Author's Note: It's supposed to be S-CRY-ED but it won't let me put in the -'s in the chapter title... Oh well!
Oh, and if you have suggested an anime for me to visit but I have not used it, it's probably because I've never heard of it before or don't know about it well enough to write a passage for it. So... That's it. On with the story!
I clung tighter to Akumei so I wouldn't lose him on the way down but then realized we weren't moving. "What…?" I stared down and saw that I was sitting on the ground, a barren wasteland of dusty dirt. "Yay!" I cried and in the next instant, "huh…? Ahhh!" I was blown backwards from some sudden explosion and shielded my and Akumei's eyes from the dust cloud that had been forced up. Peering through my fingers, I glared around, trying to find what had caused it. I didn't have to wait long.

Three figures were facing off against each other and it looked like a two on one. The two were a boy with green hair and a very serious expression with a purple and white thing resembling a human in front of him. It almost looked metallic though. A robot maybe…? Across from them was a boy with brown hair who was panting heavily. His right arm seemed to be oversized and metal as well but he looked pretty beat up, unlike the other. "What…?" I murmured again. What have I gotten myself into this time…? I stood and pulled Akumei with me as I began inching back before breaking into a full out sprint.

I skidded to a halt as I found myself at the base of a large cliff and stared up it. "Man…" I glanced over my shoulder at the fighting pair who was now very far away. "But I don't want to chance getting involved…" I sighed as the wings spread out and we lifted upwards to the sky. The dark sky. "Crap…" I muttered but at least I was ready this time. As I began to shift back into a human I managed to keep the wings beating consistently and climbed steadily higher towards the top of the cliff.

"Ah-!" I started in surprise. I had reached the top and gone forward to land when I looked up to see a man and a woman staring back at me.

The girl remained transfixed and staring but the man walked right up to me as I hovered there. "An alter power…?" He asked, looking directly at the wings.

"Alter… power…?" I echoed in confusion.

"Don't play dumb just to escape."

"Wha-" I was cut off as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto the cliff. In the same moment, he smashed his fist into the side of my head. I gasped out, weaker in the human body, and fell face first into the dirt.

"Why did you do that?" I heard the girl shout and then felt someone turning me over and wiping my face. "She hadn't done anything!"

"She's a native alter, probably friends with that guy." I forced my eyes open and followed his finger towards the ones who had been fighting. I suddenly realized that the green haired boy had won. He now seemed to be arresting the other.

I gritted my teeth against the already pounding head and managed to sit up. I glared at the man through ice blue eyes and forced myself to speak calmly, though I could not hide the menacing tone. "I have not done anything, nor have I tried to do anything. I do not understand what you mean by an alter power so I am sure I do not have one. Please allow me to leave before I end up hurting someone or getting hurt further." The man had backed up a few paces, eyeing me nervously, as I crawled to Akumei's side. "You alright…?" I murmured, picking him from the dirt and leaning him against me. "You keep getting drop-" This time when I hit the ground, I was not able to get back up.

"S-she's bleeding…!" The girl cried. "Striaght, you hit her from behind!"

"She was threatening us Miss Mimori." He replied. "And it's my job as a member of holy to bring in native alters."

"No, she was asking to be left alone and she truly looked like she didn't understand about alters… and it's Mimori!" She shouted. (He pronounced the name wrong.)

"Yeah… right…" He laughed nervously as he scooped me from the ground and set me in the back of the car parked nearby. "Are you coming?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

Mimori was kneeling beside Akumei. "If you take him…"

With a sigh, Striaght picked up Akumei and placed him next to me in the car. "Ready now…?" He climbed into the driver's seat, waited for Mimori to get into the passengers, placed his pink visor over his eyes, and hit the gas. We shot off, speeding across the bumpy dirt ground and dodging around cars on the actual road, without slowing down.

We finally skidded to a stop in front of a massive building in the middle of a city surrounded by a high wall. Mimori stumbled out holding her stomach as Striaght began to unload Akumei and me.

