A/N: Song (c) Origra, Yoko Kanno (Inner Universe (English trans.) - Opening theme for Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex)

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Rei was sitting in her usual place, high up on a tree, her legs dangling lazily over the edge and her walkman resting on her stomach. Her arm was still bandaged, but she had replaced her black jacket, so the bandaging was not visible. Far below her, Akisu was eating breakfast - some fruit he had brought along from the Cloud. It had been three days since they left, and they were somewhere between the Lightning country and the Earth country. It was fairly sunny out, but because winter was nearing, the temperature was dropping steadily every day. Unlike the Fire country or the Wind country, the other coutries were cold, icy and full of snow in the winter.

Today they would be patrolling a small but busy path that led to a secluded village, lying in wait for anyone who might be unfortunate to pass by them. There were no travellers in the morning, many in the afternoon, and few at night. But the last time she had come here, there had been many people passing by in the afternoon, and it had prooved to be a good location for looting.

"Oi," she called down, turning the volume of her walkman down slightly. "Are you done eating? Can we leave yet?"

He stuffed the end piece of some bread into his mouth and muttered a muffled 'yeah' before stuffing the rest of his supplies into his bag, shouldering it and standing. She grabbed her own bag, making sure to re-attach her daggers from when she had cleaned them before shouldering it and sliding from the tree, landing in a crouch and standing.

"Let's hurry up, then," she said. She caught herself mentally using Akisu's speech, adding 'then' to the end of a sentence needlessly. But there was no way to help it, being around him she had started to pick up parts of his speech.

They strolled slowly through the forest beside him with her hands in her pockets and her music pounding through her head, the path was not far from there, only about a ten-minute walk, but from where they were they could not see it until they were directly beside it. They had already decided what they were going to do, and Rei leaned casually, in plain sight, at the edge of the path, waiting patiently for anyone to pass by. Akisu was hiding on the opposite side of the path, completely hidden in the underbrush. It didn't take long for her ears to pick up footsteps beyong the beat of her music, and she pushed off from the tree she was leaning on, strolling slowly down the path until she was in sight of the travellers.

It was a group of three men, around twenty-years-old each, and they were appernetly not shinobi or samurai or any other type of soldier that would be hard to steal from. Her left hand slipped from her pocket and made a small, inconspicuous signal as she walked around the bend, coming within feet of them where she stopped. They stopped as well, their talking ceasing as they eyed her suspiciously.

"Good afternoon," said one of the men slowly, eyeing her warily. She was dressed like a thief, and still wore her Cloud hiate around her head bandana-style.

"Are you heading towards the village?" she asked, her eyes darting to where one of the leaves on a nearby bush swayed against the breeze.

"Yeah," said the man on the left.

"I'd be careful if I were you," she warned, flicking her hair from her face.

"Why?" he asked, shifting his grip on a small backpack.

"Something's going on, something about shinobi, and the security is really loose, so there have been many recent attacks," she said casually. Lying came naturally to her.

"Shinobi? I've heard nothing about that, but thanks. I guess," said the same man. She shrugged as a clump of bushed shifted slightly, shifting the grip on her bag and brushing past them wordlessly. As she rounded another bend, she quickened towards another clump of uindergrowth, stepping into it quickly.

"Itai..." came a voice from under her.

"Ah, gomen," she muttered quickly, lifting her foot from Akisu's fingers. She dropped to the ground beside him, yawning as he dropped a few, small items in front of her.

"Keh," she muttered, looking over the items. There were two wallets, probably the most valuable, along with a small pcket knife, pocket change, a small picture of a little girl with blonde hair, and a small, plain silver ring. She emptied the wallets and turned out only a small amount of money, lifting her head to look at Akisu accusingly.

"That's all there was!" he said defensively, rubbing the back of his head.

"Keh," she muttered again, shoving it all into one wallet and tossing it to him. He put it into the bag and she flopped back.

