Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 4: Children of the Night

The afternoon sun was scolding hot, stealing the precious water from the parched ground, turning it into lifeless dust to simply blow away in the warm breeze. Life seemed to be waning from the Earth in the face of these recent incidents, almost as if the planet itself was giving up hope of a resolution. Members of an old Shinto shrine could only pray dearly that the terrible times would pass, and that this wasn't an inevitable omen of destruction. The shrine in question was known as by travellers as 'The Shrine of Solace'; it was an isolated place sat in a forested hillside overlooking the city of Tokyo. It was a sanctuary that seemed to have survived the earthquakes and violence, protected by wards put in place by blessed hands. Since the violence had begun, the place had become a sanctum for those who sought safety and peace. Anyone had been consumed by violent intentions could not cross into the grounds.

One man within the four walls of the high rise shrine wasn't there simply for protection from the outside world. He was there to keep the outside world safe from him.

For the first time in a while, Jin Long was fearful.

As he sat in meditation out of the harsh rays of the sunlight his mind reeled, not able to escape the thoughts of horror and bloodshed. In some ways, it pulled him back into his dark past; made him remember all the evil he'd once done when he'd slain without remorse. He'd tried hard to make up for his misguided ways, but deep down, he was afraid that he couldn't escape the violence, and he'd be dragged down in a reprise of the past. So before even an ounce of uncontrollable darkness seeped into him, he'd left his home and taken shelter at the shrine.

I will not allow the lure of violence to corrupt me, he told himself. Here I am safe to let go of all my dark feelings and fill myself with light and peace.

He sat in silence, the light glinting off his spectacles, creating little crystalline patterns on the wooden floor. He listened to the few sounds that caught his keen hearing. Small fearful voices on a lower floor spoke sadly of the crisis, some even wept hopelessly as if all was lost. Footsteps scurried about hurriedly, mostly the shrine maidens going about their duties. He could even hear the distant tinkling of wind chimes, but somehow, they all felt rather distant. He felt very much safe in his own bubble in the shade of the airy room. The heat even seemed like only a mild discomfort.

His eyes remained closed as he tried to empty himself of every thought and feeling, steadying his breathing into a slow rhythm. But the peace he was trying to soak up had a very strange air, as if it was somehow disturbed. A frown marred his features.

The room had filled with a cold and cryptic essence that shouldn't have been there.

Long was no longer alone.

The Chinese man sighed. He didn't open his eyes nor turn as spoke, his voice remaining placid. "I had not expected you to appear in a place like this, Xion. How did you manage to enter without triggering the protective wards?"

The silver haired man snorted, amused by the idea of being kept out so easily. "You fail to understand that even wards, as great as they are, can be easily tricked. They were created to keep out the most unholiest of creatures formed from impurity and darkness not born of this Earth. The Unborn were creations of this planet, their purpose here at one time just like that of the humans as a dominating species." He slowly stepped towards the seated man. "I suppose they expected to read violence in my spirit. Well, they'll be disappointed to know that I have not been corrupted by such things. How fallible your protection is."

"Not corrupted?" Long said thoughtfully, eyes still close. "I may have to disagree with you on that subject, but I will agree that you are not a victim of the violence. Though, I have to ask the question. What are you intentions here?"

"Oh, I assure you, I am not here to cause trouble," Xion assured smoothly. "I have no reason to. What I search for has no presence here. And my quest still continues."

Long's eyes opened at this point and he turned to look up at the tall man. He was stood a few paces away, leaning casually against one of the wooden beams. His typical red coat swayed slightly with the gentle breeze drifting through the room. He gave Long a small smile, which could have passed for something friendly if it wasn't for his cruel, steely eyes.

"I'm sure you're interested to know about my quest? Well, you'll have to forgive me if I am not so readily forthcoming about it," he said, his tone almost patronising.

"You have interest in the reason for the violence, no?" The Chinese man said, gauging the expression of the other man, who remained passive in response. Long knew that Xion was always looking for answers to the world's most unanswerable questions.

