The vast crowds wandering through choked the streets of Kazamotsu, as was to be expected of any Hierarchical City. Few people stood out in the bustle, and fewer still warranted anything beyond a second look. Of course, a woman garbed in a skirted, skintight bodysuit with metal plates at her hips was guaranteed to attract attention, particularly of the 'perverse leer' variety. Tsubaki paid the gawks little mind in her single-minded push through the galaxy of bodies. Her path took her to a bar—no, to call it such would be an insult to bars everywhere. A dive. At best. With her foot in the entrance, she scowled and wrinkled her nose in disgust, her grip on Izayoi's empty hilt tightening. This was a portal to sin, the last place a paragon of justice such as Tsubaki should willingly be. And yet, it could prove a bastion of information—these places often did, right? With an aggrieved sigh, she stepped through.

Cacophonous blather greeted Tsubaki, as did a pungent stench that twisted her stomach. No sooner had she entered than the entire place fell quiet, all eyes on her. She paid the unwanted attention no mind, at least not until a wolf whistle cut the silence. Bristling, she raised her hilt in inch, and allowed its phantasmal blade to flicker into existence for a moment for all to see. All at once, the focus on her dissipated, and the patrons returned to their drinks and conversations. Content with the effect Izayoi held on those around her, Tsubaki pulled up a stool and struck the bartender with a harsh look. The man, frail and balding from age, dragged himself over to her and matched her glare. "What'll ya have?"

"Just water, thank you."

The bartender snorted. "You drag yer ass out here and threaten my patrons for some water? Get the hell out."

"I'm here for information, not to indulge in the debaucheries of this place."

"The hell ya think this is, a movie?" Nonetheless, the bartender turned away with a derisive snort and started to fill a glass of water. "Ya got half an hour, then I'm throwing ya out."

"Very well." Tsubaki fell silent until her glass was slammed down in front of her. After taking a sip, she returns her gaze to the bartender. "I need to know where Jin Kisaragi is."

"Kisaragi?" The bartender shrugged, and shook his head. "Hell if I know. I'd probably've killed him if I met the bastard, after what he did to Ikaruga. The hell are you looking for the Hero of Ikaruga for, anyways?"

"He's an old acquaintance of mine. I need to talk to him."

"Friend of yers? Tch." The man stepped back, hand in a pocket. "Shouldn't've let a Library wench in, especially after yer little threat. Ya only got ten minutes now."

Around Tsubaki, several drunk men glared at her. The bloodlust tickled her spine, but all she did was tighten her grip on Izayoi. No matter how numerous they were, a group of thugs couldn't down her. They stood no chance before Izayoi. "I have no quarrel with Ikaruga's remnants, nor any devotion remaining to the Library." A pause to take a drink. "Surely someone here must've heard some rumors."

"Hmm…" The bartender glanced around at his patrons, but none said a word. "Sorry, looks like ya got nothing here. Gonna want a second round, or should I go ahead and kick yer ass out now?"

"I'll take another drink, thank you." Tsubaki frowned. Doubtful that no one knew anything, not even a rumor, she drew out some crumpled bills and placed them on the table. This was how this stuff was supposed to work…right? "1000 platinum dollars for anyone who can at least point me in the right direction. But rest assured, any attempts to trick me…"

Her blade sprouted from its hilt, and the gathering crowd around her backed away as one entity. "Will not go unpunished."

Fearful silence reigned for several long moments. Yes, it was only a single girl, but possessing an Armagus like that… Finally, some brave soul cut through the crowd and took a seat beside her. Blue hair curtained down almost to his waist, and Tsubaki had to fight down a flinch when she looked into his eyes. Crimson, and mad with bloodlust. Whoever this man was, she could just feel the power radiating from him. At once, the crowd dispersed, whispering among them, and the bartender paled. The newcomer tapped his finger on the counter. "Scotch. Now."

With a numb nod, the bartender turned away. Tsubaki turned to the newcomer, scowling. "So, do you have information, then?"

"Hm?" The blue-haired man, scowled at her. "What are you talking about? I'm just here for a drink."

