Slightly Damned: Wind of Redemption and Rebirth

by Timeless Dreamer Neo

AU. She thought she had died. She thought she had gotten what she deserved, but someone disagreed. Now she will be given another chance. A chance at life... A chance for redemption... Has now become a full fic. Various elements from other series present. Should be in crossover section, but due to issues, will remain in the normal category.

10. Misunderstanding and Opening Moves

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the OCs.

"Slightly Damned" – talking

"Rebirth" – thinking

"[Obey]" – Mysterious Cloaked Figure talking

Attack! – Special attack in use

*Sound* - Sound effect

-break-

Chapter 9: Misunderstandings and Opening Moves

(Dream Sequence begin)

"Sakido. Look at yourself, you've become a monster," came the familiar voice of her father, who for some reason, only seemed vivid in her dreams…no, her nightmares, his eyes looking at her with disgust before turning away.

"No…" she thought desperately, running after him yet he continued to get further and further away. "Please don't…!"

"Why?" came Buwaro's voice, causing her to turn around in surprise. There, standing next to him was the rest of her family and Rhea, all of them looking at her with disgust. "Why did you do it Sakido?" he asked accusingly.

"B-Buwaro, I…" she choked.

"You really are a monster. The worst type there is," Rhea said with a glare.

"R-Rhea…?" she gasped, the words piercing into her heart.

"Well now, sis. Isn't this just typical?" came Iratu's voice as he leered down at her cruelly. "You let our dad down, you let Buwaro down. Heck, you even deserted the army. I guess all you're good at is betraying everyone who is even remotely associated with you. Rhea sure is lucky you kicked the bucket before you got a chance to betray her too," he sneered.

"No…please…stop…" she whimpered, holding her hands to her ears and kneeling down, desperately trying to block out the accusations, and more importantly, the pain they caused.

"Everyone makes mistakes," the three words cut through the myriad of accusations, causing her to look up in surprise. Standing in front of her with a hand held out towards her, was Shun. Helping her back on her feet, he smiled gently before saying, "Everyone makes mistakes. You and I are no exception. What's important is that we learn from them and move forward," he said reassuringly. "That's why, don't make the same mistake I did once, Sakido. Don't let yourself be trapped in the past," he smiled, before his body started to fade away.

At this point, Sakido remembered what had happened to him. "No, Shun! Don't go!"

"See ya later, Sakido," he smiled gently, before fading away completely.

(Dream end)

"Shun!" Sakido shouted as she snapped awake. Blinking in surprise, she looked around and noticed where she was. She was now sitting on a bed inside a simply furnished room. She noticed that her gown had been replaced with another gown that was light blue in color and was quite comfortable, like something one would sleep in. She also noticed several bandages had been wrapped around her arms and she felt a few of them wrapped around her torso, while her left wing had been tied to a splint, making it straight and rigid, most likely to help her wing heal.

"Ah, you've awakened," came a gentle voice, just as the nearby door opened and a young woman entered the room. She was dressed in a simple purple dress with what looked like a witch's hat on her head. Her skin was slightly tanned, which went well with her brown hair that was tied in a braid, and along with her slim build, gave her a rather pretty appearance. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Sakido blinked in confusion, but decided to answer anyway. "Well…" she started, just as she actually noted how she felt. "Pretty good, all things considered," she muttered, before turning to the woman. "More importantly, who are you and where am I?"

"Ah, that's right, I haven't introduced myself," the woman chuckled gently. "My name is Anita. Anita Lumino," she introduced herself. "As for where you are, this is Traverse Town, one of the many worlds in the Alliance."

"I see…" Sakido muttered, eyeing Anita suspiciously since she wasn't too certain about this woman. At least, that was the case until she noticed something. "Wait…Lumino? Are you by any chance related to a 'Neo Lumino'?"

"Why yes. He's my husband, and he brought you here. This is our home," Anita answered, much to Sakido's surprise, as she had not been expecting THAT answer.

Any further conversation was put on hold when another person entered the room. "Lady Anita, is everything alright? Is the subject awake?" came a monotone voice that sounded like a young man, before the person was revealed. The person appeared to be a young man no older than his early twenties. He had a rather skinny build that didn't make him look all that strong, pale white skin (pale enough that Sakido even thought he might have been an Angel, though his ears and his hair quickly dismissed that idea), short brown hair that was kept in a neat style, and eyes that were colored a light shade of blue (Sakido idly thought the color fit considering the seemingly vacant look he had in his eyes. He wore what looked like a black suit of some kind with neon white lines that seemed to cover his whole body from the neck down, though she couldn't tell for sure as it was covered by a white coat that was plain, save for the crown shaped design over the breast pocket on the right and the pair of white gloves on his hands. On his face was a pair of blue rectangular rim glasses that seemed to complement his appearance rather well.

"Yes she is," Anita nodded, before frowning slightly. "Also, I'd prefer if you refrained from referring to people you do not know as though they're objects, Tsukasa."

