"Eating dango on a perfect morning like this," Lance sighed staring up at the sky. He had his arms behind his head in a carefree manner as he closed his eyes in a comfortable rest. He folded his legs boyishly, playing with the dango skewer with his teeth. The sweet, sugary treat began to slump downward towards his mouth. "Reminds me of the old times," he said, ignoring the soil scent of the tree behind him. The air was cool and filled with easiness. Sunlight was flustered through the trees and their leaves. Its warmth wrapped around Lance's face as it caressed him toward a sleep.

"Lance, shouldn't you be resting your body?" Rick frowned. "We just got the poison out of you," he explained.

"I am, I am!" Lance snapped at his teammate, frowning as his eyes went into a disdainful look. Rick was acting like such a parent. Parents are boring, Lance thought. They always take away the fun. Rick continued to frown from his place on the soft grass. It seemed to carry a smell that was refreshing. He reluctantly accepted Lance's answer.

Marissa sat loathsomely as she stared at her food. Her arms felt like they had been clumped together for hours, like they had been misplaced in her body. Uneasiness wrapped around her like a blanket on a cold winter night. A creeping chill entered her body as a soft breeze blew by. Her brown-blonde hair seemed to be fixed while the rest of her body wasn't… right. She sat uneasily, too, sitting on her legs as they spread out behind her. My arm hurts, she told herself. So does the rest of my body. It's hard to even catch a breath now and I tire easily, she noted. Just what happened back there? She peered backward, as if searching for a clue to the past. All I know was that I was knocked unconscious. I'm lucky I'm not dead, she told herself, turning back. She stared at her food. Emptiness stared back. The food seemed barely fitting, and that healthy tea was supposed to help her get back the easiness in her body, but it didn't seem to have an effect at all. She sighed deeply as she continued to think.

Lance, skin caked with dirt and completely worn out found it very pleasing to lie down like he did. A pleased smile spread across his face as he at the last dango piece, which was swallowed easily only a second later. He sighed, waiting for the energy to come back to his legs. He felt like a hundred tons right now. As he felt the sweet dango fall into his stomach with a plop, pain suddenly shot through his whole body. It was like a disease, eating away at everything it could. It took him away from his tranquil state, taking him away from the broad sunlight and the whispering leaves. It took him away from the fresh grass smell and into a world of short yet wild pain. He gagged as the empty skewer was lost from his lips, clinking to the floor beside him as he jerked up, trying to catch his breath. Slowly, he breathed the pain away, restraining it.

Rick noticed his sudden agony. He sighed. "Jeez," he began, looking back to Marissa. "You guys need to take care of yourselves more," he scolded them. He got up from the comfortable grass, brushing dirt off his clothes. He picked up some tea from the floor and brought it to his two teammates. "Here," he handed it to them. Lance took it mindlessly, not noticing his own actions. Marissa seemed to stare up at him, as if resisting taking it.

"But…" Marissa began. "It's your tea," she told him. Rick smiled thankfully, but he insisted. She took the hot teacup rather uneasily. The hot, white steam masked her face in comfort. Rick never failed to surprise her with his unselfishness.

"It's okay," he told her. "You guys need more rest than I do," Rick told them, walking to the trees away from them. "I'll just go train. Shout if something happens," he told them, walking away.

"Rick," Lance called him without looking at him as he began to walk away. Rick pulled back to wait attentively. "Don't overdo it," Lance said seriously, wrapping his arms around his body, as if he was suddenly cold. "You'll attract enemies, and furthermore, you can't tire yourself out too much until we've rested up. Understand?"

"Yeah, got it," Rick said, pulling back to the trees. His footsteps crunched the grass as if his slippers hated the green blades as he faded away from sight. Marissa watched his back as he disappeared into nothing but a dot in the brisk distance. Why am I the one always watching your back? Marissa thought as she gulped uneasily. She sighed deeply. Everyone's worked so hard lately, while I haven't made any progress at all. She stared off into the bushes depressively as she found a set of grinning, glowing eyes gazing back at her. Her face went wide with comicalness as she gulped hard, nervous. Animated sweat drops began to pour down like a waterfall at her head.

