"SPADE 10! JACK! QUEEN! KING! ACE!" the sword announced as they absorbed the power in the cards and the five projections appeared in front of him before they swiped over his armored form, allowing him to absorb their power as well. He looked up to see the Trial coming back down. He gripped his sword and pulled it back as it announced, "ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH!"

Draco had his own name for the attack too and today he was going to use it. When the Trial fell just in front of him, he swung his energized blade and called out the name of his attack, "ROYAL DRAGON SLASH!"

The blade made contact with the Trial's body and then there was a bright explosion of light and energy, forcing those nearby and watching this to cover their eyes. They could hear the Trial scream…

Then silence.

The light cleared away and there stood Draco, holding his sword. The Trial? Nothing was left of it now. It had been totally vaporized.

"Leo-kun!" Sanae cried but then she felt something wrong as Draco began to growl. "Leo-kun?" Draco dropped his sword and he continued to growl. The clouds darkened as they collected, billowing together. Then, he let loose a roar as he summoned lightning from the sky to crash into the ground and even a few trees, causing them to catch fire. His eyes were glowing red and so was the blue gem in the centre of his chest.

"Leo isn't here at the moment," 'Draco' snickered ominously. "Will I do instead?"

"And just who are you?!" demanded Jinx. That didn't sound like Leo. He never snickered.

"If you must know, you little harlot," 'Draco' growled. "I am called Ryu, the Category Ace of Spades!"

"The Seiryu Beast Spirit!?" the hex mistress gasped, disregarding the harlot comment.

"The same, yet so much more," Ryu snickered. "In this form, I'm fused with my twelve lower class brethren. It is a very intoxicating experience to have this much power!"

"Let him go!" Midori cried.

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" Ryu snorted. "This is my first time free since my little jaunt in Nerima with Zaku before the little weakling, his bitch sister, those slutty Senshi, and asshole Knights sealed me back up again! I'm not going anywhere!"

"Ryu-san," a quivering voice spoke up. The possessed Advent Knight turned to face Leo's first love as she stared him directly in the eyes, showing courage and determination well beyond her years. "Give back Leo-kun. You had your chance and you lost. GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!"

Jinx flinched at Sanae's voice and she felt jealousy. This girl felt so strongly about her boyfriend that she was going to go up against a Beast Spirit to try and get him back.

"I wouldn't even if I could," Ryu snorted as he leaned over and picked up his sword.

"What do you mean?" Reika asked cautiously.

"I can hear them," Ryu chuckled while resting his sword on his shoulder. "All twelve of them, my brothers under the Spade banner of the East. The Qinglong is demanding I give him control while the Capricorn begs to make you little pukes suffer. Strangely, The Eagle is asking to show mercy. The others are just making their own little whims, but I can't her Leo. It's like he's not even there."

"NO!" Jinx cried, fearing the worst.

"Well, he's not dead," Ryu shrugged. "I just don't know if he has enough willpower to care. Seeing how his first love now remembers him and their times together puts discomfort and doubt in him."

Both Sanae and Jinx felt their breath stop for a moment. Was Leo becoming unsure on who he loved? No, it couldn't be. He was always so sure on what he wanted. He would be able to make a choice when the time came, right?

"Then seeing his second love kissing another man, now that just shattered his little heart," Ryu laughed. "It was so rich! I wish I could have seen the look on his face!"

"And all that doubt and sadness helped you, didn't it?" said Midori.

"Damn straight!" Ryu laughed. "And with his mind divided like it is, there's no one who can stop me!"

Mahiro was sitting on her stool as she patiently waited for her boyfriend to wake up. As she waited, a sudden rustling caught her attention. Knowing it was Kyo, she turned to greet him properly, but what she saw would have made her scream hadn't this person's hand clasped her mouth shut.

"Now, now, dear," Akuma grinned maniacally. "We'll have none of that. I've sensed an incredible opponent who I am now looking forward to fighting! I'm in such a good mood now that I'll even let you live. I want to fight this King myself and I want to be at the top of my game!"

Mahiro could only whimper in fear.

Kat suddenly stiffened as she felt a cold chill run down her spine. Something was wrong, very wrong. Even worse though, it involved her otouto-chan. That was something that she could not ignore no matter what.

"Kat?" asked Takada. "What is it?"

"Otouto-chan," Kat replied simply before she turned towards the forest. "I gotta go!"

"Huh?" Takada cried. "Wait!"

He was too slow though. She was already gone.

Episode 51: Broken

"Now I am King Ryu!" Ryu laughed before he looked towards the girls, "And as my first order of business, I am going to kill you!"

