Darkness continued to churn, a mixture of broken shards of light – a hellish ebony domination. Don't let him kill you, Eric, Minoa thought as she stared at the backside of the Minor, turned away from them as if he were ignoring them. She sighed, hopeful. Then, turning to Shintenmaru, she finally remembered something. The red-haired Minor looked back. "How did sealing Jeremy's links go?" she asked, timid to nature.

Shintenmaru looked down, disappointed. A distortion of light began to show itself. "Not so good," he answered, voice grim, as if drained from the selfish tentacles of boredom. "Even with all my regained power, I can only seal about two percent of them in. His links' resistance is far stronger than any I've ever seen. The plan was a failure."

Minoa, processing everything into her mind, looked down as well. She exhaled a tiny, exasperated breath, one that remained hidden in secretion to even the most acute of ears. "I see," she said in a depressing, droned voice. "No matter," she began. "It just gives us all the more reason to get their help anyway." Shintenmaru, too, began to look on the bright side.

"Yeah," he let out bluntly. "Also, where is Teresa?" Shintenmaru asked seriously, almost as if he were snapping at her. "I don't see her anywhere at the other hallway."

Teresa, amused, scoffed. "On the lookout as always?" she said friendlily. A smile couldn't help but grow on her face in a short, miniscule manner.

"I didn't ask for small talk; answer the question." Shintenmaru's voice was long and demanding, a no-joke commanding voice. Teresa's eyes broadened, surprised.

"She's working on her new move," Minoa replied, voice now as serious as the Life Council's. "She'll find us later," she said with a sudden secrecy, a dull stare to the widened, large room that seemed to have no ends but its half-eaten walls. She no longer took her stare upon Shintenmaru. Because of his snappiness, she had become bored of him, just like she her voice had become bored of him.

"I see," he answered finally.

On the other side of the room, towards the Minors' hallway, Lance, the Metal Minor turned. "Teresa's not here," Lance muttered, voice tense, face tightened. People's confused looks flashed all around in their respective darkness.

"So?" Mark answered, voice impatient. "We'll wait for her," he suggested, crossing his arms meanly in front of him. His hidden stare remained hidden, a blank secrecy among the shadows and orange, tight walls. You could feel a misplacement, as if something were wrong.

"No, I'm finding her," Lance said, beginning to walk past him and everyone else. His eyes were closed to slits. He stuffed his hands in his pockets gruffly, watching the ground as if following a road, and as he did so, eyes of fellow Minors watched, tense.

"Why?" Mark asked, voice louder, shocking this time. The Earth Minor turned around to face Lance, who did not turn back.

"Because," Lance began as he turned to face the Minors. They all stared at him, and he stared back. His silver hair gave no elemental luster today, not in this deep, eternal dimness. He grew a proposed smile on his face. Everyone seemed to have a question all over their faces, brows puckering in curiosity. "That'd just be unfair if I didn't, wouldn't it?" Few questions faded from faces. "Don't worry," Lance began again. "I'll go. I won't be too long. Make sure to catch me up when I'm back."

He turned around and began to start for the darkness ahead once more. The eyes of his fellow Minors watched him. Watched his back until he faded away, watched him until he sunk deep into the depths of the hall, until he was a tiny, distant period from time, a barely seen, felt sensation of the body. The clicking of his shoes reminded them of his presence, reminded them of his words. Then, finally, when all was silent and all was gone, they turned, the nine Minors watching, waiting for the suddenly decided battle to start.

Eric, Marissa thought in worry as he watched his confident, flicker of face from far away. Her brows puckered in worry, a great anxiety that seemed to take place only at her eyes, her throat, her face, her mouth. What you said to me before, at the lake…

"So, why, in the history of earth, would you be the first petal to wither away? Why would you say that you have no value, but when you shrivel and die, you leave the team incomplete, valueless, empty and incomplete?"

