Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. Good day.

Without looking away from her enemy, Namine held her book in both hands and howled, "Lo, not even great meteor can resist the grasp of my darkness most pitch and foul!"

Arxzyn and Namine stood there, motionless in tense silence. When the entire room started shaking, to Arxzyn's surprise, Namine pointed to the ceiling. Arxzyn paused, his cheeks rising a bit, probably narrowing his eyes, before looking upward. Namine smiled when his jaw dropped at the sight of the giant meteor hurtling towards them both.

Namine laughed as the meteor descended upon the Virtuous Crusader. Due to the laws of magic, she would be unharmed, but he wouldn't be so lucky...

Arxzyn sweeped Namine up by her shoulders and waist and rolled to the farthest side of the room, away from the meteor. It crashed into the floor, creating an immense explosion. Namine looked on in wonder as Arxzyn writhed in pain from the heat, sound, and debris of her supposedly failed attack. It would probably bake any normal person alive, and was strong enough to take down any lesser fiend.

Arxzyn stooped a bit, gasping for air after the ordeal. He was almost instantly drenched in sweat, his light armor now proving to be quite a grievence. His shades threatened to drip away from his face before snapping back to their original form. Namine giggled from her cradle as she watched him suffer, earning her a sneer. Namine's expression turned sour when Arxzyn looked at her like that. He better not try anything; this was her revenge!

Namine just got angrier when he started laughing at her. Namine pulled her legs toward her chest, just against the book, and jumped away from Arxzyn's grip. She spun in the air and gracefully landed several feet away on one foot. Despite her angelic landing, she returned to her previous disposition and violently erupted, "What's so funny!"

Arxzyn clutched his sides as he howled with laughter, just mocking her. She shifted the book to her right hand, holding it against her waist with her forearm. She glared at him. She almost cracked it open to deal another dose of magic when he finally stopped.

"What's so funny?" Namine asked yet again, the frustration evident in her tone as she stressed the 'funny'.

Arxzyn sighed and shook his head. "It's like this, my princess-"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Namine shouted, to which Arxzyn held up his hands in defeat.

"Sorry, sorry." He said, before lowering his hands. "It's like this- I was given a mission by the gods. If I completed this mission, I wouldn't go insane from the torrent of memories I acquired when I borrowed a piece of your heart." Namine's scowl deepened at Arxzyn's choice of words. Instead of chastising him for his words, she let him continue.

"What was this mission of yours?"

"More or less, I have to help you finish your quest."

Namine scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Good luck. Razyn's gone; my quest is over." She held the book against her chest. "I set out on this quest to help convince Razyn that he loved me. I succeded, I could tell, I saw it in his eyes when he sacrificed himself for me!" Namine said, raising her voice quite abit towards the end. When she continued, her tone was much more calm. She looked off to the side, letting her hair partially cover her face as she softly spoke. "I finished my quest. I'm going back to Twilight Town, with or without Razyn, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Namine, now looking down, dragged her feet to the second floor stairs.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Arxzyn said as he drew his blade. He ran to Namine's front and pointed Lucifer's Catalyst at her. "I'm not letting you leave without a fight."

Namine, standing only a few inches from the tip of Arxzyn's weapon opened Ignes Fatui Volume 3. Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed Arxzyn brace himself. She turned the pages until she found something suitable to the situation. Then she drawled another passage in monotone. "In this cold of darkness, I would most graciously accept the legions of Netherworld flare."

Namine watched on as a red fireball the size of her head slowly propelled itself toward Arxzyn. It was kind of weak looking, at least by her layman's view. But it should at least distract him, being on fire and all, while she made for the exit...

Arxzyn, meanwhile, stood his ground and held his blade paralell, preparing to shield himself from the attack. The fireball moved forward, crawling towards him before speeding up considerably. Namine didn't expect this, nor did Arxzyn, and in a split second, the ball had tripled in size, connected with Arxzyn, and detonated all in one fell swoop.

Namine didn't stand around to gawk. She circled around the Virtuous Crater and bolted for the second floor. Namine could feel a smile cross her face as she ran with all her might. Seeing that fool explode was so much fun, she wanted to see it again. Too bad that fool is gone though. At least now she can-

Whump

Namine stopped dead when she slammed face-first into Arxzyn's not-so-soft chest. Then she fell back on her butt. "Ow..." She murmered as she rubbed her sore end. Looking up, Namine noticed Arxzyn's clothes were blackened and his apparently magical shades were melting again. They quickly snapped back into place when he bent over and tried to scoop her up.

Namine grimaced when Arxzyn's left arm wrapped around her waist. Her free hand snapped back to the grimoire and squeezed it tightly as she rolled out of his grasp and jumped to her feet before sprinting to the stairs.

"Namine!" Arxzyn roared. But she was long gone.

oXo

Namine inhaled deeply. She was short of breath. Sure, she made it to the ground floor, but that run took alot out of her. Even if using the book's magic didn't drain her, she was postitive that it felt heavier than it did before. So she (gently) placed it on the floor in front of her and grabbed her knees as she panted.

That fool should be coming any minute now, so she had no time to lose. She whipped out her note pad and a pencil and sketched some scenery across five pages. First a valley fillled with grass. Second, a desert with sloping dunes. Then a forest, crowded with trees. After, a tundra with a raging blizzard. Finally an empty Void. When she had finished, she had at last caught her breath.

She walked up the stairs and slammed the five pages against the door, the 'cards' disappearing instantly.

Namine sighed and grabbed at the breast of her dress. As she rapidly pulled on her dress in an effort to cool off, she noticed that the hole in her dress was repaired at some point. She really didn't care how it happened, but she was just happy that she wasn't running around liable to have a wardrobe malfunction at any moment.

"..."

Namine closed her eyes and breathed slowly while she cooled herself off. Okay, the situation is under control. Under control. Everything is going according to-

Namine's eyes shot open and she stopped playing with her dress. She listened. Footsteps. Heavy footsteps, coming from behind her. She turned around and heard a muffled roar. It sounded like Arxzyn, only angrier. With a yelp, she spun around and ran as fast she could, almost tripping over herself when she tried to scoop up Ignes Fatui.

When Namine was halfway across the room, she ventured a glance at the door behind her, only to stop at the sight she was greeted with. The footsteps she heard weren't from Arxzyn running. The sound was from him slamming against the doors. And it was working. The doors were shaking with every push, and the hinges were starting to come loose. Namine knew she should run, but she was frozen there. That man isn't going to stop. He wants her so badly, he's willing to destroy the magical rooms she locked him in.

She wanted to tell him to stop, but it was too late. Namine looked on as Arxzyn sliced the doors diagonally and jumped through them, partly propelled by the rapid release of compressed magics which flooded the room in endless swirls of every color imaginable.

"Namine!" Arxzyn screamed as he flew through the air towards Namine.

A/N

Remember back when Arxzyn sounded impetant and mocking to these gods he now so adamently obeys? He wasn't being a being a little punk, he was actually trying to prove how brave and strong he was to his rulers. Just in case you were wondering...

If you stick around for my later stories, Ignes Fatui: The Descent will appear in a later tale.

qinop out.