His Dark, Kind Soul

Author's Note: The next five chapters of this story are progressing simultaneously mainly because of the interweaving scenes that allow one train of thought for multiple chapters. This one in particular went through many changes. Scenes were added, deleted and rewritten then the whole chapter was ultimately slashed in half. So basically, Chapter 11 was born via a c-section.

Thank you to everyone supporting this story, especially to the 59 readers who included it in their favorites, thus preventing me from going on hiatus. Ü

Jade and Static were first referred to in Chapter 6. Jade is a first year high school student who can break down objects into the most basic elements. Static is a second year middle school student who can control electronic objects.

Chapter 11: Ghosts from the Past

Present day, Boy's Dormitory, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

"Man, he's out cold," Ruka muttered as he snapped his fingers in front of their friend. "Koko… Koko… come on buddy, snap out of it."

Kitsuneme stopped waving the smelling salts under Koko's nose to knock on his forehead with a closed fist. "Koko… dude… wake up…"

They had been trying to revive Kokoroyumi for the past half hour but nothing seemed to work. Natsume had disappeared inside his bath to wash up and he had left strict instructions to have the mind-reader up and ready by the time he came out. Pressed for time, Kitsuneme was getting rather desperate but Koko didn't seem to want to rejoin the waking world any time soon. Apparently, the sight of the Black Cat covered in blood was too much for his fragile mind.

Natsume emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered but still wearing a dark frown. He toweled his hair while he examined Koko. "Is he still out?"

"Yup," Ruka answered.

He scowled. "Hang on… and Kitsu, get off my bed." He went back inside the bathroom while Kitsuneme scrambled to his feet. When he came back out he was carrying a glass of water. Without pause, he splashed Koko on the face. Their friend started coughing as he finally came around.

"What the— where am I?"

"You're in my room, on my bed," Natsume said coldly. "Get up and change the sheets."

"Where are you going?" Koko questioned.

He threw them an incredulous look. "I'm putting on a shirt." Then he added wickedly, "And I need to wipe the blood off my counter before it marks."

Koko whimpered and Ruka rolled his eyes, knowing Natsume did that on purpose. He and Kitsuneme pulled the mind-reader to his feet. For a moment, none of them said a word.

Ruka sat down on the couch and nodded to the bedspread. "What are you two waiting for? He was serious, you know. You have to change his sheets."

"How can he even think about bed covers at a time like this?"

"At a time like what, exactly?" Ruka asked sternly. "Look, I don't know what you two think you walked in on but everything's under control. There's no reason for you to panic."

"But the blood—"

"Relax. It wasn't mine," Natsume spoke as he came back out. He was carrying fresh sheets and he tossed it at the pair before joining Ruka on the couch.

"But there was so much—"

"You should see the other guy," Natsume said with dark humor. They both stared at him. "What? Do you really want to know how it happened?" Koko blanched. Any more details about Natsume's wild night would certainly fracture his fragile hold on equanimity. They both shook their heads and the Black Cat nodded. "I thought so."

Then he started coughing. Ruka handed him a couple of capsules which he immediately popped into his mouth. Then he stretched his neck muscles and leaned back to rest his head. Ruka got up and began to fix up the things scattered in the room, like the first-aid kit and the container of the tablets Natsume had just taken. The Black Cat drew up his whole body on the couch then breathed heavily before closing his eyes to rest.

"Are you sleeping on the couch?" Kitsuneme asked.

"Well, normally I'd sleep on my bed but a couple of idiots made that impossible," Natsume answered sardonically. "Look, just finish up so that I can get some sleep. Today was hell."

"Aren't you even going to ask us why we burst in here?"

"It doesn't matter to me," he said shortly. "Your reasons are bound to be wrong, crazy or useless. Right now, I just want you out of here."

The two of them exchanged a glance. Then Koko ventured, "Natsume—"

"I don't need to know Koko. You're forgiven, whatever, yeah. Go to your own room."

"We know who Little Nimbus is."

The statement made the Black Cat stop. He didn't move then slowly his eyes flickered open. He sat up but his gaze went to Ruka instead of his two other friends. Ruka stopped what he was doing and stared back at Natsume. Their expressions remained passive but Koko could hear muddled thoughts running through their heads. Evidently, he had dropped a bomb.

Ruka lifted a shoulder. "I told you, he invoked Koko CoCo this morning."

Natsume swore under his breath. "Who told you?"

"Mr. Kobari," Kitsuneme put in bravely. He finished laying out Natsume's new sheets then turned his full attention to the conversation. "He owns a flower shop at Central Town."

"Yohei Kobari," Natsume murmured, remembering Marie's smitten classmate from many years ago. "I didn't know he was still around…" He coughed again. "So congratulations. You actually got something true. Hurrah for both of you. Now, get out."

"But we—"

"I don't want to hear it," Natsume said, staggering to his door. He pulled it open and shot them a frightening glare. "Get out."

"Natsume, wait." It was Ruka who implored him. "You can't send them out there with some half-baked version of the truth."

"Watch me."

"Listen, I don't like the situation either but we have to face facts. They know. What if it's dangerous for them? What if the Academy finds out that they know?"

"Well maybe they deserve what's coming!" he snapped. "Maybe it's about time they learn that there are consequences if they keep snooping around. They don't deserve my protection. They never listen."

"You don't mean that," Ruka said softly.

Natsume's jaw clenched and it looked like the scowl would forever mar his handsome face. Then he shoved his door closed with a loud bang. "Of course I don't."

