A.N.- Ah so how long has it been since I last updated...eh let's see...about ten months give or take ^^; ? Well to those who have been waiting and waiting and waiting for each new chapter, I'm very sorry for the hiatus~ , Please forgive me! Anyways, I've been reading through my past chapters and...they made me barf. I found so many grammer, spelling and plot error that I just had to do something about it. So I edited all 18 chapters and I'm going to be re-uploading the re-edited versions of them. So for those who watch me, ignore the multiple nonifications that pop up saying that I posted millions of new chapters~ Also if you want, you can re-read from the start since you may see some plot changes owo

Disclaimer: I have disclaimed.

Darke's P.O.V.

"So is that how you got it?" Anrya asked Selina.

"Got what?" Selina asked in confusion.

"Your ability to cast illusions."

"No."

Standing and leaning against one of the maple trees, I silently listened to the rambling and chatter of the others at the picnic tables. It was lunch time at school, and we were all gathered in this one spot. Half-eaten lunch laid around on the picnic tables, forgotten by their owners who were chattering happily with each other.

"Well let's go back to what we were talking about before," Anrya said, finishing up her lunch. "We still have ten minutes left in the lunch period, so it's your turn, Rai, to tell us about your home life."

Anrya and the others were sharing tales of their lives, and now it was Rai's turn to speak. I listened to every story, and so far, they were all mundane and quite typical. Rai then started his story. Listening to him speak, I quickly lost interest in his normal life. I continued to stand with my back to the tree in silence. As Rai continued his story, I thought back to my past.

Sigh. "Again. It looks like you're getting moved again." My social worker looked at me in exasperation. The past week had been, according to her, a "disaster". Apparently my previous foster parents at that house said that they had trouble with me and my brother, so they decided that they could no longer care for us. Not that they've ever cared. Sure they provided us with a home, food, clothing, and all, but it was all so materialist and disgusting. Their false "love" for us, and their overly enthusiastic comments, bored me. Of course because they were like that, they quickly got bored with us too.

"Darke, you really must try your best to communicate and come into mutual understanding with your foster parents," said my social worker. "You and your brother have been moved from house to house for a while now." My social worker quickly glanced at my younger brother who sat quietly next to me probably ignoring what she was saying. She always said the same thing over and over, and it was pretty much a waste of time.

I then stood up. "Well if that's all you have to say, I'll be leaving."

"Darke—"

I already knew what she was going to say, so I coldly cut her off by saying, "I know." I then motioned for my brother to get up and follow me. From my past experiences, I knew it was futile to explain the reasoning behind our actions. Actually, I no longer remember why we distanced ourselves from others, but it was something that we did and I did not regret those actions. Through the years as we went from house to house, I learned several important things. One was that your time there never lasted, two was that you didn't really belong there, and three was that you were never truly loved. At the moment, my brother and I were back at the orphanage. We didn't love this place, but it was bearable compared to the houses of the foster parents. There were staff around here but, they didn't pay attention too often which gave us kids freedom to do as we wished. With this freedom, a pecking order of some sorts came about. Usually the older kids had the most freedom and mobility inside and outside the orphanage due to their age, but they usually didn't come to us. On occasions that they did, we had to obey their every whim unless we wanted to get pounded. Of course Ryo and I were an exception. I made that clear a year ago when I got into a fight with one of the older kids in the orphanage.

-FLASHBACK-

"Hey runts, which one of you stole my wallet from my night stand!"One of the older kids from the orphanage came through the door into the kids' lounge. He was around fifteen years old. Not the oldest kid or the highest in the pecking order of our orphanage, but high enough to hold some authority and power over us kids. "Was it you?" he said with an angry expression, sticking his finger out at some little girl. The little girl quickly shook head and moved away from the boy. "Then it was probably you!" he said to a boy playing with some block. The boy denied it, but the fifteen year old wouldn't believe it. At one point, the boy in the fifteen year old's grip started crying. "Hmph," the fifteen year old said. He continued to walk around the room examining each kid for any sign of suspicion. As he scanned his eyes over the room, his sight landed on a quiet boy with pink hair who sat quietly in the back of the room. Finding suspicion in him, the fifteen year old walked over to him and questioned him. "Hey, you. Did you steal my wallet?" The boy didn't answer and continued to ignore him. This boy was Ryo. He was around eight years old then. "Hey I asked you a question pipsqueak, did you steal my wallet!" Ryo then looked up and shook his head slightly. The boy, not believing Ryo, took him by the collar and growled at his face. "So spill it runt. Did you do it?" Ryo gave a stare at the boy and blankly said, "Your breath stinks." With this remark the boy got into a fit of rage. Near Ryo, but off to the side sitting quietly, was a boy with dark hair and dark eyes. This was Darke. He was reading a book, but when the fifteen year old boy bursted into a fit of rage, the boy with dark hair and dark eyes lifted his gaze and gave a cold stare. He seemed annoyed at the ruckus caused by the other boy. When the noise wouldn't stop, he got up and steadily walked towards the raging boy. "What do you want?" said he, noticing the Darke's approach.

