Hey guys,

Tear jerking chapter time! In all seriousness, this is the first time I actually burn a book of a member of the good guy side, let alone a member of the alliance and I won't lie, I got tears in my eyes at one point. I just hope you go through all the write emotions and maybe get teary too, because that means I wrote it correctly.

This chapter is actually dedicated to a reader: Jac Bandit! His character has yet to appear yet, but he's a really good friend of mine and today's his birthday! Happy birthday man, this sad chapter is dedicated to you~

Enjoy it *Hands tissue box to reader* and see you later for the Xenolith fight,

xKiha

"Mister Kincad?" Kenja's azure eyes wide with horror as Kesai's ears dropped with a sudden feeling of uselessness. "What do you mean? Have we done something wrong?"

"Kenja, I simply do not want you and Kesai getting involved in this fight any more. Icarus and I are more than capable of dealing with this matter on our own." Yukio Kincad wouldn't even look into the dejected eyes of a hurt student, knowing in his heart that he just shattered the affections of a student that almost idolized him.

Kincad always treated Kenja as an equal, never talking down to him or treating him like he was made of glass because he was sickly. All adults treated Kenja in a special manner, treated him differently than everybody else in his age group. All adults but Yukio. But now, here they were, in a place where the sickly freshmen figured his teacher would need his help more than anything and now Yukio Kincad was going to treat him differently.

"And you don't think we can help?" Kenja asked, gripping his own book tightly. "Mr. Kincad, this wouldn't be my first encounter with somebody who is brainwashed or somebody who may just be more powerful than I. I can hold my own, I swear."

He almost sounded like a child trying to persuade their parents to let them buy a toy or get dessert, a soft and somewhat cold smirk growing on the teacher's lips. "Kenja, this isn't something I am going to argue you on. I want you to back off and not fight."

"And you believe you can just take this alone!?" Kenja shouted.

"Āsupawā!"

Akuma nor his bookreader really felt like waiting for this argument to find a resolution as stones were shot at both teams, Kenja and Kincad only breaking their eye contact to focus on the oncoming spell.

"Hi-Ken!"

"Enjeru!"

Fire shot from Kesai's open palms as Icarus's holy staff appeared once more and released a powerful beam of holy energy at the thick stones being shot by the giant brainwashed monster. And although they managed to destroy the stones, it was clear to all watching just who had the more powerful attack.

"I believe you've said before that you have one offensive spell."

Kenja jerked when he heard his teacher say this, now able to hear his pulse from his inner ear while his azure eyes looked down to his own orange book. "Yes, we only have one."

"And that was the spell?"

He felt absolutely humiliated. "Yes sir." Kesai looking from the teacher to the student with his ears lowered against his long red locks, for the first time even Kesai questioned his own strength. Was Hi-Ken really all that strong of a spell? Sure, it worked well and fire was a powerful element, but when you really got down to it the first spell you ever have can only really be so strong. Hell, he had seen Tsumi begin to rely on spell number three and five more than one and it was because those higher numbers meant more strength. Well, Kesai had four spells and only the first spell he ever had was truly a spell.

"It wasn't a good enough spell, was it?" Kesai suddenly asked, both men looking to the little kitsune in a bit of shock, his own palms curling into fists. "Well, was it!?"

"No."

Neither members of the fire duo could believe their ears as they looked up at somebody they once respected more than any other adult, pure emotion in their wide and trusting eyes. Yukio couldn't even look at them, refusing to look at either of them as he felt his own heart sink to the bottom of his stomach.

"W-Why?" Kesai whispered, voice shaking.

"Āsupawā!"

The stones were shot at them once more, Yukio grabbing his book and focusing on Akuma once more. "Hyoketsu!" Icarus's staff appearing as the angel child drew in a breath as he focused his thoughts into this; memories of him and Kesai playing cards, playing with Yukio's cat, being able to make friends and match wits with the minds of the alliance. All good memories he needed to feed the staff for this spell to be powerful.

He focused not only on the stones, but also Akuma's chest, hoping if he hit this just right then he'd be able to maybe kill two birds with one stone, releasing a powerful beam of holy energy that honestly left the enemy bookreader wide eyed with shock.

