Well… damn. It's been pretty much a year since any activity on FFnet, but I hope I haven't lost my touch. I do plan on getting things done over summer vacation though! It's just… the first two months I was 1) catching up on my sleep I almost never get throughout the school year and 2) playing my fill of Assassin's Creed II. And Brotherhood. And Revelations, which I haven't finished yet. ANYWAY as sidetracked as I can get, I think I'm finally settling down into a proper writing mind. However, I won't be here for a whole week to read and flames, feedback, reviews, anything from anyone because I'll be away at a camp.

Enjoy the next chapter, and hopefully I can get something else up before I pack for my trip.

MR1/MK1 Chapter Four: To Fail and Rise

Training Room of Utsutzushi Academy, Friday 2200

"Shit, shit, shit!" Shinju pounded his fist into the wall beside him, tears welling up in his eyes as he slid down and leaned against the wall as support. His tattered shirt revealed that his stomach was wrapped in bandages. "Dammit!" he cried, hitting his head against the wall behind him.

"Stop beating yourself up over it, Shinju… there was no way you could have gotten to them in time," Toushiro uttered, walking over to his lover and wrapping his arm around the distressed teen's shoulders.

"No! I should have been there! I was this close to saving them! But I had to blow it! I was so close Toushiro! So close!"

The white haired teen paused at the mention of his full name, but continued to rub Shinju's shoulder comfortingly. "It isn't your fault so much as mine or the commander's. And you know it. You should be happy that at least most of them survived! You did your best."

"My best… isn't good enough," the silver haired teen murmured, hugging his feet to his chest and leaning his forehead against his knees. "This was just one X-Cross, just one. I couldn't save all of them, I…"

"You didn't have your Myriasmh. You were just using your weapon and your magic. That's hardly enough to kill an X-Cross and you know it. So stop… being so depressed," Toushiro lightly scolded.

Shinju bit his lower lip. "I can't always rely on machines, Toushiro. You know that. X-Crosses can not only destroy them, but go through the Myriasmhs. They could very well kill us in ten seconds if we're not ready. And what about when we get to their cave? There are tourists around the mountains, so we have to be ready just in case one of them is an X-Cross posing as a human! I can't always fight with the Myriasmh! How will I protect you like that!"

"…I don't need protecting," the shinigami scowled. "Focus on your mission here, Shinju. Stop acting like a little kid. Take responsibility for your actions and move on. If you don't, we'll all die."

Shinju's shoulder tensed at that. "…You're right. I'll kill that damn X-Cross… I'll avenge their deaths," he murmured, venom pouring out of his words. "I swear upon Zetsumei that bastard will get what he deserves."

(Flashback) Dorms of Utsutzushi Academy, Friday 2000

Shinju rounded a corner and widened his red eyes before glaring at the man donning black clothes. The X-Cross was holding a suffocating Atobe high in the air with one hand, smirking cruelly. "Eyus muren oo shieru," he spoke in a mysterious language, one that Toushiro couldn't understand.

"Urui, oo shfeil shieru!" Shinju responded in the same language, swinging his scythe at the creature.

Taken by surprise, the X-Cross dropped a now unconscious Atobe before jumping out of the way to face Shinju. The human form of the dark being was abnormally pale, having yellow eyes and a tuft of black hair. "Wer oos pasrak… oo apek rosht gurel. Oor nerma, Srain?"

"Mistra maa an oos srain!" Shinju seethed, brandishing his scythe and glaring at the X-Cross.

"You're speaking Mytran?"

"It comes with my ability of the shadows. I can understand and speak fluent Mytran… the cursed and ancient language of the Dark Ones," the silverette uttered. "Check on Atobe, I'll take on this guy."

Toushiro sent a defiant glare at his lover. "You're actually thinking of going up against an X-Cross alone without a Myriasmh?"

"A Myriasmh would be a hindrance against an agile and small opponent," the regular resident of Utsutzushi reminded. "Just make sure the others are okay – I don't know how many this bastard took out."

"I've already killed one," the X-Cross smirked, words spoken but his mouth not moving along with his sentence. "It's only a matter of seconds before that one dies too."

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

The mysterious creature's eyes glimmered with amusement. "Temu ti."

"It's not 'try it'. It's 'do it'," Shinju hissed, spreading his left arm to the side. "Go, Shiro. Once his concentration is broken, we might be able to give the monkey bastard his life back, as much as it pains me to say we have to… we kinda have to."

"…Got it, I'll do my best."

"Mistra shfeil an umer oo," the X-Cross muttered, causing Shinju to snap his attention back to his enemy.

