Author's note - Wow, I feel shamed. This is the only chapter I've written that got a hmmm…. Comment from everyone. I should plan more. Also, I'm shortening this arc by a chapter, not because I'm removing content, but because I realized that I didn't have enough content to fill 3 more chapters.
Tikigod784 – Yes, they are. You'll see why.
TzuiAssassian – I didn't even think of that. Chapter 13, hmm… lol. You're right, that does fit. Also, I have everything for the final scenes planned out (the part right at the beginning might be sketchy though.), so I will be following my own plan for now.
Daughter of ether – I think I covered everything I meant to cover, so it's probably the inexperience in me coming out.
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"Is that it?" Lee asked quietly.
"Yeah, that's it." Mana whispered grimly. It was late, so late that all the festival booths and activities had shut down, to re-open on the third day. Lee and Negi's group sat on a roof overlooking a cluster of large circus tents, which had a dark aura surrounding them.
"All right then." Lee responded. He got up, and the others stood with him.
"You guys probably already know this, but I'm really grateful for the help you guys are giving me. Without you guys, I doubt I could even get to the Clown."
"Don't sweat it, Lee." Asuna winked. "Even if you didn't ask us to come, we would have any ways, right guys?" the rest of the group nodded in confirmation.
Lee smiled, "Well, thanks any ways." Then he turned to the others and drew his Dream claws from his belts.
He looked at them all grimly, with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "All right, guys, he knows we're coming. He'll have found out from Zazie about her relationship with me, and no doubt he knows of my fighting prowess from her too. So, we're going in hard and fast, and blast down his defenses before he can respond." The others nodded silently.
"We're going to hope he won't expect me to bring help, so that will be an advantage. We're going to get in, grab Zazie, and get out, as fast as we can."
Negi frowned, "What about the Clown?"
"I've called in reinforcements from the agency. As much as I would love to take the bastard down myself," Lee clenched his fist; "this is no time for personal vendetta's when I'm 99 sure I can't defeat him. It would be stupid to let my revenge jeopardize our chances of saving Zazie."
They all got up and checked their weapons, and waited for Lee's signal. He turned to each of them and nodded. Then he turned silently towards the tents.
The tents where Zazie was being held prisoner.
"Let's go." They charged down the slope. Not making a sound, they ran down the road, past all the shops and game booths. Lee turned towards the middle on, the largest one, and the others silently followed.
Right before they entered the tent, they let forth yells and battlecries with gusto.
However, when they finally entered the tent, it was empty. Dark, but empty.
Mana turned to Lee while she looked around warily. "Lee… what's going on?" Lee scanned the darkness with piercing eyes, and half-turned his head to Mana.
"I don't know. He should know we're here; he has to. I expected to run into some opposition. This absence is making me jumpy."
He turned back to scanning the darkness. Suddenly, a spotlight turned on, not to far from where the group huddled.
In the center of the spotlight was a stool. Sitting on that school was Zazie, bound and gagged, a trickle of blood coming from a wound on her forehead. She was quite clearly unconscious.
Standing behind her, in a ringmaster's uniform was a clown. His face was painted white, except for a teardrop tattoo under his left eye and a scar tattoo over his right. His mouth was twisted up in an evil leer.
"Why, hello, there! I'm sorry but we're closed for the night. As you can see, our star is sleeping right now." He gestured to Zazie with his cane.
Lee's eyes blazed with cold fire. "You…"
Negi gasped, "The Nightmare Clown!" The clown cackled evilly. He swept off his top hat and bowed.
"I can see my reputation proceeds me. I'm sorry, though, for I have no time for introductions. My friend will take care of you instead!" With that, he threw up his hand and the spotlight vanished.
It reappeared on Lee and his group.
Surrounding them were hordes upon hordes of demons.
With a screeching cry the attack was launched.
Asuna, got out her big sword, the bane of demons, and added in her kanka for good measure. Spinning and slashing, she took off hands and legs and heads. Twisting around, she took out four at once.
Setsuna unleashed Zanganken and the air cutting spark, and unleashed her full yokai power. White wings spread on her back, and she brandished her nodachi with a determined glare.
