Rogue Huntsman

by Xera Stark

Sure, he ran a bar, but it wasn't like people liked him. He just had good alcohol. When the past starts finding its way back to the surface though, he and his info-broker infiltrate Beacon for answers, only to find a mute kitsune and a forging introvert on their team alongside them. It wasn't bad, he just despised how much he was actually starting to care for them. (Yuri warning)

57. Faith

Rogue Huntsman

Faith

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Everything grew quiet for her as she moved to touch the darkwood door. Her fingers shook, both from her nerves and from the energy seeping out of the door's handle.

Sylvius had ordered his Affinity users not to hurt her. She knew it wouldn't be good news when she finally reached him… but at least she could get to him. Hopefully without going through anyone.

The girl took a deep, final breath as the fighting downstairs continued, brushing her fingers over the handle to the door.

But the metal pulled away from her as soon as she reached it as the door swung open.

She stifled a startle as she quickly took a step back, the figure of someone unfamiliar pulling open one of the doors in front of her and standing in her way.

He… had flame-red hair, burning to black at the tips as he looked at Arex with scarlet irises. The rest of his attire was a mixture of red and black to match, the subtlest trickle of a flame swirling between the fingers of the hand he held down at his side. The other held the door.

Arex looked down his arm to the red blaze in his palm, a startling contrast to her bright orange fire.

H-His fire was… different from hers.

She locked up when he seemed to flick his eyes to hers, but before she could move again, he pushed the door further open and stepped aside. Clearing the way into the room in an almost invitational manner, if also a very tense, silent one.

He didn't say anything.

His eyes looked at her again when the phoenix couldn't get her legs to move, the red gaze he held drifting down to her hands. And Arex tightened her fingers in the way they were balled up from her nerves flaring. Something he noticed.

Arex's eyes traveled to his readied flame again, even if it was held at his side. Just slightly out of sight.

She'd… never met another fire user before… not with that color. And not outside her own family.

"Just leave the door open, Blaise," a voice came from inside.

The same voice Arex had burned in her mind from when he came to take Kit. The same one he used when he spoke to them.

It just sounded so… full of itself. So knowing, so better, so leisure. It just sounded like he took an interest in few things, and literally couldn't care about anything else. Because it all didn't matter to him.

And she and Kit… just happened to fall into his crosshairs. She didn't know if she was terrified of the why, or the how, but she was scared of both reasons he must've held.

"You can come in now," Sylvius's voice spoke again, narrowing the phoenix's focus into the bedroom open in front of her, "Arex."

Her shaking grew into a slight shiver at the way he said her name. Even with him out of sight and nothing visible quite yet aside from the window across the room, she could barely move. When she drew a breath in, she felt her lips quiver and chill.

This is such a bad idea… She whimpered in her mind as she took another breath, feeling her Aura start to warm her back up from her cold sweat.

She needed anything comforting right now.

That heat slowly wrapped around her as she shuddered, expelling what little cold she had left in her body as she managed a numbing step forward. But that warmth quickly threaded down into her legs, making her steps a little easier as she quietly, but stiffly walked into the intricate bedroom.

"There she is!"

She grimaced again. Her eyes traced over the white, fluttering curtains, an open window bringing in a breeze from outside. The hint of a balcony rested just beyond the open glass, shimmering panels lining the far wall in the large open room.

From what she could feel, the ceiling was high. Golden embroidery detailed whatever walls she managed to glimpse past as she sought out his voice in the room, passing her gaze over the bookshelves and desk, the white piano in the corner, and the different forms of cushioned seating.

A silent, tiny gulp dryly struggled to go down her throat as she looked to the bed, resting widely over the darkwood floor. White covers and sheets adorned it, with equally white pillows and more gold embroidery on the frame.

It was a bed that reminded her of Kit… and when she finally set her gaze on the covered mattress, draped overhead by an open, white curtain, she spotted her…

Kitsuki sat with her head down in the middle of the bed. Her hunched body wore a beautiful white, silk nightgown, adorned to her sizes exactly and long enough to nearly reach her knees. An intricate gold necklace circled her neck. Her eyes were unfocused, staring tensely at the bed in a marigold stare that Arex wished she could see right now.

A woman sat beside Kit, leaning against the pillows by the back of the bed. Her eyes were glued to Arex as soon as she noticed them, a predatory gaze of illuminated, bright teal, with tiger-like features making the gaze all the sharper. She sat with her arms crossed, a bare leg bouncing its booted heel over in the way it crossed over the other.

And from the quick glance, Arex saw her thick, shorter hair, gently curled at the ends that reached just past her chin. It was light orange, a contrast to the rest of the bed, each strand tipped in black with soft white streaks running through.

Then her eyes finally found Sylvius, sitting at the front edge of the bed, leaning against the mattress with his arms outstretched. He was still wearing what he was when he took Kit. Formal wear, gold motif, a detailed suit.

But his hair… it was still drifting with that unnatural glimmer of golden light, each blonde strand brushing from the wind coming in from the window. It just… didn't look like it was just the wind doing it.

And his eyes… the way their piercing gaze looked back at her. The way they stormed with golden light inside the crystal walls of his irises. She might've thought he'd look mesmerizing… if he didn't have that smug grin on his face.

Or that patronizing look in his eyes.

"You know," Sylvius started, and Arex turned her gaze to the large crimson scroll he had in his hands. "The cameras in the house really don't give you justice. I've been keeping tabs on you since the gate just outside."

T-That… was the whole time…

"I admit, I would've prefered to prepare first before I let you bring that AI into my system," he continued. She watched him toss that monitored scroll behind him, leaving it to the woman beside Kit to pick up as he stood from the bed. "But I supposed it would be interesting to see what you might do with that information. When you get the chance, do look into a folder named Azrael once you get the whole deal decrypted. I think you'll like what you see."

Arex quietly stood there, hands distractedly fiddling with her sweater as he talked. H-He was taking this… really casually. And she didn't know if she hated him any more or less because of it. In the end, her eyes just kept drawing back to Kit on the bed as he spoke, something she realized he was very aware of every time she did it.

"Oh, believe me, I know why you're here," the Maestro said. His tone drew Arex's gaze back to him, and he gestured her to look toward the others in the room. "I'm admittedly tempted just to give you Kit right now, seeing how far you got. But if I wasn't here, you wouldn't have made it past these last few students of mine and this associate."

Hesitant eyes turned to see Blaise standing with two others, each apparent Affinity user wearing a defining color. One of them was a dark, deep violet, and the other simply wore shades of steel and gray.

Smoke simmered into the air just behind them, and it really wasn't until now that Arex suddenly realized she could smell the burnt air of a cigarette. An ember illuminated the dark corner just behind the three unknown students standing idle, its light brimming beneath the low-tipped officer cap of a woman leaning back in the chair there.

I-It's h-her… The one Arex watched through Ray's eyes at the docks. She… nearly killed both Anoel and Ray, fighting together against her.

"But, there were other reasons why I wanted you to stop by. And not all of them selfish, I assure you," Sylvius said. Arex had to tear her staring eyes away from that glow in the back of the room, fleetingly bringing her gaze back to the man by the bed. "I figured you'd bring company. So, there were two very intriguing associates I knew of who could benefit from this whole endeavor. Both of which have no interest in you."

N-None? Arex felt just a tiny bit relieved, but she still felt more tense than ever as she stood under the gazes of everyone else in the room. All… except for Kit.

"They seem more interested in personal pursuits and individuals. Quinn, for example," Sylvius turned and gestured to the woman in the corner, then to the scroll he left in the hands of his right-hand woman on the bed. "She's waiting for those camera feeds to start cutting out. Because that announces our next guest of honor."

Someone else was coming?

"W-Why?" Arex's voice was softer than it's ever been, but she was astonished she was even able to get a word out at all. Even if it was broken.

"Why did I do all this?" he asked, elaborating on her single word with a look of intrigue. "Nothing more than interest, really. This served as a bit of a test for those studying under me. Why you and her, on the other hand…"

She watched him gesture behind him, to the bed. And Arex watched as Kit's ears twitched slightly in recognition of being referred to.

"I just adore how the stars have aligned with the two of you," Sylvius explained. He… almost sounded excited. Playfully excited, even. "Do you even know what she is? Or what you are?"

T-They were both Faunus. Just… girls who had Affinities. Arex's fingers clenched again as she shook her head, trying her best to catch even the tiniest gaze from Kit. But the kitsune kept her eyes down.

"Well, isn't that precious…" His tone shook her, and Arex nearly took a step back as he brought his eyes back to her. Like they had every intention of boring through her. "Does the word 'Ancestral' mean anything to you?"

His voice turned curious now as she quickly shook her head again. She didn't want to play any role in this conversation. She didn't want anything to do with staying here, but Kit was just a reach away. And if she could stall, the others might just catch up in time.

"It classifies a type of Affinity, my dear," Sylvius explained. His hand fell to his own chest as he smiled. "I have one. As do the two of you, and my lovely partner Tavriela. The four of us all bear Ancestral Fragments."

His hand then gestured to the three Affinity users by Quinn. "Those three, do not."

What did that word even mean, though? So what if there were four of them here. Arex didn't see that as a valid reason to play with them like this… to take someone like this.

"Now, the man downstairs hinted at this, but you really do have extraordinary potential with that Affinity. As do the three of us," Sylvius said.

Arex was starting to shake just a little bit more. He was really drawing this out… And it seemed like he had no idea what kind of emotional impact he was making. What kind of things he'd already done that could cause someone to break down.