Xion chuckled. "You could say so."

"Well, what do you hope to gain from it then? Though, I am guessing the answer is that it will undoubtedly lead to something of unmitigated power?"

Xion was impressed. "You're a very intelligent individual, Mr. Jin. I am more readable then I thought. Yes, the power behind it all does intrigue me. It is something familiar, something that will come in use for me…"

"Do you realise the danger that could come from it?" Long asked, standing up. "Such power could bring ultimate destruction to this planet. Or maybe the power will destroy you long before it even gets that far."

Xion laughed; the sound echoed richly around them. "But you forget; I am not just ANY man…" He stepped towards the tiger Zoanthrope, until they were only a few metres apart. "… And besides, I've tasted the power of thousands of souls, and not just through the tabula, but through my accursed race. I am their anchor to this world. When I stop to listen to their distant voices I hear their anger, feel their greed, and shoulder their wanton desire to be free of the darkness. But what I feel most is their lust for revenge." His expression became deadly serious. "This planet is not self-destructing because of the Unborn. It's because of the weak, pitiful creatures that exist here now that saps the life out of this world. But there is something else, a creature more uncontrollable than any is ripping apart of the very fabric of the planet it is supposed to protect. I have so much to gain from that creature's destruction."

Long's eyes narrowed. "If you know what is happening…"

Xion just turned away smiling. "Of course I know, and you're all so far from figuring it out."

Long's hand came to rest on his shoulder, his voice calm. "Tell me, Xion. What is causing this chaos?"

Xion looked at the hand in disgust and shrugged it off, walking away as he spoke. "Life itself."

Long frowned. "Life?"

"Yes, the very heart of everything that lives on this planet. Gaia, a name that means life, is finally losing its grip on all that it has created. It's sad really, that her creations are the culminating reason for why this world is suffering. But I will bring it to an end. I will face Gaia's embodiment of unity and stability and crush it with my bare hands."

"So, that is your quest," Long concluded emptily.

Xion snorted. "And now you know... but it doesn't change a thing." He turned to face him once again, smiling sadistically. "The fate of this planet will soon be decided. Don't expect things to ever be the same again." And like a shadow melting into the sunset, Xion disappeared.

"Being destroyed by life itself?" Long sat down in confusion, turning to look out into the bright daylight. "What has become of this world?"

The grey evening sky began to swallow the heat of the day, the sun quietly tucking behind gloomy clouds as a cool breeze washed through the city. A reprieve in some ways, but also foreboding in others. And with the retreating daylight came the promise of another night of fear and violence.

The wind was a soft, eerily whistling through empty streets, filling in for the silence that washed though what was once a busy shopping district. Even a child's playground, a place of happiness and noise was now still. The squeaky swings rocked slightly on their chains while the rest of the playground remained frozen in silence.

But something did eventually disturb the silence of the playground. It was a small figure that appeared from nowhere, leaping onto a brightly painted seesaw. They walked carefully along the beam until it tipped down to set it on the ground. Once it did, they hopped off, letting the seesaw rock back up with a clank. This little figure was in no way a child, and definitely not human, but none the less enjoying prancing about the little play area.

The little grey fox dashed across the length of the playground, hopping through the swings gracefully before going to sit on a wooden bench to the side, letting out a satisfied yip as it wagged its tail. In such a desolate place, the little creature was glad to have some fun.

It sat quietly for a few minutes, panting, ears pricked up listening. The fox suddenly cocked its head, turning to look out towards a path that led towards a side passage – a walkway that passed a few large buildings. Sniffing at the air incessantly, it finally caught onto a scent, one it had been trying to find again since last night. It barked triumphantly and turned to hop over the small fence surrounding the playground, scurrying along towards the path.

It stopped when it heard a call, somewhere far behind. It turned to look, soon realising whom it was and took off into a sprint, following the path down to the passage and disappearing under the shadows of some looming trees.

"Pakupon!" The voice called out again. It was the voice of a girl, who stepped from a path onto the small field where the playground sat. She hurried towards the path she thought the fox had taken, stopping near the tall buildings to catch her breath.

