Hey guys,

Wow I started this chapter way before I finished it. Silly me I guess for now focusing on my story hasn't been something I had on the agenda much this week. But here I am with a chapter that didn't always have this structure in mind. It originally had Kimiko and Kyo facing an enemy demon I would create on the spot, but instead I decide maybe a friendly sparring match might be in order and soo, we have this~

Anyways, the fight wasn't the highlight, it's of course the appearance of the built of sixth spell. Enjoy!

And fun fact, Kiha had her hair dyed today! She went from a blond to a dark auburn brunette, I'm sooo happy! Enjoy this chapter as I ogle over my new hair!

xKiha

"Kimiko?"

Yukio Kincad had known something was wrong with his student from the moment she entered his classroom in the morning. He could see in worry in her eyes, but didn't want to call any attention to what was happening with her until she was ready to talk to him about it.

And she eventually was, but only after class was over and all the normal students left. She knew Kenja and Aislinn were still in the room, but she wasn't going to be deterred by friends who would eventually find out what had happened anyways. She placed her spellbook on the Sophomore D-2 class teacher's desk, opening to the page that contained their sixth spell silently.

"You know I can't read the demon on those pages." Yukio told her simply, knowing what this meant thanks to her actions, but wanting her to address the problem head on.

"You know what this is…" His student muttered.

Yukio drew in a breath of conformation, blue eyes studying the violet demon writing Kimiko's fingertips rested on. "It's Tsumi's sixth spell." Voice a low and dark reality that caught the attention of Kenja in the back of the classroom as the teacher sighed. "When did this show up?"

"I'm not sure when, but I noticed it was there when Tsumi and I were coming back to Otaru on Saturday." She had been very tight lipped about what had happened during her spring vacation, hanging her head with shoulders shaking. "I just…I don't know what to do."

"You can only do one of two things." Yukio got up from his desk.

"And those things are?" The poison bookreader watching Yukio's every move.

"One; you can avoid it all together. You will never test it on your own or in battle and move on as if it never existed." He picked up her book as he sat on the desk top before her, Kimiko eyeing her book with reserved caution. "Or two, you can try it. You can understand this spell and tame it."

"You think I could?" Kimiko asked as her teacher held Tsumi's spellbook, his fingertips stroking the cover. "That I could, or I guess we could use the sixth spell."

"You two defeated Xenolith, didn't you?" Kincad smiled, handing her the spellbook. "I believe that with the right mindset, you could do all you needed."

The brunette felt the passages of her spellbook glowing from the introduction of her palms, unable to stop a soft smile from spreading across her face. If she could stop Xenolith, why wouldn't she be able to utilize one of her own spells? "You're right." She nodded, smiling gently.

"Of course I am." Yukio chuckled. "And Kimiko?"

"Yes Sir?"

"I believe you've forgotten something since our trip to Xenolith's castle." Yukio said, getting off of his desk.

"Sir?" Kimiko frowning as she watched her teacher begin to fiddle with the stacks of papers resting on his desk.

"What are you, Kimiko?" Yukio looking up at the student with a gentleness he only held for those he taught, memories flooding back as she felt her smile grow. "I'm good enough."

.

.

.

Kyo stood outside of Yukio Kincad's classroom, knowing he hadn't missed Kimiko exiting her class. He had peered inside not too long ago just to make sure. He hadn't gotten to talk to the brunette since she had left for spring vacation to see her cousin.

Well, he had tried to call her on Sunday to check up on her and maybe, just maybe, work up the nerve to see if they could make plans to do something before school started. But her mother had answered and gone off about her cousin and somebody called Setsuko, he probably should have listened better but the conversation basically came out meaning that Kimiko wasn't available.

And thanks to the rest of the class being horrible on the first day back, he was withheld from going up to the roof with everybody else in the alliance for lunch.

"Thank you for everything, Mister Kincad."

Kyo snapped to attention at the sound of Kimiko Isahowa's voice, straightening his spine and waiting, able to hear his heart beating from inside his chest.

Come on, Kyo, she's one of your best friends. You shouldn't be acting like this.

"Kyo?"

He turned at once, seeing the brunette standing at the door of her teacher's door, purple spellbook in hand. "Is something wrong?"

He tried to calm his blush, rubbing the back of his head with nervousness. "Well, I hadn't seen you at all since last week and I figured maybe I could walk you home so we could catch up…or something."

"Walk home?" Kimiko smiling instantly when he said that, although Kyoshiro could see some kind of inner thought tormenting her just by studying her eyes. She didn't have to tell him anything for him to begin putting the pieces together. "Sure, I'd love to!"

"R-Really?" Kyo glanced away for a moment, smiling himself as he nodded as if to clarify that this was happening right now. "W-Well, I guess we should be going then."