"That is precisely why I've brought the two of you into the same room. Ordinarily, Kit would have ran from my invite, so I had to make sure she'd make an appearance. As for you," his words turned to her again, along with his piercing eyes. And Arex wanted to tremble and lash out somehow. But even she knew that was a death wish right now. "I played the cards to make sure you'd know exactly where to go, and when to be here."

His smile grew. And she was starting to hate it more and more…

He was sociopathic… h-he had to be. How could he just play with people like this?

"Syl," the woman spoke from the bed.

Arex turned to see her hold up the scroll, several cameras on-screen quickly flickering to static across the board.

"Ah, thank you, Tavi." Sylvius straightened up his suit and turned to Quinn in the corner, giving her what Arex could only imagine to be another smile. "That would be Ray."

R-Ray was coming back…? And he's… here?

W-Was she out of time?

Quinn took an audible breath as she snuffed out her cigarette and rolled her neck. "Finally. All of this talk was getting extremely boring."

"Most don't take an interest in Affinity users, Quinn. So it would get a little complicated if you found any of that interesting," Sylvius replied.

The woman slowly rose from her seat as she took a few steps past the students beside her and took a moment to glance at him. "If you're all as irritating as this, I can't really blame them."

"They're just young students, dear," Sylvius waved off, turning on his heel to glance back to Arex for a moment. "They don't know what they're capable of. Yet."

"I'm old enough to be your mother, Maestro," Quinn quickly retorted. "Don't call me 'dear' again."

"I suppose that is a little unsightly…" Sylvius replied thoughtfully. But Arex was convinced it was more thoughtlessly than anything else. "Seeing as this is our only likely meeting, I'll leave the nicknames to dear old Ray. He's young enough to be your son. Now, wouldn't that be a twist."

"If I were you, I'd tell your students to cover the door. Before my student gets here and ruins your monologue," Quinn replied evenly.

A quiet hum came from him as the man glanced to the door. "The three of you are free to leave. If you're still interested in impressing me, you can take on her kid. But…" Sylvius turned to Blaise and the two others. "He'll win."

None of the three moved. Not for a few seconds. But Arex watched the one in steel clothing make her way over to the door, eventually followed by Blaise and the boy in purple. They had a passing moment of second thoughts on the way, but another moment of sureness, once they got there.

Arex just… didn't know why they were even staying, if they were allowed to leave.

"Strong willed, aren't they?" Sylvius said aloud, smiling as the three took guard just outside the door, closing it behind them. "They know some of the only ways to further push their Affinities is through physical and mental trial. Or they'll stagnate. I suppose, if they're this willing, maybe something will come of it."

T-They were just going to get beat up… Arex grimaced at the thought. They were going against Ray. That was a trial, for sure, but Arex was actually worried they're well over their heads.

If Onyx and Saph were anything to go by though… at least she knew they were each individually powerful. More than her, on every level. They had that going for them, she figured.

"Oh I can't wait to find out…" Quinn muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest and kept her faded platinum eyes on the door.

"Believe in them just a little bit, sweetie," Sylvius replied evenly, waving dismissively at the door before making his way over to Arex. "They do stand a slight chance."

His proximity to her immediately put her off, and she stiffened up even more. Every nerve in her body flared, wanting her to reach for her sword and do something. But his hand gently pressed against her arm as he turned her, pointing her to a more open side of the room, away from the door.

"How about we fight over here. More room that way," his voice was lighthearted, kind, and Arex despised it.

He ushered her over the hardwood floor and made sure she was standing up straight, placing her in a sizable space of air before stepping back and facing her from the other side of it.

It was that patronizing side of him again. Like she was a child ready to argue with him.

And, yeah, she wanted to yell at him and burn him. But his leisureness and calmness really put her off. All of this was a game to him. Every part of it. The kidnapping, the setup, the entire raid on his house, it was all entertainment for him.

And frankly, that was frightening. She was so, so terrified of his mind and his actions, of what he was willing to do and what he was enjoying. But beyond that, she was irritated at him. Angry that he'd do this.

That he'd have this much control over her and toy with her. That she'd play into so many of his hands so quickly and so predictably to him. That he could watch her and know what she was thinking, what she was doing, what she was planning to do.

It was one of the things Arex hated about herself. She was an open book to just about anyone. But if you looked past the covers, you could read so much more into her, and she had no control over what someone might find.

Because she was never good at hiding it. At putting that cover up to keep herself hidden.

People like this, who knew they were in control… sickened her. They reminded her how inhumane people could be with how they thought of themselves and presented themselves. It was the same thing that was happening between Human and Faunus.

But this guy didn't even have a side in that. H-He was this way with everyone.

What did that even make him?

"You can draw your sword now." Sylvius's voice spoke back out, entering the front of her mind again to catch her attention. "I don't mind waiting. I would just prefer that you had a weapon. It's a bit of a confidence boost, in a way."

He smiled at her. Again. And Arex trembled, again. But the shaking of her body was coming more from edging anger than bundled nerves now.

"Don't hurt her too bad, Syl," Tavi's voice came out now as well. Arex's focus was slow, but it was coming back to her with every quick breath she took. "She's adorable."

A flinch drew through Arex's shoulders as she finally reached up, grasping at the handle of her single-edged blade.

Her fingers were trembling, still idly shaking, and her grasp was overly tight. She disconnected the black sword from its static charge against her hidden wings and brought it down, lowering it into a low guard.

"There we go," Sylvius chided, clapping his hands.

---

Anoel heard the crack of marble after Niro leapt up the side of Ly's apartment building. Her head was cradled in his arm for the jump, but she managed to hear the dull noise of scraping stone as the fragmented pieces pushed back together.

Silver light blearily shined in her eyes as she looked to the glass wall of windows, only the reflection of the moon and the surrounding starts brightly illuminating the surface in front of her.

That reflection soon split somewhere in the middle, where the silk curtains drew harshly apart from the inside.

She had the heart to give a tired wave from Niro's arms as he walked her to the door, Ly's figure standing stiffly through the glass before rushing over to the sliding door and ripping it open.

Her dress was still the way she'd left it at the restaurant. Flawless, and still beautiful.

Lylac didn't hesitate to make her way over, despite the bronze revolvers she carried in her shaking hands.

Her gaze fell to Anoel, a gaze that immediately softened before snapping to Niro's distant, lime green eyes.

"What happened?"

"The asshole took her to a facility outside the city walls." Ano looked up as Niro said that, squinting her eyes to try to make out his face in the night. But she couldn't see through the haze of shadow looming beneath the edge of his hat.

Her eyes roamed back to Ly in an apologetic gaze, trying to brush off how meek she felt in front of her.

Worse than that, she wished Ly didn't have to see her injured like that.

"I was wondering if there were still people after Phoenix," Niro continued. Anoel was able to make out just a little hatred in his words. "Guess I haven't killed them all yet."

Ly drew in a heavy, tired breath as she rubbed her eyes and turned around. "Let me know if I can help you with that…"

She took a step toward the apartment interior before turning her head to look over her shoulder. "We should get her inside."

"Scarlet's here too…" Anoel voiced quietly, her eyes following the distraught gaze Ly bore before the woman could turn it away. Admittedly, the phoenix knew it was coming. She knew it would hurt, too.

But that didn't stop the raw feeling of pain that hit her when she caught it.

"Where's Arex? Is she inside?" Ano asked, trying to crane her neck a little to peer through into the apartment.

"No, and that's not the worst of it…" Lylac murmured under her breath as she continued toward the sliding door. "Niro, I hate to say it… but you're still needed tonight."

"She… isn't?" Anoel's voice faltered, her eyes locking onto Ly's back as she heard her.

Her arms involuntarily moved to remove herself from Niro's arms, but she couldn't budge herself. She didn't know if it was the injuries making her too weak to apply that force she needed, or if he was avidly holding her still himself.

But none of it stopped the sudden twisting of her stomach as a look of pained worry flashed through her eyes.

W-Where… is she?

"That may not be necessary." Another set of steps landed with a tap behind them, Inuba's voice adding to the wind sifting over the balcony railings.

Ano glanced her way to see her carrying a cradled Scarlet in her arms.

"Are you well enough to walk? I can carry you further if need be," the kitsune asked.

Scarlet shook her head before gently pushing herself out of the kitsune's grip. The redhead landed on the balcony floor, stumbling slightly as her knees buckled, but eventually picking herself back up with grit teeth and following Ly toward the door.

"As I was saying… That may not be necessary," Inuba continued, turning to face the others. "The wise course of action would be for Mr. Ezdeil to remain here for the time being, if that suits him of course."

Lylac glanced Inuba's way, and even in the dark shadow of a lunar-lit balcony, Anoel could make out the frustration and anger in the blonde's opalescent gaze.

"Whatever," the thief growled, actually expressing her suppressed irritation. "Just get yourselves inside."

By the time Niro walked Ano into Ly's apartment, all the phoenix could really stare in worry at was Lylac as she was settled onto the cushions of the couch, a quiet groan of discomfort falling from her lips at the encompassing pressure.

"A-Arex really did go… didn't she…?" Anoel asked, trying to push herself up onto her elbows.

Lylac sighed as she reached into the cupboards and pulled out her medical supplies, walking over to the mahogany table next to the couch and setting the heavy box down with a thud.

"Kitsuki was kidnapped." Ly's voice rung through Ano's ears as the blonde stared at the box distantly for a fleeting moment, before regarding Anoel fully with her dark cerulean eyes. "And a whole group of students from Beacon went with your sister to get her back."

"That's n-not enough," Ano murmured, grimacing with a frown. She'd managed to prop herself up on one of her arms, but that was as far as she got.

