to be sure, but not hopeless. Not so long as they had God on their side...

"Fun..." Ethan clasped his hands in prayer. "I'll show you fun, Tamer! Virtue, to my side! Strike Gozuki and Abraxas down with Holy Dance!"

The air above him rippled, glowing with an ethereal light. A crystalline statue of a nude, handsome-faced angel appeared, aqua blue and transparent so that a beating heart in its chest was visible. Its wings spread with a loud metallic screech, and a shower of rainbow-colored energy balls erupted forth, hurtling toward the angel's foes. The rooster-headed Abraxas brought up its shield, and Gozuki, a towering blue humanoid bull wielding an axe jumped back with surprising agility, evading the attacks as they exploded against the ground.

"Useless!" Scoffed the Yakuza. "Gozuki, smash that angel!"

The bull charged with an angry bellow, winding up and swinging the axe with terrifying force. The axe's blade and the angel's wing clashed with a horrible sound. For a second, they clinched, Gozuki struggling to pierce the hard crystal that made up the angel's body. Virtue wasn't about to give it that chance. Flexing its wings, it tossed Gozuki aside. The bull stumbled, failed to keep its balance, and crashed down onto its rear end. A second later, it was on the receiving end of a , point blank barrage of energy.

"Abraxas, Force Dance!"

Abraxas raised its branch, sending Virtue spinning stiffly through the air with a well-placed blast of wind. The angel recovered quickly, but the attack had succeeded in throwing off its assault. The bull stumbled to its feet, shaking its massive horned head.

"Ha! Gonna need more than that to stop me!" crowed the Yakuza. "Gozuki, Abraxas, let's show Altar Boy how to fight!"

Abraxas let out a crow. Gozuki bellowed, hefting its axe and starting toward Virtue. Ethan took a deep breath, ready to order Virtue to attack.

He never got the chance to. Gozuki roared in pain and confusion as a jet of icy air hit it dead in the face. Ethan watched in amazement as the bull was frozen solid.

"Wha...what the hell?!" The Yakuza stumbled back. "Who...?"

Ethan wheeled around, watching in amazement as a white blur shot over his head, burying its fist into the frozen bull. Gozuki smashed to pieces that vaporized into black smoke as they hit the ground. The small white demon dropped to the ground, pumping its fist into the air and letting out a triumphant "Hee-ho!"

Ethan wasn't foolish enough to question Providence. "Virtue, Ziodyne!

Virtue's head swiveled to face Abraxas. Its frozen, chiseled face changed: its eyes opened wide, revealing glowing white light, and its expression contorted in a terrifying fanged snarl. Spreading its wings, lightning coursed around its entire body, condensing at its heart and firing with a tremendous clap of thunder. Abraxas raised its shield in vain: the electricity engulfed the demon, vaporizing it in an instant.

The black smoke hadn't even begun to clear as Ethan ran forward, drawing his baton and striking the Yakuza across the face. He snatched the Tamer's phone as the man fell, slinging it to the ground in one smooth motion and snapping it in half. Then he turned in the direction the Jack Frost that had helped him had come from, and the five teenage girls running toward him and bringing out their demons.

"There they are! GET THEM!" Reo screamed.

'More Tamers...?' Ethan's hand tightened on his baton. 'And they're just children...dammit...!'

But they paid him no heed. They ran right past him. To Ethan's shock, it looked as if the children's intended targets were...!

Reo let out a bloodcurdling war cry as Abraxas and Pixie materialized, throwing themselves at two of the Yakuza. The thugs realized they were under attack by this new foe far too late: the storm of wind and lighting tossed their demons like rag dolls, sending them skidding across the ground in a heap. Sara was next into the fray, Jack Frost freezing a demon solid for Gagyson to smash with a single kick.

Ethan couldn't begin to explain just where these girls had come from, or why they were attacking the Yakuza. Drunk on the power of their Summoning Programs, perhaps? It didn't matter in the end. One way or another, indulging the Yakuza's ambush was a waste of time: they had bigger things to worry about, and these children had given them a perfect opening.

Dismissing Virtue, he turned to his comrades, shouting an order. He used English: didn't need the Tamers getting any ideas. Sister Colette didn't like his idea, though, starting to protest. A bleeding heart, as she always had been. There was no time to argue, though. Ethan wasn't about to jeopardize the mission, least of all over a few Tamers, children though they may have been.

Another shout, with as much finality he could muster, and Colette caved. Hanging her head, she and Brother Chick dismissed their angels, pushed their way through a weakness in the Yakuza's ranks, and took off running alongside Ethan, the rest of their comrades close behind.

Mai's eyes went wide as she watched the Flock run past the shaken Yakuza, the realization sinking in. "Oh no!"

"Hey...wha-buh-huh?! No, wait! WAIT, COME BACK!" Sara shouted after the fleeing Flock members. "You're not supposed to run, we're here to help! Hey! HEY! Don't leave us here...with...aw, shoot."

The initial shock of Reo and Sara's ambush had worn off, and the Yakuza were regrouping quickly, summoning demons to take the place of any that had been lost. Reo let out a yelp as a red doglike demon lunged for Pixie, the fairy just managing to swoop out of the way of its snapping jaws.

A bulky rock golem covered in moss charged forward, swinging its arms against Abraxas' shield with bone-rattling force and sending the rooster-demon staggering backwards. Reo swore under her breath as she stumbled backward, retreating to a safe distance. Mai stepped forward instinctively, blocking Reo from view as the opposing forces sized each other up.

"They ditched us! Left us to twist in the wind, I-I can't believe they used us to escape!" Sara's tone was equal parts anger and fear. Mai couldn't exactly blame her, feeling much the same herself. In the space of about five seconds, their plan had completely collapsed, and the position they were in was quickly starting to look extremely grim.

"You...so...you bitches have a death wish,is that it? HUH?!" One of the Yakuza seethed. "Who do you think you are?! Buncha stupid kids...do you have any idea who you're fucking with?! Garm, KILL!"

