NOTE: This is the last time I will be addressing this: I know that Gengo Aoi is supposed to be their grandfather but for the purposes of this story I've changed it so that Gengo is now their father. That's that. There will be no changing back to him being their grandfather. I did this on purpose and I intend to keep it that way. If you don't like it, too bad! Now, on with the story!

UnLimited

The Devourer

Kazuya woke up slowly.

He was aware of the soreness of his body and of how dark it was. His senses seemed very dull and his mind felt sluggish. In fact, his entire body seemed twice as heavy than it usually was. He had difficulty at first with moving around. As some time passed, he thankfully began to return to normal. Eventually he was for the most part back to his normal self, though his mind was still a bit foggy. Questions popped up then, questions that at the moment he did not have answers to.

How long was he out? What happened? How badly was he hurt?

He finally opened his eyes and looked around.

He found himself in a hospital bed, in what was no doubt the clinic on campus. Everything was bright and clean and in neutral colors, very much a plain and sterile environment. A lone but large window sat in the middle of the wall to his right, sunlight streaming in as the drapes were pulled back. On his left in the far corner was the door, and as if on cue it opened.

"Oh! You're awake! I'm glad," said the Student President of West Genetics. She had her hands clasped together down by her hips and her eyes were squinting as usual. A genuine smile spread across her lips.

Kazuya gave a nod in greeting, surprised at the appearance of Chiffon. "Hello, Miss... err... hello, Chiffon. How long was I out?"

"Only a few hours, really. Surprising given the level of energy you must have been expending to sustain such a powerful and large freezing field." Her tone had a tinge of awe, and she gave him a curious look. "How are you feeling, Kazuya?"

"A bit tired, but fine." He mentally berated himself for showing off so much of his power already. He had only just gotten here. And what had his father said about trying to keep the extent of his powers under wraps? He would be most upset if he found out, and he probably would. At least they did not know how truly different he really was from any other Limiter in existence.

"Good. Well, I had heard of what happened and I really only came in here to see how you were doing and if you were awake... I should probably go tell them that you're up now. No doubt Dr. Schmitz has a few questions and a few more tests to run on you before you're allowed to walk out of here." She smiled again at him before reaching for the door. She paused to look back at him one more time before walking out.

Kazuya thought it was nice of her to stop by and check on him. He didn't think much more of it as he was still busy trying to remember what exactly had happened. It all seemed so fuzzy in his mind. How had he lost control like that? And so quickly? Something must have gotten over him. But what?

A moment later the door opened and a green-haired woman in a white lab coat walked in. She was staring at him intently as she approached.

"Ah, Kazuya Aoi... you don't mind me calling you Kazuya, do you?" She did not wait for a reply and continued to speak. "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Do you remember anything about what happened?" she asked in quick succession, regarding him with a curious look of her own as she stepped close.

"I-I'm fine, really..." Kazuya said a little overwhelmed as her hands reached out and felt his neck and his forehead.

"I'll be the judge of that," she said seriously as she produced a data pad from an inside pocket of her coat. She also had some sort of device in her hands, with which she began to pass it over his body. Her eyes were squinting, focusing on the sensor briefly before her gaze drifted to her pad.

Kazuya decided that silence at this point was best. It was better to let her do her job and get it over with.

She stopped scanning, her eyes still glued to her data pad as she pocketed the scanner. She frowned after a few seconds of studying the data pad.

"Uh... is there something wrong, doctor?" asked Kazuya, suddenly worried. He didn't feel like anything was wrong with him, but for what reason could she be frowning? She must have found something that was not quite right and that troubled him.

Her blue eyes snapped to him. "The problem, Kazuya, is that there's nothing wrong. Nothing." she stated simply and with a little frustration in her voice.

"Wait... that's... that's a problem?" He was confused. She should be happy that he was okay, not upset like she was.

"Yes." She was still frowning. "The level of power you displayed out there was tremendous. You should be an absolute wreck at best, and at worst... you should have died out there. But no, here you are fine and well as if nothing major had happened. Not to mention the fact that you performed a freezing field without an Ereinbar set..."

"I'm still not understanding why me being perfectly fine is a bad thing... I mean, I do feel tired..."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're hiding something, Kazuya Aoi. And I don't really like secrets..." she paused, "But, I guess that's to be expected from the younger sibling of Kazuha. She was quite the mystery too." She sighed. "I gave up asking her questions after the first few times."

