A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I had a little trouble writing this chapter, but I think I'm happy with it now. Hope you enjoy, and please leave a review of any thoughts or feedback you might have. It'd make my day. Thank you!

Two Years Ago:

Nathaniel flew passed me, his skates hissing across the ice. He twisted to face me. "See?"

"I didn't doubt that you'd improve," I said, keeping my footing with The System's help.

We were at our vacation house in the forest, far away from any Elpedite city. Far away from Adrian. Our house was the only building for miles in a pine forest, and I'd never seen another person here. But there were plenty of grizzly bears, moose, and deer. I always though coming here would make me feel better, and it did, but the relief would fade in a few days. It always did.

One of the four drones buzzing above us chirped and flashed a red light directly below it.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

"Yep." He swooped into a U-turn and glided away from the thin ice.

The four drones also projected Mika and Ruetile's images. All three kids orbited me as they skated across the lake. Since Mika and Ruetile were just projections, only Nathaniel's skates hissed on the surface.

I wore skates too, just to stay near Nathaniel. The System was able to help me get around, but my movements always looked stiff next to my brother's.

Adrian had sent us away three days ago, after the Rane's assassination. I hadn't heard anything from him since then and I was fine with that. The assassination still bothered me, but at least it was over.

I blinked out of my thoughts as the shadow of the forest fell over me. The sun had fallen beneath the horizon.

"Hey," I yelled to Nathaniel, who'd nearly skated across the lake, "we're heading back."

He twirled and gave me an exaggerated wave. "Okay."

A few minutes later we returned to shore, changed out of our skates and started up the hill, the drones following. "Can we go back out tomorrow?" Nathaniel asked.

"Sure. Do you still want to hike to the waterfall?"

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Can we come, please?" Ruetile asked.

"I'm not sure the drones can go that far," I said.

Nathaniel pulled a piece of pink plastic from his pocket. "But the earpieces can."

Ruetile crossed her arms. "But then Mika and I can't walk around."

Mika shrugged. "The earpieces have cameras and mics, so we'll be able to see and hear. That's the important part. It's not like we can actually walk around anyway."

Ruetile pushed a blonde curl out of her face with a huff. "Fine. I guess you're right."

"Unlock," I said as we arrived at the house. The door clicked open and we stepped inside. This house was much bigger than the rooms at the Facility. The entire north and south walls were giant windows, giving us a view of the surrounding forest.

One night a grizzly bear and her cubs had relaxed just outside the window. Nathaniel had dragged me to the couch to watch the cubs bother their sleeping mother. He'd been fixated on them, laughing when one of the cubs tumbled off its mother onto its sibling. By the time they left, Nathaniel had drifted off to sleep against my shoulder.

The drones flew inside and into their docks by the door. Mika and Ruetile's images flickered as the projectors in the house took over managing their forms. Nathaniel and I hung our skates and jackets by the door while Ruetile stepped further into the house. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay," Nathaniel said. "Goodnight." But her form had already flickered and vanished. Mika frowned at the space she'd been, but wiped away the expression a second later. Ruetile never handled reminders that she wasn't alive well. But those reminders were few and far between, and there wasn't anything I could do for her. Mika had talked to her about it, and she seemed to be doing better, but there were still moments like this.

I'd mentioned getting her reprogrammed to Nathaniel, but he'd rejected the idea immediately. He'd said messing with Ruetile's programming would be like lobotomizing someone for feeling sad. I'd let it go.

Nathaniel headed for the stairs. "I'm gonna work on my math homework."

"Good luck," I said, on my way to the kitchen. I poured a cup of coffee and settled on the couch to watch the forest. It was almost full night now. The sky was bleeding from purple to black, reducing the pine trees to silhouettes against the stars.

Mika appeared next to me. I looked up to ask him what he needed, but stopped. He had a blank look on his face, and his image flickered several times before solidifying. "Sorry," he said, giving me a sheepish smile.

I set down my mug. "What was that?"

"I um . . . let me be sure." He was silent for a second, but this time his form stayed solid. He nodded. "Okay." It was rare to see Mika nervous. With the Rane's assassination and our vacation, I'd nearly forgotten the strange conversation Mika and I had shared back at the Facility. The one where he'd carefully not asked me when I was going to escape.

"When are you going to escape?" he asked.

"Shut up," I snapped. What had happened to him being smart? He knew talking about this could get him deleted and Nathaniel hurt.

"Relax," he raised a hand, "I shut down the cameras and mics in the room. And as far as my monitor program can tell, we're talking about the view."

I blinked. "How?"

Mika frowned at his feet. "Nathaniel is getting very good with computers and programming. I am too, as a result."

I didn't know what to say. Nathaniel hadn't mentioned an interest in computers. How could he mess with Mika's code? Why?

Mika continued. "Nathaniel removed my age cap a while ago, along with my learning cap."

The age cap was a part of any human-based AI. It kept them acting their age. The learning cap was to keep them from learning everything, or certain things, from the net.

"When? Is Ruetile . . ." I managed.

"Two months ago. And, no, Ruetile's program hasn't been altered."

"Shit." I sprung from the couch, pacing through the room and pushing back my hair. "Has he done anything else?"

"He removed the censors on all the news sources." I halted and pressed my palms into my eyes. All the things I didn't want him to see, and he'd had full access for two months. He'd probably seen the coverage of the assassination. And that wasn't the worst part. I could protect Nathaniel as long as I behaved. But if it was Nathaniel threatening Adrian's control, I wasn't the gate-keeper between them anymore.

"You see why you need to go?" Mika asked. "Nathaniel's going to get into trouble."

"Why didn't you tell me?" It was a struggle to keep my voice low.

"There's too much security in the Facility. Here I can mess with the monitoring systems, but there, I can't touch them."

"Why hasn't he told me?"

"He knows how stressed you are. He wants to take some of the weight. And he can't stay in the Facility much longer; the place is driving him crazy."

"I know. I'm trying." But I hadn't tried hard enough. The System informed me of my elevated heart rate and breathing. I dismissed the alert and took a deep breath.

"I know you are," Mika said, his voice soft, trying to calm me down. "I know something happened with Adrian last week, and I think Nathaniel suspects it too."

I couldn't ignore this. I didn't know how Nathaniel had managed to learn so much without me knowing, but he was playing with things that would piss Adrian off. I needed to stop this.

