Unforeseen Circumstance
Trust Circle
(Day 21)
By: Little Ucchan

Sage was nervous when he had taken his seat by his grandfather's side.

"Take everything as if you've heard it for the first time." That was the advice Laura had given him before they went to see his grandfather.

He looked over at the two women sitting across from them. Krysta had the poise of a temple priestess, and Laura, the composure of a well mannered daughter. Both could lie as well as they could slay demons. He felt ill prepared.

"Sage-kun? Are you feeling well?" Krysta asked. "I know this has been a very rough day. We will not take too much of you or your grandfather's time."

Sage bowed his head as a sign of gratitude. "I am flattered by your concern. But I will be fine."

"Are you certain?" This time it was his grandfather who had asked.

Sage gave him a slight smile then continued. "Yes, I'm sure. Please, what is it you wish to discuss with us?"

Both Krysta and Laura bowed once, Laura to hide the smirk that was on her face. "Please allow us to reintroduce ourselves. I am Krysta Kinoku Lao, master of the Kinoku clan's utsubotsu demon arts and Xiang-Quon's Supervisor of Foreign Affairs."

"And I am Laura Kinoku, sovereign of the Kinoku clan and heir to their demon arts."

There was a pause. Grandfather Date regarded Laura carefully. "Sovereign," he said.

Laura lowered her head, ashamed. "That means that I carry out my clan's will, even now, four years after their demise. I am a demon hunter. And I had told you I wasn't. I had placed your family in danger because of my profession. And I ask you now to forgive me for my incompetence." She bowed low. "I will do anything you ask, receive any judgment you see fit for my mistake."

Krysta nodded in approval. "One of our first laws of demon hunting is never to get civilians involved. If it is broken, the survivors or the loved ones of the victims may ask for retribution. And it must be carried out, by the offender or by the clan she belongs to."

Grandfather Date considered this. "Very well then."

"Ojiisama," Sage began to protest, but was stopped by his grandfather's raised hand.

"She had placed this family in danger."

"She had also saved us."

"I believe it was Ryo-kun and myself who had saved you."

Sage grew silent.

Laura lifted her head to look at Sage. A flash of something passed beneath her eyes. It felt suspiciously like a glare, but he wasn't sure. "I appreciate you concern for my well being," she said, humble to the very last word. "But Krysta is right. I did not protect you. I should be punished."

Sage clenched his teeth. If Krysta had just dragged him in here to watch Laura grovel, he was going to leave. If they were both acting, they were doing it way too damn well.

"I see you've changed your mind about her."

Sage flicked his eyes at his grandfather before turning back. He didn't trust himself to speak while his anger brimmed beneath his skin. He took a slow breath. "I do not believe it is right to exercise… punishment, when she could not tell us what she was." He saw that he had everyone's attention. Good. "Krysta-san."

The woman smiled politely. "Yes, Sage-kun?"

He twitched, slightly. "You said that one of the first laws of demon hunting was never to get civilians involved, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Well isn't one of the first laws of being a ninja never to reveal your identity?"

Her smile grew wider. "Why, yes it is. And it is true that Kino-chan has both responsibilities."

"Well, then we cannot blame her. Nothing short of telling my mother that she was a demon hunter would have stopped her from inviting Laura and Sammy to stay at this house. And even during her stay, she tried to protect us by keeping away from the house as much as possible. She even went as far as going to Naruto."

"Yes but she is a demon hunter, and has a responsibility to the common people to protect them."

"She is still one person," Sage said, addressing Krysta. "One person, without backup. I believe she did all she could. I cannot punish her for that."

The room was silent. Krysta turned to Grandfather Date.

The old man cleared his throat, a pleased smile on his face. "I believe my grandson has spoken for the both of us." It took a moment for Sage to realize that his grandfather had let him speak on his behalf.

"Sit up straight, Laura," Grandfather Date said. "You've done nothing wrong."

Laura sat up and dipped her head in a gracious bow. "You're too forgiving, Date-san."

"Please, no more formalities," he asked. "Speak your mind, like my grandson has done. Like we all know you can. We'll need that honesty to solve this problem."

"Problem?" Sage echoed, looking at his grandfather. Laura had a similar look.

Grandfather Date grew solemn. "I know you said it was your presence that brought the demons here. But I do not believe it to be so. The ones that came to this house were asking specifically for my grandson, and not you."

Sage had a hunch that the demons had told him something along those lines. But to hear it still surprised him. "Me?"

Grandfather Date nodded. "Though I don't know why. And I fear the answer."

"That also was my fault." Laura glanced at Sage. "The time Sage was hospitalized was because of a demon attack, not a gang fight."

Sage almost jumped out of his seat. "Laura!"