As King Ryu, as he now called himself, advanced on the girls, he felt a powerful aura approaching. His reaction was not of fear or surprise, but of pleasant expectation.

"So, you decided to show up," King Ryu grinned as he turned to see the form of Akuma walking towards them. The girls could wait. He could chase after them if they decided to run. The hunt would be much more fun before the eventual kill.

Akuma grinned, "I am always up for a good fight."

"Now that our lesser halves are asleep," King Ryu began, "It would be a good time to test our strengths."

"You will die by my sword," Akuma promised, eyes full of killing intent.

"This body may give out, but I believe it will become immortal by then," King Ryu retorted as he threw his sword away. He then summoned a pair of new swords. One was black and radiated a demonic aura. The blade resembled a demon's wing and a red eye rested on the hilt. The second sword contrasted greatly with the first, radiating a golden aura around the white blade, which resembled an angel's wing with wing shaped guards on the handle. "I've missed these swords," King Ryu said, reminiscing. "These were the weapons I used to carve out my enemies." He then glared at Akuma, "And they are going to carve you up!"

"We shall see then!" Akuma roared and then charged, "ARRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" King Ryu roared as he charged right back, his body crackling with lightning. Both their swords met and clashed, sending out a shockwave of power that nearly blew the girls away. The swords were locked in a stalemate, pushing each other back. Energy coursed through their bodies as they pushed against one another.

"What am I doing?" said Akuma in realization. "It would be much more fun to tear into you myself!" Akuma then rolled out of the way, letting Ryu's swords slam into the ground. Akuma then threw his sword, lodging it into a tree. Akuma flexed his claws. "Oh yes, this will be so much better." He charged at Ryu and grabbed Ryu's head. He then lifted his knee and slammed it into Ryu's head, cracking the helmet slightly. Ryu staggered back from the hit. Akuma followed up with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head. He then grabbed Ryu and threw him into the woods. His armoured body slammed into several trees, splintering them. "Get up… I thought I'd have more fun with you."

The wood exploded off of Ryu. "You think you can stop me?!" roared the possessed Knight. The panel on his armour depicting the Mach Cheetah card began to glow. Using the power of the Cheetah Beast Spirit, Ryu vanished from view and appeared behind Akuma, with his hands on his head. With a powerful jerk, a sickening snap was heard as Akuma's head did a 180. "Pathetic, I thought you would be more fun than this." He turned and faced the girls. "No matter, I can still kill them…" Had King Ryu been paying attention he would have seen the former Crimson King slowly get to his feet.

"Heh, heh, heh… Did you truly think I would be put down so easily?" questioned Akuma. He grabbed the sides of his head and twisted it, resetting his neck. "I believe that is the… twelfth time someone has snapped my neck, though after all these centuries it's hard to keep track." He snapped his neck. "Now I believe it's time I got serious." Akuma's fiery red aura exploded with energy. He became even more muscular and his hair flew around wildly. His eyes became completely red and glowed. "This is so exciting… It's been so long since I could really cut loose!" Ryu again appeared behind Akuma, twin swords raised. He brought them both down, taking Akuma's arms. Akuma didn't even show the slightest hint of pain. He leapt into the air. He flexed and two new arms shot out of his shoulders. Landing back on the ground, Akuma licked the blood off one of his new arms.

King Ryu banished his two swords and then with a roar charged and swung his fist into Akuma's face. Akuma punched him in the chest in return but the possessed Knight retaliated with another punch in Akuma's stomach. They began pummelling each other with punches that held enough force to shatter stone but neither of them was stopping. King Ryu then roared out and he used the Lion Beast Spirit's power to send Akuma sailing with a single haymaker. He flicked his wrist and then jumped up before coming down again and smashing Akuma into the ground, the sole of his boot pressing down upon Akuma's head and grinding it into the ground.

"Is that all you got!?" King Ryu mocked. "Pitiful!" Suddenly, Akuma grabbed Ryu by the leg and then pulled, sending him sprawling. He then got up and then began bashing King Ryu upon the ground, over and over again. Craters were forming on impact and became deeper. The ground began to shake as well and the tremors nearly caused the girls to lose their footing. Akuma then let go and watched as the possessed Knight lay in the crater. He spat and then raised up his foot.

"Time to finish this," Akuma grinned before bringing his foot down.

"TORNADO!"

An energy arrow sailed through the air and pierced through Akuma's chest. He staggered back a bit and growled before looking up to see who had dared to attack him. His lips were then curled into a vile smirk, "So, you came at last."

Mimic was standing not too far away with her weapon raised. She looked at her brother's prone body, "Otouto-chan, are you okay!?" The answer she got was a lightning bolt that nearly struck her. She gasped in shock as King Ryu stood up. He turned to look at her and snarled.