Walking to the bottom of the stairs, I tried to calm down. "Nathaniel," I called, "come down here please."

"What are you going to do?" Mika asked as the sound of Nathaniel's door opening and closing fell down the stairs.

"I don't know. But we need to talk about it."

Mika ran a hand through his hair. "I'll give you a minute." Then he vanished.

Nathaniel appeared at the bottom of the steps. "What is it?"

I had no idea how to start this conversation, or where to direct it. So I said the only thing I could think to. "You messed with Mika's programing?" My voice cracked at the end.

Nathaniel froze and stared at me with a blank look. "How did you know?"

"He told me."

Hurt flashed across his face before he scowled at his shoes. "I did. So what?"

"So what? His program is monitored. If someone finds out about your tampering, what do you think will happen?" I knew Nathaniel was smart, these things must have occurred to him. But he did it anyway. I grit my teeth and tried to ignore the hollow feeling in my stomach.

He kept his gaze locked on his shoes, his hands clenching at his sides.

"And you removed the news censors. What else? Why?"

"What else am I supposed to do!" he demanded. "You don't tell me anything! I have to spend all day doing nothing and I can't even watch the news. What are you doing? Why won't you tell me?"

"You know what I do."

"Not that. What are you doing to get us out? I want to leave. I've been waiting. Why are you still working for him?" His voice cracked, and he kept blinking.

He was asking all the questions I'd been dreading. I knew he would ask them someday, and he had every right to. And I had no right to be angry at him for this.

"I'm sorry," I said, anger gone from my voice. "But things are going to change. I'm trying. I'm going to talk with Adrian. We've already been talking, a bit, about you moving out of the Facility and staying here."

"Really? Wait, you're not staying?"

"I still have to work."

"No!" he yelled. "That's not what I want! I want to leave all of this. I'm sick of you leaving, I'm sick of you coming home with bruises, and I'm sick of Adrian. Why was he in our rooms last week? And why didn't you tell me? You've been acting stressed since then, so he did something." He swiped at his eye.

I felt sick. I could lie to him, maybe tell him Adrian had just been looking for me and the reason I was stressed was the assassination. Or I could tell him the truth. Both were awful, and though I hid things from him, I didn't want to lie to my brother.

It took a lot of effort to push the words out. "We can't leave."

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to get us out. That's why Adrian came to our rooms. He discovered I stole an ID chip and kept it in my room." I took a deep breath, forcing any emotion from my voice. "That was our chance, Nathaniel. And it wouldn't have worked anyway. There's nowhere for us to go. I'm sorry."

The color drained from Nathaniel's face. "What did he do?"

"He gave me a warning. It's okay. Things are going to get better. You'll have this house, and I'm going to see you often. It might take a while, but things will get better."

"You—" The way he looked at me twisted my stomach, like I'd betrayed him. And I had, in a way. I'd given up when he wanted to keep trying. But I wouldn't let him. He was only ten. He didn't understand what he was risking. And even if he did and was willing to risk his life to escape, I wasn't.

"You have to stop. No more messing with the Facility's computer programs." I should tell him to reset Mika, but if no one had noticed the changes by now, it was unlikely anyone would. And I wouldn't make him cut and delete things out of his friend's head. It was one thing to remove certain restrictions on Mika's ability to learn, but another to take that ability away from him.

"But—"

"No," I snapped. "If you really want to know what's going on, I'll talk to you more, and I'll leave the restrictions on the news off. But you have to promise me you'll stop this. We can't risk it."

He looked at me for a long time, thoughts flickering behind his eye. He swallowed, blinking away something I couldn't read. "I promise."

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around my waist. I returned the hug as he cried into my shirt. I couldn't make this right, but I could do better for Nathaniel. His life right now wasn't good enough, and I'd be having a discussion with Adrian about that. I wouldn't let him dismiss it. He'd told me if I showed loyalty to him, I'd be rewarded. Well, I had during the assassination, and I would continue to do so. It was the only thing left I could do. I ran my hand through Nathaniel's hair.

I would do better. No matter what deals I'd have to make or what I'd have to do.

Present:

"Welcome to Outo country!" A chorus of voices sang as an arm wrapped around my shoulder. I looked up to see a smiling woman with her hair done up in a pair of braids, a simple white cap perched on top. She had on a white apron over a black dress, with a pink flower logo centered on the collar of the apron.

I ducked out of the woman's grip, but she continued to beam at me as if nothing had changed. I held eye contact with her for a few more uncomfortable seconds before glancing around.

We stood on the side of a street. Instead of a street for cars was a trolley, its antenna sparking against the web of wires suspended above the street. The others stood next to me, similar women with matching uniforms fawning over them. I was sure we were making a scene, with our strange clothes, but the people passing by barely glanced at us.

"Your costumes are so pretty," said one of the women. She had Sakura in a bear hug, squealing over how cute she was. Sakura stared blankly back at the woman as Syaoran tried to escape his own captor to help her. Kurogane assumed a stunning poker face, ignoring the woman draped on his arm.

"There's lots of pretty women here, huh?" Fai said, his arm linked with the woman who'd greeted him.

"Your jacket is adorable." The woman who'd greeted me was back and pawing at the sleeve of my jacket. I snatched my arm away, ready to tell her to back off. "You all have different clothes. You're all from very different worlds, right?"

"People come here from other worlds?" Syaoran asked, finally freeing himself.

"Of course. Outo is very famous! Lots of people travel here to see its wonders."

A pair of hand gripped my shoulders. "Get off!" I finally snapped. She giggled and put a hand to her mouth. "Oops, sorry."

"Have you registered yet?" one of the women asked. We all gave her a blank look. "Oh dear, you'll need to be registered right away! Please follow us to city hall." The women began to usher us down the street.

I followed the lead woman, if only to keep them from grabbing me again. "So," I asked the braided woman, "what does being registered mean?"

"Oh don't worry," she said, waving away my concern, "it's very simple."

That was uncomfortably vague. Registering in a new country wasn't too surprising, but she was dodging the question. If this place was like Elpedite, registering an unknown citizen should be a serious matter, and she was being oddly casual. "What is it for?" I tried again.