"I want you to shut up and leave," Darke answered.

"What did you say?" the boy snarled.

"Are you slow? I said Shut. Up. And. Leave." At this, the boy stood up and swaggered over the unflinching Darke.

And that's when the fight started.

Both being amateurs at fighting, the two exchanged many blows and kicks until an adult came rushing over and split them up. Darke, on top of the boy, glared furiously at him as he pinned him down with his leg.

"Break it up you two," snapped the supervisor. "What's the matter with you!"

Growling, the boy said, "I was looking for my wallet when this jerk came up and interfered."

"Is that true Darke?" asked the adult.

Darke snorted with contempt and merely said, "He was being disruptive."

With a final sigh, the adult sent them off to their own designated area.

The boy turned to face Darke as he left. With a threatening glare that guaranteed more fights to come, the boy left the room. Darke, still annoyed, snorted and went to his corner of the room and went back to reading. And thus, a series of fights occurred almost regularly between Darke and the boy.

"Darke, Ryo!" someone shouted. I turned around to see a girl about Ryo's age running up to us.

"Hm. What is it," I asked with no interest.

"Ms. Kelly wanted to see you again," said the girl a bit nervously. Ms. Kelly was our social worker from before.

"Tch, what does she want with us now?" I said to no one in general, but the little girl answered anyways.

"She says that a new family wishes to adopt you."

Filled with annoyance, I turned around and walked back into Ms. Kelly's office.

"Darke, Ryo, I have good news! A family wishes to adopt you both. They seem to be a great family with much wealth and a good background. Aren't you excited?"

I was filled more with disgust than excitement. The way we were "adopted" by one family or another made me feel as if we were just pets or livestock. Keeping a straight face, I didn't answer.

Ms. Kelly sighed at me. "You can at least pretend to look excited Darke. Your eyes always seem to be so dark and cold…"

I turned my head away from her after the last comment. "Well anything else you need to tell me about this family that is going to adopt me?"

"No, nothing else," said Ms. Kelly. Gathering her papers and putting them neatly into a pile she said, "Oh I almost forgot, you should pack again since you'll be going right away to this family. Meet me at the front door in two hours. Until then, prepare what you will need." With that she dismissed us from her office.

After a thirty minute drive, Ms. Kelly, Ryo, and I arrived at the estate of our new foster parents. The two adults were waiting for us in front of their house, and greeted us warmly when we came up to them. After going over formalities, Ms. Kelly left us to the two adults and went back into the car.

"Well Darke, Ryo, have a good time with Mr. and Mrs. Kenji~!" Ms. Kelly gave us a final wave and drove off.

"Darke, Ryo, welcome to our home," Mrs. Kenji said to us. "I hope you like it. If there's anything you need just ask!"

I nodded in reply and walked into the house. The Kenji's house was a pretty impressive place. Being a large two story structure (including a basement), it contained many amazing furniture and décor, as well as many rooms. The living room was a nice cozy place with a fireplace, a large flat screen TV, and a sliding glass door that led to the backyard. The kitchen was impressive as well. It had all the new stovetops, ovens, microwaves, sinks, dishwashers, and cabinets, and it also contained a beautiful island with a granite top. The bathrooms were also amazing too with its new showers, and beautiful sinks. And finally, Mr. and Mrs. Kenji's master bedroom was a sight to behold. From its walk-in closet, to its wonderful skylight and floor to ceiling windows, the room was grand.

"So that's most of the house," Mr. Kenji said after giving us a brief tour of the house, "You guys can go pick your rooms out. Upstairs or downstairs, it doesn't matter, and if you want to have separate rooms, that's fine too."

"We'll share a room upstairs sir," I said with a nod. Since Mr. and Mrs. Kenji's room were downstairs, it might be better to have a room upstairs, so that it was quieter, and less of a place where the two adults could pop in.