"Stay out of this, you bitch!" King Ryu roared. Mimic's eyes narrowed under her visor as she scanned him. His eyes were glowing and so was the gem in his chestplate. His aura was also off, but she recognized it.

"Ryu…" she stated. She recognized that aura anywhere. Even if it was now being supplemented by the other Beast Spirits' auras, the Ace of Spade's aura was still in primary control. But how did he gain control?

"I bet you're surprised as to how I took over your little brother," King Ryu snickered. "Well, you should ask his girlfriend over there. I just know she'd love to tell you what happened." Jinx looked away in shame. "But, right now, all I want to do is to destroy you!" He summoned his two swords again and charged straight at Mimic. Mimic acted quickly and slashed her card through her belt.

"EVOLUTION ZHUQIAO!" the cards flew out and into her armour before her body exploded with gold flames. Sanae and Midori gasped as they witnessed her change into her Wild Form. Wild Mimic reached down to her belt and pulled out her Wild Slashers to battle with her possessed brother. Suddenly, a yellow and red blur came speeding into the scene and slammed into King Ryu's side, sending him sliding across the ground and kicking up dirt and grass.

"Need help?" Kid Flash grinned. Jinx groaned.

"Kid Flash, I told you to go away!" Jinx snapped.

"Friend of yours?" Reika asked.

"I'm her boyfriend!" Kid Flash proclaimed proudly.

"Ex-boyfriend," Jinx corrected.

"Really?" King Ryu sneered, "With that lip action earlier, I doubt it."

Wild Mimic's eyes widened under her helmet as she looked at Jinx. She looked down to the ground in guilt. So…that what happened.

Akuma got back up and his wound healed. He grinned, "So, both of you are here. This is going to be so much fun!"

"This time things are going to be a little different, you psycho!" Wild Mimic shot back. Inside, she was worried. She had two problems now. She had to figure out how to bring her brother as well as her friend back before their possessed bodies destroyed her. She looked at Kid Flash. There was no way he would last. Hikaru and Takada weren't here yet and Jinx didn't seem like she could get her head in the game, not after what happened. But, she still needed help.

King Ryu charged and raised up his swords to slash her. She rolled out of the way and slashed at his midsection. Akuma reached forward and grabbed her by the shoulders before smashing his knee into her back. She grunted in pain. Kid Flash decided to land an assist and rushed forward to help but then he felt a fist in his gut. He doubled over before he was sent flying by a blast of wind.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" King Ryu roared before he turned to where Akuma was fighting Mimic. The female Knight had gotten loose and now was slashing with her scythes. King Ryu stalked towards the fight, his swords ready to lay the pain.

"BURNING SHOT!"

Fireballs suddenly rained down rapidly on and around King Ryu and he was stopped in his tracks. He looked up to see Pluto in his Jack Form and his gun aimed at the possessed Knight of Seiryu. An orange blur then suddenly rushed past and swiped him across the chest, sending sparks flying. He turned to see that it was Hikaru, in her Tiger Beast Spirit form. "You better back off," warned Hikaru. She would have said more, but Mimic slammed into her.

"Stupid girl, you obviously haven't learned your lesson from a year ago," sneered Akuma. He flexed his arms, ready to finish off Mimic. Kid Flash wasn't just going to sit back. He ran at Akuma, going faster than the speed of sound. He threw a fist at Akuma, only for him to dodge it.

"What?!" exclaimed Kid Flash in shock. How could someone dodge him?

"Nice try," said Akuma. He swung his claw, slashing Kid Flash across the chest. He grabbed Kid Flash and lifted him into the air. He flexed his claw. "Now I think I'll sharpen my claws on your bones…" Suddenly, a pink hex wave hit Akuma, forcing him to let go of Kid Flash.

"I knew you cared, Jinx," Kid Flash smirked before he too got blasted by a hex.

"Shut up, Kid Flash!" she snapped at him.

Mimic got back to her feet. "Hikaru, take care of Akuma," she suggested. "You're immortal so you may be able to last." The Tiger Beast Spirit nodded before rushing towards the berserking red eyed samurai. Mimic's eyes wandered over to the battle between King Ryu and Pluto, and it was not looking good.

Pluto was shooting at King Ryu with his gun but the bullets merely bounced harmlessly of King Ryu's thick armour. He even summoned up large rocks and sent them flying at Ryu but they shattered on impact. The possessed Knight then activated his Category King's power and sent Pluto flying into a tree with a telekinetic blast. The impact dislodged his Category Ace from his belt buckle and changed him back to human. The impact had also knocked Takada out cold. King Ryu began to charge up his swords with energy.