Kazuya looked at her with a tinge of surprise. "You... you knew my sister? You knew Kazuha?" As he said the name, the memories of what happened to him finally flooded back into his mind. He winced at the sudden recall, thankful that the green-haired woman didn't seem to notice as she had been looking out through the window.

"Yes. We were... friends. And teammates too. I was in the Numbers squad with her... and I was there when it happened. When she..." she paused again, "when she sacrificed herself to save us all..." her voice was barely a whisper and she had a faraway look in her eyes, and then she shook her head as she returned to the present. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up again... it's just... I see the resemblance between you two and I..."

"It's fine. I understand how you feel, doctor." Within himself he was feeling very upset about his loss of control earlier. After all this time, after all this training, and he was still too weak to restrain himself and master his emotions. His sister was gone from this world, and he had to make sure he remembered that. He must not lose control like that again. Not if he was to exact vengeance upon those who had taken her away from him.

"You can call me Elize, Kazuya. No need for formalities."

He scratched the back of his head, "Um, is it alright if I call you Doctor Elize?"

She crossed her arms, clearly not liking it. "Well, I guess if that makes you more comfortable. Though you really can just call me Elize, you know."

"I think that'll take a little while before I feel comfortable using simply your first name, ma'am." he said apologetically.

"Ah, fine, fine. Speaking of which, since you're in good health I guess that means you can leave..."

He felt relieved. "Thank you!"

"... but not before you eat something. I'll have a nurse bring in a meal for you and once you've digested a bit I'll discharge you. Is that clear?" she looked at him sternly.

He realized he didn't have much of a choice. "Yes, Doctor Elize."

"Good. And you better eat everything too!" she turned to leave but stopped by the door when Kazuya called out to her.

"Excuse me, but... who was it that I... uhh... Who is the blonde girl that was out there?"

The green-haired doctor half-turned back to him. "You mean you didn't know?" she asked with mild surprise.

Kazuya shook his head and scratched the back of his head again, letting out a nervous laugh.

Elize had a very serious expression on her face, which made Kazuya pay close attention. "Her name is Satellizer L. Bridget. She is a Second year Pandora, and is one of the best this Academy has seen since Chiffon and your sister. She's also known around campus as the Untouchable Queen."

"Satellizer L. Bridget... The Untouchable Queen?"

The doctor nodded. "I'd advise you to stay away from her... and Ganessa Rowland too. That's the redhead, the other Pandora that was out there. She is ranked second only to Satellizer amongst the Sophomores. What you did in the Carnival... well... let's just say both those Pandora probably don't appreciate your interference in their battle. But mostly stay away from Satellizer. She's trouble. Got it? Good." She opened the door and left before Kazuya could ask her why she was considered trouble.

What the doctor had said did not sit well with him. He wanted to apologize to both of them for what happened, but he was not sure how to approach them let alone how to explain his actions. He was sure they were going to ask why he did it, and he wondered what excuse he could give. He did not want to tell them the truth, that he had succumbed to his emotions of grief because he had mistakenly thought Satellizer was his sister back from the dead.

And from what she had said, he was to avoid Satellizer L. Bridget not simply because of what he did at the Carnival but because she apparently gets in trouble. She couldn't be that bad, could she? He wondered why she was trouble and what kinds of supposed trouble she actually got into. It must be serious, or perhaps it happens frequent enough, for one of the staff to say that about her. He would have to do a little research on that.

A moment later, the door opened and a nurse brought in a tray filled with food. For clinic food, it actually looked quite appetizing. But it also helped that he was absolutely starving, as his growling stomach attested to that fact. He wasted no time in digging in to the food.

-xxxxxx-

"What are you hiding, Kazuya?" Elize Schmitz murmured to herself as her fingers flew across the keyboard of her computer terminal.

She accessed the student database and quickly searched for Kazuya Aoi. The file on record had nothing of interest, other than that he was a freshman limiter and part of the Aoi family. It was all mostly basic information, which was strange since each student file usually has an accompanying stigmata file that shows a record of their stigmata tissue levels, synchronization rates, and abilities.

Elize sat back for a moment. This was highly unusual, and she wondered what Gengo Aoi wanted to keep a secret. Part of the reason why she was so curious was because Kazuya was a special interest to her - he was Kazuha's little brother after all, not to mention his display of amazing freezing abilities earlier made her even more curious about him. Another part of her curiosity, however, was driven by worry. She worried that he might be a danger to them all, given the experiments that Gengo Aoi were rumored to have conducted on his children.

She leaned forward and exited out of the school database, switching over to the Chevalier system and accessing their personnel files. She had high security clearance because of her position at the Academy as well as her stint with the Numbers squad back when she was an active Pandora. What followed next, therefore, surprised her.

