Intelligence

Yue was sure that she was born with it. She was not the type to brag over the gift though, it brought on more trouble than necessary. She wasn't always a red mark student. Her grades had actually been one of the highest during her early days in elementary school. The only reason she became as she was now had been because of the expectations. Pressure brought onto her by people over things she didn't really care about. Yes, intelligence was God's gift to her, one she took for granted. She never really nurtured it seriously. Her approach to her intelligence was more of passive in nature. She didn't plan on becoming super famous or anything with some theory of parallel worlds, or prove that life does exist on other planets, though both may have been proven true by her time in Ala Alba. But that's beside the point, the point is that right now she was using that very intelligence to dig up any related articles on everything she and Eishun had just spoken about a few hours ago.

As it stood, her intelligence was doing her no favors and neither was her luck. She slumped over the book manifestation of her artifact. Yue had foregone sleep to look up on the demons that were under Chigusa's command. So far there were none that matched them completely. They seemed to at least be on the level of higher demons, elites that were more than just mere goblins. The powers Chigusa herself had displayed were also not showing any results of how they could have been obtained in so short a time of a few months.

The diminutive girl ribbed her forehead of weariness as she contemplated sleep. Sleep sounded good, it would clear her mind of the fog. Still, she knew sleep would not come, she would be too ill at ease to do as such. She sighed wishing that things could have been a bit simpler when she joined this world of danger.

"Yue-sama.", a voice called the guest's attention to the door. A woman stood by it with a small tray in her hands. It was laden with bowls and plates that were covered. She placed it down on the table in front of Yue before bowing to leave.

Yue scratched her head as she lifted one of the covers off the ceramic bowl. "Hmm… rice.", she mumbled. She moved away another cap and found herself staring at pickles. Her stomach suddenly roared like a ravenous beast. Despite being alone, she had the decency to blush at the display. "I guess it's morning already.".

"So…", the woman before him began awkwardly.

Tsukasa sighed inwardly, this was all part of the job but the woman was making this so much more difficult. Was it so odd for a man and a woman to sit at a high-class café filled with couples even though said man and woman are not a couple themselves? "Look", he began, "I'm just going to ask a few questions, not make a few moves.". With that said, he pulled out a notepad, just to look professional and maybe make some real notes. "How long have the vampire rumors been going on?", he questioned.

"This is weird.", Chiisa shook her head. She could barely believe that her first time in Café Elune would be with a stranger instead of with her boyfriend as per her romantic fantasies.

The young man before the awkward female hissed out a sigh. "Stop being so melodramatic, so what if your first time in a café was with a stranger and not your boyfriend?", he scoffed her.

Chiisa gave him a flat stare as she sipped at the cheap iced lemon tea she ordered. "You know absolutely nothing about women do you little boy?".

Across from her, Tsukasa's brow just twitched in annoyance. Beyond the words "little boy", he couldn't stand her saying what she did with that pitying tone. "Are you saying that I have no luck with women?"

"Not luck.", she corrected, leaning over, "Skill."

He leaned over as well, closing in with eyes narrowed in irritation. "I'll have you know I had women falling at my heels at one point in time.", he thought back to his time in the nega-world which kind of creeped him out after realizing the fact they were actually monsters.

Chiisa snorted, "It's easy to have women eating right out of your hand for a day. I meant girlfriend material.". She held up two fingers on either hand, forming air quotes as she repeated, "girlfriend".

"Grah!", Tsukasa threw up his arms angrily.

"I'm right aren't I?", Chiisa spoke smugly. "You've never had a girlfriend before, especially with that sucky attitude of yours.", she continued, unknowingly stabbing in figurative swords into the youth. "Your arrogance repels them.", she began counting off on her fingers, one sword. "Your insensitivity makes you such an ass.", she lifted a second finger, second sword. "You act like you're better off alone.", she said at last and would have continued more had Tsukasa not quickly quieted her, third and almost fatal sword.

"Whatever", he spat, taking a deep drink from his cup of triple espresso infused cappuccino. "I don't want or need a girlfriend.", he continued on. "A man can sustain himself of everything he can ever need.".

The woman across lifted a fine raven brow. "Even human contact?", she challenged.

Tsukasa raised an equally fine brow of brown, "Are you trying to imply something?".

Chiisa shook her head at him, deeming him a lost cause. "You should really get over yourself. I'm sure you have a few cuties waiting in line to go steady with you.", she took another sip from her drink to relieve the thirst.

