"There's something off about her." Mage said as soon as Kurohi left. He couldn't get that scent out of his head. Shiki tilted his head, "what do you mean? I know it doesn't happen often, but not all girls are crazy for our charms." Urie said, "she was immune to Rem's power. That is not normal." Mage spoke again, "her scent, there was the same smell there as there was the last time, but there was something... spicy about it. I've never smelled anything like that before." Urie chuckled, "she was quite intriguing."

Rem shot a glare, silencing the three. "Just keep an eye on her. If Maksis's lackeys get to the grimoire first, it's all over."

Kurohi left the student council room confused, concerned, and highly annoyed. "The hell is their problem?" She asked herself as she made her way back to class. After school, she told Hinata what had happened. Hinata didn't know what to make of it.

Kurohi waved goodbye to Hinata before heading to her house. However, when she got there, she stopped in her tracks. The front yard was a mess, with pots scattered everywhere and blood on the sidewalk. Kurohi dropped her bag and ran forward, "Uncle!" She pushed open the door and came face to face with... a Pomeranian? The little dog wagged its tail and skipped past her out the door, and it was gone.

The inside of the house was a mess too, and there was blood everywhere, as well as an unusual amount of dust and a black substance. "Uncle!" Kurohi cried out and ran through the house, out to the back. She heard shouts coming from the yard and ran faster.

Kurohi found Yamato standing with his hand clutched to his bleeding gut, surrounded by men in cloaks. Yamato was trying to create a spell, but he was quickly nearing collapse. Kurohi let out a battle cry and drop kicked the man closest to her. She scrambled to her feet and went after the next, driving her fist into his nose with a sickening crack.

Someone tried to grab her from behind, but her foot flew out and caught the man in the jaw. She saw a flash of golden eyes before another took his place as he fell. There were too many for Kurohi to take alone, so she glanced to see if Yamato was getting up. He was gone, with a puddle of blood in his place. One of the men, no, one of the devils grinned at her. "You're next, girl."

Kurohi didn't remember what happened after that. She woke up to someone shaking her gently and calling out her name. "Kurohi, wake up. Kurohi!" She opened her eyes to see Shoyo kneeling over her and cradling her in his arms, shaking her gently. Relief flooded his face, "you're awake." Kurohi was aware of grass tickling her legs and reasoned that she was outside.

"Kurohi, are you alright?" Shoyo looked worried. Kurohi opened her mouth to speak, but only let out a cry of pain when she felt a sharp twist in her gut. She curled into a ball, clutching her stomach. The pain was blinding. Shoyo left her for a moment, and came back with something in a small cup. "Kurohi, drink this." He pressed the cup to her lips. The liquid was thick and foul-smelling. She gagged when she swallowed, but the pain vanished almost instantly.

"Devils," Kurohi said once she could breathe normally. "They were around Yamato. He was bleeding. Now he's gone and so is Uncle and I don't remember what happened." She looked around her, seeing piles of dust in the grass. The grass around her was alive, but under each pile of dust the ground was black and lifeless. "Shoyo, what..." Shoyo patted her head. "Come on, Kurohi, we cant stay here. There will be more."

Kurohi grabbed some clothes and a singing bowl and hurried out of the house with Shoyo. "Where are we going, Shoyo-nii?" Kurohi was scared, but did her best to hide it. Shoyo held her hand as they ran down the road. It was getting dark out. "We're going... I don't know, but we're going." "But what about Yama-nii and Uncle?"

Shoyo sounded heartbroken. "We cant do anything for them now except wait." Kurohi whimpered a bit. Just then, she tripped and hit the pavement. Shoyo hissed, and Kurohi looked up to see their path blocked by more devils. This time, there was no escape. Kurohi looked up at Shoyo, who looked ready for a fight. Despite his gentle nature and cute face, Shoyo was not weak.

Shoyo held up his hand and pricked his finger with a needle. He began chanting in latin. Kurohi had always been fascinated by the idea of witchcraft, but Shoyo had never shown her anything beyond making a flower bloom. Now, the ground around him began to glow red as blood flowed freely from his finger, and Kurohi knew that this was real power. She could feel it in the air, the crackling tension growing rapidly and reaching a breaking point. A few of the devils took a step back, but many kept their confident smirks.

Then Shoyo opened his eyes, and a silent blast of power radiated outward. Kurohi grabbed onto his leg just in time and covered her head, cowering on the ground. She closed her eyes as the silence engulfed her. She could feel the magic tearing at her, but as long as she clung to Shoyo, she was safe.

Then Shoyo collapsed, and as quick as it had happened, the magic was gone. Sound crashed back onto Kurohi like a wave and she opened her eyes. The devils in the immediate vicinity had been destroyed, but more were quickly closing in. Kurohi held Shoyo's unconscious form to her, leaning over his body as if she alone could protect him. "Thank you, little lamb" she whispered. She thought that they were done for.

Then there was a voice, a vaguely familiar voice. "Don't touch them." It was a commanding voice, one that had known power for a long time. Kurohi looked up to see none other than Rem Kaginuki standing on the roof. He did not look happy. The devils surrounding Kurohi hissed, and one stepped forward. "You cannot win this fight, child." He spat, "you are not king yet." Rem let out a sort of laugh that sent chills down Kurohi's spine. The air around him began to crackle. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Kurohi didn't get to see the fight. Shiki stepped in front of her, with that weird grin on his face. "Come on, Miss Muteki, we're going to take you away from here." Kurohi held Shoyo tighter, "why?" She was suspicious. "Are they- are you devils?" "Me? Oh no," Shiki's grin widened. "I am not. But the other three, yes. Now come on before things get ugly."

Kurohi shook her head. "I don't trust you." Then a voice came from behind her. "You don't have to, sweet cheeks, you're coming whether you like it or not." She looked over her shoulder to see Mage with a cocky smirk on his face. Kurohi scowled, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"It's quite alright, little butterfly. We can help your friend here. Is he injured?" Urie knelt beside her, peering down at Shoyo's pale face. Shoyo's glasses had fallen off. Urie picked them up and put them back on his face. Kurohi replied warily, "no. He's not." Urie nodded and asked, "so where will you go if not with us? There is no other safe place." Kurohi retorted, "how do I know that you truly offer safety? For all I know, you could be in league with those who took my Uncle and Yamato."

"Because," Mage intervened. "We're going to help you find them. We'll need your help on a small matter, but it's not a big deal." Kurohi looked down at Shoyo. He would need water soon, and a cookie and something salty to eat. Kurohi couldn't take care of him on her own with the state of things. "Fine," she sighed. "But if you betray us, I'll make you regret it." Mage laughed, "I have no doubt, sweet cheeks."

Urie lifted Shoyo in his arms, "I'll take good care of him." He vanished, nothing more than a black cloud flying into the night. Mage scooped up Kurohi rather indignantly, cradling her in one arm. "Hold on." Kurohi held onto his shoulders and they vanished into the night.