Edits by Winnow. Thank you by Green Bunny.

o0o

"All things truly wicked start from an innocence." - Ernest Hemingway

Darkness, everywhere was darkness.

"If I was there, I would have helped you."

It was her voice from not too long ago. Her words to Kazuma. Was she dreaming of a memory again?

"You would, would you?"

Kazuma seemed surprised and amused by her answer; she was sure of it. Why did he seem so surprised?

As if in response to her question, the darkness evaporated into sky, sunlight, trees filled to the bursting with bloody red leaves. The slight chill in the air tickled her nose. Fall. It was familiar. Gradually, it dawned on her. She was back at the main Kannagi household again; just like her last dream.

Eyes that were not her own shifted over the manicured landscape, then turned downwards. The top of a child's head appeared in view, downy soft fuchsia hair fluttered in the cool wind. She flinched as little fingertips brushed against ribs, despite the padding of a very heavy wool sweater. A boy's voice broke through shrilly, and his gloved hands swatted at the offending digits.

"Stop! That tickles!" He huffed, his cheeks warming.

The hands withdrew momentarily, leaving a cold void in their wake. Their proximity and the unearthly heat they radiated had been warming his middle quite nicely. It saddened him to feel them go. A child's face—her face—peered up through fuchsia bangs. Her pouty pink lips turned down in a frown. It occurred to her that she was watching through young Kazuma's eyes yet again. She felt an odd sense of vertigo when she dreamed of herself like this. It was like staring at herself in the mirror, only the mirror showed her younger version and that one moved of its own free will, while she remained rooted to the spot.

"Quit hitting me! I have'ta put the magic papers in or you'll keep getting burned by my cousins."

"But it tickles!" The boy's voice whined petulantly.

Little Ayano's ruby eyes sparkled with barely contained impatience. "Do ya wanna get burned sum'more?"

Her consciousness within him could feel him rub the painful sores on the backs of his hands reflexively. "N-no." he mumbled. Burns? They felt raw enough to be fairly fresh, possibly a few hours old. It felt strange to "feel" a burn. She'd never had one herself, obviously, yet she knew from lighting the bad guys up what burns looked like and that, from their reactions, it was obscenely unpleasant getting burned. Now that she could experience it (in a sense) she wondered how Kazuma had put up with the stinging sensation on a near-constant basis.

"Then stop being a big baby and le'mie do this!" Child Ayano waved her small arms, clearly exasperated. In her left hand, her fingers clutched two sheets of paper her adult self readily identified as wards used to protect her clothing from fire. From their ragged and torn edges, she suspected they'd been yanked from her own clothes. Father would be very mad if he knew.

"'M not a baby," the boy muttered quietly as he shifted towards her again and stretched out his arms to either side to give her more room.

Little Ayano went back to work installing the wards in his windbreaker. "Mama said that these protect ya from weak fire magic. She gets mad at me 'cuz when I fight the boys my clothes get all burned up, so that's why I have them. Fire dun really hurt me so you can borrow mine since, since fire burns you." She paused as she shoved one of the wards into a little hole she had made in the lining of his jacket, her large ruby eyes fixed on him with an obvious question. "Why does fire burn you? You're a Kannagi, aren't ya?"

Kazuma's shoulders rose and fell in a jerky shrug. "Dunno. Just different, I guess." He turned his eyes to the sky. "Father's family thinks that if they keep fighting me and burning me with flames I'll gain my magic."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Does it hurt when they fight you?"

Her point of view shifted suddenly to his feet, Kazuma's blue sneakers dug a small rut in the earth with the tip of his shoe. A quick bob of his head 'yes' answered her question.

"That's stupid. Fire's supposed ta be cool. Not hurty."

Kazuma didn't really know fire as anything other than painful so he chose to ignore the subject and ask a question instead. "You said this only works on weak magic. Won't your cousins burn me anyway?"

The child snorted derisively. "Pfft. I'm the only one with enough power to break the magic papers. My cousins're weak. Mama says so."

He hoped she was right. Ayano could feel a sense of guilt flutter to the surface that wasn't her own. "Isn't your mom gonna be mad you gave me these?"

She shook her little head rapidly. "Mama and daddy both say I should help people who need help." She pointed a pudgy finger at herself. "I dun need 'em." Then back at him. "You need 'em. Fire don't hurt me. Magic papers jus stop me from burnin' off my clothes when I get real mad." Her cheeks filled with color. "Mama gets mad about that, a lot."