"Goodbye, you pest," King Ryu growled but then a fire arrow hit his side. He stumbled and then turned to see who had attacked him. He growled, full of hate, "You…"

Wild Mimic dropped her Suzaku Arrow and then revealed Kasaikori. She then drew the blade out of the scabbard before holding the sword tightly in her hands.

"You let go of my brother," she demanded, "Now". She then let out a battle cry and rushed at him. King Ryu charged back straight at her, his demonic and angelic swords glowing. Their weapons clashed and released both sparks and waves of energy upon impact. Mimic struggled against him. He was a lot stronger than expected plus more experienced with a sword but she would fight him and release her brother. She had to.

"Hey, better close your ears," King Ryu warned before he unleashed a sonic scream straight into Wild Mimic. The sound was completely deafening and everyone was forced to close their ears in an effort to drown out the noise. The force of the scream was so powerful that leaves were sent flying along with rocks and trees were being uprooted. Wild Mimic dug her heels into the ground, holding her own as she struggled against the powerful sonic scream. King Ryu then stopped screaming. "You're tougher than I thought." He then knocked her back with a telekinetic blast before slashing her across the chest with his demon blade. He then sent her flying with a powerful forward kick in the chest, cracking the green heart in the centre.

Hikaru slashed at Akuma with her claws, only to be countered by Akuma's claws. She may be a Category Queen Beast Spirit, but she was facing quite possibly the strongest human to have ever existed. Akuma threw his fist at Hikaru, but she dodged and threw the warrior into the forest, crashing through several trees. Hikaru smirked proudly. "Heh and Kat said you were tou-" She was cut off when a tree slammed into her from the forest.

"You were saying?" said Akuma as he walked out of the forest, not a scratch on him. Hikaru slowly got up, only to be met with a punch from Akuma, sending the Beast Spirit flying. She landed roughly on the ground and staggered to her feet. Akuma then vanished and appeared in front of Hikaru. He did an uppercut and sent Hikaru into the air. He leapt after her and slammed his foot into her back, making her crash down. Before she hit the ground Akuma appeared and slammed his foot into her back, increasing the force as she hit the ground. The impact created a small crater. She slowly tried to get up, but Akuma kicked her in the stomach, knocking her into the air slightly. He followed up with a roundhouse kick then sent Hikaru flying into several trees, causing them to splinter on impact. Hikaru looked up, she was bleeding heavily from the beating she was taking and one of her eyes was swollen shut.

"Is this truly the best you can do?" questioned Akuma. He flexed his claw and towered over the fallen Beast Spirit. He found a large piece of the fallen tree, which was actually most of the trunk. He lifted it up and began slamming it into Hikaru, a loud thud resounding after each strike.

Hikaru shrieked in pain from the pummelling. Each time the tree smashed into her, she felt as if her bones were shattering. She was getting beaten to a bloody pulp here and there was nothing she could do. That wasn't the worse though, it felt as if the slamming was getting harder. Akuma wasn't growing tired at all, he was getting stronger. Soon, Akuma threw away the tree and lifted her up by the throat. He then proceeded to lick a streak of blood off of Hikaru's face. "It's been so long since I had blood this good" laughed the ancient warrior. "I heard you were immortal… Let's test that theory." Akuma then grabbed both of Hikaru's arms and began pulling. He was trying to rip her in half. Hikaru screeched from the intense pain as he pulled, harder and harder, until he either ripped both her arms off or tore her straight down the middle in half like tissue paper.

"STRAIGHT FLUSH!"

Akuma was slashed in the back by two swords and dropped Hikaru who then involuntarily morphed back into her human form. Akuma turned to see King Ryu holding both the King Dragon Blade and the Dragon Fang.

"The other Beast Spirits are MINE to defeat and seal! Your opponent is ME!" King Ryu then continuously slashed at Akuma who attempted to block with his arms. A foot met his face and knocked the demonically possessed samurai back before the two swords pierced his chest. King Ryu laughed as he injured his opponent before sending him flying with a telekinetic blast.

Mimic struggled to her feet. Her visor was cracked and she watched as both her brother and friend fought viciously in their possessed states. She had to find a way to bring both of them back. Kat knew only one way to snap Kyo out of it. Where was Mahiro anyway? Akuma leapt into the air and spun around delivering a devastating kick to Ryu's head, the force of which shattered a piece of it. Akuma leapt into the air and was about to impale Ryu on his claw.

"KYO!" exclaimed Mahiro as she leapt in front of Ryu, arms spread wide. Akuma's eyes widened as Mahiro was hit instead of Ryu.