The Black Cat walked over to his fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He finished half its contents before setting it down on his nightstand. Koko and Kitsuneme watched him in wretched silence. Only Ruka looked calm, as though he knew exactly what was going to happen next. Natsume was staring at a particular spot on the wall with a frown, which told them that whatever it was he was contemplating couldn't have been pleasant. Koko could've read his mind, but he was too scared. After all, Natsume had an uncanny way of detecting if anyone was obtruding in his mind.

"We're s-sorry Natsume," Koko stuttered to say. "If we knew you had anything to do with the Wolf's disappearance—"

"What?" Natsume snapped, whipping around at once.

"Not anything to do as in you caused it," Kitsuneme said quickly. "What Koko means is if we knew you were ever involved with Samushiro—"

"Involved?"

"If we found out earlier that you may know something about his last mission—"

"Or that you played a bigger role in the Samushiro era—"

"We never would've guessed—"

"We could've stopped—"

They were making things worse and they knew it but for some reason they couldn't stop digging a hole for themselves. They continued spouting excuses but Natsume looked even more displeased with every phrase they uttered. Finally, something they said used up his last shred of patience.

"We understand why you wouldn't talk, seeing as you may owe him your life—"

"Is that what you think?" Natsume exploded and they froze. He stalked forward and glared at them. "He died to save me on some suicide mission. Is that what you're telling them tomorrow?"

"Only if you want us to," Koko croaked out.

"And if I tell you he wasn't the hero, or that he took more lives than he ever saved, would you believe every word and share the knowledge with the class?" he thundered.

"No! God, no!" Kitsuneme cried in panic. "What do you want us to say?"

"Yeah Natsume," Ruka broke in calmly. "What do you want them to say?"

Natsume's brows furrowed. Then he grunted and returned to his scrutiny of the wall. Koko and Kitsuneme looked to Ruka gratefully but he sent them a disapproving stare. Clearly, he was on his best friend's side and no one else's.

"We'll go," Kitsuneme said suddenly. He tugged on Koko's arm. "We won't speak of this again and… we'll take an F. No problem. What's another F, right?"

They started moving hastily to the door but Natsume's cold voice stopped them. "You stay right where you are, you dorks. You want to know what happened to Samushiro? Well, you're hearing the story tonight."

"No, really it's fine—"

"I'm not offering the information," he said cynically. "I'm giving it to you, bluntly and painfully, exactly as it should be told."

"You don't have to tell us—"

"I'm setting the story straight," he said with finality. "I owe it to them."

When he said them, Koko and Kitsuneme stopped arguing at once. A knowing smile flitted across Ruka's features. Really, his best friend could be such a good guy sometimes. He stood. "I think I'll leave you three alone."

"So that there won't be any witnesses?" Natsume asked dryly.

He shook his head. "It's just that… I don't need to hear your secrets twice Natsume. I'll finish our report. See you in class."

When the door closed after Ruka, it was like the last nail on the coffin. In all their wildest imaginings, Koko and Kitsuneme never thought that it would come to this: Natsume Hyuuga telling them the truth about Kira Samushiro. Their friend seemed to be taking his time though. Even after they had both settled on his couch, he didn't begin at once.

"We thought you were the Black Cat," Kitsuneme said at last, breaking the silence.

"I wasn't always," Natsume said wearily. "We all had to start somewhere and it just so happens that I started out on the Wolf's team."

"If we had any inkling that you— we're sorry Natsume."

"Save it. You look up to him, I get that. Lots of people did." He settled on his bed, on the new sheets, then began this way, "When you looked into the student records, didn't you notice anything unusual?"

"Like how Samushiro got straight A's throughout high school?" Koko ventured.

"No."

"Or that they didn't have legal documents of him in the Library," Kitsuneme tried.

"No."

"That Kira Samushiro was filed under W?"

He frowned. "Was it?"

"No."

This could take forever. "He didn't graduate," Natsume said brusquely. "If you looked at his file closely you'd have noticed that, for all his achievements, Kira Samushiro never finished high school."

"How come?"

"He was gone before he could complete the year." His gaze landed on the wall clock whose hands were nearing ten pm. "Have you heard of the Stop Clock Alice?"

"Yeah," Kitsuneme said at once, proving his prowess as a legend fanatic. "He's another Alice Urban Legend. That's the student who could stop time. But it's very hard to catch him at it because when he freezes people, he could still move at will and escape."

"I thought he was a Phantom Alice," Koko put in. "People say he never really existed. It's just some kind of myth. I mean, how could they have ever found him?"

Natsume looked grim. "What if I told you that I also met the Stop Clock Alice?"

"Then you've got to be the luckiest kid alive!"

"Not really… far from it," Natsume said with an ironic smile. Already, he could feel exhaustion washing over him but he knew sleep would not come tonight. He wanted to keep talking even he came to regret it in the morning. "The Stop Clock Alice exists. I saw him in action only once during Kira's last year, on our last mission together…"

Five years ago, somewhere outside the Academy, Natsume Hyuuga at age eight

Sheridan spat out the blood that had pooled inside her mouth. Then she stared up at her captor with a defiant glare. She was about to open her lips to speak but the seven devices on her person were suddenly triggered and so instead she fell to the floor writhing in pain.

"We can do this all night Sheridan."

"I can bear this all week," she coughed violently. "I am never going to talk so all of you can just go to hell."

One woman clicked her tongue then bent to the floor to pull up her head by her hair. She spoke derisively, "All the stories were true. The Academy trained you well."

"Evidently, they did the same to you, you bitch," Sheridan fired back. All the devices stung again. She recoiled but went on bravely, "I know your methods and I recognize your attacks. You went through the same training. You're of the Academy, Orion's generation, I'm sure of it."

"Shut up," one of the armed guards hissed. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

She drew herself up to her knees. "I know exactly what I'm talking about. You're from the school! It's why you know the mission parameters. It's why you know how we work. It's the reason you understand us and it's also the reason I can guess what you plan to do next."