"Watch out, Shiro!" the silverette quickly moved in front of his lover and blocked the creature's long nails with the pole of his sword. "Dammit… be careful, Shiro, this guy doesn't want you near Atobe."

"Rinteklru… oo wutao hans pesfil?"

"Eww, MUTRE urui!" Shinju shouted, a disgusted look crossing his face before he swung his scythe, causing the X-Cross to jump back. "Speak in Japanese, I know you can, bastard."

"…Very well, Child. My name is Reikush. And you?"

"…Shinju."

"Ah… 'gem', is it? With such a dark power, a pure name like yours doesn't fit," the X-Cross chuckled, licking his sharp nails.

The silver haired teenager glared at the being before him. "Well, I'm sorry to have failed the expectations my name brings, but when it comes down to it, all that matters is my strength. I'll kill you, you bastard X-Cross!"

Reikush raised an eyebrow before extending its claws. "Too late, Child."

Shinju widened his eyes as blood spurt from his stomach, dropping to his knees while trembling. "You… bastard…" he groaned, using his left arm to somewhat block the blood flow.

"Requis schiff sepak, Srain," everything slowed down in a single moment, and Shinju couldn't move. Reikush's nails slowly approached his neck, and he prepared for his death, but then suddenly an alarm blared to life. The X-Cross stared at his own arm and his eyebrows furrowed as he took a cube out of his pocket. "It seems I cannot kill you. Yet."

Anger flared in Shinju and he rose to his feet before wincing. His knee met the floor once more and he snarled a string of curses in a fit of pain. "What the hell do you mean? Mercy isn't something bastards like you possess."

"It's not mercy, Srain," Reikush dropped the cube onto the floor. "It simply isn't time."

Toushiro watched as Reikush disappeared once the cube met the floor before cautiously going over to Shinju. "Shin—"

"I'm fine, get Atobe to the nursing office."

"…He's already dead."

"Shit…!" Shinju gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the floor.

Hangar of Utsutzushi Academy, Friday 2230

Commander Ayazumi frowned when he saw Shinju's bandaged stomach. "Your report?"

Shinju was silent, so Toushiro spoke up for him. "The X-Cross, Reikush, he said his name was, got a hold of Jiroh and Atobe as Atobe was carrying Jiroh to their room. We intercepted a small group of Feitocons at the corner before the hallway… however, as they were the last two in the hallway, Reikush was able to kill them before we killed the Feitocons."

"Two deaths and one severely wounded…"

"I can still fight."

"Not for a few days. Echizen, I hope you're up for recon tonight."

Ryoma nodded solemnly. Death was hard on him, even if it was his rival. Yet… the idea that Atobe and Jiroh died still hadn't sunk in. "I'll circle higher to keep an eye on the defensive schools. Reikush messed with security from the inside, so the shield is weaker around that area."

"Good. Kiryu, patrol the hallways of the dorms with Hitsugaya. It's not likely that the X-Cross is still here, but if it is, call Echizen on channel ten. I will also be on standby to fight if it comes to that."

"Old men should stick to their beds," Shinju snarled nastily, hating the idea of patrolling silently throughout the whole night.

"The injured should keep their mouths shut," Ayazumi returned. "Dismissed."

Quick to leave, Shinju traced the bandages over his stitched wound. "…This kind of thing can be healed easily…"

"Ayazumi doesn't know that," Toushiro murmured to his silver haired companion. "Echizen doesn't even know."

"About what I am?" the red eyed teen smiled nostalgically. "If they knew… they probably wouldn't care. But it'd break their trust."

"…Even I don't know," the shinigami uttered softly. "All I know is that you're not human."

Shinju stopped in his tracks and turned to Toushiro. "Isn't that all you need to know?" he asked before heading to the dorm hallway.

"Sometimes I fear for the worst…"

Dorms of Utsutzushi Academy, Friday 2300

Tezuka turned to the door, alert, when it opened. "Echizen… you're not hurt?"

"I'm fine, I was in the Myriasmh the whole time fending off low level Feitocons on the outside. Kiryu's pretty hurt, but… Atobe and his teammate…"

Realization dawned on the tennis captain, and he looked down. "…Aa."

"…I have to do recon since Kiryu's injured. Just thought I should stop by here to tell you the, mm, news," he really wasn't good with these sort of things. "I'll be going now."

"Echizen," the bespectacled brunette stopped Ryoma from leaving. "…Promise you'll be back."

"I… can't keep promises I don't know I can keep," he murmured, opening the door. "But for today, you won't have to worry. I will be back."