"Negative. I…believe this to be…adequate, as I am not familiar with her and as such it would be…improper of me to address her in such a way that denotes any form of familiarity. As for your observation, I would like to correct it, as the term 'subject' is perfectly neutral in nature and has no deliberate derogation," Tsukasa stated, his tone flat and his features unchanging. "Either way, I shall inform Lord Neo that she is awake. He has something important that he would like to talk about."

"I see…" Sakido muttered, before shooting him an annoyed look and said, "And stop calling me a 'subject'. My name is Sakido."

"Understood. Likewise, I am called Tsukasa. Tsukasa Tanmatsu. It's good to meet you," Tsukasa nodded, though his tone remained flat and nearly devoid of emotion before turning to leave.

With him gone, Anita also stood up to leave. "I know he said that Neo is waiting, but I'm sure Neo won't mind waiting a little longer if you aren't feeling well enough yet, so just focus on regaining your strength first," she said gently.

"No, I'm fine. You said that I've been unconscious for a couple of days, and that's more than enough time for a Rebirth to heal," she said as she got up and started removing the bandages and splint from her wing, revealing a fully healed wing. "Besides…" she added, sounding rather guilty, "After what happened…I've gotta do something to make it up to him…" she muttered, referring to Shun, before she walked out the door.

-break-

(Opening theme 1, "Harukaze" by Scandal)

*music*

As the music starts, Sakido is seen from behind standing atop the large tree in Destiny Islands as the wind blows around her, as the scene shifts to slowly show her from the front, before the scene shows her from up close (she has a look of wonder on her face), before the scene shifts again to show her from afar, as the title appears above her.

Tooku e itte shimau mae ni tsutae na kya to omoi nagara

The title is seen by itself for a moment, before the scene changes shows Sakido in her childhood jumping down from a rock before running towards Darius who is carrying a sleeping baby Buwaro, just as Iratu joins them as they all share a laugh, before Darius playfully taps the both of them on the nose, and the scene freezes.

Kyou no sugite yuku jikan warai atte sukoshi mune itamete

Black feathers fill the screen, before the scene changes to show an adult Sakido walking past what looks like the gates of Hell as she passes Iratu (she has an indifferent look). Walking further, she passes Death (Darius) who gives her a letter from her pan pal (she gives him a small smile), before meeting Buwaro and Rhea, as Buwaro throws Thadius up in joy, only to be hit in the head, whilst Rhea face palms herself in annoyance. The scene changes to show Sakido with an amused smile on her face, which changes to an almost content look before she suddenly gasps and the scene changes to show the Holy Arrow that killed her sticking out of her back as her body starts to glow, before several Rebirth Marks cover the scene before clearing up as the scene changes.

Harukaze ga fuku yoru

The scene changes to show an aquatic background with a shadowed figure facing the left, before the scene shifts closer to the figure, revealing it to be Umi, who is serenely playing her flute as she gives the screen a gentle look.

Hana reta kunai natte

The scene changes to show a background depicting wheels and gears with a shadowed figure facing the right, before the scene shifts closer to the figure, revealing it to be Max, who removes his riding goggles and grins at the screen whilst leaning against his motorbike.

Sonna koto o omotte

The scene changes to show a background depicting various numbers, letters, and symbols (from various languages) floating around with a shadowed figure facing the left, before the scene shifts closer to the figure, revealing it to be Tsukasa, who is reading his book as he gives the screen an emotionless stare.

Nanka yokei ienakunatte

The scene changes to show someone stepping in from the right, before the scene shifts up to show Shun who has a confident look as he points a gun at the screen.

"ashita ne" tte sayonara shite hitori aruku namiki no shita de ni

The scene changes to show various scenes from a myriad of different worlds, with several silhouettes standing in the scene as the scene seems to move past them.

futo amou yume no ato

The scene then changes to show Sakido seemingly asleep in a fetal position (she looks like she is floating in space), before a glow appears from her chest, specifically over where her heart is located, as an outline of her Rebirth Mark can be seen, before she opens her eyes and the glow covers the screen.

Maiochiru hanabira hira hira kokoro no sukima surinuketeku sunao ni nannakya

The five Rebirths (Shun, Umi, Max, Tsukasa, and Sakido) are seen leaping off a building, before the scene shows Umi, Max, and Tsukasa launch their attacks at an unseen enemy in turn (Umi fires a torrent of water by using her flute to direct the water, Max pulls his bike (Galatine) up into a wheelie as he charges at the screen, and Tsukasa traces an array in the air, which fires a shockwave made out of data (evident by the ones and zeroes flowing from the shockwave)), followed by Shun who fires a Gatling gun attached to his left arm, before he lands next to Sakido who charges up what looks like a wheel made out of lightning in her right hand, before throwing it at the enemy, revealed to be an army of Heartless and Unwritten. The wheel mows down a good number of them as it speeds towards the Mysterious Hooded Figure, who simply smirks from under his hood as Nightmare suddenly appears and blocks the attack, before dashing forward. The scene shifts back to Sakido who has a guarded look on her face, as Nightmare tries to strike her with her scythe, only for Sakido to block it with her spear, before the two of them exchange blows (Sakido tries to either slash her with her claws and/or spear, or hit her with a lightning spell, while Nightmare continues to attack her with her scythe), before the scene shifts to show Nightmare's psychotic look as she tries to strike Sakido again.

