Yay chapter 16!! (Flails chibi arms) Again I am VERY VERY sorry for not updating, but I have gotten back (finally) to writing this story.

Chapter 16- Quitting and Losing

When Mimori and Ryuhou awoke, they were still in the main room, surrounded by glass and guests. Mimori was blushing because when she and Ryuhou opened their eyes, they noticed that their faces were mere inches from each other. 'He's so close…' Ryuhou, on the other hand, smiled smally, which only made Mimori blush deeper shades of red. She couldn't help but laugh. Ryuhou smiled wider, that is, until, he remembered what had happened. He sat up and looked around at the confused and relieved guests.

"Where's Masuto!?" He searched the room, but couldn't find him. "Mimori!" He turned his head to look at her. "Did he hurt you? What happened after I passed out?" He searched her eyes for answers. The way her eyes were kind of looking down told him that she had been hurt after he passed out, and this angered him. "What happened?" Mimori looked around at the other guests as she sat up.

"Oh!" Yufumi smiled. "You're both awake!" She wrapped her arms around both of their necks. She noticed that both of them were tense. "You guys look like you could use something to eat!" She helped them up and led them to the kitchen. She began to walk away when Mimori remembered.

"My father-!"

"He's upstairs resting. I've been looking after him, don't worry, Miss Mimori." Yufumi left. Mimori turned back to Ryuhou to find that he was avoiding her eyes.

"You never answered my question…" he said softly. "What happened after I passed out!?" He turned his head and looked at her in a way that made her freeze. His eyes seemed so full of emotion and loneliness that she was having a hard time trying not to hug him.

"I'm not sure…" She began. "After you passed out…" The memory replayed in her head. "That's right! After you passed out, he knocked out Father as well. He tried to touch me, but my hands would burn him. It was so strange… He got angry and shocked me til I couldn't move. Just as he was about to take me, Scheris and Cougar showed up. He beat Cougar… He was about to finish Scheris off too, but then…." Mimori trailed off.

"Then what?" Ryuhou asked.

"He came and saved me. He was so angry… I've never seen him so mad…Maybe all of it was a dream…"

"Who?"

"…Kazuma…" Ryuhou's eyes widened. He looked away.

"I see… " He hit his fist against the kitchen counter. "Why?" He whispered to himself. "Why could he beat him… and yet I couldn't? How did he save Mimori when I couldn't? Is he stronger than me?"

"No!" Mimori protested. "That's not it at all! Kazuma arrived after you, me, and Cougar had all hurt him! And besides… I chose to stay! No one forced me to!"

"All this time I thought I was getting stronger…was I fooling myself?" He mumbled.

"We need to get back to HOLY…" Mimori said to herself. "It's getting late…"

"You're right.," he agreed as he hid his insecurity.

They called a cab and arrived back at HOLY to find Cougar at the medical center. After spending the night in his room, they were summoned to capture some more Alters. Running on about 3 hours of sleep, they sadly got up and prepared to leave.

"So how many are there?" Ryuhou asked.

"Not many…" Mimori replied. "Between 5 and 10."

"I see. Then let's capture them and get back." He looked behind his shoulder to see the 5 HOLY soldiers that were accompanying them. "And just why are you coming with us, again?"

"Because we were told to."

'That's a great answer,' they both thought. "Ryuhou, there they are!" Mimori pointed. The Native Alters were all standing around. Mimori gave them a strange look. All of them were either old or young; none of them seemed to be in their 20s or 30s. What struck her even more was the look of fear that they all held when they noticed the vehicle.

"Let's go men!" The leader of the 5 soldiers instructed. They all jumped out of the vehicle and attacked the Alters.

"Are these really the Alters we're after?" Ryuhou asked as he heard the Alters screaming.

"It can't be…" Mimori said softly.

"Please, let us go!" they heard a tiny voice. Something sparked in both of them. They'd know that voice anywhere.

"Kanami!" They both ran out of the vehicle. One of the soldiers had Kanami on the ground with her hands behind her back. "What are you doing?!" Mimori demanded. "She's just a child!"