"She's looking for Kisaragi." The bartender placed a glass and turned away. "You know anything about him, Azrael?"

"Heh. Kisaragi, eh?" Azrael downed the entire glass in a single swig and turned to grin at Tsubaki. "Any reason why?"

Tsubaki recoiled from him. The sooner he could get away from whoever this was, the better. "Old friend of mine. I need to speak with him."

"Hmm…" Rubbing his chin, Azrael appraised her. Decently strong in her own right…but that weapon she held! The thing had to be on the same level as a Nox Nyctores. His grin widened. "Strong, aren't you? You might be fun…"

"…What are you talking about?" Tsubaki scooted her chair away, snarling. "Don't even think about touching me."

"He means he thinks ya'd give him a good fight." As the bartender placed a second scotch in front of Azrael, he shook his head. "And yer time's up. Get out."

"Hm?" Azrael cocked an eyebrow up at him. "You're kicking her out?"

"Ya deaf? She's been nothing but trouble since arriving. Never should have let some Library bitch stay in the first place…"

Azrael glared up at him. "She's caught my interest, and I'm not done with my drink."

"She's a—"

"She stays." At Azrael's words, a red and orange nebula blossomed around his shoulders.

The bartender bristled a moment, before slamming his fist against the counter. "…Yer damn lucky nobody here can take ya in a fight, Azrael. Soon as ya two are done, she's gone."

Azrael chuckled, his aura dying back down. "Knew you'd listen to reason."

The bartender just snorted.

"Um…Azrael, was it?" Although her stomach still knotted with anxiety, Tsubaki turned and gave a quick bow of her head. "Thank you."

"Hm." Azrael gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "You're looking for Kisaragi?"

"Yes, I am. Do you know where he is?"

"Fought him a couple days ago. Tough bastard." A grin found its way back into Azrael's face. "Probably wouldn't have moved far since then."

Shivering at the implications, Tsubaki tried to maintain eye contact with him. "I…I see. Well, if you can tell me where he was…" She shifted the money towards him.

"Keep your money. I got no use for it. Give me a good fight, and you got your information."

Tsubaki blanched. No, that was the last thing she wanted to do. No matter how much power Izayoi contained, she could just tell this man outmatched her. And he had not, as far as she could tell, done anything to warrant judgment. As Tsubaki pocketed her money once more and shook her head, an idea struck her. "I cannot agree to such terms. However, I do have a compromise. I can take you to someone who can give you a good fight." She looked over at the bartender. "Is there any chance you have a map of the Ikaruga region?"

The bartender gave her a glare and turned away without a word. With a sigh, Tsubaki shook her head. Of course he wouldn't be of any help here. "Well. I'll assume you have seen the tower rising from the center of Ikaruga."

Azrael threw his head back and chugged down a third glass of scotch. "Who hasn't?"

"Right. Well. I can get you inside of it. It's not far from the ruins of Ibukido, based in a low seithr plain. The upper echelon of the Library is using it as their main base of operations for whatever they're doing. This includes an Intelligence captain by the name of Hazama." Her eyes met his. "The name is an alias. If I tell you who he really is—and I assure you it's someone who could give you the fight you want—you tell me where Jin Kisaragi is. Do we have a deal?"

"…Heh." Azrael slid the empty glass across the counter to the barkeep, a clear demand for a refill, and smirked at Tsubaki. "Depends on how interesting this Hazama guy really is."

"Very well." Tsubaki downed the rest of her water to quiet her nerves. With this, she would send a powerful force at the Library's heart, and thus effectively make a personal declaration of war against the organization she once served. But after what they did, how they controlled her… But no. It wouldn't do for the thugs around her to hear this. Especially if, say, there were any Librarium officers undercover. She took a quick glance around the dive. Outside of a couple drunks leering at her, Tsubaki and Azrael seemed to not be attracting undue attention. But still, best for her to be careful. "…I can't talk about it here, however. Once we leave…"

"Yer leaving?" The bartender cracked a yellow-toothed grin at her. "Good. Get out al…"

"No, she's not. I'm not done." Azrael took another drink of his alcohol, a small sip in contrast to the prior deep gulps. All humor gone, he turned a glare up at the bartender, who shrank back. "Stop trying to throw her out."

