Demon Chronicles


Disclaimer: I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell! Or any ideas affiliated with it.

A/N: Time skip! Yeah, it's merely a result of my own laziness and lack of inspiration to write a conversation with the parents. So this is a nice little skip. I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far, and that you continue enjoying it throughout its lifetime! This is a satisfyingly long chapter! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had quite a few hits, but I'm lacking in reviews, so please, whether you enjoy the story or not, review and tell me what you think! Thank you!

SNE121


Chapter IV

Two weeks later. Two weeks after meeting Hayate, having that conversation with Kaori's parents, and becoming a book owner of a Demon participating in a battle no one knew existed. Hayate had been permitted to stay with them as a part of the nonexistent 'Foreign Exchange Program', without question, as an exchange student from another part of Japan. He was sharing a room with her older brother and went to school with them. No one knew he was a Demon except Airi and Kaori. Naturally, Airi had spent her time writing about the battle, going so far as to make it much more dramatic then it really was, and would soon give the story to Kenta to draw out. It was all a bit much for such a miniscule occurrence, to be honest.

But now wasn't the time to be concerned with things like that. It was finally Friday after a long, boring week of school and Hayate and Kaori were in their final class of the day. Luckily, Hayate, though a year older, had been put in all the same classes as Kaori to get him used to the changing Block schedule. It was a Physical Education class today, and Airi, Kenta, and Sakura were in the class with them. Kaori stood near the back of the groups of students, standing in their PE uniforms, Hayate right beside her. Airi was closer to the center, and Sakura was toward the front right corner, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Kenta was on the left side with his arms crossed The four of them had been separated due to their chronic talking during lectures. But the distance never stopped them.

Sakura Kohaku, while close friends with Kaori and Airi, had a much different style. She was very bold, and known as a bit of a rebel amongst her peers. Her eyes were a different color every month; a result of color changing contacts, and at the moment, they were light violet. Her hair was cut short, almost boy cut, and was dyed a bold bright purple color with electric blue highlights. Her style was more punkish then the rest of them, but it suited her perfectly. She had a particularly girly voice despite her appearance, but at the same time, it was strong and demanding.

Kenta Takehiro was a fairly attractive boy; sporting jet black hair in contrast to naturally silver-grey eyes. Like Airi, he was athletic and in fact was on the boy's soccer team. He had a darker style and typically wore dark clothing when not in uniform. His voice was strong and low, knowledgeable. It was the kind of voice that demanded the attention of everyone around him without even trying, mainly because he never spoke unless he had something important to say. At the moment, Kenta was looking across the line of students at Airi, who was sending him a silent message using a code that they'd established as young children. It was so complex, not even Kaori understood it.

Sakura was tapping her nails idly on the floor. It wasn't very loud, but their teacher, Mr. Oshiro, was a very uptight man. He was in his forties, divorced, and despised teenagers. He was known by his students as 'The Dragon Man', because of his quick temper. Hearing Sakura's fingers tapping, he promptly dropped the basketball he was holding and turned his attention to Sakura.

"Kohaku!" he snapped. Sakura, as well as the rest of the class, jumped at his sudden outburst. Sakura looked at the man and blinked. "This is a Physical Education Class. That means that you don't sit down. You do that enough in your other classes. Now, get up!"

Sakura tilted her head. "But I'm comfortable," she pointed out. "Besides, it's not as if we're doing anything important. You're explaining how to throw a basketball; I'm pretty sure all of us know how to do that," The Dragon Man's eye twitched in annoyance. Hayate coughed in the back and Oshiro turned his attention to him.

"What was that, Uzuki? Do you have something to say?" he snapped. Since Hayate had transferred to this school, Being much more athletic and definitely stronger then the other boys, Hayate was wanted amongst many of the sports teams, and after besting Oshiro in a demonstration wrestling match earlier (Oshiro had assumed that since he was new, he'd be easy to beat) Oshiro seemed bent of getting him into trouble any chance he got. Hayate looked at him with a raised brow.

"Hey, relax," he said calmly with a shrug. "I coughed… didn't know that wasn't allowed."

"And now you're being a smart ass?" Oshiro asked. He walked forward, students moving out of his way, and approached Hayate. He stood directly in front of the boy, standing about an inch taller, and looked down at him. "Maybe I should send you to run a few laps around that track. Maybe that'll set you straight,"

Now, the entire class was watching the two. Hayate's hand was twitching at his side, slowly clenching into a fist. If there was one thing the Demon couldn't stand, it was being yelled at, especially by a lowly human. Oshiro lowered his head a bit, placing his face inches from Hayate's. "Are you listening, Uzuki? Do you even care?"