"Kenja…?" Kesai brokenly whispered. "How about a spell?"

"If Mr. Kincad has decided that he does not need us and that we are not good enough to help him, then why do so?" Kenja said, almost angrily. "I see no point in disobeying orders."

"But Kenja, what if he needs our help?" Kesai asked, but already knew the answer.

"What help does he need from a team with only a useless attack spell?" Kenja hissed, but Kesai could hear the hurt in his partner's tone, whimpering slightly with sadness as he watched Kenja begin to walk away towards Setsuna , the sophomore having been sitting down against a wall of the room since the battle had begun. Setsuna said nothing to Kenja, having heard the entire conversation.

Kesai looked back to both members of the holy duo once more, ears flat against his head as he tried to comprehend why he was suddenly seen as useless. Mr. Kincad had always seemed like such an encouraging guy, which is why this made Kenja hurt even more. Kesai almost didn't want to understand why this was going on, glancing over his shoulder only once as he took his place beside Kenja.

I don't want to be useless.

.

.

.

The holy beam destroyed all of the stones, Icarus breathing in a grunt of anticipation at the idea that just maybe it would hit its mark and strike the chest, a game changing wound.

"Ishitenohira!" The female bookreader suddenly shouted, Yukio and Icarus knowing to brace for anything and not to expect until you saw.

Akuma released a roar that shook the entire room, maybe even the entire castle, holding one of his palms to his chest as the palm suddenly began to coat itself in what seemed to be stone, similar to what Icarus's wing spell was. The holy beam finally reaching his chest but seeming to completely disintegrate when it struck the stone hand with a wet thud.

Icarus grit his teeth as he landed near his bookreader. "Yukio."

"I know, Icarus, I know." The man's voice a forced calm as he tightened his grip on the spine of his golden book. "This isn't a fight we could consider fleeing from though…"

"I never said I considered it." Icarus muttered in a bit of surprise, looking over his partner who seemed to be shaking ever so slightly. "Yukio, are you alright?"

"No…" The teacher seemed to have tears in his own ocean blue eyes, the small wrinkles you get from age beginning to sparkle from the introduction of the salt water. "I just snapped at one of my students and called his only attack useless," His voice growing to a whisper. "And now the fear of fighting an enemy without pain that may have more power than we anticipated is beginning to get to me."

Icarus wanted to comfort him, he really did. But, he also knew that there really wasn't an answer for these emotions. "I understand. But you and I both know just what the results may be and we have both accepted it."

The blond teacher shook his head. "No, Icarus, neither of us have accepted the possible burning of our book. We have forced ourselves to be okay with it because neither of us want to talk about our problems with what could be considered a loss."

The angel gripped his hand into a fist. "Yukio, please, I have accepted that my book may burn in this fight."

Akuma focused in on them again, sweat dripping down from Icarus's forehead, running down his cheek as he looked up at the brainwashed beast. Yukio's voice comforting and openly frightened. "Then tell me you're scared."

Icarus clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head nervously but cringing when he heard Akuma roar once more. He felt like he could cry, swallowing. "Yukio, I'm not scared, I have known this could come for me." But was he really not afraid of this or anything? Could it be true that he was completely okay with his book burning in this battle?

"Kiretsu!"

Icarus shivered, more sweat dripping down the sides of his faces as he tried his hardest to focus on this battle. Akuma roaring as he suddenly lifted his foot, stomping into the earth as it shook with his weight, a giant crack suddenly beginning to run down through the ground at a shocking rate.

"Yukio!" Icarus noticing the crack heading for his partner as he unfurled his wings and raced forward, racing the crack to reach his partner in time.

However, what Icarus failed to notice was that a hot and serious damage inducing molten silver was being shot from the open crack moments after it appeared.

"Yukio!" Icarus reaching him seconds before, shoving his partner out of the way and watching the thirty nine year old man fall backwards and land a few feet from where the crack would be. A smile appearing on his face as he panted with relief, thinking that his partner would have fallen into the fissure and possibly suffered a horrid fate if he hadn't done what he had.

"Icarus!"