A hand came crashing against her cheek. Her ears started ringing painfully. Her vision blurred but she viciously stayed in control of her senses. She had to think of a way to escape. She had to find Natsume. She had to stay alive until the others came for her.

"I told you, if you cooperate, you'll find this experience much more bearable."

Her glare intensified. "And I told you to go to hell."

"You stubborn little—" Another strike and Sheridan was sure the ringing wouldn't disappear as quickly anymore.

For a moment, she lay on the floor in a pitiful heap, trying to catch her breath. Her long, athletic frame hurt everywhere but as their Captain so often said, she was all right because she was still alive. And when she survived this, she was sure going to be a hell of a lot stronger.

Another man came to join her at the center of the room. She could smell his foul breath as he bent close. "You don't know how serious your situation is, do you Mahiro?"

Her heart plummeted. First name. He used her first name. Their knowledge was extensive, that much was clear. She cared little for her identity for she wasn't of much consequence outside the Academy but there were others tied to her who wouldn't be as safe. Others like Marie or Kurt. Others like Kunimitsu who had family outside. For them, she had to keep it together.

"My team will never let you get away with this."

"What makes you think they'll find you in time?"

She bared her teeth then phrased her next words as insolently as possible. "Do you know how quickly the Academy can put together a retrieval operation?"

"Overnight."

"Well, do you know what happens when your hostage is part of the elite group of the Dangerous Ability class?" Sheridan went on smugly. Nobody answered. "That time gets slashed in half." Through her hazy vision, she saw the people in the room exchange glances. "Come on, you can do the math! How long do you think before the Academy retaliates?"

They all spun into action but they were still too slow. Without warning, the glass roof came crashing down as two people broke through. Their timing was impeccable. Sheridan didn't bother to hit the ground like everyone else in the room. She knew her friends would take care not to harm her. The White Wolf and Stone Griffin landed on either side of her and both of them wore expressions that made them look absolutely lethal.

She smirked, "Told you."

Griffin caught her just before she fell as her last vestige of strength gave out at the sight of her rescuers. People started shouting in the room then absolute chaos followed. Dimly, she could hear the Captain talking to her. She didn't hear him clearly but he would only be asking one question anyway and so she answered rapidly while Griffin undid her ropes.

"Nimbus is in another room. I saw them lead him away to the second floor…"

Natsume watched Kira overcome the obstacle course with speed and precision. He evaded three more projectiles by crouching low then he used the same momentum to vault over a beam in one fluid motion. He headed for the last wall and scaled it by bracing his feet against the concrete and moving almost perpendicular to the rampart. When he reached the top, he didn't even bother to use the rope dangling on the other side even though he was at least twenty feet above the ground. He leapt and absorbed the force of his landing by rolling to his side.

Kira jogged over to Natsume and the latter immediately scowled. The Captain's movements had been smooth and agile. Indeed, he made it look easy. Then there was the clincher: he had gotten through the course without employing his Alice.

"Okay, now you try," Kira told him with an encouraging smile. "And remember, don't use your Alice."

Natsume grit his teeth. "But it's going to shoot metal balls at me."

"So duck."

"Knives will be coming from above."

"Mock blades," Kira corrected in a calm tone. "It won't kill you and anyway, you're supposed to be able to outrun those."

"Are you insane?"

"Didn't you see me come out of that just fine?"

"Yes! But you're clearly inhuman," Natsume snapped and Kira chuckled. "How am I going to overcome all that without an Alice?"

"You just do," he said plainly. "Look, last night's mission was a disaster. When we faced the Puppet Alice, you just kept firing without thinking of the strength you were diminishing. If the fight had stretched, we'd have lost you."

"At least I'd have died fighting."

It was Kira's turn to scowl. "You've become dependent on your Alice and that makes you weak. That won't do at all for the years ahead of you."

"So I'm supposed to pretend I don't have a power?"

He nodded. "You'd be amazed of the things you can accomplish just the way you are."

"The way I am is that I have a Fire Alice."

"Without it then," he countered then paused as he remembered a comrade long gone. "You know, you're lucky to have an active power. We used to have a guy on the team whose Alice could neither attack nor defend."

"Then why was he in the class?"

Kira sighed heavily. "He volunteered because they put his older brother in. In any case, Taro Nakajima advocated a fighting style that doesn't rely so much on the Alice and that's how he taught his students."

"And you believed him?"

"Well, he had the record to prove that it could be done. For people like us, it made sense so that we don't shorten our lifespan even if we joined missions."

Natsume paused to consider that. "So you're saying there's a way that I can keep doing this without having to die from it?"

"That's the goal," Kira said firmly. "It's all a matter of Physics. You could overcome certain things in the same way as long as you're able to make calculations and smart decisions as fast as the hurdle comes. Do you understand?"

"I'm eight. I'm not supposed to understand Physics."

Kira grinned, recognizing at once that his comeback wasn't laced with the same skepticism as before. The boy was ready to learn. "Yeah, well, you're a boy genius so advanced classes won't hurt. Lucky for you, I'm also an excellent teacher. So let's start with the concept of Force…"

Natsume stirred awake when he heard the jarring sounds in the hallway. He turned to lie on his side, facing the door then concentrated on identifying what was going on. Someone was breaking in without employing explosives or devices. Knobs were twisting, mechanized locks were giving way and the thick large metal doors were slamming open. Someone, either friend or foe, was moving quickly through the unfinished building, possibly in search of something— possibly in search of him.

He winced as he tried to crawl closer to the door. He made it to his knees with an effort then just as he was able to move two feet forward, a stinging sensation erupted from the three controlling devices on his person. He rasped in pain and the arm that was bracing him up gave way and he hit the floor in a brutal thud. He had to wait for the sparks to subside before he could try again.