"No, not really. In fact, I could care less about anything in this damn school. Not like I'm gonna be here too long anyway. Now get out of my face before I knock your head off your neck," Hayate thought of saying. He even opened his mouth to do it, but Kaori stepped in.

"Mr. Oshiro," she said calmly. She stepped between the two, pushing Hayate back a bit. "Ever since he came, you've been at his throat. Give him a break," She glanced at Hayate, signaling for him to calm down, and his clenched fist loosened slowly.

Oshiro's eyes narrowed at her darkly, but she kept her ground. "You think that just because he's new he deserves 'special treatment'?" Oshiro asked. He pointed to the track. "Well, Sato, why don't you go and join him on the track? Both of you, I want to see you running all period!"

Kaori stared at him for several moments, and, she turned away and jogged toward the track. "Come on, Hayate," she said to her Demon. Hayate stared at Oshiro for several moments and followed.

Hayate caught up with her with ease and slowed his pace to a light trot to match hers. "You didn't have to defend me, you know," he said to his partner. Kaori didn't look at him.

"He had no reason to be yelling at you," she said. "The Dragon Man needs to get a new hobby."

"But you got in trouble," Hayate pointed out. Kaori shrugged.

"No worries. Happens all the time," she said. Then, she looked at him. "You know, we haven't seen any Demons lately,"

Hayate glanced at her. "Well, that's a good thing, right? We're not prepared for another battle. The last one we fought was pure luck,"

"Then maybe we should start preparing, then, huh?" Kaori suggested. Hayate slowed down to a stop. She ran several paces ahead and then stopped as well, turning to face the Demon. "That other Demon, Daisuke or whatever his name was, he had three spells from what I could see. We've only got one,"

From the gym door, they heard Oshiro yelling for them to keep running. Kaori rolled her eyes and turned back around to continue. Hayate caught up with her once again. "Well, to get more spells, we need to train," he explained. "Practice, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kaori answered. "I know a place we can go. Just outside the city, there's a forest. We can train there. Starting today, if you want," Hayate hesitated. She had told him to prove he deserved the title for king. How was he supposed to prove that? Hard work and dedication? He decided that was the best way.

"Let's do it," he decided.

(--)

Later that day, Kaori asked her brother, Ichigo to take them to the forest. The excuse: hiking. Airi had heard of their little training plan and wanted to come along, but soccer practice prevented so.

"Make sure you're home before dark," Ichigo had said firmly to his sister. Then, to Hayate, he added, "And you, make sure nothing happens to my sister, got it?" He glanced at his watch. "Alright, I've got to go to the Academy. See you at home, Kao," Then, he drove away.

Now, Kaori and Hayate were at their training spot, after hiking for about thirty minutes. It was a camp ground; a large empty space with trees surrounding. Running along the south end was a small stream that about half a mile up branched onto a much larger river. Hayate examined the area with interest.

"This is a training ground, then?" he asked.

"No," Kaori said. She couldn't hold back her smile. Considering his age, there was certainly a lot Hayate didn't know. "It's a camp ground. People come here with tents to spend the weekend, sometimes longer. It's a nice way to connect with nature,"

"Connect with nature, huh?" Hayate repeated. "So I'm assuming that the animals talk here then too?" He spoke with such a serious tone; Kaori wasn't sure how to respond.

"Uhm… no…" she said. She decided to just leave it at that. It didn't need an explanation, did it? She slid her backpack off of her shoulders and reached inside for the spell book. She hadn't really touched it since that first battle. Hadn't opened it, hadn't thought about it, nothing. But she always kept it with her. She was growing accustomed to the weight of it. "Alright, let's start. You're the Demon, what do I need to focus on the most?"

Hayate frowned a bit as he considered. She most definitely needed to be able to defend herself. And she needed to be quick on her feet. But the most important thing was her heart energy. This entire battle centered around heart energy: it decided the spells they got, as well as how many, and how long they could last in battle. But what good was having an abundance of heart energy if she wasn't quick enough to avoid attacks? The book would surely burn. That in mind, Hayate made his decision.