A dry laugh emanated from Ly as she shook her head and rested her palms against the table. "No… and the best part is that I haven't got a fucking clue what's happening because every other member of Sentinel has disappeared off the goddamn grid, too…"

Anoel flinched. It was always rare to see Ly aggravated, but it had happened before. She just… still wasn't used to hearing her like this.

"Is there anyone else with them?" the phoenix asked, Lylac's hand pressing lightly into her shoulder to bring her back down onto the couch while the thief knelt beside her. "Where's Dante? Did she bring him with her?"

"Him, the rest of that team, some others, I don't know…" Ly spoke bitterly. "GHOST only gave me a very specific amount of details and I'm still processing half of it…"

Anoel let her head fall back into a pillow Ly pressed behind her neck, her fingers clenching softly at the cushions beneath her in irritation. "N-Niro-"

"I'm not going."

The phoenix's strained voice cut off with Niro's reply, her eyes trying to find him over the back of the couch.

He was intentionally keeping himself close to the doors.

"Someone has to," Lylac spoke up as she turned to Niro and Inuba.

"As I mentioned, Mr. Ezdeil acting as reinforcements won't be necessary. My assistance won't be required either unless it's of absolute emergency. Essentially, from what I observed on my way back, everyone seems to be in healthy condition," Inuba stated. "That, and I was instructed to keep the three of you safe by my M-" she cut herself off to correct herself, "partner."

Anoel caught a shimmer in Lylac's dark irises as they snapped to Inuba with a harsh scowl. "Are you stupid? What part of this isn't an emergency?"

"The situation itself is an emergency, that much is clear," the kitsune replied. "But as it stands, the current forces are enough to deal with the situation. Adding any more to the mix will only create more chaos. That, and if they decide to attack you again should mr. Ezdeil and I go, they might very well succeed."

"I-I'll go…" a weak, partially strained voice spoke up as shifting on the couch brought attention to Scarlet attempting to stand.

"You're not going, h-honey," Anoel strained out, craning into the couch again as she felt some of her open cuts flare up. "Bad idea."

Inuba nodded, though her gaze and voice grew blunt. "I agree. As your temporary doctor for this situation, I'm against the idea as well. You've yet to recover enough to function properly in the field. Should you go now, I'm afraid you'd be detrimental to the rescue attempt."

The red-haired girl lifted her weapon from the coffee table in front of her with noticeable strain as she clutched her side. "It's as she said… someone has to…"

"That someone's not you," Ano murmured. "You need to rest, and at least get some of your Aura back."

The phoenix's eyes blinked hard as she looked over to the girl wielding her collapsed weapon, watching how the tip of it shook just slightly in the weak grasp of its wielder.

"Niro," Anoel tried again, hearing the thud of one of his steps as he stopped moving under her voice. "Just go. I'm not worried about Arex getting hurt, I'm worried about e-everyone else."

Her voice grew strained at the end again as she furrowed her brow, fingers clutching a little more tightly into the cushions.

Arex was a delicate girl. She gets hurt easily, but Ano was afraid of what happened in the past happening again.

It was all a repeat. And it was always someone close to Arex…

---

A muffled crashing shook the darkwood doors as a modicum of dust fell from the top of the frame. Sounds of an obvious struggle filtered through that closed door from the hallway, right before a large shard of polished metal ripped through the wooden entrance and a pained grunt followed right after from the shattered hole the projectile created.

The clashing wasn't muffled anymore, only escalating in intensity as the thudding grew louder, forceful impacts continuing to weaken the structure of the double doors before a moment of silence broke the tension.

Without warning, three figures crashed through the cracked doors, shattering them into splinters as the lights in the hallway flickered before cutting out.

The boy dressed in purple had been kicked into the other two, sending them sprawling onto the dark, wooden flooring.

When the dust settled, a faint violet light glowed inside the hallway. Gradually becoming brighter as its source came closer.

And when it fully entered the room, a cold, distant gaze settled on Sylvius's students, burning with just a hint of animosity before switching to their mentor.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd make your way here," Sylvius replied, sounding just as calm and collected as he did before.

Arex, on the other hand, was starting to feel out of breath.

"What little resistance your 'security' gave me delayed my grand entrance," Ray's voice spoke back in equal resolution, the boy stepping over to the Affinity user closest to him and forcefully planting his right foot on his purple jacket. "But I make a habit of good time management."

Sylvius smiled again. "They were well aware of what they were getting into."

Ray's eyes settled on Arex's as they flashed a bright violet. "Hour's up. We're leaving."

"Not yet," Arex quickly cut back, trying to meet his eyes despite her heavier breathing. "Not without Kit."

Ray forcibly put more weight into his foot as he trampled over the boy beneath him and growled. "I wasn't asking."

"Neither was I!" Arex yelled back. She wasn't leaving. Not without Kit.

Ray took a step toward her, dismissing her response as he approached and took his foot off of the Affinity user.

"I told you, I'm not leaving here without her," Arex said, her already deep breathing starting to quicken again as she looked to the bed. Where Tavi still sat with Kitsuki.

"Then I'll knock you out and take you," Ray returned coldly, unfazed by the panic in her tone as he took a moment to regard those around them. "And if any of you try to stop me… I'll break you so bad, you'll wish you died as a child."

But his advance stopped as he received a reply… "Will you now?"

Arex's grip tightened on her sword as her eyes snapped to the voice, watching Quinn step a little further into the room behind Ray.

"As it stands, Ray, you're heavily outnumbered here," the woman continued evenly as a smirk crawled across her lips. "Even for someone that recovers as quickly as you do, I'm sure the injuries you'd sustain while trying to carry the girl would be more than enough to stop you."

"Thank you, Quinn," Sylvius spoke up, a spark of gold branching from his hand as he gave her a gestured wave. "I'd like to continue my conversation with Arex."

"What you pieces of shit never seem to understand is that I'm always outnumbered by your kind," Ray spoke calmly as his posture straightened and he turned to face Quinn over his shoulder. "As a matter of fact, I walked in here expecting it."

Arex saw Ray's hands clench into fists as his left foot subtly shifted behind him with the rise of the students he'd knocked over.

"But if you think for a second that I came here without some kind of backup, you're all very sorely mistaken."

A cobalt flash appeared above his shoulder before a small version of GHOST hovered next to the boy.

"Always outnumbered, never outgunned."

Arex's eyes immediately drew over to GHOST's image, wondering how Ray managed to get her in with the field up. Or if that was her full version at all…

GHOST offered the phoenix a wave in an effort to try and calm the girl in the rising tension, her blue eyes filled with a steadfast determination before she scanned the room around her.

The AI's form and persona just being here calmed Arex down slightly, like a growing comfort in her presence. But now she was on a time table. A small one.

She needed to damage Sylvius somehow. To get through to him in some way and get him to use his Semblance. If she could catch the moment he did that… she'd be able to mimic it.

But that was if she could get him to take her seriously… for even a moment.

---

"Please, j-just go-" Ano's voice cut off again as the sliding glass door slammed closed. The wind moving the curtains immediately died after that.

When Niro left, his sudden absence was quickly filled by a white, silvery rift opening just outside the sliding doors on the balcony. Four sets of footfalls quickly fell to the marble just outside the glass, from what Ano could hear.

All but one of them were stumbling.

She heard the sliding door slowly open and those steps enter the living area, one pair in particular approaching Ano and Ly by the couch and squatting down.

Black shades regarded the phoenix for a moment and the wearer nodded to her before fixing his gaze on Lylac.

"Where is he, Argent?" Desperation fed into the blonde thief's tone as she asked her question, it was clear who she was referring to.

Anoel knew without even having to think on it.

Argent gave the woman a single look and Ly's face immediately dropped.

"By himself?" she asked incredulously, receiving a nod in return.

Lylac tossed a pack of tissues across the room as she cursed in anger and took a very deep breath. Amidst the harsh crash, Ano's hand reached over and lightly grasped the one Ly left loosely by her side.

Why was it starting to look like all of this was one big coordinated attack…?

"He always does this… right when I need him the most… He just disappears and does something stupid again…" Lylac muttered through deep, shaky breaths.

After a couple seconds of silence she turned back to Argent with a solemn look. "Do what you have to for the other three, and the second you have a connection, you contact Ray and tell him to get his ass back here with Arex and her partner, if possible. If neither Niro nor Dante can do it, he has to…"

The boy simply nodded before standing back up and walking behind the couch again to tend to the other Sentinel members, the sound of a door shutting softly echoing down the hall.

Lylac's gaze fell back to Anoel and hardened for a moment. "As for you, I need to see if I can't fix you up…"

"I-It's not as bad as it looks," Ano promised lightheartedly, trying her best to offer a small smile of reassurance. "I'm… sorry I ruined your beautiful dress."

Ly's glare turned into a softened gaze as she shook her head. "I don't care about the dress, Ano. It's worthless to me compared to the person wearing it."

The wounded phoenix let out a little dry chuckle as she rolled her eyes, stifling some of the pain trying to show through her face. "It was a really nice dress. And you worked hard on it, too."

"It doesn't matter… a small price to pay for your safety," the thief replied quietly as she cupped her hand on Ano's cheek. "Material items have always meant little to me… you know that."

"Y-Yeah…" Ano found herself leaning into the touch faintly, her gaze turning to stare into the eyes Ly moved so closely into view. "Always figured I kind of bordered on being called that, too."

A frown made its way on Ly's face as she stiffened slightly. "Don't ever say that to me again."

The tiniest smile formed on Ano's pained face as she dipped her head, seeing a flicker of pink splash into the sea of cerulean resting in Ly's irises. Her own matched that color, despite the discomfort she was in. "I don't deserve you, you know."