Natsume lay on his back and tried to pull his wits together while at the same time he vainly grasped at the dream he was just having. Perhaps there was something there that would help in his predicament. But then no, this had nothing to do with Physics. This went beyond making the right calculations. This wasn't about predicting moves anymore because clearly the enemy had outwitted them on every front. This was something else and he already knew too well that when an uncontrolled element came into the equation, all of them were in grave danger.

The harsh sounds drew closer. It stopped just outside the room. There was a scuffle and some gunshots and he knew his guards were engaged in combat. Then finally, silence. In the next instant, the metal door of the room creaked then ultimately blew off its hinges. Ironsmith stood at the doorway. He was out of uniform and instead he had donned the dark garb reserved for critical missions.

He drew up his mask and rushed forward. "Are you all right?"

Natsume didn't answer and Ironsmith wanted to take back his question. The kid was bruised absolutely everywhere and on certain parts he looked as though he had been scorched. His alarm grew when he saw that the kid was bleeding on his left ear where his controlling devices hung and on his finger where the Academy's ring was now absent.

"Did you force off your controlling devices?" Ironsmith cried in understanding. He picked Natsume up from the floor, supporting his full weight against himself. "Why would you do such a stupid thing?"

"It was burning me," Natsume coughed. He reached out and took Ironsmith's arm in a solid grip. "You have to take yours off too! Take off what you can. They know about it and they can trigger it. That's how they got us. That's how—"

"I get it," Ironsmith broke in. He didn't need him to go further. "Just save your strength Natsume." Swiftly, he took off the band on his left arm and the necklace around his neck. Then he slipped off the rings on his right hand and let them clatter to the floor.

"What about the others?"

"It's not mine to remove," he answered gruffly. He pulled down his mask again. "Now come on. We have to go. The fight has started downstairs."

"How many came?"

"Eight of us were called," Ironsmith said, calculating rapidly. "Combined, that's approximately forty-six controlling devices."

Natsume muttered an oath as he and his rescuer ambled down the hallway. When they were met with another locked door, Ironsmith held out his hand then closed it into a fist. He pulled down then moved his hand sideways. Bolts and bars were unfastened, following Ironsmith's movements. Natsume could hear a whirring sound as the mechanized lock gave way. Without once touching the metal, it drew open and they continued on their way.

Ironsmith's hold on him shifted and that's when he felt the object strapped to Natsume's torso. "What's that you're wearing?"

He didn't get to answer because when they made it to the staircase, there was gunfire and Ironsmith immediately shoved him to the floor to take cover. Then he got back up to face the enemy, leaving his ward crouched on the floor. He evaded the first barrage of bullets then straightened to land a punch on his opponent. He kicked another one to the floor then suddenly dove forward to push Natsume out of the way as a second wave of shells rained upon them.

When he stood again, he was locked in combat and he drove the guards back, keeping them away from Natsume. The kid pulled himself up, leaning on the balustrade. He knew he had to do something. But he wasn't sure whether involving himself would help the cause or make things worse. Then he spotted the gunmen below take aim again.

"Look out!" he shouted.

Ironsmith twisted around but he wasn't fast enough to evade the attack. As was his instinct, he raised his hand to stop the bullets in mid-flight. For a moment they hovered in the air, a breath away from contact then suddenly, the controlling devices on his ears sent a shock wave through him and his Alice failed. The bullets pierced his flesh and he tumbled down the stairs.

"No!" the Wolf cried from below, echoing Natsume's own shout from the top of the staircase. Their eyes met and the Captain started fighting his way to get to him. In the midst of that chaos, just as the Wolf had broken halfway through, another person suddenly appeared behind Natsume, grasped his shoulders then vanished again.

For the second time that night, the Academy lost the flamecaster.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to the lab. We'll run some tests so that you can see how much of your power can be released. You'll find that interesting."

Kira spoke as though he was thinking out loud and was unmindful of the bullets he was currently dodging. It was like he was walking through a park instead of a complex obstacle course. He finished all the stages with ease and continued to speak to his unresponsive companion.

"The Nakajimas pioneered that research. You could say they had an obsession with the fourth form Alice, even though neither of them was stricken with it."

Natsume could only grunt in response as the Wolf made him scale the final wall for the fifth time with an almost sadistic smile.

They had repeatedly gone through the exercise in a slow pace and Natsume had to grudgingly admit that the Captain had been very patient with him the whole time. They lingered on the more difficult hurdles and Kira was ready to demonstrate things for him again and again until he finally got it. The objective was to make things second nature to him so that he didn't have to be watched closely on the field. When they started at the beginning of the course for the seventeenth time, Natsume found that he was having an easy enough time to participate in the conversation.

"How did Taro Nakajima survive this class without an active Alice?"

Kira smiled at his curiosity then answered while they simultaneously evaded pellets in an almost choreographed dance. "He mostly did reconnaissance work. His Ability helped him know things before they happen or figure out things most people missed. Time travelling is very useful."

"I bet."

Together they cleared another low hanging beam then moved in tandem to sweep the floor of landmines that jumped out of the hollow tiles.

"But he was also valuable in critical missions," Kira continued. "Over the years he learned to go beyond his physical limits just so he can be good enough to join operations with his brother. By the time he hit high school he could leap, run, and attack with his classmates who had more dangerous Alices."

They ran across a shaky base then slid in unison into the waiting sand. Natsume went on inquisitively, "What about his brother? Was he any good?"

"His brother was the most powerful psychic on the team," Kira said, his voice growing ironic. "His ability was so strong that it could match a number of Alices. He could levitate things. He could stop objects in mid-air. He could hurl grown men at will. He could read minds. He could control minds. He could plant images in your head and leave you trapped indefinitely. He was dangerous even without the physical skill."