"The people around here are poor, they have hardly anything to steal," she complained in her child-like tone. Her ears suddenly twitched, and her and Akisu's heads spun around at the exact same moment, staring unseeingly through the thick forest in the direction of the village. The world had gone strangely silent. She felt a strange tingling crawling up her spine, a feeling she got when the demon within her was subtly warning her of danger, warning her of something that could be a possible threat to her existance.

"What is it?" muttered Akisu, standing silently in the underbrush and looking back out along the road. She stood as well, her eyes fixing on a far-off place as she tried to pinpoint the odd feeling's source. There was a small break in her music as it changed from one song to the next, and in that few seconds the silence was almost overwhelming. but it was shattered as another song came on, although the odd feeling did not leave. She jumped back, nearly knocking Akisu over as a high-pitched scream shattered the forest. A flock of crows broke from the treetops as well, directly behind them, cawing loudly as they lit from the trees and vanished into the afternoon. She tensed, straining her eyes forwards along the path as voices began to reach them.

"Was that really neccessary?" came a man's voice, muffled from far down the path. "I'm covered in blood now."

"Quit complaining," snapped another man suddenly, almost yelling. Rei was frozen to her place. She had heard these voices before.

---

"Little brat! Just give us the Ikishi! Otherwise we'll be forced to kill you!"

"I'LL RIP YOU APART!"

"Quit running and face us properly."

"Maybe... Perhaps we should simply capture her, sir."

---

"Demoni," she whispered, whipping out her dagger. There would be no running.

"What is it, then?" hissed Akisu.

'The other group after me. There are fifteen, I don't know if we can deal with them all at once if this is the whole group," she said, listening as the voices neared. Her shoulder throbbed at the thought of more fighting and more bloodshed, but she pushed that from her mind, her right hand tightening its grip on her dagger.

Before she could squeeze in any further information on the group, they rounded the corner, all fifteen, and froze immediately. They were all dressed in completely black, and each had a differen design of black markings around their eyes and over their faces or necks, each depicting different demons. They all shared the sme pale, white skin, perhaps it was part of the make-up on their faces, but she wasn't sure. And each carried a specialized weapon that was currently dripping in blood. The leader carred a long katana across his back, and the one next to him carried two, shorter ninja-to's. The other weapons were a bullwhip, a gaint, four-foot long battle axe, a javelin, a scythe, a giant crossbow, a pair of giant katars, a large broadsword, a trident, a mace and chain, a long chain with teeth running along it, a pair of oversized kama's, a giant, eight-bladed shuriken and a simple bamboo staff. All the weapons were surrntly drawn, and some of the shinobi wiping the blood from them stopped and turned their painted faces towards where Rei and Akisu stood in the bushed, both groups frozen and staring at eachother.

"Raine?" asked one in the back. It was the only female member of the group, a girl slightly older than Rei was. She had a Rain hiate on her forehead and was dressed in a tight, black shinobi outfit. On top of the headband she wore which had two fake cat ears attached and the black choker around her neck, it was easily seen that her make-up was meant to represent a cat. As Rei looked closer though, she saw the the choker was less of a choker and more of a collar, attached to a leash which was held by one of the other members. The girl was the one carrying the whip, held loosely in her left hand and the only weapon not soaked in blood.

"Wh-what is the brat doing here, sir?" stammered the man with the two ninja-to's, turning to the leader.

"Why are you guys all the way out here? And what the Hell are you doing?" she blurted out suddenly, tearing her eyes away from the cat-girl to look at the leader.

"Honing our skills," he said simply, wiping the blade of his katana on a black sleeve. Any weapons that had not been drawn before were now out and readied as the group eyed her as if they were predetors looking for dinner. She was slightly taken aback at their eyes; they had changed from before. Before they had no such killing intent. They had become stronger and more dangerous.

"What should we do?" asked Akisu quietly from behind her. She relaxed and grinned, remembering she was not along this time and stepping out from the bushes, followed by him.

"Fight them, of course," she said, still grinning. She cocked her dagger and met the leader's eyes again.

"Give us the Ikichi," he said simply. "Or we'll let our neko eat you."

"Huh?" she said, looking back to the cat girl. "Our 'neko'?"

