Hey guys,

What can I say, well other than spending 17 hours in the car is the WORST way to spend a Saturday. Especially when after getting up at 4 am to start the ride, your stomach decides it wants to burn and hurt the entire seventeen hours. Well, even though the conditions weren't ideal, I am home in the wonderful Lone Star state and now have a week and a half to recharge before marching band camp.

And with that, I can now bring you chapters again, but just remember that this daily update thing won't last all that long because with only 23 chapters already written, I'm bound to catch up with myself soon enough.

But anyways, that's unimportant when I have a new chapter of DBR to bring to you now. I hope you enjoy and as always, thanks for reading and never be shy if you want to submit a character, always in need of chapter or mini-arc villains. See you soon,

xKiha

"We've got another ally now?"

Kimiko nodded as she leaned the small of her back against Kenja's desk, giving him a soft smile. "Yup, his name is Kyo and he and his partner Amera will be good members to have around with us. They're both strong and pretty smart, handling the fact that we were suddenly in battle pretty well."

"I see." Kenja taking a sip from his bottle of water. "What kinds of spells did they have?"

"Only one spell right now, which enhanced the sword Amera was carrying, making it much stronger."

The blond boy only nodded to show he was still listening to the girl, watching her gleefully bite into a rice ball as he tried to figure everything out. Since lunch was eaten in the classroom, this always gave the both of them time to speak to one another and try to figure more out. And for the time being, nobody minded that these two wallflowers had made friends, the sickly blond doubted they even noticed. Ever since Haruo and Hayao had shown their faces in battle Kenja had started to become engrossed in trying to figure everything out, they spoke about somebody named Xenolith who the blond figured was the mastermind behind all of this, but he couldn't be certain. "Hold on though."

Kimiko placed her rice ball down, noticing the serious look in her friend's azure eyes. "What is it?"

"Had they ever encountered a demon and bookreader under that trance before?" Kenja narrowing his eyebrows in seriousness.

That's when rationality began to hit the girl, Kimiko shuddering as she looked at her friend, shaking her head. "No, that was the first time they had ever seen something like that before, they had only fought people who were in complete control."

"I don't want to say this," Kenja's voice trailing off with severity. "But I think you and Tsumi are being targeted. Something or should I just say somebody is trying to come after the both of you guys, either they want to weaken you or they really want to wipe you out of this battle in general or there could be a well thought out plan to use you both. But no matter what they want, we can figure that somebody doesn't want you to be doing what you are, which means every friend you bring into this battle will most likely be targeted."

"You really think that somebody wants to come after the both of us?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is what's happening right now. The only thing we need to figure out now is who is doing this and why."

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"I don't know! I've never made enemies or anything like that."

Kimiko sighed as Tsumi shook his head, the child unable to come up with anybody who could be doing something like that. Let alone why they would want him when he could barely figure out how he had managed to fight his way to where he was now. "Are you sure, nobody you ever knew or even heard of could use some kind of psychic powers to control other people like puppets?"

"Yes, Kimi, I am positive that I never knew anybody like that!" Tsumi folding his arms as he felt the cold breeze of October tousle his hair from the outdoor cafe table the both were sitting at. "Gosh, why is this suddenly so important to you anyways? What put you over the edge about this person we have known about for some time now?"

Well, it wasn't like lying to the child as going to work very well and since they were both in this thing together she couldn't come up with some stupid delusion and hope the kid was dumb enough to believe it. They were partners, for better or for worse and this meant lying wasn't an option. The brunette rubbing her temple and trying not to let out an exasperated shout, looking up at him and making sure that she sugar coated nothing when she spoke the harsh reality they both live in.

"Whoever is doing this is going after us both, I don't know why and we still don't know how this is happening. However, isn't it a bit strange that Kenja and Kyo knew nothing about the demons and bookreaders being put under those spells? We continue to see it, but nobody else has even heard of what is happening until we show up and it actually happens right before them. Since you have no idea, we're no closer to finding our answer, but we need to watch our backs now because the only thing we do know is that they want us. And if this continues, we could be putting our friends in danger, or even finding ourselves in a situation I don't want to imagine."

Tsumi took in a breath, hearing all of this begin to play with his mind. He didn't understand why somebody else would want to go after him; he didn't have any enemies because he didn't really play with other children. He always kept himself out on his own, which meant he didn't interact with most people or play at all. He just sort of hung around wherever he could before fading into the background of his newest temporary home.

The only person he ever really got to know was the king of the demon world himself; Gash. The more Tsumi thought about it, the more he was reminded of everything that he had believed in the beginning and everything that happened to lead up to where he was now.

A choice, that's all it was, but it was a choice that was made for him.

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Where is he?