"It just means you'll be able to earn money here, buy and sell stuff, get jobs, that sort of thing. Everyone who lives here has to register. Don't worry, it's simple and you don't need anything for it."

I raised an eyebrow. "What no paperwork, no ID? How do you know we're safe to let in?"

She waved a hand. "If you're here then it's fine."

I frowned. Her logic seemed backwards, even if it made things easier for us. This didn't make sense and it settled cold unease in my stomach. I glanced over her uniform. "So you're some kind of welcoming committee?"

"Exactly."

The city around us was clean, surprisingly so. All the brickwork in the buildings were stacked exactly on top of another with the mortar between untouched by erosion and the rails for the trolley system gleamed. The even sidewalk was uncracked and unstained. Potted flowers lined some of the shop entrances, all blooming a rainbow of colors.

We turned a corner to find cars rattling down the street. Well, I thought they were cars. They had the same basic shape, but were boxy, and instead of tires their wheels were thin and spindly.

"Here you are." The woman leading us swung out an arm, presenting a marble building with a tented roof and elegant designs curling across the front. "Just head inside and ask for help at one of the desks."

"Thank you," Fai said, nodding to the woman and ascending the steps to the city hall. We followed him, the welcoming committee waving goodbye as we went. Inside was a line of desks on the far wall, and some chairs for a kind of waiting area. There were only a few people at the desks, leaving several available.

"Hold on," I said as we entered the room. The others stopped to listen. "Mokona, should we stay here?"

Mokona, who stood on Fai's shoulder, hummed for a moment. "Yes! There's a feather here, but it's really faint. Mokona can't tell where it is. But Nathaniel . . . "

"Isn't here. That's fine. I just wanted to know. Let's go." I nodded to one of the available desks.

"I got it." Fai said, striding over to the desk and greeting the woman behind it. I was turning away to go sit down when I saw the woman helping a couple a few desks down, and stopped. She was unremarkable. Her light blonde hair curled around her cheeks and she had on a similar uniform to the welcoming committee. But the woman helping Fai looked exactly the same.

I joined Fai at the desk. "What's your name?" I asked her. Fai glanced up from some paperwork he was filling out, Mokona giggling on his shoulder at something he'd written.

"Emma. Nice to meet you." She gave me a polite smile.

I nodded. "And her name?" I pointed to the woman who shared her face.

"That's Emma."

Fai glanced between to two. "Oh?"

"She's an AI," I said, glancing her over. She had a glassy look in her eyes, and didn't even blink when I spoke. My world had AI, so I was used to them, but building a full body for one to operate was complicated and expensive, which was part of the reason I had The System and not a robot.

But what I'd seen of this world's technology so far didn't match this AI. They had slow, noisy cars, a trolley system, and I could see a single computer in the room. A full body AI—any AI—didn't seem to fit this world's level of technology. But she was here anyway.

"An AI?" Fai asked.

"Remember what I told you about computers? Machines that think in patterns and numbers? Well an AI is a computer that thinks like a person. An artificial intelligence." Emma stared back at me with an empty smile. The technology mismatch was only increasing my distrust of this world.

"That's amazing," Fai said, waving to Emma. She waved back.

I caught a glimpse of the paper Fai had been working on. He caught me staring and shrugged. "I can't read the language."

On the paper were five little drawings. A black dog, a smaller white dog, a black cat, a white cat, and a white rabbit.

"Are those supposed to be us?" I asked.

He beamed. "That's right, Rabbit." I raised an eyebrow, unsure how I'd inspire a rabbit. "Oh don't give me that look. It's adorable."

"Like Alice in Wonderland," Mokona said.

"Like what?" I aksed.

Mokona beamed. "It's a story about Alice and a white rabbit and talking flowers and a caterpillar and a smiling cat."

I frowned, unable to connect myself to rabbits and flowers and anything else Mokona had said, and realizing I was missing some key point to this.

"Not you," Fai said, trying to explain Mokona's lacking explanation. "It's a story from Mokona's world. A strange one it seems."

"Oh," I said, finally getting it. A little. Glancing over the rest of the drawings, I paused on the large dog with blocky eyebrows and an angry expression. "Is that supposed to be Kurogane?"

"You mean Big Puppy?" He glanced back at Kurogane with a smirk.

I was quiet for a moment. "Do you want him to kill you?"

He laughed as he handed Emma the paperwork.

After realizing we didn't have a place to stay, Emma showed Fai folder after folder of properties we might be interested in. After perusing for a few minutes, Fai selected one.

"We don't have any money," I said.

Emma nodded. "If you have any items you can part with, you could exchange them."

Fai turned to yell over his shoulder. "Big Puppy, could you bring our stuff over?"

"Stop calling me like a dog!" Kurogane snapped, snatching a bag of some of our supplies from the floor and startling Sakura nearly off her chair.

I turned to Emma and shrugged the rifle on my shoulder. "Do you have guns here? Better quality than this?"

She nodded. "There are several stores that sell firearms here. And I'd say that's an antique model. We could pay you for it."

"Here." I placed it on the counter. James had given me this rifle, but if I could use it to get a better model, it would still give me the same help James intended. For now, I'd use the money to help buy some property. But as soon as I saved back up, I was going shopping.

Kurogane glanced from my rifle to the woman. "What about swords?"

"There are plenty of shops that sell all kinds of blades."

He grinned, and I guessed he was having similar thoughts to mine. We'd been without our weapons of choice for too long.

After selling our clothes from Jade country, and my rifle, we had enough yen to buy one of the properties Emma recommended with some money left over. It was a two story building, set up for a business downstairs and living space upstairs with enough room for all of us.

We were on our way to the building, Syaoran leading with a map Emma gave us, when I noticed The System wasn't running. Between the aggressive welcoming committee, the pressure to register and get ourselves established here, I hadn't noticed the lack of information from The System. Usually small letters would flash in the corners of my vision, updating me on my vitals. They happened so often I didn't really see them anymore unless I was looking for them.

The background program I had scanning for Nathaniel and Adrian's faces wasn't running either. I knew Nathaniel wasn't here, but Adrian could be. I needed to be ready. With a thought, I turned The System back on.

I'd been hit with a TOR bolt once, a bullet made of lightning essentially, and that had been a bad day. The electricity had fried half of The System's functions and nearly killed me.