"It's alright!" she assured him, continuing to speak to Grandfather Date. "I was ill at the time. Sage helped save my life. And both he and Ryo were injured because of it. It's also the reason why the demons have taken such an interest in him now."

"Explain."

"Sage has a very concentrated aura, and at its strongest during a fight. Adrenaline heightens your senses and readies your body for action. It also increases the aura surrounding a fighter, his chi."

"I'm aware of how chi works," Grandfather Date said. "But why my grandson?"

"Like I said, he has a very strong aura. Part of it, I'm guessing, is because of his training as a swordsman. But the other," she paused for a moment. "The other is completely supernatural. In other words, he's an empath."

"Many of my sister's clan were empaths, the strongest being our utsubotsu practitioners," Krysta added. "They have a sixth sense for anything paranormal, and with honed skills, can sense their presence almost instantly. However, the same can be said about the paranormal. They have an infatuation with humans with strong auras."

"Infatuation is one way of putting it."

"He is right. This is a bit much for simple obsession."

"I do not think you realize how strong your grandson really is."

Sage tensed. "What do you mean, Krysta-san?" he asked as casually as possible.

Krysta laughed. "Apparently you don't know either!" She smiled then rolled her eyes up, eyelids half closed as she continued to look at Sage. Immediately he felt the change in the air. He shuddered at the touch of her power, instinctively erecting barriers around himself to shield him. Her aura recoiled, but still lingered around him, prodding the mental barrier every so often, looking for weaknesses in the walls. Sage held his breath.

Krysta opened her eyes, and her aura vanished. Sage wiped the sweat from his brow. Shit. Laura, who was aware of what had taken place, kept an eye on Sage. He gave her a short nod to show he was okay. She frowned, but didn't show anything else, as Krysta continued the conversation with Sage's grandfather.

"He's more gifted as an empath than most I've seen. And his aura naturally has a streak of…" she paused, thoughtful. "I'd like to say electricity. Rare to have, but affiliation with a certain element is possible. The main point is that Sage-kun's aura is outstanding. Any demon within fifty yards of that fight would have sensed him. And after assisting a demon hunter, they would consider him a threat, even if he is unskilled."

"I had hoped that after today, it would have been over," Grandfather Date sighed. "But they will still come for him, won't they?"

"Premeditative fights like today are rare. Your attackers were probably part of the same blood as the demon Kino-chan and Sage-kun had slain. Any more attacks after this will be by chance. But yes, the bold ones will come for him, just like they come for Kino-chan. However, we can prevent this. The next fight does not have to be like what happened today. In fact, since we are aware of it, Sage-kun will not be at as much risk as before." Krysta smirked at the boy. "Not that he was. He handled himself quite well on the battlefield. You should be proud, Masahiro-san."

"I am confident in his swordsmanship, but not in his demon slaying."

"That can easily be arranged."

Sage had been listening with half an ear until that moment, raising an eyebrow at the proclamation. "We can set up barriers around your estate," Krysta continued. "Defense is my forte, and erecting psychic barriers that will keep demons out and hide your grandson's aura can be done within a few hours. As for when he is outside of the house," she gestured towards Laura, "Kino-chan can teach him how to make his aura appear normal, as well as a few other techniques to keep him out of harms way."

"And if a demon breaks through the barrier?"

"That is highly unlikely. For centuries, the Kinoku clan's utsubotsu has been protecting the clan's clients from demon attacks. The barrier cannot be penetrated."

"I have no doubt in your skills, Krysta. But, how can I put this?" Grandfather Date took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I'd still feel uneasy if my strongest line of defense came from relying on someone else. And I'm sure Sage feels the same way." He looked towards his grandson for confirmation. Sage gave a slight nod, a bit touched that his grandfather knew this of him. Laura smirked at the exchange.

"Ah, I see your dilemma. So what do you propose we do?"

"Are you open to listen?"

Krysta looked at her niece. "I believe Masahiro-san is directing the question more towards you than me."

Laura gave a start. "Of course I'm willing to listen. Why would you ask?"

"Because this may still be a sore subject with you," Grandfather Date told her. "I want you to continue staying at our house, as a permanent resident."

Well, this solves who she'll be staying with after this, Sage thought wryly. He wanted to protest. Habitual reaction. But he had an idea where his grandfather was heading with this, and didn't mind. On the practical side, it was perfect. Laura didn't think so.

"I can't stay here! Me just being here will—"

"Will place us in even more danger," Grandfather Date finished for her. She stopped. "I understand why you're worried. But you're barriers are unbreakable, correct?" She gave a nod. "Then it will not be a problem." The old man smiled warmly at her. "Think of it as a job if it'll make you feel more comfortable. I am asking for your services as a demon hunter from the esteemed Kinoku Clam to help protect my family and to train my grandson in how to fight demons. In exchange, we will take care of your and your sister, and I'll pay you—"

"I don't want money," Laura said firmly. She glanced at Sage for a moment, and he was able to see that her mask was down, a torrent of emotions swirling within her eyes. She was overwhelmed by his proposal.