Suddenly, the pair of eyes rushed out and out came something small – a hungry squirrel craving for food. "Squirrel?" she screeched as it ran towards her. Oh my god, oh my god, she thought. A squirrel! What should I do? Should I hide? No, there's no time! She screamed loudly in her mind. She couldn't seem to move her legs. The squirrel sort of chirped at her cutely before jumping on her face in an affectionate hug. She began screaming indistinctively, moving her body around and around, trying to get it off of her. Her arms were at her sides, fanning like a pair of wings wanting to escape. Her eyes were wide and blank as she thought of the millions of germs and bacteria she could get from having an animal from a place like this on her face. She also worried for her face. Oh, how she loved her face. She tripped over to her side as she knocked the tea down accidentally with her swinging leg. She fell to her back, the squirrel apparently thinking that it was a ride of some sort, having the time of its life. Together, they rolled down the long slope they had climbed up earlier, leaving Lance alone.

The Metal Minor sighed as he put his arms behind his head again. "I can't believe you wasted tea," he muttered, taking out another dango skewer and placing it in his teeth. His voice was muffled by a full mouth.

Rick walked cautiously through the foresting trees, their crooked bodies like mutated hates full of anger. Branches' fingers brushed against his cheeks, scratching him, as if trying to tell him to stop. He found a small clearing in the forest, an open space surrounded by trees with nothing but dead grass waiting for the angel of death. Rick seemed satisfied as he came to the middle, shifting his stance and closing his eyes in preparation. I need to work hard, he told himself. I have to show that the things I care for matter. So they won't feel left out. With that thought, he began to get to work on his new "idea."

PoVS

It seems that the water brat is kind of confident about himself, Sanshouuo realized as Walter came to him, giving him various punches, all being blocked skillfully. Impact blows were sounded through the quiet forest as Sanshouuo continued to multitask. It's true that my weakness is damp areas, but it all depends on the amount of moisture it takes to take me out, he thought, bobbing to the side to dodge a punch, giving a hard hit back, sending the Minor backward.

Eric rushed to Sanshouuo, ready for his turn. Sanshouuo ducked and dodged and backed away as Eric's threatening attacks all missed. On the other hand, this one is stupid enough to protect his teammates during battle. That's why he's more worn out than the other one, Sanshouuo noted. However, his levels of stamina continue to amaze me. He must have a reason he's holding his friends so dearly. However, people like that go down first. The shield is always used as a tool, after all. Sanshouuo warded him away with a blast of heat from his mouth. It burned the surrounded grass to blackish ash. Yellow green became dreadful dust. The wind picked up smoothly, a light breeze for comfort. It carried the tortured ashes away with it. "Hey," Sanshouuo called to Walter.

He caught his attention immediately. Walter's heavy breathing seemed to be drowned out by the other nonexistent sounds in the forest. Sunlight continued to pour on the scene, yet its source not visible in the sky. "It's true that you bear my weakness element," Sanshouuo began to tell him. "However, it takes a large amount of it to wipe out someone like me. Also, I know this part of the forest very well geographically. There isn't a source of water even if you dug downward for five days and five nights straight," Sanshouuo explained. "The only source of water you can use is the water content of your body, which is sixty percent of your total weight. Even if you used all of it against me and made direct hits each time, you still wouldn't be able to beat me. Also, if you lose even one to two percent of the water in your body, you become very tired. At that point, you won't be able to fight me without slowing down, and at that rate, you'll get killed first." Sanshouuo smiled as he explained, knowing his advantage. "Give up," he told finally. "You're not good enough to defeat me."

Walter grinned meanly. "We'll see about that," he threatened. It might be true what he's saying, Walter acknowledged. However, there's more than one way to beat any opponent. Water is just one of them for this one. Eric nodded in agreement, as if he was reading his thoughts. Although… Walter had to admit. I am somewhat tired all ready. I better not make this battle long. Eric suddenly rushed past him, reeling in his attack. He shouted his angry battle cry as his impact was blocked by the forearm of his opponent.

"My, my," Sanshouuo began playing with his tongue again. No smile grew on his face this time. Just glaring, serious eyes. "You're the dangerous one, aren't you?" he realized. Sanshouuo sighed. "Whatever," he brushed it off like nothing.

Eric gritted his teeth, clenching his fist tightly into a balled anger. "Now, Walter!" he cried out. Sanshouuo was immediately surprised, looking backward to find nothing.

"What?" Sanshouuo cried out. He scanned the whole area behind him. He couldn't find anyone. He looked past Eric. He couldn't find him either. What was going on?