"Ok then boys, go to a room and unpack~! Dinner is in an hour," Mrs. Kenji said.

"Thank you," I replied. Mrs. Kenji just gave a warm smile and walked out with Mr. Kenji.

"Let's go Ryo," I said.

After picking out a room on the second floor, we unpacked and sat for a while. Then when dinner time came, we went downstairs and join Mr. and Mrs. Kenji for dinner. After dinner ended, we went back into our room and spent our time there. This went on for a week as Ryo and I went through the motions of playing "good children". It wasn't until two weeks later that everything changed.

"Darke-kun, Ryo-kun, your dad and I are going out to meet an important person," Mrs. Kenji shouted up the stairs to us. I bristled at how she called Mr. Kenji and herself our parents, but I had to deal with it.

"Ok," I replied as I walked down the stairs toward them.

"Remember, keeps all the doors shut, and don't answer the door to strangers," said Mrs. Kenji.

"Also in the case that something does happen," said Mr. Kenji, "don't fight the stranger. Hide."

I scowled, but nodded in response.

"Oh I almost forgot to mention, food is in the fridge and pantry. If you're hungry, there are several meals I left prepared for you. I believe you know how to work all the kitchen ware. And if you boys want to watch something or play something, the living room has all that you need~" Mrs. Kenji gave a smile and finally walked out the door with Mr. Kenji. After they completely left the premise, the security system in and around the house turned on. It had already been two weeks, but the security system in and around the house was something that I was still not used to. From the security gates, to the alarm system, to the security cameras, to the password lock, and many other systems, I couldn't help, but feel as if we were being kept in…or something kept out. It was understandable to want to take security measures for a grand house such as this, but nonetheless the security here was so tight that it was suffocating. Shaking off the feeling, I walked around the house in boredom.

As I walked around the house, I came to cross the door to the basement that was left opened. Usually this door was kept locked and closed from us, but Mr. and Mrs. Kenji must've been in a rush and left the door opened. Closing the door, I stopped right before fully closing. A strange curiosity came over me as I felt compelled to go down the steps into the basement. Looking around, I decided to check out the basement for myself. Well I never liked being kept in the dark on things. I might as well see what's down there while my foster parents are away. And with that I descended down the steps. When I got to the bottom, I felt the wall for a light switch and flicked it on. With the room illuminated, I had an interesting sight to behold. The whole room was filled with machines and mechanics. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling, were cords, wires, and machines. What stood in the center of the room was the most interesting of all. A goggle, a ring, and a purple scarf. What could those possibly be for? I thought. Walking over to it, I saw that a journal or a book of some sorts was next to the items. Picking it up, I skimmed through its contents. Flames…Energy wave chart…Functions…Control manual… The contents of the book slightly puzzled me, but some made sense. Glancing at the goggle, the ring, and the purple scarf, I re-read the functions and controls of the materials provided. After reading and somewhat comprehending the text provided for me, I tested out the objects. Why am I doing this? I questioned in the back of my head, but quickly dismissed the thought with the answer that I was bored. So the ring was the main energy source, the scarf was the main weapon, and the goggles were the control panel for the scarf. It seemed simple. I put on the ring on my right middle finger, wrapped the scarf around my neck, and placed the goggles on my face. Ok now what? Glancing at the instructions again, I turned on the goggles through a switch I found on it. Immediately the inside of the goggles turned into a screen (I could still see through it) and several menus popped up. Unable to comprehend most of the menus I toyed with the goggles till I thought I had control of it. The goggles on my face scanned my eyes, and did other complicated computations. When the goggles finally seemed to adjust for me, a menu popped up saying Insert flame. What flame? I thought in confusion. Did the goggles expect me to light my face on fire? Sighing, I turned it off and took off the goggles and placed them down. I also untied the scarf, but when I came to take off the ring, I paused and scrutinized it. What could this ring have anything to do with this contraption? Well then again, why were any of these created and what was its purpose? With more questions than answers, I turned to the book once more. There's something I'm not understanding I thought reading the book again. Flipping to the page about flames, I read it in detail.