And for a while they did, walking through the school in more or less complete silence. They seemed to glance at the other one every once in a while with a slight and somewhat awkward silence. Maybe it was just the fact that they hadn't seen each other in a while or maybe it was because each one was harboring some sort of feeling for the other.

"Kimiko~! Kyo!"

This wasn't the sound or sight Kyo had been hoping for when he and Kimiko exited the school, seeing both Tsumi and Amera walking towards them. Well, so much for their walk alone.

"What are you two doing here?" Kimiko sounded somewhat dismayed as well, also looking forward to walking home alone with him.

"I was waiting for you at the park like normal, but you weren't coming." Tsumi shrugged. "So I was walking here to meet you because I thought you were talking to Mr. Kincad without me around. And when I was, I ran into Amera so we decided to walk together to come meet both of you." Amera nodding, a bit embarrassed for getting in the middle of what could have been the beginning of an eventual date.

"Oh, I see." The poison bookreader sighing. "Well, you hit that one on the head…" Both Kyo and Tsumi looking to her as she tried not to let herself overthink the situation. "I was talking to Mr. Kincad, that's why I was late."

"Were you talking about…it?" Tsumi asked, the bookreader nodding gravely as he hung his head with his own angst bubbling over. He didn't like this, not one bit.

"Uhm, Kimi?" The brunette turning to look at her friend with a cock of the head, eyes doing the asking. "What is it?"

She quickly glanced away as they all began walking with the intention of reaching the Isahowa household, biting her lip gently and clenching her book tightly. "Well, while on vacation we earned our sixth spell…"

"Seriously!? How?"

"We don't exactly know." Kimiko muttered, hating that this was the answer. If she only knew what emotion they were feeling, knew what triggered it to appear, maybe this would give her some kind of clue as to what to expect of this. But she had nothing at all. "It just sort of showed up sometime when we weren't paying attention…We discovered it was there on the flight back home."

"Wow, so you really have no leads." Kyo replied, feeling his own amount of concern appear thanks to this answer.

"Yeah, nothing accept the big deal Xenolith made about this Purple Gem spell."

Kyo looked to her, able to see the fear on the face of the poison bookreader along with her partner. Being in the dark wasn't where they wanted to be and it hurt even him to watch them go through this. "So, what do you think it is?"

"…I have no idea….b-but I think….I think it's evil…" Kimiko biting into her lip as Kyo suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"You probably haven't seen it yet, but if Xenolith can corrupt him...if he can brainwash him like he has Akuma...then there is no stopping anything. He wants your friend because he's a natural born killer, he just hasn't unlocked that yet…"

He could remember what Yakamashii had told him and Michael before Xenolith had killed her rather clearly, clenching his hands into fists. Kimiko and Tsumi turning to look at him and Amera who suddenly looked rather sorrowful. "Kyo?" The brunette frowning as she looked at the sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I-I…I know something about the spell…"

Tsumi's purple eyes widened, the child's pulse reverberating through his ears. "Y-You do!? What do you know about it!?"

"Well…" Kyo's voice trailing off.

"It is not something I think either of you would like to hear." Amera sighed, harboring a lot of guilt in her face. "A-Are you sure you want to know?"

"Anything at all might be useful." Kimiko said, although she wanted to avoid the answer. But this wasn't an option; they had to know because this could be a serious game changer.

"Well, the demon that we were fighting with Michael and Shura in Xenolith's Castle told us some things before Xenoltih slaughtered her." Kyo sighing, not wanting to say what he couldn't forget us. "She said that Tsumi was a natural born killer but he hadn't unlocked it yet. And by that, she meant that this sixth spell is what could turn him into this killer because he had yet to unlock it. Whatever those words mean, it's going to be violent."

Tsumi was in too much shock to say a word as Kimiko clenched her hands into fists, looking to their book. "Goddammit…"

"K-Kimi…" The poison demon looking up at his partner.

"We're going to use it…" Kimiko sighed, looking to Kyo with a soft smile. "Hey, fight us for a bit and let us try it out."

"W-What!?" Amera's jaw dropping when she looked to the rather broken up Tsumi who only nodded slowly. "Yeah, how about it?"

Kyo glanced to his own partner, swallowing as he looked to his crush who gave him a gentle smile. "We won't go too far, we just need to try this out as soon as possible. B-But if you really aren't comfortable with this, I'm sure I can ask somebody else. Maybe Cheshire and Aislinn or Ken-"

"We'll do it!" Kyo said suddenly, both Amera and Kimiko a bit surprised by the sudden statement as he smile with light green eyes shining. "Right Amera? It won't be any trouble at all."

"Er…" The demon bringing herself to smile softly. "Of course not, it won't be any trouble at all."

.

.

.