"Reflexes," he said. "Reflexes and focus." Kaori looked at him, arms crossed, waiting for some sort of elaboration. "Let's say the opponent makes a sneak attack at you. If we can hear the opponent before they strike, then battles will be easier,"

Kaori nodded. "Alright, easy enough," she said. She smiled and put the book back in her bag and put it on the floor. She stretched her arms out and cracked her knuckles. Then, she shifted into a boxing stance her brother had taught her. Hayate gazed at her quizzically. "Spar," she explained. "It's the best thing I can think of, to be honest. It'll increase both of our reflexes, as well as our close combat ability." She raised a brow and smirked. "You can fight, can't you?"

Hayate blinked at her. "Well, yeah," he said. "But, I normally wouldn't fight with a girl that's weaker…" before he could finish, Kaori rushed at him and threw a surprisingly powerful kick at his neck. Hayate reacted just as quickly and blocked with his right forearm. Kaori's left foot slammed into it and held.

"Weaker? I'm sorry?" She grinned. "You really shouldn't judge your opponent before you know their skills. Now, unless you want to get your ass kicked by a girl, I'd suggest that you take me more seriously and fight back," She lowered her foot and stepped back. "Don't worry. No one will know. And I'm letting you, so it's fine,"

Hayate lowered his arm and looked at it. The skin was a bright red where she'd kicked it. Kaori didn't even play sports. Sure, she exercised often, but to have such powerful leg muscles? He found himself wondering how strong Airi's kicks were, being a soccer player. "Fight your hardest, Hayate," Kaori said firmly. That said, she charged again.

A fist shot at Hayate's face and the Demon twisted to the left to avoid the blow. Kaori spun the opposite direction and shot her right elbow at Hayate's ribs. Hayate took the hit and staggered. Kaori finished the turn and with her left hand, she swung again. Hayate looked just in time and lifted his left hand to catch hers, stopping it mid-strike.

"You're pretty good," Hayate commented. He was struggling to hold back her fist, and at last, he jumped back and let her follow through with her punch. Kaori staggered forward several steps with a surprised gasp, and when she'd regained her balance and looked up, Hayate was gone. She smiled a bit.

"I've had some practice," she called into the trees. She didn't know where he was, but she was certain he could hear her. By practice, she was referring to what her brother had taught her after his boxing karate classes. By his lessons, she had the abilities of a brown belt at least. Her brother, on the other hand, was a third degree black belt. She closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings. She could hear the water running nearby, birds singing joyously in the tree, and then, footsteps. She grinned and opened her eyes. She thought he'd be much stealthier then that. She heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind and turned, ready to defend.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. Instead of Hayate, an enormous black creature was only a few feet away. It was running on all fours, and even then, it was taller then Kaori. She opened her mouth to scream, but before a sound could escape, an enormous furry hand closed around her mouth, gripping her jaw tightly, and forced her back. She felt her feet rise off the ground, then reconnect with her back slammed painfully into a nearby tree. The wind was knocked out of her, and her eyes widened in surprise.

The hand released her jaw briefly and she staggered forward, dazed. Then, it closed around her throat and pushed her once again against the bark. She lifted her chin in an attempt to clear her airway, but the creature had such a tight grip, it was useless. She looked down at the creatures legs; they were covered with black fur and paws were in place of feet. Her eyes travelled upward, seeing a long black tail, large muscular arms, a muscular body, and finally, it's face. Bright red eyes gazed at her from beyond a long snout filled with razor sharp teeth. Pointed ears were standing erect upon its ears. Her eyes widened, suddenly stuck with fear when she realized what held her.

It was an enormous canine. A werewolf, it seemed. Adrenaline overtook her muscles and she suddenly began kicking, punching the creature's arm in an attempt to escape. The grip tightened around her neck and she felt claws meet behind her neck. "The Demon," the wolf creature snarled. "Where is the Demon?"

Then, she understood. A Demon! This thing was a Demon! To think they looked like this. Kaori began wondering if these creatures were the basis of the werewolf myths. It snarled dangerously at her when she didn't answer, exposing its enormous, razor sharp teeth. It leaned forward, its snout inches from her face. "Where!" It barked furiously.

Kaori couldn't answer. Black spots began to cloud her vision. She felt as if her windpipe was being crushed. The creature snarled again and pulled her off the tree. It threw her roughly to the ground. She fell, catching herself with her forearms, and gasped gratefully for air, coughing furiously as she started crawling away. She turned to look at the werewolf creature. It was on all fours, tail erect, crouched to strike. Saliva dripped slowly to the ground beneath its mouth. Then, it lunged at her. Kaori screamed and threw up her arms to defend herself. She knew it wouldn't do any good. This thing was going to kill her. She was going to die. There was the horrible sound of teeth tearing into flesh and scraping bone, and an agonized scream. But it wasn't Kaori's.