Kazuya Aoi's file in the Chevalier system was inaccessible to her.

ACCESS DENIED.
You do not have the necessary security clearance to view this file.

Again Elize sat back, frowning this time as she reread the popup on the screen. She wasn't aware that there was any file that she could not access with her security clearance. Then again, she hadn't found much of a need to use her security clearance to look at files before. She was thinking about what to do next when the door to her office opened. Only one person would come in without knocking.

"How's little Aoi doing?" asked Yumi Kim as she closed the door behind her and walked around the desk, half-sitting on the edge of it as she crossed her arms across her chest. This only served to make her already buxom breasts larger.

"He's perfectly fine, Yumi." replied Elize, blue eyes looking up to meet Yumi's dark brown ones. She said it in a tone that reflected her disbelief.

"That's both unexpected and yet not surprising. He is an Aoi after all..." Yumi trailed off, her gaze drifting to the computer screen for the first time. She gave the doctor a confused look. "You're trying to access his files aren't you? I can't say I'm surprised your clearance didn't get you through. Remember Kazuha's?"

Elize nodded, remembering. "Yes, of course I do. But he's not in the same league as Kazuha. He's a Limiter! Admittedly he's a very powerful one, but still... he is no Pandora... Which makes me wonder if there's more to him than we're supposed to think..."

They were silent for a while.

"Let me try mine." Yumi broke the silence as she leaned over and tried using her account. She was still an active Pandora, technically, and held the rank of Captain with the Chevalier.

ACCESS DENIED.
You do not have the necessary security clearance to view this file.

Yumi stepped back and crossed her arms again. "Well, it was worth a shot." She had a feeling it would not work when she first tried it.

Elize sighed, grabbing a cup of coffee that was on her desk and sipping at it. It had cooled off and was barely warm, but she drank it anyway. "Do you think that Sister Margaret knows anything?"

"Even if she did, she probably would't tell us unless it was necessary," replied Yumi. She had a point. "Our only option is to try to hack into the system."

"Can you?"

"Move over." Yumi said with a grin.

Elize stood up, taking another sip of her now room-temperature coffee as the brunette sat down and flexed her fingers together.

-xxxxxx-

Kazuya was released half an hour after he finished his meal.

He was on his way out of the clinic when he bumped into Arthur, who was glad to see him up and about already.

"I was worried you might be out for a while!" said Arthur as they walked back to the dorm together.

"Yeah, they said that everything's fine and I'm healthy." Kazuya glanced at his friend. "What did you hear about what happened?"

"Well, Ganessa told me that you interrupted her final duel with Satellizer... she was not happy about that at all. It took a long while to calm her down," explained Arthur. "I guess in a way it was good that you were knocked out and in the clinic, otherwise she might have hunted you down and hurt you a bit for that little stunt." He laughed a little. "I'd suggest avoiding her for a little while."

"I feel pretty bad about it." Kazuya said honestly, putting his hands into his pockets as they continued to walk.

"If you don't mind me asking, Kazuya... what actually happened? I mean, what made you go in there?"

Kazuya did not want to tell him the whole truth. "I'm not sure, really. Something came over me and I just... had this urge to leap in there. Kinda stupid now that I look back on it." He shrugged to emphasize the point that he was not exactly sure. He hoped that Arthur would understand.

Sure enough, the blonde seemed to be satisfied with that answer. "Maybe it was the adrenaline of seeing such an intense battle or something..." he suggested with a slight frown, "In any case, thankfully you weren't hurt and the instructors were able to get in there before anything happened. Unpaired Limiters are basically regular humans and wouldn't stand a chance against a Pandora. Particularly an angry one."

Kazuya realized then that Ganessa had apparently left out the part about his intense freezing ability when she was recounting the story to Arthur. Either that, or he was being exceptionally mindful and was keeping his curiosity at bay. Most people would, like Dr. Schmitz, be extremely curious about his powers.

They finally reached their dorm when Arthur stopped. Kazuya looked at him questioningly.

"I was actually going to go visit Ganessa again in her dorm and make sure she's feeling okay. It's good to see that you're alright, Kazuya." Arthur flashed a smile and gripped Kazuya's shoulder. "See you in class tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you." Kazuya watched him walk away for a few seconds before heading in to the dorm.

-xxxxxx-

Satellizer was curled up in her bed, hugging her soft stuffed bear. She was in her pajamas and under the covers already. Her window was slightly open to allow the crisp, fresh evening air in. The lights were off, but the moonlight shone through the window to cast the room in a faint glow.