"Well, more of the Neko," he said, glancing at the girl. he made a small signal with his right hand and the man holding her leash dropped it. She looked, for a moment, as if she were about to turn around and beat it, until the leader raised his hand again. She fell to the ground, clutching her head and breaking into a cold sweat. The markings on her face seemed to grow thicker and bolder, and her mouth opened in a silent scream as her teeth grew pointed and animal-like. After a few moments of silent suffering, she suddenly stood, shaking her head as if to clear it, before sighting Rei and snarling, charging towards her.

"What the Hell!?" she said in utter confusion, bringing up her dagger to block as the cat girl pounced, literally, onto her back, trying to rip her apart, her whip forgotten. Rei brought her dagger back and slashed up, cutting the girl's shoulder open. She pushed off her back and landed in a crouch on the trail, grabbing her whip and standing a few feet back as she unravelled it. The leader laughed lightly and cocked his own weapon, the other thirteeen shinobi following suit.

"Two against fifteen.... You're not getting away this time, Raine," he said, grinning and suddenly charging, followed by the other thirteen dark, gothic figures.

"This isn't gonna be an easy battle-use every advantage you have," she warned Akisu. Chakra exploded around her as the twenty-four orbs appeared from nowhere, circling her at an incredibly fast speed. The chakra followed suit, curling around her and glowing in a dark-blue radiance. Akisu fell into a crouch as his own chakra exploded out from him, a dark purple she had never seen before. She was interested to see how he fought as she had never seen him in battle before, although he claimed to be fairly talented. Her eyes widened slightle as she saw black markings crawling across his skin, originating from a small, black mark on his neck and covering almost his entire body. They curved in irregular patterns, and as they reached his face, they made him look like one of the Demoni as they curled into fang designs and made him look even more snake-like.

"Here we go!" she shouted in anticipation, slamming a foot into the ground and sending herself flying forwards. She met the leader first, her dagger clashing with his as fire exploded from one of the orbs, catching another shinobi and sending him back onto the ground. She suddenly relaxed, letting the leader slump forwards, and dropped to the ground, bringing her leg around in a wide circle and catching another's legs, tripping him. When he hit the ground, she slammed a leg into his stomach before twisting ackwardly to avoid a slash from the leader's katana. There was a hiss of air and she flipped backwards, catching a glimpse of the place she had been moments before. There were several crossbow arrows emedded in the ground there. She engaged the leader again as the songs on her walkman switched again, parrying and dodging expertly at a high-paced speed. But he was stronger than her, and she could not force him back when needed. Their weapons clashed again and her ears pricked, hearing another hiss. An arrow narrowly missed her head as she nearly bent over backwards, taking off a small lock of her hair as it zoomed a hairsbreadth from her eyes. She moved her hands back and placed them on the ground, flipping herself backwards and catching another shinobi in the chest. Seeing this as a chance, she turned her attention to the man pinned beneath her, slashing down with her dagger just as he brought up a long, thick chain to block. The chain had several metal teeth running along the sides of each link, and as it gave slightly under the momentum from her blow, he wrapped the other end around her neck.

She gasped, realizing that should he choose to pull, her head would no longer be attached to her body. A silver orb darted in front of her and slammed into the chain, emitting a high-pitched hiss as it glowed white, severing the chain just as she pulled back. The small amount of suprise this caused the man gave her an oportunity to quickly bring her dagger across his throat, killing him instantly. She slid aside just as his dead body was riddled with another barrage of arrows, turning just in time to see a long, silver katana heading towards her. A yellow orb came between her and the weapon and a strong breeze kicked up as she vanished into a wave of leaves, apperaring a few feet away as the leader stopped in mid-swing to turn his attention towards Akisu. She paused for a moment to watch Akisu fight. He fought like a demon, and most of the other shinobi had turned their attention to him. His eyes were glowing their bright, gree-yellow colour as he tore through their ranks, giving them a hard time. She gasped when she looked at his arms and skin, looking closer and examining him intently. He still had the shape of a human, but he wasn't.