Laura took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked at Grandfather Date, and he already knew her answer. "Having the opportunity to serve this family," she smiled, "is enough. I'll do my best."

Grandfather Date smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

Sage nodded as well, then smirked, casting a glance at Laura. "Looks like we're more than just sparring partners now."

Laura returned his smirk. "You better be ready. I'm a harsh teacher."

"Looking forward to it."

Grandfather Date chuckled at the banter. "Well, the two of you are excused. Krysta and I still have a few things to discuss."

Laura and Sage rose from their seats, Laura bowing again to Grandfather Date to show her gratitude. Sage paused for a moment at the door. "Ojiisama, what are we going to tell Okaasan and Otousan?"

Grandfather Date waved it aside. "Let me deal with your parents. You just rest. You've earned it."

Sage gave a little bow of his own and both left the room, Sage sliding the door closed behind him. He exhaled.

"Relieved?" Laura was further down the hall, heading towards the kitchen.

"Of course I am," Sage said quietly, falling into step behind her. "But it went very smooth. I'm surprised how easy it was to fall into step with you after the first few minutes."

"We geared it that way. Krysta and I were planning to place the brunt of the conversation on ourselves to keep the pressure off of you. So I was surprised when you directed the conversation in the beginning."

"Is that why you glared at me?"

Laura stopped at the entrance hall. It was starting to become their talking spot. "I thought you were going to throw us off."

"Hard not to do when no one tells me what's going on," Sage retorted. "I thought you went in blind."

"We did."

Sage balked. "You're kidding."

"Krysta and I have had more practice with improvisation than you. So coming up with something on the spot wasn't difficult. However, we were assuming that your grandfather would have done most of the talking. We didn't think he'd let you speak so freely."

Sage thought about that for a moment. The funny thing was, neither did he. Maybe killing two demons and almost dying had something to do with it.

He looked over at Laura, with her arms crossed and her hip leaning off to the side, and realized she was just standing there, biting on the inside of her lip. He took a wild guess. "Worried about your new job?"

She huffed, half smile, half sneer. But she didn't say anything more.

"You're thinking too much again."

"Yeah, well," she tried for a comeback, but stopped, not into it.

Sage frowned, then got an idea. He started to walk towards her as if to get across the entrance hall to the other side. Laura took a small step forward for him to pass behind her, still broodingly thinking to herself. Sage allowed himself a small grin as he walked past her, then ran his finger up her spine.

Laura jumped, then swung her arm around. He swerved, blocking the strike meant for the back of his neck with his forearm, then ducked under a punch, skipping out of her reach with a gleeful smile.

Laura was breathing hard, startled, her fists still drawn up in front of her chest. Her face was the reddest Sage had ever seen it. She was both flustered and angry, but more flustered, to his pleasant surprise.

Sage held his hands up and chuckled. "Calm down."

Laura growled.

He laughed again, and lowered his hands. "Really. Loosen up. You'll think better."

"I didn't need you to do that in order to tell me!" she shouted.

He shrugged, then turned around, heading for the dojo. "You wouldn't have heard me."

Laura tensed her fingers, but didn't move against his exposed back. She took in a harsh breath and let it out with a huff. Crossing her arms over her chest. She frowned. Damn him for being right.

"That was a fabulous dinner, Cye-kun."

"Oh no. It's not really my best, actually."

"Oh, you humble yourself too much!" Krysta smiled. "For being so young, you cook with the flair of a professional."

Cye blushed, lowering his head to hide himself. Kento nudged the boy's ribs with a wide grin, in agreement. As always when it came to food.

"Cye has always been that good of a cook," Sage said. "We all found that out when we used to live together. Man, weren't we surprised."

"Lucky you mean," Rowen smirked. "Since the rest of can't put together full course meals."

"Hey! Speak for yourself!" Kento cried. "I happen to know how to prepare a dinner. My family does own a restaurant you know! A restaurant that I help run."

"Hate to break it to you, Kento, but you do more eating than cooking."

Kento glared at Rowen while the rest of them laughed. All in all, it was turning out to be a pretty good dinner. The four Ronins were getting along well with Krysta (Ryo had suddenly bolted to his house, claiming to had forgotten something and so did not stay for dinner), which was a surprise considering everyone knew she had tried to take Laura away. Kento was willing to let it go, since the issue resolved itself already. Rowen was still wary of Krysta and kept his distance, and Cye, knowing a bit too much, found himself getting a headache every time he thought about the utsubotsu mistress. Sage both trusted and did not trust her, a feeling he and Laura shared in common. And at the moment, the ninja was mad at her aunt, despite the friendly atmosphere.