She could feel the tiny spark of jealousy within him, so soundly outclassed by a little girl so much younger than he, how could he not? The feeling was quickly swallowed by cautious gratitude. He wasn't certain the wards would work, but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, the mere fact that someone paid attention to him in a non-negative way was enough to be grateful. None of the Kannagis ever bothered to talk to him. Not even the little raven-haired girl who had protected him once from a fight. It was like he was diseased, and they might catch his weakness. It bothered him. Shouldn't she be avoiding him as well?

"Why are you helping me? Why are you even talking to me?" He tried to keep the forlorn tone out of his voice and failed.

She tilted her head to the side, ruby eyes filled with confusion. "Why not?"

Kazuma shrugged. "'Cuz, I'm not," he ran his fingers through his hair as words failed him. He hadn't expected her to ask him that. "I'm, 'Cuz, no one else does!"

"Everyone else is stupid. My friends from school can't use magic, and they help me all the time." She answered quickly, "And, and I help them, too! Why can't you be my friend, too?" Her hands curled into plump little fists in her lap as she looked up at him expectantly.

Friend. The word kept repeating in his mind. He didn't have any. He was always home training. There was no time for regular school if he wanted to stand a chance of being accepted into the Kannagi family at all. His chest felt funny, warm, and tingly. His little brother was too young yet to know if he would be a friend, too. Ren was still learning how to walk, let alone talk. So this, in a way was his first real friend. Possibly. Maybe.

His gaze moved to his feet again, shuffling them against the cold, hard ground. The adult Ayano found his shyness endearingly sweet. A shame it wouldn't last. He finally muttered quietly. "Well, I guess you can be my friend." He tried to make his voice sound reluctant. She was a girl, and a little kid after all. He couldn't act too excited.

Young Ayano clapped her hands together happily. "Goody!" She squealed and clambered to her feet. Kazuma wondered if her mother would get mad about the grass stains on her yukata: of which she was oblivious. "I'm glad you're my friend." She added, a bright smile.

"Why?"

The fire child made a face at him. "Don't you know? All my other cousins are no fun!" She waved her bony arms; Kazuma thought she might take flight at any moment the way she flailed about. "They're mean n' stuff. They dun like me 'cuz I can beat them. 'N now I gotta fight 'em all. It's stupid." Her lower lip extended out as she pouted, she even went so far as to stomp her foot petulantly. "I dun wanna fight. I wanna go play!"

Kazuma's surprise was palpable. He'd forgotten all about the great tournament the family had been holding. It was why all the cousins had been brought together, after all. For the first time the boy hadn't worried about the tournament in, well, ever. Concern screeched to the fore of his mind.

"I don't want to fight, either." Unintentionally, his arms wove across his chest, gripping his biceps, as if the move could protect him from his own memories. "They're going to burn me again." He shuddered at the thought. Ayano's older self was suddenly inundated with memories of pain. Overwhelming pain. Was this what he felt when he turned to the darkness? It was awful! She was losing herself to the agony he was experiencing. So much hurt. So—

"Stupid." It stopped. The little girl's voice broke through it all.

He blinked, as if seeing her for the first time. "Stupid?"

"Duh!" Despite her significant lack in height she stomped over to him, reached up, and flicked his nose. "Stop bein' stupid, stupid. I'm gonna fight 'em all for you. I'll win, and then everyone'll have ta listen to me."

Kazuma rubbed his nose. He was flabbergasted, "everyone?"

She nodded her head emphatically. "Yup. Then I'll make everyone stop fighting. Then we'll all go play."

Laughter burst from his lips, nearly doubling him over. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!" His arms clutched his sides, tears of mirth stung his eyes.

The little girl was completely offended. She puffed out her cheeks and stomped her feet. "Who asked you, anyway? S'what I'm gonna do so, so, there!" She stormed away from him in a huff, her hair a brightly colored curtain behind her.

"W-wait! Hey!" Kazuma stumbled off after her.

The vision flickered and faded, replaced with warmth. Another vision swam to the fore. She was in an open field somewhere familiar, but definitely not home or one of her normal hangouts. Her uncle Tsuruki, a short, squat fellow with black-brown eyes, neatly trimmed black hair, and the pinched features of a person used to scowling a lot. His beak-like nose made his face look even more unpleasant. Ayano had always hated the guy. Two of her cousins, Kou and Ryo, stood a few feet away near Genma, but closer to herself. Kazuma's father looked more frustrated and angry than he typically appeared to be, his brown eyes furrowed in barely contained rage. She thought, she even saw pity reflected in his eyes.