His skin, for starters, was a pale, greenish colour, but that was not what suprised her. His hair had grown out longer, reaching past his waist, and from his head came two, straight black horns. Horns. His left hand was no longer a hand, but a weapon, a weapon which consisted of five, straight, pointed claws. His right hand, though, consisted of two, large, dagger-like projections she supposed would also be classed as claws. From his right shoulder, tearing out from under his dark blue t-shirt, were four pointed, black bone-like horns, and as her eyes darted to his feet, she saw his shoes helplessly torn apart to accomodate scaled, three-clawed feet. He was ripping through the other shinobi as if posessed, but his yellow eyes suddenly darted to where she was staring at him, frozen.

"Rei! Look out!" Too late. A long, stiff arrow embedded into her left shoulder, her poor, poor left shoulder, probably re-opening the former wounds as she felt hot liquid spill from it under her jacket. She moved just in time to avoid being impaled by another five arrows, ripping the one in her shoulder out. Always the left shoulder, she thought angrily, wincing as the familiar epicenter for pain began throbbing anew. This time she became officially pissed off at the man with the crossbow, and she snarled as she charged towards him. Enough was enough.

He was a long-range fighter, hiding in the branches of a tree, but she located him quickly and left him defenseless to her short-range attacks. She dodged a large number of arrows as he tried in vain to slow her pursuit, finally reaching the tree and jumping onto the branch, inches from him. There was a moment of silence as they stared at eachother, but a moment later her dagger was pinning him to the tree, going clean through his throat where she had thrown it. Her head spun around as she heard Akisu give a cry of pain, and she dropped from the tree. He was unscathed, but was clutching his head and trying to beat off the other shinobi at the same time, eyes widened to accomodate the pain. The spines and horns slowly melted back into his body, and she dashed towards him, a pink orb darting alongside her and stopping any attacks as she quickly grabbed him, lifting him onto her back and dashing down the path. She skidded to a halt a few feet away as the group of shinobi charged her again, and made a number of seals. The red fire orb darted in front of her as she brought her hands to her mouth and sucked in as much air as she could.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" She breathed out, releasing all the air in her lungs and sending a large fire ball toward the group. As the stream of fire hit the fire orb, it doubled in size, taking out trees along with it. But she wasn't done. Her hands flew into another series of seals and an olive green orb joined the red one.

"Moro Tate no Jutsu!" The branches of the surrounding trees shot forwards, entwining before her and forming a thick, impenetrable wall that reached high and blocked any potential attacks. Without another word, she lifted Akisu from the ground and dashed back towards the village. They would have to face Demoni again today, she knew, but they needed time to recover before they went into battle again.

She faltered as she rounded the bend to the village, but continued running. There were bodies everywhere. The village was not very large, a small, seaside village with around a hundred villagers, but what she saw now made her head spin. Bodies lay everywhere, on rooftops, in doorways, street corners, all dead. Blood was pooled along the edges of the small, dusty streets and its smell hung thickly in the air. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but continuted on, out of the village on the other side and through another patch of forest where she finally slowed to put Akisu down. He was clutching his head again.

'What are you doing!?" she shouted angrily. 'What the Hell was that... that thing!? And why did you stop!?"

"Itai," he muttered. "From my father."

"Huh?" she said dumbly, slumping down beside him.

"Orochimaru gave me a curse seal at the age of six, and it grants me extra power when needed."

"Huh?" she said again. "What are you talking about?"

"This," he said, pulling down the collar of his shirt a little so that she could see the back of his neck. There was a small mark that looked like three black fangs in a windmill pattern around a black design of a slitted snake's eye. The skin around it was red and looked irritated, and he began rubbing it again, wincing.

"I...I don't get it."

"When I use enough chakra, the seal activates and forcibally pulls more from inside of me, also making me stronger. At that point, you can see markings on my skin, but that is only level one. Level two changes my appearance and unlocks a hidden store of chakra, making me at least at a Jounin level, but it has very... painful side affects. If I use it too much it eats away at my body."

"...I still don't get it. We should move, those people will be- EEP!" she jumped aside as a pair of black ears and a painted face popped up beside Akisu. It was the cat girl.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!?"