Akuma fell to his knees, cradling Mahiro. "No… no… Mahiro-chan…" said Kyo. Though he still looked like Akuma, Kyo was back in control. He looked up at Ryu and glared hatefully. "You…! This is your fault! I'll make you pay!" yelled Kyo, a blood red aura surrounding him. Kyo had tapped into the power of the Demon-God as his armor appeared. Tenro flew out of the tree it was lodged in and flew into Kyo's hand. "Shishin Douji Hatsudou!" Kyo summoned his four most powerful attacks: Suzaku the great red phoenix, Seiryu the legendary azure dragon, Byakko the mighty white tiger, and Genbu the powerful black tortoise entwined in serpents. Genbu held Ryu as Suzaku and Byakko tore through him. Genbu then tossed him into Seiryu's vortex. Once the attacks had finished Ryu was still standing, his armor was beginning to crack under the force of the attack. "Prepare to die…" warned the crimson eyed samurai. A strange golden wind blew around Kyo. He charged full force at Ryu. "KOURYU!" A loud roar came as a golden Chinese dragon flew from the sky and enveloped Kyo in its energy. The powerful dragon flew at Ryu, prepared to devour him.

King Ryu decided to counter so he quickly summoned and fed the cards into his sword, "SPADE 10! JACK! QUEEN! KING! ACE!...ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH"

Ryu roared as he slashed with his blade. The two attacks made contact, sending waves of energy around the two warriors. They were both enveloped in the following explosion.

Midori, Reika, Sanae and Jinx had to shield their eyes from the explosion. Mimic was helping Hikaru up as the girl bled green to the grass. She was wounded badly and was sealable at the moment. Kat wouldn't allow that. She was still her friend despite being a Beast Spirit.

A single figure walked out of the smoke cloud, holding a sword. Red eyes glowed and Mimic's eyes narrowed. It was King Ryu. She gently lay Hikaru down and marched over to face this thing that had dared to possess and corrupt her sweet twin brother. She concentrated and sent a beam of ice cold energy at him. The energy hit and slowly began to engulf him in ice. She panted but then yelled out in shock as the ice exploded off him. His body radiated a powerful aura so intense that it was getting hard to breathe.

"Is that all you got?" King Ryu sneered.

Mimic drew out her scythes, ready to do battle.

The fought brutally with their weapons. Sword clashed with scythes and sent sparks raining onto the ground. They were both capable and expert warriors, long ago leaving the rank of amateurs. Now, they were warriors on the battle field and only one of them would remain standing. Mimic used the power of the Shell Beast Spirit and then went into a powerful drill kick, digging into King Ryu's armour. He blasted her away with a wind blast before swinging his sword down on her but then he recoiled as a barrier shielded her courtesy of her Reflect Moth card. She then decided to use her Float Dragonfly's power and took to the air before flying back down at him. Her hand was charged to chop into him. He stood and waited and then she swung the blade of her hand down only for an aura field to cover him. It caused her to bounce back on impact and she flipped her body to land back on the ground.

King Ryu called forth the power of wind and electricity while Wild Mimic summoned intense heat and cold from her entire being. Collecting both powers into their hands, they then unleashed their attacks. An intense beam of fire and ice energy swirled and then came flying towards King Ryu. At the same time, a ball of concentrated charged with electricity flew straight towards Mimic. Both attacks smashed into one another but then cancelled each other out. Mimic then lashed out with vine whips but King Ryu used his sword to slice them into ribbons.

They then charged at each other and pounded on each other's armour with their fists and legs after banishing their weapons. King Ryu gave her a vicious uppercut and she returned with a forearms strike, slashing with the blades equipped to her gauntlets. She felt guilty hurting him like this but she was fighting for him now, to bring him back! They kicked and punched at each other ferociously, survival instincts taking over. Their armours were getting damaged. There were parts that were either shattered or cracked but they just kept going at it.

Mimic panted. She was growing exhausted. The Recover Camel card gave her a lot of endurance but even it had its limits. She looked to see King Ryu poised and ready to finish her off. There had to be something she could do and then a light bulb lit up in her head.

King Ryu roared as he charged straight towards Mimic, his sword poised for the killing blow. Mimic didn't even make to counter as she then dropped her weapons and waited for King Ryu to do her in. All he had to do was bring the King Dragon Blade down and slice her skull open with it. He chuckled darkly before raising his sword for an overhead slash bringing it down on top of her. Everyone froze in horror as they watched what could very well be Mimic's demise.

Time just stopped…

Then… nothing.

An inch away from her helmet covered head was the King Dragon Blade and it was shaking, along with its wielder. Draco's body began to shudder as King Ryu's influence began to leave him. The gem in the centre of his chestplate began to flash erratically.

