Laina smiled cruelly as she used her shadows to keep Saito in place. "So, the angel has finally fallen," she said with a smirk.
Saito glared at her, "What do you want?" he hissed.
Laina smiled and summoned a sword with a jet black blade from a shadow of a tree. "I want revenge, I want to see you suffer," she said silkily. "I want to make sure that you never see the light of day again."
Saito glared at her, "I'm dead," he said. "You can't do anything to me that I haven't already been through."
Laina smirked, "Oh?" she laughed. "Funny thing though… our new weapons, did you hear?" she asked with a nasty grin.
"Hear what?" Saito asked.
Laina caressed her sword with a loving hand, "These weapons have the ability to make souls disappear," she breathed.
Saito's eyes widened, "That's why the guardians can't defeat you," he said.
Laina laughed, "You're telling me that the old bat didn't tell you what you were up against! My God she's finally lost it," Laina laughed long and hard.
Saito gritted his teeth. "Well, if you're going to kill me, then might as well get it over with."
Laina smirked, "Awww, you said it yourself Saito-chan, you're not alive."
Saito glared at Laina but he refused to let himself get too angry. He would not give her that satisfaction.
"So, I'll just have to settle for destroying you…" Laina said with a grin as she held her sword out, the point inches from Saito's chest. "Good bye, Saito-chan."
At that moment there was a loud crash from above them and Netto literally fell into the clearing, lading on Laina and knocking the sword out of her hands.
"Netto-kun!" Saito yelled.
Netto groaned, "Ow…" he muttered.
"You little brat!" Laina hissed and pushed Netto off of her. Netto toppled over while Rockman was yelling at him to get away.
Netto stood up and shook his head, "Netto-kun… you…" Saito blinked.
Netto grinned, "Yeah," he said. "Rockman doesn't like flying very much though."
Laina smirked and pulled her sword out of the ground, "So, you're Saito-chan's twin," she said with a smirk.
Netto ran over to where Saito was being held and stood in front of him, "Leave Saito alone," he hissed.
Laika laughed, "Awwww… you're scared," she said in a fake sympathetic voice.
"Netto-kun, get out of here now!" Saito yelled.
"No!" Netto replied.
"Netto-kun!"
Netto smirked, "I'm not leaving," he said. Then gave Saito a big grin, "Sorry, but you aren't in any position to tell me what to do."
Rockman looked out from his PET and yelled, "Netto-kun, look out!"
Netto jumped out of the way just in time to not get impaled on the end of Laina's sword. He jumped high enough that he hovered in mid air just out of Laina's range.
Laika laughed, "So, you're the one that Saito-chan cares about," she said with a grin. "I wonder if Saito-chan would hate me after I kill you," she said while switching her sword to her left hand.
"STOP!" Saito yelled. "You can't!"
Laina laughed, "Well, well, well… the angel brat does have a weakness," she said with a laugh.
"Netto-kun, get out of here now!" Saito yelled.
Netto shook his head, "Does he honestly think I'll abandon him?" he asked Rockman quietly.
Rockman gave Netto a shaky laugh, "He obviously doesn't know you as well as he thinks."
Netto smiled, "Obviously not. Do you mind?" he asked.
Rockman shifted in his PET, "I'd be lying if I said I don't want you to take Saito-kun's advice, but I'm with you all the way."
Netto nodded, "Thanks, Rockman."
"Always," Rockman replied.
Laina growled and tried to get within striking distance of Netto, but without wings of her own and being in an enclosed field it was rather hard to get close enough to him to strike.
"Netto-kun…" Saito breathed. Then he gulped, "Netto-kun, summon your weapon!" he yelled.
"My what?" Netto asked.
Laina took the momentary distraction to launch an attack at Netto from a tree branch. He cried out at he was attacked and pushed to the ground by the larger woman. "Netto-kun!" Rockman and Saito both yelled.
"Damn you're annoying," she hissed as she pinned Netto against a tree with her arm.
Netto tried to push against it but here inhuman strength was too much. Being the leader of a band of powerful demon like creatures she better have been strong. So, in a random stroke of brilliance, Netto took his PET out of his pocket and turned on the interior light, flooding the whole area with a dim but powerful light that made Laina loosen her grip momentarily. Netto took advantage of this and pushed against her, forcing her to let him go. As soon as she felt her grip break Laina pulled back her sword and thrust out to make sure that her prey didn't escape. She smirked when she heard Netto's cry of pain and when she blinked away the spots in her eyes she saw that she had managed to stab Netto at the top of his wing.
"Well, wasn't that clever," she hissed.
Netto shut his eyes tightly as blood blossomed from the wound. It hurt really bad, but what hurt worse was knowing that he had let Saito down. "Netto-kun, get up," Rockman said desperately.
Laina gave a wicked grin and twisted the tip of her sword in the wound, making Netto cry out before pulling her weapon out of his wing and letting collapse onto his knees. Laina laughed mercilessly and lifted her sword to her face, "Well, that took care of my problem," she said with a horrible laugh.
Netto took in a deep breath and tried to pull his wits about him, using his limited knowledge of battle that he had gleaned from Cross Fusing. While his strength was far from that of when he and Rockman were in cross fusion, he did know something of pain tolerance and that in turn helped him to keep his head clear while Laina gloated. "Netto-kun…" Saito groaned.