The moment the child turned his head to ask what the matter was, his vocal chords released a gun wrenching scream. Tears appearing in Yukio's eyes as he tried not to think about the sound, the sound of his beloved partner's body being seared with molten silver covering his body. Nobody was looking, Kenja covering his eyes as Kesai and Setsuna looked away, the humans cringing as the sound while Kesai choked back a sob, able to hear the screams like nobody else could thanks to the fox ears he had.

And then it stopped.

The silver and fissure suddenly faded, everything going silent for a moment, the laughter of Akuma's bookreader beginning to fill their ears but to a stunned Yukio Kincad this was merely static, background noise.

"ICARUS!" He screamed through slight tears of worry, not wanting to look as he ran to his partner.

Kenja leaned his head against Setsuna's shoulder, shaking. Even when dejected and cast aside, Kenja still cared for the holy duo a lot, clinging to the only person who dared to look at Icarus's body. "S-Setsuna." The sickly blond almost whined his name in fear, the sophomore stroking his back with his own voice soft and yet unfeeling. "He's completely destroyed, Kenja…I don't know if he could fight anymore."

"Do you think he's dead?" Setsuna cringing at the sound of the fire bookreader asking his this question, drawing in a nervous breath. "I really hope not, pal. For our sake and for his and Kincad's."

.

.

.

Icarus looked nothing like himself, his wings almost completely featherless with some bones showing through. His body covered in burns, pink flesh showing through almost everywhere on his body, almost all of his beautiful blond hair gone with his toga in burned tatters. In all brutal honesty, he looked dead, which is what made Yukio Kincad's heart stop when he got a good look at the little angel.

"Icarus?" The man's voice breaking with emotion, not wanting to touch him as he clutched their gold book close to his chest. "Please, open your eyes. I know it hurts, but we can't lose yet and you certainly cannot die!"

The child struggled to open an eye, whimpering as he managed to, charred lips pouting. "Yukio, it hurts so bad."

"You were burned alive, dear." Yukio half sobbed, feeling the first of many tears slip down his cheeks. "It's going to hurt a lot, but I promise, I will be able to fix you right up when we get out of here."

"I think my body might be broken."

"No, that's just shock. You might not be able to move, it happens sometimes." Kincad said gently, wanting to scoop the child up as he would if Icarus was a child of his, if Yukio had a child. In the back of his mind, he knew that this was going to be it.

"I've got to move." Icarus said forcefully, his limbs shaking as he forced his broken body to his feet, wings drooping with immobility and tears in his eyes just from forcing himself to move. "I don't have much of a choice if we're going to beat this thing."

"That's it, we're helping!" Kesai suddenly shouted, looking to the upset Kenja and shaking his head. "Even if Icarus and Mr. Kincad don't like it, we're helping them out!" The blond hesitating but nodding when he took one look at Icarus, afraid the child would just hit the ground and be either out for the count or dead at any moment.

"No!"

All eyes turned to look at Icarus, blood and pus dripping from all of his burns and hitting the floor to create a ghastly puddle. "You're not helping."

"And why not!?" Kesai screamed. "Icarus, even if we're not the strongest, we can still help! You're going to die if you do this alone!"

"Because we were trusted with you two!" Icarus suddenly shouted, Yukio knowing their little secret was about to be spilt as Kenja and Kesai looked on with horror. The kitsune's ears lowered as he spoke. "What do you mean?"

"Your families trusted us with you guys." Icarus said. "And we can't handle the idea of having to look into the eyes of any family member and tell them that a family member isn't coming back. We would be failures as guardians, never mind being friends, if we let you risk yourselves in a situation we couldn't trust only to have you not return to the families that have raised you!"

Kenja felt tears well up in his own eyes, he had fought with his family before leaving and he couldn't imagine coming back without Kesai, the kitsune trying to hide his own sniffles of upset as he looked to Icarus. "But, does that really make it fair that you have to risk your own neck to make sure we're going to make it out of here?"

"No, it doesn't." Icarus said. "But, I'm just glad that it's me standing here instead of you, Kesai. This way you can keep protecting Yukio's favorite student. And Kenja?"