The doors opened and a short haired girl walked out, smiling curiously. "Hey Striaght, what do you have there?"

"A native alter. Or at least, that's what I thought."

"What do you mean…?" She asked, coming closer.

"See for yourself." He replied as he turned around, holding me in his arms. "Look, she's unconscious yet still has wings and they don't look like anything created by an alter power either."

"Hmm…" The girl murmured, reaching out and touching one. "They sure do feel like real feathers… Let's take her anyway so we can figure out more about her."

"What about him?" Mimori said suddenly.

"Oh right, sorry. Here Shireece, you take her and I'll take him." Striaght handed me over to the girl, Shireece, and went back to the car to pull out Akumei. "Thanks!" He cried as he followed Mimori past her and into the building.

Shireece watched them go, looking curiously at me as she supported me beside her. "Oh well…" She sighed as she half carried, half dragged me inside as well.


"Ugh…" I woke up moaning and then sat up with a jolt, bringing a sudden sharp pain to my head. I waited a moment until it subsided back to the dull ache of before and then looked around slowly, wiping the blood away that had dribbled from the corner of my mouth. I was in the middle of a small cell, metal and closed in entirely. "Well this… sucks." I blinked a few times and shook my head lightly. "Alright, I know I've been in here overnight since I'm a demon again." I started, examining my clawed hands. "And they must have gotten shocked by my sword since it's still here and no sane person would lock someone up and allow them to keep their weapon. My camera is here too, luckily… I guess I can just wait in here until it's time to leave again." I crawled over to a corner of the room and sat with my legs drawn up to my chest and chin resting on them. "Ah-!" A thought had dawned on me and I sprang to my feet. "Akumei, what have they done to him?" I screamed, bounding towards the door. I pressed the side of my head to it and listened hard. Yes, there is a guard out there... "Hey!" I shouted. "I know you're out there! Where have you taken Akumei! Give him back right now! If you have hurt him, I swear I will kill you all! Let me out! I know you can hear me! Open this door before I break it down!"

I stumbled back as someone beat on the door from the other side. "Hey you, quiet down in there!"

I smirked as I held my hands together in front of me. Slowly I drew them apart, forming a green energy ball between them. "I said…" I faced my hands towards the door. "…let me out!" I thrust them forward andthe energy beamcollided with the door. There was almost a tearing sound as the door was ripped from its frame and clattered noisily to the ground on the other side. I wasted no time before leaping through.

"What the-" The guard was staring wide eyed from the door to me. "You're not the one we locked up last night!"

"Ok then, you should just let me go without problem then. Heh, sorry about your hand." I smirked as I saw the bandages wrapped around it.

"Stay still or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" I asked, pinning him against the wall with my claws to his neck. I glanced down either side of the narrow hallway. "Hmm… Why am I the only one who needs guards?" He glared at me but the fear was obvious. "Never mind, I don't really care. I just want to know where Akumei is. You know, the man I was with before that jerk hit me from behind. He has long black hair. His scent is all over you so you must have helped carry him somewhere. I need you to take me there." He still remained silent. "Fine, I'll just do it the hard way and track your scent backwards. But I can't have you following me so no hard feelings, k?" I smiled harmlessly and then punched him full in the face, lowering him gently to the ground. "Sorry…" I looked down the hall to my right and sniffed, sensing nothing, so I tried the left and caught Akumei's scent almost immediately. "I'm coming…" I whispered as I sprinted down the hallway.

With his scent growing ever stronger, I kept speeding up, almost forgetting that I was trying to stay hidden. My bare feet made no noise even as they pounded rapidly on the hard floor and the sword and camera were tightly in place so they could not knock against me. I heard a movement around the corner ahead and tried to freeze, claws skidding across the ground and wings outspread to slow me. I managed to stop and peered around the corner. It was the girl from before! Before I even had time to realize that there was no place to hide, Mimori was staring at me. Her mouth opened and I lunged forward, covering it. "Please don't yell or anything! I just want to find Akumei so I can get out of here!"