"That sounds almost unfair."

"It was. Together they were unstoppable, or at least that's what most of us believed."

They reached the end of the course where they were met with the twenty-foot wall. Natsume immediately took the rope and began to scale it. When he reached the top, he leapt and rolled just as he had been taught. Kira smiled at his achievement.

"So these brothers," Natsume went on, when he circled the rampart to join Kira on the other side again. "Were they like super freaks?"

"On a mission," Kira said, not discounting his remark entirely. "But most of the time they were regular people, especially when you manage to forget about their talents. Like you and me."

Without warning, the Wolf broke into a run. Ignoring the rope, he went for the wall, braced his foot on the side and reached for the top to propel his body up. He dropped to the other side, successfully clearing the rampart as though it stood no higher than two feet. Finishing that, he jogged back to his student.

"Remember Natsume, without your Alice, you're only human."

Natsume looked at him incredulously. "You just jumped over a twenty-foot wall without an Alice."

Kira chuckled at the look on his face. "Okay then, you're superhuman…"

They couldn't use their Alices. The Wolf knew it as soon as he fired and blinding pain shot through him causing his limbs to go numb. After that, the fight had been put on an even scale despite the fact that they had initially gotten the upper hand. Of the eight students sent on the mission, five were battling it out on the floor. The remaining three were in the upper levels, looking for their young member.

The Wolf swung and knocked out a guard that came towards him. It was a chaotic struggle and ever so often the sparks from his adornments would return even if he didn't release his Alice. This technology was new to him and he expected that only a fellow Alice could create it. After all, controlling devices were objects unknown and unnecessary to the outside world.

Another opponent arrived from above and his landing came like a juggernaut. The floor vibrated violently and the Wolf had to crouch low then slide away at the same time to avoid the arm that came at him as massive as a tree trunk.

The man leered, "Not bad."

The Wolf didn't respond and he quirked an eyebrow in distaste. He stooped and sidestepped the giant, thinking of his own sparring sessions with Griffin. Unable to land a blow, his opponent was simply expending his energy while he tried to hit the much more agile Wolf. He went for another attack and the Wolf used that blow to pull the man's fist to the ground. He knocked his head against the hard floor and the Wolf swiftly propelled himself over his opponent, using the man's shoulder to boost himself to a clearing near the stairs.

Then he heard gunfire and turned, momentarily forgetting the fight he was in as he saw flying metal head straight for Ironsmith.

"Look out!" he heard Natsume shout and his friend turned. Ironsmith stopped the projectiles with his Alice then the pain that the Wolf knew would come struck him down.

"No!" Natsume cried in horror, echoing his Captain, as the bullets went through their comrade and caught him on the legs and once on the torso. Ironsmith stumbled.

The Wolf began weaving his way through to get to Natsume but their enemy was faster and he watched in fury as his charge was once more born away. "No! Damn it, not again!" Ignoring the agony, he let out a sheet of ice to stop them but they disappeared much too quickly.

The Captain reached his friend on the landing at the same time that Sheridan appeared. She took hold of both their arms then swiftly employed her Alice despite the current that rushed through her. When they reappeared again, she let them both go then collapsed heaving on the floor. She lay next to a bloody Ironsmith, and he next to a fatigued Wolf. The Captain surveyed his two teammates grimly. Sheridan was gasping for breath while Ironsmith quickly began to bind his legs, which had borne the worst of the gunshots. He did so in a slapdash manner that depicted his urgency. Even with the wounds they've endured, they were getting ready to fight again.

"What's the plan Captain?"

"Where do we go from here?"

The Wolf paused to consider their alternatives but he couldn't come up with a winning simulation. He couldn't think straight. Not while Natsume was still in the enemy's custody. "Sheridan, stay here and build up your strength. Ironsmith, tend to your wounds properly before they kill you."

They both stared at him. "Yes, but what do we do next?"

"I have to think," the Wolf muttered. He shut his eyes, thinking of the information Static and Jade had reported in. There were bombs set up all over the place. If he was correct, the explosives would be laid out in such a way that if they were set off at the same time, the whole building would collapse. It was a trump card but he wasn't sure how they intended to use it.

"Captain, I can still move about—"

"You're both decommissioned," he cut in tersely. "I don't know where the others are or what the devil has done with the kid. I'm not about to lose either of you."

"Don't be an idiot. You have to use us," Ironsmith insisted. "You don't have any other choice."

"We're the most powerful team, remember?" Sheridan put in. "We're the best you've got in any situation. Just tell us what to do."

"We're sitting inside a bomb," the Wolf answered and they looked back in shock. Ironsmith in particular went still though both understood the gravity of the situation. The Captain raked a hand through his hair. "The next step, the next logical step, is to pull everyone out while I still can. But how could I do that when they still have Nimbus?"

"Then we'll free him," Sheridan said earnestly. "We'll get him out before we escape. It's as simple as that. But before we do anything else, we need to—"

"Disarm the bombs," Ironsmith finished for her. "Or at least what we can to reduce the damage. Until then, let's not give them a reason to discharge."

The Wolf started nodding as he put it all together in his head. "All right then. We'll regroup with Griffin to hold them off. Sheridan, you can work with Jade to locate the explosives. Then together we'll find Nimbus and finish the job." He studied Sheridan for a while. Of her seven controlling devices, three remained: the anklet and two earrings. Even then the remaining jewelry was already leaving blisters on her skin. "Could you take care of it?"