Uriko Nonomura was tired and cold, but she wasn't giving up just yet.

She'd been in hot pursuit ever since the day before when she'd saved the little creature from a group of cruel grade school children senselessly poking and prodding it. She'd sure sent them scattering away with a fierce shout. She had taken care of the little fox, fed it the best scraps she could find, but it had run away despite her tender treatment. Despite her sister's warnings not to go running off with such danger around, she had done so anyway. And to top it all off, she'd gotten herself lost, ending up sleeping in a display bed in a shop window – it was lucky she was small enough to fit through the hole in the door where some lunatic had kicked it in. She was sure her family would be worried, but there was something about the little fox that kept her going on this wild goose chase.

"Oh, Pakupon," Uriko mumbled her own chosen name for the little fox, which she actually thought was a puppy-dog. "You'll get hurt all by yourself."

She hurried on her way, knowing she was going in the right direction.

Scuttling off down the path, she hopped over a bar at the end of the way and found herself in a large car park which served a small shopping mall. Just beyond that, she could see another large building. An aquarium. Something in her senses told her that may have been were Pakupon had gone.

"What an interesting place for a puppy to go!"

Wasting little time, the Japanese girl ran all the way to the building. The aquarium was not opened that day, so there was no way she was getting through the front door, so instead, she went around the side to find where the fire door was, hoping so could manipulate the handle to be able to get inside. Though to her surprise, it was already wide open.

"A puppy couldn't have possibly opened that door..." She thought aloud. "Maybe someone's working today to feed the fish. Maybe they'll tell me if they've seen Pakupon." Just as she was about to walk through the door, a bad feeling washed over her, bringing her to a stop. "But what if it isn't someone feeding the fish? What if it's vandals?" Her face grew angry then. "I'll teach them a lesson for breaking into such a nice place!"

Uriko barged in, very tempted to unsheathe her claws, but there was no sign of destruction or violence. It all seemed perfectly quiet. She felt edgy, not that it stopped her from sprinting through the corridors, the adrenaline pumping. She climbed the main stairs, heading up towards the main gallery to see if she could spot anyone. She had a terrible feeling that she wasn't the only person in the building; that whoever else was there may have been overcome by the violence.

Stepping onto the main walkway of the gallery, she came to a stop, blinking with uncertainty.

She'd put crazy images in her head of some hulking figure foaming at the mouth, body covered in tattoos that said 'DIE' and 'HELL'; or maybe at the least a group of drunken teenagers out to take advantage during the troubles. But instead... it was the complete opposite.

There was someone there, but it wasn't some meathead thug with obnoxious muscles. It was just some pretty young woman, maybe not that much older than herself, leaning onto the banister, staring thoughtfully at the tanks on the walls, watching the marine creatures swim around carefree. She seemed too distracted to notice the cat Zoanthrope's presence. She didn't look much like a crook or a bully. She had lovely flowing auburn locks and big curious brown eyes. She was wearing a short sleeved leather jacket and a blue zip cropped top underneath, which only just covered her bust, and a pair of flame patterned hot pants. She stood, her long bare legs crossed at the shins, her feet clad in black strappy ankle boots.

"Hey!" Uriko shouted, calling for her attention. Brown eyes lost their glassy thoughtful look as the woman jumped, turning to regard the young Japanese girl.

Nagi had been brought there for one reason only: to search for the 'White Zoanthrope'. Her senses had guided her to this place, his faint scent lingering in the air. If he had been there at some point, he clearly wasn't now.

She'd packed her things and left the public house early that morning, the events of the night before hardly playing in her mind; though, she had a feeling she may see that ShenLong character again.

She'd spent the day following her inbuilt radar until it led her to the aquarium. She had questioned why he would think to come to a place like this, but really the answer was irrelevant anyway. He'd broken in through a fire exit, which she also used to gain access to the place. But she was already too late. He'd long since gone. He may have been using the place as a hide out, but there was nothing about to indicate this was the case. Tired that she'd followed a false trail, she'd stopped to rest and gather her thoughts before she moved on. She didn't like the idea of running in circles, but she had no other leads than what her unreliable senses told her.

