Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 10: A Friend in Need

Uriko's eyes felt heavy. She just couldn't open them. A dull weight felt like it was pressed down onto her body. It was such a strange feeling, as if she was being slowly crushed by a giant hand. A part of her screamed to fight back, but another part just remained subdued, as if welcoming it, as if it was some form of release.

Eventually, she managed to open her eyes.

She wasn't in the 'Shrine of Solace'. She was in a darker place, one so cold and foreboding. It looked like some kind of prison, made up of row after row of cell blocks with dirty little barred rooms and just as dirty faces within them, staring out at her with sunken eyes, leering evilly. Uriko gulped subconsciously.

She was somewhere in the centre of the large room, on an unusual swinging platform, which swayed back and forth like a pendulum. The prisoners, some in the cells and some stood on the surrounding balconies were shouting at her through the gloom. She couldn't exactly hear what they were saying, but by their expressions, the words that were flying her way weren't especially pleasant.

This isn't real… I won't listen to you! Uriko clasped her hands tightly over her ears. She began to wonder if this was a manifestation of the violence trying to get inside her head.

Despite her unease, she managed to her calm her racing breaths, heart slowing though still pounding like a hammer in her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to stop shaking. She wasn't going to give in. It was just a nightmare. She needed to wake up.

She opened her eyes. She was still in the horrible prison, the jeers echoing around her…

… But now, she wasn't alone on the large swinging platform. Her friends were there, surrounding her in a circle. Alice, Yugo, Kenji, Master Long, Shina, Gado, Jenny, and surprisingly, Nagi.

But she wasn't comforted by their presence, noting the same weight she could feel from before pressing over her and making her head throb. Despite her discomfort, she managed to scramble to her feet from where she was knelt. She quickly saw their expressions, blank and serious, and felt herself shrink under their intense gaze.

"As usual, we're having to bail you out of trouble," Yugo said coldly to her.

She stepped back in surprise. "W-what?"

"You're truly embarrassing sometimes, Uriko," Alice said with a sigh of disgust. "Why are we always having to chase after you when we have bigger problems to deal with? You're so selfish."

"Alice, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"You're always sorry, but do you ever learn? No!" Alice folded her arms, looking away.

Uriko's lower lip trembled. "I'm really sorry, I promise I won't run off again!"

"Promises, promises," Kenji said with a blasé tone. "They're just as empty as your head."

"W-what?! How can you say that! Just listen to me!"

"She's such a rude girl, interrupting and shouting all the time," Jenny said smoothly, staring down at her immaculately painted fingernails.

"She always has to be heard! She constantly makes herself the centre of attention!" Shina said, shaking her head. "Frankly, I get sick of hearing her voice. It's really annoying."

"She has become something of a nuisance," Long affirmed, which Uriko was most surprised to hear. A stabbing pain hit her in the chest, her heart skipping a beat.

Gado nodded agreeably. "Not seen and not heard would make our lives so much easier."

"Why are you all being so mean to me?" Uriko yelled, tears filling her eyes.

"What's the matter, Uriko?" The girl turned around to face Nagi, her eyes glowing red, filled with malice. "Can't you stand to hear the truth from your friends and family? Poor little baby going to cry because they aren't pampering you? Face it, you pathetic girl, you're a burden!"

"That's not true!" Uriko screamed, hands covering her teary face.

"It wouldn't surprise me if…" Nagi's vicious voice purred, "… You ended up all on your own…"

Uriko's face snapped up from her hands, watching as the people she cared about fade away, one after another, the looks on their faces dark and unforgiving.

"NO! DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE ME ON MY OWN!" She pleaded, her sister the last to disappear. She ran to where she'd been stood, sobbing desperately as she reached for thin air. "ALICE! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO RUN AWAY! PLEASE DON'T GO!" She collapsed to her knees, the voices of the prisoners growing louder. They were screeching, cackling, mocking her, filling her ears with noise like nails on a chalkboard.

Uriko squeezed her eyes shut, hands trying to block out the sound, but it was inside her head, forcing its way into every ounce of her being. She was screaming, trying to fight the hatred that was trying to consume her…

… And she sat up screaming, still alone, but this time, in the 'Shrine of Solace'. Her lungs burned as she panted for breath, sweat beading down her face. It really was just a nightmare.