The pain I felt when I tried to turn The System on was like that. I chocked down a yell and fought the desire to curl up on the ground. The bricks of the sidewalk tilted under me. My hands flew up to my head, as if pressing my temples would hold my skull together.

Two version of reality battered against my senses, fracturing against each other and filling the spaces between with static. Someone was in my face, their voice soft with concern as sunlight danced across blonde hair, but I couldn't catch the words, and at the same time it was completely silent in a dark room except for one silver square of light reflecting off glass just an arm's length away. I sucked in gasps of air, but I was breathing too slowly at the same time the thud of my heart didn't match the sound of my heartbeat. The conflicting and equally important senses clashed against each other until I distantly made the connection between my pain and The System and fired the nerves that would shut it off.

The pain vanished. My lungs burned from a lack of air and I sucked in a deep breath. I blinked spots from my vision and took a moment to breathe and reorient myself.

We were on the same street but now I was sitting on a bench. Fai sat next to me, watching me with worried furrow in his brows. I pieced together the blurry memory of Fai guiding me to a seat. The others stood around us, all watching me, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

Syaoran gave me a look of polite concern. "Are you all right?"

I nodded and stood slowly, my muscles aching. I rolled my wrists and tilted my head to check my balance and hearing. Everything seemed to be working right. "The System is broken."

"That thing in your head?" Kurogane asked. "Didn't you say it couldn't break?"

"It shouldn't. But it was never tested for traveling between worlds." It was the only explanation I could think of. With three control centers, each self-repairing, this shouldn't be possible. But The System was broken, and it felt like ice had replaced it. It wasn't that I used it to fight, even if that was a huge problem. I had dead metal in my limbs, my heart, my spine, my eyes. My brain.

In Elpedite, a team of doctors and scientists were ready to fix any problems like this. But I was stuck in a world that had no medical help for someone like me. And even if we went to a world that did, I wouldn't want to let anyone know what The System was. It was a weapon, and they'd want to use it.

Maybe this wouldn't be a problem. It could be The System was already fixing itself, or something unique to this world was interfering. Even if it was permanent, my body might be able to handle it. I'd heard of doctors leaving in bullets that had hit too close to vital organs for removal, so maybe my body would ignore the foreign material and nothing would go wrong. But I didn't think so.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. She made a gesture as if to reach out to me, but she changed her mind.

"Yes. Let's get to the house."

Syaoran hesitated, but looked back to the map and set off down the street again. The others and I followed him. Sakura walked closer to me than before, and kept glancing at me.

Now that I knew The System was off, everything sounded fainter and my vision didn't seem as sharp. I was half sure it was just my imagination, but I couldn't leave the thought alone. I kept clenching my hand to make sure I could.

"This is it," Syaoran said.

I looked up to see a beautiful two story building. We'd left the city center behind, so this building had a yard around it, lined with trees. A string of powerlines over the right-hand side of the yard. A path of white stone lead through the yard to a set of sliding doors and wind chime hung from the roof next to them.

The first floor had walls of darkened windows, and the second floor had several regular windows, which I assumed were for the bedrooms. The entire house was painted white, and around the edges of the doors and windows were intricate lattice patterns.

Syaoran tucked the map under his arm and pulled the house keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door and we filed inside, our footsteps echoing through the open space. Moonlight reflected of the polished hardwood floor. A counter lined the far wall with a doorway that led into what I assumed was a kitchen and to the right of it a stairway ran up to the second floor.

"This is beautiful," Sakura said, then had to stifle a yawn with her hand.

"We bought this with our clothes and a rifle?" I asked. How were those worth any building?

Fai shrugged. "Well, they sold it to us."

The others wandered the room as Sakura slumped onto a couch and blinked sleep from her eyes. The couch sat with its back against the windows. Mokona leapt onto the seat next to her, fluffing a pillow just before she lost her fight and collapsed onto it, asleep.

I walked to the windows and looked out at the yard. Above the trees across the street, the glow of city's lights lit the night sky, the last shades of purple fading to black. Anxiety pricked at the edges of my mind, refusing to let me forget The System's shut down, but despite that, this might not be a bad place to stay. It was better than the mostly hostile greetings we'd received so far.

The darkness outside the window lurched, climbing from the shadows between the bushes. A silhouette rose to twice my height, blocking the city light and a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at me from just beyond the glass.

"Guys—" I managed as I jumped back.

"I see it!" Kurogane scooped Sakura off the sofa a second before the glass exploded. We all retreated to the far side of the room as shards of glass spun across the hardwood. A hulking figure dragged itself through the broken windows and into the light.

It hunched over, too tall for the room, on four sprawling legs that had three claws each. Two gaping yellow eyes sat like lanterns in its head above a mouth of jagged teeth. Spines ran down its back, ending in a sweeping tail.

"What's a kudan doing here?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the thing as it shifted its weight closer and let out a hiss.

"That's not a kudan," Kurogane said.

It lunged, crossing the room in one movement and lashing out with an arm. Fai rolled away, Syaoran jumped over the claws, and I, on instinct, activated The System.

I knew my mistake the second I made it, but it was too late. The room and the creature splintered around me, competing with a dark space surrounded by glass as I struggled for the impulse that would turn off The System. My balance shattered and my right knee buckled before I could shut it off.

A sharp jerk on my collar yanked me out of the way just before claws raked through the space I'd been. Kurogane glared down at me before letting go of my jacket. "Don't pull that now!"

Syaoran ran across the room, away from us as the creature fixated on him. The creature clawed at him, catching Syaoran on the right shoulder as he ducked away. He rolled to his feet ran directly for the nearest wall, the thing scrambling after him. He wasn't going to have enough room to get away, and the thing was winding up for another swipe.

"He's not—" I fumbled for one of my knives. But before I could get a grip, Syaoran leapt just as the creature swung at him. He kicked off the wall, twisted mid-air, and brought his heel down between the thing's eyes.

It stumbled away from him, fog spilling from its jaws with a crackling hiss. It twitched one time before its limbs melted away into shadows. The last drop fell to the floor, faded, and a burst of light lit the spot before dying away. Then there was nothing left.

"What was that?" I asked. I'd expected a ready explanation from someone, probably Fai, but everyone stayed silent. A check revealed expressions of concern and confusion, and on Kurogane's face, something tinged a bit darker.