"I'm not joking, Anoel," Lylac clarified sternly as her other hand was lightly pressed into Ano's uninjured shoulder. "I hate it when you do that…"

"I know…" The phoenix slowly lifted her hand, tenderly placing it on the back of Ly's own that caressed her cheek. "I'll stop."

A cough caught their attention, Ano's brow furrowing as she glanced to the kitsune sitting on the other end of the couch nearby.

Inuba gave them an awkward but apologetic smile. "A-As tender as this moment is, you still need to be treated, Ms. Anoel."

"I'll deal with her, can you take care of Scarlet? It looks like she's got torn muscle fibres, and Aura can only do so much," Lylac asked as she turned to face the fox too. "Not that she has much left."

"I'm impressed you were able to tell. Not many can determine such injuries by a glance alone," Inuba stated as she moved over toward Scarlet.

"I'm flattered, but you have no idea what it was like raising my cousin, so I have a lot of experience," Lylac replied, albeit a little sarcastically. "But I'm asking you now, can you take care of her?"

"Of course. I am studying to be as proficient as a doctor to make my methods of healing more effective. Sadly, I don't often get too much of a chance to do so unless someone else other than my team members are injured."

"Yep… well I have to deal with Ray, and I know for a fact that I'm going to have to do it again tonight…" Ly muttered as she focused her attention back on Anoel. "For now though, I've got her… and it'll be more efficient if we tend to separate people."

"Agree." As much as Inuba sighed, Ano caught the understanding tone in the girl's voice to go with it. "But if you do need assistance, don't be afraid to ask it of me. I'll be finished soon as is."

Ano heard the sound of Inuba standing from the couch, turning her own gaze back to Ly. But she couldn't help it from turning apologetic in the moment.

The thief brought her own gaze back to meet it. "Noted."

---

Arex stumbled back, heavy breaths shaking her shoulders as she brought her sword up just fast enough to glance Sylvius's challenging arm away from her. But the momentum in his swing was easily more controlled than her sword, the girl sliding as he brought his arm back up and tapped the flat of her sword aside.

Then pushed her back with a palm to her guarded shoulder.

Her sneakers skidded in a squeak against the wood floor, lashing her sword out at his extended arm, only to hit that field again.

The edge was forced away by an insufferable electromagnetic push, a numbing buzz ripping down her sword and into her arms again at the mere proximity of her metal to his electrified body. Something she couldn't even see.

"Better! But you're not committing enough." Sylvius's banter was going in one ear and immediately flooding out the other.

Arex had heard enough of it. He wasn't training her, he was demoralizing her. Acting like she couldn't handle anything on her own.

And so what if she couldn't? She could fight. She could try to hit him. But why was he even using that field if he knew she couldn't keep up with him anyway…?

"Put that field down then." Arex stepped back in and pushed into a slide, turning to try to swing her sword into his leg.

He didn't even try to dodge it. He knew his field would just bounce her blade away… again.

And it did. Arex slid out of her spin and breathed heavily, sword glancing off his body like it was armored as she clambered up onto her feet. She faced him again, trying to keep her front pointed at him whenever she could. Guard always up.

"If that's what you want."

Arex blinked in confusion as Sylvius stood a little straighter, turning to face the girl as he smiled at her. A flutter of energy pushed through her hair and scattered her loose strands in a tiny, electrical gust.

As if his field suddenly dispersed.

"I'll be quicker on my guard now, Arex. Now that you can cut my skin." The Maestro tugged at the cuffs of his suit jacket and took a much more leisure, cocky stance. Everything looked relaxed about him, so sure, and Arex envied that feeling in him. "Dark green now. With a few specks of red. I wonder what those mean…"

His golden eyes stared into hers, and it almost felt like she'd be electrocuted by maintaining that eye contact. He'd been paying attention to every little color her irises flared with. What shade they'd burn next. What new color they'd transition to.

Throughout this whole fight… he'd been taking notes on her. And Arex didn't know just how much he already knew, but this was only expanding the interests he had with her. Or her kind. She didn't even know which he was intrigued by.

Arex forced a foot forward before darting into a dive, bursting with a quick flap of her extending wings before retracting them again in a blur as she flipped over him and cut for his head. Another strike he leisurely avoided, tossing his head aside as he pushed the tip of his index finger against the flat of her passing blade.

Pushing it out of the way of his body.

But she didn't feel that electrical current this time. The phoenix landed from her flip with a soft tap before pivoting, slashing up Sylvius's body as she did before pulling her sword back and driving the tip forward for a stab.

A metallic clang bounced her slash away before her sword was caught, Sylvius's fingers clutching the end of her blade in a delicate hold, but it felt like his grip was unbreakable. Considering it stopped all the strength she put into her lunge without budging.

Arex's grasp tightened on her steadied handle, her arm trying to pull her sword out of his grip with heaving shoulders. Her slim body felt heavy and ragged, sweating through every breath she took and shuddering with each exhale.

S-She wasn't done… she couldn't be done.

"Go ahead and take a breather. You need it." Sylvius pushed his hand forward and forced her arm back with it, the girl stumbling backward into another short skid before regaining her balance.

Her breathing felt like it was getting harder with each heavy intake, pressure settling over her chest and lungs from the physical strain she was under. He was demoralizing her. He was patronizing her.

He was winning.

Leone's metal suddenly grew heavy as Arex's fingers fell loose, her arm dropping at her side to lower her sword to the floor in her exhausted state. She needed to try harder… s-she needed to do something.

What was the point of him toying with her like this? What was he trying to learn about her…?

"Tell you what," Sylvius said. His head turned to the side as she struggled to get her breathing under control, her gaze following his to look to Ray's fight off to the side.

He was surrounded on all sides still. But every move one of the Affinity users made, Ray either deflected or punished. And for the brief moment Arex watched for, she noticed his body was reacting faster than it ordinarily would.

Impossibly so. And that was matched with the spatial awareness he suddenly had too, both predicting and reacting to attacks he couldn't even see.

A cloud of metal shards tried to strike at his back while red fire burst in a column at his front, but the teen forced his hardlight shield straight into the scarlet inferno ahead of him before swinging it around. Molten hardlight slammed into the maelstrom of stray iron and steel behind him and melted the projectiles onto the hardwood floor.

And Arex could only flinch when Ray tore his glowing shield in two and whipped both pieces of it back at Blaise and the gray-adorned girl behind him. Crystal light shattered forcefully against their bodies and pushed them back, throwing Blaise into the wall behind him while the girl managed to keep her footing.

The one wearing purple was just standing back up nearby, running past Quinn as the woman stood idle. Just watching Ray fend off the three Affinities.

"He moves just like his father…" Sylvius commented calmly. Arex's breathing finally calmed down as she cocked her head, watching Ray enter a hand-to-hand fight with the violet-adorned boy before kicking him away.

Sylvius… knew Ray's dad?

"Emery," Sylvius called, lifting his arm to catch the sudden attention of the girl in steel-colored clothing. He gestured the girl over once he had it.

Her gray eyes turned to Ray and her fight for a moment before looking back at Syl, quietly straightening up before making her way over.

She was breathing heavily, and looked a little exhausted, but nowhere near what Arex was feeling right now.

"Why don't you give Arex here a proper sword fight," he explained, patting the girl's shoulder as he stepped past her and off to the side.

Those steel eyes turned to regard Arex for a moment as the phoenix herself finally caught her breath, her lungs evening out the intake and outtake of her precious air as she straightened herself up under the curious gaze.

Emery's eyes gave Arex's body a once over before turning to face her. The girl had long, silver hair, reaching her upper back from what the phoenix could see. She wore a short-sleeved gray jacket over a black undershirt and dark, matte-gray jeans leading down to black and gray sneakers.

Arex's eyes looked away as she was sized up, drifting to the same place she'd been periodically glancing to since she came in here.

Kit's bed.

The kitsune had started watching Arex's bouts. Her attention drawing to the phoenix and her fighting, and Arex was feeling worse and worse knowing Kit was seeing all of this unfold. Catching every failed attempt and seeing how each one showed just how weak Arex really was.

The raven-haired girl tried to offer a smile to Kitsuki, but the extended eye contact brought Kit to turn her worried gaze back down.

Breaking it away.

A look of guilt passed over Kit's face as Arex watched the kitsune look away, a heart-throbbing pain passing through Arex's chest before she brought her eyes back to Emery.

The steel-haired girl looked… conflicted.

"Whenever you're ready. And go easy on her," Sylvius commented, standing just out of Arex's peripherals. It was almost terrifying, not knowing where he was. But the girl had to keep her attention forward. "This is her first time fighting you, after all."

Emery nodded before reaching down, tracing a blade of smooth metal out in the air in front of her before grasping at a forming handle. The sword hardened, flattened, and sharpened at the touch, and took the shape of a double-edged straight-sword.

Arex had to blink and shake her head after seeing it. Emery conjured that out of the air… the same way Arex conjured her fire. But she used Aura to fuel it. That just meant this girl could use her own Aura… to fabricate metal.

The phoenix was curious to what extent that meant, but didn't ask.

"Just keep your sword up," Emery said. It was advice, Arex realized, and she quickly lifted her blade to guard as the gray-haired girl stepped forward.

Arex focused as Emery lifted her own blade, shortening it for a second as she traced her eyes over the phoenix's black sword. She didn't know if shortening it was a means to match the length, or something else, but it felt like Emery did it with a purpose.

A hard clang sounded out from Ray's fight as Arex's own worked its way into starting, and Arex carefully watched as Emery glanced to the others fighting nearby.