"What are you pouting about now, Kino-chan?"

Laura gave her one look. "We're not talking about this."

"If it's about the details of tonight's ritual…"

Laura gritted her teeth, turning a bit red.

Krysta laughed. "You're so self conscious about yourself. Really, it's not that bad."

Laura turned in her seat. "I know you make it a point to make my life more unbearable since I'm not living with you anymore, but I wish you'd stop acting like a child with a new toy."

Krysta frowned. "That wasn't very nice. Being independent doesn't mean you should lose your manners."

That was it. Laura rose from her seat. "I'm taking a nap. Excuse me."

When she left, Sage looked over the table at Krysta.

"I apologize. We do this so often that, for a moment, I forgot the rest of you were here." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Like water and oil, that girl and I. We argue as if we were sworn enemies!"

"I'm surprised that you aren't."

Krysta looked over at Rowen. He glared back. "Earning your trust will not be easy."

"Earning our trust," Rowen restated, "was never easy, for anyone."

She matched looks with Rowen, sweeping a glance at the rest of the boys who were watching the exchange. A soft smile came to her lips as she closed her eyes. She was glad.

She got up to leave. "Krysta-san."

She smiled at Cye. "I'm used to this kind of treatment. It's a part of my job." She addressed the rest of them with a bow. "Tomorrow I will restore your armors. It will be at Shinjuku Central Park, at four in the morning. Please be prompt."

She left in the same manner her niece had, without any other word or objection. Kento threw his napkin on the table and leaned his back against the wall. "Well, does anyone else here feel like shit right now or what?"

Rowen frowned, but said nothing.

When Ryo had gotten home and entered his room, a sense of panic flooded his body.

How he could have forgotten Yume, he didn't know. With all that had happened she had suddenly disappeared from his mind. And when he realized that he had left her in his room, wounded and alone, the shock made him run all the way home. And when he did not find her, he wanted to drop down onto his knees.

God, where is she? A soft snort alerted him to White Blaze's presence in the room. He walked over to the side of his bed closest to his window. The great tiger was curled up on the floor unusually close to the side of his bed, head lifted up at his master. He read the tension in the boy's body, snorted again, and turned his head towards under the bed. Puzzled, Ryo lowered himself to the floor next to White Blaze and lifted the edge of his bedspread.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

Yume was sleeping underneath the bed, curled up next to White Blaze for, her face the perfect look of tranquility.

Ryo lowered the sheets and leaned his back against the bed post, craning his neck back against the edge of the mattress. For a moment, he lied there, so glad of her safety that he couldn't feel anything. His mind was completely empty of any thoughts. Just the feeling of peace.

"Why didn't you react?"

Rowen was sitting at the edge of Sage's bed, his legs crossed and arms firmly folded over his chest. Sage was setting up Rowen's sleeping bag on the floor. Taking Cye's suggestion, they were doubling up for the night.

Sage frowned. Explaining his reasons why he didn't rise on the defensive was as complicated as saying he was both wary and trusting of Krysta, which was the truth. And he and Laura had not told the others the exact reason why Laura could stay and was now a permanent resident of his house. Which, he was certain, would go over just perfectly with the guys once they found out. Especially Rowen. He'd chew Sage out for accepting such a contract.

"Well?" Rowen asked again, his foot twitching. "Don't tell me that you trust her."

Damn. He sighed.

"Sage."

He sat back on his legs and cast Rowen a longsuffering look. "I'm tired, Rowen."

"Damned to hell if I care."

Oh boy. He knew Rowen was worse than Ryo when it came to friends. But he hardly showed this side of him, not as quick to anger as Ryo was. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times.

He hand been aggravated once Krysta left, and it had only built up from there as the night went on. And since no one else reacted the same way he had, and Ryo wasn't there to share his sentiment, his anger became a simmering blue aura by the time he and Sage retreated to his room. It was giving Sage a headache.

He resisted the urge to rub his temples in front of him, instead leaning back against his night stand. "What do you want me to say?"

Rowen leaned forward, burying his chin into his hand and swearing. He took a moment to calm down, breathing out air between the gaps of his fingers, then brought his hand up to his forehead to sweep back the hair from his face. "She's going to screw us over."

"Yeah."

Rowen sat up, shocked that Sage would agree so easily. "You know this and you're okay with it!"

Sage sighed again, this time out of frustration. "Look, Krysta will always be a pain in the ass. She'll always rile us up, she'll always leave us on edge, and she will always make our lives a bit more difficult just because she knows us. But—" and this he made perfectly clear, "She will not betray us. In everything that is important, we have her support. Don't ask me for proof, but I know this for a fact to be true."