"You don't have time to look away!" Eric shouted, the same words Sanshouuo had said when the battle had begun. His words shocked his opponent immediately as Eric delivered a hardcore punch to the unsuspecting enemy, knocking him backward as he stopped the push with his tail dug right into the ground. He wiped his chin roughly, frowning disdainfully.

"Tricky bastard," he muttered under his breath. Eric scoffed. "I'll teach you to mess with me," Sanshouuo told him seriously. With a rush, he immediately appeared at Eric's front, hitting him with swift kicks, all barely dodged at the last second. His speed, Eric realized. It's gotten faster! He ducked and backed away, trying to deliver his own attacks, which were even swiftly cancelled.

Soon, Sanshouuo locked his fist between his two arms, keeping him in place. Eric gritted his teeth, trying to get his arm out of the hold. It was too hard. He had to make another round of attacks in that position! Eric tried another punch, which was blocked by an open hand. His two hands unavailable to use now, Eric struggled to get away as Sanshouuo grinned at his advantage. Eric's teeth seemed to grow angry fangs. "Now, Walter!" he repeated again in his sticky situation.

Sanshouuo scoffed loudly. "Are you serious?" he said, his voice lowering. "You really think you can trick me again?! I'm smarter than that! Don't mock me, boy!" Sanshouuo shouted, not turning back to fall for his trick again. An evil grin grew across his face as a confident one grew on Eric's. From behind, a shadow began to fall upon Sanshouuo's back. From above, Walter jumped from the trees, reeling in a powerful punch as he came closer and closer, his shadow growing darker and darker on the opponent, who still didn't seem to notice until –

Walter cried out. Eric's eyes widened in shock. "Much, much smarter than that," Sanshouuo muttered strongly in Eric's face, bringing the boy closer to him with a tug. He stared into the teenager's eyes evilly with an intellectual grin as behind him, Walter was wrapped around in a slithering, slimy tail. The tail of their opponent. He was tightly constricted, unable to move at all. Walter seemed to grip the tail tightly, trying to claw his way out of it. His fingers kept slipping off of the waxy skin. It was completely abnormal. Reeling in a punch, Sanshouuo knocked Eric right in his mouth and nose, pushing him at least ten feet away.

"Eric!" Walter cried out. He gritted his teeth as he realized even more that he couldn't do anything. Blood began to leak from Eric's mouth as well, caking his cheeks as he lay on the floor weakly, unable to stand up. As he moved uneasily around the ground, his eyes closed in pain, trying to push it backward, Walter realized his red strip of fabric that indicated he was the Fire Base Minor was missing from his index finger. Walter looked at his hand's pinkie to make sure he still had his. Then, Walter found it lying on the floor limply, getting dirt all over it. It must've gotten off his finger when he got that punch, Walter realized. "Damn it!" Walter cried out.

"You're too noisy," Sanshouuo grinned as he turned back to meet Walter with one side of his face. Walter calmed as the tail tightened around him, its slimy, discolored skin nauseating even more when it wrapped tighter and tighter around you. Walter cried out in pain as the tail constricted him. His cries couldn't be helped. Inside his shouts came his anger of his past, the pain all sent through in screams as he thought the tail was going to break his spinal column. I can't breathe! Walter thought to himself as he paused his screaming, breathing heavily to catch his breath. He kept breathing and breathing, but no matter how hard he tried, his breath just didn't seem to be found. He let out a loud cry again as the tail wrapped tighter. "I told you, you're too noisy!" Sanshouuo told him. Walter resumed his heavy breathing, gritting his teeth in anger at the overwhelming power of his foe.

With a swing of his large tail, Sanshouuo sent Walter flying towards Eric. The Water Minor crashed into a tree, his back hitting hard against its body, falling back down limply as if he had just been brutally murdered. Walter looked up slightly, catching a glimpse of the fabric strip that had the Japanese character of fire on it. He began to reach for it weakly, his abdomen completely in murderous pain. He coughed out as his hand fell limp to the floor, his efforts nothing compared to the searing hurt. Suddenly, he began to hear hissing. Hissing all around him. Left, right, forward, and behind. What…? Walter thought as he looked up disdainfully, wincing his pain backward. His sight was blurred from the pain he felt all over. He wasn't sure if any of his bones weren't broken anymore. Things seemed to shake and shiver coldly in his eyes, his halfhearted, barely opened eyes. He tried to move his fingers closer to it, but only his fingers obeyed his command.