Donna itami ga mata boku no kokoro osottemo

A silhouette of Sakido can be seen walking towards the screen, becoming clearer and clearer as she gets closer till she can clearly be seen, as various scenes from various worlds are seen behind her, and once she gets close to the screen, her body is suddenly enveloped in a mass of gold colored energy, her Rebirth Mark glowing brightly.

Tozasareta doa no

The scene then changes to show a shot of Sakido's teammates and friends (from left to right: Max with his bike (pulling up a wheelie), Tsukasa with his book (a light is shining from his book which he is holding out), Umi with her flute (she has encased her flute in water, turning it into a trident and points it in front of her), and Shun with his Thompson Contender (he points it in front of him, with what looks like a ball of energy charging in front of the barrel))

Mukougawa o mi ni yuku kara

The scene shows Sakido from behind, and in front of her the door of Kingdom Hearts stands, before the door opens and releases a radiant light, before the final scene shows a photo of the five Rebirths (from left to right: Tsukasa, Umi, Sakido, Shun, and Max) standing together, all of them are smiling happily.

(theme ends)

-break-

Sakido walked into the room where Tsukasa said Neo would be waiting. True enough, he was waiting, only he wasn't alone. With him were Tsukasa, and a couple more people she did not recognize.

The first was an elderly man who looked in his late fifties to early sixties, yet despite that, his posture was straight and firm, much like a man in his mid thirties. He had short grey hair that was styled in a neat and orderly style and light brown eyes that went surprisingly well with the few wrinkles on his forehead as well as the kind expression he had. His skin was light, though the color seemed to have dulled a bit due to his age. He wore an outfit that seemed to be based on a priest's outfit, consisting of simple vestments (a shirt and long pants) that were colored white, a gray cassock over said vestments, and a simple wooden cross on his neck, completing the appearance of a priest or a holy man, which was made even more apparent by the large metal crucifix he held in his hand (Sakido involuntarily flinched at the sight)

The second was a woman in her mid thirties who had a somewhat calculative air to her, like someone who analyzed EVERYTHING they saw and systematically took it apart with the piercing gaze from her icy blue eyes. She had short black hair that was styled in a straight style that flowed down to her neck, and spiked slightly at the sides similar to a bob cut hairstyle. Her outfit strangely resembled Tsukasa's outfit, as it consisted of a lab coat and a body suit. However, the difference that her lab coat was completely plain with no extra designs and her body suit was colored a deep violet and lacked the lines that were present on Tsukasa's body suit.

"…so you two are saying that you came all the way just to see a new Rebirth? I'm honestly quite surprised," Neo commented to the two. "After all, what would my fellow veterans have to gain from going out of their way for this? Let alone you two, Albert 'Holy Paladin' Mitchells, and Selena 'Lady Gravity' Newton," he said, referring to the man as Albert Mitchells and the woman as Selena Newton.

"That is true," Selena nodded, before frowning. "However, it is the nature of the girl that has some of us wary."

At her words, Neo frowned, before his eyes gained a dangerous glint. "What are you implying? I know that Sakido's circumstances are a first, but keep in mind that the Master never did choose based on such shallow standards. Besides, if any of the others have a problem, I'm more than happy to…sort it out," he added, his eyes gaining a dangerous glint at the end as he unconsciously letting some of his power flare out.

"Peace, old friend. We did not come here to fight, as I agree with you. As unique as the circumstances are, it's only fair we give the girl a chance. I'll be the first to admit that I understand why the others are wary, but I also agree that it would be unfair to judge without even meeting her," Albert calmly said, his voice almost soothing.

"However, the fact remains that this…Sakido's case is not something we have encountered before, and thus it would be wise that we…confirm the situation before we make any large moves. Keep in mind after all, that even with the screening the Master has done, not all Rebirths are as…open minded as most," Selina carefully stated, not wanting to aggravate the situation by poking at the one thing that Neo hated beyond anything else. Despite that, she also unconsciously let some of her power flare out, standing evenly against Neo's.

Neo looked at them for a moment before sighing in defeat and quickly reigning his power back in. "Very well. I suppose it IS a wise move. I assume Albert will be doing his usual test?" he asked, to which he received a nod. "Alright. Tsukasa, could you please fetch Sakido. Knowing Anita, she might have strapped to poor girl to the bed to keep her from moving too much," he said, ending it with a chuckle to which Albert shared a laugh, while Selina cracked a small smile, as they both knew how his wife could be at times, especially when concerning people who had been injured and (temporarily) placed under her care.

"Understood," Tsukasa affirmed, before adding, "However, the subject of your conversation seems to have left."

"Excuse me?" Neo blinked.

"Miss Sakido had been listening in on your conversation, before she turned around and went back upstairs," he clarified.

"And you didn't…" Selina was about to say, but stopped herself, remembering who she was talking to. "You know what? Forget it," she said before getting out of her chair and turning to leave.

"Selina? Where are you going?" Albert asked in surprise, as she was usually more courteous than this.