Tsukasa on the other hand stiffened for a moment when a few familiar female faces flashed across his mind's eye. He shook his head, hating how going through puberty again was making him think such crazy things.

"It's a shame", the young man heard his companion continue, "You'd be too engrossed in your own issues to actually care.". The only reply she got out of him was a flat glare. Chiisa waved her hands in front of her defensively, "Hey, I'm just saying.".

"Look", the youth sighed in defeat, "We're getting really off topic here. I just want to know what you've been hearing around town for the last couple weeks.". He took another swig from his bitter drink, praying it'd help reset his already stretched nerves

"Well", Chiisa thought long and hard. "You wanna know when this whole blood sucker business started?", she asked conversationally. Tsukasa nodded in affirmative. "About a month ago, that was when all this business started.", she sat pensively. "I first heard of the rumor going around when I was going to my part time job. Some of the housewives were talking about it as I passed, a woman suddenly disappearing into the night. Witnesses say that they saw her being drained of all color and basically her existence as she struggled futilely.", Chiisa paused as clicked in her mind. "That person", a sob began to work its way into her speech. "Disappeared.", she finished. By now, Chiisa was in tears, garnering looks from other tables.

Tsukasa kept his calm demeanor but inside he felt a twinge of pity for this woman. He spoke carefully, not willing too much sympathy into his voice. "What's wrong?", he asked.

"That woman, that person.", Chiisa repeated with a shake of her head. "That could have been me. If you hadn't come to save me, I would have disappeared like her.", she cried at her realization.

A few moments passed with despairing silence that was only accentuated with the female sobs. The only disturbance was the clink of china that held Tsukasa's drink. He took another calming sip. "No one will disappear.", he declared. Chiisa stopped crying as the words cut through her sudden sorrow. "No one will disappear.", the youth reiterated, "I'll make sure of it.". He drank down the last of his coffee.

Chiisa watched him with bitter amazement. "What makes you so sure about that?", she questioned with doubt to his claims.

The face of a desperately fighting Nodoka ran through Tsukasa's mind for a moment. Instead of being repulsed by the very thought, he felt his resolve steel itself more than it ever had since he became a rider once again. "Because she'd be sad.", he unknowingly mumbled out.

The woman's gaze on him turned from incredulous to one of warmth. She sipped her iced tea again. 'So you do have someone important to you.', she smiled at the sweetness, of either the drink or the sentiment, she could barely decide.

Back at Mahora, Karakuri Chachamaru was sitting by the bedside of Nodoka Miyazaki, currently possessed by the being known as Disidi. The android was currently trying to work out the estimated number of days it would take the unconscious girl to rise from her slumber. It was worrying that the girl had been unconscious for a week already. Much to the chagrin of the maid's mistress, a solution for Nodoka's possession was meaningless if the girl was to be in a coma.

"It seems a bit gloomy in here.", came an arrogant tone which disturbed the silence.

Chachamaru turned her gaze to the intruder, noting that he had pilfered an apple from the fruit basket the room's only real proprietor, Tsukasa, had perched on the dinner table. The arrogant voice was paired with an equally arrogant face of a young man with feathery styled hair. "And you are?", Chachamaru asked, non-plussed at the undetected break-in despite her radar perception.

The young man gave her a curious look before resuming his observation of Disidi. His answer was casual, "And here I thought manners demanded one to introduce their own name before asking for another's".

Chachamaru turned her gaze to her charge once again. "True", she conceded, "But it is even more ill-mannered to invade another's house uninvited yes?".

The impassive statement caught the youth in a verbal corner. "Fine", he sighed with mock surrender, "My name is Kaitoh Daiki.". He scratched his head again, taking a frustrated bite at the apple in his hand.

A nod was the stoic android maid's response. "A pleasure", she assured him.

"Pleasure's mine fair maiden.", the youth teased. "Still", he clutched the apple tightly in his fist, "let's cut the pleasantries and get down to business shall we? Where's Tsukasa?", he questioned the caretaker without giving a moment's notice with his eyes.

A quick glance to her side told Chachamaru that Kaitoh had done nothing yet as to warrant a forceful ejection from the residence of her creator, Hakase Satomi. She decided to reply his answer honestly. "I'm not at liberty to discuss.", she replied in short.

"So the brat ordered you to silence. How quaint.", Kaitoh grumbled his observation. He turned to her completely, "I need to know where he is, tell me.".

She eyed him from her peripheral vision, turning back to her original purpose. "What meaning would there be for you to know?", she tested him.

"That meaning would be to make sure he survives.", he told her.