The red dog charged forward, barking furiously. Sara shouted to her demon, and Jack Frost raised its hands, spewing out a Bufu from its palms. Garm reacted with lightning reflexes, leaping clean over the blast as it froze a patch of pavement solid and responding with a stream of flames.

"Whoa...WHOA!" Mai shouted. "Move it!"

The girls and their demons scattered in all directions as the flames exploded against the ground, Garm itself landing a second later, snarling after them.

"Take 'em!" Shouted a bald Yakuza member who seemed to be leading the group. "Let's nab their cells and get after the Flock!"

"Tch...everyone, on guard!" Mai shouted, raising her phone.

Yuuna looked nervous as she surveyed their foes. "Oh dear...nine on five, and those demons look strong...Mai-san, any ideas?"

"I don't know...I didn't expect the Flock to cut and run..." Mai hadn't taken their eyes off the Yakuza she was facing. The men were taking their time for some reason: perhaps they were finding a sort of pleasure in watching his prey squirm. "Let's just take this one step at a time: take them out one by one and hope for the best...alright, here goes! Makara, Tam Lin!"

The deer-fish appeared, alongside the newest addition to Mai's army. Tam Lin was, by all accounts, human in appearance. A human man, with a handsome face framed by white hair that flowed just past his shoulders. He was clad in teal plate armor and a cape that reached the ground. A spear was clenched in his hands, and he raised it as he looked back at his master.

"Wouldst thou have me fight these ruffians, Milady? 'Twould seem a waste of my talents." He scoffed.

"I wish I shared your enthusiasm." Mai muttered. Tam Lin was smiling as he watched two Yakuza approach. Mai looked down at herself, chuckling nervously. "Heh...heheh...oh man, my legs are shaking..."

"Screw thy courage to the sticking place! These common dogs know not who they deal with!" Tam Lin boomed. "By my honor as Faerie Knight of Caterhaugh, no harm shall come to thee! But command me as thou seest fit, and we SHALL know victory!"

Mai gave him a reassuring nod. 'Right...' She thought. 'Let's do this...'Kabuso'...''

---

"C-come on, you two, we can do this!"

Trying to cheer on her demons wasn't easy when her voice was trembling so bad, but Sara managed to keep her courage up enough to glare right into her enemy's eyes. "Y-you smashed that bull, and then that statue-angel-thing blasted Abraxas with one shot! These...these guys are all talk! Yeah! A-all talk! So there!"

Her insults didn't sit well with her foe. He ordered his Ogun forward, the masked demon letting out a battle cry as it swung and whirled its spear furiously. Gagyson just barely managed to stay out of reach, the spear clipping it a few times before it could get into a good enough position to charge a Zio in its palm.

Ogun was fast, though, shooting a hand out and grabbing Gagyson's wrist; the lightning went wide and exploded against a nearby building. A second later, Gagyson was sent sprawling by a head-butt delivered to its forehead. The pink demon luckily had enough wherewithal to heed its master's frantic warning, and rolled out of the way of Ogun's spear as it plunged into the pavement where its head had been seconds before. Gagyson staggered back into the air, massaging its cranium.

Sara wiped the sweat from her brow with a shaky hand. "Okay...okay, um, Jack Frost, get in there! Ice Dance!"

Jack Frost jumped forward, slinging waves of ice with swings of its pudgy arms and legs. Sara grinned as the Ice Dance hurtled toward Ogun, who was struggling to extricate its spear from the ground.

'It's over! Ogun's weak to ice...!'

"That's your cue, Kumbhanda!"

At the Yakuza's command, something erupted from his phone; a towering demon that blocked the waves of ice with its own body. The freezing wind did nothing to it, and was simply absorbed harmlessly.

"Now, use Ghost Wounds!" The Yakuza shouted.

The demon raised a weapon clutched in its hand: a crescent-shaped blade that crackled with dark energy. Winding up, the demon tossed it like a boomerang.

"Jack, look out!" Sara shouted.

But the boomerang missed entirely. Jack didn't even need to move as the weapon whirled clean around it. For a horrible moment, Sara thought it was coming for her, and braced herself to dodge. But the boomerang spun back around her as well, looping back toward Jack and again missing entirely before turning again in the air and spinning back towards them.

Almost as if it had a mind of its own, the weapon whirled in circles around Sara and Jack, glowing with dark power. Faster and faster until, with a pulse of energy, a ring of shadows converged on them. As soon as it touched her, every muscle in Sara's body went rigid, and she collapsed to the ground unable to move. Jack fell to one knee as the boomerang returned to its owner. The demon snatched it deftly out of the air, staring down at Sara. The Yakuza smirked.

"Gotcha, kiddo. Kumbhanda, kill!"

Sara could do nothing but brace herself as it raised its blade and tossed it right at her...

"Sara-san! Sarasvati, help her!"

At Yuuna's command, her new demon leapt into action, a beautiful maiden dressed in green and gold holding a veena. The stringed musical instrument in question was brought back and swung like a baseball bat, sending the bladed boomerang spinning harmlessly away with a metallic clang. Kumbhanda stretched out a bony hand, the boomerang stopping dead in midair and zooming faithfully toward him.

Sarasvati wasn't about to let him catch it: returning the veena to a playing position, she strummed it once. The simple action caused a Zio to explode from its strings, blasting Kumbhanda clean off its feet. Yuuna rushed to Sara's side, looking back nervously at Ogun. Her demon seemed to be holding his own against two separate Tamers: Yuuna could spare just enough time to have Sarasvati get Sara back in the game.

"Sara-san, are you alright? Hang on, I'll have you fixed up! Oh, I hope this works...activate Race Skill: Affection!"

Sarasvati plucked the strings of her instrument again, this time bringing forth a stream of light blue energy that surrounded the frozen Sara. It took effect instantly.