The events of the day were running through her mind. The Sophomore Carnival started off like the last one she participated in: she was still way ahead of everyone in her class and so beat them all. Again, it came down to her and Ganessa Rowland. Except this time, some young man interfered in the final battle between the her and Ganessa. Not only that, but he turned out to be some sort of prodigy Limiter.

She had never before seen, or felt for that matter, such freezing power from a Limiter. The only comparable freezing ability was that of the actual Nova themselves, which was astounding to think about. She knew he had activated the freezing field to protect them, and she had a feeling to protect her specifically.

That was not what was truly bothering her about the whole incident though. He had touched her. He had grabbed her, and yet his touch did not make her react like she normally did. Instead of the revulsion and anger that she normally felt when someone touched her, she had felt... embarrassed.

Thinking about it made her cheeks warm and red. She was not even able to get a good look at the young man. His face had been buried in her dress. The way he had held her though, she realized she actually liked it. And that was very strange and uncomfortable for her to admit, but it was true.

What made him different? And why did he launch himself at her like that? The way he had acted, it was as if he had known her. It was like someone who had missed another for a long time and finally saw that person. Yet she knew for a fact that she did not know this person. This young boy was as much a stranger to her as anyone else she did not know.

She had met and known very few people in her life after all. So few, in fact, that she could count them with simply her hands, and none of them were this boy. So she came back to the question of why. Why did he do that? Who was this boy?

No matter how long she pondered the questions in her head, no clear answers came to her. She drifted off into sleep, still thinking about it as she held her bear close.

-xxxxxx-

"Is this true?" asked the blue-haired girl, her brown eyes a little unfocused because of the wine she was drinking. This was her third glass of red wine, and it tasted absolutely delicious. She was addressing one of three young men who were attending to her. They were all Limiters, and they were all hers, bound to do her bidding.

"Yes, miss Miyabi," replied the young man she was specifically addressing. "He apparently deployed a freezing field without an Ereinbar and it incapacitated both first and second-ranked sophomores."

Miyabi's left eyebrow raised at that. "Who are those two Pandora again?" She finished the wine and handed it to another of her Limiters, who went to go refill it.

"Satellizer L. Bridget and Ganessa Rowland."

The names sounded familiar. She remembered hearing about them. Well, more so Satellizer than Ganessa. The Untouchable Queen was well-known throughout the Academy after all.

"Ahhh... Mmmm... Yes... That's the spot," she said with pleasure to the Limiter who was massaging her back as she sat on the couch. Her back was feeling a lot better than it was earlier, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was purely because of the massage or if the wine was helping with that. Probably both.

"Do you have a picture?" she asked, and not a moment later one was shown to her. She nodded approvingly, licking her lips with growing excitement. "Yes, he'll do quite nicely."

It was time she added to her collection after all. She wondered if she'd have to discard one of these older ones, but decided that she would determine that at a later time. The priority at this point was to get her new plaything. She couldn't help but touch herself at the thought.

-xxxxxx-

Kazuya was already up by the time the sun poked its head over the horizon. He had already finished his early morning meditation and proceeded to wake up his body and get the blood flowing with some exercises. Then he readied his things, placing them in his backpack, before dressing in the standard Academy uniform. He was out the dorm and in the cafeteria to grab some breakfast with thirty minutes to spare before his first class.

He was in the classroom with ten minutes to spare as students trickled in. He noted that some of them looked in his direction several times, though he did not acknowledge that he noticed that. He also realized that some of his new classmates were whispering to each other about him. He knew what they were talking about. No doubt news of what happened had already circulated throughout the school, though the extent of what was actually being said was not known to him. He hoped it would not be like this all the time.

"Good morning class! Please take your seats." greeted the teacher as she walked in, a full smile on display as she set her things down on her desk at the front of the class. She took another minute to look over a few things that she had brought with her before finally addressing the class again.

"Well, as you all know by now we have a new transfer student," she looked a Kazuya, "Would you please introduce yourself to everyone?" she asked with a very encouraging tone. She seemed very nice.

Kazuya stood up and walked to the front of the class, turning around to look at the other students. "I'm Kazuya Aoi. Pleased to meet you all."

Again there were murmurs and whispers. A few of the girls he overheard say he was cute, and that made him blush a little.

A girl with short reddish brown hair stood up then. She was actually sitting in the seat next to Kazuya's. She smiled and waved at him as she introduced herself. "I'm Kaho Hiiragi, the class president. Allow me to welcome you on behalf of everyone here. It's nice to meet you! If you have any questions, let me know and I'll be glad ot help you out." She quickly sat down after that, her eyes never leaving Kazuya.