… The Dying Will Flame is a high-density form of energy that is refined from one's own life-force. Due the way how it resonates with one's emotions, it has been regarded as a type of battle aura. However, unlike the aura, which is a supernatural phenomenon that can only be seen by a few individuals, the Dying Will Flame is, in many ways, more alike to a real flame, possessing even its own destructive properties. There are seven flames of the Sky: Sky, Storm, Rain, Sun, Lightening, Cloud, and Mist. The Sky Flame, the rarest among all the seven flames of the sky, is the shade of orange. Among all the other seven flames, it has the greatest propulsion, especially in high-purity. The Sky flame is characterized with the ability of "harmony" and maintains great balance. The Storm flame is the shade of red. The Storm flame is a highly offensive flame with its ability of disintegration that decays and breaks apart anything it touches, other flames included. The Storm flame is characterized with the ability of "disintegration". The Rain flame is the shade of blue. Rain flames are in many ways more similar to water than actual flames. Its Tranquility special trait carries the meaning of stillness and pacification. Thus, these flames can be used to weaken a target by robbing its strength and capacity of movement. The Rain flame is characterized with the ability of "Tranquility". The Sun flame is in the shade of yellow. The Sun Flames has the power to induce and improve the efficiency of any type of activity. As such, it is an optimal flame for purposes of fulfilling support roles such as healing and strengthening individuals. But that same characteristic also makes it difficult to use Sun Flames in direct combat. The Sun flame is best known for stimulating and augmenting. The Sun flame is characterized by the ability of "Activation". The Lightening flame is in the shade of green. Lightning flames are in many ways more similar to electricity than actual flames. The special trait of these flames can be employed to harden and increase the firmness of objects. By themselves, the flames can used defensively by projecting a solid barrier and offensively by cutting as if sharp blades or electrocuting as if real electricity. The Lightening flame is characterized by the ability of "Solidification or Hardening". The Cloud flame is in the shade of purple. The Cloud flames carry a meaning of increase and replication. As such, it is suited for anything that involves increase of size and multiplication of numbers. Also, this flame is highly advantageous when performing techniques meant to cover a great area, such as creating a cyclone or an impervious force field. The Cloud flame is characterized by the ability of "Propagation". Finally, the Mist flame is in the shade of indigo. The special trait of the Mist flame makes it optimal to be used along illusions, especially during the creation of Real Illusions. They are described as having a low hardness and, consequentially, it has a weak offensive power. The Mist flame is characterized by the ability of "Construction"…

I stopped after that paragraph and closed the book. From reading it, I understood what this "flame" was, but I had no idea how one found out what flame they had or how they materialized it or if such things even existed. Grunting, I took a long glance at the three objects behind me and walked away.

"So how was your day Darke?" Mrs. Kenji asked at dinner.

"It was fine," I answered.

"What about you Ryo?"

Ryo remained silent for a moment, but then answered, "It was fun."

"I'm glad you boys were doing fine while we were gone," Mr. Kenji commented. We then commenced eating.

After dinner ended, Ryo and I walked out of the dining area and headed for the stairs up.

"Darke, Ryo, do you have a moment?"

I stopped and glanced at Mr. Kenji who stood behind me. What could it be now? "Yes sir." I turned around and walked towards him. Ryo followed close behind.

Mr. Kenji glanced between the both of us and smiled. "I know you guys haven't formally been to the basement of our house yet—" Immediately my mind went back my observation of the basement earlier today. Ryo looked at me. After exploring the basement earlier today, I met up with Ryo and vaguely talked about what I saw in the basement. Telling him not to mention any of it to Mr. and Mrs. Kenji, I thought about what was down there. "—but I want to show you guys some interesting things." Of course I already knew what was down there, but I kept silent and pretended I was interested. Mr. Kenji opened the door to the basement and motioned us to follow him down. Exchanging glances with Ryo, Ryo and I walked down together.

Downstairs, Mr. Kenji walked over to the three objects in the center of the room. "As you already know," he started, "this contraption is designed to work with a flame." He looked at me and gave a pointed look. I was a bit startled that he knew I saw his contraption. "Don't worry Darke, Ryo, I'm not mad or anything~" Mr. Kenji smiled at us. "I'm rather interested that you looked at this and I'm wondering if you'd work with me and help me perfect this." I gave him a questioning look. Mr. Kenji gave a smile. "If you're wondering why I'm asking you to do this, it's because making contraptions like these is my hobby…plus I like to perfect my work." Mr. Kenji lifted up the goggles for me to see. "I work for a…certain organization and as a technician who works there, I have my own interests to create and design new products that can be of use." He set down the goggles and picked up the scarf. "Of course these products are not mass produced, but rather for those selective buyer who want it." Mr. Kenji set down the scarf and turned to look at me. "The special thing about this contraption though, is that I'm not making it to sell, but I'm making it just for my fun and interest." He then turned away and picked up the ring. Holding it between his thumb and index finger, Mr. Kenji observed the ring. "The thing of most importance to this contraption is this ring, or rather, the flame lit on this ring." He placed the ring on his right middle finger and looked at it. I was expecting something to happen, but saw nothing. Mr. Kenji gave a lopsided grin and sighed. "I thought so." He took off the ring and placed it down again. "Looks like I just don't have it in me."

