Chapter Three

Masako and Mai both screamed as Aya went out the door. As mean as the guy was, the evil out there was worse and he had just been sucked up by it. The door slammed shut and no matter what anyone did it wouldn't open. "Youji, I'm sorry, I always tease but I never realized you guys were-"

"Its okay Ken." The blonde man sighed. "He's the one who didn't want to say anything-you know how he gets-and he said he didn't want there to be another reason for you guys to stare at him. Plus...never mind. He'd hate that I was saying anything."

"I never knew he had a heart." Ken frowned then turned to Omi, who'd elbowed him angrily.

"Of course he has a heart Ken." The teen snapped.

"He just hates you." Youji smirked.

"He hates everybody." Ken retorted.

"Not me." Youji grinned, then slid to the floor with his back to the wall, the smile fading. "If he doesn't walk back through that door..." He trailed off miserably. Omi went to him and got to his knees next to the older man, putting his arms around Youji's neck.

"Aya will be fine, he always is." He patted the taller man's shoulder. "Remember that time he fell down through the floor because Ken was being an idiot and not watching where he was going so he set off that trap. He fell six stories and didn't have a scratch when we found him." Youji nodded while Ken glared halfheartedly. "Then there was that other time that you pushed him off the roof on accident because he was being an ass. He lived through that too."

"You forgot the time you blew up that building without checking if he was out yet." Ken snorted. The teen blushed as Youji laughed.

"He was pissed." The blonde man chuckled.

"Yeah, but he didn't get hurt." Omi pouted.

"How is any of that possible?" Mai asked in wonder. "I would die if it happened to me."

"Anyone would." Kazuya said, voice soft but firm. "He shouldn't be alive."

"He has a shield." Masako said then explained when everyone looked at her in confusion. "Strong psychics have the ability to protect themselves from injury if they have had training, however," She paused. ""I believe that shield is what he put it around this room before he left." Youji, Ken and Omi's confusion turned into identical expressions of fear. "I can feel it surrounding the room. It is protecting us now and keeping anyone from leaving. He must take it back or die if any of us are going to leave."

"You're so helpful." Mai grumbled as the men went super pale. Youji looked as though he wanted to throw up.

"I am being honest." The teen celebrity replied with a sniff. Mai rolled her eyes, muttered under her breath, then went to try help comfort the Hayabusa group.

"Kazuya." Lin turned away from the monitors to look at her boss. "Look." Mai changed her mind and followed her boss over to the screens and gasped. A large spirit covered in blood hovered over a figure with red hair dressed all in black.

Aya leaped over a dark beam of light, stepped off the wall and grabbed onto the chandelier housing the spirit shooting at him. It shrieked and flew to the staircase at the other end of the ballroom. "Tch." Aya spat as he dropped to the floor. They were getting smarter, but he wasn't done yet. The next beam he slashed out of the air with his katana. Next he advanced on the ghost that was still screaming and shooting at him. Ghostly hands reaching through the floor grabbed onto his ankles holding him in place. He narrowed his eyes. Violet flames erupted all over his body burning both the hands and the spirits attached into ash.

He looked up to find the larger spirit reaching for his throat. Being only a few feet away made it easy for Aya to hit it with a wave of violet colored flame. "You're doomed." It whispered as it also burned. Aya cocked his head with a frown wondering how many times in his life he'd heard that exact phrase. He kicked the pile of ash it made with spite before turning on his heel and coming face to face with an even larger spirit.

"Doomed." A multitude of voices hissed from all around him. Then suddenly he was flying across the room . He crashed through two walls and a bookcase to land in front of the fireplace in a library. He spat blood out of his mouth. His lungs were filling quickly due to the broken ribs which had punctured them...well that meant a trip to the hospital. Damn. Those three owed him big for agreeing to this shit. He grumbled under his breath as he got to his feet.

The monstrous conglomerate, he'd mistaken it for a single spirit at first, roared and came running at him. Aya dodged carefully than stabbed his now blazing katana into the creature's back. It screamed as all the spirits holding it together ignited before exploding. The force which sent Aya flying once again.

His right arm was impaled on a metal spike attached to the chandelier in the library. He hung there awkwardly for a moment trying to decide how to get down. All the feeling was leaving his impaled right arm and the katana slipped from his grasp. He caught it with his left hand then put it in his teeth and was reaching for the chandelier to lift himself off when something grabbed his ankle and began to pull. Fucking fabulous. He looked down to find two more creatures like the one he had just killed then he was ripped from the chandelier and sent crashing into another set of bookcases.