Kazuya felt somewhat relieved that not everyone was so hung up about what had happened yesterday. At least some people were treating him with a little more normalcy.

"Well, Kazuya Aoi, it would appear that you already have a seat. I hope you will enjoy it here in our class and at the Academy as a whole. You can return to your seat now." The teacher was still smiling as she said that, gesturing for him to sit down.

On his way back to his seat, someone walked in late, apologizing to the teacher. It was Arthur. Kazuya was happy that Arthur was in the same class. He felt like he would need a friend to talk to at times to take his mind off all of the training and learning he was planning on doing. He needed to be in the best shape possible, but mentally and physically, for when the Nova returned.

Lunch time arrived at the sound of the bell at noon, causing a lot of commotion in the classroom as everyone began to stand and head to the cafeteria.

"Hey, Kazuya. Have you had lunch yet at the cafeteria? I understand you arrived yesterday." said Kaho, who was suddenly standing right next to him as he was still sitting in his seat.

"Oh, hi Kaho. No, I actually haven't yet... I have had breakfast though. They have good food." He could tell that she seemed to be highly interested in him, but for what reason he did not know. Perhaps she did this with all new students, or she was simply very friendly.

"He hasn't had lunch or dinner at the cafeteria yet because he was busy at the Carnival yesterday," added Arthur, who had come over as well. "Isn't that right, Kazuya?"

"Oh right!" exclaimed Kaho as her hands clasped together in front of her with fingers intertwining, "What a crazy way to start out at the Academy, Kazuya. Getting involved with Satellizer and Ganessa like that. At the Carnival no less. Those two are rivals and are the two best sophomores. No doubt they have you on their hit list or something." She had a worried expression on her face.

Arthur waved his left hand in the air as if to clear away something. "Don't worry about Ganessa. She's cooled off considerably since then."

"Are you sure about that?" Kazuya asked, wanting to be certain.

Arthur gave him a thumbs up. "I'm sure of it."

He seemed pretty confident when he said that, so Kazuya believed him. The last thing he needed was having strained relations with high-ranking Pandoras.

"I feel like it wouldn't hurt to apologize though," Kazuya said tentatively.

"If you really want to, man, go ahead." Arthur said, then added, "You know what? That's probably a good idea. We'll see her at the cafeteria for sure. You can apologize then. That should definitely smooth things over for good."

"Well that's good, but please avoid Satellizer at all costs. She's trouble," Kaho reiterated. "Anyway, let's get to the cafeteria. If you liked their breakfasts, wait until you see their lunch options!"

Sure enough, Kazuya was impressed with the selections offered at the cafeteria. He filled up his tray with plates of food and went to sit down with the others. As he walked to the table where Arthur and Kaho sat, he noted several students staring at him; he chose to ignore them. Taking his seat next to Arthur, with Kaho sitting across from him, he dug in to his steak.

"So, Kazuya, have you considered who you want to pair with?" Kaho asked, looked at him intently.

"Hmm?" his mouth was busy chewing and that was the only thing he could muster at the moment.

"I was wondering if you had decided yet who you want to pair with. You know, as Pandora and Limiter.." she trailed off.

Kazuya shrugged. "Well, I don't know. I only just got here so I'm not familiar with who the Pandoras are. I'm assuming there are only a few Pandoras left without Limiters since it's almost midway through the year so I'll have limited options anyway."

Arthur chose this moment to remind them of how grateful he was that Ganessa found him worthy enough to make him her Limiter. He proceeded to gush about her for another minute before some commotion elsewhere distracted them all.

They all turned to look at what was happening. Students were parting quickly, moving out of the way of someone who was walking swiftly towards one of the fast food options, Burger Queen. The only one who did not know what was happening was Kazuya, being the new student and all, but Kaho explained it to him by mentioning who it was.

"It's the Untouchable Queen," she whispered, noticing his quizzical look.

Upon saying that, he managed to catch a glimpse through the throng of students and sure enough it was the blonde Pandora that he vaguely remembered seeing through his haze of emotions at the Carnival. He turned to Kaho and Arthur with a serious expression.

"Does she have a Limiter?"

"Nope. And that's because no one wants to be her Limiter." Arthur said matter-of-factly.

Kaho realized then what he was thinking. "You can't seriously be even considering becoming her Limiter, Kazuya!"