"WHOA!" Sara jumped to her feet. "Thanks, Yuuna-sama!"

Yuuna spared enough time for a nod and a smile before she and Sarasvati rushed back to their own fight. Sara took a breath to steady herself, then turned to glare at Kumbhanda as it got up, nursing the scorched spot on its torso where the lightning had struck.

The brunette was finally able to get a good look at the demon, and failed to suppress a cry of revulsion.

At least nine feet tall, Kumbhanda's body was completely emaciated, a caped, humanoid skeleton covered with a thin layer of greenish skin. It had a horse's head, and its lips were pulled back in a snarling rictus. A bowl-shaped hat lined with tassels was perched on a mane of wild red hair.

Narrowing its glowing yellow eyes at Jack Frost, Kumbhanda let out a distinctly whinny-like chuckle as it gathered a ball of fire in its bony hand.

"Gagyson, protect Jack!"

Gagyson dove in the way as Kumbhanda cast the Agi, crying out in pain as the fireball exploded against its arm. Sara cringed. "Oh no, Gagyson! Jack, use Fairy Dust!"

The snowman obliged, summoning a cloud of shimmering white dust. Gagyson got back in the air as the burn on its arm vanished without a trace, Jack Frost taking point next to it as they stared down their foes. Kumbanda generated another Agi and Ogun, who had by now extracted its spear from the ground, twirled it expertly over its head and leveled it at Jack and Gagyson. The Yakuza chuckled darkly.

"What's that you were saying about "all talk", kid? Maybe that'll teach a pup like you to bark at the wolves, huh?!"

Sara clenched her fists, trying to keep her face as clean of the fear thundering through her as she could. She forced a confident smile on her face "D-don't give up, you two! He just got lucky! Now let's show this guy what we can really do!" Gagyson and Jack Frost took off for their foes, charging up lightning and ice. The Yakuza shook his head.

"Ya don't know when to quit...fine by me!" He muttered. "Let's take 'em down!" Kumbhanda and Ogun raised their weapons, barreling forward to meet Sara's demons.

---

This wasn't going to be easy.

On one hand, Tam Lim was strong, exceptionally so. Wielding the fire and wind spells he had inherited from Kabuso as adeptly as he did his spear, and teleporting from place to place with its Race Skill Phantasma, he had cut down three demons already, even outnumbered two to one. Makara was acting as a fantastic supporter, making good use of Dia to keep Tam Lim healthy and Zan to keep its opponents on their toes.

But any demons Mai defeated were quickly replaced, much to her chagrin. A quick glance around the battlefield revealed much the same situation with all of her friends. Reo in particular was faring extremely well: faced with the men who had denied her precious junk food, the sheer, unhinged ferocity she was displaying actually seemed to actually be intimidating them. It was likely the Yakuza hadn't expected a petite, doll-like highschool girl with long blonde hair could be so terrifying: Mai almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

But even as Abraxas and Pixie killed three demons in rapid succession, the two Yakuza she was up against quickly summoned new ones.

It made sense, Mai realized; if the Yakuza was actively hunting Tamers in order to take their cell phones, that would naturally mean more Macca, and thus the ability to buy more demons.

'I guess that means we have to take down every one of them in order to win...oh man...'

Tam Lim lunged, driving his spear under the jaw of a Yakuza's Wendigo as it came bearing down on him. "AGI!" The knight barked, and Wendigo's head erupted in a fiery explosion.

"Urgh...brutal..." Mai cringed as Wendigo's headless body crumpled, disintegrating as it fell. Again, the defeat of the demon did little to deter its owner, and another one appeared in a flash of light: Ictinike, a winged humanoid creature adorned in war paint, wearing a bird-skull headdress and a loincloth. This new creature took its place alongside its three allies: there was Ubelluris, the lumbering, moss-covered golem made of rock. Despite its appearances, it was as agile as an ape, loping easily across the ground and throwing bone-crushing punches that had Tam Lim seeing stars.

The other Yakuza had Mahakala, a towering blue humanoid with four faces, clad in crimson armor and wielding a broadsword in each of its six hands, and Bai Suzhen, a tall woman with long white hair dressed in an ornate, flowing white kimono.

"Get 'em Ictinike! Elec Dance! Ubelluris, Berserk!"

"You too, Mahakala!" shouted his partner. "Use your Awakening Race Skill, then follow up with Zio! Bai Suzhen, Bufu!"

Ictinike yanked a sword from his waist, the blade crackling with lightning as it lashed out, the electricity snapping like a whip just inches from Tam Lim as the knight danced around it. Mahakala focused deeply, glowing with yellow energy, before bringing its swords forward, a huge blast of lightning erupting from the blades, the maiden following suit with a blast of ice from her hands. Tam Lim managed to dodge the ice, and intercept the electricity with a blast of wind: the attacks exploded with the sound and force of a small bomb, the concussion tossing concrete in all directions. Tam Lim was forced to swat a rather large chunk away, giving Ubelluris an opening to charge forward and drive a fist into his chest.

"Tam Lim!" Mai shouted, watching helplessly as her demon tumbled pell-mell across the ground, skidding to a painful halt. Bai Suzhen glided forward, blasting the fallen knight with a Bufu and freezing him up to his neck to the ground. Tam Lim's eyes went wide as he struggled and strained against the ice, and it was cracking. But it wouldn't be fast enough: Ubelluris was already on top of him, raising its massive fists.

*CRUNCH!*

Tam Lim let out a scream as Ubelluris smashed its fists down on the ice, shattering it. Through sheer luck, Tam Lim's body remained intact. But the pain he was in was in was evident as he rolled over onto his side, clutching his stomach and gasping for air. Ubelluris raised its fists for the finishing blow.

"No you don't!" Mai shouted, Makara firing a Zan into the Golem's face and knocking it backwards. "Tam Lim, are you alright?"

