Hey guys!

So I know it's been longer than anticipated, but things have been crazy lately and I guess this is just how it ended up. Vacation is over and I am getting back into the swing of things with voice over stuff along with getting another chapter done (which of course is this one) for my DBR peoples. But funny story, this was supposed to be a chapter mostly with action and predictably, Shura and Michael would win and the others would join the team, yadda yadda yadda, you know my formula by now. But instead, a few lines caught my attention and in the end, it pushed itself into what ultimately became something that I think will effect the entire second Arc in general.So yeah, I'm looking forward to see what you guys think about this. Hopefully the bit of change is loved, instead of hated by all of you guys. But I guess we will see what you guys think once I post this bad boy. I hope to write more DBR tomorrow, since I have a drive to Arkansas for a collage visit. I hope you all enjoy and see you later!

xKiha

Shura jerked around to look at Michael, the shock of what just happened hitting him. "We… We both use lighting…" The child muttered, the reality of how complicated this fight might be by them sharing an element sinking in.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Michael said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. "But, we are still going to take them out."

"You shouldn't be so cocky about it." Michael and Shura looking over to see a smirk on the face of Lamia. "Even though we both use the same type of spell, I don't doubt for a second that kicking your ass will be hard." Azura snickering and cracking his knuckles.

"How much variety do you think they could have?" Shura whispered.

"I don't know, but we will figure this out." Michael reassured.

They had to figure this out, especially when they had the others counting on them for this.

"You're right." Shura nodded. "We can do this."

"Shablade!" Michael shouted, Shura unsheathing his sword as a dark lightning bolt crashed down from the sky and struck it, the blade beginning to spark and crackle with the power inside of it.

Shura released a cry of strength, holding his sword before him and rushing forward, towards Azura.

"Zekeru!"

He couldn't stop in mid run, Shura committing to heading towards Azura, eyes falling down to the ground to focus on his feet. If a spell was coming, he would have to deal with it, but for all he knew this was a trick to get him to stop only so Azura could pull an actual spell into battle. He only lifted his head right before he slashed into the child, sending his sword forward only to hear it clang against something. Shura looked up in confusion, and at the sound of competing sparks hissing, to find his blade entangled in long, claw-like fingernails that seemed to be filled with electricity as well.

"Not as easy as you might have assumed, huh?" Azura sneered, releasing his claws from Shura's sword which in turn caused the child to fall forward. "Just because we have the same spell type doesn't mean we are even here, kid."

"Don't think you're automatically going to win!" Shura shouted, getting up and lunging forward with his sword drawn and loudly sparking. He began sending blow for blow towards Azura, only to have reach and every one blocked by those powerful electric claws. And yet, the moment that Azura decided to play offense instead of defense, Shura seemed to be alright with blocking every blow for a moment.

That was until his foot caught a root, the child unexpectedly tumbling backwards and leaving him open for attack.

"That's the important thing about fights like this." Smirked Azura, using his claws to knock the sword out of Shura's hands. "When you can't promise you can beat your opponent, you figure out what's around you and learn how defeat them using what's around you."

Without a moments hesitation, Asura then dove forward in attempt to stab into Shura's chest only for the child to narrowly dodge it.

"You think this is some joke?" Azura growled, lunging forward and this time managing to slab the nails on his right hand into Shura's shoulder. Almost immediately, electricity began to pump itself into the child's body, something that made him scream out in agony. He pulled at Azura's hand, trying to get it out before the pain grew more unbearable than it already was.

Michael was pretty stunned by this, but knew he couldn't just stand there and watch Shura struggle in the battle. He avoided the glare of Lamia, bolting forward and grabbing Shura's sword.

"Shura! Catch!"

The child winced, turning his head to see the sword flying forward as he managed to catch it in the trembling fingers of his left hand. He tried to focus on what was happening, biting into his lip in an attempt to try and ignore the pain that Azura was sending into his body.

"This isn't how it's gonna end!" Shura growled, sending his sword forward and slicing the fingernails that stabbed themselves into his shoulder clean off Azura's hand. Of course, these being fingernails, it didn't exactly leave Azura in pain as the child fell backwards.

"See? I'm not weak or anything." Shura said as he stood up, panting in pain as he reached up to touch the five nails still pierced into his shoulders.

"Just because we are lighting, doesn't mean we are even, that's right." He tore one of the nails out of his skin, trying not to gasp in pain. "But just because you think you are stronger than me," He tore another nail out. "Doesn't mean that you are. I am just as strong as you," He tore out another. "Maybe even stronger than you, because I really do have something to fight for." He tore another nail out, blood beginning to drip from the four holes in his shoulder.