She nodded, eyes still wide, and I released her. "You… You're really the girl from yesterday?"

"Please… can you tell me where he is?" I murmured. "It's so important…"

She stared a moment longer and then pointed down the hall she had just come from. "I just checked on him. Go down there, turn left, and it's the third door on your right."

"Thank you so much! Please don't tell anyone you saw me!" She nodded again and I smiled thankfully before rushing down the indicated hall. Mimori stared after me silently and then continued on her way. "Left, third right, left, third right…" I repeated to myself under my breath as I ran. "I'm coming Akumei!"

I saw the doors coming up and slowed, coming to a halt in front of the proper one. I pressed my ear to it and heard no voices yet his scent was very strong. He's definitely in there… I reached out slowly and grasped the handle on the door, turning it softly. I pushed it forward and peeked through into the dark room through the crack I had made. Taking a deep breath, I made the gap big enough for me to squeeze by and slipped into the room, standing still while I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. It didn't take long and I quickly made out Akumei lying in one of the beds placed along the walls. Almost running to his side, I crouched down and looked him over. He seemed to be perfectly fine. I pulled the sheets off him and slipped his arm around my shoulder to lift him up. Man, why do you have to be so heavy? I thought to myself as I half dragged him towards the door.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I nearly jumped out of my skin as someone shouted at me. Looking up, I saw a doctor standing in the doorway I had left slightly open. "What are you…?" He added, taking a closer glance.

Crap. I knelt down and shifted Akumei onto my back in between the wings before staggering up, almost falling before catching my balance again. Both hands were behind me to keep him from slipping and his legs were on either side of my waist as if he were getting a piggyback ride. He seemed to dwarf me in size though."Excuse me, I'm in a hurry and I don't want to have to hurt you." I said with a cheerful smile. The doctor held his hand up defensively but stood his ground. "Last warning…!" I called in a singsong voice, removing a hand from my back and curling the fingers into a fist so the knuckles popped. That did it. I smiled again and shot forward as the doctor scurried out of the way. I'm sure he'll call for backup or something… This sucks! I folded the wings down on my back over Akumei as I ran so they wouldn't slow me down, and darted along the so far deserted hallways. I kept taking random turns without slowing down, having no idea where I was going and no longer caring if I was seen.

Two men in uniform passed once and I ducked into a room before they saw me as they rushed past, assumedly to the doctor. I continued and came to a small door at the end of the passage. Gritting my teeth and preparing for anything, I shoved through. I was now in the corner of a large room. It was full of people all staring at a boy who seemed to be holding Mimori hostage. I saw the green haired boy right in front of them but unable to do anything and then realized the other was the one he defeated last night.

Fighting my instinct to help out, I inched around the wall furthest from the people, still holding Akumei steady with both hands and my wings. So close… I reached out and grabbed the handle just as a loud crash erupted from behind me.

As I stepped through the door, I glanced back and saw Mimori and the brown haired boy disappearing into the floor. The green haired boy began shouting orders and that's when they saw me. Everyone stopped short and stared for a moment before someone yelled to "stop her!"

I leapt through the doors without hesitation and began running but someone caught my wrist. I turned around and glared. "You…!" I cried. It was Striaght, the man who had knocked me out from behind last night. I gritted my teeth as he kept hold of my arm while the others approached. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to hit a girl, especially from behind?" Still finishing the last word, I jumped up. His hand released me in surprise and I swung a foot full into his face, leaping away as he was knocked back. "Jerk." I spat as I started running down the street, disregarding the skirt. At the same time, the brown haired boy jumped into a car with Mimori driving and shot after me.