Tam Lim got to his feet as the healing power of Makara's Dia washed over him. "Merely winded, Milady...merely winded. But this lout will not strike me ever again!" Twirling his spear, Tam Lim launched a Zan from its tip, the ball of air smashing into Ubelluris' face as it tried to stand, knocking it flat on its back.

Dashing forward, Tam Lim leaped into the air, driving his spear into the golem's stone body. Ubelluris gave a low, rumbling groan, then collapsed into black smoke. Tam Lim paused to catch his breath, watching as one of the Yakuza gave an annoyed grunt, raising his phone and summoning a Tenong Cut. "A thousand curses, they just keep coming!"

"You can handle them, right?" Mai said nervously. "As long as I keep dropping Dias on your injuries, you can keep fighting!" Tam Lim shook his head.

"Not forever. Healing magic recovers my physical wounds, true...but though I am loathe to admit it, even a warrior such as myself becomes fatigued..."

One of the Yakuza laughed. "Yeah, that's right! You're runnin' outta gas, little man! Get ready for another salvo!" He crowed as Mahakala charged up lightning and Bai Suzhen generated ice. "Think Rusty the Tin-Can Man can shake off another one, kid?!"

Mai clenched her fists as Ictinike raised his sword, charging up another Elec Dance. Tenong Cut brought its hands together, generating a Zan. Tam Lim looked over his shoulder, giving Mai a reassuring smile.

"To death, Milady. I will let no harm come to thee, so long as I draw breath. So sayeth Tam Lim, Faerie Knight of Caterhaugh!" With a bloodcurdling roar, Tam Lim dove forward, spear raised, right at his waiting foes. The Yakuza's demons readied their attacks, preparing to fire at the charging knight.

All at once, they erupted in a massive explosion. Demons were thrown in every direction by the force of the blast, Bai Suzhen shrieking as she vanished into smoke,

Tam Lim stumbled to a halt, lowering his spear and staring into the cloud of dust in utmost confusion. "What in..."

"Look!" Nanami shrieked. "Look up! We're saved! Oh my god, we're SAVED!"

Mai craned her neck, hardly daring to believe it. But there they were: angels, two red-armored Powers and a robed Dominion, descending to the battlefield and raining rainbow-colored blasts of energy down on the Yakuza's demons. Their masters, three of them, were running onto the battlefield from the direction they had left.

"They're back! They came back for us!" Tears of joy were streaming down Nanami's face. "We...we can win this...COME ON, MOH SHVUU!"

The tables had completely turned. Nanami's joy, her adrenaline, the sheer energy she felt was utterly infectious, reinvigorating her friends and their demons. The Yakuza could do little but watch as their demons were struck down left and right, leaving them completely vulnerable to the Flock: baton strikes to the head knocked them out cold, their phones taken and smashed. It was over in a flash. The last of the Yakuza crumpled to the ground, clutching his head as the Flock Member snatched his phone, wound up and threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

Nanami breathed a huge sigh of relief as she saw the last of the Yakuza fall, returning Moh Shvuu and Nekomata to her phone. "Thank you!" She said breathlessly, hurrying forward to greet their saviors. "Thank you! A hundred times, thank you for coming back for us!"

The Flock Members said nothing. Their hidden, hooded faces were all turned toward the girls. They hadn't put their batons away, or dismissed their angels, and the winged, divine beings were watching the group sternly. It was starting to make Nanami extremely uncomfortable, and she felt the smile start to melt from her face.

"Reo, don't!" Mai hissed, noticing just in time that her girlfriend was starting to raise her phone. "They're just being careful. I...I think they're willing to talk. Yuuna-san, you're up."

Yuuna nodded, taking a cautious step toward the Flock. Nanami's hand shot out, taking Yuuna's tightly. "Be careful..." The pink-haired girl whispered. Yuuna nodded, reluctantly pulling away and taking a deep breath.

But it was a member of the Flock who spoke first.

"Is everyone alright?" The voice that came from beneath the hood was that of a woman, young adult by the tone, and it held a note of genuine concern. Yuuna nodded.

"Yes, we're fine. Thank you for coming back for us."

"Ah, good." The Flock Member reached up, pulling her hood down. Indeed it was a young woman, with a flushed, tired face, framed by mousy brown hair in twin ponytails draped over her shoulders. "Now..." She cocked her head, sizing the girls up. "I guess the big question in all this is: 'what exactly are you all doing here?'

"We came to help you out. We were hoping we could help take back the supermarket and get food back into the park." Yuuna explained. The Flock Member pondered this blunt answer for a moment, looking Yuuna over as if trying to find a 'tell' that the blonde was lying. At last, though, she turned, gesturing to her allies and saying something. The hooded men hesitated for a moment, then nodded as their angels faded away.

"Figured it was something like that." The woman turned back to Yuuna. "You wouldn't jump into the middle of a fight like that unless you were willing to pick a side."

"So you believe us?" Nanami gasped. The woman chuckled.

"I can't say I exactly condone your use of the Demon Summoning Program." She said. "But you know what they say about desperate times and desperate measures. A group of hungry kids, willing to use this new power to get food back from the Yakuza...yeah, I can buy that. At the very least, I'm not about to just walk away." She moved confidently to Yuuna, extending her hand. "Oh, where are my manners...my name is Colette. Sister Colette Phillips, at your service."

"Yuuna Matsubara." The blonde said, accepting the handshake with a smile, then gesturing to the others. "And my friends. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So...so that's it?" Nanami said, disbelieving. "You're gonna let us help you? Just like that, even though we're Tamers?"

"Well...no." Colette shook her head. "Er...not yet, anyway, not officially. I mean, that'd be a huge decision on our part and I don't have the authority to make it. It'd probably go all the way to the Father. It's worth looking into, though: I hate to have to say it, but..." She bit her lower lip. "Well, to be honest...we're not doing so good. Getting outside help may actually be our best option by this point."