Of course, her thoughts had been interrupted by this newcomer; a young girl who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Who is she?

"What's the big idea?" Uriko asked sternly.

Nagi turned, folding her arms. "What's your problem, kid?"

Uriko fumed, turning bright red. "I'm not a kid!"

Nagi shrugged. "Whatever."

"What are you doing here? Why'd you break in?" She interrogated, pointing her finger at her, though actually, it was more a pointing of her sleeve as it was so long it covered her hand.

"This is some kind of mistake. I didn't break in here," Nagi insisted. "I'm searching for someone. He was here before me, but he's gone now."

"Yeah right! What a terrible lie!"

"I don't care if you think I'm lying or not," Nagi said, turning her back on her. "Now if you'd excuse me, I've got to go!"

"Hey! I'm not finished with you! I can't let you walk away, you crook!" Uriko shouted with an authoritative tone.

Nagi looked over her shoulder, slightly amused by her words. "What? You're kidding?"

"I'm going to give you a taste of my Kenpo training! Just what a vandal deserves!"

"You wha- HEY!" Nagi leapt backwards, almost tripping as Uriko leapt at her with a double kick, whiffing both shots completely. She grabbed Uriko's shoulder firmly, shaking the girl. "Just what do you think you're doing!?"

"Let go!" Uriko turned and gave her a good thwack around the face, making Nagi retreat, releasing her hold. The girl followed up with a fury of punches before turning into a jumping uppercut, though Nagi dodged all her attacks.

"Stop it! This is stupid!" Nagi yelled. Was this girl consumed by the violence? She really didn't want to hurt her, but she really was being given no choice. When her opponent suddenly paused between attacks, Nagi decided to get in one good shot, a warning to the girl to show that she wasn't someone to mess with.

Yes... Go on... Do that... A little voice whispered somewhere within her, and before she knew it, she'd smashed her right hand straight into the girl's chest, a crackle of red electricity coursing over her fist. She watched in shocked as the young girl was flung back against the far wall. She let out a fallen cry and collapsed into a heap.

I didn't just kill her, did I? Her arm suddenly seized with pain, and she grabbed it, biting her lip. My right hand... hurts... Sparks of electricity temporarily coursed over the limb before fading away, with which Nagi slumped back against the gallery barrier, carefully watching the young girl, seeing the rise and fall of her chest with a sigh of relief.

Her ears suddenly picked up the sound of footsteps padding in her direction. She straightened up, turning defensively as her eyes set on a small fox entering the walkway. The small creature gave Uriko a quick sniff and then turned to Nagi with interest.

In a flash and a puff of smoke, the little fox disappeared, and in its place appeared a little blue haired girl wearing traditional shrine maidens' robes. She gave a small bow to Nagi respectively, who stood looking completely perplexed.

"You've been given such a great power. I can feel it," the little girl said. She then turned to Uriko, touching the girl's cheek gently. She smiled softly. "Ah, she'll be fine; you didn't use too much power on her."

"Who are you?" Nagi asked.

"Oh?" The little girl cleared her throat, giggling slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself." She bowed again. "My name is Mana. My mission is similar to yours. To stop the evil that wishes to do harm to this planet."

Nagi was taken aback. "But… How do you…?"

Mana just smiled brightly. "I'm a watcher, a guardian gifted with knowledge of the ages…"

"You're so young," Nagi said in awe of her. "I'm impressed."

Mana gave the girl a more serious look. "The situation grows graver by the second. The 'White Zoanthrope' is searching for the key to Gaia's power. My job is to assure that the power is sealed beyond his reach, and yours is to stop the escaped Unborn. But it is obvious that we cannot hope to achieve a peaceful balance by ourselves. Other Zoanthropes out there who have not become affected by the violence would be useful in helping to stop the situation getting out of hand any further."