Her eyes widened for a split second before Arex felt a hard bang against her sword, the force rattling down her arm and pushing her back. Emery's sword pulled away from the attack just as a silver dagger jammed into the wall beside Arex, where she'd been standing before the hit.

Arex's startled eyes shot over to Ray, his own glancing her direction for a few long seconds with a knife lodged in his shoulder. Quinn stood just past him, his frame blocking the sight of the woman's as she feigned an apologetic smile.

She was aiming for Arex too, now?

Ray ripped the lodged dagger out of his arm and turned back to Quinn, just as Arex felt a light tap against her raised sword.

The phoenix quickly turned her gaze back to Emery as she patiently stood in front of her, sword lightly against hers.

Arex didn't know how to deal with the stray knives, but she felt her tired body move again as she slid her blade up Emery's, drawing it back to slash for the girl's shoulder. A glancing clang met it halfway as Arex felt her sword bite into Emery's for a second, then rebound as her opponent pressed forward and forced Arex back a step.

Emery led each of the strikes after that. A slow flurry felt like an excruciatingly long effort from Arex's part as she tried her best to parry and deflect Emery's swinging blade, Arex pushing her palm against the back edge of her sword to apply even a little more leverage to her swings.

But even that felt like it wasn't enough at times as Emery pushed through her weak guards, every advance causing Arex to stumble a little more before she felt herself stumble back.

She tripped, losing her footing with an alarmed gasp before she felt a hand snatch hers. Emery's arm was extended, gaze looking off to the side again, and Arex felt herself hang on it for a second in her fall before the girl tugged her back onto her feet and swapped places with her in a pivoting spin.

Another harsh clang ripped through the air as Arex quickly slid into place on her feet again, staring back at Emery in her stupor to see a tomahawk embedded in the floor at her feet.

Her sword in a guard position toward Quinn.

"Don't let your opponent keep pushing you backward if you don't have a keen sense of your surroundings yet," Emery informed, keeping her gaze on the fight beside them for another few seconds before turning back to Arex.

That woman had sent another weapon her way as soon as Arex started to stumble… It was timed. She was trying to take advantage of any kind of vulnerable opening Arex gave, even with her attention focused on Ray in her own bout.

Great… and Emery was the one saving her each time.

"T-Thank you…" Arex murmured, lowering her sword slightly.

But Emery stepped forward again and pushed it back up with her own blade, keeping her face neutral. Arex noticed a tiny smile, at least.

Emery moved forward again after that, Arex keeping her footing a little better this time as her sword got bat around. The girl wasn't trying to get through it with lethality, but each thrust and slash was aimed in places Arex was able to guard against.

And even in her exhausted state, she was just managing it with her lightweight sword. Everything felt like it was getting a little faster in pace, Emery still controlling the fight as much as before, but Arex somehow keeping up with her now.

She didn't know if she was getting acquainted with Emery's moves, or actually getting a better read on her own skills, but she was managing it a little better through the fight.

A faint heat was starting to transfer into her sword as Arex's strikes got a little more fluent. Emery's lead switched at a sudden turn in the fight, taking her first step backward as Arex deflected one of her swings.

An actual smile formed on the gray-haired girl's lips for a moment as she moved her blade down to stop Arex's from taking any openings. But Arex's sword suddenly hit nothing as a dull thud whipped through the air after something hit Emery's shoulder and knocked her out of the way.

The phoenix jumped slightly as Emery's body was thrown aside by a stray dagger, the girl dropping her sword to the ground to reach up and grab at the knife embedded down to the hilt.

"E-Emery?" Arex's blade lowered as the girl grimaced, Emery trying to sit up. The phoenix's eyes snapped back to Sylvius for a moment, but his attention had switched to Ray and Quinn.

Arex frowned before quickly moving over and dropped to her knees, helping the gray-haired girl sit up and supporting her back.

"W-We're done. We're done fighting," Arex whispered, her voice soft but urgent as she gazed worriedly at the dagger sunk into Emery's shoulder.

Gray eyes met Arex's for a brief flash before noticing something behind her, widening again as another whistle of careening metal whipped through the air.

Arex immediately tensed up as her breathing hitched, a heavy flinch shooting through her body as she squeezed her eyes shut.

The sound of another knife piercing flesh tore out, Arex's eyes squeezing tighter together… before hearing a soft thud behind her.

I-It… didn't hit her…?

Emery's eyes widened even more as Arex's frantically opened, the phoenix turning around on her knees to catch the fluttering fall of white strands as Kitsuki's form sat heavily on her folded legs.

Her arm was raised, held just where her head was while her eyes stared back at Arex over her shoulder. A heavy pant left the kitsune's lips as Arex's gaze slowly widened, seeing the pain start to transition over her partner's face.

Arex didn't even think as she dropped her sword and slid forward, catching Kit as she started to lean. The bloodied tip of Quinn's knife shown through Kit's arm, the blade piercing straight through, just below her wrist.

And a stream of blood was already pooling from around the sunken knife, Arex's breathing quickening all over again as Kit's body grew limp in her arms.

She still had that guilty look on her face… That set of worried eyes still looked up at Arex as Kit's head settled back against the phoenix's shoulder. Arex's mind ran frantic as she mentally screamed at herself, trying to think about what to do as Kit started losing blood.

Kit managed to move from her bed to here… just to save Arex from another weapon thrown across the room.

Arex didn't even see it coming… And it was all starting to settle in. They could've killed her at any time. At any point, she could've been dead. Because she didn't belong here.

But she was fine. She was okay… But… the g-girl she was here to get wasn't. Arex didn't even notice how bleary her vision was getting as she stared at the knife in Kit's arm. It must've severed an artery… with how much blood was seeping out onto the floor.

Her focus was narrow. Too dull to realize someone was standing in front of her until they crouched down and gently took Kitsuki's arm up into his hands.

Sylvius's fingers grazed over the embedded blade before he slowly grasped his other hand around Kit's arm, just beneath it. A tingle of electricity coursed through Kit's skin, transfering to Arex in the tight hold she held of her partner before she watched Syl take the blade out.

Blood dripped from its tip before it clattered to the floor, his hand coming back to cover Kit's wound before a gold flash and a much stronger electrical current ran into Arex's connected body.

Kit didn't do anything more than flinch before closing her eyes. And it wasn't until now that Arex realized Kit's free hand was nestled in hers against the floor, holding it loosely.

The realization of it kicked in just before Arex tightly clutched it back, the faint smell of a fresh burn drifting into the air as Sylvius removed his hand from over Kit's wounded arm.

It was cauterized. Both sides. Arex was expecting there to be a mark, or scar from his hand against Kit's skin, but… there wasn't any.

Just a precise cauterization of Kit's two open wounds to stop the bleeding externally and internally.

When Arex finally looked up at Sylvius, his gaze was glowing. His irises were alight with a kindled, noticeable anger before she watched him slowly stand back up, taking the dagger with him.

"Why don't you keep to your own fight. And we'll keep to ours," he growled, lifting the knife in his hand and tossing it.

For the brief moment Arex saw it in his hand, she watched the blood on it erupt in a cloud of red vapor, the dagger glowing faintly just before she saw it disappear upon leaving his fingers.

Then she heard the concussive blast of what Arex equated to a .50 caliber bullet being fired rend the air, her head flinching down from the ringing as the wall on the other side of the room shattered into splinters and dust.

Ray's fight stopped for just long enough to see Sylvius drop his arm back to his side, but Arex couldn't see the expression he was making. She just knew it was dark.

"As for you, Arex," his voice came back out, and the phoenix tensed up in her hold with Kitsuki. "Why don't you take your hands off my Kit? She's fine."

Arex's breath stopped again as Kit's fingers tightened around her hand, holding onto the phoenix. And Arex's body just tightened up even more when Sylvius turned and looked down at her, the charisma and intrigue from earlier gone from his eyes in that momentary look.

"Now."

His voice barely reached her ears before she felt his grip on her arm. His touch almost felt like it was burning her as it clamped down like a vice and yanked her out from beneath where she was holding Kitsuki, tearing her hand away from the kitsune's before tossing her across the room.

Arex twisted herself just before she felt Kit's bedpost hit her back, her wings cradling her from the impact as she broke through it and harshly bounced onto the bed.

A warm hand stopped her from hitting the wall the bed was pressed against, Arex's body crumpling into the pillows as she groaned into the silk sheets. Her body curled up in a passing throb of pain as her Aura worked to heal the bruise forming beneath her wings.

"Tavi, you may leave," Sylvius's voice spoke out again. And the hand on Arex's shoulder left her as that weight moved off the bed. "Seeing as you can't look after my kitsune, I'll take over."

Arex managed to push a hand into the bed and peer an eye open, catching Tavi just as she passed Sylvius and stepped out onto the balcony.

She must've made her way down to the ground from there.

Arex's focus traced back to Sylvius to find his eyes piercing through her gaze again, her fingers taking a tighter grip of the sheets as she pushed herself up onto her arms.

"Come on, Kit. We're leaving," the Maestro ordered, turning those lethal eyes away from Arex and to where Kitsuki sat slumped against the ground. "We'll pick this up again another time-"

"N-No…" Arex muttered, her voice straining as she pushed herself up fully onto her shaking arms. "You c-can't take her again."

"And why is that?" Sylvius cut back, watching Arex weakly push herself back onto her feet once she'd slid off the bed.

Arex's eyes flared with a soft ember glow as she clenched her hands, her eyes narrowing with a hot prick of tears welling in their corners. "Because she's mine! Not yours!"