"Don't try to move," Sanshouuo told him. Walter pulled back his hand, stammering uneasily. Sanshouuo scoffed at his weak appearance. "I've surrounded your position with a highly sensitive heat layer. Any kind of friction other than wind will set it off into a huge level explosion. It'll surely blow you to bits," he explained. "You won't even lay a finger on that layer unless the last thing you want to see is black smoke and bursting red."

Walter obeyed reluctantly, falling to the trunk of the tree. His legs seemed broken and uneasy, lying in front of him lazy and unable to do anything. Dirt and uneasiness covered him like a shroud. He tried to move at least his arm, but it struggled violently, unable to obey commands. Walter stared up to the sky to find the rustling leaves of trees as the winds slightly moved them in a short dance. The leaves differentiated in their greens, sunlight gleaming some as they swayed lazily. Walter continued to breathe heavily, the only thing he could do at the moment. I…I can't do anything anymore, he thought to himself. I'm going to die here… this guy… he's too dangerous. We can't beat him! His experience and how much he's used to this kind of thing – it surpasses ours by way too much. There's no hope for us! We have to run! We have to run now! Walter's panic took over his mind and body. He couldn't move, and all he could do was stay there and think all these crazy thoughts. His pupils shuddered in their eyes; his expression was tight with worry and anxiety.

Suddenly, his purpose reminded him. Reminded him of everything he was here for and what he was working for at the end. It took away all his panic and replaced it with the memory of his suffering. It took away the anxiety and the need to run away. Slowly, his eyes fell back into place. His body began to calm as well as his mind, and he relaxed his muscles, enveloping himself in his thoughts.

He remembered seeing his mother with that fabric tightened around her neck, dangling from the ceiling mysteriously like a ghastly force was suspending her upward. He remembered watching her blanked expression for hours, her accusing stare trying to blame her son for his problems. He remembered the pouring, bloodied rain that ran down his cheeks, his nose, wet his clothes until they were soaked, drowned his hopes for the future and dried them up into nothing but drought field. He remembered his father's last words to the family before he had passed, those harsh, hurtful words. He remembered the journal that his aunt had carelessly let lay around the house, just waiting to be found by Walter and his unsuspecting mind. Those scribbled, psychotic words of Void Core that he had stolen with him, that he had went back to take with him. He remembered feeling the rain as he was bound to torture, his only companion that blanketed him in cooling calmness as the hot anger spread around him, the tension of his insides growing unbearable. The scars unbearable. The dreadful scars he had to carry on his back for the rest of his life.

He realized that his parents – his uncle and aunt, they were all the same. They did nothing to help him, nothing to lead him in such a way to lead a good goal. They left him with nothing for a goal but revenge. Revenge for Void Core, the badness that swept over his life like a stormy cloud full of red rain. That was his prize at hand. And nothing could take his eyes away from it. Not even the strongest connection with a new friend, or the strongest opponent. Yes, he knew everything now. His eyes were wide open.

Walter lied silently against the trunk of the tree as he waited for something big, something huge to come to him. Sanshouuo paced past him, ignoring him completely in his disregard. His slithering tail was his only weapon at the moment, and he grew a careful, narrowed gaze of hate as he neared Eric. He was soon past Walter, but he only kept his eyes on the one he found more amusing right now. He watched Eric struggle to get up, blood streaking down his face like a river. He couldn't open his eyes because of his weary panic. His senses were blurry, completely clouded. Panic and confusion wrapped around Eric. "Unmoving prey," Sanshouuo called Eric as he came closer to Walter, who seemed as dead as the starless night. Sanshouuo scoffed. "How easy to catch," he muttered to himself.

"Damn it, you freakin' bastard!" Walter shouted out suddenly, a burst of energy churning his facial expression. His features tightened as he gritted his teeth demonically. His eyes were widened stare seemed to have no pupils, the brown gaze so small yet the whiteness so large. His fists were bursting with energy as well now, and his outbreak caused something to snap in his mind. Anger came about him, and he immediately caught Sanshouuo's energy. "I'll kill you!" Walter screamed demonically. Sanshouuo scoffed. Then his scoff turned into a surprised gasp as the unthinkable happened.

"W-Walter…?" Eric muttered, his voice unstable. His senses were still clouded and he could barely notice anything. The only thing he noticed was the loud, evil sound of Walter's screams. W-What's going on? Eric thought as he masked his face with one hand's fingers, feeling the blood streak down them like its own prevailing mask.