She remembered his words, so clearly, so cut, so pleasing to her ears. They acted like the final cool wave on a long, hot, set ablaze day that crawled up her legs, to her mind, and pleased her, calmed her, a sense to her. I won't be the first petal to wither away, Eric, she thought as if Eric could hear her thoughts. I won't, and you can count on that. She tightened her fist, a hope that he would win, a deep wish from the honest truths of her heart that he, somehow, would find a way to defeat a council. Don't lose, Eric. Prove just how powerful you are.

Meanwhile, Zack sneered, scoffed at Derek annoyingly with a huge, clowned smile that was so wide, it should've been broken. Hopefully, Derek would. Turning, the black-haired Minor gave a cold, cross stare at Zack, opposites staring at each other in two different reasons, of course. "What?" Derek demanded meanly, crossly. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked through ground teeth, eyes narrow, icy, unforgiving.

"Look what you started," Zack continued to snicker uncontrollably. His voice was up and down, up and down, a crazy beat to an unknown song. "They're fighting because of you," he explained, amused. His snickering grew louder, more noticed. Heads turned.

Derek's eyes grew more cross, meaner. His arms folded against each other, twisting in a detest for Zack, a tough, cool manner like the person Derek was. "Shut up," he growled through sharp, grit teeth. His arms' crossing seemed to tighten more, his body seemed more tense, more mean, bursting with anger and energy as if he were about to kill someone.

"Look," Zack said, a little calmer. "Someone can die!" he began his indistinctive snickering once again. It rang in Derek's ears like a crazed, stupid cricket in the middle of the night, a droned annoyance that just wouldn't, wouldn't stop, and there was nothing he could do about it. Derek, getting madder and madder, growled, scowled.

"Shut up!" he demanded louder this time, teeth ground to such a point where it was dangerous to do it any longer, eyes narrowed into hateful, grudged slits, arms crossed meanly, taking their anger out on each other. He growled once more. Zack continued to giggle like a little, immature girl. "Damn it, Zack!" Derek yelled out. His voice echoed through the halls. Zack wouldn't stop; he wouldn't even take a breather. Derek gave up on him, still angry and agitated to such a point, he would have to take Zack's life. It was amazing how this – this immature boy was a Base Minor! How idiotic! Derek thought in his own thoughts, trying to prevent his anger from spreading, trying hard to contain it so he wouldn't do anything he'd regret. They're fighting… he thought as he stared into the large room and away from Zack. He watched the crooked body of Hibiyomi, his mean stare glaring coldly. Then, he saw Eric's straight posture, his tall, proud self with his confident, determined eyes. Why are they fighting? For the purpose of me? "Why?" he said aloud this time. "It's pointless! Hibiyomi will just win! I know he will!"

"What?" Zack had to protest. "How can you be so sure?" he said finally without sniggling. Idiot, Derek thought in the corners of his mind. "Just because he's a council, or he's the counterpart of your element?"

"No," Derek said, finally calming down. His tense arms loosened. "Not because of something like that." Zack, surprised, blinked, not knowing what else to do, not in this dull blank dark anyway. "I grew up knowing that the only way to win fights is to show no weakness, whether it'd be physical or mental. This means no emotion. Hibiyomi clearly knows that. Eric shows it all the time," Derek explained. "The winner is clear."

"Is that really so?" Zack asked, interest piqued, for now, not the least bit annoying.

"This is definite," his rival explained. "It's a waste of time." Then, secretly, Derek thought to himself, Isn't it?

In the middle of the room, two opponents stared, two opponents that so used to be allies. What had happened? Just a simple conversation and a simple intercrossing of two purposes, of two beliefs. That was all. Hibiyomi opened his eyes in preparation, revealing a cold, unforgiving stare, as if one of detestation and hate, a cruel hate. "Now, I'll show you, Kahibi Eric," he began. His voice was like a robot, droning in a meticulous, persuasive and monotone manner. He tightly clenched his fists, and maybe his teeth underneath that blackish body mask. "I'll show you that showing too much of it is your key to a definite loss – your emotion, that is!" His face remained blank, dull, empty as a white piece of paper that begged, pleaded for someone with a pencil to at least scribble all over it. It began to get lonely without the presence of graphite. It was a powerful drug, that graphite.