Gash held in a sigh of slight frustration as he looked around the demons that began crowding his palace. Of course he was thrilled to see everybody here, he never failed to listen and respect everybody who lived in the demon world and this led him to a wonderful legacy as the kind king. However, right then he was looking for somebody specific, narrowing his eyes before smiling to himself.

Boo-ya.

"Tsumi, come here."

From the back of the crowd, a young orphan opened his violet eyes in shock at the deep yet friendly voice of the king. Why was he calling him up, had he done something wrong? The poison demon looking around to all the people that soon began to stare at him before hanging his head and walking down the open line the crowd formed in the center of them to where he already knew the blond ruler was waiting for him.

The moment he got over there he watched Gash bend down, the child looking to him in a bit of surprise. "K-King Gash, I'm sorry." The little boy hanging his head.

"What are you apologizing for?" The blond man giving the child a smile, his long horns curling against his hair like the horns of a ram. "I just wanted to talk to you."

Relief filled the little boy for a moment, the man placing his hand against the back of the child before turning back around and waving to the demons around him, smiling in only a way this benevolent man could. "Thank you all, I just need to speak with young Tsumi for a moment."

The poison demon had been in the hallways of the palace before, but something about this felt much different as he watched the lightning demon with a puzzled look. Obviously something big was going on under his nose, because all the children in the city seemed antsy and everybody else seemed pretty nervous and yet excited. Something was also different about the King, who seemed more and more exhausted as time passed.

Soon they entered a sitting room, the child sitting down on a couch facing opposite of Gash who sat down as well, folding his hands before a grim flash overcame him, entwining his fingers before his voice became more serious. "So, did you hear what is happening soon?"

"Uh-uh." The child shaking his head innocently, growing all the more curious as the seconds ticked by.

"I am hosting another demon battle soon, to help find a new King for this demon world, even if I'm afraid of doing this."

The poison child shivered as he heard the king say this, frowning. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I am telling you this, because you are going to be participating."

Everything around him suddenly began to fall apart, Tsumi looking up to Gash in nothing but pure terror, shaking his head frantically in the desperation to show that he was anything but interested in competing in the battle. "N-No Sir, please, I don't want to."

"Tsumi," Gash taking a step forward and closer to the child who only shuddered when their distance grew shorter. "You have always avoided everybody around this place in an attempt to isolate yourself from the world around you. What you need to understand is that you can't escape the harsh reality of this world, Tsumi. You have more power locked away inside of you than you would ever be able to believe, which is why I am going to send you into this battle, you may disagree with my morals but that will not change my intentions."

The young child shook his head with desperate ferocity, voice frail and breaking. "I-I don't want to fight!"

"I know you don't, but sometimes life chooses a path for you that nobody expected. The thing that we find most interesting is that sometimes, to get somebody going on that path they need an extra push from somebody else."

The King placed his hand on the child's head, ruffling his hair before smiling slightly, his orange eyes glowing. "You are destined for something greater than what you see, Tsumi, all you have to do is open your eyes."

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Is this what he meant by open your eyes?

Tsumi looked to Kimiko with a suddenly serious look, nodding. "Alright, this means we can't really stall with getting more information now. This means we have to follow every lead and figure it all out before this person sends something at us that we cannot handle."

Kimiko forced herself to give the child a grim look. "Yeah, there's nothing more we can do."

"I-I," The poison demon sighing as he looked down at his parfait and dropping his spoon onto the table. "I'm not hungry any more. "

"Neither am I." The girl swallowing the lump in her throat as the treat no longer looked very good, leaving a tip for the already paid for and barely touched meal and turning to the kid. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah, let's go."

That slight feeling of being anything but in control was almost sickening to the both of them, beginning to walk down the street in a bit of dismayed silence. Obviously neither of them liked what was going on, no it was more than a little obvious that they weren't fans, but this didn't change reality. For a while they just walked in silence, however as they got to the park something rather strange happened.

"Kiba!"

Tsumi whirled around, pushing Kimiko away as something strange hit the grass inches from where the girl had been standing moments ago, both taking a moment to come to their senses before going to observe what exactly had plunged into the ground.

To their amazement it was a white fang, rather large but still a pearl white fang sticking out of the ground. The poison demon frowning to himself before standing up as his bookreader fumbled through her bag to find the purple novel. "This isn't good."

"Yeah, I got it." Kimiko frowning as she removed the book. "Another person under the spells wants to go after us."

"No, they're awake and aware." Her partner whispered, his eyes locked on their foes.

The girl couldn't believe that, shaking her head. "No, no way that's not possible."

"Believe it!"

The sound of a rather young boy's voice made both Kimiko and Tsumi uncomfortable right away, both bracing themselves for what they were about to see. After all, every fight they had with a person not under the spell didn't end very well.

From a large tree, a young child and a young woman who was most likely in her thirties both sprung down. The child was rather tan, having long golden hair that went to his waist and wearing what looked like a lion's mane around his neck in a necklace like fashion. He had lively brown eyes that were narrowed, wearing nothing but a red loincloth.