The girl opened her eyes and lowered her arms. Hayate stood before her, the same arm he'd used to defend against her kick raised, caught between the wolf's jaws. Blood was dripping from the wounds, between the monsters teeth, into its mouth and onto the floor. He turned his head, obviously in pain, to face Kaori. Kaori sat helplessly on the ground, shaking.

"Are you ok?" he asked through gritted teeth. His own blood dotted his face. Kaori nodded her response. "Good," Hayate said. He suddenly looked relieved, content despite the terrible pain. He nodded toward the backpack on the floor nearby. "Get that. You know what to do,"

Kaori understood instantly. She scrambled to her feet and half crawling, made her way to her backpack. She opened it for the second time that day and extracted the spell book. The wolf's eyes widened upon seeing it. It seemed to realize who this new boy was, and immediately, it lifted a paw large enough to break Hayate's back, preparing to strike.

The book started glowing and without even opening it, Kaori cast the spell. "Jikir!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Hayate move quicker then the wolf could. He thrust his palm into the creature's face as the wind beam shot forth. The wolf released him and howled in pain as it staggered back from the force of the blow. Hayate stepped back clumsily, his right arm limp and bleeding profusely at his side. Kaori swallowed the lump forming in her throat nervously. Of all the creatures, why did they have to face a canine?

The wolf recovered and rose to its feet, looking dangerously at Hayate "You are the Demon," it pointed out. Hayate kept his comments to himself. His breathing was a bit heavier then usual, as if he'd run a lap around the track without stopping, due to the pain. The wolf stepped back, grinning madly. Kaori gathered up her courage and approached Hayate cautiously.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Hayate didn't look at her, but nodded. Kaori knew instantly he was lying. He was biting his lip lightly, breathing deeply through his nose.

"A battle," the wolf said. Then, it laughed, a dangerous, hyena-like laugh as it began to circle them on all fours. "A battle. I'll kill you both and then burn the book. A bit of meat is always a delicacy. Especially that of a human," It stared at Kaori hungrily as it snapped its jaws. Kaori held the book close and inched closer to Hayate. The white haired boy watched the black wolf carefully.

"You're not laying another paw on her," he said firmly. "I'm your opponent. Leave her out of it," The wolf laughed again, then, with its mouth still open and dripping saliva, it spoke.

"The girl is your partner. She is your other half. She will meet the same fate as you when our little battle is finished," it said. It was at that moment that Kaori noticed that when it spoke, it's mouth didn't move. It seemed to speak telepathically. Kaori felt herself shaking uncontrollably. In her arms, the book began glowing again.

"Jikir!" She shouted. Hayate lifted his hand and shot the spell at the wolf. It hit the creature square in the chest and sent it sprawling onto its side with a howl of pain, followed by a laugh. Kaori didn't wait to see it rise to its feet. She grabbed Hayate's good arm and ran.

"Oh, a runner!" She heard the wolf say from the clearing behind. It was followed by yet another laugh. "This will be delightful! The hunt is the best part."

In the shadows, another team watched, hidden. One was a girl, older then Kaori, with long hair and piercing green eyes. The other was a boy, Hayate's age, with short hair and bright red eyes. They watched Kaori drag her Demon away, only to be pursued a few minutes later by the wolf.

"They're running," The girl said calmly. "Should we intervene?"

"If it looks like they need help, we'll do so," the boy responded. He had a calm voice, but seemed unsettled. "For now, we'll observe. I want to see how far the idiot's gotten," The girl scoffed.

"By the looks of it, not far," she said. "I can't help but feel that this entire thing was our fault. It was our energy that Demon was sensing."

"Calm down," the boy said. "Like I said, if they seem to be troubled, we'll intervene," He started off in the direction the others went and the girl followed without another word.

(--)

Kaori didn't stop running for ten minutes, despite the burning sensation in her chest. When they finally did stop, she didn't catch her breath. She got right to work. She put the book in her mouth as she tore the long sleeve of her shirt off and ripped it open, giving it more length. She took Hayate's injured arm carefully and examined it. They'd have to go to the hospital, but for now, the best thing she could do was wrap it up; tightly. He hissed as wrapped the cloth around the wound tightly, holding one end with her teeth. When she was through, she tied it in a tight not. "There," she said breathlessly. "That should slow down the bleeding until we can get out of here,"

"Thanks," Hayate said, just as tiredly. He looked at his useless arm in distaste and gingerly flexed his fingers. Good. They still moved. "Are you ok? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"I already told you, no," Kaori said. She looked at him in worry. "I should be asking you though. Look at you! You didn't have to do that!"