"She's an Alter, and we were ordered to capture them, child or not."

"But they aren't even doing anything! They aren't harming anyone!"

'Wait,' Ryhou thought, 'did he say that Kanami was an Alter User? It can't be!'

"Orders are orders."

"Forget orders! Let them go!" Mimori ran to the man and pushed him off of Kanami. The man got up, grabbed Mimori by the hair and slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground.

"Just who's side are you on?!" He demanded. He turned around to go back to Kanami. What he found, however, was a very angry Zetsuei and an even angrier Ryuhou.

"The side that's right." Ryuhou glared. "HOLY has become corrupted from the inside out. Does anyone even tell you what's going on within the corporation? Or do you just follow orders like a blind dog?"

"Ryuhou? What's gotten into you? Do you have any idea what you're doing? You realize you could be demoted for this, right?" The man asked.

"I've got no interest in HOLY, and I could honestly care less about my position. Ranks are no good if you hate the person who decides your status. HOLY isn't getting me any closer to my goal anyway. So move." Mimori looked at him in amazement and awe.

"Men!" All five of them pointed their guns at Ryuhou. They all shot at the same time, but a fire barrier formed around him.

"You won't lay a hand on him." Mimori's eyes glowed with fire and tears. "Leave us."

"MIMORI!" Mimori looked at him, but before she knew it, she felt a needle in her neck. One of the men had gotten behind her and shot some liquid in her. She fell to the ground again and the fire surrounding Ryuhou disappeared. He was shot with the same liquid, and both of them fainted. The last thing they heard was Kanami's scream.

Before they knew it, they woke up in a room they didn't recognize. "Where are we?" Ryuhou asked. It was then that he noticed that both of them were in chains. "What is this?!"

"This is your punishment," they identified this voice to be the Commander's, "for being disobedient, and you're lucky I'm being so lenient with you."

"Zetsuei!" Ryuhou shouted. Zetsuei didn't come.

"I've injected both of you with a substance that will temporarily void your Alter powers. Save your strength, you'll need it for your next mission."

"And just what makes you think that we're still with HOLY?!" Ryuhou demanded angrily.

"Because if you aren't then I'll kill you here and now."

"Do it. It's better than working here."

"I never thought I'd hear that from you, Ryuhou. And what shall we tell Mr. Kiryu when he finds out that Native Alters killed his daughter? Oh well, I'll think of something sentimental…" He pointed the gun at Ryuhou's forehead. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he felt something warm behind him.

'…Mimori?' He asked himself. 'This must be her second form…' Mimori's hair was glowing and her eyes still glowed, but he could see the iris and the pupil. Her outfit had changed to an elegant dress and, using her Alter, she concentrated fire onto the chains that bound her and easily freed herself. A tear fell from her cheek and she threw it at the gun. The Commander dropped it in pain and held his hand.

"You will die for what you've done!" Mimori said angrily.

"I don't think so," he said as a large group of HOLY soldiers got in front of him. They all had guns and shot, but Mimori's second form wouldn't allow this. She hurled flames at each of the liquid-filled bullets, but the liquid still spilled on her and got in her eyes, and she returned to her normal form. She fainted, and they shot Ryuhou again, but he too had become so angry that he was able to summon Zetsuei and avoid the bullet just in time. Zetsuei removed the chains from Ryuhou, and Ryuhou easily beat the HOLY soldiers.

"So is this what it's come to, Ryuhou?" the Commander asked. "After everything I've done for you?" Ryuhou gave him a stern look.

"You became my enemy the minute you did this to me and Mimori," was Ryuhou's reply.

"I see… So then you die here." Particles disappeared around them and both of their Alters increased. "Tell me Ryuhou," the Commander said while they were fighting, "why did Mimori change you? Why did you choose her side instead of mine? Together we could make this world so much better."

"Is that the truth? Or is that just what you've convinced everyone? You've been lying from the start! What is it you really want?!"