She wiped the pre-born tears from her eyes and stood, her legs slightly wobbly. She remembered she'd taken a nap to kill time during the day, letting herself recuperate from an extensive training session with Long.

She groaned, her hand coming to rest on her head, acknowledging a dullness still remained from the pressure that had invaded her dreams.

"The violence tried to get me," she murmured thoughtfully. "I guess the shrine sort of protected me…"

Sighing, she tried to shake the horrible images of the prison from her head, but they lingered within her conscious thoughts. She quickly left her sleeping room, jogging through the shrine, bypassing uneasy people along the way, caught up in their own worries. Her destination lay below on the lower levels of the shrine, in a room bound with pure magic. Inside lay an unconscious Uranus, kept in such a state for the safety of the people within the shrine.

The blue haired woman rested peacefully, her face calm and serene. This woman, the dangerous bearer of destructive powers, was surprisingly child-like as she slept. Shrine attendants had healed her after her confrontation with Nagi. There was only very minor bruising still visible on her pale skin now.

Uriko carefully knelt down beside Uranus, staring at her intently. The older woman's face reminded her of an image of herself, when she was corrupted by Tylon, forced into a woman's body to become a weapon. Sometimes she would see that face, the yellow eyes, the green hair, somewhere in the background of her dreams, as if it had never truly gone away.

But Uriko didn't want to think of memories of darker times, when she was stolen from her home and experimented on like some little lab rat. She was just thankful to have her normal life back when her mother and Alice had saved her. Tylon was nothing more than a bad memory doused in flames.

Her eyes glistened at the thought of her sister. Alice…

The rabbit Zoanthrope had lost her own family, though she did everything she could to keep her new one together. She had so much to thank Alice for, and yet, she caused her so much trouble by being so unreliable and irresponsible. Alice deserved a trustworthy sister who didn't cause her so much aggravation.

Everyone else as well – from Master Long to Kenji – they deserved better, too. How annoying she must have been to them, constantly getting in the way, running around loudly like a petulant child. Being honest to herself, everything that had been said to her in her nightmare had been absolutely true. She was just as bad as they'd said.

Tears began to flow down her cheeks, falling like drops raining onto the tatami mat.

"I'm so selfish," Uriko sobbed, hands covering her mouth. She hunched over, her frame shuddering uncontrollably as she cried, damning her own stupidity, cursing her weaknesses, wishing she hadn't dragged everyone into such terrible situations because she couldn't take care of herself properly.

Footsteps gently came up behind her, yet she didn't look up, she couldn't bear the thought of anyone seeing her like this.

Long knelt down beside her, placing a hand carefully onto her back. "What troubles you, Uriko?"

"I'm such a bad person, Master," she managed to say between sobs.

"How so?" He asked, quite taken aback by her sudden emotional outburst.

"I had such a horrible dream where I was trapped and everyone was mad at me and said I'd be left on my own for the things I've done," she wept, the words gushing out in a hurried torrent.

"It was only a dream," he assured her.

"But everything everyone said was all true!" She wailed. "I always end up doing something stupid and cause problems. And I break all the promises I make."

"I disagree," Long said firmly. "While you can be impulsive, many of your actions are born from your desire to do the right thing. You openly care and assist your friends and family when they need you."

She looked up, eyes red and damp. "Alice has done so much for me, but I always go and cause her so much worry. I'm not there for her right now when she needs me. She could be out there, hurt and lone – even dying – and here I am, sat here because I decided to run off. I'm always promising to help and then I get distracted by stupid things. I bet everyone hates me!"

"Now, that is not true at all. You're a caring individual, and everyone cherishes your good nature," Long soothed, rubbing his hand up and down her trembling back. "Alice knows you do your best whatever you do. You do not have to make big gestures to show you care. The little things matter as well. You have gained great respect from your peers, more than you know."

"But I still ran away like a stupid brat," Uriko said, disappointed in herself. She used her jacket sleeve to wipe away her tears.

"What's done is done and cannot be changed, but you should realise that you did not act to cause trouble, and you should not dwell on it any further," he assured. "Alice is a strong woman. She can take care of herself, just like you can. I am certain she will be alright."