"Wait...you mean...are you saying the Flock's losing?" Mai asked hesitantly. Colette sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't say we're 'losing', exactly...look, explaining the logistics about what's going on is going to take a while. But right now, we're close to getting our food back, and my brothers will need all the help they can get." She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Here's what we'll do. I'm gonna head back to my brothers, I need to help them take back the Supermarket. After that, we'll escort you all back to the park, and I can talk to the Father about employing your help. That sound good?"

Yuuna turned around. "Well?"

"I'm on board with it." Mai and Nanami nodded, Sara flashing a thumbs-up. Yuuna turned back to Colette, nodding.

"Good. Follow me." She gestured to her comrades. "Flock, move out!"

But as the group turned to head down the road, a group of people dressed came walking in the opposite direction toward them: five white-clad Flock members, moving at a brisk pace. Colette motioned for Mai and her friends to stay back. "I'll handle this." She stepped forward to meet her comrades.

Judging by the reaction of one of them, however, he was in no mood for a calm conversation. He was in Colette's face in two quick strides, snarling at her in a language Mai and her friends didn't understand. Colette took it in stride, speaking calmly with an impassive expression. This almost seemed to make the man angrier: he ripped the hood off his head, revealing a bald, heavyset man, practically crimson with anger. He practically jabbed Colette in the eye as he shook a finger in her face, his voice rising to a furious yell. Mai felt herself tensing up to run.

But then Colette said something, so soft that Mai couldn't catch it, even if she could understand her language. But whatever it was seemed to defuse the raging Flock Member: he took a deep breath to shout again, then paused. Colette said something else, in that same calm tone. The man said nothing for a moment, and then lowered his finger with an angry shake of his head, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Satisfied that her comrade was no longer blinded by rage, Colette continued her conversation, the two going back and forth in that same language. Mai had absolutely no idea what was being said, but going by the slow progression of emotion on Colette's face, it wasn't good. She looked confused at first, then completely stunned by what she was hearing. Then she kicked at the ground, spitting what was unmistakably a curse word.

"What? What happened?" Mai asked nervously. Colette turned to face her, scowling.

"The Yakuza's moved the food somewhere." She explained. "Took all the nonperishables and cut the power so the frozen stuff would go bad. Don't know how they pulled it off, but the supermarket's completely empty. Guess we shoulda figured they'd try something along those lines: wouldn't make much sense to hold the food in one place if we know where it is, we'd just keep attacking it..."

Reo fell silently to her knees as Nanami clapped her hands over her mouth. "Wha-the food's gone?!" Mai gasped. "So what do we do?"

"You'll do nothing, Demon Tamer...!" the heavyset Flock Member began as he rounded on Mai, then cut his sentence off as Colette shot him a glare, and he backed down, still fuming and glaring daggers at Mai and her friends. Colette turned to the girls, gesturing them to follow.

"Don't you worry. We're not about to give up. Come on...we're heading back."

---

"So...you think she can talk 'em into it?"

Mai didn't exactly have an answer to Sara's question, and just shrugged. She wasn't paying much attention to anything besides Reo, anyway. The blonde hadn't said anything since they had gotten back into the park. She wasn't crying. She didn't even look angry, or for that matter, any emotion in particular. She had no reaction to the strokes of her hair or the gentle, reassuring squeezes of her hand Mai gave her. Reo was, for all intents and purposes, completely comatose, staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular. It looked to Mai like this latest setback to obtaining food had completely broken her.

Dusk had fallen by the time they made it back to the park. Colette had lead them all to a large green military tent, telling them to wait outside before heading in. The group had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, and there was still no sign of her.

Mai let out a sigh as she pulled Reo close, leaning back against the bench and staring down blankly at the phone in her hand. Hungry, tired, sore all over from running, worried for Reo, nervous as to how Colette was faring trying to convince this "Father" to let them help, apprehensive as to whether they could help at all...

She felt sick, literally sick to her stomach. It had been unarguably the worst day of her life.

The rustle of fabric caught the girls' attention. Colette was exiting the tent. "C'mon!" She gestured eagerly to them. "C'mon in, the Father wants to talk to you all!"

She was smiling, quite broadly in fact...Mai felt a flicker of hope as she helped Reo to stand, following Sara, Yuuna and Nanami into the tent. The structure, for all its size, was actually quite sparsely populated, with only three people besides Colette and themselves. Two of them were hooded members of the Flock, who stood near the end of a long table, on either side of a third man seated at the far end of it.

Unlike the other members of the Flock, the man sitting at the table was not wearing a hoodie. It was an older man, with a sharp, wrinkled face. He was dressed instead in a black gown, with a white scarf draped over his shoulders. He wore a wide-brimmed hat on a head of thinning gray hair, and his eyes were obscured by a pair of small, round opaque sunglasses. The old man surveyed the group as they approached, pointing a gnarled finger at them.

"Them, hm?"

Colette nodded and bowed. "Yes, Father."

"Excellent. Thank you, Colette." The old man braced himself against the table, groaning as he pushed himself laboriously to his feet. He approached the group, his surprisingly tall frame towering over them as his hidden eyes looked them over. Then he nodded and began to speak.

"My name is Father Archibald Phillips, Grandmaster of the Flock." His voice belied his old, withered appearance: it could be only be described as powerful, so deep and booming that Nanami actually started a bit, and carrying an undeniable force of authority behind it. He smiled as Yuuna took his extended hand, shaking it. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"The pleasure is mine, Phillips-san. My name is Yuuna Matsubara. " Yuuna nodded, trying not to break her gaze from the twin reflections of herself in Phillips' reflective sunglasses. The effect was rather unnerving, to tell the truth, but looking away would be downright rude...finally, she found a way, turning to indicate each of her friends in turn. "And these are my friends."

"Charmed." Phillips bowed slightly. "Come, sit down. Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, water? Perhaps I can give you some cereal? We don't have much..."

"YES!"