"…Right. Won't happen again."

With a nod, Azrael looked back at Tsubaki. "Hm. That works." Laughter exploded behind him, and he glanced back at a group behind them. They fell silent under his scrutiny, paling. With a snort, he shook his head and downed the rest of his glass. "Library doesn't come here often. Who're you, anyways?"

Tsubaki signaled to the barkeep for another glass, who complied with great reluctance. "Tsubaki, former Wing of Justice and Yayoi family heir."

"Former?"

"Yes. The Library used me for evil, so now I seek to cast judgment upon it."

"Taking on the entire Library?" Azrael threw back his head and laughed. "You're an interesting one all right! Just like the Grim Reaper…"

"I am nothing like him. Never compare the two of us." Tsubaki's eyes flashed before she took a deep drink of water. "Who are you, anyways?" Someone strong, obviously; that much was evident just from sitting by him. Someone strong enough to topple Terumi? Hopefully.

"Azrael. Sector Seven enforcer, but I can't say I really care about them."

"Which reminds me…" The bartender rested an elbow on the counter. "Why aren't ya locked up for yer crimes right now? Ya never explained that."

Tsubaki's eyes narrowed as she glared at Azrael. She prepared Izayoi; in one motion, she could activate the weapon and hopefully take Azrael down with a single strike. "Crimes?"

"Ya never heard of the Tyrant?" The bartender scoffed and shook his head. "Made quite the name for himself in Ikaruga. Genocider, they called him. Most vicious son of a bitch in that war, and that's saying something, considering what Kisaragi did to us. Least Kisaragi didn't massacre everyone he saw, ally or enemy or whatever." He leaned in, grey eyes alight. "Out with it. Why aren't ya rotting away in a Sector Seven prison right now?"

Azrael shrugged and downed the rest of his scotch. "They released me. Said they got a job for me. Find Ragna the Bloodedge and retrieve his grimoire." He slammed the glass down and grinned. "Not that I care about why I'd be fighting him, of course. Any reason's good for me."

"So, you've served punishment for your crimes, then? I'll stay my judgment for the time being." Tsubaki loosened her grip on the sword, wondering if she could have taken Azrael out with a surprise attack. Probably not. Of course, if he pulled anything while in her sight… "Are you gonna be able to walk with how much you're drinking?"

"Eh. High tolerance. I'm barely buzzed right now." With that, the mammoth man rose to his feet and stretched. His hand went into his pocket and he drew out a handful of paper bills. "There. Should cover her drinks as well. You ready to go?"

"Yes, I…" As Tsubaki rose to her feet as well, she caught sight of a man further down the counter, a phone in his hand. A familiar face, but only vaguely. Her lips pursed. "I am. Let's go."

The bartender scoffed. "And good riddance, Library filth."

As she followed Azrael out of the bar, she gave his jacket a quick, solid tug. "Intelligence officer at our counter," she whispered. "Should we deal with him?"

"Hm?" Azrael glanced back at the bar as he left. When he turned back, he had to raise an arm against the blinding sun, an agonizing contrast to the dingy bar. "Think he heard us? Feh. I don't care much, but if you want to take him out, go ahead…hm?"

A small group of men awaited them, silhouettes in the light. But as their vision cleared, the identity of these men became quite apparent. NOL ground forces, their Armagi drawn and ready. The centermost one stepped forward, sword tip at Tsubaki's throat. "Tsubaki Yayoi. You are under arrest for threatening an NOL officer, even if it was indirectly."

Tsubaki didn't flinch as the cold steel brushed her chin, even though anger boiled inside her. If only she had noticed the Intelligence officer earlier… She placed a hand on Azrael's arm, an attempt to dissuade him from lashing out at the officer. She failed to notice the utter boredom in his eyes as he looked down on the soldiers. "My apologies, but I cannot oblige you. I would prefer to avoid a confrontation here. You will let us pass."