"Yes I did," Hayate said, looking away. Kaori shook her head quickly.

"No, I…"

"Don't tell me you had it covered because you didn't." Hayate interrupted. "That thing would have killed you if I hadn't intervened. I couldn't let that happen. No matter what, you can't die." Kaori looked at him, surprised by the statement. He looked away. "If you die because of this battle," Hayate continued. He lifted his eyes to look at her. "I'd never forgive myself. It would be my fault. I couldn't live with that," He looked so serious, Kaori once again, was at a loss for words. "That's why, no matter what happens to me, I'm not letting you die. Even if it costs my life,"

Finally, Kaori smiled. She even laughed a bit as she stepped forward and hugged Hayate tightly. "You idiot," she said into his chest. She wouldn't look at him, hiding her worried tears. "Don't say such stupid things,"

The book in her hand began glowing suddenly, intensely bright. She pulled away and looked at it in surprise. "What's…?"

"It's a new spell," Hayate interrupted. He grinned. "What perfect timing. Open it, Kaori, what does it say?"

Before Kaori could even open the spell book, a thick beam of dark energy slammed into her left side. She cried out in surprise as the beam sent her staggering to the side and eventually, to the floor. She gripped her side tightly, teeth clenched in pain. "Kaori!" Hayate exclaimed, shocked. He rushed toward her to help her up only to be knocked away by another beam of energy. He was knocked away, onto his injured arm, and the weight upon it sent a spasm of pain through him. He bit his lip to hold back the scream and made his way to his feet as the wolf reappeared. Kaori stood as well, breathing heavily.

"Found you!" the wolf said proudly. This time, though, it wasn't alone. A teenage boy, several years older then Kaori, was sitting upon the Demon's back, holding a jet black spell book in hand. He had blond hair and blue eyes somewhere between sky blue and steel blue. He was muscular, the sport playing type. Kaori estimated he was about nineteen.

"This is too easy," the boy said. "I thought you said it was a stronger opponent, Kuro. This set couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag!"

Kuro. So that was the wolf's name. Not that it mattered. Kaori gripped the book tightly, waiting. "We'll pick 'em off like flies, Kazuo," Kuro said. "The weaker they are, the better for us,"

The human identified as Kazuo jumped of his Demon's back and looked at Kaori with a raised brow. "Hey, she's pretty cute," he observed. He walked toward her and she stepped back nervously. He lifted a hand to her face and lightly placed it under her chin. "So, babe, how many spells do you have?"

Kaori slapped his hand away with the back of her own and lifted the glowing book dangerously. "How about I show you?" she snarled.

"Ooh, she's a feisty one," Kazuo said. His eyes shimmered mischievously. He reached out and took hold of Kaori's upper arm. "I like a fighter. Tell ya what babe, how about you come with me for a night and we'll forget all about this little battle?"

Kaori couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her lips. No, she wasn't amused. She was absolutely furious. Still smiling, she put a gently hand on Kazuo's, taking it lightly in her own. "You like fighters, huh?" she asked sweetly. Then, she grabbed his wrist and twisted as hard as she could. Kazuo shouted from the sudden pain and released her. "Is this enough fight for you," She hissed through her teeth. Kazuo snarled and pulled free, then, with the same hand, he backhanded Kaori across the face.

Hayate stepped in immediately, throwing a hard, furious punch at Kazuo's face. "Jikir!" Kaori suddenly shouted. Hayate thrust the same hand against Kazuo's stomach and unleashed the spell. The boy coughed and was forced back to his Demon. "Jikir!" She shouted again. Hayate aimed at Kuro this time.

Kazuo answered with a spell of his own from the glowing book. "Kuruga!" He shouted. The black energy beam shot from Kuro's mouth at Hayate's attack. The two spells collided in mid air and cancelled each other out with a swirl of wind. Hayate dashed forward as Kuro did and at the same time, both humans cast the spells again.

"Jikir!"

"Kuruga!"

The spells shot at each other again, from a much closer range. Again, they cancelled each other out.

"Jikir!" Kaori shouted quickly. Hayate jabbed his fist forward as the wind accumulated around it.