"And why not? She's a Second Year Pandora and the top-ranked one too. If I was to be paired, I would want it to be with the strongest and most capable." He turned to look at Satellizer, who was gathering an armful of burgers.

"But... you... you just can't! She's dangerous! She's crazy!" she whispered fiercely, glancing over to the blonde Pandora as if to make sure she had not heard.

Arthur nodded his head in agreement and placed a hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "She's right, buddy. You shouldn't even consider her. I mean, I wouldn't if I had to find a partner. Thankfully I don't have that problem though."

Kazuya was not convinced. "How well do you know her?"

Kaho and Arthur looked at each other uneasily.

"Well, nobody actually knows her..." began Kaho.

"Yeah, she doesn't exactly have friends." Arthur added.

Kazuya sighed. "So let me get this straight. You two don't actually know her, and yet you're judging her as dangerous and someone who I shouldn't get involved with."

"But she is dangerous! She isn't the number one ranked Second Year Pandora for nothing!" Kaho said defensively.

"So are you saying all top ranked Pandoras are dangerous and shouldn't be involved with, or just her?" asked Kazuka.

"I.. I... You don't understand!" Kaho looked to Arthur for help.

"Kazuya. Do you know why she's called The Untouchable Queen?" Arthur asked, his voice low.

Kazuya shook his head.

"It's because she doesn't like anybody touching her. If you so much as touch her, she's known to lash out violently. That's why no one's associated with her and no one gets close to her." Arthur explained with a sobering tone, "She's actually a transfer student from East Genetics Academy. And supposedly the reason she transferred was because she had an incident with someone who wanted to be her Limiter."

"An incident?" Kazuya did not like the sound of that.

"Yes. Apparently, this one Limiter wanted to pair with her," he paused, "She supposedly denied him but he persisted. And he grabbed her arm as she was walking away and... well, apparently she went berserk. Had it not been for the fact that there was another Pandora nearby who stopped her..." he trailed off, but what the possible outcome might have been was obvious.

Kazuya was not expecting that. That was indicative of violent, dangerous, and indeed potential unstable behavior. Still, he had touched her at the Carnival and the way she reacted was nowhere near the reaction that Arthur had described. At least as far as he could remember - it was still not too clear in his mind exactly what happened. He decided that he would try to get to know her, if possible. It was not every day after all that a top-ranking Pandora had no Limiter. And if he decided to pair up one day, he wanted it to be with someone who had the skills and the talent to keep up.

A bell rang out, indicating the end of lunch.

"Well, time to get back," Arthur said, breaking the silence that had fallen between the trio. He added with a troubled expression, "Looks like Ganessa skipped lunch today..."

"Right." Kaho stood up, casting a concerned glance towards Kazuya who was still deep in thought.

He stood up and followed them a few seconds later, not one of them saying anything as they returned to class.

-xxxxxx-

"Unbelievable," breathed Yumi as she read and then reread the file displayed on the screen.

Kazuya Aoi was not only similar to his sister in that he was special, but his body was comprised of 40% stigmata tissue, which is extremely remarkable because of his gender. Stigmata tissue usually did not take well with males, and given the difference in genders the powers granted by the tissue were different. That difference being females became Pandoras and males became Limiters. At most, a Limiter had about 10% stigmata tissue, with more tissue becoming implanted once paired with a Pandora. The fact that Kazuya already had a mind-boggling amount not only meant that he was by far the strongest Limiter in history, but that he could get even stronger once paired with a Pandora through a Baptism.

"That does explain a lot about what happened at the Carnival," Elize commented as she read the file over Yumi's shoulder. "It doesn't say anything about his abilities, only that he is capable of performing Freezing."

"Were you expecting more?"

"Maybe a little."

"Do you remember Kazuha's file?" asked Yumi, her eyes never leaving the screen.

Elize thought for a moment. "Yes. I think so. Why?"

"Kazuha had 45% stigmata tissue in her body, if I remember correctly, by the time we graduated from the Academy. Which means Kazuya's natural tissue will continue to grow over the next few years." Yumi finally turned around enough to look at the green-haired doctor. "We've never had a Limiter with that much stigmata tissue before. I know we said we'd keep an eye out for him, but we seriously need to do so for sure now after finding this out. He could be a danger to himself and others. Like Kazuha, when she pushed too far..."

"She entered into Nova form..." Elize finished the thought, giving a firm nod as she vividly recalled the moment. "I remember. She was struggling to maintain control, and managed to defeat the Nova by sacrificing herself to save us all... and, in a way, herself."

They paused once more in silence as they remembered their fallen sister-in-arms.