Mai jumped as Reo shot past her like a bullet, practically diving into to a seat at the table. "Tea! I want tea! Make it really sweet! And cereal! I'm STARVING!"

Her request was followed by dead silence and eight stunned expressions.

"Reo, jeez!" On one hand, Mai was thoroughly relieved that Reo was no longer in shock. On the other hand, her outburst wasn't exactly what they needed to make a good first impression.

"No, it's quite alright...we're all on edge here, after everything that's happened." Phillips chuckled grimly as he sat down again at the table, gesturing to the girls to follow suit. "Of course, Colette told me that you want to help us do something about it, is that correct?"

"That's right. I just want things back to normal, Phillips-san." Nanami said as she and her friends sat down around the table. "As soon as the demons are gone, I'll gladly give up the Summoning Program for good." Phillips smiled, nodding in satisfaction.

"We share a common goal, then." He leaned out over the table, resting his elbows on its surface and steepling his fingers. "Tamers you may be, but I think we may just be able to work something out in terms of cooperation. Now...again, does anyone want anything to drink? Water, or coffee? It's likely we'll be here for a while"

"Water's fine, Phillips-san, thank you." Said Mai.

"Same here." said Sara, accompanied by murmurs of agreement from Nanami and Yuuna.

"Some coffee would be nice, Father, thank you. Decaf, if we have any." Colette piped up.

Phillips nodded. "So four waters, a tea, and a box of cereal. Two decaf coffees, as well..." He turned to the man on his left. "Brother Jeremiah, if you would be so kind. And Brother Jacob, please find Brother Chick and Brother Ethan and bring them here." His expression darkened. "They are not returning my summons."

"Brother Ethan didn't take the idea of working with Tamers too well..." Colette crossed her arms. "He and Brother Chick are probably off fuming somewhere..."

"Perhaps..." Phillips frowned.

The two hooded Flock members bowed, stepping around the table and leaving the tent.

"Now..." Phillips leaned back in his chair. "We should wait for my other Lieutenants to arrive before we start talking about the logistics of our cooperation. Until then, I have a few questions to ask you, and I can assume you have some you wish to ask me as well. Let us get those out of the way to begin with, shall we?"

"Fair enough." Mai nodded. "I guess the big thing all of us are wondering is how all of this started...why did the demons show up here, and why now?"

"Excellent question, Miss..."

"Mai. Mai Sawaguchi."

"Sawaguchi-san, then..." Phillips nodded, drumming his fingers rhythmically on the table. "To tell you the truth, we don't exactly know why now and why here. We do, however, know how it happened." He leaned forward, steepling his fingers again. "The same way it has since the very first time it happened: a magic ritual."

"A magic...ritual?" Sara said skeptically. Colette nodded.

"Yep: a magic ritual, used to summon demons from the Demon Realm into our world, performed by a human who wanted power. By performing this ritual, and then beating whatever was summoned in battle, the summoner contracted with them, and the thing would obey them without question. If the demon killed them, however, it would gain its freedom, and would perform rituals of its own to allow its friends into our world."

Phillips sat back again with a weary sigh. "Precisely. And there you go: before you know it, you're dealing with a demon outbreak...ah, thank you, Brother Jeremiah..." Phillips reached out, accepting a mug of steaming coffee from the hooded Flock Member.

The man continued around the table, handing out a second mug of coffee to Colette, and water to Mai, Nanami, Yuuna and Sara. Reo's eyes brimmed with tears of joy at the sight of the warm mug of tea and fun-size box of cereal laid in front of her, reaching out to claim them, but Phillips held up a hand.

"Ah ah...before we begin..." He bowed his head. Colette did too. Nanami caught on and followed suit. Mai, Reo, Yuuna and Sara were left looking slightly confused as Phillips began to speak in a solemn tone.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Mai looked down at the table. Saying grace, huh? A glass of water could hardly be considered a meal. Still, she shrugged and clapped her hands together. "Itadakimasu..."

"Itadakimasu!" Reo had pounced on the box of cereal as soon as the last word left Phillip's mouth, tearing the cardboard open and swallowing a massive gulp of its contents. Then she chased it down with a huge swig of tea, coming to regret it almost instantly: she let out a squeak of pain as her hand shot to her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes, cringing as the beverage scalded her mouth and throat. Mai was quick to her side with a comforting hug and a drink from her glass of water. Reo accepted both silently.

"The outbreak here was started in much the same way." Phillips continued, lifting the steaming mug in front of him and breathing deep of its scent. With a satisfied sigh, he blew on it gently, then sipped it slowly. "A magic ritual...in the form of the Demon Summoning Program."

Sara choked on her water. "Wait...what?" She managed to say after she got her coughing under control. "They can do that?!"

Phillips chuckled wryly, sipping more of his coffee. "I know it's hard to believe. I could scarcely comprehend the idea myself. But that's precisely what it is: somehow, the creator of this Demon Summoning Program managed to replicate all of the necessary steps to perform a summoning ritual, the incantations and the like, and configure it into the form of a computer program."

"That's...insane..." Sara murmured, bowing her head as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept. Mai bit her bottom lip, cursing inwardly.

Reo was right: she really was an idiot. The connection between the Summoning Program and the outbreak itself seemed so obvious now.

No wonder their demons had chased them so far in their attempts to kill them back when their programs first activated. She hadn't been paying much attention, as she had shifted between crazed fear for her life and sheer joy at being alive back during that first battle, but they had said it outright: 'If we kill you, we will have our freedom'. And once they had been beaten, they contracted, bound to obey.

It had happened all over the city, then: the Summoning Program had forced its way onto the phones of hapless individuals, activating on its own and summoning a demon right in front of them. If the individual defeated the demon, they became a Tamer. If not, they had been killed, their phone had been taken, and used to create one of those miasmas: a portal from which their fellow demons could enter the human world.

Of course, none of this explained the Flock's connection to all of this...why THEY had the Summoning Program...if anything, it...