"Because when you have a team to support you and help you keep going, you will do anything for them. You will make sure you give everything your all, because you would do anything for them. All you would want is the same from them. My friends and I, we have fought through hell and back before, and I am going to do whatever I can to help."

He tore out the final nail, throwing it at Azura.

"And that's why I am going to beat you, show you why you have to join our group. Because that's what is going to help out my team the most."

Lamia scowled, shooting a bitter glare at Michael, who found himself smiling just because of the ugly look he was being given.

"It's stupid, to fight with other people in a battle where in the end, not everybody that you called your friend can win. The carnage that'll happen when your group realizes that only one of you can really win it, that's what you're all too blind to see. That's what's going to kill your group when your delusion fades away and reality bites you in the ass."

"That's not going to happen." Said Michael, although the wavering in his voice said otherwise. "Nothing would make all of us turn against each other… Not when we already know not all of us can be the winning bookreader and demon."

"But isn't that what you want for your demon? Don't you want him to win over the others?"

"Of… Of course I do." Michael frowned.

"And wouldn't you do anything to have him win?"

"Of course."

Lamia snickered. "If you would do anything, then wouldn't anything also contain being willing to backstab your friends to make sure that your demon was the one that became King."

"No! We wouldn't do that!" Michael shouted. "I trust these people! I want to fight with them, not destroy them!"

"And what about the rest of the team? Do you really know if they'll stay loyal, or if they will turn around and backstab you?"

"N…N…" Michael wanted to say no, but something in his throat kept him from immediately denying this as something that could happen.

There were people like Kyo and Kimiko, who he didn't think were capable of backstabbing with how kind hearted and soft spoken they were, but with how smart he was, it was possible Kenja could set up something elaborate and powerful to get the rest of them destroyed, but with the lack of strength that Kesai had, he would need outside help.

Aislinn and Cheshire, he never truly knew if he could trust them or not, so he didn't doubt that they could easily take out any of them if they chose to suddenly go in for the kill. Cheshire still seemed rather resentful towards Tsumi, because of the whole T incident, so it wouldn't be too shocking for her to decide to go out for blood and take him out when he wasn't T.

And then there were those new people, people he hadn't even met yet, groups that Kimiko, and on one occasion Kyo, recruited into the Alliance without even running it by the rest of them. It didn't add up, why she would trust them when nobody else even really saw them? Was Kimiko potentially planning something with those other people?

Nobody would expect betrayal from Kimiko… It would be the perfect cover up.

"I…" Michael sighed, closing his book. "I don't want to fight you anymore."

Lamia smirked, a snicker leaving her lips. "See? Just because strength in numbers has proven itself useful before, doesn't mean that it'll help you when the name of the game is the last one standing."

"Michael!" Shura shouted, looking back at his partner in shock. "What are you doing!?"

"Come on, Shura… We're going."

"B-But!"

"Now!"

Shura glanced worriedly back at Azura one last time before lowering his head and following behind his bookreader obediently.

"Michael…" The demon child swallowed nervously, watching the people they had vowed to recruit for the team get farther and farther away. "I don't understand, we promised we would help them see why them joining the Alliance would be a good thing!"

"Do we… Do we even know who we are fighting with? Do we even know if they are really trying to help us accomplish the same goal?"

Shura froze, feeling himself frown. "Of course we do! We've known all of them for months now and we've always stuck together as a group! Why would it be any different now?"

"We've never met this statue demon, only Kimiko and Tsumi have. We've never met Canis and Terry, only Kimiko and Tsumi have. We haven't met Roku and Yumi, only Kimiko, Tsumi, Kyo and Amera have! How can we trust something if we've never seen it before!?"

Shura felt speechless, trapped and unsure of just what to say as he lowered his head, looking away from his bookreader in upset.

"Then who are we supposed to trust? If you think everybody is going to backstab us?"

"We need to see the Alliance soon… We need to see just what is going on… Just who we are supposed to trust in this team." Michael said, wringing his fingers together against the cover of his spellbook. "Because I don't know if this team is really worth it if they're just going to destroy us the moment they get a chance."

.

.

.