"Ow!" Striaght shouted as he clasped a hand to his busted lip and bruised cheek. Jumping to his feet, he wobbled for a moment before leaping into his car and racing us both. "How the hell is she so fast?" He blinked as he saw me keeping pace with Mimori's car.

"Do you need any help?" I asked Mimori as I ran alongside her.

She and the boy stared in shock before she replied. "No…"

"Alright then, thanks for the help! Watch your back though, he's coming closer." I smiled and pulled ahead, passing them and continuing down the road. I leapt to the side as a jeep like car with open back and sides sped past me to Mimori's car. Glancing over my shoulder I saw the boy jump out and into this new vehicle before it turned around to come after me again. They're escaping too… I slowed as it pulled beside me. "Hey, can I jump in?" I asked.

They stared in shock still until the brown haired boy nodded. "Thanks…" I jumped up and landed lightly in the back, setting Akumei beside me, as I tried to catch my breath.

I looked up at the boy's words in time to see a bridge rising. "Step on the gas!" We shot forward as Striaght's car merged with Mimori's to keep her safe and they skidded to a halt to not go over the rising bridge.

"Thanks, but I have to go!" I cried urgently as I scooped Akumei onto my back again. The car hit the end of the bridge and shot into the air. At the same time, I jumped upwards and spread my wings. "Hey!" I felt someone grab my ankle and dropped a few inches. Someone grabbed onto them and I fell a few feet. "Let go!"

"Just a bit further…!" They urged and I winced as I looked up to see the other side of the bridge just ahead of us, raised high into the air.

"Stop looking up my skirt or I'll drop you!" I screamed and heard both their heads jerk down. Gritting my teeth, I flapped the wings and closed one eye, wincing,as I continued steadily forward yet steadily dropping as well. "Oof!" I heard them grunt as they hit the wall. In turn, I fell forward flat on my face in the dirt once more. Akumei toppled forward off me and I sat up, quickly turning around.

"Ah-!" I cried as I grabbed the boy's hand just as his grasp slipped free. I began hauling them up and once the first was up, I grabbed the next and pulled him over as well. "Everyone ok now?" I panted, sitting on my knees in the dirt with head bowed.

"What are you…?"

I raised my head and faced them. "A demon." I replied, purposely baring my fangs. I laughed at their faces. "But it's ok, I'm not going to do anything. My name's Kira." I smiled.

"I'm Kazuma." The brown haired boy who had escaped replied.

"And I'm Kimishima." The other added.

"Alright, can you tell me what that place is?" I asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Kazuma cried.

"It's called Holy." Kimishima replied. "They keep alter users locked up in there."

"Alter users…?" I echoed.

"You really don't know?" Kimishima asked in shock. I shook my head and he continued. "They are people who have alter powers. I guess you don't know what those are either?" I shook my head again and he went on. "Maybe Kazuma could just show you his. It's kind of an ability that only certain people have. I can't do anything but he can."

"Oh, you mean what he did with his arm?" I paused, thinking. "And how that guy's car fused with the other? And… that purple and white thing that other guy had?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Kimishima cried. "But you're really a… demon…?"

I nodded. "Yep, and I know what you're about to say. Yes, the ears, tail, and stuff are natural. I don't have any alter powers, at least not that I know of… Are we really safe to stop here?"

"No, we should really get going." Kazuma replied. "We'll head to my house I guess."

"Does that "we" include us?" I asked.

"Us…?" Kazuma answered, glancing over to see me pointing towards Akumei. "Oh… well yeah, I mean, you helped us escape didn't you?"

"Great, thank you!" I smiled in relief as I went over to pick up Akumei. "How are we getting there?"

"Well since my ride was trashed…" Kimishima whimpered. "I guess we'll have to walk!"

"Oh, stop whining. At least we made it out." Kazuma muttered. I just laughed as I held Akumei beside me and the four of us began moving.