They were in a staring content, Rowen searching for any sign of doubt and Sage conveying that there wasn't. Finally, Rowen pulled away. "Fine. I trust you," he stressed. "If you think she's alright, then that's okay."

"No it's not." Sage got up from the floor a grabbed a jacket from his closet. Rowen was confused as he headed for the door.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean? Where are you going?"

Sage opened the door and turned back to Rowen. "We're going to the dojo. I want to show you something."

"But they're casting the protection spell," Rowen said as he got up. "Are you sure it's alright for us to be there?"

Sage waved it off. "We'll be fine."

They had drawn the magic circle in the center of the room with a nice, fine chalk. Ancient Japanese glyphs and interlacing circles decorated the pentagram, which covered more than three fourths of the entire dojo floor. Candles were burning between the inner and outer circles that closed off the pentagram, eight in all in correspondence with the major and minor directions of the wind. Paper charms were set along the guarding walls of the estate, matching the candles that symbolized their presence, and the final charm was placed at the center of the circle, with the character for protection written in black ink. Laura had a switchblade stashed away at the small of her back, some dirt from outside had been gathered and mixed with a finer soil to ground the spell, and the music was set on cue to play once the ritual took place. Now all that was left were the costumes.

Laura stared down at herself and cursed. "You suck."

Krysta giggled. "Oh, Kino-chan! You look adorable!"

The girl gave her aunt the most baleful glare she could muster. "To whom!" she demanded.

"Oh, it's not that bad!" She waved off the outburst. "At least you have free movement."

Laura looked herself over again. She was about to forego 'free movement' if it gave her a different outfit. Thank God no one's going to see me in this.

And then the door slid open.

"What the hell are you doing here!"

Sage took a step back, taken by surprise with the angry shout, before he raised an irritated eyebrow at her. "It's my dojo, you know." He didn't notice how Rowen practically froze behind him.

Krysta giggled again. "I guess he came in to sneak a peek before going off to bed, ne?"

Sage didn't like the woman's attempt at humor, expecting Laura to share his sentiment and reply with a biting remark. But when she didn't, he looked at her quizzically, and only then did his eyes take in the attire that was making her fold her arms tightly over her chest in embarrassment.

Laura and Krysta had almost matching attires, but while Krysta sported the same one piece bodice and long kimono of earlier, Laura just had the bodice, and a short one at that. The protective piece covered just above her breasts and traveled down into a skirt that ended mid thigh. Slits almost up to the hipbone were on either side of the skirt 'for mobility', as her aunt had put it, and a colorful sash was wrapped around her waist and pulled into a tight bow in the back, it's ends reaching all the way down to the floor. Wrist guards covered the back of her hands up to her elbows, and protectors of the same material traveled down her knees and around her feet, leaving only her heel and toes bare.

A typical ninja's garb among her own clan, and one that Laura had avoided wearing at all costs until this night.

Never before had Sage been more appreciative of Laura's old outfit than at that moment, for he would never accidentally look at her the way he was now. Rowen coughed into his fist and turned away. Apparently he was thinking the same thing.

Laura rubbed her arms, painfully aware of how everyone was staring at her. "Alright, let's get this over with before I kill Sage."

Sage sputtered indignantly. "What! I didn't stick you in that! Why don't you kill Krysta instead?"

"Cause she'll kick my ass. You, I'm not so sure of."

"Thanks a bunch."

Krysta smiled at them, taking the bucket filled with dirt and setting it near the edge of the circle. Sage raised an eyebrow. "What is that for?"

"So I can draw power from the earth," Krysta explained. "I had preferred to cast this spell directly into your soil, but there's no clear area big enough to sustain the circle. Bringing the soil to the circle will work just as well."

She dropped a small cup into the bucket and stood up straight. "Kino-chan, take off your rune and we'll begin."

Laura frowned, placing her hand on her hip and shifting her weight, momentarily forgetting there were two guys present and she was promiscuously dressed for the occasion. "Don't tell me you're going to bring this up with me now?"

"No, it's not that," Krysta assured her. "But if you wear the rune during the incantation you might accidentally tap into it."

"Why is that a problem?" Rowen asked.

"I don't want the rune fuelling this spell. If the rune is destroyed or somehow loses its power, the shield will break, and I'm not even certain of that. But if it's tied to a life force, then I know it cannot be broken without one of us dying first. And I'm more confidant in Kino-chan's ability to stay alive than that rune's.

"Now, if you don't mind," Krysta urged. "I still need to prepare for tomorrow morning's ritual."

Laura nodded and walked over to Sage, loosening the strap of her necklace and lifting it over her head. She lowered the rune into her palm and held it out to him. "Here. Can you hold this for me?"

He gave a slight nod before lifting the rune from Laura's hand. A shock of energy ran through his fingers and he dropped the pendant. Laura jerked her hand as well. Sage swore softly, shaking his fingers to try and force out the tingling sensation.

