They returned yet again, finding nothing at all. "It looks like we're finding nothing." James growled.
"Maybe there's something we're not looking at…" Amber thought. Marco remained silent, not saying a word. "Marco, you're silent for once, what's on your mind?" she looked at him. He said nothing, remaining silent.
"Amber, back away from Marco." James grabbed the hilt of his katana.
"James, what're you doing?" she asked as she backed away.
"Show yourself, imposter." James stabbed Marco.
"Heh, looks like you figured it out…" Marco said in a different, more depressed tone of voice.
"Hmph, I left scars on Marco, no way that his body should've healed from all the Dark Matter scars that were left on his body." he took fight stance.
"Oh well, that means I can get out of this ugly form." the imposter shrugged and snapped his fingers, the Marco disguise now melting off his body. The true form was a teenage boy with red hair, and a dark, depressed looking, shade of crystal blue eye pupils.
"So you're that Noah we're looking for." James smirked.
"Oh, I'm that famous, huh?" the enemy smirked.
"Mind telling me your name? Oh, and if you want to avoid a fight, then join me." James said coldly.
"Okay, first off, my name is Aster Kyohaku. Second off, maybe if you can beat me." the boy laughed.
"Fine then." James pulled out his sword.
"Alright then." he replied, taking fight stance. James ran at him, ready to stab him. Aster jumped up away from the stab, and then push-kicked James' face, sending him flying backward.
James stood his ground, smirking "So it seems that you're strong." he said.
"That's not my power." Aster said. Aster then snapped his fingers, darkness completely forming as a hemisphere that covered a 3 mile radius. Out of nowhere, a figure that seemed to look like Kesenai began to form from the ground.
James' eyes widened "Why are you here?!" The copy of Kesenai did not speak, but it pulled out it's sword. Then, it began unwrapping the bandages around it's right arm. "Explain yourself! Why are you assisting him to kill me?!" he yelled. The copy snapped it's fingers, causing an explosion to happen near James's head. "So you're a fake… Huh..?" he smirked, now not needing to hold back.
"No, it's what you think will happen to you one day, fighting against your best friend… And killing him… Or the other way around…" Aster's voice echoed in the darkness.
"Lies!" James tried to reject it.
"You're so defensive about it… If it's such a lie, you wouldn't be acting so defensive about it." Aster said.
"Screw you!" he yelled, now attacking the Kesenai copy. The copy of Kesenai blocked with his sword, and then snapped his fingers, causing an explosion at point blank range. The explosion that happened gave James a few third-degree burns. James backed off, panting.
"Do you know how it feels to be betrayed by your best friend?" Aster licked his lips, watching James fight the Kesenai copy. The Kesenai copy then turned his right hand into claws and stabbed him right in the left arm.
James coughed blood "Damn you… I won't let you stand in my way…" and placed his hand on the copy's forehead, closing his eyes. Then, he sent a blast of Dark Matter from the hand that was on Kesenai's forehead, using the Dark Matter to push him away harshly. Then, he swung his sword at Kesenai, sending a blast of Dark Matter at him "Black Moon Slash!"
"Hm… He seems to be able to accept this inevitable fate, and fight his best friend… Maybe he might be strong enough to escape that destiny of his…" Aster thought, watching the current situation. James' Black Moon Slash had sliced the Kesenai copy into two, blood spraying everywhere. Droplets of the copy's blood has landed on his face. More copies of Kesenai had appeared, as well as copies of Amber and Kira had appeared.
"You bastard… You're going to keep summoning up that ones I know and care for…" James growled, turning his sword into a scythe. "Dark Hurricane!!" he called out his next attack, a vortex of Dark Matter forming as he spun his scythe in circles. The vortex then attacked all of the copies of the people he held close.
"Why..?" one spoke. "Why are you killing us?! Weren't we friends?!" one of the Kesenai copies asked.
"I thought you loved me, you bastard…" a copy of Amber said.
"I considered you a close friend and yet you're killing me for no reason…" a Kira copy said.