"Again," Tsuruki waved towards her.

"Father, please, tell them to stop," Kazuma begged even as the fireball came streaking towards him. Painful heat engulfed him, and he screamed. The fire dissipated, and he collapsed to the ground in agony. His extremities felt like they had been jammed with thousands of needles. Finally, the air cooled, and sweet relief washed over him. His cousins leered at him from a few feet away. Uncle Tsuruki watched on proudly. Genma rubbed the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut.

Finally, Genma grunted. "Enough. We should pick up tomorrow."

"This is your problem. You give up too soon." Tsuruki responded, his black beady eyes glittered with amusement. "This is how he will learn, Genma. You cannot have a weak son."

"I—"

"What will the family think at the tournament? You will lose your hard-earned status." He interrupted, his lips quirked upward. Kou and Ryo seemed equally amused. Come to think of it, she hadn't really liked the twins any more than she liked her uncle. They'd had been nasty little creatures even when they were barely toddlers. They lit their pets on fire for fun, tortured housekeepers by boiling the water they were about to use for various chores, or starting the burners unexpectedly on their live-in chef, then blamed it on other people and malfunctions, of course, and Tsuruki was too entertained to make them mind.

Tsuruki took Genma's silence for acceptance. He motioned to her cousins.

"Again."

Kazuma's cries echoed in her ears; the last thing she heard before the dream faded.

Ayano's fear surged to the fore; she remembered this part of her dream all too well. First came the warmth, and then fire, hot, agonizing flames danced across her skin. Pain scorched a path along her arms and legs and buried itself in her breast, sucking the air from her lungs.

She screamed.

o0o

Kazuma had mere moments to brace for Ayano's thrashing limbs. The seatbelt in Kirika's car kept the girl from throwing herself to the floor, for that he was grateful. He reached over and unbuckled his belt so he could scoot across the leather seat and gather her up in his arms. As she had the first time she had that awful dream, she fought his embrace initially, then sagged into sudden stillness. This was, by far, the worst part. For a terrifying second he assumed she was—no. He wouldn't even go there. The moment passed, and she took a deep, shuddering breath, her eyes snapped open, and she clung to him.

"How did you stand it?" she moaned. "How did you live with this pain? I can't, I..."

Kazuma refused to let her finish. He gave her shivering form a squeeze. "It's all right it's over now."

Gradually, her breathing returned to normal, and her eyes cleared. Her eyes turned up towards his face, brown eyes stared at him with some inscrutable expression in them. He shifted uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze.

"They burned you."

At first, her statement confused him. "What are you, oh," the words died on his lips as an icy coldness trickled into his chest. The only people who had ever burned him was his family. Way back when...

"Princess, you don't need to think about that right now."

Ayano pushed away from him, her eyes hard. "No. They did. They hurt you, repeatedly. Why? It should have been obvious it wasn't working. Why keep torturing you?"

Mahogany eyes shifted away from her face. "Let's talk about this later. We're almost here."

Ayano opened her mouth to protest but closed it quickly as she reminded herself that Kirika was audience to their conversation. Her eyes shifted to the window, buildings passed by, illuminated in yellow by dim street lamps. In the moonless night, the world felt so subdued and foreboding.

The scenery rapidly grew familiar until the walls of the primary Kannagi complex rolled into view. Dread grew in the pit of her stomach as she saw a line of black sedans lining the long driveway to her home. It could only mean one thing: a family meeting. This late at night it had to be an emergency. She glanced towards Kazuma. He had shifted back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. A frown tipped the corners of his lips downwards. Apparently, he was just as concerned as she.

A moment later they were escorted out of the car and to the meeting room. Intense arguing could be heard through the thin paper of the sliding doors. Kazuma entered first. As he stepped through a mass of heads turned simultaneously in his direction, then beyond him to the dark haired girl following behind him.

Ren's blonde head poked out from between two suited men. He gave his brother a small wave, brow furrowing in confusion, then recognition of Ayano. Several years ago he would have jumped up and ran to embrace his sibling. Now, though, the young man was subdued. He'd quieted significantly since Kazuma had left. Large green eyes carried a hint of maturity, and the baby fat had vanished into a lanky frame. Ayano noted that he looked like a shorter, skinnier, and blonde version of his elder brother, more so, now that the two were in close proximity to each other.