Sylvius's own eyes narrowed coldly as Arex's voice yelled out, a heat starting to fester against her skin. Waves of it warped the wood she stood on as her balled fists tightened.

"You don't own her," Arex spat, an uncaring labored breath leaving her lips and clenched teeth. "She's not a trophy or a thing to take. She's a person, with a life, and you can't just keep ruining it like this!"

Bright orange fire erupted in a small burst from her hands as that temperature rose. She was done with this. Done with him. And she was taking Kit back. Whatever it took-

That fire suddenly dispersed as a flash of gold filled Arex's eyes, scorch marks erupting across the wall and through the glass behind her in a paralyzing burn of golden light. Her breathing stopped for the split second the branching beam took to pass through her, everything in her body locking up and shutting down for that brief passage of time before she fell forward onto the charred floor.

"You don't know her like I do," Sylvius's voice spoke out.

Arex's Aura slowly began to trickle over her smoking body, every nerve flaring in the residual pain of the bolt of lightning that passed through her. Her Aura-shielded body managed to keep it from piercing her…

But the charge melted into her and took its toll from there. She couldn't move… but she was still conscious and breathing.

"Get on your feet, Arex!" A strained, infuriated voice called out to her from the other side of the room. "If you want her so bad, you have to fight for it!"

Arex's eyes squeezed tight as she tried to move, that pain flaring again in all the places her Aura hadn't reached yet. But she managed to crack her eyes open, glancing past the destroyed bed beside her to where Ray's voice was coming from.

Blood soaked his clothing, trickling down the side of his forehead as he held back a tidal wave of raging crimson flames and blistering purple light from two directions.

His eyes were locked on her, glowing with an almost desperate but unyielding glare as he fought back his aggressors.

"You're the one that went through hell just to be in this single room with her, don't you dare quit now!"

Arex's vision lost focus as she closed her eyes again, a sharp tingle rushing back into her fingers and down her arms as she slowly started to get the feeling back in them.

She'd been lost ever since she set foot in this manor. Everyone else was there to guide her through, but the moment she lost that guiding hand, she ended up like this.

She felt pathetic. Trying to do something she wasn't built to do.

Ray was telling her to do something she couldn't do… Despite him coming here to forcibly make her quit and leave. Now he was yelling at her to get up and fight.

"If you truly care about her as much as you've been saying-" A sudden cracking sound cut Ray off as the only defence she could see on him was slowly being blasted away. "Then the only thing you can do is bite the fucking bullet and get up!"

That tingling in her arms flared again as she managed to move them, bending one of them up just far enough to place her palm against the ground with a painful groan. Aura rushed down to her hand and quickly settled in her aching muscles, stifling that burn.

Her vision was blurry, but she was trying.

Ray's shielding collapsed and shattered, filling the room with the sound of crystalline ringing as the pieces clattered against the ground and disintegrated into embers.

But as a moment of fleeting silence fell, a sickly, crunching sound shot out with another flash of purple light. The silence was broken by the dull thud of a body hitting the floor, Arex's hazy eyes casting over to see the purple Affinity user bleeding from a hole in his chest.

Where his heart was.

Arex's eyes barely caught a flood of dispersing, purple energy coming from the remains of the boy's Aura. Seeping into the air around where Ray stood.

Its vibrant glow drew to Ray like a magnet as the boy's flickering Aura flared brightly around his bloodied frame, embers of the Affinity user's Aura circling his forearm as his own seemed to absorb what lingering energy was left.

The sight brought Arex out of her daze, her tingling fingers feeling the scorched floor as she pushed her shaky arms down against it. Still working to get herself onto her feet.

The charred floor was warm… flaking at the touch. S-She could use that heat.

Ray's eyes glowed even brighter as surging energy burned inside his irises. Staring intensely at Arex as he was surrounded on the other side of the room.

"Your turn."

The phoenix felt a trickle of energy start to work its way up her fingers, from where they contacted the floor. That warmth flooded out of the black floorboards, melting into her tingling hand as she took a shaky breath from where she lay.

"It won't be enough." Sylvius's voice spoke out again.

That flow slowed as Arex drained the area around her from its heat, coughing and shaking when she felt the tingle return to her arms.

"She's still too weak. And she's already used up all the fire within that Dust crystal sitting in her pocket," Sylvius continued.

Arex's straining arms stung, the force on them feeling like gravity was trying to hold her down as she tried to get a leg under herself. Just to stand back up.

"It won't take much to force her back down, either." The phoenix heard Sylvius take a heavy step through the floor of the room, a charge of electricity shooting up her arm from the floorboards as she locked up again.

But it stopped when Arex opened her mouth.

"Y-You're right…" Smoke trickled from her lips as she exhaled, her voice strained and quiet. "I don't know her like you do."

She finally stood, stumbling on weak legs. Her eyes bore forward as she grabbed her arm, black char chipping away beneath her feet when she found her footing.

Whether it was sadistic pleasure, egotistic curiosity, or some other miracle, his eyes didn't spark with the flash she saw for only an instant before. His fingers didn't twitch with light. His arm didn't move.

He was watching her. And maybe he was waiting to cut her off again, to deny her any kind of solace in saying anything at all. But in that silence, she just didn't care. Her body still stung, still reeled from the bolt he fired, but her voice hardened more than it's ever been.

"You've known her for longer than I have," Arex said, peering at the Maestro with as hard a glare as she could through her bangs. "You've been together from the beginning. You've seen every side of her, read every unsaid word, caught every wordless glance she's ever thrown. You know her, because she's yours."

Something sparked in his eyes, a weaker flash than the blinding streak she fell to before. But Arex continued, even as she felt a numbing trickle of poisonous energy crawl up her weakened legs. "You really do think she's yours… but all you've seen of her is the shell you forced her into."

Her voice broke as his energized gaze hardened, a spike of pain shooting through her from where her legs lost feeling.

"If it's any consolation…" Sylvius's voice felt dead this time, uncaring of anything. Devoid of its jest and charisma and just… empty. "She did actually like yo-"

"She smiles, you know," Arex cut him off. A quiet thud echoed through her ears as her legs collapsed, her frail body falling onto its knees, but she managed to keep her voice. "Did you know that? She smiles. She giggles, too. She thinks she has to hide it, like covering her mouth with her hand would hide the quivering shake in her shoulders. You probably missed it… because she's never smiled for you."

Arex's gaze stayed connected with his, even if it felt like the very eye contact would blind her. Sylvius's face hardened this time, shedding the indifference and disgust he wore when he threw her. Instead, she caught the tiniest moment of frustration pry through his harsh visage.

And that was enough… to know she was right about what she said.

"She likes hugs, if you never knew that," Arex continued. She had a point she wanted to make… and she was desperate to reach it. "She just likes being held. In all the places she could be in the world, she's content in a set of comforting arms. She likes it when her tails are groomed. It's one of the few things she asks for. She likes it when a warm brush combs through her hair after a bath, too, especially before bed. She likes cinnamon, sugar, anything sweet. She hates raisins, though."

Arex found it in herself to laugh a little in affection, if only to drive the words through Sylvius just that little bit harder. "Dried fruit or anything sour just scrunches up her face in the cutest kind of disgust."

She lost. She knew she lost. But a small part of her felt rewarded… Like this was the only win that mattered when she saw the anger flash through Sylvius's eyes.

That murderous glint… She drew that out of him. She didn't need to best him in a duel or touch him with her sword to get to him.

No…

This was sweeter than that.

His voice was cold again, dry and remorseless, but he hid his killer intent somehow. Arex didn't know why. "She'll show me that side of her eventually."

Arex smiled at that. She couldn't help it. And her voice was just as pleased, even if it was a soft whisper. "No she won't…"

His eyes flashed, but Arex's smile didn't fall. She'd found her win here. The rest didn't matter. Her eyes weren't filled with light this time. And her body didn't lock up with the pain she was beginning to associate with that piercing glow. He stopped again.

And her smile finally fell when she heard the soft pad of someone moving in front of her. The white silk of a nightgown fell into Arex's view before she felt a slim hand tuck itself beneath her arm, starting to help her to her feet.

"Don't bother, Kit," Sylvius said, voice dry again. The murderous glint was gone from his eyes. "The phoenix can't even stand on her own right now."

Kit?

Arex looked up to a sorrowful gaze on Kitsuki's face looking down at her. Her injured arm hung tightly against her side while her other quickly slipped itself more securely around Arex's frame.

Kit looked… apologetic, now. Like this was all her fault.

But it wasn't.

It was all his…

"Poke," an entirely different voice spoke out. Some part of Arex's mind immediately recognized it.

As Kit slipped under her side, and the phoenix managed to drape her arm over the kitsune's uninjured shoulder, she spotted Dante leaping back from a sudden surge of lightning erupting form Sylvius's arm.

D-Dante… he finally caught up.

"I knew it. You aren't so sturdy after all," Dante said, catching a hard glare from Sylvius. "So we genuinely meet at last… mr. Fancy Pants…"

"I suppose we do. Unfortunately, I was just leaving," Sylvius replied. His eyes glanced back to Arex and Kit again, drawing into another glare as he watched Kit get the phoenix to her feet.

"Oh, no no no no no. We can't have that," Dante spoke as he stepped in front of them. "I mean, you can go without Kitsuki. Well, maybe not just yet. I do want that hand of yours afterall."

Arex grimaced as she watched Sylvius raise one of his hands, clenching his fingers to show off one of his glowing rings. "Sorry. These are mine. You'll have to get your own."

"Well, I want yours too. As compensation." Dante smirked. "Surely you understand, right?"