Finally, we came upon a small town. I had pulled Kaidoh's bandana from my bag to hide the ears and was attempting to hold my tail around my waist. Still I felt eyes on me. Maybe it's the wings…? I thought sarcastically. They were tucked in as much as possible but it's hard to hide such huge things and they remained very obvious. I bowed my head and walked on in silence between the two boys.

We stopped in front of a house and I followed Kazuma to the front door. "Kanami…? I'm back!"

A young girl with a long, thick braid opened the door and immediately began yelling at him. "Where have you been? What did you think you were doing, disappearing for so long?"

Kazuma scratched his head guiltily and slipped in past her. Kanami followed him and Kimishima pushed me inside as well. I stood awkwardly in front of the door with Kimishima as Kazuma continued to be chewed out by Kanami. Suddenly she turned, as if only now realizing I was there. "Oh, hello." She smiled. "Are you a friend of Kazuma's?"

I laughed slightly. "Yes, I am."

"What's wrong with him?" She added.

"Akumei? He's just sleeping, don't worry." I assured her.

She gave me an odd look and then went into another room, pausing in the doorway. "I'm going to make dinner. Would you like some?"

"Yes please!" Kimishima shouted immediately.

I just shook my head. "No thanks, I'm fine." She hasn't noticed the wings yet…

"All right…" She smiled and entered the room.

"Well…" I sighed, setting Akumei against a wall and turning back towards the boys. "Thanks for this. I'll be gone soon though so I need your pictures, preferably with me." I grinned as I held up the camera.

"What for?" They asked in confusion.

"I'm doing a lot of traveling and am keeping track of people I meet. So, how about it?"

"I don't see a problem, right Kazuma?" Kimishima said. He just shrugged in reply.

"Ok, thank you!" I laughed as I jumped between them and snapped the picture quickly, jumping as the camera started whirring. "Oh… Time for a film change…" I knelt beside the camera bag I had placed beside Akumei and pulled out an extra roll of film. Carefully I pulled the used one from the camera and placed it in its old container before inserting the new roll in its place. Switch complete, I put it all away and stood up again. "Well now that that's done…?" My voice trailed off as I crouched down again, clutching my head through the bandana. I waved the boys off as they tried to see what was wrong.

Kira?

Yeah, I'm here.

Ready to go again?

Always am!

All right then, just a second.

I looked up at the boys with a grin. "Time for me to go! It has been fun. Don't get caught again, alright?" I teased, sticking my tongue out as I turned back to gather my things. I stuffed the bandana back into the bag for fear in losing it and strapped the sword tightly around my waist. Last, I picked up Akumei and slipped his arm around my neck.

"What do you… mean…?" Kimishima murmured.

"Well I said I'd been doing lots of traveling lately and you also know I'm a demon. I'm not from this world and now I'm trying to get back to mine. It's time for me to head to another world and see if it's the right one!"

"Well… good luck then." Kazuma laughed.

I gave an amused laugh in return at how well he accepted it. "Thanks."

Kimishima was still gaping as he stared. He jumped back as I started to glow. With a smile and a wave, I disappeared from the room.

Kanami emerged from the next room and looked around. "Well the foods ready… but where did that girl go?"

"Home…" Kazuma murmured and then entered the kitchen. Kanami gave him an odd look before following. The scent of the meal snapped Kimishima out of his shock and he went after them, complaining about being left out.


"I've… sent her… again…" The girl murmured, breathing rather heavily for just having been sitting lifelessly.

"Oh, I hadn't realized you were awake!" Kyoshi turned towards her. "Are you alright?"

"Tired…" She sighed. "But I'll get her back… Don't worry…"

"If you need to take a breather, you better." Kyoshi warned. "It'd be better for you to take slightly longer each time rather than passing out for days when you become too exhausted."

"Yes, you're right. I think I… will…" She whispered, falling over into the grass as her voice trailed off again.

"No objections to that, right Hiei?" Kyoshi smirked.

"Hn." Hiei grunted, arms crossed and eyes closed. Kyoshi just shook his head and returned to his work.