"I hope you die!" another Kesenai copy said. The same messages were repeating as they all began to stand up, knives in their hands.
James' resolve began to break down and a separate thought ran through his head: "Weakling…"
Another thought that was the exact opposite said: "No, I can't keep killing them!"
A third ran through his mind: "Just kill them all…" These thoughts were 3 separate thoughts, like 3 personalities…
"Just kill all of them!!" the third thought yelled.
"I agree with him!" the first thought yelled.
"I can't!" James seemed like he was spacing out in the outside and then suddenly, Dark Matter was forming around his body. In an angered tone of voice "I'll kill every last one of you…" he said and ran at the copies of his own friends and loved one. "Black Moon Slash!" he yelled, slicing in multiple directions, killing off all of them, leaving only one copy of Kesenai in the middle of the room.
"You bastard! So you don't give a shit about the people who truly care?" he yelled.
"That's because I never did, and never will ever give a shit…" he said coldly, smirking as he stabbed the Kesenai copy through his heart.
Amber was watching all of it, crying "So… He doesn't give a damn about me..?" she thought. James looked at Aster, ready to kill him.
Aster was clapping "Nice job. You've tainted your own heart and have shown me that you have what it takes to not give a damn about the inevitable unlike me… Fine. I'll join you and your little… Group…" he said.
James' anger began to change back into his usual cold as ice mood, "And where did you hide Marco?" he asked.
"Oh wait, I think I left him by the river." Aster chuckled, snapping his fingers. The darkness that was around had just disappeared. Everyone covered their eyes from the bright light of the sun. Once their eyes had adjusted, they began heading to the river, looking for the knocked out Marco.
--
"What?!" Kesenai woke up and sat up immediately. He looked around and saw a note on his lap. It was from Allen.
Dear Kesenai,
I went off to go look for the Innocence that we were sent here to find, please stay where you are that way you might not get damaged as badly as you were. I'll be back in probably a half hour from now… Bye.
Sincerely,
Allen Walker
Kesenai seemed to be confused at the letter and looked at his right arm to see that his right arm was tied again with bandages and looked to see that other parts of his body were covered in bandages. "Damnit I'm such a weakling…" he thought. He attempted to stand up on his legs, struggling to stand up.
"Stop moving…" a familiar voice said from behind him.
"Huh?" Kesenai seemed confused and looked to see it was Road behind him.
"I don't want to see you be hurt anymore." she placed her arms around him.
"How'd you get here?" Kesenai asked.
"It's called teleportation. Did you forget my power is that?" she sweat dropped.
"I think I did forget…" he sweat dropped as well.
"You're so stupid… But I find that cute about you." Road smiled and held his hands.
Kesenai smiled "Want to go get something to eat?" he asked.
"Okay." Road nodded her head as they began to head outside.
--
Allen meanwhile was walking toward the abandoned house that Kesenai had crashed through when the Level Four Akuma had attacked, looking around in case of anything. He noted that there was a green glow that went off when Kesenai was thrown there. He walked into the house and looked for where the green glow had come from. He found a broken pipe with a Innocence fragment stuck in it. "No one noticed this? That's a good thing." Allen grabbed it and ran off to the hospital where Kesenai was.
Allen bumped into Kesenai by accident. He hit the ground, and Kesenai fell to the ground as well. "Ow…" Allen said.
"Idiot! Why'd you do that?!" he asked.
"Sorry. That was an accident." he replied.
"Whatever." he stood up.
"I found the Innocence." Allen chuckled.
"Oh really?" Kesenai looked at the Innocence fragment in his hand. "That means we can head home." he said.
"Aww, but I want to go on my date with Kesenai!" she complained.
"Fine. Allen, you head back to Head Quarters. Tell Komui I'll be back later." Kesenai said.
"Uh, okay then." Allen said as he began to leave.
"Yay!" Road cheer as she began running, still holding Kesenai's hand. Kesenai went off, following her.
--
Author's Note: ... I think this chapter may have a sucked after James vs Aster... Oh well. Hope you read and review!
Disclaimer: For a god damn 25th time, I do not own D.Gray-Man