Getting interested, I opened my mouth to speak. "Mr. Kenji, do you mind going over what a flame is for me? I already read what was in that journal, but I'm not sure how one knows what type of flame that one has or how one activates it. Of course I'm just going on the assumption that flames really do exist."

Mr. Kenji gave me an amused smile. "Well flames do exist Darke. I can't personally prove it to you, but I assure you that they exist. As for how to light one…well that has to do with your own resolve. The stronger your resolve or emotion, the stronger your flame will be. I'm not sure how to fully explain it, but your flame has direct connections to your life-force. Now then, as you should know there are seven attributes to the flames of the sky. Equally, there are seven different rings for each attribute. For one to light a flame on a ring, the wave energy flowing through your body and the ring in which you use must match up. The amount and balance of wave energy that flows in a person is a fixed potential from the time you were born. Generally, most humans have several wave energies, but only one of those attributes can ignite a flame with a ring."

"Is there anyone who can light more than one though?"

Mr. Kenji paused for a moment. "Yes, but it's very rare. Almost as rare as finding a sky flame user. Now as to finding out what flame type you are…" Mr. Kenji looked away. "There aren't really many ways you can find out what type of flame you are. You can always use trial and error, but that is highly ineffective." I cocked my head to the side. "But not to worry, that's why I created a machine that can analyze the possible flames one has, how strong each person's flame is, and how likeable it is to ignite a flame on a ring." Mr. Kenji walked to the side of the room and lifted the cover off a machine. "This is what I used to tell what flames I had. From the machine, I found out that I had the flames cloud, lightening, and storm resounding within me. The percentage of each flame to ignite a ring was 70% for the cloud flame, 17% for the lightening flame, and 13% for the storm ring. Of course from the data, I deduced that I should create the contraption suited for a cloud flame. That's why this ring is purple. Sadly, I recently found out that the amount and balance of my wave energy was low. It seems as though that was as much as my potential would go." Mr. Kenji turned to look at me. "This is why I want you two to help."

Looking at my brother then back to Mr. Kenji, I asked, "Why couldn't you ask people from this organization of yours? Why us?"

Mr. Kenji looked down. "This project of mine is for me and only for me. I didn't want the higher ups requesting for my works. Also not many people have the potential to light a flame, and even if they do, they're power is too low."

"Wouldn't that also mean that they're a chance that we don't have the potential either?"

"Yes, but you never know. I'm willing to do anything to have my project completed and perfected." He turned on the machine. "So, will you two help me?"

I gave it a thought and also glanced at Ryo. Ryo merely shrugged his shoulders as if to say Why not? and turned away. Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to help. "Ok we'll help, but let me ask you something. What will you do after you perfect it?"

Mr. Kenji shrugged. "Who knows? It's just a hobby of mine." He turned away and fiddled with the controls. "Maybe I'll…" His voice trailed off.

Maybe you'll what? Not pushing for more answers, I walked over to Mr. Kenji as he motioned for the both of us to come to him. Walking up to the both of us, he asked us to remove our shirts so that he could properly place the sensor pads on us. We did as we were told, and he proceeded to do his job. Next, he asked us to do a strange thing.

"This is going sound weird, but I want you two to think of a memory. Pleasant, painful, exciting, or whatever, I want you to think of a memory that pulls up a strong emotion."

Giving a slightly skeptical look, Ryo and I did as told. After standing there for five minutes, Mr. Kenji took off the sensor pads from us and waited for the results to show.

"Hm interesting," Mr. Kenji said thoughtfully. He then smiled. "Darke your wave energy says that you have 92% cloud flame, 5% storm flame, 2% mist flame, and 1% rain flame. Ryo your wave energy says that you have 87% mist flame, 10% sun flame, and 3% lightening flame."

I took interest in this and asked, "So that means that the flame that I would ignite is a cloud flame and the flame my brother would ignite is a mist flame?"