Uriko carefully turned to wrap her arms around Long. He was surprised by her action and hesitated to react, but eventually relaxed, placing an arm across her shoulders.

"I just want to make it up to everyone," she said softly, cheek pressed to his chest.

"Then, you have to be strict with yourself. Think before you run off anywhere. Though right now, you need to remain here for your safety," he told her. "Alice would be glad to know that you are safe, and not in the thick of the violence."

"I just hope she's okay," Uriko hoped.

Long smiled softly. "I believe so, and I am sure right now she will be coming to find you here. Try not to worry."

"Thank you, Master Long. You always know the right things to say," she said, brightening slightly, though she still felt slightly guilty. "Master?"

"Yes, Uriko?"

"I'm sorry?"

"For what?"

"For being a nuisance."

"Why would you think you were a nuisance to me?" He asked.

"I just know that I bother you a lot when you don't want anyone around," she said, sighing softly. "Especially when I went to you the first time to ask for training. I know you didn't want me around, that you didn't like me…"

"Please stop," he said softly, lifting her chin with his index finger so their eyes could meet. "You are not a nuisance to me, Uriko. If I am honest, you can be a little too much to handle at times, but truly, I appreciative your company and the efforts you make to offer your friendship. I am humbled that you wish to spend time around someone like me. And, all that time ago, I had not spoken to anyone exclusively for almost five years and I was rather crude and selfish, but I have you to thank for helping me become a better person."

Uriko blushed, hiding her face for a moment as she took in the rare praise from Long. She then looked down to Uranus, still in her restful and placid sleep.

"Do you think there is any hope for her? Do you think she can be saved?"

"There is always hope, Uriko," Long told her. "Always remember that."

Hope… Uriko began to smile. That thought alone gave her much courage.

Stepping into the underpass, Nagi's instincts told her that she didn't have far to go. She strode on, watching the cars zoom passed her on either side in a blur of colour as she continued through the central separation between the roads.

For hours, she'd thought she'd been walking in circles, trying to keep locked onto to the metaphysical scent of the 'White Zoanthrope'. There had been no straightforward path. It was winding, confusing, uncertain, but something had led her this way, had caused her brain to home in on another particular essence that seemed more concise in the way it moved. The aching in the back of her skull told her she was on the right track.

As she'd continued her journey, she'd kept having indescribable sensations that had left her heart pounding like a drum. She'd been feeling strange on and off since the incident at the shrine with Uriko. But she forced herself not to dwell on it. Keeping her focus on her current task, she continued on.

Her eyes scanned up towards the city skyline she could see at the high exit of the tunnel. Large corporate buildings loomed ominously. Her gut twisted suddenly.

You're at one of those buildings, I just know it, Nagi thought to herself. You can't hide. I can feel you. Her eyes narrowed angrily. I'm coming to get you.

The traffic sounds were drowned out by a cacophony of her heartbeat and determined footsteps. Knowing she was getting closer to finally freeing herself of this curse gave her pride and vigour.

"Nagi?"

Her step faltered. She was taken by surprise.

Yugo… How did you find me? Why now? But she kept walking. She had no time to deal with him, and hope he took the hint.

The wolf Zoanthrope had finally caught up with her after what had felt like an endless search. He'd just happened to see her cross into the underpass and had took off after her. Despite this reunion, it didn't seem like she was going to stop for him.

"Nagi, wait, I have something to ask you, can you please answer me?" He called to her.

Begrudgingly, she stopped. Nagi sighed, knowing she couldn't just ignore her friend. She turned around to look at the Japanese man, seeing his concerned face. What was he so worried about?

Yugo was glad to see she was unhurt, but he was determined to know what had happened to her. With reports cropping up of her strange powers – stuff that made no sense from what he knew – he couldn't just let her carry on as she was. He was about to say something else when he felt a great pressure hit him, coming directly from her. He choked, stepping back.

"Huh? I feel something from you," he said, her voice coming out in a gasp.

Nagi frowned. What was he talking about? Was he feeling the power of the Spurious? Without her knowing, a flicker of red passed over her brown eyes, menacingly.

"What's this?" He jumped surprised.

"Yu-"

Her voice was cut off as a flash of red and purple exploded between them, the power pressing towards Yugo. Nagi staggered backwards, her chest feeling tight. What the hell was happening? Had that surge of power come directly from her?!