This fact caught the android's attention, causing her to give all of it to Kaitoh. "What do you mean?", came the stern question.

"Heh", the rider smirked at her. "You have no idea do you? This isn't a battle over your world."

A rare look of confusion graced Chachamaru's soft artificial features, "I was under the impression that it was.".

Kaitoh shook his head at her ignorance. "It's a war.", he informed. He procured Diendriver from within his denim jacket, which he now aimed straight between Chachamaru's eyes. "Tell me right now, has he gone to Kyoto?", the rider spoke in urgency.

The gynoid closed her eyes in thought, "I have already said that I am not at liberty to discuss-". The cocking of the gun/henshin device informed her that the young man was not a patient one. 'Just like his compatriot.', Chachamaru thought in slight amusement. "Very well.", she caved.

In a flash, Kaitoh's Diendriver was sent sailing through the air. He flipped back in a crouch, catching it with expert. Already his aim was set but did not deign to pull the trigger as two LAM lights were set on his head and heart each. Across from him, Chachamaru had turned her arms into gatling cannons aimed at Kaitoh, ready to fire at a moment's notice. She merely hesitated at the fact that she calculated the rider's aim to be accurately on her throat.

"We duel.", Chachamaru began tensely. "Should you be victorious, I shall tell you what you wish.".

"Huh", Kaitoh grunted. "Under the pretense of duress I suppose.", he hummed at the confirming nod. He then began discussion at the incomplete term within the wager, "And if you win?".

Chachamaru shifted her stance but not her aim saying, "You will join our ranks and supply us with whatever knowledge we may need.".

Kaitoh shrugged, "Fair enough.". He pulled out a familiar kamen-ride card. "Henshin.", he whispered, loading in the card. He ran forward pulling the trigger.

The gynoid contemplated opening fire but decided that such an enclosed space, especially within the confines of her charge were not the optimal conditions for her victory. She saw Kaitoh fire at her. She held up both gatling gun arms to block. The blast of energy sent her careening through the door of the room and into the hallway. Through the hazy smoke, she watched the familiar sight of a rider donning his armor.

"This is not the place to fight.", Chachamaru chided to herself. She pushed herself off the ground with surprising swiftness for one who had just been knocked down violently and ran through the underground labs.

"Another game of cat and mouse", Kaitoh sighed. With his teslabands' function, he raced behind her in a blur of subsonic motion.

Another crater seemed to form upon the stone floors of the underground shrine where resided the escaped convicts Amagasaki Chigusa and Mujitsujo Konmei as well as their yet to be identified compatriots.

"Weak, still to weak Chi-chan", Konmei taunted the female who was struggling to get on her feet after the devastating toss that had just been performed on her.

Chigusa's face was curled in a snarl. "Never call me that!", she hissed as shadows shot forward the stab into Konmei.

They were only a few inches away from making contact before they dissolved into flakes of snow that now began melting on the ground. "Tut tut.", Konmei mocked, "You should know magic does nothing against me Chi-chan.". He watched Chigusa's expression darken at hearing the nick-name she had unwillingly been pegged with. He approached her at leisure, not minding the fact she was now on her feet and very much ready to thrash him given half the chance. 'Like she'll get a chance.', he smirked.

Chigusa screamed bloody murder when she saw the lips of the cursed young man lift up in an insulting smirk. A quick right straight forced Konmei to dodge lest he obtain a broken nose. Chigusa screamed once again seeing that the expression on Konmei's face had not changed at all. "You're dead!", she shrieked, Swiping her extended arm in a horizontal chop.

"As if.", Konmei ducked under the attack. He sidestepped, not a moment too soon, to dodge a kick from the loosely kimono clad woman. He grabbed her by the ankles and yanked hard. The response of Chigusa was to lift her other leg in another make shift flying kick, using Konmei's pull on her. 'Huh, she never did that before.', the youthful looking convict decided that She deserved some leniency after this show of growth and released the shadow magess' leg.

A quick flip let Chigusa land on he feet like a cat. Her stance was low with legs spread, one of them freed of her kimono through the high slit whilst her arms were held about shoulder level with one in front to block and one behind, ready to attack. She charged her fellow convict once again with reckless abandon.

Konmei stood calmly with that relaxed grin. His smaller frame was still, deeming his opponent harmless despite the blood lust that rolled off her in waves. On a whim, he decided to humor her by using one of his favorite tricks. He tugged on one of the chains attatched to his left arm pulling up one of the five iron balls that weighed down the limb.