"A program that forces its way onto your phone, and summons a demon that tries to kill you..." Sara said, shaking her head with a nervous giggle. "That's one heck of a virus...!"

"And whoever created it is the mastermind behind this whole thing!" Nanami realized, her eyes going wide. "...oh my god...Cypher! Cypher's the one behind the outbreak!"

"'Cypher'?" Phillips jumped to his feet, Nanami withering as his hidden eyes burned into her and his voice boomed around the tent. "You know who's behind this? Is that some sort of an alias? Have you been in contact with him?! Please, tell me what you know, quickly!"

"I...um...uh...!" Nanami stammered, fumbling with her phone as she shrank back into her chair.

"Father, please!" Colette said quickly. Phillips caught himself and sat back down, trying to control his breathing.

"You're right...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...it's just, this could be the break we've been waiting for. So please, when you're ready...tell us everything. What do you know about this...'Cypher'?"

Nanami took a few deep breaths to steady her racing heart, then looked over to Yuuna. Her girlfriend gave her a reassuring nod, and she got to her feet, walking over to Phillips and placing her phone on the table in front of him.

"Well, we have no idea who he is, besides his name and the fact he made the Summoning Program. We haven't even been in real contact with him. But ever since we contracted with our demons, he's been sending us messages and updates to the Summoning Program." She explained as Phillips picked up the cell phone, silently mouthing the message on the screen.

"We all get the exact same messages, word for word." clarified Mai. "I think every Tamer's getting them, it's not like Cypher's in contact with us specifically."

"I see..." mused Phillips as he handed the phone back to Nanami, and she returned to her seat. "And these...updates. Could you perhaps elaborate?"

Sara ticked them off on her fingers. "Well, there's the Devil Auction. We use this stuff called Macca to buy demons, and that's how we get new ones. There's the Cathedral of Shadows, we can fuse demons together to make new ones..."

"And of course, there's the Mortician's List." finished Mai. "It tells the future: when and where someone is going to die, so you can get there first and save them!"

"I see..." Phillips drained the last of his coffee.

"Yeah, it's really useful!" Sara continued. "It makes finding survivors really easy: I'd probably be dead by now if my friends didn't know where to look for me!"

Phillips let out a booming laugh. "Yes, I'd imagine it would! I hate to admit it, but my Flock could very well use something like that...!"

"What, you..." said Mai, leaning slightly closer. "You don't have the Mortician's List?" Phillips laughed again, leaning back in his chair and throwing up his hands.

"Of course not! We don't exactly use the Demon Summoning Program, Sawaguchi-san!"

And there it was. The million-dollar response. For an instant, only an instant, Yuuna could see a strange expression flicker across Mai's face, a mixture of horror, stunned amazement, and grim triumph. Then it was gone, and she was shaking her head with a self-mocking smile. "Oh, right...jeez, I need some sleep..."

It almost seemed for a tense moment that Phillips' expression hardened behind his glasses as he looked at Mai. But then Nanami caught his attention.

"Yeah, I was actually wondering how you summon your angels, Phillips-san!" She asked. "Maybe you could teach us how to do it, and then we don't have to use the Summoning Program anymore!"

"An admirable suggestion..." Phillips shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's not feasible. Unlike you, we do not use machines to summon angels. Rather, they are bound to our very souls upon completion of our training, by the hand of God Himself."

"Wow..." Nanami whispered.

"Indeed. In doing so, we obtain the physical and mental fortitude to battle demons hand-to-hand, should the situation call for it."

"I see...kind of like the Harmonizer." Nanami nodded. Phillips raised an eyebrow.

"Harmonizer?"

"It's just like you said." explained Sara. "It's a part of our Summoning Program that makes it so that demons can't hurt us so bad with their attacks, if we wanted to fight one dead-on."

"Ah..." Phillips nodded. "Unfortunately, our training takes months. We simply don't have the time or resources to bring you all into the fold. I would if I could, believe me..."

"Oh..." Nanami realized. "That's what Colette-san meant...you don't need any real training to be a Tamer, you just need the Summoning Program. But you can't replace fallen Flock members as easily, right?"

Phillips nodded. "Precisely."

"I see..." Nanami hung her head. "Oh well...it was worth asking, at least. I mean, I use demons, but they still make me uncomfortable. I'd rather use angels..."

Phillips chuckled. "Tell me...what is your name, child?"

"Nanami. Nanami Oda."

"Oda-san, then. For what it's worth, Oda-san, I think you would make a fantastic member of our Flock."

Nanami's face lit up like a freshly-changed light bulb. "R-really? You really think so?" Phillips nodded. Nanami averted her eyes, beaming as her mind wandered to a lovely daydream of herself dressed in the white hooded uniform of the Flock, battling a horde of demons with a radiant angel that had the face of her beloved Onee-sama...

"Back on the topic of Cypher, Phillips-san, I find it a little strange, now that I think about it." mused Yuuna.

"Strange? How do you mean?"

"He's responsible for all of this, right? Well, if he's the one who let the demons into the city, why is he giving out upgrades to people to help the fight? The Auction, the Cathedral, the List, the Harmonizer...why help people survive his own outbreak? What is he playing at?"

Phillips thought for a moment, his face clouding, then shook his head. "I...couldn't begin to tell you. The sad truth is, barring his alias and his relation to the Summoning Program, we know nothing about him...his identity, his motives..."

"I'm sorry..."

Phillips looked over in surprise at Sara, who had a wry expression on her face. "Sorry? Whatever for?"

"I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help." Sara sighed, shrugging. "All we gave you is an alias, and it just opened up MORE questions..."

Phillips smiled warmly. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You've given us a name to work with, and I assure you, I'll have my men follow every lead. Mark my words, Cypher will answer for his crimes. Besides, I'm sure you'll be helping us out quite a bit, soon enough. On that note..." he set his coffee mug aside. "...if none of you have any more questions, I was hoping perhaps we could get down to the real matter of this meeting."