"A monster," Kurogane finally said.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the morning, Fai, Syaoran and I made a trip to city hall. Fai convinced Kurogane to stay behind with the comatose Sakura. Well, he decided to sneak out with us before Kurogane could notice.

Fai leaned against Emma's counter. "Hello."

"Hello," Emma said. "You killed an oni last night, right?"

Syaoran and I started, and shared a frown. She shouldn't know that. I hadn't seen a single camera here, and even if they had them, her watching us through them would be disturbing enough. There could be people watching us. It would explain her knowledge. But I would have noticed if we'd been followed. Right?

"How do you know that?" Fai asked.

"The movement of all oni are monitored." So they didn't have camera's and they couldn't have people watching oni, it would be dangerous and inefficient. So what was it? Magic?

I stepped closer to the desk. "How? What are they?"

Emma frowned. "Well, oni are very dangerous, so city hall monitors their location and status. As for what they are, they are the enemy of Outo country, so they must be destroyed." I didn't like the way she said that. It was too simplistic and she hadn't answered my first question. "They usually appear at night, rarely during the day. They are strongest when the moon is full, and weakest when it is new."

Fai propped his elbows on the desk and his chin in his hands. "With creatures like that roaming around, the people here seem pretty relaxed." That's what I'd been thinking. There were too many things here that weren't making sense. They had no camera's but a mysterious monitoring system for the oni. They had robots and AI, but clunky cars and no computers. And I hadn't heard magic as an explanation for any of it.

Emma nodded. "Most oni are too busy dealing with our specialists to attack regular citizens. These specialists are called oni hunters and they keep the oni population under control to protect regular citizens. The stronger the oni they defeat; the more money they earn." She opened her drawer and withdrew a flat, metal object about the size of her palm, shaped like a cherry blossom. "The type of oni you defeated last night was a "ha" rank, fifth level. I believe you'd make fine oni hunters. Are you interested?"

"Would this job be a quick way to earn profit?" Fai asked.

"Of course."

This might be a good job for me. The best way to learn how to fight without The System was to practice. To get a gun, I'd need money, and if I did I would have the advantage. As a sort of hobby, I'd shut down The System before practicing at the shooting range. So I still had incredible aim without The System aiding me.

Fai turned to us. "What do you think Syaoran-kun, Alice-san?"

"I'll sign up," I said. I wouldn't be any good at any other job, and I needed to make money, so it wasn't much of a choice.

Syaoran frowned. "Is this job good for collecting information? I'm looking for something."

"Yes," Emma said. "Oni hunters have an underworld information flow, and certain areas of Outo country are only available to oni hunters." She looked between Syaoran and I. "But this work is dangerous."

"That's fine," I said.

Syaoran nodded. "I'll do it."

Emma opened her draw and pulled out a folder. "Now, you'll need a partner. Will you two be teaming up?"

Syaoran and I shared a look. I didn't want to team up. I liked being responsible for myself when I was working, and Syaoran wasn't exactly experienced in a fight. Sure, he could hold his own, but it was obvious he was more accustomed to the occasional street brawl than regular combat.

"I, well . . . I was thinking . . . " Syaoran grimaced.

"I don't want to team up." I said, saving him from whatever he was trying to say. It was rude, but it looked like Syaoran had something else in mind anyway.

"One of you could team up with Kuro-pu," Fai said.

Guilt flickered in Syaoran's eyes. "But he's not here."

Fai laughed. "You think he'd say no? If we leave him out, he'll be mad."

"You should team up with him," I said. Syaoran preferred to partner with Kurogane, but was too polite to agree without his presence, but I doubted the man would mind.

Syaoran hesitated, then turned to Emma. "My partner will be Kurogane-san."

"Wonderful," Emma said, writing Syaoran's information into her folder.

"Can I work alone?" I asked.

"Sorry, but it's law that oni hunters must have a partner. There is a temporary permit, for those who need to find a partner, but you'll only be able to hunt up to rank five oni during that time, and the permit expires after a week."

I sighed. I'd take it for now, but I had no clue who would be my partner. I wasn't any good at meeting new people, but if I was lucky I could find someone with a similar skill level who was only interested in business interactions. I'd figure it out. "Okay. I'll sign up."

She smiled and jotted something down in the folder.

"What about you?" she asked Fai.

He stretched and gave her a lazy grin. "I just want to relax and take it easy, but help pick up information. Are there any jobs like that?"

"Yes, there's something like this," She opened her drawer, but before she even handed Fai the papers he gave her a thumbs up.

"I'll take that one."

Syaoran started. "You don't even know what it is."

Fai grinned and shrugged.

Hunting oni would be difficult, even after I bought a gun. They were an unfamiliar enemy in an unfamiliar world, and The System was gone. But I would figure it out.

A moment later, I held my temporary oni hunting license. My blue eyes stared back at me from the photo, expressionless.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I slid open the door to the house, Syaoran and Fai behind me. Kurogane sat hunched in the corner, glaring at us as we entered. Sakura lay soundly asleep on the couch next to him.

"We're back," Fai sang, patting Kurogane on the head. "Have you been a good little Kuro-woof?"

"Stop treating me like a dog," Kurogane snapped, shoving his hand away.

"We got you a job," Fai said. "Syaoran-kun and Kuro-woof have to defeat the evil oni and take their treasure."

Kurogane turned to Syaoran. "You, explain."

A minute later Kurogane grinned and rose to his feet. "Oni hunting, huh? Looks like this world will be some fun." He looked at me. "How come you don't have to partner up?"

"It's a temporary license, until I find a partner. If I don't find one within a week, it expires."

He gave me a lingering look, but turned his attention back to Syaoran. "Are you ready for this?"

"Huh?" Syaoran asked.

"We don't know how strong these oni are. This isn't for amateurs." He glared at Syaoran and reached out, pushing back the hair from his face. "And you're blind in your right eye."

Fai's smile dropped as he stared at Syaoran. I'd already known, having figured it out in Koryo when his movements reminded me of Nathaniel. I'd kept quiet out of respect for Syaoran, and because it hadn't been a major problem yet. But if Kurogane was going to be Syaoran's partner, he had the right to address it.