"You alright?" Laura asked, confused at what had happened.

"I'm fine," he said, figuring it was just static. He moved to pick up the rune again when Krysta cut in.

"Kino-chan, just set it on your bag."

Laura was about to argue when Krysta spoke again, this time in Chinese, and not too kindly. Laura rolled her eyes and went over to her bag, which was just a few feet away from Sage.

"Is it alright for us to be here?" Rowen asked. As much as this was fascinating to him, he was worried if their presence would interfere with the spell.

Krysta paused, for a moment glancing at Sage before shaking her head. "No. As long as you don't cross the circle, you're fine." She winked at Laura. "Kino-chan just didn't want anyone to see her in her costume."

Laura was close to flicking Krysta off.

"Well now. Shall we begin?"

Krysta took the bucket and a cup and started to walk the circle. Her bare feet padded softly around its outer edge, and with each step, she would toss the fine dirt in an arc around her, all the while chanting to herself.

At first, the words were barely audible, as if she were mouthing the lyrics of a song that only played in her head. But a quarter of the way around, the words became clear, the soft sounds of a hymn echoing in time with the scattering of soil across the wood floor.

"Rise up. Rise up. Spirits of the Earth
Rise up to touch your brothers and sisters.
Bring down, down, the lost parts of your soul
Bring us back to our roots, oh Lord."

There was a faint charge underneath, as if the earth had responded to Krysta's voice and had now risen up through the floorboards to meet them. Sage's eyes widened as he looked down. It felt like he was standing barefoot outside. He flexed he toes and felt them rub against wood, but the air beneath still felt like freshly turned soil, cool and slightly damp to the touch.

Krysta continued to chant and throw dirt on the floor till she ended up back where she started. The outer and inner rings of the circle and much of the dojo were now covered in dirt, the floor charged with rolling, barely contained energy. It felt invigorating and terrifying at the same time to have that much power right beneath their feet, waiting to be released.

Krysta had set the bucket down and, pulling an unlit incense stick from the lining of her sleeve, approached the nearest candle. She gave her niece a slight nod before kneeling down and lighting the stick, scented smoke curling up from its' end. Laura turned on the music.

The repetitive strings of some foreign guitar started to play, followed by the soft chanting of a group of male voices, eerie and vibrating in a language that she did not understand. She knew this was a new edition to her aunt's collection, the woman's panache for raw, cultural music, especially those originating from the Middle East and Africa, having had filtered into her spell casting. She smirked as the drum beat started, a steady alternating beat of hands against worn animal skin. The music was fitting to Krysta's own spiritual energy, which was associated with the desert and the earth; raw, powerful, and grounded.

Krysta got up from the floor, incense stick in hand, just as a wind instrument began to play, its' nasal tune accompanied by a woman's voice singing in the same language as the chanters in the background. Laura took a moment to realize that it was Krysta's.

Her movements at first were slow, her voice low. Then as she moved her hands through the air, incense stick poised delicately between her index and middle fingers, her voice began to rise and fall, steady on a note then quiver with another. The resulting sound was unnerving and magnificent. Raw and graceful.

Her feet moved with the same primal elegance she had shown with her hands and her voice, all working together to produce a dance that was mesmerizing to watch. And in her wake, the incense burned a trail of smoke that surrounded her in a veil of mystic beauty.

Krysta stopped in front of the candle she had lit the incense stick with, and in the middle of her dance she had written in the air above the flame a character announcing the candle's position: north. Outside, the corresponding paper charm glowed a bright orange. A shield was erected on the north side of the estate.

She moved to the next candle, her feet pushing aside dirt, making the energy that had previously been limited to the floor stir and rise into the air, mimicking how the smoke from the incense rose from Krysta's hand.

She wrote above the next candle. Another charm blazed to life. And then the next. More energy rose. Already, half of the estate had a barrier erected around it. The room was steadily growing hot.

Laura headed towards the light switch; it was almost her turn. Ironically, she was thankful of her minimal dress. Rowen had undone the top two buttons of his long sleeve shirt and Sage had stripped off his jacket in the rising heat. The amount of energy present was making both of them sweat.

Krysta willed another barrier into place, the energy she had gathered from the earth running through her body to combine with her own personal power. Only one more mark and her part would be complete.

She reached the last candle, facing northwest, and transcribed the symbol into the air with the smoke of her incense stick. The last charmed glowed accordingly. Now all that was left was to seal the spell into place.

She turned towards her niece and Laura flicked off the dojo lights. The hall was cast into darkness. Shadows were painted against the walls, flickering and dancing like the music, creating great beasts and monsters superimposed in the ever-changing candlelight. It was Laura's turn to call on her power.