"I leave the rest to you. After all, you two are the more diplomatic veterans. Besides, I don't have the patience to deal with the doll. Honestly, I don't know what the Master was thinking when it made that into a Rebirth," she said as she walked out of the house.

"…now that she's gone, I do believe I should introduce you to Sakido," Neo said.

"Ah, yes. I must admit, I am rather intrigued by this latest development. While we've had plenty of Rebirths who have some sort of dark heritage, such as yourself, this is the first time a full Demon was found worthy of becoming a Rebirth," Albert nodded.

"Then that just makes her all the more special," Neo shrugged. However, just as he was about to open the door, Anita came bursting through. "Neo! We've got a problem!" she urgently said, not realizing she had just crushed her husband with the door…again.

"Y-yes dear…w-what s-seems to be the problem…?" Neo slurred, his vision filled with stars. Strongest Rebirth or not, suddenly being hit in the face with a door AND crushed with said door would hurt…a lot.

"Oh dear!" Anita gasped, right after she got over her surprise, before quickly casting a healing spell to help him recover faster.

"Those two really are a cute, yet strange couple," Albert chuckled to himself despite the sweat drop on his head.

-break-

"Gone?! What do you mean she's gone?!" Neo shouted in surprise.

"Exactly that. After she left her room, I decided to tidy it up a little before I left her clothes on the bed and left the room. When I came back, I saw her climbing out the window. I was going to stop her, but by the time I got to the window, she was already flying away and she was moving too fast for me to get an accurate grip with my telekinesis," Anita explained.

"That's bad. Ever since the incident at Radiant Garden, we've suddenly been having an increase in Heartless activity. Worse, several Unwritten have been appearing as well, though those are rare. We'd better hurry and find her before she wanders into the deeper districts where we've managed to drive most of the Heartless and Unwritten," Neo mused.

"But why would she suddenly run away like that?" Albert asked, honestly wondering why.

"Based on my observation, it would seem that she heard parts of your earlier conversation. It is likely that she heard about your plan to 'test' her, and may have gotten the wrong impression and thus she fled," Tsukasa observed.

"I see…" Neo muttered with an annoyed scowl at how unnecessarily complicated things had gotten. "Alright, we'll go look for her. In the meantime, you contact Umi and Max to have them help since at this point Sakido would be more likely to listen to them than she would listen to us. Albert, please stay here, as I don't think Sakido would appreciate the idea of a priest chasing after her, considering she IS a Demon, and Demons and Holy men don't usually mix…at least not without outside help."

"Alright," Albert nodded.

"Understood," Tsukasa nodded.

-break-

"I still can't believe we're going through all this trouble over a misunderstanding!" Max grumbled. The day (or at least what passed as day in Traverse Town due to the world being stuck in a permanent night time) had started so well. He had woken up well rested, had went for his usual jog in the morning, and best of all, he was going to have breakfast with Umi, the very girl he harbored a crush on. Unfortunately, the little imp known as Murphy's Law decided to interfere in the form of one of his best friends, Tsukasa, calling them and telling them that Sakido had woken up and had ran away, so now instead of enjoying a nice hearty meal with the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on, they were combing the town in search of their missing Wind Demon friend.

"Mou! It's all Newton-sempai's fault! Would it kill her to be less of an ice queen all the time?!" Umi said in annoyance. Despite her gentle and kind-hearted personality, there were a few people she did NOT get along with, and Selena Newton was one of them. Sure she respected the older woman enough as a veteran Rebirth, but when it came down to it, their personalities made them like oil and water at worst, so them working together only happened once in a blue moon.

"…if I may, I believe Sakido-san is also at fault as she ran away before the veterans could explain themselves. At the very least she should have realized that Neo-sama is on her side," Tsukasa commented, a frown present on his face as he did not like seeing his friends upset. Despite what some called him ('doll' being the most derogatory), Tsukasa DID feel emotions…sometimes, though it usually only happened when he was around the people he called his best friends. Tsukasa was no fool. He knew what he was, and from there he had an idea why his emotions were…incomplete for lack of better terms. While he also had to admit that the number of people who actually looked down on him were few, it still…hurt. Because of that, he was…thankful for the friends who were willing to put up with him and treat him like one of them instead of dismissing him as an…object.

The two of them shot him a quick look, before sighing at his logic, which was spot on as usual. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry, I guess after what happened to Shun, we're all a bit of an emotional wreck. Heck, I can't imagine how Sakido's taking it, since she was there when it happened," Max conceded.

"Plus, since according to Neo-sempai, Shun-sempai took the hit meant for Sakido-san, she must feel like it's her fault or something," Umi nodded sadly.

"The term is 'Survivor's Guilt'," Tsukasa commented, before his blank expression changed slightly, becoming a somewhat sorrowful expression. "I too am…saddened. Shun was…a good man and a good…friend," he said slowly. It was times like this when he couldn't even properly express himself that a part of him continued to think that having incomplete emotions SUCKED. "Either way, we do not have an exact way of locating her. As such, I recommend both splitting up and scrying," he suggested, before taking out a card and a book. The card looked much like the Disguise Cards, though the difference was that the lines/design on the card looked different. As for the book, it looked like a tome/grimoire with a dark green cover with several circuit-like designs running down the cover on both sides, along with a sash that looked like a bookmark attached to the cover. Opening the book, he revealed that the pages were seemingly blank. "Alpha Interface, activate…" he intoned.