Michael was gripping his cup tightly when Kenja, Setsuna and Kesai all sat themselves down at the large table. They were all meeting up at a bakery, the table of the Alliance now complete with the introduction of Kenja. It had been three days since Michael had left the battle with Azure and Lamia, a day since Kenja had gotten out of the hospital, and now everybody was there. Even a strange girl and a clown demon, the girl sitting closest to Kyo and Kimiko for reassurance.

"Is that Roku and Yumi?" Michael found himself asking, although he never looked up at Yumi or her partner.

"Yes, she managed to make it. But Canis and Terry couldn't come on such short notice." Kimiko said.

"It's… uh… nice to meet you…" Yumi mustered, swallowing any more words when seeing how closed off Michael seemed as he purposely avoided all eyes.

"But why call us all down here anyways?" Kyo then asked. "I mean, it was kind of sudden, getting your message last night about meeting here today."

"Yes, it was rather unexpected." Kenja said, although being out with his friends was something much more appreciated now that he was finally free to do what he decided. "But I am sure it's something important." Kesai grunting when he noticed just how upset Shura looked, his ears flattening against his hairline. He hated it, something in the air just felt wrong.

"Yeah," Michael then looked up at them, accusing hate in his eyes as he looked over all of them. "I need to know just what all of you are planning. I need to know just who is really a friend and who is going to turn against us the moment they get the chance."

"Uh, what the hell are you talking about, kid?" Cheshire growled. "What makes you think that we aren't on the same side? We've been fighting with you since Xenolith, haven't we?"

"Yeah, because there was a common enemy." Michael said. "How do I know that one of you isn't planning to turn your back on the rest of us and try to destroy the rest of us?"

"We would never do that!" Kimiko shouted. "Do you really think that we would turn against you? After everything that we have done for each other!"

"Don't think I'm just accusing Aislinn and Cheshire here, because you're the one that I am doubting the most." Michael said. "It's pretty convenient for you that you're the only one that has met the statue demon, isn't it? Same thing with Canis and Terry, pretty convenient that only you two met and recruited them, isn't it?"

Suddenly all eyes were on Kimiko, the brunette freezing as she looked from one friend to another. "You're kidding me… You can't really believe that I'm working against any of you! And how could I make up the statue demon when you've all seen all of those news articles!? None of this is a lie, Michael! I've never lied to any of you!"

'I don't want to lose Shura.' Michael's eyes narrowed as he looked down on the trembling sophomore. "It's hard to trust somebody in a game like this, where you could all of a sudden turn your back on us, where you could reveal to be working with this statue demon and then take all of us out together! Especially when you have T on your side now, nothing could stop you from making this choice and using the demon that's stronger than any of us to destroy us."

"You think… You think just because I have T, just because I've been alone lately and have brought in new members independently, you think that I am working against all of you!?" Kimiko cried, looking around to see the mixed looks on their faces. Some of them mistrusting, some of them sympathetic and some of them afraid. "You can't really be serious right now… I wouldn't ever betray any of you…"

"But wouldn't it be damn easy to do it when we all believed you were inexperienced and weak? Nobody would see you coming if you decided to do it…" Cheshire spoke up. "And Michael's right… With that… Thing on your side, it's not like destroying some of us would be that hard for you to pull off."

She looked over to Kenja, who seemed apologetic, but Kesai's ears were lowered and eyes full of suspicion. Setsuna's eyes narrowing with mistrust. "Get close to the weaker ones and then make a move… I could see you doing that. After all, you are the two that destroyed Xenolith, that takes some power, doesn't it?"

Yumi looked terrified, Roku's expression too hard to get a grasp on while Kyo and Amera looked upset and confused. Flynn seemed rather confused by all of this, but the hate in the eyes of Aislinn and Cheshire said it all. They didn't trust her, be it if she spoke the truth or only in lies. They were shutting down on her and she didn't want to take it like this.

Tears filled Kimiko's eyes. "I… I didn't do anything… I wouldn't turn against you, I swear!"

"It's hard to believe with everything that's going on." Michael said, looking to Shura who seemed to grow increasingly upset with every minute that passed. "Not when everything has perfectly fallen into place for you."

Kimiko stood herself up from the table, shaking her head in upset. "Then I guess I'll see you later… Maybe next time, you'll see that I'm not trying to hurt any of you."

With that, she left, leaving the rest of the group to eye each other nervously. Could Kimiko be a threat to the group? And if she could be a threat, surely somebody else could be as well.

But was everybody here really friend? Or were there really members who were willing to do anything to make sure that the title of King went to their partner instead of to the demons around them?

Just who really could they trust in the Alliance?