The music had skipped to the next tract, a quiet, eerie song created by the elongation of notes, synthetic and unsettling in its creation. It pulled on every note, drawn out till it could no longer hold and faded away, making room for the next note to take over. A slow beat of one drum sounded irregularly behind the moaning strings, and a man's voice punctuated the ghost symphony with foreign words, holding his voice so long that even if she did understand, the words, transformed into just sound, would still be lost to her.

Laura marveled at her aunt's ability to pick music for a focus, letting the man's singing cry carry her away from where she was. Away from the material, the tangible and real, till she reached the source of her strength. Yin. Darkness. At once she began.

Her movements were slower than her aunt's, lingering and refined, concentrated more in the sway of her arms and fingers than her whole body as it transformed the shadows into exotic dancers on the walls. The interplay between darkness and light was all anyone could watch, overshadowing even its' performer. Laura was barely noticeable among the ever changing shadows and flickering candlelight. Her arm would shoot out, bending the shadows to her will, then vanish. Her face would be highlighted but for a moment and disappear in the same fashion, shielded by darkness.

Laura moved to the north candle and kneeled over the flame. "Shadow brothers, created by light. Dance." She waved her palm above the flame. "Dance. Shadow brothers, absolute at night. Dance. Dance."

Her movements slowed, almost to a stop, as she knelt in front of the candle. "With each life I take, I bring you closer to my side." She licked her fingers and snuffed out the candle.

Sage felt an immediate chill run down his spine. His breathing slowed, body on alert as Laura moved to the next candle, repeating the same words, the same ritual movements. "With each life I take, I bring you closer to my side."

The second candle went out. Sage fought the urge to shiver.

Rowen nudged the blonde, noting his uncomfortable stance. Sage shook his head, waving his hand in the same manner in reply to Rowen's silent question. He concentrated on watching the remaining performance.

Laura knelt in front of the third candle, waving her hand over the flame and reciting the mantra again. A growing anxiety started to build up within Sage as he watched, and when Laura's fingers closed over the flame, a cold air seemed to settle around his chest, cooling him from the inside. It was mild at first, like drinking iced tea on a summer's day, but by the sixth candle, it became numbing.

He hugged himself as the seventh candle was extinguished.

"Shadow brothers, created by light. Dance. Dance."

The cold had spread to his stomach and now traveled up his neck.

"Shadow brothers, absolute at night. Dance. Dance."

Then down to his knees and through his arms.

"With each life I take, I bring you closer to my side."

The eighth candle was gone. Save for a few beams of moonlight, the entire dojo was in complete darkness. Sage couldn't feel his body.

The energy needed to complete the spell had finally gathered. Laura's mind was completely calm as she walked to the center of the circle. She pulled out the switch blade from her sash and pricked her finger, letting the blood well up before holding her hand out in front of her, directly above the paper charm. One drop fell from her finger and landed on top of the seal. Several things happened at once.

The energy in the room dispersed and the suddenness had brought Sage to the ground. Rowen had yelled out to him. Or at least Laura thought he did. The power that was still channeling through her body blocked her hearing, and time seemed to have stopped as she listened, all noises filtered out aside from one thing: Sage heartbeat, impossible from where she stood, but as clear in her mind as if she were hearing it through a stethoscope.

Fast. Panicked, as if unable to breathe.

She knew she was rushing towards him. But being able to discern everything that happened around her made time pass slowly in her mind. It would have frightened her to have her senses this strong, but all she could think about was Sage. All she could hear was his heartbeat, gasping.

God…

She had nearly reached him, not seeing how his breath had quickened, his eyes widening in horror at her approach.

If anything happens to him…

"Kino-chan! NO!"

Laura backed away just as the lights snapped on. Spots fluttered in front of her vision as she closed her eyes, waiting for her pupils to readjust to the light. She could no longer hear his heartbeat, only his breathing and Rowen's frantic voice. Time had returned back to normal.

She opened her eyes to find Krysta blocking her.

"Go outside, Kino-chan," she said in Chinese.

"What? But he's—"

"You'll hurt him more by staying."

Laura froze at her aunt's words. She looked over at Sage, who was clutching himself and trying to calm his body through regulated breathing. Rowen was supporting him from behind, both hands on his shoulders to try and steady him, but he was shivering despite himself. She unconsciously tried to feel what was wrong and was thrown back by a protective wall surrounding him. Laura took a step back, feeling the stinging touch of her aunt's aura, and remembered exactly how Sage had looked at her.

"Oh… I see."

She left then. Practically ran out. Nothing said could have brought her back into that room.

Krysta lingered where she stood. She wished she didn't hurt her like that, but there was no other way of saying it.

She turned back to the pair of boys on the floor. She could still feel the erratic way Sage's aura moved, trying to combat the invading forces that had entered his body. She knelt before him and tentatively extended her arms to him.