The woman had short black hair, rather blank brown eyes and wearing nothing but a white gown that didn't really seem very fit for the first week of November.

"So, you're the boy the Master was talking about." The little child snickering. "I can just hear him now saying, oh Raion, I knew you were the best of my followers!" Spinning around in joy as he giggled with excitement.

Tsumi turned to Kimiko, frowning. "He knows what is going on with the trance spells!"

"Yeah." The school girl bracing herself for the next move from their newfound foes. She could get information out of them, of course she could! All she needed to figure out was how to get into the child's mind.

Raion, as the child was calling himself didn't seem to be that pleased with the fact that instead of being completely terrified of him and his bookreader it seemed the poison duo were both trying to come to some other kind of conclusion. "Juri! The book!" The woman with blank brown eyes barely moving as the book began to glow once again. "Kiba!"

Another fang shot out of the child's mouth, Kimiko narrowing her eyes as she lifted her own book. "Rachido!" The gas fleeing the mouth of Tsumi quickly as the fang smashed itself into the acidic creation, melting it without a lot of difficulty or even hardships.

"N-No way," Raion looking at this in shock, trembling slightly as he looked around to see that his first spell had been completely destroyed when it impacted with the spell of his opponent. "You did that without even trying."

Tsumi nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah, we have poison spells. Acid will melt teeth pretty easily since they're not very strong on their own."

Raion laughed nervously, turning to his partner before shrugging. "Well, I guess my first spell can't take you down, but my second will have no problem!"

Kimiko tried to focus on the bookreader, frowning with slight frustration as she noticed something that wasn't right. The woman seemed emotionless like the people she had seen before under the trance, this wasn't normal which meant that something was more than a little wrong. "Tsumi!"

"Kooria!"

"The bookreader is under the trance!" Kimiko shouted as her partner went to look at her, the spell being called out and frightening the poison duo as they whipped around to see what was happening. "Rerano!"

Their purple shield appeared as always, the two going to duck into it for protection only for seemingly nothing to come after them both. Raion laughing to himself as the two looked around and finding nothing at all

However, moments later something did happen, Tsumi letting out a yell of shock and terror as a solid fang like spike shot through the ground and stabbed itself into the back of the poison demon. Kimiko whipping around to see the child's back beginning to bleed at the cut that sliced into his skin so suddenly, this spell rendering their shield completely useless.

"I knew this spell would catch you both by surprise." Raion laughing to himself as he folded his arms, the Rerano spell fading away as he got a glimpse of the now bleeding Tsumi. "It seems you aren't what the boss really thought you were, too bad."

The boss?

Tsumi forcing himself onto his feet, breathing heavily as he tried to steady himself. "Hey, will you answer one thing for me?" Voice serious, which only caught the attention of the lion like demon who gave him a silent nod. "What did you do to your partner?"

"Juri?" Raion laughing lightly to himself. "She didn't want to work under Lord Xenolith, she thought that putting partner's under trances to do what you wanted them to was wrong. So we simply put her under the trance to make her the perfect partner for me and to make sure that she would listen to the Master."

Kimiko clenched her fists tightly as she heard this, rage beginning to build inside her chest as Tsumi looked at her in a bit of surprise. Kimi wasn't somebody to typically react to something like this in pure rage, frowning ever so slightly before figuring this was happening for a reason he wasn't really understanding and as the brunette opened her mouth he quickly understood.

"That is sickening! You changed the person who you are meant to develop alongside and grow with on this journey! That woman was meant to fight with you, it was your destiny to meet one another and try to achieve the king status by winning side by side! You ruined one of the most sacred bonds in this world, a partner you were destined to fight beside for the good of you both!"

The young poison demon nodded as he clenched his fists. "You will never know what it's like to have a partner to stand beside you no matter what happens, to have a person to care enough to fight beside you even when things get hard or seem their worst!"

Raion only smirked, looking over to the woman under the trance. "Tch, she's better in this state. She cannot complain about what I do and instead remains silent and always does exactly what I say!"

"You're disgusting!"

With that, the purple book began to glow a powerful violet that burned at the next passage, Kimiko holding the novel close as she looked to Tsumi in earned shock. "D-Do you think it could be?" Tsumi wordlessly nodding in awe as the teenager flipped the pages to see what she had predicted. "T-The third spell!"

"N-No way!" Raion shaking his head as shock filled him; there was no way something so good could happen to them right after proclaiming something so stupid. Why does yelling about friendship and partnership earn you a spell? That's not fair!

Kimiko smirked as she steadied herself, Tsumi taking in a deep breath as he glared at his enemy with eyes narrowed. "This is what we meant by partnership! Together we unlocked this next spell and together we are going to defeat you!"