"Surely, you realize there is nothing to compensate. Nothing of the great Kuro Yaksha's was taken," Sylvius replied in a colder, more even voice. But Arex felt the venom dripping from his suave words. "Or would you prefer your more recent name? The Black Devil?"

"Oh?" Dante's hand visibly tensed up. "Now where did you learn those names?" he asked, the playfulness in his voice suddenly vanishing.

Sylvius shook his head with a quiet tsk. "Sources just hate to be informed on, you know. I'm sure you understand."

Arex watched Sylvius pull at his gold cuffs again before flexing his fingers, her hair starting to bristle as she watched a charge of light fester in his raised hand.

"I understand that I'll have to kill you now rather than settle for one of your hands. I'm sure you understand," Dante returned. His voice matched Sylvius's in tone, and for a moment, Arex felt the first twinge of relief hit her in a long, long while.

Maybe Dante can draw his Semblance out…

Arex strained her vision to keep watching as she let herself lean into Kitsuki's support. The familiar, airy warmth of tails encircled wherever they could around Arex's frame, but even that didn't stop the two of them from exhaustedly lowering back to the floor.

"K-Kit, I need you to listen for a sec," the phoenix murmured, catching Kitsuki's gaze with a soft grip of her shoulders. A pang of guilt fell through Arex's eyes as soon as she saw Kit's own staring back at her, arm still hanging limp at her side, but she swallowed the feeling down. "You need to r-run, a-as soon as I say. Can you do that?"

A vibrant white began to fill the room, blinding Arex's peripherals and forcing her to keep her gaze on nothing but the girl in front of her. Kit's face was unchanged, still offering her that meek look of apology.

"P-Please?" Arex tried again. She watched Kit's eyes close away for a moment, a hesitancy suddenly falling over every feature of her face.

Then she shook her head no.

"K-Kit…" Arex's voice fell soft as the kitsune kept shaking her head.

"You know… I haven't felt as great as I do now in a good, long while… Unfortunately for you though…" Dante's voice came through the blinding white again, carrying over the creaking and groaning of the room's floor and windows, "this ends here. No need to hold back at all...!"

A sudden pressure pressed down over the air, a violent tension quaking whatever atmosphere Arex felt touching her skin in a stifling sensation of tightness. Like she couldn't breathe.

And maybe it was in that shallow breathlessness that Arex lost her voice, but her plea fell quietly into the shuddering air like a whisper carried away in the wind. "P-Please… I can't hurt you too…"

The phoenix's vision grew bleary in the shaking of the air, and she had to close her eyes at the feeling of tears starting to fall.

She couldn't do this…

The arm draped around her as they knelt on the floor left her, slipping away. And for a moment, Arex felt a sense of fear… like Kit leaving her would suddenly break her down and strip away whatever will she still had to do this.

But she had to go… Kit couldn't stay here. Not when Arex broke the lock she'd kept over her Affinity's flame.

"I-" The pressure on Arex vanished, alongside her fleeting voice. Her heels suddenly felt the soft weight of herself being forced to sit back on them as she felt a warm body tightly hug her.

The arm that slipped away locked firmly around her shoulder and clung to her back, and she immediately felt the weight of Kitsuki's body and head rest against her chest and neck. A different kind of shock tore through the phoenix as she felt Kit's lips gently utter something against her skin.

She didn't know if it was the heat she read from the mute's breath… or the motions those lips made to form the syllables of their silent words. But she understood it… and emotionally caved even more.

"I'm not leaving you."

The rumbling in the air finally quieted slightly, and Arex managed to open her teary eyes. The words Kit mouthed pulled a shaky breath out of the phoenix's lips, and another part of her cried as Kit pushed into her to deepen the tight embrace.

Arex's arms instinctively wound their way around Kit, threading around the girl's grasping tails to find perch around her back. She hesitantly rested her chin over Kit's shoulder in return, and held her as tightly as she dared in a room like this.

I wish… I could make you go.

Arex smiled sadly at her own thought, knowing if Kit really did leave…

She probably wouldn't be able to do this anyway.

Her eyes finally tracked back to Dante, catching the glimmer of flaming white streams manifest into black-tipped, white fox ears atop his head. His normal sword was gone, the trickle of flames still present from where she knew he held it.

His back… She watched him reach over his shoulder, and one flaming white fox tail lifted to meet his grasp. A white katana handle sat nested in its black tip.

An alarm suddenly gripped Arex's mind as she watched him take a firm hold of the handle, and she felt the overwhelming urge to tense her body.

"Dakini no Ikari!" The scrape of blazing metal sliding from its sheath superheated the air in a sudden gust of warmth, shattering the glass windows closest to Arex and Kit's huddled forms as Dante yelled.

White and black flames crackled behind the gale, and a jet black blade emerged from inside that pale white fire, briefly smoldering from Dante's conjured tail.

A blinding, radial blast of white and black flame burst the moment after Arex managed to see his blade, engulfing the area and everyone within it. The heat didn't hurt her, but she clung to Kitsuki's body so much tighter in wake of the ensuing warmth. When the harmless display died, Dante's appearance sat changed at its epicenter.

A second skin of vibrant white light bathed over his body and clothing. Red-sclera, black iris, white slit pupil fox eyes peered at a calmly watching Sylvius just in front of him, and a maw of sharp teeth fused to the second layer of skin grinned on Dante's face as the Maestro smiled.

Nine total long, identical fox tails, each with a nested katana, sat waving like white fire behind Dante's glowing body.

"Impressive," Sylvius complimented. And Arex grimaced when the blonde clapped his approval in the blistering heat of the room. "I like the whole 'shout' thing, too. Great Goddess Dakini's Wrath… I wonder what you can do with her favor…"

Dante's hair flowed with energy, almost in the same way Sylvius's blonde strands drifted under an unnatural wind. Traces of black and white flame and energy flicked from the ends of Dante's hair as he turned his head, and Arex felt herself lock up when his fox eyes passed over her. Kit's arm tightened around her with all the more reluctance to let go.

"You two take a breather," he spoke, his voice distorted in a hollow echo of itself. "As for you…" he said, turning to Sylvius. "Why don't I give you a personal demonstration?"

"Please do," Sylvius responded in kind, giving him another once over. Arex watched him shake his hands out before smiling… and for a brief second, Arex was worried… maybe this really wouldn't be enough to draw Sylvius's semblance out. "I'll give you the pleasure of making the first move."

A brief chuckle escaped from Dante as he became a white blur, and within an instant, the two had swapped places from where they were standing before.

Arex… would've missed it if she so much as blinked.

Dante had his blade up where Sylvius's neck would've been, and the Maestro returned Dante's chuckle as he peered over his shoulder to look at Dante's back.

"You know, I actually thought you'd be faster than this," the Maestro said.

"Give me a bit longer. I'll surely warm up to you!" A quick twirl and backward thrust of his flaming black blade went to pierce Sylvius's stomach, and Arex instinctively flinched and blinked when it looked like it was about to land.

Sylvius's form vanished again, reappearing at Dante's side near his extended arm. At that point… Arex confirmed it for herself. There was no way… she would've ever been able to touch him. No matter what she did.

"Bravo! You moved a little faster that time," Sylvius complimented. The smallest of scorch marks sat burned in his jacket, and the single mark was enough of a glimmer of hope for Arex's plan to find purchase.

Dante spun and slashed at the Maestro, moving his left hand behind him to grab another sword handle from one of his tails and perform a spinning draw-slash in a backhand style.

And that time, Arex actually heard the catching of cloth… and the subsequent tearing as she saw Sylvius's position change last minute and glide the oncoming blade along his arm. Enough to glance the strike, but not fully avoid it.

A look of shock, then satisfaction crossed the Maestro's face as he slid back. "Good."

Dante scoffed at him, twirling the blade in his left hand twice as he pushed it back into the tail he unsheathed it from. He then slid his right foot back, and leaned forward on his left into a lunging stance with his right arm reared back, sword arm straightened out.

The white flames coating his extended blade grew into a large, brilliant blaze that seemingly howled like an angry demon, as he pressed the fingertips of his left hand onto his shoulder.

"Vanish!"

He brought his right leg around and took a step forward as he swung across his body at Sylvius once, then stepped forward with his left foot and swung outwards. Two deafening sounds of energy-bristling metallic strikes filled the air.

A shattering burst of slashes scattered like a consuming cloud before Arex's eyes caught sight of a single moment in the hazy streaks where she could actually see Sylvius… right before his body erupted in a golden light and overtook the hail of light around him.

The faint traces of light trailing from Sylvius's eyes in that single moment stuck out in Arex's mind. The sharp, unbridled flash of gold… She hadn't been able to keep up with any of the direct moves at all amidst the combat.

But she caught the single fraction of a second inside that blindingly fast combo where Sylvius's body actually sustained damage… and something inside her clicked.

Her eyes widened as the room erupted in a soul-shattering concussive cone of electrifying light, every millimeter of its breaching beams cascading over Dante's body, pushed into a short skid from the energy.

Dante's left hand moved in front of him to split the bolt churning through him, but so much of it tore through his body that Arex locked up in worry that most of that damage landed. A forceful squeeze of his hand shattered the remaining torrent of lightning entirely, his entire body now smoldering with streams of smoke.

Stormy sparks fell from Sylvius's eyes now as he landed with a dull tap. Lines of gold threaded through his fingers and around his arms, breaking off into the scorched ground with lingering snaps of lightning as Arex finally managed to breathe.

A breeze flooded into the room as soon as she did. Her eyes slowly tracked back to Dante… and pieces of the manor fell in crumbling debris around him.