The charging woman tried to stop her attack but was too late. Konmei had the iron ball right in front of him as his grin nearly split his face in its manic. Time seemed to slow as the ball dropped before the youthful looking combatant's foot. Chigusa watched as Konmei kicked it with enough force that would render a normal person's foot incapacitated for life. Thinking quickly, she conjured a pole made out of shadows to stick out in front of her. She grabbed it and swung herself overhead with her strength and momentum. Moments later, the ball hurled right through the shadow, shattering it in half. The offense had in no way been halted though. Chigusa twisted into a flying kick. While Konmei did not expect this, he still had the reflexes and speed to sidestep, which he did. She was right beside him he pulled on the chain of his launched trinket which made it shoot back right into the flank of an aerial Chigusa, planting her into a wall before letting her fall to the ground.

"Give up?", Konmei approached the fallen magess who was struggling to hang onto her consciousness.

The fallen woman gave a feeble glare at the young man who looked down on her much taller frame as her back lay flat on the floor. Her lips twitched into a one worded hiss, "Never!".

"Hmph.", Konmei kneeled down quick as lightning. One hand was already on Chigusa's face.

The female's eyes widened in anxiousness, knowing she could be killed by this being with a single blow. However, there was no impact, instead she felt her head being dug deeper into the stone cobbled floor. Her screams were muffled as the superior warrior had clamped her mouth shut with but a finger.

"Now will you surrender?", he questioned with rapidly dissipating interest.

Despite the pain and the tears in her only visible eye, Chigusa found herself glaring up at her captor.

Konmei was just feeling disappointed now. She had grown a lot compared to her first few weeks of training but that did not mean she was in any way closer in beating her in physical combat. He leaned down close enough that they could feel each other's breaths. "Don't.", he began as he tightened his grip on her face. "Test.", he continued as the mask that graced Chigusa's upper left face cracked, making her whimper involuntarily. "Me.", he finished as another sickening crack echoed the hollow shrine, followed by a ripping scream.

"Bastard!", Chigusa snarled. Her left hand was holding at her mask whilst blood dripped down from her forehead where skin and flesh ripped from pure pressure exerted on them. She was now on her knees, signs of weakness not showing besides her current injury.

Konmei was already on his feet and glanced her way. "You heal fast.", he commented, "Must be that contract you made.". He noted how the deep wound he had inflicted on her forehead was already mending itself without time for the blood to even cake. "But that only lasts as long as they share your shadow right?", his signature smirk stuck to his face like the Cheshire cat's.

"None of your business.", the beaten shadow wielder snapped at him. She wiped away the crimson liquid that trailed her features revealing clear snowy skin. Chigusa now stood back-up with no sign of ever being in such a brutal fight that had lasted about an hour at the very least.

"You have nerve, I'll give you that.", Konmei turned to her completely now as she towered over him. "But nerve will not win us the battle.", he informed her.

Chigusa narrowed her gaze on his eyes. Despite that easy grin on his face, those eyes red eyes always spoke differently. Right now, it was almost frightening how steeled they were. They completely reflected the hardened warrior that this convict truly was. "Are you implying something about my performance, Konmei-shishou.", she mockingly addressed him his proper post of being her teacher.

The elder young man shook his head. "You are young and understand nothing. Power, courage, cunning: none of those things matter in true battle.". This time even his grin faded, leaving nothing but a look of concentration that rarely made its way there. "The true key to anything and everything is understanding. Understand your enemies' strengths and weaknesses, understand their abilities and the possible applications, understand their tactics and intentions as you crash wills in battle.", Konmei held out his hand about a few inches from Chigusa's chest where her heart would be, "When you grasp everything in your hands and let them guide your way. Crush them.", he stressed the last part by closing his fist. The mere speed and strength of his fingers curling caused a breeze inducing vacuum that nicked Chigusa's kimono as she felt the winds.

The woman swallowed the lump which had caught in her throat, hearing this man speak so coldly in a while left her blood chilled. "Then what is it that you don't understand?", she dared to ask.

Konmei turned away from her. "Everything.", was his reply, "We do not know the true limits of our opponents as of yet. Have they already used up everything within their arsenal? By how much would those reinforcements from Tokyo bolster the Kyoto forces? What is the true identity of this man that we are trying to help with the destruction of Kyoto's spiritual barrier?".

"Are you questioning Kaias' leadership?", Chigusa snapped suddenly as a shadow blade extended from her hand and pointedly rested against Konmei's jugular.