"Y-Yes?" The blond still pretty stunned about the whole favorite student thing.

"I know you look up to Yukio a lot, but you deserve to know that he actually thinks you're his hero. People who think you're weak because you're sickly don't know anything, because the fact that you brave everything that comes your way and refuse to let your illness define you is something I will never forget."

Both of the fire duo had been reduced to tears, Setsuna continuing to rub Kenja's back as the blond tried to wipe away tears of broken emotion.

"Icarus, please don't go." Kesai whispered. "I can't say goodbye yet."

"Then don't." The angel turning his head to give him a smile, tears in his own eyes. "I will be seeing you again, whether it be human world or demon world."

"Rokkuburasuto!"

Unlike the original rock shooting spell, this one was lightning fast, Icarus knowing he had a minimal amount of time to react, watching Yukio get ready for a spell, their book glowing brighter than ever before. He jumped on broken legs, unable to use his wings, and pushed his bookreader out of the way as his own broken body was plummeted with stones.

"Icarus!" Yukio screamed, reaching for their book only to gasp in mortal terror. Their book laying on the ground by his partners broken body, a small patch of blue flame beginning to eat at the gold cover.

No.

No!

NO!

Yukio Kincad bolted over to the broken body of Icarus, watching blood run down the child's mouth as he picked him up. "Please, Icarus, open your eyes!" The demon managing to do it as Yukio sobbed. "The book…buddy….the book is burning…"

"I know." Icarus said. "B-But Yukio, you've got to listen to me for a second." Icarus's voice barely audible as he spoke in shaking words.

"O-Of course," Yukio said, stroking his partner's hurting cheek and wiping blood from his chin. "Anything for you, dear."

"There is one more spell in the book." Icarus's shaking hand pointed to their burning book. "Please…please read it."

"Icarus, you're too hu-" Yukio really wanted to refuse, but this was basically his partner's dying wish. "Of course I can. Do you want me to help you stand?" Seeing the angel nod as the teacher helped get his partner to his feet, Icarus shaking with pain as he tried to remain upright, Yukio going to collect their book for the final spell he would ever read.

"You really think you can take on something like Akuma!?" The woman sneered. "You are a fool, I have no problem having your death on my hands! You're too pathetic to win against my partner!"

"SHUT UP!"

It was Kesai who screamed this, the kitsune in tears. "You don't know anything about strength! Icarus is stronger than Akuma will ever be and you're too blind to see why that is! You are the most disgusting person and I hope you rot in hell for it!"

"You dirty brat!" The woman shouted, looking to Akuma. "Murder them and make it slow." Akuma roaring.

All the while, Yukio Kincad forced his burning book open, finding their fifth spell as tears hit the page. This was really it, the last spell he'd ever earn. "The fifth spell….TENKEI!"

Suddenly a holy light shot down, striking Icarus who was quickly enveloped in it. It seemed to repair his beginning to fade body, the angel holding out a staff similar to his last one, but this one being so much more powerful, spreading his wings. "This spell isn't one I decide, it is one of judgment on you." Holding out the staff. "Those of purity may not be damaged by it, but those of sin will be repented."

A powerful white light enveloped the both of them, Icarus smirking as it seemed to blind everybody in the room, Yukio unable to even look at anything but the tiny amount of book he had left, tears drenching the remaining bit.

But when the light died, everything but the slight outline of Icarus was gone, Akuma and his bookreader seemingly having been destroyed by their sins of the past.

"Icarus." Yukio cried softly.

"Thank you." Icarus's voice said gently before his outline vanished, the book nothing but a pile of ashes.

.

.

.

"Mister Kincad!"

Yukio had collapsed onto his knees in tears, looking up only to see Kenja rushing towards him with worry in his eyes. "Mr. Kincad, are you going to be okay?"

"K-Kenja." The man sobbed, his student bending down to see if he really was alright only to be pulled into a tight hug. "I-I am so sorry!"

"Sir?"

"You are such a good kid, Kenja." Kincad cried, his own student wide eyed but beginning to sniffle. "Such a good kid."

"And you're the best teacher, Mr. Kincad. I know Icarus is so proud of you."