"When I first saw you in action, you used your kudan with your spirit, not your sight. Then in Koryo, when the overlord's son grabbed the princess's arm, you didn't react. It was like you didn't see it." Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "That man meant to hurt her, had murder in his eyes. When you heard what him, then finally saw him, you reacted with brutal intensity. Then last night," he pointed to the bandage on Syaoran's right arm, "you reacted late on your right side. If the oni had been any stronger, you wouldn't have gotten away with just a cut."

Syaoran was a good street fighter. But that was all. He wasn't used to any sort of battlefield. If he went out to fight oni without any preparation or mental shift, he would get hurt, badly.

Syaoran took a slow breath. "I will do everything I can to not be a burden to you." He bowed. "Please."

"Let him do it, Kuro-sama!" Fai said, his cheer returned.

Kurogane glanced from Fai back to Syaoran and sighed. "Fine."

Syaoran beamed and bowed again. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, yeah," Kurogane waved him away.

"Okay," Fai said, "you guys can't get to work until tonight, so until then, help me out with my job." I raised an eyebrow, not sure how he thought I could help run a café.

"What, you got a job?" Kurogane asked.

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "I'm the proud new owner of a café."

Syaoran eyed the empty room. "Fai-san, I think this is a bit empty."

"Exactly," Fai drew one of the flower cards from his pocket with a flourish. "Our first step: shopping."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Fai, Kurogane, and I ended up going out shopping, leaving Syaoran and Sakura behind. Fai knew what we needed for the café, Kurogane needed a sword, and I needed a gun. Kurogane insisted our first stop be the sword shop. I agreed. This way, I could sell my sword to have enough money for at least a handgun.

I wasn't thrilled to be selling the sword. Even if it wasn't my weapon of choice, I still used it to block TOR shots. But I hadn't seen a TOR gun since I'd left my world, and without The System I wouldn't have the reaction time or projectile prediction systems to block any bullets.

The shop had walls and tables of every kind of blade and then some. On one of the walls hung a giant double-bladed ax, next to a longsword. A pair of brass knuckles glinted on a nearby table beside a clumsy looking hammer. In the center of the far wall was a desk with a hunched old man behind it. He held a simple wooden staff and blinked at us through bushy eyebrows. "Welcome," he said, "what can I help you find."

Kurogane stepped further into the shop. "A sword. And a good one."

As Kurogane spoke to the shop owner, I examined the various weapons. There were some guns here, but Emma had told me about a shop down the street that specifically sold firearms, and it had a shooting range inside, so I'd be able to test a few pistols before buying them.

I found one weapon hanging between a sword and spear that I couldn't really identify. It was a chain with a little scythe on one end and a weight on the other.

"Have you seen one of these before?" Fai asked, pointing to the strange weapon.

"Never," I said. "What is it?"

Fai shrugged. "No clue. Sorry." He picked up a box from one of the tables and opened it. Inside were two rows of five darts. He plucked one from the case and looked it over. He smiled, put it back, and tucked the box under his arm. I wouldn't have picked darts for a weapon, but it wasn't my problem.

"I think he found the right one," Fai said. I followed his gaze to Kurogane holding a sword. "He's got that look on." And Kurogane was grinning, that same grin he wore whenever a fight started. Fai went to join him and they bought the darts and sword. The sword was a similar style to the one he'd paid Yuuko. It was a long, single-edged blade with a curved cross guard.

Once the old man had finished the transaction, I took my sword off my belt. "Can I sell this here?"

He rolled up the sleeves of his robe and held out a hand. I gave him the sword. He pulled it from it sheath with a surprisingly graceful motion and examined the blade, tilting it so it glinted in the light.

"What are you asking for it?" he asked.

Somehow, I'd forgotten to pay attention to this world's money system, and had no idea what yen was worth. Should I ask for ten, fifty, three hundred yen? I should have been paying attention to what Kurogane paid for his sword.

The old man raised an eyebrow. I'd been quiet for too long.

"Hmm," Fai leaned against the desk, "I figured you'd ask for fifty thousand."

I nodded. "Yes. Fifty thousand." Fai probably knew the money system the best, having handled most of our transactions with Emma, and just buying the darts and sword.

"What about forty thousand?" the man asked. "It looks pretty standard to me."

"Standard?" I blinked. That sword could catch TOR bolts and protect me from the shock. It could deflect bullets without shattering and I'd used it for nearly ten years. But I didn't know how to tell him about that. TOR bolts likely didn't exist here, and I couldn't prove it could deflect bullets.

"Here." The old man handed me the sword before disappearing into the back of the store. I glanced to Fai, thinking I'd missed something, but he shrugged.

The man returned, towing something that looked a bit like a punching bag, but where the bag should have been there was a bundle of bamboo.

"Strike this please," he said, standing it in front of me. This must have been some kind of training dummy, or something to specifically test a sword's quality. Normally, I wouldn't have worried about it. But The System usually found the perfect angle and power for a strike, and now I was left to figure it our myself.

I took a basic stance and gripped my sword with both hands. Muscle memory and what skill I had left would have to work.

"Ha!" I swung with all my strength, rocking my weight into the strike, and hit the bamboo with a crack. There was a moment of resistance, then I pulled my swing short before it could cut into the floor. The bamboo clattered to the tile, but something else bounced with a metallic ring.

There was bamboo, and darker, harder beams of wood and one pole of metal. I checked the stand, and found I'd cut all the way through, exposing the middle ring of wood, and the single center pole of metal.

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Kurogane snorted. "I'd start asking for sixty thousand, brat."

After some discussion, the man finally agreed on 57,000 yen. I left with it on my flower card. Fai had gotten one for each of us from Emma and given me mine before we'd left to shop.

I wasn't sure what I felt when I handed the man my sword. I'd never wanted it, but it had saved my life multiple times, and was one of the last things I had from my world. Maybe I should have felt relieved to see something Adrian gave me leave, even if I'd come to rely on it. I wanted to keep it, if only to figure out why I wasn't happy to see it go, like I could negotiate my emotions into what I wanted. But I needed a gun more than a sword, so I let it go.

Once we exited the store and set off for the gun shop, my mood lightened. It wasn't an easy choice to sell my sword, but it had been mine. Up until the last second, I could have changed my mind. And technically the sword was Adrian's, so I'd just made a profit off his stolen property. I smirked.