"No," Eric denied from across the room. His voice was confident, revealing as Hibiyomi had said, booming off the walls in every random direction. Everyone heard him. "I'll show you, Hibiyomi," Eric promised, clenching his fists at his side. They hissed white smoke from their tiny slits between fingers. A heat began to blister within them. "I'll show you that in order to win, you don't have to hide emotions. It's the purpose you're fighting for that counts."

"Still ranting on about that, eh?" Hibiyomi called out in a blank, unrevealing tone. "Really…" the council let himself trail off. He bent his knees forward and brought his arms in a cross-motion. His eyes, they were blank. Lips were not found on his all-around mask of shadow, they were sealed. Slowly, he planned his strategy out as he watched Eric tense up as well. First, I'll wear him out by sensing his emotions and using them against him. Then, I'll break his links. "Let's go!" Hibiyomi cried out initiating the fight.

Eric… Hanabikai thought as he watched in a worrisome manner at the back of the Minor. I know I told you to use that move as a starting technique, but I don't know if it'll work on Hibiyomi… I never expected you to fight an opponent like this. The council sighed. Good luck, he wished. "I'm coming!" Hibiyomi cried out as he got the energy to his feet rather quickly, charging for Eric with no emotion, or so he says. Eric tensed. People, their eyes began to widen, to wish, to watch. Later, they worried.

PoVS

Lance walked through the darkened halls that seemed to want to envelop him in their selfish fingers as well. They shivered at his presence, some also scared. Indifferent emotions were made all about, cancelled out by negatives and positives. Black emptiness eroded the orange walls, these halls never noticed for their a hundred percent true color. It was amazing how you could see in this dark place with no light, barely. Not knowing where to go, Lance stopped.

He muttered certain silences to himself as he placed his hand delicately on the wall, feeling its cool, flat structure with his whorled fingers. Senses of detail… he thought, closing his eyes in focus. He cleared his mind of all thoughts and concentrated, focusing on only one thing: his hand, his sense of touch for detail, for now, his eyes of detail would not work. Then, suddenly, he picked up something. His spirit rose and exploded in notice as he gasped his eyes open. More vibrations are coming this way, he thought as he walked down the right side of the hall. Okay, he accepted. He continued his clicking footsteps across the dark area.

PoVS

Far away, in a distant, now forgotten land, white boots crunched the ground eerily. Blades of dewy, murky grass faded from life, bowing their heads in a finally respective manner. Sunlight – it was faint, unnoticed in this hellhole society. Their legs bent over, and reached for something on the ground.

Black Chrysanthemums, a hollow thought deposited in a dark, faded mind. The innocence and helplessness of the blackish petals on the flower on the ground amused the being in front of it. His shadow fell upon the flower as it swayed lightly, not knowing which direction to go, to escape. It was helpless. There's enough to make two more visits, the eerie being thought as he picked the first flower up from its roots with white, gloved fingers, delicate touches. The flower seemed to scream, to cry for help. It begged for another chance, but the being would not give it to such a thing. A smile grew beneath a shaded hood, and then, walking over to a nearby spot, began uprooting the other flowers of too, until a million cries of hell screamed, echoed in silence.

A last thought rang: How convenient.

PoVS

Hibiyomi charged. Tension rose in people's hearts as Eric seemed to wait, feet shifted, stance fixed. Sweat drops fell all around, nervously, a rain of importance shed by none other than the Minors and Councils. Hibiyomi thrust a basic punch. Eric jumped away from the attack, easily detected. As Eric fell back to the ground, Hibiyomi charged for him once again. Eric was soon caught in a frenzy of punches, a fury of shadowy fists flinging from every direction. He was barely able to dodge all of them as Hibiyomi made no noise. His body tossed and turned just to be able to make them miss, slightly. The speed was amazing. "I'll show you that you're showing too much!!" Hibiyomi kept saying over and over again. Eric seemed to have no reaction, no, it was more like, he had no time for a reaction. He had to focus, focus on not being caught by the punches, for if he were caught by one, he'd be caught by all the others coming after that.