"Don't worry about me," Sheridan assured him. She must have sensed his trepidation because she gave a saucy smile and hid her pain with bravado. "We were trained for this." Then she leaned over to Ironsmith and planted a swift kiss on his lips. She vanished, predictably to locate Jade and begin disarming bombs with him.

The Wolf looked over at his friend who had just finished binding his wounds with strips from his own clothes. He had pulled off both his sleeves and had also used the long scarf he always carried in his pocket. The tattered look made him appear sinister.

"We've seen worse," Ironsmith stated, knowing what he was thinking. "Whatever happens, we'll get that kid out of here."

"Affirmative." The Captain took a gun from the holster strapped to his leg then handed it to his friend. He hesitated then their gazes locked, serious and eloquent.

Ironsmith cocked the firearm. "I'll use it if I have to."

The Captain's gaze flitted to his leg again that was staining his pants crimson. He was certain it was a large wound and if he had been shot by the bullets that could meld with the blood, the Wolf knew it was bound to burn like hell. "It won't come to that."

His friend nodded, accepting the assurance but asserted again, "If I have to." Ironsmith paused, looking grave. "Wolf, I know where they placed one of the bombs."

"Where?"

"It's strapped to Nimbus."

The Wolf swore at the information then hissed, "Priority one." His partner nodded then without further discussion, they both jumped out of their hiding place in search of Natsume. They knew they would kill again tonight. Though they've done it before, that task never got easier.

Natsume's Alice hit the bulwark in a powerful attack. The incombustible material resisted the fire and caused it to spread in a wide expanse. The room temperature shot up several degrees as the flame continued to blacken the target. Kira and Kunimitsu exchanged a glance then made notes on their boards. Natsume started to heave but he sustained his Alice until Kira finally signaled him.

"That's too much out of you Natsume!" he called out. Next to him, Kunimitsu kept his gaze trained on the stopwatch, timing Natsume's release while the captain continued with instructions. "Bring it down… that's right… now let's try three notches… easy… stop!"

Natsume closed his hand into a fist, pulling back his Alice and the force that came with it. It was sucked into him like a vacuum and what remained was the dark blister on the wall and the dry air in the room. Kunimitsu immediately stopped the clock and whistled. Somewhere in the room, a researcher collapsed because of the heat and was immediately carried out of the lab. Kira chuckled sardonically then looked over the results he and Kunimitsu had jotted down.

"Uh-huh… hmm…" he murmured unintelligibly, "Yup, definitely one of the more powerful ones I've seen. Great job kid."

"I think it's time to call it a day," Kunimitsu suggested then waved their subject over. "Natsume! Come see yourself in action."

Natsume ran over to his seniors. They replayed the footage they had just captured and the two of them took turns explaining to him the level of release that wouldn't be perilous to his health. They pointed to a meter on one of the screens to support their descriptions.

"So when you reach the purple zone, that's already too risky."

"By the time you're in the red zone, you'll be feeling your breath coming in gasps."

"The green zone and the orange zone are okay." Kunimitsu pointed to the screen with his pen. "And as you can see, it gives you enough power to have your fire pan out for two feet and hit a target at least five meters away from you."

"The range will probably get wider as you grow older," Kira assured him, "But that's as long as you conserve your energy now and keep the risks at a minimum."

"Got it," was all Natsume could say since he was still trying to catch his breath.

Kunimitsu handed him a water bottle and he gratefully drank as though he was trying to replenish something he had lost during the experiment. Then Kunimitsu walked over to the other scientists who had joined them for the activity, possibly to debrief. Meanwhile, Kira began to pack up. Natsume turned to him quizzically.

"Did you go through this exercise too?"

He snorted. "I was the guinea pig for this machine. Back then, Taro was in charge and his brother sent me here on my first week."

Taro Nakajima again. Natsume's eyebrows drew together as some things began to add up. He should've guessed that Kira's skill level could only mean that he was also taught by a good teacher. He must have had his own set of talented seniors. Several questions began to crowd his head but one in particular made him wonder.

"Where's Taro Nakajima now?"

Kira's eyes immediately clouded and Kunimitsu glanced over sharply at his question. "Gone. He died in a mission three years ago."

"So someone eventually got him," Natsume muttered, slightly disappointed that the man Kira spoke of with such pride had also fallen in an operation.

"The enemy found a weakness."

"What was it?"

"A kid." Kira hitched up his backpack then spoke plainly. "He died saving me."

Natsume knew Kira would have said more if he wanted to talk about it and so he refrained from asking for details. He said instead, "What happened to his brother?"

Kira gave a faint smile, realizing that he had roused the boy's interest with the story of the Nakajima siblings. And what a tragic story it was. Seeing he was hesitating, Kunimitsu returned to them and replied in a low voice while Kira hung back, neither disagreeing nor supporting his friend's summary.

"Orion changed when his younger brother died. He continued with this research but abandoned several other facets of his job. He removed himself from the mission roster and recreated himself. Eventually, he dropped his given name altogether then adopted a new codename."

"Where is he now?"

"He's still with the Academy," Kira answered tonelessly before Kunimitsu could. "With his abilities— intuitive manipulation, mind-reading, paralysis without a device— he became the perfect handler." He turned for the door and Natsume almost didn't catch the last of his response. "We call him Davies, and nothing more."

Use the Shield Alice, wrap the force around him and detonate the bomb. That's what Natsume would do. In fact, if he was leading the team, he would've pulled out everyone by now and had executed that plan. He knew the Wolf headed this rescue mission, which meant he was the one holding off the retreat. He was sure that by now the Wolf would have full grasp of the situation and that would allow him to make decisions aligned with the precepts of the Academy. But the Captain was defying what they were taught, of course, because he would never leave Natsume behind.