"Yes sir," came a robotic voice as the words appeared on the page he had opened, while the circuits on the cover lit up. Responding to this, he placed the card he had on the page, causing it to glow brightly, before turning into a ball of light that hovered over the page.

"Umi, I'd like us to do a Co-Op skill, if you don't mind," he said, his expression turning into a small polite smile.

"Hai!" Umi smiled, knowing what he was planning. Moving forward, she placed her hand on the ball, and focused her power into it.

"Beginning synchronization. Check parameters: all green. Noise disturbance: 3%. Binding Process: all green. No abnormalities detected. Compatibility stabilized. Execute: Aqua Search and Rescue Protocol!" Tsukasa said, listing down the details before activating the intended effect. The ball of light glowed brightly as water began gathering inside it. It then burst apart, sending small trickles of water into the air…which promptly zoomed off into various directions.

"Good idea, Tsukasa," Max grinned. "With that, we'll be able to find her much faster."

"Of course," Tsukasa simply nodded. "Water is everywhere, thus if one were to control it to this degree, it would be the perfect reconnaissance tool. Of course, as I do not possess a Perfect Affinity, I cannot do so without Umi's help, and even then I can only use so much water. Either way, I've already linked it up to our UniTs, so if any of the 'probes' find her, they will alert the person closest to the location before moving on to the others. "

"Alright then. For now, we should also split up and cover more ground," Umi said, before frowning slightly. "Demo… be careful. The deeper districts tend to have more Heartless popping up, so if anyone gets in trouble, don't hesitate to call for help. We already lost Sempai, and I don't want to lose any of you too."

"Right," Max nodded somberly. "We'll be careful."

"Affirmative," Tsukasa nodded, before they split up.

-break-

"Again…" she thought despairingly as she continued to run. She didn't know where she was going, nor where she would even go, but all she could think of was getting away. "Why? Why must I be rejected again?" Sakido thought, her mind thinking back to the argument the veteran Rebirths had had. When she had went down earlier, she was feeling guilty enough after what happened to Shun, but hearing from that female Rebirth about how the other Rebirths were wary of her and that they intended to 'test' her in some way, for some reason felt like a slap on the face to her, reminding her of her old life. In fact, for some reason it hurt even more than back then, probably because of how she had gotten close to her fellow Rebirths during the last few days, so hearing that the veterans, essentially the leaders of the Rebirths did not trust her felt like a real slap to the face. It hurt, but she was willing to stand her ground and prove that their fears were unfounded, and she even felt reassured when Neo had come to her defense. However, her resolve crumbled when she felt the energy the two veterans were releasing clash. Somehow, an instinctive part of her realized that the power they were letting flow out was essentially a single drop from a massive ocean. At that point, her instincts were screaming at her to get away, the feeling so intense that she couldn't argue at all and before she realized it, she had fled into the darkness.

"This…should be…far enough…" she sighed as she ducked into an alleyway. "Now what am I going to do?" she sighed as she looked down at herself. In her rush, she had left Neo's home with only the clothes that had been loaned to her, which were nowhere near as durable as her regular clothes, plus the two halves of the Dragonium Spear Shun had given her had been left behind in the room she had woken up in, which was a shame since despite being broken in half, the spear was still a pretty good weapon. Heck, she had been in such a panic that she forgot her Sun Pendant too. Walking further, she came upon a door with a fire symbol on it, and to her surprise, it opened when she got closer. Inside, there seemed to be some kind of lake with what looked like an old cottage on an island in the middle. However, what she didn't notice was the droplets of water that were moving on their own near her feet. Having found their target, the droplets glowed faintly to alert their master.

Opening her wings, she flew over the lake, and into the hole in the roof of the cottage, landing in a seemingly empty room which was completely bare save for the carpet that lined the floor. "I think I'll be safe here…for now…" she muttered, wanting nothing more than to gather her thoughts before thinking of what to do next. Unfortunately for her, that plan would be put on hold, since just as she landed in the cottage, Tsukasa had entered through the door earlier and saw her fly into the cottage.

"Target located…" Tsukasa muttered as he opened his AI again. Pointing his finger in the air, he began quickly tracing a circle, followed by several designs within the circle, completing the spell circuit. "Execute: Teleport!" he stated, before the circle grew bigger and engulfed him, teleporting him to his intended location.

"Umi and Max! That's it, I'll find them first, then I'm sure they can help me sort this all out," Sakido thought, a small smile coming to her muzzle as the comforting feeling of reassurance came to her…only for it to come crashing down as she squawked in surprise and jump away when a flash of light and a circle with strange designs on it appeared right next to her. The circle rose up from the ground, revealing Tsukasa who stood there with his usual blank expression.

"That is quiet enough, Miss Sakido," Tsukasa calmly stated. "Please stop this pointless chase and return peacefully. I assure you that the veterans, or at the very least, Lord Neo and Lord Albert will not harm you. Besides, Ms. Newton has already left."