"Correct." Mr. Kenji turned off the machine and turned towards them. "Ryo's flame is the mist flame, so it has the special trait of construction. His flame has low hardness and isn't a very offensive type of flame…I believe that my contraption isn't right for your type of flame." Mr. Kenji looked apologetically at Ryo. "But of course that doesn't mean you can't try lighting a flame." Mr. Kenji took out a box from his jacket pocket. Opening up the box, Ryo and I saw that there were five rings inside. Scanning the rings and taking note of the ring that was already out on the table, I noticed that one attribute was missing.

"You're missing the sky flame ring," my brother said next to me.

Mr. Kenji nodded. "Yes, but that's because that flame is an extremely rare type of flame and there aren't many sky flame rings around. Other than that, I have all the others." Mr. Kenji took out an indigo ring. "This ring isn't the best one of its kind, but it should suffice." He handed Ryo the ring and Ryo slipped it on. "That ring, as well as the others, is only a grade B ring (grade C being the worst and grade A being the best), but it's okay." Mr. Kenji picked up the cloud ring from the table and handed it to me. "Okay you two, this isn't going to be easy, but try to light your flame. Remember, keep a strong resolve and concentrate your wave energy into the ring."

Nodding, we both did as we were told. Nothing. We tried this for another hour and thirty minutes, but still there were no results. I let out an inaudible breath in frustration.

"Why is nothing happening?" Ryo asked.

"Hm," Mr. Kenji said, pondering, "Perhaps your resolve isn't formed correctly or something. It's no easy matter to light a flame and it takes time for most people to light one."

"Well isn't there also a possibility that we don't have the potential?" I asked.

"Yes, but we won't know until we keep experimenting." Clasping his hands together, Mr. Kenji called it a day and shooed us upstairs.

From that day on, we came down to Mr. Kenji's basement and practiced lighting a flame. Along with our practice, Mr. Kanji taught me the functions and uses of the goggle and scarf. From what I learned, the scarf wasn't quite an offensive weapon, but more of a defensive one. The goggles and the scarf worked hand in hand. The goggles were designed to control the scarf. Made to be used easily, the goggles were designed to follow one's eye movement and wave energy to move the scarf and change it. Another handy thing about the goggles was that it could detect movement, wave energy, and other features of a human being and his/her surroundings. As I used the goggles more and more, I became accustomed to it and used it well. Here and there Mr. Kenji would fine tune it, but other than that, the goggles were a fine creation. After a week of practicing and learning, Ryo and I were able to light our flames. But it was a rude awakening.

One day as the three of us were doing our daily routine, the alarms rang. In the middle of our practice, Mr. Kenji's head whipped up as he went upstairs to check the security system. After a few moments, he came back. "Huh, must've been an animal or something. There didn't seem to be anything unusual happening." Then looking at us, he said, "Contin—"

BANG!

The house shook as something exploded upstairs. Holding on to the walls, the three of us stood stock still.

"What in the world—" Mr. Kenji started, but that's all I heard. Upstairs, the sound of gunshots rang out along with Mrs. Kenji's shrill scream. Mr. Kenji cursed under his breath and stood up. Looking at the two of us, he said, "Stay here and don't move. Darke, Ryo, protect your rings and my project. I know you two haven't been able to light those flames yet, but just in case, hold onto them." With that, he turned around and cautiously headed upstairs. Before he fully disappeared though, he said, "Oh and if I don't return within the next ten minutes, take what you have and run." Then he disappeared.

Standing there in silence, Ryo and I held onto our rings. I glanced at the clock. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. And finally ten minutes passed. Sucking in my breath, I tapped Ryo on the shoulder and silently motioned that we had to escape. Ryo nodded in response. Slipping on my ring and putting on the goggles and the scarf, I slowly started to creep up the steps of the basement. Ryo, putting on his ring as well, followed my lead. When I finally go to the top step, I poked my head out of the doorway and checked the perimeter. Clear. Then I froze. It was odd how it was completely silent when a bombing and shooting had just occurred. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Kenji have been murdered and… I shook the possibility out of my head. Even if that happened, something felt wrong. Cautiously moving forward, I constantly looked side to side, and front and back. Which door is the quickest way out of here? I thought. The front door…but there's always that possibility that someone is waiting for us there… Frowning, I tried to think of the least likely place that there would be a danger. I guess the living room door will have to do. Motioning Ryo to follow, I headed for the living room. Within five minutes of cautiously walking about, Ryo and I got to the living room. I felt relieved. "Come on Ryo let's—" My eyes widen as I sensed someone around and my goggles notified me of a presence. Without warning, a man appeared and grabbed my brother from behind. "Ryo!" Sensing another man coming, I quickly turned around and kicked the incoming man to my right. He fell down heavily with my kick, but came right back up at me. Swinging his hand towards me, I saw that he was about to punch me. Thankfully I was much faster than him and avoided the hit. Grinding my teeth, I swiftly threw punches and kicks at the man in front of me. At my last kick, the man saw through my attack, and grabbed onto my leg. This threw me off balance and I fell. Using my momentary handicap, the man threw a punch at my jaw. Knowing I couldn't avoid this hit, I clenched my teeth and took it. The punch was hard and strong, and it snapped my head to one side. No matter how many fights I had gone through, and no matter how much experience I gained from it, nothing could prevent me from fighting back when the man held up a knife to my throat.