"What!? What's going on!?" King Ryu demanded as he backed away from Mimic and dropped his sword. He clutched his head in pain.

'I will not allow you to hurt them!' Leo's voice yelled from within.

"NOOOOO!" King Ryu shouted, "You have no power! You're weak! You're worthless!"

'And you're evil!' Leo snapped, 'And I want you out of my body! Get out! GET OUT!'

"Come on, otouto-chan," Mimic urged, "You can do it! Fight him!"

King Ryu roared as lightning danced around him. Wild Mimic took this as her chance. She picked up the King Dragon Blade and charged towards her brother before swinging the sword and slicing the belt off his waist. The armor was then stripped itself off his body. Actually, to be more accurate, the armour shattered and the pieces reverted back into the cards that had created them. Leo dropped onto his knees, catching himself on his hands as he breathed deeply.

Wild Mimic slashed through her Category 2, "SPIRIT!" and walked over to her brother, allowing the field to restore her human form. She kneeled down, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, "It's over, otouto-chan. You won." He looked up at her, eyes filled with tears before he threw his arms around her and cried into her shoulder. She kissed his forehead in comfort, rocking him. Everyone watched the scene sombrely.

"It's alright, otouto-chan," Kat said as she rubbed his back. "It's okay. Don't cry."

"G-Gomen nasai, onee-chan…" he sobbed, "Gomen."

Leo continued to cry, out of guilt, pain and sorrow. Jinx just stared at this and looked down to the ground. Sanae was also staring and felt her heart breaking as Leo cried. She'd never seen him so sad before and wanted so much to join them and hug him but right now it was Kat and Leo's moment. Leo needed comfort from his sister.

Takada clutched his arm. His shoulder had gotten dislocated and it was possible that he had some broken ribs too. He watched the scene with worry. Leo had just been under the control of his Category Ace while in King Form. His superiors had already voiced out their concerns if this was to happen and Takada told them that he'd take care of it.

Kyo struggled to his feet. Midori ran over to him. "Kyo-kun!" she cried wanting to help her friend. Kyo stopped her.

"Help… Mahiro…" said Kyo before he passed out.

Leo, Kyo and Mahiro had been taken to the infirmary to recover. Luckily, Dr. Chigusa was there to lend a helping hand. After treating their injuries, she'd left the teens out of respect and to give them their space and privacy.

Kat exited the room to see Jinx and Sanae looking worried. Hikaru had bandages all over her body, but covered them with a long sleeved shirt and jeans. As a Beast Spirit she had a powerful healing factor. Kid Flash was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Takada was there too.

"How are they?" Sanae asked.

Kat shook her head, "They're in pretty bad shape." Leo had an emotional breakdown after nearly killing his friends and sister. It was doubtful that he would recover anytime soon. Mahiro was hurt badly and Kyo didn't even say anything. He just sat there, trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

"Can I see him?" Jinx asked. Kat looked at her.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Kat said, coolly. Leo had told her what had happened and right now Kat was feeling angry at both Jinx and Kid Flash. Jinx looked away in shame. Kat didn't really blame Jinx, but right now Jinx was the reason why her brother had lost control of his King Form and allowed Ryu to take over. Kat's storm blue eyes went over to the cocky speedster. She clenched her fists and walked over to him.

"Hey, whas-" Kid Flash began to greet before a fist smashed into his face, knocking him to the ground. Sanae gasped in shock at Kat's outburst. "Hey, what was that for!?" Kid Flash demanded.

"What was that for?" Kat repeated, incensed, "Let me list it down for you, Quicky. You kissed my brother's girlfriend, made him go psycho, and now he's beating himself up over it," she then finished, "Oh, and now he's an emotional wreck. How does that sound for a good reason?"

"Leo won't be able to help us find the King of Diamonds now," Takada stated. Kat coldly glared at him and the temperature fell a few degrees.

"Screw the mission!" Kat snapped, "My otouto-chan right now needs healing!"

"We can't just forget about the mission," Takada reasoned.

"I don't care!" Kat shot back. Her brother was in the room, crying. He needed her support and comfort to heal his broken heart. "Right now, he needs me, okay?"

Takada sighed, "Fine…"

Even though Kyo would never admit it, Akuma's ability to heal himself from anything was useful. He was now just damaged spiritually. Not only had he hurt Mahiro, but he'd lost control… again. He got up and went to check on Mahiro who was sleeping. It was good thing that Akuma had missed any vital organs or else…

Right now she needed to rest. He saw Leo and he was in a bad state. He couldn't face either of them now so he quietly left the room.