"Not so loud!" she hissed in a high-pitched voice.

She searched around for her dagger before remembering she had left it embedded in the neck of one of the shinobi. But the cat girl made no move to attack, she just sat there and watched.

"What do you want with us?" she asked slowly, eyeing the cat girl.

"I'm not with the others. They keep me to fight for them," she said simply. "Oyabun gave me a curse seal to control me with pain. It's not my fault I attacked you."

"A... Curse seal? Another one?" she paused, still not fully understanding the concept of curse seals.

"If I were you two, I'd run right now. This is my only chance to run away. Jaa, ne!" The cat girl shimmered for a moment before vanishing into thin air.

"...Okay then," she said slowly, standing. She pulled Akisu up against his will, but he slumped back down.

"I need time to get my body under control," he said quietly. His voice was strained and his forehead was beaded with sweat. She lowered him to the ground carefully, her eyes darting around to make sure no one was there.

"If we don't move soon, they wi-" there were shouts coming from the direction of the village, and they seemed to be heading their way at an incredibly high speed. Without thinking, she pulled Akisu from the ground again, pulling him over her back and wincing from her wounded shoulder before charging in the opposite direction, leaving her bag and his bag hidden in the bushes. She would pick them up later, when Demoni either left or they finished the rest of the group off.

But her hopes of getting away without confrontment were crushed as she broke from the patch of trees and skidded to a halt, looking down a sheer dropoff into the ocean. She let Akisu slide from her back as she stumbled back a few feet, away from the crashiong waves below. Usually something like this wouldn't cause her to fear death, but there was a slight difference when it came to water, She couldn't swim. Anything deeper than she was tall terrified her.

"Where are you trying to go, girl?" came a voice from behind her. She spun around to see the eight remaining Demoni, nine including the cat-girl, but she was not with them currently. She hissed lightly and backed up a few inches. She had no weapon, and Akisu was... Akisu was unable to fight. If they kill me, they'll kill Akisu as well.... I was the one who dragged him into this fight, and I won't let him die because of me. I'll release it and kill them all.

"Stay away from me or I'll kill you all," she growled. Her voice had taken on a tone she had last used four years ago in a battle with the Akatsuki. It had been a long time since she released the Aohane, but she would not fully release it. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but that she couldn't fully release it. There was another seal on her stomach where the two Four Season's seals were located that prevented her from fully releasing it unless she had full energy, full chakra, which, at the moment, she didn't. She held up her hands in a single seal, concentrating hard while slowly releasing chakra.

Rei felt the demon inside of her stir longingly, having not been released for four years, and she smiled as well, letting a peice of her mind slip away. She placed herself in front of Akisu protectively, standing still for a moment before charging the group. Her body began to change as the seal broke partially, her eyes changing from blue to blood red. Her pupil gre into a cross shape as her eyes burned red, and her hair stretched out longer, flowing behind her in a wave as black as ebony. As she clashed with the leader, black, metal armour shot around her, encasing most of her body, and a helmet grew around her head, ending in a plate that covered her eyes for protection. She flicked the cover up to see properly as she clashed with the leader's katana, grabbing it in her gloved hands and bending it backwards, distorting it and rendering it useless. The other members charged blindly towards her, and she felt two chains wrap around her.

Jumping back, she ripped the chained weapons, one a pair of kamas, the other a mace and chain, from their wielders, spinning the mace into the ocean and holding up the kamas for her own use. She charged blindly back into the group, slashing in all directions with the two kamas and defending blows from other weapons at the same time. The entire group, all eight, jumped her at the exact same time, wrestling her to the ground. She felt the necklace around her neck strain for a moment before the fine, silver chain snapped. No! She screamed inwardly. The Ikichi!