Laina lifted her sword again and held it from Netto's throat, "Well then, I think it's time for you to say good bye," she said with a sadistic grin.
Netto got ready to do anything to ensure that he would survive but his drastic decision wasn't needed because at that moment there was a flash of light from which Adrian appeared while holding a pole with a chain and a ball at one end. "Laina…" he growled.
Laina turned around and smiled at the newcomer, "Well, well, well, Adrian, was it? Looks like you've grown a bit."
"Adrian!" Saito said happily with apparent relief in his voice.
Adrian winked at Saito, "Hey there kiddo. Glad to see you're still alive."
Laina growled, she was in no mood for introductions so she merely launched an attack at Adrian and the Guardian began to grapple with the leader of the Dark Ones. Meanwhile Netto ran over to his immobile twin to see what could be done. "Netto-kun, are you all right?" Saito asked him in a harsh whisper.
Netto grinned through an apparent mask of pain, "I'll be fine. I've had worse injuries," he said.
Saito shivered involuntarily while Netto pulled at the living shadows binding him. "They won't move…" Netto groaned.
Rockman analyzed them with the PET. "I can't figure what they're made out of so I can't really offer any solutions, sorry."
Saito shook his head, "It's all right. I want you two to get out of here," he said imploringly.
Netto shook his head, "Fat chance," he said with a grin.
Rockman gave a sound of agreement from his PET.
"But…" Saito started to protest.
"Saito… if you want to get out of here, then tell me how to get you free," Netto told him.
Saito sighed, "You can't unless you can summon your weapon," he said.
"And… how do I do that?" Netto asked.
"It's different for everyone," Saito told him, "I can't help you."
Netto growled unhappily, "Perfect," he muttered.
Above them there was a loud crash and a flash of light before Adrian fell heavily to the ground. Laina stood over him panting slightly; "Sleep there for a bit," she muttered. "I'll take care of you later."
Netto stepped in front of his brother in a weak attempt to protect him. Laina smiled and held up her sword, "Well then, how about I finish this," she said.
"Netto-kun, run!" Saito whisper yelled.
"No!" Netto told him vehemently.
"Please?" Saito asked. "You can still probably get away."
"NO!" Netto yelled. This reaction seemed to trigger his crystal once again as it began to glow with a very intense light that made Laina back off for a third time. In front of Netto and Saito a elongated beam of light appeared and solidified until a glaive was standing there in front of them.
"Wow…" Rockman said.
"Um…" Netto was still slightly confused.
Laina growled and launched herself at them. "Take it!" Saito yelled. "She can't have it!"
Netto grabbed it and held it out to block the incoming attack from her sword. "You brats have tried my patience enough," she hissed.
Netto twisted away and slashed at her with the blade end of the glaive. "Get away," he hissed.
Laina laughed and straightened up preparing for another strike. But then the sun slowly peeped up over the distant buildings and Laina hissed at the light hit her. "You got lucky this time, brats," she said and vanished.
As soon as the light hit the shadow binding Saito it melted away and he found himself free. "Wow…" he said again.
Netto quickly dropped the weapon he was holding only to see it vanish from sight in a flash of light. "That was freaky," he muttered.
There was a groan behind them as Adrian picked himself off the ground. "That was your spirit weapon."
"His what?" Rockman asked.
"A weapon created by the crystal that expression his feelings towards battle. Mine is a staff-mace that is primarily used for close combat, meaning I like to fight. Saito's in a bow and arrow, that shows that if given the chance he'd rather not fight and if so it'd be preferable from a long distance away. Yours is a glaive, a weapon that can be both long range and short range, so you can use it to protect someone else, or fight on your own merits depending on your mood," Adrian gave Netto a grin. "Interesting weapon," he said finally.
"Adrian!" Saito gasped. "Are you all right?"
Adrian nodded, "I'm perfectly fine. You…" he looked at Netto's wind. "You're injured."
Netto blinked. "Oh yeah," he said.
Rockman groaned, "What do you mean 'oh yeah?'" he asked.
Netto shrugged sheepishly. Then he looked at Adrian, "How do I make these go away?" he asked, gesturing to the wings.
Adrian frowned and walked over, looking at the wound. "Well, normally you think about them being smaller and they'll vanish. But with I wound like this you may not be able to do it."
Netto growled, "Oh yes I can," he muttered.
Adrian shrugged, "Be my guest," he said.
Netto closed his eyes and did what Adrian told him to, but after several seconds hi left side burned and his concentration was broken. "Ah…" he hissed as he opened his eyes.
"Told you," Adrian said.
Netto looked but couldn't see the large wings he had before, "Are they still there?" he asked.
Saito frowned, "They're smaller, but yes they are."
"Damnit," Netto hissed.
"You kids should get home before the sun rises all the way then," Adrian instructed. "And get that injury treated," he said to Netto then vanished.
"Well, isn't he mysterious," Netto muttered.
For the first time in awhile Saito laughed, "He can be," he admitted. "But he's right. We need to get home."
Netto nodded and with Saito's help they slowly made their way home.