"Really?" Sakido asked skeptically. "And what proof do you have? We may both be Rebirths, but I heard what that woman said. They don't trust me, and frankly there are only 3 Rebirths whom I trust, and one of them just died," she said, her eyes narrowing dangerously, before her hands sparked with lightning.

"I see…" Tsukasa sighed. "Not only are you not willing to come quietly, but you seem to also be challenging me. Very well, I shall oblige. I too am…curious as to the extent of your abilities," he said, before reaching grasping onto his lab coat and pulling it off, revealing his body suit clearly. Snapping his fingers, a card appeared in his right hand as his AI floated over his left hand, before he placed the card on a blank page and said, "Install: Code Saber."

Sakido blinked in surprise as the card glowed, before turning into a broad sword with a noticeable gap near the handle. Ignoring her look of confusion, Tsukasa closed the AI and inserted it into the gap, causing the sword to light up with several circuits, signifying its activation. "Come," Tsukasa simply said. The two of them eyed each other cautiously, before they charged at each other. Sakido lashed out with a lightning spell, but Tsukasa was already prepared.

"Modify: Lightning Rod," he stated as he pressed another card against the cover of his AI. In response, the blade of his saber became polished, while a cable of some kind extended from the pommel of the saber, ending in a metal circle that touched the ground. The lightning spell struck the blade…before fizzling out.

"Impossible!" Sakido gasped in surprise.

"Not impossible. I simply converted my sword to double as a lightning rod, rendering all electric attacks ineffective, as the lightning was conducted and dispersed to the ground," Tsukasa explained, before raising his sword. "Attach: Extend."

In response to his words, the blade elongated and bent, becoming more like a whip than a sword, before Tsukasa lashed out with it, smacking Sakido right in the chest, sending her tumbling back. "So far, I…am not impressed," he commented.

Sakido's eyes narrowed at this, before she grabbed his sword, and channeled a lightning spell directly into it. However, as the sword was still modified into a lightning rod, the spell was dispersed harmlessly. "That's not going to work," he stated plainly. "As long as my Code Saber is modified to deal with lightning attacks, your spells will be useless against it."

"Oh really?" Sakido smirked, before yanking on the weapon. Not expecting that, Tsukasa found himself pulled along, before he felt her lightning charged claw smash into his face, sending him sprawling back. "You were saying?" she taunted, but inwardly she was wincing. She had hit people in the face before, but none of them had a face quite as hard as Tsukasa did. In fact, if she didn't know better, she'd have thought she had punched metal.

"…interesting…" he mused, rubbing the side of his face as though he had only received a light slap rather than the full on punch. "I was told a bit about you. You've only been active for a little over a week, and your abilities show rapid development. That's quite impressive."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. I am not going back, especially if it's with you," she growled. For some reason, his total lack of expression was both getting on her nerves and creeping her out at the same time.

Tsukasa didn't reply as he held his head down. However, when he raised it to look at her, the blank expression on his face was gone, replaced by a grin. "It's strange…" he chuckled, his emotionless expression breaking to pieces. "Other than the ones I call my closest friends, nobody has ever made me feel this way. It's…exciting!" he grinned, before charging forward.

Sakido quickly found herself on the defensive as Tsukasa's fighting style completely changed. While earlier he was methodical and defensive, trying to use minimal effort/power to subdue her, now his movements were a LOT more lively as he traced circle after circle and filled all of them with strange designs, before the circles promptly flew at her, each of them having various effects from fireballs to lightning bolts. "Damn it! What the hell happened to this guy? One moment he's got about as much expression as a statue, and the next he's like this," she thought as she dodged attack after attack.

"You know, it's really strange," Tsukasa commented again. "The only times I've ever felt like this were when I was either sparring against those I call my…close friends, or when I am fighting alongside them. Yet…why am I feeling like this against you?" he asked, his head tilted slightly, giving him a very strange look considering he was in the middle of preparing to subdue her. Despite his excitement, he still retained his analytical mind, keeping in sight his objective. True enough, Sakido, being distracted with his myriad of attacks, never noticed the six ice arrays he had sent out as he steadily forced her into position until…

"Gah!" Sakido exclaimed in surprise, as she found her arms, legs, and wings suddenly encased and restrained in ice. "Oh no you don't!" Sakido growled in defiance as she struggled to break free. However, Tsukasa was faster, and before she knew it, he had traced another array, before sticking it on her chest. The array glowed purple for a second, before she felt her strength leave her, replaced by a feeling of complete exhaustion.

"Drain Array," Tsukasa stated, before explaining. "These are arrays commonly used to restrain targets without actually harming them," he said. "Of course, I'll admit that this is the first time I've had to use it on another Rebirth. Either way, will you please come quietly now?"

"Not…happening…" Sakido growled under her breath in defiance. Shun had given up his life to save her. There was no way she was going to let herself lose here! The thought gave her strength to push through the draining effect of the Drain Array, before she began unconsciously drawing power from her Rebirth mark, causing it to glow. With a shriek, she broke apart the ice restraining her and rushed forward, her hands ablaze with a mixture of dark and electric magic, while her wind magic propelled her forward, the seal on her chest shattering from the sheer overload of power.