With his right arm now useless he used his left hand wrapped around the hilt of his katana to get to his feet. He contemplated the two monsters advancing on him then his surroundings. Did he fight them one handed and bleeding heavily or did he run? He wasn't scared, just practical. If he could get the bleeding to stop he could face them without worry. If he passed out they would kill him then the others; despite the protection he had left. That meant Youji was in danger.

Choice made he ran forward and used the closest monster's head as a step to get up to the balcony that was behind them then raced out the door he'd seen at the far end of the room. He could hear cries of frustration as he escaped through another set of doors that brought him into the hallway of the second floor. He ran to his right and shouldered his way into a bedroom. Perfect.

He set his katana down before easing off his coat and grabbing the sheet from the bed. Using his teeth and left hand he ripped off a few strips which he used to bind the gaping hole in his arm then tied it to his body. One less thing for the bastards to grab. As he picked his katana back up he noticed the camera aimed at him from one corner of the room. They were watching him. He sincerely hoped it wasn't set to record. All he needed were images of him battling a spirit getting leaked to the media. He rolled his eyes and sighed with irritation as a large tentacle wrapped around his waist and began pulling him towards the now broken door. The swordsman swung out his legs and planted his boots on either side of the door. This was getting ridiculous. His arm throbbed, it was getting difficult to breath, his head pounded, and the rest of his body just ached.

"I'm so fucking done." He growled slicing through the tentacle and coughed up more blood as he hit the floor. There was a shriek of pain. Aya struggled to his feet as the two legion spirits came up the hall. They just stood there screaming so he stepped forward. With a small flex of his will they both burst into violet flame. The swordsman shuddered as their souls came into contact with his. There was so many of them and the only problem he had come across with his new abilities was the fact that the flame absorbed whatever souls it touched, which meant that every spirit he killed didn't actually move on immediately. They went into him first before just disappearing. Whether they moved on he didn't know, but so many at once was painful.

He grabbed his head and leaned against the wall for a moment to collect himself then went in search of the controlling spirit. It was in the basement, which he found the stairs to in the library. Aya glanced at the rotten corpses surrounding it with a sigh. No wonder there were so many spirits there. He was able to kill it within a few seconds then started about searching the bodies for those that came from Kritiker.

One of the psychics that had been sent in was carrying a disc containing some files that Kritiker wanted back. He found their corpses with relative ease and fumbled awkwardly through their pockets until he found the what he was looking for. It was really too bad that the psychics were dead, but he didn't care all that much. The only reason he felt anything at all was because it meant that he would have to pick up their slack. "Finally." He sighed stuffing it into his pocket. Now all he had to do was retrieve the three yahoos he'd left quivering with their new friends.

Mai watched Youji pace in front of the door. Every few seconds he'd try the handle. He'd started this routine twenty minutes before when Aya had disappeared from the video screens after going down a staircase hidden behind one of the bookshelves in the library. Masako had become utterly useless after the ghosts began to come out in mass and neither Ayako or Bou-san had any idea what was going on. She'd tried going to sleep to see if her dreams could give any clarity to the situation, but was unsuccessful. Kazuya and Lin were still watching the screen where they'd last seen Aya. Suddenly her boss stiffened. "There he is." Youji almost fell in his rush to get over there.

"Aya." He whispered. Mai walked over and watched him rest his katana on his shoulder then shake his head.

"Stupid." They heard him sigh before walking off camera. A few minutes later there was a violet flash then the door to their base opened and Aya walked in. The white sheet he'd used to bind the wound on his arm had turned red and he had a cut on his cheek that was caked with blood. Youji ran to him but stopped a foot away.

"Why the fuck did you left your shield thing behind?" He snapped. "You kind of need it."

""Shield" The redhead's brow furrowed.

"The purple fire thing."

"Oh." Aya sighed. "I guess you could call it that. I just didn't want anything getting in or out. I know you idiots." He flicked Youji's nose.

"She said it was a shield that kept you from getting hurt." Youji growled pointing at Masako. Aya shook his head with another sigh.

"The kid isn't as smart as she thinks she is."

"Only high level priests can create the seal you used without an incantation." Ayako snapped. "You aren't a priest so how did you learn that skill?"

"I would like to know how he managed to purify the spirits all on his own." Bou-san added folding his arms. Aya shook his head.

"You misunderstand. I don't purify." He said quietly. "I reap." Suddenly he pitched forward falling into Youji who quickly scooped him up into his arms and held him tightly as Aya started coughing.

"Thanks for your help. We need to get him to a hospital." Youji walked out first carrying Aya who had gone limp. Ken followed after him while Omi brought up the rear. Mai looked at Kazuya in confusion. She knew they both had a lot of questions. As one they quickly followed the four men. When they finally caught up all they saw was a car with no plates speeding off down the road.