She threw the people off of her, sending one of them off the cliff where his scream slowly faded away. The leader was holding her necklace. The leader was standing directly beside Akisu. The leader was laughing at her. Without thinking, she screamed in anger, launching herself towards him with incredible, inhuman speed, moving too fast for the others to see. She connected with him, punching him in the jaw and sending him off the cliff, but losing her balance in the process and tipping over the edge as well. The only thing running through her mind was the Ikichi. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and began wrestling madly with him, fighting wildly to rip the necklace from his grip. He grabbed her around the neck reoughly, attempting to suffocate her, but she opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could, sinking her teeth into his arm until she tasted blood and he released her. There was someone yelling above her, and her heart quickened at the thought of Akisu. It jarred her into action. She twisted his arm back and snatched the necklace from him with her right hand, dislocating his shoulder before pushing off his body. She grabbed the cliff face with her left hand, leaving him to fall, and her poor shoulder once again bore the brunt of her action. It gave a sickening pop as her hand also snapped, but she held on for the life of her, not wanting to get any closer to the water.

She felt her form falling apart, her body reverting back to her normal self, and she clutched the Ikichi tightly in her other hand. Blood dripped into her face as she looked up at her hand. Her shoulder was probably dislocated and was numb, and her hand was gripping a jagged protrusion of the cliff, her little and ring fingers broken and her entire hand bleeding. She slipped slightly and the stone drove under her skin, ripping it apart painfully and causing her to cry out and pull back. Pull back. A moment later she was plunging down again, directly towards the crashing waves below. Her heart sped up and she clutched her hands to her chest, closing her eyes and waiting for it to be over.

Something inside of her twinged, squirming oddly within her, and she opened her eyes slightly, staring up. There was something plunging towards her, and white feathers were flying everywhere, swept easily away by the ocean breeze. White wings...?

"...Akisu!" she cried out, throwing her right arm out, upwards towards the figure. Is it Akisu? But as he neared, she could see him more clearly. His shirt had been completely shredded, but his entire body was plated in thin, silver armour. His eyes were no longer yellow, but an emerald green with horizontal slits for pupils, and his white wings were folded as he plunged towards her in a freefall. A few seconds before she hit the surface of the ocean, his hand wrapped around hers, stopping her as he beat his wings hard, pulling up and away. He lifted her fully and continued up the face of the cliff, being careful to avoid touching her shoulder and hand, which were lightly folded on her chest.

I've used too much chakra too quickly, she thought, swallowing hard and trying to stop herself from shaking. She gasped as they crested the cliff, her eyes falling upon a number of dead bodies. He had killed the remaining shinobi by himself.

"You..." she whispered, unable to raise her voice further from lack of energy.

"Sorry I took so long, but I still made it, ne?"

Her head was spinning in the odd silence as she realized her headphones had slipped off and were hanging around her neck. She felt dizzy, and closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself as he lowered her to the ground. Weakly moving her right hand, she slipped the Ikichi around her neck again and pulled her headphones back on, before opening her eyes and looking up at him silently for a few moments.

"Baka!" she shouted with her remaining energy. "Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka! What the hell were you doing before!? TAKING A NAP!? I had to let out the.... out the..." Her world spun and she squeezed her eyes shut to control her mind, coughing a few times before slipping away.

Angels and Demons were circling above me,
Cutting thorns and the Milky Way
Don't know happiness from
Who knew it but couldn't give it

Watch in awe, Watch in awe
Flying glory, Flying glory

Watch in awe, Watch in awe,
Flying glory, Flying glory

I'm calling, calling now,
Spirits rise and falling,
To stay with you longer,
Calling, calling in the depth of longing
To stay with you longer

Watch in awe, Watch in awe,
Flying glory, Flying glory.

Stand alone... Where was life when it had an meaning...?
Stand alone... Nothing's real anymore and...

Never endless run,
While I'm alive, I can try to fall in flight
Not forget how to dream... to love
Never endless run

Calling, calling, for the place of knowing
There's more than what can be linked
Calling, calling now, never will I look away
For what life has left for me

Yearning, yearning, for what's left of loving,
To stay with you longer,
Calling, calling now, spirits tise and falling
To stay with you longer
Calling, callin, in the depth of longing
To stay with you longer

Watch in awe, watch in awe,
Flying glory, Flying glory

Watch in awe, Watch in awe,
Flying glory, Flying glory.