They now stood in a pretty isolated field, Kimiko smiling softly as she watched Kyo remove Amera's spellbook from his bag. "We won't use Rachido or Rokuryo, probably just Karoataka to get warmed up before we bring out this spell." Her fingers stroking the sixth spell on the next page with a bit of anticipation and fear, heart beating fast. "But feel free to use any of your spells against us, since bringing in a new spell casually probably won't work."

The more Kyo thought about it, the more he wasn't sure about it, but he nodded anyways. This was for Kimiko and he really wanted to help her in any way that he could. Anyways he and Amera hadn't been fighting too much since Xenolith's Castle, so this might be useful for them to get a bit of a warm up as things became a bit duller.

"Of course." Kyo smiled nervously, looking to his demon partner who only game him a nervous smile in return. "Are you ready, Amera?"

She hesitated. "Of course."

"Karoataka!"

"Sorusen!"

The normal syringe appeared on the ground, Tsumi grabbing it and pressing it into his right bicep and feeling the sting of the liquid burning into his muscles. Sure it was good to use at any time, but it was always easier to take while in the middle of a fight. His purple eyes watching carefully as Amera drew her sword, now giving off a gentle white thanks to the spell being used.

"Go."

And without another word, Tsumi rushed Amera, feeling his muscles ripple thanks to his fifth spell, unable to put the usual focus into this punch as he would with Ari or Xenolith.

He couldn't just punch Amera and god knows he wouldn't be using a poison spell on one of his closest friends. Amera not able to put the same attention into her slashes as she would with an enemy.

Tsumi aimed a punch for her cheek, Amera blocking with her sword which the poison demon managed to cut his knuckles on, hissing in slight pain when blood began to run down his hand. Amera wanted to apologize, she really did.

But she couldn't, this had to be something of a real fight or this sixth spell wouldn't work. It was something they had to do, weather she really liked it or not.

Kyo knew it too, gripping his book tightly. "Gadyuu Sorusen!"

Tsumi had landed a punch on Amera's perfect cheek, the demon recoiling with a slash from her sword which ignited with flames thanks to the next spell called out. The swiftness of the older demon meaning this caught Tsumi off guard and sent him backwards.

It actually hurt, quite a bit."

"I-I am s-so sorry!" Amera stopping and taking a step backwards as Tsumi began to get up with a grunt. "It's fine, this is…this is what we needed you to do after all."

"You just need me to keep hurting you?" Amera unable to understand why this would bring out their spell as Tsumi shook his head. "I just need you to fight, if you hurt me, that's just part of the package I guess."

"A-Alright."

And with that she lunged at him with her sword drawn, Tsumi using the speed of his sixth spell to dodge over and over again before zeroing in on her. And from there they began to exchange blows with slashes and punches, Kimiko and Kyo watching in uncomfortable silence.

T-That should do it.

Kimiko looked to her spellbook, flipping through the pages before seeing the glowing sixth spell. Her fingers slid to where it was only to feel a burning sensation. Yes, the spell was hot to the touch and it left the skin of her fingertips a bright pink.

But she had to do this, blowing on her fingers in a moment of pain before shaking her head. Her voice was hoarse, looking to Kyo who watched her with fear and trust. "Kimiko…"

"T-The sixth…The sixth spell! Ranohe!"

The moment she called out the spell, Tsumi suddenly went ridged, Amera watching in shock as she sent a slash at him, the power of the move along sending him tumbling back.

And yet he remained blank.

Then came the screaming.

Out of nowhere, Tsumi began screaming bloody murder. His eyes widened and his pupils taking on an almost snake-like appearance for only a moment before returning to normal. He fell to his knees, crying out in pure pain as he began to change into something.

Something that wasn't him.

Kimiko was looking on in absolute terror, Amera sheathing her sword in shock. What was happening to him? His body was shifting, his voice beginning to sound different. Everything was different about him, meaning this…this stranger wasn't the poison demon Kimiko knew as her partner.

When he finally stood, when he was finally done with shifting and mutating, nobody knew what to think or say. He was five foot two, only two inches shorter than the sophomore girl, his grey skin slightly darker than before. His dark purple hair spiked up with black highlights and his cold purple eyes seeming to have black naturally outlining them. He was now wearing a black cloak and having a sword on a belt along with what seemed to be a bag of assorted weapons with him. He almost seemed dressed like some sort of ninja.

But one this was clear and that was this teenager wasn't Tsumi.

"T-Tsu?" Kimiko whispered in fear, seeing him stare at her for only a moment before unsheathing his own sword. His teeth were pointed, seeming to show them to her with a growl before focusing back on Amera.

He wasn't sure what was going on, he wasn't even sure where he was or who he was.

But there was a demon to fight and he was going to do it.

Tsumi, or rather this stranger in the poison demon's modified body, lunged.