"I don't think you should waste time trying to find them," Nagi said firmly. "Too many are easily overcome by the violence. You never know who will turn next. Trust is something that I just can't do right now." She looked down at Uriko. "As you can see, everyone wants to take a crack at me."

Mana looked at Uriko and just laughed. "Oh, please don't worry about her. She's not affected; just a bit over zealous, that's all." She turned back to Nagi. "Even though she's strong, I don't think this kind of mission is something she could really handle. I fear that the rising force of Gaia's powers would send her into a coma, like many others who've tried to handle it."

"Is there something you want me to do for you?" Nagi asked.

"If possible, you need to intercept the 'White Zoanthrope' as soon as possible. He's looking for the power that is behind all these terrible events. It's imperative that he doesn't reach Gaia's sanctuary." Mana answered. "In my searching, I've picked up a distinct power trail that matches his." She stepped in closer as if afraid others would hear. "Do you know of a place called the 'The Shrine of Solace'?"

"I've heard of it," Nagi confirmed.

Mana was hopeful. "Well, the 'White Zoanthrope' was last sensed close to the shrine. I'm unsure if he is still there, but it's my best guess." She sighed, her eyes growing weary. "I need to conserve my energy. Running around in pursuit of strong Zoanthropes is not helping me to control the seal."

"What seal? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Mana shook her head. "I'm sorry. The few people who know, the better. All you need to know is that your duty is vital. You must get to the 'White Zoanthrope' before he finds the seal." She looked about her uneasily. "I must go now. Anyone could be listening. I may have said too much already." She bowed to Nagi once more. "Farewell, Nagi. Take care. May you succeed in your mission."

Nagi responded with a simple bow of her own. "Yes… take care." Her expression became somewhat confused. This situation is getting even more complicated by the minute... and how did she know my name?

Another flash and puff of smoke and the girl melted back into her little fox form, barked and scurried off. At the back of Mana's mind, there was a strange feeling about Nagi. That something dark was hidden deep down inside; something that may cause problems sooner or later. But it was something she'd have to worry about another time.

After the fox disappeared, Nagi went to kneel down in front of Uriko, whom was finally beginning to stir. The girl awoke to Nagi leaning over her, hand resting on her shoulder.

"Stay down, okay? No more fighting. I don't mean any harm." Nagi sat back as the girl lifted herself into a seated position. "I didn't come here to cause trouble. In fact, I'm trying to get away from the violence. I was hoping to be able to fix the problem, but I'm kind of lost. I think you could be too…"

Uriko groaned. "I think I am…" She gave a sad sigh. "You blasted me good. I lost big time. And I couldn't find Pakupon…"

"Paku-who?"

"A puppy," she said.

"Puppy?" Nagi repeated slowly. She couldn't possibly mean the fox?

"Pakupon isn't here now," Uriko concluded.

"I'm sorry…" Nagi stood. "I hope you'll be okay. I don't want to just abandon you, but I've got to go now. There is somewhere I need to be."

"Where are you heading?" Uriko asked, rubbing her sore head.

"Got a new hint that 'The Shrine of Solace' is where I might find someone," she said hopefully. "Just wish I can remember which way it is…"

Uriko's eyes brightened. "Oh! I know where that is! Can I come too? There might be some people hiding up there I know. And maybe my friends and my sister went there, too! I know with things getting really rough, they might think to go there."

"I dunno…" Nagi was reluctant. "I don't want to have to be responsible for you…"

Uriko jumped up. "I'll have you know that I can take care of myself! I rescued my mother from the stupid Liberation Front not so long ago and I've fought in a fighting tournament and went to hunt that weird tabula thing. I can fight! You wouldn't have to worry about me."

"Well…"

"PLEASE!" Uriko gave her big pleading eyes.

Nagi sighed. "… Well, I suppose I can't leave you behind after beating you up. I guess it's my repayment to you."

"Yay!" Uriko cheered, only to cringe seconds later as a headache took over. "Ow..."

"Just… don't embarrass me…"