"Stay down kid," the man snarled, "or you die."

I spat at him.

"Ah, it seems like you caught them," said a malicious voice from behind me. Unable to see who it was, I waited for him to arrive in my line of view.

"Sir, the remaining two people of this household have been apprehended. What are your orders?" the man holding me asked.

The leader, from what I deduced, gave a wicked smile. "We're going to extract information from them of course." He then turned to someone next to him and barked, "Bring the other two in." The man next to him nodded, and brought in a bloody and bruised Mr. and Mrs. Kenji.

When the two were brought in, Mr. Kenji looked at me and gave a sad smile as if to say I'm sorry. The man carrying them had the two adults tied, and he roughly placed them down on the floor.

"Now then, let's get started," the leader of this party said. He turned towards me and grinned maliciously. "Tell us what we ask for, and we'll let you and your family go. If not…" The man lifted up a gun and pointed it at Ryo's head. "…then I start killing your family members starting with this pipsqueak until there's no one left, but you~ And then it'll be your turn." He gave me a piercing look. "So what's it gonna be?"

Looking through my goggles I calmly gazed at him. I need to calmly think of a plan…If only I could light a cloud flame… Mr. Kenji, sensing my planning, subtly shook his head. I knew what I was doing was reckless, but I had to try when a possibility arose. For now I backed down and answered the man back. "Fine."

The man smiled like a wolf. "Good. Then the question for you is: Where are your family's bases? Also, tell me all the coordinated and passwords to each base."

What…I looked at then a bit skeptically. What are they talking about? The man continued to look at me expectantly. "Well?" he said.

"I don't know." Definitely not what the enemy wanted to hear, but I really had no idea what they were talking about. The man in front of me scowled.

"Don't even try to pull that. I know you know where it is. I don't have time to play games with you, so either hurry up and tell me or say farewell to this little brat." The gun clicked in the man's hand as he prepared to shoot Ryo if needed.

Grinding my teeth, I let out a breath and repeated, "I said I don't know. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Huh, this kid is screwing with us." The man let out a gunshot. Freezing, I looked at Ryo, but was relieved to see that the man shot at the floor inches away from the feet of my little brother. Ryo was silent and emotionless in the man's grip, but after the gunshot rang, his eyes widened.

"Now tell me," the man with the gun said, "Where are the bases?"

I again repeated, "I. Don't. Know."

The man's gaze got dangerously dark. Without warning, he ran at Ryo and flipped out a switchblade. Swiftly striking, the man swiped at Ryo face. A deep red gash appeared on Ryo's cheek. Observing helplessly, I looked at Ryo. Why can't I do anything? I need to save my brother. I need my flame to ignite. NOW! Suddenly, on Darke's right middle finger, a purple flame formed on his ring.

"What the—" the man holding him down yelped momentarily and loosened his grip. That opening was all Darke needed. Acting swiftly, Darke flipped his body around, and used the floor to steady himself. The man who had held him down came to put him down again, but this time Darke was ready. Putting all he had into a kick, Darke kicked the side of the man's head and knocked him out. Without delaying his turned around and quickly scanned for Ryo. "…?" Where did Ryo… A gun clicked from behind. Slowly turning around, Darke faced the leader.

"An amateur fighter," the leader said with a smirk, "isn't going to defeat me." He then glanced around the room to see where Ryo was. Nowhere to be seen, Ryo was completely missing from the room. "Tch. I don't know what trick you or that pipsqueak pulled off, but that isn't going to change your fate." The man prepared to pull the trigger when a sound came from his right. He turned to see what happened. On the floor of the room, unconscious, was the man who had brought Mr. and Mrs. Kenji in. The man with the gun glanced at his final subordinate and nodded towards Mr. and Mrs. Kenji. Just up until moments ago, the subordinate had been holding onto Ryo, but now that Ryo was no longer around, he followed his leader's order and ran at Mr. and Mrs. Kenji to put them down once more. Mr. Kenji took care of him though. With one swift punch and kick, the man was down and out.