The Commander chuckled. "…To reach the other side, naturally. Mimori's Alter power really is extraordinary, don't you agree?" He muttered a few other things, things that no one but Ryuhou could hear.

"SHUT UP!" Zetsuei attacked him with full force. The Commander was injured, but he wasn't going to give up. No, he was far from it.

"If you don't give me what I need, then I'll force it from you!" He grabbed Mimori. Taking a knife from under his sleeve, he pressed it against her cheek. "The stomach, the heart, or the throat? You pick."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" More particles disappeared, and Ryuhou's body began to glow. The room began to glow white and Ryuhou grinned.

'Ryuhou…' He heard Mimori's voice in his head. 'Don't give it to him… I can hear Kanami's voice… She told me to tell you… she says don't show him… you must stop this now before he gets what he wants.'

'But what about you?'

'Just call my name, and I'll wake for you.'

'Promise?'

'Promise.' Ryuhou wasn't sure if he was going crazy, but he trusted her voice. He forced himself to stop, and both he and the room stopped glowing.

"Fool!" Commander said. He moved the knife to her throat and prepared to slice.

"MIRI!" he shouted. Immediately her eyes opened, and her hair turned to fire once more. Of course, the Commander was still holding her hair when this happened, and he fell back in pain.

"Ryu, we have to save her… she needs our help."

"But the Commander-"

"We'll deal with him later! She needs us now!" She returned to her normal form and stopped crying. Zetsuei broke them out of the room and they ran off, leaving the Commander to drown himself in his searing pain and broken pride.

Mimori fell in the hall. "Miri!" Ryuhou shouted. "Are you okay?!"

"Yah… I think that stuff is still inside me… You can go on without me, I'll catch up. Kanami needs us, so why don't you-"

"If you dare to even think I'm going to leave you here, then you don't know me at all! I'm not going to leave someone important to me! Come on." He picked her up bridal style and carried her to the room where the captured Alters were kept. "Do it, Zetsuei!" Zetsuei obeyed and shattered the wall into dust. They saw Kanami hooked up to a machine with her face contorted in pain. Zetsuei immediately released her and the other Alters who had been caught with her. Everyone ran out and Kanami walked up to Ryuhou and Mimori.

"Thank you, Ryuhou!" She smiled. "Where's Kazu-kun?" She asked.

"We're not too sure…" Ryuhou said. "We'll meet up with him when we get out of here."

"Hey!" they heard a shrill voice from behind them. "What makes you think you can leave without us?!" They turned around to find an angry Scheris with Cougar's arm around her to help support him.

"You're coming with us?" Ryuhou asked.

"And stay here to leave you alone with Minori?! Yah right!" Cougar said angrily.

"Even being with us won't help your chances," Ryuhou smirked. "And it's Mimori." Mimori's grip around Ryuhou's neck tightened. Her heart skipped and the blood was rushing to her cheeks.

"So are we gonna do this or what?" Scheris asked. They all nodded. Mimori removed one arm from around Ryuhou's neck so Kanami could squeeze her hand. As soon as they got near the exit, almost every HOLY member greeted them with Alters and guns.

"Retreat!" they ordered.

"Let me make this clear – we are getting out of here - one way or another," Mimori said calmly. Somehow her voice seemed different; she had no kindness, and no fear towards these people. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and the minute they fell, they formed a fire that created walls on both sides and a path to the exit. Scheris and Cougar were very shocked.

'Mimori… an Alter User?!' Scheris asked herself. 'Impossible!' Nonetheless, they walked in the fiery path with Ryuhou, Mimori, and Kanami. All of the HOLY members were trying to shoot at them and use their Alter powers, but nothing was working. One Alter was able to get through, however, with his metal Alter power. He sent many spikes hurling towards them, and Ryuhou barely moved in time to keep Mimori from getting hit. He turned his head towards the Alter in anger. Zetsuei went and knocked the HOLY member out. They finally reached the exit, and the moment they did, Mimori set the exit on fire for none of them to ever return as allies of HOLY.