Several blocks later, we found Sarah's Lucky Shot. A bell rang as I opened the door. A dark haired woman with black framed glasses stood behind the counter. She glanced up at us and away from a customer examining a rifle. "Be with you in a minute."

I scanned the room, finding rifles on the left wall, handguns and others on the right, and the door to the shooting range in the back wall next to the counter. I went directly for the handguns. Eventually, I'd like to come back for a rifle and a revolver. But right now a handgun was a good, basic firearm and I could afford it. On the table were three rows of handguns, all secured to the table with a retractable wire, each with a sort of lock in the chamber so that they couldn't be loaded.

"What kind are you looking for?" Fai asked, examining a revolver.

"Semi-automatic pistol, 9mm or similar."

He glanced from me to the revolver. "Like this?"

"That's a revolver. It can only fire about six shots before you have to reload it. They're a bit more reliable, but I need something faster. Like this." I picked up a small black pistol. "They use magazines, so they shoot between six and thirty times before you have to reload."

"Hi, I'm Sarah," said the woman who'd greeted us when we'd entered. "How can I help you?"

"I need a semi-automatic pistol. I'd prefer a lower caliber."

"How about this?" Sarah asked, picking up another pistol. It was black with a pebbled grip and silver filigree pattern curling around the barrel. "It's 9mm, the magazine holds fifteen rounds, and it's a good size for you."

"Does it have a DNA lock?"

She frowned. "A what?"

"Never mind." I waved away the question, moving on before she could wonder why I asked about technology that didn't exist here. "What does it cost?"

"I'm asking 48,500."

That was most of my money. But I'd have enough left over for a few boxes of ammo and a holster. I planned on going after oni tonight, so I'd be earning more money soon.

"Would you like to test it out?" Sarah asked.

"Yes."

She pulled a key from her pocket and unchained the gun. "If you want to head back to the shooting range, I'll be there in just a moment." She took the gun to the back.

I found a bin of noise-canceling earmuffs next to the door to the shooting range. Guessing they were for customer use, I picked up a pair. Hanging them across my neck, I turned to Fai and Kurogane.

"If you're going to come, you're going to want to wear one of these."

"Why?" Kurogane asked.

I frowned. "Guns are very loud. Haven't you fired one before?" It should have occurred to me that Kurogane's world might not have firearms. A sword was his preferred weapon, after all.

Kurogane gave the earmuffs a skeptical look. "No. My Japan doesn't have weapons like that."

"Oh," I said. Kurogane must have years' worth of battle experience, it was obvious after seeing him fight. But I hadn't imagined he fought in a world without guns, or similar weapons.

Fai shrugged. "Now's a good time to learn about them," he said and plucked two sets from the bin, handing Kurogane a pair.

I entered the shooting range, Fai and Kurogane following me. The stalls were empty, so I had my pick. I chose the center one.

Sarah returned with the gun and her own pair of red ear muffs. "Okay," she said, "there are five test rounds in the magazine. If you want more after that you'll have to pay for them. Sound good?"

"Yes." I secured the earmuffs and she handed me the gun.

"What distance do you want?" she asked, raising her voice and pointing to a paper target midway down the range.

"All the way out," I said.

She nodded and pressed a few buttons on the wall behind us. The target clattered as it flew down the track before stopping with a click. "Ready to go," she said.

I raised the gun with both hands and flicked off the safety. I lined the sights up on the center of the target and took a deep breath. I could do this. I'd never needed The System to shoot, and I didn't need it now. My hands were steady. I gritted my teeth and pulled the trigger.

I fired five times, taking a split second to correct my aim between shots. The familiar bark of the gun and the impact of the recoil were reassuring. I may have lost The System, but I wasn't defenseless.

"Done?" Sarah asked once I lowered the gun. I nodded and she hit a button. The target whirred as the track brought it back to the stall. In the center black dot of the target were five holes, two overlapping each other.

Fai sang his fake whistle. "Impressive, Alice-san."

I gave the gun one last look over before turning to Sarah.

"I'll buy it."

Minutes later, I stood outside the shop with a holster on my hip, three boxes of bullets in a bag, and the gun in my hand. As I slid the magazine into place with a snap, it occurred to me I'd never bought anything before. Up until this point, everything I'd earned had been through Adrian. If Nathaniel or I wanted something, I had to ask him for it, and do exactly what he demanded. Buying something with money I'd earned without having to subject myself to Adrian's whims, felt nice. It was like taking a deep breath after holding it for a long time.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I spent the rest of the shopping trip following Fai and Kurogane as Fai directed us to various shops. Our first stop had been a clothing store, since none of our clothes blended in with this world's. Once Fai asked the shop owner about café uniforms he'd picked some up for everyone. He handed Kurogane the bags.

"Why the hell do I have to carry it?"

"Because you're strong, Kuro-woof."

Kurogane gave him a withering look before turning his attention to the racks of outfits. I wandered off to pick up my own set of clothes. Fai had gotten uniforms for everyone, so I needed something casual to wear, and new gear for hunting oni.

I'd given some thought to my armor and decided I should get something else. The black jacket and pants I had on worked well, but they stuck out here, and if I ran across Adrian, my Elpedite clothes would make me easy to spot. And if this world had a regular profession dedicated to combating oni, they probably had decent armor.

The casual set was easy. I found a section of Yukata, which was standard dress for this world, but not what I wanted. The yukata was too restrictive for the kind of movement I wanted. But I found something similar. It had the same kind of folded top but with loose pants that could be pulled up and tied over the top. I picked up a set with maroon pants and a grey top and tucked them under my arm.

But I had to look for a while before I could find the armor. The store had a section dedicated to oni hunting clothes, but there was such a variety, and I walked past the sign I couldn't read a few times before finally asking a store attendant for help.

He pointed me to section where some clothes seemed like formal wear, while others were elaborate suits of metal that looked like a pain to put on. And I wasn't sure how a cocktail dress was protective gear, but there was normal gear hidden in the racks.

After wandering the maze for a while, I decided on a black long-sleeved shirt that was made of some kind of Kevlar-like material, but lighter. The attendant assured me it was blade and bullet proof, so I decided I'd try it. I found some light-weight breastplates, and chose a gray one. I wanted to keep my clothes dark, considering I'd be hunting oni at night. A pair of pants made from similar material as the shirt and arm guards that matched my breastplate finished the set. I decided to keep the gloves and boots from my world because they were plain, and I wanted to be cost efficient.