In his surprise, Tsukasa was unable to react in time as Sakido struck him with a fierce blow to the side of his face, throwing him against the wall so hard, he ended up embedded slightly in the wall. "T-to p-p-pull out t-that much e-energy from y-y-your m-m-mark when y-you've only b-b-been active for a w-w-week. What an u-u-u-unexpected development," Tsukasa commented, his voice jerky while his body seemed to jerk as it moved for a few moments, before he seemed to straighten himself out. "Based on my analysis, I believe I should wait for reinforcements to avoid risk of unnecessary harm on the target."

Sakido on the other hand had stepped back in apprehension at what she had just seen. "What IS he?" she thought, thinking back on the various odd things she had seen about her opponent. First was his almost total lack of emotion, which while strange, didn't really mean anything by itself. But now, she had punched him with a good amount of her strength (her full strength for the last punch she hit him with), yet he barely seemed fazed with the first hit, and rather SHE was the one who felt pain since it felt like she had punched a block of metal (she had waved it off as some kind of defensive spell he must have casted). However, what was REALLY strange was the reaction she got from him after her last punch (which STILL felt like she was punching a block of metal). His voice and his movements suddenly turned jerky for a short while, which was completely unlike any pain reaction she had ever seen, instead reminding her of the movements of Shun's fake arm when it had taken a particularly strong blow. "Doesn't matter," she muttered to herself, before charging her claws with lightning again. "Rebirth or not, I will defeat you!"

"Conflict unavoidable," Tsukasa analyzed, before pulling out a card and placing it against his AI. "Initialize: Hisatsu Card. Execute: Plasma Drive Slash!" he declared, before his sword was coated in a thick layer of plasma.

The two of them dashed forward, their attacks blazing with energy, ready for the inevitable clash.

"No don't!"

"Umi, no!"

Came Umi's voice and Max's voice, as the two of them had just arrived. Upon seeing Sakido and Tsukasa about to clash with attacks that could kill each other, Umi had ran forward, putting herself right in the crossfire. Seeing that, Max had dashed forward with his speed, but in the millisecond it took him to get to Umi, Sakido and Tsukasa were already about impact each other, neither able to stop.

"No! I can't stop!" Sakido and Tsukasa both thought in horror (Tsukasa's expression even changing to reflect that, as he felt…horrified at the realization that he was about to kill his best friends). Fortunately, their fears were unfounded, as a pair of hands grabbed their respective wrists before they could do anything, and promptly flung them away, making them smash into the walls, whilst also canceling out their attacks.

"That's quite enough, you two," Neo huffed disapprovingly at the two Rebirths, before adding, "Now can someone please tell me what this is all about?"

Tsukasa's only reply was to look away, a feeling of…shame welling up in him, since technically he WAS supposed to avoid fighting, and while it was Sakido who picked the fight, he should have tried harder to avoid it. Didn't help either that it was Neo, someone Tsukasa held only the utmost respect for, that was disappointed in him.

Sakido on the other hand looked ready to bolt, a move that didn't go unnoticed, as a stern glare from Neo made it clear that he would not tolerate her running away again.

After a quick explanation from both Tsukasa and Sakido, Neo just sighed. "All this…over a misunderstanding…" he muttered in exasperation. "Look, I understand why you ran away, but it still doesn't change the fact that it was a very foolish move," Neo scolded, before explaining. Ever since the incident at Radiant Garden, we've been having a number of outbreaks in various worlds, and we've even lost contact with some of our allied worlds. Even here, with the shielding on this world to prevent stronger monsters from appearing, we've still been getting outbreaks of Heartless and a number of Unwritten, so much so that aside from the first district till the third district, every other district of this town is unsafe to go to without backup, and even then the minimum in a team is about 5 people. In your thoughtless act, you ran the risk of wandering into a dangerous district, though fortunately you only ventured to the third district."

"Well, what did you expect me to do? I heard what you three were talking about. A 'test'? I've heard that one before. It's obviously one of those tests where its either I pass and live, or I fail and die!" Sakido retorted, the pent up emotions that had been running through her venting out. "Only a fool would take a 'test' like that! I don't care what the other Rebirths think of me, but I will not risk my life just to appease some people whom I have never met, nor care about what they think, especially after Shun gave up his life for me!" she shouted, but stopped short when she realized what she had said at the end. "Why did I say that last part?" she thought.

Neo didn't reply. Instead he just looked her in the eyes. Even though the eye contact lasted only a few moments, to Sakido it felt like an eternity, especially since the look Neo had in his eyes were that of a person who had seen enough to last several lifetimes, not to mention the way his eyes stared at her made her feel like he was peering directly into her very soul. After the few moments passed, Neo closed his eyes, a smile appearing on his face. "Heh…Hahaha!" he laughed, much to their surprise. "You know what? You're absolutely right! Who cares what others think? After all, it's not what you are, but rather who you are that counts. So you're something that's never happened before, and the others are weary of you for that," he chuckled. "Well I say screw them all. You don't need some test to prove yourself. After all, eyes ARE windows to the soul, and I saw all I needed to see. You may be a Demon, but that means squat to who you are as a person. All I see is Sakido, a fellow Rebirth, and our newest sister-in-arms," he declared.