The person that had captured him used a Shadow Travel Alice. He slipped in and out of rooms using the shadows of objects. He was like Sheridan, only instead of crossing worlds he swept through a black space before emerging again. Natsume was pulled out of a crate's shadow then he fell to his bottom, dizzy after the transport. He took in his surroundings and realized he was on an upper landing overlooking the floor where the drawn out battle was still going on.

Sonic, the Shield Alice, saw him and his hand flew to his ear to use the small transceiver located there. In the next instant, there was a pop above them and Sheridan appeared with Griffin. The Giant leapt to the landing while Sheridan vanished again. He lunged at Natsume's guards but they held him off. One of them fired a stream of paper as sharp as blades. Griffin dodged the first attack but was swept up by second Alice who assaulted him with glass shards erupting from the air.

Griffin fell, his arm badly wounded. Even then, he looked straight at Natsume and gave the slightest nod of assurance. One of the guards walked over and pulled out a blade as though to slit Griffin's throat but before he could reach him an icicle dropped from above and pierced his foot. He howled in pain as blood spurted out.

Suddenly, small gates opened up in the ceiling and hundreds of icicles burst forth. They crashed to the floor, mortally wounding their enemies while simultaneously avoiding everyone from their faction. The attack persisted until nearly all their opponents were taken down. Next to Natsume, a man holding a small computer watched the scene unfold in morbid fascination. Natsume came to acknowledge this person as the enemy's leader. He continued to type on his computer with one hand then when he was satisfied he signaled another guard who immediately struck the ground with a closed fist. With that single force, the icicles reversed direction and were fastened back to the ceiling.

"Charon," said a voice and the man who punched the ground looked up startled. "I should've known you'd be here too."

Natsume saw a bloody figure walking on the battle ground and he thought he would be sick. When he first laid eyes on the Wolf in Davies' office many months ago, he had been spattered with blood as well; but the blood spilled then wasn't his own. Tonight, Natsume knew for certain that the crimson covering the Captain belonged to him for they trickled from the many controlling devices hanging on his person. It was the consequence of the attack he had just released.

The remaining guards started firing but their ammunition bounced off or else missed and the Wolf remained unscathed as he approached. Natsume supposed that it was the Shield Alice at work. The man holding the computer gave a sinister smile. He raised a hand and the firing stopped.

"Kira Samushiro, we are honored. Tell me, how is your blackened arm?"

The Wolf pulled up his sleeve to show the arm that had been shot in their last encounter. "It burns like fire, you can jot that finding down. Your mechanism does the purpose too. Our controlling devices have been torture tonight."

The man's grin widened. "Yes, this has been a very successful experiment. Are you ready to pull back your forces? One defeat isn't such a bad record, you know."

"Don't mock me." The Wolf passed by an enemy who tried to get up and he mercilessly fired another ice blade to impair him. "I'm not here for word sparring Veidt."

"Ah, so you do recognize me."

"I recognized you since the day we faced off at the warehouse and you nearly took my team down. I'd recognize your psychotic technology anywhere." As the Captain spoke, his eyes searched endlessly throughout the room then seemed to light upon something on the landing. "Only someone who knows Alice Biology and Engineering could create such weapons."

The man cackled and took a bow. "It went beyond even my expectations. You were very good test subjects. But I'm afraid this experiment is over."

"Veidt—!"

Veidt simply laughed then backed away from the edge. The attacks began again and everyone had aimed for the Wolf. Natsume saw shards, bullets and other ammunition fire at once and hit the Wolf in a torrential rain. The smoke grew thick and he was engulfed in the haze. However, when it cleared, the Wolf still stood unharmed.

"You dumbass," he spoke acidly. "You must have planned this for years. But you still didn't prepare long enough or hard enough."

Veidt squinted. "The Shield Alice couldn't have survived that. How could you—"

"Your invention has three flaws," the Wolf went on. He walked forward, ignoring their continuous attacks as though he was confident that Sonic's protection would hold. Natsume looked around and thought it was strange that everyone else from their team seemed to be holding their ground instead of joining the fight.

"First, it doesn't bind the Alice. It just makes it painful to use." The Wolf released his Alice and a cold mist immediately spread, nearly covering the entire room. "But we've been trained to fight through pain so you've gained no advantage."

"You can't possibly—"

"Second, it anchors on a machine and such things can be destroyed." This time the Wolf released hail and it crashed into the landing, slowly breaking it apart. All the guards took cover but the stones never even grazed Natsume's vicinity, testament to the Captain's perfect control.

"And third, you're banking on your knowledge of our powers and well," the Wolf paused and raised his arms. At once a full-fledged snowstorm filled the room. "There's just no way you could fathom that."

The blizzard hit and all their enemies shielded themselves against the stinging frost. Veidt began shouting orders but the room grew so obscure that they lost visual and all they could discern was the Wolf standing below in the only clear spot in the whiteout. Natsume shut his eyes as the cold became near unbearable.

In the midst of the flurry, the Dangerous Ability class jumped into action. Suffering the pain their Alices brought, they continued to use them anyway. They were accustomed to fighting in the blindness of the Wolf's Alice through the training sessions and so they gained the upper hand. Veidt began to yell more fervently but it was to no avail.

As the storm persisted, another person came at them from above. It was Jade, transported by Sheridan. The moment his feet hit the landing, he laid his hands upon a contraption sitting close to Natsume and it immediately broke apart into its many building blocks. Veidt shouted furiously as his invention was destroyed. Natsume felt a welcome relief wash over him as the pain from his controlling devices finally subsided.

After that Ironsmith dropped to join them and Veidt immediately pulled out a gun and fired at him. Ironsmith dodged the bullet and kicked Veidt's arm, jerking the firearm away. Then someone else grabbed Veidt's shoulder and pulled him around. The Wolf landed a hard punch to his jaw, sending him to the floor and the small computer bounced out of his hands and crashed. The Wolf that had been standing on the ground vanished like an illusion as Stone Griffin ceased his Alice.