Yugo was thrown backwards, managing to catch hold of the side rail, but it didn't stop him from landing like a rock on his rear. Looking up, he caught the glimpse of an evil alien-like face in the coloured mist.

"STAY… AWAY…" It hissed at him lowly.

Nagi couldn't hear the voice, but the incident alone had freaked her out. Not wasting any time over what had happened, she made a run for it.

Stay safe, Yugo… And like a shot, she was gone.

The red and purple cloud dissipated in a flash and Yugo was left staring at nothingness. He glanced about uneasily, quickly realising Nagi was gone.

"What the hell was that?" Yugo questioned, getting back to his feet.

"Spurious power," came the surprising answer. The young man looked upwards, to a beam above him where a little girl with blue hair was sat.

"Huh? Spurious power? What's that?" He asked.

"A piece of Gaia's power, a replication of another," she said, leaping down gracefully, landing before him. "My name is Mana. I am a retainer of Gaia, though… what you felt is something that I can't quite explain. There is something lurking within Gaia's gift, like an ominous shadow."

"There was something about it," Yugo said thoughtfully. "It's like something I've felt before. Like… the Unborn."

"I believe you could be right," Mana said with a nod, her brow furrowing with unease.

"Do you know what's happening around here? Why people have become effected by the violence?" Yugo asked.

Mana looked away, a sadness filling her eyes. "Yes, I do. It is all my fault."

"What?" Yugo was surprised, watching her bow her head at his response.

"If I had been stronger, this wouldn't have happened." She cleared her throat, looking back up at him. "I have a power, which was bestowed onto the Nine Tails family. It helps me maintain a seal on Gaia's Dragon, the protective force of this planet. But the seal has come loose recently, and that's why there has been so much violence. The power is so immense that it has great influence over the Zoanthropes it touches. I'm looking for strong Zoanthropes who can stand against the effects of the violence to help me reseal the dragon before it causes total destruction."

"A dragon, wow…" Yugo muttered in utter disbelief; then again, he'd faced some weird shit over his time, so he wasn't sure why he was so surprised.

"The one I seek must resist the power that has caused madness and catatonia. They must be fearless, strong and unwavering," she told him, her eyes becoming steely. "You, Yugo Ogami, leader of the W.O.C, must cast aside your doubts and be able to fight. This planet will crumble if the dragon becomes unleashed."

"You're asking me to help you?" Yugo said, slightly astonished.

Mana cocked her head to the side, her gaze drifting from him. "I am sure that you are a capable fighter… but… you seemed to falter easily when it came to a meagre taste of that girl's power. You would have to be stronger if you were to ever face the dragon."

Yugo huffed. "I was caught by surprise, that's all!"

Mana gave a slight considered nod. "I see. I admit, that the power of Gaia can be quite surprising. Though, I am worried that the Unborn may act first, before I find the one I need. And Nagi… that darkness within her could cause great trouble."

Yugo looked up towards the city. He knew he had to do something. He couldn't just let the world fall into darkness. Though, he was worried about Nagi and how she might play into the situation further. Would he have to go up against her?

"Your friends of the W.O.C," Mana's words called his attention back to her. "They are reuniting at the 'Shrine of Solace'. They are safe, so you do not have to worry about them."

"Are you talking about Alice and the others?"

"Yes, I believe so," Mana said, then stepped closer to him, retrieving a map from her sleeve. "Please take this. Follow the path to this temple marked here. Find the strength in yourself to fight a power unlike anything you have before. You may be our only hope."

He accepted the map, his expression uncertain. "This is a lot to take in…"

Mana suddenly cried out, clutching her midsection. Her powers felt like they were faltering. She was struggling to maintain the seal. "NO!"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Yugo asked, kneeling down to her.

"I cannot stay a minute longer, I must go back to Ryoho," she said, rushing away.

"Wait! Whose Ryoho? Hold on! There's things I still don't understand!" Yugo called out to her but within a flash of light, she was gone. He blinked, as if it had been some kind of illusion. Letting out a growl, he stood and kicked at the concrete in a huff. "Damn it all! Why does everyone keep running off!?"

Now, there was some serious choices to be made…