"Neo-sempai! Kakkoi!" Umi cheered, glad that her friend had earned not just the approval of a veteran Rebirth, but the veteran who stood at the top.

"Alright, Sakido!" Max cheered, while Tsukasa just nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Their cheering was interrupted by the sound of clapping. Turning to the source, they noticed Albert walking (or rather, climbing) into the room. "Well said. Marvelous speech, old friend," he smiled, before turning to Sakido. "Neo is right. It was wrong of us to fear and distrust you before we even got a chance to know you. While we may be Rebirths now, we still retain the flaws that made us only human from our original lives, and thus we unfairly judged you simply for what you were. While I know I have no actual right, on behalf of the other Rebirths, I give you my humblest apology. Please forgive us," Albert said, before bowing lowly to her. The truth was that he had been listening for a while, and all her actions, her words, showed to him that despite what she was, she was indeed worthy of becoming a Rebirth.

"N-no…it's alright. Truth be told, I probably would have acted the same way if our positions had been reversed," Sakido admitted, feeling a little uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Even so, our actions were inexcusable," Albert said as he straightened himself. "Now then, I believe there was something else you wanted to tell them, particularly concerning Shun Hayami."

"What?" was the reaction that arose from the four Rebirths (Max, Umi, Tsukasa, and Sakido).

"Yes, that's right. Up until Shun's death, you four have never seen another Rebirth die. Death is a terrifying thing, not so much the fear of our own deaths, but the fear of separation from those whom you care about. Now that you four have tasted this feeling, you are now able to understand the value of a life, and thus worthy of knowing one of the great powers of the Rebirths," Neo stated as he held up his hand, causing an ornate gate to appear (A/N: It's the same gate that appears in Dive to the Heart). "I have an…assignment I'd like you four to do for me, as most of the other Rebirths are currently preoccupied with the outbreak of Unwritten and Heartless. But before that, follow me, and I will both explain why I need you to do this assignment, and also…I hope that what you will see…will restore some of the hope you probably lost recently," Neo said, smiling gently at the end, before they stepped through the gate.

-break-

(Ending theme 1, "Itsumo" OST Transformers: Galaxy Force)

*music*

As the music starts, we see a shot of the sky, as snow falls down to the ground

Kimi no kokoro ni aru shinjitsu… Kimi no egao de yume wa kagayaku…

The scene changes to show a shot of Sakido from behind, as she is standing inside a cave as she watches the heavy rain outside.

Kimi no karada ni nemuru yuuki… Me no mae no kabe mo nante koto nai

The scene changes again to show Sakido walking through a barren wasteland as a strong wind and heavy rain pelt against her, while she walks against it, holding her side as though injured…

Bokura deatta imi mo wakaru yo. Sukoshi mimi o sumaseba…

Sakido begins to sway slightly, before the scene then shows a close up of her, as something starts glowing from within her gown and on her wrists, revealing them to be her Sun Pendant and Darius' feathers respectively, before the glow envelops the screen.

Ashita ga yondeiru Ima sugu iku yo. Ryoute o tsubasa ni kaete…

The scene changes to show Sakido's shocked expression, as she has suddenly been turned back into her childhood self, before she sees visions of her family, starting with baby Buwaro, who smiles at her while holding up his little paws, followed by an image of young Iratu who is grinning playfully at her, before finally Darius appears, whilst holding out his hand towards her with a gentle smile on his face

Dare ni mo makenai sa ikinuku koto ga

Young Sakido's face blooms with joy as she runs towards them, but just as she is about to reach them, the screen is enveloped in a bright light

Bokura o kaeteiku

The scene changes to show Sakido lying on the ground on a field of grass as her eyes open, before she looks towards the image of Darius which fades away, revealing Shun who is kneeling next to her, holding his hand out to her while he smiles gently

Koete tsuyoku nareru…

Sakido blinks in surprise, before her features soften considerably and a warm smile appears on her face as she takes Shun's hand and slowly stands up

*music*

Once Sakido is back on her feet, Shun walks towards the screen, beckoning her to follow. Sakido smiles gently, before she follows him. The scene then shifts to show Sakido from behind, walking towards Shun, Umi, and Max who are standing alongside a shadowed figure, with the Trailblazer in the background.

(theme end)

-break-

Meanwhile, in an unknown location, the Mysterious Cloaked Figure stood, the Hollow Drive clutched in his hand. "[One down, four more to go. Now then, I believe Nightmare has been in… 'time-out' for long enough]" he mused, before tracing the word: 'Nightmare' in the air, which then flowed into the ground, followed by a coffin bursting out of the ground. The coffin glowed for a moment, before the lid burst open, revealing Nightmare within, her arms crossed over her torso, seemingly asleep. Her eyes then fluttered open, before her expression changed from calm into a slasher smile… "Well now, that was a nice nap," she chuckled, her disturbing expression as wide as ever.

-break-

A/N: Here is the latest chapter. I'll try to start cranking these out faster, since I've decided that this fic will be the main focus of my writing time. Hope you all enjoy it.