The entire wall was gone behind his smoking body. Across the ruined gardens, Arex saw smoke sweeping into the air from beyond the yard. A gaping, scorched hole sat surreally in the far surrounding gate. The tree line just through the burned hole in the metal and stone quietly fell apart, like a trench of black was torn through the dense layers of trees in a straight path into the forest.

Dante kept his closed hand up where it was, then slowly un-clenched his fist to let small, lingering fragments of lightning escape the glowing white palm facing Sylvius, as if he were trying to mock him.

That moment… the single glimpse Arex saw, was the split fraction of a second in that fight where Sylvius activated his Semblance.

And now that she finally felt it… read it… she suddenly knew why he held it back. The energizing feeling of it, the tiny taste of it she just saw, it terrified her to know he had it.

Amplification.

"You're one of the very few people I actually take seriously. I'd be both impressed and intrigued by you if you weren't as much of a creepy, stalker-like douche," Dante announced.

"That's a pity, really," Sylvius's voice spoke back, and Arex shivered at the level of controlled breathing he suddenly had over his strain from before. "I thought we might've gotten along quite well. There's so much we both know, after all."

"If it were the old me without as much of the morals and consideration I have now, maybe. But unfortunately, we're at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of 'being friends'." Dante plunged his sword into the ground to rest his hand on it as he spoke.

Sylvius grinned, and the light in his storming eyes flashed. Like little lightning storms were brewing in the depths of his irises. "A real shame."

The softest, tiniest breath against Arex's skin brought the phoenix back to the tight hold she'd been protecting Kit in. It wasn't physical protection… she knew she'd never be able to withstand hits like that.

It was an emotional protection, like letting go would amplify the pain if they were to be caught in the crossfire. Like being together like this was somehow safe.

And Arex had half a heart to believe it. The other half sat in turmoil, thudding from the tears still drying on her cheeks.

"Kit… promise me something," Arex muttered softly. Her breath was long gone, fallen somewhere in the debris of the collapsing room.

But her quiet voice flicked through Kitsuki's ears the moment it left Arex's lips, and the phoenix watched the kitsune lift her head into view.

It made her smile, knowing Kit could hear her… in places like this.

"Hold onto me, and never let go…" Arex's voice almost broke in its steadiness, but her need held it together for long enough to get the words out. She felt breathless after making the request, like it pulled more out of her than anything she'd said in the past.

And it pulled even more breath away when she watched Kitsuki's eyes blink, and her head tilt… A sad, teary smile formed on her face…

Before she nodded.

Arex's own smile softened as she brushed Kit's hair away from her cheek, tucking it behind her human ear. A small, tiny thing she'd never really marveled at before, since Kit always hid them behind her white hair.

But they were always there to listen. The phoenix cupped the side of Kit's head for a long, heart wrenching few seconds before holding her breath.

Then she closed her eyes.

She'd never felt amplification before. Across all the Semblances she's ever seen, she's never once come across the potent feel of what she was sensing now. A small, softly kindled feeling of warmth sat somewhere inside herself in that same moment.

And she wanted to apologize to it… to hold it and ask it to forgive her for what she was about to do.

That small, single ember that she's never wanted to touch and fuel… was about to surge with the uncapped inferno she was always terrified of unleashing.

Two arms and three tails wrapped around her this time, unhindered by the pain of the stab wound Arex knew still sat clean through Kitsuki's arm. A part of her heard the gentle slide of the girl's legs as she huddled into her and held on tight…

But that part grew drowned out from the alarming feel of her Aura rapidly converting into branching lines of golden energy.

She heard the quiet creak and crumble of falling debris again, and somewhere inside it, she heard the suddenly distant screeching of Dante's sword.

Everything grew hot after that. The conversion shot down through her body and core, a burning sensation carrying with it before her breath locked in her throat when the last of her Aura made the transition.

Even if it was for a brief, shining moment of witnessing it in use… she just needed to recreate the fraction of a second she saw from Sylvius.

And as the sound of that tearing blade grew to a slow, deliberate shudder… Arex felt her hearing grow muffled, and a sharp, straining discomfort spark to life in her eyes.

She tore her gaze open as she felt an unstable streak of fire glimmer in her irises. And she wanted to clench up and curl into a ball when she felt the blazing glow shine in her eyes.

Her firestorm of a gaze silently focused and looked up, a gut-wrenching feeling of her Aura growing rapidly unstable began to fill her body with the urge to cry out in pain.

Golden eyes met her as soon as she activated her duplication.

Sylvius was mid-leap, falling slowly in the air just far enough away from the tip of Dante's sword. But his and Dante's eyes snapped to her the instant she managed to force the foreign Semblance out.

And a stunning lurch of pain hit her the moment she watched Sylvius's eyes widen, and his teeth clench in a tightening of his jaw.

Please…

Arex snapped her pained eyes closed and whirled around, wrapping her arms as tight around Kitsuki's resting body as she could to face away from everyone in the room.

To face Kit away from everyone in the room…

Don't hurt her…

Her breath finally came out in silence, and her Affinity erupted in an amplified concussive blast of neon orange fire.

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Co-Author: HydraFlow

Co-Author: andy2396

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I'm part of a Discord server now? Link below.

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Okay! So, another long chapter.

Sorry about that.

I've been pacing this arc more from the perspective of events rather than the word count. I'll be breaking things down and dialing it back to a more digestible size now that this arc's hit its climax.

On another note, Niro's coming back next chapter. Though, I'll be transparent with you, I started this story with him as the focus as a means to vent. But as time went on, I've stopped needing reasons to vent with him, and he was a very effective means to help me with that.

If you couldn't already tell, I've taken a really strong liking to writing the rest of his team, so I've been content to write around them. It helps that they make collaborative writing more feasible than Niro does, too, but that's besides the main point.

I just… need to find a different mindset for Niro. I don't want to write him and make him feel lackluster.

But I also don't want him to be so vagrant, either. So, have some faith that I'll be able to work him in more often, but know that I'm a little lost on how I can do that.

With that said, I figured I'd humor an idea I've had in my head for a little while and see what might happen if two certain characters met one another in the Omake below. Two characters who have absolutely no right being in the same universe as the other.

As for this chapter, I'm falling more and more in love with Arex, and this finally settled what she feels for Kit. And completely unintentionally, Kit heard and saw everything she had to say.

For now, Favorite and Follow the story.

I look forward to seeing REVIEWS for this. You'll be introduced to a LOT of concepts of mine. Feel free to give me your thoughts.

Cya XP

Also! If you wanted to speak with me more freely, I'm part of a Discord server with a handful of authors. Feel free to drop in and say hi and stay if you want to stick around.

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[ discord . gg / YU8A6Bp ]

Don't forget to remove the spaces if you do use the link. FFN is finicky with formatting.

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Omake: by Xera Stark

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Niro stormed out of Ly's apartment with an infuriated clench of his fists, leaping over the railing of the building's balcony to impact the ground with the force of a missile.

Of all the times he wanted to stay and look after someone, he was being forced away by that someone to go look after someone else.

That pissed him off.

What the hell was he? An escort? A leader?

A damn babysitter?

He didn't ask to be any of those. All he wanted to do was run his bar, live peacefully, trade information, and bide his time before dying by some unnatural means whatever they may be. Because he sure as hell knew he wasn't making it to old age.

But this?

Having to put up with some asshole playing with their power and throwing a wrench into their lives? All for what?

Was this some kind of sick game?

Niro was done with this. As soon as he grabbed Arex, he was-

Something tapped his chest.

Lime green eyes tore away from his raging thoughts as he brought his gaze down to a black cowboy hat bumping against him, some short girl taking a step back from where they'd bumped into each other on the sidewalk.

"Who the hell are you?" Niro asked dryly, reaching forward to at least fix the girl's hat before the half-pint looked up and met his eyes.

A luminescent lime green gaze met his in a moment of intrigue from the girl… and Niro's heart almost stopped when he sensed an all too familiar energy emitting from the short-stop's body.

"I'm Nira," the girl answered, tilting her head with a gentle toss of her raven hair. "Who are you?"

"Niro."

Niro grit his teeth as he watched the girl's curious eyes roam over him before slowly tracking their way back up to his face, only shadowed by the low rim of his own cowboy hat.

"Niro…" The girl's voice came out in a slow, curious whisper, repeating his name back to herself before she smiled. "It's almost like my name."

"No it's not," Niro immediately denied as soon as the implication so much as touched his ears.

"But the last letter-"

"We're not similar." Niro's tone fell, dropping like a dropped piano as his response cut the girl off. "If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. And that's far, far away from you."

Nira's head tilted as she peered up at Niro's face again before her eyes grew curious. "Can I come?"

"No."

"But you look like you can use some help," Nira commented, stepping in Niro's way as soon as he tried to get past her.

"I don't. Now get out of my way before I punt you," Niro deadpanned, stopping in his tracks again as he glared at the girl.

For someone so cute, he was getting unnaturally infuriated with her.

"Are you sure? I think I can help," the girl offered again, stepping in his way again as he made to move around her. "I was told to come here and help you."

"Oh? And what makes you think I'm the person this unknown third party told you to help?" Niro asked, venom working its way through his words.

"They told me to look for a brooding mess of depression and stereotypes," Nira explained calmly, pointing up at his face now. "So I found you."

Niro had to mentally stop himself from quickly calculating how much force it'd take to send the short half-pint of a girl to the moon and back after bouncing her off of it.

"Great… you found me…" Niro's voice sounded dead. "I'm putting you on a leash if you're tagging along."

The girl had the gall to look entirely unbothered by that. "Okay."