"Kyo…" Kat said slowly as the red eyed samurai came out, "How are you holding up?" He didn't say anything to her but his eyes grew cold as they set themselves on the speedster.

"Kid Flash… I wanna have a little talk with you," said Kyo. Kid Flash quirked an eyebrow at Kyo.

"Why?" the speedster asked curiously.

"You and I need to talk, just us," Kyo replied.

"Fine," Kid Flash shrugged before the two of them walked outside. Kat watched them go. She could guess what Kyo had in store for Kid Flash.

"I'm going back inside," Kat said. "My otouto-chan needs me."

"Is there anything we can do?" Midori asked and the Knight of Suzaku shook her head.

"Right now I'm the only person he needs to help him through this. Thanks, though." She didn't want their help. How could they understand? She was his sister, so she knew what he was going through right now and needed her shoulder to cry on.

Back in the room, Leo sat up on the bed with his arms hugging his legs to his chest. His eyes were red and wet with tears from crying. Kat closed the door behind her and asked, "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"Not too good," he replied. "I don't think I can even go on."

Kat was surprised. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm thinking of quitting the Advent Knights."

Kid Flash was slammed roughly against the wall. Kyo's hand was gripped firmly at his throat. "What the hell?!" exclaimed the speedster.

"I'm gonna make this short and easy. Stay away from Jinx. You go anywhere near her, and I swear, Akuma will be the least of your problems…" He slammed Kid Flash against the wall again. "Got me?!"

"Why the hell do you care?" argued Kid Flash, trying to force Kyo's hand off his throat.

"Simple, Leo's my friend. And because of you, his mind is completely fucked up right now. That, and thanks to you waking up Ryu, you let Akuma loose. Because of that, Mahiro got hurt, so that just pisses me off even more." He let go of Kid Flash, letting him slide to the ground. "You've been warned. And consider yourself lucky. Most people I hate don't even get that." Kyo then walked back in, leaving Kid Flash alone with his thoughts.

"Quitting?" Kat repeated, shocked, "But, why?"

"Does it matter?" he remarked, "I'm a danger to everyone if I let the Category Ace take over again. It's much safer if I never transform ever again. Besides, the 13 Spade Beast Spirits have already been sealed so my job is done."

"But what about the Trials?"

"There are still you, Takada-san, Desmond-san and the Cerberus Knights," Leo told her. "Also, the Titans, don't forget," he added. "You don't need me."

"Yes, we do," she objected, "You have friends who can help you."

"This isn't just about me, onee-chan!" he cried, "I nearly hurt you and everyone else I loved."

"That wasn't you," she clarified, "That was Ryu."

"Using my body!"

"But you're not responsible."

"I am!" He turned to look at her, "If I can't suppress the influence of the Category Ace, how can you expect me to be of any help and not a danger? I'm a liability now." He looked down to the buckle and cards in his hands, "I may not be able to transform anymore." He presented them to his sister, "Take them, find someone else more deserving."

Kat angrily slapped the Advent Buckle and cards out of his hands. The buckle dropped to the floor with a thud and the cards scattered. "That's bull!" she snapped, "And you know it!"

"I can't be the Knight of Seiryu, onee-chan," Leo said, "I can't be a hero…"

"No one's asking you to be a hero!" she grabbed his shoulders, "Look at me! We're warriors, not heroes!"

"Even warriors can become heroes, onee-chan," he added, "And I don't deserve to be called both. My honor has been tainted."

"So get it back again!" A jolt forced her to let go. "Otouto-chan!"

"I…can't…" he stuttered, voice cracked, "I just…can't…My heart…" he placed a hand to his chest, "My heart just won't let me do it."

He was heart broken. She needed help. Her eyes went over to the door. Dr. Chigusa may be able to give some counselling, but she needed Jinx and Sanae…but for now, seeing them may just cause him to breakdown. She sat onto the bed and wrapped her arms around him. He just sobbed into her chest as tears continued to fall; tears of shame, guilt, and sorrow.

Takada and Hikaru had left, so did Reika. This left only Midori, Sanae and Jinx. Jinx eyed the timid dark haired girl warily and asked, "So, you remember him now, don't you?" Sanae nodded. Jinx was afraid of this, "Oh, I see."

"I hate seeing him like this," Sanae admitted, "He's usually so strong and brave…not filled with pain."

"His heart and mind are in turmoil," Midori said, "Just like someone else I know."

"How do you know Leo?" Jinx asked the mysterious girl.

"It's a long and complicated story," Midori said, not wanting to get into it.

"I think we have time," Sanae urged.

"So, you're the reason Leo and Kat forgot everything that happened here before," Takada reasoned as he and Hikaru were outside with Reika.