"If you resist, then we have permission to execute you on the spot. Captain Hazama mentioned you to have a…um, I quote, 'justice fetish'. This is your justice, so…"

"No. Nothing that the Library spews can be called justice." And in the blink of an eye, Tsubaki stood behind the soldier, sword at full length. "I am the one who decides what justice is. To stand in my way is to obstruct it. I demand you stand down."

"You arrogant little…!" The captain turned, slashing at her. But before his sword could come around, she was gone again, vanished into the wind. "What?"

Izayoi's luminescent blade sliced through his sword wrist, and Tsubaki followed with a swift boot to the head. As he sprawled forward, Tsubaki disappeared again. She appeared on the dive's roof, crouched. A fan of eight golden blades appeared behind her, and she rose to full height. "This is what it means to challenge my justice. To stand by the evil at the Library's head. Let this be your warning."

Tsubaki extended her hand toward the soldiers, and the blades flew at her command. The swords, too fast for an ordinary man to dodge, sliced straight through the defensive Ars of the officers' uniforms. As the five remaining soldiers crumpled, debilitated, Tsubaki teleported back down beside Azrael. "One moment, please. I have one last bit of business to take care of."

Azrael chuckled, eyes appraising her once more. He had expected her to be strong, but he certainly hadn't expected anything like that. "Not bad for a woman."

As Tsubaki turned to glare at him, he vanished into thin air and reappeared behind her, a hand on her shoulder. "Lose the sword, though."

"…Tch." With a shake of her head and a glare, Tsubaki wheeled around and marched back into the bar, her sword shifting to a green hue. The man she had spotted at the counter gaped at her as she returned unharmed. She lifted her sword his direction. "For your attempt to defy me."

A brilliant green sword lanced across the bar and ran through the undercover officer's chest. As he gasped and doubled over, four smaller daggers appeared around him. Without waiting to see if he survived her attack or not, Tsubaki marched back outside and gestured to Azrael. "Let's go."

"So." Azrael leaned against a rock, arms crossed and brow furrowed. "Who's this Hazama guy, really?"

Tsubaki took a deep breath. "His real name is Yuuki Terumi. I assume you know who that is."

"Yuuki Terumi? Of the Six Heroes?" A light chuckle escaped his lips. Its crescendo built from that little snicker into booming guffaws within moments. "One of the Six Heroes! Never imagined you could bring me to such prey! You've got your deal, Yayoi."

The laughter died down, although a wide grin remained. "I fought Kisaragi outside of Ibukido. Just a couple days ago, too; I doubt he'd have gone far yet. And what are you going to do when you find him?"

"As I said before, talk to him." Tsubaki sighed, relieved that Azrael had taken her up on her offer. "I don't believe my crusade against the Librarium will succeed without help, and I know he's an enemy of the Library as well."

"So, recruiting him to your cause, eh?" Azrael closed his eyes, pondering. "And just how far are you going with this?"

"Until Terumi, Relius Clover and the Imperator herself are dead. They controlled me and used me for their evil. The Library will burn to the ground, and I will let those uncorrupted by its influence work out the new order."

Azrael burst into laughter again, this time cuffing her shoulder his massive palm. "Sounds fun. Count me in."

"…Huh?"

"Terumi, Clover and the Imperator?" He flashed a feral grin her way. "Traveling with you will give me some wonderful prey."

Tsubaki returned his look, albeit without half the humor his contained. "Very well. In return, I will help you track down Ragna the Bloodedge for your mission."

"Hm?" Azrael cocked his head. "Why do you hate him so much, anyways? I figured he'd be a perfect ally for you."

"Sir Hakumen told me what he is. The Dark One. The Destroyer. The Black Beast, reincarnated." Tsubaki looked down. "In short, a being of pure evil. I will not rest until he has been slain."

"The Black Beast?" Azrael's grin widened further, and Tsubaki felt a chill down her spine. This man was clearly mad. But, if he was as strong as he seemed, as his history indicated… "As if I needed more reason to pursue him. Very well. But I fight him first."

"Works for me. So long as he's brought to justice." Tsubaki cast a glance back at the walls of Kazamotsu and scowled. "We should get going. The Library will be on us before long."