Konmei snorted, "That man? My leader? Please woman, I understand if you are smitten with him but I'm no fool to his charms and promises. A new world, a great power, I can't take any of those seriously, especially since I never intended to gain anything like those in the first place.". He placed his hands in the pockets of his gakuran coat. "The only reason I assisted and joined in your escape was because it was the most amusing thing to do at the moment.", he told her straight out as if it was a mundane topic.

"You ungrateful-", the shadow mistress could not finish in anger, shoving the shadow blade in to stab through. Instead of doing so however, the inky mass of black fell limp before it began to wriggle and form into something else. Chigusa screamed and unhanded the shadow within her hands, watching it metamorphose into a snake.

Konmei quickly caught it in both hands as he admired the beautiful scales of black that glistened against the torch light. "You should be kinder to animals.", he jokingly admonished the surprised magess. "Though I am impressed, for you to hold your magical energies properly within my area of influence is nigh impossible. Still you are a long ways from defying me.".

Chigusa treated the man before her like a bomb that was primed and ready to blow up any second. "I'll tell Kaias that you're a threat to our plans.", she warned him.

Konmei looked at her as the snake in his hand began to slither up his arm to rest on his shoulders. "Oh that won't work at all my dear.", his grin radiating smug wickedness, "he already knows. We're just bidding our time, waiting for either to screw up on the next step.".

The elder youth cooed the snake into his hands once again before he continued, "Should he ever make one mistake", he paused as he ripped off the snakes head from its body, sending blood flying everywhere. "Then he's dead.", Konmei said placidly, despite the sanguine display.

The cogs in Chigusa's brain seemed to stop after seeing the scene. Kaias' leadership was absolute to her, he was someone she would never betray because of his kindness towards her. Konmei on the other hand was like an ungrateful stray who was looking to bite the hand that fed him. "Why?", she asked him.

A questioning raise of an eyebrow was the response, "Why what?"

"Why'd you kill the snake? I thought you said we should be kind.", Chigusa hugged herself, convincing herself that she wasn't afraid of him at all.

Konmei tipped his head in a way that should have been cute should people not know his true nature. "I was kind.", he replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "I killed it quickly didn't I?"

"I'm home.", Hakase grunted as she entered her place. She noticed that the door seemed brand new but paid it no mind, it wasn't important to her. It had been a long day at the lab. All her lab partners couldn't really keep up with her. She sighed heavily, it was a travesty.

"Welcome back.", greeted the familiar voice of Chachamaru.

Satomi automatically looked over to the gynoid to return the greeting. She stopped dead when she saw the condition her green-haired 'daughter' in. "You're a mess!", Hakase screeched. She immediately ran over to fuss over the burns and dents in the gynoid's body. "How did all this happen?", she questioned while assessing the damage.

"I…", Chachamaru thought of the best way to put it. "Got into a fight.", she finished lamely.

"Mou! You shouldn't do such reckless things with yourself. I doubt you couldn't gauge your opponent well enough to know you'd end up like this.", the creator admonished her creation. A slight lift of Chachmaru's shirt exposed a nasty burn the size of a roasting pan. The synthetic flesh would need a replacement, Satomi sighed.

Chachamaru seemed embarrassed when she spoke next, "Actually, I believe that I may have underestimated him.".

Satomi rolled her eyes at that, "Didn't Evangeline ever teach you not to? Come on, I'm taking you to the lab to get these repairs done. I'm sure we can leave Disidi for a little while.". She pulled at the gynoid to stand up.

Chachamaru complied as she followed her 'mother' out the door. "I'm sorry.", the gynoid apologized. There was so much that they didn't know about the riders. Just how powerful could they become? She had not counted on that last attack from the young man at all. In the end, they were at a stalemate that would not let either side claim victory. "Kaa-san.", Chachamaru began.

Satomi paused in her tracks at the word. "What did you just call me?", she turned to Chachamaru curiously, feeling that her ears had failed her.

"Um…", Chachamaru shuffled her feet. "Kaa-san.", she answered. "I feel that… in the battles to come, because we don't know anything about our enemies the only solution is to get stronger. I believe that to become stronger I'll need your help as my creator as much as I need my mistress as my mistress as well as Negi-sensei as my partner.", Chachamaru finished her speech with a flush on her face.

Satomi smiled, it was very rare for Chachamaru to show such thoughtfulness. The gynoid normally took orders only. "Don't worry", Hakase placed a fist over her chest, "whether it's repairs, maintenance, upgrades or complete reconstruction. I'll do everything in my power to help you guys.".

Chachamaru smiled, "Thank you kaa-san.".