"It was because of fate," Reika replied, "For some reason, those two went against it. They weren't supposed to meet everyone then."

"They have a habit of doing that, you know?" Takada said, "Going against fate. That what makes them a strong team."

"I now realize that erasing their memories was not exactly the best course of action."

"You think?" Hikaru retorted, cynically, "Leo doesn't know who to choose now. I may not be human, but human emotions aren't that hard for me to figure out. He's confused and his heart right now doesn't know who it belongs to."

"She's right," Takada agreed. He was slowly learning how to trust Hikaru.

"Fine, but the future was something I needed to preserve," Reika rationalized, "It was my job."

"Yea," Takada nodded, "Sometimes we are put in an awkward position to either choose between duty or what is right."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Reika asked the Knight of Byakko.

"Just because it's our destiny, doesn't mean we can't take control of it," Hikaru added.

Not always," Takada sighed, looking at Hikaru. "I mean, take Hikaru for instance. She's a Beast Spirit for crying out loud, meaning her existence is a danger to humanity." Hikaru gave him a glare. She didn't want to be reminded of that. "As an Advent Knight, I'm supposed to seal her, but right now I'm not. As for Hikaru, she's supposed to fight the other Beast Spirits, but she's decided to live as a human."

Reika thought for a moment, "I guess…you're right about that."

"So, now what?" Hikaru asked.

"I guess we can stop looking for Baihu for the time being," Takada said, "Right now, Leo's recovery is priority."

"Who's Baihu?" Reika asked. She had been out of the loop for awhile now.

The Knight and disguised Beast Spirit then told her about their mission. She wasn't really a civilian so Takada knew he could trust her with the secret.

Kanai was in his office, marking test papers to relieve his anxiety. He had sensed a great battle between two GIANT forces and it was affecting him in a VERY bad way. His hands were shaking and he had broken 5 pens in the last half hour.

"Damn it…" Kanai cursed, "That kind of power…it's absolutely frightening…"

"Are you still fretting about that, Kanai-kun?" a cheerful voice teased. Kanai growled.

"Damn it, Chinmei!" Kanai snapped, "Would you stop doing that?"

The hippie fanned himself and sighed, "No, not really." The King of Diamonds groaned. "Why are you so worried?"

"I'm worried because those Knights are on to me," Kanai said. He didn't know why he was telling this idiot anything, but it was better than keeping it all bottled up. "I actually like being free. I don't care about the Battle Game or whatever! It's a good thing that Hikaru's an idiot, plus I can mask my aura."

"They can still detect a bit of you, y'know?" Chinmei reminded, "I'd watch my back if I were you."

"If I were you, I'd seal myself because of bad fashion sense," Kanai mocked. Chinmei laughed as he left the room, leaving the Baihu Beast Spirit to his work.

Back in Jump City, a private jet landed at the airport. It was a white jet with a black SB emblem on the wings. The flying machine landed and rolled to a stop at the landing bay. The swung down and a man walked down the steps to the ground before he locked the machine up. He wore a black blazer with an SB badge, blue jeans, black gloves and white buttoned up shirt. His hair was short and neat with a green streak through it. He also had a goatee and a moustache. He removed his sunglasses and looked around.

"So, he's here," the man said, voice filled with malice, "Time to get what's mine."

Desmond was with Raven, sitting across from each other in the Tower library. Titans Tower had a library full of books of every genre for the young heroes to enjoy. Beast Boy didn't go and avoided the place like the plague and found solace in his videogames. Cyborg jus downloaded information into his head through the internet. Robin was too busy either training or going over case files. Starfire was the only other person to venture into the library because of her curiosity of Earth culture and her passion for learning.

Desmond looked up from his book and smiled at his girlfriend. She was intelligent, beautiful, brave and passionate, despite her not showing the last part that much. She could show a little emotion, but she didn't need to. He knew she loved him and vice versa. Raven smiled back, knowing that she didn't have to tell him how she felt…at least not all the time.

In his coat pocket was his Category Ace card. The Club symbol on the turtle image began to glimmer for a second before it faded.

OK, looks like someone new has arrived in Jump City. What does he want? Is he good or bad? Stay tune…

Snake Screamer gave me the idea for Ryu's demon and angel swords.

Thanks to Shadow Element 13 and Ten Faced Paladin for proofreading, editing and co-writing.

Preview to the next chap:

The Titans defeat an army of Slade-Bots with the help of Shadow but the Knight of Genbu gets knocked into an alley before he vanishes. Later, 'Shadow' appears again but this time he is causing havoc. Could Desmond have gone evil again or is it someone else using his armour? Stay tune for the next chapter…

Episode 12: Impostors