The room exploded with exclamations.

"That's Ayano?"

"What on earth is the meaning of all this?"

"Why is Kazuma here?"

Jugo raised a hand, silencing them all at once. "Please, let them have a seat. Everything will be explained."

Ayano and Kazuma quickly took two empty seats near her father. Tsuruki sat on her other side. She stiffened when he leaned over to speak in her ear. "I can't believe you ran off at a time like this. You don't deserve the title of heiress."

Ayano lifted her chin. "I did not run off. I was ordered away."

"That is true, Tsuruki, I was the one who ordered her to stay away." Jugo began relating their tale to the family. Ayano, it was explained, went into hiding to keep her safe while they located Bernhardt. He didn't mention that it was to protect her from her own family more than anything else. She'd never really thought of it before, but most of her trouble revolved around ugly family business. When had things become so bad? Why was everyone so cutthroat?

A voice broke through her musings. "Let me get this straight, this Bernhardt fellow stole Enraiha?"

"He tried. We don't think he was successful," Jugo replied, patiently.

"And this is the reason why we are all losing our powers?" Tsuruki broke in.

Ayano's mouth went dry. Everyone's power was disappearing? Why? Had the head of the family's power always been tied to everyone else? Her heart sank even lower. If it was true then that meant she hadn't just failed Kazuma, she'd failed everyone when she fell into that trap.

Jugo nodded. "We think so, but this occurrence hasn't happened in 200 years. We're still researching how the Kannagis recovered Enraiha back then."

"So this has happened before?" Kazuma's voice filtered in.

"Yes. However the records of that incident have gone missing. It appears they have been stolen."

"Stolen?" Tsuruki roared. "You mean to tell me the head and his heir are so weak our antidote to our problem has been stolen?"

Kazuma flicked his cool gaze in the furious man's direction. "Well, that's our first clue. It had to be a Kannagi member. Only they are allowed into the records room, am I right, Jugo?"

Jugo nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

"Well then we have the culprit right here among us. It has to be Kazuma." Tsuruki pointed a round finger in his direction. "That wind user hates this family. Of course he'd sabotage our finding a cure."

"That makes no sense!" Ayano barked. "If Kazuma had stolen those records, then why the hell would he continue to remain here and guard me?"

"She's right. If it were me I would have nabbed the records and gotten the hell out of there. I would have struck back when all your powers were gone and you were helpless. Not when they're waning and you could possibly fight back. Besides, I don't give a damn about the Kannagi family. I'm here to get paid. Nothing more."

"You're lying!" Tsuruki spat. "You're—"

"That's enough, Tsuruki." Genma spoke at last. "The boy's right. He has no reason to show his face here at this moment, if he had done what you've said. It makes little sense."

Tsuruki spluttered a response, but Jugo held up a hand to silence him. "Rest your case. It's obviously not him, Genma's correct."

To Ayano's dismay several other family members spoke amongst themselves, shooting Kazuma dirty, accusing looks. Was her family truly so foolish as to believe that moron? She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose between two slender fingers. Another thought stirred within her. Kazuma had once pointed out that those who argued the loudest were often a part of the guilty party. She couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't the case, again. She would have to remember to speak to Kazuma about it afterward. He'd be able to look into it.

"I suppose I know what my job is." Kazuma put on his best smirk. "Find Enraiha and return it to the family. Should be fairly simple, now that we know a Kannagi is involved."

Tsuruki paled visibly as the contractor's eyes settled squarely on him. Ayano resisted her triumphant smile. He already knew what she was thinking. Good. Make him sweat a little.

The little man frowned and crossed his arms over his chest petulantly. "Idiots. All of you. I know who did it, and so should you. This boy will lead us all on a wild goose chase. I just know it."

Ayano rolled her eyes. She was sick of the games already, and she'd just gotten home. With a grunt she pushed away from the floor and stood. "We'll start investigating tomorrow. As for myself, I plan to get some rest. Good night, father." With that, she exited the meeting room.

Her feet quickly took her to her room where she removed her clothes and pulled on her pajamas. She crawled into bed with a small, pleased moan. It felt good to be in her own bed again, though she missed the comforting embrace of Kazuma's arms. She sighed and turned her gaze towards the window above her bed. The wind user would get the answers they all needed, she just knew it. The problem was, did any one of them deserve to get their powers back? She wasn't so certain anymore.