"Kuroruk!" Kazuo shouted.

A maroon light surrounded Kuro suddenly, and Hayate's spell was stopped upon hitting it. The white haired boy jumped back quickly and waited, unsure of what this new spell did. The light faded, and now, a dark red armor one would see on a war horse covered Kuro. On the chest plate was a black swirl, carved into the thick metal. "Kuruga!" Kazuo shouted again.

A beam, larger then before, shot out of Kuro's mouth. Kaori responded with a spell of her own.

"Jikir!" she shouted. She wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a try. Kuro's attack easily overcame Hayate's, obliterating it as if it were a simple breeze. Hayate rolled aside in time to avoid it as Kaori turned to the second spell.

"Ora Jikiru!" she shouted. Hayate shot a beam first from his left arm, directly at Kuro, and then, with a cry of pain, from his injured arm at Kazuo. Kuro took hold of Kazuo and jumped out of the way quickly, easily avoiding the spell. Kaori suddenly felt drained. Her eyes widened as he legs gave out beneath her and she fell to her knees. She was barely able to hold herself up.

Kazuo suddenly smiled. "Duko Kiba!" He shouted. Kuro's fangs suddenly dripped with a green liquid and he rushed at Hayate. Hayate jumped to the side, but the wolf's fangs scraped his upper arm, cutting it. A sudden agonizing sensation filled his as his muscles tightened, and with a shout, he gripped his arm, then fell. He tried to move, and his eyes widened when he realized that he couldn't. The wolf turned to Kaori, fangs still dripping with the paralysis poison. He lunged at the girl with a roar.

"Firuzor!" a female's voice shouted. Suddenly, a boy, the same age as Hayate, appeared in front of Kaori, flames engulfing his legs. He threw a hard kick at Kuro, hitting the wolf hard in the head, and the demon was sent flying to the side. A tail of flames followed the newcomers off as he spun with the kick, eventually stopping, facing Kaori. His eyes were a piercing red color, his hair short and brown. He was the same age as Hayate, without a doubt. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, then, he disappeared.

Kaori's eyes widened. She turned toward Kuro, who was barely standing from the first blow when the newcomer appeared before him again, this time above. Kaori gazed at the boy's face as he slammed his heel onto the wolf's head. The sheer force of the kick knocked the creature's jaw into the ground and a crater formed around it. Throughout it all, the boy's face was calm, as if nothing were happening.

Then, Kaori noticed a shadow over her. She looked up at a girl, probably eighteen, standing there. Her red hair extended down to her waist, and her bright emerald eyes were too green to be real. Her skin was pale beneath her bangs, and like the Demon, she looked calm and collected. She looked down at Kaori. "You'll be alright. You've used too much energy is all. Let us finish this,"

Kaori could only nod. The dark red spell book in the girl's hand glowed brighter as she flipped a page. "Rosces, you know what to do!" she called to her Demon. The boy, identified as Rosces, gave a brief nod and suddenly darted toward the human. Kazuo watched him for several moments, eyes wide. When he was within range, she called the spell. "Arcad!"

The fire around Rosces' legs disappeared and were replaced by a spiraling flame in one hand. He thrust his fist at the book in Kazuo's hand and the spiraling beam of fire slammed into it. It didn't last more then three seconds before it was completely reduced to ash. Kuro disappeared, leaving Kazuo, staggering away from Rosces in absolute fear.

Rosces only had to look at the boy to convince him to leave. Kazuo, shaking and ghost white, turned and ran from the scene, screaming. Rosces straightened up and turned to the others. From his hand, a plume of smoke rose. He blew it away and dusted off his palm on his jeans as he approached Hayate.

Kaori turned her attention to her own demon. Now that Kuro was gone, the paralysis had faded, and Hayate stood once again. With a smile. Rosces extended a hand, and smiling in return, Hayate took it. Kaori looked up as the girl helped her to her feet, and after a few seconds of support, she found that she could stand on her own. She stepped away from the girl with the red book nervously.

"Who are you?" Kaori asked at last. The red haired girl smiled lightly.

"My name is Xiora Dyre," she answered. She laughed a bit and patted some dust off of Kaori's clothing. "And it looks to me as if you've got a lot to learn, kid,"

98 Demons Remaining

A/N: So there it was! Yes, I brought her into this story! She was my first Demon Team, how could I not? So this is a nice, long chapter. I'm actually very proud of the result. Please, don't forget to review, ladies and gentlemen!