Satomi blushed at the new name she had been given. "W-w-well, let's get you fixed up! To the lab!", she pulled along her daughter in a run, feeling faintly warm and proud at the same time.

At this time elsewhere, Kaitoh was leaning against a tree in pain. Bruises and cuts covered him all over, not to mention a couple burns in between them or over them. He didn't think it would quite work out like it had. If he hadn't pulled off that Illusion-Final Attack Ride combo then he may have lost against that insane plasma cannon the android wielded.

He cursed slightly as he slumped down. The pain was almost unbearable but being in the war had exposed him to much worse. He pulled out a card that had a modified emblem of Diend. "Why didn't you work?", he interrogated the card, as if it would answer him. "Tch.", he cursed as he struggled to stand up. The only result he achieved however was falling on his face as strength drained away from him. "Crap, trying to use final kamen ride might not have been such a good idea.", that was the last thing the phantom thief muttered before passing out.

Bushes a ways off began to shake before a figure stepped onto the scene. "Man! Evangeline's resort is a real lifesaver. I would never have been able to finish on time for the deadline had it not been for it.", a familiar bespectacled, yaoi obsessed mangaka cut through the forest. It was getting dark from the falling light of dusk but Haruna could make out that someone was hurt and unconscious over by the trees.

She quickly ran over calling, "Hey! You okay over there?". Quickly kneeling over and turning the fallen man on his back, Haruna gave a sharp gasp, "You!".

She was staring at the face of her beloved thief/knight/unrequited lover. Her face began to turn red the longer she stared at him. She leaned in closer, trying to memorize the finer details of his face, in case she ever wanted to draw out any of her fantasies.

"It's not polite to stare."

"Gah!", Haruna fell back on her butt in surprise. "Y-you're awake!", she quipped, quickly gathering herself and approaching him again.

Kaitoh tried to see who was it that had approached him to fearlessly even while asleep. 'Hnn…', he thought, 'my vision's too blurred, can't tell if I can trust this person. Can't even tell if it's a guy or a girl.'. "You", he commanded.

"M-m-m-m-me?", Haruna stuttered badly.

"Yeah.", Kaitoh confirmed before coughing violently. His lungs still burned from all those fumes from the plasma blast. "Get me somewhere to sleep. I'll pay you back somehow.".

Haruna stared at him wide-eyed. Was he serious? Instead she voiced out, "Err… Um… okay.".

The fallen young man stared up at her through murky eyes. "Good", he said and promptly fell unconscious.

Haruna stared into space for a moment or two. It seemed that the current situation felt so surreal to her that she couldn't quite process it. Then she did the first thing that came to mind, which was squeal, "He's all mine!".

Haruna hauled the young man on her shoulders with strength that could only come from a fangirl collecting her beloved. She hummed a tune, imagining all the things she'd do when they got to the confines of her room as well as what she would get the young man to 'pay her back' with. She completely ignored the danger factor that the gun in his hand represented.

"Thanks for everything Tsukasa-kun.", Chiisa bowed to the younger man. He had paid for everything at Café Elune as well as those last 3 cake shops that they visited.

"Don't mention it.", Tsukasa shrugged. The day wasn't wasted, he'd learned a lot from the last 7 hours he'd spent with her. The rumors, the people, the myths, the urban legends, all of that information would serve him well in his investigation.

"Well, I better get going now, the train's about to leave.", she told him with a smile.

Tsukasa hesitantly returned the gesture, "Yeah.".

Once Tsukasa was sure that Chiisa had left, he looked around the semi-deserted streets. It seemed rush hour was about to begin, he'd best head back to the Konoe house for dinner.

Unfortunately luck was not on Tsukasa's side. The trains had already begun filling out and he couldn't fit himself in there no matter how much he wanted to get flattened into a pancake for the next 10 minutes, which he didn't. So instead, he opted to take the old fashioned way and walk. On the plus side, he wasn't too far from the Konoe house so he'd reach it in about an hour or so.

By the time night had fallen, Tsukasa was on a deserted road. This was the shortest way to the house and it was the only way for him to get to dinner on time. Or so he thought.

"D-cide!".

Tsukasa turned around as a voice called him. It was a man with a messy mop of black hair haphazardly swept back. A white dress shirt that had the collar popped with sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. He wore inky black slacks with matching leather shoes. His face had a bored gaze on it.

The man approached Tsukasa and walked pass the younger man, effectively cutting off the path to the Konoe house. "Greetings!", the sloppy man turned to intorduce, "My name is Kaias.".