"That was the first instance of Nova form by a Pandora," Yumi stated, "And since then there has been extensive study into the matter. We still haven't been able to find a way for Pandora to enter Nova form and retain control while also being able to return to a normal state at will. At least, not one standard way for all Pandoras, since there are some who have shown ability to do so while still maintaining control."

"You mean like Miss Fairchild." Elize recalled the testing done with the current Student President. She was one remarkable Pandora, that was for sure. By far the best since Kazuha, most would agree. "That said, we're not even sure if a Limiter can enter into a Nova form... and what would happen if he does become one. We definitely need to keep a close eye on him during practical training."

Yumi nodded, turning back to the screen. "Yes. And perhaps even outside of training too."

-xxxxxx-

The full moon shone brightly overhead. A few clouds moved slowly by, blocking some of the stars, though the rest were out twinkling in full force.

Kazuya wanted to practice some of his swordsmanship and blow off some steam, so he took the wooden sword he had brought that was crafted specifically for him. Rudolphe had given it to him as a gift, after having revealed that he could summon a Volt Weapon. It was in the shape of his Volt Weapon, Nova Vengeance, and with some weights built into it in order to make it a little heavier. It was a practice sword after all, and therefore using it meant that he would be stronger when he used his actual weapon.

Classes were relatively boring that day, since most of it was introductions. Not to mention he had already read ahead and studied a bit about each of his classes, so the actual class was more of a review of what he had already learned.

He was still bothered by what happened at the Carnival, and more importantly about what everyone was saying about that Satellizer girl. He did not see her again after lunch, even though he made sure to look around for her. It seemed the only times she had a knack for traveling around campus without being seen, and that she only actually walked amongst the crowd when absolutely necessary, such as at the cafeteria.

He found a nice tucked away courtyard to practice in. No one was around and the windows facing the courtyard were all dark. He began with some basic forms and combinations to warm up, and then did some dynamic stretching to get looser. He eventually began to do more complex forms and combinations.

Kazuya continued for what seemed like half an hour, working up a good sweat, before he stopped. He had this tingling feeling that someone was watching him, and he knew from experience that his instincts were usually spot on in that regard. He relaxed his stance and lowered the sword, though not all the way so that he could bring it up at a moment's notice if necessary.

He slowly looked around and then spotted a group of people in the shadows of one of the buildings.

"I know you're there." he stated simply.

Someone began to clap, slowly. Each clap echoed around the courtyard as the sound bounced off the buildings that surrounded it.

"Impressive." A female voice spoke out as the figures emerged from the shadows.

Kazuya turned slightly to face them head on, his grip on the wooden sword firm.

There were four of them. Three males in standard Academy uniform following a female, who was clearly the leader of the group. She had short hair that went a little past her jawline, the color of which he could not tell given the poor lighting. She was also wearing an Academy uniform, but the top buttons were undone revealing a lot of cleavage and the skirt seemed far too short to be appropriate school attire. She had a lollipop in her mouth that she took out and began to lick, her tongue weaving and curling around it as she looked at him.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Kazuya asked in a neutral tone.

She smiled. "I am Miyabi Kannazuki, the Liberator of Virtue. Third-year Pandora." She continued to close the distance between them. Each step she took was slow and deliberate. "Though some may call me the Rookie Limiter Devourer..." she seemed to enjoy that title even more as she said it gleefully and then licked her lips afterwards.

Miyabi finally stopped a few feet away from him, her eyes darting to the sword momentarily before returning to meet Kazuya's gaze. "And you, my dear boy, must be Kazuya Aoi. Am I right?"

"What are you doing here?" Kazuya asked again, ignoring her.

"Isn't it such a beautiful night?" she asked, ignoring him in return. She continued to lick seductively at her lollipop, this time her free hand began to run up and down her own body, which Kazuya was trying hard to ignore.

Kazuya simply stared at her face, emotionless.

"It is such a lovely night to have a Baptism," she continued, "Wouldn't you agree?"

His eyes narrowed at that. Her intentions were still unclear, but he did not like what she was talking about.

"You see, I like young boys... like yourself. As you can see, I have three here with me already." She waved her hand nonchalantly at the three young men standing some ways behind her. They were glaring at him, though they said nothing.

"What do you want? Spit it out." He was getting tired of this interruption to his practice.

Again she smiled. "So direct and forceful. I like that." She licked her lips. "Well, I guess there's no point in prolonging it. I want you, Kazuya Aoi. I want you to be mine. I want you to be one of my Limiters. In return, you will have my... affections." She took the lollipop out again and began playing with it using her tongue.