Rowen instinctively pulled Sage closer.

Her expression softened at his protectiveness. "Here," she implored him, gesturing with her hands for Rowen to let her take him. "Let me."

He held onto him, but at that moment, the words Sage had spoken to him came back.

"… We have her support. Don't ask me for proof, but I know this for a fact to be true."

"Rowen-kun."

The flashback ended, and Rowen was left staring at a motherly woman with her arms stretched out to them in genuine worry. He let her take him.

"Come here, honey. It's alright." Krysta embraced the boy and let her energy wash over him, her aura working to sooth his mind and spirit. He stiffened at the touch of her power, but she held him close, not letting go.

Sage held onto the fabric of her kimono, and buried his face into the woman's shoulders, letting her embrace comfort him, for he had truly been afraid. How stupid he had been. He clenched his teeth. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Oh sweetie, don't apologize." She hugged him tighter, pained that he would want to take the blame. There were too many people hurt by this already. She, being the adult, should have been the only one. "I had misjudged the reading I did on you earlier. I shouldn't have said you could stay."

She could feel him pause, already thinking about what she had said. Krysta chuckled, and patted his head. "I had said your attribute was lightning earlier," she explained. "Even when reading of your armor, I still thought this to be true. I didn't think it was possible to be linked to pure light. Just like I didn't think Kino-chan could have an affiliation with the void."

"Void?"

"True darkness is the presence of nothing. Ittou youjutsu practitioners call on it. Only a few, like Kino-chan, have it as a part of their aura. Again, I'm sorry."

She pulled him away so that she could look at his face. He looked at her, not sure what she was doing. She laughed and tapped his nose. "Maybe this will teach you not to sneak in midnight visits with my niece before going to bed."

Sage shook his head, embarrassed. "It's not like that."

Rowen finally had to laugh at his meekness. "They'll never be like that," he said with a smile. Sage glared at him.

"Well, I see that you're feeling better," Krysta chuckled. She turned to Rowen and nodded to him. "Thank you, Rowen-kun."

"Ro-kun."

"I beg your pardon," Krysta asked, surprised. Sage was staring at him as well.

Rowen rubbed the back of his head. Now he was the one embarrassed. "Rowen-kun… doesn't flow right. Ro-kun sounds better." He looked away, certain that his cheeks were red.

She smiled at him fondly. "You're right."

It was around one when Sage and Rowen had left the dojo. Krysta pulled up her glove to check the time again, realizing they might run late for the binding ritual. She wouldn't get any sleep either, but that was secondary as she exited through the dojo's back door into the cold autumn night.

Laura was sitting just outside.

"…Did you know?"

Laura nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She didn't answer.

Krysta scowled, frustrated with her niece's stubbornness. "I would have sent him out if you just said something. You know how volatile opposite elements can be! And he's a novice!"

"I know…"

"Do you realize what could have happened if—!"

"I KNOW!"

Krysta stopped. Laura gripped the edge of the veranda.

"I know! For God's sake I know…" She shook her head. "I thought it was only with the rune. I didn't think that… Oh, God, could I have killed him?"

The question floored her. Krysta pursed her lips. "You shouldn't worry about it," she said. "You'll be training him from now on, so it won't happen again."

"That's not the point!" Laura cut in, spitting out the words like a vile taste in her mouth. "Could I have killed him?"

"…I don't know," she finally said.

Laura shut her eyes, grinding her teeth together as her nails dug into the wood, leaving faint white marks against flawless brown. Her whole body shook as she tried to hold it in, but it was too much.

She made a fist with her right hand, slammed it into the wood, and screamed. She cried into the night, and Krysta couldn't comfort her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Laura has issues. But I would too if I were her and almost killed Sage just by going near him. And having Krysta for an aunt? …Yeah. I'd be losing it EVERY day.

A YEAR since I've updated. And I said I'd do a rewrite but didn't deliver. BUT, I did say I'd get an update by this weekend for RWU and lo and behold, UPDATE! (ish happy) I'm getting better at predicting it seems.

Well, again tell me what you like, don't like, or just bug me for another update. I'm not so sure about this chapter and how it goes with the rest of the fic because it's been so long since I've last written for this story, and my writing style and way of telling a story, really, has changed. So I apologize if you don't like. Though I don't know if I can ever fix that for you (apologetic grin).

Krysta's a bitch! LOL! But honestly I'd rather have her for a relative than those other aunts that pull 'I'm your elder' stunts on you and make you be proper in public. Asian upbringing speaking here. Glad my mom's a black sheep.

Oh, btw, LAST chapter of Unforeseen Circumstance. Haven't thought of a title for the third season yet. But I just have an epilogue to write. (smile) So SOONER update cause it's an epilogue… unless I decide to work on Sabel. (sweatdrop)