Kuu Fei brought out her tonfa and set herself. Just as the demon wave reached her, she unleashed the power and grace of the continent on her attackers. Each hit blew a demon back into the ranks of its fellows if not outright destroying it.
Kaede split into seventeen copies, each one of them handling a separate demon. Well, actually the real Kaede took on three, whirling her ninja star and using the darkness around her to her advantage. Her kunai rained death upon the horde.
Negi unleashed the power of light and lightning, tearing into the demon ranks. The staff of his father also came into play, as the kid teacher fought with the determination he was noted for.
Konoka, for her part, was mostly in the middle of the group. She limited herself to healing the others and unleashing the odd spell, knowing that if she fell, the others wouldn't last long without her healing touch.
However, none of these extraordinary fighters matched Mana and Lee. With their fear and concern for their friend in their minds, they raised themselves to new heights.
Mana was a human gattling gun, leaping into the middle of a group of demons and unleashing gun fu at impossible speed. Her demon banishing bullets were one hit KO's, much to the demons' horror.
And Lee, the Wind of Death, fought with such vigor that seventeen demons were out of the fight within the first thirty seconds of fighting.
His eyes were alight with bloodlust, his dance was that of death. Each thrust or slash took out an opponent. Flowing through their defenses, he lived up to his title.
And then the unthinkable happened.
They began to lose ground.
"There's just to many!" Setsuna shouted.
"I know! I know!" Lee bellowed back. Indeed, for every demon he took down, two took its place. He had to think of a way out of this, and fast. Behind him, Asuna's kanka ran out, and a wolf demon took the opportunity to score her back with its claws. Asuna cried out and slashed with her sword, felling the beast.
Negi ran over to her, chanting. All of a sudden, a bright flash rang out killing a good fifty demons, who then, growling curses, they withdrew a bit, and began working themselves up into a frenzy.
The group ran over to Asuna, who was down on one knee. Konoka was healing her even as they got there.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Asuna smiled. "We have bigger problems."
The demons were chanting promises of death and torture in a harsh, grating language. The pitiful group of humans, they were all huddled around the injured one! Their proximity would only make them easier to kill…
As they finally reached a fever pitch. The group of humans suddenly broke and ran, carving a path through the demons deeper into the tent. Realizing what was happening, they reinforced that point.
Under sheer weight of numbers, the advance slowed. The demons pressed in, hungry.
Many of them did not feel the wind around their legs until it was too late.
Lee sprinted deeper into the tent, free from the clutch of demons, as many of them collapsed, their legs cut out from under them. He could barely hear Mana's voice over their screams of pain.
"Go, Lee! We'll hold them here; go find Zazie!"
Lee pressed on, determined. The darkness swallowed him up, but he kept running.
I'm coming, Zazie.
All of a sudden, he burst into what appeared to be a side tent. Dimly lit, it wasn't nearly as big as the tent he was just in.
His jaw dropped when he saw Zazie in the corner.
Running over to her, he removed her gag.
"Zazie!? Zazie!?" Zazie shook her head groggily.
"Lee…?" Lee's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Don't worry Zazie, I'll get you out of this." He hurriedly began untying Zazie's bonds. When they were free, she collapsed into his arms, sobbing.
"Oh, Lee… you don't know how awful it was…" Lee patted her back.
"Don't worry, Zazie. I'm here now. Everything will be all right." Zazie's sobs slowed and ceased.
"Yeah,,, you're here. Now everything… will be just… fine."
It was only due to Lee's incredible reaction time combined with his innate sense of danger that allowed him to escape the blow alive. Zazie still left three long, shallow slashes in his chest as he jumped out of the way.
"Zazie… what…" Zazie looked up at him with glowing red eyes. She licked blood from a foot long claw that had suddenly sprouted from her finger. His blood.
"Oh… too bad." She purred. Claws sprouted from her other fingers as well, until every finger sported a claw. She arched her back and stood, adopting a feral stance.
"Oh well. Now the fun begins!"
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hehehe