While he was admittedly turned on a little by this, he was not about to pair with some unknown Pandora. Especially when he did not choose to do it himself, and even further he was not going to be another addition to her collection, which he did not approve of.

"Oh, and I won't take no for an answer." She added, noticing that he had not replied and appeared to be mulling it over.

Kazuya half-turned away. "Then I'm sorry to disappoint, Miyabi Kannazuki, but the answer actually is no."

Miyabi lurched forward, her face contorted in anger. "Why you..." but she did not finish that statement as Kazuya spun around quickly, wooden sword swinging. The lollipop exploded into dozens of fragments as the sword hit it. The short-haired woman stood there in shock, eyes wide in disbelief that he had actually swung at her.

"I missed on purpose," he said in a low tone. "Now please, I don't want any trouble. If you'll excuse me I'll be on my way now."

He turned around and began to walk away.

"You... you... bastard. How dare you?! I am Miyabi Kannazuki! You dare refuse me? You insolent... arggh!" she yelled in anger.

Kazuya frowned as he stopped in place, suddenly finding himself subjected to a Freezing field. It was decently strong, and that was when he realized that all three Limiters must have cast Freezing on him. He did not like this one bit, his mind springing into action as to what he needed to do next.

Miyabi walked around and appeared in front of him, a maniacal smile on her face as her eyes looked at him with an intense hatred. "I'm going to punish you for disrespecting me in such a fashion. And since I can't have you, well... I'll make sure no one else will." She let out a crazed laugh that echoed eerily around the courtyard.

She took his sword from his hand and threw it aside. Then she slammed a fist into his gut, which hurt a great deal. And then another. And another. She hit him several more times. Each one stronger than the last. It was painful, but nothing he could not handle. He had felt worse before, though he needed to put a stop to it before any serious damage was done. He did not want to spend another night in the infirmary.

He needed to be absolutely sure of her intentions though before he acted, so he waited a little longer and endured the pain of her beating. Sure enough, after a few more choice blows she eventually summoned her Nova Weapon. Several daggers energized in mid-air, floating around her, and she eyed him with murderous intent.

Instantly, however, her expression turned from murderous smugness to sudden panic. Kazuya immediately activated his own Freezing field, which shot out around him and encompassed the entire courtyard in a sudden blast of energy. It negated the Freezing fields of the three Limiters and froze them and Miyabi completely in place.

Miyabi could not believe it. She had heard of his amazing Freezing abilities and that was partly why she wanted him to be her own, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined. Not only did he counter the Freezing of three separate Limiters, but he also managed to freeze them all, herself included, completely. He did all this while walking around too, which again was something that should have been impossible, especially for a freshman Limiter.

This time, it was Kazuya's turn to grin as he rubbed the spots where she had hit him. He then walked slowly over to his practice sword, picking it up. First, he dealt with the Limiters. One by one he smacked them around several times before knocking them out, making sure not to do too much damage. Then he turned to Miyabi, whose eyes were suddenly full of fear as she watched him come closer.

He shook his head as he looked at her daggers and then turned his gaze to her. "You are not worthy of being a Pandora, let alone my partner. You are filth. If I so much as see you again, let me assure you that you will no longer be a Pandora once I'm through with you. Remember that well, Devourer."

Kazuya paused to let the words sink in and then in rapid succession hit her three times. Twice in the torso and one hard hit to the side of the head to knock her out. He then cancelled his Freezing field, noting the energy expenditure. He could have held the field for far longer, though it still made him feel a bit tired. He tried to keep the field smaller this time around, but he was still having trouble properly controlling his Freezing powers. At least this was an opportunity to practice his control, though he disliked the reason he had to use it.

He left the four of them in the courtyard after making sure they were still breathing. He had been careful to make sure his blows would not kill them, but it paid to be safe in that matter. He did not want to cause any trouble with the Academy and the authorities after all - there would be one hell of a shit storm if he somehow ended up killing one of them.

In any case, he hoped that he had gotten through to Miyabi. Though somehow he had a feeling this was not the last time he would hear from her. If that did happen, he would have to make sure to make good on his word.

Author's notes: I'm sorry it took so long to update. There are so many things going on in my life right now that writing has taken a backseat. Updates will be slow, but I promise once again that all stories I start will be finished, in time.

Also, please note that I have changed the percentage of stigmata tissue for Kazuya. Again, I will remind you that this is my fanfic and I am not limited by canon, merely guided by it. I go where my imagination takes me.