The real Wolf pointed a gun at Veidt at the same time that the latter pulled out one final device from his breast pocket: a detonator. They stood on a standstill and everyone else watched them in breathless anticipation.

"Nakajiima always said you were elementary," the Captain spoke derisively. "Explosives and machines, it's always been that way with you, you sicko."

"Don't think I won't do it."

"Why did you do this Veidt?"

"It's revenge," he answered in a voice filled with wrath, "for all the sins of the Academy. You should know all about it. I'm taking the school down."

"And we'll be damned if we let you," Sheridan hissed as she suddenly appeared and knocked the detonator out of Veidt's hands with a long pole. It clattered and slid across the floor.

The Wolf cocked the gun and took a step closer. He threw a cursory glance at Natsume and could barely allow himself a sigh of relief at his protégé's safety. There was a pause as he continued to point the pistol while the rest of their team finished off the fight below.

"Most of your bombs have been disabled," he said to the tech man. "The Academy is on their way. It's over for you."

"Not quite," Veidt spoke with a manic smile. "You took care of me but there's something you didn't count on." The Wolf grew cautious and his captive cackled triumphantly. "That any one of us could detonate the remaining bombs, especially the one strapped to your kid."

"What the hell—?"

It all happened at once, a breath away from victory. Their remaining opponents all over the room simultaneously held up multiple detonators. Ironsmith's head shot up in fury. Natsume dropped to his knees. The Wolf turned and broke into a run towards him. Buttons were pushed and everyone threw themselves to the ground.

Then in the next instant, everything was suspended.

Present day, Central Town, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

The shop door jingled to admit a new customer. Without looking up from his paperwork, the owner called out, "Sorry, we're closed. You'll have to come back in the morning."

"This won't take long," came a singsong voice. "I only came for pink lilies."

Yohei Kobari looked up, recognizing the voice and the order at once. He saw who had just come in and was immediately on his guard. He put down his pen then took an envelope from the pile of mail set up on the corner of the table. He tucked it in his coat pocket.

"If it's lilies that you're after, I'm afraid I'm all out," the shopkeeper said warily.

"I see," the customer mused. "Then I suppose I'll have to settle for sunflowers then. They're much more to my liking anyway."

"I'll ring up the order," Yohei said with a sigh. He took a couple of stems then set to work on the arrangement that he knew would be placed in the faculty room the next day. The blonde man began walking around the flower shop, examining blooms and arrangements. He did so as though he didn't go through this exercise every two months.

"You haven't lost any of your creativity Yohei," he spoke with obvious pleasure. "These are all very lovely."

"Thank you sir," Yohei answered perfunctorily to the usual compliment of his old teacher. He finished tying the ribbon then continued with the charade. "I suppose you'll need a card."

"Yes please, that would be nice."

Yohei took the envelope he had previously slipped in his coat then tucked it between the blossoms. The customer walked up to him and paid for his order, adding a generous tip. After a few more pleasantries, he was out the door and Yohei breathed again.

The teacher headed for the bus stop then sat on the bench to wait. Knowing he was quite alone, he plucked the envelope from the bouquet and read the short lines inscribed on the card. It hardly bore any details but the message was enough for him to raise his eyebrows in surprise and not a little unease.

"So he's coming back," Narumi murmured as he put the note away in his own coat. He clicked his tongue as he spoke into the night. "Davies, what are you thinking?"

Additional Note: I took several liberties with the controlling device and I plead creative license. I think much can be said after this chapter. Let me know your thoughts because I'm very interested to hear from you.

I admit I'm a poor correspondent and that's why it's taken me this long to reply to some of your questions. Anyway, I went over the reviews and I tried to consolidate similar ones so that I can answer them in batches in the following chapters. Ü

Q & A

1. How long are you planning to make this story? (for xAnimex, sweet n simple)

I thought I would finish it in five chapters. Then I intended to finish it in ten. Now I'm hoping I can finish in fifteen.

2. In Chapter 3, could you explain the last part when Natsume didn't seem to like what Ruka was saying? (for yue679)

That scene wasn't supposed to be dramatic. Ruka was simply teasing Natsume about being as popular as the Wolf and he was hinting that perhaps Youichi would also be pestered by fanatics one day so they'd better warn him. Natsume wasn't pleased with the idea of becoming an Alice "urban legend". But then, we all know he's well on his way…

3. Is Persona going to be in this fic? (for RoseCrystal)

I'm afraid Persona won't be in this story, save for a few references. I think the original manga leaves much room for his character to be developed. I don't want to assume anything about his past in the Academy because it may end up directly clashing with the original storyline.

4. Are you going to reveal how Mikan's grandfather knows so much? (for mountainelements and freedec12)

That would make a good plot but I'm afraid I won't be able to explore it in this story. Since I try to keep all my fics in one GA universe, I think I may touch on it in the future if I ever get around to writing another story of this scale.

5. It's hard to keep track of all the OCs. Who's who on Kira's team? (for multiple readers)

For the mission scenes, I use the character's codename and I understand this may cause some confusion. Here's a quick rundown:

* Kira Samushiro – The White Wolf (Ice / Winter Alice)
* Kunimitsu Kogure – Ironsmith (Metal-control Alice)
* Mahiro Yotsuga – Sheridan (Split Cosmos Alice)
* Kurt Segur – Stone Griffin (Psyche Manipulation Alice)

Everyone else is a minor character (e.g. Static, Jade, AC, Grey Solder, Sonic etc.)

That's all for now! More to come in the next chapters! Ü