"Damn it," Tsukansu growled underneath his breath. People shifted. "He's talking like a madman!" he called out silently; barely anyone heard him. His teeth growled; his eyes narrowed. Slowly, his hand unsheathed something. Metal clicked, prepared.

"Calm down," Minoa stopped Tsukansu. She brought her delicate hand to his shoulder to pull him back so he wouldn't do anything reckless. "This is Eric's fight, remember?" Minoa insisted. Tsukansu paused movement, immobile for just seconds. Seconds that meant the world to some. "After all, this is not the time to use those two."

Tsukansu sneered, wishing he could do something. His strong, masculine fingers let go of their hold from handles, automatically sheathing twins back into their respective homes. He growled once more, his face locked tight in an uncanny scowl.

Eventually into the fight, Eric reeled a normal punch and made a direct hit onto Hibiyomi's face. He toppled backward, caught by surprise, unable to do anything. Eric jumped into the air, skillfully and confidently. His eyes narrowed in demise, confidence that poured like laser beams. His clothes fluttered wildly, excitedly as he was brought back down to the air. Tension rose, excitement grew to the point where one could burst from their seat and yell, scream. Eric reeled in another skilled punch, this one going to be different as he fell towards Hibiyomi. His fist hissed with certain white steam, and Hanabikai crossed his fingers in hope. "Why can't you realize…" Eric began. "That emotion has almost nothing to do with combat!?" Few councils who realized something gasped in surprise. Hibiyomi took a while to get himself back up on his readied feet. Eric brought down a punch, and when Hibiyomi barely missed it by backing up, it lit up – on fire!

Gasps went all around. Things seemed to go slow-motion. Eric leaned in towards the punch, one foot having to lift itself from the ground behind him. The streak of fire from his fist burned and hissed at his face as he clenched his teeth, knowing that he had made a miss. Hibiyomi, not shocked at all, backed up, falling to his now prepared feet. Shocked faces went all around, from the council side, and from the Minor side. Different variations of widened eyes showed.

"His hand!" Zack cried out, teeth showing themselves as if they were proud of their pure-whiteness.

"Is on?" another voice speculated. "Fire!?" another finished the sentence.

"You're really surprised about that after all you've been through?" Mark asked, showing signs of speculated pitiable feelings. The Minors side brought their faces down to a comical, humorous depression, dark blue lines stretching down their faces in their own embarrassment. Their eyes became lines, thick lines that were much too large for their faces, faces that were much too large for their heads, and heads, heads that were much too large for their bodies to carry. Humorous music could've played right then and there. Walter, thinking of them as below him, scoffed crossing his arms as he stood against the orange plaster wall. He closed his eyes and listened – not watched for the fight. His eyes, if they had been open, would have been looking at the ground below him. He was far from the threshold of the hallway, though, but still, he could listen to everything they said. He had no need to watch.

"I'm not done!" Eric cried out, as he leaned in for the fire fist once more, lifting his left foot up and rotating it about his body, flipping almost to make a kick. He made the attack and changed it acrobatically into a new one, flipping around to make a kick from above. His foreleg began to set on fire as well, and with skillful block, Hibiyomi brought his forearm for defense. His eyes wandered to the cindering fire, and showed no signs of amazement. Eric was caught. More shocked cries and faces went about, like a web of them spreading all over the universe.

The defending forearm of Hibiyomi's stretched and turned into a shadow arm that snaked around Eric's leg, making sure there was no escape. "Because…" Hibiyomi began to answer Eric's demand. "Because you don't know what I've been through! Because you don't know what it's like!" With a hateful spin, Hibiyomi turned his body, dragging Eric's along with him. He turned and the shadow arm stretched, swinging him like a rope. Eric rotated Hibiyomi without say until the velocity became so great, Hibiyomi had to let go of his detestation grip. Eric's body slammed into the wall, and great smoke and large chunks of plaster spat out. A huge vibration shook the whole room, and gasps, they emerged from everywhere, every direction.

"Eric!" Daniel and Marissa cried out at the same time. Their eyes widened together in certain worry, and together, they leaned in carefully, wanting to see what happened. Eric… had he lost the fight all ready? Did he die from such a crazed spin of hate? What…happened?