"Oh! Oh yes, of course!" Yuuna drank down the last of her water.

"I thought we were going to wait until Brother Chick and Brother Ethan get here?" said Colette. Phillips reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number. There was a hushed conversation, during which his expression darkened. Finally, he hung up, putting it down with a grunt.

"Still nothing?" Colette shook her head in disbelief. "They're really so against working with Tamers that they're willing to disobey orders...what are they thinking, pulling a stunt like this?"

Phillips scowled. "Brother Ethan, most likely...perhaps I should have known better than to bring a temperamental fool like him into the fold..."

"I don't know...maybe they can't answer. Maybe they're hurt." Nanami said helpfully. "If they're on the Mortician's List, we might be able to find them."

"Perhaps." Phillips mused. "It's worth a try. Their names are Ethan Samuel, and Chick Jackson."

Nanami silently ran her way down the List, shaking her head. "No...I don't see either of them." Phillips sighed, leaning back in his chair and adjusting his glasses with a finger to their bridge.

"It's unnerving, but there's little we can do about it..." he muttered. "We'll have to proceed without them for now. That being said, from here on in, I am assigning Sister Colette as your de-facto CO." he gestured to her, and she nodded in affirmation. "I will relay any orders to her, and she in turn will pass them onto you. Understood?"

"Of course." said Yuuna, as the other girls nodded in agreement.

"Good." Phillips smiled. "Now, while obtaining food is our number one priority as of now, we currently have no idea where the Yakuza Tamers took it all. I have men scouring the city, but we haven't found anything yet. That being said, there are still a number of missions we may need your help in: rescues, repelling Yakuza and demons from key points, finding and destroying demon portals, and the like. Just stick near Sister Colette and her unit, that will reduce the chances of my men mistaking you for an enemy Tamer, and follow her directions. Sound good?"

"Sure!" Sara nodded.

"Excellent. Now..." Phillips stood up carefully. "I'm sure you're all exhausted. It's best you all get some sleep: we've got a big day ahead of us. Sister Colette will show you to the barracks...ah, but before you leave, I know...Oda-san, Matsubara-san, and Sawaguchi-san." He pointed to each of them in turn. "And you two would be...?"

"Sara Kitajima, at your service!" Sara said brightly as she and the others got up.

"And this is Reo Kawamura." Mai gestured to her girlfriend, who averted her eyes. Phillips nodded.

"Kitajima-san and Kawamura-san...I see. I look forward to working with you all." he said, bowing.

"Same here." Mai returned the gesture. "It's been good talking to you, Phillips-san. Thanks for answering our questions."

"Anytime. Now, Sister Colette, if you would..."

"Yes, Father. Come on, follow me." Colette gestured for the girls to follow, and the group stepped out of the tent.

"Wow..." Mused Nanami. "We were in there a while, it's already dark out..."

"Yeah...the Father likes to talk, doesn't he?" chuckled Colette. "C'mon, they're just back here..."

They followed Colette past the command tent. Mai recognized the medical tents as Colette led the girls past them, and onward past another, smaller tent before stopping in front of a final pair.

"Here we are." Colette said, stepping to the one on the left and pulling the flap open. "I just hope we have enough cots for you all...c'mon, let's get some shuteye."

"Hey, uh..."

Everyone turned to face Mai as she jabbed a finger over her shoulder, moving carefully closer to Yuuna. "I'll catch up with you, I gotta use the bathroom."

A quick tap on the leg got Yuuna's attention. "Huh...?" Yuuna caught Mai's gaze, then nodded as she got the message. "O-oh, yes! Now that you mentioned it, I kind of need to go too."

Colette surveyed them for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, okay...you know where to find us." She, Nanami and Sara entered the tent. Reo turned to follow, then paused, shooting a glance back at Mai, who shrugged.

"Sorry, Reo. Nature calls. Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."

Reo nodded, then slipped silently into the tent.

No sooner was she out of sight then Mai took off. Yuuna had to hurry after her as she walked briskly past the rows of tents and out into the crowd of sleeping survivors. It was only when Mai was sure they were not being watched that she turned around to face Yuuna, her expression wild as she pointed in the general direction of the Flock's tents.

"Did you hear that? You heard him, right?!" She hissed. Yuuna nodded sadly.

"If you're talking about how he lied about their use of the Summoning Program...yes..."

Mai was shaking her head, stunned. "So...so that's it...I was right...oh man, why did I have to be right...?"

The two stood in silence for a while, trying to wrap their minds around this massive revelation.

"So..." Yuuna said finally. "Where do we go from here?" It took a while for Mai to answer: Yuuna could see the debate raging in her brain. But at last, she simply shook her head.

"I...I don't know. We can't pursue this. Not yet. The situation's just too unstable." She muttered, looking around the park. "Right now, the Flock's pretty much holding everything together, all these people are depending on them for survival. They're the ones who can get everyone's food back, and they're keeping the demons out of the park. We can't just drop a bombshell that they're bad guys." She bowed her head, a hand coming up to scratch her chin. "Best case scenario is no one believes us and we become pariahs. Worst case scenario is complete mayhem...hrmm..."

Yuuna watched as Mai ran her fingers through her hair, taking deep, slow breaths. "Can I make a suggestion, Mai-san?" she said.

Mai looked up at her eagerly. "Yeah, what?" Yuuna looked at her solemnly for a moment, then smiled gently.

"Get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Mai blinked, then giggled as it slowly dawned on her just how completely drained she felt, and how enticing the idea of rest after such a hectic day sounded. "Yeah...yeah, you're right...probably couldn't come up with much of a plan right now, anyway...we can talk about it in the morning..."

"That's the spirit..." Yuuna placed a gentle hand on Mai's shoulder. "Come on. Reo's waiting for you."

And with that, the two of them headed back in the direction of the barracks.