"Darke!" Mr. Kenji urgently shouted at me.

"Ah ah aaaah~" The final person, the leader, shook his head mockingly. "Mr. and Mrs. Kenji, unless you want this boy dead, I suggest you slowly back up and lay on the floor with your hands behind your head. Behind me, Mr. and Mrs. Kenji were silent. Then slowly, the two of them started to back down.

"Good~" The man said, smiling. Flicker.

Hm? I narrowed my eyes to something that seemed to flicker right behind him. What was that? Immediately, my goggles seemed to pick up on some kind of flame activity. Following my eyes to the area behind the man's back, I saw…Ryo faintly appear and disappear with his finger to his lips. I see… Ryo seemed to have awakened his flame around the same time that I did. That explained how he suddenly disappeared. Ryo must've been able to use an illusion. Impressive. I momentarily mused. Unfortunately from the looks of it, Ryo's current illusion didn't seem to be so steady. I quickly glanced at the man to see if he had noticed Ryo yet. The man focused on me and the Kenjis. Good. Looking at Ryo one more time, I nodded. One. Two. Three. Ryo suddenly appeared before the surprised leader's eye. Without enough time to react, Ryo quickly smacked the gun out of the man's hand and kicked it away.

"Why you little—" The man went for my brother.

"Che." I ran at the man and landed a blow on him. To his credit, he blocked it and retaliated. Thankfully, that was when Mr. and Mrs. Kenji appeared to help me. Though the man was more experienced combat wise, the Kenjis, Ryo, and I were able to put him down through numbers. Mr. Kenji then heavily kicked the man and knocked him unconscious. We all took a breath and let it out.

"What an uneventful day," Mrs. Kenji said wryly.

"Indeed," Mr. Kenji replied. The two of them took a moment and looked at us both. Then exchanging glances, they shrugged and smiled at us. "We're very proud of you two. Thank you for saving us." Not sure how to reply to that, Ryo and I remained silent. Mr. Kenji then gave me a lopsided grin as he cocked his head and looked at me. "Huh, the goggle and scarf really suites you. Keep it and use it well." I was surprised. Next to Mr. Kenji, Mrs. Kenji laughed. "Don't be so surprised Darke, my husband made that so that it could be perfected. Now that you're the one wielding it, it's perfect." She gave me a smile. Then her smile faded to a sad expression. "I'm sorry for putting you boys into this kind of danger. It seems that we can't guarantee your safety here." She looked up at us. "I hate to say this, but it seems as though we'll have to send you back to the orphanage so that a better family can take care of you. I'm sorry." The two Kenjis looked down.

For a moment it was silent. "It's fine," I answered finally, breaking the silence. You guys can send us back. I understand your reasoning quite fairly." Turning away, I kept a steady demeanor. "Anyways, I'll be working on this new flame thing with Ryo. One day we'll perfect it and come show you how good we are." I waved my hand dismissively at them. "So it's fine." The two Kenjis looked at each other and smiled.

"Well, I guess that's that then," Mrs. Kenji said. "Looks like we'll have to relocate and live somewhere else. Maybe we'll return to Japan…?"

Mr. Kenji looked around at the mess in his house. "Yes, but before we do that, we'll have to fix up the house, reassure the neighbors, and call the Vindice…" Mr. Kenji's voice trailed off. Looking at us once more, Mr. Kenji said, "I'm going to call Ms. Kelly right away to pick you up." Taking out his cell phone he phoned our social worker. Within the next thirty minutes Ms. Kelly arrived and picked us up.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Kenji for taking care of these two," Ms. Kelly said.

"It was our pleasure," Mrs. Kenji kindly answered. Giving us a nod, the two waved us off.

Inside the car and finally away from the two Kenjis, Ms. Kelly sighed. "Here we go again. What happened this time?" The two of us remained silent and did not reply. Ms Kelly shook her head. "I swear you two…hm? Darke, what's with the goggles and the scarf?"

I looked out the window. "Just a gift from the Kenjis," I answered vaguely.

"Oh how nice~"

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

The sound of the school bell ringing to signal the end of the period/lunch break brought me back to reality. Getting off the tree, I walked back into the school.

Hm~ So how was it? This took me a while to type, but I was in the zone while writing it, so it ended up not being as difficult to write~^^ Please Review~!