I tucked my clothes under one arm and went to find Kurogane and Fai. I just followed the shouting.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I set down the table, lining it up with the others Syaoran and I had brought in. Fai had ordered the furniture for the café at a shop on our way back, and the tables and chairs had been delivered half an hour ago. Kurogane had fixed the hole in the wall the oni had left with the new windows Fai had also ordered.

Now Kurogane was hanging up curtains, while Fai organized the kitchen and Syaoran and I set up the dining space. Sakura lay asleep on the couch, but as I draped the tablecloth on the table, she groaned and sat up.

"Good morning Sakura-chan," Fai said.

Syaoran set down a table and went to her side. "How are you feeling, princess?" Syaoran sat down next to her, explaining everything that had happened while she slept. She followed along with a nod or question now and then.

"The oni . . . are they dangerous?" Sakura asked when Syaoran had finished.

"We don't know yet," Syaoran said, his confident expression faltering as he searched for something to reassure her.

"I don't think we need to worry very much," Fai said, elbowing Kurogane. "We have three oni hunters here after all."

"Right," Sakura said. She smiled, but worry still bled through when she looked at Syaoran. "Is there something I can do?"

"Actually," Fai took Sakura's uniform from the counter, "this café is to help us gather information, and I was wondering if you'd like to help run it?"

"Of course!" Sakura stood and took the uniform with both hands, nodding vigorously. "Should I change?"

"It would be a good idea to see if it fits."

She clutched the fabric to her chest and disappeared upstairs. She returned a moment later. The uniform was a flowing white kimono-like dress that fell to her shins, and a rosy apron and headband. "Does this look right?" She asked Syaoran.

Pink colored his cheeks. He nodded.

She gave Syaoran a shy smile, but it fell a second later. "Just be careful not to get hurt, okay?"

"Okay," he said, his tone firm.

I pushed another table into place just before Mokona leapt onto it with a squeak. Mokona's eyes were wide, like they'd sensed a feather, but instead they opened their mouth and a whirl of colors swirled out. I took a step back as they spiraled into a single point and created a plate of cakes.

"What— Why did that happen?" I asked.

"It's a gift from Yuuko," Mokona said. I had a hard time imagining Yuuko giving anything away. My interaction with her had been brief, but she'd made a strong impression.

"A gift?" Fai asked, leaning over to examine the plate.

"That witch doesn't give anything away," Kurogane said, glowering at the food.

"Well I've just finished the tea, so why don't we all have some with it?" Fai said, pulling a tray of steaming cups off the counter and passing them around.

"Thanks," I said when Fai handed me a mug.

Sakura took plates and forks from the counter and started passing out the desserts. When she got to me I shook my head. "I'll pass."

She blinked. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. I didn't want to owe that woman for anything. With the cold way she did business, and the atmosphere of control she held, she reminded just a little of Adrian, and that was too much. She didn't have that empty look in her eyes like Adrian, and she'd seemed genuinely sympathetic to Syaoran's situation, but I would risk it. I wouldn't take anything free from a woman that could rip memories from your head.

"I won't have any either," Kurogane said, crossing his arms.

Fai crept up behind him. "You should: it's delicious." When Kurogane opened his mouth to reply, Fai stuck a forkful of the cake in. Fai made a graceful retreat as Kurogane processed what happened.

"What the hell?" Kurogane shouted.

When Kurogane had stopped muttering death threats, and the others finished eating, Kurogane gripped his sword and stalked over to the door. "I need to kill something." He turned to Syaoran and I. "You two have three minutes to get ready."

I nodded and disappeared upstairs. I'd assumed I'd be working on my own tonight, but working together for the first night in a new world of strange monsters wasn't a bad idea.

"Ready," I said, descending the stairs in my new gear and my gun on my hip. It was a familiar weight I'd been missing, and having it back made my step lighter.

"I am, too," Syaoran said.

"Let's go." Kurogane said, sliding open the door.

"Happy hunting Kuro-puppy, Syaoran-kun, Alice-san!" Fai waved us off along with Mokona and Sakura.

Kurogane half turned back to Fai before pausing, growling something under his breath, and stomping down the walkway.

I shut the door behind us. "So where are we supposed to find these oni?" I asked. I glanced around, half expecting one to crawl from the shadows between the trees.

Syaoran pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. "The person I spoke to a city hall said they frequent the back alleys in this area of the city." Kurogane and I leaned over to check the map.

"We're here," Syaoran said, pointing to a section just outside of the busier part of the city, then circled a web of smaller streets a few blocks away, "and the alleys are here."

We set off. Streetlights lined the road we walked leaving long spaces of shadow between the pools of light. We passed a couple on a bench. The girls glanced once at us before turning their attention back to each other. Why would they be here, on a dark street near a site regularly haunted by oni? I sighed as we left them behind. Maybe they were just ignorant of it, or the oni hunting teams here were that good at their jobs.

Syaoran turned a corner, and beyond was a dark alley. The streetlights didn't reach here. A handful of flickering lights dotted the alley, but not enough to really illuminate the place. Kurogane rested his sword on his shoulder, seemingly relaxed for the situation. Syaoran, however, kept glancing around and his hands were balled into fists.

I held my gun at my side, safety off and finger over the trigger. If we were fighting humans I'd feel better about this. But I was fighting monsters, which were much bigger than me and unpredictable, and I didn't have The System to help me.

A crash on my right made me jump, and I spun to see a cat scramble off a dumpster and into the shadows.

"Would you relax?" Kurogane said.

I glared at him for a second before Syaoran pointed behind us.

"Do you see that?"

Behind us, our shadows stretched across the pavement, but somehow seemed to be twitching and spreading on their own. The darkness solidified and crawled free of it borders and up off of the pavement to form hunched over oni with horns, shaggy hair, and lantern eyes.

"Finally," Kurogane said.

It wasn't only our shadows. All over the street figures dripped and crawled from darkened places. Syaoran took two steps and spun into a kick that cut through the nearest three.

I turned to the other side of the alley. One of the creatures pulled free of the darkness and skittered toward me.

I raised my gun, centered the sights on the creature's forehead as it closed the distance, and pulled the trigger.